19 all Sarah J. Maas books including House of Flame and Shadow a crescent city novel book 3 9786559813919

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Works by the author published by Galera Record Throne of Glass Series The Assassin's Blade Throne of glass Midnight Crown

Heiress of Fire Queen of shadows Empire of storms Tower of Dawn Kingdom of ash

A Court of Thorns and Roses series Cutting thorns and roses Cutting through fog and fury Clipping of wings and ruin

Cutting silver flames Ice cut and stars City of the Crescent Moon Series

House of earth and blood House of heaven and breath

House of flame and shadow

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CONSULTANCY Acotar Brazil

PREPARATION Angelica Andrade Thaís Pol

LAYER

DIAGRAM OF THE PRINTED VERSION Abreu’s System

Adapted from the original by David Mann and John Candell

REVISION

COVER IMAGE

Ana Clara Werneck Luciana Aché

Carlos Quevedo ORIGINAL TITLE

Pedro Siqueira Rodrigo Dutra

House of Flame and Shadow

CIP-BRAZIL. CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION NATIONAL BOOK EDITORS UNION, RJ M11c Maas, Sarah J. House of Flame and Shadow [electronic resource] / Sarah J. Maas; Carolina translation Cândido, Gabriela Araújo. – 1st ed. – Rio de Janeiro: Galera Record, 2024. digital resource (City of the crescent moon; 3) Translation of: House of flame and shadow Format: epub System requirements: Adobe Digital Editions Access mode: world wide web ISBN 978-65-5981-391-9 (electronic resource) 1. American fiction. 2. Electronic books. I. Cândido, Carolina. II. Araújo, Gabriela. III. Title. IV. Series. 23-87512

CDD: 813 CDU: 82-3(73)

Meri Gleice Rodrigues de Souza - Librarian - CRB-7/6439

Copyright © by Sarah J. Maas, 2024 All rights reserved.

Reproduction, in whole or in part, through any means is prohibited. The author's moral rights were guaranteed.

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Text revised according to the Portuguese Language Orthographic Agreement of 1990. Exclusive publishing rights in Portuguese only for Brazil acquired by EDITORA GALERA RECORD LTDA. Rua Argentina, 120 – Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 20921-380 - Tel.: (21) 2585-2000, which reserves the literary property of this translation. Made in Brazil

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For Sloane, who lights up entire universes with her smile.

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SUMMARY

The Four Houses of Midgard Foreword

PART I – THE DESCENT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

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27

PART II – THE SEARCH 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

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61 62 63 64

PART III – THE ASCENSION 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94

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95 96 97 98 99

100 101 102

Thanks Next, an unpublished short story after the events of Casa de Chama e Sombra

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THE FOUR HOUSES OF MIDGARD As decreed in 33 Vanir by the Imperial Senate in the City Eternal HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD Shapeshifters, humans, witches, common animals and many others whom Cthona commands, as well as some of Luna's chosen ones HOUSE OF SKY AND BLOW Malakim (angels), fey, elementals, elves*, and those blessed by Solas, as well as some favored by Luna HOUSE OF MANY WATERS River spirits, mermaids, aquatic beasts, nymphs, kelpies, nøkken and others protected by Ogenas HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW Daemonaki, reapers, specters, vampires, draki, dragons, necromancers and many wicked and nameless creatures that even Urd can't see

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Use * Goblins were expelled from their House as punishment for their part in the Fall, and are now considered Inferior, although many refuse to accept the fact.

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FOREWORD

The Doe knelt in front of her immortal masters and pondered what it would feel like to cut their throats. A silver choker, heavy and cold, adorned her neck. It never felt hot on his skin. It was as if the snuffed out lives that that ornament symbolized wanted the icy grip of death to be felt. A silver javelin in a feral wolf uniform: the trophy for a rebel who had been swept from the bosom of Midgard. Lidia had conquered so many that her imperial attire couldn't handle them all — so many that some were melted down to make that necklace. Did anyone in that chamber see the necklace for what it actually represented? A collar. With a golden guide that connected it directly to the monsters in front of her. And did these monsters suspect that their loyal pet, sitting at their feet, wondered what their blood would taste and feel like on his tongue? In your teeth? But there she was, kneeling, until she was allowed to get up. How the world would kneel until the six enthroned asteri drained it of every last drop, leaving its carcass to rot in the void. The Eternal Palace staff had cleaned the blood from the shining crystal floor. The metallic smell of blood did not linger in the sterile air, there were no stray drops that disfigured the columns that lined the chamber. It was as if the events of two days ago had never happened. But Lidia Cervos couldn't allow herself to think about those events. Not while surrounded by her enemies. Not with Pollux kneeling beside him, with one of his shining wings resting on his head.

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her calf. If it were someone else, it could be understood as a gesture of comfort, of solidarity. But coming from Pollux the Hammer, it was a sign of possession. Lidia forced herself to appear indifferent and cold. He made an effort to calm his heart, focusing on the two fae kings presenting their respective cases. “My late son acted on his own,” said Morven, King of the Fae of Avallen, with a serious expression on his very white face. The tall, darkhaired man was wearing all black, but he didn't appear to be grieving. — If I had known of Cormac's disloyalty, I would have turned him in myself. Lidia glanced at the committee of parasites sitting in their crystal thrones.

Rigelus, as always inhabiting the body of a teenager Fae, he rested his delicate chin on his fist. — I find it hard to believe that you didn't know about the activities of his son, considering that he kept him on a short leash. Shadows whispered over Morven's broad shoulders, seeping from his scale armor. — He was an insubordinate boy. I thought I had already disciplined him by slapping him a long time ago. — You thought it was wrong — sneered Hesperus, the Evening Star, who had taken the form of a blonde nymph. His long, slender fingers drummed on the glittering back of his throne. — We can only assume that the roots of this treacherous act stem from some rot within his royal household. And now it must be cleaned. For the first time in all the decades since the Doe had met him, King Morven kept his mouth shut. He had had no choice but to respond to Asteri's summons the day before. It was obvious that he did not appreciate the reminder that his autonomy was an illusion, even on the misty island of Avallen. A small part of her was pleased with that—seeing the male who had been so pompous at Summits, meetings and balls now choosing his words carefully, knowing they could be his last. Morven grumbled:

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— I had no idea of my son's activities or his treacherous heart, I swear by Luna's golden bow. — His voice sounded clear as he added, with evident fury: — I condemn everything Cormac was and stood for. He will not be honored with a tomb, nor a funeral. No boat will bring his body to the Summerlands. And I will ensure that his name is expunged from all my household records.

For a second, a single second, Lidia allowed herself to feel sorry for the Ophion agent she had met; and of the faerie prince of Avallen who had done everything to destroy the beings before her. Just as she had also given her all. And I still would.

Polaris, the North Star — in the body of an angel with black skin and white wings — There —, he spoke slowly: will be no boat to send Cormac's body to the Summerlands because the boy sacrificed himself, and tried to take us with him. — Polaris gave a light, hateful laugh, similar to claws scratching Lidia's skin. — As if such simpleminded people were capable of doing that. Morven didn't respond. He had done everything he could, all that was left was to get on his knees and beg. And perhaps it was even necessary to reach that point, but, at that moment, the King of the Fae of Avallen held his head high. According to legend, not even the asteri could penetrate the mist that enveloped Avallen, but Lidia had never heard of this being put to the test either. Perhaps this was why Morven had come—to prevent the Asteri from having a reason to explore the veracity of the legend. If they were somehow repelled by some ancient power that surrounded Avallen, it would be worth going through that humiliation to keep such a secret. Rigelus crossed his legs, resting an ankle on his knee. Lidia had already seen the Radiant Hand order the execution of entire families with the same naturalness. —What about you, Einar? What do you have to say about your son? — A shitty little traitor — said Pollux from where he was kneeling, next to Lidia. His wing was still resting on his leg

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her, as if she were the owner of the situation. Her owner. The Autumn King ignored the Hammer. Ignored everyone except Rigelus when he responded, resolutely:

— Ruhn has always been undisciplined, since the day he was born; I did what I could to contain him. I have no doubt that he was deceived by his sister's conspiracies. Lidia kept her fingers open, even though she felt like clenching them into fists. He calmed his heart to a calm and common rhythm, which would not draw attention to Vanir ears. —So you seek to spare one child by condemning another? asked Rigelus, his mouth moving in a discreet smile. —What kind of father does that, Einar? — Bryce Quinlan and Ruhn Danaan have lost the right to say they are my children. Rigelus tilted his head, his short dark hair flickering under the glow of the crystal room.

— I thought she was called Bryce Danaan. You Did he revoke her royalty rights?

A muscle twitched in the Autumn King's cheek. — I'm still deciding what punishment will be appropriate for her. Pollux's wings fluttered, but the angel kept his head down as he growled to the Autumn King, "When I get my hands on your whore daughter, you'll be glad I disowned her." I will do ten times worse to her than she did to the Harpy. “You'll have to find her first,” replied the Autumn King coldly. Lidia reflected that Einar Danaan was one of the few fae on Midgard who could so openly provoke a powerful angel like Malleus. The Autumn King's amber eyes, so like his daughter's, looked up at the asteri. — Have your mystics discovered her whereabouts yet? — Don't you want to know where your son is? - He asked Octartis, the Southern Star, with a mischievous smile. — I know where Ruhn is — replied the Autumn King, without letting himself be moved. — He deserves to be there. — He turned towards Lidia and

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He analyzed her coldly. — I hope you can get all the answers out of him. Lidia returned his gaze, her face as impassive as ice—like the death.

The Autumn King's gaze flicked to the silver choker around her neck, his mouth curving slightly in approval. But he asked Rigelus, with an authority she could not help but admire: — Where's Bryce? Rigelus sighed, bored and irritated; a lethal combination. —She chose to leave Midgard. — An error that we will soon correct — added Polaris. Rigelus cast a warning glance at the lower asteri. The Autumn King said, his voice a little lower: — Bryce is no longer in this world? Morven looked closely at the other Fae King. As far as everyone knew, only one place could be accessed from Midgard — there was a wall surrounding the Northern Rift in Nena, to prevent its inhabitants from crossing into this world. If Bryce was no longer on Midgard, he could only be in Hell. Lidia had never stopped to think that the wall surrounding the Northern Rift could also prevent the Midgardians from leaving. Well, most Midgardians. Rigelus said firmly: — This information should not be shared with anyone. — The sharp tone of his words left the rest implicit: under penalty of death.

Lidia had been there when the other asteri had demanded to know how it had happened: how Bryce Quinlan had opened a portal to another world in their own palace and escaped through the fingers of the Radiant Hand. Their disbelief and hatred were a small victory in the face of everything else. what had happened, everything that was still churning inside Lidia. A silver bell rang behind the asteri thrones as a polite reminder that there was another meeting scheduled for tomorrow.

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little. — This discussion is not over yet — Rigelus warned the two Fae Kings. He pointed a slender finger at the double doors that opened onto the hallway. — If you talk about what you heard today, you will discover that there is no place on this planet where you can hide from our wrath. The Fae Kings bowed and left without saying anything else.

The weight of the asteri's gaze fell on Lidia, seeming to burn her soul. She endured it, just as she had endured all the other horrors in her life. — Get up, Lidia — ordered Rigelus, with a tone that bordered on affection. Then, to Pollux: — Get up, my Hammer. — Lidia swallowed the bile that burned like acid and stood, and Pollux followed her movement. His white wing brushed her cheek, the delicacy of his feathers contrasting with the rot of his soul. The bell rang again, but Rigelus raised his hand in wait for the servant who was waiting in the shadow of the nearby pillars. The next meeting could wait a few more moments. — How was the interrogation? — Rigelus dropped onto his throne as if he was asking about the weather. — We're in the initial movements — Lidia replied, feeling as if her mouth didn't belong on her body. — Athalar and Danaan will take some time to give in. — And the Hound from Hell? asked Hesperus, his dark eyes of nymph shining with malice.

— I'm still evaluating. — Lidia kept her chin up and placed her hands behind her back. —But I guarantee I will get what we need from them all, Your Graces. — As always — replied Rigelus, his gaze moving to the silver choker. — You have our permission to do your best work, Doe. Lidia bowed with imperial precision. Pollux repeated the movement, wings rustling. The example of a perfect soldier — what he was created to be. It was only when they entered the long corridor behind the throne room that the Hammer spoke.

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— Do you really think that little bitch went to Hell? Pollux nodded behind them, toward the dull, silent crystal gate on the other side of the hall. The busts that lined the path—all of asteri in its various forms over the centuries—had been replaced. The windows destroyed by Athalar's lightning have been repaired. Just like in the throne room, there was no longer any trace of what had happened. And beyond the crystal walls of the palace, there hadn't even been a whisper on the news. The only proof of what happened: the two Asteri guards who now flanked the Gate. The white and gold insignia glittered in the sunlight, and the spears carried by his gloved hands were like fallen stars. With the visors of the golden helmets lowered, it was not possible to see the faces behind them. It didn't matter, she thought. There was no individuality in them, no life. The elite: noble angels who were created to obey and serve. Just as they had been created to bear those bright white wings. Like the angel beside her. Lidia walked leisurely towards the elevators. — I'm not going to waste time trying to find out. But there's no doubt that Bryce Quinlan will return, regardless of where he ends up. Behind the windows, the seven hills of the Eternal City undulated in the sunlight, most of them encrusted with buildings with terracotta roofs. A barren mountain—more of a hill—sat to the north of the city's border, the metallic glow on its top was like a lighthouse. Was it a deliberate provocation to Athalar that the mountain, Mount Hermon, on which he and the archangel Shahar had planned the unfortunate battle of their rebellion, the first and last, now housed the spoils of the Asteri's new hybrid mech-suits? In the dungeons, Athalar had no way of seeing them, but knowing Rigelus, the positioning of the new machines was certainly symbolic. Lidia had read the report the day before, in the morning — what the Asteri had forged in recent weeks, despite all of Ophion's attempts to stop them. Despite all her attempts

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to stop them. But the written description was nothing compared to how the costumes looked at sunset. The city buzzed as military transports crested the hill and deposited them one by one, while news crews rushed to report on the cutting-edge technology. Her stomach dropped when she saw the costumes—and again when He looked at the iron shells shining in the sun.

More proof that Ophion had failed. They destroyed the mech-suit on Ydra, annihilated the lab a few days ago—and even then, it was too late. In secret, Rigelus had engineered this metal army and placed it on the barren summit of Mount Hermon. They were an improved version of the hybrids, and now it wasn't even necessary for there to be a pilot to operate them, although they still had the ability to carry a Vanir soldier if necessary. As if the hybrids had been a cleverly calculated distraction for Ophion, while Rigelus, in secret, perfected them. Magic and technology now came together in lethal efficiency, with minimal costs for military life. But these costumes were harbingers of death for any remaining rebels, and doomed the rest of the rebellion. She should have realized Rigelus's trick, but she hadn't. And now that horror would be unleashed on the world.

The elevator door opened, and Lidia and Pollux entered in silence. She pressed the button to descend to the lowest of the sublevels—well, the second lowest. The elevators did not go down to the catacombs, which could only be accessed by a crystal fan staircase. There, a thousand mystics rested. Each of them was now focused on the same task: finding Bryce Quinlan. Which led to a question: if everyone knew that the Northern Rift and other gates only opened to Hell, why did the Asteri bother to use so many resources to hunt it? Bryce was in Hell—surely there was no point in asking the mystics to find her. Unless Bryce Quinlan had ended up somewhere else than not Hell. A different world, perhaps. And if that were the case...

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How long would it take? How many worlds were there beyond Midgard? And what were the chances of Bryce surviving any of them —or of returning to Midgard one day? The elevator doors opened into the dank darkness of the dungeon. Pollux walked along the stone path with his wings well folded, as if he didn't want even a speck of dirt from the place to stain his immaculate white feathers. — Is that why you're keeping them alive? Like bait for that bitch? “Yes.” Lidia followed the screams past the flickering primaluces in the sconces along the wall. — Quinlan and Athalar are partners. She will return to this world because of this bond. And when that happens, go straight to him. — And the brother?

“Ruhn and Bryce are Stars,” Lidia replied, pushing open the heavy iron door that led to the large interrogation chamber. Metal scraped against stone with a crunch, eerily similar to the sounds of those suffering around them. — She will want to free him... because he is her brother and ally. Lidia walked down the steps to the center of the chamber, where three males were hanging in the center of the room with Gorsian shackles. Blood pooled beneath them, dripping onto the railing beneath their bare feet. She shut down every part of herself that was capable of feeling, of breathing.

Athalar and Baxian hung unconscious from the ceiling, their torsos showing a patchwork of scars and burns. And the back... In the almost silent chamber, the only sound was that of the drops that fell without stopping, like a leaking tap. Blood was still oozing from the stumps where his wings used to be. The Gorsian cuffs delayed healing to almost human levels—preventing them from dying, but ensuring they felt every second of pain. Lidia couldn't look at the third figure hanging behind them. I couldn't breathe around him. Leather whispered over stone, and Lidia sank deeper into herself as Pollux's whip snapped. He hit the back

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Athalar's harsh, bloody grip, and the Umbra Mortis shook, the chains restraining him. — Wake up — ordered the Hammer, mockingly. - The day is beautiful. Athalar opened his swollen eyes, his dark gaze glowing with hatred. The halo painted again on his forehead seemed darker than the shadows in the dungeon. The bruised mouth opened in a savage smile, revealing bloodstained teeth. — Good morning, flower of the day.

A low, ragged laugh sounded from Athalar's right. AND, Despite knowing it was foolish, Lidia looked. Ruhn Danaan, Prince Herdeiro dos Feéricos of Valbaran, to stared.

His lip and eyebrow, where Pollux had ripped out the piercings, were swollen and covered in blood. On the tattooed torso and arms above the head, blood, dirt and bruises mixed together. The prince's attractive blue eyes exuded utter contempt. For her. Pollux struck Athalar's back with the whip again, without asking questions. No, that was just the warm-up. The interrogation would come later. Baxian was still unconscious. Pollux had beaten him savagely the night before, after cutting off his and Athalar's wings with a dull saw. The Hound from Hell doesn't even shuddered.

At night, Lidia tried, projecting her voice into the musty air between her and the fairy prince. They had talked mentally outside of dreams, but she had been trying since he got there. Again and again, she projected her mind into his. He received only silence. It had been like this since Ruhn discovered who she was. What she was. She knew he could communicate, even with the Gorsian stones that hindered his magic and slowed down his healing process. I knew he had communicated with his sister before Bryce escaped. Night.

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Ruhn's lip drew back in a silent snarl, the blood dripping down your chin. Pollux's cell phone rang, a strange, high-pitched sound in this ancient sanctuary of pain. He stopped his blows, leaving an awful silence in his wake. “Mordoc,” said the Hammer, with the whip still in one hand. He turned away from Athalar's hanging, brutalized body. — Report. Lidia didn't bother to be bothered by the fact that her captain was responding to the Hammer. Pollux had taken the Harpy's death personally—sent Mordoc and the feral wolves to find any clue to Bryce Quinlan's whereabouts. He still believed that Bryce was responsible for the Harpy's death, because Athalar and Ruhn had not revealed that Lidia was the killer. They knew who she was, and the only thing stopping them from revealing her secrets was the fact that she was crucial to the rebellion. For a few moments, as Pollux turned away, Lidia allowed the mask on her expression to fall away. It let Ruhn see his true face. The one who had kissed his soul and shared everything he was with him, when their true selves had merged. Ruhn, he pleaded in his mind. Ruhn. But the fae prince did not respond. The hate in your eyes doesn't decreased. Then Lidia put on her Doe mask again. And, as soon as Pollux put the cell phone in his pocket and raised the whip again, the Doe ordered the Hammer, in a low, insensitive voice that had been his shield for so long: — It's better with the barbed wire, go get it.

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Bryce Quinlan was in a chamber so far beneath the mountains that daylight could only be a myth to the creatures that dwelt there. For a place that apparently wasn't Hell, the surroundings certainly resembled it: black rocks, an underground palace, an even more underground interrogation cell... the darkness seemed inherent in the three people before her: a petite female dressed in gray silk and two winged males with black scale-like armor. One of them—the handsome, powerful male at the center of the trio—literally emanated shadows and stars. He said his name was Rhysand. Which looked so much like Ruhn. It couldn't be a coincidence. Bryce had jumped through the Gate with the intention of reaching Hell, to finally accept the constant offers from Aidas and Apollion to send their armies to Midgard and interrupt the cycle of galactic conquests. But instead it ended up there. Bryce looked at the warrior next to Ruhn's almost twin. The male who had found her, who carried the black dagger that had reacted to Aster. His hazel eyes showed nothing but coldness and

predatory surveillance.

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— Someone needs to start talking. — It was the little female who spoke, the one who seemed shocked to hear Bryce speak in the Old Tongue and to see the sword. The flickering braziers of something that resembled primalux illuminated the silky locks of her chin-length hair, casting the shadow of her thin jaw as if in high relief. He watched Bryce with his eyes, an extraordinary shade of silver, impassive. — You said your name is Bryce Quinlan. He said he comes from another world... Midgard. Rhysand murmured to the winged male at his side. Translating, perhaps. The female continued: — If we are to believe you, how did you end up here? Why did you end up here? Bryce surveyed the cell, which beyond them was empty. No table on which instruments of torture glittered, no cracks in the solid stone beyond the door and the manhole in the floor, in the center, a few centimeters away. A manhole from which I could have sworn I heard a hissing sound emanate. —What world is this? asked Bryce, his voice hoarse. After Ruhn's body double introduced himself to the charming, welcoming entrance, he grabbed her hand. He held her tightly, his calluses scraping against her skin: the only concrete thing amid the wind and darkness that roared around them, the world disappearing. And then, there were only solid rocks and faint lights. She had been taken to a palace carved beneath a mountain, descending the narrow stairs to that dungeon. There, he pointed to the single chair in the center of the room, in a silent command. So she sat there, waiting for restraints or handcuffs or whatever form of restraint they used in this world, but nothing. it happened.

The mignon female replied: — Why do you speak in the Old Tongue? Bryce lifted his chin at the female. — Why do you speak?

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The female's red painted lips curved upwards. It was not a reassuring sight. — Why are you covered in blood that isn't yours? Female 1 x 0 Bryce. Bryce knew that her clothes and her hands, covered in blood, now dry and dark, were not helping her. It was the Harpy's blood, and a little of Lidia's. They covered Bryce as part of a careful game to keep her alive, to keep her secrets safe, while Hunt and Ruhn were... He began to breathe more heavily. She had abandoned them. Your partner and your brother. She had left them in that palace, in the hands of Rigelus. The walls and ceiling seemed to compress, taking all the air from his lungs. Rhysand raised a large, star-encrusted hand. — We won't hurt you. — Bryce found the rest of the sentence lurking in the thick shadows around him: if you don't try to hurt us. She closed her eyes, tried to calm her ragged breathing, feeling the enormous weight of the rocks above and around her. Less than an hour ago, he had been running away from Rigelus's power, dodging exploding marble busts and shattering windows, and Hunt's lightning had shot through his chest and into the Gate, causing a portal to open. She had jumped to Hell… And now... now she was there. His hands were shaking. She closed them into fists and squeezed. Bryce took a slow, shaky breath. He exhaled and repeated. Then it opened his eyes and asked again, in a firm and clear voice: — What world is this? His three interrogators responded nothing. Then Bryce stared at the female, the smallest of the group, but definitely not the least lethal. — You said that it's been fifteen thousand years since anyone spoke the Old Language here. Why?

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The fact that they were Fae and knew the language suggested some connection between them and Midgard, a connection that, little by little, Bryce began to understand with terrible clarity. — Why did you have Gwydion's missing sword? — replied the female coldly. — What... are you talking about Aster? — Another connection between worlds. The three continued to stare at her. An impenetrable wall of people used to getting answers, no matter what the cost. Bryce had no weapons, nothing but the magic in his veins, the Archesian amulet around his neck, and the Horn tattooed on his back. But to wield them, it needed power, it needed to be recharged like a fucking battery... So, words were his best weapon. Thankfully, according to Hunt, she had been a master at inventing lies for years. “It's a family heirloom,” Bryce said. — It's been in my world since it was taken there by my ancestors... fifteen thousand years ago. — He let the last words sink in with a penetrating look at the female. Let her do the math, like Bryce had done. But the handsome male — Rhysand — asked in a voice like midnight: — How did you find this world?

This was not a male to be trifled with. None of those people were, but he... exuded authority. As if it were the structure of that place. Some kind of king. - I did not find it. — Bryce met his star-studded gaze. A more primal part of her gave way to the intense power in his eyes. — I already said: my intention was to go to Hell, but I ended up here. - As? The things below the manhole hissed louder, as if sensing his wrath. Demanding blood. Bryce swallowed. If they knew about the Horn, its power, the Gates... what would stop them from using it, in the same way as Rigelus

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intended to do? Or see it as a threat to be eliminated? Master at inventing lies. She could do this. — In my world, there are gates that open to other worlds. For fifteen thousand years, they mostly opened themselves to Hell. Well, the Northern Rift opens directly into Hell, but... — Let them think she's babbling, that she's a fool. The party girl, as much of Midgard had labeled her, as Micah had believed her to be, until she ended up sucking up his fucking ashes. — This Gate sent me here, with a one-way ticket.

Would they have passages in this world? Means of transport? When she noticed the silence, she explained: — A friend of mine bet that he could send me to Hell using his power. But I think... — She went over everything Rigelus had said to her in those last moments. That the star on his chest somehow acted as a beacon to the original world of the Starry people. Trying to turn around, she nodded towards the warrior's dagger. — In my world, there is a prophecy that involves my sword and a lost knife. She says that when the two are reunited, the fae of Midgard will also be reunited. A master at inventing lies.

— So maybe that's what I'm here for. Maybe the sword sensed that dagger and... brought me to it. Silence. Then the brooding warrior with hazel eyes laughed quietly.

How had he understood without Rhysand translating? Unless that he could read her body language, her tone, her scent... The warrior spoke in a low voice that sent a shiver down her spine. Rhysand looked at him with raised eyebrows, then translated to Bryce with the same threatening tone: — It's a lie. Bryce blinked, the picture of innocence and outrage. —What is a lie? — You have to tell us. — Darkness gathered in the shadow of Rhysand's wings. It wasn't a good sign.

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She was in another world, with strangers who were evidently powerful and would not hesitate to kill her. Every word that came out of his mouth was vital to his safety and survival. — I just saw my partner and my brother get captured by a group of intergalactic parasites — she said. — I don't want to know anything else, other than finding a way to help them both. Rhysand looked at the warrior, who nodded discreetly, without looking away from Bryce even to blink. “Good,” Rhysand said to Bryce, crossing his muscular arms. — At least that's true. Still, the female mignon was unfazed. In fact, your features became even more serious after Bryce's outburst. - Explain. They were fey. There was nothing to suggest they were any better than the scumbags Bryce had known most of his life. And, somehow, despite appearing to be trapped a few centuries behind her world, they seemed even more powerful than the Midgardian fey, which could only mean more arrogance and arrogance. She needed to get to Hell. Or at least go back to Midgard. And if he talked too much...

The female, upon noticing his hesitation, ordered: — Look into her mind, Rhys. Bryce tensed. Gods. He could enter your mind, see anything he wanted... Rhysand looked at the female. She glared at him with a ferocity that contrasted with her diminutive stature. If Rhysand was in command, his subordinates certainly weren't expected to be silent cronies. Bryce looked at the only door. I wouldn't have been able to get there in time, not even on the off chance that they had left it unlocked. Running wouldn't do any good. Could the Archesian amulet protect her in some way? It hadn't stopped Ruhn's mental chatter, but... I don't go where I'm not invited spontaneously.

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Bryce jumped back in his chair, almost tipping it over when he heard the soft male voice in her mind. Rhysand's voice. But she responded, thanking Luna for keeping her voice calm and under control: Code of ethics for mental chatter? She felt his hesitation, almost as if he were entertained. You Have you come across this method of communication before?

Yes. That was all she would say about Ruhn. Can I look at your memories? See for yourself? No you can not. Rhysand blinked slowly, and then said out loud, “Then we'll have to trust your words. The female mignon gasped at him. - But... Rhysand snapped his fingers and three chairs appeared behind them. He sat gracefully on one of them, crossing his ankle above his knee. The synthesis of beauty and fey arrogance. He looked at his companions. — Azriel. — He gestured slowly to the male. Then to the female. —Amren. Then he gestured to Bryce and said, his voice neutral: — Bryce... Quinlan. Bryce nodded slowly. Rhysand examined his own nails, cut and clean. —So your sword... has been in your world for fifteen thousand years? —Brought by my ancestor. — She considered what she would say next, then added: — Queen Theia. Or Prince Pelias, depending on the political propaganda being disseminated. Amren stiffened a little. Rhysand looked at her, registering the movement. Bryce dared to press: — Have you... ever heard of them? Amren examined Bryce, from his blood-spattered neon pink shoes to his ponytail. The blood smeared on Bryce's face was now hard and sticky. — It's been a long, long time since anyone mentioned those names around here.

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Bryce bet it was exactly fifteen thousand years ago. — But have you ever heard of them? —Bryce's heart accelerated.

“They once... lived here,” Amren said cautiously. It was the last piece of information Bryce needed to confirm which planet it was. Something settled inside, a loose thread finally being put into place. —That's it, so...this is where we...the Fae of Midgard...come from. My ancestors left this world for Midgard... and we forgot where we came from. Silence again. Azriel spoke in their language, and Rhysand translated. Perhaps Rhysand had been mentally translating the last few minutes of the conversation for Azriel. — He said we never heard of our people migrating to another world. Amren made a soft sound, shocked. Rhysand turned around slowly, somewhat in disbelief.

—Have we heard? — he asked softly. Amren brushed invisible dirt off her silk blouse. — It's quite vague. I've heard it before... — She shook her head. —But when I showed up, there were rumors. That many people had disappeared, as if they had never existed. Some spoke of another world, others said they were removed to distant lands, and some claimed they were chosen by the Cauldron and secretly taken somewhere. — They must have gone to Midgard — commented Bryce — guided by Theia and Pelias... Amren raised a hand. — We can hear your myths later, girl. What I want to know,” his eyes sharpened, and Bryce could barely bear the scrutiny, “is why you came here when you should have gone somewhere else. “I'd like to know, too,” Bryce replied, perhaps a little more fearlessly than she should have been. — Believe me, all I wanted to do was get off your back right now.

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—And go to... Hell — said Rhysand, neutrally. - For find this Prince Aidas. These people were not her friends or allies. This could be the world the fae had come from, but who knows what the fuck they wanted or craved? Rhysand and Azriel were handsome in appearance, but Urd knew that the fae of Midgard had used their beauty to get what they wanted for millennia. Rhysand didn't need to read her mind... no, he seemed to be able to read everything in her expression. He uncrossed his legs, placing both feet on the stone floor. — Allow me to draw the situation for you, Bryce Quinlan. She forced herself to look into his star-studded eyes. He had faced the asteri, the archangels and the fae kings, he could face him too. The corners of Rhysand's mouth turned up. — We won't torture you and I won't get into your mind. If

Choosing not to speak will indeed be your choice. Just as it will be my choice to keep you down here until you change your mind. Bryce couldn't help but stare at the place, his attention shifting lingering in the manhole and the hissing noises that came from inside it. — I will definitely recommend it to my friends. The stars stirred in Rhysand's gaze. — Is it possible for others from your world to come here? She responded as sincerely as she could. — No. As far as I know, they've been looking for this place for fifteen thousand years, but I'm the only one who's made it back. - Who are they? — The asteri. I told you... intergalactic parasites. - What does that mean? “They're…” Bryce hesitated. Who could guarantee that these people wouldn't hand her over to Rigelus? Give in to him? Theia had come from this world and fought against the Asteri, but Pelias bought their speech and fell to his knees at their immortal feet without blinking. Her silence said it all. Amren laughed ironically. — Don't waste your time, Rhysand.

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Rhysand tilted his head like a predator analyzing his prey. Bryce kept his chin up. Her mother would be proud of her. He snapped his fingers again and made the blood and dirt covering her disappear. A stickiness still dampened his skin, but it was clean. She blinked a few times, looking at her body and then at him. A discreet and cruel smile appeared on his mouth. — Just an encouragement.

Amren and Azriel remained impassive, waiting. She would be very stupid if she believed Rhysand's encouragement demonstrated any trace of kindness. But I could follow the rules of the game. Then Bryce said, “Asteri are ancient, like, tens of thousands of years old. — She shuddered as she remembered the place beneath the palace, with the records of conquests from millennia past, complete with a unique system of counting dates. Their captors didn't respond, didn't even blink. Right... being very old did not seem surreal to them. — They arrived in my world fifteen thousand years ago, and no one can say where they came from. — How did they get there? asked Rhysand. - Sincerely? I have no idea how they ended up on Midgard. The story they told was that they would be... liberators. People who opened other people's eyes. According to them, Midgard was nothing more than the end of the world, a planet occupied by humans and non-magical animals. The Asteri chose it to be the place where they would begin to create a perfect empire, and creatures and races from other worlds began to flock there through a rift between the worlds called the Northern Rift. Now it only opens to Hell, but it used to open... to everywhere else. Amren pressed. — A crack. How does it work? “I don't know,” Bryce replied. — No one has ever figured out how it's possible... or why it's in that area of Midgard and not another. Rhysand asked:

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—What happened after the other beings arrived in your world? Bryce bit his mouth before saying: — In the official version of the story, another world, Hell, tried to invade Midgard to destroy the still young empire, and everyone who lived there. But the Asteri united all these new races under the same banner and brought Hell back to their own kingdom. In the meantime, the Northern Rift was deactivated and its final destination permanently became Hell. After that, it was closed most of the time. A massive wall was erected around it to prevent other native stragglers from Hell from slipping through the cracks, and the Asteri built a glorious empire, made to last for all eternity. Or that's what they want us to believe.

The faces before her remained unfazed. Rhysand asked softly, “And what is the unofficial version?”

Bryce swallowed hard, the flashes of the archives room coming into view. in your mind.

— The asteri are ancients, immortal beings who feed on the power of others... they extract the magic of a people, a world, and feed on it. We call it primalux. It is the source of energy for our world, but above all theirs. They force us to hand it over when we reach immortality... well, as close to immortality as we can get. Our complete and developed power is withdrawn in a ritual called Descent, and, in this process, part of it is drained and destined for the asteri's primalux stores. It is imposed on our magic. as a She wasn't even going to mention what happened after death. How the power that remained in their souls ended up being extracted as well, forced through the Gate of the Dead by the Under-King and transformed into secundalux to further feed the asteri. Whatever was left for them after the Under-King was satisfied. Amren tilted her head, her short, straight strands moving. — A tax for their magic, levied by ancient beings to nourish themselves and obtain power. — Azriel looked at her, Rhysand

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probably translating from one mind to another. But Amren murmured to herself, as if the words reminded her of something: — A tribute. Rhysand raised his eyebrows discreetly. But he waved his big, elegant hand for Bryce to continue, “What else?” She swallowed again. — Midgard is the last in a large group of worlds invaded by the Asteri. They have a complete archive of all the planets they have conquered or tried to conquer. I saw this file just before I came here, and in all the records, I found only three planets that managed to expel them... that resisted and defeated them. They were Hell, a planet called Iphraxia and... a world occupied by the fae. The original, Starry Fae. — She nodded to the dagger next to Azriel, which lit up with black light in Aster's presence. — You call my sword by another name, but you recognize what it is. Only Amren nodded.

“I think it's because she came from this world,” Bryce added. —She seems to be connected to that dagger in some way. It was forged here, became part of your history and then disappeared. Right? It's been fifteen thousand years since you've seen it or spoken this language... which fits perfectly with the timeline of when the Starry Fae arrived on Midgard. The Star-Spangled Ones — Theia, the queen, and Pelias, the traitor-prince who usurped her. Theia took two daughters to Midgard with her: Helena, who had been forced to marry Pelias, and another, whose name has been lost to history. Much of the true history of Theia has also been lost, either to time or to the political ideologies of the Asteri. Aidas, Prince of the Gorge, was in love with her. Bryce knew that. Theia combateu os asteri ao lado do Inferno, para libertar Midgard. She ended up being killed by Pelias, and her name was almost erased from all memories. Bryce carried Theia's light, Aidas had confirmed. But beyond that, there was no information about the longdead queen, not even in the Asteri Archives.

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— So you believe — Amren said slowly, her silver eyes shining — that our world is the third planet that has resisted these... asteri. It was Bryce's turn to agree. She gestured to the cell and the kingdom above. — From what I learned in their archives, long before they came to my world, the Asteri came here. They conquered, interfered and reigned in this world. But the fey ended up defeating them. — She let out a short sigh, analyzing each of the faces before her. - As? — The voice was hoarse, desperate. — How did you do that? But Rhysand only looked warily at Amren. She must have been some court historian or scholar, as he often consulted her about the past. He said, addressing her: — There's nothing like that in our history. Bryce interrupted him: — Well, the asteri remember their world. They still hold a grudge. Rigelus, their leader, told me that it is his personal mission to find this place and punish you for throwing them all out on the street. You guys are basically the Asteri's public enemy number one. “That's in our history, Rhysand,” Amren added seriously. —But the Asteri didn't have that name. Here, they are called daglan. Bryce could have sworn Rhysand's face turned a little paler. Even Azriel fidgeted in his seat, his wings rustling. Rhysand said firmly: — All the daglan were murdered. Amren shuddered. The gesture seemed to make the expression of Rhysand became even more agitated. “It doesn't seem like it,” she replied. Bryce pressed Amren: — Do you have records of how they were defeated? — A spark of hope shone in his chest. —Nothing but old songs of bloody battles and terrible losses.

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— But the story... does it seem true to you? asked Bryce. —Evil bosses and immortals have taken over this world, and you have come together to defeat them? Their silence served as confirmation. Still, Rhysand shook his head, as if he couldn't believe it. “And you think…” He looked at Bryce, his eyes returning to a predatory focus. Gods, he was scary. — Do you believe that the daglan... these asteri... want to come back here to take revenge. After fifteen thousand years. — There was doubt in every word. “That's, like, fifteen minutes to Rigelus,” Bryce countered. — He has infinite time... and resources. — What kind of resources? — Cold and sharp words; a leader calculating the size of the threat to his people. How can I begin to describe weapons, sulfur missiles, mec-suits, omega boats or even the power of the asteri? How to explain the cruelty and terrible range of a projectile? And maybe it was reckless, but... she reached out to Rhysand. — I can show you. Amren and Azriel gave him alarmed looks. This could be a trap. “Wait a minute,” Rhysand exclaimed, and disappeared. Bryce was startled.

— Can you... can you teleport too? “We call it crossing,” Amren said slowly. Bryce could have sworn Azriel's smile was forced. But Amren asked: — Can you do it too? “No,” he lied. If Azriel noticed the lie, he didn't catch her attention this time. —Only two fae can do that. It was Amren's turn to be amazed. — Two... on your entire planet? — Am I going to guess and tell you to have more?

Without Rhysand to translate, Azriel just watched them in silence. Bryce could have sworn shadows enveloped him, like Ruhn, but… they were wilder. As with Cormac. Amren tilted her chin down.

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—Only the most powerful, but yes. Many succeed. As if called, Rhysand appeared again, holding a small silver sphere. —The Veritas sphere? — Amren was surprised, and Azriel raised an eyebrow. But Rhysand ignored them and held out his other hand, displaying a small speck of silver. Bryce watched them, staring at the sphere he placed on the floor. - What are those things? Rhysand nodded at the sphere. — Hold it, think about what you want to show us, and the sphere will hold the memories for us to see. It seemed simple. Like a camera of the mind. She carefully approached the sphere and picked it up. The metal was smooth and cold, and lighter than it should be. It was hollow inside. “Here I go,” he said, and closed his eyes. She visualized the weapons, the wars, the battlefields she had seen on television, the mechsuits, the weapons she had learned to shoot, the classes with Randall, the power Rigelus had fired down the hallway behind her... He ended the memories at this point: before jumping through the Gate, before leaving Hunt and Ruhn behind. She didn't want to relive that, nor show what she could do and reveal the Horn or her ability to teleport. Bryce opened his eyes. The ball remained silent and cloudy. She placed her back on the floor and rolled her towards Rhysand. He floated it on an invisible wind to his hand, then touched the upside. And everything that was in her head started to pass. It was even worse to watch it as some kind of puzzle of memories. Seeing the violence, brutality and ease with which the Asteri and their subordinates killed indiscriminately. But what she felt was nothing compared to the surprise and terror on each of their faces. “Guns,” Bryce said, pointing to the rifle Randall fired at his memory being broadcast, making the bullet perfectly hit the target half a mile away. — Sulfur missiles. — She pointed to the golden blooming light of destruction as the buildings of Lunathion crumbled around her. —

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Omega boats. —SPQM Faustus hunted in the dark depths of the ocean. — Asteri. — Rigelus' incandescent power caused stone, glass, and the world itself to explode. Rhysand's face went impassive again, the mask of coldness returning to its place. — You live in a world like that. It wasn't really a question, but Bryce agreed. - Yes. — And they want to bring all of this... here. - Yes. Rhysand stared into space, thinking about everything he had seen. Azriel continued to stare into the space where, minutes before, the sphere had shown the great destruction of her world. He seemed apprehensive and yet calculating. She had seen that look on Hunt's face before. The mind of a warrior in action. Then Amren turned to Rhys and they exchanged a look. Bryce knew that expression too. A silent conversation was going on between the two. How Bryce and Ruhn talked so much times.

His heart sank when he saw the scene, when he remembered it. But, at the same time, it made me stay focused. The asteri were there; under another name, but they were. The ancestors of these fae defeated them. And Urd had sent her there—there, and not to Hell. There, where she found, at the same moment, the dagger that attracted Aster. As if it were the magnet that drew her to this world, this ravine. Could this be the knife of prophecy? She had believed that destroying the asteri would be as easy as extirpating that primalux core, and yet Urd had sent her here. To the original world of the Midgardian fey. She had no other choice but to trust Urd's reasoning. And pray that Ruhn, Hunt, and everyone else he loved on Midgard could hold it together until he found a way to return home. If I could find... Bryce examined the smooth, shiny silver grain in his hand. Amren said, without looking at her: AND

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— Just swallow and it will translate our mother tongue for you. AND it will also allow you to speak it. “How chic,” Bryce muttered. She needed to find a way to get home. And if that meant getting to know this world first... language skills would be useful, considering how much shit he still had to say. And of course she didn't trust these people for a second, but if she took into account the conversation they had, she highly doubted they would try to poison her. Or that they were willing to do so, when cutting her throat would be so much easier. It wasn't the most comforting of ideas, but even so, Bryce put the silver grain in his mouth, and with a lot of saliva he swallowed it. He felt the cold metal on his tongue and throat, and he could have sworn he felt it slide down to his stomach. Lightning flashed in his brain. She was being split in two, her body couldn't handle the searing light... Then darkness overcame her. Silent, peaceful and eternal. No... there was the room around her. She was on the floor, bent over her knees and... glowing. The glow was bright enough to illuminate Rhysand and Amren's shocked faces. Azriel was already at the ready beside her, the lethal dagger unsheathed and glowing with a strange black light. He noticed the darkness emanating from the blade and blinked. Since had arrived, Bryce hadn't seen him show such shock. — Take it away, you idiot! — Amren scolded. — The dagger attracts, and, when approaching it...

The blade disappeared from Azriel's hand, carried away by a shadow. Silence, tense and charged, spread throughout the room. Bryce stood up slowly, the way Randall and her mother had made her stand. taught to move in front of vanir and other predators. And as she stood up, she felt it in her brain: the knowledge of a language she didn't know before. It was on the tip of her tongue, ready to be spoken, as naturally as hers. It shimmered on his skin, burning as it ran down his spine, across his shoulder blades... wait a minute.

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Oh no. No, no, no. Bryce didn't dare touch the Horn tattoo, nor draw attention to the letters that formed the words For love, anything is possible. He could feel them reacting to whatever was in that spell that made her glow, and he could only pray that the reaction wouldn't be visible. His prayers were in vain. Amren turned to Rhysand and said, in that strange new language, their language, “Those shiny letters tattooed on her back... are the same ones. which are in the Book of Breaths.

They must have seen the words through the t-shirt as it lay on the floor. With each breath, the tingling lessened, as if the glow was fading. But the damage was already done. They evaluated her once again. Three excellent assassins

contemplating a threat. Finally Azriel said in a soft, threatening voice: — Explain yourself or you will die.

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Tharion's blood dripped into the porcelain sink of the silent, dank bathroom. The roars of the crowd resounded distantly through the cracked green tiles. He inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. Pain spread through his bruised ribs. Stand up. He grabbed the cracked edges of the sink. He took another deep breath, focusing on the words and fighting to keep his knees from giving out. Stand up, damn you. I had taken a beating today. The minotaur he had just faced in the Viper Queen's ring was twice his weight and at least four feet taller. Tharion had a hole in his shoulder from which blood gushed into the sink drain, thanks to the horns that he was not fast enough to dodge. In addition to many broken ribs due to the punches he received from fists the size of his head. Tharion breathed again, grimacing through the pain, and grabbed the small first-aid kit from the sink. His fingers trembled and he fumbled with the bottle of potion needed to alleviate the pain and accelerate the healing that his Vanir body was already processing. He tossed the cork into the trash can next to the sink, on top of the wad of bloody cotton bandages and handkerchiefs that had been left behind.

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used to clean his face. Somehow, being able to see her face and the male beneath was more important than dealing with the pain—and the hole in her shoulder. His reflection was not pleasant. The bruises under his eyes matched the bruises along his jaw, there were cuts in his mouth, and his nose was swollen. All of it would disappear and be healed quickly, but the emptiness in his eyes…it was his face, and yet it was the face of a stranger. Tharion didn't look at his own eyes in the mirror as he tilted the flask and swallowed it all at once. A light, tasteless liquid filled his mouth and throat. He had already taken shots like that. In a matter of a few weeks, everything had gone wrong. His whole damn life had gone wrong. He had given up everything he was, what he once was and what he could be. He had chosen to be stuck with the Viper Queen. He was desperate, but the weight of his decision suffocated him. He had arrived two days ago and hadn't been allowed to leave the maze of warehouses—not that he wanted to, anyway. They had even taken care of his need to get back into the water: a special bathtub had been set up downstairs, with water pumped directly from Istros. Therefore, it had been days since I had been to the river or felt the wind and sun or heard the usual conversations and noises of normal life. I hadn't even found a window to the outside. The door opened and a familiar feminine scent gave away the newcomer's identity. As if at this hour, in this bathroom, it could be anyone else. The Viper Queen had a team of fighters. But those two... for the past few days, she had treated them like prized racehorses. They fought in prime time, and this bathroom was for private use, as was the suite upstairs. The Viper Queen owned them, and she wanted everyone to know it. — They're already waiting for you — Tharion's voice was hoarse and he spoke over his shoulder to Ariadne. The haired dragon

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dark clothes, dressed in a black outfit that accentuated her lush curves, turned to him. Tharion and Ariadne must always look sensual and stylish, even when Queen Viper ordered them to bleed to amuse the audience. Ariadne stopped in front of a sink a few meters away, examining his own face in the mirror while washing his hands. — Still beautiful as always — teased Tharion. The joke made the dragon watch him from the corner of her eyes. — You look terrible. “Always good to see you too,” he said slowly, the healing tingling through your body. Her nostrils flared a little. It wasn't wise to pick on a dragoness, but he seemed to be making one stupid decision after another lately, so why stop now? “There's a hole in your shoulder,” she said, without looking away from his. Tharion glanced at the wound, still frightening even as the skin began to close—the sensation was similar to spiders crawling through the area. — It will make me stronger.

Ariadne laughed ironically, looking back at her own reflection. — You know, you like showing off to the females. I'm starting to think it's some kind of shield. He stiffened. —Against what? — I don't know and I don't care. — Eat.

Ariadne continued to observe herself in the mirror. Was she looking for herself too? Or looking for who you were before you ended up there? Or perhaps looking for who she was before the Astronomer trapped her in a ring and wore her on his finger for decades? Tharion had done what the Viper Queen had requested regarding Ari: he had woven a web of lies to his Aux contacts about the dragon being requisitioned for security reasons. Then,

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Technically, Ari was not a slave of the Viper Queen. She continued to be someone else's slave. She just... lived there now. “Your rapt audience is waiting,” Tharion said, as he took another cotton handkerchief and held it under the running tap before wiping the blood from his bare chest. He could take a shower in one of the showers to his left, but it would hurt like hell on his still healing wounds. He rolled over, struggling to clean the particularly nasty cut along his left shoulder blade. He couldn't reach it, even with his long fingers.

— Give it to me — ordered Ariadne, taking the handkerchief from his hand.

— Thank you, Ar... Ariadne. — He had almost called her Ari, but it didn't seem wise to contradict her right after she offered to help. Tharion gripped the sink with his hands. Ariadne patted the wound, wiping away the blood, and he gripped the porcelain hard enough to make it creak under his fingers. She locked her jaw to withstand the burn and, amidst the silence, the dragon said: — You can call me Ari. — I thought you hated that nickname. —It seems like everyone wants to use it, so it might as well be It's my decision to let you call me that too. —Was that your reasoning when you abandoned my friends just before a death hunter attacked them? — He couldn't suppress the hurt in his voice, and damn the idea of not contradicting her. — Everyone expected the worst from you, so why go against that expectation? She snorted.

— Your friends... you mean the witch and the redhead? — Yes. Very noble of you to let go of them both. — They seemed capable of taking care of themselves. - And they are. But you left anyway.

— If you care so much about their safety, then maybe you should be there. — Ari threw the tissue in the trash and picked up another one. — By the way, who did you learn to fight from?

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He left the argument aside; they wouldn't get anywhere. He didn't even know why he felt like talking about it at that moment, out of so many opportunities. — And I thought you didn't care about me. — Let's say it's curiosity. You don't look... seriously enough to be the Queen of Rio's Intelligence Captain. — What a compliment.

But embers glowed in her eyes, so Tharion shrugged. — I learned to fight the conventional way: I attended the Blue Court Military Academy after graduating, and since then, I've spent my years perfecting those skills. Nothing else. And you? — Survival. He opened his mouth to respond, but the dragon turned and walked away. towards the exit, with the heels of his boots clicking on the floor. — Ari... — He called before she could get to the door. — It wasn't true, you know? She turned around, her eyebrows raised. - What? — That we expected the worst from you. Her face contorted—anger, grief, and a hint of shame. Or maybe he was imagining that last part. She stomped away without responding. The only sound in the bathroom was again that of his blood dripping. Tharion waited until the potion had healed most of the holes in his skin, and didn't bother adjusting the top of his black jumpsuit before following the dragon back into the heat, smells, and lights of the fighting ring. . Ari was just getting started. With impressive calm, she assumed a defensive stance against three male lion shifters, the enormous felines circling her with lethal concentration. She turned towards them, without allowing the lions to come to her rear; the scales on his skin were starting to glow and his black eyes turned red. Across the pit, the mirrored window overlooking the ring reflected only the blinding spotlights. But Tharion knew who

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he was on the other side, amidst the luxurious attire of his private quarters; who watched the dragon fight, evaluating the intensity of the crowd's roar. “Traitor,” shouted someone to his left. Tharion saw two young merfolk looking at him from the stands above. The two were holding beers and had the glazed look of someone who had already spilled a few. Tharion waved nonchalantly at them and looked back at the ring. “Fucking loser,” barked the other male.

Tharion continued looking at Ari. Steam came out of the dragon's mouth. One of the lions lunged forward, slashing with fingers that ended in curved claws, but she dodged. The concrete floor scorched where his feet had stood. Preliminary signs of an attack. — What a shitty captain — provoked the first male. Tharion gritted his teeth. It wasn't the first time in the last few days that one of his own had recognized him and felt the need to say exactly what they thought of him. Everyone knew that Tharion had defected from the Blue Court. Everyone knew he had deserted and ended up there to serve the depraved ruler of the Meat Market. The Queen of Rio and her daughter made sure the news spread. Captain Whatever, Ithan Holstrom had once called him. It seemed that he had now truly assumed this role. You gave that up, he remembered. I could never even set foot on Istros again. Once he did, his former queen would kill him. Or he would order one of his sobeks to make mincemeat of him. Something twisted in his stomach. He knew that his parents were alive only because he received messages expressing their anger and disappointment. We have already lost a son, the mother had written. And now we've lost another. Deserter, Tharion? In the depths of Ogenas, what were you thinking? He did not answer. He didn't apologize for being so irresponsible and selfish that he didn't think about their safety before committing to such an absurdity. He had not only provided

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oath to the Viper Queen, but he had also pledged himself to her. And after all the shit that happened in Pangera...nowhere else was safe for him, anyway. Only here, where the Viper Queen had been allowed to rule. He watched Ari walk around the ring. You gave that up, he told himself again, more firmly. To be here. - You are a shame! — the other merman shouted. A foamy liquid splashed onto his head and bare shoulders. Tharion. The son of a bitch threw the beer at him. Tharion growled at them, and the males had the good sense to take a step back, as if they had just remembered what Tharion was capable of when provoked. But before he could finish them off, one of the Viper Queen's personal guards, one of those glassy-eyed fae deserters, said, "Hey, big fish." The boss wants to talk to you. Now. Tharion stiffened, but he had no other choice. The tightness in his belly would only get worse as long as he resisted, it was better to get it over with. So he left those assholes behind. He left Ari with the lions, who would be fried in about twenty minutes, or after the dragon put on a show good enough to please the crowd and got it over with, which he could have done without even entering the ring. He had no doubt that there would be some vendor waiting in the wings to collect the fried carcasses and sell them at a nearby food stall. It wasn't for nothing that the place was called Mercado da Carne. The walk up the stairs to the room behind that mirrored window was long and silent. He wished his mind worked like that too, so he didn't care. It was easier said than done, when everything kept going in circles: the attempted attack on the laboratory, Cormac's death... they were all so stupid, thinking they could face the asteri. And then there he was. To be honest, he had been leaning in that direction for some time. Starting with the fiasco with the daughter of the Queen of Rio; afterwards, the

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Lesia's death a year ago. That last month had just been the result of all that shit. How pathetic he had always been, a failure, beneath appearances. Tharion knocked once on the wooden door and entered. The Viper Queen was standing by the window, looking out at the arena, where Ari had begun to mock the lions. Now, they were desperate to escape. Wherever the cats went to escape the ring, a wall of flames blocked the exit. — She has a gift as an artist — The Viper Queen observed without turning around. The ruler of the Meat Market was wearing a short white silk jumpsuit, fitted to her slender body, and was barefoot. He was holding a cigarette, his nails were manicured. — You could learn from her. Tharion leaned against the wooden doorframe. — Is it an order or a suggestion? The Viper Queen turned, her shiny dark hair bouncing. The mouth wore its usual dark purple lipstick, contrasting with the snake shapeshifter's pale skin. —Do you know what I had to do to get that Minotaur Who did you fight today? Tharion kept his mouth shut. How many times had he stood like this in front of the River Queen, silent while she blasted him? I had already lost count a long time ago. The Viper Queen's teeth flashed, fangs delicate and striking against the purple of her mouth. —Five minutes, Tharion? — His voice in a dangerous purr. — So much effort on my part, and all I get in return, all my audience gets in return, is a five-minute fight? Tharion pointed to his shoulder. — I thought sticking the horn in me and dragging me around the ring would already

it was a good show. — I wish I had seen this many more times, instead of seeing you break the bull's neck in a fit of rage. She crooked a finger. The tightness in his stomach deepened. As if they had a mind of their own, his feet and legs

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moved. They carried him to the window, next to her. He hated that... Not the part about being summoned, but the fact that he couldn't resist anymore. — To make up for the fact that you finished faster than you should have — said the Viper Queen, slowly — I asked Ari to stall in her fight. — She tilted her head toward the ring. Ari's face was blank and cold as she made the lions scream under her flames. Tharion's stomach dropped. It was no wonder Ari hadn't stayed long to talk to him. But she had helped him anyway, and he had no idea how to interpret that. “Try a little harder next time,” the Viper Queen hissed in his ear, her lips brushing his skin. She sniffed. — Those damn mermen really soaked you. Tharion walked away.

— Did you call me here for some reason? — He wanted one bath and the relaxation that only sleep could offer you. She smiled and pulled back the immaculate sleeve of her jumpsuit, exposing her moon-pale wrist. — Considering that you didn't dedicate yourself at all to your presentation, I thought maybe I needed a pick-me-up. Tharion gritted his teeth. He was not a slave; despite having been stupid and desperate enough to offer himself as such. But instead, her offering was something almost as bad: the poison that only she produced. And now, after tasting it once... his mouth filled with saliva. The smell of the skin, the blood and the poison down there—he was helpless before her, a fucking starving animal. “Maybe if I offered some of this before your fights,” she mused, her arm outstretched to him like a private banquet. —, you have a little more... vigor. With what little resistance he still had, Tharion raised his eyes to meet hers. He let her see how much he hated this, hated her, hated himself. She smiled. And he knew. She knew the moment he deserted and came to her, to this life. He told himself that this was a refuge,

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but it was getting harder and harder to hide than to actually hide treated. A punishment that should have happened a long time ago. The Viper Queen slid one of her gold-painted fingernails across her wrist. He opened a vein in which that milky, opalescent poison stirred, the poison that made him see the gods. — Come on — she insisted, and Tharion wanted to scream, cry and run as he took her arm to his mouth and sucked out a mouthful of poison. It was beautiful. It was horrible. And it hit right away. Stars shone in the air and

time slowed to a languid, dense rhythm; the exhaustion and pain disappeared. He had heard the rumors long before he got there: her poison was the best high an immortal would feel in his life. After tasting it, there was no way to disagree. She didn't blame the fae deserters who served as her bodyguards in exchange for some of that. Before, I felt sorry for them, I despised them.

Now, he was one of them. The Viper Queen's hand moved up his chest to his neck, smoothing the area where his gills usually showed. She applied her painted nails to the spot, in an absolute display of ownership. Not just his body, but who he was, who he once was.

She squeezed his throat. This time, it was an invitation. The Viper Queen's mouth brushed his ear as she whispered:

— Let's see what kind of stamina you have now, Tharion. ***

— We can't just leave Tharion here. —Believe me, Holstrom, Captain Whatever can take care of himself. Ithan frowned at Tristan Flynn across the rickety table. Declan Emmet and his boyfriend, Marc, were talking to a vendor at one of the many stalls at the Mercado da

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Meat. The owl-headed Vanir was the third person they spoke to that night, hoping to get news of their missing friends. He was the twelfth vagrant they had contacted in the last two days. And Ithan was getting so tired of this useless talk that he started mocking Flynn: — Is that what fae do? They abandon their friends Suffering?

— Fuck you, wolf — complained Flynn, but without taking his eyes off where Declan and Marc were putting their charm to the test. Even Flynn, who used to be unflappable, now had deep circles under his eyes and had barely smiled in the last few days. He seemed to be getting as little sleep as Ithan. Despite everything, Ithan aimed straight for the jugular: — So Ruhn's life is more important than... — Ruhn is in a fucking dungeon being tortured by the asteri — shot Flynn. — Tharion is here because he defected. He chose this life. —Technically, Ruhn also chose to go to the Eternal City... Flynn ran his hands through his brown hair. — If you're just going to complain, then get out of here.

- I'm not complaining. I'm just saying we have a friend who's literally in trouble right over there and we're not even trying to help. — Ithan pointed to the second floor of the massive warehouse, the indistinguishable door that led to the Viper Queen's private quarters. — Again, Ketos has defected. We can't do much. — He was desperate... “We're all fucking desperate,” Flynn muttered, looking at a male draki carrying a bag of something that smelled like elk meat. He sighed. — Seriously, Holstrom... go home. Go get some rest. Again, Ithan noticed the fae lord's exhausted expression. “And take that one with you,” Flynn added, nodding toward the female sitting upright at a table.

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close, vigilant and tense. The three fire elves were lying down, hanging around her shoulders, dozing. Right. Ithan's other frustration in the last few days: giving a Sigrid Fendyr's nanny. It would have been better to leave her at the fae males' home—which he now assumed was also her home—but she refused and insisted on accompanying them. Just as Sigrid insisted on seeing and knowing everything. If he thought she would break out of her mystical tank and cower, he thought wrong. She was nothing more than a nosy on those two days, wanting to know the whole story of the Fendyr, their enemies, Ithan's enemies... anything and everything that had happened while she was the Astronomer's prisoner. He hadn't talked much about his own past; not even a word about her father, whose story she didn't know until Ithan told her. Long ago, the male had been the Presumed Cousin, until his sister, Sabine, challenged him and won. Ithan thought she had murdered him, but apparently she chose to exile Sigrid's father, and that's where she was born. Everything else about the story was a complete mystery. A part of Ithan didn't want to know what circumstances had been so dire as to make a Fendyr sell his heiress—sell an alpha—to the Astronomer. The heiress was just sitting quietly at that moment because, as soon as she stepped into the Meat Market, she said, with contempt: Who would want to shop in a disgusting place like this? This made Declan and Marc's job a thousand times more difficult because it provoked the wrath of every salesperson who heard it. The gossipers made sure everyone else knew too. Then Flynn ordered her to sit down alone. Well, alone except for her little hot-headed entourage. Wherever Sigrid went, the pixies went with her. Ithan didn't know if that bond was the result of years in the tank, a shared trauma, or if it was just because they were females living together in a house full of males, but the four of them together were pure pain. AND

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— It's too dangerous for her to be exposed here — he continued. Flynn — anyone can tell you they saw her. — Nobody knows who she is. To these people, she's just any wolf. — Yes, and all it takes is for someone to mention to Amelie or Sabine that you have a wolf with you and they'll know. I can't believe they haven't come running yet. — Sabine is cruel, but she is not stupid. There was no way to start a riot in the Viper Queen's territory. — No, she will wait for us to cross the DCC and set up an ambush for us. — The angels had long ignored anything that happened in the streets of their district, more concerned with the comings and goings in their gigantic towers. Ithan stared at the male. Most of the time he got along well with Flynn; I even liked him. But since the disappearance of Ruhn, Hunt and Bryce... Disappearance wasn't the right word, at least in the case of Ruhn and Hunt. They were imprisoned, and Bryce... no one knew what happened to her. And that's why they were there, looking for any information they could get, as searches on Declan's computer turned up nothing. Any information they could have about Bryce, Ruhn, Athalar... they were desperate. They wanted direction, a spark that would light the way. Anything was better than sitting around doing nothing, knowing nothing. Ithan looked at the chair he was in. He was sitting there, Nothing to do. Without knowing anything.

Before the disgust could take over, he got up and walked over to Sigrid, who was sitting monitoring the customers at the Meat Market. She looked at him with brown eyes full of irritation and disdain. — This place is really bad. Don't tell me, he wanted to say, but stopped himself. “Sometimes it's useful,” he declared. The home of the fae males was the only place he could think of to take the she-wolf when he snatched her from the Astronomer's tank. So he stood there while Flynn and Declan pretended everything was fine.

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normal in the world. While they continued to work for the Aux, Prince Ruhn's absence was excused as a long-needed vacation. Ithan was waiting for the soldiers to appear. Or assassins, sent either by the asteri, by Sabine or by the Astronomer. Still, no one asked anything. No interrogations. No arrests. The Autumn King didn't even interrogate Flynn and Dec, despite undoubtedly knowing something had happened to his son. And that wherever Ruhn went, his two best friends went with him. People had no idea what had happened in the Eternal City. It was true that Ithan and the fey warriors didn't know much either, but they were aware that their friends had entered the Asteri fortress and never left. The Asteri, the other powers involved... they knew that Ithan and the others were also in the game, even if they weren't present. And yet they didn't punish them. It wasn't a comforting thought. Sigrid tilted her head, with wolfish curiosity. - You come here often? Normally, he would have made a little joke involving pickup lines, but Sigrid didn't have and didn't care about a sense of humor. You couldn't blame her, not after everything she had been through. Then Ithan replied: — When my work for the Aux or my pack requires it. But This is rare, thank goodness.

She pursed her lips. — The Astronomer frequented this place. — Ithan remembered that, on the day he returned to the Astronomer's house to free her, the old man had been there buying some items for her tank. — Do you know who he sponsors here? asked Ithan. It was more of a casual question than anything else. Sigrid looked around. He had no doubt that if he were in his wolf form, his ears would be darting from side to side to pick up any sound. She replied without looking away from the busy market:

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— I once heard a satyr say that he sells salt and other things. Ithan looked at the balcony, at the closed green door where the satyr lived. He knew exactly who she was talking about, thanks to all those visits he had made in the past, on behalf of Aux. The bum did all kinds of smuggling. Sigrid noticed where Ithan's attention had gone and looked in the same direction as him. — Does he live there?

Ithan nodded slowly. Sigrid stood up quickly, her eyes shining with predatory determination. - Where are you going? — asked Ithan, entering in front of her. The elves woke up from their nap, holding on to their long Sigrid's brown hair so it doesn't fall off her shoulders. — Is it over yet? asked Malana, yawning. — We're bored to death — agreed Sasa, stretching her robust body against Sigrid's neck. Rithi, the third sister, murmured in agreement. Sigrid ignored the goblins, her teeth flashing as she glared at Ithan. — I want to know why this satyr thinks it's cool to serve people like Astrôn... — We didn't come here looking for trouble — Ithan said, without moving out of her way. But she sidestepped him, stomping like a true Fendyr, a force of nature —one he was just beginning to see blossom. Despite her noble lineage, Ithan held her arm. “Don't go there,” he protested, his voice soft, his fingers wrapped around her bony arm. She looked at his hand, then his face. His expression was filled with anger. - Or what? The coldness of an alpha resonated in her voice. Ithan's very bones cried out for him to subdue, to bend, to get out of the way.

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But he fought that urge, ignored it. He faced the wolf with his own authority. The Fendyr may have been alphas for generations, but the Holstroms were not submissive. They were also alphas—leaders and warriors in their own right. It seems like he would let this female boss him around, whether she was a Fendyr or not. Flynn's chair scraped on the floor, but Ithan didn't take his eyes off it. of Sigrid as the fae male advanced towards them and protested: — What the fuck is your problem? Go growl at each other somewhere else that doesn't attract everyone's attention at the Meat Market, dammit. Ithan put his teeth out. She growled back. He said to Flynn, still without taking his eyes off Sigrid: — She wants to go and confront the salt dealer because of his business with the Astronomer. The satyr who got into all that trouble last year. Flynn sighed at the wooden ceiling. — Now is not the time to be arrogant and look for trouble, dear. Sigrid finally looked away from Ithan, although her wolf side knew that this was not an admission of defeat in the contest of wills between the two. No. It was because she had found another opponent to face. — Don't talk to me as if I were any female — Sigrid snapped at Flynn, who raised his hands. She looked back at Ithan. — I have every right to... “You have no rights,” said a male voice behind her.

Mark. The leopard shifter had approached with unearthly elegance. Despite being dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt, the male still had a certain air of courteous professionalism. — Since, technically, you don't even exist. For all intents and purposes, you are a ghost. Sigrid turned slowly, her lips pursing. — Did I ask for your opinion, cat? Normally, Ithan would be happy to get involved in shapeshifter rivalries, but Marc was a good male, her disdain

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it was very poorly directed. Declan stood next to his boyfriend and placed an arm on his broad shoulders. — I think it's past time for someone to go to sleep. Sigrid growled. But the goblins slid from his shoulders to float in front of her face, and Sasa said, cautiously: — Siggy, we're here to... do other things. Maybe we can come back another day.

Ithan almost laughed when he heard the nickname. Someone as intense as the female in front of him shouldn't be called Siggy. —The next time they let us out of the house — Sigrid protested, furiously — it will be in days or weeks. — I must remind you — said Declan, slowly — that you are currently Sabine's number one enemy. — Let her come after me — Sigrid replied, without hesitating for a second. — I have scores to settle. — May Luna keep me — murmured Flynn. Ithan could have sworn she saw the elves nodding as they settled back onto her shoulders. The fae lord turned to Declan and Marc. - Any news? The couple shook their heads. — No. It really seems that the asteri kept all the information under lock and key. There, nothing goes in and nothing comes out. — Silence dominated, heavy and tense. It was Sigrid who said: — And what do we do now? He had only been out of the tank for two days and was already taking on the role of leader, whether he realized it or not. A true alpha, waiting for people to respond to her... and obey her. “We need to keep trying and figure out what's going on,” Declan said, shrugging. Flynn took a deep, exasperated breath and threw himself back into his chair. — We haven't made any progress in the last two days. Ruhn and Athalar are being held as traitors. That's all we know. — That's what Marc's informant inside the Eternal City managed to find out. Nothing but.

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Declan sank into his chair and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and pad. indicator. — Are you honest? We were lucky not to end up in those dungeons either. “We need to get them out of there,” Flynn said, crossing his arms. muscular. On his left shoulder, Rithi imitated the gesture. “Only Urd knows what state they are in now,” said Declan, desolate. — We probably need medwitches around. — You have healing magic — countered Flynn. “Yes,” Dec said, shaking his head, “but the types of injuries they would have... I would need to work with a team of trained professionals. The thought of injuries that required a team of medwitches made them silent again. A kind of charged and miserable silence. — And where would we go after rescuing them? There is no one on Midgard who can hide or shelter us,” Declan considered, raising his head. — And that merman ship? — Flynn suggested. —The one who caught them in Ydra. It was faster than the omega boats and seems pretty good at hiding from the asteri too. “Flynn,” warned Marc, looking at the crowded market. Full with attentive ears. Ithan kept his voice low.

— Tharion could take us to that ship. He expected Flynn to roll his eyes at the mention of Ketos' help, but the male just looked up at the second floor. — He can't leave this market. None of them had seen or heard from the merman since he left for Pangera. But they learned of his whereabouts thanks to a piece of neon green paper stuck to a lamp post, announcing the next fight that would take place in the Viper Queen's ring, with Tharion as the main attraction. It was quite evident what had happened: the defector male left the Blue Court straight there. Ithan argued:

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— Then we can ask Tharion how to get in touch with them. Declan shook his head. — And what do we do next? Are we going to live in the ocean forever? Ithan squirmed; the wolf in him would lose his head. Unable to run at will, to respond when the moon called him... “She lived in a tank for who knows how long,” Flynn commented, his gaze on Sigrid. — I think we managed to stay in a comfortable submarine, which looks like a city. Sigrid shivered...a crack in her arrogant facade. “Careful,” Ithan warned Flynn. The elves murmured, comforting Sigrid; its flames were an intense red. But Sigrid got up silently and went to an opal seller nearby. Her clothes, the sweatshirt and pants that Ithan had given her, were loose on her thin body, swaying with each step. “You need to remind her to shower,” Dec said softly, his eyes shining with concern. She didn't know what shampoo was. Or soap. Or conditioner. He didn't even know what a shower was, and he refused to step under the spray of water until Ithan did it first, fully clothed, to demonstrate that it was safe. Which was not a different version of the tank. She had also never slept in a real bed. Or

At least he didn't remember. “Okay,” Declan said, turning his attention back to the problem at hand. — You can already see that we won't find out anything by asking around, but let's think a little... Ruhn has to be alive. The Asteri wouldn't kill him right away... he has a lot of political importance. — Yes, then let's rescue him before it's too late. — Flynn pressed. — Him and Athalar. — But what about Bryce? asked Declan, his voice so soft it was barely clear. it was more than a whisper.

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“She left,” Flynn replied firmly. — Who knows where. Ithan didn't like that tone at all. - What? Do you think Bryce would leave like that? — he questioned. — Do you think that, of her own free will, she would leave Ruhn and Hunt in the hands of the Asteri? So as to. Flynn leaned back in his chair. — Do you have a best guess as to where she might be? Ithan controlled the urge to strike the fae lord in the throat. Flynn was angry and hurt and scared, and Ithan tried to remember that. — Bryce doesn't give up on the people he loves. If she went somewhere place, it's because it was important. "It doesn't make any difference where she went," Flynn replied. - I just know that we need to get Ruhn out of there before it's too late. Ithan looked up at the second floor again, his soleball player side calculating, thinking ahead... Dec grabbed Flynn's shoulder, squeezing tightly. — Look, the merman ship isn't a bad idea, but we need to think long term. And we also need to take our families into consideration. “For all I care, my parents and sister can go to Hell,” Flynn said. — Well, I want my family to be safe — Declan replied. — If we're going to rescue Ruhn and Athalar, we need to make sure no one else gets caught in the crossfire. Dec looked at Ithan, who shrugged. He had no one else to warn. Would anyone miss him if he were gone? His only duty was to protect the wolf in the tent in front of him. Out of some silly hope that she might… he had no idea. Challenge and defeat Sabine? Stop Sabine from continuing to guide the wolves down that dangerous path? Fill the void that Danika left? She was like a powder keg. An alpha, yes, but without training. I couldn't control my impulses, which were too unpredictable most of the time. Little by little, she could

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learn the necessary skills, but time was not our greatest ally at that moment. Then Ithan said: —Do you want to save Ruhn and Athalar? The merman ship is the only way to cross the ocean without being noticed. Maybe the sea creatures know how we can free them. They might even help us, if we're lucky. — He pointed to the second floor. — Tharion is our connection to them. “Very convenient,” said Flynn, “since you were insisting that we release him just now.” — Two birds with one stone. — Tharion can't leave — Marc reflected — but nothing stops him from talking to us. Maybe he can give us some contacts. “There's only one way to find out,” Ithan said.

Flynn sighed, and Ithan took that as agreement. — Someone needs to send her home. — He pointed to Sigrid over his shoulder. “And accompany her,” added Dec. - I am not! — Flynn and Ithan said at the same time. Dec turned his head to Marc and exclaimed “Not me!” before the leopard could understand what was happening. Marc rubbed his temples. — Someone explain to me how it is possible that the three of you are considered some of the most feared warriors in this city? Dec responded by kissing him on the cheek. Marc sighed. — If I have to take Siggy home, then Holstrom has to break the news to her. Ithan opened his mouth, but... that's okay. Smirking at the males, he went to get the alpha. And spare the opal seller his endless questions. How do you know they bring luck, love or joy? What do colors have to do with all this? What evidence do you have that this works? He couldn't say whether this need to question everything and everyone was pure curiosity, the result of having spent years in prison.

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in that tank or just the alpha stance. She needed to put the world in order. Ithan grabbed Sigrid's elbow to indicate he was nearby, but she started again. Ithan took a step back, hands in the air as the opal seller watched everything intently. - Sorry. She didn't like being touched. She only allowed him to touch her to wash her hair the first night, when she had no idea what she should do. Ithan gestured for her to go back to where the males were, and she walked beside him, some distance away. Most wolves needed touch—craved it. Had that instinct been stolen from her after so many years in the tank? When I thought about it, it was harder to be angry with her. — How do I get used to this? — asked Sigrid amidst the sizzling of the meat being fried and the customers' conversations. Behind her, the goblins were still hovering near the collection of opals, commenting on the stones. He couldn't understand how the three elves had adapted so quickly to this strange and large world. They were also prisoners of the Astronomer, trapped in his rings. Ithan asked: — Get used to what? Sigrid looked at her hands, her thin body beneath her hoodie. Shoppers who passed by and noticed the wolf — and him — stayed away. — The feeling of being trapped in a decomposing corpse. He blinked. — I, ah... — He couldn't imagine himself in her place, suddenly a body of flesh, blood and bones after years floating in the isolation tank. — You need to give it time. She looked down. It didn't seem like the answer I wanted to hear. “Sigrid,” he said again, “you… you're doing great. — Why do you keep calling me that? she asked.

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— It was the name Sasa chose for you — replied Ithan, with a pleasant smile. — Why do I need a name? I lived a long time without having one. — An alpha needs a name. A person needs a name. The Astronomer let you make the Descent... you'll stay alive for centuries. After being pressed, she revealed that she was somehow making the Descent into the isolation tank; I couldn't say when or how. But he was relieved to hear that she was protected. — I don't want to talk about the Descent. — Her voice sounded monotonous, without intonation.

- Me either. — He would like to know what her experience was like, but not there. Not when they had gotten close to the three males who were waiting for them. The goblins finally emerged from the depths of the opal tent and approached quickly, like three columns of fire burning through the dry warehouse. — So we go there and knock? asked Flynn, pointing to the metal, vaultlike door at the top of the stairs. It was the entrance to the Viper Queen's private quarters. Marc looked into Ithan's eyes. Had he explained to Sigrid that Marc would walk her home? Ithan withdrew. No, there wasn't. Marc glared at him. Coward, the leopard's gaze seemed to say. But he tensed, paralyzed. — Stay still. The others obeyed, the two fae males reaching for their weapons at their sides. The movement at the Meat Market continued, with people unconcerned, selling, negotiating and cooking. Even so... Marc's brown eyes scanned the warehouse and the

skylights. He sniffed. Ithan did the same. As they were shapeshifters, their senses were sharper than those of the fae. From the door behind them came a mixture of odors that came from the night, the stench of the sewers and... The smell of approaching wolves.

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“I don't know what language the tattoo is in,” Bryce insisted. — My friend did it when I was blacked out... — Don't lie — warned Rhysand in a soft threat. He would kill her. Whatever the language was, it was apparently so bad that the tattoo seemed to say stick the knife here. Amren walked over to Bryce, looking at the tattoo that, without shadow of doubts, it still shone behind the fabric of his white shirt. — I feel something in those lyrics... — Bryce tensed. — Go get Nesta. Azriel murmurou. —Cassian won't like this. — Cassian can handle it. Nesta will be able to feel this better than I can. Bryce turned around, looking back at Amren and Azriel. Then Amren insisted: — Go get her, Rhysand. Bryce bent his knees, taking a defensive stance. Would that hurt too much? Would there be any chance of... Rhysand disappeared again. Before Bryce had fully risen to his feet, he returned, with a familiar goldenbrown-haired female in tow. Like this

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In the lobby, the female was wearing dark leather similar to Azriel and Rhys's, and she stood there, serene and cold. A warrior. His blue-gray gaze slid to Bryce, who slowly sank back into the chair, almost numb. Whatever was in those eyes... The female said softly to the others, in a monotonous voice, almost bored: — I've said it before: there's something Done in her. In addition to the sword he carried. — Done? — Bryce repeated, leaving all his caution aside, addressing the newcomer, who he could only assume was Nesta. At the same time, Amren pointed to Bryce's back and asked, "Is that the tattoo?" Nesta simply replied: — Yes. They all stared at Bryce once again, with unreadable expressions. Who would attack first? Four against one... she wouldn't get out of there alive. Amren said to Rhysand calmly: — You decide what to do with her. Bryce clenched his jaw. Even if he had no chance of winning, he would fall to Hell without a fight. I would fight in every way I could... Nesta lifted her chin at Bryce, cool and haughty. — You can face us... but you will lose. Fuck it. Bryce continued to stare at the female, finding a steely determination in the gleam of her eyes. — If you try to touch that tattoo, you'll find out why the asteri want my death so much. She regretted that answer instantly. Azriel's hand went towards the dagger at his side, but Nesta just stepped closer, unimpressed or intimidated. - What is that? Nesta asked Bryce, pointing to her back. — How can some words written on your skin be... Made?

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— I can't answer the question if you don't tell me what the fuck it means to be Made. — Don't tell her anything. — warned Amren. She pointed to the door. — You've already done your job and told us what we needed to know. See you later. Nesta's eyebrows rose as she realized she was being dismissed. But she looked at Bryce and smiled sharply. — It's better to cooperate, believe me. “That's what they told me,” Bryce replied, clenching his fists at the side of his chair. She tucked her hands under her thighs to keep from doing anything stupid. Nesta's eyes sparkled with amusement as she registered the movement. — Wow... visitor needs to rest — announced Rhysand, walking elegantly to the door. Upon receiving the order, Amren and Azriel went after him, Nesta followed them after spending a few more moments staring at Bryce with a mocking and challenging look. But when Azriel arrived at the door, Bryce spoke in a burst for the winged warrior: — The sword... where is it?

Azriel stopped and looked over his shoulder. — In a safe place. Bryce stared at Azriel, the coldness returned in kind—with that expression that she knew Ruhn had always found very similar to their father's. The face she rarely let the world see. —The sword is mine. I want her back. Azriel's mouth curved slightly into a half smile.

—Then give us one good reason to return it to you. ***

The time has passed. Trays of simple food appeared from time to time: bread, beef stew—or what she assumed was beef stew—hard cheese. Foods similar to those of House.

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Even the herbs were similar. Had the fae of this world taken them to Midgard? Or are plants like thyme and rosemary somehow universal? Existing throughout space? Or perhaps the Asteri brought these herbs of their own home world and planted them on all the planets they conquered. She knew it was silly to think about that kind of thing, that she had much bigger concerns than an intergalactic vegetable garden. But he soon lost interest in eating, and thinking about everything else was... too much. No one else came to visit her. Bryce entertained himself by tossing peas from the stew through the grate, counting the seconds until he heard the soft chirp, and then the hisses and roars of whatever was lurking below. She didn't want to know. His imagination thought of many options, all with sharp teeth and voracious appetites. He tried to open the door only once. It wasn't locked, but a wall of dark night filled the doorway, making the hallway pitch black beyond sight and preventing anyone from entering or leaving. She turned on her starlight, which was also useless in the face of such darkness. Maybe this was some kind of sick test. To see if she could overcome their strongest powers and protections, to evaluate her as an opponent. Maybe they wanted to see what the Horn—whatever it was made of—could do. But she didn't need to use her starlight against that darkness to realize it would have no effect. He could feel that power in his bones. Bryce searched his memory for any alternative escape tactic, remembering everything Randall had taught him, but he couldn't use any of it to overcome that impenetrable power. So Bryce sat there. He ate. And threw peas to the monsters. Even if she managed to get out, she couldn't escape that planet. Not without someone to feed his power, to activate the Horn in the process. And from Apollion's hints, Hunt's power was much more compatible with hers than most. AND

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It was true that Hypaxia had strengthened her against the deathhunter, but there was no guarantee that the witch-queen's magic was enough to open a Gate. And did she need the Gate to return home? Micah had used the Horn on her back to open all seven Gates in the Crescent City, blocks away. When she landed there, there was no structure nearby that could even be seen as a Gate. Just a huge lawn, the river and the house that she could barely make out through the dense fog. Only the dagger—and Azriel, who wielded it—had been there. As if that was where she needed to be. “When knife and sword are reunited, so will our people,” muttered Bryce into the silent room. But for what? The fae were horrendous. The ones in this place weren't much different from the ones she knew, from what she had noticed. And the fae of Midgard had proven their moral decadence once again in the spring by leaving vulnerable people locked out of their homes during the demon attack. They proved with their laws and rules that they kept females oppressed, that they were little more than a commodity. Bryce had turned those rules against them at the Autumnal Equinox to marry Hunt, but by those same rules, she technically belonged to him now. She was a princess, for Urd's sake, and yet she was the property of the untitled male she had been with. married.

Maybe the fae weren't worth the effort. But there was still the problem of getting off this planet — one of the few worlds that managed to expel the Asteri. Or daglan, as they called it. Bryce leaned against the cell wall, with his knees close to his chest, and tried to organize everything, laying out the puzzle pieces in front of him. Hours passed and he couldn't think of anything. She rubbed her face. He had ended up on the home world of the Fae, the world where the Starry Ones — Theia, Pelias and Helena — came from. In where Aster had come from and where the knife was waiting for her. If Urd had any

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intention in sending her there... she certainly had no idea what era. Or how to get out of this mess. ***

“We shouldn't have brought her,” Flynn muttered as they hurried between the stalls of the Meat Market, heading for an alternative exit on the quieter side of the warehouse. — Fuck, I warned you, Holstrom... “I ordered him to bring me,” said Sigrid, who was running alongside Ithan, the elves' fire a faint yellow as they curled around her shoulders. Ithan felt a pang when he saw the scene. An alpha defended him. He took responsibility, even though it made it seem like he was taking orders. The alphas he had lived with in recent years had used their power and dominance for their own benefit. Danika had used her position to support those beneath her, in her reckless way, but she was gone. He thought he would never meet someone like Danika again, but maybe... “Sabine would have found us anyway,” Ithan said. —, here or at home. It was just a matter of time. They entered a long service hallway with a dented metal door at the far end and a poorly made sign with the word EXIT painted in white letters. It definitely wasn't going to win any awards, but he doubted a city health and safety inspector would ever set foot in that hideous tenement.

— Is it better if we separate? — asked Dec. — To try to mislead them in that direction? “No,” Marc replied, claws shining at his fingertips. — Their sense of smell is very keen, they would be able to tell who she is with. As if answering the question, howls echoed in the warehouse. Ithan felt his entire body tense. I understood what those howls meant. The prey is escaping. He clenched his teeth to keep from responding, to stop himself from letting out his howl in response.

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Beside him, Sigrid was super agitated, as if the howls had triggered a response in her too. “Then let's run away,” Flynn said. — Where will we meet if we get separated? The question hung in the air. What place would be safe in that fucking city, on that planet? Considering the connections they had with imprisoned traitors, the list of options was quite limited. Where would Bryce have gone? She would have found someone bigger and badder... or smarter, at least. She would have gone to the gallery, perhaps, to the protected wings, but the sanctuary of Jesiba Roga no longer existed. The Griffin Antique Shop was never renovated or reopened. So there was... — Let's go to the Comitium — Ithan decided. — Isaiah Tiberian will shelter us. Dec raised an eyebrow. — Do you know Tiberian?

— No, but Athalar is his friend. And I've heard he's a good male. “For an angel,” Flynn murmured. Sigrid demanded to know: — Are we going to the angels? — Disdain and distrust impregnated in every word. The howls in the warehouse were closer: We'll lie in wait together, in the dark. — I don't see any other option — admitted Dec — but it's just luck. Tiberian can go to Celestina. “The governor is a good person,” Flynn replied. — I don't trust any archangel — Marc confessed. — They are born and raised with uncontrollable power. They go to those secret academies, ripped away from their families. It is not a conducive way to create balanced people, good people. On the way out, they stopped, listening carefully to the sounds around them. They couldn't smell anything beyond the metal door, but the howls behind them were getting closer. Whoever was in the warehouse would be in that aisle in a few moments. Another howl, more familiar.

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“Amelie,” Ithan whispered. If they went back the way they came, they would have to fight. Not with just any pack, but with the second most powerful in Lunathion. Still, walking out that door into the merciless city, with no set allies to protect them... Sigrid finally decided and opened the door with force. And there, standing in the alley, was Sabine Fendyr. Sabine laughed humorlessly. Her eyes met Ithan's, filled with the purest hatred, and then she faced Sigrid, completely ignoring Ithan. He was nothing or nobody to her. He didn't deserve his recognition. Ithan bared his teeth. Flynn, Dec and Marc deactivated the security locks. safety of your weapons. But Sabine only said to Sigrid, showing a mouth full of fangs: — You look like him.

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Pain, darkness and silence. The world of Hunt Athalar was made of just that. No, that wasn't true. These things were his entire world beyond his tortured body, the sawn-off wings, the pain of hunger making his stomach twist and the thirst burning his throat, the slave mark stamped on his wrist. The halo tattooed again on his forehead by Rigelus himself, the oppressive power of the tattoo somehow heavier and more domineering than before. Everything he had conquered, recovered... had been erased. Everything he was belonged to the asteri of new. But inside him, beyond the sea of pain and despair, Bryce was his entire world. Your partner. Your wife. Your princess. Prince Hunt Athalar Danaan. He would have hated her last name if it weren't for the fact that it meant she owned his soul and his heart. There was Bryce and nothing but her. Not even Pollux's barbed wire whip could tear her face from his mind. Not even a saw with unsharpened blades could remove the image while cut off his wings.

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Bryce, who had managed to escape. He had gone to Hell in search of help. He would stay there, allow Pollux to make mincemeat of him, clip his wings again and again, if it meant keeping the asteri's attention away from her. If only that could buy her time to reassemble the strength they needed to take down these sons of bitches. I would rather die than tell you where she was. His only consolation was

knowing that Ruhn would do the same.

Baxian, bleeding and dangling on the other side of Ruhn, didn't know where Bryce had gone, but he knew a lot about what she'd been doing lately. Still, the Hellhound hadn't given Pollux a single piece of information. Hunt expected nothing less from a male Urd who had chosen to partner with Danika Fendyr. It was silent now; the only sound was the clanking of chains. Blood, piss and shit accumulated on the floor, the smell was almost as unbearable as the pain. Pollux was creative, Hunt had to admit. While others might have chosen to stick a knife in the stomach and twist, the Hammer knew where the exact spots were on the feet to whip and burn, causing as much agony as possible to the victim but still keeping them conscious. Or maybe it was the Doe who learned these tricks. She stood behind her lover and watched, with expressionless eyes, as the Hammer destroyed them little by little. That was the other secret he and Danaan kept. Who and what the Doe was. He was beginning to lose consciousness, a pleasant release that Hunt had come to crave as much as Bryce's body entwined with his own. Sometimes he pretended that when he fell into the darkness, he was falling into her arms, into her pleasurable, intense heat. Bryce. Bryce. Bryce.

Her name was like a prayer, an order. I had little hope of getting out of there alive. His only mission was to make sure he stalled enough for Bryce to do what he needed to do. After the series of colossal screw-ups he had made over the centuries... it was the least he could offer.

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He should have seen this coming. Part of him had predicted it a few weeks ago, when he'd tried to convince Bryce not to go down this path. I should have insisted more. He should have said it was inevitable that things would turn out this way, especially if he was involved. He knew he couldn't trust Celestina, with all that shit about the new governor, new rules. He had allowed her to convince him, and the fucking archangel had betrayed them all. That little talk about being friends with Shahar... he had swallowed it all. He had let the memories of his long-dead beloved confuse his instincts, as Celestina had certainly bet they would. What was this if not another rebellion of the Fallen? On a smaller scale, of course, but there was much more at stake this time. At that time, he had lost his army and his beloved. I knew she was dying as time stretched and slowed terribly around her. I knew she was dead when time resumed its normal speed, and the entire world had changed with it.

However, the ties that now bound him to others—not just to Bryce, but to the two males who were with him in this dungeon—became unbearable. Their pain was his pain, and perhaps worse than what he had endured. Shahar died an easy death. Dying at Sandriel's hands, dying on the battlefield, quick and definitive... it had been easier. A few meters away, Baxian muttered under his breath. Hunt's arms were numb, his shoulders straining as he tried to support the weight of their entire bodies. Hunt mustered enough energy and focus to say to Baxian, “How… how are you?” Baxian gave a wet cough. Excellent. Beside Hunt, Ruhn grunted. It might have been a laugh. They were the only options they had: scream and cry or laugh at this abysmal disaster. And indeed, Ruhn asked:

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— Do you want to... hear... a joke? — The prince didn't wait for a response before continuing: — Two angels... and a fairy prince... enter... a dungeon... Ruhn didn't finish, nor did he need to. A broken laugh and hoarsely escaped Hunt. After Baxian. Then from Ruhn. As much as each movement sent pain reverberating through his arms, back, and throughout his broken body, Hunt couldn't stop laughing. It was a sound that bordered on hysteria. Soon the tears were streaming down his face and, from the smell, he knew that the others were also laughing and crying, as if that were the funniest thing in the world. The chamber door opened with a bang, echoing off the stones like thunder. “Shut the fuck up,” Pollux protested as he walked down the stairs. stairs, with wings shining in the dim light. Hunt laughed louder. They heard footsteps coming behind the Hammer; a man with dark hair and brown skin followed him: the Falcon. The last member of Sandriel's triaries. —What the fuck is their problem? — He looked contemptuously at Pollux. “They're a bunch of idiots, that's the problem,” replied Pollux, strutting over to the rack of torture instruments and grabbing an iron poker. He thrust it into the embers of the fire, golden light outlining its white wings in a false celestial aura. The Falcon approached, examining them thoroughly, living up to his nickname. Like Baxian, the Falcon came from two different peoples: angels, from whom he inherited his white wings; and falcon shapeshifters, from whom he inherited the ability to transform into a bird of prey. The similarities between the two males ended there. For starters, Baxian had a soul. As for Falcao... The Falcon's eyes lingered on Hunt. There was no joy, no life in those eyes. — Athalaar.

Hunt nodded to the male.

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- Idiot. Ruhn laughed. The Falcon spun to the shelf, where he picked up a long, curved knife. The kind that was designed to rip out organs when pulled. Hunt remembered this one from the last time he saw her. Ruhn laughed again, almost as if he were drunk. - How creative. — Let's see if you'll keep laughing in a little while, little prince — said the Falcon, receiving a smile from Pollux while the Hammer waited for the poker to heat up. “I heard your cousin Cormac beg for mercy before the end. “Fuck you,” Ruhn swore. The hawk shifter weighed the knife in his hands. — He was disinherited by his father. Or what's left of his body. — He winked at Ruhn. — Your father did the same. Even in pain, Hunt didn't fail to notice the shock that came across Ruhn's face. For his father's betrayal? Or because of his cousin's death? Did those things even matter when they were there? Baxian replied the Falcon, with a harsh voice: — You're a fucking liar. Always has been... and always will be. The Falcon smiled at Baxian. — How about we start with your language, traitor? Baxian stuck his tongue out at Falcão like an invitation. Hunt smiled. Yes... they were all in this together. Until the sad end. The Falcon looked away at Hunt. — You're next, Athalar. — You can send fire. Hunt gasped. Ruhn stuck out his tongue as well. The Falcon fluttered angrily as he saw them defy him in this way, his white wings glowing with unearthly power. But, little by little, a smile appeared on his face. It was terrible and remarkable the delight that came over him as Pollux turned, the poker glowing and rippling with heat. — Who goes first? — sang the Hammer. The angel remained unshakable, silhouetted against the blazing fire behind him.

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Hunt opened his mouth to say something cheeky before the horrendous spectacle began, but in the dim light behind Pollux, beyond the fireplace, something dark moved. Something darker than the shadow. They were not Ruhn's shadows. The prince didn't seem to be able to conjure them with the Gorsian shackles restraining him. Only the prince's mental conversation ability remained. This shadow was different—darker, older. Observingyou.

Observing Hunt Was it a hallucination? It would be bad, because it meant he had some infection that not even his immortal body could fight; good, because it meant he could slip silently into the arms of death. Bad, because it meant the Asteri could turn all their attention to Bryce; good, because the pain would disappear. Bad, because he still had a silly and meaningless hope, deep in his heart, that he would see her again; Good, because if he was dead, Bryce wouldn't come looking for him.

Across the room, the thing in the shadows moved. Just a little. As if she had gestured to him, a finger curling, inviting him closer. The death. She was the one there, in the shadows. And it was calling out to him. ***

Night. Rising onto the raft of oblivion, Ruhn floated through a sea of pain. The last thing he remembered was the sound and sight of his small intestine spilling onto the floor, a pain as intense as... well, as intense as the curved knife that Falcão had plunged into his belly. He wondered when the shapeshifter would disembowel them with his hawk-like claws, as he liked to do. Ruhn could easily imagine it: the Falcon perched on his torso,

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tearing out its organs, pecking them with that sharp beak. He would heal and then the Falcon would start again. Again and again... Ruhn had been a fool to think that anything that would happen here could be worse than the years of torture at his father's hands. The burns, the Gorsian cuffs that his father had placed on him to stop him from reacting, to stop him from healing... at that time, at least, he had been able to develop his own ways of surviving, of recovering. But now there was only pain, forgetfulness and more pain. Would he have died? Or had he been a mere step away from death, as a Vanir might have been if the blow had not been fatal? His fey body would regenerate the organs, no matter how much the Gorsian shackles delayed the healing. Night.

The female voice echoed across the starry sea. Like a lighthouse shining in the distance. Night.

There, there was no escaping his voice. If he got up, the pain would overwhelm the raft and he would drown. So he had no choice but to listen, to head towards that lighthouse. Gods, what did he do to you? Anger and sadness permeated the question that came from everything around him, came from within him. Ruhn managed to say Nothing you haven't already done a thousand times. So, she got on the raft with him. Lidia. Fire dripped from her body, but he could see her perfect face. The most beautiful female I had ever seen. A mask of perfection over a rotten heart. Your enemy. Your lover. The soul he thought he was... She knelt down and reached out to him. I'm very sorry. Ruhn moved, out of his reach. The most movement he could do, right there. Something like agony flashed in her eyes, but she didn't try to touch him again. He must have died today. Or come close to it, to make her go to read. All his defenses had been exhausted and she had managed to penetrate his mental wall for the first time since he discovered who she was.

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What would they have done to Cormac, so that he would die once and for all? He couldn't stop the memory from washing over him. He remembered sitting next to Cormac in that bar before they went to the Eternal City, the moment he thought he caught a glimpse of the person his cousin could have been. The friend Cormac could have become, if he hadn't been systematically stripped of any kindness by King Morven. He should not have been shocked to learn that the two kings had disowned their sons. Although one king had fire in his veins and the other had shadows, Einar and Morven were more alike than other people realized. Ruhn had always harbored the faint hope that his father would see the Asteri for who they really were, and that if it came to that, his father would make the right choice. That the planetarium in his office, the years he'd spent searching for patterns in light and space... that it meant something bigger. That they weren't just useless studies from a bored member of royalty who needed to feel more important than he actually was. That hope had died. Dad was a fucking coward, a weak. Ruhn, called Lidia, and he hated the sound of her name coming out of that creature's mouth. He hated her. He turned sideways, facing away from her. I understand why you're angry, that you must hate me, she began, her voice hoarse. Ruhn, the... the things I did... I need you to understand why I did that. Why do I keep doing all this. Save your bullshit drama for someone who cares. Ruhn, please. The raft creaked and he knew she was trying to get closer again. But he couldn't bear her touch, the plea in her voice, the emotion that no one in the world had heard from the Doe but him. Then Ruhn said Fuck your excuses. And rolled out of the mental raft, allowing the sea of pain to drown him.

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Ithan's heart stopped at Sabine's wild smile, as she advanced towards the side door of the warehouse. The alley behind her was empty, meaning there were no witnesses. Exactly what Ithan and all those who served under Sabine were trained to ensure. Sigrid took a step back, bumping into Declan. The elves They held tightly to his neck, the flames yellow and trembling. — I knew it had been too easy to find my brother and your sister — Sabine teased, her eyes fixed on Sigrid, as if the two fae warriors with their weapons pointed at her head didn't exist. — I knew he had lied when he said how many puppies he had. Sigrid stopped. Ithan didn't dare take his eyes off Sabine to read her expression. — All this effort... because of you? — Sabine looked at her curved claws. — At least I promise it will be quick. That's more than I can say about your sister. Poor puppy. “Leave her alone,” Ithan growled, balancing on his toes and preparing to jump at Sabine. To take a final and disastrous position. Sabine laughed disdainfully, finally seeming to notice his presence.

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— Quite a guard, Holstrom. — Damn, Sabine, you have two seconds to get out. Sabine smiled, making her nose wrinkle. It was absolute wolf fury. — You're going to need more than bullets to take me down, little fae. Ithan had told Flynn that Sabine wasn't stupid enough to start a mess in the Viper Queen's territory, but, when he saw the hateful look in the Presumptive Cousin's eyes, he wondered if the anger and fear she felt had surpassed the minimum of good. sense. Then he put his claws out. — What about that? — He growled again. — When we tell to the authorities, you will be dead. Sabine's smile grew colder.

— Who are you going to tell? Celestina won't mind. And the Autumn King wants a new beginning for the Valbaran fae, he won't get involved in that. A low, rumbling growl sounded from behind Ithan.

The hairs on his arms stood up. It was a growl of pure defiance. One he had heard from Danika. From Connor. The challenge of a wolf that would not back down. Sabine looked at Sigrid in surprise. — I got into the tank for my sister — said Sigrid, her voice hoarse. Agony and anger contorted his face. — To keep her fed, to keep her safe. And you killed her. — Her voice rose, with a tone of command that made the wolf inside him stand up straight, ready to attack at her signal. — I'm going to rip out your throat, you soulless thief. I'm going to piss on your decomposing corpse... Sabine jumped.

Declan fired his gun at the same time Flynn fired with an explosive sound. Sigrid fell to her knees, claws scratching her face as she shielded her ears from the noise. Flynn came forward with his gun in hand, shooting again at the fallen wolf that was bleeding on the dirty sidewalk of the alley.

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Dec's shot hit Sabine in the knee, incapacitating her. But Flynn had blown her face off. “Come on,” Flynn said, grabbing Sigrid's arm. The trembling goblins jumped onto his shoulders. — We have to get to the river... to catch one of the boats. However, Ithan could only look at Sabine's body, the blood scattered across the alley. There was no doubt that she would heal from this wound, but it wouldn't be fast enough to stop them from leaving. Every muscle in his body seized up. As if shouting: Go help her! Protect and save your alpha! Even though something in her stomach whispered: Cut her to pieces. The others started running down the alley, but Ithan didn't stop. moved.

“Stop,” he said. Nobody heard him. —Stop! — His scream echoed through the stones, the corpse, and the blood, and they stopped just a few steps from the alley's exit. - What it was? shouted Marc, his cat eyes shining in the darkness. —The other wolves... were silent. — The howls that were getting closer and closer stopped completely. “I'm glad someone noticed,” he said slowly. a female voice at the end of the alley.

The Viper Queen was leaning against a filthy wall, a lit cigarette between her fingers, her white jumpsuit shining like the moon under the flickering primalux of the streetlights. She looked down at Sabine's body. The purple-painted mouth curved upward as his gaze lifted to Ithan. “Bad puppy,” she purred. ***

— This request is unconventional, Lidia. Lidia kept her chin up, her hands behind her back as she walked straight down the crystal corridor. The perfect imperial soldier.

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— Yes, but I believe that Irithys could be... a motivation for Athalar. Rigelus kept pace beside her, graceful despite his long legs. The fey teenager's body masked the immortal monster that hid below. When they started to descend the spiral staircase, lit only through primalux gutters in tiny alcoves, Rigelus sniffed: — She usually cooperates a lot, but she may refuse to comply with this order. Now a step behind him, Lidia fixed her gaze on his skeletal neck. If he were any other being, it would be so easy to wrap your hands around him and twist. She could almost feel the echo of her broken bones reverberating in her hands. “Irithys will do as she is told,” Lidia said as they descended into the darkness. Rigelus said nothing more as they walked around and around the basement of the Eternal Palace. Even deeper than the dungeons where Ruhn and the others were imprisoned. Most believed that this place was nothing more than a myth. Rigelus finally stopped before a metal door. Lead — six inches thick. Lidia had only been there once during her time with the Asteri. She had also been accompanied by Rigelus and her father. A private tour of the palace, offered by the Radiant Hand herself to one of her most loyal subjects — and one of the richest. And Lidia, young and still full of hatred and disdain for the world, was willing to join them. She became that person again when Rigelus placed his hand on the door. The lead flashed and then the door opened. The oppressive heat and humidity of the place had not changed since that first visit. When Lidia entered behind Rigelus, the air stuck to her face and neck again. The hall stretched ahead, the thousand bathtubs sunk into the stone floor glowing with a pale light that illuminated the bodies floating within. Masks, bathtubs, and machines hummed and hissed; the salt formed a crust on the stones between the tanks,

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some parts full of the substance. And in front of the machines, already making a long bow to Rigelus... A withered humanoid form, veiled and dressed in grayish attire, of a material transparent enough to reveal the bony body beneath, stood in front of the enormous table at the entrance to the room. The Lady of the Mystics. If she had a name, Lidia had never heard it spoken. Above her veiled head, a hologram rotated, with stars and planets whizzing by. Every constellation and galaxy in which, now, mystics searched for Bryce Quinlan. How many corners of the universe were left? That wasn't what Lidia needed to worry about, not right now. Not when Rigelus said, “I need Irithys.” The lady raised her head, but her body remained hunched over with old age, so thin that the knots in her spine protruded beneath her transparent robe. — The queen has been in a bad mood, Your Radiance. Have what she will not fulfill your request. Rigelus just pointed down the hall, bored. — Still, let's try. The lady curtsied again and limped past the tubs and machines, the trail of her robes white from the salt. Rigelus walked past the mystics without even looking down. They were little more than cattle to him. Gears of a machine to help meet your needs. But Lidia couldn't help but look at the wet faces as she passed by. Everyone resting, whether they wanted to or not. Where did they all come from, the dreamers locked in there? What Hell did they or their families endure to make it worth it? And what skills did they possess to guarantee this supposed honor of serving the Asteri? Rigelus approached the center of the hall, which was glowing dimly. There, in a crystal bubble the size of a melon, slept a female made of pure flame.

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Her long hair hung around her in golden waves and fiery curls, and her slim, graceful limbs were bare. The Goblin Queen may not have been bigger than Lidia's hand, but even at rest she had a presence. As if she were the little sun this place orbited around. That was almost true, Lidia supposed. The lady limped over to the protected and enchanted sphere and knocked at her with her skinny knuckles. - Stand up. Your master is here to see you. Irithys opened her eyes that were like embers. Even though it was made of flames, it seemed to boil with hatred. Especially when his gaze fell on Rigelus. The Radiant Hand only tilted its head mockingly. - Your Majesty. Slowly, with the grace of a dancer, Irithys sat down. His eyes slid from Rigelus to the lady and then to Lidia. Nothing but conjecture and resentment shone on his face, which was ordinary and simple considering the usual beauty of his species. Rigelus gestured to Lidia, the golden rings on his long fingers shining in Irithys's light. — My Doe has a request for you. My Doe. Lidia ignored the possession embedded in the words and the way they shook her soul. She approached the bubble, her hands clasped behind her back again. back.

— I have three prisoners in the dungeon who will find your type of fire particularly motivating. I demand that you come to the dungeons to help me make them talk. The Lady of Mystics turned her head to Lidia. — You can't want her to leave here... Without deigning to look at the old woman, Lidia said: — Surely, as the owner of this place, you will be able to find forces to protect your sections for a few hours. Under the thin veil, she could have sworn the lady's eyes they glowed with resentment.

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— Irithys is here precisely because we need the specific kind of protection she provides. Because of your light, a beacon against the darkness of Hell... Lidia just gave Rigelus a bored look. He smiled, always amused by the cruelty of others, and said to the lady: — If Hell arrives, just let me know and I will come to assist you personally. — A great honor... and an indication of how much he needed Athalar to speak. She wasn't too sure about Ruhn and Baxian, but Athalar... The lady lowered her head. With that, he left Irithys staring at Lidia, who, in turn, lifted her chin. — Are you willing to help me? Irithys looked down at her body, as if she could see the small band of tattoos around her throat. A kind of halo, tattooed on the Goblin Queen by imperial witches to keep her power under control. The queen's gesture was a silent question. Rigelus replied: — The tattoo remains. You can use your power enough to prove yourself useful. Lidia was silent. She allowed Irithys to analyze her. It had been kept there for more than a century. Without seeing the light of day or leaving that crystal bubble in all this time. There was a good chance that behind those sparkling eyes, the queen had gone mad. But Lidia didn't need the Goblin Queen's sanity, she could think for both of them. Irithys discreetly lowered her chin. Rigelus turned to Lidia. — You can keep it for a week. Lidia held the elf's burning gaze, letting her see the fire cold inside your own soul. — It won't take that long to get Athalar to talk. ***

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Bryce left untouched on the tray what she assumed was dinner—roasted chicken, more bread, and some herbed potatoes. No one had come over in the hours that had passed, so she assumed they would come and check on her in the morning, or maybe wait until she was banging on that wall and howling for someone to come talk to her. Neither alternative seemed appealing. This, in effect, left her with two options. See if she could break through the magical barrier and leave this mountain, entering a strange new world, with no idea where she would go, or... She looked down. Or she could find out what was at the bottom of the grate, if there was any opening, beyond the beasts, that could take her out of this place... and into a strange new world, with no idea where she would go. Hours had passed, and that was the best she could do. “Pathetic,” he muttered, playing with the Archesian amulet. up and down the current. — Fucking pathetic. What was happening to Hunt? With Ruhn? Will it still they were...

She wouldn't allow herself to think about it.

Her captors had taken her cell phone before taking her there, so she had no idea what time it was. Or at least what time it was on Midgard. She didn't even want to start thinking about how time could pass faster or slower in this world. And how much time had actually passed since he launched himself on a wild run through the corridor of the Eternal Palace... Bryce stood up from his crouched position against the wall. He went to the grate in the center of the room. A chorus of hisses echoed as she approached. “Yeah, okay, I heard you,” he muttered, kneeling down and pulling the grate off the floor, his fingers stretching painfully with the effort. But, inch by inch, the grate moved out of place, scraping loudly against the stone floor. She waited a moment, listening for the sound of her captors approaching. When no one came to investigate the noise, Bryce peered into the dark pit she had dug.

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He lowered his head a little towards the hole. The hisses they stopped.

Bryce conjured starlight in his hand and raised it. There was nothing but emptiness below. She clenched her palm, turning the light into a sphere, and let it fall... There was a sea of dark, scaled bodies lying writhing, painted silver by her light. Bryce backed away.

They were sobeks, or their dark twins. Tharion had faced them when they escaped the Bone Quarter, focusing his water magic into lethal spears that pierced the creatures' thick skin, but...

“Fuck,” she whispered.

He looked over his shoulder at the door. To the shield that echoed there with a Rhysand energy. Power like she had never seen before; at least, not beyond the asteri. If he had as much power as an asteri... it was all a guess, really, but if he could be manipulated into helping her, somehow returning to Midgard with her and ending it all... She could very well replace six conquerors with another. And something had to change, the cycle had to be broken now, but not to start over with another supreme lord. And if Rhysand did indeed have that much power, she doubted these interrogations would continue so peacefully for much longer. Even more so now that they knew she had something important tattooed on her back. Whatever Feita meant, it had considerable importance to them. She had no doubt that their patience would soon run out. She didn't know if that would manifest itself in Rhysand going against her polite insistence in asking for consent to search her mind or in Azriel cutting her with that black knife. Either way, Bryce didn't want to be around to find out. She looked at the hole, at the beasts. That grain of magic that altered the language in your brain and made the Horn glow left something in his chest. Enough fuel... She would have a nanosecond to teleport — cross, as they called it there — to the beasts. To that piece of rock

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which she noticed jutting out just above them, a little wider than her foot. Then she would have to see if there was any way out. Some tunnel they moved through underground in this place. Unless it was just a hole, a real cage where they sat in the darkness and waited for meat—dead or alive—to be thrown at them. It would be a real leap in the dark.

Her hands shook, but she clenched them into fists. He had overcome an asteri in the race. Okay, he did it with the help of Hunt's lightning, but... Every minute there counted. Every minute made Hunt and Ruhn more

time in the hands of Rigelus. If they were still alive. —Hunt. Ruhn. Mom. Dad. Fury. June. Syrinx. — She whispered names, fighting the tightness in his throat. I had to get out of there. Before these people decided the risk she posed was too great and dealt with her intelligently. Or before they decided they liked Rigelus's idea of Midgard and realized it would make an excellent peace offering... “Get up, dammit,” he growled. — Get up and do something. Hunt would say she had lost her mind. Ruhn would tell her to try to tell her captors more lies, to try to win them over. But Danika... Danika would have jumped.

Danika had jumped into the depths of the Descent with Bryce. Knowing there would be no return trip for her. Danika, whose death Rigelus had planned, manipulating Micah into killing her. A white fog blurred Bryce's vision. Primal rage coursed through his body, the kind only fey could feel. It sharpened his vision and made his muscles tense. The star on his chest shined with a soft light. “Fuck it,” she said. And teleported to the hole.

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***

Tharion assumed he was still high and hallucinating when Ithan Holstrom, Declan Emmett, Tristan Flynn, Marc Rosarin, and an unknown she-wolf— carrying three very familiar goblins—entered the suite. They were escorted by the Viper Queen and six of her drugged fae bodyguards. Lying on the couch in front of the television, so relaxed it felt like his bones had melted into the cushions, Tharion could barely lift his head as the group entered. He gave them a lazy, content smile. - Hi friends. Declan let out a sigh. —Damn Flaming Soles, Tharion. Tharion's face heated. He could imagine what he looked like, but he couldn't convince his body to move. The head was very heavy and the limbs were very weak. He closed his eyes, sinking into that sweet sensation. —What the fuck is going on here? — Flynn growled. —Did you do this to him? Tharion only realized that Ari had entered the room when she hissed at Flynn. - I? Do you think I go around drugging defenseless people? — You go around abandoning them — Flynn countered. — Or was that just with Bryce and Hypaxia? — Go back to your little group, cute — Ari replied. — I'll let you all catch up — the Viper Queen

he hummed and left, closing the doors behind him with a soft thud. Tharion managed to open his eyes. — Why are you here? —By Ogenas, your mouth looked so soft. Declan takes a few steps. — Bryce, Athalar and Ruhn were unable to leave the Eternal Palace. Was it the news or the poison that made Tharion's whole world spin? —Dead? — The word was like ashes on his tongue.

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“No,” said Declan. — Well, as far as we know. Bryce has disappeared, and Ruhn and Hunt are now trapped in the Asteri dungeon. Tharion just looked at the fae warrior, at the blurred outline of Declan, and took in the terrible news. “Man, your pupils are huge,” Flynn said. No wonder that his vision was so hazy. — What are you taking? - You do not even wanna know.

“Her poison,” Ari replied.

—, That's what he's high on.

“You look horrible,” said Declan, moving closer to look at Tharion. — Your shoulder... “Minotaur,” growled Tharion. — It's healing. I dont want talk about it. Where did Bryce go? “We don't know,” said Declan.

— Damn — cursed Tharion in a long sigh. He felt the word echo in every bone and vein. Before he could ask further, he noticed Ari sizing up the group, his gaze focusing on the wolf next to Holstrom. - I know you. The wolf's chin lifted. — I say the same, dragon. Tharion must have looked confused, because Holstrom said, “This is Sigrid... Fendyr. Yes, he was hallucinating. There was only one Fendyr besides Cousin: Sabine. And he was sure she didn't have any secret daughter. “I'll explain more later,” said Declan, and sank into the nearest chair. His boyfriend was next to him, with his hand on his shoulder. — We have to resolve this mess. Flynn swore. — What is there to resolve? We kill Sabine. Tharion shuddered—or tried to. His body didn't move. — You killed Sabine — corrected Declan — I only shot her in the leg. “She didn't really die,” Flynn said. — She doesn't have a face — replied Dec. — That's pretty...

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—What happened to the other wolves? — Holstrom didn't ask any of them in particular. Oh, wait... he was asking Tharion and Ari, who cast a blank stare at Holstrom. —What wolves?

— We were being chased by the Pack of the Black Rose — Ithan explained — and then... we weren't anymore. Where did the Viper Queen take them? “Start searching the river,” Tharion muttered. “She must not have killed the Pack,” Marc said.

—,

It would

be a headache, even for her. The goons must have knocked them all out and taken them somewhere else. — And Sabine? asked Holstrom. Gods, Tharion's head was throbbing. This must be some dream strange... — The Viper Queen will twist this story in her favor

somehow,” said Marc. — She will either present herself as Sabine's savior or turn us in. Tharion raised his eyebrows at Marc, who noticed the look and explained: — I had some clients who had problems with the Queen. Viper over the years. I learned a few things about their tactics. Tharion nodded, as if this were perfectly normal, and closed his eyes again.

“Pathetic,” Ari hissed, probably at him. But then she asked the others, “So you are all prisoners of the Viper Queen?” “I'm not sure,” Declan replied. — She caught us just as we were, uh… finishing off Sabine. When she told us to follow her, it felt like an order. — But she didn't say anything else? — asked Ari. Tharion opened one eye, struggling to continue the conversation. — Except we can sleep here tonight — said Flynn, sitting on the couch next to Tharion and picking up the remote control. He switched to a sports channel. — We should run to Tiberian or the river — said Declan.

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— You won't leave if Queen Viper doesn't want to — he replied. Tharion with a hoarse voice. — So we're trapped? — Sigrid's voice had a hint of something akin to panic. “No,” Holstrom replied. — We just need to think carefully about the next steps. a matter of strategy. “Come on, great football captain,” Flynn intoned with mock solemnity. Ithan rolled his eyes, and the gesture was so normal, so friendly, that Tharion felt a tightness in his chest. He had thrown everything away, any chance of having a normal life. And now his friends were here... seeing him in this state. Tharion closed his eyes once again, this time because he couldn't bear to see his friends. He couldn't bear the worry and pity in Holstrom's eyes as the wolf realized his pitiful state. Captain Anything. It was more like Captain Useless. ***

The beasts were much larger and, up close, they smelled much worse. Bryce's magic ended when they turned toward him. She teetered on the edge of the rock before steadying herself. One jump up and they would devour her. The star shining on his chest illuminated only those closest to him, all with hissing mouths, contorted bodies, slashing tails... She called upon her power, but... nothing. Just bright stardust in your veins. Enough to keep that star shining in your chest. No teleportation, then. Could these creatures see enough to be blinded? They lived in darkness. Could they have evolved beyond the need for vision?

Thoughts came and went quickly. The railing was thirty feet high; there was no turning back now. And the floor of the pit was covered in these things, everyone smelling and evaluating her. But without... attacking. As if something about her made them stop.

Done. Maybe it also meant something to these creatures.

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Bryce pulled the neckline of her t-shirt down, revealing the star in all her glory. The beasts reared back, hissing, throwing their huge, scaled heads back. His teeth gleamed with starlight. A tunnel extended on each side of the shaft. She could only make out the huge mouths, but it looked like this hole was in the middle of a passage. But where? This had been the stupidest thing she had ever done. In a life full of stupid ideas and mistakes, that was impressive, but... Bryce turned toward one of the tunnels, trying to get a better look at what lay beyond. The star on his chest darkened. As if his magic was fading quickly. She spun toward the other tunnel, trying to see what she could before the magic disappeared... The star shone again.

“Huh,” he murmured. Bryce turned the other way. The star disappeared. To the opposite side: it lights up again. Rigelus said the star reacted to people; to those who were loyal to her, her chosen knights or whatever. He also said that Theia herself carried this star on her chest. And in this world, the home planet of Theia and the Starfires... Bryce had no choice but to trust that star. “That way, then,” she said, her voice echoing through the chamber. But I still had to overcome the chasm between the beasts and the next niche in the tunnel wall. He never wished he had wings, but damn, how useful they would be right now. If Hunt had been there with her... He felt a lump in his throat. The beasts hissed, waving their tails. As if they could feel his mood change. Bryce focused on her breathing, as she had learned to do after losing Danika, as she had learned to do in front of all those Vanir and Fae who had mocked her. The star continued to shine, pointing the way. The creatures calmed down, as if they shared the same emotions. She forced herself to stay calm, not to feel afraid. The creatures became calmer. Some lowered their heads.

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She looked at the star on her chest, which was still shining brightly. They are also your defenders, he seemed to say. The star hadn't been wrong about Hunt. Or Cormac. Then Bryce took one of his feet off the rock. The beasts did not move. She lowered her foot a little, swinging the bait... Anything.

Its heartbeat accelerated and a huge head rose, spinning towards you. For love, everything is possible. She called upon the memory of Danika's love and let the feeling wash over her, steadying her as she descended to the floor. To the nest of beasts. They lay before her like obedient dogs. She didn't question it. He thought of nothing other than the star on his chest, the tunnel it pointed to and the desire to see the faces of those he loved once again. Bryce took a step, his neon pink sneakers shockingly bright amid the dark scales so dangerously close. Then another step. The creatures watched, but without moving a single claw. Ruhn had called her queen before he left. And for the first time in her life, as she crossed that sea of death... she could lift her chin a little higher. She could feel a cloak fall around her shoulders, a trail of starlight following her. He could feel something like a crown landing on his head. Guiding her into the darkness. ***

Tharion finally managed to gather enough concentration and energy to stand up and walk slowly towards his room. Holstrom cornered him a second later. —What the fuck happened? — asked the wolf, stopping Tharion at the door. — The Queen of Rio was after me. — Gods, his voice sounded weak, even to his ears. — It was either die or be arrested in prison.

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her hands, or... that. — You should have looked for me. - For what? — Tharion's laugh was as weak as his voice. — You are also a deserter. We are wolves without a pack. — Tharion nodded to the wolf now sitting on the couch next to Flynn. — Speaking of which... Sigrid Fendyr? - Long story. She is Sabine's niece. —Ithan's mouth tightened. — She was the mystical female in the Astronomer's house. I saved her two days ago. Tharion's head swam. —So what are you doing here? — Before Sabine showed up to kill Sigrid, we were getting to the part where I convinced everyone to come free you from this shit so we could get on the Deep Freighter and save Ruhn and Athalar. —That's... a lot of information. — Tharion's heart was swimming with the words. Or maybe it was the poison. His stomach was upset and he really needed a bathroom or a bed. Or just a moment of peace. "You can't stay here," Ithan said, but his voice sounded distant as Tharion walked to his bed and collapsed face down on the mattress. — We're going to find a way to get you out of here. — Too late, wolf — said Tharion, the words muffled in the pillow. They crawled out more and more as sleep gripped him in its sharp claws and pulled him down. — I no longer have salvation. ***

Ithan found Sigrid pacing back and forth in front of the window that looked out onto the now dark ring. It was late enough that even the lights had been turned off. — You should sleep... you can have the couch. Dec, Flynn and Marc lay on the floor; although, from their breathing, Ithan knew they were awake. After the night that

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had, how could anyone sleep? Sigrid crossed her arms, hugging her thin body. — We're stuck here. “No,” Ithan insisted. — I won't let that happen.

— I can't get stuck again. — Her voice broke. - I can't. “You're going to get out of here,” Ithan said.

—,

no matter what

happen.

—Then why not go to the door right now? — she demanded, waving his hand towards the suite's exit door. “Because there are six drugged-up fae assassins on the other side, waiting to kill us if we do.” Her face paled and she rubbed her chest. — Trapping us. I need to get out. - You are going.

She closed her eyes, breathing shallowly and letting herself be lost in panic. Ithan looked across the room. The goblins were curled up next to Flynn, dozing like balls of violet flame, and they didn't seem to be panicking. Quiet, but... focused. As if they were used to facing fear. He felt his stomach turn just thinking about it. “Sabine will come after me again,” said Sigrid, “won't she?” — She'll try, but we'll be too far from the city by the time she recovers. His eyes narrowed.

— Why don't we leave at that time? When did you take me out of the tank? Ithan stiffened. — Because I didn't know where else to go. — A house with these clowns would be the best... — These clowns are my friends, and some of the best fighters I know — warned Ithan, irritated. — These clowns risked their lives for you today... they saved you. She showed her teeth.

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—If Sabine is going to recover, then let me go to her body and tear it apart... — Believe me, I thought about that too. But… He didn't finish the thought. - But what? He shook his head, not allowing himself to go down that path, even in your mind.

— It's too late — he said —, you should go to sleep. — I won't make it. “Then try,” he said, perhaps a little more rudely than necessary. Sigrid looked at him and then at the door to Tharion's room. — Was this the merman you wanted to help us? - Yes. She snorted.

— I don't think he'll be much help to anyone. Not even for yourself.

“You should sleep,” he repeated. I was tired of it. — Do you usually do this? she asked suddenly. — Freeing enslaved people? “Only recently,” he replied tiredly. He didn't wait for her to respond before walking to Tharion's room, throwing himself on the floor next to the man who was sleeping soundly and closing his eyes.

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When he had already traveled about six meters along the tunnel, the number of beasts began to decrease little by little. They remained motionless, watchful, until Bryce passed the last of them. He found a fence blocking his path and a small door on the left side of the barrier. As soon as he touched the door, it opened. He had to duck to get through, but it was evident that it was designed to prevent the beasts from escaping. He made sure to close the door behind him. Metal creaked and hissing echoed through the tunnel, like a swarm of angry wasps. The beasts writhed again, their jaws snapping and their bodies heaving. They scraped against each other, as if closing the door had snapped them out of their stupor. Bryce stumbled back just in time to see a particularly large creature charging at the bars. The iron shook with the impact, but it held. Bryce gasped, watching the sinuous beast once again move. But the creatures were too big to fit through the bars. She let out a shaky breath and analyzed the tunnel ahead. A The star shone brighter, as if encouraging her to move forward.

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“Okay,” she said, patting her chest. - He is well. ***

Bryce walked for hours. Or what he assumed was hours, judging by the pain in his legs and feet, even with the cushioning of his sneakers. The tunnel might not lead anywhere. It could be a hundred and fifty kilometers long. I should have brought some supplies, stuffed some of the food from the tray into my pockets and bra. Took water. I could see no diversions, tunnels, or alternative intersections. Just a long, endless path in the dark. His mouth was dry, and as much as he knew he shouldn't, Bryce stopped. She sat leaning against the weathered wall, swallowing the dryness in her mouth. I had no choice but to continue. He closed his eyes for a moment. Just for one... ***

Bryce opened his eyes. She had fallen asleep. Somehow, she had fallen asleep so exhausted for who knows how many hours that she hadn't even noticed, and... The star on his chest still shined beneath his t-shirt. Still was not tunnel. But I was no longer alone.

Nesta was standing above her, a sword strapped to her back. The female's blue-gray eyes seemed to glow with power in the starlight. Bryce didn't dare move. Nesta tossed her a leather canteen. — Do yourself a favor and drink this before you pass out. new. ***

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Bryce drank what, fortunately, appeared to be water from the canteen, and watched the other woman over the rim of the bottle. Nesta sat against the far wall of the tunnel, monitoring Bryce with attentive curiosity. They had been silent since Bryce woke up. Nesta barely feels had moved, except to sit down. Finally, Bryce capped the canteen and tossed it back to Nesta, who caught him easily. — How did you find out that I left the cell? - There was not need to further reveal that she could teleport. Nesta gave him a bored look, as if Bryce should already know the answer. — We have people who can talk to the shadows. They told us you went through the fence. Interesting... and scary. But Bryce asked, “So you're here to drag me back to the cell?” Nesta stuffed her canteen into her backpack and stood up, in a confident, graceful movement. The sword strapped to his back...it wasn't Aster, though Bryce could have sworn there was something similar about the blade, a sort of presence that drew her toward him. The female tilted her head towards the tunnel behind them, towards the way back. — I was sent to escort you. - It's the same thing. Bryce stood up. She against this female... had good chances, but the sword was a problem. As was any kind of presence that came from Nesta, apparently capable of detecting the Horn on Bryce's back. Fighting an opponent whose abilities and powers were unknown was probably somewhat reckless. - Look. I'm not here to cause problems... —Then don't cause it. Come back with me.

Bryce glanced at the tunnel behind them. —How did you get past the beasts? Nesta opened a discreet smile.

— It's worth meeting people with wings. Bryce grunted despite the pain in his chest.

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—So someone took you to the Gate... —And it will take us back. — One corner of his mouth lifted. — Or drag you, if he decides to do it the hard way. Bryce watched the path behind Nesta. There were only shadows there. No sign of anyone with wings waiting to grab her. — You might be bluffing. She could have sworn silver fire flickered in Nesta's eyes. — Do you want to pay to see it?

Bryce held the female's gaze. It was obvious they didn't want her dead, since they had sent someone to rescue her, not hunt her. But if she went back to that cell, how long would they keep her there? Even hours could be crucial for Hunt and Ruhn... — I'm always open to new learning — said Bryce. Then she burst into light. Nesta swore, but Bryce didn't wait to see if the light had blinded her before darting down the hall. Without weapons, a head start was their best chance. A force that felt like a stone wall hit her from behind. The world tilted and she felt her breath hitch as she collided with the stone floor, her bones throbbing with pain. Shadows enveloped her, trapping her, and she struggled, kicking and slashing. She made her light shine, an incandescent explosion that made the shadows break in all directions. He might not have enough magic in his veins to teleport, but at least he would buy some time that way. She stood up with difficulty, but the shadows jumped at her again like a pack of wolves determined to devour her. She let them attack her for a moment before her magic exploded like a light bomb everywhere. It made shadows fly to the ceiling and walls. Where the shadow touched the stone, debris fell. The mountain shook. Bryce ran further into the tunnel, into the darkness, her star shining as she ran to get away from the crumbling rock around her...

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The world shook and roared again, causing her to fall into the air. a cloud of dust. And then there was silence, broken only by the rocks falling from the stone wall that now blocked the way back. But a cave-in wouldn't stop a Vanir or Fae for long. Bryce got up... Suddenly, she felt metal pinch her neck. Icy, deathly cold. — No — Nesta said softly, panting — move. Bryce looked at the female, but didn't remove the blade from her neck. His entire being roared so that he wouldn't touch the sword any more than necessary. — Nice trick with the shadows. Nesta just looked at her, imperiously. - Stand up.

— Put down your sword and I will. Their gazes dueled, but the sword only moved a little. Bryce stood up, brushing the dust and debris off his clothes. - And now? His knees gave way from exhaustion. He had exhausted his magic, his veins completely devoid of starlight. Nesta looked at the cave-in. Whatever dark magic he possessed seemed to be barely able to move the stones. The warrior nodded towards the tunnel ahead. — I think you got what you wanted. — I didn't want to cause this... - Whatever. Now there is only one way out, if there is any left. Bryce sighed, frowning at the star on his chest, still glowing in the dark through his t-shirt. Lighting up all the dirt now spread on the white cotton. — I didn't mean to drag anyone else into this with me. —Then you should have stayed in the Hewn City.

Bryce kept that scrap of information. The place where she was kept was called Excavated City. — Look, this star... — She hit her chest. — You are indicating to me this direction. I have no idea why, but I have to follow her.

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Nesta pointed the blade at the dark path ahead. Bryce could have sworn the sword whizzed through the air.

—Then move on. — You're not going to stop me? Nesta returned to putting the sword behind her back with enviable grace. — We're trapped down here. We might as well see what's there. It was a better reaction than Bryce could have expected, mainly coming from the fey. Bryce shrugged and walked into the darkness, keeping an eye on the female at his side. And he prayed that Urd knew where he was leading them.

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Lidia carried the crystal bubble containing the Fire Goblin Queen through the dark corridors. Irithys's flame reflected shades of gold on the marble floor and wall. She didn't say anything to the elf...not with all the cameras at the ready throughout the Asteri palace. Irithys didn't seem to mind. He rested at the bottom of the sphere, his legs folded serenely. After long minutes, however, the elf said: — The dungeons are not on that side. — And are you that familiar with the layout of this place? — My memory is good — said the queen in a

drab, her long hair floating above her head in a swirl of yellow flames. — I only need to see it once to remind me. I remember in great detail the entire walk down here, to the mystics. A very useful gift. But Lidia said:

— We're not going to the dungeons. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Irithys peering at her.

—But you told Rigelus... — It's been a while since you came out of your bubble... and used your powers. — Any embers left over from the

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halo restriction. — I think it's wise for you to train a little before the main event. - What does that mean? — asked the queen, and her flames took on a cautious shade of orange, but Lidia didn't respond as she unlocked the unmarked iron door that led to the quieter floor below. Lidia silently thanked Luna that her hands didn't shake as she gripped the doorknob, the gold and ruby ring on her finger shining in Irithys's light. Between one breath and another, Lidia ignored that part of her that begged distant gods, the part that had doubts. She became calmer, impassive, her expression as imperturbable as the surface of a longforgotten forest lake. The door creaked open, revealing a table, the chair in front of it, and on the other side, bound by Gorsian shackles, an Imperial witch. The witch raised yellow, mischievous eyes to Lidia as the Doe closed the door behind her. And then they looked at the bubble, at the Goblin Queen that glowed orange inside. Lidia sat in the chair opposite the prisoner, placing the elf's crystal on the table between them as if it were any other bag. — Thank you for coming to meet me, Hilde. — I had no other choice — protested the witch, her voice hoarse, her thin white hair shining like faint rays of moonlight. A sad and disturbed creature, but with a hidden beauty. — Since your dogs arrested me on false charges... — You were found in possession of a com-crystal known as be used by Ophion rebels. — I had never seen that crystal in my entire life — protested Hilde, parts of her brown teeth shining. — Someone set me up. — Of course, of course — replied Lidia, waving her hand. Irithys watched every movement, still in that orange tone that indicated alertness. — You can present your case to Rigelus. The imperial witch had the good sense to look nervous. —Then why are you here?

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Lidia gave Irithys a smile. — To keep you warm. The Goblin Queen understood what that meant and assumed a deep, menacing shade of red. But the witch let out a hoarse laugh. She was still wearing her Imperial uniform, the Republic crest worn over her sagging breasts. — I have nothing to say to you, Lidia. Lidia crossed one leg over the other. — That's what we'll see. Hilde hissed: — You think you are so powerful, so unattainable. — Is this part where the speech about how one day you will get revenge comes in? — I knew your mother, girl — replied the witch. Lidia had enough training and self-control to keep her expression neutral, her voice one of absolute boredom. — My mother was a witch queen, many people knew her. — Ah, but I knew her... I flew in her unit on her days. combat.

Lidia tilted her head. — Before or after you sold your soul to Flame and Shadow? — I swore loyalty to Flame and Shadow because of your mother. Because she was a weakling, a coward who had no desire to punish. — I believe that my mother and I are different in that respect, then. Hilde cast her hard gaze at Lidia. — Better than that disgraceful sister who now claims to be queen. — Hypaxia is half Flame and Shadow... you owe your loyalty to her, anyway. Lidia could feel that Irithys was studying every word. If she could remember things after seeing it once, could she also remember the conversations she heard?

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— Your mother was an idiot for giving you away — Hilde grumbled. Lidia raised an eyebrow. —Was that a compliment?

— Understand as you wish. — The witch showed her rotten teeth in a smile worthy of nightmares. — You are a born killer... like any real witch. That girl on the throne has a heart as soft as her mother's. She will end the entire Valbaran Witch dynasty. — Ah, my father was a very experienced negotiator — said Lidia, exaggeratedly admiring the ruby ring on her finger, the stone was as red as the flames of Irithys. — But enough about me. — She pointed to the witch, then to the elf. — Irithys, Queen of the Goblins. Hilde, Grand Witch of the Imperial Clan. — I know who you are — said Irithys, her voice low, full of contained hatred. She now floated in the center of the sphere, her body red as blood. — You put this collar on me. Hilde smiled again, a smile wide enough to show her darkened gums. A weaker person would have cowered at such a sight. — I also had the honor of doing this with the little slut who wore the crown before you.

Hilde wasn't talking about Irithys' mother, who had never been queen. No, when the last Goblin Queen died, the succession had passed to a different family, and Irithys had been the first heir. A cursed inheritance: she had gained the title and a prison sentence at the same time. After receiving her crown, not a day had passed when Rigelus took her to the dungeons. Lidia said softly:

— Yes, Hilde. We all know how skilled you are. Athalar can thank you in person for his first halo. But let's discuss why you chose to betray us. - I did not do it. — Even with the Gorsian shackles, a crackling energy emanated from the witch. Lidia sighed at the ceiling.

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— I have other commitments for today, Hilde. Does Can we speed it up a little? She didn't warn before patting the top of Irithys' crystal. It melted away, leaving nothing but air between the witch and the Goblin Queen. Irithys didn't move. He didn't try to escape or explode. She stood there, a living, flaming ruby, as if being freed from her crystal after all these years... Lidia ignored the thought. The voice was as expressionless as his eyes when he said: — Let's see if you can be motivational, Your Majesty. Hilde gave her a hateful look, but didn't flinch or trembled.

Then Irithys turned to Lidia, her hair intertwining above her head. - No. Lidia raised an eyebrow. - No? On the other side of the table, Hilde was still fuming, but was listening carefully. Irithys repeated, brave and fearless: — No. — It wasn't a request. — Lidia pointed to the witch with her head. — Burn her hand. Hilde took her deformed hands off the table, as if that could save her. Irithys lifted her chin. — I may even be your prisoner, but I don't need to obey your orders. — Hilde is a traitor to the Republic... “That's a lie,” Hilde interrupted. — You're wasting your compassion on her — Lidia added. “It's not compassion,” Irithys replied, the ruby flames growing darker, taking on a wine-like hue. - AND

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a matter of honor. There is no honor in attacking a person who cannot defend themselves, whether they are an enemy or not. Lidia's upper lip pulled back and she spoke between her teeth: —Burn it. She. Irithys glowed violet, like the hottest of flames. - No. Hilde laughed heartily. Lidia said in a calm tone that used to make enemies plead: — I'll ask just one more time... — And I will answer a thousand times more: no. On my honor, no. — You have no honor here. That doesn't mean anything in this place. — Honor is all I have — Irithys replied, the heat of her indigo flames was strong enough to warm Lidia's cold hands. — Honor and my name. I will not tarnish or give up either, no matter what my enemies have done. Or the threats you make, Doe. Lidia held the elf's incandescent gaze and found nothing.

nothing more than an unbreakable, unyielding willpower. Then Lidia tilted her head mockingly at the queen. And, with a movement of her hand, she activated the magic that Rigelus had given her during the week. Like an ice ball melting in reverse, the crystal sphere formed around Irithys from new. —Then you are of no use to me — concluded Lidia, as he took the crystal ball and headed towards the door. Irithys said nothing, but her flame remained a bright royal blue. Lidia had just opened the metal door when Hilde called from the table: — And how do I look? Lidia cast a cold glance at the imperial witch.

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— I suggest you beg Rigelus for mercy. — She didn't wait for the witch to respond, and left slamming the door. Clemency. Lidia had had no mercy in her heart two days before, when she had passed Hilde in the corridors and placed her com-crystal in the witch's pocket. With Ruhn in the dungeons, no one was on the other end of the phone anyway. The crystal was, for all intents and purposes, dead. But, in Hilde's possession, when Mordoc sniffed it out following Lidia's suspicions... the crystal became priceless. again.

I could think of no one, other than the asteri themselves, that Irithys could hate more than the witch who had tattooed her glowing throat. There was no one Irithys would like to burn more than Hilde. And yet, the Goblin Queen had refused. The lady was nowhere to be found when Lidia re-entered the hot, humid hallway, nor when Lidia placed Irithys back on her pedestal in the center of the room. —What about the other prisoners? — demanded Irithys when Lidia walked away.

Lidia paused, stuffing her hands in her pockets. — Why should I waste my time trying to convince you to help me with them? And indeed, I was running out of time. I had places to go, and soon. — You had a hell of a time getting me out of here today. For nothing. Lidia shrugged, then headed towards the exit. — I know how to recognize a lost battle — he said over his shoulder. — Enjoy your name and your honor. I hope they are good company within this crystal ball. ***

Bryce and Nesta walked in tense, tense silence for a long time. Bryce's feet had started to hurt again, the discomfort creeping up his legs. Normally, she would have started a conversation to distract herself

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I felt uncomfortable, but I knew I shouldn't ask too many questions about this world, about Nesta's people. It would raise too many suspicions. If she sought to say as little about herself and Midgard as possible, then they would probably act the same way toward their home. Without warning, Nesta stopped, raising her fist. Bryce suddenly stopped beside her, and with a glance he noticed Nesta's blue-gray eyes slowly scanning the tunnel ahead. An icy calm written across his face. Bryce muttered, “What is it?” Nesta's eyes moved quickly, analyzing new land.

As Bryce stepped forward, his star illuminated what had stopped the warrior: the tunnel widened into an enormous chamber, the ceiling so high that not even Bryce's starlight could reach it. And in the center... the path descended on both sides, showing only a thin rocky bridge over what seemed to be an endless abyss. Bryce knew it wasn't endless just because far below, he could hear the sound of running water. An underground river that, to make such a strong sound up there, would have to be huge. Droplets floated in the darkness, the damp air mixed with a thick, metallic smell... of iron. There must have been a storage room. Nesta said, also in a low voice: — This bridge is the perfect place for an ambush. - From who? Bryce hissed. — I haven't lived long enough to know all the horrors of this world, but I can tell you that dark things tend to grow in dark places. Even more so in places as old and forgotten as this one. - Excellent. So how are we going to cross without attracting these dark things? — I don't know... I've never been in this tunnel before.

Bryce turned to her, surprised.

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— Have you never been here before?

Nesta glared at her. — No. No one ever came. Bryce laughed ironically, analyzing the abyss and the bridge in front of him. No movement, no sounds other than the water running below. — Who did you piss off so they sent you to get me? She could have sworn Nesta's mouth curved into a smile. — On a good day, there would be so many people I could barely count. But today... I volunteered. Bryce raised an eyebrow. - Why? The silver flame flashed in Nesta's eyes. Bryce felt a shiver run down his spine. She was fey and, at the same time... not era.

“Call it intuition,” Nesta replied, and climbed onto the bridge.

***

Bryce did everything in his power not to think about the lack of handrails, the seemingly endless abyss, and the roaring river. They had gone halfway across the narrow bridge when they heard a different noise, almost inaudible due to the rapid roar of the water. Claws sliding across the stone. Coming from above and below.

- Let's go. — Nesta picked up the simple but remarkable sword. To the touch of his hand, silver flames slid down the blade and... Bryce felt his breath hitch. The sword pulsed, as if all the air around it had disappeared. It was like Aster, in a way. More than a sword. Just like Nesta was fae, but more than that. — What's with your sword... — Let's go — Nesta repeated, crossing the rest of the bridge. Bryce composed himself enough to obey, moving as quickly as he dared, considering the enormous chasm that lay ahead.

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he was looking for.

Leather wings fluttered. The claws scraped the stone a few meters ahead. Bryce threw caution to Hell and ran toward the tunnel entrance, where Nesta was waving for him to hurry, her sword glowing dimly in her other hand. Then Bryce's star illuminated the rock that framed the tunnel entrance. She ran. A bunch of things surrounded the entrance, smaller than the beasts below the dungeon, but almost worse. They were rougher and the skin seemed hard like leather. The beasts resembled some sort of primitive hybrid of a bat and a lizard. Black tongues swung in the air, between pale, destructive teeth. Like the Kristallos, born and raised for eons in darkness. Some of the creatures jumped, diving into the void below, hunting... The tunnel and bridge rumbled. Bryce staggered and the fall came frighteningly close. A wave of panic overshadowed all his senses... Fae training and grace overcame her, and Bryce could cry, such was the relief she felt at not having fallen into that void. Especially when something huge and slimy swung up from below, the size of two buses. A gigantic worm, glistening with water and mud. The mouth full of lined up teeth opened and bit...

Bryce sat down, and the worm caught three of the flying lizards in its mouth, swallowing them all in a single bite. Her starlight shone, casting light and shadow across the entire room. cave. The creatures on the wall screeched—either from the worm or the light— slamming from their perches and falling straight into the creature's open mouth. Another bite, spraying river water and metallic-smelling mud—and it all disappeared in the worm's throat. Bryce could only stare.

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One movement of the creature's giant body and it would be on top of Bryce. One bite and she would be swallowed. Starlight would do no good. The worm had no eyes. It probably moved according to the smell, and there it was, a quivering dessert on top of that bridge... A strong, thin hand grabbed Bryce by the armpits and dragged her. She was overcome by sensations: rocks scraping her body as she was dragged; light, shadows and flying things screeching; his back burning from the stones that scratched his skin; the enormous wet body of the worm as it emerged from the depths again, snatching the beasts away... She couldn't stop shaking as Nesta dropped her to the ground a safe distance inside the tunnel. The worm took a few more bites of the air, the cave shuddering with each powerful thrust. The smell of iron grew stronger; it was blood. It mixed with the air, with the smell of river water. Each click of the worm's jaw seemed to rumble through the rock, through Bryce's bones. All he could do was watch in silent horror as more creatures disappeared between those teeth. Then the distinctive smell of blood filled the air and the worm began to descend, lower and lower and lower. Back to the river and wherever his refuge was. Nesta's breathing was as labored as Bryce's, and when Bryce finally looked at the warrior, he saw that she was already staring at her. Disgust and something akin to disappointment were on Nesta's pretty face as she blurted out, "You stuck." Fury dispelled Bryce's lingering tremors and the stinging on her scratched skin, and she pushed herself back. "What the fuck was that thing?" Nesta looked into the shadows behind Bryce, as if someone was there. But he replied: — A Middengard Worm. — Middengard? — Bryce was startled by the word. - Type... Midgard? Are they from my world?

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As horrifying as the creature was, having another being from his world was... comforting, in a strange way. And finding comfort in this fact showed the extent of her despair. “I don't know,” Nesta replied.

— Are they common around here? Because if they were, it was no wonder the fae were gone from this world. “No,” Nesta replied, a muscle moving in her jaw. — As far as I know, they are rare. But I saw the paintings my sister made of one she defeated. I thought it was a bit of an exaggeration, but the creature is as horrible as she described. — She shook her head, and the shock turned into coldness and aggression once again. — I didn't know there was more than one. — Her eyes scanned Bryce in a warrior's wary assessment. —What kind of power do you have? What light is this? Bryce shook his head slowly. — It's light. Just... light. The strange and terrible light that had come from another world, the they once said. Of this world. Nesta's eyes lit up.

— To what court were your ancestors loyal? - I don't know. The ancient fey whose power I carry, Theia, was Starfire. Like me. — That term doesn't mean anything here. — Nesta pulled Bryce, making her stand up easily. —But Amren told me what you said about Theia, the queen who went from our world to your.

Bryce brushed the dust and rocks off his back and ass. And your ego. — My ancestor, yes. — Theia was High Queen of these lands. Before leaving Nesta explained. - She was? —Not just a leader on Midgard, but a powerful ruler there as well. Her ancestor had been High Queen. Bryce carried not only Theia's starlight, but her

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royal connections with that world. Which could put her in hot water with these people if they felt threatened by Bryce's lineage and believed she could claim her right to the throne. Nesta's eyes flicked to the star on Bryce's chest, then to the shadows behind her. But she decided to leave the matter aside, turning towards the tunnel in front of them. — If we find something else that tries to eat us — said the warrior — don't stare like a scared deer. The options are to run or face it. Randall would like this female. It made him sad to think about it. But then he replied: — I've been doing this my whole life. I don't need a class. "Then don't make me risk my life to get you out of harm's way next time," Nesta protested coldly. “I didn't ask you to save me,” Bryce grumbled. But Nesta had already started walking through the tunnel again, without wait for Bryce or his star to light the way. “You've already gotten us into a lot of trouble,” said the girl. warrior without looking back —, stay close.

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The shadows watched him again. Baxian and Ruhn had passed out, and Hunt thought he was unconscious too, but... there he was. Observing a shadow that watched him back. It was behind the shelf where the instruments that Pollux and the Falcon had used on him rested. Lidia hadn't shown up that day. He didn't know if this was a good sign. He didn't dare ask Ruhn what he thought. Hunt supposed that, of all of them, he should be the one to know if this was a good sign. I had lived this same shit for years. But he should know a lot of other things too. Hunt could no longer feel his hands or shoulders. But the itch in his wings, which regenerated little by little, continued. Like ants streaming down your spine. No matter how much he squirmed, it wouldn't go away. He should have known better than to mess with the archangels, with the asteri. He should have warned Bryce more strongly, should have tried harder to get her off this dangerous path. Isaiah had tried to convince him many centuries ago and Hunt hadn't listened... now he had to live with the consequences. I should have learned my lesson.

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His blood cooled as it drained from his body, dripping onto the floor. But he hadn't learned a damn thing, it seemed. It was impossible to face the asteri and their hierarchies and emerge victorious. He should have known that. The shadow smiled at him. Then Hunt smiled back. And the shadow said: — You would do well in Hell. The agony was like a drug, and Hunt didn't even flinch at the familiar male voice. One he had already heard in another dream, in another life. “Apollion,” he growled. It wasn't Death, after all. He tried not to let disappointment overwhelm him.

“You are in deplorable condition,” purred the Moat Prince. He remained hidden in the shifting shadows. The demon prince breathed in, as if smelling the air. — What delicious pain you are feeling. — I’d love to share. Apollion let out a terrifying, soft laugh. — It seems to me that your good humor remains intact. Even with that halo tattooed again on your forehead. Hunt smiled wildly. — I had the honor of being tattooed by Rigelus' hand this time. — Interesting that he did it himself, instead of using an imperial witch. Do you feel the difference? Hunt lowered his chin. — This... burns. The witch's halo felt like cold iron. This burns like acid. — He had just finished speaking when a thought appeared in his mind. — Bryce. Is she... is she with you? —If they had hurt her, if Apollion had even suggested that... — No. — The shadow seemed to blink. - Why? Hunt was overcome with horror, colder than ice. — Bryce didn't make it to Hell? Where would it be then? Had I arrived somewhere, or was I traveling through time and space, trapped forever...? He must have made some pitiful sound, because Apollion said:

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— Wait a little before you freak out, Athalar. And disappeared.

Hunt couldn't breathe. Maybe it was the weight of his own body pressing down on his lungs, but... Bryce hadn't gotten there. She hadn't made it to fucking Hell, and he was stuck there, and... Apollion appeared again, with a second shadow at his side. from him. Taller and thinner, with eyes like blue opals. — Where's Bryce? — hissed the Gorge Prince. — She came after you. — Hunt's voice trailed off.

Beside him, Ruhn grumbled, shifting. — Damn, she came after you, Aidas. The Princes of Hell looked at each other, a silent conversation unfolding between them. Hunt pressed: — You both said she should come after you. They told us all those lies about armies, about wanting to help and prepare it... “Will it be possible,” Aidas said to his brother, ignoring Hunt for complete —, after all...? — Don’t romanticize — warned Apollion. —The star must have guided her — replied Aidas. “Please,” Hunt cut in, not caring that he was begging, “tell me where she is.” Baxian mumbled, regaining consciousness. Aidas said in a low voice: — I have a suspicion, but I cannot tell you, Athalar, so that Rigelus cannot extract this information. Although he probably already came to the same conclusion. “Fuck you,” Hunt swore. But Apollion said to his brother: — We need to leave. — So why watch me from the shadows all this time? Hunt asked. — To make sure we can trust you when the time comes. - To do what? — Hunt complained.

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— What you were born to do... fulfill the task for which your father brought you to this world — concluded Apollion before disappearing, leaving Aidas standing alone in front of the prisoners. The shock rose in Hunt, cushioned by the weight of an old pain that had not been invited to surface. - I do not have father. Aidas had a sad expression as he stepped out of the shadows. — You spent too much time asking the wrong questions. —And what the fuck does that mean? Aidas shook his head. — The black crown that is on your forehead again is not a mere punishment from the Asteri. It has existed for millennia. — Tell me the fucking truth for once... — Stay alive, Athalar. The Moat Prince followed his brother, disappearing into embers and darkness. ***

Tharion woke up with a throbbing headache that resonated through every inch of his body. From the smell in his room, Holstrom had slept there, probably on the floor, but the room was empty. Squinting in pain, Tharion entered the main room to find Holstrom and Flynn on the couch, while Declan and Marc held their coffees at the small table next to the window, overlooking the ring. Ariadne was sitting in a chair, reading a book; his behavior contrasted with that of the female who had roasted the lions the night before.

There was no sign of the Fendyr heiress. Or the elves. Maybe that had been a hallucination. — Good morning — he mumbled, closing his eyes due to the brightness of the environment.

No one answered.

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All good. I would deal with them in a few moments, after breakfast. He walked to the bar across the room—the glow of the muted television causing a stab of pain in his left eye—and, on autopilot, turned on the coffee machine. Tharion stuck a cup under the jet and pressed a button that vaguely resembled the main one. — You really look like shit — said Flynn in a slow voice as Tharion inhaled the aroma of coffee. — Ari, of course, is beautiful as always. The dragon kept her attention on the book, ignoring the fae lord. She didn't move a single muscle, as if she wanted them to forget she was there. As if that were even possible. But Flynn refocused his attention on Tharion. — Why didn't you come to us for help? Tharion took a sip of coffee, grimacing as the Hot liquid burned his mouth. — It's too early for this kind of conversation. “No shit,” Holstrom said. — We would have helped you. Why did you come here? Tharion couldn't hide the irritation in his voice. — Because the Queen of Rio would have finished you off. I didn't want to have this burden on my conscience. — And this is better? — asked Ithan. Flynn added, “Now you're stuck here, having to put up with whatever shit she comes up with, not to mention the crap she's been offering in return. How can you be so stupid? Tharion glared at him. —As if you can talk about stupid ideas, Flynn. Flynn's eyes flickered with a rare gleam of powerful fae lord peeking beneath the laid-back appearance. —Not even I would sell my soul to the Viper Queen, Ketos. Holstrom added: — There has to be some way to get you out of this. You deserted Blue Cut. I could very well desert...

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— Look — Tharion cut in, through clenched teeth — I know that You have a savior complex, Holstrom... - He is going to screw it up. You are my friend, you have no right to ignore trap you're getting yourself into. Tharion couldn't decide if he wanted to glare at the wolf or hug him. He took another sip of the scalding coffee. He welcomed the burning in his throat. Ithan said, his voice hoarse: — There's only us left, we only have each other now. Declan, from his seat at the table, added quietly: — Everything's fucked up. Ruhn, Athalar, Bryce... — Marc supported a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I know,” said Tharion, “and Cormac is dead. - What? — Flynn spat the coffee back into the cup. Tharion updated them on what happened in the lab, and realized that, damn... some of that poison would go down right then and there. When he finished explaining his deal with the Viper Queen, everyone fell silent again. Until Flynn said, “Okay. Next steps: we need to get to the Freighter of the Deep... and then to Pangera. To the Eternal City. — He nodded to Tharion. — Before Sabine's ambush, we had just decided that we were going to come looking for you, to get you out of all this shit and to see if you could put us in contact with the sea creatures on the ship. — The Viper will never let him go — said Ari, breaking your silence. The males stopped for a second, looking at her, as if they had actually forgotten that there was a dragon among them. Marc pursed his mouth, realizing how much she had heard. But Flynn asked, eyebrow raised, “And you're a Viper expert now?” “I'm an expert on assholes,” Ari replied softly, looking at Flynn as if he were on that list. — And if you ask her to release him, you'll only get her to arrest him more willingly.

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"She's right," Tharion added. — I can think of one way to contact Commander Sendes...

— No — said Ithan — —, we all go. I'm moved — said Tharion, placing the coffee on the counter behind him. - In truth. But it's not that easy, it's not just saying I'm deserting and walking out the door. Ithan got angry, but Sigrid appeared at the bathroom door, with steam coming out. She must have been taking a shower. —What would be needed? Tharion looked at the female. Definitely an alpha, with that firm stance and bright, fearless eyes. — The Viper only cares about business — said the merman. “You're rich,” Ari pointed out to Flynn. “But with her, it's not about money,” Marc replied. — She already has so much that she doesn't even know what to do with it. But I think I would make a switch. Tharion frowned, looking down the hall, at the door that led to the Viper Queen's private quarters. — Who is with her now? “A female,” Ari replied, getting up and walking down the hall. He went to the door of his room and said, over his shoulder: — A pretty blonde in an imperial uniform. — The dragon didn't say anything else before closing and locking the bedroom door. —, “We need to get out of here,” Declan said quietly now. - What happened? asked Flynn. Declan was already picking up his gun and Marc was already standing up with feline grace.

Tharion peered into the hallway in time to see the door open. The Viper Queen, dressed in a blue silk tracksuit and white high-top sneakers, walked toward them, gold hoop earrings dangling from her short black hair. — Just a moment — she said to whoever was in the room behind her — your type of poison is down there. I'll be back in a minute. Tharion stiffened as the snake shapeshifter entered the room, taking in his friends.

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“You still have some of Sabine's blood on your hands,” he said slowly to Flynn. Everyone stared at her. But it was the heiress Fendyr who stood up and said: — You are no better than the Astronomer, with all these people trapped here, drugged and... The Viper Queen cut her off: — Put that crest down, little Fendyr. — She analyzed Sigrid, from her wet hair to her loose clothes. — It's free to stay here, but I'll charge you if you want new clothes. “Free them both,” Sigrid demanded, her voice like thunder. - A dragon and merman... free them both. Tharion did not allow himself to harbor hopes for the alpha's ferocity, not when he heard the Viper Queen's laughter. - And why would i do that? They bring a lot of customers. — She gave Tharion a mocking smile as she walked out the door, to get whatever drug the person down the hall wanted. — When they're not ending the game after a few minutes. Tharion got angry, crossing his arms. But as soon as the Viper Queen closed the door and disappeared outside, dry footsteps were heard in the corridor. Dec and Flynn drew their guns. Holstrom had his claws bared. Tharion also displayed his claws, tensing his entire body. “Put it down,” said a cold female voice. Panic extinguished any trace of torpor in Tharion. “Holy shit,” Flynn muttered. — If you open this door — the Doe threatened gently — the Prince Ruhn dies.

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Bryce and Nesta walked through the tunnel for hours, the tense silence filling the space between them again. Worse than before. Bryce realized it was also a feature of interactions with fae she knew from her own world. She didn't know why she was somehow disappointed when she realized this. They paused and Nesta wordlessly tossed a canteen of water to Bryce, along with a dark loaf of bread. “You brought food,” Bryce commented, his mouth full of slightly sweet, moist bread. — That's strange, considering you intended to take me back to the cell. Nesta took a drink from her canteen. — I had a feeling I could spend some time chasing you. — Long enough to need to stop and eat? — Their gazes met, Nesta's silver eyes gazing into Bryce's starlight. — We don't know these caves, I prepared myself for any eventuality. —Not for the worm, apparently. — You're alive, aren't you? Bryce couldn't help but laugh.

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- Fair. They didn't talk anymore after that. It was possible that they were heading towards a dead end, miles and hours wasted. But the tunnel seemed to... have a purpose. And Bryce wasn't going to ask questions about the potential futility of that journey, lest she run the risk of Nesta deciding to try to trap her back in the cave. One way or another, he was getting what he wanted. ***

Bryce was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the fork in the tunnel until she almost passed the part that turned right. She stopped and, realizing that she no longer heard Nesta's footsteps behind her, deduced that the warrior did the same. Bryce pulled the collar of her shirt down to reveal more of her starlight and illuminate the two paths before them. To the left, the tunnel continued to look ancient, with rough stone walls curving into the darkness. To the right... around the natural arch, a series of stars and planets have been carved, crowned at their apex by a large setting or rising sun. Bryce's star shined even brighter as she stood in front of him, guiding her there.

I could vaguely make out more scenes of violence and bloodshed covering the walls inside the tunnel. — I'll make a guess: let's go to the right. — Bryce sighed, covering his star again with his t-shirt. “Very well,” Nesta said, and walked toward the arch. Bryce rushed forward before Nesta could avoid it, grabbing the warrior by the collar of her shirt. With a quick turn, Nesta was on top of her, her sword at Bryce's throat. I couldn't believe metal could be so cold. Bryce raised his hands, trying not to move too much, lest he put his skin in more contact with that horrible blade than necessary.

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- Do not look. She nodded as discreetly as she could at the carvings in the tunnel just beyond the arch. Nesta didn't lower the blade, the icy metal seemed to pulse against Bryce's skin, as if the sword were alive and conscious. But Nesta's gaze turned to where Bryce had indicated. - What is that? “Those carvings,” Bryce whispered. — Where I come from, my job is to analyze ancient art, study it and sell it, and... never mind, that's not really relevant. I just want to say that I've seen a lot of old fae artwork, and those things on the wall... they're a warning. So if you want to get impaled on a bunch of rusty spears, go ahead. Nesta blinked, her head tilted, more feline than fey. But he lowered his sword. Bryce tried not to gasp in relief as the cold metal peeled away from his skin, his soul. I never wanted to feel anything like that again. Nesta didn't know or care about the impact of the sword on Bryce, she was examining the carvings. Those who were closest to them. A female, evidently of fae nobility, in ornate robes and sophisticated jewelry, stared at them from the wall. As if he were addressing an audience, welcoming newcomers to the tunnel. She was young and beautiful, but she had a presence that seemed majestic. Long hair flowed around her like a silent river, framing her delicate heart-shaped face.

Bryce put aside the last of his fear and translated the inscription: — Her name was Silene. Nesta examined the writing beneath the image. — Is that all you say? Bryce shrugged. — Old-fashioned faerie. Lots of fancy titles and lineages. You know how they liked to boast.

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Nesta smiled. Bryce pointed to the embossed panels that continued ahead. “The warning is in the story she's telling here,” Bryce said. There were many corpses carved into the wall, a battlefield stretching ahead. Crucifixes hung over the battlefield, with bodies hanging from them. Large, dark beasts with scales and claws fed on screaming victims, and Bryce realized they were just like the ones in the pit below her cell, which made her shudder. Bloodied eagles were scattered across stone altars. — By the Mother of heaven — murmured Nesta.

"Those holes in the bodies over there... the ones that look like wounds... I'll bet you anything they have mechanisms for firing some kind of weapon at passersby," Bryce said. — As a sick “artistic” way of making the viewer feel the pain and terror of these fae victims. Bryce could have sworn that something like surprise and shame— which perhaps even the warrior hadn't noticed—smeared Nesta's face. — What do you think we should do to pass, then? - It was a calculated question. A test. There's no way Bryce would get stuck again. She raised one hand. — Give me something heavy, I'll see if I can activate the mechanism. ***

Nesta sighed, as if irritated again. Bryce turned to her, about to ask if she had any better ideas, when Nesta raised an arm. The silver flame enveloped his fingers and Bryce took a step back. It was fire, but at the same time it wasn't fire. It was as if ice turned to flame, which flickered in Nesta's eyes as

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she placed her hand on the stone wall. Silver fire rippled over the carvings. The mechanisms were activated. And they failed. Rusty metal screws shot out of the walls. Or they tried. They barely made it past the wall before they turned to dust. Nesta's power shuddered through the walls, disappearing into the darkness. Faint clicks and whistles lost their power in the dark; the sound of the traps turned to ash. Nesta met Bryce's gaze. The fire that enveloped your hand went out, but the silver flame still flickered in his eyes. — You have my gratitude. — That's all Nesta said before moving on. ***

Later, they had another dinner of hard cheese and more dark bread, and found a small alcove in the tunnel wall to rest. Bryce's starlight still provided the only illumination, dimmed by his t-shirt. It was cold enough that she looked enviously at Nesta's dark cloak, wrapped tightly around the warrior. She distracted herself by looking at the carvings on the walls: Fae had glowing bits of starlight in their upraised hands and were kneeling before impossibly tall humanoids dressed in robes. Magic, an offering to the crowned creatures before them. One of the beings reached out to the nearest fae, its fingers stretching toward the light it offered. Bryce's stomach dropped as she noticed that, behind the supplicant fey, chained humans lay prostrate on the floor, their crudely carved faces in stark contrast to the unblemished, unearthly beauty of the fey. Another sick art: humans were little more than stone and earth compared to the fae and their divine masters. It wasn't even worth the effort to carve them. They were present only for the fae to exert their power over them, to crush the humans beneath their heels.

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Rigelus's voice sounded faint in Bryce's memory. The Asteri once handed humans over to the Vanir so they would have someone to rule, to keep them from thinking they were no better off, all of them enslaved to the Asteri. This false feeling of superiority and ownership persisted on Midgard. And it seemed like it existed in this world too. Nesta finished eating the cheese, chewing it to the rind, and he asked, without looking at Bryce: —Does your star always shine like this?

“No,” he replied, swallowing the bread. —But down here it looks like it. - Why? — That's what I wanted to find out: what's leading me to this tunnel. Why are you leading me to him? — Why did you end up in our world. Rhysand or the others should have told Nesta everything before sending her after Bryce, who pointed to the tunnel and the ancient carvings. — What place is this, anyway?

— I already told you, we don't know. Until you passed the beasts, not even Rhys knew this tunnel existed. And I certainly didn't know that art like this existed here. —And Rhysand is... your king?

Nesta snorted. — He would like to be. But not. AND

the Grand Lord of the Court

Night.

Bryce raised an eyebrow. —So he serves a king?

— We don't have kings here. Only seven courts, each governed times with a High Lady at his side. by a High Lord. To the A stone slid into the shadows. Bryce turned to her, but... there was nothing. Just darkness. She noticed Nesta watching her closely. Nesta asked, “Why didn't you let me be impaled sooner?” I could have let myself fall into a trap and run away. — I have no reason to wish for your death.

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—And yet you escaped from the cell. — I know how interrogations tend to end. —No one would torture you. —Not yet, you mean. Nesta didn't respond. When she heard another noise in the darkness, Bryce turned her head and found Nesta staring at her once again. - What is that? asked Bryce softly. Nesta's eyes glowed like a cat's in the dark. — Only the shadows.

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Tharion knew that this would not end well. Not with Flynn and Dec pointing their weapons at the Doe, Marc's claws gleaming and ready to harm. Not with Holstrom crouched, teeth bared, hunched over in front of Sigrid. The Fendyr heiress looked at them all, sizing them up predatorily, understanding the threat but not knowing what it was. What a beautiful shit. It was up to him to be the voice of reason.

Then Tharion did what he did best: he put on the smile of the person he once was and walked up to Tristan Flynn. He rested one of his fingers, with his claw showing, on the barrel of the fae lord's gun. We are in neutral territory. —, — Calm down — calmed Tharion Not even Lidia would be stupid enough to harm any of you here. — He winked at the Doe, even though, inside, he was shaking. - You would be? The Doe's face showed no emotion, but she lowered her chin. Sigrid took a step forward. - Who are you? The Doe's golden eyes went to the wolf. Your nostrils they inflated discreetly.

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— I think — she muttered to herself — that the right question is who are you? “It's none of your business,” Ithan cut in.

The Doe looked at him, demonstrating that, despite having her suspicions, that was not a priority for her. Yet. She just said to the Fendyr heiress: — A little privacy, please. Holstrom is growing.

— Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of her. Declan said softly:

“Holstrom, maybe she can... stay with the dragon for a few moments. Ithan looked indignantly at Declan, but then seemed to relent. If they would talk about Ruhn, if the only way to get the Doe to talk was with Sigrid away... Tharion joined the conversation:

— Ari locked her door, and I'm pretty sure that means she wants to be alone. — He pointed to the door next to Ari's room. —But you can go to my room. Sigrid laughed mockingly. — I'm not a puppy that you can send... “Please,” Declan begged with a helpless gesture. Marc placed a gentle hand on his shoulder again. There was a moment, then, when Ithan and Sigrid looked at each other. Tharion could have sworn there was some kind of battle of wills between them. Sigrid got angry and then spat: — Okay. — And headed towards Tharion's room. The goblins flew after her, but Lidia stopped them. — You three... wait. Sasa, Malana and Rithi turned, wide-eyed at the Doe. But Lidia didn't speak again until Sigrid knocked on Tharion's bedroom door. Maybe a little too petulant. Tharion didn't fail to notice Ithan's sigh. Lidia looked at her watch, as if calculating how much time was left until the Viper Queen returned, then said to Flynn and

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Dec:

— I went looking for you, but there was no one at your... house. — His tone showed enough disdain to make clear what he thought of their house on Rua do Arqueiro. —But I knew that Ketos had defected and come to the Meat Market seeking refuge... so I figured you guys would be hiding here too. — Can you imagine? — demanded Declan. — Or did someone tell on us?

— Don't think so — replied the Doe, crossing her arms. — You are extremely predictable. “Well, you're fucking wrong,” Flynn replied, still without lowering the gun. — We didn't come here to hide. Declan coughed, as if to say This is the lie you chose tell? Marc hid a smile. — I don't care why you're here — replied the Doe. - We do not have much time. Ruhn's life depends on you listening to me. — What the fuck did you do to Ruhn? — Flynn cut in. Tharion could have sworn something like pain appeared on the Doe's face. —Ruhn is alive, as are Athalar and Argos. —Bryce? — Ithan asked, his voice hoarse. - I don't know. She... — The Doe shook her head. But Declan asked, “Was Baxian involved?” The Hound from Hell? Before Lidia could respond, Flynn demanded to know, “Why did you come here?” — His voice broke. — To arrest us? Rubbing failure in our faces? The Doe turned to the fae lord and, yes, what shone on her face was pain. — I'm here to help you rescue Ruhn. Even Tharion hesitated. “This is a trap,” said Declan.

— It's not a trap. — The Doe analyzed them, desolate. —Athalar, Baxian, and Ruhn were imprisoned in the dungeons beneath the Asteri palace. The Hammer and the Falcon torture them all

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daily. They…” A muscle tensed in her thin jaw. — Your friends didn't say anything. But I don't know how long the asteri will enjoy their suffering. — I'm sorry — replied Declan — but aren't you their main interrogator? The Doe turned an abnormally perfect face toward the fae warrior. — The world knows me that way, yes. I don't have time to explain everything. But I need your help, Declan Emmet. I'm one of the few people on Midgard who can enter those dungeons without being questioned. And I'm the only one who can let them out, but I need you to help hack the palace cameras. I know you've done this before. “Yes,” murmured Dec.

—, but even with the cameras hacked, our latest plans didn't end very well. Ask Cormac how our last big adventure turned out. The words hit Tharion like stones. The memory of the faerie prince sacrificing himself came to mind. In an instant, Cormac was dead... — It only failed because Rigelus knew they would come — said the Doe, almost gently. — Celestina ratted them out. Shock ran through the room. But Marc muttered to Declan, “I told you: archangels are disgusting. Flynn raised his hands. — Is it just me or does anyone else feel like they’re traveling after smoke something bad? Tharion rubbed his face. — There are two of us, I think. — Flynn laughed, but Tharion controlled himself, clearing his throat before continuing to say to the Doe: — Help me understand a few things: you are the Asteri's greatest interrogator and torturer of spies. You and your feral wolves tormented us endlessly not long ago, here, in this city. You are, and forgive me for being frank, practically evil incarnate. But he's asking for our help to free our friends. And you hope we don't find it strange?

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She looked at them all for a long moment, and Tharion had the good sense to sit down before she says, calmly: — I'm Agent Daybright. - Lie! — Flynn barked, pointing the gun at her. new. Daybright, who was at the top of the Asteri's innermost circles. Daybright, who knew of the Asteri's plans before they even acted. Daybright, the most vital link in the Rebels' information chain... “She smells like Ruhn,” Ithan murmured. They all blinked, looking at him. The wolf sniffed again. — It's very weak. Smell it... it's there. To Tharion's shock, the Doe's cheeks became slightly colored.

— He and I... “I don't believe that for a fucking second,” he protested. Flynn. —She must have rolled in his blood in the dungeons. Her teeth flashed as she growled, the first hint of a crack in that cold exterior. — I would never hurt him. Everything I've done recently, everything I'm doing now, is to keep Ruhn alive. Do you know how difficult it is to keep Pollux away? Convince him to take it slow? Do you have any idea what this is like? — She shouted the last part to Flynn, who took a step back. Lidia was breathing hard, shaking. — I need to get him out of there. If you don't help me, his death will be your fault. And I will destroy you, Tristan Flynn. Flynn shook his head slowly, confusion and astonishment written all over his face. The Doe turned to Tharion, and he met her desperate gaze. — I made sure the Deep Freighter would be there to pick you up after Agent Silverbow sacrificed himself, trying to make the asteri go down with him; I informed Commander Sendes that Ruhn, Athalar, and Baxian had been captured, and that Bryce was missing. It was I who kept Rigelus from you, stopped the asteri from killing anyone who had been important to Ruhn, Bryce, or Athalar.

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— Or was it you — said Tharion — who got the information from the real Agent Daybright and now you've come here to set a trap for us too. — Believe what you want — said the Doe, and her shoulders slumped in true exhaustion. For a moment, Tharion felt sorry for her. —But I will release them in three days. And if I don't have your help, it won't work. — Even if we believe in you — pondered Declan, we have families that the asteri would kill without thinking twice, people we love.

—,

—Then use these three days to hide them. But the more people know, the more likely we are to be discovered. “You can't be serious,” Flynn told Declan. — Are you believing in this monster?

Declan looked into the Doe's eyes, and Tharion knew he was considering everything you saw there.

— Makes sense, Flynn. Everything Ruhn told us about Daybright... makes sense. —Does Ruhn know what you are? — Flynn questioned. Lidia ignored him and instead looked at Tharion. — I need you too, Ketos. Tharion shrugged with an indifference he didn't really feel. — Unfortunately, I can't leave here. — Find a way. I need you to be my ally and defender on the Freighter of the Deep after the rescue. Holstrom disse: — Apparently, the Viper Queen is your trafficker. Why don't you ask her to free Tharion? Lidia held his gaze with an authority that belied her stag shifter heritage. — Why don't you ask, Ithan Holstrom? There was something in her voice that Tharion couldn't quite understand. A provocation, perhaps. A challenge. — Does Ruhn know? — insisted Flynn.

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— Yes — replied the Doe — he, Athalar and Bryce know. Baxian, no. Flynn's throat rose and fell again. — You lied to Ruhn. “We lied to each other,” she replied, emotion shining in her golden eyes. — Our identities should not be revealed. We both... went too far. — Why bother saving them? — Declan asked. — Ruhn and Hunt are worthless to Ophion, other than the fact that they are good fighters. And Argos has no connection whatsoever with Ophion. — Hunt is valuable to Bryce Quinlan and activating his power. Baxian Argos is a powerful warrior and great spy. It is therefore valuable to all of us. — And Ruhn? — asked Ithan with raised eyebrows. — Ruhn is valuable to me — replied the Doe, leaving no room for doubt. —At dawn two days from now, a skiff will be waiting for you in Ionia Harbor, at the very end of the northern pier. Climb on it and the captain will take you a few kilometers out to sea. Throw this in the water and wait.

The Doe threw a small white stone to Tharion. He had seen one like it before, that day in the sea near Ydra. She had thrown one of those into the water and the Deep Freighter had appeared. She must have seen the shock on his face, because she said, “I summoned the ship that day after what happened in Ydra. Throw this rock into the ocean and the Deep Freighter will return and take you to Pangera. Silence dominated the room. Lidia looked at the goblins squatting on Flynn's neck and said: — I have questions for you three. - For us? — Sasa squeaked, hiding behind Flynn's left ear. His flame illuminated her, turning her skin a bright red. Lidia continued:

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— About your queen.

—Irithys? asked Malana, glowing a deep violet hue. - Where... — I know where she is — Lidia announced calmly. However, to his surprise, Tharion noticed that her hands were shaking. —But I want to know what you know about her. Of your temperament. —Where do the asteri keep her? — demanded Sasa, getting incandescent with rage.

Lidia raised her chin. — Answer my questions and I will tell you. “We only know about her through rumors,” said Rithi, taking her head away from her.

behind Flynn's right ear. —She is noble and courageous... — Is she trustworthy? asked Lidia. Rithi ducked behind Flynn's ear again, but Sasa replied:

— She is our queen, she is honor in the form of an elf. Lidia looked at her coldly.

— I know many rulers who do not embody this virtue at all. Tharion could only stare at the Doe... Agent Daybright. Their... ally. - What else? — asked Lidia. — That's all we know — said Malana. Now tell us: where is she? Lidia smiled a little.

—, everything we heard.

—Would you run there to free her? "Don't patronize them," Flynn replied with rare seriousness. The goblins huddled closer to him. To Tharion's shock, Lidia tilted her head. - Sorry. Your courage and loyalty are commendable. I wish I had a thousand like you at my disposal. — To Hell with your praise — replied Sasa, his flame shining brightly. - You promised... —The Asteri are keeping her in their palace. - Furthermore! — Sasa screamed, burning again. — Then you should have negotiated better.

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Tharion tensed. This female could be an ally, but damn, she was too difficult. In the furious silence that followed, the Doe walked to the door. She stopped before opening it and didn't turn around when she said to everyone:

— I know you don't trust me. I don't blame them. It's a sign that I one did my job very well. But... She looked over her shoulder and Tharion saw her swallow hard. — Ruhn and Athalar are in danger. Rigelus is, right now, debating which of them should die. It all comes down to the impact this will have on Quinlan. But once he makes up his mind, I won't be able to do anything to stop it. So I…” His voice trailed off. - I beg. Before it's too late. Help me do this. Find a way out of this situation with the Viper Queen. — He glanced at Tharion, then looked at Declan. — Be ready at any time to hack the Eternal Palace cameras. — And finally, he looked at them all. —And, for Luna's sake, be at the dock in two days.

With that, she left. For a long moment, neither of them could speak. “Well, Flynn,” Declan said finally, his voice hoarse, “it looks like your wish came true.

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The water ran fast, echoing through the cave and spraying Bryce's face, the drops so cold they felt like kisses of ice. The strange carvings continued there, showing great fae battles, love relationships and the births of children. Showing a masked queen, crown on her head, with instruments in one hand and standing in front of an adoring crowd. Behind her, an enormous palace rose atop the mountain, toward the heavens, winged horses gliding among the clouds. There was no doubt that it was a religious iconography of his divine right to rule. Behind the mountaintop palace, a lush archipelago spread in the distance, depicted with remarkable detail and skill. Scenes from a blessed land, a prosperous civilization. One of the bas-reliefs was so similar to the frieze of the fae male forging a sword in the Crescent City Ballet that Bryce almost choked. The last carving before the river was transitional: faerie king and queen sitting on their thrones, a mountain behind them — different from the one on which the palace stood — with three stars just above. A different kingdom, then. An elderly High Lord and High Lady, Nesta had suggested before they approached the river.

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He had not commented on the lower part of the drawings, which showed the chaos behind their thrones, a kind of underworld. Humanoid figures writhed in pain amid what looked like stalactites and scale-covered beasts with enormous mouths — either past enemies that had been conquered or an indication of what would happen to those who did not bow to the rulers.

Suffering extended everywhere, lasting even beneath the archipelago and the palace on the top of the mountain. Even there, in paradise, death and evil existed. A common theme in Midgardian art as well, which was often accompanied by the caption: Et in Avallen ego. Even in Avallen, I am present. A promise whispered by Death. Another version of memento mori. A reminder that death was always, always lurking. Even on the blessed faerie island of Avallen. Perhaps all the ancient art that glorified the idea of memento mori had been brought to Midgard by these people. Maybe she was thinking too much about this shit that, at that moment, didn't matter at all. Especially when there was an impassable river in front of him. Bryce and Nesta looked down at the fast-running waterfall, the nightblack waters flowing deep into the caves. The smell of iron was strong there, probably because they were now closer to the river than before. It didn't matter. All that mattered was the fact that the tunnel continued on the other side, and the space was large enough that it was impossible to jump. “Now would be a great time for your winged friends to find us,” Bryce murmured. Her star shone ahead, dimly, but still pointing the way to the other side of the river. Nesta glanced over her shoulder. — You crossed out of the cell. —So the shadows had told Nesta and the others everything. — Can't you do it again?

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— I, um... I was really tired after that. — I hated showing any kind of weakness, but I saw no other way around the situation. — I'm still recovering. — Surely your magic should be back by now. You even managed to use a little against me before everything fell apart. And that star in your chest continues to shine. There must still be some magic left in you. — I always managed to make it shine — Bryce confessed — even a long time before I had real powers. — For a few moments, Bryce considered telling Nesta how he understood the depth of his power, how he could have even more if someone fueled it. Just so that the warrior knew that she was not an incompetent who fought in front of the enemy, whether he was a giant worm or not. But he would end up revealing more of his abilities than would otherwise be the case.

considered prudent. — Can't you, um... cross? — Bryce asked Nesta. “I've never tried,” Nesta admitted. — My powers are unique among the High Fae. — High Fae? Compared to...normal fae? Nesta shrugged.

— They use this thing about Grão to sound more important than they actually are. Bryce's mouth curved upward. — They look like the fae from my world. — She tilted her head. —But you are a High Fae. You... talk about them as if it weren't.

“I'm new to the fae nobility,” Nesta said, turning her focus to the river. — I was born human and was transformed into a High Fae against my will. — She sighed. - It's a long story. But I've been living in faerie lands for a few years now. Many things are still strange to me. “I know how you feel,” Bryce replied. — My mother is human and my father is fae. I have lived my entire life between the two worlds. Nesta nodded without paying much attention.

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— None of this will help us cross the river. Bryce assessed his companion. If Nesta was human and became fae—however that was possible—she might still have sympathy for humans. Maybe she understood what it was like to feel powerless and scared in a world created to oppress and kill her... Or perhaps she had been sent to gain Bryce's favor and trust by working for someone who proclaimed himself a High Lord. It was possible that everything that was said in the tunnels was a lie. And she had enough power to be called upon to evaluate the Horn on Bryce's back...it wasn't a helpless little lamb. — Do you want to swim? — Bryce asked the warrior, kneeling down to stick one of his hands in the river. She hissed as she felt the ice-cold water. Excellent. Just... great. She frowned at the fast-flowing dark water, illuminated by her star. Smooth white pebbles shone brightly beneath the surface. Lots of intensity. Bryce looked up at his star. It shone even more brightly. She stood up and wiped her cold, wet hand on the thigh of her leggings. The star became dimmer. - What it was? — Nesta approached, one of her hands raising for the sword in his back. Bryce knelt once more and placed his hand back into the frigid river. The star shone brighter as she aimed her light at the water. She moved, kneeling, toward the glow downstream. In response, the starlight lit up even more. As he turned toward the tunnel in front of him, the light dimmed. “He's got to be joking,” Bryce muttered, getting back to his feet. - What it was? — Nesta asked, analyzing the river, the darkness around it. Bryce didn't respond. The star had taken her there. If she wanted him to go into the river... Bryce glanced at Nesta over his shoulder. — See you at the bottom. —And with a wink, Bryce jumped into the roaring water.

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***

The cold took all of Bryce's breath away. The choppy river was lit by its star, the water a clear, startling blue in the little bubble of its light. It reflected off the high ceiling of the cave, and all Bryce could do was keep his head above the rapids, lest he be crushed against the rocks rising along the river.

Nesta had jumped in right after her. As Bryce rounded a bend moments earlier, he heard Nesta shout “Senseless idiot!” before the roar of the river swallowed all sound once more. The star was guiding her somewhere. Something. When they reached the other bend in the cave, Bryce was thrown again, and as she struggled to keep her head above the water, her star seemed to extend a beam of light into the darkness. The ray of silver light illuminated a more serene part that extended on the opposite side of the river. A break from the rapids. Just ahead of the small bank... and another tunnel entrance that appeared shortly after. Bryce began to swim toward the shore, his body protesting the effort of staying against the current, in a hurry to reach that patch of calmer water before it was gone. Stroke after stroke, leg after leg, she aimed for the narrow shore. She turned to warn Nesta that she should head towards the shore, but saw that the female was a few meters behind, swimming madly towards the shore. So Bryce continued swimming, her arms straining as the river pulled her mercilessly forward. If she and Nesta didn't get to that calmer water soon, they would lose... The water seemed to slow down. Bryce's strokes became more easy, faster pace. Finally she reached the shore, the water still and light compared to the water. fury behind her. He grabbed the rocky shore, bracing himself against it.

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The stones scraped against each other beside her, and Nesta's heavy, wet breathing was heard. —What the... — Nesta panted — Fuck... — Another breath. —Was it that? Bryce breathed in all that beautiful, wonderful air, even when the intense cold began to make her shiver to her bones. “The star told me to come this way,” he managed to say. “I could have warned you earlier,” Nesta grumbled. Bryce propped himself up on his elbows, panting, breathing in and out. - For what? You would try to change my mind. — Because — Nesta fumed, wiping the water from her eyes as she got down on her knees — you could get here without having to get wet. I can't let you out of my sight... not even for a second, so I had no choice but to follow you. But you jumped so quickly... now we're freezing. — And how were we going to get here without getting wet? - He asked Bryce, shivering from the cold, teeth chattering. Nesta rolled her eyes and said to the shadows: — You can leave now. Bryce quickly dropped to his knees, searching for a weapon he couldn't use. was there when Azriel landed next to them. His wings, spread wide, were so long that they almost touched the sides of the cave, and the black knife hung from his hip, the dark handle shining dimly in the light of Bryce's star. And peering over his broad shoulder, her hilt matching like a shadow taking shape, was the Aster.

***

“What the fuck do you mean Bryce isn't in Hell? — Ruhn managed to say with what was left of his tongue, each breath fell down his throat like shards of glass. Hunt didn't respond, and Ruhn assumed he had no answer to give. Baxian resmungou:

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- Where? — was all the angel could say, Ruhn realized account.

“I don't know,” Hunt said, his voice hoarse from shouting. The Falcon had pulled a lever that made them all fall, the scream they gave as their wounds hit the cold stone making them laugh. While puddles stinking of their own blood and excrement splashed on them. But at least they were on the ground now. Still chained at the wrists and ankles, Ruhn could only lie there, shaking, tears falling from his eyes as he felt the relief in his shoulders, his arms, his lungs. The Falcon had slid a tray of food toward them before leaving—keeping it far enough away that they had to crawl through their own piss and feces to get to it before the rats. Baxian was, at that moment, trying to reach the tray, his legs pressing against the stones, the stumps of his wings, already half grown, dyed red. He stretched his filthy hand towards the broth and water, and groaned deeply. Blood dripped from a wound in his ribs. Ruhn didn't know if he would be able to eat, despite his body beg for food. He took sharp breaths, one after another. The Oracle had said that the royal line ended with him. Could she have predicted that he would end up there—and not come out alive? A cold worse than the dampness of the dungeon took hold of him. It had been some time since he had accepted the possibility of this fate for himself. It's true that I wasn't thinking about this particular death, but a premature end in some vague sense. But now that Bryce was indeed a royal, the prophecy also shed light on his fate. If she hadn't gotten to Hell... maybe she wouldn't have gotten anywhere. And thus, the royal line would end with the death of both. He couldn't share his suspicions with Athalar. It could not bring forth the despair that would be more terrible to Umbra Mortis than any of Pollux's tools. Ruhn would have to keep that secret. The miserable truth, left to fester in your heart.

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The smell of stale bread filled his nostrils, overpowering the stench as the tray slid in front of him. Splashing into a puddle of... Ruhn didn't want to know what that liquid was. Although his nose offered some unpleasant suggestions. “You need to eat,” Hunt said, his hands shaking. while bringing a cup of broth to his mouth. “It means they don't want us dead,” Baxian said, slowly lifting a piece of bread. - Not yet. — Athalar took a sip slowly. As if not trust your body not to vomit. —Eat, Danaan. It was an order, and Ruhn found himself reaching out with weak, trembling fingers toward the broth. It took all her focus, all her strength, to bring it to her lips. He could barely taste it. Okay... the tongue was still growing. He took another sip. “I don't know where Bryce is,” Hunt said, his voice hoarse. He took a piece of bread with his good hand. The burned fingers on the other hand were twisted at different angles. Some were missing nails. Damn, how had their lives gotten to this point? Athalar took the last bite of bread and sat back—amid the piles and pools of stinking waste. The halo glowed darkly on the angel's forehead. Ruhn knew that Athalar's relaxed posture did not match his thoughts at all. He knew the angel was probably a wreck of worry and dread. It was likely that guilt was eating away at Athalar. Guilt that I shouldn't carry; everyone made choices that led them there. But the words were too heavy, too painful for Ruhn to express. Baxian finished and lay down too, falling asleep instantly. Martelo and Falcão had come down harder on Cão do Inferno. They took it personally—Baxian had been one of them. A brother in arms, a partner in cruelty. Now they would take it apart piece by piece. Ruhn lifted the cup again — made of silicone, which couldn't be broken to use as a weapon — and peered into the water inside. He watched it undulate with his breathing.

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“We need to get out of here,” Ruhn said, and nothing could sound more ridiculous. It was obvious that they needed to get out of there. For so many damn reasons. But Athalar opened one eye. He held her gaze. Pain, anger, and determination shone from him, unfazed despite the halo and the enslaved mark on his wrist. — Then talk to your... person. — Girlfriend, the angel didn't say. Ruhn gritted his teeth and felt an explosion of pain in his mouth. painfull. I would rather die there than beg for the Doe's help. - Another way. “I've been in these dungeons... for seven years,” Hunt commented. — There's no way out. Even more so with Pollux so committed to ending us. Ruhn looked at the halo once more. He knew that the angel wasn't just referring to leaving the dungeon. Now they were owned by the Asteri. Baxian awoke from his sleep to murmur wearily, “I never took it for granted, Athalar. To everything you've been through. — I'm surprised I didn't receive a medal of honor when I left here. — The light words did not match the emptiness in Hunt's eyes. Ruhn couldn't bear to see that in Umbra Mortis' eyes. Baxian laughed, his voice breaking, joining in on the joke. — Maybe Pollux will give you a medal this time.

If Ruhn managed to free himself, Pollux would be the first fool he would end up with. He didn't dwell on the reason. He did not dwell on the anger that dominated him whenever he saw the angel with white wings. He had been so foolish. Naive, reckless and foolish to get so involved with Day — with Lidia — and forget the Oracle's warning. Deceiving himself that it must mean he wouldn't have children. It had been so pathetic and lonely that he had to imagine the best, even though it was clear that he had always had a one-way ticket to disaster. The only thing left to do was to end it. Then Ruhn said:

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— You were alone then, Athalar. Hunt met Ruhn's gaze, as if to say, Oh, yeah? Ruhn just nodded. Friends, brothers, whatever... he protected Athalar. Something flashed in Athalar's eyes. Gratitude, perhaps. Or hope. Much better than what was there moments before. This sharpened Ruhn's focus. It cleared the pain-foggy parts of his brain. This could be a one-way ticket for him, but it didn't need to be for Hunt. And Bryce... Ruhn looked away before Hunt could capture the fear that filled your eyes and heart. Fortunately, Baxian added, “And you weren't... Umbra Mortis back then, either. You have changed, Athalar. Hunt gave a harsh laugh, full of defiance and contempt. Thank the gods. —What do you have in mind, Danaan?

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— Have you been here this whole time? — Bryce looked at the warrior surrounded by shadows as they left the river behind, walking through the low tunnel passage. They followed the light of Bryce's star, which had once again pointed forward, faintly illuminating the surrounding carvings. The cold made her teeth chatter, but moving helped warm her cold body, even if just a little. Azriel, who was striding a few meters behind Bryce As Nesta led the way through the tunnel, she replied: - Yes. Nesta sighed. — That's all you'll get him to say. Bryce peered over his shoulder at the male, trying to calm the male down. tremor in your body. — Were those shadows against my light earlier today yours? “Yes,” Azriel replied again. Nestha deu risada. — And he must have been upset about it ever since.

— Seeing you walk into that freezing river helped — teased Azriel lightly, and Bryce could have sworn he saw a disguised smile on his beautiful face.

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But she asked: — Why hide? “To observe,” Nesta answered for him, her gait unwavering. — To see what you would do. Where would it take me? Once we realized there was a tunnel, we grabbed some supplies and followed you. —And that explained the food she was carrying. They passed through more carvings—all disarmed by Nesta's silver flame before they approached. Those were more peaceful: they showed small children playing. The passage of time with trees blooming, then the land infertile, then blooming again. Beautiful and perfect scenes, which conflicted with the conversation that was unfolding. Bryce pointed to the passage and the carvings. — I have no idea what to do. I'm just following the light. “Into the river,” Nesta grumbled. Azriel chuckled behind her. Bryce looked at him again, at the wings and armor. For the ears, which he now realized were not pointed, but round like a human's. She had seen drawings of warriors who looked like him, entire armies of them. — Do you have vanir in this world? He narrowed his eyes.

- What is that? Bryce slowed his pace, allowing himself to stay beside him. Although he may have also allowed it. — In Midgard... my world... is a term for all magical beings, not humans. Fae, angels, shapeshifters, sea creatures, elves... — Azriel's eyebrows rose with each word. — Basically, they are at the top of the food chain. — In this world — Nesta said from the front, rubbing her cold, wet arms to obtain something resembling heat — we have humans and fae. But among the fae, there are High Fae, like... me. Amren. And what some call lesser fey: any other magical creature. And then there are people like Azriel, who are... Illyrian. — So Rhysand is Illyrian too? asked Bryce. - He has wings.

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“Kinda,” Nesta corrected. — Half High Fae, half Illyrian. — Azriel cleared his throat as if to warn her not to talk so much, and Nesta added, sharply: — And he has the arrogance of both. Azriel cleared his throat for real this time, and Bryce couldn't help but smile, even though your teeth are chattering. She looked at the Aster strapped to Azriel's back, then at his side, the knife hanging there. The sounds were muffled for a moment, a silent thud sounded once and she felt her hand spasm, as if she were being pulled towards the blades. Azriel's wings twitched instantly, and he straightened his shoulders, as if he were warding off some ghostly touch. When he looked at Nesta, he noticed that she was analyzing the male, as if this were not something common. Bryce pushed aside the questions, rubbing his frozen hands to warm them. Focus on the reward, she reminded herself as they continued walking. Master at inventing lies. ***

Azriel was obviously uncomfortable carrying the knife and Aster. As they moved through the darkness, their clothes drying and their bodies slowly thawing, Bryce counted at least six different times he twitched his wings or straightened his shoulders. Not to mention the occasional silent thud in her ears when she got too close to him. They crossed a stream, wide enough to be a river, but shallow and rocky throughout. Its shining star, fortunately, pointed toward the tunnel on the other side. This time there would be no need to swim. As they crossed, the star illuminated slimy white creatures that strayed from the path. Bryce suppressed the urge to shudder at the sight of them. Or smelling the iron-rich water that permeated his nose. She asked, just to distract herself from the disgusting animals in the stream: —Were these tunnels built by fae? A few steps forward, Nesta didn't respond. But Azriel, who was right behind, pondered for a few moments.

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- I don't think so. From the consistency in size, I would say an early Middengard Worm made these passages. Perhaps he even used these canals to get around. - This matters? — Nesta complained without looking back. “Maybe,” Azriel murmured. — We better stay alert. He can Maybe he still uses them to access the tunnel system. Apprehension washed over Bryce. - Why do you think that? Azriel pointed to a pile of white things that she had believed to be more of the squirming salamander-like creatures. — Bones. Of those things in the bridge chamber, perhaps. Bryce tripped on a slippery rock and fell into the cold water, scratching his palms and knees. A strong hand grabbed her back at the same moment, but it wasn't quick enough to avoid the painful cuts that now peppered her hands and legs. — Pay attention — warned Azriel, placing it on a larger stone. Bryce's stomach felt empty this time, following his ears, and the knife was right there, the sword so close... Azriel grunted and his entire body went rigid. As if he also felt that, the weapons demanding to be together or separated or whatever, the strange power they exerted when they were close... — Watch where you're going — was all the male said before walking away. Far enough away that the sword and knife no longer had their strange call on Bryce. Her belly calmed down and so did her ears. When she reached the bank, she shook her hands to ease the pain in her palms, the smell of blood was stronger than the river, and Bryce wiped the blood from her injured knees. I liked those leggings, damn. The mud came out with the blood, and she clicked her tongue as she ran her hand along the stone wall, trying to clean herself.

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He realized too late that he had wiped the blood and dirt off a drawing of two serene fey females playing lutes. With an apologetic look at them and the long-dead craftsman who had carved them, Bryce moved on. And forward. And forward. ***

“Your hands aren't healing,” Azriel observed behind Bryce the next day. Or whenever it was, taking into account that they had slept for a few hours in the darkness with nothing to indicate the passage of time. Bryce's sleep had been light, fitful, aware of every falling drop and rolling stone in the tunnel, the breath of the warriors beside him. I knew they were monitoring her every breath. After a quick meal, they started walking again. And apparently, Azriel hadn't failed to notice the smell of her hands, which were still dripping with blood. Nesta stopped further forward, as if Azriel's words had worried her, and when the female returned, hands outstretched, Bryce showed her scratched palms. —Something in the water? — Nesta murmured to Azriel. “Her knees have healed,” Azriel murmured in response. Bryce didn't want to know how he knew that. She looked at her bruised and scratched hands, with the smeared blood and mud on them. remaining.

— You'll see my magic gets all weird down here. That would explain why the star is... acting like a GPS. Her tongue got confused when pronouncing GPS in their language, but if they had no idea what the Hell she was talking about, they didn't let on. Instead, Azriel asked, “Do you usually heal quickly?” — He took Bryce's hand, starlight bathing the skin of his own hands... and the scars. Covering every inch.

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She had noticed them when they first saw each other, on that misty riverbank, but had forgotten about them until then. I had never seen such extensive burn scars. The sword and the knife, so close together, began their process of vibrate and attract. Her hearing seemed muffled, her belly was empty. Azriel's wings fluttered again. But Bryce responded, hands still bleeding, ignoring the call of the blades: — I'm half-human, so I'm used to healing more slowly, but since I made the Descent, I've been healing at a relatively normal rate for a Vanir. Nesta must also have been told about the Descent, because she didn't question what it was. I just said: — Maybe it also has something to do with the extra time your magic needs to be replenished. — I repeat — Azriel recalled — her knees have healed. Bryce looked at the thick scars on his fingers. What who? — had you done something so cruel to him? And despite knowing it was silly to open up, to show any kind of vulnerability, he said quietly: — The male who sired me... used to burn my brother as punishment. His scars never healed either. —Ruhn had only covered them with tattoos. A fact that she had only discovered moments before ending up there, and upon learning the pain he had been subjected to... Azriel let go of her hands. But he said nothing as he walked away, far enough away that the sword and knife stopped calling to Bryce. If they still tormented him, he didn't show it. He only gestured for them to keep walking before heading towards the darkness, this time taking the lead. Bryce watched him for a few moments before following him, his heart heavy for some reason he couldn't define. Nesta continued down the tunnel, this time closer to Bryce. The female said very quietly: — I'm sorry for your brother's suffering. The words steadied Bryce, gave him focus.

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— I'll make sure my father pays for this one day. “That's good,” was all Nesta said, “that's good. ***

— Tell me about the daglan. — Bryce's voice echoed too loudly in the silent cave. She was sitting with her back against the tunnel wall, a carving of three faeries dancing above her. The smell of his blood filled the cave, the wounds on his hands still open and bleeding. Not enough to be alarmed, but a few small, steady drops every now and then. Azriel and Nesta, sitting side by side in the quiet of familiarity, they frowned. Nesta said: — I don't know anything about them. — She pondered, then added: — But I killed one of their contemporaries. Make some seven months.

Bryce's eyebrows rose. —So it wasn't an asteri... daglan, you mean? Azriel fidgeted. Nesta glanced at him, recognizing the movement, but said to Bryce, “I don't think so.” The creature... Lanthys... was of a breed of its own. He was...horrible. Bryce tilted his head. —How did you kill him?

Nesta didn't respond. Bryce's eyes fell on the hilt of the sword, which appeared above the warrior's shoulder. - Therefore? Nesta just replied: — Her name is Ataraxia. - AND a word from the Old Tongue. Nesta nodded. Bryce he murmured: — Inner peace... is that the name of your sword? — Lanthys also laughed when he heard it. “I'm not laughing,” Bryce said, holding the female's gaze. He found nothing but pure curiosity on Nesta's face. The female asked:

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— The scar where your light comes out... it's shaped like a eight-pointed star. Why? Bryce looked at the light, camouflaged by the t-shirt. — It's the symbol of the Estrelados, I think. —And magic marked you that way? — Yes. When I... revealed who I was, what I am, to the world, I pulled the star out of my chest. When she left, she left this scar. — Bryce looked at Azriel. — Like a burn. His face was like a mask that was impossible to decipher. But Nesta asked: — So you have a star inside you? A real star?

Bryce lifted one shoulder. - Yes? I mean, not literally. It's not like a ball gas giant running in space. But it's starlight. Nesta didn't seem very impressed. — And you said that these asteri... also have stars inside them? Bryce grimaced. - Yes.

— So what's the difference between you and them? — Nesta asked. —Aside from the fact that I'm not a damn intergalactic colonizer? She could have sworn that one of the corners of Nesta's mouth turned up.

lifted. That Azriel laughed, the sound as soft as a shadow. “Okay,” Nesta replied. — I, um... I don't know. — Bryce pondered. — I never stopped to think about it. But…” Those final moments of running from Rigelus flashed through his mind, the blasts of his power shattering marble and glass, burning his cheek… “My light is just that,” Bryce continued. — Light. The Asteri claim that their powers come from sacred stars within them, but they can physically manipulate things with this light. Kill and destroy. Can starlight be considered just light if it can crush rocks? Everything they told us is basically a lie, so it's possible that they don't have any stars inside them... that it's just magic

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shiny that looks like a star, and they call it a holy star to impress everyone. Azriel said, his wings rustling: — But then does it matter what their power is called? “No,” Nesta admitted. —, I was just curious. Bryce bit his lip. What was the power of the asteri? Or hers? Hers was light, but perhaps theirs was actually the brute force of a star—a sun. So hot and strong that it destroyed everything in its path. However, it wasn't a comforting thought, so Bryce asked Nesta in order to change the subject: —What kind of sword is that, again? — The simple, unremarkable hilt jutted above Nesta's shoulder. “The kind that can kill the unkillable,” Nesta replied. “Like Aster,” Bryce said softly, then turned to Azriel. — Can your knife also kill the unkillable? “Her name is Truth Revealer,” he replied in a soft voice, like a sound coming from the shadows. — And no, she didn’t. it achieves.

Bryce raised an eyebrow. — So she... reveals the truth? A hidden smile, colder than the freezing air around them. — It makes people reveal themselves.

Bryce would have winced if he hadn't seen Nesta roll her eyes. That made her brave enough to ask the winged warrior: — Where did that knife come from? Azriel's brown eyes expressed nothing but cold caution. - Why do you want to know? — Because Aster — she pointed to the sword he had on his back — is attracted to her. I know you can feel it too. — It would be better to speak at once! — This is disturbing you, isn't it? — pressed Bryce. — And it gets worse when I'm close. Azriel's face again revealed nothing.

— Yes, yes — Nesta replied for him — I've never seen him so restless. Azriel frowned at his friend. But he admitted:

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— They seem to want to be close to each other. Bryce nodded. — When I landed on that lawn, they reacted the same way. hour when they approached. — Like attracts each other — reflected Nesta —, many things spells react to each other. —That was unique. It felt like an... answer. My sword shined with light. The knife glowed, dark. Both are made from the same black metal. Iridium, right? — She pointed with her chin at Azriel, at the knife next to his body. —Ore from a fallen meteorite? Azriel's silence was confirmation enough. “I told you, back in the dungeon,” Bryce continued. — In my world, there is literally a prophecy involving my sword and a knife that would reunite our people. “When knife and sword are reunited, so will our people.” Nesta frowned deeply. —And you really think this is the knife of prophecy? — They have too many things in common not to be. — Bryce raised his still bloody hand, and noticed how they both tensed. But he curled his fingers and said: — I can feel it. It gets stronger the closer I get. “Then don't get too close,” Nesta warned, and Bryce lowered his hand. Spinning around, Bryce examined the carved walls. — These inscriptions also tell a narrative, you know. Nesta looked at the images: the three faeries dancing in the foreground, the stars overhead, the scattered islands. The mountainous island with the castle on top of the highest peak. And, once again, the eternal reminder of the suffering beneath them. Memento mori. And I am in Avallen. —What type of narrative? Bryce shrugged. — If I had a few weeks, I could go all over the place and analyze.

“But you don't know our history,” said Nesta.

context.

—, would be without

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— I don't need context. Art has a universal language. — Like the one with the tattoo on your back? — Nesta teased. Right. It was their turn to ask questions. — Your friend... Amren. Did she say it was the same language as in some book? Azriel asked, his face impassive: — What do you call in your world... this language? Bryce shook his head. - I don't know. I was telling the truth before. My friend and I... had a lot to drink one night. —And they smoked a fucking ton of jollyroot, but they didn't need to know that, nor did they need an explanation about Midgard's drugs. — I can barely remember. She said it meant For love, anything is possible. Nesta clicked her tongue, but not in disdain. It was something akin to understanding. Bryce continued. — She said she picked the alphabet from a book at the tattoo parlor, but... I don't think that's true. — She needed to divert the conversation from the Horn. Quickly. Especially since Nesta had been called to inspect the tattoo. Azriel asked: — How did your friend know the language? - I still don't know. I've been trying to find out what she knew for months. — Why not ask? — Nesta countered. — Because she's dead. — The words came out softer than Bryce intended. But something broke inside her when she said them, even though she had lived with that reality every day for more than two years. — The Asteri had her murdered, then made it look like she was murdered by a demon. She was about to discover some great truth about the asteri and our world, so they ordered her death. - What truth? — The question came from Azriel. “I've been trying to find out too,” Bryce replied. — Is the language in your tattoo part of that? — pressed Azriel.

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— I don't know... I just know that she discovered what the asteri really are, what they do with the worlds they conquer. If I ever come home—his heart felt unbearably heavy—if I ever come home, I might find out the rest. Silence hung between them. Then Nesta nodded at the three faerie figures dancing above Bryce. —So what does that mean? If you don't need the context. Bryce examined the relief. Absorbed the dance, the stars, the islands idyllic in the background. And she replied, in a soft voice: — It means that there was once joy in this world. Silence. Then Nesta asked: — Is that it? Bryce kept his eyes on the dancers, the stars, the lush lands. Ignored the darkness below. Focus on the good — always the good. — And isn't that what matters?

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It took the Viper Queen five hours to deign to meet Ithan. Five hours, plus the fact that Ithan had opened the door to the hallway, where two fae assassins were standing, and threatened to bring the warehouse down. It was only then that they escorted him there, to her office. It had left Flynn, Dec, Marc, and Tharion discussing, without fanfare, how they were going to not only get out of the fucking Meat Market, but also whether or not they could trust the Doe. The goblins, shocked by the mention of the lost queen, took shelter in Tharion's room with Sigrid. The dragon hadn't left her room yet. But Ithan was tired of debating, of questioning. He'd never been good at that kind of shit. Maybe it was his athlete side, but he wanted to do something. It didn't matter whether or not they could trust the Doe. If she could get them to Pangera, closer to their friends... he would accept. But first he needed to get his friend free. Ithan sat in an antique green armchair in a ramshackle office, watching the Viper Queen type key by key into a computer that looked like a brick. A statue of Luna stood just above the computer, the arrow pointed at the Viper Queen's face. A few more click-click

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Deliberate fingers of his long nails on the keyboard, and his green eyes slid to Ithan. — So why all the shouting? Ithan crossed his arms. On the table was a statue of Cthona, carved from dark stone. The goddess cradled a child in one of her arms, her breasts exposed. In the other she extended a sphere — Midgard — into the room. Cthona, who gave light to the worlds. He touched it lazily, working up the courage to speak. “I want to know what you're going to do about Sabine,” he said. The Viper Queen reclined in her seat, her short hair bouncing. — As far as I know, when Amelie Ravenscroft woke up after having her throat slit by my security guards, she located Presumptive Cousin and dragged her carcass home, where she has been feeding her a diet rich in primalux to regenerate her. She is already recovering. Horror coursed through Ithan's veins. — So Sabine recovered quickly. The Viper Queen tilted her head. —Didn't you expect it to be like this? He did not answer. Instead he asked, “Are you going to hand Sigrid and me over to her?” The Viper Queen opened a drawer, took out a silver tin of cigarettes and put one in her mouth. — It's up to you to ask me nicely, Holstrom. — The cigarette moved as she spoke. She held up a lighter and lit it, taking a long drag. - What is the price? Smoke came out of the Viper Queen's mouth as she assessed him. The tongue slid across the lower lip, painted purple. Proving. Feeling. This was how snakes smelled scents. — First, let's introduce ourselves properly. I don't think we ever We met before, didn't we? — Hi. Nice to meet you.

— So irritated. I thought you'd be a great ass.

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He showed his teeth. — I don't know why you would assume that. She took another long drag on her cigarette. —Wasn't it you who went against Sabine's orders and led a small group of wolves to the Asphodel Meadows to save humans? To save the most vulnerable in the House of Earth and Blood? He growled.

— I was being nice. There was no other reason than that. The Viper Queen let out a cloud of smoke, more dragon than than the one upstairs. —Only the future can tell. Ithan challenged her: — You also sent some of your people to help that day. “I was being nice,” the Viper Queen repeated softly. — There was no other reason than that. — Maybe you'll be tempted to be nice today too. — Buy or sell, Holstrom? Ithan suppressed the wolf within him, one that howled at him. for him to start destroying everything. — Look, I don't like games. - What a shame. — She analyzed her well-manicured nails. — Sabine doesn't like it either. You wolves are so boring. Ithan opened his mouth, then closed it. He rethought what she had said, everything she had done. — You don't like Sabine. His mouth curved slowly. — And does anyone like it?

He clenched his hands into fists. — If you don't like her, why did you let her get away? — I could ask the same thing, doggy. I had already managed to take her down... why not kill her outright? — Ithan couldn't help the tension in his body. — It's obvious — the Viper Queen continued — that the heiress Fendyr... Sigrid, right? Should have done that. Don't you wolves say it's... challenging?

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— Only in open combat, when witnessed by members of the Lair pack. If Sigrid had killed Sabine last night, it would have been murder. — Call it whatever you want.

A shiver ran down his spine. — You want Sabine to really die. —She didn't say anything. — Is that your price, then? Do you want me to kill... - Oh no. I wouldn't dare get involved in politics like that. — Just drugs and misery, right? That slow smile again. — What would your dear brother say if he knew you were here with the likes of me? Ithan wouldn't give him the time to react. — Tell me what we need to do to get you to let us out of here. - A fight. — She stubbed out the cigarette. — A single fight. Your. One private event. — Queen Viper purred. - Only for me. - Why? — demanded Ithan. — I really value entertainment. Even more mine. — She smiled again. — A fight in exchange for safe passage... and Ketos' freedom. If you win, all of this will be yours. No other requirements other than that. Damn, he should have taken Marc along. He would analyze the entire proposal, spot possible pitfalls from miles away. But Ithan knew that if he left there in search of someone else, the offer would be withdrawn. It came down to him and him alone. — I fight and you let us go. At the same time.

She lowered her face. — I can even provide the car to take you wherever you want. A fight. He had already fought a lot in his life. — I won't drink your poison — warned Ithan.

— And who said I was going to offer? — His mouth curved. "And you will free Tharion too," Ithan added. —

Enough of this seduction bullshit. AND

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— So you offend me, Holstrom. It is a sacred bond between my.

—Nothing is sacred to you. The Viper Queen raised a finger and turned Luna's figurine toward her. him, the arrow now pointed in his direction. — Ah? — These devices mean nothing if they are not accompanied by actions. Another discreet smile. —So arrogant. Ithan held her gaze, letting her see the wolf there. inside, whatever was left of it. It had to be a trap. But time was running out — and he saw no alternative to getting out of this mess. — Okay — Ithan conceded. - A fight.

— Deal — hummed the Viper Queen. She got up and

He walked to the door, his body moving with sinuous grace. — The fight will be tomorrow, at ten. Your friends can watch if they want. — She opened the door, a silent order for him to leave. Ithan obeyed, and she took out another can of cigarettes—this time golden — and opened it. I was passing through the threshold when she said:

— I'll give you a worthy opponent, don't worry. — Queen Viper smiled, ironically. And then he added, before closing the door in his face: — Make your brother proud. ***

Lidia Cervos combed her hair, sitting at the dressing table in her ornate room in the Asteri palace. A monstrosity of golden silk, ivory velvet and polished oak, overlooking the city's seven hills. The perfect room for the loyal and pampered Asteri pet. No one thought it was strange or even questioned her when she went to Lunathion earlier, to deliver a message to Celestina, and made a stop at the Meat Market to buy some “souvenirs”. Not even Mordoc cared.

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But her allies also believed that she was the enemy's faithful pet. So there she was. Alone. Praying that Declan Emmet and his friends would come to meet him. Praying that he had correctly judged the Goblin Queen, many floors below. The bathroom door opened, steam coming out, and Pollux appeared, completely naked and with his skin still damp from the shower. —Are you not ready yet? — he asked, frowning as he observed her light gray silk robe. He frowned even more when his gaze fell on her hair, still loose and unstyled. — We have to leave in fifteen minutes. And there it was—the beginning of an intricate dance. — I'm going to menstruate — she said, placing her hand on the lower part of her belly. — Make up an excuse for me. Pollux smoothed his blonde hair back and walked towards her, his big dick bobbing with each step. Its white wings left a trail of water on the creamcolored carpet. — Rigelus personally asked us to be there. Take a tonic. — I already took it — she said, revealing a little of her temperament. It wasn't a lie. She had taken a potion, one of her emergency contraceptives, in case the usual plan failed. It had caused her cycle to start two weeks earlier than expected. At that moment, Pollux sniffed, smelling blood. — Came ahead of time. He knew because he didn't like fucking her when she was bleeding. She had learned to appreciate her cycles. In weeks like these, Pollux would often torment someone else. She held his gaze, even if it was because his dick was in front of her face, and she had little interest in looking at it for another second of her existence. The tonic took effect at that moment, and nausea shook his stomach—with a twinge of pain. He didn't need to fake his shudder. —Tell Rigelus I apologize.

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Pollux watched her without an ounce of pity. On the contrary; he got a hard-on. A cat enjoying the sight of its dinner in pain. But she ignored him and turned to the mirror. A large, powerful hand stroked her hair, setting it aside. Then lips kissed her neck, his tongue playing beneath her ear. - I hope you feel better soon. Lidia forced herself to raise one of her hands and stroke his hair. Run your fingers through the damp hair and make soft sounds. They could be pain or pleasure. It was the same for Malleus. He walked away, stroking his dick with one hand as he headed to the closet, wings glowing white behind him. She was in their bed—a mountain of down pillows and silk sheets— when Pollux came out fifteen minutes later, wearing a tuxedo that fit him perfectly. So beautiful on the outside, this monster. — Lidia — the Hammer purred, his deep voice exuding possession, and then he was gone.

She lay in bed, trying hard to ignore her twitching belly, the nausea caused not just by her period. He only got up after ten minutes had passed. She ran into the bathroom, still damp from Pollux's bath—almost always so hot she wondered if it was an attempt to scald the evil in himself—and grabbed the bag of feminine hygiene products she knew he would never open. . How if touching a tampon could make your dick shrivel and dry.

Inside the bag was a disposable cell phone. Every month a different one arrived in a box of tampons. She turned the shower on again, blocking out any specific noise that might be picked up by the palace cameras on the outer walls or by anyone on the other end of the line. And then he dialed. A telephone operator answered.

— Fincher tiles and floors. She changed her voice to a melodious and sweet chant.

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— I'm looking for custom ash flooring, seven-by-seven pieces? - One moment please. A new touch. Then another female said: — Custom Ash Flooring, Seven by Seven speaking. Lidia exhaled discreetly. She had only called once before, a long time ago. They sent disposable cell phones one after another in case of emergency. She destroyed them every month without using them. Well, that was an emergency. “This is Daybright,” he said in his normal voice. The female on the line took a deep breath. — By Solas.

Lidia continued quickly. — I need all agents mobilized and ready to act in three days. The female on the line cleared her throat.

— I... Agent Daybright, I don't think there's anyone to mobilize. Lidia blinked slowly. - Explain. — We suffered too many attacks, we lost too many people. And then After Agent Silverbow's death, many abandoned the cause. — How many are left? — A few hundred, perhaps. Lidia closed her eyes.

—And none of them can be used now to... — Command has decided to end all missions. Everyone went

to hide. — Pass the call to Command, then. — I... I'm not allowed to do that. Lidia opened her eyes.

— Tell Command I want to talk to them and only them. A The information I have may give them a chance of survival. The dispatcher paused, considering. - If not...

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- Will be. Tell them it's something they've wanted to do for a long time. Another pause. Thinking about everything she knew, probably. - A moment. It took a few minutes to get the human male to answer his cell phone. For Lidia to use the codes in order to identify herself and verify her identity, as well as his. To explain the plan she had developed little by little. In order for Ophion to survive another day, yes... but, more than that, they obtained involuntary help to make sure that Ruhn survived. Two days. Lidia provided a time, a starting location and an order of readiness. They wouldn't be able to lose the signal. She could only hope that Ophion would appear as the commander had promised. Lidia ended the call and crushed the cell phone until only pieces of plastic and glass remained. Then he opened the bathroom window, pretending to let the steam out as the pieces flew into the star-filled night. ***

Bryce faced another river, the icy waters waist deep. But at least the star was still pointing straight ahead and they wouldn't have to swim. They splashed through the water in silence, Bryce's hands, still bloody, stinging from the contact of the river water, and she shivered as they emerged on the other side. — So, the eight-pointed star — Nesta said in the silence as they walked again, her shoes making a watery noise — is a symbol of the Stars of your world. Does it have any other meaning? — Why so many questions about her? asked Bryce, teeth chattering. Azriel walked a few steps behind, silent as death, but she knew he was listening to every word. Nesta was silent and Bryce thought she might not replied, but said:

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— I got a tattoo on my back... recently. A tattoo magic that has already disappeared. But it was an eight-pointed star. - AND?

— And the magic, the power of bargaining that made the tattoo appear... chose the design. The star meant nothing to me. I thought maybe it was related to my training, but its shape was identical to the scar on his chest. “So obviously we're destined to be best friends,” Bryce teased. Nesta didn't laugh or even smile. Bryce asked, “Is that… that’s why you volunteered to come after me?” — I've been in the faerie long enough to know that some forces sometimes guide us, push us in a direction. I learned to allow them, to listen to them. — Nesta smiled a little. —That's why I didn't kill you for following your starlight into the river. You were doing the same thing. Bryce felt a tightness in his chest. The female had a story to tell, one that, under any other circumstances, Bryce would have loved to hear. But before he could even think about asking anything, something huge and white appeared right in front. A skeleton with huge bones. —The worm? asked Bryce, even though he realized it wasn't. This was different, a sobek-like body. Each tooth was the size of Bryce's hand. “No,” Azriel replied behind her, the sound of the river drowning out his soft words. —And I don't think the worm ate it, if the skeleton is intact like that. - You know what it is? asked Bryce. “No,” Azriel said again, “and part of me is glad I don't know. — Do you think there's more down there? — Nesta asked Azriel, analyzing the darkness. “I hope not,” Azriel replied. Bryce shuddered and took the opportunity to move forward, leading the way, leaving those ancient and terrifying bones behind.

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The river was still roaring thunderously when the carvings began to change. Before they were full of life, action and movement. The ones now were simpler, obviously intended to be the main focus. Something of great importance to whoever sculpted it. An arc had been engraved, with stars shining around it. And in that arch was a male figure, the image created with stunning complexity. His hand was raised in salute. And Bryce might have looked closer, if the Worm of Middengard hadn't appeared in the river behind them.

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The Worm of Middengard had finally appeared. Exactly as Bryce had planned. He had let the blood drip along the path, creating a trail, and he had scratched the wounds time after time to reopen them, which were actually inflicted intentionally when “falling” into the stream. If the worm was guided by the scent of the game, then it had left a gigantic neon sign that guided it to them. I didn't know when or how he would attack, but I was waiting.

And it was ready. Bryce fell as not just shadows, but the blue light coming from Azriel flashed— with the silver flame that snaked from Nesta. With their backs leaning against each other, they stared at the enormous creature with sharp focus. Ataraxia glowed in Nesta's hand. The Truth-Revealer pulsed with darkness in Azriel's. It was now or never. His legs tensed, ready to run. Nesta's eyes flickered to Bryce for a moment. As if he finally understood everything: Bryce’s “incurable” hand. The blood she smeared on the walls. The commentary regarding the interconnected river system in the caves, investigating what they knew about the terrain and the worm. To attract this thing—to them.

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“I'm sorry,” Bryce said to her. And ran. I didn't want them to get hurt; Don't lie about that. They could certainly face the worm and survive. Nesta had said that her sister had already done this. But Bryce needed to find out whatever Urd had sent her here to find out. Whether this information could help or harm their world... I didn't want them to know. That they could use against her. Let them hand her over to the Asteri. Or that they would use it against Midgard for their own benefit. Whatever lay ahead concerned only her. Bryce ran down the tunnel, his path lit by glimpses of silver flame and blue magic. Nesta's and Azriel's powers, shining like lightning against the nightmare the worm represented. The faces in the carvings of the tunnel watched Bryce's escape with cold, condemning eyes. The breath seemed to cut the throat. I had no idea how much I needed to run, but if I could speed up a little more... A scream echoed from the rocks behind her. Not of persecution, but of pain. Azriel. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw his blue light go out.

Then a scream of a female voice resounded through the cave, and Nesta's silver flame also went out, leaving only Bryce's starlight to light the way. Leaving only darkness and silence behind. I needed to move on. They were experienced warriors. It was okay.

But that silence, interrupted by Bryce's breathing, his hurried steps... She was a master at inventing lies. She had kept them both distracted, kept them from thinking of her as a manipulative little piece of shit, but... Bryce slowed his pace until he stopped. The darkness behind her increased.

She found herself face to face with a scene that represented a great battlefield before the high walls of the city, fey, winged horrors and snarling beasts, all at war, entrenched in pain.

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and in suffering. One of the fae was in the foreground, thrusting a spear into the mouth of another fae warrior. Fae against fae. You shouldn't bother with that. It shouldn't affect her like it did: the female warrior's merciless expression as she plunged her spear into the agonized face of the warrior in front of her. Bryce shouldn't be hesitant when he saw that. I had long understood that this kind of thing happened among the fae. He took comfort in knowing that he wasn't like them, he would never be like that. Still, I had just... She wasn't a monster. It was? Maybe he would regret it. She knew Hunt would yell at her for creating a trap only to then come to the aid of the people she deceived. But Bryce started running again, speeding through the cave. Back to Nesta and Azriel. Praying that there was still something left to be saved. ***

Bryce realized, as he retraced his steps, that what he had previously thought was the noise of the river was, in fact, the thunderous movement of the worm's enormous body. Azriel and Nesta must have committed the same mistake.

In the dark, its starlight bathed the walls in silver, throwing the world into high relief. Your starlight has never felt so...empty. As he guided them, he was comforting, bringing a little color and brightness to this realm of eternal night. Now, shimmering with every step she took as she ran, she looked more brutish. Devoid of color. As if even the light was disgusted by what she had done. Nesta and Azriel were not in the tunnel near the archway carvings. Judging by the way the ground shook and the jaws just ahead, they had lured the worm back into the river. Bryce pulled himself together and managed to slow down in time to be walking before reaching the shore, remembering the

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Randall's training.

Observe, evaluate, decide.

Then she stealthily advanced the last few meters that separated her from the running water, one hand covering the star to dim its brightness, and... They weren't there. No sign of the worm or its meal. He felt butterflies in his stomach. They looked extremely brave and capable. Surely the worm wouldn't have... He had. Nesta was sprawled out on a large rock in the river, less than ten feet away. No sign of the worm or Azriel. Maybe he had already eaten it. And soon he would return to continue the meal. By the gods, what had she done? He had ruined everything in an unforgivable way... Bryce ran to Nesta, who was lying down, splashing cold water everywhere, slipping on the rocks, the river foam forming around her waist in a strong current as she tried to turn the female... Nesta's eyes were open. And burning with fury.

A hand wrapped around Bryce's throat. A blade poked his back. And Azriel's voice was soft as a whisper as he said: — Give me just one reason not to stick this knife in your spine. Bryce bared his teeth. — Why did I come back to help? Nesta snorted and stood up. Intact. — And the worm? — Bryce managed to ask, trying not to think about the knife angled to pierce his body. Or in the attraction between Aster and the dagger, now so close to her. “It's hunting us,” Nesta barked, looking at the river, at the tunnel. “Then fucking run,” Bryce gasped. — The opening of the tunnel... “We're not going to leave that thing alive,” Azriel said, his tone venomous. Nesta drew Ataraxia, the blade glowing

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weakly. She was calm, as if this were an ordinary day at work. Flaming Soles. Randall would kill her for being so stupid. — You attracted me here. Nesta nodded to Azriel, who pushed the blade away but kept a hand on Bryce's shoulder, either to stop him from moving or to keep her still in the rushing waters of the river. — You saved me from those traps on the wall. It was to be expected that such a soft heart would be accompanied by a guilty conscience. In other words: her mother would kill her for being so stupid. — Eu... Bryce started, but Nesta interrupted: — Don't waste your time. The tone was abrupt enough to make Bryce look beyond the darkness of the river, to the tunnels on either side. Even the call of Aster and the Truth Revealer took a back seat when she asked: — How did he disappear?

“Deep pits in the riverbed,” Azriel murmured. — All it took was a whiff of Nesta's power to dive into one of them. But from the way the rocks shake... he's close by. Watching us. “Then why are we standing here in the fucking river?” Nesta smiled at her. — Bait. ***

Make your brother proud. It would have been better if the Viper Queen had shot Ithan in the guts. It was as if he knew exactly how ashamed Connor would be to see how far he had fallen. — What is she going to do about Sabine? — Tharion asked Ithan when he reentered the suite. Right, that's what he said he would resolve with the queen.

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“Nothing,” replied Ithan. Sigrid was sitting on the sofa next to Declan, watching the his fingers type quickly on his cell phone. — Where's Marc? asked Ithan. — Used one of his lawyer tricks — Flynn answered for Dec. — Talked some legal shit to the guards. A minute after you left, he received a message from the Viper Queen, saying he was free to leave. So that's what the Viper Queen was typing into the computer. - Go where? — To the office — replied Dec, still focused on his cell phone. — He's going to try to find out if there's any legal way to get us out of this circus of horrors. — I may have the solution for that — commented Ithan. Everyone looked at him. Tharion asked softly: — What was her offer, doggy? — Nothing I can't handle. Tharion stood up from the table closest to the window overlooking the ring. - You... — A fight... with me. Tomorrow night. Sigrid's eyes widened. —What kind of fight? Ithan pointed to the window behind Tharion. — One of the chic ones. Down there. — She said against whom? — He had never seen Ketos with such a serious expression. — You should have made her specify. She's going to screw you... and in some way, we're all going to screw ourselves. — Tharion's voice became more acute. —What the hell were you thinking? — I was thinking — Ithan replied — that you made a ridiculous decision, and I needed to try to get you out of it. Get us all out of this mess. Tharion blinked at him a few times, his eyes dark. Cold.

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— I didn't ask you to get me out of this. Do you think I can just walk away from here? I can't. —The Viper Queen said you could... —And then what? — The merman stood up. — Return to depending on the mercy of the River Queen. The Viper Queen knows this, that I have no other choice but to stay here, with her. — Tharion shook his head, disgusted. — You fucking idiot. — And, after saying that, the merman left the room irritated. Silence hovered for a few moments. Then Declan said: — You should have spoken to us before. — Yes, yes, but I didn't say it — replied Ithan. Then he sighed. — The Doe gave us two days. Marc's a genius and all, but this law shit takes time. We do not have time. — The merman is right — Sigrid replied, saddened. — You shouldn't trust someone like her. Someone who traffics other beings has no honor. — I know — Ithan agreed. And for a few moments, he could see in Sigrid's eyes the stern but fair alpha that she could become. With enough emotional scars to understand the importance and value of each life. Maybe he should have encouraged her to kill Sabine the night before. Ithan sighed again. Flynn went to the bar.

— Better drink something, Holstrom. — I never drink before games — Ithan protested. — Not even the day before. “Trust me,” Flynn warned, pressing a glass of whiskey into Ithan's hand. — With the Viper handpicking her opponent, you'll want something to relax you a little. ***

“You spread your blood everywhere to attract him,” Nesta said. — He's after you, not both of us. Soon you will call that thing back.

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Bryce's gaze alternated between Nesta and Azriel. They were serious. Bryce pointed to the rock Nesta had been lying on. moments before.

- So how is it? I must lie down on the stone and wait until the worm appears to devour me? — That last part is up to you — Nesta replied, turning to the other side of the river — but from what I just saw, you run fast. You'll be able to escape just in time. Perhaps. Idiot. Azriel murmured, “Silence. With no other alternative, Bryce complied. It didn't matter how strong his starlight shined. The worm was blind. And it was only a matter of time before he smelled her new... A matter of seconds, actually. In an instant, there was only the river running its course. In the next instant, a wall of water exploded in front of Azriel, the worm's gigantic body making even the mighty warrior appear smaller. Bryce had never seen such a horrible creature, not even during the attack on Crescent Moon City last spring. Rays of blue light shone at Azriel, hurtling towards the creature... They hit dark, wet skin and disappeared.

That's all Bryce saw before he jumped off the rock, running down the street. water, towards the arched tunnel. Nesta walked past her, Ataraxia in one hand, silver fire enveloping the other. But the worm disappeared. As quickly as he had appeared, he returned to the hole. — Where is he? — Nesta shouted at Azriel, who turned around, making a sweep of the river, the tunnel... Behind them, closer to Bryce, the worm reemerged from the waters, coming from another hole. Silver fire flashed past her. The worm

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he roared as the raw power hit the side of his body, making the caves shake, debris and rocks falling with a thud into the river. Then the fire went out, sucked into his skin. The worm dived back into the water, heading towards the hole. Azriel and Nesta returned to their original position, their backs pressed together, and Bryce managed to compose himself a little to ask: — What happened? “He… he ate my power,” Nesta muttered. — It's not possible — replied Azriel, his eyes fixed on the river. — But he ate it — Nesta got angry — I felt it. “Shit,” said Azriel.

“We have to run,” Bryce warned. “No,” Nesta insisted, the silver flames in her eyes again. — That thing isn't going to come out of this fight alive. As if in response and a challenge, the worm burst from the water, a huge, powerful wave, jaws wide open toward Nesta, Azriel, and Bryce... With a flick of Azriel's wings, the three rose into the air, faster than the worm could attack. It almost missed Azriel's boots as it dived again, disappearing again. — We need to contain him — Nesta suggested to Azriel — so he can I can get closer with Ataraxia. — If your power didn't kill him, there's no way of knowing if Ataraxia will — gasped Azriel, setting them down on the stone. — He breaks my bonds like they were cobwebs. "Then we need something else that can fight for us," Nesta protested, and Azriel turned to her, as if alarmed. But Bryce said, — give it to me “Okay,” and held out his hand to Azriel Aster. — She had drawn them into that mess, so she could try to get them out of there. Aster had already killed reapers. Maybe he could kill that thing too. — Don't you dare. — Azriel started to say, but not to Bryce. Dread paling his skin. — Nesta...

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Something metallic shined like sunlight on Nesta's hand. A mask. “Nesta,” warned Azriel, panic making his voice sharper, but it was already too late. She closed her eyes and put the mask on her face. A strange, cold breeze blew from the tunnel. Bryce had felt that breeze before, in the Bone Quarter. The wind of death, of putrefaction, of stillness. The hairs on his arms stood up. The blood turned ice cold as Nesta opened her eyes to reveal that there were only silver flames shining there. Whatever that mask was, whatever its power… it contained death. “Take it off,” Azriel ordered, but Nesta reached out into the darkness of the tunnel. Deadly, an old, dry voice whispered in Bryce's head. You are mortal, and must die. Memento mori. Memento mori, memento...

A bone clicked in the dark. The earth shook. Azriel grabbed Bryce, pulling her towards him as he backed away towards the wall, as if he could offer any protection against whatever approached. Aster and the Truth Revealer murmured and exerted their attraction, as if they were pulling Bryce by the spine, her hands itching, as if she could feel the weapons in her palms... Didn't he see what Nesta drew from the darkness before the worm caught them? found.

As before, he emerged from the river, rushing into the narrow tunnel, blocking the way back. Azriel's shield glowed blue around them. The worm charged toward them, its jaw wide open revealing rows of teeth capable of tearing flesh apart. But something huge and white hit the worm. A creature of pure bone, larger than the worm. The skeleton they had found in the tunnel. Reanimated. Its jaw gaped at the worm, long arms that ended in claws finding their way into either side of the damned beast's mouth.

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The worm squeaked, but the creature held it tightly, biting the opponent's head, and shook, shook, shook... Azriel pulled Bryce back, sword and knife beckoning her to use them. But he kept pushing it away, deeper and deeper into the tunnel as the undead thing and the worm dueled. The ceiling shook, debris fell to the floor. Azriel arched a wing, shielding them from the crushing rain. But there was nothing in the world that could protect them from what was just a few feet away. With her hair blowing in a phantom breeze, Nesta glowed with silver flames. Still wearing the mask. And with a finger pointed at the fight. Requiring the creature of bone and death to attack the worm. Again. Again. — What is she...? — Bryce began, but Azriel covered his mouth. with one hand, pulling her further into the tunnel. So all Bryce could do was watch in awe and pure terror as Nesta clenched her fist. The beast's jaws grabbed the entire front of the worm and crushed it against the ground, trapping it. The earth shook from the impact and even Azriel stumbled, pulling away the hand covering Bryce's mouth. The worm struggled, but the undead creature held on. She kept him under control as Nesta unsheathed Ataraxia once more and approached. “We have to help her,” Bryce gasped to Azriel. — I swear she's fine — countered Azriel, pulling Bryce so that they both went further into the tunnel. Out of the impact zone, Bryce realized. The worm must have felt the sword approaching, because it struggled more against the set of bones and claws that held it to the rock. He managed to push the undead creature back, but only for an instant. Nesta raised her free hand again, and the undead creature slammed the worm's body into the ground as the creature struggled in complete despair.

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With the elegance of a dancer, Nesta climbed the undead beast's tail, running along the ridges of its back like stones in a stream. Climbing to higher levels, for a better angle. The worm protested, but Nesta was already in the undead creature's white skull. And then she jumped with her sword raised above her head, and went down, down... Right on the worm's head. A tremor of silver fire ran through the worm. The cold wind and dry breath blew through the cave again, death in its wake. The worm collapsed to the ground.

The silence was worse than the sound. Azriel left hiding instantly, his wings closed as he ran towards Nesta and the undead beast that still held the beast. — You can take it off — ordered Azriel.

The female turned her head towards him in one smooth movement. that Bryce had only seen in possessed dolls in horror movies. — Take it off — shouted Azriel. Still staring at him, Nesta pulled Ataraxia from the worm's body and slid down its side, landing on the stone with unearthly grace. Every muscle in Bryce's body tensed, his voice whispering over and over to her: Deadly. You must die. You must die. You must to die.

She hated the way her body shook as Nesta slowly approached her. How both parts of him, the human and the Vanir, trembled at the thing, whatever it was, behind the mask. Azriel didn't take a single step back. Nesta stopped in front of him. Nothing human or fae looked through the holes in the mask. “Take it off,” he ordered, his voice as cold as ice. — Let the creature rest again. A blink, and the undead creature was once again a pile of bones.

“Cassian is waiting for you, Nesta,” Azriel said, with a gentler tone of voice. — Take off the Mask. — Nesta remained

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silently, Ataraxia at the ready in his hand. One move and Azriel would be dead. — He's waiting for you at the House of Wind. — Azriel continued. - At home. Nesta blinked again. The silver flame softened a little. As if whoever Cassian was, and whatever the House of Wind was... perhaps they were the only things capable of fighting the siren song of the Masquerade. “Gwyn and Emerie are waiting,” Azriel pressed. —And Feyre and Elain. —The silver flame flashed again. Then Azriel said, “Nyx is also waiting. The silver flame went out once and for all. The Mask fell from Nesta's face, clanging against the stone. Nesta swayed, but Azriel was there to support her, pulling her closer. to his chest, his scarred hands stroking his hair. “Thanks to Mother,” he said softly. — Thanks to Mother. Bryce turned to walk away, feeling like he was witnessing a very intimate moment.

But Nesta turned away from Azriel. He steadied himself in place before looking at Bryce, still holding Ataraxia in one hand. She moved the fingers of her other hand and the Mask instantly disappeared, back to wherever it had been before being summoned. Bryce had so many things to say that he finally couldn't say anything. Nesta returned to stow Ataraxia on her back and said to Bryce, “Keep walking.”

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It took Bryce hours to stop shaking. Until you keep that cold, deadly wind away from your skin. Until you stop hearing the whisper of your death, the death of all things. I had never seen anything like that mask. Nesta seemed at her mercy, brought back to herself only after Azriel listed those people who, whoever they were, were obviously important to Nesta. For love, everything is possible. Even get rid of lethal masks. Nesta didn't say anything, just staying close to Azriel. Or maybe he was the one keeping close to her. The male didn't seem to want her out of his reach. Finally, Bryce couldn't take it anymore. “I'm sorry,” he said. When they both remained silent, she turned to look at them. Their expressions were equally cold. "Really... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," said Bryce, the heart beating hard. "You're proving," Nesta replied firmly, "that you don't It's worth all that work. —Then why don't you kill me? — Bryce fumed.

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"Because whatever you hope to find at the end of these tunnels," Azriel explained with lethal calm, "whatever is worth the effort of trying to kill us... it has to be something very worth seeing." — You could leave me here and go alone. — She shouldn't have suggested that. But it was already too late. “The star on your chest would disagree,” Nesta teased, and finally left Azriel's side into the darkness. — We've already tried hard to find out what yours is. Now, it's best to go all the way. — Did they make an effort? —But even as he spoke, Bryce

understood. — You knew I would come out through the grate. — Rhysand guessed, yes... and was all convinced when you crossed. Truth be told: he was quite surprised to learn that you were able to cross, but... the bastard sent us after you. — Nesta spoke without turning around, walking with that unshakable confidence towards the darkness. — He told us to make sure there was only one way. We made sure you believed there was only one way too. And you'd show us what you came for... show us what you're looking for here. — You caused the collapse. Nesta shrugged.

— Azriel caused it. But yes.

— Wh... what's all this for? Why do you care? Nesta was silent for a few moments. Azriel said nothing, it was a wall of ominous silence behind her. Then Nesta replied: — Because I've seen that star on your chest before.

“Yes, you already told me,” Bryce replied. — Your tattoo... — Not on my tattoo. - So where? Bryce whispered. If she could get some answers... But Nesta moved on, into the darkness. — It wasn't in a good place. ***

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After another fitful nap, Azriel and Nesta were still clearly irritated with Bryce. And they had every right, but didn't she also have the right to be pissed off? They had manipulated her the entire time, watching her as if she were an animal in a zoo, making her believe that she had caused that collapse when it was their work... She frowned at Azriel as they walked. through the tunnel. He returned an icy glare. Behind him, the carvings continued, showing animated fae on hilltops, in full activity in ancient-looking cities surrounded by walls. A scenario of growth and change. But Azriel's gaze remained straight ahead—and he nodded when he saw where Nesta had stopped. “We have a problem,” Nesta muttered as the two approached. An abyss rose before them, Bryce's starlight shone with a single ray passing through it. Bryce swallowed. Yes, it was a big problem. ***

Ruhn managed to keep the food in his stomach, and that was all he had to say about himself there, lying and sleeping on the filthy, fetid floor. Maybe it was because he hadn't really slept in days. Maybe it was because Athalar had asked him to make an effort and deep down he knew he needed to act like a fucking adult. But there he was. On a familiar-looking bridge in his mind. Facing a burning female figure. Ruhn? Lidia's voice reached his ears. What there was? — I need to pass on spy information. — Each word sounded cold and succinct. The flame around Lidia dimmed until it was just her and her flowing golden hair, and that took a bit of a toll on him. She was fucking beautiful. He wouldn't have cared, not if

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It mattered during those weeks when they were getting to know each other better, but... She stood three meters away. He did not care about his stars and night. He didn't care. — Bryce... was trying to get to Hell for help. Failed. Lidia's face was impassive. —And how is it possible for you to know that? — The Moat Prince paid Hunt a little visit. He confirmed that Bryce is not with him... or his brothers. Points to Lidia for not expressing displeasure upon hearing Apollion mentioned. She didn't even ask why Hunt was contacting him. — Where did she end up?

- We do not know. The plan was for her to go there, gather the armies and come with them here, but if she's not there, we're out of luck with this shit. —Would... would there be any chance that Hell would ally with you? — There was disbelief in every word. — Yes. And it still does.

— Why tell me all this? He clenched his jaw.

— We weren't sure if you or Command suspected where Bryce was, or if you were hoping she would perform a miracle when she returned. But we decided they should know that this option doesn't seem viable. Lidia cursed. He looked at his hands, as if he could see Ophion's plans falling apart. — We weren't counting on help from your sister or Hell, but I'll pass the message on anyway. — His eyes were full of concern. - She is...? Day could be counted on to get to the heart of the matter. - I don't know. — His harsh tone said it all. She tilted her head, and he knew her well enough to know who was thinking about everything he had heard. The Oracle's warning.

But Lidia said:

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—She's not dead. — His words contained complete confidence. - Oh yes? — He couldn't stop being sarcastic. —And how can you be so sure? She took the mean tone in stride. — The mystics of Rigelus are looking for her. He wants to find her. —He doesn't know what I know. — No... he knows more than you. I wouldn't try so hard if I believed Bryce was dead. Or in Hell. He knows something else.

Ruhn ignored the hope welling in his chest. —What does that mean, then? “So he thinks Bryce's location could make a difference. — She crossed her arms. “It means that wherever he suspects her of being... he's worried about it. — I can't understand how it could make any difference. — Then you underestimate your sister.

“Fuck you,” he cursed. “Rigelus is not underestimating Bryce, not for a second,” she added, her tone sterner. — A thousand mystics, Ruhn... all looking for her. Do you know how many other tasks he usually makes them do? But now, everyone is focused on finding her. That means he's very, very scared. Ruhn swallowed. —What will happen if the mystics find out where she is? Lidia shook her head, flames enveloping her locks. - I don't know. But he must have some plan in mind. Ruhn asked, “Why can't they find her? I thought mystics could find anything. — The universe is very vast. Even a thousand mystics need some time to scour each galaxy and star system. - How much time? Her eyes fluttered.

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—Not as much as Bryce might need…if he is, in fact, trying to do the impossible. - What is? — Get help. Ruhn couldn't take it anymore. He turned to his side of the bridge. — Spirit.

He stopped, shuddering at the way she said his name, remembering what it was like to hear it for the first time, after the equinox ball, when she discovered who he was. But that was the problem, wasn't it? She knew who he was... and he knew who she was. I knew that despite being Agent Daybright, she had been the Doe for decades before she decided to rebel. He had committed many despicable acts for Sandriel and had punished them long before he killed the Harpy to save his life. Did changing sides erase your past? She said quietly:

— I'm doing what I can to help you. Ruhn looked over his shoulder. She hugged her own waist. “I don't care what you're fucking doing. I only came here because other lives may depend on it. There was pain in his eyes, which made him even more angry. How dare she look at him like that, like she was hurt, when it was his fucking heart that... “You're dead to me,” Ruhn hissed, and disappeared.

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“It's too narrow for me to fly,” Azriel said, scanning the seemingly endless abyss between them and the rest of the tunnel. This time there was no bridge at all. Just a narrow, infinite fall. There was no room for Azriel to spread his wings. It was too vast for them to jump. — Is this another manipulation? — Bryce asked Nesta coldly. Nesta snorted. — The stone doesn't lie. He can't open his wings even halfway. Coming so far only to return with no answers, with nothing to help her return home... the star was still shining ahead. Pointing to the other side of the abyss. —Does anyone have a rope? asked Bryce pathetically. In response, he received skeptical silence. Bryce pointed at Azriel. — Those shadows of yours could take a form... they caused the collapse. Couldn't you make a bridge or something? Or its blue light... you seemed to believe it would be able to stop the worm. Make a rope out of it. He raised his eyebrows. — None of these options are viable. The shadows are made of magic, but very condensed. This here,” he pointed to the

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blue stones in your armor — it concentrates all my power and allows me to transform it into weapon-like things. But still just magic... power. Bryce's mouth twisted to the side. — So it's like a laser? — With the language now imprinted in their brain, it was difficult to say laser, as if it were a foreign word to them. She pronounced it as she did in Midgard, but with the accent of this world, distorting the word a little. “I have no idea what it is,” Azriel replied. At the same time, Nesta declared: — Anyway, it doesn't solve the problem of getting to the other side. But Bryce frowned at Azriel. — Have you ever used this power to, um, recharge someone? — Reload? — Like fuel. Um... provide your power to another person, to help their power. — Are you saying I could do that to you? — I'm pretty sure the battery concept doesn't make much sense here, but it does. My magic can be amplified by someone else's power. — Another untranslatable word, drums, weighed on his tongue. Nesta watched her. - For what? —So I can teleport. —Another untranslated word. - Pass through. — She pointed to the other side of the divide. — I could cross us there. Azriel said: — Give me a reason that makes me believe that you wouldn't cross alone and leave us here. - I don't have. You need to believe me. — After what you just did? “Remember, I'm going to trust you not to poke a hole in the middle of my chest. — She pointed to the star. —Aim right there. — I already said: we don't want to kill you. —Then aim carefully.

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Azriel and Nesta exchanged glances.

Bryce added, “Look, I'd offer something in return if I could. But you literally took away everything I had that was most valuable. — She pointed to the sword on Azriel's back. Nesta tilted her head. Then he reached into his pocket. — What about that? The cell phone.

Her cell phone. The screen lit up with Nesta's movement, glowing in the darkness, showing Hunt's face. That beautiful, wonderful face, so full of joy... Azriel and Nesta also squinted because of the strong light, the photo, and the cell phone disappeared again, after being stuffed into Nesta's pocket again. — There's an image hidden inside the cover — added Nesta. — You with three other females. The photo of Bryce, Danika, June and Fury. He had forgotten that he had placed it there before going to Pangera. Right there, in Nesta's pocket, protected by those fancy waterproofing charms she had purchased, was her only link to Midgard. With the people he cared about. And if she was stuck in this shitty world... that could be the last thing she had left. — Were you waiting to rub it in my face? asked Bryce. Nesta shrugged.

— I thought you might find it valuable. —And how do you know I'm not bluffing? Making you think it has some meaning just to leave you down here? — For the same reason that made her run back to check if we were alive — Azriel replied coldly. Right. The very attitude exposed her. Finally, he said to Azriel: — Aim for the star. —How much power should I use?

Gods, this had everything to go wrong. Experimenting with a power she neither knew nor understood...

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- Little. Just be careful not to fry me. After all that nonsense with the worm, surely this must have been what he wanted most. But Azriel's lips curved upward. — I'll do what I can. Bryce braced himself, taking a deep breath...

Azriel hit her before she could breathe out. A scorching, slicing power, a blue strike right at his star. Bryce leaned over, coughing, breathing as he felt the burn, the strangeness of the unknown power. - Are you well? Nesta asked, something like concern in her voice. Was it due to his power? Or something from that world? Not even Hunt's power made her feel this way, so fearless, like the purest of drinks. Bryce closed his eyes and counted to ten, breathing heavily. Letting the power sit in your blood. In your bones. Tingling in your limbs. She slowly straightened up, opening her eyes. By the way their faces were lit up, he knew their gaze had become incandescent. They were tense, hands on their weapons, preparing themselves in case she ran away or attacked. But Bryce stretched out his hands— which now glowed white—to them. Nesta held on first. Then she felt Azriel's hand, battered and scarred, slide into hers. Light emanated from where their skin touched. She could have sworn his shadows were hovering, watching like curious snakes. Bryce visualized the tunnel entrance. I wanted to go there...

In the blink of an eye, it was done. The pure power that dominated her vanished with the leap. Enough so that its incandescence diminished and the skin returned to normal. Until, finally, only his star continued to shine. But she noticed that Azriel and Nesta were watching her with expressions

many different. With caution, but something akin to respect too.

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“Come on,” Azriel said, letting go of her hand. Because now, the sword and the knife weren't just about pulling. They were vibrating, and all she had to do was reach out... But before he could give in to temptation, Azriel threw himself into the darkness. Staying a few centimeters away was still not enough to block the vibration of the blades. But Bryce tried to ignore it, aware that Nesta was watching her closely. He tried to pretend everything was fine. Even though I knew I wasn't. Not even a little. And there was feeling that what awaited her at the end of the tunnels would be even worse. ***

“The Cauldron,” Nesta said hours later, pointing to another drawing on the wall. In fact, there was a gigantic cauldron on what appeared to be the peak of a barren mountain with three stars on top. Azriel stopped, head tilted. — It's Ramiel. — When he noticed Bryce's questioning look, he explained: — A mountain sacred to the Illyrians. Bryce nodded at the drawing. — Why is a cauldron so important? “The Cauldron,” Azriel corrected. Bryce shook his head, not understanding. — Are there no stories about him in your world? Didn't the Fae keep this tradition? Bryce studied the gigantic cauldron. — No. We have five gods, but no cauldron. What he does? “All kinds of life come from him,” Azriel said with something like reverence. — The Mother placed him in this world, and life emerged from there. Nesta said softly:

— It's true, it's not a myth. — He swallowed audibly. — I became High Fae when an enemy pushed me into it. It's raw power, but also... sentient.

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— Like that mask you put on earlier. Azriel closed his wings tightly, obviously worried about talking about such a powerful instrument with a potential enemy. But Nesta asked, “Did you detect sentience in the Mask?” Bryce nodded. — She didn't talk to me or anything. I just... felt it. —And what did it feel like? — Nesta asked softly. — It felt like death. Bryce exhaled. — Death in person. Nesta's gaze seemed more distant, more serious. — That's what the Mask does: it gives its wearer power over Death itself. Bryce's blood ran cold. — And this is... a normal type of weapon around here?

— No — Azriel replied from the front, shoulders tense. - It is not. Nesta explained: — The Mask is one of the three objects of catastrophic power, Made by Caldeirão itself. We call them Nefarious Treasures. — And the Mask is... yours? -, O “I was also Made by the Cauldron,” Nesta replied. that allows me to carry it. — She spoke without pride, without bragging. The purest and coldest resignation and acceptance of responsibility. — Done. — Bryce pondered. — You said my tattoo it was

done. “It's a mystery to us,” Nesta said. — It would be necessary to have the Ink prepared by the Cauldron, in this world, for it to be like this. O Chifre, I have been given a gift. The gates raised by Theia from Pelias to Midgard.

Perhaps it was also forged by the Cauldron. Bryce kept that knowledge, kept the questions it raised. — We have nothing like the Cauldron on Midgard. Solas is our sun god, Cthona is his partner and earth goddess. Luna is his sister, the moon; Ogenas, Cthona's jealous sister, lives in the seas. And Urd guides everyone, she is the weaver of luck, of destiny. — Bryce added after a while: — I think I'm here because of her.

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“Urd,” Nesta muttered. —The fae say the Caldeirão controls our destinies. Maybe he became this Urd.

“I don't know,” Bryce replied. — I always wondered what happened to the gods of the original worlds when their people ended up on Midgard. Did they follow them? Did I bring Urd, Luna or any of them with me? — She gestured to the caves. —Are they here, or am I alone, abandoned in a world with no gods to call my own? They start walking again, questions hanging in the air, unanswered. Bryce asked, because part of her needed to know after seeing the Masquerade: — Where do your souls go after death? — Did they even believe in the concept of a soul? Maybe it would be better to start there. But Azriel replied, in a soft voice: — They return to the Mother, where they rest in peace, joyful, close to her heart, until she finds another purpose for us. Another life or another world for us to live. — He looked sideways at her. — And in your world? Bryce felt his stomach drop. - It is complicated. With nothing else to do as they walked, she explained: the Bone Quarter and other Realms of Stillness, the Underking and the Sailboats. The black boats that tipped over or reached the shore. The Milestones of Death that allowed you to buy a ticket. Finally he explained the secundalux, the soul grinder that transformed the remaining energy into more food for the asteri. When he finished speaking, his companions continued to silence. It was not a silence of contemplation, but of horror. — So this is what awaits you? — Nesta finally asked. — Become... food? “No,” Bryce replied quietly. — I, ah... I don't know what will become of me. - Why? — asked Azriel.

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—That friend I mentioned, the one who discovered the truth about the asteri. When she died, I was worried, because I thought they wouldn't give her the honor of going to the coast in her Sailboat. I... couldn't allow you to go through this insult anymore. At that time, I still didn't know about secundalux. I made a deal with the Under-King: my soul, my place in the Bone Quarter in exchange for hers. — The horrifying silence came again. —So when I die, I won't stay there. I do not know where I'm going. — It must be a little comforting — Nesta commented — to know that at least you're not going to the Bone Quarter. Be devoured. — She shrugged. “Yes,” Bryce agreed. — But then what will happen? — Do you still have a soul? — Nesta asked. - Sincerely? I don't know,” Bryce admitted. — I feel so. But what will remain alive when I die? — She took a deep breath. — And if I die in this world... what will happen to my soul? Will she find her way back to Midgard or stick around? — The words sounded even more depressing when said out loud. Something extremely bright dazzled his eyes — his cell phone. Hunt smiled at her. “Here,” said Nesta. Bryce picked up his cell phone without saying a single word, blinking back tears after seeing Hunt. —You kept your word and crossed us. So stick with it. Bryce knew she was due more than that, but she nodded. in gratitude anyway. She showed the screen to Nesta and Azriel. “This is Hunt,” he said hoarsely, “my partner. Azriel looked at the photo. — He has wings.

Bryce nodded, his throat unbearably tight. — He's an angel... a malakh. — But talking about him made his eyes burn, so he put his cell phone in his pocket. As they walked, Nesta said, "When we stop again... can you show me how this contraption works?"

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- The cell phone? — The word couldn't be translated into their language and it sounded ridiculous with that accent. Nesta nodded, her eyes glued to the tunnel in front of her. — We almost went crazy trying to figure out what he does. ***

Tharion cornered the dragon in the pit bathroom. He could barely stand, his left leg had a cut made by the claws of a jaguar shifter he faced at lunchtime, as entertainment. But that night, prime time wouldn't be his—not with Ithan in the ring. “Don't fucking kill Holstrom,” he warned Ariadne. She threw her head back, her eyes twinkling as they met his. - What? Who said I'm going to face him? Tharion and the others had spent the last twenty-four hours debating who the Viper Queen would choose to face Ithan. And at that moment, with less than an hour to go before the clash and without any opponent announced... — Who else would the Viper put against him? You are the strongest here. The only one that would make the fight worth it. —So flattering. — Don't kill him — complained Tharion.

She blinked.

- Or else? Tharion gritted his teeth.

— He is a good male, and very important to several people. If you kill him, you will play Viper's game. Make the fight quick, and make it as painless as possible. Ari gave a cold laugh that contrasted with the burning heat in his eyes. — I don't take orders from you.

— No, he doesn't — agreed Tharion. —But you can take some advice. If you kill Ithan, or cause very serious injuries, you will conquer more enemies than you would be able to defend yourself against.

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Starting with Tristan Flynn, who seems like a calm goofball, but could very well tear you apart with his bare hands... and me too. Ariadne sighed and tried to get around him. Tharion grabbed her arm, his fingertip claws digging into her soft flesh. - I'm serious. - What about me? — she sneered. - What do you have? — Are you going to warn Ithan not to hurt me? He blinked. — You are a dragon. Another one of those humorless laughs. — I have a job to do. And I also took an oath. — Always wanting to be the best of all. She tried to free her arm, but he dug his nails in harder. She hissed:

— I'm not part of your little group of conspirators, and I don't want to be. I don't give a shit and walk about you, or whatever you're trying to do against the asteri. It's pretty obvious that they're all going to end dead.

— So what do you want, Ari? Live like this? Her skin heated up, burning his palm, and he had no choice but to let go. She stomped to the hallway door that led to the eerily silent ring. As the Viper Queen had promised, only she would watch. Ariadne opened the door, but looked over her shoulder: — Do you prefer wolf cooked with barbecue sauce or broth? fleshy? ***

“So a cell phone,” Nesta commented, pronouncing the word exaggeratedly as they crossed another stream, jumping from rock to rock, “takes these photos that capture a moment but not the people in them?”

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“Cell phones have cameras,” Bryce replied, “and a camera is like making an an object that... yes. It's time. instantaneous drawing of a cell phone. — Gods, so many words and terms from the language itself to explain. She continued: — But with perfect finishes, full of details. And don't ask me any more than that, because I have no idea how it works in practice. Nesta laughed, landing gracefully on the opposite bank. Azriel walked forward, into the darkness, the carvings around him illuminated by Bryce's star: more war, more death, more suffering... this time on a grander scale, entire cities in flames, people screaming in pain, devastation and suffering at even greater levels. No paradise to counteract the suffering. Just death.

Nesta stopped by the riverbank to wait for Bryce finished crossing. — And he also has music. Like a Symphony?

— I don't know what this is about, but yes, he has music. I have thousands of songs here. — Thousands? Nesta stirred as Bryce jumped from the last rock to the shore, gravel sliding beneath her sneakers. — In this tiny little thing? Did you record them all? — No... there's a whole industry full of people whose job it is to record these songs and, once again, I have no idea how it works in practice. — Once he had his footing, Bryce followed Azriel, a burly shadow silhouetted against the dark. Nesta appeared beside her. — And it's a way of communicating between minds. - More or less. You connect with other people's cell phones people, and voices connect in real time... — And let me guess: you have no idea how it works in

practice. Bryce laughed. — It's pathetic, but it's the truth. We accept technology without asking how the hell it works. I couldn't even tell you how the cell phone flashlight works. — To demonstrate, she pressed the button and the cave lit up, the scenes of battle and suffering in the

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walls around them became even more painful. Azriel muttered ahead, turning toward them with one hand shielding his eyes, and Bryce quickly turned off the flashlight. Nesta smiled. — I'm surprised this thing isn't capable of cooking and changing your clothes, too. — Wait a few years and maybe he'll make it. —But do you have magic to do these things? Bryce shrugged. — Yes. Magic and technology kind of overlap in my world. But for those who don't have much of the former, technology helps a lot to fill in the gaps. — And that artillery you showed — commented Azriel, his voice low, stopping walking so that they could catch up to him. — Those... weapons.

“It was technology,” Bryce explained, “not magic. But some Vanir must have found a way to combine magic and machines to lethal effect. The silence weighed between them.

"We're here," Azriel declared, pointing into the darkness beyond. in front of you. The reason, after all, why he had stopped. A huge metal wall blocked the way, nine meters high and at least nine meters wide, with a gigantic eight-pointed star in the middle. The carvings went on: battles and suffering, two females running on either side of the passage, as if towards that wall... in fact, there was an arc engraved around the star. As if that was destiny all along. Bryce looked at Nesta, who was standing behind her.

— Is this where you saw my star? Nesta shook her head slowly, looking at the wall, the star adornment, and the cavern that surrounded them. — I don't know where this place is. What is this place. “There's only one way to find out,” Bryce said, with a courage he didn't feel, and approached the wall. Azriel, as a force of

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nature beside her, also approached, her hand already resting on the Revealer of Truth. The lower tip of the star extended downward, right in front of Bryce. Then, she placed her hand on the metal and pushed. Anything it happened.

Nesta stopped next to Bryce, leaning against the metal. A thump noise reverberated off the cave walls. — Did you really think you were going to move?

Bryce grimaced. - It was worth trying.

Nesta opened her mouth to say something—probably to provoke Bryce—but was silenced by the roar of metal. She took a step back, shocked. Azriel raised an arm in front of her, blue light twisting in his injured hand. Leaving Bryce alone in front of the door. But she wouldn't move even if she wanted to. I couldn't take the eyes of the moving wall. The points of the stars began to expand and contract, as if they were breathing. Metal creaked behind them, like gears moving, locks opening. And, at the lowest point of the star, a triangle-shaped door opened.

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A dry, ancient darkness waited beyond the starry door. There was no sound or any sign of life. Just more darkness. Older, somehow, than the tunnel they left behind. Heavier. More vigilant. As if she were alive. And hungry.

Anyway, Bryce walked in. - What is this place? — Bryce took a deep breath, daring to take another step into the tunnel that was on the other side of the door. Azriel and Nesta quickly followed behind her. A metallic crunch cut through the air and Bryce turned around...

Too late. Not even Azriel, now halfway there, was fast enough to stop the door from closing. The silent thud echoed through his feet, up his legs. Raising dust. They were locked there.

Bryce's star shone... and went out. A chill ran through her arms, some primitive instinct warning her to run, without knowing why... Light shone on Azriel's hand; a faerie light, he had explained earlier. Two spheres of light floated forward, illuminating a short passage. At the end of it was a huge, round chamber, the

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floor carved with symbols and designs similar to those on the tunnel walls. Nesta whispered, her voice breathless with fear, “This is where I last saw the star on your chest.” — She unsheathed Ataraxia, the blade shining in the dim light. — We call this place Prison. ***

It was like game day, Ithan told himself. The same agitation coursing through his body, the same sharp focus taking hold of him. But there would be no judges. No rules. No one to ask for time. He was standing on the edge of the empty ring, right in the center of the pit where the fights were taking place, surrounded by his friends and Sigrid. The elves, unable to witness such violence, chose not to attend. There was no sign of the dragon. I hadn't dared to research how serious a third-degree burn was. Whether he would be ready to help free Athalar and Ruhn. And apparently, the Hellhound... what do you mean? Focus. Survive this fight, win, and then walk away the same night. He was good at winning. Or it already had been. “She's going to try to distract you,” Flynn commented behind him, staring at the empty ring. —But if you bypass the flames, I think you can win. “I thought that dragon lit your fire,” Declan murmured. — No pun intended. — Not when she's about to roast my friend. Ithan tried to smile, but couldn't. — Ari won't go easy on you. — Tharion finally joined the conversation. He had returned to his suite an hour earlier, but had gone straight to his room, slamming the door. At least he had come to watch the fight. —Then he should...what, Ketos? asked Flynn. - To stay standing there and turning into a barbecue?

“I bet the Viper Queen would find this very amusing,” Declan declared grimly.

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Despite being upset, Ithan smiled upon hearing this. But Tharion's face was still serious when he said to Ithan: — Most likely Ari will hurt you. Very. But she is arrogant...use that against her. Ithan felt Sigrid looking at him, but he nodded at the merman. — Promise to save your water magic to extinguish the flames and everything will be fine.

But Tharion wasn't in the mood for jokes. — Holstrom, I... look, earlier I said some shit that I... — He shook his head. — If you can get me out of here, I'll make it worth it. Just trying means a lot. Show that you care. — We are a pack — Ithan declared to Tharion, Flynn and Dec are what we do—,for each other. —No one objected. O His heart was tight. Tharion's eyes sparkled with excitement. - Thanks. The double doors on the other side of the place opened to reveal the Viper Queen in a gold jumpsuit with matching high-top sneakers. "She'll most likely make Ari leap from the rafters in a ball of fire," Tharion muttered as the snake shifter moved through the chamber with sinuous, unhurried grace. Ithan looked up, but the dark part of the ring remained empty as far as his keen wolf vision could see. The Viper Queen stopped a few feet away and frowned at Ithan. — Is that what you chose to use? — He analyzed the t-shirt and jeans. The same clothes he had been wearing since he arrived in that hellish place. But she pointed at Tharion. — I should have tidied him up a little. Tharion said nothing, his face impassive. The Viper Queen turned, her jumpsuit glistening like molten gold, walking pompously towards the nearest stand. He sat down and gave Ithan an elegant wave.

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- You can start. Ithan looked at the empty ring. — Where's the dragon?

The Viper Queen pulled out her cell phone and typed something, the light from the screen casting her already pale face into a sublime lividness. —Ariadne? Ah, she is no longer my employee. - What? — Tharion and Flynn shouted at the same time. The Viper Queen didn't look up from her cell phone, her thumbs twitching. The light reflected on the long nails, also painted gold. — An hour ago, an offer came in that was too good to pass up. refused. — She is not a slave — Tharion irritated, his face darker. livid than Ithan had ever seen. — You don't fucking own her. — No — agreed the Viper Queen, still typing — but the agreement was... advantageous for both of us. She agreed. — The Viper Queen finally raised her head. There was no gentleness in his green eyes as he analyzed Tharion. — In my opinion, she accepted just so she wouldn't have to turn Holstrom into a barbecue. I would like to know who made her feel so bad about this. Everyone turned to the merman, who gasped at the Viper Queen. — But it's obvious — the Viper continued, returning to writing on her cell phone — that I didn't inform the new employer that the dragon is a soft-hearted little creature. Taking into account the new environment, I think this will change quickly. — The sound of a message being sent punctuated his words. Tharion looked like he was about to vomit. Ithan didn't blame him. But Ithan forced himself to focus on what mattered, to breathe normally. She wanted him to lose his mind. I wanted to unbalance him. He straightened his shoulders. — So who am I going to fight? The Viper Queen put her cell phone in her pocket and smiled, revealing the excessively white teeth.

— Against the heiress Fendyr, obviously. *** AND

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— Better call Rhys. — We'd have to climb the mountain, get past the wards, and then hope we were close enough to talk to him through the phone. mind.

Bryce listened to the argument between Azriel and Nesta, happy to let them debate while he scanned the chamber. — This place is lethal — Azriel insisted in a deep voice. — Those protections stick like tar. “Yes,” Nesta admitted, “but we've come so far, so let's see why we were dragged here. — Why was she dragged here... by that star. — The two finally turned to her, apprehensive. Bryce composed his expression, looking the purest innocence when asking: — What is Prison? Nesta pursed her lips for a second before saying, “A shadowy island off the coast of our lands. — She looked at Azriel and pondered: — Do you think that, somehow, we walk under the sea? Azriel shook his head slowly, his dark hair shining under the fae lights flickering above him. — It's impossible for us to have walked that far. The door must be some kind of portal that brought us here from the continent. Nesta raised her eyebrows. - How is this possible? — There are caves and doors spread throughout the continent — explained Azriel — which open to distant places. Maybe that was one of them. — He looked at Bryce, noticing that she was listening closely, and added, — Let's go inside. He took Bryce's hand in his, huge and scarred, pulling it towards the camera. His face was a mask of determination and coldness in the light of the golden orbs that floated above them, hazel eyes darting from side to side to monitor the darkness. This close up, with their hands clasped, she could feel the sword and the knife vibrating and calling again. Pulsating in your eardrums... Á

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The Aster's handle moved toward her—she could pick it up and touch it with her free hand. One movement, and she could hold him tight. Azriel looked at her alertly. Bryce kept a bland, bored expression. Had that look been to warn her to be careful for her own safety, or to not make any false moves? Maybe both.

Too soon, too quickly, they approached the entrance to the huge round chamber at the end of the short passage. Faerie lights danced above carvings etched into the stone floor, as ornate and detailed as those in the tunnels that led there. The floor of the chamber was littered with them. But between her and that room there was a feeling of evil. omen, of heaviness, of Stay away from this shit. Even the sword and dagger seemed to fall silent. His star remained off. As if she had fulfilled her task. They had arrived at the place where they had been forced to bring her. Bryce took a deep breath.

— I'm going in. Take a step back — he warned Azriel. — And miss out on the fun? — muttered Azriel. Nesta laughed behind them. “I'm serious,” Bryce replied, trying to free his hand. - Stay there. He held her hand tighter, without letting go. - What do you feel? “Protections,” Bryce replied, returning to examining the cave. the size of an arena in front of you. And there, right in the middle... Another eight-pointed star. It must have been the one Nesta had seen before. As if in response, the star on Bryce's chest brightened and then dimmed. Nesta approached them and pointed. — The Harp was on top of that star. —Harp? asked Bryce, noting that Azriel gave Nesta a warning look. But the female continued

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focused on the star as she said, more to herself than to them: — It had all those protections keeping it there. Azriel scanned the chamber, still not letting go of Bryce's hand as he said to Nesta, "We don't know what else might be stored here." “I felt nothing but the Harp last time,” Nesta replied, but still assessed the chamber with the attention of a warrior. — We also didn't feel there was a second entrance to this place — replied Azriel Bryce touched —, We can no longer assume anything. the Archesian amulet around his neck. He protected her in the gallery... allowed her to pass through Jesiba's first-level protections... There had to be an answer there, somewhere. About something. Anything. Bryce clutched the amulet. Then he looked over Azriel's shoulder and widened his eyes. - Careful! He let go of her hand instantly, turning towards the invisible opponent whose presence he had not felt.

The opponent that didn't exist. Bryce moved with fey quickness, and when Azriel noticed There was no one there, she had already crossed the protective line. Fury made her expression even colder, but Nesta smiled as if she seemed to approve. “You're on your own now,” Azriel stated, blue stones glowing in his hands with a cold fury that matched his expression. Bryce raised his eyebrows, taking a few steps back. — You really can't get through? He crouched to slide his scarred hand across the stone floor, anger fading in the face of curiosity. “No.” He looked at Bryce, his mouth twisted to the side. — I don't know whether to be impressed or worried. — He stood up and pointed his chin at Nesta. — Are you going in? Nesta crossed her arms and stood beside him.

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— Let's see what happens first. Bryce grimaced. - Thanks. Nesta didn't smile. He just insisted. - Be quick. Take a look around, but don't delay. Bryce tried: — I'd feel better if I had my sword. Azriel didn't respond, his face impassive. All good. Bryce He sighed and examined the carvings on the floor. Spirals and faces and...

The hairs on his arms stood up. — These are the constellations of Midgard. — Bryce pointed to a cluster. —That's the Big Shell. And this... is Orion. The hunter. Hunt... Hunt. Seu Hunt Her companions, the tunnels, and the world disappeared as she traced the stars, outlining her path. The Archesian amulet warmed against his skin, as if it was working to free itself from the protections around it. “The Arrow,” she whispered. — The Scorpion and the Fish... this is a map of my cosmos. — His shoe slammed against a raised half-orbit, a screaming face carved into it. — Siph. — The outermost planet. It was on to the next one, a similar pile with a serious male face. — Orestes. — Orestes? — Azriel asked suddenly, drawing her attention to where he and Nesta were, still in the tunnel arch. - The warrior? She blinked.

- Yes. “Interesting,” Nesta said, tilting her head. — Maybe the name came from the same source. Bryce indicated the next mound, the face of a bearded old man. — Oden. — The next one, closer to the center of the room, was a young, smiling male. — Lakos. — Another mound appeared on the other side of the star, huge and covered with a helmet. “Thurr,” she said. Then he pointed to a mound with a female head on it. —Farya. —And beyond Farya there was a great high mountain with

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serpentine tendrils. “Sun,” he whispered, indicating the rounded shape. She scanned the room again and turned to the eight-pointed star. Exactly between Lakos and Thurr. —Midgard. — The name seemed to echo in the chamber. — Someone went to a lot of work to make this floor. Someone who was in my world and then came back here. Bryce glanced over his shoulder at Nesta, the warrior's face inscrutable. — You said there was a harp in the eight-pointed star? — The warrior agreed. —What kind of harp? Was it special in some way? “Whoever touched it could move between different physical spaces,” Nesta said, a little too quickly. - What else? asked Bryce, and his chest glowed again. Azriel raised his hand toward Nesta, as if to cover her face. her mouth to stop her from speaking, but she said: — The Harp was Made. I could stop time. — Does she stop time? — Bryce's knees shook. He could only think of one group of people in his world who would be capable of creating things like this. That, if he had indeed made such objects, he had a good reason to want to return to this world. To claim them. "Was there ever," Bryce ventured, a sudden hunch taking shape in his mind, "a Made object called a Horn?" “I don't know,” Nesta replied. - Why? Bryce looked at the eight-pointed star, the heart of the chamber, on that map of the cosmos. —Someone put the Harp there for some reason. “To keep her hidden,” Azriel said.

“No,” Bryce replied softly, staring at the star, his free hand touching the corresponding scar on his chest. She had guided her there. To that exact place where the Harp had been. — It was left to someone like me. - What do you mean? — Nesta demanded, her voice echoing off the rocks.

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But Bryce continued, the words coming out so quickly that there was almost no pause between them:

— I think... I think all those carvings in the tunnels are a reminder of what happened. — She pointed to the passage they had come from. — The carvings tell a story. And they are an invitation to come here. - Why? — asked Azriel with lethal softness. Bryce looked at the eight-pointed star for a moment before saying: — To discover the truth. “Bryce,” Nesta warned, as if reading her thoughts. Bryce didn't even look back before stepping onto the star.

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Hunt coughed, seeing stars each time he gasped, spitting out blood. — Damn, Athalar — Baxian grumbled from where he was hanging next to Danaan, despite not being in a much better state. They spent a few hours on the ground before Pollux hoisted them up again. Hunt couldn't stop screaming as his shoulders dislocated once again. But they requisitioned Pollux elsewhere, and apparently there was no one else in the palace with such a fucked-up mind to carry out that kind of torture, so they left the three of them there. Bryce. Her name came back with each wet, harsh breath. He had wanted so many things with her. A normal and happy life. Children.

Gods, how many times had he imagined what her beautiful face would look like as she held her beautiful winged children? They would have their mother's hair and temperament, and his gray wings, and every now and then he would see a glimpse of their mother's own smile on their angelic little faces. The last time he'd been in the dungeons, he hadn't had a vision of the future to hold on to. Shahar was dead, taking with her most of the Fallen and all of his dreams. But maybe that

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was even worse. Getting so close to those dreams, being able to see them so vividly, knowing that Bryce was out there... and he wasn't. Hunt pushed those thoughts aside, their pain worse than the pain he felt in his shoulders, in his broken body, and mumbled, “Danaan.” He's awake.

When he left earlier, the Hammer had left an opening. Everything else, what Apollion and Aidas had hinted at, that shit about his father and the black crown—the halo—on him... everything was secondary now. All the failures on Mount Hermon, the Fallen dead, the loss of Shahar, becoming a slave... secondary. All the constant failures of the last few months, which led them to that disastrous moment, until then... secondary. If this was the only chance they had, he would leave everything else aside. Last time, he had been alone. He had spent seven years down there, alone. He had for company only the screams of his fellow Fallen being tortured in the other chambers, serving as an hourly reminder of their defeats. This was followed by two years in Ramiel's dungeons. Nine years alone. He wouldn't allow the two friends next to him to pass through same. “Do it now, Danaan,” Hunt urged Ruhn. “I need… a minute,” Ruhn gasped.

Damn, the prince must have been really bad to ask for something like that. Damn proud. “You have a few minutes,” Hunt said, gentle but firm, despite the guilt that was twisting inside him. It was a wonder that it only took Ruhn a minute before the squeaking of the chains began again. — Without making any noise — warned Baxian as Ruhn moved his body back and forth, swaying all his weight. Aiming at the shelf full of weapons and gadgets almost within reach of his feet. — Far... too far — Ruhn said, legs stretched out toward the bookshelf. Trying to grab the iron poker that, if the prince's abdomen had the strength to hold it, could turn to face him.

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up and position it with your feet, cradling it in the chain links and twisting it until, with luck, it comes loose. It was a small chance—but any chance was worth a try. “Here,” Hunt said, rising to his aching shoulders, feet outstretched. Ignoring the torturous pain and taking a deep breath, Hunt kicked as Ruhn collided with him. The prince stifled a cry of pain, but this time he managed to get closer to the bookshelf. “You can do it,” Baxian murmured. Ruhn swung back, and Hunt kicked him again, his eyes filling with tears from what the movement did to his body. The bookshelf was still far away. A few more inches and Ruhn could grab the poker handle with his feet, but those inches were insurmountable. “Stop,” Hunt ordered, breathing hard. we need a new plan. “I can get it,” Ruhn grumbled. - Can not. No chances.

—,

Ruhn stopped swaying little by little. The three of them remained there, in silence, the chains clanking. Then Ruhn said: — Is your bite strong, Athalar? Hunt stopped moving. —What the fuck is that question? — If I... swing you... — Ruhn said, panting — can you rip my hand off? The shock hit Hunt like a bullet. On the other side of Ruhn, Baxian asked: — What is it? “I could get further,” Ruhn explained, his voice eerily calm. “I'm not going to rip your fucking hand off,” Hunt managed to say. — It's the only way I can reach it. It will grow back. “That's crazy,” Baxian added.

Ruhn nodded to Hunt.

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— We need you to be Umbra Mortis. He's tough...neither hesitaria. “Tough,” Hunt retorted. —, not cannibal. “Desperate times,” Ruhn replied, returning Hunt's look. Determination and focus dominated the prince's face. No sign of doubt or fear. It was quite likely that Pollux would not return until morning. Maybe it would work. And the guilt that already weighed on Hunt, on his shattered soul... what difference would it make, in the end? Another burden for your heart to bear. It was the least he had to offer, after everything he had done. After guiding them to this catastrophe. Hunt lowered his head. “Athalar,” Baxian interjected sharply.

—, Athalaar.

Hunt looked at the Hellhound, expecting to find disgust and shock. But all he saw was an intense conviction when Baxian spoke: - I make. Hunt shook his head. Despite the fact that Baxian could probably reach him if Ruhn reached out towards him... “I will,” Baxian insisted. — My teeth are sharper. - It was a lie. Maybe his teeth would be sharper if he was transformed into a Hellhound, but... — I don't care who does it — Ruhn said, do it now before I change—, only my mind. Hunt studied Baxian's face again. He found only calm—and pain. Baxian said, his voice soft: — Leave this weight on my shoulders. You can load the next one. The Hellhound had been Hunt's enemy for many years in Sandriel's fortress. Where did that male end up? Did he actually exist, or was he just a mask all along? Why had Baxian even joined Sandriel in the first place?

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Maybe it didn't make a difference at the time. Hunt nodded in agreement and thanks to Baxian. — You were a great partner for Danika — he commented. Baxian's eyes were flooded with pain and love. Perhaps those words had touched a wound, a doubt that had tormented him for a long time. Hunt felt a tightness in his chest. He knew the feeling well. But Baxian raised his head to Ruhn, holding the prince's gaze with the solid determination that had made him known as one of Sandriel's triaries. Here was the male with whom Hunt had stirred up trouble at the time—with devastating results. Including that scar that snaked down Baxian's neck, courtesy of Hunt's lightning. — Get ready — Baxian warned Ruhn, quietly. — You can't scream.

***

With the excuse that she was menstruating, Lidia got a little privacy to think about her plan, reflect on whether it would work or not, pace the room and debate whether she had trusted the right people. Trust was an unfamiliar concept to her, even before she became Agent Daybright. The father certainly never inspired any confidence. And after her mother sent her away, at three years old, straight into the arms of that monstrous male... trust didn't exist in her world. But at that moment, I had no choice but to trust. Lidia had just changed her sanitary pad and washed her hands when Pollux came marching into the bathroom. — Good news — he announced, with a dazzling smile. He seemed calmer than he had been since Quinlan had escaped. She leaned against the bathroom door, inspecting her immaculate uniform. - Oh yes?

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— I'm surprised Rigelus didn't tell you sooner. — Pollux took off his bloody t-shirt. Ruhn's blood was on him, the smell filling the doors. Ruhn's blood... With defined muscles, Pollux walked to the shower, where liters and liters of blood were washed from his body. A kind of wild excitement seemed to pulse through him as he turned on the tap. — Rigelus and the others managed to repair the Harpy. ***

At first, nothing happened when Bryce stepped on the eight-pointed star. — Well... — Nesta began. A light shone from the star at Bryce's feet, and one from his chest, came together and blended, and then appeared the hologram of a young, darkhaired female—a High Fae. As if speaking to an audience. Bryce knew that heart-shaped face. The long hair. “Silene,” Bryce murmured. — The carvings? Nesta asked, and when Bryce looked at her, the warrior passed through the wards as if they weren't there. As if he could have done it at any time. Azriel didn't try to stop her, but remained standing at the tunnel entrance. — At the beginning of the tunnels — added Nesta there was a carving of a young—,female... you said her name was Silene. “The carving is just like her,” Bryce replied, nodding. —But who is she? Azriel spoke in a soft voice, filled with pain: — She looks like Rhysand's sister. Nesta looked at him, something like curiosity and empathy written on her face. Bryce wanted to ask what this connection meant, but the hologram spoke:

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— My story begins before I was born. — The female's voice was mournful, melancholic. Tired and sad. — In a time that I only know through the stories my mother tells, through my father's memories. — She raised a finger to the space between her eyebrows. — They both already showed it to me once, in my mind. And I will show you. “Careful,” warned Azriel, but it was already too late. Silene's face disappeared and the mist swirled where she was. It glowed, casting light on Nesta's shocked face as she stopped next to Bryce. Bryce turned to look at the female. — At the first sign of confusion — said Nesta, quietly people run.

—, a

Bryce nodded. I could agree to such conditions. Then, Silene's voice rose from the mist. And any promise of running away disappeared from Bryce's mind. We lived as slaves of the daglan. For five thousand years, our people—the High Fae—knelt at their feet. They were cruel, powerful, cunning. Any attempt at rebellion was put down before the forces could come together. My ancestors tried for generations. They all failed. The fog finally dissipated. And in their wake spread a field of corpses under a gray sky, similar to that carved kilometers ago in the tunnels: crucifixes, beasts, blood eagles... The daglan commanded the High Fae. And we, in turn, commanded the humans and lands that the daglan allowed us to command. However, it was an illusion of power. We knew who our true masters were. We were obliged to pay the Tribute once a year. Offering parts of our power in reverence. To fuel their power — and limit ours. Bryce found it difficult to breathe as the image of a female fae kneeling at the foot of a throne appeared, a seed of light in her upraised hands. Soft, delicate fingers held the fae female's drop of power. Power flickered, illuminating pale skin.

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The hand that claimed power rose and Bryce stiffened as the memory expanded and revealed the hand's owner: a dark-haired, white-skinned asteri. There was no mistaking the cold, unearthly eyes. She wore golden robes, a crown of stars on her head. The red lips curled into a cold smile as the hand closed tightly around the seed of power. She faded, absorbed into the asteri's body. Over the millennia, the daglan became arrogant, overconfident about their unending dominance over our world. But this excess of confidence ended up causing them to not notice the enemies accumulating, with a force never seen before. Bryce still couldn't breathe properly, air caught in his throat, Nesta still at his side, as the scene changed to show a golden-haired High Fae standing a step behind the asteri's throne. His chin was high, his face was as cold as his mistress's. My mother served alongside that monster for a century, a servant to his every sick whim. Bryce knew who it was before Silene spoke again. She knew who owned the truth by which she had been guided there, through the stars, to finally discover it. Theia.

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Lidia froze upon hearing Pollux's words as he stepped under the hot spray of the shower. — What do you mean, they fixed the Harpy?

The Hammer replied over the sound of the water, tilting his head to wet his golden hair: — They're working on it as a kind of little project... Rigelus just told me. Apparently, everything is going well. — What's going well? — asked Lidia, using all her training to keep her heartbeat at the right pace. — She will wake up. Rigelus needs one more thing. — Pollux opened the shower door and reached for her. More of an order than an invitation. With fingers that seemed distant, Lidia unbuttoned her uniform. — What about my period? — she asked, as shy as she could be. “The water will wash away the blood,” Pollux said, and she hated the weight of his gaze as he undressed. As she entered, the scalding temperature of the water made her shiver. Pollux just pulled her against his naked body, pressing his erection against her.

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— When will the Harpy wake up? — Lidia asked when Pollux's mouth found her neck and he bit down hard enough to make her shiver again. If the Harpy came back and said what she had seen, who would actually tell her?

we... None of Lidia's plans, no matter how well thought out, would matter. Pollux slid his hand down her ass, cupping and squeezing. He bit her ear, completely unaware of the dread that filled her as he spoke against her wet skin. - Shortly. — Another squeeze, this time stronger. — One more or two days and we will have her back. ***

The Viper Queen's announcement could very well have been a sulfur bomb dropped into the room. Tharion looked at Ithan, Sigrid, and the snake shifter. A Heiress Fendyr stared at the female, her face pale with shock. The Viper Queen spoke slowly: — What did you actually tell me? That I was no better than the Astronomer? — She waved her manicured hand toward the ring, the gold nail polish shining. — Well, here's a chance to free yourself. I don't think he ever offered you anything like that. — I'm not going to fight Sigrid — Ithan warned, furious. — Then you and your friends will stay here — explained the Viper Queen, leaning back and resting her head in her hands. — And whatever urgent rescue mission they had set up for your other friends, it's going to go wrong. That idiot knew everything. — Let me fight Holstrom — Tharion fumed.

— No — replied the Viper Queen with sweet venom in her voice. — Holstrom and the girl are going to face each other, or the deal is off. — You damn... — began Flynn.

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— I will — interrupted Sigrid, clenching her fists at her sides. Everyone turned to the Fendyr heiress. Ithan grimaced, the purest portrait of anguish. Tharion noticed that pain and wished he had never been born. Your choices had led everyone there. The shit he had done. “That's good,” said the Viper Queen to Sigrid, who was showing her teeth to the snake. But the ruler of the Meat Market gave the wolf a serpent smile. — It looks like this could be your last night on Midgard. Maybe it would be better to upgrade your wardrobe after all.

***

Bryce stared at the beautiful, hard-featured female, who could rival the Doe in wickedness and beauty. Theia. Silene's next words only served to confirm the how similar the ancient Fae Queen and the Doe were: But my mother, Theia, used her time serving the daglan to learn all she could about their instruments of conquest. The Nefarious Treasures, as we secretly called them. The Mask, the Harp, the Crown and the Horn. Out of the corner of his eye, Bryce noticed Nesta watching her, after hear the last word. The Horn was brother to the Mask and the Harp that Nesta had mentioned. It had come from here and, worse, it was part of some deadly asteri arsenal... It's Theia. The carving in the tunnel that displayed a crowned and masked queen, Theia, appeared in Bryce's mind. She held two instruments: a horn and a harp. The daglan, Silene continued, always disagreed about who should control the Treasury, so most of the time the Treasury went unused. That's what caused their downfall. Was that why then? What was she sent to that world for? To find out more about this Treasury — which could, perhaps,

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destroy the asteri? But Bryce could only watch as the vision showed Theia's hands plucking objects from the black pedestals. Taking them away from the underground mountains where they were kept, using arch-shaped caves to move quickly across the land. Caves like that. Capable of transporting people great distances in a matter of hours. Or in an instant. Snow covered the image and then Theia was on top of a mountain, a black monolith rising behind her. “Ramiel,” Azriel whispered behind them, beyond the wards. Theia hugged a handsome, broad-shouldered male amidst the snowstorm. My mother and father, Fionn, kept their love a secret over the years, knowing that the daglan would love to tear them apart if they found out about their affair. But the two managed to meet in secret — and plan the insurrection. “Fionn,” Azriel murmured, admiration in his voice, “it was your ancestral. Nesta took her eyes off the vision and looked at Azriel, furrowing her eyebrows. — You should come in at once — he murmured and pointed. The silver flame rippled in a straight line, hurtling towards Azriel. He didn't retreat, he just closed his wings tightly as jets of smoke rose from the ground. A path through protections. The spells glowed against the flames, as if trying to get closer to the road she had created, but Nesta's power kept them away. Azriel tilted his head at Nesta as he walked through the narrow passage lined with silver flames, without a hint of fear on his beautiful face. Nesta only ceased her power when Azriel passed, the wards falling back into place in a flickering motion, like a wave sweeping the shore. Bryce pointed at the hologram, at the haired fae male. golden.

- Who is he? — he asked softly. There has never been any mention of Fionn in the stories and legends of Midgard.

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“The first and last High King of these lands,” Azriel whispered. Before Bryce could think more about it, Silene continued, But my mother and father knew they needed the most valuable of all daglan weapons. Bryce tensed. This had to be the weapon that gave them the advantage... The snow around Ramiel dissipated, revealing a huge iron vessel at the base of the monolith. Even through vision, his presence seeped into the world, something heavy and sinister. “The Cauldron,” Nesta said, her voice filled with dread. So, it wasn't a useful weapon. Bryce braced himself as Silene continued. The Cauldron was from our world, our heritage. But upon arriving here, the daglan captured him and used their powers to distort him. To transform it into something more lethal. No longer a tool of creation, but of destruction. And the horrors that came from... those would also be enjoyed by my parents. Another memory came, Fionn pulling a long blade from the Cauldron, dripping with water. A dark blade, whose dark metal absorbed any trace of light around it. Bryce's knees weakened. Aster.

Two other figures stood there, veiled by the thick snow, but Bryce barely had time to think about them before Silene's narration began again. They fought the daglan and won, she continued. They destroyed them by using the daglan's own weapons against them. But my parents didn't think to learn the daglan's other secrets—they were too tired, too eager to overcome the past. “Wait,” Bryce interrupted. — How did they use these weapons? — Nesta and Azriel cast wary glances in their direction. — How the fuck did they use it? And what other secrets...? But Silene kept talking, the story spilling out of her mouth. My father became High King, and my mother, his queen. But this island you're on, this place... my mother claimed it for herself. The same island where she had once served as a slave became her domain, her sanctuary. The female daglan who had ruled before her had chosen her for

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its strategic location, which allowed defense, the fog that kept it hidden from others. And my mother did the same. But on top of that, she told me several times that she and her heirs were the only ones worthy of taking care of this island. Nesta murmured to Azriel, “Was the Prison once royal territory?” Bryce didn't care; and Azriel didn't respond. Silene had covered up how Theia and Fionn used the Treasures and the Cauldron against the Asteri, and why the Hell had she gone to that planet if not to learn that? Once again, Silene's memory continued. And without the daglan here, as the centuries passed, as neither we nor the land needed to offer Tribute, our powers grew stronger. The earth grew stronger. It returned to the way it was before the arrival of the daglan, millennia before. We also returned to what we were, creatures whose magic was tied to this land. Thus, the powers of the earth became my mother's. Dusk, dusk— that was what dwelt in the long-buried heart of the island, in which her power flourished, the lands rising with it. It was, in her words, as if the island had a soul that now thrived under her care, nurtured by the court she built here. Islands, like those they had seen in the carvings, rose from the sea, lush and fertile. Bryce couldn't stop looking at the wonderful sight, even as Silene continued to speak. After centuries of an empty womb, my mother gave birth to my sister and me over a period of five years. By this time, my father was already disappearing —he was centuries older than my mother. But Fionn didn't consider my mother a worthy successor. The crown should go to the oldest descendant, he said— to my sister, Helena. According to him, it was time for a new generation to lead. Which didn't please my mother, nor many of the members of her court; especially his general, Pelias. He agreed with my mother that Helen was too young to inherit our father's throne. But my mother was still in her prime. Still full of power, and it was evident that she had been blessed by the gods themselves, as she had daughters after a long wait.

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So it was just like before: those who were after the throne came together for a revolution.

The image changed to a kind of swamp — a swamp. Fionn rode through the grass of the islands, bow in hand as he dodged the blossoming trees. My parents used to hunt on the vast tract of land that the daglan maintained as their private hunting park, where they bred terrible monsters to serve as worthy prey. It was there that he met his death. A pale, dark-haired creature that could be related to the nøkk in Jesiba's gallery dragged Fionn, bound and gagged, into the dark depths of the swamp—the once-proud king screaming as he sank. The horror made Bryce freeze in place. Theia and Pelias stood at the water's edge, their expressions impassive. Petals began to fall from the trees. The sheets accompanied it. The birds took flight. As if winter had suddenly taken over the swamp. As if the earth had died with its king. The Aster appeared from the center of the lake, shining in the gray light. A second later, a scaly hand raised a knife—the Truth Revealer. Remains or a gift from the creature, Bryce surmised as they glistened in the gray light, dripping water. Whatever... faced with such betrayal and brutality, who cared? My father never showed any generosity; He kept Gwydion for a long time and never offered it to my mother. The dagger that had belonged to his dear friend, killed during the war, hung on his waist, unused. But not for long. Theia held out her hands towards the water and the offered blades. And with phantom wings, sword and knife flew to her. Summoned into your hands. Starlight shone on Theia as she caught the sword and knife out of the air, the blades gleaming with her own starlight. My mother returned that day with just Pelias and my father's blades. Because they had been Made with her help, they responded to the call in their blood. To her power.

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Bryce knew that calling. I had been listening to it since I arrived in that world. A shiver ran down his spine. And then she took the Treasures for herself.

Theia sat on the throne, the Harp and Horn at her side, the Mask on your lap and the Crown on top of your head. Unrestrained and unlimited power was on that throne. Bryce almost I couldn't breathe. The Theia of whom Aidas had spoken so highly... was she a murderous tyrant? As if in response, Silene said: Our people have bowed. What other option did they have in the face of such power? And for a short time, she ruled. I couldn't say if the years were good for my people; but there was no war. At least that. “Yeah,” Bryce hissed, more to —, Silene than the others. at least that. My sister and I grew up. We were educated by our mother, who always reminded us that, even though the daglan had been defeated, evil was still alive. Evil lurked beneath our feet, always waiting to devour us. I believe she said that to keep us honest and loyal, certainly more than she ever was. However, as we grew older and grew in our powers, it became clear that only one of us could inherit the throne. I loved Helena more than anything. If she wanted the throne, she would have it. But her interest was as little as mine. It wasn't enough for my mother. Having everything she ever wanted wasn't enough. “Typical self-centered mother,” Bryce muttered. My mother remembered the daglan's conversation, that they had mentioned other worlds. Places they had conquered. And with two daughters and a throne... only entire worlds would do for us. For her legacy. Bryce shook his head again. I knew where this would lead. Remembering the teachings of her former mistress, my mother knew she could wield the Horn and Harp to open a door. To take the Fae to new heights, new wealth and new prestige. Bryce rolled his eyes. The same corrupt and delusional fae rulers, millennia away. However, when she announced her vision to the court, many were against it. They had just overthrown their conquerors, and now they would become

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conquerors too? They demanded that she close the door and forget about this insanity. But she was not deterred. There were enough fae in their lands, along with some of the southern firebearers, who supported the idea, merchants who salivated at the thought of the untapped riches of other worlds. And so she assembled a team. Pelias instructed her where to focus her intentions. Using star maps old and with notes from his former masters, he chose a world for them. Bryce's stomach dropped. The asteri must have kept archives and records from this world as well. Just like the room Bryce found in the palace, full of notes about conquered planets. Twilight, they named the room. As if, of all the worlds mentioned inside, that world remained their focus. That place. Pelias told her that it was a world the daglan had long coveted but had not had the chance to conquer. An empty but abundant world. She had no way of knowing that Pelias had spent our era of peace learning ancient summoning magics and scouring the cosmos for what remained of the daglan on other worlds. I wonder what he wanted with them; perhaps he knew that, to wrest the Treasury from Theia and seize power for himself, he needed someone more powerful than himself. — You idiot — Bryce blurted out when he saw the image of Pelias and Theia hovering over a table full of star maps. — You two: fucking idiots. And after all this searching, someone finally answered: a daglan who used his army of mystics to scour galaxies in search of our world. The daglan promised all the rewards to Pelias, if only he could convince my mother, right now, to use the Grim Treasures to open a portal to the world he indicated. Stepping next to her, Nesta clicked her tongue in disgust. My mother didn't question it when Pelias, her conspirator and ally, told her she should use the Horn and Harp to open a door to this world. She didn't question how and why he knew this island, our mist-shrouded home, was the best place to do this. She just brought together our people, all those willing to conquer and colonize, and opened the door.

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In a chamber—this chamber, if the eight-pointed star on the floor was any indication, though the celestial carvings had not yet been made— beside the red-haired fae who looked alarmingly like Bryce's father, appeared Helena and Silene, all grown up. and beautiful, but still young, clumsy. Teenagers. In the center of the chamber, a gate opened onto a green, sandy land. sunny. And there, standing among the vegetation, waiting for them... - Oh shit. Bryce's mouth went dry. — Rigelus. The fae teenager, who looked no older than Helena and Silene smiled at Theia. He raised his hand in greeting. My mother did not recognize the enemy with such a friendly expression who called her and the others through the portal. If she had hesitated when she discovered that the empty world she had been promised was, in fact, populated, she was reassured when the strangers claimed to be fae too, long separated from our world by the daglan, whom they also claimed to have defeated. They said they had waited all that time to gather our people. With a few words from the daglan, my mother's doubts were resolved. dissipated and our exodus to Midgard began. Long lines of fae crossed the chamber, through the portal, entering Midgard. Nausea took over Bryce. — She opened the front door for the asteri. I brought the Treasures straight to them. “Idiot,” Nesta snarled at the image. — Power-hungry idiot. But if Theia opened the door to this realm, if she had the Horn and the Harp, why didn't the Asteri grab them both right away? They wanted this world, they wanted the Treasure, and Theia practically handed them both on a platter. The Asteri were too smart, too wicked, to have forgotten that. So, it was likely that they had a plan in mind... By the grace of the Mother, she was so paranoid about any new allies or companions that she hid the Horn and the Harp. She created a pocket of nothing, from what she told me, and hid them there. Only she had access to the pocket of nothing—only she could retrieve the Horn and Harp from its depths. But she didn't know that Pelias had already told the daglan about

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the existence of these artifacts. She had no idea that they left her alive, even for a short time, just to find out where she had hidden them. So that Pelias, under their command, could get this information out of her. She also had no idea that the gate she left open to our home world... the daglan had been waiting for this too for a long, long time. But they were patient. Content to allow more and more of Theia's forces into the new world—leaving her world defenseless. Content to wait to gain her trust so she could hand over the Horn and Harp. It was a trap that would last months or years. Obtaining Theia's instruments of power, marching to our homeworld and claiming it... it was a long, elegant trap, to be pulled at the perfect moment. And, distracted by the beauty of our new world, we didn't stop to think that everything was too easy. Too simple. Midgard was a land of plenty. Of green, light and beauty. Very similar to our own lands. With one huge exception. The memory extended to the view, from a cliff, of a distant plain full of creatures. Some winged, others not. We were not the only beings who went to that world in hopes of claiming it. We would discover too late that the other peoples were attracted to the daglan under equally friendly disguises. And that they also came armed and ready to fight for these lands. But before conflict could break out between us all, we discovered that Midgard was already occupied. Theia and Pelias, with Helena and Silene behind them, ten warriors following them, stood atop the cliff, overlooking the lush green land and the huge walled city on the horizon. Bryce couldn't breathe. She had spent years working in the company of the lost books of Parthos, knowing that a great human civilization had flourished within its walls, but here, before her, was proof of that greatness, of the human skill that existed on Midgard. And it was completely removed. She braced herself, knowing what was coming next, and hating it. In Midgard, we find cities carved by human hands. It was a world inhabited mainly by humans and a few unusual creatures that remained isolated. It was a blank page, as far as it goes

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respect for the worlds. With little native magic to combat the power of the daglan. “Fuck you,” Bryce whispered. Nesta grunted in agreement. — Blank page sucks. — Bryce clenched his fists, a familiar, simmering anger building beneath his skin. However, the humans were not pleased with our arrival. A legion of armed humans lined up outside a walled city, built of light stone. Bryce didn't want to watch, but he couldn't look away from the sight. My mother had dealt with human uprisings before. She knew what to do. Humans lay slaughtered, the sand beneath them bathed in blood. Bryce was shaking, his jaw clenched so hard it hurt. So many dead — soldiers and civilians. Adults and... Gods, she couldn't bear to see the small bodies. Azriel swore, under his breath, a torrent of obscenities. The breath Nesta's body was heavy. Even so, Silene continued speaking, her voice unwavering, as if the memory of the merciless bloodshed did not disturb her in the slightest. We went from city to city. Taking the land as we wished. Enslaving humans to build for us. But some humans resisted, their city-states banding together as We fey had already banded together to fight our masters. Bryce did not allow himself to hope in the face of the legions of people lined up in bronze armor nor the troops arrayed against the shining fae army. I knew how this particular story ended. I knew it would be erased from official history. But did Aidas know what Theia—what Helena, Silene, and the fey—had done? He should know; after all, he loved Theia. And yet, he had the fucking nerve to talk about her like she wasn't a fucking murderer. To insinuate that Bryce having her light was a good thing. That star on her chest... it was a scavenger's light. Your ancestral.

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Had she been sent here to learn this? That she was not the heiress of a courageous savior, but the descendant of a morally corrupt lineage? It didn't matter if it was what the star wanted her to learn or not — now that she knew, she couldn't forget it. There would never be any reparations for what their ancestors did. Thinking about that was like having a knife stuck in his chest, and Bryce could have walked away right then, told Silene's memory to go fuck itself with his history class. But what if this unbearable story offered some hint on how to save the future of Midgard... Bryce continued listening.

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Standing at the edge of the ring, Ithan realized he couldn't hold back. mover.

I would have to do that. That final disgrace, betraying who he was as a person, as a wolf... Across the ring, Sigrid was so small. So thin and fragile and new in this world. In that reality. Had he freed her from the tank for this? For it to end there? “Begin,” the Viper Queen intoned.

Flynn, Dec and Tharion stood aside, barely containing their anger. Tharion was right. He had been so stupid to get involved with the Viper Queen like that, imagining that it would just be bleeding, maybe getting some burns... And now, because of this, Ariadne had also been traded. He barely knew the dragon, but now he had another burden to carry. “I said start,” ordered the Viper Queen.

Ithan looked into Sigrid's light brown eyes. Alpha. Fendyr. Higher. That's how he saw her. All that at who bowed, who defended... Ithan didn't allow himself to think. He did not indicate what his movements would be. He lunged at her before she could back away from that

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precipice. He aimed a punch at Sigrid's face, who dodged to the side. side with surprising speed. The speed of an alpha. Ithan attacked again and she dodged again, out of pure instinct. Sigrid jumped in one motion with her claws bared. Ithan was shocked to see the claws, displayed so readily. He felt rooted to the ground — a second longer than he should have been. She tore through his skin at his ribs, a sharp pain spreading like acid through his body... He walked away at the sound of Flynn's swearing. He placed his hand at his side. Warm blood leaked through his fingers. A feeling intensified in him. Kept it firmly in place. This is how it would be: wolf to wolf. Alpha to... whatever he was. A wolf without a pack.

Ithan attacked again, a lower blow... His fist collided with Sigrid's soft belly, but she didn't fall. The alpha turned around, her elbow slamming directly into his nose. It wasn't the most elegant of tactics, but it was smart. He broke some bones, blood gushed out, and claws scratched his face... He staggered back again. She had attacked his fucking eyes. Ithan lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. —Holstrom! — shouted Tharion, and he couldn't tell if it was a warning or retaliation, but there was no time to think about it as Sigrid's claws pierced his shoulder. Ithan reared back, roaring, releasing his claws. She raised her legs and kicked. He grabbed her by the ankles, but he wasn't fast enough. Her foot hit Ithan, who flew backwards, backwards... He landed hard on the other side of the ring, a muffled noise that it echoed throughout his bones. ***

Overcome with shame, Tharion watched the bloodbath unfold before him.

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He was the one who should be there, in that position, with the Queen Viper. He didn't deserve to be freed, even if they fought for him. Ariadne. Her name resonated through him. Sold — or

negotiated, whatever that meant. Because of him. Because of what he had said to her, apparently. Everything he touched turned to shit. “This isn't going to end well,” Flynn muttered. — Even if Ithan wins... — Whatever state Sigrid was in, they couldn't leave that night. However, despite the shame, Tharion had to admit that she fought better than he expected. Sloppy and untrained, yes, but she was doing well. Enduring the struggle. She and Ithan rolled on the ground, claws bared, blood spraying... Ithan took a blow to the chin that tore his skin. Sigrid seemed ready to make mincemeat of him. “Solas,” Flynn whispered, rubbing his chin in sympathy. Tharion dug his nails into his palms until blood came out. I couldn't keep watching. I couldn't allow that happened. Not because of him, not even because of his freedom. Sigrid struck again and Ithan rolled to the side, barely escaping her grasp. But in the next instant, Sigrid was on top of him, and Holstrom's roar of pain as her claws dug into his thigh sent Flynn hurtling toward the ring. Tharion grabbed the fae lord, fingers locking into his hard muscles. “Calm down,” he murmured. - He is fine.

A big lie. Neither Ithan nor Sigrid were well. Not even a little. Flynn stirred, freeing himself from Tharion's grasp and turning to the Viper Queen. — This ends now. — This ends — said the ruler of the Meat Market slowly from her place in the stands — when I say it ends. Tharion froze in place. — Ends with a knockout.

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— It ends when one of them is on the way to the Bone Quarter — declared Queen Viper, taking out her cell phone to take a photo of the bloodied wolves facing each other in the ring. A fight to the death. Tharion gasped. — Holstrom won't... — We'll see — replied the Viper Queen, and a growl from Ithan made Tharion return to watching the fight. From the anger flickering in Ithan's eyes as he dodged another onslaught from Sigrid, the wolf had heard everything. — Please — said Tharion to the Viper — let me enter the place of the heiress Fendyr... — That's enough, fish — protested the Viper Queen, putting her cell phone in the pocket of her golden jumpsuit. Tharion would have begged, if Ithan hadn't declared, panting in the ring: — It's over, Tharion. — Holstrom was already on his feet, circling Sigrid, the body all bloody. He had barely touched her. And he wouldn't even touch it, Tharion knew that. Hurt this female that he had faced so many misfortunes... Holstrom would never do that.

Tharion couldn't breathe, anger churned through his body like a violent sea, drowning him. He wanted to kill the damn Viper Queen for putting his friends in that situation. Even if you only needed to look in the mirror to find the culprit for this mess. Sigrid swung her claws again, and Ithan dodged with athletic grace. She launched a powerful and firm attack that Tharion realized was pure instinct. Strike, punch, dodge... She was not just an heir in the Fendyr line. She was the Fendyr lineage, in its most potent form. Ithan obviously tried hard to predict each blow. Blood covered his mouth, his teeth. The brown eyes shone, full of fury. Not because of the wolf that attacked him, but because of the female that forced them to do it. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Flynn repeated, pulling his hair.

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Ithan's back hit the ropes and he had nowhere to run, there was no way to move, when Sigrid punched him right in the face. Tharion felt his stomach drop. It was all his fault, he was the biggest loser on the planet... But Ithan was waiting for that blow. He bent down — and dug its claws into the heiress Fendyr's belly. Sigrid screamed, staggering back and falling to her knees. Ithan stopped, panting. His face was blank as he walked towards the female holding her bloody belly. It was a hard blow, but not fatal. Claws flashed at his fingertips. Tharion couldn't breathe as Ithan raised his hand to deliver the final blow.

***

Silene's voice was as firm and impassive as ever. A bored immortal, softly reciting the story of others' suffering. We were still at war with humans when the door between the worlds opened again. More fae appeared; out of this world this time. Tall and beautiful beings entered. Bryce's anger and despair seemed to respite. Fae from other worlds — but so similar to those from that place. How was it possible? Another ancient achievement of the Asteri? Another place they colonized and violated only to lose in the end? They were fae like us, but at the same time, they weren't. The ears, the grace, the strength were identical, but they were all shapeshifters. Each capable of transforming into an animal. And, even on their humanoid body, they displayed elongated canine teeth. It was a riddle—and it was enough for my mother to take a break from her warmongering. There were two types of fae. From two seemingly disconnected and distant worlds. These new fey possessed elemental magic, strong enough to put Pelias on alert. They were more aggressive than the fey we knew, more savage. And they responded directly to Rigelus. It seemed, in fact, that they had known Rigelus for a long time.

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My mother soon began to suspect that our host was not as benevolent as he claimed. But when she discovered how wrong she was about him, it was too late. — Oh, swear? — Nesta muttered, her voice full of disgust, and Bryce could only agree. We were the only ones my mother trusted. Pelias, who previously had his trust, had let himself be carried away by the pleasures of this new world, accompanied by Rigelus himself. A glimpse through a curtain showed Pelias throwing the body of a human into a river beside a white stone mansion. The naked corpse full of wounds. Bryce almost couldn't stand as he saw the brutalized woman's body floating and then sinking in the clear river. Pelias had been lost for a long time. — So much nerve — Nesta shouted. —They were murdering children in those human cities. “That still happens today,” Bryce said hoarsely. —Humans thrown into dumpsters after being tormented and murdered by vanir. This happens every day on Midgard and it started with that son of a bitch. — She pointed a trembling finger at the memory. —With him and Theia, and all those monsters. I felt like I might explode at that moment, but Silene continued to tell the story.

My mother ended up trusting only me and Helena to discover the truth. I knew we could be of great use to her, because we can bear both the shadows and the starlight. Helena and Silene crept through the gloom of a powerful Crystal Palace. They descended a winding crystal staircase. “This is the Asteri palace,” Bryce whispered to Azriel and Nesta. — In the Eternal City.

We spent a month hiding in the enemy's fortress, ourselves being just shadows. When we returned to our mother, we already knew the truth: Rigelus and his companions were not fae, but parasites who conquered world after world, feeding on the magic and lives of their citizens. The daglan, now with their real name: asteri.

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It was then that my mother told us, showed us, what had happened so long ago. Everything she had done since then. But he wasted no time apologizing for the past. He said that if we had indeed fallen into an enemy's trap, then we should defeat him. Bryce placed his hand over the star-shaped scar on his chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. Could he tear that thing away, the connection with these two-faced hypocrites, and walk away forever? My mother had kept the star map on which, long ago, the daglan had made notes. And a world in it caught his attention—a world, like ours, that had defeated the daglan. In an ornate room, in front of a table with her two daughters, Theia pointed somewhere. As if they had been pulled out of nowhere, the Harp and the Horn appeared on the table, shining next to the Aster and the knife. Theia nodded once, slowly, as if making a decision, and then played the Horn and Harp. A portal between worlds appeared. It solidified, an arc that led nowhere. A handsome golden-haired male stood before her, with eyes that looked like blue opals. Bryce took a deep breath.

Prince Aidas only asked my mother one thing when she opened the gate to his world: “So you came to Hell for help?” ***

Hunt flinched as Baxian vomited blood, flesh, and bones. Vomit was all over the floor, and the smell... Ruhn was panting, shaking, but the prince didn't ask the Hellhound to stop. “A little more,” Baxian said, panting. Hunt's stomach churned as the blood dripped down the male's chin. — Two more bites and that's it. Ruhn whimpered, but nodded grimly. They collided, legs locked tightly, and Baxian gave no warning before biting again. There was no time to lose.

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Hunt blocked out the sounds. The odors. Bryce, his future and those beautiful children... that was the image he had in his mind. Escape — and survive — was the goal. Bryce was the goal. Even though he had no idea how he would be face to face with her again, after failing to protect them from that fate. Once you agree to let your friends do it. I had no idea how I would look into her eyes. Ruhn gave a muffled scream and Baxian vomited again, his mouth still around Ruhn's wrist. Reluctant. They had gone too far to give up now. Then Hunt demanded, his voice taking on the cold monotonous tone of Umbra Mortis, just as Ruhn had said they needed, “Again, Baxian. “Please,” Ruhn moaned, and it wasn't a request for them to stop, but for them to hurry. Let them just get it over with. “Again,” Umbra Mortis ordered Baxian.

Baxian, who had undertaken this unspeakable task to spare Hunt... The Hellhound lunged forward, teeth clenched, and bit. Ruhn screamed, shaking nonstop. Hunt didn't know where to look first. To Baxian, who was vomiting blood and flesh onto the rocks beneath him. For the hand and part of a wrist still attached to the chain, or for Ruhn who was advancing towards the bookshelf, sobbing between his teeth because of all the weight now on one arm, his feet tense... Hunt took action, lifting his feet and pushing. The toes of Ruhn poked the top of the iron. “More,” Hunt growled. He would become Umbra Mortis, he would become that damn monster again if it gave his friends a chance of survival... Ruhn turned toward Hunt, blood everywhere, and Hunt braced himself and threw another kick. The prince's toes hit the iron poker. He managed to hold on. And when it swung back, the poker came with it. Ruhn stopped, hanging on a single arm. How would Ruhn pull himself up using just one arm, not two? Hunt began to

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swing towards him. If I could use my legs to help Ruhn squirming...

— How many acrobatics — said a familiar male voice coming from of the door. — And what determination. The purest dread gripped Hunt as Rigelus approached, Pollux and the Falcon beside him. ***

Ithan panted above Sigrid, claws raised. Heiress Fendyr's face was white with pain, her hand still clutching her bloody side. “Kill her, Holstrom,” the Viper Queen purred from outside, rising like a golden wave, “and this is over. The Viper Queen wanted him to be presented with the choice—this true entertainment: between saving his friends, Athalar and Ruhn, perhaps even Bryce... or Sigrid. The future of the Fendyr bloodline. An alternative to Sabine. Lying on the floor, Sigrid lifted her head to look at him. Blood ran from his nose. He had done this to her. He had never felt so dirty, so despicable as the moment he sank his claws into her belly. But Sigrid said, her mouth full of bloody teeth. — I never thanked you. The whole world stopped. The Viper Queen disappeared from the field of his vision. - Whereby? — gasped Ithan. — For getting me out of there. — His eyes were so trusting, so sad... Make your brother proud. If Connor was there... Ithan lowered his claws. Slowly, he turned to the Viper Queen, whose face was tense with discontent. - He is going to screw it up. Fuck you and fuck this deal. If you do not

to leave...

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Sigrid attacked. A low, cruel blow aimed at his throat, with the intention of tearing it apart. Ithan barely managed to block the blow, her claws sank into his forearm, causing searing pain. “A true Fendyr,” said the Viper Queen approvingly. It wasn't a compliment. Ithan pulled his arm away, tearing the flesh, and he could barely breathe through the pain. Sigrid tried to attack his throat again. And one more time. She drove him back to the ropes with strength worthy of an alpha Fendyr. And as he recovered, trying to attack her, he saw it. Death written in her eyes. She would kill him. No matter how much I took her out of the tank, she was, above all, an alpha. And alphas didn't lose. Not for lower lobes. Make your brother proud. Those were the only words in his mind as Ithan flew through the air. Looking into Sigrid's eyes. Primitive and intrinsic dominance, full of the purest determination. Without any mercy. No possibility of mercy. Make your brother proud. Ithan aimed his blow at her shoulder, an attack that would bring her to her knees. But Sigrid was fast—too fast. And I still didn't understand how quickly he could move. Neither does Ithan. In a second, his claws were reaching for her shoulders. And in the other, she had managed to throw herself to the right, in order to avoid the blow... Ithan saw the scene in slow motion. As if watching

another person, another wolf, trapped in that ring. In a moment, Sigrid was dodging him, so quickly that she barely had time to stop the blow. The next, she was still, her eyes wide with shock and pain. The claws hadn't gone through her shoulder. They went straight for the throat, piercing it.

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Aidas was a Prince of Hell, Silene continued. Bryce could barely breathe. Using rare summoning salts that facilitated communication between worlds, his spies on Midgard had kept him well informed since the Asteri failed to conquer his planet. Since then, Aidas had been assigned to hunt the asteri. So that evil would never triumph again. Whether in his world or any other. Hell was, in some way, the force of good in the midst of it all. How did Aidas manage to ignore the atrocities committed by Theia? Even worse, how did he manage to love her? It didn't make sense. Unless Aidas was like Theia, a murderous hypocrite... My mother and Aidas spent many hours talking to each other through the portal, neither daring to cross into the other's world. They spent several days planning, in secret. It soon became clear that we needed more troops. Any fae who were loyal to us... and humans. My mother needed help from the same enemies she had massacred and enslaved. The last stronghold under his possession was in Parthos, where all the scholars and thinkers of that time were holed up in the great library. And so, we made our way to Parthos, sailing under the cover of darkness. — Unbelievable — Nesta was outraged.

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The city of white stones rose like a dream from the vast riverbed of dark lands. Parthos was more beautiful than any city that currently existed on Midgard, adorned with elegant towers and columns, massive obelisks in the market squares, sparkling fountains and complex networks of aqueducts, humans moving about in relative peace and tranquility, without fear. On the outskirts of the city, overlooking the marshes to the north, stood a huge columned building; in fact, a complex of several buildings. From the library of the Parthians.

Bryce knew it wasn't just a place that kept books. The complex housed several academies in various fields of study — arts, sciences, mathematics, philosophy as well as a vast collection of books, a treasure —, trove of thousands of years of learning. Bryce's heart ached to see that, what that place had once been like. outside. Everything that had been lost. Crowded into an amphitheater in the center of the complex, humans and fae argued, gesticulating and shouting. The meetings did not go well, Silene said. But my mother remained firm. He explained what he had discovered. What humans had known for a long time, although they ignored the details. Those who were arguing began, little by little, to sit down on the stone benches, listening to Theia in silence. And when it was finished, the humans revealed their own discovery, a who showed us our destruction. As a lone human stood out from the crowd, Bryce She reminded herself to keep breathing, to balance herself... The asteri infected the water we consumed with a parasite. They poisoned lakes, streams and oceans. Parasites infiltrated our bodies, damaging our magic. Holy gods.

The Asteri created a ritual to mark the coming of age of all magical creatures that entered Midgard and their descendants. An explosion of magic was released and then contained — so that the asteri

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could feed on it. It was a larger and more concentrated dose than the seeds of power that, for years, they sucked from us as Tribute. It became an almost religious experience; the justification was that it was a method to use energy as fuel and, since then, the asteri have fed on it. “The Descent,” Bryce whispered, discouragement taking over her. She knew Nesta and Azriel were staring at her, but she couldn't look away from the memory. If someone with power chose to abandon the ritual, the parasites would suck the immortals dry until they withered into nothingness—like humans. They were dismissed on the grounds that they were old. They lied when they said that performing this ritual anywhere other than one of the asteri harvesting sites was dangerous, as it was there that power could be contained and filtered for them, their cities, and their technology.

Bryce was about to throw up. The Asteri's rule over the people of their world was not based solely on military and magical power. These parasites ensured that they would own each individual, the power they held. Their tyranny seeped into the blood of every being on Midgard. It was the humans who discovered it — the asteri weren't careful when saying what they knew around them, because humans weren't affected, as they didn't have magic. And they watched in smug silence as we, their oppressors, were unwittingly oppressed. With a sip of this world's water, we belonged to the asteri. There was no way it could be undone. Desperation almost ended us at that moment. At least Bryce could relate to that. It had ended up somewhere far from his body. I heard from a distance how that damn story would end. But we convince humans to trust us. And my mother began to seek out some of those fae who followed us to Midgard, the ones she hoped she could trust. Ultimately, she had ten thousand fae willing to march, most coming from our twilight lands. And when my mother opened the way to Hell, Aidas and his brothers brought fifty thousand soldiers with them.

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I have no words to describe the brutality of war. The lives lost, the torment and the fear. But my mother didn't give in. The Asteri counterattacked quickly and were smart in placing Pelias in command of the forces. He knew my mother and her tactics well. And although the armies of Hell fought bravely, alongside our people, it was not enough. I never knew how my mother and Prince Aidas became lovers. I just know that, even in the middle of the war, I had never seen my mother so at peace. She told me once, as I spoke in wonder, how lucky we were that the portal opened to Aidas that day, that it was because they were partners; their souls had found each other across the galaxies, binding them on that fateful day, as if the bond of partnership between them was, in fact, something physical. That was the extent of the love they felt for each other. And when the war was over, she promised me, we would go to Hell with Aidas. Not to govern, but to live. When it was all over, she promised, she would spend the rest of her life rewarding what she had done. She failed to keep that promise. “What a shame,” Nesta said, without feeling any pity. But Bryce had transcended words. I had overcome anything other than pure despair and dread. We received orders from the enemy before they attacked, in the dead of night: if If we surrendered, we would be spared. If we resisted, we would be massacred. Our camp had been built high in the mountains, because we believed that the winter snows would protect us from the enemy's advance. Instead, we were cold and hungry, with almost no time to prepare our forces. Aidas had returned to Hell to recruit more soldiers, so we were spending a rare night alone with our mother. Hell was unable to come to our aid. My mother didn't even bother trying to open a portal to their world. Our forces on Midgard were already exhausted; the new recruits would take days to assemble. We begged her to open the portal anyway, to at least get the princes' help, but my mother didn't believe it would do much good. That what was to come that night was inevitable. “Idiot,” Nesta said again, and Bryce nodded numbly. But my mother didn't ask us to fight.

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A bloodied Theia placed the Horn in Helena's hands, to and asked Silene to take the Harp and the knife. Saved Aster and.

We were close to where we had entered this world. That's where the camp was, in parts so that my mother could, at some point, open the portal again and recruit more fae for the fight. She still didn't quite understand how travel between worlds worked; I wasn't sure if a portal opened in a different place would lead to another world. So he decided to believe that our entry point into Midgard would open into our court once again. From there, he planned to travel through the tunnels that crossed the lands and recruit fae armies. Even knowing that they had opposed her before, knowing that it was very likely that they would reject her or kill her, she had no other options. But there was no time for that at that moment. — Play the Horn and the Harp — ordered our mother, taking them out of that pocket of nothing — and leave this world. — It would be quick, a momentary opening, so that Rigelus wouldn't have time to attack. We would open it and be gone before he even knew it—and then we would seal the door between the worlds forever. Theia placed a kiss on their foreheads. She warned that Pelias was coming. Coming after both of us. Rigelus had named him Prince of the Fae, and Pelias would use us to legitimize his reign. He wanted us to bear his children. Even with everything they did, the crimes they committed against humans, Bryce still felt a tightness in his chest because of his sisters. Pulling her daughters close, Theia made her starlight shine. And in the small space between their bodies, Bryce could see Theia plucking a low string on the Harp. In response, a star—similar to the one Bryce made appear on his chest—appeared on Theia's body. It split into three sparkling balls of light, one floating into Silene's chest and the other into Helena's, before the last, as if it were the mother from which the other two stars were born, returned to Theia's body. For a moment, all three glowed. Even the Revealer of Truth, in Silene's hand, seemed to undulate, a

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dark countermelody to Gwydion, which glowed in Theia's hand, flickering like a heartbeat. She gave us all the protection her magic could offer, transferring it from her body to ours using the Harp. Another secret he had learned from his former masters: that the Harp could not only move its wielder through the world, but also move things from one place to another, even move magic from her soul to ours. With Gwydion in hand, Theia left the tent. With fey grace and confidence, he mounted a magnificent winged horse and in seconds he was flying, gliding above the night of battles. Bryce took a deep breath. Silene had not shown the creatures in previous memories, or in the initial crossing to Midgard, but there they were. The pegasi in the tunnel sculptures were not, then, religious iconography. And they had lived on Midgard long enough to be represented in ancient art, like the frieze of the Crescent City Ballet. They must all have died out, becoming nothing more than myth and a toy line. Another beautiful thing that Theia and her daughters destroyed.

Helena's eyes filled with panic as she turned around. to Silene in memory. To escape, it was worth the risk of returning to our home world, even if the fae there might kill us because of our connections with the Asteri, because of our foolishness in trusting them. Helena grabbed Silene's hand and dragged her to the other side of the camp. Towards the snow-capped peak ahead, to a natural stone arch. A portal. But no matter how fast we ran, it wasn't enough. Far below, the fae were climbing the mountain quickly. It wasn't the enemies who advanced, it was the members of the court who ran towards them, after realizing what Helena and Silene were doing. Still glowing with their mother's magic, the two princesses stood atop the slope like silver beacons in the night. The masses of fae ran towards them, carrying small children in their arms, bundled up against the cold. Bryce couldn't take that last atrocity. But she forced herself to watch. For the memory of those children.

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We wouldn't stop. Not even for our people. Bryce was pure hatred when he heard Silene's words, such anger violent that seemed about to consume her, like flames. Helena raised the Horn, bringing it to her lips while Silene plucked a Harp string. A shimmering, shimmering light rippled from the arch, and then a stone room appeared beyond it, dark and empty. That's when the wolves found us. The shapeshifting fey approached from the other side of the mountain, darting through the snow. The Asteri sent their fiercest warriors to capture us. In the back of her mind, Bryce was amazed to see this: the wolves, the shapeshifters... they were once fey. So similar to the type of fae Bryce was, but at the same time so different... I raised the Harp again, said Silene, her voice finally choking with emotion, but my sister did not sound the Horn. And when I turned around...

Silene paused, finding Helena standing a few meters away. Looking at the enemy that was advancing from the snow, from the skies. The agitated and desperate people climbing the mountainside, crying out for their children. Helena looked at the people fleeing, at the approaching wolves. She leaned over to Silene, plucked the shortest string and pushed her sister, still holding the Harp, back. She used the Harp to push me, closing the distance to the arch. Silene landed in the snow, now hundreds of meters between her and her sister. The wolves were advancing on Helena, below her. Helena didn't look back as she walked down the mountain, away from the pass. To save me time. But I took a few moments, looking at her, at the wolves that were chasing her. And to our mother, further down the mountain, now in combat with Pelias, the winged horse lying dead beside her. Power exploded from Pelias, a power I had never seen before. The power hit her mother—hit her hard. Even those who were running away stopped and looked back at the figure lying in the blood. To Pelias, bending down to pick up the Aster.

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With an easy, almost graceful movement of his hand, he drove the sword into Theia's head. I could choose. Between staying and avenging my mother, fighting alongside my sister... or surviving. Close the door behind me. Silene leapt through the portal toward the chamber, strumming the Harp as she went. And as I fell between the worlds... the Horn sounded. Silene fell and fell and fell, down and to the side. The Horn's wail was suddenly cut off, and then she lay awkwardly on the stone floor, surrounded by darkness. I was at home. Sobbing, Silene stood, snow dripping from her clothes. Bryce didn't feel an ounce of pity for the tears Silene shed. Not with the screams that echoed off the walls. Through the stone. The people had reached the pass and were now banging on the rock, begging to pass. Silene covered her ears and threw herself on the ground again. Clutching the Harp, pressing it against her chest. Mother above, open! a male roared. We have children here! Take the kids! Bryce shook his head, unable to speak in horror as the screams and pleas subsided. Until they stop for good. As if they were sucked into the rocks of that place, taking the melted snow around Silene with them. “You damn coward,” Bryce whispered at last. Your voice failed on the last word. That was her inheritance. A heavy silence fell over the chamber, interrupted only by the harsh sound of Silene as she knelt, cradling the Harp. At that moment, Silene said, I only thought about one thing: that story would die with me. This world would move on, as if the fae who went to Midgard had never existed. They would become a whispered tale around the campfire, about people who had disappeared. It was the only thing I could think of to do to protect this world. To redeem myself.

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It was no use. And obviously, Silene would benefit from hiding her past. If she didn't tell anyone who she was or what her family had done, she couldn't be punished. Very convenient. How much nobility. Silene analyzed the place where she was kneeling, the eight-pointed star in the center of the room was the only decoration. She slowly placed the Harp on top of the star. The snow was still melting in her hair when she stood and dried her tears, then gathered her magic, the concentrated power of her light. He cut through the stone like a knife cuts through hot butter—a laser. Light that wasn't just light, as the asteri could direct its power. Silene sculpted planets, stars and gods. A map of the cosmos. Of the world she had abandoned. When he finished, he lay down next to the Harp, curled around the dagger sheathed at his waist. Silene ran her fingers along the stone, as if she could somehow reach her sister through the stars. A seed of starlight began to form at the tip of his finger... The vision darkened. Then Silene's face appeared again, older, tired. The light blue eyes looked at her firmly. I start to lose my strength, she said. I hope my life has been lived wisely. May I have made amends for my mother's crimes, foolishness, and love—and made things right. I made these tunnels, the path here, so that there would be some record of what we were, what we did. But first I had to erase all of this from recent memory. His face disappeared and more images appeared. Faster assembly. Silene, moving away from the Harp and crossing the beautiful, empty corridors of a palace carved into the mountain — that mountain. Our house had been empty since our disappearance. As if the other fae thought she was cursed. So I made the curse actually exist. What the hell. She wandered through rooms that must have been familiar, stopping as if lost in her memories. When he gestured his hand,

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entire corridors were surrounded by natural stones. He gestured again and the rooms decorated with thrones were swallowed by the mountain, until only the underground passages, the dungeons and that chamber, far below, remained. Despite my efforts to hide what this place once was, an ancient and terrible power hung in the air. It was as my mother warned us when we were children: evil lay there, beneath us, waiting to snatch us into its jaws. So I went looking for another monster to hide it. Below another mountain, far to the south, I found a being full of blood, rage and nightmares. Once a pet of the asteri, it had been hidden for a long time, feeding on the unsuspecting. With the dagger and my power, I prepared a trap for him. And when he came to smell it, I dragged him back here. I locked him in one of the cells. Protect the door. One after another, I hunted monsters, the remaining pets of the daglan, until many of the lower rooms were filled with them. Until my once beautiful home became a prison. Until the land was so sickened by the evil I had gathered here, that the islands began to wither and the land became barren. The winged horses that hadn't gone with my mother to Midgard, that once flew through the skies, playing in the waves... they've almost disappeared. Not a single living soul remained except the monstrosities on the mountain. Bryce felt no pity or compassion at all. I didn’t buy Silene’s “for the good of all” speech. She had done it all to cover her own tracks, to ensure that the fae of this world would never know how close she and her mother and sister had come to dooming them. How Silene and Helena had condemned the fae of Midgard, locking them out with their children. If he had kept the portal open for a few more seconds, he could have saved dozens of lives. But that's not what she did. So fuck her litany and to Hell with your reparations. I left, wandering the lands for a while, seeing how the people had moved on without Theia's rule. They had divided themselves into several territories and, although they were not at war, they were no longer the unified kingdom that I knew.

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I'll skip the details of how I married a High Lord's son. From the years before and after he became High Lord of the Night, and I his lady. He wanted me to be High Lady, as other lords' partners were, but I refused. I had seen what the powers that be had done to my mother and I wanted no part of it. However, when my first son was born, when the baby cried and the sound was filled in the night, I brought him to the Prison and placed the wards on his blood. No one knew that the child who sometimes shone with starlight had inherited it from me. Which was the light of the evening star. The twilight star. And this island that had become barren and empty... also belonged to him. When he was old enough, I told him what I had left here for him. So that someone could access this record, so that they would know the risks of using the Treasures and the threat of the asteri, always hoping to return here. I made sure he knew the buried weapon he would need to face the Asteri was here. I just asked him not to tell his father, my partner. As far as I know, he never told. And he promised that, one day, he would tell his son, and his son would tell his son. A secret shame, a secret history, a secret weapon—all hidden in our bloodline. Our burden to be carried forward, carved and retold here so that if the original story was distorted or parts of it were lost to time... it would be here, set in stone. Nesta muttered to Azriel. — Does Rhys... does he know?

— No — Azriel replied without the slightest doubt. — At some point moment... all of this was forgotten and was never reviewed. Bryce couldn't bring himself to care. She knew the truth now, and all she could think about was returning home, to Midgard, to share it all with other people. With Hunt. But I made sure that to the rest of the world, Silene said, my mother and her lands were nothing more than whispered words. A legend. People wondered if Theia had actually existed. The old generation died. I clung to life, even after my partner passed away. As an old woman, I created lies for my people and called them truths. —No one knows what happened to Theia and General Pelias — I said to countless generations. — They betrayed King Fionn, and Gwydion was lost forever, the dagger gone with him. — He lied all the time.

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— Theia and Fionn had two daughters. Unimportant, irrelevant. — That was perhaps the worst lie of all. Not because my name was lost in history. But for also erasing Helena's memory. Bryce frowned. Erasing his sister's name was worse than massacre human families? My son had children and I lived long enough to see my grandchildren have children of their own. And then I came back here. To the place that was once full of light and music, and now held only terrors. To leave this account to one whose blood will summon, my son's son, my heir's heir. To you, I leave my story, your story. To you, on this very stone, I leave the inheritance and the burden that my own mother passed on to me. The image blurred and there it was again. That old, tired face. I hope Mother forgives me, said Silene, and the hologram dissolved. — Well, I don't forgive — Bryce said, and showed the middle finger to the place where Silene had been.

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The only thing Hunt could do was watch in despair as the Radiant Hand of the asteri entered the chamber, followed by Pollux and the Falcon, who noticed the hand still dangling from its chains and laughed. — Just like a mouse — provoked the Falcon — gnawing on one of its limbs after getting stuck in a trap. — Fuck you — cursed Baxian. Ruhn's blood covered his face, neck and chest. “Watch your mouth,” Rigelus scolded, but did not interfere as Pollux snatched the iron poker from where Ruhn still held it between his feet. Ruhn, in turn, tried to hold him back, curling his legs up to hold him closer. But weakened and bleeding... there was nothing he could do. Pollux pulled him hard, slamming him into Ruhn's back once, making the prince grunt in pain. Then he used the poker to free Ruhn's severed hand from the handcuff. She fell to the filthy floor with a sickening thud. Smiling, Falcon picked it up as if it were a brand new toy. Observing the three, Rigelus said, in a soft voice: — If I had known you were so bored here, I would have sent Pollux back sooner. And to think I thought they were

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tired of feeling so much pain.

Pollux walked up to the lever, his wings white and shiny. With a mischievous smile, the Hammer pulled her and caused the three of them to fall heavily to the ground. The pain that gripped Hunt drowned out Ruhn's scream as the prince fell onto his severed fist. Hunt took a deep breath, a moment on that filthy floor to sink into the icy darkness of Umbra Mortis. To ignore the pain, the guilt, to focus. To lift your head. Rigelus looked at them impassively. — I hope to soon have more information about where Ms. Quinlan stopped,” he whispered, “but perhaps you might feel inclined to talk now… Ruhn spat, “Fuck you.” Behind Rigelus, the Falcon lowered the fingers of Ruhn's severed hand until only the middle one remained standing. Hunt growled softly. The growl of Umbra Mortis.

Even so, Rigelus approached Hunt, his pristine white jacket almost obscenely clean in this place. The golden rings on her fingers sparkled. — I'm not happy to see you again with the halo and the brand

of enslaved, Athalar. “Halo,” Hunt asked, as firmly as he could, “or black crown?” Rigelus blinked—the only sign of surprise, but the term clearly struck the Radiant Hand. — You've been talking to shadows, haven't you? Rigelus hissed. “Umbra Mortis and stuff,” Hunt said. — It makes sense for Death shadow. Baxian riu. Rigelus narrowed his eyes at the Hellhound and then turned to Hunt. — I wonder how far Umbra Mortis would go to keep these two pathetic specimens alive?

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—What the fuck do you want? Hunt growled. Pollux addressed him a warning look.

“A small task,” said Rigelus. - A favor. It has no relationship with Ms. Quinlan. “Don’t fucking listen to him,” Baxian muttered, and then he gave a scream as a whip cracked, courtesy of the Falcon. "I'd be willing to offer... a break," Rigelus said to Hunt, completely ignoring the Hellhound. — If you do something for me. That's what it was about, then. The mystics would find Bryce; he didn't need all three for that. But the torture, the punishment... Hunt willed his clouded head to become clearer, to hear every word. To hold on to the Umbra Mortis that he once was, and that he had so happily left behind. “Your lightning is a gift, Athalar,” Rigelus added. Just use it once on my — One of the rarest. behalf, and maybe we can find some more... comfortable arrangements for the three of you. Ruhn returned: - To do what? — A side project of mine. Hunt replied:

— I won't agree to anything. Rigelus smiled sadly. — I thought it would be like this. Although I was disappointed to hear that. — He took out of his pocket a sliver of clear stone... a crystal. Not yet cut, the size of your palm. — It will be more difficult to extract without your consent, but it will not be impossible. Hunt's stomach dropped. — Extract what? Rigelus approached, crystal in hand. The asteri stopped a few feet away from Hunt, opening his fingers so he could look at the piece of quartz. “A beautiful natural canal,” said the Radiant Hand thoughtfully. — And an excellent energy receptacle. — He looked up at

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Hunt. — You can choose: offer me a part of your lightning and you and your friends will be spared the worst punishments. — No. — The word came from deep in Hunt's gut. Rigelus's expression remained soft. — Then choose which of your friends will die. — Go to Hell — shouted Umbra Mortis, unable to hold on. Rigelus sighed, bored and tired. — Choose, Athalar: will it be the Hellhound or the fae prince? He couldn't. I wouldn't do it. Pollux was smiling like a devil, already with a long knife in his hand. Whichever friend Hunt chose, the Hammer would painfully prolong his death. - Then? asked Rigelus. He would do it. The Radiant Hand would make him choose between his friends or I would simply kill them both. And Hunt never hated himself more, but he reached inward, toward the lightning, suppressed and suffocated by the Gorsian shackles, but still there, beneath the surface. It was everything Rigelus needed. He pressed the quartz against Hunt's forearm and the stone cut into his skin. Scorching, acid-sharp lightning shot out of Hunt, torn from his soul, twisted through the confines of the Gorsian shackles, extracted inch by inch into the crystal. Hunt screamed and had a brutal realization: this was what his enemies felt as he flayed them alive, what Sandriel felt as he destroyed her and, oh gods, burned...

And then it stopped.

Like a switch being flipped, only darkness filled him. His lightning plunged back into him, but the crystal in Rigelus' hands now glowed, full of the lightning he had ripped from Hunt's body. Like a primalux battery... like the leftover energy extracted during the Descent. “I think this should do for now,” Rigelus whispered, putting the stone back in his pocket. It illuminated the dark fabric of his pants and Hunt's throat constricted, bile rising.

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The Radiant Hand turned and said to the Hammer and Falcon, without looking back: — I think two out of three will still be a good incentive for MS. Quinlan will return, don't you think? The executioner can choose. “You bastard,” Hunt whispered. — I did what you asked. Rigelus walked to the stairs that led out of the chamber. —If you had agreed to give me your lightning from the beginning, your two companions would have been spared. But since you made me do all this work... I think you need to learn the consequences of defying me, even for a short time. Baxian ferveu: — He'll never stop challenging you... and neither will we, asshole. It meant more than it should have that the Hellhound spoke for him. And it also made everything worse. The last time he was there, he was alone. All he had to do was endure the screams of the soldiers. He had been devoured by guilt, but it was different this time. It was different being there with two brothers, enduring their suffering along with your own. It would be better if you were alone. Much better.

Rigelus knew this too. That was why he waited so long to go there, so that Hunt could better understand the situation he found himself in. The Radiant Hand ascended the steps with feline grace. — We'll see what Athalar is willing to give up when the time really comes. When even Umbra Mortis will have to define its limits.

***

Lidia's time was up. If he wanted to act, it had to be right now. There was no margin for error. She needed the prisoners ready—anyway. But he hadn't taken more than two steps into the dungeon when he felt his breath hitch when he saw the stump where Ruhn's hand should have been.

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The prince was hanging, unconscious, in chains. Athalar and Baxian were also out. All three, covered in blood. Pollux and the Falcon, panting, smiled like demons. — You missed the fun, Lidia — said the Falcon, and raised... Lifted… That broad, tattooed hand... it had been touched by Ruhn's hand. On that mental plane, soul to soul, those hands caressed her, gentle and loving. “Very well,” she managed to say, even though she screamed inside. He scratched the walls of his being and screamed in fury. —Which one of you won the prize? “Baxian, actually,” said the Hammer, laughing. — He chewed like the dog he is, in an attempt to free himself. Lidia forced herself to turn away. Looking at the Hellhound as if impressed. A small part of it was. But the pain Ruhn endured... She placed her hand on her stomach and her shudder wasn't entirely faked. — Lidia? asked the Falcon, his white wings rustling. — She's menstruating — Pollux replied for her, his voice full of disdain. — I'm fine — she replied, to complete the show. The Falcon and Pollux exchanged glances, as if to say Females. She took a velvet case from the inside pocket of her uniform jacket. When he opened it, primalux glowed on the two syringes trapped inside. - What is that? — The Falcon took a step forward, peering at the needles. Lidia forced herself to smile at him and then at Pollux. — It's a shame that Athalar and the Hellhound's wings are no longer could be... targeted. I thought about getting them to come back. A dose of healing potion, mixed with primalux, would make their wings grow back within a day or two, even under the repressive power of the Gorsian shackles. If she had known about Ruhn's hand, she would have brought three, but now there was no way to casually explain her need, not without attracting a lot of attention.

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And she needed Athalar and Baxian to be able to fly. Pollux smiled. — Smart, Lidia. — He pointed his chin toward the unconscious angels. Go ahead. She didn't need the Hammer's permission, but she didn't protest. — Wait until the wings have grown — he warned Pollux and Falcon — so they can savor the hope of having their wings once more before you find interesting ways to remove them again. Athalar and Baxian were so unconscious that they didn't even feel the needle prick in the center of their spine. The primalux glowed along his back, extending like glowing roots toward the stumps of his wings. The wounds healed slowly, but she had ordered the medwitch who created the potion to weave a spell aimed at the wings. If they were both fully cured, it would raise suspicions. Little by little, before their eyes, the stumps on their backs began to rebuild, and tendons and bones joined together, multiplying. Lidia turned away from that horrible sight. I prayed that they would heal in time. — I'll take over from here — he said to Pollux and Falcão, walking towards to shelf.

— I thought you were here to heal them both. — The Falcon looked between her and the angels. — Just the wings — said Lidia. — Why not play with other pieces while they grow back? The Hammer smiled.

— Can I watch? - No. Ruhn stirred, groaning softly, and she had to hold herself back from pulling one of the long blades from the rack and plunging it into Pollux's gut. “You know I like to watch,” Pollux purred, and the Falcon laughed. What a waste of life. He stood there while the Hammer

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committed his bloody atrocities. He had also enjoyed watching during those years with Sandriel. Malleus's eyes shone with pure lust. — Why don't you put on a little show for us? “Get lost,” she said, unamused. Pollux could pretend he was in control, but he knew who the asteri favored. Her orders were not to be ignored. — I don't need distractions. The Falcon laughed, but obeyed, leaving. A true subordinate, from head to toe. The Hammer, however, walked towards her. With the gentleness of a lover, he placed his hand on the side of her neck. Then he squeezed hard enough to hurt when he said against her mouth: — I'm going to fuck you out of your insolence, Lidia. Whether your pussy is bleeding or not. And he climbed the steps, anger making his wings shine. He slammed the door on the way up. Lidia waited, listening. When she was convinced they were both gone, she pulled the lever, causing the prisoners to fall to the ground, and ran to where Ruhn was sprawled out. - Raise. — She kept her voice hard, cold. The prince opened his beautiful blue eyes.

She examined his face. Ruhn. No one answered. As if the pain had shredded and emptied him. Ruhn, listen to me. You are dead to me, he replied. It seemed like he had also killed the connection between the two. But Lidia still cast her thoughts into his mind. Ruhn, I don't have much time. I've managed to make contact with people who can help get you out of here, but the Harpy is about to be resurrected, and when that happens, the truth will be revealed. If my plan goes off without a hitch, if you want to survive, you need to listen... Ruhn closed his eyes and never opened them again. ***

Silence, heavy and unbearable, filled the chamber beneath the Prison. Bryce stared at the eight-pointed star, revulsion coursing through him.

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like a nasty torrent. “They were horrible,” he said, his voice harsh. — Selfish and reckless monsters. — Silene and Helena closed the portal — Nesta replied carefully. Bryce's gaze turned to the female. — Only after opening it again... to escape. It was open because they wanted to escape. And they left all those people behind. They could have kept the door open a little longer, saved It's all of them. But Silene chose herself. a disgrace. "The fact that their fate is in Pelias's hands," he objected. Azriel — would explain why they needed to act so quickly. Bryce pointed to the place where Silene had been. — That bitch locked the kids out to save herself and then tried to come up with a justification. It was no different than what the Valbaran fae had done that spring in Crescent Moon City, when they locked the innocent out of their homes while they cowered inside, protected by their wards. — What are you... — Nesta began, a little gently. — What did you expect to find here? - I don't know. Bryce let out a bitter laugh. — I thought maybe… maybe they had some answers on how to kill the asteri. But she ignored that part. I thought the fae of Midgard might have turned into the lewd assholes they are over the thousands of years. Not that they had been like this all the time.

She rubbed her face, her eyes burning. — I thought having Theia's light was... good. As if she was somehow better than Pelias. But she wasn't. —And Aidas loved her? — I thought that might give me an advantage in all this nonsense. But that's not what happened. That just means I'm the heir to a legacy of a bunch of wretched conspirators. And worse, that parasite in the waters of Midgard... What could be done against him? Bryce took a deep breath, shuddering.

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A gentle hand rested on his shoulder. Nesta. “We need to tell Rhys,” Azriel said hoarsely. As if he was still reeling from everything he had heard. - Right now. Bryce looked at his face. The concern and determination present there. Everything he had seen... was a threat to this world, to the people in it. Azriel asked her with frightening calm, “What happened to the Horn?” Bryce held her gaze, seething with anger. I couldn't even try to invent a lie anymore. But Nesta said: —She is the Horn, Azriel. It's tattooed on her flesh. — Nesta is the only one He took his hand off Bryce's shoulder and looked at her. - It is not? That's why your tattoo reacted like that before. Azriel's brown eyes flashed with intent. predatory. He would rip that fucking Horn off her back.

If I ran to the exit tunnel... They said something about getting out of there and then going down a mountain. But that court was on an island. I couldn't escape them. Azriel began to circle her with calculating precision, taking his time. Bryce turned next to him, always keeping him in sight, but in doing so, he left his back free for Nesta, who he suspected was the real predator here. “That's how you came to this world,” Nesta continued, taking a step back, no doubt so she could pull Ataraxia. — Because you, and no one else, can come. Why did you say that no one would be able to follow you here. Because only you have the Horn. Only you can move between worlds. “You got me,” Bryce said, holding up his hands and pretending to surrender, taking a step out of Nesta's reach. — I'm an evil person who jumps through the worlds. Like my ancestors. “You're a risk,” Nesta said flatly, her eyes taking on that silvery glow, a supernatural fire. — I told you a hundred times that I didn't even want to come here...

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“It doesn't matter,” Nesta said. — You came to the place that, It seems the daglan still wish to return. — The Asteri would need the Horn to open a portal. They can find me, but they can't get in. “But you want to go home,” said Nesta, “and to do that you will have to open a door to Midgard. What if Rigelus is there? Waiting to cross? Bryce turned to continue staring at Azriel, but... Only shadows surrounded her. Nesta had distracted her, enough so that she lost focus and Azriel disappeared. They worked together, silently and perfectly. Not to attack, she realized, as a shadow darker than those around her ran into the tunnel that ran through the chamber. But to go get reinforcements. - No! — Bryce reached out his hand and light burst from his fingers. She slammed into Azriel's shadows, fracturing the darkness and revealing the warrior beneath. But it wasn't enough to stop his race... She needed more power. The eight-pointed star at her feet was shining. As if her magic had caused something inside her to awaken. Like embers burning into stirring ashes. What if her star wasn't guiding her toward knowledge, but toward something... different? Something tangible? Similar attracts. To you, on this very stone, Silene had said, I leave the inheritance and the burden that my own mother passed on to me.

This place, this Prison, and the court it once was were Bryce's inheritance. For her to command, as Silene had commanded. And that memory, of Silene lying next to the Harp in the middle of this room, reaching into one of the carvings with a core of light forming on her finger... On this same stone... Silene turned her old palace and home into this Prison. She must have imbued some magic into the rock. He must have given up part of his

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power not only to change the terrain, but to house the monsters in their cells. Theia had shown her how to do this. In those last moments with her daughters, Theia used the Harp to transfer magic from herself to Silene and Helena, to protect them. It appeared in the shape of a star. Would Silene have done the same there? Would it be possible that the Harp, at that moment when Silene reached it, with power in hand, had managed to transfer its magic to this place? ... I leave the inheritance and the burden that my own mother passed on to me. And just as Theia gave her own power to Silene... perhaps Silene, in turn, left that same power there, to be claimed by a future descendant. One by one, fast as shooting stars, the thoughts overcame Bryce. More out of instinct than anything else, she dropped to her knees and slammed her hand down on the top of the eight-pointed star. Bryce penetrated the layers of rock and earth with his mind—and there it was. Resting just below. Not primalux, not as she knew it on Midgard, but the fae power of a time before the Descent. Power surged toward her through the stone, like a glowing arrow shot into the darkness... Azriel flapped his wings and was instantly in the air, flying in towards the tunnel exit. Like a small sun emerging from the stone itself, a ball of light erupted from the ground. A star just like the one on Bryce's chest. His starlight finally awakened again, as if reaching with shining fingers for the star that hovered centimeters away. With shaking hands, Bryce guided the star to the one shining on his chest. In your body. White light erupted everywhere. A power, pure and ancient, burned in his veins. His hair stood on end. Debris floated. She was everywhere and nowhere. It was the evening star and the last rays of color before darkness.

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Azriel almost reached the tunnel. Another flap of wings and he would be swallowed by its dark mouth. But with a simple thought from Bryce, stalactites and stalagmites formed, approaching him. The room became a wolf, its jaws snapping towards the winged warrior... The stone moved towards her, just as it had moved towards Silene. “Stop him,” he said in a voice that sounded so much like her father's, more than anything she had ever heard come out of her own mouth. Azriel ran towards the tunnel arch and crashed into a wall. of stone. The exit was sealed. He turned slowly, wings rustling. Blood was pouring from his nose due to the head-on collision with the rock that was now in his path. He spread his wings, preparing for a fight. The mountain shook, and the chamber with it. Debris fell from the ceiling. The walls began to move, rocks scraping against rocks. As if the place that had once been there was now trying, at all costs, to emerge from the rocks. But Nesta ran towards Bryce, wielding the Ataraxia, silver flames engulfing the blade. Bryce raised his hand and spikes of rocks appeared from the ground, one after another, blocking Nesta's advance. The camera shook again...

“Stop,” Azriel roared, something like panic in his voice. — Ace aims... From afar, she could feel it: the things hidden in the mountain, her mountain. Disturbed and miserable creatures. Some had been there since Silene had arrested them. They spent all their time thinking about escaping and taking revenge. If he restored the mountain to its former glory, they would be able to get out. And in that moment, the mountain — the island — spoke to her. Alone. I was so alone... waiting for her all this time. Cold and adrift in that choppy gray sea. If she could reach out, if she could open her heart... she could sing again. Awakening. There was a beating, vibrant heart locked away tightly

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below them. If she freed him, the earth would awaken from her slumber, and such wonders would rise again from her land... The mountain shook once again. Nesta and Azriel stopped ten feet away, Ataraxia a resplendent light, the Truth-Revealer shrouded in shadow. Aster remained sheathed on Azriel's back; but she could have sworn she saw the sword twitch. As if asking Azriel to take her away.

Nesta warned Bryce, her eyes fixed on the trembling earth, “If you open these cells... “I don't want to fight you,” Bryce said, his voice strangely empty, as if the wave of magic he'd caught with Silene had emptied his soul. — I'm not your enemy. —Then let us take you back to our High Lord— Nesta retorted. Ataraxia glowed in response. - For what? To lock me up? Rip the Horn out of my skin? “If necessary,” Nesta said coldly, bending her knees, preparing to attack. — If that's what we need to do to keep our world safe. Bryce bared his teeth in a wild grin. More tips rock emerged from the ground, pointing at Nesta and Azriel. — Then come and get me. With a flap of his wings, Azriel charged towards her, quickly like a panther attacking... Bryce stamped his foot. The stone spikes rose higher, blocking his path. His blue light shone, shattering the rocks. Bryce stamped his foot again, summoning more lethal stone spears. But there were none left. Just a vast, gaping void. Bryce only had a second to realize that there was literally a void beneath his feet, before the ground beneath them collapsed.

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If the prisoners had done something as drastic as biting off Ruhn's hand, it was because they were very close to losing their line. Which left Lidia with very little time and limited options. The current alternative seemed the wisest and quickest. She would have to trust that Declan Emmet had received the coded message she had sent through his secure maze of channels and was, at that very moment, diverting the cameras. The Lady of the Mystics ran out as soon as Lidia passed through the doors of the dank hall, no doubt to complain to Rigelus about Lidia's unexpected arrival. He ordered Lidia to wait at reception. Lidia waited a while to ensure that the lady had indeed left, but immediately ignored the order. — Irithys — said Lidia to the elf lying at the bottom of the crystal ball. Curled on her side, the queen remained asleep. Or pretending to sleep. - I need your help. The Goblin Queen opened one eye.

—To torture more people. —To torture me. Irithys opened both her eyes this time. He sat down slowly.

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- What? Lidia brought her face closer to the crystal and said softly. — There is an angel in the dungeon. Hunt Athalar.

Irithys took a deep breath; she knew him. How could she not know, since she, in a way, was also Fallen? Although Irithys did not fight in the failed rebellion, she was a victim of the consequences: heiress of a cursed people, a queen enslaved at the moment of her coronation. I knew all the main parts of this saga. He knew all the decisions that led to the punishment that spread through generations of goblins. — He started fighting again. And this spring a goblin approached him; she died to save his partner. Her name was Lehabah. He claimed to be a descendant of Queen Ranthia Drahl. — Just as Lidia saw the footage of Athalar killing Sandriel, she also witnessed the fire goblin's final stand that saved Bryce Quinlan. Rigelus considered it essential that Lidia knew everything about the threat to Asteri power. Irithys's eyes widened at the mention of her long-dead queen's lineage. The lineage that was believed to have disappeared. The queen whose decision to rebel alongside Athalar and his archangel had led all the goblins to the fate of being enslaved, including Irithys herself. But he asked, in an indifferent tone: - AND?

Lidia continued: — I need you to help me free Hunt Athalar and two of his companions. Irithys stood still, the flame a suspicious yellow. — Is this another warm-up? Lidia had no time for lies or jokes. — The warm-up with Hilde was a test. Not to see what you could do, but who you are. The queen inclined her head. The flames remained yellow. Lidia added: —To see if you had as much honor as I expected. If it was reliable.

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- For what? — The pixie spat the words, bright red sparks flying from her. —To help me create a distraction... one that might save more lives than those three in the dungeon. Irithys fungou. — You are Rigelus' pet. — She waved her burning hand at the mystics sleeping in their tanks. — He's no better than them, obeying everything he asks. They would lie if he ordered them to. They would even drown if he even whispered an order. — I can explain later. At the moment I only have — she gasped — my word to offer. — And the cameras? — Irithys looked at the always attentive eyes, located everywhere. — I have people in my service who assured me that another place is being shown right now — Lidia said, praying that it was true. And with a plea to Luna, she hit the crystal ball, dissolving it. He still had the access that Rigelus had granted in his blood to open the ball. I could still make it happen. She intended to use the Goblin Queen to try and melt the Gorsian shackles of Ruhn, Baxian, and Athalar, but things changed. I needed Irithys for something much bigger. Irithys was out in the open, with her arms crossed, now with a familiar and cautious orange tone. - This is it? — She gestured to the tattoo on her neck. Lidia said softly, as calmly as she could: — I made a bargain with Hilde for her freedom. She just needs Do me a favor when the time comes and you will be released. Irithys tilted her head again. — And the part about me torturing you...? — That comes later. To make everything believable.

— Make what believable?

Lidia glanced at her watch. I didn't have much time. — I need to know if you agree or not.

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The Goblin Queen wasted no time. Lidia returned her gaze, allowing the queen to see everything beneath. Surprise lit up Irithys's face... and she nodded slowly, taking on the ruby hue of determination. — Bring the witch — said the queen. ***

Hilde was taken downstairs within minutes. The guards did not question the Doe, and their luck persisted, as the lady was still complaining to Rigelus. Hilde looked at Lidia as she stood in front of the elf, the queen free from her crystal and burning bright red. — And I'll go free as soon as I do this favor for you? —No one will stop her. Hilde assessed Lidia's expression. - So what is it? Lidia nodded towards Irithys. — Undo what you did years ago. Remove the tattoo from her neck. Hilde showed no shock, not even a flicker. Instead, he looked back from Lidia to the elf, who remained silent and watchful. — Your master won't punish you for this? Lidia replied: — Everything I do is in the service of Rigelus's will, even if he may not always be able to understand. — A beautiful lie. But Hilde nodded slowly, her fine silver hair glowing with the red of Irithys's flames. — I will seek shelter in my House until you can clean up my name officially, then. Lidia produced a key for the witch's Gorsian shackles. Irithys seethed beside her, now a tense violet color, when the lock clicked. The witch's handcuffs came loose.

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Before they fell to the ground, Hilde turned to Lidia, opening her mouth in a scream of fury... Lidia drew the gun so quickly it was almost impossible to see, and pressed it to the side of the witch's head. - Calm down. — You are a pile of trash, a traitor. Rigelus will give me a nice reward when I tell him everything. Lidia stuck the barrel of the gun into the witch's temple. — Free the queen now, or this bullet will go through her brain. And the handcuffs come back on. The injury would be permanent, with Gorsian cuffs delaying healing. Death would find her almost at the same moment. Hilde spat, and a piece of greenish-brown phlegm splashed onto Lidia's feet. — Who guarantees you won't kill me later? — I swear on Luna's golden bow that I won't kill you. There was some more intense swearing, in addition to the fae blood oath. It seemed to work for the witch, who showed her rotten teeth, but said: — Okay. A wave of the deformed hand and a few guttural intoned words and the ink melted on Irithys's fiery neck. Like black rain, it spread across his flaming blue body, dripping onto the stones on the ground. And in its wake, as it lightened, the pixie lit up in a blinding white glow.

Lidia lowered the gun from the witch's head. - As promised. Hilde sneered: - And now? Am I leaving, knowing you have some scheme afoot? Lidia looked at Irithys. — Your turn, elf. Irithys smiled and curled a small, glowing finger. Hilde caught fire. The witch didn't even have time to scream before she turned to ash on the ground. Amid the acrid smoke that snaked through the

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room, Irithys shone like a newborn star. — And now, Doe? asked the Goblin Queen, brightly. like Solas himself. Lidia extended her forearm. —Now you make it look like an accident. - What? — Burn me. — She pointed to Hilde's ashes with her head. — Not like that, but... enough. You need to be convincing, I will tell the others that you used too much power on me and Hilde when I went to get you to help me torture the prisoners more, and that then you ran away. Irithys' white flame turned yellow again. — I ran away to do what? — Create a distraction. - It will hurt. Lidia held the elf's gaze.

- Great. To look real, it needs to hurt. She laid out her plan to the queen as quickly as she could, explaining how to navigate the path of deactivated cameras to get out of the palace, where to hide, and when and where to strike. And if somehow, against all odds, she managed... she exposed what would be required of Irithys. As absurd and unlikely as it was. Everything depended on the queen. When Lidia finished, Irithys He shook his head—not in refusal, but in shock. - Can I trust you? — Lidia asked the elf. Irithys began to glow again, incandescent white. — You have no other choice now, do you? Lidia extended her arm once more. — Make it hurt, Your Majesty. ***

Darkness, debris and dust. Coughs and groans. From the sounds behind her, Bryce knew Nesta and Azriel were alive. What state were they in... Well, she didn't care.

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that at that moment. The power he wrested from that place, from Silene herself, vibrated through his body, familiar and yet strange. It was part of her, not as Hunt's temporary charge, but as something that latched onto her power, lodged there. Like attracts each other. As if her star knew that this magic existed and attracted her to it, as if they were sister powers... And they were. Bryce had carried Theia's light through Helena's lineage. And that light... was the light of Theia coming from Silene. Two sisters, united at last. But Silene's light, now mixed with Bryce's... It was light, but it wasn't quite the same power she already possessed. He couldn't understand it, he didn't have time to explore its nuances, as he stood up and gazed at the faint glow filling the chamber in which they had fallen. The one that was hidden one level below the star. A sarcophagus made of clear quartz stood in the center of the space. And within it, preserved in eternal youth and beauty, lay a darkhaired female. Bryce's mind raced at the possibilities. The place had once been an asteri palace before Theia claimed it. And in the carvings in the tunnels, made by Silene to portray her mother's teachings... Evil waited beneath them. What if Silene had never quite understood what Theia had meant? That it wasn't just a metaphor? That here, literally beneath them, sleeping in the forgotten coffin... There was evil, beneath his feet.

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Bryce's breathing was labored as she examined the crystal coffin in the center of the empty chamber. There were no doors inside the room. From what I could understand, the The only entrance was through the roof that had just collapsed beneath them.

In the crystal sarcophagus, the female was preserved in unnerving detail. No, not preserved. His thin chest rose and fell. Asleep. The hairs on the back of Bryce's neck stood up. She was one of the inmates who asked not to be released from prison. Some ancient, strange being kept there, in a cell beneath their feet, so dangerous it was encased in crystal... That crystal coffin showed the characteristics of the sleeping female: humanoid, with fair and slender skin. The silky golden dress accentuated every delicate curve of her body. Bryce had never seen skin so pale. It shone like a full moon. The dark hair... it was too dark, somehow. They didn't reflect light. That shouldn't exist in nature. And... was she wearing lipstick? No one had a mouth so red, so vibrant. Blowjob red, Danika had said once when Bryce had used a similar tone.

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- What did you do? — Azriel replied harshly, and Bryce turned to find him standing, with his wings folded. Nesta leaned against him as if she was injured, Ataraxia dangling from her hands. The male now held the Aster in one hand and the Revealer of Truth in the other. He must have had some kind of Starry blood... from some distant ancestor, perhaps. Or it could be that the knife somehow allowed him to carry Aster. As if in answer to Azriel's question, the female in the coffin opened his eyes. They were an intense blue—and they glowed.

Bryce tried to pull away, but remained frozen in place as the female's gaze slid toward hers. While those red lips curved upwards in a discreet smile without any joy. When the female raised her long, slender hand to the lid of the crystal sarcophagus, and said: — Let me go, slave. Even muffled by the crystal, the voice was cold, merciless. — Have you lost your mind for good? — Nesta said to Bryce, her voice full of anger, as she limped closer. — I didn't want to open a cell... — Bryce began. — This isn't one of the cells — warned Azriel — we didn't even know this chamber existed. The female in the coffin ignored the argument.

— How long have I been sleeping? — Once again, she pushed the crystal out of her sarcophagus. Or would it be a cage? Azriel said to Bryce, “Did you know she was here?” Bryce didn't take his eyes off the coffin and the monster inside it. - No. The female in the coffin banged on the lid, the muffled thud echoing off the dark stone walls. — Enslaved, do as I say. “Fuck you,” Bryce shot toward the coffin. — You dare defy me? — Through the quartz, Bryce could see the caged female's nostrils flaring. Feeling smells. —

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Oh. You are a mongrel. Enslaved and enslaved to our

enslaved. No wonder you have no manners. Nesta, raising Ataraxia higher, asked in a hoarse voice, —What are you? The female's long nails scraped the coffin lid. Didn't look at them while testing the lid for weak spots. — I am your goddess. Your master. Don't you recognize me?

"We don't have any masters," Bryce countered. The female's nail caused deep scratches on the crystal, but the lid held. She looked past Bryce, her gaze falling on Azriel. His lips curved. — An infantry soldier. Great. Kill this female

insolent and set me free. — She pointed at Bryce. Azriel didn't move. The caged female hissed. — Kneel, soldier. Pay the Tribute so that I can recover the strength and get out of this cage.

Bryce then realized. He realized what evil had been kept in this coffin all this time. Beside Azriel, Nesta straightened her posture. As if she had noticed too. The movement caught the creature's gaze, and its eyes glowed with pure rage. She looked between Nesta and Bryce, showing her white teeth as she finally asked, “Was it Theia who stole the Horn for you?” Who put this in your flesh? — His gaze turned to Nesta. —And you... you are linked to the other parts of the Treasury. Was she the one who gave it to you? “I don't know what you're talking about,” Nesta said flatly. The creature laughed and spoke slowly to Nesta.

— I can smell them on you, girl. Don't you think a blacksmith knows his own creation? Bryce's mouth went dry. The female in the sarcophagus was an asteri. ***

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Tharion didn't know what to say as they walked through the corridors of the Meat Market to the car that was supposedly waiting for them in a side alley. None of them knew. Ithan hadn't spoken since he opened Sigrid's throat. It was an accident. Tharion saw when Ithan aimed the blow at Sigrid's shoulder, but the female dodged so quickly - and choosing the wrong fucking direction, out of sheer bad luck - that the blow became fatal. Silence dominated the room as Ithan looked at the fist and claws that pierced Sigrid's throat. His hand was the only thing keeping his body upright as his eyes remained empty... “Remove your fist,” the Viper Queen had ordered. Seemingly beside himself, Ithan retracted his claws and removed his hand from Sigrid's neck. It was the ultimate indignity. When he removed his claws, he cut off what what was left of the thin neck.

And as he pulled back his bloody fist, her body fell on the ring floor... Sigrid's head rolled away. Ithan stood there, staring at what he had done. And Tharion couldn't find the words to say that everyone had seen what Holstrom intended to do, everyone knew that it wasn't his intention to kill her. The Viper Queen's assassins were at the alley door, holding it open. As promised, a black sedan was parked there. Tharion took one step—just one—into the night before the sweet, inviting scent of Istros hit him. Every muscle and instinct in his body came to life, begging him to go into the water, to submerge himself in its wildness and magic, to trade his legs for fins, to let the river ripple through his gills, into his very blood. .. Tharion ignored the need, the longing. He continued to advance toward the sedan, one foot in front of the other. Still in silence, they got into the car. Flynn took the wheel, Dec slid into the passenger seat. Tharion sat on the

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backseat, right behind the male who had taken on this unholy burden for him. — You, uh... — Flynn began as he started the car and looked over his shoulder to back out of the alley. — Are you okay, Holstrom? Ithan said nothing.

Declan announced softly, looking at his cell phone: — Marc is taking care of our family things. Ensuring May everyone be safe. A shitty consolation.

Three bright lights hit the windshield and everyone was shocked. scare. But... the elves. They had forgotten about the elves. Flynn opened the window and Rithi, Sasa and Malana quickly entered. Sasa took a breath, "go, go, go" was heard, and Flynn wasted no time questioning as they sped out of the alley. He changed gears smoothly and they entered the main street, soon speeding through the maze of streets that Tharion had thought he would never see again. - What is happening? Declan asked the elves, who had huddled in the drink holders at the front. “We burn,” Sasa said, deep orange. — What did they burn? demanded Flynn. Tharion gaped as Malana pointed out the back window, to where flames licked the night sky above the Meat Market. —She's going to kill you. —Tharion's voice was hoarse. As if

had screamed. And maybe it had. I couldn't say. “She'll have to find us first,” Rithi said sternly, then turned to Ithan. —She planned all of this. She used you.

— I fell into her game. — Ithan's voice was weak, breaking. Nobody spoke. No one seemed inclined to speak. So Tharion thought it would be better to ask: — What do you mean? Ithan shook his head and looked out the window, his face expressionless, still stained with blood. And he didn't say anything else.

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They continued through the city, somehow unchanged despite what had just happened. They drove to the Rose Gate and the Eastern Road beyond it. To the coast and to the ship that would be waiting for them. And all the consequences that would follow. ***

Bryce stepped back as Azriel took a step towards the crystal coffin, the Truth Revealer now glowing with black light in his left hand. Bryce realized that he had already seen the creature dressed in gold that slept in the coffin: when Silene told the story of her mother. The female before them... was the asteri who ruled there. The lady of Theia. The asteri's blue eyes looked down at the dagger. — You dare to draw a gun in front of me? Against

those who raised you, soldier, from night and pain? — You are not my creator — Azriel replied coldly. The Aster glowed in the other hand. If they bothered him, if they called him, he didn't let it show. Neither hand even twitched. The asteri's eyes lit up as she recognized the long blade. “Fionn sent you, then?” To kill me in my sleep? Or was it that traitor Enalius? I see you carry his knife... as his emissary? Or your killer? The words must have meant something to Azriel. The warrior did a discreet shock noise. — Fionn really sent us to finish you off — Nesta lied, her tone a significant threat. —But it looks like now we'll have the pleasure of killing you while you're awake. A stari sorriu de novo. — You're going to have to open this sarcophagus to get to me.

Bryce smiled back, showing all his teeth. — Fionn sent them. But I was sent by Theia. Blue fire boiled in the creature's eyes.

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“That cheating bitch will see the good once I get rid of you.” Azriel began to move along the coffin. Evaluating the best way to attack asteri, without a doubt. “Unfortunately for you,” Bryce teased, “Theia has been dead for fifteen thousand years. And the rest of your little friends too. Its people are nothing more than a half-forgotten myth in this world. For a moment it was the creature's turn to be unresponsive. As if a memory had disappeared, she said, more to herself than to them: — Theia was so nice that day. He said I looked tired and that I should replenish myself at the crystal here, above the well. But she sealed me inside. To let me starve through the ages. — Snow-white teeth flashed. — And in my dreams, she danced on the rocks above me. He danced on my grave while I starved beneath his feet. “Give me Aster,” Bryce murmured to Azriel. The blade had killed reapers. Maybe I could kill an asteri. Maybe she had been sent here to learn that. “No,” Azriel refused.

—, It was you who brought this terror to

us. — I had no idea she was here... — Enslaved people, release me — interrupted the asteri. - I am running out of patience. Why didn't Theia warn her daughters that that thing was there? Why was he so irresponsible, so reckless... Et in Avallen ego. Even there, on that island that had been a paradise during Theia's reign, evil existed. And Theia had warned her daughters—that evil lurked beneath their feet, waiting to seize them. Literally. The taint of the Asteri who ruled here, Silene had claimed, remained in this place... an ancient and terrible power. Enough so that he needed to be hidden in the disgusting Prison. Silene just didn't realize that the reason was that an asteri was still there. And in that moment, against all odds, there was a living link to the past, with the answers Bryce needed.

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If Urd had guided her here... Bryce said calmly, “I have questions to ask.” If you don't answer me, I will be happy to leave you here until the end of eternity. — Ah, this planet will be dead long before eternity ends. Your star will expand and expand and, at some point, devour everything in its path. Including this world. — Thank you for the astronomy lesson. A slow smile. — I will answer your questions... if you release me from this tomb. Bryce held her gaze. “Don't you fucking dare,” Azriel muttered. But she was out of time. Every minute, Hunt suffered. I was sure so. The very stones and protections of that place had responded to his will... Azriel lunged at Bryce, but she was already beside the coffin. of Cristal. — Get up, then. A click, loud as a bang, and the lid was unlocked.

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Opening the coffin was as easy as ordering the stones on the mountain to move. - What did you do? — Nesta questioned, silver fire shining in his eyes, running down Ataraxia's blade. The asteri placed her hand on the unlocked lid of the coffin and started pushing.

How the hell was she supposed to face that thing unarmed? Bryce He reached out to Azriel, casting his will with it. The Aster flew from his hand to hers. Azriel started, shadows flashing across his shoulders, preparing to attack, but Bryce said, “Theia showed me this trick in Silene's little montage of memories. — That was the feeling she had, as if the blade was calling her. As if ready to jump into her hands. Azriel bared his teeth, but pulled out another sword he kept in a holster hidden on his back and raised the Truth Teller in his other hand while Nesta raised Ataraxia... Bryce turned to the coffin in time to see the asteri slowly leave, like a spider being born.

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Bryce's chest provided the only light, turning the monster's pale skin even whiter, leaving the red hue of his lips almost purple. Her long black hair fell over her slender form, pooling on the stone beneath her like liquid night. But she remained on the floor, curled in on herself. As if I didn't have the strength to stand. “Go left,” Azriel murmured to Nesta, the power shining around them.

“No,” Bryce said, not looking back as he walked over to the asteri on the ground and sat down, placing the aster on the rock. cold by your side.

To his surprise, Azriel and Nesta did not attack. But they remained just a step away, weapons drawn. — Your companions think you've lost your mind for freeing me — said the asteri, poking an invisible stain on her silk dress as she settled into a more suitable position, still sitting. — They didn't realize that you haven't eaten in thousands of years, and I can end you. “We know that,” Nesta murmured. “Let's start with the basics, leech,” Bryce said to the asteri. — Where did you do... — You can call me Vesperus — The creature's eyes

they glowed with irritation. —Are you related to Hesperus? — Bryce raised an eyebrow when he heard the name, so similar to that of one of the Midgard asteri. — The Evening Star? — I am the Evening Star — Vesperus fumed. Bryce rolled his eyes. — Okay, let's call her Evening Star too. Happy?

- Does not match? — A wave of long fingers covered in sharp nails. — I drank from the magic of the earth, and the magic of the earth drank from me.

— Where did you come from before you got here?

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Vesperus folded her hands in her lap. — A planet that was once green, like this one. —And that wasn't good enough?

— Our population has increased a lot. Wars broke out between the various beings of our world. Some saw the changes in the land at first... dry rivers, clouds so thick the sun couldn't break through them... and they left. Our most brilliant minds have found ways to bend the fabric of worlds. To travel between them. Travelers, as we called them. Wanderers of the world. — So you destroyed your planet and then went to feed on others? — We had to find a way to support ourselves. Bryce's fingers curled against the stone floor, but his voice remained firm. — If you knew how to open portals between worlds, why Did they need the Nefarious Treasures? — As soon as we left our home world, our powers began to weaken. Too late, we realized that we depended on the magic inherent in our land. The magic of other worlds was not potent enough. But we couldn't find our way back home. Those who ventured here found ways to amplify this power, thanks to the gifts of the land. We gathered our power and imbued these gifts into the Cauldron to work our will. With this, the Treasures were Made.

And then, we connect the essence of the Cauldron to the soul of this world. Light. —Then destroy the Cauldron...

—And you destroy this world. One cannot exist without the other. Behind them, Nesta took a deep breath. But Bryce said, “You threw a switch that would kill this world. — We placed... switches on many worlds. To protect our interests. — She spoke so calmly, so confidently. — Do you know Rigelus? — You say his name too casually for a worm. — We know each other well. She pursed her lips slightly.

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— I met him in passing. I assume you want to kill him... and you came to ask me how to do it. Bryce didn't say anything.

Vesperus gave her a cold look. — I'm not going to help you with that. I will not reveal the secrets of my people.

—Was it because of this compassion that Theia didn’t kill you? Vesperus frowned. — Theia knew that, for my species, this type of punishment would be much worse than death. Being confined, but alive. Not breathing, not eating, not drinking... but lying half asleep, starving. — That sparkle in her eyes... it wasn't just anger. It was insanity. —Killing me would have been a coup de grace. Theia didn't understand that word. I had raised her from childhood to not understand her. Every now and then, she would come down here and look at me... I was asleep, but I could feel her there. Singing victory. Convinced that she had won. A shiver ran down Bryce's spine. “She kept you here like a trophy. Vesperus' chin tilted in a nod. — I believe she took pleasure in seeing me suffer. “I don't blame you,” Bryce replied, even though his stomach was turning. Theia might have helped Midgard in the end, but she was no better than the monster who created her. — I have questions for you too, mongrel. “At ease,” Bryce said, waving his hand. —If we lost the war to Theia, if my people are now a mere myth, how come you know Rigelus so well? Do asteri still live here? “No,” Bryce replied. — I come from another world. You asteri are still in control there. —How long have the Asteri ruled? — Fifteen thousand years.

—Rigelus must be very pleased with himself. — Oh, yes it is.

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But the asteri looked from Bryce to Azriel and Nesta behind her, raising her eyebrows. — Is life so unbearable under our government that you must always challenge us? Yes. No. For Bryce, life was going well. Some shit aspects, but good overall. However, for so many others... — What does it matter — Vesperus continued, addressing Bryce once again — if we take away some of your power? What would you do with it? “It matters that they lie to us,” Bryce replied. — Our power is not at your disposal. His supremacy is uncontrolled and undue. — There is a natural order in the universe, girl. The strong rule the weak and the weak benefit from this. Everything in nature attacks and is attacked. You fae somehow only consider this an affront when it applies to you. — I'm not going to debate the ethics of conquest with you. Rigelus and the others have no right to my world, but they have poisoned the water on Midgard... It is filled with some kind of parasite that extracts our magic and demands that it be offered to the asteri. How do I undo this? Vesperus' eyes shone with satisfaction. —We really wanted something that worked this way, instead of the Tribute, which required the consent—she dropped the word as if it tasted bad —of our subjects, but we never figured out how... The water supply, you say? — A soft laugh. — Rigelus was always intelligent. — How do I fucking undo it? — You seem to think I'm inclined to help, no matter how much don't get anything in return.

— I know what you want and you won't get it. — What if I told you that I had no desire to govern, just to live? — You would still be a leech, who would need to feed on these people. He doesn't deserve to be free.

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— There is a place on this earth for creatures like me. Unwanted. They call it Half. I dreamed about it, I saw this place during my long nap. — This decision is not mine. — Wear the Crown of that Made scum over there. — Vesperus nodded at Nesta. — You could force a path to realize your vision, clearing the minds of those before you. Bryce had no idea what Vesperus meant, but he responded coldly:

— You had plenty of time to come up with justification for all your actions, didn't you? — We are superior beings. We don't need to justify anything. — You would fit in perfectly on Midgard. — If Rigelus has been in power for so long, then your world is under his total control. He will not abandon you. He must have learned from the mistakes my companions and I have made in this world and others. Bryce clenched his fists. The strength I needed to exert to maintain his power under control coursed through his body.

Vesperus' gaze darted to Bryce's glowing fist. — So it's time for us to fight?

The asteri's power vibrated, a steady beat against Bryce's skin. Vesperus had not died, even after being deprived of her magical sustenance for so long. What would happen if that huge primalux core beneath the asteri palace in the Eternal City was taken away, other than removing their source of nutrition? It wouldn't be enough. So Bryce let some of his power shine through the surface. She could have sworn her starlight was... heavier. Different, somehow, with the addition of what she had claimed from Silene. “I know you can die,” Bryce said, and felt power shining in his eyes. “The fae already killed you once, you bastards. And in my world, Apollion ate one of you. - He ate? — Vesperus seemed less satisfied.

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Bryce smiled slowly. —They call him the Star Eater. He ate Sirius. He

It's ready, waiting to come and eat you too. — It's a lie. — I wish I could show you the empty throne that Rigelus still holds for Sirius. It gets to be cute. —What kind of creature is this Apollion? — We call them demons, but you may know them by some other name. Your kind tried to invade their world, Hell. It didn't go well for you. “Then Hell and this Apollion will pay for such sacrilege,” Vesperus hissed. — Look, I don't think you'll be the one to make them. Vesperus' fingers tapped the gold-plated knee. His eyes turned blue as night, with the promise of death. She placed her hands on the floor and began to push herself up to stand. “Don't move,” Bryce warned, closing his hand on the handle of his Aster. Azriel and Nesta pointed their blades at the asteri. But Vesperus completed the movement. He stood up. Bryce had no choice but to do the same. Vesperus staggered, but remained standing. The asteri took a small step, testing it. Bryce stood his ground. Vesperus took another step, now more firmly, and smiled at Bryce. For Azriel, with the Revealer of Truth. — You don't know how to use it, do you? Azriel pointed his dagger at the advancing asteri. — I'm sure this tip is what I'm going to stick in your guts. Vesperus laughed, her dark hair bouncing with each step she took. — Typical of your species. They want to play with our weapons, but they have no idea what they can do. Your mind couldn't contain all the possibilities at once. Azriel growled softly, spreading his wings. - Let's see then.

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Vesperus took another step, standing just a foot away from Bryce. — I can smell it... we create so many things here that we can't they've been used. Ignorant fools. Bryce let his magic flow. One thought, and her hair floated around her head, carried once more by the currents of her power, still amplified by what she had captured on the mountain. She tilted the Aster before her, light rippling along the blade. Vesperus took a half step back, hissing at the gleaming weapon. —We hid niches of our power throughout this land, in case the worms caused... trouble. It seems that our wisdom has not let us down. — There's nothing like that around here — replied Azriel coldly. - No? — Vesperus opened a wide smile, showing all his very white teeth. — Have you looked under every sacred mountain? In their roots? Magic attracts all types of creatures. I can feel them, gliding, feeding on the magic. My magic. They are as much vermin as the rest of you. Bryce was careful not to look at Nesta, who was walking around the crystal coffin. Nesta had stated before that the Worm of Middengard had consumed her power. Could this be the type of creature Vesperus mentioned? And perhaps more importantly: Was Nesta still weakened? Or had his power returned? Bryce gripped Aster tighter. The power of the sword reverberated in the palms of his hands like the beat of a heart. —But why store your power here? It's an island... not exactly an easy place to access. — Certain places, girl, are better suited to holding power than others. Places where the veil between worlds is thin and magic erupts naturally. Our light thrives in these environments, supported by the regenerative magic of the earth. — She gestured around them. — This island is a tenuous place... the mists around it declare so. Bryce continued, giving Nesta more time to get closer to Vesperus.

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— We have nothing like this on Midgard. But didn't they have it? The Quarter of Bones, surrounded by impenetrable mists, contained all of secundalux. “Everyone has at least one soft spot,” Vesperus said slowly. —And there are always people better suited to explore it... to claim its powers, to travel through them to other worlds. The Northern Rift was also shrouded in mist, Bryce noticed. A space between worlds — a tenuous place. And the riverbank where she had landed in this world... was also shrouded in mist. “Theia had the gift,” said Vesperus, “but she didn't understand how to claim the light. I made a point of never teaching during her training... how she could light up entire worlds if she wanted, if she harnessed the power to amplify her own. But you, Thief of Light... she must have passed the gift on to you. And it looks like you learned what she couldn't. Vesperus looked down at his bare feet, at the rock beneath. — Theia never discovered how to access the power I stored beneath my palace. She had no choice but to leave him there, buried in the veins of this mountain. Bad luck for her... lucky for me. Oh, gods. There was a fucking primalux core there, right below her feet... Vesperus smiled. — You should have killed me when you had the chance. The light went up the asteri's legs, penetrating its body. One blinding flash and then...

Vesperus's red mouth opened with joy and triumph, but no sound came out. Just dark blood. Bryce blinked at the noise. The wet jet. The silver glow that appeared between Vesperus's glistening breasts. The primalux that was climbing up the asteri's body trembled. And disappeared. Nesta had thrust the Ataraxia right into Vesperus's chest.

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Ithan didn't deserve to exist. Breathe. And yet, there he was, sitting in the seat of a car approaching the docks of Ionia. There he was, praying that the Doe hadn't given them all away and that the ship was waiting to take them to Pangera. Killer of yours. Assassin. The thoughts echoed in his bones.

Ithan had killed the only one who could lead the Valbaran wolves to a different future, an alternative to Sabine. It didn't matter that it was accidental. He had torn her neck. And when he removed his fist, he decapitated her. To save his friends, he had done an unspeakable and unforgivable thing. He was no better than the Doe. Ithan caught a glimpse of his reflection in the car window and quickly turned around. ***

Ataraxia had killed the Worm of Middengard. But there was no indication that the blade was also capable of killing an asteri.

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That anything, in any world, would be capable of, except Apollion. — Get away from me... — Bryce warned Nesta, but the warrior growled at Bryce. —She was making you talk until she had the opportunity to kill you with that hidden light, you idiot. Dark blood dripped from Vesperus' lips. — You really are an idiot, girl. Power escaped Bryce's hands as Vesperus placed his hand on the tip of the Ataraxia and pushed it. The sword pierced his chest. The movement was strong enough for Nesta to stumble, the shock turning her face pale. Vesperus turned around slowly. He smiled at Nesta. Then to the hole between her breasts, already healing. All that primalux was cutting-edge healing magic. When absorbed in such a large dose... — The Ataraxia didn't work — Nesta whispered, the shock still written on her face. - The treasure... —Do not invoke the Treasury — ordered Azriel. — Don't bring him near her. Nesta shook her head. - But... — Not even to save our lives — warned Azriel. "Ah, I'll get the Treasure soon," said Vesperus, and looked to the hole above his coffin, to the ruined chamber beyond. For a moment, Bryce was not in the tomb, but in the Griffin Antique Shop. In the blink of an eye, she was in the library below the gallery, Micah kept under control, Lehabah begging her to go... She found a way. She killed a damn archangel. There were two blades that practically screamed for her to use. Bryce reached out his hand again, full of his will, to Azriel. And just like Aster, the Truth Revealer flew from his hands. He tried to grab her, but not even his quick movements could stop her. To stop Bryce as the knife flew towards his fingers.

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The hilt of the dagger rested in her hand, cold and heavy. The female's body began to hum. How to have a blade in each hand — the Aster and the Revealer of Truth — electrified her. Bryce took a step toward Vesperus, who took a step back. little. As Bryce suspected he would. Behind her, Nesta and Azriel fired twin beams of magic, one silver and one blue, arcing toward Vesperus from two directions. Dividing Vesperus' attention for a second... According to the one Bryce had used to kill Micah. According to the one he now used to attack the asteri, with the sword in one hand and the knife in the other. Bones collided with metal and Vesperus screamed in rage as Bryce plunged the Truth Teller and Aster into his chest. Bryce threw his power at Aster, light coursing through the blade. dark, wanting her to destroy this damn monster... She placed her desire on the Truth-Revealer, and the shadows flowed... And where the two blades met, where Bryce's light met merged, power met power. The sounds became muffled. Magic like lightning surged through her, from her. The chamber rippled, a restrained rumble echoing through Bryce. His blood roared, a beast howling at the moon. I was vaguely aware of a glow, a radiant light that flowed through Aster, the dagger... Vesperus struggled, moving out of Bryce's reach and falling to her knees. The asteri bent over, her hands gripping the hilts of her blades. She he hissed as his skin touched the black metal. — I'm going to kill you for this.

But the words were slow... slurred. No, it was time that was slowing down, undulating, as it had with Micah, as if the blades were killing the asteri, a presence of great power in the world... A whip of blue magic shot across the world, a ribbon of cobalt piercing primalux and darkness. She could see every bond

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and spiral wrapped around Vesperus' neck. Time returned, speeding up to its normal pace. - Stop! shouted Bryce, but it was too late. Vesperus brought her hand to her neck as Azriel's blue light dissolved into her skin. She gave a strangled laugh as blood leaked from her mouth. —Still so ignorant. Your power is and will always be mine. Blue magic appeared at her fingertips, absorbed by the Illyrian attack. She wrapped one hand around it like a glove and grabbed the Aster's handle. As if this provided the barrier he needed, allowing him to touch the blade, Vesperus tore away the Aster and dropped it on the rocks, covered in blood. No... it hadn't worked. The sword and the dagger united do not Mataram.

With her hand glowing blue, Vesperus looked at the knife still in her chest and then smiled at Bryce as she wrapped her fingers, still surrounded by lightning, around the hilt. “I'm going to carve you with this, girl. Nesta twirled Ataraxia in her hand and lifted it. Azriel shouted at her, “Throw your power at the blade! - No! shouted Bryce. Aster and the Truth-Revealer had weakened the asteri. If she could figure out how to amplify that power, she could kill them all... Vesperus had just gently plucked the Truth-Revealer from her chest when the Ataraxia sliced through flesh and bone, dark blood—or whatever ichor flowed through an asteri's veins—spraying out. Vesperus's dark head fell onto the rocks. The Ataraxia was engulfed in silver fire as Nesta drove the blade into the asteri's fallen head. Again. And again. Ichor and light leaked from the shattered body, and between one stab and another, Nesta's arm slowed down, slowed down, slowed down... It was time slowing down again. Bryce could see every spark of silver flame that surrounded the blade reflected in Nesta's eyes.

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The sword came down for the last time on Vesperus' head. Inch by inch, breaking bones and spilling blood... Time returned to normal, but Vesperus did not. Vesperus, the only asteri left in that world, was dead. ***

There was a small boat waiting for them. So far, so good. Tharion couldn't bear to look at Ithan. Not for anyone from his friends, not even to the elves, who did so much for him. The captain waved, a silent order for them to hurry while they were still protected by the darkness. Dawn was beginning to turn the sky gray. They abandoned the car at the end of the pier and walked quickly towards the small boat. Once they were on the Freighter of the Deep, they could no longer be tracked, even if the Viper Queen had followed the car there. Tharion reached into his pocket and touched the white stone that would summon the ship. Dec, Flynn and the goblins jumped into the boat, Dec was talking quietly to the captain, but Holstrom stopped at the edge of the dock. Tharion approached him silently. The waters were clear, even at six meters deep. He he could jump there, enjoying the cool water of the ocean... He dared not send a wave across the waters of the world announcing your presence. Coward. Flynn called out to them, “Come on, idiots!

Tharion looked at Ithan, but the wolf stared at the eastern horizon. The rising sun. — Ready? — asked Tharion. “I have to go back,” Holstrom said harshly. - What? — Tharion turned to him. - Like this? The wolf slowly turned to face him, his gaze dark. Tharion felt the weight of guilt for what he had done to this male, making Holstrom fight for him.

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— To the City of the Crescent Moon — Ithan said, his expression impassive — I have to go back. - Why? —Holstrom! Ketos! — Dec shouted as the boat's engine revved. Ithan just said quietly. — To do the right thing.

A tremor of muscles and a wave of light, and the human form turned into a huge wolf.

— Ithan... — Tharion began. The wolf turned and ran down the pier, back into the barren field, golden in the growing light.

Flynn shouted, “Holstrom, what the fuck! But the wolf had already reached the shore. Then to the main building from the marina. Then to the next alley... and finally he disappeared. Silence dominated, interrupted only by the roar of the engine. Tharion turned to the boat, to the two friends on board, the elves shining like three small stars between them. —What the fuck was that? demanded Flynn. Tharion shook his head, without saying anything, and climbed into the boat. It was all his fault. He raised his face to the sky as the boat moved toward the open sea and wondered if he would ever see Valbara again. If he deserved to see her.

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Bryce couldn't move for a few moments. Vesperus was dead.

Nesta moved her hand and the creature's body burned with her strange silver fire. When the asteri was reduced to ash, Bryce picked up the sword and knife from the ground, both blades dripping with Vesperus' blood. She turned to Nesta and Azriel. — You shouldn't have killed her. If we could keep under control, we could extract a lot of information... — Do you have any idea what you almost did here? — Nesta raged, covered in Vesperus's dark ichor. She was still holding Ataraxia, as if she hadn't yet decided whether she was done killing. —What caused it? — Believe me, I know better than you what the asteri can do. —Then you have even fewer excuses for your actions— countered Nesta. His sword rose. Azriel reached his scarred hand out to Bryce, panting. — Open the passage from here. You will come back with us. Now same.

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To that cell under a different mountain. Where she had no doubt that she would be subjected to the interrogation that Vesperus should have received. Bryce snorted.

— I'm going to Hell. — Debris began to float around her. — You killed the only person here who could have given me the answer I needed. — You're looking for a way to kill the daglan. Well, I just killed that monster,” Nesta said. —Isn't that answer enough? — No — said Bryce — You just left me with a lot more doubts. She let her power flow from the star on her chest. From the Horn in your back.

“Don't you dare,” Azriel warned with lethal gentleness.

But Bryce pushed back some of his power. Sharp and accurate, like Silene had used to carve the stones. How Azriel had focused his own power on her star before. The light cut through the stone and sizzled, a line literally drawn at Azriel's feet. Whatever changed in his power with the addition of Silene's magic... Damn. It would be very useful. “I'm not going to tell them about you,” Bryce said coldly, even though part of her was amazed at the laser she had created from the purest magic. Another part of her shuddered at the sight, the power eerily similar to the one Rigelus had used against her before leaping through the Eternal Palace Gate. — I swear on my partner's life. Even if Rigelus…” She shook her head. — I won't say a word to them about this place. Azriel dared to step over the line she had thrown onto the ground. — They will get this information out of you. People like me, like them... we always get the information we need. — His gaze darkened with the promise of endless pain. "I'm not going to let it get to that point," Bryce said, and sent his scorching power through the star again, straight into Harry's sarcophagus.

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glass.

Crystal like the Gate that opened the way to this world. The sarcophagus glowed... and then darkened into a hole. — Please — Azriel asked, his gaze looking at her hands. The Aster... and the Revealer of Truth. Something like panic filled his brown eyes.

Shaking his head, Bryce backed away toward the hole he had made in the world. In the universe. She prayed that it would take her to Midgard. She looked into Nesta's eyes. A furious silver fire flickered there. — You're a monster, just like them — Nesta accused. Bryce knew. She always knew. — It's just that love does that to us. Silver flames roared toward her like a tidal wave, but Bryce was already leaping, blades in hand as he moved. A cold like he had never felt before passed through his head, his spine... And then the light of Nesta's silver flame went out as the gate closed above Bryce, nothing but darkness surrounding her as she sank deeper and deeper into the pit. Back home.

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Pollux and the Falcon had been gone for hours, along with Rigelus, and Hunt was no closer to knowing who they would choose to kill. I was betting on Baxian, but there was a good chance Pollux realized Bryce would be devastated if they killed Ruhn. If Bryce ever came home to the news. He was surprised and distraught when he regained consciousness and noticed a familiar weight growing on his back. All he had to do was look at Baxian and discover the origin: somehow, both of their wings were growing again at high speed, despite the Gorsian shackles. Someone must have injected them with something to speed up this healing—not that that was a good sign. He wondered if his captors had realized that an itch that never went away would be as terrible a torture as whips and irons. Gritting his teeth and trying to ignore it, Hunt squirmed, arching his spine as if to help ease the unrelenting sensation. He would give anything, anything, for a little scratch... —Orion. — Aidas' voice sounded in his head, in the chamber. A cat with eyes resembling a blue opal stone was crouched on the floor, amidst the blood and waste. The same one Rigelus had used to trick Hunt months before.

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— Aidas... or Rigelus? — Hunt grunted. Aidas was smart enough to understand that Hunt needed proof. The demon prince said, “Miss. Quinlan met me on a park bench outside the Temple of the Oracle when he was thirteen. I asked her what blinds an Oracle. So it was him, and not some trick of Asteri's. “Bryce,” Hunt groaned. — I'm looking for her — Aidas informed. Hunt would be able I could have sworn the cat looked sad.

—What does Rigelus want with my lightning? Aidas's tail swung. “So that's why he's trying so hard to destroy you. — He threatened to kill one of them if I didn't give him some lightning. — Hunt nodded at Ruhn and Baxian. Aidas was indignant. — Don't do this, Athalar. - Too late. He has already harvested some in a crystal like primalux. And the son of a bitch is still going to kill one of them. Aidas's blue eyes filled with concern, but the prince said nothing. Then Hunt asked again, "What does he want with my lightning?" — If I had to guess... I would say that for the same reason that Sofie Renast's lightning was sought after: to resurrect the dead.

Hunt's head swam. — My lightning doesn't do that kind of thing. We didn't even know Sofie's lightning did that. Aidas was left without a reaction.

— Well, apparently Rigelus thinks both lightning sources are capable of doing this. — How did you get this information? We hadn't figured it out, and we spent weeks trying to find information to

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respect for Sophie. — Hunt tried to clear away the confusion in his mind. No, he knew that wasn't possible. — I don't sit around waiting for you to contact me — argued Aidas. — My spies listen to the rumors whispered in Midgard... and when I find something worrying, I investigate. —So the Queen of Rio was hunting for Sofie to... get involved. with necromancy? Why not go to Quarteirão dos Ossos? — I don't know what the Queen of Rio wanted. Hunt searched his memory for what had happened to Sofie's corpse after they found it in the morgue aboard the Freighter of the Deep. What had Cormac done to him? Was it still on the ship? And if so, did the Queen of the Ocean know what she had in her hands? He was seething with doubts, but one stood out. —Wouldn't it have been easier for Rigelus to go after Sofie's body? Why bother coming after me? — You appeared quite conveniently for him, Athalar. Not to mention the fact that you're alive and easier to command than a corpse. — I know some archangels who would have different opinions on this. Aidas's mouth twitched upward, but he replied, "It must be some time before Rigelus discovers how to wield the lightning he extracted from you." But I must admit that I am... distressed to hear about this new experiment of his. It doesn't bode well for any of us if Rigelus is getting involved with The deads.

- Because now? Hunt asked. — For the love of Urd, do centuries that I have been enslaved.

— Maybe they finally discovered what your father created you to be. Even the terrible itch on my back was forgotten at these words. —What the hell does that mean? But Aidas just shook his head. — That story is for another time, Athalar.

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— That story is for now, Aidas. Cryptic mentions about my father, the black crown, secrets about my powers... — They don't mean anything if you don't get out of these dungeons.

—Then stop emerging from the shadows and find a key. - I can't. My body is not real here. — It was quite real in Quinlan's apartment. —That was a portal, a summons. This is more for... a cell phone call. —Then send one of your little friends through the Sunrise Rift. North to help us... — It's too far from Nena. They wouldn't arrive in time to make any difference. You will get the answers you want, Athalar, I promise. If you survive. But if the Asteri can use their lightning to resurrect the dead, in a faster and less limited way than in traditional necromancy, then the armies they can create... — You're not helping me feel better about giving up some of my power to them. — A little more guilt to burden his soul. He didn't know how he hadn't let himself be destroyed by the weight of it all. — Try not to give in any more, then. — But Aidas looked with pity for him. — I'm sorry that one of your friends is going to die tomorrow. “Fuck,” Hunt said hoarsely. — Do you have any idea who they chose? Aidas tilted his head, more feline than princely. As if could hear things Hunt couldn't hear. — The one whose death will have the greatest impact on you and Bryce. Hunt closed his eyes. — The fairy prince. This was all Hunt's fault. I hadn't learned anything since the Fallen. And he would be at peace with accepting the punishment alone, but that others would have to be punished, that Ruhn... “I'm sorry,” the Gorge Prince said again, and he seemed to be serious. But Hunt said, his voice hoarse: — If you see her... if you see her again... tell her...

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Don't go back. Do not dare to enter this world of pain, suffering and misery. That he was very sorry for not stopping everything. “I know,” Aidas said, without needing Hunt to conclude first. to disappear into the darkness.

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Bryce had fallen between worlds. And yet, when he landed, he crashed into a wall. Apparently, magical interstellar travel didn't take physics into consideration. His head was throbbing and his mouth was so dry it hurt. The rough fibers of a rug scratched his cheek, muffling the sounds of an enclosed space. It was dry and a little moldy. The smell was familiar. — Look how interesting — said slowly a male voice in her language. It was the most wonderful sound Bryce had ever heard. Though perhaps it would have been better if the words had come from someone other than the Autumn King. He hovered over her, hands engulfed in flames. Above him, a golden orrery clicked and hummed. He had ended up in his father's private office. The Autumn King's lips curved into that familiar cruel smile. —And where have you been, Bryce Quinlan? Bryce opened his mouth, power gathering... And extinguishing itself.

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“You move fast for a damned old man,” she growled, straining against the Gorsian cuffs on her wrists. At least there were no chains attached to them, just the wrists of the handcuffs. But it was enough. Bryce couldn't even summon a flicker of starlight. The father knew. He walked over to the gigantic wooden table like If I had all the time in the world. In those initial seconds, when he landed there, in the worst place in the entire fucking world, he had not only nullified her power with those handcuffs— he had also disarmed her. Aster and the Truth-Revealer were now behind him, at the table. Along with her cell phone. Bryce lifted her chin, even though she remained seated on the floor. — Are Ruhn and Hunt alive? Something like disgust flashed in the Autumn King's eyes. As if such mortal bonds should be the least of her worries. — Lay your cards on the table, Bryce Quinlan. “I thought my name was Bryce Danaan now,” she teased. “To the detriment of the lineage, yes,” said the Autumn King with his hands. eyes sparkling. - Where have you been?

— There was a sale going on at the mall with free samples — Bryce joked, his voice monotone. — Are Ruhn and Hunt still alive? The Autumn King tilted his head, his gaze sweeping over the shirt. filthy and her leggings are torn. — I was informed that you were no longer on this planet. Where did you go?

Bryce refused to answer. The father gave a discreet smile. — I can connect the dots. You arrive from another world carrying a dagger that matches Aster. The dagger of prophecy, isn't it? — His eyes glittered with greed. — Which hadn't been seen since the First Wars. If I were to guess, I'd say you've managed to get to a place I've been wanting to go to for a long time. — He looked at the planetarium.

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“You might want to think twice before packing your bags,” Bryce said. — They don't really like jerks. — This trip hasn't changed your sharp tongue at all, from what I see. She smiled with an extra dose of sweetness. — You're still a pretty scumbag, from what I see. The Autumn King pursed his lips.

— I would be careful if I were you. — He left the table and walked

towards her. —No one knows you're here. — Taking his daughter hostage: what a big daddy.

— You are my guest here until I make the decision to free her. — When will it happen? — She batted her eyelashes with exaggerated innocence. — When I have the guarantees I'm looking for. Bryce tapped his chin in contemplation. — How about this... you release me and I don't kill you for being late? A low, teasing laugh. How had his mother once loved this cold-blooded reptile? — I have already reinforced the protections throughout the house and sent the servants and guards away.

— Does this mean we're going to have to cook it ourselves? The intensity on his face didn't lessen.

— No one will even know you're back in this world until I think it's time. — And then you're going to tell the asteri? — Her heart seemed to stop beating. I couldn't let that happen. The father smiled again. - It only depends on you. ***

Ithan ran without stopping to the east gate of Crescent Moon City, thousands of miles from the dock in Ionia where he had left Tharion and the others.

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Make your brother proud. He couldn't get on the boat. Ketos could have the ability to ignore the consequences of one's actions, but Ithan does not. Golden by the setting sun, Crescent Moon City was still bustling as ever, not knowing what he had done. How everything had changed. He followed the coward's path through the city, cutting through CiRo instead of heading straight to Istros through the Moonwood. If he met another wolf right now... He didn't want to know what he would do. What would you say.

Amid the hustle and bustle of rush hour, he was a nobody, but he still held his own in the alleys and side streets. He didn't look at Heart's Gate as he passed it, nor did he allow himself to look east toward Bryce and Danika's old apartment as he passed by. He just looked straight ahead, toward the approaching river. Towards Cais Preto at the end of the street. Although the chaotic crowd was moving through the night in the rest of the city, Cais Preto was silent and empty, shrouded in fog. Some people on the dock were crying on the benches nearby, but there was no one actually on the deck. Ithan couldn't look any harder into the mist, toward the Bone Quarter. He prayed that Connor wasn't looking at him from across the river. Ithan changed into his humanoid form before walking a block west along the pier. Ithan knew where the entrance was... everyone knew. Nobody ever went there, of course. Nobody dared. The huge black door was in the middle of a marble building of the same color — a facade. The building was made with an elaborate mausoleum in mind. The door was the focus, the main reason for its existence: it led not into the building, but underneath it. Nobody guarded the door. Ithan supposed it wasn't necessary. Anyone who wanted to rob this place deserved whatever they faced inside.

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Old, rough marks covered the black door. Like scratches carved by inhuman nails. In the center, an engraving of a horned humanoid skull engulfed in flames stared back at him. Ithan hit his hateful face once. Twice. The metal it creaked loudly. The door opened, silent as a tomb. On the other side, only darkness waited, a long, straight staircase into the pitch black. It could very well be Hell on Midgard. Ithan felt nothing, it was nothing, when he entered. While the door closed behind him, sealing him in a solid, never-ending night. Locking him inside the House of Flame and Shadow.

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If the Autumn King was indeed preparing the meals, then Bryce had to admit that he wasn't a bad cook. Roast chicken, green beans, and some sliced bread waited on the marble table in the vast dining room. Apparently she had arrived around three o'clock on a Friday afternoon. That was all he could get out of him as he took her from the office to a room on the second floor. I didn't say what the date was, or even the month. Or year. He felt shivers of nausea. Hunt had been trapped in the Asteri dungeons for years last time... Would he still be there? Would he even be alive? And Ruhn? And her family? There was nothing in the room to help her answer these questions. The place was an elegant—if dull—mix of marble and upholstered furniture in various shades of gray and white. Her father wanted her to be isolated from the world, and he did so: without television. No cell phone — not even a landline. A glamor glowed from the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking an indoor lavender garden, blocking the view from prying eyes. A glance toward the sky showed an iridescent bubble that hovered over the entire place — wards. Like those that the fae

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established to blockade the territory during the spring attack. But it was the pleading cries of the fae parents as Silene locked them out of their home world, leaving their children to the cruelty of the asteri, that echoed in Bryce's head. And there, sitting on the other side of the huge dining table with her father, hours later, after showering and putting on jeans, a T-shirt and a skin-tight navy blue sports jacket that he had given her — and was waiting for, with all my heart, that weren't things some hooker had left behind," Bryce asked, "So that's your plan?" Leave me locked in here until I die of boredom and tell you everything? Or is the idea to deprive me of information so that I can tell anything in exchange for some minimal news about Hunt? The father cut the chicken with a precision that served to inform him how he used to deal with his enemies. But he sighed. —Your hosts in the other world must have a good tolerance

for disrespectful nonsense, if you're still alive. — Most people call it charm. He took a sip of wine. - How much time you was there? — I want to know about Ruhn and Hunt. He took another sip. — A poor attempt to catch me by surprise and make me respond. — You know, just being a first-rate scumbag to withhold information like that. He put down his wine: — Here's how this will work: for every question I answer, you'll receive an answer to one of your questions. If I think you're lying, you won't get any response. — You know, I just played this game with someone even more horrible than you... shocking, I know... and it didn't end well for her. I think you'd better skip the questions and answers part and just tell me what I want to know.

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He just stared at her. I could sit there all night.

Bryce tapped his foot on the marble floor, weighing his options. — Dozen bombs.

—Did you really go to the fae homeworld? - Yes. A muscle twitched in his jaw.

— Athalar and Ruhn are still alive. Bryce tried not to let his relief show. - How long... He raised a finger. - My turn.

Idiot. — What was their world like? — I don't know... I only saw a cell and some tunnels and caves. But... it felt free. Of the asteri, at least. — And then, because she knew he would be irritated by this, she added: — The fae there are stronger than us. The Asteri take a part of our power through the Descent... it feeds them, sustains them. In this other world, the fey maintain all their power, in its purest form. She could have sworn his face paled, even in the flattering golden glow of the iron chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. This left her more satisfied than she thought she would be. — How long was I gone? she asked. - Five days.

Time passed similarly in both worlds, then. - AND...

—What did you discover while you were there? How to respond? Tell him the truth... — I'm still processing it. — That is not an acceptable answer. “I learned,” she replied, “that most fae, No matter what world they're in, they're a bunch of selfish idiots. He raised his eyebrows. And even? She crossed her arms.

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— Let's say I know a female who could sweep up assholes like you from the map without even breaking a sweat.

And yet Nesta hadn't done that to Bryce. I had thought it was luck, but was it possible that the female had restrained herself? Nesta was nothing like Silene or Theia. It didn't make any difference now, but Bryce still had a chip on his shoulder. — That still doesn't answer my question. There must be some reason why you ended up in that world... what did you learn? — Firstly, I ended up there by accident. And second, technically I answered your question, so be more specific next time. Something dark and lethal passed over her father's face.

- As... Bryce raised a finger mockingly. —What happened after I left? His father's whiskey-colored eyes flashed with anger at the sight of that finger, which conveyed the power and insistence of the right to speak. It must be an even more irritating sight when coming from a female. But he seemed to contain his anger and said, full of smugness, as if he were relishing the bad news as much as she had when she announced: — The Asteri threw Athalar and his brother into the dungeons, and managed to prevent others from knowing what happened in the palace. They only informed those of us who needed to know. — He finished the wine. —Did you bring these fae back to Midgard? — Did you see any fae come here with me? — He didn't need to know that she hadn't left on good terms. Azriel could very well have killed her if she had stayed a little longer. Bryce rested his forearms on the table, his Gorsian cuffs clicking against the cold marble. — So you've known for five days that Ruhn has been in the Asteri dungeon and you haven't done anything to help him?

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— Ruhn deserves everything that comes his way. He chose his own destiny. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palm. — Holy shit, but he’s your son. — I may have others.

— Not if I kill you first. — A familiar white mist dominated her vision. The father smiled, as if sensing the fey's primal fury — but an anger that is above all human.

— You are so much like your mother. - He smiled. - Do not want Know where she ended up? — I know very well that you wouldn't be able to avoid telling me if something had happened. I would have great pleasure in doing that. Why did the Asteri keep Hunt and Ruhn alive? — I believe it's my turn. — I believe it's my turn. Don't you want to know where she ended up? counts as a question, asshole. The father blinked, as if, despite himself, he found it amusing — and was impressed. - Right then. — Why did they keep Ruhn and Hunt alive? — I imagine to use them both against you, although I can't be sure. — He poured himself more wine, the dim sunlight coming through the windows making the liquid glisten like fresh blood. — Tell me more about this knife... is it the one from our prophecies, Aster's sister? — Herself. They call her the Revealer of Truth. — He opened his mouth again, but she banged her fingers on the table. The best thing to do would be to explore the terrain, get an idea of where possible allies were, and if they had survived. — How many does Ophion have? — No attacks since the one in the laboratory. They are very lacking. For all intents and purposes, Ophion is over. Bryce suppressed a shudder. The Autumn King drank the wine again. At this rate, I would drink the entire bottle before sunset ends. — How did the Revealer of Truth end up in your hands?

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— I stole it. — She gave a discreet smile when she saw his face.

I dislike him. — And my other friends... are they all alive? — If you considered traitor Cormac a friend, then no. But the rest of them, from what I hear, are alive and well. — Bryce was shaken. Cormac was—” “Did you steal the dagger to fulfill the prophecy?” She shrugged with all the nonchalance she could muster and put down her fork. — I'm tired of this game. Cormac was dead. Would he have died that day in the laboratory, or would it have been later — perhaps in the Asteri dungeons, during interrogation? Or did they just send the male home to his shitty father and let the King of Avallen make mincemeat of him for dishonoring the family? The Autumn King smiled as if he had won.

— Then you are dismissed. See you tomorrow. She ignored the searing pain of grief to say: — Fuck you. He just tilted his head and went back to eating in silence. ***

Ithan descended the steps of the House of Flame and Shadow in such darkness that not even his wolf eyes could penetrate it. He didn't know what awaited him at the end of the stairs, he had never heard anything about it. But I knew I was out of options. He couldn't say how long he went down the stairs, the air thick and dry around him. Like a tomb. The sound of sneakers on the steps echoed off the black walls. My eyes burned from the effort of trying to see something, without success. If the steps ended in a fall, he would have no way of knowing. I wouldn't be warned. And he really had no warning. But not for a fall. The metal creaked, and his skull along with it, as Ithan hit a wall.

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wall. He backed away, cursing... A light, golden and faint, appeared in the darkness of the stairs. It wasn't a wall. It was a door, and beyond it, silhouetted by the light, was the slender figure of a female. Even before he could make out her face, he recognized the voice. Malicious, refined, bored. — A nice way to knock on the door — commented Jesiba Roga, in a drawling voice.

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Jesiba Roga led Ithan through an underground hall of black stone, lit only by fires crackling in fireplaces shaped like fanged mouths that roared. In front of these fireplaces rested drakis of various shades, vampires drinking goblets of blood, and daemonakis in suits typing on laptops. In a strange way, this place was... normal. Like a private club. In fact, it was actually a kind of private club. The headquarters of any House was always open to all members. Some chose to live there, especially the workers responsible for the House's daily procedures. But some came just to walk, to meet or to rest. Ithan, to his embarrassment, had never been to the headquarters of Lunathion's House of Earth and Blood. He also never went to the main headquarters, in Hilene. Bryce had been there as a child, he remembered, but Ithan couldn't remember the details. Ithan followed Jesiba down the long hallway, past people who barely glanced in his direction, and then through a set of black wooden double doors carved with the House's symbol, a skull with horns.

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I couldn't say what I expected. A council chamber, some fancy office... But not the elegant onyx bar, lit with a deep blue light, like the heart of a flame. A jazz quartet played on a small stage under an arch at the back of the space, the several high tables—all adorned with votive glass of that blue light—facing the direction of the music. But Roga went straight to the obsidian glass bar with golden stools. A female draki with golden scales, wearing a transparent black dress, was working at the bar and nodded towards Roga. The sorceress nodded discreetly as she sat down and patted the bench next to her, ordering Ithan: — Sit down. Ithan glared at the sorceress when he noticed the reference to his dog nature, but he obeyed anyway. A moment later, the bartender slid two dark glasses towards them, both with smoke coming out of them. Jesiba turned hers around, smoke escaping from her mouth as she said, “When the doormen told me that Ithan Holstrom was coming down the front steps, I thought they had smoked too much radish.” Ithan looked at the dark glass, the amber liquid that looked and smelled like whiskey, even though he had never seen whiskey giving off smoke. — Call it fumarshow — said Roga slowly. — Whiskey, ginger grated and a little draki magic to make everything more chic. Ithan took her at her word and turned at once. The drink It came down burning — burning the nothingness that existed in it. — Well — Roga said — considering that you drank this like there was no tomorrow and the fact that you're here, I'm going to assume that things... aren't going well for you. — I need a necromancer. — And I need a new assistant, but you'd be surprised knowing that there is a shortage of competent professionals. Ithan didn't hide his furious look. - I'm serious. Roga signaled the bartender to bring another round.

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- Me too. Since Quinlan left me to work on the Fae Archives, I have paperwork coming out of the thief. Ithan was sure that the story between Bryce and Jesiba had been different, but he said: — Look, I didn't come here to talk to you... — Yes, but you were lucky enough that the doormen called me to take care of you, and not someone else. By now, one of the vampires would have already taken a cone. She nodded to the nearest high table behind them, where two beautiful blondes in skin-tight black dresses sat, no drinks in front of them. They were examining the people in the room, as if analyzing a menu. Ithan cleared his throat. — I need a necromancer — he repeated — right now. Jesiba sighed and nodded in thanks to the bartender as she slipped another smoke. — It's been too long since your brother died. —, is for someone else — It's not for my brother — someone replied Ithan. Jesiba drank slowly this time. Smoke was coming out of his mouth as she swallowed. — Whatever it is, doggy, I suggest accepting reality once and for all. — There's no way to accept reality at once — said Ithan. He could have sworn that the glasses rattled, that the jazz quartet stopped playing for a few moments, that the two vampires turned towards them. One look from Jesiba was enough for the room to resume its rhythm. —Who did you kill? — asked Jesiba, her voice so low it was almost inaudible. Ithan's throat constricted. He couldn't breathe... —Holstrom. —Her eyes shone like flames.

sconces behind the bar. There was no way to fix this, no undoing it. He was a traitor and a murderer and… — Who do you need to rebuild? — Roga's question was cold as ice.

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Ithan forced himself to look at her and face what he had done. —A lost Fendyr heiress. ***

“I guess we ate reheated leftovers last night, if that shitty yogurt you left on my doorstep today counts as breakfast,” Bryce said to the Autumn King as he plopped down in a red leather armchair and watched his planetarium go by. . Her father, sitting on the other side of the huge table, ignored her.

— How long are you going to keep me here? — Are we back to the question game? I thought you got tired of it last night. — He didn't look up from where he was writing, his red hair over his broad shoulders. She gritted her teeth.

— I'm just trying to calculate how much time I have left. His golden pen — a fountain pen, really — ran across the paper. — I will buy more food if the breakfast provisions were inadequate. Bryce crossed his legs, the leather chair creaking as he moved. reclining.

— Look at you, cooking your own food and shopping at the supermarket. Wow, I'd almost pass for a functional adult and not a spoiled brat. The fabric of his gray t-shirt stretched across his chest as he his shoulders tensed. Bryce pointed to the planetarium. — The Astronomer said you had a craftsman from Avallen do this for you. How chic. — The Autumn King's eyes narrowed when he heard about the Astronomer, but he didn't take his eyes off the paper. Bryce continued teasing: — He said the planetarium is for contemplating big questions about ourselves, like who we are and where we came from. I find it hard to believe that you spend the day here thinking about something so profound.

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The pen stopped moving on the paper. —The fae bloodlines have been weakening for generations. I dedicate my life's work to investigating why. This planetarium was built to seek an answer to this question. She blew on her nails. — Even more so after the beautiful girl here became a Princess Certified star, right? He gripped the pen so hard that Bryce was surprised. not to have ripped off the gold coating.

— Doubts about the weakness of our lineage left me have tormented you since long before you were born.

- Why? Who cares? He lifted his head finally, his eyes cold and expressionless. — I care if our people are getting weaker. If we become less than angels, shapeshifters, witches. —So it has to do with your ego. — It has to do with our survival. The Fae have a favorable position with the Asteri. If our power diminishes, they will lose interest in maintaining that position. Others will emerge to take what we have, predators surrounding the carcass. And the Asteri won't lift a finger to stop them. —And that's why you and Morven set up Cormac and me to get together? —King Morven also noticed this weakening. But he can afford to hide behind the mist of Avallen. Bryce drummed his fingers on the soft arm of the chair. — It is true that the asteri cannot penetrate the mist that near Avallen? — Morven is almost certain they can't. But I don't know if Rigelus has even tried to cross these barriers. — He glanced toward the tall windows to the left, toward the glow of glamor that hovered above the olive trees and lavender fields. The most barrier he could have to hide. Bryce considered the options and decided to jump in by asking: — Does the term tenuous place mean anything to you?

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He tilted his head, and it never stopped being bizarre to notice the when she herself was in the habit of doing the same thing. — No. What do you mean? — Just something I heard once. — It's a lie. You've heard of it on the Fae homeworld. Maybe it would have been better not to have asked. Perhaps it would be too dangerous to reveal this to him. Not for her, but for the world she had abandoned. Bryce stopped drumming his fingers, his hands resting on the cold, soft leather arm. — I only heard the expression, not the definition. He analyzed her, feeling that this was also a lie, but something like admiration flashed in his eyes. — Insolent until you can't anymore. Still seated, she made a half-curtsy. The Autumn King continued, lazily twirling the pen between his fingers: — I always knew your mother was hiding something about you from me. She tried so hard to hide you from me. — Maybe because you're a sociopath? He gripped the pen tightly again. — Ember loved me, a long time ago. Only something great would be capable of making this love end. Bryce rested his chin on his hand, his expression the most curious. innocence. — Like when you hit her? Something big on that level? The fire licked his shoulders, his long hair. But the voice remained impassive. — We don't need to pick at old wounds. I already said what I think about all this. — Yes, you regret it so much. So sorry that now he's doing exactly what she feared all along: locking me on her property. He pointed to the windows. — Have you ever stopped to think that here, hidden from the world and from prying eyes, you are safe? What if anyone on Midgard

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discovering that you returned, wouldn't it take long for the news to reach the Eternal Palace and you would be dead? Bryce put his hand to his chest. — I love that you're trying to pay off as a great savior... Seriously, congratulations on your effort, but let's stop this nonsense. I'm locked in here because you want something from me. What is it? He didn't respond and instead turned to adjust the settings on a prism-like device. Whatever changed caused sunlight to shine through the planetarium's planets. A prism—the opposite of what she had done with her power when she fought Nesta and Azriel. While she condensed the light, the prism dissipated it. She looked down at her hands, pale against the blood red of the leather armchair. He had been running on adrenaline, desperation and bravado. How had he managed to transform the light into a laser in those last moments in the faerie world? He had acted on pure intuition at the time, but now... perhaps it would be better not to know. Not to think about how its light seemed to get closer and closer to the destructive power of an asteri. “Ruhn tells me you've been holed up here all day, looking for patterns,” Bryce said, nodding at the planetarium, the prism device, and the collection of golden tools on the table. — What types of patterns? She and Ruhn had had a good laugh talking about this, about how the allpowerful Autumn King was nothing more than a conspiracy theorist. What does he think he's going to find out? Ruhn had asked, bursting into laughter. That the universe is like a gigantic tic-tac-toe game? Bryce's heart sank at the memory. The Autumn King wrote down something else, his pen scraping loudly too much in the charged silence. — Why should I trust a mouthy and indiscreet child to keep my secrets? — Is it a secret, then? So is this something controversial? Disdain appeared on his handsome face.

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— I once asked your brother to give me a seed of his starlight. - Disgusting. Don't call it that way. His nostrils flared. — I was able to use the small seed he was able to produce in a way that I found… beneficial. He tapped the gold-plated device that held the prism. — I didn't know that making rainbows on the walls was so important to you. He ignored her. — This device refracts light, separating it so I can study every facet of it. — He pointed to an identical artifact positioned right in front of the other. — This device brings it back together into a single beam. I'm trying to add more light in the process of putting it back together. If light can be

broken down and strengthened into its most basic form, there is a chance it could coalesce into a more powerful version of itself. She refrained from mentioning the blue stones Azriel wielded—how they condensed and directed his power. Instead, he spoke slowly, “And that's a good way to spend your time because...?” His silence was piercing.

— Let me see… — She started counting items on her fingers. — Asteri are made of light. They feed on primalux. You are studying light, its properties, beyond what science can already tell us... A muscle pulsed in his jaw. —Am I getting close? asked Bryce. — But if you have these kinds of doubts about the asteri, why not ask them right away? — She hummed in contemplation. — Maybe you want to use this against them? He raised an eyebrow. — Your imagination is really fertile. — Oh, very much. But you weren't interested in me at all when I was a child. And now, suddenly, when I revealed my magic light, you want me to be part of your fucked up family.

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— My only interest in you is in the lineage you will pass on. — A shame that Hunt complicates all of this. - More than you imagine. She interrupted herself, but didn't take the bait and didn't ask any questions. He continued to guide him through his ramblings, counting again on his fingers. — So your daughter has light powers, you are interested in light patterns... you want the information to be hidden from the asteri... — She laughed, finally lowering her hand. — Oh, don't even try to say no — she teased when he opened his mouth. — If I had wanted to help them, I would have already handed myself over to them. The Autumn King smiled. It was terrifyingly beautiful.

— You really are my daughter. More than Ruhn ever was. — That's not a compliment. — But she continued, not bothering to bother him with her guesses. — You want to know if I can kill them, don't you? The asteri. If the Starry light is different from their light, and how is it this difference. That's where the planetarium comes in: contemplating where we came from... what kind of light we have, how it can be used as a weapon. His nostrils flared again.

— And did you learn these things on your journey? Bryce slapped his wrists with Gorsian cuffs. — Just take this off and I can show you what I learned. He smiled and picked up the prismatic device again. - I am going to wait.

She hadn't thought for a second that this would work; but it seemed like he knew that too. It was like a game, a dance between them. Bryce nodded toward where he had left Aster and Truth Teller on the table the day before. According to Ruhn, it was rare that the Autumn King dared to touch the sword. It seemed to be true, as he hadn't moved the blades since Bryce's crash landing. — Let's talk about how I managed to add another point to my Magical Starry Princess list: I combined the sword and the knife. Prophecy fulfilled.

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"You know nothing about this prophecy," said the Autumn King, and returned to his work. She asked in a sweet voice: — So my interpretation is wrong? When knife and sword are reunited, so will our people. Well, I went to our old world. I met some people. I made them remember our existence. I came back here. So there are two people brought together. He shook his head in pure disgust. — You know as little about these blades as you do about their true nature. She yawned exaggeratedly. — Well, I know that only the Chosen One can wield the blades. Wait... Does that mean you can't? As far as I remember... only Ruhn and I have Chosen cards. — Ruhn doesn't have the raw power to handle these things the right way. - But, I yes? —she asked in an innocent voice. -That's why I'm here? Shall we cooperate in some sort of training setup so I can take down the asteri for you? — Who said I want to get rid of the asteri? — You tried really hard not to mention how you feel about them. One moment he's protecting me from them, the next he's trying to make the fae get along with them. What is the right option? — Can't it be both? - Clear. But if you got rid of the asteri, you would have more power than any other scheme involving my marriage to Cormac. He adjusted a button on his device, making the light shift a millimeter to the right. —Does it matter who is in power, as long as the fae survive? - Hum yes. One option is a parasitic plague in this world. I think we can pass this one. He dropped the device again. — Explain that... parasite. You mentioned something about the asteri to take part of our power through the Descent.

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Bryce pondered. He held her gaze, seeing that she was having an internal debate. But who would he tell? At that time, the more people who knew, even the stupidest ones, the better it would be. That way there would be no way the secret would die with her. And after all the shit she had learned and been through passed... perhaps it would be good to put all the cards on the table. So Bryce told him. Everything he had learned about the asteri, their history, their feeding patterns, primalux and secundalux. Gods, it was even worse when said out loud. She stopped talking and leaned back in the chair. —So we're basically a big buffet for the asteri. He was quiet and attentive while she told him the details, but Then he said, in a calm voice: — Perhaps the Asteri have been taking too much, for too long, from the weakened. generation of our people. This is why the bloodlines have after generation. — He spoke more to himself than to her, but his eyes locked with Bryce's as he continued: — So all the water on Midgard is contaminated. — I don't think a filter will help you, if that's what you're thinking. He looked irritated at her. — But don't the fey of the other world suffer from this?

— No. The Asteri hadn't developed this nasty method of theft when they occupied their world. — She rubbed her temples. —Maybe that sword and dagger can eliminate the parasite. — She murmured again, as if she was thinking about the matter. — Maybe you should let me impale you with them so we can see what would happen. "You'll never understand how they work," he said.

categorically. - And you go? — She let skepticism show in her voice. - As? — You're not the only one with access to ancient texts. Jesiba Roga's collection is just a fraction of mine... and a fraction of what

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exists in Avallen. I have studied the tradition long enough to draw some conclusions. - That's good for you. It's a genius. Fire crackled at his fingertips—the same flame he used to burn Ruhn as a child. She shook off that thought when he warned: — I wouldn't be so impertinent if I were you. Your survival depends solely on my good will. Heavy, intense nausea twisted her belly. Whatever game or dance they were involved in... this round could be his. — Gods, you are the worst. He picked up a nearby notebook and opened the green cover. It was full of scribbles. Your research records and ideas. There was a stack of papers underneath the notebook, also covered in his writing. Leafing through the notebook, his voice sounded emotionless as he said: - I am tired of you. You can go out.

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Hunt knew what was coming when the Falcon left the door to the dungeon open. I knew it would be bad when they were dropped on the filthy floor again. Ruhn grunted at the pain it caused in his arm. All this so that Hunt would do Rigelus' will. Undermining his determination little by little, making not only him, but the males at his side suffer as well, wearing him down until he reached the point where he begged them to stop, offered anything to make it end, to save them. .. “Get up, damn it,” ordered the Falcon from the doorway as Mordoc and several of his feral wolves entered the chamber. They didn't wait until Hunt obeyed the command before they grabbed him, the silver darts on their Imperial uniforms shining. Hunt bared his teeth. Some recoiled when they saw the expression on his face. In the presence of Umbra Mortis, still untamed. Even Mordoc, with all those silver darts stuck in his collar, paused, thinking. Hunt's legs shook and his body roared in pain, but he still stood up. The barely formed wings moved, trying to open in their angelic fury. As much as this was all his fault, he wouldn't give in without a fight.

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“Rigelus requests an audience,” the Falcon said slowly, tapping an invisible watch on his slender wrist. — Better not keep His Holiness waiting. Hunt had no idea how Ruhn or Baxian managed to stand beside him. But they did, amidst grumbles and hisses. A sideways glance at Baxian showed that the Hellhound's wings—already formed but still as weak as Hunt's—were folded defensively. Hunt didn't have much hope that any of them would keep their wings after that day. But losing them again would be better than losing Ruhn. Would Bryce ever forgive him if he let Ruhn die? Would he ever forgive himself? Hunt already knew the answer.

Mordoc pointed a gun at Hunt's head, and the other feral wolves followed suit with Baxian and Ruhn as they released the chains from the wall. Hunt caught Ruhn's agonized, exhausted gaze. How were they going to get up the short flight of stairs to where the Falcon was, dammit? It was nice meeting you, Athalar. The prince's voice was muffled. As if even the conversation between minds demanded too much of his energy. Or maybe it was all those Gorsian stones in them. But somehow... Ruhn seemed to know his fate. And not It felt like he was going to fight it. — One step at a time, friends — murmured Baxian as they reached the top of the stairs. Hunt hated having to put his hand on the cold wall to climb the steps. He hated his irregular breathing, the pain in his body, the effort it took to lift each foot. But he did what Baxian said. One step at a time. And then the Falcon was in front of them, still mocking. Mordoc and the feral wolves kept their weapons trained as the son of a bitch bowed mockingly. — This way, friends. Mordoc laughed, the bastard.

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Hunt trudged into the hallway, his head spinning. The thin broth and dry bread had made for a shitty meal. Quinlan would have made some shrewd comment about it. He could almost hear her saying to Falcon: Where's my pizza, bird boy? Hunt laughed to himself, and the Hawk looked at him over his shoulder, without to understand.

Ruhn stumbled, almost falling face first onto the rocks. The feral wolves advanced, lifting him before he fell for good. The prince's feet scraped and pushed lightly against the door as he tried to stand, but his entire body failed. Hunt could do nothing but watch two feral wolves dragging Ruhn like he was a fucking backpack. Maybe it was a mercy for Ruhn to die. Was a abominable thought, but... “Please, let's take the elevator,” Baxian murmured behind him, and Hunt laughed again. It was quite possible that he was on the verge of hysteria. “Shut the fuck up,” Mordoc growled, and Baxian grunted, no doubt because of a punch the feral wolf had thrown at his bruised body. Thank the gods, they were indeed led down the hall toward the elevator. As if on cue, the gold-plated doors opened to reveal the Doe in her immaculate uniform. “Good morning, boys,” she purred, her face cold as death as she held the door open with one slender hand. The other arm was in a sling, wrapped in many bandages. — Lidia — greeted Falcão slowly, and nodded to his injured arm. — How are the burns healing? Hunt limped into the elevator next to Lidia and looked at the Doe's sling. Would she have stopped acting rebellious and returned to her true self? Maybe he was using fire to persuade a prisoner to talk and got a little too carried away. Ruhn's expression remained as neutral as possible. He was on his feet again, slowly approaching the elevator.

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— Well. — Lidia leaned against the button panel, her golden eyes seeming to be on fire. She smelled Baxian and then said to Falcão: — Couldn't you have given them a bath before? “Rigelus said it should be right now,” replied the Falcon, pushing Ruhn inside. The prince hit the glass wall at the back of the elevator and fell to the floor with a groan. The Falcon reached out to push Baxian, but the Hellhound bared his teeth, and not even the Falcon would attempt any grace as the Hellhound positioned himself next to Hunt, limping discreetly. How much had changed since those years with Sandriel. And yet, so little. — Room for two — an irritated Lidia warned the feral wolves, and two impassive soldiers entered. Each had at least a dozen silver darts in the collars of their gray uniforms. Lidia ordered Mordoc: — Wait outside the bay, up there. Mordoc nodded, golden eyes glowing in anticipation of bloodshed, and growled something at the feral wolf unit that had them marching quickly towards the stairs. With fierce joy on his face, Mordoc set off with them. Lidia waited until the feral wolves and their captain left before taking her hand off the door. The elevator closed and began to slide upwards. They emerged from the underground levels, rising to the crystal palace above. A blinding light hit Hunt's eyes—daylight. His eyes, accustomed to the darkness, had difficulty focusing. He couldn't make out anything in the world around him. He raised a wing to block the light, the sharp pain in his body from the movement. Ruhn and Baxian hissed, also backing away from the light. The Falcon laughed.

— Just a taste of what Rigelus will do to you. The two feral wolves laughed with him.

Hunt squinted as he lowered his wing and met the asshole's eyes.

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- He is going to screw it up. — But no fucking way would these scoundrels do it?

beg and grovel, whether for his own life or for Ruhn's. Lidia said, in a soft voice: — You took the words out of my mouth, Athalar. Hunt looked, but not fast enough. Falcão certainly wasn't fast enough. And Hunt knew he would remember this moment forever: the moment Lidia Cervos pulled out her gun and fired right between the Falcon's eyes.

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All Ruhn noticed was the blinding light and then the explosion of gunfire. Three bodies fell to the ground. The Falcon, followed by two wolves feral. And in front of them, lowering the gun at her side... Lidia. — What the fuck was that? Baxian shouted. He did not know; Ruhn hadn't told him. Even though he was overshadowed by anger and hatred, he never risked sharing what he knew about Daybright's identity with anyone else who could betray her. Using her hand without a sling, Lidia pressed an elevator button. — We have one minute and thirty-five seconds to get to the car. — She pulled a set of keys from her pocket and knelt before Athalar. A little clumsily because of her bandaged hand, she first freed her ankles and then her wrists from the Gorsian cuffs. Then it was Baxian's turn. Ruhn blinked and she was in front of him, her eyes bright and clear. “Calm down,” she whispered. Her slender fingers brushed his skin and the Gorsian stone fell. Ruhn's magic surged, a wave of starlight rising within him. It stopped at the end of the arm. He was missing his fucking hand...

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He staggered. Lidia held him, lifting him with ease. But he didn't miss the grunt of pain from whatever this had done to her arm, now free from the sling. He was overcome by her scent, enveloping him and leaving him awake as she wrapped her arm around his waist to keep him upright. — How long has it been, Lidia? Baxian asked. — How long ago did you switch sides? — His face was pure shock. — Let's have time to chat about our rebellious past — she replied, her voice dry, watching the floor numbers pass by. — When the doors open, go to the left, then enter the first door, go down two flights, go through the door and, finally, get into the car. It should fit all of you... and the wings. — She looked over her shoulder, at Hunt and then at Baxian. — Are they healed enough to fly yet? Did the primalux injection work?

It was to her that they should thank for the healed wings, as preparation for escape? “Weak, but functional,” panted Baxian. — But you lost the judgment if you think we can leave... “Shut up,” she snapped, her good arm squeezing Ruhn's side before leaning him toward the door. — We only have a minute now. The elevator dinged and Ruhn knew he should have been bracing himself, just like Hunt and Baxian were, but he couldn't move his agonized, weak body even when the doors opened... Instead, Lidia moved him. She advanced down the corridor, almost dragging, and turned left, with Athalar and Baxian behind her. Dots flickered in Ruhn's vision, darkness gathering in the corners. She barely felt her feet moving, keeping them moving, while Lidia ran with them down the corridor to the door she had indicated, then the stairs... Ruhn stumbled on the first step and she was there, lifting him on her slender back and lifting him off the ground. Holy shit, she was carrying him, despite her injured arm. He might have died of embarrassment, if every movement hadn't made his arm hurt.

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They got out and went through the glass door to the elevated parking lot. A huge roofless jeep, which looked more like a tank, was waiting for them there, with a machine gun mounted on the back. — Baxian: machine gun — ordered Lidia as she dropped Ruhn into the passenger seat, the pain threatening to make him lose his already tenuous consciousness. The Hellhound didn't need to be told twice before he approached the machine gun. Athalar threw himself into the back seat, barely able to fit his wings. And then Lidia sat in the driver's seat. A hard stomp on the pedals when he engaged the gear and the car took off. The multi-level garage was crammed with military vehicles. Someone would see them, someone would come...

On a downward curve, Ruhn collided with the side panel, the impact reverberating painfully through his body as Lidia let the car skid, skid—and then accelerate, sending them flying down a ramp. Hunt chuckled, looking impressed. But he stopped laughing the next moment. It didn't take long for Ruhn to discover the reason. The guardhouse. There were six guards around her: two angels and four wolves. They had heard the car accelerate. They barely had time to notice Baxian at the machine gun. They didn't even manage to raise their rifles or summon their magic before the Hellhound fired a hundred bullets. Taking into account the angle of the ramp they were descending, they were well in their sights. Blood sprayed in a mist as Lidia passed them, the car running over their bodies with sickening thuds. She broke the barrier. They burst into the sunlight, but it brought no relief. They were in the middle of the city, surrounded by enemies. Ruhn couldn't breathe. A voice sounded on the radio. Declan Emmet's voice. — Daybright, are you listening?

Hot tears began to stream down Ruhn's face. Lidia sped the car across the long, wide stone bridge between the palace and the imposing iron gates at the end.

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There was another ominous guardhouse just ahead. “Listen, Emmet,” Lidia said into the radio, wincing as she had to take the steering wheel with her bandaged arm. Whatever happened to her must have been brutal if she was still in so much pain. Something in his chest tightened at the thought. — We are approaching the bridge gates. — Camera images are unstable. We lost sight of you in the elevator. Everyone there? — Dec asked. — Everyone here — said Lidia, looking at Ruhn. “Good damn thing,” Dec replied, and Ruhn choked on a sob. Then Dec said, “The camera is showing twelve guards at the gate. Don't stop, Daybright. Go. I repeat, go, go, go. They sped toward the guard post, heading straight for the line of soldiers with guns pointed at them. They seemed insecure when they saw Doe driving the car. Everyone knew that irritating her was synonymous with dying. — Lidia — warned Baxian. There were too many to shoot at the same time time, no matter how unsure they were about what to do. Lidia shifted the jeep into higher gear. The nearest soldier—an angel—catapulted himself into the sky, pointing his rifle at them. Athalar's lightning flashed, in a feeble attempt to stop the falling death. But it was Baxian, firing the machine gun again, who took down the soldier. The angel's wings spread as he fell, blood dripping in a ruby shower. Lidia advanced into the fighting, ducking as bullets flew. They broke through the barricade, the wood exploding, the crystal palace of the asteri looming behind them, a grim reminder of what they had escaped. And then they were past the gates, splinters of wood still falling into the jeep as they headed down the nearest avenue. Emerging from a random alley, a white van lined up with them, the door opening to reveal... — Where the fuck is your hand? — Tristan Flynn shouted to Ruhn over the gunfire, a rifle over his shoulder. He shot in the direction

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behind them, again and again, and Baxian swung the machine gun back, peppering the pursuing enemies with bullets. Ruhn was crying his eyes out. The van turned over.

— Shit! — Flynn shouted as he narrowly dodged a pedestrian, a draki female who screamed, throwing herself back against the wall of a building. The radio crackled again and a stranger's voice sounded.

— Daybright, free land in Meridan. Another voice:

— Free land in Alcene. Other: — Ready in Ravilis.

And so on. Eleven locations in total. Then a soft female voice said: — This is Irithys speaking. Prepared to set the Eternal City on fire. —What the fuck is going on, Lidia? asked Hunt, panting. They sped through the city's narrow streets, the van with Flynn forming a line behind them. Hunt grunted, “They're all Spine places. Athalar was right: each city mentioned was an important depot along the vital railway that held the imperial arms. Lidia didn't take her eyes off the road as she picked up the radio. — This is Daybright. Send everything to Hell, Irithys. Ruhn knew that name. He remembered three elves who only a few weeks ago had told Bryce that their queen, Irithys, would love to hear of Lehabah's courage. The Fire Goblin Queen, who was missing. — That's it — announced Irithys. And as they made another sharp turn onto a wide street, Ruhn's body yelping in pain as he collided with the car door again, an explosion erupted on the other side of town. An explosion so big that only someone made of fire could have caused it... In the distance, another eruption sounded.

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Ruhn could visualize it: a succession of orange and red explosions rising across the continent. One warehouse after another, all exploding and turning to ash. The Doe had destroyed Pangera's Spine with a fatal blow, unleashed by the fire of the lost Goblin Queen. Ruhn could not help but be struck by the symbolism of this, for the only race of Vanir who had been at Athalar's side throughout the Fallen rebellion had lit that fire. He caught a glimpse of Athalar's face—all the wonder, the sadness, and the pride that shone there. The entire earth seemed to be shaking from the impact of the explosions. Lidia said: — We needed a distraction. Ophion and Irithys offered us one. And, in fact, no pedestrian or driver looked at either the jeep or the van as they accelerated at full speed towards the city walls. All eyes turned north to the train station. Angels in imperial regalia flew there, blocking out the sun. Sirens sounded. Even though news of his escape had spread, the City Eterna and all of Pangera had more important things to deal with. — And Ophion needed a chance to survive — Lidia added. — As long as the Spine remained intact, they would be unable to gain ground. She had once told Ruhn that Ophion had been trying unsuccessfully to blow up the Spine for years. She, however, had succeeded. Somehow, she had done this... for all of them. They turned onto an even larger avenue that led out out of town, and Flynn's van pulled up alongside them again. — Leave the highway to us. Go to the port! he shouted. Lidia greeted the male and Flynn gave Ruhn a wink before the van pulled away and the fae lord closed the door. But ahead of them, at the gate that pierced the city walls, a light began to flicker. An alarm sounding above another guardhouse.

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From the huge stone arch, a metal grate began to descend, preparing to seal off the city. Arrest those responsible for attacking the station inside — or arrest them. The guards, all wolves in imperial uniforms, turned toward them, and Ruhn winced as Baxian fired before they could draw their weapons. People screamed along the sidewalks, fleeing into buildings and hiding behind parked cars. — We won't make it — shouted Baxian as Lidia got up. approached the guard post. — Lidia — avisou Athalar. — Get down! Lidia screamed, and Ruhn closed his eyes, sinking as the grate lowered at an alarming rate. Metal screeched and exploded right above them, the car rocking, shaking... Even so, Lidia continued driving. She advanced to the road beyond the city as the grate closed behind them. — It was close, don't you think? — Hunt shouted to Lidia, and Ruhn opened his eyes to discover that the machine gun had been ripped away. Baxian clung to the back of the jeep with all his might, a maniacal smile on his face. They had succeeded and, with the city gates closed, all the cars that patrolled on land had stayed inside. Exactly as Lidia should have planned. “That was the easy part,” Lidia announced, louder than the sound of the wind, and the jeep set off into the countryside, towards the olive groves and rolling hills beyond. Ruhn shifted from where he was leaning against the side panel. O His wrist was bleeding—the wound had reopened. Declan said over the radio: — Get me to talk to him. For an instant, Ruhn met Lidia's bright golden eyes. Then she held out the radio to him. All Ruhn could do was hold the radio with his good hand. And it was still good to be optimistic. He no longer had nails.

“Hey, Dec,” he groaned.

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Declan laughed loudly, as if holding back tears. — It's so fucking good to hear your voice. Ruhn closed his eyes tightly, feeling a lump in his throat. - I love you. I knew that?

— You can talk again when I see you, in an hour. You have quite a journey ahead of you. Put Daybright in line new. Ruhn handed the radio to Lidia silently, being careful not to touch her. To not look at her. “This is Daybright,” Lidia said, and Ruhn looked back. A column of smoke rose from the part of the city where the glass domes of the train station once shone. — Do you want the good news or the bad news first? — Dec asked over the radio. — The good ones.

— Most of the Imperial security forces are at the train station and the city is closed. Irithys managed to escape... She disappeared into the field. Who knows where he went. — I gave instructions on where to go... what to do — Lidia explained, her voice calm. But then he asked: — And what's the bad news? — Mordoc and two dozen feral wolves also managed to exit through the southwest gate before it closed. I think they found out you're heading to the coast. — Shit — cursed Athalar from the back seat. — And Flynn? asked Lidia. — Flynn is after them. Mordoc and company are crossing this road you are on. At that speed, they will reach you in ten minutes. Drive faster. — I'm already at maximum speed. —Then you'll have to find a way to get rid of them. Cold ran through Ruhn's body, in no way related to the injuries or bleeding on his arm. He dared to look at Lidia, to really look at her.

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She stared at the road ahead. The wind made strands of her golden hair come loose from the bun on top of her head. The expression on his face made it clear that he was thinking. Baxian said over the sound of the wind, “They're going to station every guard from here to the coast to watch the road. And they had just lost the machine gun. Lidia picked up the holster on her thigh and handed the gun to Athalar. - That's all we have? — demanded Athalar, counting the bullets. Ruhn didn't need to look to know there were no weapons around him. enough to help them cope with the situation. — If I had brought more, someone would have gotten suspicious — Lidia replied coldly. Declan's voice crackled over the radio: "What's the plan, Daybright?" Ruhn looked at her beautiful, perfect face. He observed the determination that dominated his features: — Send the boat to the coordinates we agreed on — he said. she to Declan. — Prepare the hatch for an air landing.

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The Autumn King spent the rest of the day holed up in his office, so Bryce took the opportunity to poke around the place. First in the kitchen, which was utilitarian enough to make it clear that it was built for a team of cooks. Luckily, the fridge was stocked with freshly prepared food. She helped herself to poached trout and herbed rice for lunch, along with a glass of the fanciest champagne she could find—taken from a refrigerator in the enormous wine cellar—and tried opening all the doors leading outside before settling for a walk through the halls of the house.

He passed white columns and soaring atriums, floor-to-ceiling windows and expertly hidden technological panels. She opened a few as she walked, hoping to find something that would connect her with the outside world, but all she had discovered so far were the controls for the underfloor heating, the automatic blinds, and the air conditioning. Bryce drank straight from the bottle as he wandered around the basement. Gym, steam room, massage room and sauna occupied one of the wings. In the other wing, he found an indoor pool, a projection room, and what appeared to be the Autumn King's security HQ.

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All computers and cameras were dark and locked. He couldn't activate them, no matter how hard he tried. He had thought of everything. Cursing him to the darkest of Hells, she wandered through the ground floor: a formal living room, the dining room, his study—doors closed in a silent message not to—the kitchen again, a parlor and a games room dare to enter

complete with pool and shuffleboard tables. None of the televisions worked. All I had to do was check to notice that the cables were missing. Also found no interweb routers. Bryce tried not to imagine his mother there, young and innocent and gullible.

Upstairs, the doors were left open to reveal several guest rooms, all as pretty and dull as hers. One wing was locked; It was certainly his father's private suite. However, the double doors at the end of the other wing had not been locked. When he opened it, he smelled a familiar aroma that made his chest tighten. spirit

Rock band posters still hung on the walls. The huge four-poster bed with black silk sheets was the only sign of princely wealth. Everything else exuded the rebelliousness of youth: ticket stubs taped to the mirror, a record of every show he'd ever been to. A closet full of black shirts, jeans and boots, mixed with discarded knives and swords. It was a time capsule, frozen shortly before Ruhn returned from Avallen after enduring his Ordeal and emerging victorious, with the Aster. Had he even returned there or found a new place to live, knowing that, with the sword, he had a certain advantage over his father? Or maybe things wouldn't have turned out that way. It is possible that the Autumnal King expelled him, out of pure envy and bitterness towards Aster. Or maybe Ruhn had left suddenly one day. He had never asked Ruhn about this. I hadn't asked so many things.

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She opened the desk drawers by the window and discovered a lighter, various drug paraphernalia, chewed-up cheap pens, and... His chest tightened as he pulled out the tube of silver nitrate balm. Good stuff, made by medwitches, to treat burns. He squeezed the plastic so hard it creaked. He carefully placed it back in the drawer and sank onto Ruhn's bed. The Gorsian shackles on his wrists glowed faintly in the dim light. Ruhn had managed to get out of that place of so much bitterness, and she was happy for that. He silently prayed to Cthona that one day he would have the opportunity to say this to his brother. But at that moment, I was alone. And it was only a matter of time before the Autumn King's patience ran out. ***

What the Doe had done bordered on a miracle. Declan, Flynn, and Ophion had helped, but Hunt knew the female driving the car had orchestrated everything. Somehow, she had found Irithys, Queen of the Fire Goblins, and convinced her to be the spark that would start this massive, unprecedented attack. For the Fallen, for the elves who had become Lesser by standing with them—the least of the Vanir, the outcasts—that blow had been for them. A blow delivered by the person of greatest importance to those looking for a sign. Irithys was not just free in the world. She was attacking. Hunt shook his head in wonder and looked at Ruhn, leaning against the passenger door. The attack had been by the rebellion, Hunt knew, but the escape... the escape

it had been because of Ruhn. — What do you mean by air landing? — Baxian wanted to know, panting. Lidia turned off the paved road and followed a dirt road that wound between the dry hills, towards the mountains.

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close to the coast. The vehicle shook and shook on the dusty ground, and each of Hunt's wounds throbbed. Ruhn groaned. Lidia didn't respond and pushed the car to the limit, up and around the hills, through the patchy shade of the olive trees that flanked the road, the hot, dry wind blowing in their faces. Without warning, Lidia hit the brakes and the car skidded on the loose gravel. Hunt hit the back of the driver's seat, wincing from the impact. “Shit,” Lidia hissed through the swirl of dust. — Shit. The dust settled enough for Hunt to finally see what had caused the sudden stop. A few meters ahead, the road had ended. A dense grove of olive trees blocked the path, too thick for it to be possible to attempt to pass by. car. “Lidia,” Baxian said urgently, and she shifted in her seat, looking at them. “I was hoping this road would take us closer to the water,” she said, breathless for the first time since Hunt had met her. She looked over her shoulder, at Hunt and then at Baxian. — You're going to have to fly from here. - What? — Ruhn exclaimed, trying to get up from where he had been thrown against the passenger door. But Lidia got out of the car without opening the door. His eyes were fierce as he asked Hunt and Baxian, opening the trunk of the car. — Do you think you can fly? Hunt managed to get out of the backseat and stand, his head spinning with pain and exhaustion. With his hand resting on the side of the car, he spread his newly formed wings. Pain shot through his back, sharp and deep. Gritting his teeth, Hunt moved his wings. Made them hit. Once, twice. His beats stirred the dirt and dust into clouds that gathered at his feet. — Yes — he said, his voice hoarse, fighting the agonizing pain — I think so.

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On the other side of the jeep, Baxian was doing the same, his black wings covered in dust. The Hellhound nodded. Lidia ran to the passenger door, dirt crunching beneath her boots, and opened it. Ruhn almost fell to the ground at her feet, but she caught him with her uninjured arm. He dragged him over to Hunt, earning an irritated look from the fae prince as he struggled to regain his balance. Lidia didn't even look at Ruhn when she ordered Hunt and Baxian: — Carry him between you. The Freighter of the Deep is waiting. Hunt blinked, coming over to help Ruhn to his feet. The pain shot through him again due to the effort. - And you? Baxian demanded, limping to the other side of Ruhn. Its dark wings trailed the earth.

Lidia raised her chin. Sunlight glinted off the silver of his torque while doing so. — I'm the big prize. Mordoc will come after me. This way you save time. “I can carry you,” Baxian insisted, slipping an arm under Ruhn's shoulders. Hunt could have breathed a sigh of relief at having the burden lifted. Ruhn said nothing. He didn't even move as Baxian and Hunt held him upright. Lidia shook her head at the Hellhound. — You are both on the verge of death. Take Ruhn and get out. — His expression left no room for arguments. — Now — she ordered and, it seemed, the conversation had come to an end, because she transformed. Hunt had never seen Lidia in her deer form. She was beautiful—hair so pale gold it was almost white. Golden eyes were framed by thick, dark lashes. A darker golden streak appeared between his eyes as if it had been licked by flames. Lidia, however, had eyes only for Ruhn. Just for him. Swaying between Hunt and Baxian, Ruhn stared back. Still not saying anything.

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The world seemed to hold its breath as the elegant doe walked up to Ruhn and gently, full of love, stroked his neck. Ruhn didn't even move. He didn't even blink when Lidia walked away, those golden eyes remaining on his face — just for a moment longer. Then she leaped into the trees, like a ray of sunshine that was there and then it was gone. As if she had never existed. ***

Ruhn scanned the forest where Lidia had disappeared and put his hand to his neck. The skin there was warm, as if her touch had lingered. “Right,” Athalar growled, reaching down to reach Ruhn's legs. — On three. Baxian squeezed Ruhn's shoulders tighter. He flapped his wings and Ruhn moved with them. “Lidia,” he whispered.

But Athalar and Baxian leapt into the sky, both males groaning in agony, the world tilting. And then they were flying, Athalar holding Ruhn's legs, Baxian on his shoulders. Ruhn was hanging like a sack of potatoes. I felt my stomach turn when I saw how far they were from the dry ground below. The mountain rising before them. The bright blue sea stretching beyond. Behind them, darting between the olive trees like lightning, ran that beautiful almost white animal. A doe. To get to the sea, she would have to go through the mountainous forests and then climb the rocky mountain. Was it possible to go down the other side? She had mentioned an air landing when talking to Dec. Not a sea rescue. Or land. Lidia wouldn't come.

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Understanding ran through Ruhn like a death sentence. “Ah, shit,” Athalar swore, and Ruhn followed the direction of the angel's gaze behind them. Around two dozen feral wolves flowed like ants through the forest. Everyone was heading straight for the deer. A wolf larger than the others led the pack — Mordoc. Quickly approaching Lidia, who was losing ground because of the hills. —Stop! — asked Ruhn, hoarsely. — We need to go back. — No — said Athalar coldly, tightening his grip on his legs. by Ruhn.

Which was faster: a deer or a wolf? If they reached her, it would all be over. Lidia knew this and still left. “Put me down,” ordered Ruhn, but the malakim stopped him. He held on tight, so hard that he felt the weight on his body. The wolves closed the distance, as if the hills meant nothing to them. But Athalar and Baxian had caught an air current and were flying fast enough for Lidia to shrink further and further into the distance... — PUT ME DOWN! — Ruhn roared, or tried to. Your voice, Hoarse from shouting, it was barely above a whisper. “Air legion coming from the east,” Baxian announced to Hunt. Ruhn looked up, following Athalar's line of vision. And like a swarm of locusts, the soldiers advanced toward them. “Sons of bitches,” Athalar hissed, his wings beating faster. Baxian kept pace as they dove toward the mar.

Further away from Lidia, who was approaching the top of the imposing mountain. It was the last glimpse Ruhn got of her as they flew over the barren peak. The open ocean stretched out before them. Ruhn squirmed, trying to keep an eye on Lidia.

He felt his stomach turn.

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As if Ogenas herself had cut it in half, the mountainside facing the sea had been split. There was nothing waiting for Lidia but a direct, lethal dive into the water hundreds of feet below.

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Hunt blocked Ruhn's shouting and swearing from his mind. He knew he would be in the same state if it were Bryce here, being cornered by two dozen feral wolves. It had made those same sounds once, long ago— when Shahar and Sandriel fell toward the earth, Shahar's blood dripping... The glare of the sun on the sea made his head throb. Or maybe it was his injuries and his exhaustion. Every time he flapped his wings, a new wave of pain echoed through his body, threatening to take his breath away. But he welcomed the pain in his heart, embraced it. He deserved to feel every sting of her. But there, emerging from the water like a breaching whale... A shiny metal hatch appeared on the surface. Then a person burst in, waving frantically. And Hunt could only wonder if he was hallucinating when he realized it was Tharion signaling to them, urging them on from the narrow outer deck atop the Deep Freighter. Hunt and Baxian dived, and Ketos leapt to the bow of the mighty ship, shouting something carried away by the wind. Towards the coast, the angels gained speed, approaching. The cool foam of the waves lapped against Hunt's body, the salt making his open wounds burn. The last three meters left until

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landing on the ship's sodden metal were traversed in the midst of a fall. Tharion ran, haste evident on his face. — I said land on the hatch! — shouted the merman. Hunt gritted his teeth, but Ruhn stood, staggering and coming dangerously close to falling into the water: — Lidia — he said breathlessly to Tharion, pointing to the cliffs. He staggered again and Tharion caught him. Ruhn grabbed the merman's muscular forearm with his hand. Tharion's eyes fell on where the prince's hand would be, making the merman pale. But Ruhn growled, “You have to help her.” — The ship cannot come any closer to the coast — said Tharion, placatingly. — Not the ship — replied Ruhn with a surprising threat. —,

Hunt looked up at the mountain, at the cliff looming like a giant on the distant shore. — Ruhn, even if Lidia manages to reach the mountain peak... that fall is deadly. It would shatter as soon as it touched the surface of the water.

“Please,” Ruhn begged, his voice breaking as he He examined Tharion's face. The merman looked at Hunt. Then to Baxian. He seemed to realize that they were no longer able to fly even a meter. Tharion sighed, but said: — Far be it from me to give up the opportunity to act like a hero. — The merman passed the prince to Baxian and took off his clothes. Not at all concerned about the fact that he was naked, he leaped into the cobalt waves and, a second later, his enormous tail broke the surface. He didn't look back before disappearing into the water, a flash of orange amidst the blue. Baxian began to mutter a prayer to Ogenas. Hunt had no option but to join him.

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Maybe that was his fault too. If I had stopped Bryce, stopped the others from going against the Asteri... none of them would be in this situation. None of this would have happened. But Ruhn remained silent. Eyes fixed on the beach, face pale as death. As if he could see all the way to the shapeshifter on the cliffs, running for her life. ***

Lidia's lungs burned with each breath. With each galloping step up, there is nothing but dry, treacherous rocks and snaking roots beneath. So many roots, all determined to trip her over their delicate hooves. That wasn't in the plans. She had been a fool to choose that road without knowing where it would lead, without knowing that she would be stuck in the arid foothills with a mountain to climb. But Ruhn and the angels had succeeded. They would already be on the ship by then. Irithys had managed to escape to do what needed to be done. At least she hadn't been wrong in trusting the queen. At least that part had worked. Growls echoed in the woods behind her, and Lidia recognized them all. You feral wolves. Your soldiers. The deepest growl, terribly close to her, it was Mordoc's. Lidia forced herself to run faster, to gain more speed. He found a zigzag trail—a deer trail, how ironic—up the mountain. A legion of angels loomed like clouds in the sky. She had to get to the water. If he could reach the sea, he might have a chance to swim to the ship. A bush moved to her left and Lidia leaped toward a rock just as Mordoc burst through the brush and trees, jaws clicking. He couldn't bite her by inches.

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Mordoc hit the rock and jumped again. Soon he would pass the rock and be able to reach it. Right behind him were Vespasian and Gegred, his favorite torturers and hunters...her favorite torturers and hunters. Foam dripped from their jaws as they climbed the rocks. Lidia jumped again, climbing the rock until she reached the top. The wolves couldn't jump that far, but she didn't wait to see what they would do as she ran across the wide rock and then climbed higher. once. Branches and thorns tore his fur, his legs. The smell of his own blood filled his nose, coppery and thick. Hooves slipped on the loose rocks, the sound like crunching bones. There had to be some path around the side of the mountain, some way to go around it and down the other side to the water below... There. Another four hundred meters. A ledge that went around the mountain. She dove forward and the growls behind her came closer again. She had to get to the edge. I had to get to the water. He couldn't cry in that body, but he almost did when he finally reached the curve around the mountain. As the edge projected before her. Like a long finger, it extended high above the sea that swayed one hundred and fifty meters below. The rest of the mountain was a steep cliff. There was no other way down. And there would be no way back. From the way his hooves dug into the stone, he realized that the rock was some kind of soft material that would disintegrate in his hands if he tried to climb down the cliff in humanoid form. That is, if Mordoc and the others didn't shoot her first. Mordoc's cruel growl sounded behind her, and Lidia looked back just as he assumed human form. The wolves behind him did the same. Then Lidia also changed into her humanoid form. Panting, refocusing her senses on this body, she took a step back toward the edge.

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Vespasian, on Mordoc's left, drew a shotgun and aimed it at her. "That sounds familiar," breathed Mordoc, a wild gleam in his eyes. —What did you say to that thunderbird bitch? Lidia took another step back, while Gedred also drew and aimed his rifle. Mordoc spat on the dry ground and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. — Are you faster than a speeding bullet? That's what you asked Sofie Renast that night. — His captain laughed, showing oversized teeth. — Let's see, Lidia. Let's see how fast you are now, you fucking traitor. Lidia's gaze darted between Vespasian and Gegred. He found no mercy on their faces. Nothing but hate and anger. They were feral wolves led by a deer. And she had betrayed them. Then they would make her pay for it.

The shots were not meant to kill her. They would shoot some of her limbs, like she had done to Sofie Renast, so they could drag her back to the asteri and make mincemeat of her. Whether it was them or Pollux. The shouts of the aerial legion approached from above. Pollux would you be with them? Leading the swarm of angels to capture her? Death was behind her, at the end of the cliff's edge. One quick and merciful death. The kind the Asteri wouldn't offer her. If I could get at the end of the cliff... it would be quick. She would fall and her head would smash on the rocks, and she probably wouldn't feel much. Maybe a quick burst of pain, then nothing. Even if he never saw the fruits of what he had fought for, for which he had hoped. Lidia pushed those thoughts away. As he always did. Gedred knelt, the shotgun resting on one shoulder. Ready to shoot.

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Then Lidia reached for the silver choker around of the neck. It came loose with a flick of his fingers. — Since we're reliving the past, I think I should say what Sofie said to me that night. — She threw the choker on the floor, that hateful collar, and smiled at Mordoc, at the feral wolves. - Go to hell. And he started running. Faster than he had ever run in this human form, hurtling towards the edge of the cliff. Two bullets came close to hitting her heels and she dodged to the side, easily dodging the third. He had taught these feral wolves everything they knew. Now I would use that against them.

— Hit this bitch! shouted Mordoc to his shooters. Lidia's life was diluted with each step. With each movement of the arms. Bullets scattered rocks and shrapnel at their feet. There were only a few steps left. — FINISH HER! Mordoc roared. But the edge of the cliff was already there—and so she jumped. Lidia sobbed as she jumped, as the open air embraced her. As rocks and waves surged below. For a moment, she thought the water might be rising to meet her. But it was her. Falling down.

A shot cracked like thunder. Pain erupted in his chest, bones breaking, red dots in his vision. Lidia gave a broken, bloody laugh as she died.

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Jesiba Roga quickly got Ithan out of the bar when he revealed who he wanted to rise from the dead. He found himself taken to an office —her office, it seemed—crammed with crates and boxes of what must have been relics of her business. She pushed him onto a chair in front of a huge black table, sat on the other side in a white velvet armchair and ordered him to tell her everything. Ithan did. He needed her help and he knew he wouldn't get it if he wasn't sincere. When he finished, Roga leaned back in his chair, the dim golden light from the table lamp illuminating his short, platinum hair. — Well, that wasn't the direction I thought my night was going to take — commented the sorceress, rubbing her well-groomed eyebrows. On the built-in bookshelf behind her were three glass terrariums filled with various small creatures. Were they people she had transformed into animals? For their sake, Ithan hoped not. But maybe she could turn him into a worm and step on him. That would be a coup de grace. Jesiba's eyes shone, as if she could feel what was going on in his head. But she said, in a calm voice:

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—So you want a necromancer to resurrect this Sigrid Fendyr. — It wasn't that long ago — Ithan explained — her body must still be fresh enough to... — I don't need a wolf to teach me the rules of necromancy. — Please — Ithan begged, his voice hoarse. — Look, I... messed up. - He did? — A cold and curious question. He swallowed, his throat already scratchy as he nodded. — I should have rescued her... and she would make the Fendyr better, save them all. Roga crossed his arms. - Than? — From Sabine. Of the wolves that became so dark... — As I recall, it was wolves that ran into the Asphodel Meadows this spring. — Sabine refused to let us go.

— You challenged her and you did it anyway. The others followed you. — I'm not here to debate wolf politics. — But that's politics. You resurrect Sigrid and... and then? Already Did you stop to think about it? Ithan growled:

— I need to fix this. —And you think a necromancer will solve this problem. He showed his teeth. — I know what you're thinking... — You don't even know what you're thinking, Ithan Holstrom. - Do not talk to me like that... She raised a finger. — Remember that you are in my House and asking me for a favor of colossal proportions. He came uninvited, which in itself is a violation of our rules. So unless you want me to hand you over to the vampires, to be sucked up and left to rot on the docks, I suggest you watch your words, doggy. Ithan glared at her, but closed his mouth. Roga gave a discreet smile.

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- Good boy. Ithan tried not to growl. She smiled even more when she realized this. But after a moment, she asked, "Where's Quinlan?" - I don't know.

Roga nodded to herself. — I don't do anything for free, you know. He returned her gaze, letting her see that he would do whatever she wanted. Roga pursed his lips in disgust as he noticed his desperation. Ithan didn't care. “Most necromancers,” she added, “are some

arrogant idiots who will mess with you. “How wonderful,” he murmured. —But I know someone who can be trusted. - Say your price. And that of the person.

— I already told you: I need a competent assistant. As I recall, you majored in History at UCLC. — At his questioning look, she explained: — Quinlan used to go on and on about how proud he was of you. — His chest tightened too much. Roga rolled his eyes, either at the words he had uttered or whatever he saw on Ithan's face, then pointed to the crates and boxes around him. — As you can see, I have goods that need to be sorted and shipped. Ithan blinked slowly. — I mean... I work for you and then you're going to put me in contact with the necromancer? She lowered her chin slightly. — But I need this to be done now — he complained — while her body is still fresh... “I will see to it that the body is transported from where the Viper Queen threw it and kept… on ice, so to speak.” Safe and sound. Until the necromancer is available. — And how long will this game take? Her lips curved.

— Why all this rush?

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He couldn't respond. I didn't think saying The weight of my own guilt is killing me and I can't take it another moment would make any difference to her. — Let's start with a few days, Holstrom. A few honest days of work... and we'll assess whether you were good enough to deserve the help you seek. — I could leave here and ask the nearest necromancer... — You could, but vampires can take a cone before that. Or you might ask the wrong necromancer and end up... unsatisfied. Jesiba opened her laptop. She entered the password and said, without taking her eyes off the screen:

— That huge box marked Lasivus needs to be unpacked and catalogued. There's an extra laptop on that sideboard over there. The password is GeleiaGeladinha. Both words with the first letter capitalized, without spaces. Don't look at me like that, Holstrom. The password came out of Quinlan's head. Ithan blinked again. But he got up slowly. He walked to the box. He bared his claws and, using them instead of a crowbar, ripped off the lid of the box, which fell to the carpeted floor with a dull thud and a cloud of dust. “If you break something, Holstrom,” the witch said. slowly from his desk as he typed — he'll have to pay. That's a beautiful understatement. ***

Bryce didn't see the Autumn King for the rest of the day. She went to find something for dinner in the kitchen so she wouldn't have to endure another meal and a game of questions with him. He was carrying the plate to his room when his captor appeared at the top of the stairs. — I was looking for you. Bryce lifted his plate and the ham and butter sandwich that was on top of it.

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— And I wanted to eat. Goodbye. The Autumn King remained in her path as she climbed the stone steps. - I want to talk to you. She looked at him, hating that he was taller than her. But she managed to give him a look of contempt—a look that was quite effective in irritating Hunt when they first met. And, against his will and despite everything that had happened between them, he asked: — Why didn't you empty Ruhn's old room?

He tilted his head. It was obvious that I wasn't expecting that question. — And why would I do something like that? — It seems a bit sentimental of you. — I have ten other rooms in this house. If I ever need it, I'll clean it up. —That's not an answer. — Are you looking for a specific answer? She opened her mouth to respond, but closed it again. He examined it coldly. He said quietly:

— Come on, ask. — Have you ever stopped to think? — she blurted out. —What could have happened if you hadn't sent your henchmen to hunt us down, or thrown me out on the street when I was thirteen? A flash passed through his eyes. - Every single day.

- Then why? — Her voice broke. — You hit her, and then you felt bad about it... you still feel bad. Still, you chased us and almost killed her in the process. And when I showed up, years later, he was nice to me for a couple of days before kicking me out. — I don't owe you any satisfaction. She shook her head, disgust making her lose whatever appetite she had left. — I don't understand this... I don't understand you.

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— What is there to understand? I am a king. Kings don't need to explain themselves. — Parents need it. — I thought you wanted nothing to do with me. — And that hasn't changed. But damn, why not be a nice person? He looked at her for a long, unbearable moment, with the expression she knew he often wore on his own face. The expression she inherited from him, cold and merciless. He said: — And here I was, thinking that you saw Randall Silago as a real father and that you didn't need me. She almost dropped the plate. — Are you… are you jealous of Randall?

There was no expression on his face, but his voice was hoarse as he said: — In the end, he was the one who stayed with your mother. And he could create you.

—That almost sounds like regret. — I told you, I live with this regret every day. — He examined her, the plate of food in her hands. — But who knows, maybe one day we can overcome this. — After a moment, he added, — Bryce. I didn't know what to feel, or think, when he said your name. Without the surname attached, without any kind of mockery. But she cleared her throat and replied: — Help me find a way to get Hunt and Ruhn out of the Asteri dungeons, and then we can talk about you becoming a better father. — She said the last words as she walked past him, heading towards the bedroom. As much as he had lost his hunger, he needed to distance himself from him a little, he needed to think... Her father called to her: — Who said Athalar and Ruhn are still in the dungeons? They haven't been there since this morning. Bryce stopped and turned slowly.

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- Where are they? — Her voice was breaking, low. As she knew what happened to her father when he was angry. But he just crossed his arms, smug as a cat. — That's the big question, isn't it? They escaped. Disappeared in sea, if the rumors are true. Bryce let the words sink in. — You... you let me think they were in the dungeons. Since I knew, all this time, that they were free. — They were in the dungeons when you arrived. This fact has only changed now. — Did you know this was going to happen? — An intense, blinding fury dominated her head, her eyes. As much as part of her wondered if he also needed some distance after the conversation they had, and that revealing that truth... was the most efficient way to push her away again. — I answered your questions, as you had stipulated. You asked where the asteri had taken them after they found them. I said the truth. You didn't ask me for updates today, so... In a second, the plate and sandwich were in her hands. In the next second, they were thrown into the air, towards his head. — You asshole.

The father destroyed the plate and the food with a wall of fire. Ashes from toasted bread and burnt hams fell to the floor among shards of broken pottery. — What a tantrum — he provoked, analyzing the mess on the carpet — coming from someone who just found out that his brother and partner are free. “How about this,” Bryce said angrily, hating the Gorsian cuffs on her wrists more than ever, “you let go of me right now, and I throw that pile of shit that is you right through the portal that leads to the original world of the fae. You can go pack your bags. He laughed.

— You will take me to that fae world, whether I let you go or not. AND

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- And even? — I heard your mother and Randall adopted a son. He would be It would be a shame if something happened to the boy. She rolled her eyes.

— There's no point in coming to cry when my mom and Randall beat you up. They've done this before... I'm sure they'll be happy to remind you of what they're capable of. — Oh, I wouldn't go to their door myself — he smiled, confidently. — Just get Rigelus' ears, let's say, that his parents shelter a rebellious boy... Bryce rolled his eyes again. — Did you take a class or something at school? Introduction to Villainy? Get real fucking real. You won't conquer any world. — If you open a door between the worlds at my request, Rigelus may be grateful enough to grant me some of it. Bryce looked at the shards of the broken plate. Sharp enough to cut his throat. Her father gave her a condescending smile, as if he knew what she was thinking. His father was neither for or against the Asteri. He was nothing more than an opportunist. If I had more power if they fell out, I would fight against them. If it were more profitable to bow before the asteri, he would prostrate himself before their crystal thrones. Despite all the talk about helping the fae, he didn't think about anything other than himself. success. She said firmly: — You are already king here.

— From a continent. What is this when you can have an entire planet? — You know, you may not be the Starry Chosen One, but I think, out of all of us, you have the most in common with Theia. She thought in that same horrible way. But he discovered too late that Rigelus isn't a fan of sharing anything. — With the knife you brought in play, he might be willing to negotiate.

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Bryce looked at him blankly. —What makes you think those blades will have any effect against him? —When joined together, these blades could be the end of him. — Believe me, I tried that on an asteri and it didn't do anything. For the least not before Nesta's interference.

If he was shocked by her revelation, he didn't show it. — Did you order them to work? — It's kind of hard to order, you asshole, when I have no idea what that they are capable of doing. “Open a portal to nowhere,” said the Autumn King, the flame crackling in his eyes. - What does that mean? — demanded Bryce. — The Aster is Made, as you called it. He waved his hand absently, sparks at his fingertips. — The knife can Undo things. Done and Undone. Matter and antimatter. With the right influx of power, a command from the one destined to wield them, they can be fused. And they can create a place where there is no life or light. A place that is nothing. Nowhere. Her knees shook. — That's not... that's not possible. - And yes. I read about this in the Avallen Archives ages ago. — So how do I do this? Just say “get together nowhere” and voila? “I don't know,” he admitted. — My research has not revealed instructions for fusing the blades. Just what they were capable of doing. Bryce looked at the male before her for a long moment. She glanced up the steps to the lower level, toward his office. — I want to see this research with my own eyes. — It's in Avallen, and females are not allowed beyond the archives lobby. — Oh, of course, we could easily spread menstruation across the pages of books. His lips curved.

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— Maybe it was lucky that you found a way to escape the engagement to Cormac. Such rudeness would not be tolerated in Avallen. — Oh, they would be affectionate with me as soon as they saw me shaking the Aster and remembering who and what I am. —That would be an affront in itself. No female has ever possessed the blade. - What? — Her laugh echoed off the stone walls. — Are you telling me that in fifteen thousand years, only males have been able to claim this here? — Since females are not allowed in the Cave of the Princes, they did not have the opportunity to try to claim it, even if they had starlight in their veins. Bryce gaped. — You have to be kidding me. Did they ban females from the Cave of the Princes to prevent us from getting our hands on swords? His silence was all the answer she needed. She replied:

— I'm pretty sure there are rules, even in this shitty empire, against treating females like that. —Avallen has long been left to rule herself, its policies hidden from the modern world behind the mist. —But there is information, somewhere in Avallen, about what these blades can do. — Yes, but you need to be invited to go through the mist. AND Considering how your relationship with Morven is going... She would never enter. Not without the help of the male in front of him.

Bryce's head seemed to spin, and for a second, everything he had done and had yet to do weighed so heavily on his shoulders that he could barely breathe. — I need to go to bed — he said hoarsely.

The Autumn King didn't stop her as she headed towards the room. As if he knew he had won. She walked silently down the hall, her footsteps muffled by the stone.

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But not to her room. Instead, he went to Ruhn's room, where he collapsed on the bed. He spent a long time without moving.

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Ruhn's life turned into beeping machines, flickering monitors and an uncomfortable vinyl chair that served as both a seat and a bed. Technically he had a bed, but it was too far from that room. A few times, Flynn and Dec would come and sedate him and drag him there for restorative treatment, considering his hand was still recovering. The fingers had already formed again, but they were pale and weak. The medwitches had a small supply of primalux potions—a rarity on a ship where primalux was banned, leaving them to rely on some kind of enhanced bioluminescence to illuminate everything— but Ruhn had refused the potions. He had demanded that they give every last drop to Lidia. I would let my hand heal the old fashioned way. Whether he and Baxian would ever overcome the ordeal that had led to their hand being chewed off was another story. But one he would deal with later. “Get some sleep,” Flynn said from the doorway, a cup of what smelled like coffee in his hand. The friend nodded to the bed, the wires and machines before Ruhn. — I can keep watch.

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“I'm fine,” Ruhn replied, his voice hoarse. He had barely spoken since the day before. I didn't want to talk to anyone. Not even Flynn and Dec, even if they had gone after him. That they had saved him. All because of the female before him. While they were rebuilding what was left of her body, Lidia almost died twice. Even with the primalux potion healing the wounds of the heart. Both times, Ruhn had been sleeping in his bed, on the other side of the damned ship. So he stopped leaving this room. If there was anything left of Lidia, it was thanks to Tharion, who had thrown a cushioning column of water and protected her from the full impact as she landed on the rocks - but the merman was still too far away to completely prevent her from suffering the impact of the fall. . But it didn't matter, because they had already punched a fist-sized hole in her heart. The hole was gone, healed thanks to that rare and precious primalux potion. And her heart was working again, if the monitor marking each beat was any indication. Lungs: repaired. Ribs: reconstructed. Cracked Skull: Patched. Brain stuck back in place. Ruhn couldn't stop visualizing. The state of Lidia's body when Tharion pulled her into the Deep Freighter. The soft body. So small. He had never realized how much smaller she was than him. Or what the world would be like without her.

Because Lidia had died. When Tharion carried her from the shore, she was beyond dead. Even his Vanir healing abilities were past their prime. Something broke in Ruhn when he saw that. A part of him that neither Pollux, nor the Falcon nor the Asteri dungeon could reach. Then the ship's medwitches emptied their stocks of primalux potion on Lidia. Athalar used his lightning to make her heart race, because even liquid miracles were not

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enough to make him crash. Athalar's lightning had been necessary three times already, because the emergency cart took too long to start when his heart stopped working. When Ruhn asked how he knew this would work, the angel mumbled something about thanking Rigelus for the idea and left it at that. Ruhn had been too relieved by the sound of Lidia's heartbeat to ask further. — Ruhn, man... you need to sleep. — Flynn finally entered the room, sitting in the chair next to his. — If she gets up, I'll call you. If she moves, I'll call you. Ruhn just stared at the terribly pale female in the room. bed.

— Spirit.

“The last thing I told her,” Ruhn whispered, “was that she was dead to me. Flynn sighed. — I'm sure she knew you weren't serious. — I was serious. The friend swallowed. — I didn't know things between you two had gotten so... intense. “Still, she did all this to save me,” he said, ignoring Flynn's silent request to update him. He would be eaten alive by guilt. She had done horrible things as Doe, before and after becoming Daybright, things he couldn't forget, but... His head wouldn't stop spinning. Of anger, of guilt and that other thing. Flynn squeezed his shoulder. — Go to sleep, Ruhn. I'll take care of your girl. She wasn't his girl. It wasn't his at all. Still, he continued to ignore Flynn. He didn't move from his chair, although he closed his eyes. He focused on his breathing until sleep came. “Stubborn idiot,” Flynn muttered, but covered him with a blanket anyway.

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Day, Ruhn said to the void between them, as he had done almost every hour since. Day... can you hear me? No answer. Lidia. He had never called her by her name before. Not even there.

He tried again, calling the name into the void, like a plea. Lidia.

But the darkness only howled in response. ***

"So," Hunt said to Tharion as they sat in the Deep Freighter's empty mess hall, "the Viper Queen, huh?" Tharion nibbled on his poached fish and salted seaweed cut into thin strips.

— Let's not get into that, Athalar. — They had missed lunch, but got some leftovers from the cooks. - Fair. — Hunt flexed his wings, now back to their usual strength, thanks to the primalux that Lidia had managed to give him through some machination of hers. — Thank you for coming to get us. Tharion looked up—dark, empty. Hunt knew that feeling well. He was trying not to feel this way every second of every minute. Now that he and his friends were there, safe and sound, without physical torture as a distraction, he was drowning in that feeling. “Holstrom said we're a pack,” Tharion said. — I don't really like this canine comparison, but I like the idea it expresses. As soon as Lidia told us there were days left before they executed you... we had to do whatever was necessary. - More or less. It wasn't that easy, of course, but after leaving the Meat Market, he went all out. Hunt had received a summary of everything that had happened. Or at least part of it. Considering that Lidia remained unconscious, he still had no idea what she had done to organize things. It was all so unlikely, so impossible.

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He had woken up the night before, drenched in sweat, convinced he was back in those dungeons. It was necessary to turn on the lights to accept that I was somewhere else. Those initial seconds in total darkness, when I didn't know where I was, had been unbearable. He wished Bryce was with him. Not just to sleep next to him and remind him that he had managed to escape, but... because he needed his best friend. However, Bryce wasn't there. And this fact also made him wake up from his sleep. Dreams in which she fell through space, alone and lost forever. Tharion seemed to sense the change in his thoughts, because he asked softly, "How are you, Athalar?" “The wings are back to normal,” Hunt said, folding them firmly behind him. — Emotionally...? — He shrugged. He had sat in the shower for an hour the night before, the water almost scalding as it rinsed away the dirt and blood from the dungeon. As he had done in those days before Bryce, he had let the water wash away the filth and darkness in him. But there was one mark that could not be removed. Tharion looked at Hunt's forehead. — They're monsters for doing this to you again. — Burning anger was stamped on the merman's features. —They're monsters regardless of whether they put the halo back on me. — Hunt lifted his wrist, exposing the mark. The OC that was stamped there, denying this, had disappeared. — Do you think a slave can still be a prince? — I'm sure those idiot fae have some regulations that prohibit that — Tharion said with a wry smile — but if there's anyone who could get around them, it's Bryce. Hunt suppressed the pain in his chest. I couldn't bear to imagine the expression of sadness and anger that would appear on her face when she saw the halo, the mark. If she ever came back.

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That last thought was more unbearable than any other.

Hunt forced himself past it and asked Tharion, "How are you?" — Almost like you, but hanging in there. — Tharion touched the food again. Shadows seemed to lurk in his brown eyes. — Living one hour at a time. — Any news from Holstrom? Tharion shook his head, his dark hair following the movement. The merman finally put down his fork. - And now? — Are you honest? — Hunt rested his forearms on the metal table. - I don't know. Yesterday, my main goal was not to die. Today? All I can think about is where Bryce is, how to find her. —And how you would live with yourself in the meantime. — Do you really think she's in some other world? The bright lights of the cafeteria reflected off the metal surface of the room. table in a bright blur.

— If she's not in Hell, then yes... I hope she's in Hell. another world, and in safety. — Let's find a way to bring her back here. Hunt didn't bother telling the merman that this was almost certainly impossible. Bryce was the only person on Midgard who could open the portal capable of bringing her home. He just said, “Bryce would like me to disclose... what she discovered about the asteri. So I guess I'll start with the Queen of the Ocean. She's not Ophion's ally, but she seems... to help them. — He gestured to the ship around them. — Ah — joked Ketos. — And I thought you were gone Pick me up from my bunk for lunch. — And I did. I wanted to see how you were — Hunt replied, but then admitted: — But I also wanted to know if you had a way to talk to her. —With the Queen of the Ocean? — Tharion laughed, cold and humorless. — It would be easier to ask if I have contact information for Ogenas herself.

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“She went through all this trouble to help the enemies of the Asteri,” Hunt explained, drumming his fingers on the table. — I want to know the reason. Tharion studied his face with such scrutiny that Hunt remembered why Ketos had been named Captain of the River Queen's Intelligence. Hunt let the merman see the pure determination that flowed through him. — All right — Tharion said in a deep voice — I'll see what I can do. Even though…” He shuddered. - What? — Considering what happened to her sister and her niece... it might not work out. — You are on this ship and no one tried to kill you or send you back to the River Queen... that must mean something. — I think it has more to do with Lidia's importance than mine, as much as it pains me to say that. — Tharion sighed. — And believe me, the moment I stepped on this ship, they started giving me grief for deserting the Queen of Rio. I'm an outcast here. — Well... perhaps this could be used to your advantage, to attract the Queen of the Ocean to a meeting. Tharion crossed his muscular arms. — I'd rather not. “Think about it,” Hunt said. — Whatever you can get do... I would appreciate it.

Tharion ran his long fingers through his red hair. — Okay, okay, I know. — Tharion shifted on the metal bench to take a cell phone from his skin-tight Neoprene suit. He started typing. — I'll see if Sendes is free to chat. — He rose gracefully. — I'll let you know if I get anywhere. Not a spark of the merman's usual brilliance illuminated his gaze.

“Thanks,” Hunt said. - Keep me informed.

Tharion nodded and left, still typing. Hunt finished his meal, the fish plate in front of him, and then ate what was left on Tharion's plate before leaving the cafeteria. The ship's corridors were silent. Using the

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Walking to stretch and test the strength of his healing wings, he walked silently through the glass-lined hallways, with nothing but the dark ocean around him. All that crushing water held back by the Ocean Queen's magic. Hunt couldn't help but be impressed by this. He hadn't returned to the biodome a few floors above. He couldn't bear to see the place where he and Bryce had officially become partners. He found Baxian working out in the gym that had been assigned to them— one of dozens on that ship, and the one closest to their quarters. “You need a helper to pick up all that weight,” Hunt warned, stopping near the bench where the angel shifter grunted under the weight of the bars, dark wings spread beneath him. — You should have asked me. “You weren't in the room,” Baxian replied as he lowered the barbell to his bare, muscular chest. Sweat dripped down the groove between his pectorals, the brown skin glistening. Parts of the tattoo over the heart For love, anything is possible, written in Danika's handwriting, still visible there. How could he replace her... Hunt felt his heart sink as he thought. Baxian continuou: — And when I asked the elves if they had seen you, they said you were having lunch. Hunt had stopped by the small room where Malana, Sasa, and Rithi had hidden since arriving, to ask if they wanted to join him and Tharion. They were in a slight and constant panic about being there, underwater. But they didn't want to have lunch. They didn't want to see the ship or any indication that there was an endless ocean around them. So they stayed in their windowless room, watching some contentless reality show about real estate agents selling mansions on the beach in the Coronal Islands, and pretending that they weren't surrounded by a gigantic, lethal trap for their species. It was painful to see them earlier, gathered around the television. Lehabah would have loved them. She should have been there with them. With all

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they.

Baxian kept his eyes on the weights he had been lifting. — I needed to exercise a little. - Why? — Thinking bad things — was all Baxian said. — Oh. — Thoughts that should return to the taste of Ruhn's blood in his mouth. Hunt stood silently behind the bench, within reach of the bar, as Baxian lifted her again, arms shaking. There were about 270 kilos there, easy. — How many have you done? “Eighty,” Baxian growled, arms outstretched, wings spread beneath him. Hunt took it upon himself to guide the bar back to the posts. — I want to reach one hundred. — One step at a time, man. Baxian panted, looking at the ceiling. Then he looked at Hunt, watching him upside down. - What's up? — I'm just checking on my friend. “I'm fine,” Baxian replied, bending down and supporting his hands. hands on thighs. The wings draped over the black plastic tiles. Hunt knew it was a lie, but nodded anyway. If Baxian wanted to talk, he would. He told Baxian everything that had happened while they were in the medwitch's room the day before, between sutures, potions and pain. He told them about Bryce, the Doe and all the shit they had discovered. Baxian took it well, even though his shock at the Doe's involvement was obvious. Hunt couldn't blame him. He himself still had a hard time believing it. But Baxian had been working with Lidia longer than Hunt had —it would probably take him longer to adjust his image of her. Baxian nodded toward Hunt's face. — Any luck removing this stupid thing? Hunt didn't dare look at the wall of mirrors behind the Hellhound. He hadn't been able to bear the sight of his face with that halo once again marring his forehead. He could have sworn the paint burned him from time to time. This had never happened

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before; but this new halo, painted by Rigelus, looked different. Worse. Alive, somehow. “No,” Hunt said. —Hypaxia Enador got rid of him last time. So unless they have a witch queen hidden on this ship, I have to learn to live with her for now. — Rigelus is a fucking asshole. Was always. Baxian wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

Hunt tilted his head. — What made you change, honestly? This new Baxian Argos is just the result of knowing Danika was his partner? It was a risky question, bringing up his dead partner. Losing a partner was like losing half your soul; living without the person was torture. “I don't want to talk about the past,” Baxian said, his wings hitting his body firmly, and Hunt set it aside. — Then let's talk about the next steps — Hunt suggested, folding his own wings, the feeling of tightness lingering a little longer. One more day and he would be back to normal. —What’s there to talk about? The general picture is: the Asteri need to step up. Hunt snorted. — I'm glad we agreed on that. — He could only pray that Tharion could get Sendes to contact the Ocean Queen, and that she too would think like them. He examined the male he thought he had known for so many years. — It is too innocent to hope that some of the ancient Triarians of Sandriel can also be secretly anti-imperialist? — Better not push your luck. Two is already a beautiful number. Three, if we include you. Good thing he had never actually been part of the triaries. He just had to put up with all the shit they did during the years he was chained to Sandriel. Hunt ignored the familiar shiver of dread at the memory of those years and asked: — But you and Lidia never suspected that you two were... — No. Zero. I thought she was like Pollux. — Baxian wiped more sweat from his forehead, his breathing stabilizing. - You

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Do you think Lidia will survive? Hunt rubbed his chin. - I hope so. We need her. - For what? Hunt smiled at his former enemy, and now friend, he supposed. — To make these sons of bitches pay for what they did. ***

Tharion told himself not to travel. To focus on the fact that, against all odds, they had managed to rescue their friends from the Asteri dungeon — they even went one step further and saved Lidia Cervos from certain death. But that didn't matter. Holstrom was left behind. Holstrom, whose Tharion's life had destroyed.

And not just Holstrom's life, but the Wolves' future as well. The Fendyr heiress was dead because of him. Technically, because of Holstrom, but... none of that would have happened if it weren't for Tharion's choices. Since getting on that ship, he hadn't given anyone the impression that he had spent an entire day vomiting his guts out. Partly due to abstinence from the Viper Queen's venom, but also out of pure disgust for everything he had done, for what he had become. Ariadne had been sold, only the gods knew where. For whom. And okay, technically she hadn't been sold, because the Viper Queen didn't own her, but... she'd left to avoid having to kill Holstrom. Or at least that's what the Viper Queen made her think, achieving an advantageous exchange while, all this time, her plan was to put Sigrid in the ring against Ithan. If there was a level below rock bottom, Tharion was there. He forced himself to stop grinding his teeth and focus on Sendes. She was in the center of the bridge, receiving the report from one of her soldiers. None of the other technicians or officers on the bridge spoke to him. They didn't even look in his direction.

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At least no one there called him a traitor. But everyone knew that he had deserted the Queen of the River. And taking into account the fact that she was not exactly unanimous on the ship, they knew that the resentment was due to the fact that he had deserted the beings of the sea. Of yours. He wanted to shout to everyone on the bridge that if he could, he would desert himself. Sendes finally turned to him, after dismissing the soldier. - Sorry about that. Tharion waved his hand. Considering the size of the debt they owed to Sendes and that ship, she would never need to apologize to him again for anything. — I feel like that's all I say these days, but I wanted to ask a favor. She gave a weak smile.

- Go ahead. He prepared himself.

— If I wanted to contact the Queen of the Ocean, arrange a meeting between her, myself and Hunt Athalar... would you help me? Sendes swallowed. It wasn't a good sign. — If this is going to bother you — Tharion emphasized — don't heats up. But I told Athalar I would ask you, and... “You'll get what you want,” she said sadly. — The Queen of the Ocean is coming here tomorrow. Tharion swallowed hard, hiding his surprise. —, you look... — Okay — he replied, worriedly? Sendes tugged at the collar of his clothes.

— She wants to see you. All of you. He raised his eyebrows. — Problem solved, then. — From her phone call, I got the impression that she's not... very happy about your presence here. —Sendes grimaced. —Something to do with the Viper Queen and the River Queen threatening to declare war for harboring you? Well, what the fuck.

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Ithan lunged for the book that had somehow slid into the office door, landing on top of him with a thud that echoed through his entire body. To his dismay, the book stirred beneath him, trying to pull itself together. dodge toward the door and the world beyond. “Stop that noise,” Jesiba complained over the sound of her typing. Ithan grunted, pressing all of his considerable weight onto the errant book... — Enough — replied Jesiba, and the book stopped on command in its place. voice.

However, Ithan didn't move until he was sure that the book had indeed obeyed its owner. Withdrawing his body to look at the blue leather-bound book, he tensed and then reached out to take it. But the book stayed there, still. Inert. Like a normal book... The book started to bite Ithan's fingers, who threw himself at him again. — Lehabah was much more efficient... and ate much less. For Where does all this food go, wolf?

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Ithan was unable to respond as he struggled to make the book obey again, wrapping it in his arms. Clutching it to his chest, he stood and walked toward the shelf where the book should have been while Ithan opened another box... — I said enough — said Jesiba, and the book froze in Ithan's arms. He placed it back on the shelf before it could escape. Then he gave another push as a way of telling the book to go fuck itself. The book jerked back, as if it wanted to jump off the shelf and attack him a third time, but a golden wave of light shone across its spine—a grate settling into its place. Protections to seal magical books. The book struggled against the railing. And there it stayed. Jesiba said from the table: — I thought I was smarter than him with the previous protections, but I want to see how you get through this one. As if in response, the book rattled back on the shelf. Ithan showed the middle finger and turned to the sorceress. He had spent the last day working non-stop, unpacking boxes, inspecting the goods, cataloging the contents, repackaging the artifacts inside, pasting new shipping labels... Heavy work, which at least kept him busy. It kept him from thinking about the blood on his hands. The body he could only hope was indeed on ice somewhere in that underground labyrinth. He didn't leave Roga's office. She ordered food to be delivered from the House's private kitchens — and if he needed to rest, she ordered him to lie down on the carpet, curled up like the dog he was. And that's what he did, ignoring the insult, and falling into a sleep so deep that she had to poke him with her foot to make him wake up. He might have protested this behavior if she had not been the bearer of good news: Hunt Athalar, Ruhn Danaan, and Baxian Argos had escaped the Asteri dungeon during a rescue operation that incinerated the entire Spine.

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The Doe had done it. Tharion, Flynn and Dec had made it. Somehow, they managed. Relief tightened her throat to the point of pain, even as the shame of not helping them turned her stomach. Since then, Ithan and Jesiba had exchanged few words. Roga had spent much of his time in client or House meetings, which he didn't talk to him about, but now... Ithan looked at the shelf, at the magical book that was struggling against the protections that kept it in place. — During the Summit — commented Ithan, ignoring the belligerent volume — Micah said that his books were from the Parthos Library. — Amelie had gossiped about it later. — Which are all that's left of there. — Hmm — murmured Jesiba, continuing to type on the keyboard. Ithan plopped down in the chair in front of her desk. — Achae that Parthos was a commander. —The books say otherwise, don't they? —What is the truth, then? — None that a Vanir could easily believe. — But she stopped typing. Your eyes lifted above the computer screen to meet his. —Amelie Ravenscroft stated that Micah said the library it contained two thousand years of human knowledge before the Asteri.

- AND? —Her face revealed nothing.

He pointed to the pissed off book. —So humans had magic? She sighed through her nose.

— No. The magical books that are here... they should be guardians of the library. At least that's what I enchanted them for, centuries ago. So that they would attack anyone who tried to rob them, and so that they could defend them. —A book like that, Ithan remembered Bryce telling him, helped save her when she fought Micah. — But the volumes took on a life and desires of their own. They became... conscious. — She looked at the misbehaving book. —And when I tried to undo the life spells on them, their existence had become too permanent to be undone. So, I needed

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of monitors like Lehabah to protect the guardians. To ensure they didn't escape and become an even bigger nuisance. — Why not sell them? She shot him a withering look. — Because my spells are written there. I'm not going to let this knowledge spread around the world. — Roga had been a witch before defecting to the House of Flame and Shadow and calling herself a sorceress. He could only imagine what she had seen in her very long life. —So what do they say? Parthos's books? The clicking of the keys began again. - Anything. And it all.

Ithan snorted. — Enigmatic as always. She stopped writing again. — Most people would think they're boring. Some are books on advanced mathematics, entire volumes on imaginary numbers. Others are philosophical treatises. Some are plays... tragedies, comedies... and some are poetry. — Everything about human life before the asteri?

— A great civilization lived on Midgard long before it was conquered by the Asteri. — He could have sworn she looked sad. — A civilization that valued knowledge in its various forms. So much so that a hundred thousand humans marched on Parthos to save these books from the Asteri and Vanir who came to burn them. — She shook her head, her expression distant. — A world where people loved and valued books and learning so much that they were willing to die for them. Can you imagine what this civilization was like? A hundred thousand men and women marched in defense of a library... seems like a bad joke these days. — Her eyes sparkled. —But they fought and died.

All to give the library priestesses enough time to smuggle the books onto ships. The Vanir armies intercepted most of them, and the priestesses were burned, their precious books being used as firewood. But one of the ships... — The lips

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from her they bowed upwards. — The Griffin. He managed to escape the Vanir networks. He sailed across the Haldren and found a safe harbor at Valbara. Ithan shook his head slowly. — How do you know all this, when no one else does? — Sea creatures know a little — she limited herself to saying. — They helped Griffin cross the sea, at the behest of the Ocean Queen. - Why? — Then you'll have to ask the sea creatures. —But why do you know that? How did this collection end up in your hands? — I'll avoid making comparisons with dogs that don't drop bones. — Jesiba closed her laptop with a soft click. He intertwined his fingers and rested his hands on the computer. —Quinlan knew when to keep his mouth shut, you know? She never asked why I have these books, why I have the Archesian amulets that the priestesses of Parthos wore. Ithan felt his mouth go dry. He whispered:

— What... who are you? Jesiba burst into laughter and several books on the shelf shook. Ithan could barely breathe when Jesiba snapped her fingers. Her short hair fell into long, curly locks, framing her face. The makeup disappeared, revealing features that somehow looked younger… more innocent. It was Jesiba, but it wasn't. It was Jesiba, as if she were trapped in the prime of her youth. Of innocence. But her voice was as tired as ever when she said, “Lest you think I'm lying... that's the state of things. to which I will always return... I can return if I so desire. — So you are... capable of making magical transformations? She didn't smile. — No. I was cursed by a demon. By a prince who intercepted my ship and the books I carried on it. Ithan's heart was beating faster and faster.

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— We had almost reached the Haldren Sea when Apollion found the Griffin. —Her voice betrayed no emotion. — He had heard of the failed resistance attempt on Parthos, of the ships and the priestesses burned along with their books. I was curious to know what could be so valuable to humans that they were willing to die to defend it. You couldn't understand when I said that there was nothing but the power of knowledge... that there was no weapon other than learning. — Her smile became more bitter. “He refused to believe me. And he cursed me for my insolence in not telling the truth. Ithan swallowed. —What kind of curse? She pointed to her longer hair, her softer face. — To live, unchanging, until I decided to show the true power of books — she said simply. — He still believes that they are a weapon and that one day I will be so tired of living that I will hand over all the books, revealing the supposed weapons hidden there. — But... I thought you were a witch. She shrugged.

— I was, for a while. How do you categorize a human woman who has stopped aging? That she always returns to the same age, the same physical condition as when she was cursed? I cherished my years with my fellow priestesses on Parthos. When the witch dynasties arose, I thought I might find similar companionship among them. A home. — You... were you a priestess in Parthos?

She nodded. — Priestess, witch... and now sorceress. —But if you were human, where did your magic come from? — She had said that Apollion had granted him long life, not powers. Her gray eyes darkened like the stormy sea she had sailed long ago. — When Apollion found my boat, it was full of power. It had just consumed Sirius. I don't think it was his intention, but when he touched me... he transferred something to me.

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From the way she said touching, Ithan knew exactly how she saw what he had done to her. “It took me a while to realize I had powers beyond eternal youth,” she said softly, “and luckily I've had fifteen thousand years to learn to master those powers. To allow them to become part of me, to have a life of their own, like books did. He was overcome with horror. — Do you want to... start getting old again? It was a very personal question, but to Ithan's surprise, she answered. — Not yet — said Jesiba in a low voice, come the —, not until time. - Than? — He dared to ask. She glanced over her shoulder at the small library, at the aggressive book that had finally calmed down, as if it were acting out. — That a world will emerge where these books will finally be safe.

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Bryce found the Autumn King in his office, his red hair shining in the morning light. Contemplating the Aster and the Revealer of Truth on your table.

So he had been hit by what she had said the other night. Excellent. — So close — she purred as she closed the door and approached the table — but so far. So unworthy. Flames danced in his eyes. — What do you want, girl? She walked around the table to stand next to his chair, looking at the weapons from her father's angle. He frowned, as if her mere proximity was unpleasant. — Did my mother ever tell you what happened that night when she was trying to take me to safety? When did her goons catch up to her and Randall? “If I were you, I'd think carefully about what you're going to say,” he replied. Bryce smiled. — It had been years since Randall had picked up a gun. Not since he'd come back from the front and sworn he'd never wear one again. She was about to say her vows to Solas when she received a request for

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help from the High Priest, to help a single mother and her three-year-old daughter who needed to escape from you. And that night, his shitty guards found us... It was the first time Randall had ever picked up a gun again. He put a bullet right in his security chief's head. Randall hated every damn second of it. But he did it anyway. Because at that moment, even after just three days of running away together, I already knew I was in love with my mother. And that there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. The Autumn King's nose wrinkled in annoyance.

— Where are you going with this story? — What I want to say — she said, approaching her father — is that it wasn't just from my mother that I learned what love is. With my father too. My real father. My human and weak father, of whom you are jealous. He taught me to fight like hell for the people I love. — This story is tiring me. —The Autumn King mentioned to walk away, but Bryce grabbed his arm. — You're going, and I'm coming back. I've been tired of you since the first moment you opened your mouth. The sound of stone was heard. The Autumn King retreated, but it was too late. The Gorsian cuffs were already fastened around his wrist. “You little bitch,” he hissed, and Bryce let the cuff on his other wrist fall to the floor. — You have no idea who you're messing with... — Yes, I do. A useless, pathetic loser. He got up, but she had already snatched the Truth-Revealer and Aster. He stopped when she unsheathed her blades, pointing them both at him. Bryce said, his voice soft, and the knife and sword steady in his hands: — Here's the deal: just don't resist and I won't impale you with this and use your belly to test how to open that portal. to nowhere. The flame flared and then disappeared in his eyes as the handcuffs held him firmly in place. She smiled, tilting her head.

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— By the way, thanks for all that information about the blades. Well I thought you might know something useful. It's a shame he sent one all the servants away, isn't it? There's no one to hear you screaming. He turned pale with anger. — You ended up here on purpose. “You can believe that,” she replied, throwing her hair over her shoulders and shaking her head. — I knew that you had been dedicated to this research for centuries. You are the only person obsessed with Aster and her secrets, so sad about being rejected, about not being a Chosen One. So I came here looking for answers. To know what exactly a weapon like this could do. How to get rid of your intergalactic friends. - She smiled. —And you assumed I fell here because...?

He looked at her angrily.

— Oh, that's right — she added — becauseI'm your stupid, clumsy daughter. I fell here by accident... is that it? — She laughed, unable to contain herself. — You must have even convinced yourself that Luna had sent you a gift. That he had received a favor from the gods and that all of this was designated by Urd. The silence was confirmation enough. She made an exaggerated pout. — What bad luck. And even more bad luck with the handcuffs. As much as I think it's appropriate to have used the key that Ruhn kept in his room. Ruhn told me this once, you know. That's what he had to wear when you put the handcuffs on him to burn him. You put those pretty little things on him so he couldn't fight back. And it happened so many times that he invested in a disarming key that he left on the table in his room, so that he could free himself when you sent him back there to suffer.

The Autumn King remained silent. The bastard wouldn't even deny the accusations. Bryce bared his teeth, a blinding, searing rage invading his vision. But her voice was cold as ice when she said:

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— To be honest, I really wanted to kill you, right here, right now. For my mother, but also for Ruhn. And I think for me too. — She indicated the door with her head. —But we have an agreement, don't we? And I have a really hot date today. He gave a look that bore the purest death. — The asteri will kill you.

- Perhaps. But you won't tell them any of this to help them. — She extended the Aster towards his face. — It really sucks that you unplugged all your electronics and turned off the interweb. There will be no way to ask for help from inside the basement closet. He was so indignant that he choked. - O... “Ah, don't worry,” she said slowly. — I put a bucket and some water there for you. It should be enough until one of your idiot guards wonders what's going on here and comes to check it out. — She pretended to ponder. — But they may have some difficulty getting through your protections. — Just as you will.

— Unfortunately for you, no. I won't have any difficulties. You didn't put protections against teleportation. Such a rare gift around here... it didn't even occur to you to protect yourself from it, right? How lucky for me. — I would think very carefully about your next moves if it were... — Okay, okay. — She pointed with the sword at the door. — Come on. Your

underground abode awaits. He didn't try anything as she escorted him down, evidently worried about the power of the weapons Bryce carried. Ever since Vesperus had writhed beneath the two blades, a thought in the back of Bryce's mind had been bothering her. Remembering everything Ruhn had told her about the Autumn King's obsession with Aster, she bet he might also know about the dagger.

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It was the hardest decision she had ever made in her life: going there, playing this little game, instead of having the portal take her straight to Hunt. But Hunt, as she feared, was still in the dungeons, and appearing there would have been too risky. And this knowledge was very important. But now she knew a little more. Aster and the Revealer of Truth could open a portal to nowhere, wherever it was. Now she just needed to learn how to make them act that way. Good thing he had also said where to find more information about the blades in Midgard. The Autumn King hesitated as Bryce pointed his sword at the open closet in the basement. Like much of the house, it was fireproof. It was possible that it would take him some time to break down the heavy steel door, if he managed to free himself from the Gorsian shackles. The Autumn King growled as he entered the closet: — I'm going to kill you and your whore mother for this. She motioned for him to go further into the closet. — I'll leave it scheduled for tomorrow. And with that, she slammed the door in his face, then locked it. He threw himself against the door a second later. The door shuddered, but held. Whistling softly and supporting Aster on his shoulder, Bryce left the basement. There was much more to do. Places to be. People to see. And more to learn. Five minutes later, Bryce took his cell phone out of the desk drawer in the Autumn King's office. It was out of battery, and a quick search of the office turned up no sign of charging cables to get it back up and running. She tucked it into the waistband of her leggings and took out the Aster and the Truth-Revealer, which had left on the table. The Autumn King's prismatic device was where he had left it. A ray of sunlight shone through the windows, reflecting the

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prism and refracting a rainbow on one of the planetarium's golden planets — in Midgard. The light separated. Pure light. In the chaos of those final moments with Vesperus and the days spent with the Autumn King, she had not yet had the opportunity to explore the magic she had taken from Silene. He imagined that he had claimed the magic for himself, since Silene had certainly left it there to be taken by future heirs. But why didn't they do it? Why didn't her son, who had heard the truth from his mother's mouth, do so? Bryce knew he might never get the answer. But he could try to learn something about the power he now had within him. With a deep breath, Bryce summoned his magic. As she exhaled, she sent a stream of her starlight into the prism, her power faster than ever. Starlight hit the prism, passed through it, and... — Hum. It wasn't a rainbow that appeared on the other side. It wasn't even close to that. She took a moment to process what she was seeing: a radiant beam of starlight. Where the rainbow should have been full of colors, there appeared a sparkling white light that descended into the shadow. An anti-rainbow, so to speak. Light falling into the darkness, droplets of starlight raining from the highest beam to the shadowy band at the bottom, devoured by the darkness below. Like the dim light of day—of twilight. What did that mean? She was sure her light was pure before, but now, with Silene's power mixed in... there was darkness there too. Hidden underneath. And I am in Avallen.

Did that make any difference to his power? For her? Now have that layer of darkness? Bryce put the questions aside. I could think about that later. At that moment... She picked up the notebook from the table and placed it in the inside pocket of her sports jacket.

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Then he pushed the prism on the table a few inches to the side, angling it toward the device on the other side of the room. The one the Autumn King said might be able to recapture the light, possibly with more power added to it. But what if light burst from either prism, meeting in the middle? What would happen in the collision of so much magic? All that overwhelming light, the little bits of magic colliding with each other would produce energy. And they would supply it as if it were a battery. At least that's what she hoped. — There's only one way to find out — she muttered to herself. With a prayer to Cthona, she sent two identical beams of light arcing around the prisms, shooting right into the middle of them. Identical bursts of the same light shone from both prisms, firing at each other. Streaks of light falling into the darkness, their power reduced to their most elemental and basic form. They shone into each other, and where they met, light, darkness, darkness and light collided... Bryce walked right into the center of the explosion.

Came into his power. It lit her up inside, lit up her own blood. Hair floated above his head, pens, papers and other office objects rising with him. So much light and darkness — power was in the meeting of the two. Now he could understand how darkness shaped light. But all that power combined... was the boost she needed. She gave the middle finger to the ground at her feet, to the angry Autumn King below, and teleported out of the house, to the place she most wanted to be. Home. Wherever that was on Midgard. Because home was no longer just a physical place, but also a person. Silene stated this when she spoke of Theia and Aidas... their souls met across the worlds, because they were partners. They were the

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each other's home. And for Bryce, home was — and always would be — Hunt. ***

Ruhn was so tired that despite the pain in his neck, he didn't bother moving to a more comfortable position in the chair. The machines beeped nonstop, like metal crickets marking the passage of the night. He was vaguely aware that Declan was replacing Flynn. Then Dec came out and it was Flynn again.

I couldn't say what woke him up. Maybe a change in the machine or some change in the cadence of her breathing, but... a stillness passed through him. He opened his eyes, painful and heavy, and looked at the bed. Lidia was still unconscious. Terribly pale. Lidia. No answer. Ruhn rested his arms on his knees and rubbed his face. Maybe he could sleep on the tile floor. It would be better than squirming in the chair. — Good morning — said Flynn — would you like a coffee?

Ruhn grunted his consent. Flynn patted his He turned his back and left, the door opening and closing with a noise. Gods, his entire body hurt. The hand… he examined the slender, strangely pale fingers, the lack of tattoos or scars. Still weak. As if he was still rebuilding the strength stored in his immortal blood on the day of his Descent. He flexed his fingers, wincing, then sat up slowly and cracked his neck. He was spinning a third time when he looked at the bed and noticed Lidia staring at him. He was frozen in place. Her golden eyes were cloudy with pain and exhaustion, but open, and she was... she was... Ruhn blinked, making sure he wasn't dreaming. Lidia said hoarsely.

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—Am I alive or dead? It felt like a hole had opened in his chest. “Hurray,” he whispered, his hands beginning to shake. Lidia's lips slowly curved, as if it took all her effort to do so. The weight of it hit him, of what she was, of who she was and what she had done. The Doe was before him. The Doe, damn it! How could he feel so much relief for someone he hated so intensely? How could he hate someone whose life was more important to him than life itself? Her glassy eyes looked away from his. He looked around the windowless room, taking in the machines and the IV drip. His nostrils flared, smelling the room beneath the antiseptics and various potions. Something sharpened in his gaze. Something like recognition. Then Lidia asked very quietly: — Where are we? The question surprised him. She had planned that escape. Would the injury affect his mind? Gods, he hadn't even thought about the possible consequences of being without oxygen for so long. Ruhn said slowly: — On the Freighter of the Deep... She moved. Tubes and monitors flew, ripped from his arm so quickly that blood gushed out. The machines beeped and Ruhn couldn't move fast enough to stop her as she jumped out of bed, her feet slipping on the floor as she ran for the door. The window opened, revealing Flynn with two cups of coffee in his hand. hand. He dodged to the side with a “what the fuck?” Lidia bolted, barely able to stand, and all Ruhn All he could do was run after her. The few medwitches in the room at that hour let out exclamations of surprise at the doe shapeshifter who stumbled past in her pale blue hospital gown, flailing against the walls with the grace of a newborn foal. His legs had been rebuilt; she had never used these before.

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- What the hell is this? said Flynn, a step behind Ruhn, smelling of the coffee he had spilled on himself when he had jumped out of Lidia's way. Lidia arrived at the stairs and, just before the door closed behind her, Ruhn saw her stumble, falling to her knees on the steps and getting back up. “Lidia,” he panted, each step making his lungs burn. For the bitch who gave birth to his body, still healing... He knocked hard on the door that led to the well stairs, but she was already halfway there, her long, pale, thin legs against the gray tiles. She advanced further and further, unaware or ignoring the fact that Ruhn was running close behind. She opened an unmarked door and bolted down the hallway. People in civilian clothes clung to the walls when they saw her — then him. The walls there were covered in brightly colored art and pamphlets. Lidia breathed deeper and deeper. He sobbed, stretching his neck to see through the windows of the rooms he passed. Ruhn read the words on each wooden door: Third Year. Seventh Year. Fifth Year. She skidded to a stop, grabbing the doorframe. Ruhn He arrived at her side just as he peeked through the glass. Ninth Year. A group of teenagers — most of them sea creatures, with striped skin and different colors — were sitting on rows of desks in the classroom. Lidia pressed her hand against the door. Tears streamed down her face. And then a boy, with golden hair and blue eyes, turned his head away. teacher's gaze and looked at the window. The boy wasn't a merman. Ruhn felt the ground disappear beneath his feet. The boy looked exactly like Lidia. He had the same skin and hair color. Another boy to his left, also not a merman, had black hair. dark and golden eyes. Lidia's eyes.

Behind them, Flynn grunted in surprise. — Do you have brothers on this ship?

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—They are not my brothers — Lidia whispered. Your fingers bent over the glass. - Are my kids.

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Hunt leaned against the wall of the Deep Freighter's massive tactical room, arms crossed. Tharion and Baxian stood at his side, the former feigning indifference, the latter the picture of menace. The only piece of furniture in the room was a conference table, and despite being told to sit down when they entered five minutes earlier, the three remained standing. Hunt mentally went over everything he needed to say. The Queen of the Ocean had asked Sendes that Tharion attend the meeting, but Athalar knew he would have no better opportunity to ask the questions he wanted. Assuming Tharion managed to stay intact until Hunt started talking. Otherwise, it could complicate your plans. If Tharion was nervous, he didn't show it. The merman removed invisible lint from his aquatic suit and occasionally glanced at the digital clock on the opposite wall. But Hunt noticed his blank stare. A male prepared to face his end. That maybe he thought he deserved what was coming. Something made the ship shudder, like an underwater earthquake. As threatening and deadly as a tsunami. Old and cold like the bottom of an ocean trench.

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"She's here," Tharion murmured. Baxian's dark wings closed tighter and he glanced sideways at Hunt. — Have you met the Queen of the Ocean?

“No,” Hunt said, folding his wings. He wished he had a gun, any gun. Even though he could count on his lightning and brute strength, the weight of a gun or sword at his side brought a certain comfort. Even though neither of them were of any use against the being that had arrived on the ship. — I've never even seen her. You?

Baxian ran a hand through his curly black hair. — No. Ketos? — No — was the merman's only response, his eyes fixed on the clock again. It was not surprising that not even Tharion had met the Ocean Queen. She was more enigmatic than the River Queen and was rumored to have been born to Ogenas herself. The daughter of a goddess, who could certainly cause the force of the entire ocean to collapse on the ship and... The door was opened. Sendes appeared and announced: — Her Majesty of the Deep, the Queen of the Ocean. — The commander stepped to the side, giving an exaggerated bow as a tiny female passed behind her. Hunt didn't react. Even Tharion seemed to contain his shock, shallow breathing. Her voluptuous body measured just over four feet tall. The skin was as pale as a fish's belly; his eyes were angular and as dark as a shark's. Her face was heart-shaped, neither beautiful nor simple, her lips were shaped like rosebuds, the reddish-pink color of a snapper. There was a strange lightness to her walking... as if she wasn't used to dry land. And the seaweed and gorgonian dress she wore had a train that trailed as she walked, the shells and coral decorations tinkling with each movement. The three moved away from the wall and, following Sendes' example, they bowed.

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But as he did so, Hunt kept his eyes on the Ocean Queen, noticing the slow movement of her eyes as she took in the three of them. Only the eyes moved — nothing else. A predator sizing up its prey. When he decided that they had worshiped her enough, he walked to the end of the table. Each step left a foot-shaped puddle on the tiles, even though it appeared to be dry. Crustaceans adorned some strands of her hair like beads. “Sit down,” she ordered, her deep, undulating voice giving you goosebumps. Wings rustled and chairs creaked as they obeyed her. Hunt wondered if today had angered Urd in any way, realizing that he had claimed the chair closest to the head of the table... and the monarch sitting there. Baxian was sitting on the other side and Tharion, that worm, had crawled into the farthest seat, a hop away from the door. Adjusting the wings on the back of the chair, Hunt locked eyes with Baxian. The Hellhound returned a look that said: Well, I'm about to shit my pants. Hunt looked at his chair as if to say You're not the one glued to it. The queen examined them with calm, merciless eyes. Hunt couldn't help but swallow hard. He had never felt so small, so insignificant. Even in the face of the asteri, he could remember that he was a warrior, a good one, and that he could at least offer resistance against them. But in front of this female... he saw it in her eyes, felt it in her blood: one thought was enough for her to extinguish his existence with a wave of power. Sendes cleared his throat and said, his voice trembling: — Allow me to introduce Hunt Athalar, Baxian Argos, and Tharion Ketos. — Our guests from Valbara — acknowledged the Queen of the Ocean. His words seemed accompanied by the howl of the wind, even though the tone of his voice was soft. Hunt felt his entire body go keyed up.

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As quickly as a storm sweeping across the sea, it seemed to grow. No, it was growing, taller and taller, until it towered over Sendes, almost as tall as Hunt. His power surged, filling the room, dragging their puny souls into his muffled heart like a whirlpool. The Queen of the Ocean turned her attention to Tharion and said, with a threatening tone that made her knees tremble: — You brought a lot of trouble to my house.

***

Ruhn tried unsuccessfully to process what he heard. Lidia had... children? A female voice behind them said: - MS. Deer. Lidia didn't turn around. He continued looking at the boys in the classroom. But Ruhn looked and found a sturdy, dark-skinned, gentle-faced mermaid standing there. She introduced herself: — I am director Kagani, the highest authority of this school. Lidia's fingers twitched on the glass of the door window. — Can I meet them? — The question was very, very low. Voice breaking. Kagani gave a soft sigh. — I think it would be quite damaging and too revealing if they were removed from the classroom now. Lidia finally turned around, showing her teeth. — I want to meet my children. Ruhn's mind raced at the expression on her face. Anger, pain and the indomitable ferocity of a mother. — I know you want to — Kagani replied with imperturbable calm — but it would be better if we talked in my office after class. It's at the end of the hall. The Doe didn't even move. — Think about what's best for them, Lidia — encouraged Kagani. — I really understand... I'm also a mother. If I had…” She swallowed. — I would want the same thing if I had made the choices I did.

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you did. But I am also an educator and advocate for these children. Please put the twins first today. Just like you have done every day for the last fifteen years. Lidia examined the female's face with a receptivity that Ruhn had never seen in her. He looked over his shoulder, back toward the classroom. The blonde boy was at his desk at that moment, staring at Lidia with wide eyes. The dark-haired boy watched her carefully, but remained sitting. There was a lot of Lidia in their features. When they were far away from her, it was unlikely anyone would be able to make the connection, but it was impossible to ignore when they were so close. — It’s okay — Lidia whispered, lowering her hand from the window — it’s okay. Kagani breathed a quiet sigh of relief. — Why don't you go clean up? School doesn't end for another five hours, so don't be in a rush. Eat something. Maybe get a quick exam with your medwitch. — She nodded at the half-scarred holes in Lidia's arm, where the serum had been ripped out. — Okay — Lidia repeated for the third time, and walked away. As if Ruhn and Flynn didn't exist. Director Kagani added gently, “I will contact Brann and Actaeon's adoptive parents to see if they can participate as well. Lidia nodded silently and continued walking.

Ruhn looked at Flynn, who had his eyebrows raised, and raised his own eyebrows in silent agreement. A sudden movement caught his attention and Ruhn turned around. towards Lidia, indistinctly extending his hand towards her. But he wasn't quick enough to catch her when she he fainted and fell to the floor. ***

Tharion had never met anyone as frightening and alluring as the Ocean Queen. I never wanted to cry, laugh and scream at the same time

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time... although he was more inclined to do the latter when the queen demonstrated the full force of her displeasure. — Tharion Ketos. — She pronounced his name as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. — Explain to me how you have not just one, but two queens demanding your head? He shuddered and used all the charm he had — the main and best defense strategy he had and could apply. — It's just that I usually cause this effect on females. The monarch did not smile, but he could have sworn that Sendes, standing still

at the door, I was trying not to laugh. The Queen of the Ocean folded her hands in front of her soft, curved belly. — I have received reports that the Viper Queen of Lunathion has placed a bounty on your head worth three million gold marks. — Athalar, the bastard, let out a low whistle. — Five million if you're alive, so she can punish you herself. Tharion held his breath. - Whereby? — He quickly added: — Your Majesty. “I don't know the details and I don't want to know,” replied the Queen of the Ocean, her pearly teeth gleaming behind her bright red lips. — But I believe it had something to do with your presence bringing in certain individuals who caused incalculable damage to her property. She considers you largely responsible. He was so, so fucked up. — But your problems don't stop there — continued the queen. He could have sworn those shiny teeth had gotten sharper. — My supposed sister from Istros also demands your return. She is threatening war against me, against me, if you are not handed over. I believe to be executed. He could barely breathe. — Please — he whispered — my parents... — Oh, I wouldn't worry about your family if I were you. — The Queen of the Ocean seethed. His teeth were now curved and razor-like. A real shark. — The River Queen and the Viper Queen only want you. It would be great if you gave me a good

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reason not to hand it over... and let them fight over its carcass. He looked for some way to calm things down, to win her over, but he failed. The streak of luck, which used to be so great and deep, had officially dried up... — If you hand him over — said a drawling female voice coming from the —,have a third queen pissed off with you. open door, you will Tharion felt the ground disappear beneath his feet. Bryce Quinlan walked through the door and gave the Ocean Queen a wink. — Tharion serve a mim.

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Hunt was out of his body, out of his mind. Maybe he had died. It was Bryce right there, in the doorway, smiling at the Ocean Queen. She was Bryce and at the same time...she wasn't.

He wore his usual outfit—tight jeans and a soft white T-shirt with a navy blue sports jacket. Hell, she even had those neon pink sneakers on. But there was something different about her posture, the way the light seemed to shine off her. She looked older, somehow. Not in expression lines or wrinkles, but in your eyes. As if I had been through big events, good and bad. Hunt recognized this, because it was also engraved on his own face. The Ocean Queen looked at Bryce firmly. — And please tell me... who are you? Bryce wasn't shaken for a moment. — I am Bryce Danaan, queen of the Valbaran fae. Hunt made a strangled sound—a sob. Bryce looked at him then, examining his face, the tears he couldn't hold back. Her gaze went to the halo and then to his wrist... but her expression revealed nothing. She just walked over to where he was sitting, and it was her, her scent, her soft skin brushing against his hand as she looked at his face.

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“Hey,” he said, his voice hoarse, his eyes burning. Bryce squeezed his hand, his eyes also filling with tears. - Hey. — She blinked away the tears, turning to the Queen of the Ocean, who monitored her every move. Every breath. The Queen of the Ocean said to Bryce, her shark teeth gleaming: — I don't recognize any queen with that title. “I recognize it,” Hunt replied, folding his wings behind him as he stood up, moving to Bryce's side. Her fingers brushed his and a shiver of pleasure ran through him. — She is my partner. — He bowed to the Queen of the Ocean. —Prince Hunt Athalar Danaan, at your service. I can attest that Tharion Ketos serves my queen and partner. Any other claims for him are false.

Bryce gave a wry look that seemed to say, You're a fucking bitch. liar, but I love you. The Ocean Queen still watched Bryce with a face as cold as the northern region of the Haldren Sea. — I'll need to check that out. — She pointed a nail made of pure motherof-pearl at the merman. — Tharion Ketos, you are confined to this ship until further notice. Tharion lowered his head, but remained still and silent. The Ocean Queen lowered her finger and gave Bryce a sharp look. It was pure instinct that Hunt braced his knees, ready to jump between the two and protect his partner. But there was no lightning, no gun, no sword that could save Bryce if the Ocean Queen brought the full wrath of the sea upon them. At that depth, he wouldn't have the slightest chance of reaching the surface in time. That is, if their bodies didn't explode first due to the pressure.

But the almost divine being stated, with traces of haughtiness: — Queen or not, you are now all guests on my ship... and you will only leave when I say so.

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Hunt refrained from saying that this check-out policy was not very guest-friendly. Especially when the Ocean Queen asked Bryce, narrowing her dark eyes: — Is your father, the Autumn King, still breathing? Bryce smiled slowly. - For now. The Ocean Queen weighed her words. Then he responded to Bryce's smile with a smile of his own, revealing all those hooked shark teeth. — I don't remember inviting you to this ship. Bryce checked his nails. It was a move so characteristic of her that Hunt's chest tightened. — Well, someone sent me a virtual invitation. Hunt lowered his head to hide the smile on his face. He had forgotten how fun it was to watch Bryce in action. Leading all those idiots with mastery. This helped to ease the weight he felt, taking away some of that primitive terror. But just a little. The Queen of the Ocean said, categorically: — I don't know of such a thing.

Bryce's whiskey-colored eyes twinkled, making it clear he was having fun with this, but his tone was very serious as he explained, "I teleported here." I needed to find my partner. — You and your partner are dismissed — announced the Queen of the Ocean, waving her hand with mother-of-pearl nails. A hermit crab passed through her dark hair and disappeared again. — I have important matters to discuss with Captain Ketos. Tharion looked straight ahead, grimacing. Perhaps his death sentence hadn't been postponed after all. But Bryce still didn't get carried away. — Yes, but you see, my matters are a little more urgent. — That seems highly unlikely to me. Two queens facing each other. And there was no doubt in Hunt's mind that Bryce was a queen now. The posture, the strength that radiated

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her... She didn't need a crown to rule that room. Bryce took a deep breath, the only sign of nervousness. And I told ruler of the seas: — You are wrong. ***

It took all of Bryce's willpower not to grab Hunt right then and there and kiss him until he was dizzy. It took all her willpower not to let herself be overcome by fury and cry when she saw the halo tattooed again on his forehead, the mark stamped on his wrist. She would kill the Asteri for doing this. Killing them was already in her plans, of course, but after what they did to Hunt while she was away... she would make sure they died a very slow death. That is, when he finally discovered how to kill them. And when he hugged Hunt, she wouldn't let go. Never. But they had so many things to work out now that giving in wasn't among the options, nor was hugging and loving him. She didn't dare ask where Ruhn was, not with the Ocean Queen present. Baxian was with Hunt, so perhaps his brother was nearby too. The Autumn King had said that everyone had been rescued. Ruhn had to be there. Somewhere. But she couldn't wait for her brother. He would have to be brought up to speed on this later. —, through a “I traveled to the original world of the fae,” she said. Gate of the Eternal Palace. I possess the Horn of Luna, which helped open the path between the worlds. A stunned silence filled the room. Hunt was almost vibrating with her lightning and curiosity, but Bryce didn't look away from the Ocean Queen as the female said, her voice neutral: — I assume you discovered something. Bryce nodded curtly. — I already knew that asteri are intergalactic parasites. But it turns out they infected the waters of Midgard by invading this world.

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— They infected — pondered the Queen of the Ocean.

Bryce nodded again. — The asteri put a real parasite in the water... or something like one. I don't know how to explain what it is in a more specific way. Whatever it is, everyone on Midgard has to offer primalux through the Descent because of it. Or else we will lose our powers... wither and die. “Fuck,” Hunt muttered. Bryce still didn't look at him. Not for Tharion, Baxian, or Sendes, who were all gaping in absolute terror. Only the Ocean Queen didn't seem surprised. Realizing, Bryce said, narrowing his eyes, “You... you knew that.” The Ocean Queen shook her head. — No. But I always wondered why my people still needed to make the Descent, even down here. But now that you've revealed this terrible truth, what will you do? “I think I'll face the Asteri,” Bryce replied. — Banish them from this world. - As? —The Queen of the Ocean moved, the coral beads in her dress tinkling.

Bryce dodged, not willing to tell this stranger everything. — I suppose an eviction notice wouldn't solve the problem? The three males around them didn't even blink, but Sendes stood up. moved.

The Queen of the Ocean said in all words: — This is absurd. You would need entire armies to combater os asteri —Wouldn't you like to provide one? — replied Bryce. —My people are skilled in water, not on land. But Ophion has strength, even if there are few left. I believe Lidia Cervos brought them together the other day, with devastating consequences. But I still haven't been informed of how many survived the mission. Bryce asked the queen, “So you work with Ophion?”

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— We help each other when we can... I shelter her agents, if they can get here. But Ophion is as prejudiced against us as a Vanir is against a mortal. They think accepting our help is... degrading. “Many Vanir have helped Ophion over the years,” he said. Baxian gently.

Bryce felt his chest tighten as Danika's face came into his mind. If Danika couldn't be there, nothing more appropriate than for her partner to be there. — And Ophion resents them all — said Commander Sendes, still standing next to the door. — We would need a solid bond between us to start negotiations on the unification of the armies. Hunt turned to Bryce and asked quietly, “What about Briggs?” Her blood ran cold. — But no fucking way. He will turn on us and kill us. — The former rebel leader's thin, blank face flashed in her mind, along with those deep blue eyes that seemed to pierce her. — She's right — added the Queen of the Ocean, once again crossing her hands over her belly as if in a portrait of regal bearing. — We need to recalculate the route. Bryce said, as calmly as she could, “Hell will help us.” The Ocean Queen sneered. — Do you trust these demons?

— I trust. — Faced with the ruler's raised eyebrows, Bryce continued, his jaw clenched: — Hell has known all this for millennia. And they tried to help us in every way. Free us. That's what they were trying to do during the First Wars.

Once again, his friends were silent. But the Ocean Queen snorted in disbelief. — Did you learn that in this other world too? — Yes. — Bryce kept his tone calm, refusing to fall for the provocation.

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—Do you trust Hell enough to open the Crack of Hell wide open? North and allow its armies to pass? — If it's our only chance to defeat the asteri...

— You would trade one evil for another. Bryce couldn't stop the starlight from pulsing beneath his skin, condensing and sharpening into that thing that could cut through stone. — I wouldn't say that the Princes of Hell are bad, since, all these years, they refused to let the Asteri win. When they went out of their way to try to help us, even though they had to pay a price for it. Hell owes us nothing, but they are so convinced of the importance of ridding the universe of asteri that they have dedicated themselves to it for thousands of years. I would say it is a pretty strong commitment. The Queen of the Ocean seemed to grow by almost two inches. She He pointed his chin at Hunt. — Your partner has hunted demons for centuries... seen their brutality and bloodlust up close. What do you have to say about their supposed altruism? Hunt squared his shoulders, unshakable. Bryce's throat tightened at the sight, at the knowledge, even before he began to speak, that he would be by her side. — I have some difficulty accepting it, even more so after they destroyed Lunathion this spring, but if Bryce trusts them, I trust them too. Plus, it's not like we have a lot of options. Bryce spared him from delving into the subject: — There's one more thing. They all turned to her. Hunt, at least, had the good sense to look nervous. Bryce kept his gaze fixed on the Ocean Queen as he said, “We need to go to Avallen.” - Why? — demanded the Queen of the Ocean. The tone of his voice seemed to contain a tsunami within it. — I have some research I need to do in your archives that could help our cause. — At least there was some truth in that. — About the First Wars and the involvement of Hell.

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Okay, that last part was a lie. But she wouldn't explain what I really wanted to search on that mist-shrouded island. The Queen of the Ocean spoke slowly: — I don't remember becoming a ferry service. Do you think my city ship is at your disposal? — Do you want to win this war or not? It was possible to feel the shock that hit the room after those words. Hunt tensed, preparing for a physical confrontation. But Bryce emitted starlight as he said, “Look, I know nothing is free. But damn, let's open the game here. Tell us what your price is. You have strived for years to help people, working to bring down the asteri. So why are you making everything so difficult when we finally have a chance to win? “I'm starting to get bored,” said the Ocean Queen. — I didn't come here to take orders from an impostor queen. “You can call me whatever you want,” Bryce replied, “but the longer we wait to take action, the easier it will be for Rigelus and the rest of the Asteri to take action against us. — Everything is so urgent for young people.

— Yes, I understand, but... — I didn't finish talking.

Bryce hid his expression of astonishment as the Ocean Queen observed. - You are young. Idealistic. And inexperienced. — Don't forget that I'm not very qualified and I never dress appropriately. The female gave a warning look. Bryce raised his hands in mock surrender. The Ocean Queen let out a long sigh. — I don't know you, Bryce Danaan, and everything I've seen so far wouldn't put you in the category of a reliable ally. My people have managed to escape the influence of the Asteri for millennia... to remain safe here, fighting them as best they can.

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we can. And yet you tell me that even here we are not beyond their reach. Even here, in my domain, the asteri parasite infects us all. "I'm sorry to have been the bearer of bad news," Bryce said, but would you prefer if I hid it from you? - Being sincere? I don't know. — The Queen of the Ocean studied her hand, a striped sea snake coiled like a living bracelet, black and white. Poisonous as Hell. The governor asked, her voice calm: — Have you ever thought about an evacuation? Bryce stared at her.

- Where? There is no place on Midgard, except perhaps this ship, that is not under their control. —Avallen was in theory protected by her mists, yes, but King Morven also bowed before the asteri. The queen raised her head. —To the fae homeworld. Hunt stirred, wings rustling. — You mean leave this planet for good? The Queen of the Ocean did not take her eyes off Bryce as she replied: — Yes. Using the Horn, allow as many as you can pass and then seal the path forever. Horror churned inside her. — And what... abandon the rest here? To be enslaved by the asteri and served as food? — She wouldn't be better than Silene. The Queen of the Ocean asked: — Isn't it better to free some than to let everyone die? Hunt chuckled softly, approaching Bryce as he said to the Ocean Queen: - You can not be serious. Who the fuck would be chosen to come? Your people? Our families? In what universe is this fair? Sitting at the conference table, Baxian nodded in agreement, but Tharion remained as still as a stone. Perhaps he didn't want to attract the queen's attention or wrath again.

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Cowardly asshole. But Bryce suppressed his disgust. She needed all the allies she could get. — I don't say it's fair — said the Queen of the Ocean, stroking the sea snake on his wrist — but it may be all that is necessary. Bryce swallowed hard to ease the dryness in his mouth. — I came back here to help everyone, not to abandon them to the mercy of the asteri. —Maybe Urd sent you to that other world to define whether it could be a safe haven. Have you ever stopped to think about it?

Bryce exploded: — What's all this for, then? The stealth, the boats, the Ophion contacts? Why do all this if, in the end, you just want to escape the asteri? Eyes blacker than Fossa Melinoë pinned her in place. — Don't you dare question my dedication, girl. I fought and sacrificed for this world when no one else would. Once, my kingdom was vaster than you can imagine... but the Asteri came and entire islands withered into the sea in despair, taking with them the very heart of this world. The very hearts of mermaids and mermen too. If there's anyone here who understands how useless it is to face the asteri, it's me. Bryce tensed. — Wait... were you here before the asteri? Were the mermaids and mermen here? I thought only humans lived on Midgard back then. The Ocean Queen's expression seemed more distant as she sank into memories. — They had the land... we had the seas. Our people only met once in a while, which gave rise to human legends about sea creatures. — A wistful smile, then his eyes focused on Bryce, sharp and calculating. — But yes, we have always been here. Midgard has always had magic, as magic is inherent in all nature. The Asteri just didn't deign to recognize this. Bryce saved that information for later. - All good. You've won the prize for the longest sufferer on Midgard. Still, you have no right to jump to the

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front of the Midgard Evacuation queue. — Hunt touched her shoulder lightly, a gentle warning. But Bryce ignored him and placed his hands flat on the table, leaning forward to come face to face with the Ocean Queen. — I refuse to open a gate like that. I will not help condemn the majority of the people of Midgard while a few set off to be happy elsewhere. The sea snake on the Ocean Queen's wrist hissed at Bryce. Yet her owner's face remained as cold as the northern ice floes. — You will change your mind when your friends and loved ones start to die around them. “Don't you dare condescend to her,” Hunt growled at the queen. Sendes cleared her throat, trying to snap them out of this mess, but all Bryce could hear was a roaring in her ears, all she could see was blinding white in the corners of her vision... “You're a coward,” Bryce shot at the Ocean Queen. — You hide behind a coward. your power. AND The ship shook, as if the sea itself was angry. But the Queen of the Ocean replied: — Against all my instincts, I will take you and yours to Avallen, as requested. Consider this my last gift. Bryce clenched his teeth so hard his jaw hurt. — But when you fail in whatever rebellion you think you can engineer — added the Queen of the Ocean in a farewell tone, walking towards the door and leaving a trail of water in her wake — when you realize that I'm right and that you run away It's the best option, I ask only this in exchange for my services: take as many of my people as you can.

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Bryce couldn't help but be impressed by the fact that Hunt, Tharion, and Baxian had endured in silence until they returned to a room that barely accommodated all of them, let alone their egos. She would certainly have a hell of a time there. But as soon as the door was closed, absolute chaos reigned. “What the fuck…” Hunt exploded. — Are you okay... — she began. —The fae homeworld? — Tharion demanded to know at the same time. tempo que Baxian riu. — That was epic. Tharion sank into one of the bunks. His skin was more paler than usual. — Only you to face the Queen of the Ocean, Legs. Baxian said to the merman:

— Confined to the ship, huh? Tharion shuddered. — I'm fucked. Bryce turned to Hunt, who was leaning against the door he had closed. She raised her eyebrows at her partner, at his too calm expression. I knew that look. He was, without a doubt,

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wondering when he could kick everyone out and fuck her until they were both exhausted. Her toes twitched inside her sneakers and she gave him a wink. Hunt rolled his eyes, one corner of his mouth turning up. But she didn't fail to notice the darkness that now clouded his gaze. Whatever happened while she was gone also left a mark on the inside. But they would talk about that later. Bryce asked, "Where's Ruhn?" “With Lidia,” Hunt said, his voice calm. — Lidia? Baxian nodded, sitting next to Tharion, his black wings shining like raven feathers. — Yes. She got us out of there. She's, um... a little screwed up. Ruhn is taking care of her.

Bryce felt a tightness in his chest. - She goes...

Before Bryce could finish, the door opened. The lightning of Hunt formed an instant, crackling wall before her. But Bryce let out an exclamation of joy when he saw Ruhn panting at the door, his brother's eyes wide with shock. Then they were hugging and laughing, and so much joy emanated from her that her starlight intensified, causing sharp shadows in the cramped room. “Bryce,” he said, the smile and pride in his voice making her throat catch. She grabbed her brother's hand, unable to speak, but then looked down at his arms. The tattoos had turned into thin lines. As if the his skin had been opened so deeply... His starlight went out. “Ruhn,” she gasped.

“I'm whole,” Ruhn said, and looked at Baxian. - Again. "I don't want to know what that look means," Bryce replied. while Baxian winced, apologizing.

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"And you don't," Hunt agreed, slipping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her to the opposite bunk, where Baxian and Tharion were sitting. He sat close enough for his thigh to touch hers, and even went so far as to place a wing over hers. As if he never wanted to let her out of his sight again.

She breathed in his scent, his warmth, over and over again. The most things wonderful things in the universe.

Ruhn blinked at Bryce, as if he wasn't convinced she was actually there. — I'm not hallucinating, right? he asked. “No.” Bryce patted the bed next to her. But Ruhn remained near the door, his face serious. — I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I can't stay long. - What happened? Baxian asked. — Lidia woke up — announced Ruhn — and, oh... she had some surprises to share. ***

“So,” Hunt said to Ruhn in stunned silence five minutes later. — Your girlfriend has... children. Bryce's mind was racing with everything that had been revealed by his brother. Ruhn just gave Hunt a baleful look. Message given: without provocations. She let out a low whistle. — How the hell did Lidia hide all of this? When did she have these children? Baxian said darkly, “I think the right question is whether they are from Pollux.” — They didn't have wings — said Ruhn tensely — but that doesn't mean say nothing.

- But she is OK? asked Bryce. She owed everything to that one female. All. If I could do anything to help her...

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“She's sleeping again,” Ruhn explained. - I think that running up the stairs exhausted her. — I think he was able to run earlier just because of the adrenaline — reflected Tharion. Ruhn's eyes went cloudy with worry, so Bryce guessed Hunt did him a big favor by changing the subject. He turned to her. — Well, let's listen. How the fuck did you end up on this ship? How did you find us? She understood the need to distract Ruhn and said: — I already told you: I teleported. — She met Hunt's eyes, seeing the love and pain present there, and said softly: — You are my home, Hunt. Our love extends across the stars and across worlds, remember? — She smiled slowly. — I will always find you. He swallowed hard, no doubt remembering when he had said those exact words to her before Bryce had jumped through the Gate of the Eternal Palace. But he looked away as if he couldn't bear it and asked, "Where did you teleport from?" All is well then. She would give him time to resolve his issues. — From my dear daddy's house. Where did he think I was? holding him hostage.

- He found? — Ruhn demanded. Bryce shrugged. This time it was Hunt who helped her. — Can you explain what you said to the Queen of the Ocean? Of the parasites in the water and asteri? —What else is there to be said? They infected the waters of Midgard with it. It's in all of us. They force us to make the Descent, so that our power is not sucked away. - What? said Ruhn, frightened. Bryce sighed. And he explained everything again.

But this time he explained everything — from the beginning. The arrival in the other world, the time she was trapped in the dungeon. How you escaped

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and walked through the tunnels with Azriel and Nesta. What he learned in that secret chamber: from the world of the fae, from the daglan, from Theia, Fionn and Pelias, from Silene and Helena, from the help of Hell. Silene's claim to power and her own starlight was different since then. Then the meeting with Vesperus and the theft of Azriel's Truth Revealer. It took him an hour to explain everything, even though he omitted any mention of the Masquerade or the Treasures. The less people knew about it, the better. When she got to the part where she was going to explain how she was able to focus on Hunt and appear next to him, Athalar's eyes shone, so full of love that she felt a tightness in her chest. Ruhn was silent the entire time, although her cell phone vibrated several times as she spoke. She had a feeling he was getting updates from someone about Lidia's condition. Hunt leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. He took a long sigh. - OK. That was... a lot. I need a moment. Bryce absently rubbed his chest, the eight-pointed star scar there. She said softly: — Tell me what happened here. Please. ***

When they finished talking, it was Bryce who needed a minute. Ten minutes, actually. She left the room with a silent “excuse me” and was then in the runner, with my stomach upset, my breathing heavy... “Bryce,” Hunt said a few steps back, his boots clicking on the tiled floor. She couldn't turn around to face him. I had abandoned them all. How much they had suffered... “Quinlan,” he appealed. He grabbed her elbow to make her stop. The hallway was empty, the window looked out onto the overwhelming dark sea.

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“Bryce,” he called again, turning her gently. She couldn't help but cry on her face. In an instant, Hunt was there, wrapping her in his arms, wings folded around them, surrounding her with the familiar, inviting scent of rain on cedar. — Xiiiu — he whispered, and she realized that she had started to cry, the impact of everything that had happened to him, to her, making her break down. Bryce slid her arms around his waist, holding on tight. — I was so worried... - I am fine. She studied his face, his look optimistic. — You can't... stay well in those dungeons, Hunt. - I Survived. But the shadows darkened his face as he said this. He tilted his head, resting his forehead against hers. That hateful halo touched her skin. “It was close,” he admitted. She hugged him, shaking. — Thinking about you kept me going. The effect of the words was like a punch to her heart. — You also made me move forward. - Oh yes? — The love in his voice threatened to break Bryce's heart. — I knew my stunning beauty would come in handy one day. She giggled. He raised his hand to his face and traced its strong, beautiful lines. “I'm sorry,” he whispered, and the pain in his words left her shaken. - Whereby? He closed his eyes, swallowing hard. — For getting us into this mess.

She walked away. - You? Did you get us into this mess?

He opened his eyes again, his gaze as dark as the sea beyond the wall of windows behind them.

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— I should have warned you, I should have made us think twice before getting into this nightmare... She was open-mouthed. — You warned me. You warned us all. — She cupped his cheek. — The only ones to blame for all this are the asteri, Hunt. — I should have tried harder. None of us would be in this situation... — You can stop right there — she said vehemently, placing the palm of her hand on his chest. — Do I regret all the pain and suffering you went through? By Solas, for sure. I can barely think about it. But do I regret the attitude we took, the attitude we are going to take? No, never. And you couldn't have stopped me from starting that fight. — She frowned. — I thought we agreed on what needed to be done. He became serious.

— We agreed... agreed. — You don't seem too sure about that. — You weren't the one who saw your friends being tortured. She knew, looking into his eyes, that he regretted his words the moment he finished speaking. Still, that didn't stop her from being hurt, it didn't deflect the stones that hit her heart. It didn't stop her from seething with rage. But she looked at the dark ocean through the glass, all that death just inches away. She said quietly: — I had to live with the fear of perhaps never returning home, never seeing you again, wondering if you were still alive at all times. — She glanced at Hunt in time to see the coldness that passed over his face. I hadn't seen that coldness in a long, long time. The face of Umbra Mortis. His voice was also icy as he said, “It's a good thing we're both alive, then.” It wasn't the end of the conversation. Not even close. But that wasn't what she wanted to talk about. Not at that moment. Then she replied in a soft voice, moving away from the windows on the wall:

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— Yes. That's good. — So are we really going to Avallen? — Hunt asked carefully, leaving the subject aside, the Umbra Mortis expression fading. —Are you ready to deal with King Morven? Bryce nodded, crossing his arms. — We won't be able to do anything with the asteri if I don't find out what this portal to nowhere is and how it can be used to kill them all. The Autumn King hinted that the Avallen Archives contained precious information regarding the blades. And as for Morven... I just spent a few days with an asshole Fae King. Morven won't be worse than that.

Hunt stirred, wings closed tight. — I agree with the plan and all that, but... do you really think there's something in the Avallen Archives that hasn't been discovered yet? — If there's any place on Midgard we can find clues, it's there. The heart of all that is Starry. And it was there that the Autumn King said he read about the portal to nowhere. — I'll take any chance we get, but I repeat: King Morven is not the friendliest. Bryce looked down at his chest, the star-shaped scar barely visible above the hem of his T-shirt. — He will receive us. — Why are you so sure? She reached into the inside pocket of her black sports jacket. With a flourish, she produced her father's notebook. — Because I have the Autumn King's dark little secrets.

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Lidia Cervos looked at her children. Her newt foster parents sat on either side of them, watching her with hunter's eyes. Davit and Renki. She had only discovered their names at that moment. But judging by the way they carried themselves, as if they were ready to attack at any moment, their boys had been well looked after. Beloved. Director Kagani sat across from them at her desk, her hands clasped in front of her. The silence was palpable. Lidia had no idea how to break it. She had no idea who she herself was, sitting there in one of the Deep Freighter's dark blue tactical jumpsuits. A much more comfortable uniform than the one I used to wear, designed for an aquatic lifestyle. No sign of the silver necklace or the imperial medals, or any of the trappings of that false life he had created. She woke up again a few hours after passing out, in a different hospital bed, without tubes and machines. She hoped that the medwitch who had helped her out of bed assumed that her legs were shaking due to persistent weakness. No matter how much the feeling persisted at that moment, sitting in front of her children.

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Brann, golden-haired and blue-eyed, wearing a forest green T-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees, held her gaze. He didn't look away from his mother like Actaeon, with dark hair and golden eyes, did. But it was to Actaeon, in a black t-shirt and matching jeans, that she spoke, softening her voice as much as she could: — I have... a lot to tell you. For both of you. Actaeon looked at his adoptive father on his left. Davit. The male with brown skin and a dark blue officer's uniform nodded encouragingly. Lidia felt a tightness in her chest. She had chosen that. Of course he had no choice but to accept, but he still like this...

She looked at Brann, whose eyes glowed with an inner light. Fearless; reckless. A born leader. She had seen that expression on his face before, even when he was a baby. Brann asked, "So what... do we have to move in with you now?" Actaeon looked at his parents, alarmed. Lidia suppressed her hurt because of that reaction, but replied: — No. Was all she could say. Renki, with fair skin and dark hair, assured Actaeon: — This doesn't change anything. You will stay with us. And besides, your mother has to take care of some things. — He was dressed in a navy blue ship's doctor's jumpsuit. I must have rushed home from work. Brann raised his eyebrows, as if he were going to ask something, but Actaeon said, his voice low: — She is not our mother. The words hit her core like a physical blow. Davit said, a little brusquely: — Yes, she is, Ace. And a kind of jealousy took over her because of the nickname. The dark-haired son raised his head and... Pure power shone in his eyes. She had seen that expression on his face before—a long, long time ago. Pensive and silent, while Brann was all fire.

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Lidia couldn't help but smile despite the words that hurt her. She said to Actaeon, to Brann: — You've been the same way since you were kids. Brann smiled back at her. Actaeon does not. Director Kagani interrupted: — We are not going to put labels on anything or anyone right now. Lidia actually has... a job that will prevent her from settling down at the moment, and even when that happens, let's talk together to decide what's best for you. And your parents. Lidia met Renki's gaze. The dominion and protection in it. And he also saw the plea beneath everything. Please don't take my children away from me. It was the same feeling he had once conveyed to the Queen of the Ocean. An appeal that had led nowhere. Those were her children, the babies that made her change the course of her life, but that had been raised by those two males. Actaeon and Brann were their sons. Not of blood, but of love and affection. They protected them and raised them well. It was the best she could have asked for—for the boys to have such a strong bond with their parents that it went beyond any hope she had entertained. Then Lidia said, even with part of her soul crumbling: — I have no intention of taking you away from your parents. — Her heart thundered, and she knew everyone could hear it. But she lifted her chin anyway. — I don't know when my work will end, if that day will ever come. But if that happens, if you allow me to come back here... I would love to see you again. — She looked at the twins' parents. - All of you. Renki nodded with gratitude in his eyes. Davit put his hand on the Actaeon's shoulder. Burn these: — You mean the work you do... as a Doe? Lidia looked at Director Kagani in alarm. She made them promise that they wouldn't tell the boys who and what she was... “We have television here,” Brann explained, sensing her surprise and consternation. — We recognize you today. No

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We had no idea you were our biological mother until now, but we know what you do. For who you work. — I work for the Queen of the Ocean — Lidia replied. — For Ophion. “You serve the Asteri,” Actaeon said coldly. - You

kill rebels for them. “Ace,” Davit called again.

But Actaeon did not back down. He looked at the twin and demanded: — Do you accept this? Do you accept her? Do you know what she does to people? Fire flashed in Brann's gaze once again. — Yes, asshole, I accept. — Watch your mouth — warned Renki.

Actaeon ignored him and pressed Brann: — Her boyfriend is the Hammer. — Pollux is not my boyfriend — Lidia intervened, stiffening her lips. back.

“The guy she catches, then,” Actaeon replied. — Actaeon — reprimanded Renki. Director Kagani said, in a repressive tone: — That's enough now, Actaeon. — She sighed, looking at Lidia. - AND Maybe that's enough for all of us for today. Actaeon laughed humorlessly.

— I'm just getting started. — He pointed to his brother. — You want to act like a loyal puppy, good luck. He'll get along well with her feral wolves. — You're an idiot, you know that? said Brann. — Boys — said Davit — that's enough. — The male made a face at Lidia. - I am really sorry about that. They tend to be more polite. Lidia nodded with a lump in her throat. But he said to Actaeon: — I understand. In truth. She stood up, the weight of their gazes threatening to make her fall to her feet. knees. But she said to Davit and Renki, “Thank you for looking after them. For loving them both. Her eyes were burning and something huge threatened to explode in her chest, so Lidia didn't say anything else before leaving the office.

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director, closing the door as she passed. She waved goodbye to the administrative assistant sitting on the other side of the door, then walked out into the hallway, panting, fighting the implosion... — Lidia — said a male voice behind her, and she turned around and came across Renki. There was pain on his face.

— I'm sorry it happened that way. Davit and I have discussed this possibility for years and never planned for it to turn out this way. — He ran his hand through his dark hair. — I don't want you to think that we, well... tried to turn the boys against you. She shook her head. — That never even crossed my mind. Renki stirred, his black work boots scraping with noise. smoothness on the tile floor. — We didn't know who you were either. Until today. We knew that their mother worked undercover for Ophion, but we didn't know to what extent she was undercover. — Only Director Kagani and the Ocean Queen knew. — I'd love to hear the whole story, if you have permission to tell. Davit would love it too. She swallowed hard. - Another day who knows. — Yes... you should rest. — He grimaced, examining her. — I'm, uh, a doctor here. He was even on the team that took care of his recovery. I'm glad to see you're standing new. She nodded, not knowing what to say. Renki continued: — Davit commands one of the reconnaissance submersibles, so every now and then he's gone for days or weeks at a time... Sometimes it's just me and the boys — he added. — Well, me, my parents and Davit, who help a lot. They love boys. Grandparents. Something the boys wouldn't have had otherwise. - You have brothers? — she asked the male. Renki nodded.

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— I have two brothers and Davit has a sister. Therefore, there are several cousins running around. The boys grew up with them. She gave a discreet smile.

—Was it difficult for them to live here without being merfolk? “Sometimes,” said Renki. — When they were little, they didn't understand why they couldn't jump in the water with the other children. They threw a lot of tantrums. Plus Brann. — A soft, loving laugh. — But Actaeon is a child genius. He invented helmet and fins for the two of them to wear so they could keep up with the others. Even in the depths. She felt pride blooming in her chest. — That's why you call him Ace, someone very good at it. he does?

The tire is flat. — Yes. He takes things apart and puts them back together again, in a more smart and fun, since she was a baby. “I remember that,” she said softly.

—,

He always

took apart all the toys I gave him... — She stopped talking. But Renki's smile remained. — Still dismantling. It's the only downside to living on this ship. Principal Kagani gets the best teachers she can, but we are limited in the type of higher education we can offer him. — E Fire? Renki chuckled. — Brann is... so, he's really in that style where the description matches the product. A natural athlete... fearless. He gets angry quickly and laughs even faster. He does well in school, but is now more interested in hanging out with his friends. It's the athlete stereotype. We like to let them both be the way they are. “They're like the sun and the moon, then,” she said in a calm voice. Renki's smile softened. — Yes. That's exactly it. — He reached into his pocket and took out a business card. — Here are my contacts, in case you need help.

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something. If you want to talk to me, or Davit, or if you have any questions... Lidia took the card from him, nodding in gratitude, without be able to find words. Tire disse: — Ace may have said some… not nice things there, but don't think for a moment that he didn't want to know about you all this time. They both have some vague memories of you, I think. Director Kagani says they were very young at the time, but I swear they remember. I was once told you had hair like Brann and eyes like Ace. Since they only found out who you were today, now I can believe it. — Very kind of you to tell me that. Renki held her gaze, with sadness and something more. — I'll talk to Ace for you. But for now, give it time. She tilted her head. - Thanks. Lidia didn't trust herself to say anything more before leaving. turn around, walking down the hall. She was almost at the stairs, having almost managed to suppress the tears that threatened to well up inside her, when hurried feet shuffled behind her. She slowed down and stopped in front of the stairwell door, without opening it. Only when the messenger held out a folded piece of seaweed did Lidia turn around. The messenger, a young merman who looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and caution, announced: “From His Majesty of the Deep,” he said, before walking away. to wait for a response. Lidia unfolded the wide, flat sheet of seaweed. She read what was inside and nodded to the messenger: — I'll go straight to her. He didn't allow himself to look back, at the hallway, at his children behind the office door, halfway there, before climbing the stairs. But when the door slammed, the sound echoed throughout his being.

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Five minutes later and ten floors below, Lidia found herself facing the ruler of the seas. The Queen of the Ocean stood by a wall of windows overlooking the eternal darkness of the deep ocean, her black hair flowing around her as if she were actually underwater. It had been fifteen years since Lidia had last seen her. Falara with her for the last time. Just like back then, the Ocean Queen matched Lidia's chest in terms of height, but Lidia straightened her spine amidst the power that filled the room. She had spent decades enduring the presence of the asteri. This female's power, no matter how great it was... she too would resist. Maybe that's why the Queen of the Ocean chose her, so many years ago: Lidia could look at her and not tremble. “I heard you were reunited with your children,” said the Queen. of the Ocean without turning around.

Lidia tilted her head anyway. — I thank Ogenas for such a gift. — I don't remember giving permission for him to abandon his post. Lidia lifted her chin, keeping her breathing steady as the Ocean Queen slowly turned around. His eyes were black like the ocean outside. The Queen of the Ocean continued: — I also don't remember giving authorization to bring all these fugitives onto one of my city ships. Lidia remained silent, aware that she had not been given permission to speak. The Ocean Queen blinked a few times. At least it had was pleased with this small demonstration of obedience. —Our work depends on our secrecy…depends on whether the Asteri consider us too vague a threat to bother investigating. We avoided the omega boats and offered refuge to a few Ophion agents. Nothing beyond that. No attacks, no direct conflict. But now you have given reasons for

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asteri began to wonder what, exactly, swims at these depths. What am I doing down here. When Lidia didn't respond, the Ocean Queen waved her hand. Permission to speak. — I had no choice — Lidia explained, keeping her eyes fixed on the ceramic floor. — We could not risk losing allies so valuable to our cause. But I can assure you that before my departure, Rigelus and the others still did not consider you and your people a priority. — Maybe not — pondered the Queen of the Ocean, standing a few centimeters taller, knocking almost all the air out of the room. — But now the Asteri's most wanted enemies are on this ship. It's a matter of days before the mystics find one us. — Then it will be a relief when they all leave for Avallen tomorrow. The insolent words were spoken before Lidia could suppress them. She heard the news from a group of agents who were talking to each other as they passed her — and who moved away from Lidia when they realized who was walking down the corridor towards them. But the Queen of the Ocean just smiled. A shark's smile.

— And you — said the ruler with threatening softness — will leave tomorrow too. Every word seemed to hit Lidia's head. Despite the years of training and self-control, all he could say was: — My children... — You've seen them. — The ruler’s sharp teeth gleamed. —Consider yourself truly blessed by Ogenas for this. Now, resume your duties.

The unbearable and devastating departure had almost destroyed Lidia fifteen years ago. And now... — You hate me — said the Queen of the Ocean, seeming delighted by this. Lidia suffocated any despair, any challenge, at the core of her being. His feelings didn't matter. Only Actaeon and Brann mattered.

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So her tone was bland and emotionless when she spoke. As empty and soulless as it had been all those years with the asteri, with Pollux. — Tell me what I should do. ***

Ruhn paced the room, grinding his teeth until they hurt. Bryce had gone to his people's home world. And their father had held her hostage. Okay, she had planned this, but...

He only felt the weight of all this information later, when he separated. Maybe it would be good to hit the gym for a bit. Take out some of the anger that raged in your body, canceling out the joy of having seen Bryce. To ignore the desire to find his father and erase him from the land of Midgard for what he tried to do to Bryce. Because Ruhn wasn't there to stop it, to protect her from him. He unlaced his boots and took off his long-sleeved shirt, making his way to the small closet at the opposite end of the room, where the clothes and sneakers that had been provided for him were kept. A ten-mile run on the treadmill followed by a ton of weight lifting would help. Maybe he was lucky and someone was at the gym to be his training partner. Ruhn grabbed a white t-shirt, carrying it with him as he opened the door, intending to put it on as he headed towards the gym...

He came face to face with Lidia. Her scent hit him, confusing his senses, and he took a step back to flee. — Hey — he said, then blurted out: — You woke up. She lifted her chin, her eyes a little glassy. - Yes. Ruhn twisted the shirt in his hands. She was wearing one of

ship's aquatic costumes that left little to the imagination. I might not have explored her body — at least not on this plane — but

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their souls had certainly been together, and he had no idea what the situation was between them. “I, uh, was about to go to the gym,” he announced, and lifted his shirt. Sweaty palms. - How are you feeling? - Stronger. — It wasn't exactly an answer. She nodded toward a door across the hall. — I was transferred to that room. Ruhn walked down the hall, closing the door behind him. When he did so, her scent enveloped him, dizzying, intoxicating and so seductive that he began to salivate; and then he saw the ice in her eyes. He took a step back, raising his eyebrows. — And are these appropriate quarters for Agent Daybright? Lidia looked at him without finding any amusement, without giving any impression that they had shared their souls. Two passing agents bypassed them. He heard some of their whispers as they headed to the elevator at the end of the hall. There she is. Holy shit, it's her. Lidia ignored them. The elevator opened into the hallway and Ruhn couldn't help but think about the last time he and Lidia got into one of those, when she put a bullet in the Falcon's head and killed those feral wolves. He then had a frank and pleading look on his face. That had changed. He couldn't help but ask, "Have you seen your children yet?" — Yes. — She put a key in the lock.

— How... ah... how was it? She didn't look at him. — I'm a stranger to them. — Not a hint of emotion in the words. — What are adoptive parents like? The lock clicked. — A nice couple of mermen. What happened? Who was the father? How did you get here? He wanted to know so many things. How did she manage to keep it hidden? Her family...

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Damn, her family. Those boys were the male heirs of the Enador lineage. Hypaxia was their aunt. But Lidia finally turned to look at him, saying in a distant way: — Everything I did was for them, you know. He felt a tightness in his chest. — For your children?

She studied her hands, the imposing ruby ring on one finger. — I haven't seen them since they were a year and a half. Not even a photo.

But she had recognized them at once today. He knew what grade they would be in, he remembered where the school was on the ship and he ran straight there. He remained at his door. For a second, he allowed himself to look at her face. The almost unreal perfection, the light of her golden eyes, the shine of her hair. The most beautiful female he had ever seen, and yet it didn't even matter. None of that mattered when it came to her. He asked: — What happened? - What difference does? she asked, cautious and sharp. — I thought you didn't want to hear my drama, as you said. Well, he deserved that one. “Look,” he said tensely.

—, You can't expect me to discover who

you are, what you are, and accept everything right away, okay? I'm still processing all this shit. — What is there to process? I am who I am and I did what I did. Having children doesn't erase that. All good. She was pissed off. — It's almost like you want me to resent you. — I wanted you to listen — she said — but you didn't want to. And now that I fit into some kind of sad and acceptable female story, you're willing to listen to me. - This has nothing to do. — Damn, she and Bryce would get along. The fact that they were both on this ship... Part of him wanted to run and get lost.

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to hide. Lidia continued: — You would have listened if I had no other story than

realizing what was right and wanting to fight for it? To do whatever was necessary to ensure that good prevailed against tyranny? Or does the fact that I'm a mother somehow make my choices more palatable to you? — Most guys jump the gun when they find out that the female they like has children. His eyes flashed with cold fire. — A beautiful indicator of the strength that men have. — You seemed to really like my strength, dear. She huffed, turning towards the door. Dismissing him. Ruhn let his temper flare. — So what's the drama, Lidia? She turned back slowly. The face was a mask of total contempt as he said, before closing the door in his face: — You don't deserve to hear it.

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Ithan was carefully arranging a figurine of Cthona giving birth on all fours—the planet Midgard crowning between her legs—when Jesiba's phone rang. The screeching sound broke the silence, but Ithan's soleball reflexes prevented him from dropping the fragile marble. - What it was.

Even Ithan's keen lupine hearing couldn't distinguish the person on the other end of the line. - Beauty.

She hung up, looking at Ithan instantly. He carefully nestled the statue into a box, the protective foam rustling. - What happened? he asked carefully. - Come with me. — She stood up and crossed the room with surprising speed, considering her four-inch dark blue heels. She hadn't bothered to change her hair to its usual short length, and the sight of her golden curls bouncing was...strange. The same happened with her face, without the usual makeup. With her current appearance she could only be a few years older than Ithan. She stopped at the door and pointed to the wall adjacent to the bookcase.

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— Bring this with you. It's loaded. Ithan looked at the gun there. He had found out about what Bryce had done to Micah using that gun. But Ithan didn't hesitate as he crossed the room and grabbed the Godslayer Rifle from the wall. ***

Jesiba led Ithan through a labyrinth of dark stones, lit by crackling golden flames. The hallways were eerily quiet and he realized he had no idea what time it was. Judging by the silence, he assumed it was the middle of the night. But in the House of Flame and Shadow, where so many nocturnal predators lived, this information may not have been so accurate.

And it actually made a difference. The sounds of a gathering crowd echoed across the stones long before he reached the round chamber. The pillars were formed from stalactites and stalagmites that fused together — he racked his brain and couldn't remember what the name of it was — and, unlike the other halls, which were elaborate and elegant, the walls were made of rough stone. The vaulted ceiling was rough and echoed with the murmurs and conversations of the crowd, too heavy to identify individual words. People calmed down as Jesiba crossed the arch to enter the room, Ithan a step behind her, with the famous weapon in hand. It was lighter than he thought it would be, but he had never held something so electrifying. The crowd parted to allow Jesiba to pass. She looked straight ahead as she walked to the center of the room, her dark blue skirt trailing behind her, her heels clicking in an undulating, purposeful rhythm. If anyone was shocked by the new hairstyle and lack of makeup, no one dared to say anything. Don't even keep your eyes fixed on her for long. But Ithan looked ahead, at what—who—was in the middle of the chamber, and his heart skipped a beat.

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The Astronomer raised a calloused finger and pointed at Ithan: “You're dead, thief,” growled the old man. ***

Tharion knew he had a narrow escape. He knew that Bryce's arrival had spared him from being sent back to Lunathion by the Ocean Queen. A bounty on your head. Holy shit. But being confined to the ship... Would that be better than falling into the hands of the River Queen or the Viper Queen? Confined like guest, said the Queen of the Ocean. But he knew the truth behind the words. “Avallen always gave me the creeps,” Flynn said as everyone crowded around a table in the deck dining room, discussing their arrival on the mistshrouded island the next day. At this time of night, every table was full of people for dinner, the conversations and laughter were so intense that it made it almost impossible for Tharion to hear his companions. —But Morven is terrible. I've known him since I was a child and he's a real snake. Him and the killer twins. —Killer twins? Athalar asked with a mixture of alarm and amusement, sitting next to Bryce, with one arm around her waist, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair. Tharion knew that even if there had been little space around the table, the partners would have stayed close. “A nickname we gave to my distant cousins,” Ruhn said through a mouth full of bread. — After they joined Cormac in trying to kill us several times in the Cave of the Princes. — The prince's eyes shone with regret as he spoke Cormac's name. Tharion blocked out the image that emerged... of Cormac's final moments, of running as the fae male immolated himself. He gripped his fork so hard his knuckles turned white. But Ruhn continued:

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— They can read minds... whether you like them or not. — He pointed with the half-eaten piece of bread at Bryce. — They won't ask permission like that guy from the Night Court. Bryce grimaced. —Can anyone defend themselves against their abilities? — Yes — replied Ruhn — but you have to be alert all the time, even when you can't see them near you. And they obey Morven without thinking twice. Bryce examined his nails. — I love me some good old-fashioned henchmen. Tharion smiled, loosening his grip on the fork. But Ruhn shook his head. —They are not a conventional type of henchman, and Morven is not the conventional type of asshole. During my Ordeal... “I know,” Bryce said, picking up some rice, grown in one of the ship's many hydroponic gardens. — The evil uncle. You pissed him off, he sent you to the Cave of Princes as punishment, you showed him who's boss... “He's Cormac's father,” Declan explained carefully. — Don't forget he just lost a son and heir. Tharion looked at his plate of rice and fish, even though his appetite had disappeared like sea foam on the sand. — He was quick to disown him — said Lidia Cervos from across the table. Tharion nearly fainted from shock when she sat down with them. But...where else would she sit in the crowded room? He didn't fail to notice that Ruhn was sitting at the opposite end of the table. Lidia added: —But I will repeat the warning: King Morven only agrees to things that are advantageous to him. If you want to convince him not to hand you over to the asteri right away, you need to act in the right way. certain.

“My plan was to go straight to the archives,” Bryce explained, “without making any real visits.

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— The mists — replied Ruhn — tell him everything. You'll know we've arrived. And he'll be furious if you... don't pay the tribute. — Then let's go to the shoes — said Athalar, emptying the glass of water. The people dining at the other tables looked at their table all the time, with admiration, dread, curiosity. Everyone in Tharion's group pretended not to notice. "And," added Ruhn, shuddering, "females are not allowed in the files. Tharion rolled his eyes.

“What a joke,” he muttered. “Yeah, yeah,” Bryce said, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. — The Autumnal King made a point of warning me about all these no-female rules. But unfortunately for Morven, I will to enter. Hunt nudged her with one of his gray wings.

— I assume you have some plan up your sleeve and are going to tell at the worst possible moment. — I think you meant the coolest moment possible — Bryce said and, despite being tense, Tharion smiled. “Notice she didn't answer,” Hunt said to Baxian, his voice somber. He laughed and replied: — Danika was just the same. A current of longing and sadness flowed beneath the Dog Dog's light tone.

Hell. A male who lost his partner. According to rumors, it was worse than losing your soul. Tharion couldn't decide whether he felt sorry for the male for his loss or whether he envied him for having been lucky enough to have found his mate in the first place. He wondered which Baxian would have preferred: never to have met Danika, or to have their centuries together cut so brutally short. Bryce reached across the table and shook the Hellhound's hand, love and pain written all over his face. Tharion looked away from the similar expression Baxian gave towards her as he squeezed her hand back. A private and intimate moment of mourning.

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After a moment of silence for the two to mourn Missing the wolf they both loved, Flynn said: —Avallen is an old, fucked up place. We need to be quick, and go although equally fast from that Hell. Bryce let go of Baxian's hand and said primly, "Research takes time," Bryce said in a professorial tone. But she gave up the joke and quickly added: — Besides, I want to visit the Cave of the Princes. Tharion had only heard legends about the famous caves. None of them good.

Ruhn gaped. “And you think you can do that without even saying hello to Morven?” Females can't go in there either. Bryce crossed his arms, leaning into Athalar's side. — Okay, maybe we'll stop by for some tea. The brother wasn't buying her attitude. —The Cave of Princes... why? What does this have to do with the portal to nowhere thing? Bryce shrugged, going back to eating. — That's where Aster always stayed. I think there might be some information there. “Again… not much of an answer,” Hunt observed quietly to Baxian. Tharion suppressed his smile. Even more so when Bryce looked at his partner. Athalar just kissed his forehead, a relaxed gesture of affection that made Baxian look away. Tharion wished he had something to offer the Hellhound, a kind of comfort. But the gods knew he was far from qualified to offer any kind of romantic advice. Loss, perhaps—he had learned to live with a hole in his chest after Lesia was murdered—but he doubted Baxian would want to hear anyone try to compare the loss of a sister to the loss of a partner. — It would be better not to stay longer than necessary in Avallen — insisted Flynn, once again catching Tharion's attention. — I'm telling you, every time I've been on the island, my magic has been... unhappy. — For emphasis, a delicate vine wrapped around his hand,

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between your fingers. — It literally withers and dies when I'm there. — That's what the vine did, withering and turning to dust, which spread over his half-eaten plate of fish and rice. Flynn took a bite anyway. “I keep forgetting you have magic,” Bryce said, “but I'll refrain from making the obvious joke about Avallen's performance issues. “Thanks,” Flynn muttered, shoving another forkful of food into his mouth. “It'll be best to split up when we're there,” Declan said, pushing aside his own meal. — Some of us can consult the archives, and the others can go to the Cave of the Princes. We will all be looking for extra information about Aster and its connection to the dagger. Looking at the huge window at the back of the mess hall, overlooking the crushing dark ocean, Tharion said: —And I will be here, praying to Ogenas that you find something that will help destroy the asteri with those blades. Ogenas, Guardian of Mysteries. If there was a god to beg for knowledge, it was her. “Files,” said Ruhn, Flynn, and Declan, raising their hands. Bryce glared at them. — You idiots. I was counting on one of you to guide us, since you've already been to the Cave of the Princes. — She turned to Athalar and Baxian and sighed. — It looks like we just have to explore there. —, During our Ordeal, the “Just so you know,” Ruhn said. three of us took a while to get to the tomb of Pelias and Aster. But that was also because we were being chased and hunted by evil spirits, by Cormac and the murderous twins. So you can take a more direct route... even if the mists try to confuse you at every step. — Great — said Bryce, but Tharion didn't fail to notice how his eyes seemed to shine, as if his brother's words had awakened something.

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— And — added Ruhn — there are carvings scattered throughout the caves, including in the burial chamber. It may take a while for you to find something. It's best to bring a few days' worth of supplies. — Understood — said Athalar frowning.

“Fantastic,” muttered Baxian beside him. Tharion felt a tightness in his chest, realizing what he had said moments before. He would indeed stay on the ship. As they left. They would separate the next day. These people that Urd had brought into his life, that he didn't deserve... — I'm going with you — warned Lidia. —For Avallen. — She had been so silent that Tharion had forgotten her presence at the other end of the table. Ruhn didn't even look at her as he spoke. Tharion noticed that the Doe also tried hard not to look at him. Just for Bryce. - Why? asked Bryce. — You, ah... Your children are on this ship. Lidia straightened up. — The Queen of the Ocean made it very clear that if I did not resume my duties as Agent Daybright, the protection she gave them... would end. — Everyone looked at her in surprise, but Lidia continued: — The asteri created a worse type of mec-suit... even worse than the hybrids from a few weeks ago. This mech-suit no longer requires a pilot to operate it, just technicians in a distant room. Rigelus ordered the suits to be positioned on top of Mount Hermon. — A look at Hunt, whose face was unyielding with the news. — The Queen of the Ocean wants me to learn how to stop them, but I'm afraid I won't be able to find out much beyond the information that has already reached us. The costumes are already built and ready to be released. We can not do anything with it. “Avallen is in the opposite direction of the Eternal City,” Hunt grumbled. “We'd be taking you too far north. Lidia shook her head. — It's useless to spend my time looking for a way to stop the mec-suits... A solution that may not even exist. I convinced the Queen

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of the Ocean that it would be of greater use if I accompanied you to Avallen to see what you will discover there. “So,” said Bryce, “you volunteered to…what, in the spy for the Ocean Queen? And you're telling us? She nodded slowly. “You made her nervous, Bryce Quinlan, and that's not good. But since I have... connections with your group, she saw the advantage in sending me. —She finally looked at Ruhn. The fae prince continued to ignore her. — Do you really think there is nothing that can be done about these new costumes? asked Bryce. — They look dangerous. Lidia's face remained solemn. — To destroy them, it would be necessary to gather a force that marched to the Eternal City. This strength we don't have. So I'll go with you for now. Until we figure out how to end this. A stunned silence fell in the room. Tharion's breath hitched as he thought about what Lidia was insinuating. - OK. Great,” Flynn muttered, earning a look. penetrating from Lidia. — Are you Team Archives or Team Cavernas? — I'm still going to decide that — Lidia replied coldly. - Remains

to know if you will be able to convince Morven to allow you to enter any of the places. Even more so if females are prohibited. “We'll convince him,” Bryce said, flashing a disarming smile. Tharion didn't miss the suspicious look Hunt threw her way. Tharion would worry about that later. His friends were leaving. And he would remain on that ship, under the command of the Queen of the Ocean. It made no difference whether Bryce claimed him as his subject; there was no way to face the ruler of the seas. You wouldn't be surprised if, when you looked down, you saw your chest falling apart. But the friends kept talking, and Tharion tried to take advantage every moment. The complicity, the sounds and rhythms of their voices.

Very soon, it was likely that I would never see them again.

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***

“This ship is just a bigger version of the Astronomer's ring,” Sasa said, her voice calm, floating above the glass conference table. — This has been killing Malana since we boarded. — And, indeed, there was no sign of the third goblin. - She is fine? asked Bryce. — It will stay when we leave — Rithi replied, admiring her own reflection in the glass surface of the table. But the pixie suddenly stopped and looked at Bryce. — When we're outdoors again. — That's what we came to talk about — Lidia explained, looking between her sisters from where she was sitting on the other side of the table. — Your next step. Bryce had been surprised and a little nervous when Lidia had taken her aside after dinner and explained her plan. Bryce had a close connection to the elf community and Lidia needed the triplets to be sent on a crucial task. The best thing would be for this request to come from someone trustworthy, Corça insisted. The elves exchanged glances.

— Our plan was to follow you to Avallen — said Sasa, chin up — unless you prefer not to have three elves... “It would be an honor and a joy to have three elves with me,” Bryce said, hoping his serious tone would prove what he was saying was true. Her heart had been sinking ever since Lidia had pulled her aside earlier, the memory of Lehabah's beautiful face shining brightly in her mind. — And, to be honest, you would be very useful to us there. —In the darkness of the Cave of Princes, even with Bryce's starlight, three extra flames would be of great help. “But…” She considered her next words carefully.

Lidia spared her the effort. — Irithys is free.

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The pixies gasped, both lighting up a vibrant orange. - Free? — Rithi whispered.

— He ran away — Lidia corrected. — I helped her get out of the Asteri palace, in exchange for help rescuing our friends in the dungeons. - Where is she now? — Sasa demanded, the flame heating up, changing color to a lighter tone. “That's why we came to talk to you,” Bryce explained. — We don't know where she is. — Did you... lose our queen? — Sasa asked softly. — When we parted — Lidia added quickly, as Rithi and Sasa were now becoming incandescent with rage — I suggested that Irithys go find a stronghold of her people. She seemed... hesitant to do so. I think she was worried about how she would be received. The goblins bristled with rage. “So,” Bryce interjected, “we were wondering if you guys could go look for her.” To make sure you're... safe. And offer to keep her company. — Doesn't our queen want to see her own people? —Rithi's voice it was dangerously low, its flame still white and seething. — Irithys — Lidia said calmly — spent most of her existence locked in a crystal ball. Perhaps you can understand better than anyone else on Midgard... finding yourself suddenly free from captivity, alone in the world, is not the easiest thing. So I—” a glance at Bryce — “we're asking you to find her. To offer company and help, of course, but also...

“To help us,” Bryce concluded. — We need the three of you to speak in defense of Midgard... to help it understand what we are fighting for. And maybe convince her to help once again against the Asteri. When the time is right. The goblins watched them for a long moment. Sasa asked:

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— Would you entrust such a task to Inferiors and enslaved women?

— We wouldn’t trust anyone else with a task like this. magnitude — replied Lidia. There weren't many Vanir on Midgard who would say that. And they were serious. Bryce felt like he was dangerously close to starting to like the Doe. But Rithi questioned: — You can't really think that a few fire elves would make a difference against the asteri. Our ancestors didn't do it during the battle with the Fallen... And look, there, they battled the malakim. “Lehabah made the difference against Micah,” Bryce said, a lump in his throat. — A fire elf faced an archangel and finished him off. It was thanks to her presence that I had time to kill him. To kill an archangel. The goblins opened their eyes wide. —Did you kill Micah? — muttered Rithi.

Lidia didn't seem surprised. Like Doe, it was quite possible that she was informed soon after everything happened. “With Lehabah's help,” Bryce added. — Because of Lehabah's help. — She swallowed the lump in her throat. — So yes... I believe that the fire elves can and will make a difference against the asteri. The sisters looked at each other, as if they could speak between minds like Ruhn. Then Sasa met Bryce's gaze. And he said, without a hint of fear: — We will find Irithys — the goblins glowed a deep, intense shade of blue — and, with her, fight the asteri when the time comes. ***

“Everything went well,” Bryce said minutes later, as she and Lidia walked down the hall back to their dorms. — I'm glad you made me talk to them.

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The Doe said nothing, her gaze fixed on the passage ahead. - Are you well? — Bryce dared to ask. Despite sitting with them during dinner, the Doe spent most of the time silent. And he never once looked at Ruhn. The brother also pretended not to notice Lidia's presence. “Yes,” Lidia replied, and Bryce realized it was a lie. They didn't say anything else the rest of the way, stopping only when they reached the dorms. Hunt was waiting for Bryce in their room. But she waited a moment and said, before Lidia could enter her own room: — Thank you. Lidia stopped and turned towards her. - Whereby? — For saving my partner. My brother. My best friend's partner. You know, three of the most important people in my life. — She gave a hesitant smile.

Lidia tilted her head, majestic and graceful. — It was the least I could do. — She turned to open the door. “Hey,” Bryce said. Lidia stopped again. Bryce pointed with his chin at Lidia and Doe's room, where she would sleep alone. — I know we, um, don't know each other or anything, but if you need someone to talk to... someone other than Ruhn... — She shrugged. — I'm just a door away. Gods, she sounded so ridiculous.

But Lidia gave a discreet smile, something like surprise in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said, and entered her room, closing the door. door quietly. ***

Hunt had spent all day counting down the minutes until he could be alone with Bryce in the room, to take her clothes off. But now that he was lying in the too-narrow bunk with her, the lights

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turned off and their breathing the only sound in the room... he didn't know where to start. The shitty argument they had earlier didn't help either. He had told the truth and she hadn't wanted to hear it. I couldn't accept it. But it was his fault. Of all people, he should have known better than to lead them down this path once again. I didn't understand how she didn't see that. — Can I be honest? she asked in the darkness. She didn't wait for his response before saying, “Other than showing the Autumn King's notes to Morven, I don't have a concrete plan for how to deal with him. Or a backup plan if he doesn't care about the notebooks. Hunt put aside thoughts of the previous fight and said: — Oh, I know that. You weren't as arrogant as you usually are when you have a genius secret plan. She patted his shoulder.

- I'm serious. Besides the Autumn King's notes, my only other bargaining chip with him is my reproductive potential. And since you and I are married... — Are you asking for a divorce? She laughed.

— No. I'm saying I'm worthless to these idiots. Since my uterus is... compromised. — Hmm. Sexy. — He bit her ear. - I missed you. — They could get into the meat of the discussion later. Tomorrow. Never. He ran his hand over her hip, her thigh. The dick getting hard against her softness, the sweet scent of lilac and nutmeg. — As much as I want to fuck you until someone needs to come and check if we're still alive, Athalar — she said, and Hunt laughed into her hair — can we just... cuddle today? “Always,” Hunt replied with a heavy heart. He hugged her tighter, so grateful for her scent in his nose, for the exuberance of her body against his. He didn't deserve that. — I amo.

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She moved even closer, her arm wrapping around his waist. “I love you too,” he whispered back. — Team Cavernas, until the end. He gave a muffled laugh.

— Let's have t-shirts made. - Do not tempt me. If Avallen weren't a backward island with no interweb, I would have already placed the order, to be delivered to Morven Castle. He smiled, the weight in his chest dissipating for a precious moment. — Is there really no internet there?

— No. The mists block everything. Legend has it that not even the asteri can penetrate them. — She made a whoosh, moving her fingers. Then he paused, as if reflecting, before adding: — Vesperus mentioned things called faint places, shrouded in mist. The Prison in the fae world was one of them. And it seems too much of a coincidence that the ancient Star Fae also established a fortress in a place shrouded in the same mist that serves to ward off enemies. Hunt raised his eyebrows. —How can the mists be a wall against the asteri? — The right question would be: why would the Asteri leave Avallen in peace for so long if she is able to keep them away? Hunt placed a kiss on the top of her head. — I suspect you will discover the answers in the most dramatic way possible. She snuggled closer to him, and he hugged her tighter. — You know me well, Athalar. ***

Ithan didn't dare point the Godslayer Rifle at the Astronomer. But he remained prepared to do so when Jesiba asked: — What fuzuê is that?

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The crowd—drakis, vampires, daemonakis, and many others he couldn't identify—was dead silent. Everyone had come to witness the retaliation. Ithan felt his mouth dry. The Astronomer's slate gray eyes flashed with hatred. — The wolf stole something from me.

Jesiba shrugged. — The issue of the elves and the dragon has already been resolved between us. —, — Don't play with me, Jesiba — replied the Astronomer.

We both know he took more than beings of fire. Ithan took a step forward. His sweaty hands were pressed against the polished wood and metal of the rifle. — Wolves should not be kept in tanks. — No one should, he thought. — Besides, she wasn't even yours to begin with. She had no mark of being enslaved.

— It was sold to me by my father. It was a transfer property officer. — She was a child, and you had no right... Ithan had killed her. He had no right to speak of her as if

he himself wasn't as bad as the man in front of him... — You are a thief, wolf, and I demand payment! I demand that she be returned to me! The words didn't want to come out. Ithan couldn't speak. But a lovely melodious female voice said from behind the crowd: —The Fendyr heiress will never be yours again, Astronomer. The crowd hissed and parted to reveal Queen Hypaxia Enador entering the chamber, her robes flowing behind her in a phantom wind.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ithan noticed Jesiba's smile. “Hypaxia,” said the sorceress. —Just the necromancer I was looking for.

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The fact that Jesiba managed to disperse the crowd without saying a single word demonstrated her dominance over that place, that House. Ithan found himself torn between looking at Hypaxia and the Astronomer or avoid both of their eyes.

The Astronomer waited until the crowd had dispersed before saying to the witch-queen: — If you know the wolf's whereabouts and are withholding that information, then the law says you are... — No law applies here — Hypaxia cut in — since the heiress Fendyr was not, legally, a slave. You said it yourself. — Gods, Ithan wished he had a measly percentage of her firmness, her serene intelligence. Hypaxia continued: — Then there was nothing for Ithan Holstrom to steal. He just allowed a free citizen to choose whether to stay in that miserable tank... or leave.

And then he killed her. Jesiba looked at him warningly, as if to say: Don't speak a single syllable about this. Ithan returned the look as if retorting Do you think I'm stupid on this level?

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She looked pointedly at his t-shirt, which had SOLEBOL UCLC printed on it. He rolled his eyes and turned to the witch queen facing the Astronomer. —That wolf cost me an incalculable amount of gold. I lost a mystic... — I'll pay — Ithan said hoarsely. Your parents made some good investments before they died. He had more money than he could spend. — Then I demand ten million gold marks. Ithan started coughing. He even had some money, but... — Paid — said Jesiba in a cold tone. Ithan turned to her, but the sorceress smiled calmly at the Astronomer. — You can add it to my monthly bill.

The Astronomer looked irritably at her, then at Ithan and finally at Hypaxia, who returned a look of disdain. But he just spat on the ground and stomped away, his long, greasy hair flying behind him. In the silence, Jesiba faced Hypaxia and said: — It's been days since I called you and asked you to come at the same time. Your broom not working?

Ithan turned to Jesiba. — Is this the necromancer you had in mind? To be honest, he didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. I had just worked with her, damn it, when they tried to conjure Connor in the Autumnal Equinox. Maybe he discarded it because it hadn't worked and instead the Under-King showed up, but... — Hypaxia's father was the best necromancer I've ever known — explained Jesiba, crossing her arms. —She has his gift. If there's anyone you can trust with your task, Holstrom, it's her. Hypaxia's eyebrows rose in slight surprise, as if it wasn't common to hear that compliment. But she said to Jesiba: — It would be better if we talked in your office. - Why?

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Hypaxia seemed to debate whether to respond, but finally said, “Do you want to know what kept me so long?” What I feared this fall happened. Morganthia Dragas and her clan have staged a coup in the name of what they see as preserving the old ways of witchcraft. I am no longer the Valbaran Witch Queen. — She touched her chest, where her usual gold Cthona pin was broken in two. — To escape your tormentors, I swore allegiance to the House of Flame and Shadow. ***

Lidia let Renki decide the location of that morning meeting. Somewhere neutral and private, that was “quiet”, as the merman had described. Lidia wished for some peace of mind as she sat on the sofa in the student recreation area, which was so quiet—Principal Kagani had reserved the room for them for an hour—and looked at her children. They were sitting on the opposite sofa, which was old and stained, befitting a student lounge. Davit had been called to work late the night before, so only Renki had shown up. The male was now sitting where the drinks were, at the opposite end of the room. Allowing them some space. An illusion of privacy. She would have preferred if he had sat with them. There was a good chance Morven wouldn't let them leave Avallen alive. She needed to see her boys before she left, just one more time, but that didn't mean the situation was comfortable. Ace was leaning back against the cushions, arms crossed, looking at the television above the foosball table, where the best moments of a soleball game were playing. But Brann looked at her candidly, his bright eyes revealing his sharp intellect and combative nature. A warrior from head to toe. He said without preamble: — Why did you want to meet us so early? Lidia discreetly wiped her sweaty palms on the legs of her tactical suit. She knew that the two boys had noticed the

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movement. — I thought I could make myself available to you, if had any doubts about me. About my past. She had gone through horrible situations without flinching, and yet... that moment made her heart race. Brann's mouth twisted to the side as he thought about it. Without taking his eyes off the television, Actaeon said: — It's because she's leaving. Too smart. Lidia looked at him, although Ace pretended not to see her, and said: — Yes. Today. Brann looked from one to the other. - Where? Ace answered before Lidia: — She won't tell. Better not to waste your time asking. She has no idea what the word sincerity means. Lidia clenched her jaw.

— I wish I could tell you. But our mission depends on secrecy. Ace turned to face her. — And we, children, are going to disclose your location to everyone, right? May the gods help her. “I wish I could tell you,” she repeated. Brann asked, his voice breaking, “Are you coming back?” Lidia replied sincerely: — I hope so. Actaeon looked back at the television. — You've managed to escape all the trouble so far. No I see why this would be different. The words hit her like a blow to a sensitive, unprotected part. Brann looked at the twin as if warning him. — Ace, stop. — It was obvious that they had talked before. Decided how they would act.

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And it was obvious that Ace hated her.

All good. She could live with that. He was safe and loved. To have this, she could deal with the resentment. — We are at war — Lidia explained to them. — And things are going to get really ugly. I can't say where I'm going, but I can say I might not come back. Every time I venture out, even more so now that my enemies know the truth about me, there is a good chance that I will not return. Ace replied: — Were we supposed to feel bad and cry for our mommy? It took all her strength not to collapse. Recovering the coolness she had perfected over the years, she replied: — A few minutes ago you claimed that I don't know what sincerity is. Well, I'm being honest now. If you think this is a form of manipulation, there's nothing I can do. But I wanted to see you two before I leave today. To say goodbye. Brann looked from one to the other again. Then he said: — I guess my biggest question is why. Why did you leave us here. — I had no choice — Lidia simply replied, very aware of Renki's presence on the other side of the room. — It was either leaving you here, safe and with people who would love and care for you, or risk taking you to a world that only had the opposite to offer. I... thought about you every day. This was entering territory she wanted to avoid. I hadn't planned to talk about it during this visit. Maybe never. And she knew that if she stayed a moment longer, she might say more than she should, things she wasn't prepared to say out loud. Things that, perhaps, the boys were not prepared to hear. Instead, with slightly trembling fingers, she took off the ruby ring and placed it on the table between them. — I want you to keep this. — She ignored the lump in her throat. — It's an heirloom from my father's house. He is not someone worth remembering, but this ruby... — she couldn't look to see the

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expression on their face — is very valuable. You can sell it to pay for college, housing... when you're old enough, that is. If they ever get off this ship. Not that they have to leave. — She was rambling. He swallowed and finally looked at them. Ace was expressionless, but Brann stared at the gigantic ruby with wide eyes. — Or if you want to keep it — she concluded quietly, that's fine too. —,

She wished she had something more to leave them, some other part of her that wasn't tied to the monster that sired her, but that was all she had. Task completed, Lidia stood up and Renki looked in her direction. She nodded at him. She looked at her children, brave, strong and capable, no thanks to her. — I know you won't care about this — she said, looking at Ace, who had gone back to watching television — but I'm very proud of you. Of the males they are and are becoming. Looking at you, I know that... I made the right choice. — She gave Brann a discreet smile. His eyes sparkled.

- Thank you for that. For giving us our parents. — He made a gesture for Renki. Lidia lowered her head. “Good luck,” Brann said wherever you go. She put her hand to her heart. Brann nudged his brother with his elbow. Ace slid his eyes

golden back to her and said: — Bye. Lidia kept her hand on her chest, tapping once, and turned around. He left, not knowing where he was going, only aware that he needed to keep walking, otherwise he would find a place to curl up and die. She walked through the shiny corridors of the ship. Walked, He walked and walked, and did not allow himself to look back. ***

—,

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Ithan waited until Jesiba's office door closed before rushing over to Hypaxia. - What happened? — Ithan demanded. Jesiba had warned him before leaving the halls to be quiet, and he had obeyed, even when they stopped in the dark dining hall for the former witch-queen to get some food. According to her, he hadn't eaten for days — a time that increased his already growing impatience. But now, safely behind the locked doors of Jesiba's office, they would get answers. “It happened just the way I said it,” Hypaxia replied, her voice a little dry as she placed the tray of food on the table. —My mother's former general, Morganthia, had her forces surround my fortress. I was presented with the following options: hand over the berry wreath or die. I offered the crown, but somehow they understood that I chose to die. — And they can do that? — asked Ithan. — Expel you... Just like that? — Yes — said Jesiba, sitting down in her leather armchair. — Witch dynasties were founded on justice and the right to remove an unsuitable ruler. The goal was to protect the people, but Morganthia used this to her advantage. Hypaxia sank into one of the chairs in front of Jesiba's desk and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. It was the most normal gesture Ithan had ever seen the queen make. — Morganthia's first act as queen was to order my execution. The second was to undo the animation spell that my mother had placed on my guardians. — Upon seeing Ithan's raised eyebrows, she added: — They are... were... ghosts. How that was possible, he had no idea, but he said anyway: — I'm sorry. She nodded in thanks, her voice filled with sadness. — The spell was linked to the crown. And once that crown were hers... — She looked at Jesiba, her face pleading. “You're mourning three long-dead people,” Jesiba said coldly, and Ithan hated her for it. - Instead,

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Weep for your people, who are now trapped by an unbalanced queen and her clan. Hypaxia se empertigou. — You seem to think I should have fought her. “And it should,” Jesiba countered, dark fire shining in her eyes. A seed of Apollion's power, transformed into something new. — Did you even try to protect your crown before giving in? — I would have died. — And maintained your honor. Your mother would have been proud. — A bloodless coup was a better alternative than fighting, having innocent people die in my country. name...

—Once her reign begins, Morganthia will shed far more blood than could have been shed for you. — Jesiba closed her eyes and shook her head in disgust. — I didn’t come here to be judged by you, Jesiba — he hissed. Hypaxia, wilder than Ithan had ever witnessed it. — I am the second in position of authority in this House. So you now answer to me. Ithan tried hard not to let his shock show. Jesiba Was she second in command at the House of Flame and Shadow? And did she think Hypaxia was the best necromancer for Ithan? When there were so many others available? — And — Jesiba added to Hypaxia, paying little attention to Ithan's surprise — as someone who has spent centuries with witches, my observations are worthy of your attention. Hypaxia got angry: — You abandoned our people. —And you did the same.

A tense and charged silence dominated the room. Hypaxia gave a bite — just one — of your ham and cheese sandwich. Hypaxia didn't know, Ithan realized, what Jesiba was, deep down. She still considered her a deserted witch. “Look,” he said. —, I know you have a lot to resolve, but... I have a very urgent matter.

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The former witch-queen turned to him, her expression softer. She took another bite of the sandwich and said, after swallowing: — Jesiba informed me of the situation when she called me. I must admit I was surprised by my sister's involvement. But I'm sorry about what happened. He lowered his head, feeling a rush of shame. Hypaxia continued, finishing the sandwich after a few more bites: —But necromancy is not an easy thing, Ithan. “I remember,” he said.

She pressed her lips together. Yes, she also remembered every minute of their brief encounter with the Under-King. But Hypaxia said, her eyes shining with determination: — I will try to help you. He almost stopped breathing. Hypaxia added: — I'll start tomorrow. Today I have obligations. Oaths to take. Oaths to the Under-King, who was impressed enough with her abilities at the Autumnal Equinox to say he would welcome her there. Even Morganthia Dragas would hesitate before getting involved with the Under-King. — I don't have much time — warned Ithan. — These oaths cannot wait — replied Jesiba. She pointed to the door of her office, an order for Hypaxia. — They must be done at Cais Preto before sunrise, girl. You have already eaten your last meal. Now go.

Hypaxia did not hesitate. She walked out, robes flowing behind her, and closed the door. “Silly,” said Jesiba, sinking into the chair. — Foolish, innocent and idealistic. Ithan stood still, wondering if she had forgotten he was there. But Jesiba looked up at him. — She was always like that. Worse than Quinlan. Letting your heart lead you like a puppy on a leash. It's the mother's fault,

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kept isolated. No wonder Celestina made her fall when... Ithan started. - Calm down. Hypaxia and Celestina? —Jesiba nodded. Ithan cocked his head to the side. — The Doe said that it was because of Celestina that the asteri discovered that Bryce was going to the Eternal City. Hypaxia would not have... — They're already finished — interrupted Jesiba. — I have it on good authority that Hypaxia... was not pleased when she discovered that Celestina had betrayed her friends. But even this betrayal did not make Hypaxia open her eyes and realize what Morganthia was planning. “She noticed,” Ithan replied. — Came here this spring, asking Ruhn for protection against Morganthia. I protected her... — Protection — Jesiba mocked —, preserve yourself. This is not acting. She knew Morganthia was a threat and chose to wait for her to attack instead of striking her own blow against her. Instead of finding allies, she played medwitch in the city, made love with that archangel. Instead of gathering power, she ran to a fae prince and a wolf to protect her. — She shook her head again. — Hecuba wanted to protect her all these years, keeping her isolated from the corrupt clans. In doing so, it prevented her from growing a thick shell. — Jesiba crossed her arms and looked into space, fury and disdain in her expression. Ithan dared to ask: — Why did you defect from the witches? — I didn't like the direction they were taking. — When was Hecuba queen? — Long before that. Witches have been in decline for generations. A magical and moral rot. — She rested her head on the back of the chair. “Naive girl,” Jesiba muttered to herself. —What kind of oaths does Hypaxia need to take at Black Wharf? before sunrise? — The old kind. - That is not... — The mysteries of the House of Flame and Shadow are none of your business.

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— Hypaxia... will it change?

— No. Her oaths are nothing like the ones reapers swear. Establishing loyalty is a legal process, but one that must be honored as decreed by the Under-King. The Under-King... whom Jesiba served as second-in-command. — I didn't know you were so important here. - I'm flattered. And before you ask, no, Quinlan doesn't know. People in this House do not talk sideways. But the City Masters are aware. — And the Astronomer... he knows. — She nodded. —What is your issue with him? You said you had a monthly bill. — He sighed. — Damn, I don't have all that money to pay you... — It's a tax reduction for the House — said Jesiba, waving her hand. — And I'm getting tired of all these questions. You are asking things you have no right to know. —Then stop telling me so much. She smiled.

— You're not as annoying as you seem. “I'm flattered,” he said. Jesiba laughed softly. And then he said: — A few centuries after Apollion turned me, he heard rumors that I had... powers. Like the damned lazy person he is, he sent his brother, Aidas, to investigate. And I believe to kill me if I were in fact a threat. She spoke the names of the demon princes as if they were old acquaintances. — But Aidas discovered that I posed no threat and that I still maintained the library, defying his brother's demands to reveal the powers it, in theory, contained. Since nothing in this world makes sense, Aidas and I became friends, in a way. We still are. I suppose it's because we're so used to each other now. It's been a long time. —So what did he report to Apollion? — That I should be respected, but left alone. —And Apollion listened?

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She shrugged.

— He sends Aidas to come and take a look at me every now and then.

when. —And what does this have to do with the Astronomer?

— I've been paying the Astronomer for a few years now to look for a way to undo the hold that Apollion has over my soul. He felt a shiver of disgust. — So you pay him to do your bidding? “I'll pay him,” she replied, “but he'll also benefit from anything he discovers. - Why? — He wants to find the answer so he can return to his youth. He's human... or used to be, before he had so much magic corrupting his soul. He is more afraid of death than anything else. You will have a lot to gain if you are successful in your quest. I suppose we are two miserable creatures feeding off each other. — She looked at Ithan. — He may seem fragile, but he is very cunning. Go look for other ways to screw you. He nodded toward the Godslayer Rifle, which Ithan had placed back on the wall. —Would you have given me orders to kill him today? — No — replied Jesiba — the rifle was just to threaten. I still need it. — I think scientists call it a symbiotic relationship. — Well, it's a relationship I've been building for a long time, before he came along. —So you have been using this scoundrel and his dominance over

innocent... — You didn't seem to have any qualms about using it when it was looking for information from your brother.

The Astronomer must have told her about the visit Ithan had made. He continued talking.

- You can explain better? — Upon seeing her expressionless look, he added: — Please? First of all, why did you decide to use Astronomer? — I thought it was the cats who were too curious.

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— It's my fault that I chose to study history in college. She gave a small smile, but sighed at the ceiling before speaking, “In my own research over the millennia, I've learned that dragonfire is one of the few things that can make a Prince of Hell hesitate. —Did you intend to use it against Apollion? — Ithan couldn't help but be shocked by her audacity. She studied her well-manicured nails. — I thought it might be a good... negotiating tool. Ithan gave an admiring laugh. - Wow. And what happened? — There was a rumor in town that the Astronomer had a dragon. I came to him and offered to buy Ariadne on the spot. — She crossed her arms again. — The bastard didn't want to sell, not for all the money in the world. But that same day, I realized I had another opportunity on my hands: I could use his mystics to tear apart Hell in search of answers that would help free me, and have those same mystics protected by Ariadne while they worked.

—But you said you wanted to wait until… the books were safe before you stopped being young. — Yes, but when the time comes, I want to have the solution in hand. - Why? — So you don't convince me not to do it. — He felt, more than saw, the weight of all those years hunching her shoulders. — You're not like most wolves I've met. — Is that an insult or a compliment? — He honestly didn't know the difference. She uncrossed her arms and drummed her fingers on the table.

— There are many things you don't know, Ithan Holstrom, many truths. There are so many things that I wouldn't be able to delve into here and now. — She stopped drumming her fingers, her gaze shining with old hurt and resentment. —But it was the wolf packs that reached Parthos first. Who started the massacre and the

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burned. It was the packs of wolves, sniffers created by the asteri that hunted my sisters. I will never forget that. Ithan's stomach turned at the shameful history of his people, but he asked, "Servants?" An ironic smile. — Esse dom já existia entre os lobos, mas os asteri os encouraged. Creating them in specific ways. Do they still do that. — Like Danika. Jesiba drummed on the table again. — The Fendyr are... a bloodline carefully bred by the Asteri. - Like this? She fixed her bright eyes on him. That female had experienced the entire history of Midgard's asteri. It was more than he was able to comprehend. —Haven't you ever wondered why the Fendyr are so dominant? Generation after generation? — Genetics. — Yes, genetics created by the asteri. Sabine and Mordoc were ordered to procreate. —But Sabine took the title from her brother...

— At whose command? She is an angry and petty female. The brother was more intelligent, but he was obviously not a worthy male, and he sold his own daughter to the Astronomer. He must have been considered unfit by the Asteri, who persuaded Sabine to face him. And when Sabine finally asserted her dominance, they ensured that Mordoc was sent to produce a line of more... competent Fendyr. — Well, Micah screwed up their plans. — And who do you think pulled the strings to make Micah do this? Ithan was grateful to be sitting. —Do you think the Asteri caused Micah to kill Danika? After all the work they went into creating her?

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Not to mention that Connor and the Pack of Demons had been destroyed as a result of this conspiracy... — I think Danika was reckless and headstrong, and the Asteri knew they would never be able to control her like they did Sabine. I think they realized that, with Danika, they had produced a wolf so powerful that she could stand up to those I fought in the First Wars. Real wolves. And she wasn't on their side. It needed to be eliminated. Ithan slumped in his chair, but then a thought occurred to him. — The Under-King told Hypaxia and me that Connor... that the UnderKing was ordered not to lay a finger on my brother. Why? Jesiba's face was inscrutable. - I don't know. It must be because he was an important resource in life, and continued to be so after his death. - For whom? — The asteri. They know what Connor means to Quinlan, to you...that makes his soul extremely valuable. Ithan felt dazed. - I'm nobody. Jesiba looked at him with disdain, but her phone rang before she could answer it. When it rang a second time, she answered the call. She listened in silence until she said in a dry tone:

- Right. — The sorceress hung up and faced Ithan. — Your presence has been requested downstairs, in the morgue. — Do you have a private morgue here? She rolled her eyes.

— Hypaxia finished the vows in record time... And it's waiting for you downstairs. With Sigrid's corpse.

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“The ship can only bring you so far,” Commander Sendes warned as Bryce and Hunt steadied themselves atop the wave-tossed Deep Freighter. The gray sea crashed around them, the damp wind blew through Bryce's flimsy jacket, pricking his body. This wasn't quite how Bryce imagined entering the legendary homeland of the fae. Hunt spread his wings, almost the same color as the water, as if trying to test the air currents. On the other side, Baxian peered over the water, black wings protecting him from the wind. Not that they had to fly very far. The wall of mist rose from the sea itself, stretching all the way to the clouds. Perhaps it would remain above them. It was impossible to see.

As she suspected, the mist was almost identical to that surrounding the Bone Quarter. Impenetrable, sinister... Could these be the true tenuous places between the worlds? And what was there in those mists that the asteri couldn't cross? — Can't you navigate in the fog? Hunt asked Sendes, indicating the swirling mass ahead. Sendes shook her head, the biting wind sending strands of her dark hair flying from her tight braid.

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— No. There is no mist under the water, there is a barrier... invisible, but solid as stone. — Protections, then? asked Bryce, shivering again. The fire goblins, who had been perched on her shoulders as she rose into the frigid air, had left moments before, three flames zooming through the waves toward the distant landmass of Pangera. She said a prayer to Solas as they quickly disappeared over the horizon. — Not protections as we know them — explained Sendes, who barely trembled before the freezing waves that hit the side of the ship, splashing her. Bryce, a few steps away, was startled by the spray, taking a step back. — They seem to… occur naturally, rather than being cast by spells. Not even the Queen of the Ocean gives orders to try to break through the mist. It's as if they were made by Midgard itself. Bryce shoved his cold, wet hands into his jacket pockets. There was no point in warming them up.

— I told you it was worth analyzing this mist. The night before, when they were lying down, she had wanted to talk about the fight they had had. But she had been so exhausted and so grateful to be by his side that she hadn't said anything.

Hunt looked up at the enormous barrier of mist, feathers fluttering in the wind. —So how did the fae get access in the first place? — These bastards can infiltrate anywhere. It was no different with the old ones,” Bryce recalled. Sendes agreed with a grunt, but his cell phone rang and the commander walked away to read the message he had received. Baxian approached Hunt's other side, grimacing as another wave roared, dousing them all. Damn, but it was fucking cold. - What is the plan? asked the Hellhound. He pointed at Hunt with his chin. — You and I do a reconnaissance flight along the wall, looking for a way in?

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Hunt nodded seriously and said:

— Who knows, we might find a bell somewhere. “Your brother is late,” Baxian complained to Bryce. — It would be good not to stay here longer than necessary. There must be omega boats nearby. “The ship knows how to avoid them,” Bryce countered, dodging behind Hunt to avoid another hail of icy water. “Yes, but we don't want them to be told we're going to Avallen,” Baxian said. He spread his wings, flapping them once, spraying drops from his black feathers. "I'm going west along the wall," the Hellhound added to Hunt. — Meet you here in ten minutes? Before Baxian could leap into the sky, the hatch behind them creaked and Ruhn emerged from it, Flynn and Dec following close behind. All three armed, as did Bryce, Hunt and Baxian, with weapons from the Deep Freighter's arsenal. Mostly guns and knives... Better than nothing. — My bad, my bad — said Ruhn when he saw that Hunt was looking at him with irritation. — Flynn and Dec discovered the waffle station in the cafeteria and fell in love. Flynn patted his stomach. “You merfolk know how to make breakfast,” he said. to Sendes, who had put his cell phone in his pocket and was approaching. Bryce might have laughed if Tharion hadn't emerged from the hatch behind them, his face drawn and pale. He returned Bryce's gaze when he arrived at her side, he was desolate and exhausted. Bryce reached out and grabbed the merman's strong jaw. “Hang in there,” she murmured. — Thanks, Legs. — Tharion retreated to the edge of the rail, expressionless. She wished she had more to say, more comfort to offer him. After everything he had done to help them over the past few months, was this the best she could do? Leave him behind? Movement in the hatch caught his attention again, Lidia's golden head appearing. And as much as Ruhn and friends

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continued to debate whether waffles went better with hot syrup or whipped cream — among everything they had to talk about at that moment, that was —, stiffened his body. the topic chosen. She could have sworn that her brother But Lidia didn't look at Ruhn. He didn't say anything, just watched the swirling mist. If she was surprised by his sinister presence, she didn't let it show in her expression. She gave no explanation, nor did she apologize for the delay. The Doe looked back at the open hatch. Undoubtedly thinking about the children downstairs.

Baxian watched her, as if she intrigued him. Bryce didn't blame him. The Hellhound had worked side by side with the Doe, but here she was, looking just as he knew her, but so different. Even though he also hid his true loyalties behind his own mask. But Bryce couldn't even imagine how Lidia was feeling. feeling. She went to the Doe and said, softly: — I'm sorry you can't keep them. Lidia's golden eyes fixed on his face. For one

At that moment, Bryce braced himself for a blunt response. But then Lidia's shoulders dropped and she replied: — Thank you. — Her expression softened, as if she remembered that Bryce had offered to talk the night before, and Lidia repeated, this time more quietly: — Thank you. Bryce nodded and turned to find Ruhn watching them closely. The inscrutable expression, hard as stone. Whatever happened between him and Lidia, Bryce wouldn't interfere even if he was paid. Not even if they paid him a truckload of money. Instead, Bryce said to his brother, Flynn, and Dec, “We were about to go on a recon mission, but then I remembered that you three have been here before. — She gestured to the mist. — How do we get in? A particularly large wave rocked the Deep Freighter, and Hunt was at her side at once, placing a hand on Bryce's back to steady her.

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“Alpha asshole,” she muttered to him, but allowed Hunt to see in her eyes that she wasn't serious. Ruhn and his two friends frowned at each other. Her brother said: —Normally, it would require an invitation from Morven. But during the Ordeal, I learned that having the Aster in hand grants... certain entry privileges. Bryce raised her eyebrows, but shivered as another gust of cold, damp wind hit her. She moved closer to Hunt's warmth, and her partner wrapped one of his gray wings around her to block the wind. - As? Ruhn indicated with his chin the sword on her back. — Take her there and you’ll see. — Bryce and Hunt exchanged wary glances and Ruhn sighed. — What, do you think this is some kind of prank? Bryce said, “I don't know! You're all full of riddles! Baxian laughed on Hunt's other side, enjoying the show. Gods, he and Danika were made for each other. Despite feeling lost at the thought, Bryce looked at the Hellhound and then drew his sword in one smooth movement. The black blade didn't even shine in the gray light. The knife at his side seemed to weigh more, as if it were being dragged towards the blade... "Well, well," Tharion said slowly, looking at the wall of mist. “It really is a bell,” muttered Hunt. A triangular door — like the one in Silene's caves — had opened. The hairs on Bryce's arms stood up as a white boat, the opposite of those at Black Pier, came into view. The arched prow was carved like a deer's head, with matching lanterns hanging from the branches of its mighty antlers. And then the deer spoke, eyes shining, mouth moving as a deep male voice echoed from within;

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no doubt passed down from a king miles away. — Welcome, Bryce Danaan. I was waiting for you. ***

Tharion watched his friends climb into the white boat, the angels closing their wings tightly. The boat held steady in the choppy waves, guided by the magic that had sent it there. Flynn kept a close eye on Lidia as she jumped after Ruhn, but hesitated before jumping. He turned to Tharion and extended a hand. — See you around, merman. Tharion looked at the male's broad, calloused hand, his skin splashed with seawater. Behind Tharion, Sendes had already waved to his friends and was now heading towards the hatch. If he was going to take action, it would need to be now. Because if he stayed on this ship one more day... things wouldn't end well for him. Which left him with only one choice, being honest. Sendes stopped at the open hatch and motioned for Tharion to climb down. I had things to do and everything.

Flynn frowned at the hand he still held out, at Tharion, standing there... Tharion moved. Bracing his hands on the rail, he jumped over to the other side, landing on the white boat with a thud that made everyone else curse. — Ketos — said Athalar, holding tightly to the side of the rocking boat — what the fuck is this? But Flynn landed behind Tharion a second later, saying, “Go, go, go—to the boat or whatever magic was controlling it. Tharion's blood seemed to run faster through his veins as the boat began to pull away from the Deep Freighter, and then Sendes was at the rail, his eyes wide with shock. “She's going to kill you,” Sendes shouted. — Tharion...

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Tharion smiled at the commander. — She'll have to get through the mist first. He barely uttered the last word before the bow of the boat entered the famous mists. Yet he could have sworn that the entire ocean behind them was shaking, as if a great leviathan of power was already emerging, rising towards him... They walked through the thick fog. The feeling of pure power disappeared. Nothing remained except the gray water around the boat and the floating mist, too thick; one could only see a few feet beyond the glow of the deer's eyes. Tharion finally looked ahead and found his friends staring at him with varying degrees of shock. Lidia Cervos shook her head slowly, as if she understood the gravity of what he had done better than any of them. — Well — he said, as casually as he could, sitting down and crossing his legs — I didn't want to invite me to the party, but I decided to go with you.

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— You have no idea how many people I've had to convince not to eat her carcass on the way here — mentioned Jesiba. Ithan couldn't stop looking at the shape of the body under the white sheet in the morgue. To the point between the neck and head. Working on something at the counter, Hypaxia shouted, “It might take a little while.” Ithan looked around the lifeless, tiled morgue, and managed to ask: — Why do you have a morgue here? Jesiba was sitting upright on one of the stools, which appeared to be used for medical purposes. —And where else are we supposed to resurrect corpses? — I don't even know why I asked. — You did a lot of damage to her, you know that?

Ithan frowned at the sorceress. Jesiba reciprocated with a wink at him. But when Hypaxia turned to the two, Ithan was able to look closely at her face for the first time since she had arrived there. His features were marked by exhaustion, his eyes dark. Hopeless.

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What price did he have to pay to swear loyalty to that House? Jesiba had said that the ritual was quick, which was rare. Was that why she looked so exhausted? A part of him preferred not to know. He opened his mouth to tell her that she didn't need to do this for him, that she should rest, but... he was running out of time. The longer they waited, the less chance they would have of being able to resurrect the decapitated woman... Decapitated... His stomach dropped. “Sit down, Ithan,” Hypaxia said gently. A greenish light surrounded her fingers as she approached the table, with a package in her hands. — Is that a sewing kit? — He was going to vomit.

Jesiba snorted. — You better hope her head is back when Hypaxia wakes her up. The ancient witch-queen took a shiny syringe of primalux from a cupboard and placed it on a tray on top of a wheeled cart. — As soon as she wakes up, an injection of primalux will do the damage. But first you need to get your head in place, so that the tendons can grow again and fix themselves. — Okay — Ithan said, taking a deep breath, trying to control the growing nausea. - OK. — Damn, he was a monster for making that necessary. “And here we go,” said Hypaxia. Jesiba caught Ithan's attention. —Are you sure you want to resurrect a Fendyr? He did not answer. I couldn't respond. Then he was quiet. Hypaxia started to sing. ***

Hunt had been in Morven Donnall's throne room for ten seconds and already hated her.

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After the bright white boat guided them through the mist, he had hoped to find some kind of summer paradise. Not a cloudy sky over a land of dense green hills and a gray stone castle perched on a cliff above a winding, gray river. In the distance, thatched-roof cottages marked farmland, and a small town of two- and three-story buildings covered the hill, all the way to the castle itself. No skyscrapers. No highways. No cars. The lamps that I could distinguish they were flames, not primalux. The boat sailed down the river towards the cliff, entering the castle through a cave opened at its base. Everyone was silent during the trip, assuming that the deer on the bow had ears that worked as well as its mouth, and could transmit every word to the buck waiting for them in the castle. This male was now sitting in front of them, on a throne that seemed to be made from a single set of horns. The beast it had belonged to must have been colossal, something that existed nowhere else on Midgard. Were there such big deer around? The thought wasn't at all...comforting. But neither were the shadows that coiled like snakes around the king, wild and twisted. There was a crown of them atop Morven's dark head, blacker than the Pit. Bryce and Ruhn were at the head of the small group, and Hunt exchanged a look with Baxian, whose frown revealed that he was not at all impressed with the place. — A renovation would be good, in my opinion — he murmured. Tharion on the other side of Hunt, who curved his mouth upwards. The merman was a great guy, making a joke right after disobeying the Ocean Queen's orders. Yes, Hunt was happy to have Ketos with them, but damn, what was going through the merman's head when he jumped into that boat? Hunt knew exactly what was going through his head, to be honest. And he didn't blame the merman for the choice he had made, but they already had quite a collection of enemies. If that somehow led the Ocean Queen to act against them...

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From the irritated looks that the others continued to throw in Ketos' direction, they were also not at all happy with the way the carriage was going. But, at that moment, they needed to worry about another ruler. — You bring traitors and enemies of the empire to my home — intoned the Fae King. The shadows around him stopped intertwining; predators preparing to attack. But Bryce pointed to herself, then to Ruhn, her face pretending to be the portrait of pure perplexity, and asked: — Are you talking to me or him? Baxian lowered his head, as if trying not to smile. Hunt felt inclined to do the same, but he dared not take his focus away from the stony-faced ruler or the shadows under his command. — This male — a disdainful look at Ruhn — was disowned by his father. You are the only royalty before me. “Wow,” Bryce said to Ruhn, “that was tough. Ruhn's eyes lit up, but he didn't say anything. She pointed to the small, dark castle around them. — You know, I'm kind of surprised by all this doom and gloom. Cormac said it would be better. Morven's dark eyes glittered. The shadowy crown at the top of his head seemed to darken even more. — This name is no longer recognized or accepted here. - Oh yes? — challenged Ruhn, crossing his arms. — Well, he is among us. Cormac gave his life to make this world a better place. —He was a liar and a traitor... not just to the empire, but of his birthright. “And we can't allow that,” Bryce crooned. — All that precious reproductive potential... wasted. — I need to remind you that, despite being royalty, you are still a female. And fey females can only speak when addressed. Bryce smiled slowly. — Now you've done it — Hunt grumbled, and decided it was a good time to stay by his partner's side. He said to the king: —

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Telling her to shut up doesn't end well for anyone. Trust in me. — I will not exchange words with a slave — Morven snapped, pointing to Hunt's wrist, where the black sleeve revealed the almost invisible mark. He nodded at Hunt's haloed forehead. — Much less a Fallen angel, disgraced by the world. “Wow,” Bryce said, sighing. She turned to the group. — Let's do a count, then. If you have been rejected, dishonored, or both, raise your hand. Tharion, Baxian, Lidia, Hunt, and Ruhn raised their hands. Bryce looked over Flynn and Dec, both still in their usual black jeans and t-shirts, and sighed again. She gestured expansively, granting the floor to them. Flynn smiled, walking to Bryce's side. — As far as I know, I'm still my father's heir. It's good to see you again, Morven. Hunt could have sworn Morven's shadows hissed. — It would be in your best interest, Tristan Flynn, to be respectful when speaking to me.

- Oh yes? — Flynn crossed his arms, brimming with arrogance. Morven pointed to someone behind them, the delicate silver embroidery along the wrists and collar of his immaculately tailored black jacket gleaming in the firelight, and Hunt turned as two burly guards emerged from the shadows. He hadn't felt or heard them... From Tharion and Baxian's shocked expressions, he knew that the two They were as surprised as he was. But Ruhn, Flynn and Declan scowled. As if they recognized the approaching males, both imposing and armed to the teeth. It was obvious they were twins. The murderous twins that Ruhn had mentioned, capable of prying into minds as they pleased.

But that wasn't Hunt's main concern. Not yet. Because between the two of them, in black leggings and white sweaters, light brown hair falling around their faces... Hunt had no idea

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who the fey female was. But she was furious. Furious with the guards, with the king and... - What the hell is that? —Flynn exploded. — Sathia? — Declan asked, mouth open. "It seems," Morven said slowly as the killer twins dragged the fey female forward, white-knuckling her arms hard enough to hurt, "that your sister has gotten herself into quite a bit of trouble, Tristan Flynn."

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Bryce didn't know who to focus on: a furious Sathia Flynn in Morven's throne room, or Tristan's shocked face as he processed the scene. Bryce opted for the latter, especially when Flynn spoke angrily to the King of Avallen: — What do you mean by problem? Morven replied slowly, “Many of the Valbaran fae feel... the coming unrest, and have sought shelter in my lands. — The serpentine shadows writhed around his neck, on his shoulders, with something threatening. The shadows of the king, those of the murderous twins... seemed different from Ruhn's: wilder, more cruel. Ruhn's shadows were a soft, stealthy night; theirs were the darkness of caves without light. “If you went around saying that being here was like taking a luxurious vacation, you better prepare yourself for a lot of one-star reviews,” Bryce muttered, earning a giggle from Tharion. She didn't smile at the merman, however. He had another all-powerful ruler add them to her enemies list, and she didn't want to talk to him right now. By the way Tharion suddenly stopped laughing, he knew Bryce wasn't happy.

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Then Bryce watched Flynn, very seriously, perhaps for the first time. in life, say to the Stag King, with a voice full of disdain: — Let me guess, my parents came running. — He looked around the throne room. — Where is my brave father? And everyone else, by the way? Morven's face might as well have been carved from stone. — A few select people were allowed in. Most were sent back to Lunathion. But for those who remain here, there is a price to be paid, of course. Flynn slowly turned to his sister. —What did you promise him? — There was intense anger and a hint of fear in his question. But Flynn didn't go to the female and the twins holding her. Bryce sized them up and found both males already smiling at her. And then, in the back of his mind, dark twin shadows growled, preparing to attack... She incinerated them with a mental wall of starlight. The twins hissed, one of them blinking as if the light had actually dazzled him. Bryce bared his teeth and kept the glowing wall in his mind. A second later, there was a polite knock on the wall and Ruhn said, Keep it up. No matter what happens. Tell Hunt and the others to build a wall too, Bryce responded, glaring at the twins. I already did that, Ruhn replied. You should see the lightning flashes around Athalar's mind. He burned their probes to dust. Disgusting. Don't say probes. Ruhn snorted, and his presence disappeared from her mind, as Morven continued speaking: — Sathia didn't promise me anything. In fact, she refused to pay the price I asked. A generous good, in fact: the power to choose between the males who are next to her. And since a female has no value here other than the offspring she can bear for Avallen, I see no reason for her sister to remain in this refuge a moment longer. Morven's words fell like a bomb in the room.

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“Easy there,” Bryce said, looking between Sathia's pretty, indignant face and the Stag King and his bloodthirsty shadows, “just so we're clear: Are you saying you require any female who seeks refuge here to marry?” “It wouldn't be safe for so many single females to walk around without a male relative or husband,” Morven said, picking at an invisible stain of dirt on his black pants. — Yes — Bryce quipped — just imagine what would happen if all of us females were running around unsupervised. Absolute anarchy. Cities would collapse. But Flynn said to Morven, “Then bring their brothers and husbands.” Bryce glared at him, but Morven replied, “I don't need any more males on this earth. Bryce gritted his teeth hard enough to hurt. This was the male who had made a deal with her father for her to marry Cormac, injecting more power and dignity into the fae royal lineage. Flynn asked, "What about my parents?" Morven sniffed. — I allowed Lord and Lady Hawthorne to remain here, as our ties go back to the First Wars. They currently reside in my private hunting lodge in the north. “Then send Sathia to my father,” Flynn replied. “He doesn't want to,” Sathia said finally. Though her fae voice was soft and refined, Bryce didn't fail to notice the iron determination that coursed through her. — Either I get married here, or I'm sent back to Lunathion. “Then go back,” Flynn ordered his sister. Sathia shook her head slowly. — It's not safe there. “You have your own comfortable home,” Ruhn reminded him with a smile.

—, It is going to be alright. uncharacteristic hardness Sathia shook her head again, her gaze fixed on her brother.

— It's not safe because of you.

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- What? —Flynn was surprised. “Word has spread,” Morven explained from his throne of horn and shadow, “about your help in that—a nod to Ruhn—escape.” Along with the escape of two other enemies of the empire. — He glanced coldly at Baxian and Hunt, who were staring at him threateningly. — The entire Hawthorne family is now wanted by the asteri for interrogation. “They want to kill us to punish you,” Sathia said, pointing a condemning finger at Flynn. — We had to leave in the middle of the night, when we received an alert that the 33rd was coming after us. These clothes are all I brought with me. “What a sacrifice you had to make,” Flynn sneered. But Bryce noticed the flash of guilt in her eyes. Declan had already pulled out his cell phone, no doubt to check on his family and Marc...

— There's no signal here, thanks to the mist — Sathia said to Declan. The male's face paled and he muttered, "I forgot about that." But Sathia added quietly, “I called your parents before we left. They said they also would contact your boyfriend.

Flynn gaped, but Declan inclined his head in thanks. - What it was? — Sathia looked at her brother with a frown. - You Do you think I'm a monster? Flynn gave another sneer that said, Yes, and Bryce intervened to spare everyone the fight between the two. “Okay,” she said to Morven.

—,

so you are

insisting that Flynn's sister marry one of these... weirdos? — Bryce gestured to the assassin twins holding Sathia, making sure the mental wall of starlight was still intact. I wouldn't let them get anywhere near her mind. “Seamus and Duncan are lords of the fae,” Morven countered. for Bryce. — You will address them with the tone of deference that females should use. Oh, but holy hell!

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“You didn't answer my question,” Bryce protested. Sathia's expression was pure panic. — Are you really going to force her to get married or be deported to be killed by the Asteri? Morven twirled a shadow around one of his long, broad fingers. — Her father agreed that marriage was the best option. And agreed that if she refused, she should be sent back to Lunathion. — He clenched his fist, crushing the shadow inside him. — For a long time she refused any male he presented. Father's patience came to an end and he begged me to take care of it.

“Father of the Year,” Baxian growled. Bryce grunted in agreement. Sathia said with impressive coldness: — It is my right to refuse any suitor who is presented to me. Morven looked at her with disgust. — Yeah, girl. Just as it is her father's right to disown her for failing in his duty to continue the family lineage. Bryce grumbled: —Then what's the point of allowing females to refuse to Will they be punished for this? “That's not our problem,” Flynn muttered, and even Ruhn turned to him in shock. — We didn't come here to deal with this. — So you came here to also ask for asylum? asked Morven, resting his chin on his fist. “No,” Hunt shot, taking a step forward, spreading his wings. - Not so. — He looked at Bryce, making her step forward. new. Exchanging a look with Ruhn that said they would deal with the Sathia issue later, Bryce set aside his concern and lifted his chin as he approached Hunt. — I'm here to access the Avallen Archives and the Cave of Princes. “Access denied,” Morven announced.

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“You didn't quite understand me,” Bryce said in that peremptory tone. — I wasn't asking for your permission. — The star on his chest began to shine, illuminating his t-shirt and sports jacket. —As Starry Princess, no part of Avallen is forbidden to me. — I will decide who is worthy of access to my kingdom — Morven countered. “Starlight says otherwise,” Bryce quipped. She pulled out Aster and the knife. — And these two too. As if their sheaths had kept their power contained, the bare metal now pulsed in his hand, up his arms, pulling them together so violently that it took all of Bryce's strength to keep them apart. Morven paled. Even their shadows retreated. —What is that on your left hand? — Even the killer twins and Sathia had their eyes fixed on her, as if they couldn't look away. “Some great prophecy being fulfilled,” Bryce said, hoping he was hiding the tremor in his arms by holding the black blades steady, by ignoring that instinct that whispered to bring them together, not keep them apart. — Where did you get that knife? Morven hissed. — So you know what it is? — Bryce replied. “Yes,” he said, “I can feel the power. “Well, that makes it easier,” Bryce said. She sheathed both weapons. Fortunately, the attraction between them has diminished. — One less explanation I need to give. — She nodded at Morven, and he frowned at her. — I'll be in and out before you know it. His shadows returned, darkening the air behind his throne of horn until it seemed as if Morven was sitting in front of the void. —Females are prohibited in both the Avallen Archives and the Cave of the Princes. “I don't give a shit,” Bryce said. — You spit on our sacred traditions. - Beats.

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Morven's nostrils flared. — May I remind you, girl, that all it takes is one word from me to May the asteri have you in the palm of their hands. “You'd have to open the mist for them first,” Bryce countered. — And it seems to me that it took a lot of work not to do that... or to give them a reason to come here. — You may be removed by the guards. Bryce gestured to Hunt, then to Baxian, then to the others.

— My own guards can make everything more difficult. — This is my kingdom...

— And I didn't say otherwise. I just want to take a look at your files. A few days, and we're out of here. — She took the Autumn King's notebook from her jacket. — I'll even make the deal more interesting: here's my father's private diary. Well, the most current of them. All his secret plans, written right here. It's a load of shit, if you one ask me. Dear diary, today I made a list of all my enemies and how I intend to kill them. It's so hard to be king... I wish I had a friend!

She smiled as Morven's eyes narrowed to the leather-bound notebook, and displayed the first page, where her father's distinctive handwriting could be seen. He knew her very well, as the two old assholes communicated mostly through handwritten letters, as Avallen didn't have computers. — If you let us stay here, it will be yours when we leave. Morven's fingers drummed on the arm of his throne. He had taken the bait. But he said, the shadows finally brightening, “Your presence here threatens to bring the wrath of the Asteri upon me. Bryce considered, blinking. — Well, it seems like you have no problem sheltering fugitives, if he let Flynn's parents in. He stared at her, pure darkness in his eyes. Bryce continued, "I mean, you could make up for Cormac's dishonor by turning us over to the Asteri... but if you do that, you'll have to turn in the parents."

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of Flynn and the other nobles as well. And I doubt you'll win the favor of your people if you betray some fancy nobles like that. — She crossed her arms. — A big problem, huh? Morven stamped his boot on the ground.

— It's super difficult — Bryce continued — trying to play both sides, isn't it? — I'm not playing for either side — Morven replied — I'm loyal to the Asteri. —Then open the mist. Let them in. Let's invite everyone

world for brunch. Morven's silence was damning.

Bryce smiled. — That's what I thought. — She nodded at Sathia. — One more thing: she doesn’t marry anyone and comes with us. Sathia looked shocked at Bryce, who gave the female fae a warning look. Bryce had only seen Sathia Flynn from afar, at parties. The female's hair was often dyed various shades of shiny dark brown or blonde. Now they were an ordinary light brown. Your natural color, perhaps. It was like seeing the real female. “I can't allow that,” said single female Morven.

—,

She's a

“Her brother is here,” Bryce said, indicating Flynn. — As much as he is irresponsible and loves a party, at least he has the parts that you consider important. Flynn scowled, but Dec elbowed him hard enough for him to walk over and say, — I'll, uh, take responsibility for Sathia. Sathia bristled like an angry cat, but kept her mouth shut. “No,” Morven said, a shadow wrapping around his wrist like a bracelet. A little idle, simple magic. — You are an unsuitable companion, as you have demonstrated repeatedly. Hunt glanced at Bryce and she knew what was going through his mind. It was the same thing Ruhn said in his mind a second later:

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As much as I hate to say this... maybe it's best to leave it alone. Sathia is Flynn's sister and all, but this isn't our fight. Bryce shook his head discreetly. Do you really want to leave her at Morven's mercy? Trust me, Bryce, Sathia knows how to take care of herself.

But Bryce looked at Lidia, who was watching everything with coolness and concentration. Being silent all the time like that made others forget about his presence. Even Morven, it seemed, hadn't noticed who was in the throne room, for he let out a low grunt of surprise upon seeing her. However, the Doe met Bryce's gaze. What would you do?, Bryce tried to convey. Lidia seemed to catch the direction of her thoughts, for she said shorty:

— I never had anyone to fight for me. Well, that solved the issue. Bryce opened his mouth, gathering power in his star, but Tharion spoke behind them. — I marry Sathia. ***

It took Hypaxia seven hours, seven minutes, and seven seconds to resurrect Sigrid. Ithan barely moved from the bench the entire time Hypaxia stood next to the corpse, chanting. Jesiba left, came back with her laptop and spent some time working. She even offered some food to Ithan, who refused. He wasn't hungry. If that didn't work... Hypaxia's now hoarse singing suddenly stopped. — Eu... Ithan hadn't been able to watch as she sewed Sigrid's head back on. It was only when she covered her body again that he continued to watch what she was doing. Hypaxia staggered away from the table. Away from the body under the sheet. Ithan stood up instantly, holding her with his hand.

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skill. - What have you done? — Jesiba demanded, closing the laptop with a click. Ithan helped Hypaxia to her feet, and the former witch-queen looked from one to the other, helpless and... terrified. Out of the corner of my eye, something white moved. Ithan turned as the body on the table sat down. As the sheet billowed, revealing Sigrid's ashen face, her eyes closed. The thick, firm stitches in an irregular line along the neck. She still wore her own clothes, stiff with dried blood. Stitches popping, Sigrid slowly turned her head. But her chest... wouldn't rise or fall. She wasn't breathing. The lost Fendyr heiress opened her eyes. Burning an acid-green color. “Reaper,” whispered Jesiba.

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“I'm telling you, Ketos, she's terrible,” Flynn warned Tharion in the shadows of the pillars that flanked one side of the throne room. Normal shadows, thankfully. Not the horrible ones run by the Fae King. — It's a terrible idea. It will end your life.

— My life is already ruined — Tharion reminded him, his voice as empty as he felt. — If we survive this, we can get a divorce. —Fae don't get divorced. — Flynn grabbed his arm tightly. — It's literally until death do us part. — Well, I'm not fae... —But she is. If you get divorced, she will have no chance of getting married again. It will become corrupted. After the first marriage, the only options are death or widowhood. A widow can remarry, but a divorcee... That doesn't even exist. She would be persona non grata. On the opposite side of the room, Declan and Ruhn were talking to Sathia in low voices. It was quite possible that they were saying the same things. Morven watched them sullenly from his throne, the shadows a hissing nest of vipers around him, the monstrous twins

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flanking him on each side. Tharion detected the disgusting shadows approaching his mind the moment the twins arrived. Out of instinct, he raised a river, creating a mental moat around his mind. I had no idea what I was doing, but it worked. The shadows drowned. This only further supported the decision he had made. Having someone forced to endure the presence of the murderous twins, to marry someone who could pry into their mind... Then Tharion said to Flynn: — Your sister would only be an outcast among the fae. Normal people They don't see any problems with divorce.

Flynn didn't move back an inch, his teeth flashing. “She is Lord Hawthorne's daughter. You'll always want to marry a fae. — She accepted my offer. — With the lowest and softest yes

that he had ever heard, but still. It was clear that he had accepted. Flynn replied, “Because she's desperate and scared. Do you think it's a good state of mind to make any kind of decision? Tharion held the male's gaze.

— I don't see anyone else offering to help you. Flynn grumbled, "Look, she's spoiled and petty and cruel as a snake, but she's my younger sister.

— Then find some alternative to get her out of this and preferably one that doesn't involve her death. Flynn stared at him, furious, and Tharion returned the look in kind. On the other side, Sathia passed Dec and Ruhn and advanced toward them. She was short, but she had a presence that dominated the room. His dark eyes were pure fire when they met Tharion's. — Shall we get on with it? The calm, bland tone was gone.

Bryce, Athalar, and Baxian watched from the back of the room, the Doe a few steps to the side.

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None of them expected the day to go like this. Starting with Tharion running away from the Queen of the Ocean, and finally this total mess. But if it were Lesia in Sathia's place... He would like someone to offer to help her, whether they were a deserter or not. Tharion said to Sathia: — Yes. Let's go ahead.

Morven wasted no time in summoning a Priestess of Cthona. As if the bastard was trying to figure out if Tharion was bluffing. Less than five minutes later, Tharion had a wife. ***

“You,” Sigrid snapped at Ithan, her voice little more than a whisper. whisper.

Ithan could barely process what he was hearing… what he was seeing. - What happened? — Jesiba shouted to Hypaxia, who was still clinging to Ithan, who, in turn, was leading the two towards the door. But it was Sigrid who responded, a few stitches bursting as his neck moved, revealing a brutal scar there. — We arrived at a door. She wanted to go one way... — A smile twisted her face. — I went to the other one. Hypaxia shook her head frantically. — She didn't want to come, she let go of my hand...

— I had no interest in leaving a prize like that escape — let out a cold voice. Even Jesiba stood up when the Under-King appeared at the morgue door. Just like on the night of the Autumnal Equinox, he wore robes dark, weathered walls that floated on a phantom breeze. — You had no right — challenged Hypaxia, passing by Ithan as all her senses went into action with the Sub-King's supernatural presence, with his eternal power. — I had no right to transform her...

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—Am I not the lord of the dead? — He remained at the door, as if hovering. — She didn’t have a sailboat. His soul was there for the claiming. You offered an option, witch. I offered another. He waved Sigrid closer, and she left the table as if she were alive. As if he had never died. If it weren't for the acid green eyes and scars, Ithan might have believed it. Fendyr was a reaper. A half life, a walking corpse... It was sacrilege. A disgrace. And it was all his fault. — What is the most attractive choice? — reflected the Sub-King while Sigrid held his hand. — To be brought back by you, Hypaxia, to be under your command and orders... or to be free? “To serve you,” Hypaxia corrected with impressive firmness. — Better me than you — countered the Sub-King. He then tilted his head towards Ithan. —Young Holstrom. You have my gratitude. Her soul could have wandered forever. She's in good hands now. — What... what are you going to do? — Ithan dared to ask. The Under-King looked at Sigrid and smiled, revealing large, brown teeth. — Come, my pet. You have a lot to learn. But Sigrid turned to Ithan, and he felt a whirlwind of emotion. repulsed by himself when he hears the grim reaper's voice: — You killed me. - I am really sorry. — Words weren’t enough. They would never be enough. — I won't forget that. He wouldn't forget either. As long as he lived. He held her gaze, hating those acid green eyes, the death written in them... — We'll talk soon — said the Sub-King to Jesiba, more of a warning than an invitation. Before Jesiba could respond, the Under-King and Sigrid disappeared in a dark wind.

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Only when her shadow fragments disappeared from the morgue did Jesiba say: — What a disaster. Hypaxia was staring at her hands, as if she was trying to overcome her mistake. Ithan couldn't stop the tremor that gripped him from head to toe, right down to his bones. - Fix it. Hypaxia didn't look up. Ithan growled, his heart racing, “Fix this.” Jesiba clicked her tongue.

— What's done is done, doggy. — I refuse to accept this. — Ithan showed her his teeth and then pointed to Hypaxia. — Undo what you just did. Hypaxia slowly looked at him. Desolate, pleading, tired. - Ithan... —Fix it! Ithan roared, the witch's necromantic instruments rattling to the sound of his voice. He didn't care. Nothing mattered beyond that. — FIX HER! — Ithan went after Jesiba. — Did you know this would happen? — His voice broke. Jesiba gave him an expressionless look. — No. And if you use that tone with me again... — There may be a way — Hypaxia commented softly. Even Jesiba seemed surprised, turning next to Ithan to face the ancient witch queen. — When the dead cross the threshold of the House of Reapers... Hypaxia's gaze met Ithan's and remained firm, pain giving way to the purest determination. —Necromancy can take you to that threshold and it can also pull you back. - As? — asked Jesiba. Ithan could barely breathe. — We need a thunderbird. Jesiba raised her hands. — There are none left.

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“Sofie Renast was thunder,” Ithan said, more to himself than to the other females. — We think her brother could be too, but... — Sofie Renast is dead — said Jesiba. Hypaxia just asked: — Where is her body? — The question sounded like a death knell in the morgue. Jesiba managed to respond before Ithan. — After this disaster — she said, pointing to the examination table where Sigrid had been placed moments before, the sheet finally discarded on the floor next to it. Do you —,really want to try to resurrect the dead again? “Sofie has been dead too long to be resurrected,” Ithan reminded him, nausea churning in his stomach. And, he didn't add, he couldn't help but agree with Roga about Hypaxia's track record. — If she didn't get a Sailboat, then it should work. Although the state of decomposition of her body must be... deplorable. — Hypaxia walked around the room. —She must still have enough lightning in her veins to bridge the gap between life and death. Thunderbirds were once able to aid necromancers, to use their lightning to hold the souls of the dead. They could even imbue their power into common objects, such as weapons, and bestow magical properties... — And do you think that this could somehow cause Sigrid stop being a reaper? asked Ithan. — I think the lightning can bring her soul back to life — said Hypaxia — and give her the chance to make the choice again. A few days as a reaper might change her mind. Silence reigned. Ithan looked at Jesiba, but the sorceress remained silent, as if weighing Hypaxia's every word. Ithan swallowed. - Will it work? Jesiba didn’t take her eyes off Hypaxia as she said softly, “Maybe.”

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— But where is her body? — pressed Ithan. — The last news I heard from my friends was that the body was with the Queen of the Ocean, on her ship. She could have sent it through the airlock, for all we know... — Give me thirty minutes — asked Jesiba, and didn't wait for a second. answer before leaving the room. ***

There was nothing to do but wait. Ithan had no desire to do anything except sit at the table and stare at his hands. His useless, blood-stained hands. He had tried to save Sigrid from the Astronomer and ended up killing her. And then he had his corpse turned into a reaper. Every choice they made took them from bad to worse and, finally, to catastrophe. Jesiba passed through the metal doors of the morgue exactly thirty minutes later. “Well, it took more bribes than I would have liked, but I have good news and bad news,” she said. — The good first — said Ithan, finally looking up from his hands. Hypaxia sat in the other chair the entire time, silent and thoughtful. — I know where Sofie's body is — said Jesiba. — And the bad news? — asked Hypaxia softly. Jesiba looked from one to the other, her gray eyes shining. — It's in Avallen. With the Deer King.

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Ruhn had no idea how Bryce had held himself back from killing Morven. He also couldn't say how he managed to do the same. But they wasted no time getting to work. Even though, from what they had agreed, Bryce was on Team Caverns, she insisted on checking the files first. The Avallen Archives were as imposing and enormous as Ruhn remembered from his last and only visit to Avallen. True, he had never been allowed inside, but from its gray exterior, the building rivaled the Freighter of the Deep in size. An entire city of learning, locked behind leaden doors. Only for access by the royal bloodlines — the royal males. — Do we really have to work? — Flynn complained, rubbing his head. — Can't we chill out for a bit? This place gives me the creeps... I need to relax. Athalar glanced at Flynn. — He gives us all goosebumps. “No,” said Flynn seriously, shaking his head. — I already told you... My magic hates this place. - What do you mean? asked Bryce, looking at him over his shoulder.

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Flynn shrugged. — The earth looks... rotten. As if there was nothing my magic could latch onto or identify with. Is weird. It also bothered me the first time we were here. — He kept complaining when we were here — Declan agreed, and Flynn elbowed him in the ribs. But Flynn pointed with his chin at Sathia, who was alone a few feet away. — You feel that way too, right? The sister twisted her elegant mouth and admitted: — My magic is strange in Avallen too. What my brother is talking is not entirely without reason.

“Well,” Bryce said, “hang in there, Flynn. I think a big, tough Fae male like you can get through that. Let's relax tonight. Tomorrow we will split into Team Archives and Team Caves and work as fast as we can. She raised her hand to one of the lead doors, but without touching it. —But, believe me, I don't want to stay on this miserable island for a second longer than necessary. — I agree — Athalar murmured, approaching Bryce — let's find what we need and get out. — What are we looking for, exactly? asked Sathia. — Everything you told me about the other fae world and what you learned... I'm sorry, but I need a little more guidance to continue when we get there. Since we're all enemies of the asteri, what's wrong with one more person knowing about our stops? Bryce asked when Flynn demanded that Sathia stay behind. And Sathia refused to be left alone, even though the security of her status as a married female guaranteed her the right to move freely. I'm not going to be locked in some room to rot, he said, and walked behind Bryce, who began to explain everything he had learned about Theia and her daughters and the history of the fae inside and outside Midgard. Sathia hadn't said a word

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word with Tharion since they exchanged their vows; and the merman seemed to take it well too. It was all crazy. But Ruhn had heard what Lidia had said to Bryce about never having anyone to fight for her. He didn't feel good when he heard that. Ruhn dared to look where Lidia was, observing the imposing entrance to the archives. He didn't fail to notice how shocked Morven was to realize she was in the throne room. And when they left, the Stag King seemed about to try to talk to Lidia, but the Doe passed him before he had the chance to do so. His golden eyes met Ruhn's, and he could have sworn pure fire pulsed through his body... He looked away quickly. Sathia asked Bryce, “What if you don't find the answers you're looking for? “Then we're screwed,” Bryce said in all words, and finally pressed his palm against the archive doors. A tremor seemed to run through the metal. With a creak, the doors opened inward, revealing nothing but darkness dappled with sunlight. Ruhn exchanged glances with Dec, whose eyebrows were raised at the building's display of submission. But Bryce passed quickly, Athalar and Baxian close behind. — So you really intend to enter the Cave of the Princes? — Sathia asked Bryce as they entered the dark space. “I know it's likely that the presence of a female will cause the cave walls to come crashing down out of sheer outrage,” Bryce said, his voice echoing in the enormous dome above them, “but yes. Ruhn laughed and looked up at the dome. It was a mosaic of onyx stones, interspersed with pieces of opal and diamond — stars. A crescent moon of pure mother-of-pearl occupied the top of it, shining in the dim light. It bore an uncanny resemblance to the Ocean Queen's sharp nails. Sathia followed Bryce and asked softly, “And… is that really her?” The knife?

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“Shocking, I know,” Bryce said. — The party girl carrying the prophet... —, That wasn't my intention. — No — interrupted Sathia Bryce paused, turning, and Ruhn knew that Athalar was monitoring Sathia's every word, every movement as Flynn's sister explained:

— I was wondering what that means. Not just in relation to the asteri and his conflict with them. But what does this mean for the Fae? “A lot of nothing,” Flynn snorted. — We were told that our people would come together again when this knife was returned — replied Sathia, harshly. Her tone was softer as she asked Bryce, “Is this part of... some plan of yours?” Unite the fae? Bryce looked through the rows and rows of shelves and said coldly:

— The fae do not deserve to be united. Even Ruhn froze. He never thought about what Bryce could do as a leader, but... — Come on, Quinlan — Athalar protested, putting his arm around her shoulders, deciding to change the subject — let's explore. “Okay, okay,” Bryce murmured, “I guess it's a bit too hopeful to think there would be a digital catalog here, so... I guess we'll have to do it the old fashioned way. — She pointed ahead, at the wall occupied by a card catalog. —Look for any mention of the sword and the knife, anything about the mists that guard this place, Pelias and Helena... Maybe even things about the early days of Avallen, whether during the First Wars or soon after.

“That's... a lot to look for,” Flynn commented. “I bet you wish you had learned to read,” he commented. sarcastically Sathia, walking towards the catalogue. - I know how to read! — Flynn grumbled. Then he murmured: — I just find it boring. Ruhn laughed, and the sound echoed near him. Lidia.

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That exchange of looks between them again. Ruhn said, a little awkwardly, to her: — We better get to work. Such a large catalog could take days to sift through. Even more so because there were no librarians or academics in sight. Come to think of it, the place had an abandoned air about it. Empty. The castle too, as well as the small town and the surrounding lands. Everything seemed so mysterious, so strange when he had arrived here, decades before: the famous misty island of Avallen. Now all he could think about was Cormac, growing up in darkness and silence. All that fire, dampened by this place. And yet, he loved his people. I wanted to do right by them. By everyone on Midgard too. Cormac had come from here. There had to be something good about this place. Ruhn

I just had no idea what it would be. The Fae do not deserve to be united. Bryce's words hung in the air, as if they were still echoing in the dome. And Ruhn didn't know why, but as the words settled in the darkness... they made him sad. After a few tense minutes, Declan said: — Well, that's interesting. He was at the nearest table, what appeared to be a stack of maps unrolled in front of him. A large map—of Midgard—was open on top. Ruhn walked over to his friends, grateful for the break from the task. - What it was? — The others followed his example, gathering around the table. Dec pointed to Avallen on the map, the paper yellowed by the time, despite the preservation spells on it. — I thought looking at old maps might give us some insight into the mists... You know, seeing how ancient cartographers represented them and such. And then I found this. Athalar rubbed his neck and said: — At the risk of being teased... what am I for? looking?

“There are islands here,” explained Declan. —, dozens.

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The penny dropped.

“There shouldn't be any islands around Avallen,” Ruhn said.

Bryce approached, running his fingers across the archipelago. — When is this map from? “From the First Wars,” Dec replied, and pulled another map from the bottom of the pile. —This is Midgard now. There are no islands in this area except the one we are on. — Ou seja... — disse Baxian. —, Isn't it strange that they had “That is,” said Dec, irritated. islands fifteen thousand years ago and have disappeared? Tharion cleared his throat. — I mean, the sea level rises... Dec gave everyone a withering look and pulled out a third map. — This map is from a hundred years after the First Wars — Ruhn examined him. No islands. On the other side of the table, Lidia evaluated the different maps in silence. She looked up at Ruhn, and he couldn't stop his heartbeat from speeding up, his blood from vibrating at her proximity... "All those islands," muttered Bryce, "were gone in a flash." one hundred years.

“Soon after the asteri arrived,” Athalar added, and Ruhn looked away from Lidia long enough to consider what was before them. He said: — Well, despite the mists, Avallen seems to have no problem revealing its shape and coastline to the Asteri, for the official maps of the empire. Why hide the islands? — There are no islands at all — said Sathia softly. — The ones on that first map... — She pointed along the northwest coast. — We sailed from that direction. We didn't see a single island. The fog could have hidden some of them, but we should have seen at least one. “I've never seen or heard any mention of other islands here,” agreed Flynn.

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They remained silent, looking at the three maps as if they were going to reveal some great secret. Finally, Dec shook his head. — Something happened here a long time ago... something big. But what? — And — Lidia murmured, the cadence of her voice sending shivers of pleasure down Ruhn's back — is this knowledge useful to us? Bryce tapped his hand on the oldest map and Ruhn could almost see the gears turning in his head. — Silene said something in her memoirs about the island that had once belonged to her court. — Bryce's face took on a distant expression, as if he was trying to remember the exact words. —She said the earth...withered. That when she started housing those monsters to hide the Harp's presence, Prison Island became barren. And the Ocean Queen said that the islands literally withered into the sea in despair when the Asteri arrived. - Then? asked Flynn. Bryce's gaze sharpened again. — It seems strange that two faerie strongholds, both islands, were once archipelagos, and that both lost everything except the central island as a result of the arrival of... unpleasant forces. Ruhn raised his eyebrows. — I can't believe you're actually speaking your mind, for the first time. Bryce gave him the middle finger while Athalar laughed. She nodded, determined. — Archives Team: keep investigating this. The others dispersed again to resume their search, but Bryce grabbed Ruhn by the elbow before he could move: - What it was? he asked, looking at where her hand touched him. held. Bryce's gaze was resolute. — We can't afford to waste time.

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— I know — said Ruhn — let's look for it as quickly as possible. we can. “A few days,” Bryce said, letting go of his arm. She looked at the sealed front doors of the archives, at the island beyond. — I don't think we'll have more than that before Morven decides it's in his best interest to tell the Asteri we're here, and fuck the risks that would pose to his people. Or before the Asteri mystics discover our location. “Perhaps the mists can also keep out mystical eyes,” Ruhn suggested. — Maybe, but I'd rather not find out the hard way. A few days, Ruhn... then we'll get out of here. “It may take longer to explore the caves,” Ruhn warned. —Are you sure there's anything there that's worth it? From what I could see, there were some useless things like decorations on the walls and a lot of misty tunnels. It would be much faster to go through the files if everyone analyzed the catalog together. “I have to check out the caves,” Bryce said quietly. —, just in case. It was then that he understood, and the realization was like a bucket of ice water. Bryce wasn't sure she could find anything to help her bring the blades together. To kill the asteri. Then Ruhn squeezed her shoulder. “We'll find out, Bryce. She gave a baleful smile. All Ruhn could do was give back. ***

They found nothing more about the missing islands, the mists, or the sword and knife in the hours they spent searching the catalog. They had barely begun to sort through the vast catalog when Bryce decided it was time to stop and go to dinner, his hands so dry they hurt from all the dust. In silence, the group walked to the castle's dining room. What a long, damn day! Each of his laborious steps seemed

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echo the sentiment. The dining room was empty, although a small buffet of food had been served for them. "I think we're early," Tharion said as the group surveyed the firelit room, its faded tapestries depicting fae hunts of times past. The prey was in the center of one of them: a white horse chained and collared. Bryce started. It wasn't a horse. It was a winged horse. So they had survived there; at least for a few generations. Before they died or the fae hunted them to extinction. — We didn't arrive early — said Sathia next to Tharion, her face tense. — The formal dinner started fifteen minutes ago. If I were to guess, I'd say it was moved to another location. — Nobody wants to eat with us? Hunt asked. Bryce said, “They must consider us unworthy of their presence. — Hunt, Baxian and Tharion turned to her with incredulous expressions. Bryce shrugged. — Welcome to my life. — Hunt was frowning deeply, and Bryce added, unable to contain himself, — You don't need to feel guilty about this, you know. He looked irritated at her and the others quickly went to busy themselves with other things. - What does that mean? Hunt asked softly. It wasn't the time or the place, but Bryce said, “I can't understand you. Like, whether you want to be here or not. “Obviously I want to,” Hunt replied, his eyes shining. She didn't back down.

— One moment you're all involved, the next you're all glum and guilty... — Don't I have the right to feel this way? he hissed. You

others had already arrived at the table.

“Yes,” she said, keeping her voice low, even though she knew the others could hear them. One of the disadvantages of living

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with vanir. — But each of us made choices that led us to all of this. The weight of these choices doesn't just fall on you, and it's not... — I don't want to talk about it. — He started walking towards the center of the room. —Hunt? — she called. He kept walking, wings well closed. Across the room, she met Baxian's gaze, who was pulling out a chair at the table. He needs time, the Hellhound seemed to say. Be kind to him. Bryce sighed, shaking his head. She could do this. They helped themselves and sat in random places along the huge table, big enough to seat forty people: Ruhn, Flynn, Sathia and Dec in a group; Tharion, Baxian, Hunt and Bryce in another. Lidia claimed a seat next to Bryce, definitely not looking where Ruhn was watching them. — So this is Avallen — Lidia commented, breaking the awkward silence. “Don't tell me,” Bryce murmured, “I'm trying not to be impressed by how glamorous it is. — This reminds me of my father's house — Lidia said softly, eating the potatoes and lamb. Abundant and simple food. It certainly wasn't the fine feast Morven and his court were eating elsewhere. — They should both sign the Medieval Life — joked Bryce, and Lidia's mouth curved into a smile. It was so strange to see the Doe smile. Like a person. The males must have been thinking the same thing, because Baxian asked: — How long, Lidia? How long have you been a spy? Lidia cut the meat delicately.

— How long ago did you start to believe in the cause? — Since I met my partner, Danika Fendyr. Four years ago. Bryce's chest tightened at the pride in his voice—and the pain. His fingers itched with the desire to stretch his arm across the

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table to take his hand, just as he had done the night before. But Lidia blinked slowly. And he said, in a soft voice: — I'm sorry, Baxian. Baxian nodded in acknowledgement. Then he said to Lidia and Hunt:

— I kind of can't get over being here with you two. Considering where we were not that long ago. Who we were. “I understand,” Bryce murmured. Hunt tested the cut of a knife with his thumb and then sliced the meat on his plate. —Urd acts in mysterious ways, I imagine. Lidia's eyes lit up. Hunt raised the glass of water to her. — Thanks for saving us. — It was nothing — she replied, cutting the lamb again. Baxian put down his fork.

— You risked everything you had. We owe you one. Bryce looked at the table and noticed Ruhn watching them. She scowled at her brother, as if to say, Join the conversation, you idiot, but Ruhn ignored her. Lidia's mouth opened in a half-smile.

— Find a way to kill the asteri and we'll be even. The rest of dinner was peaceful, and Bryce found herself so tired that when she finished her plate, she just wanted to lie down somewhere. Fortunately, one person in the castle deigned to speak to them: an older fey female who grumpily said she would show them to their rooms. Even if they weren't welcome, at least they were given decent accommodation, all in the same hallway. Bryce didn't notice who slept with who, focusing only on being led to her own room, but he didn't fail to notice the awkwardness between Tharion and Sathia as they were led together to a door in the middle of the hallway. Bryce sighed as she and Hunt entered their room. She wished she had the energy to talk to Ruhn, to really feel

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go deeper and know what it was like to go through what he had been through, what he was feeling, but... “I need to lie down,” Bryce said, and fell face down on the bed. “Today was strange,” Hunt commented, helping to remove his sheathed sword and dagger. He placed them carefully beside the bed and then slowly turned her over. - Are you well? Bryce looked at his face, at the halo on his forehead. — I really hope we find something here that makes it all worth it. Hunt sat down next to her, taking out his own weapons and placing them on a side table. — Are you worried that we won't find anything all of a sudden? Bryce stood up, unable to sit still despite her exhaustion. She walked back and forth in front of the roaring fire. - I don't know. It's not like I was expecting a giant neon sign in the archives saying Answers Here!, but if the Asteri are going after Flynn's family... — She hadn't allowed herself to think about it before. There was nothing I could do from there, without a phone or internet. — So they're going after mine. — Randall and Ember know how to take care of themselves. — But Hunt stood up, walking over to her and taking her hands. “They're going to be fine. — His hands were warm around hers, solid. She closed her eyes at the touch, savoring his love and comfort. — We'll get there, Quinlan. You have traveled between worlds. This is nothing in comparison. — Don't provoke Urd. - I'm not. I'm just telling the truth. Don't lose faith now. Bryce sighed, examining the tattoo on his forehead. — We need to find a way to get this out of you. — It's not the biggest priority. - And yes. I need you in your full power. — The words came out wrong, and she amended: — I need you to be free of them. - I go. We all go.

Looking into his dark eyes, she believed him.

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— I'm sorry about earlier. If I pushed you too much. - I am fine. — His voice didn't sound good. — I wasn't trying to tell you how you should feel —

she said. — I just want you to know that none of us, especially me, hold you responsible for all this shit. We are a team. He looked down, and she hated seeing it, seeing his wings droop.

“I don't know if I can do this again, Bryce. She felt a pang in her heart. - Do what? — Making choices that cost people their lives. — He looked at her again, his gaze dark. — It was easier for Shahar, you know. She didn't care about other people's lives, not really. And he died so quickly that he didn't have to bear the weight of guilt that might have arisen later. Sometimes I envy her for that. I envied her for that, back then. For escaping it all through death.

“That's ancient Umbra Mortis speaking,” Bryce said, finding humor amid the cold wave of pain and concern in his words, his lifeless tone. — Maybe we need Umbra Mortis now. She didn't like that. Not even a little. — I need Hunt, not an armored assassin. I need my partner. — She kissed his cheek. - I need you. The darkness in his eyes brightened, bringing some relief to him. her heart, reassuring her. She kissed his cheek again. — I know it would be better to go take a shower and sleep and use the potty or whatever the fuck they call a bathroom in this museum, but...

- But? — He raised his eyebrows. Bryce stood on tiptoe, brushing her mouth against his. And his taste... Gods, yes. —But I need to feel you first. He squeezed her waist.

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— Damn, it took a while, huh? There was more to be discussed, of course. But now...

He lowered his face to hers, and Bryce met him halfway, an intense, free and… happy kiss. Home, eternity and everything she had fought for. Everything I would continue to fight for. From the way he kissed her back, she knew Hunt had noticed it too. I hoped he would let any trace of remorse burn away. “I love you,” he said against Bryce's mouth, and deepened the kiss. She choked back a sob of relief, hugging his neck. Hunt's hands slid to her ass and he lifted her, walking slowly to the huge four-poster bed. Clothes were torn off. Mouths met, explored and tasted. Fingers caressed and squeezed. Then Hunt was on top of her and Bryce let his happiness, all his magic shine through her. “Look at you,” Hunt whispered, hips flexing under his arms. her hands, his cock teasing her entrance. — Look at you. Bryce smiled as he let more of that power shine through. hers: the starry light was so silvery that it created shadows on the bed. - Did you like it?

Hunt's thrust, penetrating her to the hilt, was the answer. “Fuck, you're so beautiful,” he whispered. Lightning formed on his wings, on his forehead. As if that power couldn't help but respond to her, even with the halo that diminished it. Bryce moaned as he pulled out, almost pulling out of her, only to go back to fucking her.

Hunt angled her hips so he could thrust deeper. And when his cock brushed Bryce's innermost part, lightning flickered above her, in her... Partner. Husband. Prince. Hunt. “Yes,” Hunt said, and she must have expressed her thoughts out loud, because he fucked her deeper, harder. — I fucking love you, Bryce.

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Her magic rose at his words, a rising tide. Or maybe it was her climax coming, building along with his. Everything he had was not enough. I wanted more, to be closer, I wanted to be in him, in his blood... “Solas, Bryce,” Hunt growled, thrusting into her in one long, sensual motion. — I can't... — She didn't want him to do that. She grabbed his ass, digging her nails deep in a silent thrust. “Bryce,” he warned, without stopping fucking her. Lightning crackled and snaked around them, an avalanche rushing toward them. “Don't stop,” she begged. Their magics collided—their souls. It spread across stars, across the galaxies, lightning gliding in their wake. She had the vague sensation of Hunt being thrown along with her, of her scream of ecstasy and surprise.

They knew their bodies remained united in some distant world, but here, in this place between places, the two of them merged into one, crossed and transferred and becoming something more. Stars, planets, and rainbow clouds swirled around them, the darkness cut through by lightning brighter than the sun. Sun and moon held together in perfect balance, suspended in the same sky. And below them, far below, she could see Avallen, vibrating with her magic, so much magic, as if Avallen were the very source of it, as if they were the very source of all magic and light and love... Then it disappeared. Everything returned to soft colors, warm air and heavy breathing. The weight of Hunt's body on top of hers, his cock still pulsing inside her, his wings spread above them both. “Holy shit,” Hunt said, standing up enough to look at her. — Holy shit... damn it. It had been more than fucking, or sex, or making love. Hunt looked at her, starlight shining in her hair. Just as she knew the lightning passed through hers. “It was like my power entered you,” Hunt said, his eyes tracking the lightning as it slid through her body. - AND your.

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“Just as mine is yours,” she said, touching a lock of starlight shining through the black locks of her hair. “I feel strange,” he admitted, but didn't move. - I feel... She felt it then. Finally understood. What it always was, the name she had learned in the other world. “Done,” Bryce whispered with a hint of fear. —That's what it looks like. Any power that can flow between us... so can my Horn-Made power. Hunt looked down at himself, where their bodies remained joined. She felt a pang of guilt, then, that she hadn't yet told him everything she knew about the other Made objects in the universe—about the Masquerade, the Treasures. — I think it flows both ways: my power to you and yours to me. Hunt smiled and scanned the room around them. — At least it doesn't look like we'll be stopping in one place new every time we have sex. Bryce riu. — That's a relief. I don't think Morven would have appreciated our naked asses appearing in his room. “Absolutely not,” Hunt agreed, kissing her forehead. He brushed aside a strand of hair. — But what difference does it make? Are we connected in this way?

Bryce lifted her head to kiss him. — Something else for us to discover. — Team Caverns until the end — he said next to Bryce's mouth. She laughed, their breaths mixing, intertwining like their souls. — I said we should have ordered t-shirts.

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Tharion was in that ancient room, all stone, complete with a bed with curtains and tapestries on the wall, and he had no idea what to say to his wife. And it seems that Sathia Flynn had no idea what to say either, because she went to sit in a carved wooden chair in front of the roaring fireplace and look at the fire. They had barely exchanged two words all day. But there, having to share a room... — You can have the bed — he said, his tone high, resounding in the room. — Thank you — she replied, hugging her body. The firelight sparkled in her light brown hair, making the golden locks shine. — I don't, uh... I don't expect anything to happen. She threw him a wry look over her shoulder. - Great. Me either. “That's good,” he repeated, shivering as he walked to the window. The starless night was a dark wall beyond, broken only by a few bright fires in the farmhouses. — Does it get... less gloomy around here?

AND

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— It's my first visit, so I can't say. — Her tone was a little harsh, as if she wasn't used to speaking normally to people, but she added: — I hope so. Tharion walked to the wooden chair in front of hers and sank into it. The damn thing was hard as Hell. He moved, trying to find a more comfortable angle, but gave up after a few moments and said: — Let's start from the beginning. My name is Tharion Ketos. Former captain of the Queen of Rio's Intelligence... — I know who you are — she said softly, the soft tone contradicting the iron calm in her gaze. He raised an eyebrow. - And even? this is good or bad? She shook her head. — I am Sathia Flynn, daughter of Lord Hawthorne. - AND?

She tilted her head to the side, strands of her long hair falling over one shoulder.

—What else needs to be said? He pretended to think.

- Favourite colour?

- Blue. - Favorite food? — Raspberry pie.

He let out a laugh. - It is serious? She frowned. — What's the problem with that?

— Nothing — he said, adding: — I like cheese snacks. She made a noise that sounded like laughter. But the sound disappeared when she asked, “Why?” He marked the motifs on his fingers.

— They're crunchy, full of cheese...

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— No. I meant... why did you do that? — She gestured between them. Tharion hesitated about how to tell his story, but... — I don't see why not to come clean and make our agreement based on honesty. — He sighed. — I'm a wanted male. The Viper Queen has a bounty of five million gold marks on my head. She choked. - Countryside?

- Surprise! — he said, adding: — Sorry. I think... maybe it would have been better to mention this earlier. — Oh, do you think so? — But she composed herself, putting on a calm, practiced expression on her pale features before saying for the third time: — Why? — I... may have been indirectly responsible for the Meat Market fire, and now she wants to kill me. This was after I defected from the River Queen, who, oh, also wants to kill me. And then the Ocean Queen took me in and forbade me from leaving her ship, but I disobeyed orders and ran away, and now here I am and... I'm not doing a good job of looking like a good catch, am I? — My father is going to have a piripaque — said Sathia. Something like mischievous amusement flashed in his eyes. A little sense of humor was hope for him. — As happy as I am to hear that — said Tharion, the smile increasing a —,that I screwed up. — The few millimeters, it was a lot of words to say... memory of Sigrid's corpse flashed before his eyes and he pushed her away. - Very he added.

— So this is some attempt at redemption? — Any amusement disappeared from her face. — It's an attempt to be able to look at myself in the mirror again — he said deliberately. — Knowing that I did something good, at some point, for someone else. “Okay,” she said, then looked back at the fire. — You seem, uh… a little calm about this whole thing. marriage.

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— I grew up knowing that my destiny would be to one day get married. — The words were monotonous. —But you thought you'd marry a fae... — I don't feel like talking about the expectations that have been placed on me my entire life — she said with the authority of a queen. — Or the doors that are now closed to me. I'm alive and I didn't have to marry Bronco One or Bronco Two, so...yeah, I'm okay with that. — This snooping into minds thing didn't appeal to you, did it? — They are brutish and threatening, even without mental gifts. I abhor them both. — It's good to know you have standards. — Tharion extended his hand to her. — Nice to meet you, Sathia. She took the offered hand carefully, her delicate fingers against his. But the handshake was firm; unshakable. — Nice to meet you too...husband. ***

It dawned in Avallen, although Lidia had never seen a sunrise before. of the sun so gloomy. It's true that, due to her restless sleep the night before, she was in no mood to enjoy the sunrise, whether it was clear or cloudy. But as he stood on one of the castle's small balconies overlooking the mountainous landscape, his arms resting on the lichen-encrusted stone railing, he couldn't help but wonder if Avallen had ever seen sunlight.

The town—which was more of a village, really—was built atop a rugged hill and offered views from every street of the surrounding green countryside, the land a patchwork of small farms and picturesque estates. A land lost to time, and not in a good way. Even Ravilis, Sandriel's old stronghold, was more modern than this. There wasn't even a trace of primalux anywhere. The fae there used candles.

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And apparently they had been ordered, if the unusually quiet streets were any indication, to avoid visitors as much as possible. But she could have sworn that countless fae were watching her from the closed windows of the ancient-looking houses that lined the streets leading to the castle. She always knew that Morven ruled with an iron fist, but this submission was beyond what she expected. He had barely slept a wink the night before. She couldn't stop seeing her children's faces when she left that room, or how they blended with the memory of their faces as babies, sleeping so peacefully, so beautifully, in their cribs the night she looked at them one last time. time before leaving. To leave the Freighter of the Deep and enter the submersible capsule. I felt like I was dying, both then and now. It felt like Luna had shot a poisoned arrow and she was bleeding, an invisible wound leaking out into the world, and there was nothing that could be done to heal it. Lidia rubbed her hands over her face, her cheeks feeling cold. Maybe it would have been better if I hadn't seen them again. Never returning to the ship and not reopening that wound. No torture Pollux or Rigelus invented would hurt more than this. The cold wind was blowing, whistling through the narrow streets of the mistshrouded ancient city. Below her, in the courtyard, Bryce and Athalar, Baxian, Tharion, and the merman's new bride prepared to leave. Ruhn and his two friends were with them, speaking in low voices. Without a doubt, once again going over everything they knew about the Cave of the Princes. She didn't know why she had come here. They didn't bother to tell her they were going or to invite her to come along. Baxian finally looked up, feeling or seeing Lidia, and raised his hand in farewell. Lidia returned the gesture. The rest of the group turned around as well, Bryce waving a little more enthusiasm than the others. Flynn and Dec just nodded. Ruhn looked up and looked away instantly. With one last hug for his sister, the fairy prince returned to the castle and disappeared from sight,

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accompanied by two friends. Bryce and his team headed towards the castle gates. To the field beyond, still half asleep in the gray light. Shadows whispered on the stones of the porch, and Lidia didn't care. She turned to look at Morven as he approached her. — How sentimental, you saying goodbye to them. Lidia kept her gaze fixed on the group heading towards a cluster of taller hills that rose into the horizon. - What do you want? He hissed at her impudence. — You are a filthy traitor.

Lidia finally glanced at the Fae King. He contemplated his pale and detestable face. —And you are a fearful coward who rejected his own son at the first sign of trouble. —If you had any honor, any understanding of royal duties, you would understand why I did this. — Shadows intertwined on the shoulders of his beautiful black jacket, with silver embroidery. The Stag King, they called him. It was an insult to the deer shifters. The fae male had no affinity with beasts, despite his throne, made from the bones of some noble and slaughtered beast. — You would know that there are more important things than your own children. There was nothing more important. Anything. She was here, on that island, back at work once again, because there would never be anything more important than the two boys she had left on the Freighter of the Deep. — I liked seeing you humiliate yourself, you know — teased Lidia. And she had liked it... despite everything, she loved every second of Morven kneeling before the asteri. Just as he was loving seeing the fury that gripped him at this humiliation thrown back in his face. “I have no doubt someone as heartless as you loved it,” Morven sneered. —But I wonder: if a better offer comes along, will you betray these friends as easily as you betrayed your masters?

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Lidia's fingers curled at her sides, but she kept her face impassive. — Are you in a bad mood because you couldn't see the real me, Morven, or because I witnessed your shameful moment? The moment you traded loyalty to your son for your own life? He seethed, his shadows ready to strike. — You don't know anything about loyalty.

Lidia gave a low laugh and looked at the five figures heading towards the greenery of the field. Towards the red-haired female in the center of the group. — I never had a leader who awakened feelings. Morven noticed the direction of his gaze and grimaced. — You're an idiot for following her. Lidia glanced at him sideways, moving away from the stone wall of the balcony. — You're an idiot if you don't — she said softly, walking towards the arch that led into the castle. — It will be your ruin. And from Avallen. Morven growled:

- Is this a threat? Lidia continued walking, leaving the enemy and the gloomy twilight behind. — Just professional advice. ***

"So, all that talk, all that myth and anguish about the Cave of the Princes," Hunt said to Bryce, sweating a little from the hours-long journey across the rolling fields to this craggy cluster of hills, the castle now a lonely peak. on the horizon behind them: — And that's what this is about? Bryce looked back. — Disappointing, isn't it? The entrance to the cave was little bigger than a crack between two rocks. Ancient, time-worn runes were

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etched into the rocks, but that was all that differentiated this place from any other crack in the rock. That and the mist coming out of the darkness.

— Morven needs a decorator — commented Tharion, peering into the darkness. — I think he could go beyond the theme of shadows and unhappiness of his ancestors. “He likes it that way,” said Sathia. — The way Avallen was when it was built... just after the end of the First Wars. His father kept everything as it was, and his grandfather too, until he arrived at Pelias himself. Hunt exchanged a look with Bryce. That was exactly why I was there. If there was a place where any truth could be preserved, it was there. He didn't like the idea of going into a cave; Some intrinsic part of him resisted the idea of being so far from the wind, so far below ground, trapped again. But he forced himself to overcome the flash of panic and dread and said to Sathia: — Can you tell how the mists keep the asteri away from Avallen? — She didn't give the information herself the day before, but maybe that was because they hadn't thought to ask. “No,” replied Sathia. —Rumor is that the magic of the mists It is so old that it even predates the arrival of the Asteri. “Well,” Tharion said, gesturing dramatically to the ladies first, Legs. “What a gentleman,” Bryce replied. “You're the one with the built-in flashlight,” Hunt reminded her.

—,

She rolled her eyes and said to Sathia, who was wary. — One piece of advice: don’t let them boss you around.

“I won't go,” said Sathia. For some reason, Hunt believed her. Bryce looked at Flynn's sister as if she was thinking the same thing. — It's good to have another female around here. — She nodded to Baxian, Tharion and Hunt. — The Alpha Asshole Club was getting too crowded for my liking.

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Bryce stopped at the edge between light and shadow. The mist that dripped across the cave floor reached her pink sneakers with curved white claws. Its starlight did not pierce the darkness beyond a few meters ahead. It only illuminated thicker clouds of mist, masking whatever threats lay in wait. She couldn't cross that line. “This place feels all wrong,” Baxian muttered, approaching Bryce. — Let's hope we see the light of day again — said Tharion also quietly, a step behind them. “Let's see,” Hunt said, adjusting the heavy backpack that had been strapped between the wings. —There is nothing to worry about except some evil spirits. And ghosts. And “scary things,” as Ruhn said. “Oh, that's all,” Bryce said, giving him an ironic look. She added to Sathia, pointing to the towers that barely stood out on the green horizon: — It's not too late to go back to the castle. — I'm not going to sit with those people who lie in wait — hissed Sathia. Everyone turned to her. - Did something happen? — Hunt asked carefully. Tharion watched her carefully. — I'm not going to be alone in that castle — Sathia insisted, hugging herself, fingers buried in her white sweater, and Bryce knew she didn't want to talk about that subject. “Fair enough,” Hunt declared, also picking up on Sathia's tone, “but Ruhn warned me that most of what's here is old, wicked, and likes to drink blood. And to eat souls. I don't know what the order of preference is. “Like any noble fae, then,” Bryce commented, lifting his heavy backpack. She winked at Sathia. — You will feel at home. The female fae gave a weak smile, but did not flee screaming from the cave and its grasping fingers of mist. If Sathia's

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In fact, she preferred to face what was hiding in that cave instead of the murderous twins, perhaps it was Bryce's duty to beat the shit out of her when he returned, in her name and that of all the females. That is if they came back. “Okay,” Hunt said, “according to Declan, Pelias' tomb and Aster's resting place are right in the center of the cave network. — They got food and water from the kitchen staff, who were taken by surprise, to prepare for the trip of a few days. —But there are many things that will try to devour us along the way.

Bryce ignored his stomach churning. She had gone to another world and faced an asteri, she was able to deal with some evil spirits and ghosts. She had three badass males with her. And Sathia. She could do that. Bryce faced the others and held out his hand. — Will Time Caverns be on three? Everyone looked at her, but they didn't cover her hand with theirs. Not even damned Hunt. After the sex the night before, the least he could do was contribute some team spirit. But he looked at her, as if saying Gravitas, Quinlan. Fuck it. She raised her hand in the air and shouted: — Vaaaaai, Team Caverns! The words echoed off the rocks, the passage, and the misty darkness. They stopped suddenly, as if the caves themselves had devoured them. "That's not scary at all," Hunt muttered. — Everything is normal — Baxian agreed. “Don't worry,” Bryce sang. — I will protect you from the scary cave. — And, after saying that, she walked into the darkness.

***

Morven cornered Ruhn outside the cafeteria just before he and his friends returned to the archives after breakfast.

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“A quick word,” Morven said, pointing a finger at him. The cluster of shadows from the day before had disappeared, but the crown made of them remained floating over his head. “And I think so,” said Ruhn slowly, gesturing so that Flynn and Dec kept walking — that I didn't even exist to you. Morven looked at him with such coldness that it made Ruhn's father seem cheerful in comparison. But Ruhn noticed that the king waited to speak until Lidia was out the door, without looking at either of them. — What are your sister's intentions in coming here? “Bryce already told you,” Ruhn said firmly. — She wants information. —About what? —The sword and the knife, for starters. The rest is secret. — Asshole, he didn’t need to add. Morven's eyes became darker than night. —And she plans to claim Avallen? Ruhn started to laugh.

- What? No. If I planned to, I wouldn't tell you, but believe me, this place... — He looked down the hallway, as dark as a crypt. — It's not her style. If you don't believe it, ask my father. — That's another thing I wanted to talk about. Your sister must have done

something with him. How else would I have his diary? — If he did, it didn't involve trying to claim the crown. She didn't say anything about that. — Ruhn frowned at the king. —And again, if she was planning some kind of fae coup, why in the Hell would I tell you? — Because you're a true fae, not a semi-fae... — I think I better be careful when talking about my sister.

Morven's shadows gathered around his fingers and

shoulders. Wild, angry shadows that Ruhn's refused to face. They seemed corrupted, like the ones Seamus and Duncan mind-controlled. — You are Starry. He has an obligation to our people. - To do what? — To ensure they survive.

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— Bryce is Starry too. Ruhn, Dec, and Flynn gave their sister and the others all the hints they could about what they would face in the dark labyrinth of the Cave of the Princes, but their journey through the mist-filled cave network was so chaotic that they had little to offer when it came to of a direct route to the tomb of Pelias. Bryce didn't seem too worried, despite her comment the night before about how little time they had. But it could be that she was just acting brave. “Yes,” Morven sneered, “and what did your sister do with that? Starry heritage besides showing contempt for the fey? — You don't know anything about her. “I know she spat on her faerie lineage when she announced she was marrying that angel. — His shadows trembled with anger. “Fine,” Ruhn announced, turning to leave. — Conversation officially over. Goodbye. Morven grabbed him by the arm. Shadows slid from his hand to Ruhn's forearm, squeezing tightly. —After dealing with your sister yesterday, I prayed to Luna all night for guidance. —His eyes shone with a fanatical fervor. — She allowed me to see that you, despite your... transgressions... are the only hope our people have for regaining some credibility in future generations. Ruhn sent his own shadows down his arm, biting his own. Morven to break free with satisfying ease. —Luna doesn't strike me as the type who would lower herself to talk to idiots like you.

Despite the shredded shadows, Morven dug her fingers into his arm. — There are females here that...

— No — Ruhn freed himself from his uncle's hand. He kept a wall of shadows behind him as he walked away. - Goodbye. “Selfish fool,” Morven hissed. Ruhn could have sworn that the The king's shadows also hissed.

But Ruhn raised his arm above his head and gave him the middle finger, without looking back. Dec and Flynn were waiting for him near a

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fountain in the courtyard outside, a safe distance from Lidia. - What did he want? asked Flynn, following Ruhn. "It's not worth explaining," replied Ruhn, keeping his eyes open. eyes on the archives dome a few streets away. Declan asked Lidia: — Any chance of Morven running to talk to the asteri? “Not yet,” she replied softly. — Bryce told the truth yesterday... She knew how to deal with him well — he added, turning to Ruhn. — You could learn a little from your sister. - What does that mean? demanded Ruhn. Flynn and Dec pretended to be busy looking at a closed butcher's shop as they passed by. — You are a prince — Lidia said coldly. — Start taking action as such.

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You are a prince. Start acting like it. Damn, Lidia knew exactly what to say to piss him off. To make him spend all the following hours thinking about her, during all the fruitless searches for any information about the disappeared islands, Aster, the knife or that mist. She went out for a walk for half an hour and came back, smelling of the sea, and still not talking to him.

“You could, um, talk to her,” Flynn said beside Ruhn, closing yet another useless drawer full of catalog cards. — I can literally feel you thinking. — I'm not thinking. “You're thinking,” said Declan, from Ruhn's other side. “You're thinking,” Ruhn said, nodding at Dec's tense expression. — I have good reasons for that. I can't get in touch with my family or Marc...

Ruhn calmed down.

— I'm sure they're fine. You told them to stay quiet during all that shit at the Meat Market, and Sathia said she looked for them. Marc will make sure they stay safe.

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— Still, it's not easy. I can't even talk to them because we are in this medieval park. Ruhn and Flynn grunted in agreement. “This place sucks,” Dec said, and slammed the drawer he was rummaging through. — And their cataloging system too. — Dec looked at the end of the long table and shouted, — Anything? Ruhn tried, but couldn't help but look at Lidia. She had picked up the back of the catalogue, probably on purpose, and still hadn't said a word during the hours they spent together. “No,” she said, and continued her work. Beauty. All beauty. ***

“Well,” Hunt whispered, his voice echoing off the smooth black stone before being swallowed —, It's scary. by the dense mists. The smell of mold and rot was already giving him a headache, disturbing all the instincts that told him to leave that closed, misty space and go to the sky, to the safety of the wind and clouds... "If you've ever seen a Middengard Worm feeding," Bryce muttered into the thick darkness, barely able to clear the fog from his face, nothing seems so bad. —, “I don't want to know what it's about,” Baxian said. Hunt liked not having to ask Baxian to be on Bryce's other side. Tharion and Sathia followed closely behind, saying little as the path appeared before them. Ruhn had said that the carvings on the walls began a little further on, but they had not yet found any evidence. Just rock—and fog so thick they could only see a few feet ahead.

Bryce said, “Think of an earthworm with a mouth full of double rows of teeth. The size of two buses.

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“I said I didn't want to know what it was about,” Baxian grumbled. “It's not that bad compared to some of the other shit I've seen,” Bryce continued. And then she concluded that if they were following her in that deadly darkness, they deserved to know the whole truth: — They have something called the Mask... A tool that can literally resurrect the dead. No need for necromancers. And without the body needing to be cool either. Everyone looked at her. It is serious? — asked Tharion. Bryce nodded seriously. — I saw the Masquerade used to animate a skeleton that had been dead for a long time. And he was strong enough to face the don't give

Hunt whistled. —This is very powerful lethal magic. He refrained from complaining that she hadn't mentioned it before, because she also hadn't told him that Rigelus had taken advantage of his lightning to do something similar, and Baxian, fortunately, didn't say anything either. They had no idea what happened next, but it couldn't have been good. Another thing to redeem yourself for. I had understood what Bryce was trying to say the night before. Everyone was partly to blame for the group's actions. Which didn't stop him from feeling his own guilt. I didn't want to bring up the subject anymore. I didn't want to feel anymore. “Yes,” said Bryce, continuing into the darkness, “the powers of that faerie world... exceed expectations. — And yet the asteri want to mess with them again — comentou Baxian. “Rigelus knows how to hold a grudge,” Bryce said, stopping suddenly. All of Hunt's instincts were on alert. - What? he asked, scanning the misty darkness ahead. But Bryce was staring at the wall to his left, where a carving was carved with surprising precision into the stone.

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“An eight-pointed star,” said Baxian. Bryce brought his hand to his chest, the shadow of his fingers cast in the glow that appeared there.

Hunt examined the star and then the images that began a few meters away, plunging into the mist, as if that place marked the beginning of a walkway. Bryce started walking again, turning his head from side to side as he looked at the ornate, artistic carvings along the black rock. The only thing Hunt could do was follow her, without letting the mist hide her from view. Fae in elaborate armor were drawn on the walls, many holding what appeared to be strings of stars. Ropes tied around the necks of flying horses, the beasts screaming furiously as they were pulled to the ground. Some sank into what appeared to be the sea, drowning. “A hunt,” Bryce said softly. — So the first Fae killed all of Theia's pegasi. - Why? asked Sathia. “They weren't fans of the Fancy Starlight dolls,” Hunt suggested. But Bryce didn't smile. — The carvings are similar to those in the Silene caves. The art

It's different, but the storytelling style is similar. — It would make sense — said Tharion, passing his hand over a horse that was struggling and drowning — considering that the art is from the same time.

“Yes,” Bryce murmured, and continued, his starlight casting lightning through the mists. Pointing forward. There was no privacy to corner her and ask what Inferno was thinking, especially when something in the shadows moved to Hunt's left. He reached over his shoulder for his sword, lightning at the ready. Or as ready as he could be with the damn halo limiting him... “Evil spirits,” said Baxian, quickly drawing his sword. The shadows writhed, hissing like a nest of

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cobras.

“They're not getting any closer,” Sathia whispered, her fear thick as the mist around them. Hunt enveloped his fist in lightning, the sparks making the damp walls shine like the surface of a lake. But the light shone on Bryce and the evil spirits retreated further. — Benefits of being the Super Powerful Starry Princess with Special Magic — Bryce said slowly, walking without worrying through the corners and alcoves in the stone full of evil spirits. — Ruhn said they fled his starlight during the Ordeal. It seems like they don't like mine very much either. Sathia walked past the nearest group of evil spirits, staying one step behind Bryce. A scabbed, jet-colored hand reached out from a deep alcove of shadows, its long, cracked nails digging into the stone... Before Hunt's lightning struck him, Bryce's starlight shone again. The hand drew back, a low hiss echoing off the stones. — Superpowered Star Princess with Special Magic indeed — commented Hunt, impressed. But Bryce turned to the lines the evil spirit had carved into the rock, running his hand over them. She rubbed the bits of dust and debris between her finger and thumb, sniffed once, then looked away at Hunt. — Flynn is right: I don't like it here. — She licked and licked, fuck, the dark substance on her fingers and grimaced. - No. No way. Sathia, still a few steps behind Bryce, shivered. — Can you feel it? How... does everything seem dead? As if something was rotting. Hunt had no idea what Hell the female was talking about, and from Tharion and Baxian's shocked expressions, they didn't understand either. Bryce continued moving forward through the darkness and fog. They had no choice but to go after her, to remain in that protective bubble of starlight.

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“There's water up ahead,” Baxian said, his advanced hearing picking up the noise before Hunt could hear it. — A river... big, it seems. Bryce looked at Hunt. — Good thing we have two handsome guys with wings. And there it was again, the sparkle in her eyes. It came and went, but… he could almost hear the gears in her brain. Connecting some dots he couldn't see. “Stay close,” Bryce murmured, leading them deeper into the cave. — I've been spending a lot of time underground and I can tell you there's nothing good coming our way. ***

Flynn and Dec went out to get lunch for everyone, and Ruhn resigned himself to working in silence with Lidia, with just the rustling of paper and the rattling of useless drawers as the soundtrack. He found nothing. Neither did she, that's what Ruhn concluded when he noticed some of her signs of frustration. They were so different from her contented, almost purring sighs, that time when she had been in his arms and their souls had melted together, as he moved inside her... First. Ruhn turned slowly toward the imposing, open door. No there was no one. Only the gray day awaited him. On your left. Seamus leaned against a nearby pile, arms crossed. He had a knife strapped to his broad chest, just like decades before. As in those days, the male's hair was cut close to his head—to prevent an enemy from grabbing him, Ruhn knew. And if Seamus was there, that meant... To his right, Duncan spoke between minds, and Ruhn turned to find Seamus's brother leaning in the same position, on the opposite pile. Instead of a dagger, Duncan carried a thin sword strapped to his back. Ruhn kept the two in his line of sight. What do you want?

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Instinct already kept his mind shielded by stars and shadows, but he did a quick mental scan to ensure his walls were intact. Duncan sneered. Our uncle told us to check if the female was behaving well. Ruhn looked at Lidia, still searching the catalog. Damn, the Her mind was unprotected... In fact, it was almost natural to jump into her mind. As if he could somehow protect her from them. But on the other side of this mental bridge, a wall of fire burned. It wasn't just fire; it was a conflagration that swirled in the heights, as if it generated its own winds and temperature. The magma seemed to churn, visible through the cracks in the swirling storm of flames. Well, then he didn't need to worry about her. You spoil our fun, cousin, said Seamus. It would be fun to troll her, Duncan added. Ruhn looked at the males. Get out. Her presence contaminates this place, Seamus said, looking at Lidia and concentrating on her shoulder blades with an intensity that Ruhn didn't like at all. Yours too, replied Ruhn. Seamus's dark eyes turned to Ruhn once more. We can smell you on her, you know. Seamus's teeth flashed. Tell me: was it like fucking a reaper? A low growl escaped Ruhn and Lidia turned at the sound. She showed no surprise. As if he was aware of their presence at all times and was waiting for some kind of signal to intervene. She looked coldly at his cousins. — Seamus. Duncan. I'd appreciate it if you'd stay out of my mind. Seamus bristled, pure fey threat. — Did someone talk to you, bitch? Ruhn clenched his jaw so hard it hurt, but Lidia He raised his golden eyes to the twin princes and said:

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— Shall I demonstrate how I make males like you talk to me? Duncan growled.

— Lucky for you, our uncle told us to stay away. Or the We would have already told the asteri that you are here, Doe. — Good boys — Lidia quipped — I'll make sure to tell Morven you deserve a snack. Ruhn's lips twitched. But...she had said he should act like a prince. Then he trained his expression to take on a cold naturalness. A mask as tough as Lidia's. —Tell Morven that if we need his help, we will ask — he said to his cousins. The layoff had a deeper impact than any provocation. Duncan backed away from the bookshelf, his hand clenched at his side, shadows wrapping around his knuckles. Darker and wilder than Ruhn's. As if they had been captured on a stormy night. — You are a disgrace to our people — said Duncan disgracefully.

—,

Seamus walked over to his twin, the identical face displaying similar disdain. — Don't waste your time with him. Seamus spoke between minds to Ruhn: You will get what you deserve.

Ruhn kept his face impassive, princely, some would say. — Good to see you two.

Once again, his failure to fight back only made them angrier, and his two cousins growled before teaming up and leaving the archives. Only when they disappeared through the massive doors did Ruhn say quietly to Lidia: — Are you okay? “Yes,” she replied, her golden eyes meeting his. Ruhn couldn't breathe. —They are no different from any other brute I have encountered. —Like Pollux. She went back to the catalog. — They would get along well with Sandriel's triaries.

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— I must remember that a good part of this triary has been on our side since then — said Ruhn. But he couldn't think of anything else to say, and silence reigned again, inside his head and in the files, so he went back to searching. After long minutes, it became unbearable. The silence. The tension. And to say something, to end that misery, he asked: — Why fire?

She slowly turned to him. - What? — You always appeared like a ball of fire to me. Why? She tilted her head, a faint gleam in her eyes. — The stars and the night had already been claimed. — She smiled, and he felt relief in his chest at this bit of normality. How it was when they were just Day and Night. Despite not wanting to, he found himself smiling back.

But she watched him. - As... He met her wide, piercing eyes. - Like what? — How did you get like this? — she asked, her voice soft. - Your father is... — A psychotic idiot. She laughed.

— Yes. How did you escape his influence? “My friends,” he explained, pointing to the door through which they had left. —Flynn and Dec kept me sane. They gave me perspective. Well, Flynn maybe not, but Dec is. And he still does it. - Ah. He allowed himself to watch her face, her expression. He noticed her concern and asked: — How was it with your children before we left yesterday? — He knew she had gone to say goodbye, but he didn't know how it went.

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meeting. And given the troubled look on his face when they left the Deep Freighter... — The answer was concise enough for him to believe she wouldn't say anything else, but Lidia corrected herself. — Terrible. — A muscle throbbed in his jaw. — I think Brann would like to meet me, but Ace... Actaeon... He hates me. — These things take time. She changed the subject.

— Do you think your sister will actually find something that be useful against the asteri? Considering how many people must have searched for this same thing over the centuries, Ruhn didn't resent the question. — Knowing Bryce, I imagine he's up to something. She always has cards hidden up her sleeve. But... — He sighed. —Now that she's in the fucking Cave of Princes, part of me doesn't want to know what those letters might imply. — Your sister is a force of nature. — There was nothing but admiration in those words. His chest almost exploded with pride at the compliment, but Ruhn's answer was simple: — She is. And he didn't say anything else.

But the silence that followed was different. Lighter. And he could have sworn he caught Lidia looking at him as often as he looked at her.

***

Ithan walked through the halls of the House of Flame and Shadow, with Hypaxia at his side, his belly full and satisfied after a surprisingly good breakfast in the dark dining hall. They arrived so early that most people weren't there yet. He ate a lot, even for him, but since they were leaving for Avallen the next day, he wanted to be as fueled as possible. The demand was that they leave immediately, but from what they said,

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Jesiba needed to arrange transportation and permission to enter the island, and since they weren't going to tell anyone the real reason for the trip, she also needed to weave a web of lies for whoever her contact was on the faerie island. But soon he could correct this terrible mistake. They would find Sofie's body, get her lightning, and then fix everything. There was little hope, but he clung to it anyway. It was what kept him from collapsing into absolute ruin. Good thing he had the female by his side who didn't think twice about helping him so many times. It was because of her that he forced himself to keep his tone light as he rubbed his full belly and said: — Did you know the food here was so good? Hypaxia smiled. — Why do you think I deserted so easily? — You got into it for the food, right? Hypaxia was smiling, and he knew that was a rare expression for the solemn queen. — I always accept anything for... A tremor resonated through the dark hallways, clouds of dust falling from the ceiling. Ithan kept his balance, holding Hypaxia by the elbow to steady her. —What the fuck was that? — muttered Ithan, examining the stone dark above them. Another bang, and Ithan started running, Hypaxia right behind him, towards Jesiba's office. He walked through the double doors a moment later, revealing Jesiba at her desk, her face tense, her eyes wide... — What the hell is going on? — Ithan demanded, running the open feed on her computer, where it was possible to see bombs exploding. Another impact hit the place and Ithan motioned for Hypaxia to get under the table. But the ancient witch-queen did not obey. She asked: — Are these images from up here?

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— No — replied Jesiba, with a voice so hoarse that she almost sounded like a reaper. — Omega boats moored at Istros. — On the computer, buildings were collapsing. —Their deck launchers just fired sulfur missiles into the Asphodel Meadows.

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Ithan and Hypaxia ran through the city, the blocks packed with residents and tourists in panic or in eerie, absolute silence. People sitting on the sidewalks in shock. Ithan prepared himself for what he would find in the northeast neighborhood, but it was not enough for the terror of seeing bloodied humans, looking like ghosts due to the dust and ash that covered them, running in despair. Children screaming in their arms. As I entered the Meadows of Asphodel, the cracked streets were covered with still, silent bodies. Further along in the smoke-breathing ruins, he saw melted cars. Piles of rubble where buildings once stood. Charred bodies. Some of them were so small that it was almost impossible to bear the sight. He wandered somewhere far, far away from himself. I didn't hear the sirens that sounded or the buildings that were still falling. Beside him, Hypaxia said nothing, her rigid face streaked with silent tears. Closer to the source of the explosions there was nothing. No bodies, no cars, no buildings. In the heart of the Asphodel Meadows, there was nothing left but a huge, still smoking crater.

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The sulfur missiles were so hot, so lethal, that they melted everything. Anyone who had been hit would die instantly. Perhaps being eliminated so quickly was a coup de grace. Being erased before understanding the nightmare unfolding around him. Before I could feel afraid. Ithan's wolf instinct sharpened his focus. It caused him to turn suddenly as he watched Hypaxia take a vial of primalux healing potion from her bag and run to the nearest humans beyond the blast radius—two young parents and a small child, covered from head to toe in dust. gray, grouped at the door of a building that had partially collapsed. Even though Hypaxia had given up being queen, she was, first and foremost, a healer. And with his Aux and pack training, Ithan could make a difference too. Even though he was a wolf without a pack, a disgraced exile and murderer. He could still help. It would still help no matter what the world called it. It didn't matter what unforgivable things he had done. Then Ithan ran towards the nearest human, a teenage girl in a school uniform. The sons of bitches chose to attack in the morning, when most people would be on the streets on their way to work, children going to school, all of them defenseless in the open... He let out a growl and the girl, with her forehead bleeding and part of her body trapped under a cement block, flinched. She tried to push the cement block away, to get it off her legs, but it was him — his presence that scared her... He suppressed the wolf and the anger within him.

“Hey,” he said, kneeling down beside her, picking up the cement block. — I came to help. The girl stopped trying to push the cinder block and looked up at Ithan, who easily removed it from her shins. Her left leg was broken. — Hypaxia! — he shouted at the witch, who was already on her feet.

But the girl grabbed Ithan's hand, her face pale as she asked, "Why?"

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Ithan shook his head, unable to find the words to respond. Hypaxia dropped to her knees in front of the girl, fishing another bottle of primalux from her bag. One of the few, Ithan saw with a start. They would need much more. But even if all the medwitches in Crescent Moon City If they went there... would that be enough?

Would it be enough to heal the damage that had been done? ***

— Do you understand something? — Hunt asked Tharion as they stood on the bank of a wide, deep river that ran through the caves. Standing a few feet away, Bryce let the males talk as she surveyed the river, the mist blocking its origin and end. The carvings in the wall continued across the river. The place smelled musty and damp. Until that moment, they had not found any new information about the blades, the mist or what helped to eliminate the asteri, but she kept everything she saw in her mind. — No — said the merman. Bryce heard him, in parts. — My magic just feels like it's... cold. And it flows through all these caves. “I think that's good,” Baxian said, folding his wings. He winked at Bryce, catching her attention. —No worms swimming around. Bryce frowned. — You wouldn't be joking if you'd seen one. - She does not

He waited for the Hellhound to respond before saying to him and Hunt: — Wings raised to carry us? Her mind racing, she could barely talk as they clumsily crossed the river, Hunt carrying Sathia and Bryce while Baxian carried Tharion. Bryce extended his bubble of starlight so everyone could remain inside it, which was as much extra activity as he could worry about while watching the carvings. They didn't tell the same story that Silene had told. There was no mention of an evil that slept beneath his feet. Only

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a river of starlight, into which the ancient fae, it seemed, dragged those pegasi to drown. Yes, the fae there weren't any better than those in Nesta's world. They walked for hours and hours, miles and miles. They stopped every now and then, alternating who watched and who slept, even though falling asleep was difficult. Evil spirits lurked in crevices and alcoves all around, remnants of malevolent shadows. They hissed with hot bloodlust—and in fear of Bryce's starlight. Only someone with the Starry Gift — or under the protection of someone who had such a gift — could survive there. She carried the Aster on her back and the dagger on her hip. They made each step heavier, fighting a strange battle to get closer to each other, and the attraction became more intense as they advanced deeper into the cave. Bryce ignored them and instead continued analyzing the carvings on the walls. On the ceiling, brutal images carved with care and precision: merciless, endless battles and bloodshed. Cities in ruins. Lands that collapsed. All falling into that river of starlight, as if the Star power had swept them away in a great tide of destruction.

- I have a doubt. — Sathia's voice echoed through the tunnel. — Which could be considered impertinent. Bryce riu. — Didn't you know? This is the motto of Team Cavernas.

Sathia quickened her pace until she was beside Bryce. — Well, you seem to want nothing to do with the fae. “Bingo,” Bryce said. —Yet you are here, carrying our two most sacred artifacts... — Three, if you count the Horn on my back. Sathia's stunned silence seemed to echo through the cave. — The... the Horn? As?

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“A fancy magic tattoo,” Bryce explained, waving his hand. — But you can continue. Sathia managed to speak again. — You have three of our most sacred artifacts. And yet, your plan is... what do you want to do with the fae? “Nothing,” Bryce replied. — You're right: I don't want anything to do with them. —The carvings around them only strengthened that resolve. Even more so the one that showed the massacre of the pegasi. She glanced sideways at the female. - No offense. But Sathia asked: — Why? Bryce wasn't in the mood for that conversation at all, and the way he looked at the female showed it. But Sathia returned the look, frankly and without fear. Then Bryce sighed. — The Fae are not... my favorite people. They never were, but it got even worse after last spring. I truly want nothing to do with a group of cowards who locked innocent people out the day the demons invaded our city, and who seem determined to do it again and on a much larger scale here in Avallen.

— Some of us had no choice but to stay locked in our homes — Sathia replied firmly. — My parents forbade me from... — I never let any kind of prohibition stop me to do what I needed to do,” Bryce teased. Sathia glared at her but continued. — If you... if we... survive all this, what will happen? — What do you mean, what will happen?

—What are you going to do with the sword and dagger? With the Horn? Let's say that your wildest hopes about the asteri come true and we manage to find the knowledge, whether here or in the archives, that can help us defeat them. When they are gone, will you keep these objects and no longer care about your people?

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"Are you saying I shouldn't be with them?" — I'm asking what your plan is, what you want to do with them, with your life. “Team Caverns' motto has changed,” Bryce announced. - Now is mind your own business.

— I'm serious — confirmed Sathia, without accepting that Bryce talk not for a second. — Are you going to abandon everything? “I don't see any reason to stick around,” Bryce replied coldly. — And I don't even know why you would want that. For them, you have the same value as a piece of furniture. For the Autumn King, for Morven, for your father. Its only value comes from its reproductive potential. It doesn't matter if you are smart, brave or kind. They just want to know about your uterus, and that Luna spares you from having problems in that regard.

— I know — Sathia replied, her voice also cold. — I've known all this since I was a child. — And you accept? — replied Bryce, unable to contain the harshness in his voice. — Do you accept being used and treated in this way? As if I were worth less than them? Do you accept not having rights and not deciding your own future? Do you agree with a life where you belong to your male relatives or your husband? — No, but it's the reality I was born into. “Well, you're Mrs. Ketos now,” Bryce said, waving back to Tharion, who was watching them intently. — Better prepare for this reality. - And what does it mean? — protested Tharion. But Sathia ignored Bryce's taunts and asked, "What are you going to do with the fae?" - To do? — asked Bryce, stopping. Sathia didn't back down.

— With all your power. With who you are, with what you carry. Hunt whistled lowly in warning.

But Bryce seethed with rage when Sathia responded. “I just want the fae to leave me alone, damn it. And me I'll leave them alone too. On

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Sathia pointed to the Aster on Bryce's back. —But the prophecy... when these blades are gathered, so will our people. It can only be about you, uniting all the Fae people... “I've already done that,” Bryce said, “I connected the fey of Midgard to those of our home world. Prophecy fulfilled. Or did you expect something else to happen? Sathia's look was one of pure hatred. An untamed female, despite the life she led. — I was rooting for a fae queen. Someone capable of changing things for the better. “But he welcomed me instead,” Bryce countered, and continued forward into the darkness, hands clenched at his sides. Maybe he would use the power of the laser to rip those carvings out of the wall. With the same ease with which Rigelus had destroyed the statues of the Eternal Palace. Perhaps she would send out a blast of light so cruel that it would destroy all the evil spirits around her. — The fae dug their own grave. Now you can lie down in it. Sathia didn't say anything else.

Hunt followed Bryce, placing a hand on his shoulder as if to offer support, but she could have sworn that even her partner was disappointed in her. Whatever. If they wanted to preserve a long and entire lineage screwed by fae tyrants who did it on their own. ***

Flynn and Dec abandoned Ruhn as soon as they left the archives, so he and Lidia could share a painfully silent meal in the castle's empty dining room. He had so many things to ask, to talk about, so many things he wanted to know. But I couldn't find the right words. So all I did was eat, the unbearable noise of the fork hitting the plate, each bite like breaking glass. And when they were done, they returned to their rooms in silence, each step echoing in the hallway, loud as thunder.

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But before they separated, when Ruhn was about to enter In his room, he blurted out: — Do you think my sister is okay? "You've been to the Cave of the Princes before, not me," he said. Lidia, but turned to him. — It's you who has to tell me. He shook his head. — To be honest, I don't know. There's a lot going on with Bryce right now. These caves are confusing at best. If you don't have full focus, they can be lethal. Lidia crossed her arms. — Well, I have faith that between her, Athalar and Baxian, your sister will be fine. — Tharion will be offended. — I don't know Ketos enough as a warrior to judge him. — Ithan Holstrom calls him Captain Whatever, but I think messing with him. When he wants to, Tharion knows how to be very tough.

She smiled and, damn, it made Ruhn feel strange. She repeated: — Your sister will be fine. He nodded with a sigh. — Do you and Hypaxia have any contact? — No. Not since the ball. Before I could think better, he was already asking: — That night... were you going to meet me in the garden? Surprise filled her eyes and then disappeared. Lidia pursed her mouth, as if she was thinking carefully about what she should answer. — The Harpy arrived before me — he said, finally. He took a step toward her, the hallway suddenly becoming too small. —But were you going to show up, as we agreed? - This matters? He dared to take another step. I hadn't noticed how her hips they were wide, so inviting, before reaching the waist. He opened and closed his hands, hating himself for the wave of lust that overwhelmed him, nearly knocking all the air out of his lungs. He wanted her.

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He wanted her to be naked beneath him, moaning his name, he wanted her to tell him everything and he wanted... he wanted his friend back. The friend he could talk to honestly, who knew things about him that no one else knew. He took another step and noticed that she was shaking. Whether it was out of fear or because he had to contain himself, he couldn't say.

— Lidia — he murmured, finally stopping in front of her, and Lidia closed her eyes, swallowing hard. Her scent changed—like flowers blooming on a sunny morning. That smell was a turn on. His dick was throbbing so much that it hurt. It didn't matter that they were in the middle of the hallway, their terrible cousins lurking. He placed his hand on her waist, almost groaning at the sharp curve of her body, which fit perfectly into his hand. She kept her eyes closed, her heartbeat still racing. Then, he used his other hand to tilt her head. He bent down and rubbed his mouth over that vibrating spot. She was panting and he almost felt his eyes pop out of their sockets. The way she tastes... fuck! Ruhn wanted more. His teeth grazed the soft skin of Lidia's neck, his tongue sliding to just below her ear. His dick pulsed in response. She relaxed, docile in his hands, tilting her head more. An invitation. He licked the base of her neck, sliding his hand from her waist to her ass... She stiffened. He walked away.

As if he had to hold back. As if he remembered who she was. Who he was. He stood there like an idiot, panting, his hard cock pressed against his pants as she… stared at him. With wide eyes. — I... — He had no idea what to say. What to do. His head swam. That female had so much blood on her hands, but...

— Good evening — he said, and returned to the room before starting to pay even more foolishly.

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She didn't stop him.

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Lying on the hard, cold floor, Bryce tried to pretend that she was back in bed, that there wasn't a rock poking her hip bone, that her arm was the most comfortable of all the pillows... From the way Sathia tossed and turned nearby, she knew the female was also unable to find a sleeping position. Hunt fell asleep almost immediately, breathing deeply in a gentle rhythm that she tried to focus on, to fall asleep. She believed that his warrior days made him accustomed to difficult conditions like those, but... it wasn't quite like that. I didn't want to think about everything Hunt had been through, everything that made sleeping on that hard surface easy for him. Especially when it was obvious that he was dwelling on guilt that shouldn't have been his alone. It had been easier in the fae world, because I was so tired that I had no choice but to sleep. But there, no matter how much she was protected by Baxian, who was on watch, sleep seemed distant. Bryce lay on her back, her starlight moving with her, transmitting her every movement like a beacon. Damn, how could he sleep with that headlight in his eyes...

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She looked up at the ceiling, with carvings that looked like the branches of a forest. A beautiful and remarkable work that was never documented, never revealed to the world. Only a few royal fae males came looking for Aster. This sword was now on his left, a vibrant, pulsing presence stimulated by the Truth Revealer on his right, pulsing in response. As if the blades were talking. Excellent. It was like a slumber party. Bryce ignored the chatter of the blades as best he could, turning his focus to the caves and carvings. Females had never been allowed inside, but now there were two female fae there. I hoped that all the long-dead princes buried in the caves were turning over in their sarcophagi. So much fear of females, so much hate. Why? Because of Theia? It was Pelias who founded the Starry lineage of Midgard. Were all the prohibitions and restrictions the result of fear that someone like her would emerge? Bryce believed that academics and activists had spent centuries researching and debating the subject, so the likelihood of her finding any answers, even knowing the truth about Theia, was slim to none. Which didn't make it all any easier to swallow. Then, she lay on her side, looking at the star-carved river, illuminated by its starlight. The river of his lineage, destined to last for millennia. Blood of your blood, in literal form and full of stars. Her lineage ran through those caves. A legacy of pain and cruelty. She wished Danika was with her. If there was anyone who could understand the complexity of such a shitty legacy, the weight of having the future of a people on their shoulders, it was Danika. Danika, who wanted more for this world, for Bryce. Lit up.

But perhaps the fae and their lineage were not worthy of the light of Bryce. Maybe they deserved to fall into eternal darkness.

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***

Flynn and Dec, the bastards, didn't show up for breakfast. Ruhn and Lidia had to eat alone again. Ruhn had spent most of the night awake, his dick hard and throbbing— and then, worried about what Bryce and the others were facing in the Cave of the Princes. Maybe it would have been better to go with them. Perhaps staying there would have been cowardly, no matter how much they needed the information in the files. Flynn and Dec could have found it. The dining room doors opened as they were finishing their meal, and Ruhn prepared to see one of his asshole cousins. But a tall fae male entered, looking around before carefully closing the door. As if he didn't want to be seen. — Lidia Cervos. — The male's voice shook. Ruhn reached for the knife in his boot as the male approached the table. Lidia watched him with an impassive expression. Ruhn tried, unsuccessfully, to control his heartbeat. He opened his mouth. He was going to tell the stranger to tell him who he was, to demand that he leave... — I came to thank you — said the male, and put his hand in his pocket. Ruhn took out his knife, but the male only pulled out a piece of paper.

A small portrait of a female and three small children. All fae. But Lidia didn't look. As if she couldn't bear it. The male said: — Ten years ago, you saved my life. Ruhn didn't know what to do, how to move. Lidia continued to look at the floor. The male continued: — My unit was at the Kelun base. You suddenly walked in in the middle of the night and I thought we were all going to die. But you told us that the Hammer was coming... that we needed to escape. The seven of us are alive today, with our families, thanks to you.

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Lidia nodded, but her movement seemed to say thank you, please stop. Not out of humility or shame, but because of the pain on his lowered face. As if he couldn't bear to hear all that. He held out the family portrait again.

— I thought you would like to see the result of your choices that night. Even so, Lidia didn’t look up. Ruhn couldn't to move. I couldn't breathe. The male continued: — Some of those who were part of that unit are still here, in secret. Prince Cormac convinced us to join the cause. But we never told him or anyone else who saved us. We didn't want to compromise what you were doing, whatever that was. But we heard that you, or rather the Doe, had challenged the asteri, so we resumed contact with each other. The male, finally noticing Lidia's discomfort, added: — Maybe it's too early for you to recognize everything you've done, the lives you've saved, but... I just wanted to say that we're very grateful. We owe you a debt.

— They have no debt at all — Lidia finally replied, looking into the male's eyes. — You'd better go away. Ruhn was left unresponsive to the rejection, but Lidia explained: — I imagine you've kept your activities and associations a secret, that Morven doesn't know anything about it. It's best not to risk angering him now. The male nodded, understanding.

“Thank you,” he repeated, and then left. In the silence that followed, Ruhn asked, "Did you let them see the real you?" — Either I risked having my identity revealed to the world or I left them to die — Lidia explained quietly, as they headed for the door. — I wouldn't be able to live in peace if I had chosen the second option. Ruhn raised an eyebrow.

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— Far from wanting to be insensitive, but why? There were only seven of them.

It wouldn't make any difference to the rebellion. — Maybe not for Ophion as a whole, but it would have made a difference for their family. — She didn't look at him. — Partners, children, parents... all those who hoped they would return safely. “It can't be just that,” he pressed. — You had a lot at stake. She opened the door and didn't speak again until they were in the hallway. — I guess, deep down, I hoped that... if my children were in a similar situation, someone would do the same for them. He felt a pang in his chest when he heard those words, truth contained in them. — You've been through a lot of difficult times, Lidia. Damn, I don't think I could get through any of that. But what you did was incredible. Do not forget. “I could have saved even more,” she said softly, her eyes glued to the floor as they walked down the empty hallway. — I should have saved even more. ***

Lidia had no idea what to think of her meeting with the former rebel that morning. Perhaps Urd had sent him to remind her that the choices and sacrifices she had made had somehow made a difference in the world. No matter how much they destroyed it. The Queen of the Ocean did not let her choose whether or not she could stay on the ship, not twelve years ago or at that moment. But here, on this dull faerie island... at least she could find people who had reaped the benefits of the horrible position in which she had been placed. Flynn and Declan had not yet arrived at the archives, and the silence was becoming unbearable as she and Ruhn began their investigation.

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search; the only scents were of musty catalog cards and Ruhn's inviting, reassuring scent. Lidia found herself talking to the row of catalog cards: — I'll see if I can find coffee. Want to come? Ruhn looked at her and, by the gods, he was beautiful. She never allowed herself to think about his beauty. Even with those tattoos so thin, proof of what Pollux had done... His blue eyes blinked, as if noticing the direction of her thoughts.

— Of course, let's go. Even the way she spoke, the timbre of her voice... she could delight in it all day. And when he touched her last night, licking her... Did he know how close she came to begging him to rip off her clothes, to lick her from head to toe, lingering longer between her legs? — Why are you looking at me like that? — asked Ruhn, his voice low, thick. She noticed every movement of the muscles in his shoulders, his arms, his powerful thighs as he approached. How the sunlight shone on her long dark hair, a cascade as silky as night. The shaved side of his head that seemed to beg for Lidia to run her fingers through his soft hair while she nibbled on his pointed ear... She started walking when he caught up to her, because the alternative would be to grab him. — I took a trip. I need coffe. She hadn't slept well the night before, once again. At first she couldn't stop

thinking about what they had done in the hallway, but then her thoughts turned to Brann and Actaeon, to her last conversation with them, and she wished she could turn to the mental bridge, to her friend Night sitting in the armchair next to her. her. Not just because I needed someone to talk to, but because I wanted to talk to him. Above all. Ruhn walked beside her. — Who knew that Doe was addicted to caffeine?

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The discreet smile he gave her made her knees feel weak. But Ruhn said nothing more as they explored the back corridor of the archives, opening and closing doors. A closet crammed with halfrotted brooms and mops, a nearby one adorned with trays of various quartz crystals—no doubt some kind of academic recording device necessary for this technology-free island—and a few empty rooms with chipped tables that must have been been used as private offices.

— Morven really needs to invest in this break room — commented Ruhn when they finally found the kitchen. — The employees must not like her very much. Lidia surveyed the dark, dusty space, the wooden counter covered in rat droppings against the wall, the cobwebs woven beneath the row of cabinets. “That sounds like a bad medieval cliché,” she said, approaching the grime-covered cauldron in the dark fireplace. —Is this... porridge? Ruhn approached her, and his scent made her melt between his legs. — I don't know why everyone thought Avallen would be a fairytale paradise. I've been telling Bryce for years how horrible this place is. Lidia put aside the gunk in the cauldron and began opening the cupboards. A mouse had taken up residence in a box of stale biscuits, but at least there was a sealed jar of tea bags. — I should have known I wouldn't find coffee. — She looked for a kettle and found Ruhn standing with one near the old sink, pumping water into it. — Your sister — said Lidia — was right to wonder what was happening to this place. Do you think Morven is hiding something? "You're the super spy buster," Ruhn quipped, going to the fireplace and throwing firewood into the ashes. - Tell me you.

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The muscles in his forearms tensed as he picked up some sticks and pieces of wood to light the fire, with an efficiency that shouldn't have left her mouth watering. He glanced over his shoulder, those bright blue eyes curious, and she realized he had asked her something, while she just… looked at him. To your arms. She cleared her throat and started looking for two mugs. “Morven never gave any reason why the Asteri or I should investigate this place. He always showed up when called upon and offered his services without question. He was, as Rigelus said, a perfect servant.

—So no one ever wondered anything about the mists and the fact that Morven could hide behind them whenever he wanted? — The fire came to life and Ruhn stood up, stepping back to monitor it. — No — Lidia replied. — I think Rigelus believes the mists are some… enchanting quirk of Midgard and the Fae. Something that gave a little personality to this world. And since Morven and his ancestors always toed the line, they were left alone. Ruhn stuck his hands in the pockets of his black jeans. — What surprises me is that the Asteri didn't come to snoop on Morven after the truth about Cormac was revealed, to see what drove the prince to rebel. “Morven placed the blame on the Eternal City,” explained Lidia, the jaw clenched — and instantly disinherited his son.

— Obviously, with my father doing the same. She analyzed his face, the pain and anger he made no attempt to hide. — Yesterday, when I said you should act more like a prince... - Don't worry about that. — I know the types of monsters you face. — She looked down at his forearms, the scars from childhood burns had almost disappeared, but some pinkish streaks and

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sparkles remained intact even after everything Pollux had done. “I know how to take care of myself,” he said firmly, fitting the kettle on the hook over the fire and swinging it above the flame. — I know you know — he tried to say, without being able to explain himself. — I just... I know how good you are, Ruhn. You show your emotions because you are able to feel in a way that neither Morven nor the Autumn King can. I don't want them to use this against you. To find out how to hurt you. He looked at her slowly, those beautiful blue eyes wary but ternos. —Was that a compliment?

She laughed and placed two tea bags in the least dusty mugs she could find. — That's a compliment, Ruhn. — She met his gaze and gave a discreet smile. — Accept it and move on. ***

They discovered nothing new that day. Flynn and Dec seemed content to let them work alone, because once again they didn't show their face. Or it could be that they went out to do some important work and, without being able to send a message or call, they weren't able to notify you. “Listen to this,” Lidia said, and Ruhn stopped his endless searching to walk to where she had opened an ancient scroll. He noticed the way she had observed him earlier, the desire in her eyes, her smell. He was so distracted that he almost couldn't light the fire in that den they called the kitchen. But Ruhn held back the urge to smell her, to bury his face in her neck and lick her soft skin. Lidia pointed to the parchment spread out in front of her. —The catalog listed the title of this scroll as The Roots of Earth Magic.

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- AND?

Lidia twisted her mouth. — I find it strange that both Flynn and Sathia can't stand Avallen. —What does this have to do with defeating the Asteri? — I thought it might be worth extracting some of the earliest writings on earth magic, the role it played in the First Wars, or soon after. This parchment was the oldest I could find.

Flynn picked a bad time not to be around. - AND…?

— It doesn't have much information beyond what we already know about fae land magic, but it mentions that those with land magic were sent before to evaluate land, to understand the best places to build. Not only in terms of geography, but magic as well. They could feel the ley lines, the energy channels running throughout the land, throughout Midgard. They informed the Asteri that their cities should be built where these lines met, at natural crossroads of power, and they chose these places for the fae to settle as well. But Avallen was chosen only for the fae. To be their personal and eternal strength.

Ruhn stopped to reflect. — Okay, so if Flynn and Sathia say this place seems to be dead and rotting... — Does not align with the statements recorded here about Avallen. —But why would the fae elders lie about the existence of ley lines here? “I don't think they lied,” Lidia said, and pointed to the maps on the other table, where Dec had discarded them. — I think the Avallen they visited for the first time, with all those ley lines and magic... I think it existed. But then something changed. — But we already knew that — commented Ruhn, cautiously. — That something has changed. — Yes — Lidia agreed — but the mists haven't changed. Could this be intentional? They left the mists intact, but the

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The rest was altered... entire islands disappeared, the land itself became putrified. —But only the fae would be harmed... and we all know they're selfish bastards. They would never give up power voluntarily. — Maybe it wasn’t the intention — Lidia pondered. —Whatever happened, the mists kept everything hidden from the asteri. —What do you think they wanted to hide? Why rot your own land? Lidia pointed to the catalog behind them. — Maybe the answer is out there somewhere. Ruhn nodded. Even as he wondered if they were ready for whatever the answer was. ***

Bryce stood with Baxian on the bank of a second river, surveying the path on the far bank, his star shining dimly in that direction. The river passage was narrow enough that he had to teleport them. She kept the starlight shining, the evil spirits whispering evils around her. There was nothing useful in the carvings until that moment. Fae slaying dragons, fae dancing in circles, fae basking in their own glory. Nothing useful. All kinds of petty shit. Bryce gritted his teeth. — Danika was like that too, you know — Baxian said, quietly, so the others wouldn't hear — with the wolves. I hated what many of them had become and I wanted to understand why this had happened. Bryce turned to him, his starlight shining a little brighter as it illuminated the river's descent. The intensity lessened as she faced the Hellhound. —Wolves are, in general, much better than fae.

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- Perhaps. Baxian looked at her. —But what about your brother? Or Flynn and Declan? — A nod to where Sathia, Tharion and Hunt were sitting together: — And her? Do you think they are all a lost cause? “No,” Bryce admitted. Baxian waited. She took a long sigh. —And the fae I met in the other world weren't so bad either. I might even have become friends with them if circumstances had been different. —So the fae are not inherently evil. “Obviously not,” Bryce hissed, “but most of those who are in this world... — Do you know all the fae of Midgard? “I can judge you by your actions as a people,” Bryce replied. — Like locking people out during the attack... — Yes, it was shit. But until Holstrom defied orders, the wolves didn't help anyone either. — Where do you want to get to? — I want to say that the right leader makes all the difference.

Bryce recoiled at the words: the right leader. Baxian continued: — The Valbaran fae may not be the most charitable people in our world, but remember who has led them for the last five hundred years. And long before that. The same happens with wolves. Primo isn't bad, but he's the only decent guy among several brutal leaders. Danika was working to change things, and that's why they killed her. “Rigelus told me they killed her to keep information about their true nature under control,” Bryce said. Baxian looked at her. —And you believe everything Rigelus says? Furthermore, one reason does not exclude the other, right? They wanted to keep the secrets safe, yes, but also destroy the ray of hope that Danika offered. Not just for the wolves, but for all of Midgard. That things could be different. They could improve.

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Bryce massaged his sore chest, the starlight strangely dim. — They would definitely have killed her for that. Baxian's face twitched in pain.

“Then make her death count for something, Bryce. It was as if he had punched her in the face.

“And what,” she demanded. —, try to rescue the fae? Buy some self-help books and get them to get together in a circle to talk about feelings?

He remained serious. — If you think it would work, then it might. Bryce frowned. But he took a long breath. — If we survive this shit with the asteri, I'll think about it. — One thing can be linked to another — he replied. —If you start talking nonsense about raising an army feérico to face the stars... — No. We are not in an epic film. — He tilted his head. —But if you think you could...

Bryce laughed, despite being upset. - It's true. I'll add it to my to-do list. Baxian gave a discreet smile.

— I just wanted you to know that Danika was with these same thoughts. — I wish she had talked to me about it. Bryce sighed. —And many other things. "She wanted to," he said gently, "and I think putting that Horn on your back was her way of maybe... guiding you down a similar path." — Typical Danika. “She saw something in you… saw what you could represent to the fae. — The sadness in his voice was unbearable. — She was good at seeing that kind of thing in people. Bryce touched his arm. — I'm glad she could talk to you. I'm very happy. He gave a sad smile.

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— I'm also very happy because she had you. I couldn't be by her side, I couldn't leave Sandriel's side, and I'm so fucking grateful that she had someone who loved her unconditionally around her. Bryce felt a tightness in his throat. He could say some nonsense about meeting in the afterlife, but... the afterlife was a sham. And Danika's soul was already gone. “Guys,” Hunt said from where he and the others had gathered.

lifted up. — We need to continue.

- Why? asked Bryce, approaching. Her starlight dimmed, as if saying she was heading in the wrong direction. I know, she replied softly. — As much as we have the Starry Magical Princess taking care of all of us, it's better not to delay — said Tharion, winking. — I think it's getting very tempting for evil spirits. — He jerked his head toward the writhing mass of shadows, barely visible within the mist. Their hissing rose so high it reverberated in his bones. “Okay,” Bryce said, resisting the urge to cover his eyes. ears against the profane noise. - Let's go. — This is the first wise decision you've made — said a slow male voice, echoing deep in the tunnel behind them. And they had nowhere to run, nothing to do but stand and face the threat as Morven stepped out of the mist. And behind him, with flames boiling in his eyes, walked the Autumn King.

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Hunt summoned lightning into his fingers, letting it snake through his hair as the two fae kings approached, one wreathed in flame, the other in shadow. The hissing of evil spirits and the bad smell had covered the approach of the kings. Unless Morven had wanted the evil spirits to make such a noise, so that they could approach without Baxian hearing them.

Hunt's lightning was just a spark of what it could be if it didn't have the halo, but it would be enough to fry those two sons of bitches... The Autumn King only had eyes for Bryce, pure hatred distorting his features. — Did you really think that closet was enough to stop me? Hunt's lightning sizzled around him, twisting around his forearm. He could see Tharion forming a column of water coming from the river and about to be aimed at the two kings. Baxian had his sword drawn, growling... Bryce didn't seem worried at all when her father responded:

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— I trapped Micah in a bathroom, so a closet seemed like a good size for you. I have to admit that I thought you were going to stay there a little longer. Morven's shadows writhed around him like hounds. hunts by pulling the leash. — You must return to my castle and face the

consequences for having treated his sovereign in such an outrageous way. Bryce riu. — We're not going anywhere with you. Morven smiled and his shadows calmed down. — I think they will. — Dark, despicable hands dragged Flynn and Declan out of the shadows. The males struggled, but the evil spirits kept them under control. Only the creatures' hands were visible. The rest of their bodies remained hidden in the shadows, as if they couldn't bear to be so close to Bryce's starlight. Sathia hissed softly, shocked by what she saw. But Hunt demanded: — Where the fuck is Ruhn? “Too busy courting that cheating bitch,” Morven replied. — He didn't even notice when my nephews stole those two idiots. Two voices said in Hunt's mind: We're going to kill you and fuck your partner until... Starlight shone, silencing the voices but revealing the murderous twins hiding behind the two kings. A few steps away from Dec and Flynn, as if the brothers were ordering the evil spirits to restrain the males. Bryce shone, white sparkling against the blue and gold of the Autumn King's flames, the impenetrable darkness of Morven's shadows. —What the fuck do you want? Flynn and Declan let out high-pitched, shrill screams. Even though the evil spirits' hands hadn't moved, blood ran from their friends' noses. Dripping on the floor. Seamus and Duncan smiled. Whatever those idiots were doing to Dec and Flynn's minds...

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“You treacherous brat,” Morven spat at Bryce, the shadows poised to attack. — Trying to win me over with your father's notes. He would never have let you get your filthy hands on that notebook if he hadn't been incapacitated in some way. I went to investigate at the same time. Hunt gaped when Bryce pretended to yawn. - It went badly. I thought you'd like to have a certain advantage over that idiot. — She pointed with her thumb at the Autumn King. — I didn't expect you to be so stupid that you couldn't interpret what was in the notes without his little help. Hunt held back his laughter, despite the danger they were in. Morven's offended look was a little too forced. It was obvious that Bryce had hit the nail on the head. The Autumn King glared at him. — Let them both go — ordered Bryce — and let's talk like grown-ups. “They will be released when you return to my castle,” Morven threatened. —Then you can kill them both right now, because I'm not going back with you. Flynn and Dec looked indignantly at her, but the evil spirits held them steady. Morven said nothing. Not even their shadows moved. The killer twins just looked at Bryce, preparing for a fight. Bring it on, assholes, Hunt wanted to say. From the way the twins looked at him, he wondered if they had caught his thoughts. But Bryce laughed at Morven mockingly. —But I know you don't want to kill either of them. They are too valuable to maintain the lineage. And it all comes down to this, right? Reproduce. The Autumn King's voice was cold as he said, the incandescent flame boiling at your fingertips: — The Fae must maintain our birthright and power. Royal bloodlines are disappearing, becoming weak and fragile in their generation.

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“Cormac's cowardice is proof of that,” said Morven. — We need to do whatever it takes to strengthen our bloodline. “Cormac was more of a warrior than you will ever be,” Tharion replied, that column of water narrowing until it was as sharp as a needle. It would burn a hole in the face of whoever was in front of it. — It's a shame I'm married now — Bryce reflected — and you guys They don't believe in divorce.

Morven laughed ironically.

— Exceptions may be made for reproduction purposes. Hunt's anger roared through him. “All this talk about reproduction is so familiar it hurts,” Bryce said, yawning again. — And come to think of it, this whole Fae King versus Fae Queen thing also feels like history repeating itself. — She frowned, pretending to think. — But you know... — She patted the handle of the Truth Teller. — Some things may be different today. — Hunt could have sworn Aster hummed softly, as if in response. — You dishonor our people and our history by carrying these blades — accused Morven. “Don't forget I carry this too,” Bryce said, and raised his hand. A light, pure and concentrated, shone there. — Ah, do you think that this little light of nothing can destroy the true darkness? Morven teased, the shadows rising behind him in a dark wave. They were deep, suffocating, lifeless. Hunt summoned his lightning again, a chain wrapped around his wrist and forearm. One lash and he would fry the evil spirits holding Dec and Flynn, releasing two more allies in this fight... But the Autumn King beheld that concentrated seed of light on Bryce's finger. Its flames thickened. Any amusement or anger disappeared from his expression as he muttered to Morven: - Run.

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“That's the first wise decision you've made,” Bryce sneered. A sharp, burning beam of light shot from his hand toward the ceiling: And a hail of stones fell upon them. ***

Ruhn had just decided that he needed to look for his friends, who hadn't shown up all day. He was about to do so when they left the archives that night, when he found himself returning to the rooms with Lidia. “I know this is an unusual situation,” she said when they reached his door, “but I enjoyed working with you today. He stopped, choking a little before he managed to say: — It must be nice to finally be able to... be yourself. Without to hide. “It's complicated,” she commented softly. She moved, as if she wanted to say more but didn't know. like, so Ruhn decided to do him a favor by asking: —Want to come in for a bit? — At her arched eyebrow, he added: — Just to talk. Her lips curved, but she nodded. He opened the door, stepping aside to let her in. They sat in the worn armchairs in front of the roaring fire, and for a moment Lidia looked into the flames as if they were speaking to her. Ruhn was about to offer a drink when she said, “Everything in my life is complicated. All relationships, true and false... there are times when I can't even differentiate one from the other. — Her voice was soft... sad. And very tired. Ruhn cleared his throat.

— When you and I... — fucked — slept together, you knew who I was. Apart from the codename, I mean. Her eyes met his, flames flickering. - Yes. — Did that make things complicated for you?

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She held his gaze, eyes as golden as the flames before them, and his heart quickened. — No. I was shocked, but it didn't make anything complicated.

— Shocked? She pointed at him. - You are you.

- And that's bad? She laughed, so typical of Day that he could barely breathe. — You are the defiant, party-loving prince. With all those piercings and tattoos. I didn't think I would be a rebel. — Believe me, it wasn’t in my medium-term plan either. She laughed again, the breathless sound going straight to his dick, wrapping it tightly. Her voice had that effect. — Why risk it? - At the beginning? — He shrugged, fighting the growing lust that throbbed through his body. —Cormac blackmailed me. I said I was going to tell my father about my ability to speak between minds. But then I realized it was... the right thing to do. —Agent Silverbow will be greatly missed. It's already doing it. “You met Cormac, then?” — No, but I knew about the things he had done for Ophion, for the people surprised by the war. He was a good male. — She looked at the closed door. — His father didn't deserve a son like him. Ruhn nodded. She looked at him carefully. — Your father too... doesn't deserve a son like you. Those words shouldn't mean anything, especially when coming from the Doe, but Ruhn felt his throat tighten at their sincerity. — May I ask — he ventured — about your agreement with the Queen of the Ocean? Lidia's jaw tightened.

— I was young and scared when I made the deal with her. But if it were today, I would have made the same choices. In the name of my

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children.

- What happened? — He looked into her eyes. - I know that It's none of my business, but... — Pollux is not their father. — He almost sighed with relief. - AND... — She struggled to find the words. — I come from a long line of powerful deer shifters. We have rituals. Secret, ancient. We don't necessarily worship the same gods as you. I think our gods predate this world, but I've never confirmed that. — Let me guess: you participated in some kind of secret sexual rite and got pregnant? Her eyes widened and then she laughed, the sound coming from the back of her throat—a deep, guttural sound. — In short, yes. A fertility ritual, deep in the Aldosian Forest. I was selected from among the females in my family. A male from another family was chosen. We didn't know each other, nor did we know which family the other belonged to. It was quick and not at all interesting, and if there was fertility magic, I have no idea how Hell worked. — You were already with Pollux, then? — Ruhn… — She looked at her hands. — My father took me away from my mother when I was three years old. I remember being taken away, not understanding anything. It was only later, when I was a little older, that I discovered that my father was a power-hungry monster. He wasn't worth the trouble of even mentioning, and I blamed my mother for allowing him to take me. I became his little protégé, I guess with some hope that she would be hurt when she found out that I took after my father. She took a deep breath.

— I trained, planned and ended up in the Sandriel Trial, a great honor for my family. I had been serving Sandriel for ten years when my father chose me for that ritual. I had become an expert at... getting people talking. Pollux and I had been keeping an eye on each other, but I hadn't yet decided whether or not I would sleep with him. So, I went to the ritual.

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Ruhn couldn't move, couldn't speak even if he wanted to. — A few weeks later, I knew I was pregnant. A baby from a sacred ritual would be cause for celebration. I should have run straight to my father and announced the good news, but I hesitated. For the first time in my life, I hesitated. And I didn't know why I couldn't tell him. Because when I thought about the baby I was carrying, when I thought about giving that child to him, I couldn't bear it. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the restless movement at odds with her usual demeanor, always so poised. Ruhn resisted the urge to put his hand on her shoulder. — I knew it was a matter of days before Pollux and the others smelled the pregnancy. Athalar was still with us at the time. So I staged my own kidnapping and disappearance. I made it look like Ophion had taken me. I didn't even know where I was running. But I couldn't stop thinking about the babies. At that point, I already knew they were twins and that I would do anything to keep them out of my father's reach. From the hands of Sandriel. Deep down, I knew what kind of monsters I served. I always knew. And I didn't want to be like them. Not just for the babies' sake, but for mine as well. So, I ran away. —And that's where the Queen of the Ocean found you? - His voice it sounded hoarse.

— I went to her. When I finally stopped to breathe, I remembered what some rebels had said while I... interrogated them. That the ocean itself would come to help them. It seemed too strange for me to decide to take the risk. I entered a rebel base I knew and surrendered. I begged them to take me to the ocean. Ruhn couldn't imagine what she had felt at that time. moment — knowing that her children's lives were at stake. — The high-ranking commanders understood and placed me on the Deep Freighter. The Queen of the Ocean welcomed me, but with one caveat. I could stay on her ship, deliver the babies, and stay for a while. But in exchange for her protection and the continued protection of my children... I would have to return.

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She would make up a lie about being interrogated and held prisoner for more than two years and come back. He would gain the asteri's appreciation, their trust. He would provide any information he obtained to Ophion and, by extension, the Ocean Queen. — And he couldn't see his children. — No. I wouldn't see my children again. At least not until the Ocean Queen allowed me to. - That is terrible. — It's what kept them safe. —And kept you in her service. — Yes. But I tried to save the rebels I encountered along the way. path. —Was it your idea or hers to save them? - He hadn't realized

how important that answer was until I asked the question. — I told you, I understood who I worked for. And despite having to play the role of interrogator and loyal servant, I did everything in my power to mitigate the damage. Some agents were about to speak, to tell vital secrets. Those were the ones I had to kill. “Accidents” during torture. But the deaths were always quick and merciful. Those who resisted, or who had a chance... I tried to get them out of there. It didn't always work. — That was the case with Sofie Renast.

— That was the case with Sofie Renast — she said softly. — I didn't mean for her to drown. It was a mistake in timing... I carry that with me. He took her hand, slowly, to make sure he could touch her. —What happened when you came back? — Pollux declared. He said he had been desperate during the two years I disappeared, looking for me. Who had slaughtered countless rebels trying to find me. Old Lidia would have slept with him. And I knew that would be perfect for my cover. The rest is history. — She looked up at him. "I'm not completely innocent, you know," she added. — If it weren't for my children, I could very well have become the person the world believes I am

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that I am, forever ignored the little voice that whispered that all this was wrong. “It must have been so... lonely,” he commented.

Her eyes lit up in surprise as she realized he understood. Ruhn was embarrassed. “Then you showed up,” she said. — This almost inept and reckless agent. He laughed.

She smiled. —And you saw me. For the first time you saw me. I could talk to you like I had never talked to anyone before. You reminded me that I was... I'm... alive. I haven't felt this way in a long time. He studied her face. I saw beyond the stunning beauty and

noticed the burning soul inside. “Don't look at me like that,” she whispered.

- Like this? —he murmured in response. But she shook her head and got up, walking to the door. Ruhn reached her before she could touch the doorknob. — Lidia. She stopped, but didn't look at him. He placed his hand on her cheek. Turned his face with

kindness. The skin so soft, so warm. “Lidia,” he said, his voice rough. — Finding out who you were... fucked with my head. Knowing that you were Doe, but also Lidia, and Day. My Day. But now... — He swallowed. - Now? — She looked at his mouth. His dick reacted to that look. Ruhn said, his voice almost guttural: —Now, it doesn't matter who you are, as long as you're mine. — She looked into his eyes, surprised. — Because I'm yours, Day. Fuck, I'm all yours. Her face tightened. And Ruhn couldn't bear to see her cry, with relief and joy. Then he leaned forward, bringing his mouth to hers. The kiss didn't start out innocently. Mouth open, teeth clashing, tongues clashing. Her hands on his neck, pulling him towards her

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closer, leaning against his chest. Yes Yes Yes. He squeezed her ass, which caused a moan to come from the back of her throat. But she walked away: — Ruhn. He stiffened. - What? — If she wanted to stop, he would. Whatever she wanted, he would give her. She ran her fingers over his chest. Ruhn winced as she asked, “Are you sure?” — Yes. — He exhaled, nibbling her lower lip. Guiding her to the bed and laying on top of her. Lidia ran her finger over the place where her lip piercing used to be, which had been ripped out. Then the eyebrow piercing. “I couldn't bear it,” she whispered, placing her mouth on his forehead. — I couldn't... — She started to shake. He hugged her tightly. — I'm here — he said, we did—,it. She trembled even more, as if everything she had experienced and done was now releasing in aftershocks. “I'm here,” he said again, leaning down to kiss her neck. - I am here. — A kiss just below the ear. She moved her hands up, stroking his back. He had stopped shaking. “I'm here,” he said, kissing the base of her neck. Unzipping the front of his tactical jumpsuit. She was without a bra. Those full breasts with pink nipples, which filled his hands. He cursed and couldn't help it. He had to lower his head and suck one of the nipples. She took a deep breath, the sound almost seeming to burn his dick. He grazed his teeth over her nipple, pulling slowly. Her hands wandered around his waist, ending up in front of his body and... no, not now. I wanted to explore it first. Without taking his mouth off that delicious breast, he grabbed her wrists and held her

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her hands above her head, settling more firmly between her legs. She flinched. It was the most discreet of movements, but he noticed it. The whole body contracting. Ruhn stopped and raised his head. He looked at her. For the hands I had held... That son of a bitch. Ruhn released her at once. It would kill him. Rip off all of Pollux's limbs one by one, pity for pity, for having done this to Lidia, for hurting her... Her gaze softened. He placed his palms on either side of his face and whispered: — Just an old memory. One that shouldn't be there. One that Pollux put there. — Spirit.

He held her wrists gently, giving each one a kiss. He then rested them both on her chest, his hands above her heart, kissing her as he did so. —Ruhn. — She repeated, but he lay down next to her, hugging her waist. “Stay here with me tonight,” he asked softly. A branch of their shadows curled around the flames of the sconces, obscuring them. — No sex. Just... sleep here with me. He could feel her gaze, even in the dark. But then Lidia moved—the zipper making noise as she removed her clothes. He took off his pants, snuggling under the blankets. Her warm, soft, lush body curled around his. And yes, he wanted to be inside her so much that he had to grit his teeth, but her scent calmed him. It calmed him down. He slid his hand around her bare waist, pulling her closer, her breasts pressed against his chest. The hand went down until it reached Lidia's ass, and it was enough to adjust the angle a little so that it was between her legs. But this was more than sex. And as their breathing returned to normal, as they stared at each other in the near darkness, he had never felt so seen.

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She ended up falling asleep. Breathing stabilizing. But Ruhn stayed awake, holding her tight, and didn't let go until dawn.

***

—Is that a laser? — Tharion shouted as the rock that had been cut by the light collapsed, blocking access to the two fae kings, Flynn, Dec and the murderous twins. In addition to evil spirits. But Bryce ordered: — The river! - What? shouted Hunt. Bryce was already running toward the water, which flowed dark. “Come in,” Bryce demanded, starlight swaying with each step. — Teleport us to the other side! — replied Hunt. Flynn and Declan were trapped on the other side of the cave-in, and needed to figure out how they were going to get rid of the kings and the twins... “Get in now,” ordered Bryce, and didn't wait before running to shore. Hunt tried to grab her, to stop her from doing what seemed like great insanity... She jumped. Entered the river. He could swear the starlight glowed brighter, as if he agreed with her decision. And then, the light in his chest went out. And in the sudden darkness, with only Hunt's lightning flickering around them, the evil spirits began to hiss, approaching, as if through the rock itself. “Rio,” said Tharion, grabbing Sathia and running with her. He dove in and she screamed as she was dragged along. The roar of the river swallowed the sound—and both of them—in half a second.

There was no choice, really. Hunt looked at Baxian and saw his own irritation reflected back at him. They could have faced the kings. Bryce knew. And yet... If Bryce had chosen to cause a landslide, blocking the kings instead of killing them, preferring to go down the river instead of teleporting... she didn't explain why, probably because

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because of the argument they had. She hadn't said anything, which meant that his own partner no longer trusted him, and he had no idea how to fix it... "Athalar," Baxian called

—, get out!

Hunt blinked. He was frozen in place, off balance. Baxian was wide-eyed. Hunt shook off the shame. Even though he was angry, he knew there was a reason behind everything Bryce did. Hunt didn't wait to see if Baxian followed before he tightened his wings and jumped.

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Hunt shivered, teeth grinding, as he scrambled to the dark shore, dimly lit by Bryce's star. After a rapid and disorienting descent, the river calmed and flowed into the calmest part around them, the small bank providing the only path of escape. Tharion was already close to Bryce, with a trembling Sathia between them, and Baxian was crawling to shore a few feet from Hunt, dark wings dragging on the rock beside him. Hunt exploded at his partner: — What the fuck was that? “Later, Athalar,” Bryce murmured, turning away from the water and facing a natural stone arch, with a tunnel at the end. His star shone brighter than upriver. — No. Now — he warned, standing up, the water dripping from his boots, his wings soaked and too heavy. — You say we're all in this together, that we make all the decisions together, and then you do shit like that? She turned around, showing her teeth.

— Well, someone has to lead. He became even angrier.

—And what the fuck does that mean?

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— It means I'm not going to let my fear and my guilt swallow me. — The others remained silent, several meters away. — It means I'm putting all this shit aside and focusing on what needs to be done! - And I dont? — He opened his arms, pointing to the caves around them. Lightning flickered in his hands. — I'm here, aren't I? — Do you really want to be? — Her voice echoed off the rocks. — Because it seems your fear of the consequences outweighs your desire to defeat the Asteri. “And get over it,” he growled, unable to stop the words from coming out. — It will be very difficult to enjoy freedom if we are dead. — I'd rather die trying to get rid of them than spend the rest of life knowing the truth without having done anything.

He could barely hear it above the roaring in his head. — Everyone we love would also die. Are you willing to risk that? Your mother and your father? Cooper? Syrinx? Fury and June? Are you willing to allow them all to be tortured and killed? She stiffened, shaking with rage. Hunt took a deep, composing breath and shook the water off his wings. — Look, I'm sorry! — He took a deep breath again. — I know now is not the time to fight. This whole shit could be a colossal mistake, it could cause everyone we know to end up dying, but... I'm with you on this one. I will support you. I promise. She blinked. Then it blinked again. “It's not enough for me,” he replied softly. - It is not the enough for me.. that you are just with me in this. — Well, get used to it — he replied. — Get yourself together, Umbra Mortis. — And after saying this, she walked away into the misty darkness, her star lighting the way. — Vishh — Tharion said softly to Sathia and Baxian, but Hunt didn't smile when everyone followed Bryce again, leaving a trail of water everywhere.

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— How did you know you needed to come here? Baxian asked Bryce, probably trying to ease the tension that now filled the cave with as much force as the suffocating fog. “Because I've been here before,” Bryce said, his voice still a little rough. Even Hunt's anger subsided enough that he wondered if she had hit her head in the river. Especially when they approached a solid wall. Bryce pushed the wall. An arc-shaped obstacle opened beneath his palm. The starlight shone brighter, illuminating the wall and the carving around the triangular door. An eight-pointed star. Just like the scar on his chest. “These caves,” Bryce said, careful not to look at him, “are almost identical to the ones I passed through in the original Fae world. — She took a step towards the star door. — There, the river ran between them, providing shortcuts. The worm used these shortcuts to attack stealthily. But my star shone brighter whenever it showed me a certain path, as it happens here. She guided me to one of the rivers in the fae world. I listened to her, went in and ended up in a passage that led to the exact place I needed to be to hear Silene's truth. Just now, my star shone brighter when I looked at the river. I figured he would take it to another passage. And maybe I could find a little more truth. Something that could help against the asteri. — This logic is somewhat flawed — Tharion replied. — What about Flynn and Dec? The Autumn King, Morven and the killer twins are still with them, the fucking evil spirits are still... — This confrontation will happen. — Bryce walked calmly into the awaiting darkness, the swirling mists, adjusting the Truth Teller at her side. - But not now. They had no other choice but to follow her. — What does all this mean? Baxian asked Hunt, almost complaining. Hunt put aside his lingering anger and focused on his partner. — I think we're about to find out.

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***

Flynn and Dec still hadn't turned up for breakfast the next day. And Ruhn's quick run through the castle and its grounds revealed no sign of them. Or the killer twins. Just a few fae nobles and servants, not knowing whether to mock him or bow down. He ignored them and was running back to the room when Lidia came out. She took one look at his face and asked, “What happened?” He didn't wonder how she had guessed. He should have gotten better at analyzing people throughout his adult life. Her survival depended on it. Ruhn checked that his various blades were in place. — Flynn and Dec... I don't think they're here. And not mine weird cousins. Or Morven. Her eyes flashed warily.

— One thing may not be linked to the other. - They are. My friends don't abandon me. — And he, who He had let himself be distracted by her, he hadn't allowed himself to think about it.

She placed her hand on his arm. — Where do you think they went? Ruhn took a deep breath.

— Morven and the twins have to be involved. They must have taken Flynn and Dec to the Cave of the Princes. —To try to attack Bryce? Ruhn felt a lurch in his stomach. - Perhaps. But I think Morven took them as bait... for me. You must wait for me to follow. —If it's a trap, then we shouldn't rush... — My friends were quick to save me from the Asteri dungeons — he replied, holding her beautiful gaze. — You found them and they dropped everything to help. I can't leave them in Morven's hands. — That's not what I was going to suggest — she replied, heading towards her own room. Left the door open so he could see her

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as he grabbed two guns from the bedside table and holstered them on his thighs. — I'm telling us to think of a strategy before going to their rescue. Something burned in Ruhn's chest, and he didn't dare name the feeling. But he felt it anyway as they prepared to go and save their friends. ***

Hunt didn't let his guard down, not for a second. Even when every word of his fight with Quinlan hung in the air like permanent fireworks. Lightning flickered in one fist; the sword was stuck in the other. He left neither of them aside as they entered a chamber at the other end of the tunnel. As they entered, he studied the walls, the black stones with intricate carvings, the exquisite landscapes depicted there... The stones scraped together, and before Hunt could turn around, faster than lightning, the triangular door closed behind them. Tharion, a step forward, gave a low whistle. Baxian exchanged a look with Hunt who informed him that the Hellhound suspected the same thing he did: only Bryce could open that door. It wasn't a comforting thought. Not while Hunt was still assessing what was to come. The only object in the chamber was a sarcophagus carved from white marble, whose hue contrasted with the deep black of the stone walls. There was a statue of a fey male in armor on top of the sarcophagus, his hands appearing to grasp an object that wasn't there. Bryce nodded. — This must be where the Aster usually stays when not in use. — Her voice was monotonous, as if the argument had exhausted her. Sathia approached, hesitantly.

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"A tumba do Príncipe Pelias," he said, breathing deeply. "Ruhn told me that his bizarre descendants are lined up on the walls of the main passages," Bryce commented, pointing to the only other exit: a new stone arch on the opposite side of the chamber, barely visible through the mist. She adjusted Aster on her back and placed one of her hands on the Truth Revealer at her side, adjusting it, as if the blades were causing some discomfort. Hunt surveyed the vaulted space, examining the stories told on the walls: an archipelago nestled above a sea of starlight, an idyllic and serene land— everything the world believed Avallen to be. — I don't see anything about Aster or the Revealer of Truth, very less how to unite them,” admitted Hunt. —Or over the mists. The islands are here, but nothing else. — Maybe this was a dead end for information. “There might be something in the main passage,” Tharion suggested. But Bryce approached the sarcophagus. Looked at the pretty face and perfectly carved of the first Starry Prince. “Hello, you fucking rapist,” she said, her voice cold with fury. Hunt was barely breathing. He wondered if Urd was watching, if the heaviness in the room was not the mist but rather the presence of the goddess who had guided them here. “You thought you won,” Bryce whispered to the sarcophagus. — But she ended up getting over you. She had the last laugh. —Bryce? — ventured Hunt. She looked up from the carved representation of Pelias and there was not a trace of humanity in her heart in that look. Just the purest fae hatred for the male before her, dead long ago. With a temporary peace offering, Hunt asked, “Can you, uh, explain it to us?” But it was Tharion who pointed to the empty death chamber. —Perhaps Pelias built another chamber here where it is possible to find some information about the sword, the dagger and the

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such a portal for...

“No,” Bryce said softly. — We are exactly where we need to be. — She pointed to the floor, the sculpture of rivers of stars snaking everywhere. — And this place was not built by Pelias. He had nothing to do with these tunnels, with the carvings. — She placed her hand on the floor, starlight streaming through the carvings in the stone, the walls, the ceiling... What seemed like seas or rivers of stars were now filled with starlight, coming to... life. Moving, cascading, flowing. A secret illustration, which could only be seen by those who had the gift and the vision. The rippling river of starlight flowed straight into the sarcophagus in the center of the chamber. It swirled around him like a whirlwind. Bryce threw himself against the coffin, flexing his legs as he pushed... And the sarcophagus slid away. Revealing a small, secret staircase below. Bryce panted for a moment and then broke into a smile. huge.

— This place was built by Helena.

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The sword and the knife attracted each other more strongly with each step she took, descending the secret staircase. As if they wanted to be there, as if they needed to be there. Just when Bryce thought he could take them off for some relief, he reached the bottom of the stairs. Through the mist, it was possible to hear the sound of water dripping in a narrow stream, right in the center of the chamber. Some branch of the river one level up, filtered through dark rock. And beside the stream stood a black pitcher and bowl, resting on an engraving of an eight-pointed star. - What the hell is that? — Hunt murmured, approaching her. As if, despite the fight, he still wanted to protect her. But perhaps the need to protect her was generating the guilt he felt and the fear that consumed him. Every word she said to him was intentional—just being with her wasn't enough. He needed Hunt completely, fighting at his side. I didn't know how to communicate this. How to make him understand and embrace this idea. Her teeth were chattering against the cold, but even that seemed irrelevant as Bryce examined the stream, the pitcher, and the bowl. The eight-pointed star. Two of the ends had slits, one smaller and one larger.

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There was nothing else in the room.

— Don't you know what that is? he asked Hunt. She I could pretend that everything was normal, at least for now. — I'm getting tired of these surprises — said Tharion, arriving at the foot of the stairs with Sathia close behind. Bryce lifted a finger and let her light condense there. "And then there's this," Tharion said, but Bryce held Hunt's gaze as he pointed to the ground and cut a small line. A little less than three centimeters and that's it. — Helena carved this place using the same gifts that her sister, Silene, used on their homeworld. But there's a big difference. One reason why she chose this location to build the caves. She knelt down and rubbed her fingers through the dust that had formed on her face. both sides of the cut. He raised his finger to Hunt's face. — Do you recognize that?

Hunt studied the shiny black dust on his fingers and paled. —That's black salt. Bryce nodded slowly. Baxian sighed, seeming to say oh, fuck. “These caves are made of black salt,” Bryce said. I had noticed since the evil spirit had made those lines on the wall. He recognized the smell, the rotten, oily sensation. One sample was enough to confirm his suspicions. Hunt frowned. — Do you think Helena was trying to summon her sister from their home world? “No,” Bryce said, shaking his head. — She made Silene come back to be safe... She was a great asshole, but she would never do anything to put her sister at risk. —So why did you build this place? — asked Tharion. It was Sathia who understood first. —To conjure demons. To talk directly to Hell. A stunned silence shook the room.

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“They were the only allies left,” Bryce explained. Helena might have done unforgivable things, but Bryce could admit that the female had fought to the end, if this chamber was any indication. Hunt asked, wings trembling, “But why make an underground labyrinth of caves?” And why dedicate it to her rapist husband? Bryce shrugged. — So she would have a reason to keep coming here. He built a lasting tomb, where the sword could remain forever until a worthy successor emerged. “You have no way of knowing that,” Hunt replied with all his might.

Careful. As if he was afraid of provoking another fight. That caution echoed in her heart, but Bryce said: — The caves are almost identical to the ones on her home world... Helena grew up sailing through them. And Avallen, like the place she grew up in, is shrouded in mist. And it's also a tenuous place. If all this mist is any proof, perhaps Avallen, with its caves, is an even more tenuous place than the fae world. The Prison, the court she had been... Vesperus said he had chosen it because it was a tenuous place, good for traveling between worlds. Theia knew this too. Did you tell Helena? Tharion cleared his throat. —So Helena made all these caves just to have a private line with Hell? “Basically,” Bryce replied. — Avallen had everything she needed. The way he built the caves indicates that he had resources. Helena couldn't do all this in secret. He needed Pelias's approval. And what better way to hide everything, to protect them for years and years, than to pretend it was a great temple to the patriarchy? Bryce pointed to the sarcophagus room above them. For the bones you'd like to scatter in a septic tank. — She knew that the fae males would never tear down or change this place... Holy shit, Morven refuses to change Avallen, make her more modern in any way, because

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He wants it to remain the same as when Pelias was alive. Helena knew these males well. She knew that if she hid it here, everything would be preserved and remain intact. — Okay, assuming for a moment that we believe all this — Tharion objected — how do you know this was some secret chamber she used to talk to Hell, of all places? What do the pitcher and bowl mean? —That all this salt down here made you thirsty? — he suggested Baxian e Hunt grunhiu. But Sathia walked to the stream. —That water passes right through the black salt, and this chamber is full of it. — She looked into Bryce's eyes, furrowing her eyebrows. — Is it possible to conjure a demon by drinking water mixed with black salt? — I have never heard of anything like that, not even during my years of demon hunting,” Hunt said. — If Helena had been summoning demons here, someone would have noticed — commented Baxian. — The temperature would drop enough for anyone else in the caves to feel it, even one level higher. “Maybe she wouldn't conjure them here,” Bryce said, walking over to the jar and bowl, to the eight-pointed star where they rested. The cracks at two of the ends are very deep... too deep for him to be able to see where they penetrated the rock. But Bryce hit the side of his own head. - But here. - What? Hunt asked. Bryce knelt down and dipped the jar into the cold, dark water. O container and bowl were also carved from black salt. — The Starry Ones could speak between minds. They still can. — She nodded towards the river one level above, the killer twins lurking somewhere on the other side. — Maybe the salt helped her talk between minds with Hell. Maybe someone in Hell can tell us how to kill the asteri. Apollion himself ate Sirius. Maybe he had the answer this whole time.

Hunt shouted:

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- Do not you dare... Bryce raised the jug to her lips, but a bolt of lightning shattered the object before she could drink. She turned around, irritation showing throughout her body. Hunt was blazing with lightning, furious as he charged at her. — Don't drink that... — Now is not the time to be an asshole alpha! ... without me — he concluded. —

Bryce gaped at her partner as he picked up the bowl and held it out to her. Ready to follow her to Hell. ***

Together then. As their powers and their souls were linked, they would drink the salt water together. “That...might be a bad idea,” Tharion said as Bryce and Hunt sat facing each other, knee to knee and hand to hand. Hunt was inclined to agree. But he said: —Apollion appeared to me and Bryce in a dream. Perhaps he was using the same method of communication that he used with Helena. "So what," Baxian said as Sathia filled the water bowl, "are you going to drink and hope you pass out and... talk to Hell?" Ask for the answers about the sword and the knife that perhaps they forgot to tell you until now? “Helena left this here,” Bryce said, looking into Hunt's eyes. There was no doubt or fear, just the purest focus shining in his partner's eyes. — Just like Silene left everything in the caves of her home world. For someone to find. Someone who could carry the Aster and who would be brought here by starlight. Someone who has also discovered the truth... and knows where to look. — Bryce looked at the ceiling, the stairs leading up. — I think Helena left this to help us.

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— Helena and Silene were not... good people — warned Baxian. “No, but they hated the asteri,” Bryce said. — They wanted to get rid of them as much as we did. — And it was hope that shone in his eyes, so bright that Hunt almost lost his breath. For a moment, shorter than the blink of an eye, he came to believe that they would succeed in their mission. — If it gives us a chance, whatever it is, we have to try. I want answers. I want the truth. Bryce lifted the bowl to his lips and drank. ***

Bryce was falling backwards and still wasn't moving. His body remained kneeling, but his soul fell, frozen, into darkness, into nothingness and nowhere. A presence around her, next to her, flashed like lightning. Hunt. He was with her. His soul falling beside her.

It was a leap. This was all a leap, but she had to believe that Urd had guided her here. That Helena had been as smart as her sister and would have fought against the male who abused her until the end. That Helena had spent her whole life playing that game, not just for her, but for future generations. Hoping that perhaps one day, millennia after her death, another female might emerge, with starlight—Theia's starlight—in her veins. Not transmitted by Pelias, but by Helena herself. Theia's starlight. Passed to her. Bryce Adelaide Quinlan. And it may be that neither Helena nor Silene chose her, with that anti-human nonsense, but that wasn't her problem. The falling sensation stopped. There was only darkness, cold and dry. Its starlight flickered, a faint, pale light in the impenetrable pitch black. A hand found hers, and she didn't need to look to know that Hunt was by her side in... wherever she was. This dream world. Two blue lights shined in the distance, approaching them. Hunt's fingers tightened around hers in warning. Your lightning

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flickered. But the lights got closer. Closer and closer. And when they passed by the light of their star... Aidas showed a discreet smile — joy and hope illuminating his magnificent eyes. — It looks like you got a little lost on the way to me, Bryce Quinlan. But welcome to Hell.

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It took two days of work without rest to help the people of Prados. But Ithan didn't care, he barely thought about the need to go to Avallen to find Sofie's body or the exhaustion while digging through the rubble, carrying the dead or dying, or holding the injured long enough for Hypaxia or another medwitch to save them. And there were still many. So many humans, injured or dead. No sign of the governor, but at least the 33rd appeared. The Aux and a small number of wolves arrived soon after. Ithan kept away from the wolves, both to avoid conflict and to avoid being spotted by any Asteri sympathizers who might have come to brag about the destruction. He kept his head down. He continued working. Doing what little I could to help, to clean up or at least move those who were gone with dignity. There were no Sailboats, not for humans. There were never Sailboats for them. So their bodies were laid out in rows and rows inside the lobby of the nearest intact office building. Nearly a dozen wolves appeared. The equivalent of two packs were willing to help. How embarrassing.

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Something had to change in that world. And as Ithan piled up the dead, as he placed child after child in the building's lobby, he realized that change had to start with him. Make your brother proud.

He had to get to Avallen. I had to bring Sigrid back. Only with her, another Fendyr heiress to lead the wolves... only then could changes begin. A new future. For all of them. ***

For the first five minutes, Tharion didn't stop monitoring Bryce and Hunt's breathing. Baxian and Tharion caught them as their bodies fell backwards, unconscious, causing them to lie on the black salt floor. They didn't move. The only sign that they were alive was their chests rising and falling. Whatever was happening was actually happening in everyone's mind. Tharion, Sathia and Baxian sat a few meters away of friends, full of caution. — How long are we going to wait? asked Sathia. - Until try to wake them up, I mean. Tharion exchanged a look with Baxian.

- Fifteen minutes? — Thirty better — replied Baxian. Then he added: — But we will continue monitoring. Silence fell, broken only by their breathing and the sound of the stream running through the cave. Beside Tharion, Sathia turned the bowl of black salt in her slender hands, over and over again. Lost in your thoughts. — Have you ever done something like this? asked Baxian, noticing her discomfort. “No,” she replied. — I'm not very adventurous. — Have you already gone through your Ordeal? asked Baxian.

She nodded discreetly. It hadn't been a good experience.

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Part of Tharion wanted to ask more, but he said, "What happened between you and your brother that made you so separated?" She looked at him irritably. —What happened between you and the River Queen that she put such a high bounty on your head? He gave an indolent smile.

- You do not know? — I gathered some information. You upset her prim daughter and had to run away. But what did you do to piss her off? Tharion drummed his fingers on the cold stone floor.

— I wanted to cancel our engagement. And she doesn't. Sathia straightened up.

— Were you engaged? From the daughter of the Queen of Rio?

—For ten years.

She placed the bowl on the floor. — And after ten years, she didn't realize that you didn't want to get married? Tharion looked to where Bryce and Hunt were lying, completely still. — I don't feel like talking about it at all. Even so, Sathia pressed: — So you called it off, but she... tried to keep the engagement? — And stay with me. Forever. The consternation on her face made him laugh. It was better than crying. - Yes. —But you could have swum away. — You can't swim away from the Queen of the River. She doesn't deny her daughter anything. She would have locked me in my humanoid form, to ensure I couldn't swim. Again, his face was filled with despondency. —Would she do that to someone of her kind? Destroy its fins to confine it? “She's not a mermaid,” he said. —She is an elemental. AND yes, she does it to punish sea creatures all the time. - This is horrible.

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—And treat female fae like brood mares and force them to getting married is too.

Sathia just tilted her head. — You ran away from your marriage to the River Queen's daughter... only to end up married to a stranger. He knew Baxian was listening intently, though the Hellhound kept his focus on Bryce and Athalar. — It seemed like a better option. - Does not make sense.

He sighed. And perhaps because they were on some cursed island in the middle of the Haldren, perhaps because they were hundreds of feet underground, with only Cthona as a witness, he said: — My younger sister, Lesia. She, um, died last year. Sathia seemed surprised by the turn the conversation had taken. “I'm sorry, Tharion,” he said gently. He seemed serious. Baxian murmurou: - I did not know that. My condolences, Ketos. Tharion couldn't stop Lesia's memory from breaking through your mind. Redhead, beautiful and alive. His chest hurt, threatening to collapse.

But it was better than her other memory—the photographs the killer had taken of her body. What he had done to her when Tharion wasn't there to protect her. Tharion continued: — I know you and Flynn have a... strained relationship. But still, you're his little sister. And he was in trouble. And I knew that if Lesia was in the same situation, I would want a decent male to help her. Sathia's eyes softened.

- Well thank you. If we can get through all this — she He waved his hand to the caves, to the world beyond to seek a way -, I go to free you from this... situation. — Believe me, it's in my interests to stay married to you until the River Queen's daughter chooses another poor thing. If I

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you are single... — She will come after you. Tharion nodded. — It's cowardly and pathetic, I know. I mean, it's likely that the mother come after me and kill me by any means possible. But at least I won't have to spend the rest of my life as a royal concubine. - All good. — Sathia straightened her shoulders. — We're still married, then. — She gave a discreet smile. - For now. — Then she looked at Bryce and Hunt. — Do you think they're really in Hell? — Part of me hopes so, another part hopes not — replied Tharion. “They're in Hell,” Baxian said calmly. Sathia turned to him. - How do you know? Baxian pointed to his sleeping friends. - Look. Bryce and Hunt lay peacefully on the black salt floor, their hands intertwined and their bodies covered in a thin layer of ice. ***

The black boat Aidas took Bryce and Hunt to was a mix of the one that had taken them to Avallen and the boat that transported the bodies to the Bone Quarter. But instead of a deer head, there was a deer skull on the bow, with greenish flames flickering in its eyes as it sailed through the cave. The mysterious green light illuminated black rocks carved into pillars and buildings, walkways and temples.

Ancestral. And empty. Bryce had never seen a place so lifeless. So... still. Even the Quarteirão dos Ossos had the feeling of being inhabited, even if by the dead. But nothing moved there. The river was wide but placid. The sound of the water lapping against the hull seemed to echo too loudly over the rocks, under the roof so high that

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disappeared into the darkness. “It's like a city of the dead,” Hunt murmured, wrapping a wing around Bryce. Aidas turned from where he was on the bow, holding in his hands a long stick that he used to guide them. —That's because it is. — He gestured with his pale hand to the buildings, temples and avenues. — This is where our beloved dead can rest, with all the comforts of life around them. “But we're not... really here,” Bryce said. - Right? Are we just dreaming? “In a way,” said Aidas. — Your physical body remains in your world. He looked over his shoulder. — In Helena's cave. “You knew that all along,” Hunt accused. Aidas' eyes shone.

—Would you have believed me?

Bryce was so close to Hunt that he felt every muscle in his body. his body tenses. His partner said, — The truth might have been a good place to start. Before Aidas could respond, the boat approached a small pier that led to what appeared to be a temple. A figure emerged from between the temple pillars and walked down the front steps. Golden hair, glowing skin. Hunt's lightning flashed, illuminating the entire city and the river. Apollion raised his hand. Pure, crackling lightning sparking around him, forming an arc towards Hunt's. “Welcome, son,” said the Moat Prince.

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Each and every word seemed to have slipped from Hunt's mind. Apollion, the Prince of the Moat, had just called him... Bryce jumped out of the boat and reached the shore, his chest burning with starlight. —What the hell did you just say? It didn't matter the tension or the open fight between them; she would still defend him in any way she could. Hunt leapt after her, the wings steadying him as his boots clacked on the loose black rocks. Apollion called him son... The Moat Prince descended the stairs, each step seeming to echo through the vast cavern. Another male in black armor followed him, his curly hair almost hidden by his war helmet. “Thanatos,” Bryce declared, approaching, pebbles slipping under her neon pink sneakers.

Hunt still had enough sense to stay at his partner's side, but Aidas was already there, raising his hand. — We're here to talk. No violence. From within the ornate helmet, Thanatos's eyes glowed. with a murderous rage.

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— Do as he says — Apollion ordered the Prince of the Ravine, stopping at the base of the temple steps. Hunt's lightning coiled around his forearms, ready to attack as he growled at the Moat Prince, “What the fuck do you mean by—” He stopped talking when Aidas touched Bryce's shoulder. Acting on instinct, Hunt lunged, intending to push the Gorge Prince away from his partner. He passed right by the demon prince. Hunt stumbled and threw up his hands. His fingers glowed faintly with a pale, bluish light. Bryce had the same aura around him. They were ghosts there.

Apollion chuckled softly as Hunt retreated to Bryce's side once more. — You will find that you cannot hurt us, nor we you, in such a state. — His deep voice resounded like thunder on the walls. Son. It wasn't possible... — Helena planned it like this — explained Aidas. His gaze remained fixed on Bryce as he explained, “During my time with Theia, Helena was a quiet girl, but she was always listening. — You talked too much — replied Thanatos.

Aidas ignored him.

— Helena learned that black salt would allow her to communicate with us while protecting your mind and soul. Just like the barrier that Bryce had placed in his apartment the day he cast Aidas. When Hunt still considered her a frivolous party girl, playing with fire. “Okay,” Hunt interrupted. — Great, we're protected. — He looked at the Moat Prince. Shaking to the bone, but trying hard to overcome the fear, the dread. — What's this about calling me son? Thanatos laughed mockingly.

— You are not his son. — He ripped off his war helmet, holding it under his arm. — At most, he is my son. Hunt's knees wobbled.

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- What? — Let's sit down and talk in a civilized way — Aidas said

at Bryce, who was looking at the shadows of the temple looming at the top of the stairs. — I think we're good here — She dodged. Hunt resumed your thoughts enough to follow her line of reasoning. He saw them then. The dogs. Her milky eyes shone in the darkness between the pillars. “They won't hurt you,” Aidas assured, pointing to the dogs that looked a lot like the Shepherd Bryce and Hunt had fought in the Bone Quarter. — They are companions of Thanatos. Hunt took his lightning, though he could do nothing in this insubstantial form. It ran through his fingers, normally a familiar, comforting presence, but... No one ever knew who fathered him. Where did that lightning come from? “And that's why I'm worried,” Bryce said, without taking his attention away from the dogs. She nodded at Thanatos. — He eats souls... “The Temple of Chaos is a sacred place,” Apollion said sharply. — We will never contaminate it with violence. — The words resounded like thunder again. Hunt assessed Apollion and then Thanatos. What the fuck...

But Thanatos sniffed Bryce, almost as canine as the dogs in the shadows, and said, “Your starlight smells... fresher.” The hunger present in the male's words calmed Hunt's chaotic mind, transforming him into a weapon prepared for violence. He didn't give a shit if he never got answers about his ancestors. If that idiot made a move on Bryce, ghostly forms or not... Bryce said nonchalantly, “New deodorant. — No — said Thanatos, not understanding the joke — I can smell it in your spirit. I am the Prince of Souls... with you

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recognize these things. His power was touched by something new. Bryce rolled his eyes, but for a moment Hunt wondered if Thanatos was right: Bryce had explained how the prism in the Autumn King's office had revealed that his light was now mixed with darkness, as if it had become the dim light of day. of twilight...

— We don't have much time — said Aidas irritably. — The dream won't last long. Please... enter the temple. — He inclined his head in a half-bow. — On my honor, no harm will come to you. Hunt opened his mouth to say that the Gorge Prince's honor didn't mean shit, but Bryce's whiskey-colored eyes took Aidas up and down, taking his time. And then she said: - All good.

Setting aside all thoughts and furious questions for a moment, Hunt kept an eye on the exit behind them as they left the rocky shore for the smooth steps of the temple. As they ascended, they entered a space that was almost a mirror of the temples of their homeland—in fact, the layout was identical to the last temple Hunt had been to: the Temple of Urd. He pushed away the memory of Pippa Spetsos's ambush, of the desperate fight for their lives. How they hid behind the altar, narrowly escaping. Instead of the black stone altar in the center of the temple, a bottomless pit was the main focal point. Five carved black wooden chairs surrounded him. Hunt and Bryce took the seats closest to both the river and the boat still parked on the bank. Aidas chose the one on Bryce's other side, sitting down with soft, feline grace. The braziers reflected the bluish light on their blond hair. Apollion's eyes glowed like coals as he told Hunt: — I am disappointed to see that you have not yet freed yourself from the black crown, Orion Athalar. “Someone explain to me what the fuck this is,” Hunt retorted. Of all the things he had ever imagined for his life, sitting in a circle

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with three Princes of Hell was nowhere on the list. — The black crowns were collars in Hell — replied Thanatos in a taciturn manner. His powerful body seemed prepared to leap through that pit and attack. Hunt monitored his every breath. — Spells created by the asteri to enslave us. They were a link, which the Asteri adapted for their next war... on Midgard. Hunt turned to Aidas. — You seemed surprised to see one of those on me the first time we met. Why? But before Aidas could begin, Apollion replied: — Because the Princes of Hell cannot be contained by the black crowns. The Asteri discovered this... and it was their undoing. As you were made by the Princes of Hell, the crown should not be able to hold you. Made by them? For these sons of bitches? Hunt had no idea what to say, what to do as everything in his life swirled and blurred, his heartbeat increasing until it became thunderous.

- Me? not me... “Start talking,” Bryce snapped at Apollion, moving his chair a few inches closer to Hunt's. Not out of fear, Hunt knew, but out of solidarity. It made something settle inside him, calmed his irregular heartbeat. — Hunt's mother was an angel. His mother's loving, tired face flashed before his eyes

of Hunt, causing a pang of pain in his heart. "She was," Apollion said, and the way she smiled... The purest rage numbed all of Hunt's senses. — You dared... “She was not mistreated,” Aidas said, raising an elegant hand. — We may command nightmares, but we are not monsters. “Explain,” Bryce ordered the demon princes, starlight rippling from her. Thanatos sniffed the air once more, savoring it, and received a furious glare from Aidas. - From the start. Despite the heated words they exchanged earlier, Hunt had never loved her more, never been more grateful that Urd had chosen a

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such a loyal and badass partner for him. They could trust her to get the answers they needed. - What do you know? — Aidas asked her. — Not just about Athalar, but about the entire history of Midgard. “Rigelus has a small room where he displays his achievements,” Bryce said, the softness fading from his face as he crossed his arms. — He has a whole section where he shows how to invade your planet. And I know Hell once had warring factions, but you guys sorted all that shit out and marched together to drive out the Asteri. A year later, you hunted them across the stars and found them on Midgard. They fought with them again and this time it didn't work. You were driven from Midgard and have been trying to return through the Northern Rift ever since. - That is all? — said Apollion slowly. Bryce said cautiously to Aidas, “I know you loved Theia. That you fought for her. The Gorge Prince studied his long, slender hands. - I loved. And I continued to love her long after her death. Hunt had the sensation that the darkness in the pit before them was breathing. — Even if she wasn't better than the Asteri? — Bryce challenged. Aidas raised his head. — There is no denying how Theia spent most of her existence. But there was kindness in her, Bryce Quinlan. And love. She regretted her actions, both on her home world and on Midgard. She tried to make things right. “He didn't do much, when it was too late,” Bryce replied. “I know,” Aidas admitted. — Believe me, I know. But there are also many things I regret. — He swallowed hard, highlighting the strong muscles in his neck. - What happened? — Bryce pressed. Hunt almost preferred not to know. Aidas sighed, the sound heavy with the passing of countless millennia.

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— The Asteri ordered Pelias to use the Horn to close the Northern Rift, to defend themselves from attacks. That's what he did, isolating all the other worlds in the process, but the Horn broke before he could close it to Hell once and for all. A tiny gap was left in the Rift and my kind were able to sneak through. Helena used black salt to contact me, hoping to launch another offensive against the Asteri, but we couldn't figure out how. Unless the Rift was wide open, we wouldn't be able to attack. And there were so few of us that we wouldn't have the slightest chance. Thanatos continued the narrative, resting his helmet on his knee. — The vampires and the reapers deserted us in the name of the Asteri. They betrayed us, the cowards. — From the shadows behind him, his dogs growled, as if in agreement. — They were mostly our captains and lieutenants. Our armies were in shambles without them. We needed time to recover. — I believe Helena realized this — continued Aidas — that she would not live to see the war won. And neither do her children. They took a lot from their father. And they also enjoyed the benefits of being in favor of the asteri. Bryce uncrossed his arms, leaning forward. — I'm sorry, but I still don't understand why Helena built the Cave of the Princes. Just to talk to you like long-distance friends? The mouth full of Aidas rose in one corner. — In a way, yes. Helena needed our advice. But by that time, she had also discovered what Theia had done in her last moments of life.

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The Cave of the Princes was as dirty and messy as Ruhn remembered. But at least he had some starlight to keep the evil spirits at bay in the misty darkness. Even though it took most of his concentration to summon it and keep it glowing. It had been hours since he and Lidia had walked in there, and he had immediately smelled Flynn and Dec wafting through the air. Along with Morven's and the killer twins'. But it was the sixth smell that sent Ruhn running through the passages, Lidia keeping up with him easily. A scent that haunted his nightmares, whether he was awake or asleep. Somehow, the Autumn King was there. And the father was not waiting for Ruhn, but heading deeper into the caves, after Bryce. Ruhn kept going, even when his legs demanded a break. The scents of Morven and her father — with the others who were with them — passed through almost hidden tunnels and steep passages, as if the Stag King knew all the secret and direct routes. As King of Avallen, it was very likely that he did. Or perhaps evil spirits showed the way. Finally, Ruhn's body demanded water and he took a break.

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Lidia didn't complain, she did nothing but follow him, always alert to any threat. However, as they ran down the hall once again, she said softly: — I'm sorry about last night. Despite all his instincts screaming at Ruhn to hurry, he stopped. - What are you talking about? She swallowed hard, her face almost luminous in the starlight. — When I... withdrew. He didn't react. — Why the hell would you apologize for that? It was Pollux who should apologize. By Hell, Ruhn would force him to apologize to Lidia—on his knees—before putting a bullet right in the son of a bitch's head. Her cheeks were flushed, a rosy glow against her skin. misty darkness behind him.

— I like to think I'm immune to... lingering memories. Ruhn shook his head, about to protest, when she continued:

— Everything I did with Pollux, I did because I wanted to. Even though at Sometimes I found his type of entertainment difficult to stomach. “I understand,” Ruhn said, a little hoarsely. - In truth. I'm not judging, Lidia. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Never. - But I want. Lidia looked at his mouth. - I want? — he asked, his voice coming out in a lower tone. — Know what your body is like. Your mouth. In real life. Not in a dream world. His dick got hard, and Ruhn moved. He didn't hide the lust in his tone of voice, his smell, when he said: — Whenever you want, Lidia. Less now, obviously. But after he resolved what whatever shit was going on in the caves... The pulse in her throat seemed to vibrate in response.

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— I want you all the time. Curse you. Ruhn bowed. He ran his mouth and tongue across the her neck. Lidia panted, making his balls throb. Ruhn said against her soft skin: — When we get out of these caves, will you show me

exactly where you want me, and how you want me. She squirmed a little, and he knew that if he slid his hand between her legs, you would see that she was all wet. “Ruhn,” she murmured. He kissed her neck again, watching through heavy eyelids as her nipples hardened, peeking through the thin fabric of her shirt. He would still explore them a lot. Maybe you could explore a little... An ancient, harsh hissing sounded from the rocks nearby. It wasn't the time or the place. Ruhn moved away from Lidia, meeting your eyes. They were excited with lust.

But she cleared her throat. — We have to continue. “Yes,” he said. “Maybe you should, uh, stop for a moment,” she commented, smirking at the bulge in his pants. He looked at her, ironically. —Do you think the evil spirits won't like it? Lidia laughed. Then she grabbed his hand, pulling him back into a steady, rhythmic run.

— I want to be the only one who appreciates this from now on. He couldn't contain the macho pride that flooded him. — I can accept that. ***

“I know what Theia did,” Bryce said, shaking his head. — She tried to send her daughters back to their home world, but only Silene succeeded. Aidas raised an eyebrow.

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— I assume you have discovered something of the truth, if you know Silene by name. Did you understand what happened to her? — She left a... a magical video that explained everything. — Bryce pulled the Truth Teller from the sheath at his side. There, at least, the blades didn't call to each other. — Silene had this when she returned to her home world. And now I've brought it back to Midgard. Aidas was scared when he saw the dagger.

— Did Silene tell you what happened in that last meeting with her mother? Bryce rolled his eyes. —Tell me soon, Aidas. Thanatos and Apollion fidgeted in their seats, irritated by her irreverence, but Aidas's mouth curved into a smile. — It took years before Helena and I could understand what that Theia did with her magic. “She protected her daughters,” Bryce said, remembering how Theia's star split into three, with one sphere going to each daughter. — He used the Harp to carry his magic to one of them, as a kind of protection spell. Aidas nodded. — Theia used the Harp to divide her magic, all her magic, between the three of them. A third for Silene. A rosary for Helena. And the rest stayed with Theia. — An ancient sadness appeared in his eyes. — But she didn't save enough to protect herself. Why do you think Theia died at the hands of Pelias that day? With only a third of her power, she didn't stand a chance against him. —And the sword and the knife? asked Bryce. — Theia did everything she could to prevent the Asteri from wielding their power to use the sword and knife. Both weapons were linked to her power, as Theia had helped make them both — Aidas explained calmly. — That's why Aster calls for the descendantsof Helena... of Theia. But only those who have enough Theia starlight to activate their power. Your

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Ancestors called these Star Fae. The Asteri had no power over the blades; they don't have Theia's connection to weapons. As the Aster and the knife were both Made by Theia at the same time, the bond between them has always united them. They have been trying to unite for a long time, as they were at the time of their Creation. “Like attracts,” Bryce murmured. — That's why Aster and the Truth Revealer continue to want to be close to each other. Why are they so excited? Aidas nodded. — I believe that when you opened the Gate, despite your desire to come to Hell, Aster's desire to be close to the knife and vice versa was so strong that the portal was redirected to the world where they were Made. With the door closed between the worlds, they were unable to reunite. But once you opened it, the pull of the blades was stronger than your untrained will. With Aster in hand, she went straight to the Truth Revealer, landing on that grass just a few meters from Azriel and the dagger. Bryce shuddered at the blades. — I'm trying not to be freaked out by the fact that these things are, like... sentient. —But she made sense, didn't she? The attraction, the connection between the two. Holy shit, I could have sworn they were talking the night before. Like two friends who had been apart for a long time and were now catching up. More than fifteen thousand years of separation.

Aidas continued: — But it wasn't just the blades you gathered in the world Fae Christmas, was it? Bryce's hands glowed faintly with that ghostly aura. “No,” she admitted. — I think... I think I've claimed some of Theia's magic. Silene left her waiting there. — She thought it was another star, not a piece of a larger star.

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Aidas didn't seem surprised, but the other two princes wore such similar confused expressions that she almost smiled. Bryce looked at Hunt, who nodded discreetly. Carry on, he seemed to say. Then Bryce explained how she claimed the power of the Prison, what she saw and learned from Silene's memory, her confrontation with Vesperus. Bryce finished: — I thought Silene had left her power, but she still had magic afterwards. It must have been Theia's power that she left in the stones. It was absorbed by mine, as if it were mine. And when my light shone through the Autumn King's prism, it was transformed. It felt... more complete. Now tinged with darkness. Aidas reflected: — I would say you already had a third of Theia's power, the part that was originally given to Helena... that came to you through Helena's lineage, and you took another third from Silene's hiding place. But if you can find the last third, the part Theia had kept for herself... I wonder what her light will look like then. What will you be able to do? — You met Theia — said Bryce — you tell me. — I believe you already started to see some glimpses — declared Aidas — when you found what Silene had escondido. Bryce considered. — The power of the laser? Echo laughed.

— Theia called it starfire. But yes. Bryce frowned. — Is... is it the same as the asteri? — She hadn't realized how much this doubt bothered her. It devoured Bryce from the inside. “No,” interrupted Apollion, frowning. —They are similar in their ability to destroy, but the power of the asteri is a blunt and wicked tool of destruction. Aidas added, his eyes shining with sympathy:

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—The destructiveness of starfire is just one facet of a wondrous gift. The biggest difference, obviously, is in how the bearer chooses to use it. Bryce gave a small smile as the weight was lifted from his shoulders. back.

Hunt interrupted: — So, just to understand: there is still a third fraction of the power of Theia out there... or was there?

— Helena knew that the fraction of her mother's magic she possessed would be passed on to future generations — said Aidas. —But when Theia died, all that was left of her power stayed in Aster. Theia placed it on the blade after separating her daughters' share. Bryce shook his head. - Let me see if I got it. Theia divided her power into three parts: one for each of her daughters, and she transferred the last part to Aster. So the final part of her magic is in that blade? Waiting there all this time? “No,” said Aidas. — Helena removed it.

Bryce groaned. - Serious? Can nothing be easy? Aidas snorted. — Helena didn't think it wise to leave what was left of Theia's star on the sword, even in secret. — But how would the Asteri have been able to exercise Theia's power to use the sword and the knife — asked Bryce — if she was dead? “They could have revived her,” Hunt said quietly. Aidas agreed.

—Theia did not want them to access the full star strength in her bloodline, even through her corpse. So she divided it into three, putting just enough in Aster to face Pelias, so as to buy time for her daughters to escape. She gave her magic to her daughters, thinking they would both escape to their home world and be out of the reach of the asteri forever. — Why not send Aster with them too?

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“Because then the knife and the sword would be together,” he said. Thanatos. — But what kind of threat do they pose? asked Bryce, almost shouting in irritation. — The Autumn King said they can open a portal to nowhere… Is that it? — Yes — confirmed Aidas. —And together, they can unleash final destruction. Theia separated them to prevent the asteri from having this ability. She didn't know how the weapons could be joined by someone outside of her bloodline, but the Asteri were known for being...creative. —How did Helena transfer the power of the sword? She didn't have the Harp,” Bryce asked. “No,” Aidas agreed. — But Helena knew that Midgard possessed magic of its own. A type of raw magic that was weaker than that of his home world, but could be potent in high concentrations. Helena learned that she flowed through the world in great highways, natural channels for magic. “The ley lines,” Bryce whispered. Aidas nodded. — These lines are capable of transporting magic, but also of carrying communications over great distances. —Like those between the Crescent City Gates, the way she spoke to Danika the day she made the Descent. — Ley lines are all over the universe. And the planets, like Midgard, Hell, and the Fae homeworld, are at the top of these lines, united by time, space, and the Void itself. Thinning the veils that separate us. Asteri have long chosen worlds that are on ley lines for this exact purpose. To make movement and colonization between these planets easier. There are certain locations on each of these worlds where most of the ley lines overlap, and therefore the barrier between the worlds is weaker.

Everything fit.

“Thin places,” Bryce said with sudden certainty. — Exactly — replied Apollion for Aidas, with a nod of approval. —The Northern Rift, the Southern Rift… both sit atop a tremendous knot of ley lines. And even though those under

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Avallen are not so strong, the island is a single tenuous place, thanks to the black salt... which connects it to Hell. — And the mists? Hunt asked. — What's the matter with them? — The mists are the result of the power of ley lines — said Aidas. — They are an indication of a tenuous place. Hoping to find a ley line strong enough to help her transfer and hide Theia's power, Helena sent a fleet of earth-magic fey to search every misty place they could find on Midgard. When she heard about a place shrouded in mist so thick it was almost impossible to penetrate, Helena went to investigate. The mists opened for her... as if they were waiting for her. She found the small network of caves in Avallen... and the black salt beneath the surface.

Aidas gave a dark smile.

— She returned to the Eternal City and convinced Pelias that it was the only place worthy of burying him. He was vain and arrogant enough to believe her. So they established the fae kingdom in Avallen, and she carved her royal tomb in the rock. He invented lies about wanting future generations to worship him, that they would have to be born with the right blood to earn the privilege of winning his sword, which would be buried with him. Aidas gestured toward Aster, sheathed behind Bryce's back. — Helena knew that Pelias would never part with his trophy, at least until he died. And when he finally died, she used the power of Avallen's ley lines to take the star that her mother had imbued in Aster and hide it. —Then why the prophecy about the sword and the knife? Hunt asked. — If Theia was so scared of them reuniting, why all this nonsense about trying to get them back together? Aidas crossed his legs. — Helena invented this prophecy, sowing it in fae lore. She knew that, despite all her mother's fear, it was necessary to have the sword and the knife to destroy the asteri. She knew that if a descendant appeared who could claim all three parts of the magic, he would

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I would need the sword and the knife to make this power count. The power of Theia, when complete, is the only thing that can unite and activate the true power of these blades and stop the tyranny of the Asteri. Bryce's mouth was dry. He had finally found a way to defeat the Asteri. —So where is it? asked Bryce. —Where is the last part of Theia's power? “I don't know,” Aidas said sadly. — Helena didn’t tell anyone, not even me. Bryce sighed in frustration, but Hunt continued to pressure the princes. — So to unite the sword and the knife, Bryce needs to find the starlight that Helena took from Aster, the last third of Theia's power, which is hidden somewhere in Avallen? — Yes — confirmed Aidas. — But how do I get them to open that portal to somewhere none... and what the hell does that mean, anyway? — Bryce complained. Thanatos said: — We've been asking ourselves this for ages. Aidas ran his hand through his golden hair. — Final destruction was the best guess we had. “Fantastic,” Bryce muttered. However, Hunt asked, “If Avallen is one of the most powerful tenuous places, why did the Asteri allow the Fae to live here?” — Black salt, in large quantities, serves as a repellent for them. They never realized that their presence attracted us as much as it repelled them,” said Apollion with satisfaction. — It has the same properties that made us immune to the slavery of your black crowns. Bryce tensed at that and looked at Hunt. But the partner asked, leaving aside doubts about himself same:

— Did Helena know that the asteri were repelled from this place? Aidas nodded.

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— Discovering this was what confirmed the decision to hide Theia's power here. Bryce tilted his head: — But why did the mists part for Helena to pass through? — Black salt only repels asteri; the mists repel all others. But certain people, with certain gifts, can access power from tenuous places… in any world. Wanderers of the world. Aidas gestured gracefully to Bryce. - You're one of them. Helena and Theia too. Your natural abilities allow you to move through the mists. Bryce brushed the invisible dirt off his shoulders. “You can add that to Bryce's Magical Star Princess crap list,” Hunt said, laughing. But then he frowned. — If the sword and knife could open a portal to nowhere all this time, why didn't Theia use them in the First Wars? “Because she was scared,” Aidas said, his voice becoming tense. suddenly. — For all of us. “Okay,” Bryce said. — Final destruction. “Yes,” said Aidas. Thanatos snorted dismissively, but Apollion looked at Aidas with something akin to compassion. — Theia — explained Aidas — created some theories about the union of the blades, but never put them into practice. He feared that if he opened a portal to nowhere, all of Midgard might be drawn in. It may be possible that he could trap the Asteri in another world only to condemn this world to follow them. So he decided it would be better to be careful. And when she should have thrown caution out the window... it was already too late for her. For us. It was safer and wiser to separate the blades and their power. “But Helena didn't believe that,” Bryce said. — Helena believed the risk was worth it — said Aidas. — She suffered a lot in the years after the First Wars, and she saw the suffering of others too. I came to agree with her. She did not tell me where she transferred Theia's power, but I know she made it accessible to a descendant who might arise and find the light of Theia that she kept. The person who could somehow

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way, against all odds, unite the parts of Theia's power... and the two blades. —What blinds an Oracle? Bryce whispered. “The star of Theia,” Aidas replied softly. — I told you: The Oracle didn't see that day... but I did. I saw you, so young and smart and brave, and the starlight that Helena told me to wait for. That third of Theia's power, passed down through Helena's bloodline. Hunt demanded, “But what should Bryce do?” Find that last bit of Theia's power, use it on the blades, and open that portal to nowhere while praying we don't all get stuck with the asteri too? “That's it in short,” Aidas said, his eyes fixed on Bryce. —But there is one thing that neither Theia nor Helena had anticipated: that you would carry the Horn, reborn, in your body. Another way to open doors between worlds. — And what should she do with it? —Hunt grunted. Aidas smiled. — Opening the Northern Rift, obviously.

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“So,” Bryce said slowly, as if leaving the words alone, “why not use settle the Horn to open the portal to nowhere?” — Because nobody knows what it is... where it is. The sword and knife somehow point to his location. It is only possible to reach this portal through them. Hunt's head swam. Hell, his head hadn't stopped spinning in the last ten minutes. But Bryce didn't accept what he heard. —What if I never got the knife back? What if I never came to Avallen? What if I didn't get the chance to do any of that, or I refused to come here, or whatever? Apollion and Thanatos fidgeted in their seats, bored or nervous, but Aidas continued speaking. — I don't know how Helena expected you to be able to retrieve the knife from her home world. As for Avallen... Helena wanted me to help you. But you hated the fae so much... you would never have trusted me if I had pressured you to travel to their fortress. “It's true,” Bryce murmured.

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— My brothers and I had certain doubts about Helena’s plan. We continued to pin our hopes on the reopening of the Northern Rift so that we could continue the fight against the Asteri. If someone like you, a world wanderer, showed up and Avallen wasn't yet accessible to claim Theia's power, you'd still need to find a way to... fuel yourself, so to speak.

He finally looked at Hunt. Hunt could barely breathe. Here, after all that waiting... the answers were here. — You are the son of my two brothers only in the vaguest sense — said Aidas. Something in Hunt's chest calmed, even as his stomach tightened. turn around.

“At first, Thanatos refused to help,” he added. Apollion, looking irritably at his brother. “I didn't approve of the plan,” replied Thanatos, holding his hand tightly. helmet. — And I still don't approve. — My brother — said Aidas, nodding to Thanatos — has long excelled at making things. “Funny,” Bryce said, “I didn't think you were a craftsman. Hunt looked at her in disbelief, but Aidas smiled before continuing to speak to him: — During the First Wars, as you call them, Thanatos helped Apollion create new types of demons to fight on our side. The kristallos, designed to hunt the Horn... so we can find an unobstructed path to Midgard. The pastor. The death hunters. — A nod to Hunt, as if he knew of the scar left by one of them on Hunt's back. — They were some of my brother's creations.

Bryce shook his head. — But the poison of the kristallos can nullify the magic. If you knew how to do this, why didn't you use it against the Asteri in the war? “We tried,” said Aidas. — It didn’t have the same effect on their power.

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— I'm sorry — Hunt interrupted — but are you insinuating that I was made by these two idiots? Like some kind of pet? — He pointed to Thanatos, then to Apollion. — Not as a pet — replied Apollion in a dark voice. - A weapon. He pointed at Bryce. — For her, when she finally appeared. — But you didn't know the timelines would overlap — countered Bryce, almost out of breath.

— No. They had no previous experiments — Apollion agreed. — The expectation was that they would spread and multiply throughout Midgard, but the Asteri found out about our plans and put an end to them. “Thunderbirds,” Bryce said, mouth agape. — Were they also made by you? — and the — Yes, they were — Aidas replied naturally, we sent him through the cracks of the Northern Rift. But they were hunted to near extinction generations ago. To bless an angel with their power, a perfect soldier... it was a gift and a curse. The Asteri believed that, through the artificial selection of malakim, they would finally obtain an impeccable soldier to serve them. That it was their own brilliance that brought someone like Hunt Athalar into the world. “But you rebelled,” Apollion told Hunt with great pride. — You were too valuable to kill, but they wanted to destroy you. He was enslaved for this purpose. Hunt could barely feel his body. — Can we please go back in time a little? — interrupted Bryce. — You created the thunderbirds to supplement my power... in case I never got the sword and knife, and if I ever needed an extra charge to open the Rift. But when they were hunted, you... created Hunt, and then I was born... — Athalar was already enslaved — said Aidas — but we were always keeping an eye on him.

Apollion nodded to Hunt.

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— Why do you think you are so skilled at hunting demons? It's in the your blood... part of me is in your blood. Nausea rose in Hunt's throat. The idea of owing something to the Prince of the Moat... — Just as he gave up some of his essence to others, so he provided kristallos — said Thanatos —, me with something that I could give you. The Fire of Hell. - Hellfire? Bryce demanded. “Lightning,” said Thanatos, waving an irritated hand. — Capable of killing almost anything. Even an asteri. — Is that how you killed Sirius? asked Bryce. - With your… Hellfire? “Yes,” said Apollion. Then he added to Hunt: — Your name came in honor of that, whispered in your mother's ear when you were born. Orion...master of Sirius. “How funny,” Hunt replied. Then he asked: — Calm down... can my lightning kill the asteri? — Hope blossomed, radiant and beautiful in his chest. “No,” said Apollion. — It’s… diluted from mine. It can harm them, but not kill them. I believe your mother's angelic blood caused this power to diminish. Hope withered. And something darker took its place when he asked: — What was my mother's role in all this? - He could accept some genetic interference, but... — There was a scientist in the Asteri Archives — commented Aidas. —An angel who was investigating the origins of thunderbirds, the strangeness of their power. The project was named after an almost forgotten storm god. “Project Thurr,” Bryce added. — Was Danika also investigating? I found mention of this after she he died.

— I don't know — Aidas replied — but the angel was researching thunderbirds at the behest of the Asteri, who feared their return. This made him come to us. When we told him the truth, he offered to help. At the time, Thanatos was finishing his

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work. And with a willing male, only one female was needed to breed. Hunt couldn't breathe. Bryce placed his hand on his knee. — Your father only knew your mother for a short time — commented Aidas. — And he knew that having a partner would help lift her out of poverty. He had every intention of staying. To leave his life behind and raise you in secret. Hunt barely managed to ask, “What happened?” — The mystics told Rigelus about the connection his father had with us. They didn't find out everything... nothing about you or your mother. But he was talking to us. Rigelus took him back and he was tortured and executed. Hunt's heart skipped a beat. “He didn't tell them anything,” Apollion said, with a gentle tone in his voice. — He never mentioned his mother or her pregnancy. The asteri never knew you were connected to him in any way. — What... what was his name? “Hyrieus,” replied Aidas. —He was a good male, Hunt Athalar. Just like you. Bryce squeezed his knee, his hand so warm—or was it strangely cold? — Okay, so Hunt was meant to be a backup battery for me… — Can I do the same for Ruhn, then? — interrupted Hunt. “No,” said Thanatos. — The prince's light, the affinity he has with these tenuous places, is not strong enough. Not like hers. Hunt grabbed Bryce's hand on his knee. —Was it in my DNA that Bryce and I would be partners? That was also designed? — No — Aidas replied quickly — that was never the intention. I think this was the work of higher powers. Whatever they are. Looking at Bryce, Hunt saw nothing but love in his eyes. eyes. He couldn't take it.

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He was overcome with horror, as cold as frost. He had been raised by those males to give in and to suffer, and what did that mean to him? What the fuck did that make him? “Okay,” Bryce said. — Hellfire and starfire: a potent combination. But Helena left all that shit to help end this conflict. It seems like you guys just want me to open a damn door so you can come in and save the day. — Is it so bad — purred Thanatos — to let us do the dirty work? Bryce scowled at him. - This is my world. I want to fight for him. — Then fight alongside us — challenged Thanatos.

A tense silence stretched between them. Hunt had no idea how to start processing this insanity. But that cold in his veins... it was pleasant. Numbing. “It would be nice to have a little more time to prepare,” Bryce murmured. Aidas shook his head. — You weren't ready before. What if you had told the wrong person? You know what the asteri do to those who defy their divinity. I couldn't risk it, put you at risk. I had to wait for you to find the answers on your own. But didn't I tell you from the beginning to come to me? That I would help? That's what Apollion was also trying to do, albeit in the wrong way: prepare you two for everything... to fight the asteri.

"But how," Hunt asked, fighting that numbing, blissful cold in his chest, "did you drive the asteri out of Hell the first time?" — They had difficulty feeding on our magic — Thanatos explained, his voice full of disgust. —And we discovered that our powers rivaled theirs. They ran away before we could kill them. Bryce swallowed hard as he examined Apollion. — And did you really eat Sirius? Like, did you ingest it?

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But it was Aidas who responded, with pride shining through. his face.

—Apollion killed her with his Hellfire when she attacked... He pulled the burning heart from his chest and ate it. Hunt shuddered. But Bryce asked, “How is that possible?” "I am darkness itself," Apollion replied softly. — True darkness. The kind that exists in the bowels of a black hole. Hunt's bones shook. The male wasn't bragging. "Then why can't you just...eat the rest of them?" asked Bryce. “To do that, you have to be close,” Aidas replied. —And the Asteri know my brother's talents well. They will avoid you at all costs. — The image of the princes began to fail, as if they were on a faulty screen. “We're running out of time,” said Thanatos. — The effect of black salt is passing. Bryce focused on Apollion. — You have been telling me non-stop that your armies are ready to go. — She pointed to the temple, the dead city beyond. — This place looks pretty empty. Apollion's eyes grew darker and darker. — We allowed you to see only a fraction of Hell. Our lands and our armies are elsewhere. They are ready. —So if I open the Northern Rift with the Horn... —he said

Bryce.

Hunt cleared his throat in warning. —Are you seven and your armies going to pass?

“The three of us,” Aidas added. — Our other four brothers are involved in conflicts at the moment, helping other worlds. “I didn't know you guys were, like, intergalactic saviors,” Bryce teased. Aidas' mouth curved upward. She could have sworn Apollion's did too.

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“But yes,” Aidas continued.

—, opening the Northern Rift is the

The only way for our armies to fully and quickly enter Midgard. — After what happened this spring — Hunt said to his partner — do you believe they won't eat everyone? “Those were our pets,” Aidas insisted, not our armies. And they —, were severely punished. This time, they will toe the line and follow our orders on the battlefield. Bryce looked at Hunt, but he couldn't read the expression on her face. The image failed again, the temple glowing and turning pale. Hunt felt a tug in his stomach, wanting to take him back to the body he had left in Avallen. “I'll think about it,” Bryce replied. — This isn't a game, girl — Thanatos replied. Bryce gave the Ravine Prince a cold look. — I'm tired of people using girl as an insult. Thanatos opened his mouth to respond, but disappeared from sight. suddenly. The connection had been severed.

Apollion said to Hunt: — Don't waste the gifts you have received... from me, from my brother. — His gaze shifted to the halo on Hunt's forehead. —No true child of Hell can be caged. Then he was gone too.

Son of Hell. Hunt's soul froze at the thought. Only Aidas remained, seeming to cling to the connection as he spoke to Bryce, his intense blue eyes on her face. “If you find that last piece of Theia's power... if the cost of joining the sword and the knife is too great, Bryce Quinlan, then don't do it. Choose life. — He looked at Hunt. — Choose each other. I have lived with my choice for millennia... loss never becomes easier to bear. Bryce reached out his ghostly hand towards Aidas, but the Gorge Prince had disappeared. And all Hell with it.

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When he opened his eyes, Bryce saw the fire. Burning, incandescent.

Hunt's lightning instantly surrounded her, but it was too late. The Autumn King and Morven were in the chamber, they had found them. Morven was shrouded in shadow, but her father glowed with furious fire. And in the center of the room, surrounded by a fire that not even Tharion's water could extinguish, were her friends. Bryce took a deep breath as he took in what he saw: Tharion, Baxian, Sathia, Flynn, and Declan, all huddled together and surrounded by fire. There was no sign of the evil spirits in the shadows, but the murderous twins were outside the perimeter, grinning like the idiots they were. The Autumn King didn't bother surrounding her and Hunt with fire, knowing that even Hunt's lightning couldn't stop him if he decided to burn his prisoners to ashes. It was protection enough. “Get up,” Morven ordered Bryce, shadows like whips in the Stag King's hands. — We've already waited too long for you to come out of this stupor.

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Hunt hissed, and when Bryce looked at him, he noticed the blistered welts on his partner's forearm. They were burning Hunt to try to wake him up... Bryce looked up at the king of Avallen, crowned by shadows. To his father, standing beside him, his face cold despite the fire at his fingertips. — What did you do with the black salt? asked the Autumn King softly. — Who did you see? Bryce unsheathed Aster and the Truth-Revealer. “Drop those weapons,” Morven demanded. — You've stained them long enough. The fire closed even tighter around his friends. Baxian he swore as some black feathers were singed. — Sorry — Bryce said to the kings, without lowering his weapons — but the

Blades don't work on rejected losers. The Autumn King sneered:

— They have a somewhat questionable taste. But let's change that. “Okay,” Bryce said thoughtfully. — I forgot that you killed the last Starry Prince because I was jealous of him. The Autumn King, as he had done the last time she accused him, just laughed. Morven looked at him, as if he had a sudden doubt. But the Autumn King said:

- Envy? From that shitty crybaby? He was unworthy of that sword, just no more unworthy than you. Bryce smiled victoriously. — I'll take that as a compliment. The Autumn King continued:

— I killed the boy because he wanted to end the lineage. With everything the fae are. — The male pointed his chin at Bryce. — Like you, no doubt. She shrugged.

— I won't deny it.

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— Ah, I know well what's in your heart, Bryce Quinlan — roared the Autumn King. — I know what you would do if you were left to your own devices. —Would you watch television until you had enough?

His flames rose higher, bringing his friends closer. close. There was little space left between their bodies and the fire.

— You are a threat to the fae. Your mother raised you to abhor us, you are unworthy of bearing the royal name. Bryce gave a hoarse, bitter laugh. — Do you think it was my mother who made me turn against you? That's my thing, from the moment you sent your goons after us to kill both her and Randall. And every minute since then, you pathetic, loser. Do you want to find whoever is responsible for why I think the fae are just worthless pieces of shit? Just look in the mirror. “Ignore this hysterical chatter,” Morven warned the Autumn King. The Autumn King bared his teeth at her. — You left this little bit of power you inherited and a title go to your head. Morven's shadows appeared behind him, ready to destroy everything in your path.

— You'll wish for death when the asteri get their hands on you. Bryce tightened his grip on the blades. They hummed, one attracting the other. As if they were begging her for final unification. She ignored them and instead asked the fae kings: — Finally decided to hand us over? “The worms you associate with, yes,” said the Autumn King, without a hint of mercy. - But you… — Okay, procreate — Bryce said, and didn't miss Hunt's incredulity when he heard that. She stretched her arms, trying to keep the blades at bay. — I assume Sathia, Flynn and Dec are also kept for breeding, but that's any non-Fae's unlucky day. I'm sorry, guys.

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“This is no joke,” Morven snapped. “No, it's not,” Bryce replied, looking into his eyes. — And I'm tired of laughing at you idiots. Morven didn't back down.

— That little light show may have surprised us last time, but a spark from you and your friends burns. Or should we demonstrate an alternative method? — Morven gestured with a shadowed hand to the murderous twins. Bryce checked to make sure his mental wall of starlight was intact, but like the bullies they were, the twins targeted the person they assumed was the weakest. In the blink of an eye, Sathia was wide-eyed and watching the confrontation. The next, she ripped the knife from Tharion's side. And he held her against his own neck. — Stop it — Tharion barked at the twins, who were laughing. Sathia's hand shook as she pressed the dagger into her neck with a little more force, drawing a trickle of blood. “One move toward her, fish, and that knife will go in deep,” Morven threatened. “Leave her alone,” ordered Bryce, taking a step forward. A single step. The sword and dagger in his hands seemed to advance as well, towards the center of the room. She held them tighter. The flames around his friends intensified. One of Baxian's feathers caught fire and Dec barely managed to put out the flame before it spread. — Release the blades and they will free her mind — countered the man. Autumn King.

Bryce looked at the sword and knife, fighting the pull of both weapons towards the center of the room. Sathia was on the other side of the burning ring, pure, helpless terror written all over her face, blood running down her neck. One thought from Seamus or Duncan, one movement, and that knife would slide into his throat.

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Bryce threw the blades to the ground. The dark metal clanked against the stone brutally as they stopped almost at the top of the eight-pointed star. Out of reach.

None of the kings advanced, however, as if they were afraid to catch them —or even to walk up to them. The murderous twins scowled as their fun was interrupted, but Sathia lowered the knife. He still held it tightly, towards the twins. No one dared to snatch it from his hand. But Bryce was staring at the Autumn King as he barked, "After all that talk about loving my mother and regretting hitting her... is that what you do to your own daughter?" And with the daughter of one of your fae friends? — You stopped being my daughter the moment you locked me in my own house. “Oh,” said Bryce. — That hurt, right in the heart. — She knocked on his chest for emphasis, and the star shone in response. “She's biding her time,” the Autumn King said to Morven. — That's what she did to Micah... “Ah, yes,” said Bryce, taking a step forward, “when I finished his race. He told? — he asked Morven. — It was supposed to be a big secret. — She whispered, taking another step closer. — I cut that son of a bitch into little pieces for what he did to Danika. The killer twins looked surprised. Bryce smiled at them, at Morven, at the Autumn King, and said, “But what I did to Micah is nothing compared to what I'll do to you. She held out her hands. Aster and the Truth-Revealer flew even them, as they did in the fae world. Similar attracts. But she wasn't making time for herself. I was waiting for Hunt. As the sword and dagger flew towards her, Hunt's lightning, gathering in a wave behind Bryce, rushed towards the assassin twins.

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They only had one choice: release Sathia to intercept the two lightning whips that would strike them or allow Hunt's lightning to destroy them. The twins chose to live. A shield of shadows crashed against the lightning spears. That was all Bryce needed to see before he began to act. The Autumn King shouted in warning, but Bryce was already running in the

their direction. In his direction. She didn't hold back as she exploded with starlight. ***

The entire cave shook as lightning and shadows collided. Hunt gritted his teeth.

Tharion had managed to take the knife from Sathia before she dropped it and cut her own foot, and now the female was crouched in the circle of fire, her head in her hands. The blast of starlight that shot from Bryce as she ran toward her enemies threatened to collapse the cave. Her hair fluttering around her head, her fingertips glowing with starfire. Hunt was awestruck by so much condensed beauty and power. But one of the killer twins laughed, a spiteful sound like a promise that his partner would suffer. Six evil spirits burst from the shadows, little more than shadows in their dark, tattered robes and outstretched, scabbed hands. What profanities did the twins commit to become lords of these miserable beings?

Hunt glimpsed jaws filled with curved seven-pointed teeth. centimeters that opened, looking at a distracted Bryce... With a roar of fury, he sent half a dozen spears made of crackling lightning toward the evil spirits and a seventh—for good luck—into the shadows of the twins. The lightning clashed with the archaic evil, and the evil spirits exploded into scalding dust. But their lightning shattered against the twins' wall of darkness. That the

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He had stopped them from joining the fight against Bryce, but he hadn't destroyed their shield.

“Go help her,” Baxian hissed over the crackling flame, but Hunt shook his head, throwing more of his lightning at the twins, who were now being pushed back with a slowly advancing wall of shadows. Hunt dared to look at Sathia, who watched with her eyes eyes wide open as Bryce lunged at the two fae kings. Bryce flew like a shooting star through the dark cave. “She doesn't need my help,” Hunt whispered. ***

The fire joined the starlight that met the shadows, and Bryce was released into that world. It would end there. At that moment. For once. It wasn't a fight for the asteri or for Midgard. The fae had fallen to leaders like those males, but their people could be so much more. Bryce bore the weight of it with every blow of starfire toward the Autumn King, driving him back, with every suffocating wave of shadows Morven sent to push her toward the stream. He hadn't ended up in that other world just for the sword and the knife, or to find some magical ammunition to end the rot in his own world. I could understand that now. Urd had sent her there to understand, even though she had witnessed so little of that world, that there were kind and brave fey. She had had to betray Nesta and Azriel, had to deceive them... but she knew that, deep down, they were good. Midgard's fae could be better. Ruhn was proof of that. Flynn and Dec were proof of that. Even Sathia was proof of that in the short time Bryce had known her. Bryce launched a string of starfire at Morven, digging deep into the black salt floor. He dodged, escaping her reach with the skill of a warrior.

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It was time to put an end to all that. The pettiness, machismo, and arrogance that have been the hallmarks of Midgard's fae for generations. Pelias' legacy. Everything would come to an end, that day.

Starlight shone around Bryce, the darkness of Silene's twilight power— Theia—taking shape, transforming her into starfire. If she could find the final third piece, the one that would complete the star... It was already complete. What she had—who she was… was enough. It had always been enough to face these bastards, with or without power. With this Estrelada shit or without it. She was enough.

The assassin twins fought the ambush that Hunt had set against them. From where he was, Bryce knew that Hunt couldn't see what they were doing behind the wall of shadows, breaking through, blasting their lightning. But from here... Bryce could see how they used that wall against Hunt. They used it to shield themselves from his view as they turned toward Bryce. Not even Hunt's lightning was fast enough as the murderous twins leaped at her with swords drawn. Just as his shadowy claws scratched the wall of Bryce's mind. It would all be over. In that day. Bryce exploded—in the twins' minds, in their bodies. Dominating them with starfire. A part of her recoiled in horror as their massive forms fell to the ground, burning smoking holes where their eyes had been. In the place where their brains were. She had melted both of their minds. Morven screamed in fury—and with something like fear. She had done it. With only two-thirds of Theia's star, he had managed... — Bryce! shouted Hunt, but it was too late. Morven sent out a whip of shadows, hidden beneath a plume of Flame from the Autumn King. The whip wrapped around Bryce's legs

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and pulled her. She hit a rock, starlight flashing. The impact crushed his skull, making the world spin. Or maybe it was the shadows, dragging her closer to the wall of flames. Bryce attacked the shadow collar with his hand wrapped in starfire. He tore the darkness into strips. Bryce woke up in the blink of an eye, but not quickly enough to dodge the flame punch that the Autumn King threw at his stomach... Bryce teleported, as quick and instinctive as a breath. Straight to the Autumn King. It would end at that moment. The Autumn King staggered in shock as he grabbed his flaming fist with one hand. As she held her ground, she dug her nails in hard. His fire burned her skin, stunning her with pain, but she she dug her nails in deeper and sent her starfire at him. The father roared in agony, falling to his knees. Morven was so stunned that he froze in place, cursing nonstop. Bryce looked at what she had done with the Autumn King's fist. What used to be your hand. Only melted flesh and bones remained. The Autumn King vomited in pain, bending over his knees, with hand resting on his chest. — Do you think these gifts make you special? — Morven raged, shaking off his stupor. A nest of shadows stirred around him. — My son knew how to do all this... and, in the end, he was nothing more than rubbish. Just like you. Morven's shadows fell upon her like a flock of crows. Bryce blasted a wall of starlight, destroying the shadow birds, but more came, from everywhere and nowhere, from below... The Autumn King stood up, his face gray with agony, cradling what was left of his hand. charred. “I'm going to teach you a new definition of pain,” he spat.

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And there was no training that could have prepared Bryce, no time to teleport to avoid the two swift attacks of the fae kings, matched in power. She dodged her father's blast of fire, only for Morven's shadows to grab her again. Hands of shadows that threw her against the stone with such force that she lost her breath. The Aster and the Truth-Revealer flew from his fingers. A female screamed, and for a moment Bryce thought it might have been Cthona, perhaps Luna herself. But it was Sathia.

It was Sathia, who was back on her feet, but still not. They were all the female fae that came before them. Bryce blasted his light, destroying Morven's shadows. They dispersed to reveal the Autumn King standing above her, a fiery sword in his undamaged hand. “I should have done this a long time ago,” cried the father, and He plunged his fiery sword toward her exposed heart. The Autumn King only got halfway there before light exploded in his chest. Hunt's lightning had… No. It wasn't Hunt's lightning that flashed across the Autumn King's ribs. It was Aster. Wielded by Ruhn, standing behind him. Ruhn, who plunged his sword into his father's cold heart. ***

Ruhn knew, in his gut, why he was on his way to those caves. He was a Starry Prince and would right an old wrong. With the Aster in his hand, piercing his father's heart. Ruhn knew he was exactly where he was supposed to be. The Autumn King gave a scream of shock, blood pouring from his mouth. — I know all the definitions of pain thanks to you — Ruhn snapped and pulled out his sword.

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His father fell face first onto the stone floor. Even Morven's shadows stopped as the Autumn King struggled to his feet. Lidia, protecting Ruhn's back against the Deer King, said nothing. No pity rose in Ruhn's heart as his father gurgled blood, which dripped onto the stones. The Autumn King raised his head to meet Ruhn's gaze. Betrayal and hatred burned in his face. Ruhn spoke in his mind, in all minds: I lied when I told you what the Oracle told me. His father's eyes lit up with shock as he heard Ruhn's voice in his head, the secret his son had kept all these years. Ruhn didn't care what Morven thought, nor did he bother to look at the Stag King. Bryce and Athalar could deal with the shadows, if Morven was dumb enough to attack. Then Ruhn looked into his father's hateful face and spoke: The Oracle did not tell me that I would be a just and impartial king. She told me that the royal line would end with me. He had the feeling that his friends were watching him with wide-eyed. But she only had eyes for the pathetic male before her. I thought that he was talking about his lineage. Ruhn lifted the bloodied Aster. Flames boiled through the father's body, outlining his powerful form. But Ruhn was no longer a scared boy, filling his body with tattoos to hide his scars. I was wrong. I think the Oracle was referring to all of them, Ruhn continued, between minds. Male lineages. Starry Princes coming into this account—all you damned, corrupt people who stole so much and never apologized for your actions. The entire system. That shit about crowns and inheritance. His father's mocking voice filled his mind. You're a spoiled, ungrateful brat who never deserved to carry my crown... And I don't even want to, Ruhn refuted, and closed the bridge that allowed the father spoke between their minds. He was tired of listening to this male. Blood dripped from the father's lips as his blood vanir He tried to heal him, gather his strength so he could attack.

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The line will end with me, you scoundrel, Ruhn said in the man's mind. father, because I hand over my crown, my title, to the queen.

The father turned pale, the purest of fears written on his face. And out of the corner of his eye, Ruhn saw Bryce's star begin to shine. A serene peace blossomed within him. I always assumed the Oracle's prophecy meant I would die. He let his core of starlight flicker across the blade, a response to Bryce's summons. One last turn.

But I will live, he told his father. And I'll live well without you. Even Morven's shadows weren't fast enough as Ruhn swung the Aster into the air again. And he cut his father's neck.

***

Bryce didn't know what to say as Ruhn cut off the Autumn King's head. While his brother destroyed his skull with Aster before he even hit the stone. She got up. He stopped next to Ruhn, who was stiff, still holding the bloody sword, his father's head impaled on it. The friends were still surrounded by fire, an impenetrable prison. As if the Autumn King had imbued the flames with an energy outside of his body, which would persist even after his death. A final punishment. Lidia ran, as if she could find a way to put out the flames… — Free them all — ordered Bryce to Morven, in a voice that even she couldn't recognize — before we kill you too. Morven bared his teeth. But despite the burning hatred in his eyes, he knelt and raised his hands in submission. - I surrender. The fire disappeared. Morven blinked, as if surprised, but said nothing. The friends got up at the same moment. Hunt put a hand on Sathia's back to help her. So they all

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They positioned themselves, as one, behind Bryce and Ruhn. And she saw, for an instant she could see. A world no longer divided into Houses... but united. Bryce took a few steps to pick up the Truth Revealer who was standing near the Autumn King's decapitated corpse. She didn't look at the body, at the still oozing blood, when she spoke to Ruhn: — Helena created the prophecy to explain what these weapons are capable of doing, the power needed to face the asteri. But I think, in its own way, the prophecy was also the hope she had for me. What could I do, other than wield power. Confusion filled Ruhn's bright blue eyes. “Sword,” Bryce said, pointing to the Aster in his hand. She held up the Truth-Revealer. - Do. — And then she pointed to her friends, the fae, the angel, the merman and the shapeshifter behind them. - People.

“She wasn't just talking about the fae,” Ruhn concluded.

quietly.

— Not necessarily — Bryce amended. — It can mean whatever we want. — She gave a discreet smile. “Our people,” she said to Ruhn, to the others. —The people of Midgard. United against the Asteri. It had taken all this time, a trip through the stars and under the ground... but there they were.

Morven spat on the floor. — If you plan to fight the Asteri, you won't succeed. It doesn't matter if you unify all the Houses. It will be wiped from the face of Midgard. Bryce examined the kneeling king. — I admire your confidence. Morven's shadows began to bubble over his shoulders again. Waving in your arms. — I surrender now, girl, but the fae will never accept a demi-fey as a queen, even if she is Starry. Ruhn lunged at him, tilting Aster, but Bryce blocked him with one arm. For a long moment, she looked at the

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Morven's face. He really looked deep into the eyes of the male with the crown of shadows. He only found hatred inside.

—, This new world will be “If we win,” Bryce said quietly. fair. Enough of hierarchies and nonsense. — Everything Hunt had fought for. For what he and the Fallen had suffered. “But now,” Bryce continued, “I am queen of the Valbaran fae. — She waved at the Autumn King's body cooling on the floor, then smiled at Morven. —And from Avallen.

Morven hissed. — You will only be Queen of Avallen over my ca... He stopped at the smile on her face. And he turned pale. “As I was saying,” Bryce said slowly, “for now, I am queen. I'm the judge, the jury... Bryce looked at Sathia, still distraught and wide-eyed from the twins' attack, but unafraid. Unshaken, despite what the males in her life, what this particular male, had tried to do to her. Then Bryce looked at Morven and finished sweetly, “And I'm your fucking executioner.” The King of Avallen was still burning with hatred when Bryce drove the Truth-Revealer into his heart. ***

It only took a few blows from the Truth Revealer to Morven's neck for Bryce to decapitate him. And when she rose, it was the queen of the fae who stood before Ruhn, wreathed in starlight, full before her enemies. From the love that shone on Athalar's face as he beheld Bryce, Ruhn knew the angel saw the same. But it was Sathia who approached Bryce. Who knelt at his feet, bowing his head and declaring: — Hail Bryce, Queen of the Midgardian Fae. — Whoa! — Bryce exclaimed, shuddering. - Let's start com Avallen e Valbara e ver onde vamos parar.

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But Flynn and Declan also knelt. And Ruhn turned to the sister and knelt together, offering Aster with both hands. “To correct an old error,” said Ruhn, “and in the name of all the Starry Princes who came before me. This is yours. No word has ever sounded so right. Nor did anything feel so right as when Bryce took his Aster, a formal claim, and weighed it in his hands. Ruhn watched his sister look between the Aster and the Revealer of True, one blade shining with starlight, the other with darkness. - And now? — she asked softly. — Besides taking a moment to absorb the deaths of those two assholes? said Ruhn. He nodded toward Morven and his father. Bryce gave an awkward smile. — At least we discovered some things. - Oh yes? —The others were all gathered around them now, listening. “It turns out,” Athalar said with what Ruhn could have sworn was forced casualness, “Theia made a strange stop with her star magic, dividing it between herself and her daughters. In short, Bryce has two of these parts, but Helena used the ley line nexus and Avallen's natural magic to hide the third part somewhere in Avallen. If Bryce can find her, the sword and knife will be able to open a portal to nowhere, and we can trap the asteri inside.

Bryce glanced at Hunt, as if to say there was much more to it than that, but she said, “So… new mission: find the power Helena hid.” Aidas stated that Helena used Midgard's ley lines to hide him in these caves after Pelias' death. — She sighed, examining their faces. — Any idea where it might be? Ruhn blinked at her. “Yes,” he said, his voice hoarse. — I think I know. - And even? — Athalar asked, frowning. “No need to be so shocked,” Ruhn grumbled. Lidia approached them and added:

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—After Pelias died, you say? — Yes. It's complicated... — I think it’s part of the land — Lidia interrupted. —In Avallen's very bones. Bryce and Athalar raised their eyebrows, but Ruhn looked at Lidia and nodded. —That explains a lot. Bryce interrupted: — How…? “Well, Avallen was once part of an archipelago, but now it's just an island,” Ruhn said. — You said Helena relied on Avallen's ley lines to contain her mother's star... to hide it here, right? I think that in doing so, she drained all the magic of the land through the ley lines and redirected it to trap Theia's power. Made the earth wither. Just as you had said that Silene's lands had withered around the Prison while she held her share of power.

Bryce reflected: — Silene had the Horn, but Helena had to use the ley lines. However, both strategies had a disastrous effect on the land itself. — She looked at the blades again. — How do you propose to take away the magic? — Lidia challenged. - No We have no idea how to access it. No one answered. And, fuck, Morven and the Autumn King were lying there, dead and decapitated, and... —Does anyone have any bright ideas? — asked Tharion in amidst the tense silence. Ruhn stifled a laugh, but Bryce slowly turned to the merman, as if surprised. “Brilliant,” she murmured. Then he looked at Athalar, examining his face. “Light it up,” he whispered. As if it were the answer to everything.

***

Bright.

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Light.

Lit up.

The world seemed to stop, as if Urd herself had slowed down time as each thought reached Bryce. She looked at the walls. To the river of starlight that Helena had depicted at the bottom of each carving. A few hours before, she had thought that this was an artistic representation of the Starry bloodlines. But Silene had portrayed the evil that ran beneath the Prison in her sculptures, unwittingly warning about Vesperus... Perhaps Helena had also left a clue. One last challenge.

Bryce looked at the eight-pointed star in the center of the room. To the two strange slits at the ends. One small, one bigger. She looked at the weapons in her hands: a small dagger and a large sword. They would fit neatly into the slots in the floor, like keys in a lock. Keys to unlocking the power stored below. The last bit of power she needed to open the portal to nowhere. Power that, in its origins, belonged to the worst type of fey, but that didn't necessarily need to be that way. It could belong to anyone. It could be Bryce's. To light this world.

—Bryce? — Hunt called, with one hand on her back. Bryce composed himself, taking a deep breath. Pieces of debris and Rocks from his battle with the fae kings began to rise. She walked over to the eight-pointed star on the floor, identical to the one on her chest. Debris and rocks swirled in a whirlwind around her. Bryce took a deep breath, bracing herself as she whispered, “I'm ready.” - For what? Hunt demanded, but Bryce ignored him. Letting out a breath, she plunged her weapons into the cracks of the star of eight points. The little one for the knife. The big one for the sword.

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And like a key turning in a lock, they released what was beneath.

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Light exploded through the blades into Bryce's hands, arms, and heart. She could hear it under her feet, in the rocks. The song beneath the earth. Silent, ancient, forgotten, but still there. She heard how Avallen gave up her joy, the radiant green lands, the skies and the flowers so that she could hold the power that had been granted and that had been waiting, all this time, for someone to release it, to set it free. — Bryce! — Hunt shouted, and she looked into her partner's eyes. Nothing the Princes of Hell said about him served to frighten her. They hadn't done Hunt's soul. It was all hers, just as her soul also belonged to him. Helena had bound the soul of this land in magical chains. No more. Bryce would not allow the fae to claim anything more. “You are free,” Bryce whispered to Avallen, to the land and the magic so pure and inherent beneath. - Be free. And she went.

Light burst from the star and the caves shook again. They rolled, shook and shook... The walls were giving way and she had the feeling that Hunt had lunged at her, but fallen to his knees as the floor began to disappear. Stones crumbled around them, burying the

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Pelias' sarcophagus, the corpses of the two recently-dead kings, and all their other hateful ancestors. Turning them into dust. Sunlight broke out, the earth itself splitting apart as Bryce and the others were pushed upwards. Sunshine instead of gray skies.

They appeared in the hills, less than a mile from the castle and the royal city. It was as if the caves were receding towards there. And from the rocky ground beneath them, spreading from the star to Bryce's feet, flowers and grass bloomed. The river from the caves burst forth, winding through the newly formed hill. Sathia and Flynn laughed, kneeling down and placing their fingers in the grass. The magic of the earth in his veins increased as an oak tree burst from Flynn's hands, higher and higher, and from Sathia's hands fell branches of strawberries and blackberries, tangles of raspberries and blueberry bushes... — Holy gods — said Tharion, and pointed to the sea. It was no longer gray and busy, but a light, vibrant turquoise. Rising from the water, just as they had seen on the map Declan had found, were islands, large and small, lush and green, full of life. Forests appeared on the island where they were, accompanied by mountains and rivers. So much life, so much magic, finally freed from the control of the Vanir. A place not just for the fae, but for everyone. All of them. Bryce could feel the earth's joy at being seen, at being freed. She looked at Ruhn and her brother's face lit up with admiration. As if their father wasn't underground, lost forever in the darkness, his bones to be eaten by worms. There was only wonder and freedom lighting up Ruhn's face. Painless. The fear was gone.

Bryce hadn't realized he was crying. She only realized it when Ruhn wrapped her in his arms while they both sobbed. The friends gave space to the two, aware that this was not just joy — it was tempered by the sadness of all the years of pain and the hope of the years to come.

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The world could very well end soon, Bryce knew, and they could all die, but the paradise that blossomed around them, this awakened land, was proof of what life had been like before the Asteri, before the Fae and the Vanir. . It was proof of what could come later. Ruhn pulled away, placing Bryce's face in his hands. Tears were streaming down his face. Bryce couldn't stop crying— crying and laughing—with everything that flowed from his heart. The brother kissed her forehead and said: — Long live the queen.

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The land had awakened and the fae of Avallen were terrified.

Hunt tried not to feel proud when he saw the castle destroyed. Its occupants and the city were spared, but vineyards and trees invaded Morven's castle and turned it into rubble. “One last fuck you from the earth,” Bryce muttered to Hunt as the two reached a hill overlooking the ruins. At the other end, a group of fae stood in apprehensive silence around the demolished building. Beside him, Bryce vibrated with power—of Helena and her cursed lineage, but also of whatever lingering wound in the soul had been healed the moment Ruhn cut off his father's head. Hunt slipped an arm around his partner's waist, watching the fae who gaped at the ruins on the Isle of Avallen—and the new islands that surrounded it. Bryce looked at him. - Are you well?

He was silent for a long moment, looking at the landscape. - No. She moved closer to him.

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He swallowed hard. — I'm a weird demonic test tube baby. “That may have been your origin, Hunt,” she said, with a gentle smile, “but it doesn't represent who you are... who you are. returned.

He looked at her. — You seemed to not like who I became. She sighed. — Hunt, I understand... everything you're feeling. In truth. But I can't do this without you. You all. His heart sank when he looked at her. - I know. And I'm trying. It's just... — He struggled to find the words. — My worst nightmare would be to see you in the hands of the asteri. See you die. — And to avoid this fate, is it worth letting them rule forever? The question had a neutral tone, the result of the most sincere curiosity. — Part of me thinks so. A very, very loud part of me,” he admitted. — But another part says we need to do whatever it takes to end this. So that future generations, future partners... don't have to make the same choices, nor suffer the same fate as us. He would try to leave his fear behind. For her, for Midgard. “I know,” she said gently. — If you need to talk, if you need someone to listen... I'm here. He saw on her face a love so pure it made his heart ache. Some of that darkness and pain remained, yes, but he would try to ignore it. And he knew she would give him all the space he needed to do that. — Thank you, Quinlan. She stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. A sweet, gentle touch of his lips warmed the last numb fragments of his soul. Then she surveyed the ruins once more, taking his hand as they began their descent toward their friends gathered at the top.

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foot of the hill. — I got the last bit of Theia's power, but what now? How do we face the asteri? How can we get close enough to them to use the knife and sword and throw them through that portal? He kissed her forehead. — Rest for today. For now, enjoy this achievement. She laughed.

— That doesn't seem like an Umbra Mortis strategy. — I can't tell if that's an insult or not. — He poked her with a wing. — We have some other urgent things to take care of first, Bryce. — Yes, I know — she said as they stopped among their friends. She addressed everyone. —Since this place can resist the asteri, we need to bring as many people as possible. Without alerting the imperial forces. “The Deep Freighter could help,” Flynn suggested. Tharion grimaced but did not object. Lidia asked: — But how would they penetrate the mists? Bryce raised his hand, and in the distance, the mists parted—and then they closed.

— Didn't you know? I'm kind of an exquisite world wanderer who can do these things easily. Besides... — She gave a crooked smile. — I am now the Queen of Avallen. Controlling mist is one of the benefits of this work. “Of course,” Hunt said, rolling his eyes and earning a elbow in the ribs. But Ruhn warned: — The fae won't like sharing. Bryce pointed to the ruins, the damage she had caused, although without knowing.

— They have no choice.

Ruhn snorted. — Long live the queen indeed. Declan shouted from the top of the hill and everyone turned to him.

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“Whatever you did with those mists, Bryce,” Declan shouted, “my cell phone has reception!” — He raised the device in celebration and then lowered his head to read the messages he received. “Small victories,” Bryce said. Lidia and Tharion laughed. The Doe stopped laughing when she looked at Tharion, as if attracted by the merman's laughter. — You could hide here, you know. The Ocean Queen cannot pass through the mist unless Bryce allows it. “Hide me,” Tharion said, as if the word had a horrible taste. — The alternative is to beg her not to kill you — Lidia replied. — and then do whatever she says for the rest of your life. — It's no different from the Queen of the River — commented Tharion. Sathia He watched him with attention and curiosity. The merman shrugged and asked Lidia bluntly: — How do you deal with this? Being at her mercy? Lidia's mouth twitched and everyone pretended they weren't listening to every word when she finally replied: — I had no other choice. — She looked at Ruhn with radiant eyes. —But I won't go anymore. Ruhn was startled and looked at her. - How it is? Lidia said to him and to everyone: — If we survive the asteri, I won't go back. Hunt had seen enough of the Ocean Queen to know how it would end. Bryce said, with all the care in the world, “But your kids... “If we survive, my enemies will be dead,” Lidia said, lifting her chin with majestic grace. — And she certainly won't need my services anymore. — She nodded at Tharion. — I'm not going back, and neither should you. The era of arbitrary rulers is over. — She pointed to the ruins. — This is the first step.

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A shiver ran down Hunt's spine at the certainty of your words. Bryce opened his mouth as if he was going to say something. But Baxian turned toward Declan, as if he had sensed something strange. A second later, Declan's head snapped up. An ominous silence came over Hunt. Of all of them. No one said anything as Declan approached. Swallowing hard. And when he looked at Ruhn, at Bryce, tears glistened in his eyes. — The Asteri attacked. Bryce grabbed Hunt's arm, as if that would stop her from falling. — Speak — said Lidia, pushing them to get to Declan. He looked at the Doe and then at Bryce. — The Asteri organized an attack, led by Pollux and Mordoc, on all Ophion bases. They erased all bases from the map. “Shit,” Hunt swore. But Declan was shaking his head. — They exterminated everyone in the camps too. Hunt's knees wobbled. When Declan looked at Bryce, Hunt instantly knew he was going to say something horrible. I wish I could undo that, whatever it was... — And they sent the Asterian Guard to the Meadows of Asphodel. They... they said it was a hotbed of rebel activity. Bryce shook his head, backing away. Declan's voice cracked as he said, “They launched ten sulfur missiles into the Meadows. In all residents.

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ÿÿÿÿÿ ÿÿÿ

ÿ ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ

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Ithan stood on the deck of a fishing boat that had seen better decades, with Hypaxia at his side. Apparently, Jesiba Roga didn't think the two needed to travel in style. At least the crew of shark shifters didn't ask questions. And they remained calm as they turned off the engine and the boat rocked in the gray waves of the Haldren, right in front of the wall of impenetrable, towering mist. Ithan nodded at the broken brooch on Hypaxia's cloak. — Any chance your broom still works? We could fly in it. “No,” replied Hypaxia. —And besides, only Morven can let us through. Ithan reached out toward the mist, weaving it between his fingers. — So how are we going to contact him? hitting the mist? Sending a flare?

The tone of voice was happier than he actually was. Somewhere beyond those mists was Sofie's body. Apparently, Morven had told Jesiba that they could keep him—their deceased son.

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had sent it there and the fae king hadn't yet thrown it in the trash. A stroke of luck sent by Urd herself. Jesiba had promised that Morven would not touch the body, that she would be happy to deliver it into their hands. That is, if they could get through the barrier. Hypaxia raised the light brown hand to the mists, as if testing them. - They are…

As if in response, the curtain of mist shuddered and parted. Sunlight flooded the room. The gray seas have become

turquoise. The wind turned into a gentle, gentle breeze. There was a paradise beyond. Even the rude shark shifters gasped in shock. Ithan looked at Hypaxia, also wide-eyed. - What is the problem? Hypaxia slowly shook her head. —This is not the Avallen I visited before. - What does that mean? — Your instinct went into overdrive, your wolf ready to attack. Hypaxia motioned for the captain to begin sailing through the scattered mists toward the lush, inviting land. More beautiful than the Coronais Islands. The ancient witch-queen said almost in a whisper:

— Something very big happened here. Ethan sighed. — Please tell me that was a big, good change? The silence that followed didn't help him calm down. ***

Hunt found Bryce sitting atop the ruins of what had once been a tower, with tangles of vines and roses blooming all around her. A beautiful and surreal place for the queen of the fae to rest. The earth seemed to know her, tiny flowers bloomed nestled around her body, some even wrapped around the long strands of her hair.

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However, when Hunt sat down next to her, he noticed her blank expression. Devastated. Dried tears had left salty marks on her face. The whiskey-colored eyes, which were usually so full of life and fire, were empty. Empties like he hadn't seen since the time he found her in Lethe, drinking to dispel the pain of Danika's death, the wound reopened when he realized that his father had withheld vital information that would have helped the investigation. Hunt sat beside her on a jagged piece of rock and wrapped a wing around her. From up there, you could see the scattering of islands amid the vibrant teal of the ocean. Avallen had woken up and transformed into a paradise, and part of him longed to leap into the sky and explore every inch of it, but… “All that new power from Theia,” Bryce said hoarsely, “and it didn't do anything. There was no time to help anyone… save anyone. Hunt kissed her temple and promised, “We'll make it worth it, Bryce. — I'm sorry — she said — for being such an asshole about what you were feeling. “Bryce,” he began, trying to find the right words. — I'm sorry for telling you to get over all this — she added — but... His lips pressed together into a thin line, as if guarding a sob that wanted to break free. — What happened — he said, his voice hoarse — is not your fault. It's no one's fault except the asteri. You were right when you said that. She continued talking, as if she hadn't heard a word Hunt said: — Fury and June are getting into a helicopter with my parents, Emile... Cooper, that is, and Syrinx — A look at where she had discarded her cell phone in the flowers By her side. — The Asteri didn't find them before the attack, but I want everyone here, safe. “Good,” Hunt said.

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Everyone had spent the last hour desperately calling family and friends. Hunt debated for a long time whether he should risk calling Isaiah and Naomi, but ended up not doing so, so as not to create problems if their cell phones were tapped. It was part of the reason he'd gone looking for Bryce, even though he knew she'd come here to be alone. With Morven Castle in ruins, the others were looking for accommodation for the night. From Ruhn's grim face, it looked like the fae weren't being welcoming. Bad luck for them, Hunt wanted to say, because they were about to receive a huge influx of people. “We could stay here,” Bryce murmured, and Hunt knew she would have only said that to him. — We could gather all our friends and family, anyone who can cross the Haldren, and… stay here, protected. Forever. It was basically what the Queen of the Ocean asked for. And I wouldn't be any better than my ancestors… by hiding. But, people would be safe. Some people on Midgard, at least. While the majority would remain at the mercy of the asteri.

Hunt leaned over to look at her face. — Is that what you want to do? “No,” Bryce replied, and eyes lifted to the island-dotted horizon. To the wall of mist beyond. — I mean, anyone who can get here, any refugee, will be allowed to enter. I wished the mists would do that. Hunt would have made a joke about Super Powerful Star Queen with Special Magic, but he kept his mouth shut. He let her continue talking. “But we…” The dark look on Bryce's face made Hunt tighten his grip around her. — We can't hide here forever. "No. We can't," he agreed, and allowed her to realized he was serious. That he would fight until the end. She laid her head on his shoulder. — I can't even think about what they did. With Ophion and the fields… with the Meadows…” Her voice trailed off.

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He couldn't process it either. So many innocent people had died. So many children. “We have an obligation,” Bryce said, and raised his head. — With these people. With Midgard. And with all the other worlds too. We have an obligation to put an end to this. It was the face of his beloved Bryce that stared back at him, but also that of a queen. His lightning stirred in response. It didn't matter that he had been made by the sons of bitches Apollion and Thanatos, that the two of them had manufactured his power. If the lightning could help her, if he could save Midgard from the asteri… that was all that mattered. Bryce added, “I have an obligation to end this. She looked out at the archipelago, which lay calmly, and for a moment, Hunt could see what it would be like to have a life there, with children and friends. A life they could build in that untouched place. That life unfolded before his eyes, so close that Hunt could almost touch it. Bryce said, as if thinking the same thing, “I think Urd needed me to come here. — To know that it could be a refuge? She shook her head. — I wondered why the mists kept the asteri out, how we could use them against them. I thought I'd come here and find answers, maybe a secret weapon... like some important device to repel asteri. She finally slid her exhausted gaze to Hunt. — But what keeps the asteri away is the large amount of black salt, not the mists. There's no way to replicate that. I think Urd wanted me to see that a society could thrive here. That I could stay safe here, with everyone I love. Bryce's mouth trembled, but she pressed it into a thin line. — I think Urd wanted me to see and learn — she continued — and decide whether to stay or abandon that security to fight. Urd wanted to tempt me.

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“Maybe it was a gift,” Hunt suggested. —Not a test or challenge, Bryce, but a gift. — When she raised her eyebrows, he explained: — Urd allowed the people you love to remain safe here while you finished off some asteri.

There was a lot of sadness in her smile. — To know that they will be protected… even if we fail the mission. He didn't try to reassure her and tell her they would make it. Instead, he promised: — We're in this together. You and I. Let's finish this together. — He tucked a strand of her hair behind her delicate, pointed ear. — I'm by your side. Complete. You and I will put an end to this. She lifted her head and Hunt could have sworn a crown of stars glittered around her head. — I want to wipe them from this world — she announced, and although her voice sounded calm, there was nothing but the purest anger in what she said. — I'll get the dustpan and broom — he joked, smiling at her. Bryce looked at him, all majestic fury and grace... and laughed. The first moment of normality between the two, happy and beautiful. He would fight for it too. Until the end. Tendrils of the purple flowers that used to bloom at night appeared around them in response, despite being in broad daylight. Was it always like this? He swore that in the night garden, before they were attacked by the kristallos months before, the flowers had bloomed for her too. Had they felt this power, the twilight-born inheritance in their veins? “That's incredible,” he said, nodding toward the island that seemed to respond to her every emotion. — I think it's what the Prison, the island on the Fae homeworld, once was. When Theia ruled, I mean, before Silene ruined everything. Maybe they are linked in some way because they are tenuous places and they got mixed up a little. Maybe in that other world… maybe I woke up the land around the Prison too.

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Hunt raised his eyebrows. — I think there's only one way to find out. She laughed.

— I don't think they'll ever let me go back to that world. — Do you think there is a possibility of recruiting them to fight alongside us?

— No. I mean, I don't know what they would say, but... I wouldn't ask them to do that. None of them. — I take back what I said before. We cannot leave planning aside, we need to start thinking about a strategy now. — He hated having to put that burden on Bryce's shoulders, but they needed to take action. She was right, they couldn't hide there. — The Asteri certainly expect retaliation. Rigelus must be expecting us to try to gather an army to attack, but that wouldn't work. We would always be at a disadvantage and outnumbered. — He held her hand. — I… Bryce, I've already lost an army. “I know,” she replied. But Hunt pressed: — And besides, we're talking about six asteri. If it was just to fight Rigelus, maybe… but all six? Do we have to separate them? Pick them up one by one?

— No, because that way the others would have time to prepare. We have to attack them all at once… together. He thought about it. — It's time to let Hell in, right? The calm breeze ruffled her hair as she nodded. — And what do we have to do, then? he asked. The star on her chest was shining. — Let's go to Nena. We have to open the Northern Rift. - Holy crap. All good. Ignoring the enormity of it all and assuming that everything will work out, what next? Do we enter the palace and start fighting? She looked back at the islands and the sparkling sea. That majestic expression took over her face, and he knew he was getting a glimpse of the leader Bryce would become if he

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managed to overcome all that. —What did Rigelus always tell us? asked Bryce. — That we suck? She laughed.

— He did everything he could to offer you freedom — she said, pointing to where his mark was on her wrist — to convince me not to say that I killed Micah. And convince you not to say that you killed Sandriel. He tilted his head. — Do you want to make this public? — I think Rigelus and the Asteri are nervous about the world finding out what we did. That their precious archangels could be killed. On top of that, by two nobodys. It was Hunt's turn to laugh.

— We're not really nobodies. — Yes, but even so, I will show Midgard that even archangels can be killed. — Okay, that's... that's incredible — Hunt said, his head racing with thoughts. Rigelus would go crazy. —But what are we going to achieve with this? — They're going to be so busy with the media that they're going to forget about us for a while — explained Bryce, with a cruel smile, which was a bit reminiscent of his father's, who lay dead under the rubble. — It will be a greater distraction than any army in Hell. “I think it's a good idea,” Hunt said, reflecting. — I really do. But how will you prove it? Everyone would have to take his word for it, and the Asteri would immediately deny it. — That's why I need to talk to Jesiba. - Oh yes?

She stood up and held out her hand to help him up. — Because she has the video of what I did with Micah. ***

On

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Ithan was in front of a true paradise on Midgard. Crystal clear waters, lush vegetation, streams and waterfalls flowing into the sea, fine sand, birds singing... He remained on alert, however, as the boat stopped in a cove, close enough to shore for him and Hypaxia to jump out and walk a few meters to shore. —Which way? — he asked the former queen, examining the dense foliage that bordered the beach and the hills that rose up. — Jesiba said the castle was a few kilometers inland, but I didn't see anything as we sailed... Wings flapped above, and Ithan moved on instinct, his robust wolf body bumping into Hypaxia who was behind him as he growled at the sky. Two scents hit him an instant later. Ithan was completely unresponsive when he saw Hunt Athalar land on the sand, with Bryce in his arms.

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Back in humanoid form, Ithan sat on the grass in front of Bryce and Hunt, unable to speak. Hypaxia, sitting next to him, gave Ithan space to think. Behind Bryce were Ruhn, Flynn, Dec, and Tharion—and Lidia and Baxian. Accompanied by a female who, from what they said, was Tharion's wife and Flynn's sister. Something big had happened. Ithan knew that. But they didn't give any further explanation and waited for him to explain what he was doing there. What had happened. The tightness in his throat was almost unbearable. — I… — Everyone looked at him waiting for an answer. — I need Sofie Renast's body. “Good,” said Hunt, whistling to hear. —, it wasn't what I expected Ithan looked up pleadingly at Umbra Mortis. —Jesiba said King Morven has the body… “He had the body,” Ruhn added, crossing his arms. His tattoos looked like they had been run through a paper shredder. Ithan had noticed as soon as he saw his friends, hugging them so tightly that they complained. Ruhn added, “Now, the body belongs to Bryce, technically.

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Ithan shook his head, not understanding. Hunt spoke slowly: — Morven is dead and Bryce is the Queen of Avallen. Ithan just winked at Bryce, who was watching him. Carefully. As if she knew something had… “The Meadows,” he said suddenly. Had they heard what happened? Does… “We already know,” said Flynn. — Those damned ones — muttered Tharion. Bryce asked Ithan: — How bad is the damage? Ithan couldn't count the bodies, so small, so many... — As big as you imagine — Hypaxia replied with perhaps even bigger. severity

—,

Silence hung heavy over the group. — Whatever stopped you from helping the city — said Lidia, keeping an eye on her sister must be very —,important. Why do they need Sofie's body? Once again, everyone looked at him, and he couldn't contain his sadness as he said: — Because I screwed up everything. ***

He told the whole story. How he had found an alternative heir to the Fendyr bloodline and how he had freed her from the Astronomer… only to kill her later. None of this was news to Tharion, Flynn and Dec. But judging by the way Bryce and Ruhn looked at the trio... Apparently, they had forgotten to mention this information during the chaos of the previous days. Ithan couldn't understand how they had forgotten to tell him something that was literally destroying his life, but he didn't press the issue. He took longer on the part of the story that was new to everyone: how Hypaxia had tried to resurrect Sigrid. And how, now, the Fendyr heiress was a reaper.

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When he finished speaking, everyone looked at him with wide eyes. The most shocked was Bryce, who hadn't said anything as he talked about finding an alternative to Sabine, someone Danika might have approved of. Ithan terminou: —So, if Sofie's body is intact... “No,” Bryce said softly. Ithan felt a tightness in his chest as he looked into her eyes. “Morven's castle has collapsed,” Bryce said sadly. — If it's intact, Sofie's body is under tons of rubble. Ithan brought his hands to his face and took a deep breath.

Flynn put a comforting arm around his shoulders, squeezing. — Maybe there is another way…

“We needed a thunderbird,” Ithan said, his voice muffled by his hands. There was no way to fix that. How to undo. He had caused all that with an innocent wolf, with his people... “Look,” Bryce said, and the gentleness in her tone almost killed him. She took a long sigh. —It would have been amazing to find an alternative Fendyr heiress. But… Ithan took his hands away from his face.

- But what? Hunt's eyes lit up when he heard Ithan's growl. But

Bryce didn't back down as he said, “We have bigger problems now. And time is not on our side. — I killed her — Ithan said with a choked voice. — I fucking killed her… But Athalar said to Hypaxia: — I think Rigelus collected some of my lightning… for a similar purpose. — Bryce turned around, as if it was news to her. — Are you sure that wouldn't help with Sigrid? — It might be worth trying — admitted Hypaxia — but I don't have none of the supplies needed to contain his kind of power. Ruhn raised his head.

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— Like a bunch of crystals? Everyone turned to the prince, but he looked at Lidia. The Doe explained: — We found a cache full of them in the archives. Ruhn added: —Rigelus used one to take Athalar's power in the dungeons. Would it work for you too? Hypaxia nodded slowly and said to Hunt, “I wouldn't need much. Bryce looked at the others. Ruhn understood what she meant and gestured to his friends. - Let's go. Let's get the crystals from the archives. Hope also hasn't collapsed.

Flynn, Dec, Lidia, Baxian, and Tharion—with his wife at their side— walked down the hill with Ruhn. Only Tharion looked back, once, with eyes full of compassion. As if the merman could understand the feeling of screwing everything up in such a colossal way. To regret. But Bryce grabbed Ithan's hand, bringing his attention back to her. — What's done is done, Ithan. —Jesiba said the same thing — he commented, taciturn. “And she's right,” Bryce warned. Beside him, Athalar nodded. But Bryce waved his hand at Hypaxia. — The whole fucking world is changing so fast, we are all changing faster than we can process. By Cthona, Hypaxia isn't even queen anymore. Have any of you stopped to think about this? — Ithan felt guilt like a punch. He had been so focused on his own problems that he hadn't thought about talking to the witch. But Hypaxia's face remained serious, determined. Bryce continued, “So look, you killed Sigrid, and she's a reaper, and I think it's... pretty admirable that you're trying to resurrect her... “Don't be condescending,” he growled, and Athalar looked back warningly. "I'm not," Bryce said. She was the Queen of Avallen, and Ithan could see it in her eyes: the leader shining there. - Part of

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The reason I love you is because you don't give up until you do the thing certain.

“Trying to do the right thing led to my disaster with Sigrid,” he lamented, shaking his head in disgust. “Maybe,” Bryce said, and looked at Hypaxia. —But you two… I need your help. I have to believe that Urd sent you here. - For what? asked Hypaxia, tilting her head. Bryce and Hunt exchanged glances. The angel gestured to his partner, as if to say: It's your story. — I, uh... — said Bryce, pulling up some blades of grass — I have many things to tell. ***

— You weren't kidding when you said you had a lot to tell — Ithan commented, surprised, when Bryce finished. — But where do we get into this story? — asked Hypaxia. — If you're thinking about forming an army to help Hell, I have no influence over the witches, and Ithan wouldn't be able to rally the wolves... —No Midgard army. We don't have time for this anyway,” Bryce said. Hypaxia pulled out a tightly coiled curl. - What then? Bryce's eyes seemed to shine. — I need you to make an antidote for the asteri parasite. Hypaxia blinked slowly. That part of Bryce's story was the hardest to swallow. That they were all infected by something in the water that cut their magic in half. Bryce continued: — You discovered an antidote to the synth, Hypaxia. I need you to do this again. May it help us evolve before we face the asteri and free us from their restrictions. — You place a lot of faith in my abilities. I will need to study the parasite before I begin mapping the properties of a

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antidote… “We don't have time for the full scientific method,” Bryce replied. “I would be a little hesitant to provide anything that hasn't been properly tested,” Hypaxia countered. — We can't afford that luxury — Athalar said firmly. —Anything you can create, even if it's temporary, even if it only keeps the parasite away for a while... — I don't know if it's possible — Hypaxia replied, but Ithan noticed that ideas were flashing in her eyes. — And I would need a laboratory. Considering Avallen's state after you...claimed her, I don't think there's anything here I can use. “And there's no power anyway,” Bryce said. — Then you'll have to return to Lunathion's House of Flame and Shadow... it seems to me that you'll be able to remain hidden and safe there. Even more so if Jesiba is nearby. Ithan didn't tell Bryce who—what—Jesiba really was. This secret was Jesiba's, and only she could tell it. Ithan asked, “What do you mean by you guys?” I don't understand anything about science. I can't help Hypaxia. — You know how to fight — said Athalar. — And defend. Hypaxia will need someone to protect her while she works. Ithan turned to Bryce, who was watching him with a dark expression. — Mas Sigrid... — We need that antidote, Ithan — Bryce said gently, but in a firm voice. — More than anything else. Hunt will provide Sigrid with the lightning, but first we need the antidote. — She added, to Hypaxia: — As quickly as possible. Hypaxia and Bryce looked at each other for a long moment. “Very well,” said Hypaxia, bowing her head. Ithan closed his eyes. Abandon your quest, leave Sigrid as the reaper...

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But his friends needed him. They were asking for your help. He couldn't refuse, even if it was to save Sigrid... he had already ruined her life. I wouldn't do the same with friends. Ithan then opened his eyes and asked, “When do we return to Crescent Moon City?” Bryce's expression remained grim as she said, “Right now. - Now? Hypaxia asked, the first sign of shock she showed. — The boat is still waiting for you — commented Athalar, pointing to the ocean in the distance. — Let's get the crystals with the others and I'll put the lightning there. Once they get back, get on the boat and head back to Lunathion. — What if… And when… I invent an antidote for the parasite? — Hypaxia asked Bryce and Hunt. — How will I get in touch? “Call us,” Bryce said. — If you can't contact us, take the antidote to the Eternal City. There's a fleet of mech-suits on Mount Hermon... hide there and we'll find you. - But when? Bryce's face became stern. — You will know when it is too late to help us. Ethan spoke:

— Bryce…

But Bryce nodded toward the sparkling sea. — As quickly as possible — she repeated to the former queen. witch. - I beg. With that, she walked over to Athalar, who leapt into the sky, flying in the direction the others had gone. They wouldn't have time to talk to Tharion, Flynn or Dec. Or say goodbye. From the way Hypaxia watched the angel and Bryce disappear toward the distant ruins, Ithan suspected she was thinking the same thing about Lidia. Twenty minutes later, Bryce and Athalar were back, with half a dozen quartz crystals sizzling in the angel's hands, with lightning inside.

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Hypaxia put everything in her pockets, promising that she would use them wisely.

caution. Bryce kissed her cheek and then Ithan's. In the past, he would have done anything for that kiss. But now I only felt emptiness, dizziness. Athalar patted Ithan on the shoulder before returning to the skies with Bryce, soon becoming a small speck in the blue expanse. When they were alone, Hypaxia pointed to the path that they had walked from the beach. “We have to go and face this challenge, Ithan,” she said, her voice assured, then patted the lightning-filled crystals now shining in the pockets of her dark blue robes. With that, she headed off to the boat and the task ahead. Ithan remained for a moment longer. He had also failed in that mission. He had had a second chance to fix what had happened to Sigrid and he had failed. It was important to help his friends — and all of Midgard — but the decision weighed on his shoulders. He had always considered himself a nice guy, but maybe not were. Maybe he was deluding himself.

I didn't know what that meant about you. Ithan followed Hypaxia, turning his back on Avallen and the hope she offered. Having the lightning in hand, but having to postpone any effort to help Sigrid... There was no choice but to keep walking, one foot in front of the other. Who knows, maybe at some point he would be able to stop letting a trail of absolute destruction wherever it went.

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Hunt found Baxian arranging fresh bales of hay in the stables. The place was intact, far enough away from the castle that they had been spared when it all collapsed. —Did you give the lightning to the wolf and the witch? asked Baxian, by way of greeting. — They're returning to Lunathion with him. But the priority is to try to find a cure for the parasite. “Good,” Baxian grunted. — I hope you have more success than I can find a place to sleep tonight. — It's that bad, is it? asked Hunt, leaning against the door. —No one wants to give up a room or a bed, and we are not going to expel people from their homes. — The Hellhound made a grand gesture toward the stables. — Welcome to the Cair do Cavalo Hotel. Hunt laughed as he analyzed the wood.

— To be honest, I've slept in worse places. These horses' house is better than the one I lived in as a child. It was sad but true. “I say the same thing,” Baxian commented, and Hunt was so surprised that he raised an eyebrow. Baxian added, — I… ah, I grew up in one of the poorest parts of Ravilis. My parents were half

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shapeshifter, meaning half shapeshifting Hellhound, and half angel... which didn't make them the most popular either in the House of Earth and Blood or in the House of Heaven and Breath. It made it difficult for them to keep their jobs. —Which of your parents was half angel? “My father,” Baxian replied. —He served as captain in Sandriel's 15th . It was easier for him than for my mother, who was rejected by everyone she knew for “tainting” herself with an angel. But they both paid the price together. From the dark tone of his voice, Hunt knew it must have been ugly. “I'm sorry,” he said.

— I was eight years old. I don't know how that commotion started, but…” Baxian swallowed hard, yet finished covering one pallet with hay and began working on another. — It ended with my mother torn apart by the Hounds of Hell and my father imprisoned by the same angels he had commanded, receiving a Living Death. Hunt sighed. - Holy crap.

— There was such a frenzy that they, um... — Baxian shook his head. — They kept cutting off his wings every time they healed. My father ended up losing so much blood that he didn't survive. - I am really sorry. I never knew that.

— Nobody knew. Not even Sandriel. — Baxian covered the pallet with a blanket. — And from then on, I went alone. Neither family wanted to accept a hybrid, as they insisted on calling me, so I learned to fend for myself in the suburbs. How to hide, how to listen to conversations looking for valuable information and how to sell this information to anyone who was interested. I got so good at it that my name started going around. They called me “Snake”, because I screwed up many people’s lives. And Sandriel ended up hearing about me and recruiting me into the triary... to be his spy and tracker. The Snake became the Hellhound, but… I kept some traits.

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Hunt remembered Baxian's reptilian armor. — I hated it all, I hated Sandriel and I hated Lidia, because I thought she could see who I really was, but… what else could I do? — Baxian finished preparing the pallets and faced Hunt. — Serving Sandriel's triary was better than always living on the lookout in case someone wanted to stab me. But all that shit she made us do…” He pointed to his neck, the scar Hunt had made on it. — I deserved this. — We all did bad things in the name of Sandriel —

commented Hunt hoarsely.

— Yes, but you had no choice. I had. — You chose to walk away from that, to mitigate the damage when possible. “Thanks to Danika,” Baxian said. — And is there a better reason than love? Hunt asked. Baxian sorriu, triste. — I told her everything, you know? For Danika, I mean. And she understood… she didn’t judge me. She told me that she had a semi-fey friend who had similar problems. I think loving Bryce allowed her to see past all the bullshit in my past and love me anyway. Hunt smiled. “You should tell Bryce this. Baxian looked at him. — Are you… uh, are you okay? It seemed that all was not well for some time in the caves. “We are,” Hunt replied, exhaling. — Yeah, we're fine. We talked. — And that whole Hell thing… — Bryce had told everyone what the Princes of Hell said about Hunt's origins. — How are you dealing with all this? Hunt thought about it. — It's kind of in the background with everything that's going on, you know? Poor me, with problems with my father. Or parents? I can't even say. Baxian chuckled.

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— And what does it matter? Your exact genetic makeup? Hunt thought again. — No. These are just things in my blood, in my magic. They don't represent who I am. — He shrugged. — At least that's what Bryce said. I'm trying hard to believe it. Baxian pointed to the halo on Hunt's forehead. —Then why haven't you taken it off yet? They said you I had this power all along. Hunt looked up at the ceiling beams. - I will take it off. — He dodged. Baxian watched him as if he could read his mind. Understanding that, for now, Hunt needed a break. A time to process everything. He wanted to get rid of the halo, but he wasn't ready to become a Prince of Hell or anything like that yet. Not yet. Mas Baxian comentou: — Bryce is right. It is not your biology that defines who you are. It's who created you. Who you have become. Hunt's mother's face appeared before his eyes, and he clung to the memory of her, so strong in his heart. — You and Bryce have been exchanging notes to make motivational speeches?

Baxian laughed and then looked around. — And where is she, anyway? Making more gardens appear? Hunt chuckled softly.

- Must be. But I came here to find you… we'll have a war council in a minute, but I wanted to ask you something first. Baxian crossed his powerful arms, giving Hunt his full attention. - What? — Something really big is going to happen soon and I need someone to manage things if I'm not around. —And where would you be?

“Bryce will explain everything,” Hunt said, holding his gaze. — But I need a second in command now. Baxian raised his eyebrows. For a moment, Hunt was back in a war tent, giving orders to his soldiers before

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of the battle. He shook off the chilling memory and folded his wings. Baxian smiled, not so much. — Who said you're in charge? Hunt rolled his eyes.

— My wife said. — And he pressed: — So… do you accept? I need someone who can fight. On the ground and in the air. — Oh, are you just asking because I have wings? Baxian ruffled his black feathers for emphasis. “I'm asking,” Hunt said, noticing the flicker of amusement on the Hellhound's face, “because I trust you, idiot. For some strange reason. — It only took a little time in the Asteri dungeons for us to become pariahs. — The tone was light, although the shadows of everything they had been through made Baxian's look serious. —But I'm honored. Yes, you can trust me. Just tell me what needs to be done and I I will do.

“Thank you,” Hunt concluded, and pointed to the exit. - You You might regret it in a few minutes… but thank you. ***

— Let me see if I understand correctly — said Ruhn.

Everyone was gathered around a fire in the middle of an open plain, practically the only place free from prying ears. Just for fun, Flynn had made a small grove of oak trees appear around them. His earth magic seemed to be in full force, as if the reborn earth was calling him to fill it, to adorn it.

But Ruhn looked at his sister as he spoke: — We're going to Nena. Open the Northern Rift. Bryce, sitting on a large rock with Hunt at her side, said, “I'm going to Nena. With Hunt. And my parents… I need the kind of specific experience that Randall has. Baxian will stay here with Cooper until they get back. You're going to take these two fools,” she nodded at Flynn and Declan, who scowled at Bryce, “and get back to Lunathion.

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Ruhn blinked slowly. - To die? Because that's what's going to happen if we get caught. —To find Isaiah and Naomi. See if they can join us. I'm sure their cell phones and emails have been tapped... we have no other way of contacting them. — Do you want us to convince two members of the triary of Celestina to rebel? — Dec asked. — It won't take much to convince them, but yes. We need them,” Hunt said.

Ruhn shook his head. — If you're thinking about gathering some kind of angelic host to face the Asteri, forget it. No angel will follow any of us, not even Athalar, to join the battle. Bryce stood his ground. That was her plan, and Ruhn knew he couldn't change her and Athalar's minds. He opened his mouth to continue arguing anyway, but Dec interrupted him. - It's him? — Dec asked, pointing to Baxian. - He has a better relationship with the angels. Bryce shook his head.

— Baxian will stay here to help coordinate the arrival of refugees and lead in our place. — Bryce gestured to herself and Hunt. “We could do that,” Flynn said. “No,” Bryce replied, coldly, they couldn't. The —, Fae are most afraid of him, so he is the most effective for this task. — And who said that? We're pretty scary,” Flynn replied. — Said the fact that he at least got the stables for us to sleep in — Hunt pointed out. Baxian raised his eyebrows at the fae lord. — You all failed in this mission. Flynn and Dec scowled. But Ruhn almost couldn't breathe when Bryce looked at Lidia. — I don't intend to give you orders. I know you have one obligation to the Queen of the Ocean. Do what you need to do.

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— I'm going with Ruhn — Lidia replied softly, and something in his chest warmed. Bryce nodded, and he didn't miss the gratitude in his sister's eyes. - And me? — Tharion asked, finally, with his eyebrows raised. “I need you to go back to the River Queen,” Bryce replied. — And convince her to shelter as many people as she can. Tharion turned pale. — Legs, I'd love to do that, but she's going to kill me. — Then find a way to convince her not to kill — said Athalar, a true general as he looked into the merman's eyes. — Use your Captain Anything skills to find a way not to die. Tharion looked at Sathia, who was watching carefully. — She, uh… won't like my new marital status. "Then find a way," Hunt repeated, "to please her." Tharion's jaw clenched, but Ruhn could tell he was weighing his options. “The Blue Court was the only faction in Crescent City that sheltered people during the spring attack,” Bryce commented. — You did everything you could to help protect the innocent and keep them safe. Appeal to that side of the River Queen. Tell her that there is a tragedy coming, and that after what happened in the Asphodel Meadows, we need her to take in as many people as the Blue Court can accommodate. If anyone has enough charm to influence her, it's you, Tharion. “Ah, Legs,” Tharion said, rubbing his face. — How can I resist when you ask like that? Sathia, to Ruhn's surprise, placed her hand on the merman's knee and promised Bryce: — We'll go together. — Now she's going to kill Tharion, for sure — replied Flynn. Sathia glared at her brother.

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— I understand well how to deal with arrogant rulers. — She raised her head. — I'm not afraid of the River Queen. — Tharion seemed to want to warn her, but he kept his mouth shut. - Excellent. And thank you,” Bryce said to Sathia. “So that's it,” said Ruhn. — At dawn, let's go spread to the winds? “And let the dawn come,” concluded Bryce, and his starlight flashed in his chest, illuminating the entire field. — Let's fight back. ***

Ruhn was still thinking about what Bryce wanted to do. Open the Northern Rift to Hell. He could only have lost his mind... still, he trusted her. And in Athalar. They must have had some trick up their sleeve, which they would only reveal when the time came. Ruhn tossed and turned on the spiked hay bed, unable to sleep. Maybe because Lidia was lying in front of him, looking at the ceiling beams. She looked into his eyes and Ruhn said, between minds: Can't you sleep? I'm thinking about all the Ophion agents I've encountered over the years. I never met them personally, but the people who helped me organize the attack on the Spine, and who worked with me for years before that... are all dead. It wasn't your fault. The attack on the Asphodel Meadows was to mess with your sister. But the Ophion massacre, the people in the camps. It was to punish me. Ophion helped me escape and Rigelus wanted revenge. Ruhn felt a tightness in his chest. Let's make the asteri pay for this. She lay on her side, looking at Ruhn. Gods, she was so beautiful. How are you feeling? she asked, in a gentle tone. After… what happened to your father. I don't know, replied Ruhn. It felt right at the time, I even felt good. But now… He shook his head. I keep thinking about my mother,

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among all people. What would she say. I think she would be the only person to mourn him. Did she love him?

She was attached to him, even though he treated her as little more than a brood mare. But he'd kept her comfortable all these years, the reward for giving him a son. She was always grateful for that. Lidia reached across the narrow space to grasp his hand—her fingers still strangely pale and callousless. But her skin was so soft and warm, the bones beneath so strong. You will find a way to live with what you did to your father. I found. Ruhn raised an eyebrow. You…? I killed him, yes. The words sounded sincere but exhausted. Why? Because he was a monster… to me and so many others. I made it look like a rebel attack. I told Ophion to get his mechsuits and wait for his car to pass through the mountains when he was going to meet me. They left a destroyed vehicle and a dead body in their wake. Then they burned everything. Ruhn blinked. Decapitating my father seems to have been… much quicker. And it was. There was nothing but pure anger in her eyes. I told the Ophion agents in their mech suits to take their time crushing his car. That's what they did. Cthona, Lidia. But I also thought about my mother afterwards, she said softly. In Hecuba. Wondering what the Valbaran Witch Queen had thought of her ex-husband's death. If you thought about me. If you had any interest in talking to me after his death. But I never heard from her. Not once. I'm sorry, he said, squeezing her hand. After a second, he asked: So you're really not going back to the Queen of the Ocean? No. Not to be her spy. I was serious before. I don't serve anyone. Is it weird to say I'm proud of you? Because I am. She gave a muffled laugh and intertwined her fingers with his, her thumb caressing the back of the male's hand. I'm with you, Ruhn,

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she said softly. With all of you.

Those words were like a gift. He felt a warmth in his chest. He couldn't stop himself from approaching her and, without making a noise so that no one would hear, placing his mouth on hers. It was a gentle, almost silent kiss. He pulled away after a few moments, but her free hand slid to his neck. His eyes shone golden even in the dim moonlight of the stables. When we are no longer in a stable full of people, she said, her voice small in her mind, like a purr that wrapped around his dick and squeezed tightly, I want to touch you. His dick got hard when he heard that, it hurt. Ruhn closed his eyes, fighting the urge, but she brushed her lips against his, a silent tease. I want to ride you, she whispered in her mind, and lowered her hand to his pants. Ruhn bit his lower lip to keep from moaning. Her fingers slid down his length. I want it inside me. Lidia ran the palm of her hand over his dick, making him stifle a moan. I want you inside me. Fuck yes, was all he could say, think. Her laugh echoed in his mind, and her lips slid from his until they found the place below his ear. His teeth grazed his too-hot skin, and he moved in the hand that still held him, making the hay crackle… — Please, no fucking here among us — murmured Flynn, a few meters away. “Ugh,” Bryce shouted from across the stables. - It is serious that? Ruhn closed his eyes tightly to stifle the lust he felt. But Lidia laughed softly.

- Sorry. “Perverts,” Declan muttered, crunching the hay as he turned away. Ruhn looked at Lidia and saw her smiling, joy and mischief lit up his face.

And damn, he doubted he'd ever seen anything so beautiful.

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- You are disturbing me. — Sorry, sorry. — Ithan walked through the morgue that Hypaxia had quickly transformed into a laboratory. — I just don't know how to act while you're there doing all this science. Leaning over the table, Hypaxia prepared the things she needed to begin the experiments. “A sample of the parasite would be good,” she said, her voice dragged, without lifting her head. He stopped.

- As? — he asked and then answered his own question: — Ah. A glass of water. — Ithan looked at the sink. — Do you think there are a lot of them swimming around? — I doubt it's that obvious, considering how many scientists and medwitches have studied our water over the years. But if we are all infected, it must be somewhere. Ithan sighed and went to the sink. He picked up a mug that said Korinth University Faculty of Mortuary Science. He filled the mug with water to the brim and placed it next to Hypaxia. - Ready. The purest nectar from Istros. “The mug could be contaminated,” Hypaxia said, using a ruler to draw a grid on a piece of paper. —

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We first need a sterile container. In addition to samples from various water sources. — Have I told you that I hate science?

— Well, I love it — Hypaxia replied, still without looking up. — There are some sterilized cups in the cabinet on the back wall. Collect some samples from the taps, Istros itself and a bottle of store-bought water. We will need a larger sample base, but this should be useful for the initial phases. Ithan gathered a bunch of sterilized containers and headed for the door. He was a water boy. Friends on the soleball team would laugh of his face. That is, if he ever spoke to his colleagues again. But Ithan didn't say anything before leaving, and Hypaxia didn't call him. ***

Ithan bottled and labeled the various samples and gave Hypaxia a few vials of his own blood as a basis for an infected person, then she sent him back to get more water samples from different sources. The cafeteria, a nearby restaurant and, best of all, the sewers. Ithan was walking back through the dark door of the House of Flame and Shadow when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. I knew that strange, unsettling feeling. He turned around… It wasn't Sigrid. Another female reaper, covered in black from head to toe, walked lightly along the pier. People fled as soon as they saw her — the street behind her was completely empty. But she continued toward the door where Ithan was still frozen. He had no choice, really, but to keep the door open for her. The reaper passed, her black veils billowing. Acid green eyes glowed beneath the dark fabric covering her face, and the husky voice made everything inside Ithan twist as she said, “Thank you.” — And then she continued up the stairs.

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Ithan waited five minutes before walking again. She didn't have any smell. Not even the smell of a corpse. As if he had ceased to exist in some earthly way. That drove his wolfish instincts crazy. But… Ithan smelled the stairs again as he descended towards the lower levels of the House and the morgue laboratory. Entering the laboratory and closing the door behind him, he asked: — What happens to the parasite when we die? Hypaxia finally looked up from the papers, vials and forms. - What? “I just saw a reaper,” he said. — They are dead people. Well, they died. Do they still have the parasite? They don't eat or drink, so they couldn't get infected again, right? But does the parasite disappear when we die? Die too? Hypaxia stared at him. — It's an interesting question. If the parasite does indeed die with the host, then the reapers may provide a way to locate the parasite by the lack of it in the bodies themselves. — Why do I feel like you’re going to ask me to… — I need you to bring me a reaper. ***

Morning came, purple and gold, over the Isles of Avallen. But Bryce only had eyes for the helicopter as it descended over the grassy, flowery field in front of the ruins of Morven Castle. She smiled. The roar was thunderous to her fae ears, but she insisted on being there. Needed to see: Fury waving from the pilot's seat and June gesturing wildly beside her. Bryce nodded back, throat tight to the point of pain, then The side door of the helicopter opened and a bark cut through the air. There was no stopping Syrinx as he jumped out of the helicopter and ran towards her through the tall grass. She fell to her knees

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to hug him, kiss him and let him lick all over his face while he swung his lion's tail and howled with joy. Boots crunched on the grass and Randall approached, a backpack on his back and a rifle slung over his shoulder. His eyes lit up at the sight of her, and he patted the shoulder of the tall boy standing next to him—Emile, now Cooper. And Bryce couldn't help but laugh with pure joy when his mother jumped out of the helicopter behind them, took one look at Bryce kneeling in the meadow, and said: —Bryce Adelaide Quinlan, why is all this talk about you jumping between worlds?

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Ithan knew he couldn't convince a reaper to help on his own. At least not without running the risk of having your soul sucked out and devoured. The positive point was that many reapers would heed Jesiba Roga's conjuration. The negative was that one of them arrived at the morgue an hour after Jesiba requested the Sub-King. Ithan kept remembering each exit, his strength, the knife in his boot, how quickly he could use his claws or change shape... The male reaper was relatively young, judging by the way he had entered the morgue, advancing all pompous — almost without gliding. He looked tempted to play the rock star, with ripped black jeans hanging off his prominent hip bones and lots of tattoos spread across his torso, which was so pale it was almost irritating. He wasn't wearing a shirt. She wore fashionable black boots, poorly tied at the top, and two matching bracelets, both leather and black. Gods, Bryce would have so much fun with a guy like that—his long, golden hair tousled with care. That is, until she saw the acidgreen eyes and throat he left behind.

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clear where the deadly blow had been struck. The wound had healed, but the scars remained. “Thank you for coming,” Hypaxia said, standing next to the examination table with majestic grace. — It will only take a few moments. The reaper looked between her and Ithan, but went to the table, jumping down. with a thud that made the metal shudder. — I heard you deserted, little witch. — His voice was hoarse and wicked. It might sound like the result of the mortal wound to the throat, but it was typical of a grim reaper. Sigrid's voice also sounded like that... — Welcome to the House — continued the reaper, his blue lips curling into a sneer. He nodded at Ithan. —What is a wolf cub doing here? Ithan mastered his primal fear of the creature before them and crossed his arms. —And what do you have to do with this? — You're Holstrom, right? The mocking smile was still there. If that idiot said anything about Connor... — I was part of Aux — replied the reaper, tapping one of the tattoos. — From the group of lion shifters. Oh shit. Ithan had heard of this guy. A low-level lion who had appeared with his party months earlier on a routine Aux inspection of the Meat Market, to check on a vampire nest. The wounds on his neck matched what the vampires had done to the guy. But choosing to become a reaper, in the same House as the one who had killed him... From the gleam in the creature's eyes, Ithan couldn't help but wonder if he had turned into a grim reaper not to escape true death, but to one day take revenge. Hypaxia approached the reaper and said: — May I touch your head? The reaper kept his eyes on the former queen.

— You can touch me as much as you want, baby.

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Holy crap. Ithan suppressed a growl, but Hypaxia remained serene as she placed her hands in her shiny golden hair. Ithan resisted the urge to reach for the knife in his boot as the reaper took a deep breath. Smelling her? Or getting ready to eat your spirit? — Your soul smells of rain clouds and mountain fruits. - O scoundrel licked his lips. — Has anyone ever told you that? How Hypaxia kept her hands on his head, Ithan had no idea.

He was half inclined to rip off the idiot's arms and use them to beat the guy until he was unconscious. The reaper took another breath. — Half witch, half necromancer, huh? “She needs to concentrate,” Ithan said through gritted teeth. The reaper looked at him with those acid green eyes and asked Hypaxia: — Am I distracting you, my dear? She did not answer. He had a distant expression on his face as he focused on what was in the reaper's head. The reaper took another deep breath, rolling his eyes. — Gods, you smell like fucking wine… “We're done here, thank you,” Hypaxia said, extremely politely, then took a step back and began making notes on the papers piled on her desk. — Please send greetings to your master. The reaper stared at her for a long time, almost feral. Ithan could barely breathe, ready to attack, despite knowing there was no way to kill that scoundrel... — See you around — replied the reaper, more of a promise than a farewell, and got down from the table. He walked all pompous towards the doors, this time with a bit of the reapers' floating gait, as if he was trying to show off to the witch. Ithan only started breathing again when he left. — Fucking weirdo. Hypaxia leaned against the examination table.

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—But your guess was right. He didn't have the parasite. — She crossed her arms. — Or at least I didn't feel anything like that. I didn't feel that anything lived inside him. - And now? — I'll compare what I detected in him with what I discovered in his blood. See what stands out and if I can isolate where the parasite is in you. Good. At least he had contributed something. — How did you handle it? asked Ithan, unable to contain curiosity. — How did you manage to get so close to him? — I've had to endure many uncomfortable situations and difficult people throughout my life — commented Hypaxia, getting up from the table and walking to the computer. She turned on the monitor. — A lonely, scared reaper, new to the afterlife, doesn't bother me. - Lonely? Scared? — Ithan choked on a laugh. But Hypaxia looked over her shoulder, her expression impassive. — Couldn't you tell? What was behind that brave attitude? Both his clothes and his attitude show how much he is trying to cling to mortal life. He's scared to death. — You feel sorry for him. - I have. — She went back to the computer. — I feel sorry for him, and of all reapers.

From Sigrid too, without a shadow of a doubt. Guilt was like a pang in his chest, but Ithan said, “Most half-living people seem to enjoy terrorizing us all. — That may be, but their existence is explained in the name itself: a half-life. It's not a real life. That sounds pretty sad to me. Ithan considered. “You're… you're a very good person,” he said, and she laughed. — I'm serious. The witches are missing out so much without you. She looked at him over her shoulder again, her gaze filled with sadness. - Thanks. — She nodded toward the door. — I need to concentrate a little. With no one, uh… around.

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He greeted her. — I got the message. I'll be in the hallway if you need me. ***

— Queen of all this, right? Bryce didn't stop rummaging through the supply trunks that Fury had brought in the helicopter, even though her friend's question was accompanied by a huge smile. — Did you bring your glasses? asked Bryce, looking at the winter hats. All the snow equipment was there, just as she had requested. Before long, Fury had assembled an impressive array of jackets, pants, hats, gloves, and underwear; everything they needed to survive Nena's subzero temperatures. Bryce intended to leave Avallen once her parents had rested from the helicopter ride and were able to settle Cooper with Baxian and process everything she had told him when they arrived. His parents were sitting in the grass on the other side of the field, talking quietly, and Syrinx was resting on Randall's lap. So Bryce stayed away and took the time to check out the equipment Fury had brought, not that he thought Fury hadn't thought of every detail. Still, it was better to check. Just to make sure they had everything they would need. A lot could go wrong, and she was taking her human parents along, she was really going to do it... A thin, brown hand touched Bryce's wrist. — B… is everything okay?

Bryce finally looked up and saw Juniper standing next to her, a frown on her beautiful face. A few feet away, Fury had his arms crossed and his eyebrows raised. Bryce sighed, turning away from the three huge trunks that would be loaded onto the helicopter approaching behind them. The friends would be safe there. That should make her feel more relieved, it was a gift from Urd, Hunt had said, but seeing them there…

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There was a fourth chest, resting on the grass near the helicopter. Fury had only managed to grab a few things before they quickly left Valbara, but still… there were a considerable number of weapons. Weapons. Rifles. Knives.

A joke, actually, considering they were facing six nearly all-powerful intergalactic beings. Most of the weapons would be for others — so they would have a chance to try to survive. Everything else would depend on her.

Fury and Juniper looked at Bryce. Waiting. As if they read her face. Just like Juniper, in that harsh winter, Fury had realized that desperation had pushed Bryce to the limit just by his tone of voice. Juniper, whose last audio message to Bryce showed all her irritation after Bryce did the unforgivable and called the director of the Crescent Moon City Ballet, now had only love and relief on her face. Juniper silently opened her arms and Bryce threw herself into them.

She had a lump in her throat, her eyes were burning from her friend's heat, her smell. Fury's scent and arms wrapped around them a second later, and Bryce closed her eyes, savoring that feeling. time.

“Sorry for dragging you into this story,” Bryce said, with a hoarse voice. — June, I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry. Juniper hugged her even tighter. — We have bigger problems to face now… everything is fine between us. Bryce walked away, looking at her two friends. She had told everything she could to both of them and to their parents and, consequently, to Cooper as well. Fury frowned. — I should go with you. I'm most useful when I'm fighting. Bryce would have given anything to have someone as talented as Fury taking care of her. But it wasn't about Bryce's safety, or his own comfort.

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“You're exactly where you're supposed to be,” Bryce insisted. — When people find out that Fury Axtar is guarding Avallen, they'll think twice before messing with this place. Fury rolled his eyes. — Babysitting.

Bryce shook his head. — No. I need you here, helping anyone who has survived. Helping Baxian. — Yes, yes — said Fury, pointing his chin towards the rest of his friends, standing on the other side of the helicopter. — I must admit that I'm looking forward to peppering Baxian with questions about him and Danika. They looked at the handsome male, who must have noticed the attention he was receiving, because he stared back at them from where he was talking to Tharion and Ruhn. Baxian shuddered.

Juniper riu. — We won't bite! —she shouted at the Hellhound. — It's a lie — Fury muttered, making Juniper laugh even more. Baxian was smart and paid attention to his conversation again. But Bryce didn't fail to notice that Tharion nudged the angel shifter, laughing. — I can't believe she never said anything about him to us — Juniper said softly, with sadness in her voice. — Danika wasn’t one to tell many things — Bryce replied, with the same smoothness.

— Neither do you — provoked Fury, poking Bryce with his elbow. — And again: Queen of Avallen?

Bryce rolled his eyes. — If you want the job, you can stay. — Oh, not for all the gold in the world — replied Fury, amused, his dark eyes shining with amusement. — You're the one who owns that dick. Juniper scowled at her girlfriend. — What Fury means is that we are here to protect you. Bryce kissed June's soft, velvety cheek.

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- Thanks. — She looked at her two friends. - If not we can get back… — Don't think like that, B — Juniper insisted, but Fury didn't say anything. Fury had dealt with the shadows of the empire for years. He was well aware of the odds. Bryce continued, “If I don't make it back, you'll be safe here. The mists will allow any refugees to pass through… but I would still be on the lookout for Asteri agents. Natural resources are many and serve to sustain everyone and, obviously, there is no Primalux to power all your technology, but… Juniper rested her hand on Bryce's wrist again. — Leave it to us, B. Go do… what you need to do. — Save the world — concluded Fury, laughing. Bryce grimaced. - AND. Basically. “Leave it to us,” Juniper repeated, squeezing her hand on Bryce's wrist. “And you will too, Bryce. Bryce took out his cell phone. He took it out of the box, revealing the photograph that

had placed it there, when they were four friends. — Save it for me — she asked, handing the photo to Fury. — I don't want to lose. Fury observed the image, all of them so happy, so young. She tightened Bryce's fingers around the photograph. - Light. — Fury's eyes shone. — So, we will all be with you. Bryce felt another tightness in his throat, but he put the photo in the back pocket of his jeans and allowed himself to look at June and Fury one last time, to memorize every line of their faces. Those friends were worth fighting for. They would be worth dying for.

***

Ember Quinlan was waiting on the hill where Bryce and his friends had emerged from the Cave of Princes.

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Ember looked at the grass-covered ground, tense. There was no trace of the caves that had once been there. — So his body is… down there. Bryce nodded. He knew what his mother meant. —Ruhn decapitated him and impaled his head before the ground swallowed him. It's impossible for him to come back.

Ember didn't smile as she looked at the land, the Autumn King's corpse it was right below her.

— I spent so much time running away from him, scared. Imagining a world where he doesn't exist... — The mother looked up at Bryce's face and, faced with the pain and relief in them, Bryce wrapped her in a hug, squeezing her tightly. “I'm so proud of you,” Ember whispered. — Not because… deal with him, but for everything. I'm so, so proud, Bryce. Bryce couldn't help the burning in his eyes. — I only made it because I was raised by a badass mother. Ember laughed, pulling back to cup Bryce's face with both hands. - You are different. — Different good or different bad? — Good. Like a functioning adult.

Bryce smiled. - Thanks Mom. Ember pulled Bryce into a tight hug. — But it doesn't matter if you're the Queen of the Fae or the Universe or any of that crap... — Bryce laughed when she heard that, but Ember added: — You'll always be my little baby. Bryce hugged her mother tightly and all thoughts of the horrifying dead male beneath them disappeared. The helicopter roared in the distance again, this time piloted by Randall, thanks to his mandatory years in the Pilgrim Army. All humans had been forced to serve. The skills he had learned over those years continued to prove useful, especially now, but Bryce knew the experience weighed heavily on his soul.

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Bryce finally looked up from his mother's embrace and saw Hunt motion for them to come aboard, tapping his wrist irritatingly as if to say, Time is running out, Quinlan! Bryce grimaced, knowing that with those piercing eyes he could see into the distance, but she held her mother for a moment longer. He smelled her, so familiar and reassuring. It was like being at home.

Ember returned the hug, happy to be there, to hug her daughter for one more moment. In the end, that was what really mattered.

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Ithan was tired of playing bodyguard, even downstairs. While Hypaxia compared what he observed in the reaper with the water samples and Ithan's blood, he packed artifacts in Jesiba's office. He looked at the door every two minutes, as if Hypaxia was going to come in and declare that he had developed an antidote for the parasite. But she didn't go in.

Upon entering the morgue, he found her on the table, with her head in her hands. Vials of all sizes and shapes covered the metal surface beside her. Ithan dared to put his hand on his shoulder. - Do not give up. You're exhausted, working for hours. Go find the cure. - I already found it. He took a moment to process what Hypaxia had said.

- Serious? She nodded and poked a vial of clear liquid with her fingertip. — It was much faster than I imagined. I was able to use the synthesizer antidote as a model. Synth and the parasite have magic-altering properties in common... I'll spare you the details. But with the changes I made I think it is possible to isolate

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the parasite and kill it in the same way that the synthetic antidote does. — She pointed to more small vials on a low table behind her. — I did the best I could, but… - But? — He could barely breathe. She sighed. — But it's far from perfect. I had to use lightning Athalar to bring everything together. Unfortunately, I had to use it all.

She pointed to the table, where six quartz crystals sat. Inactive. Empty.

He felt a tightness in his chest. - All good.

Sigrid would continue to be a reaper for now, but he wouldn't give up trying to help her. — Athalar's lightning serves to unite everything, but not permanently — Hypaxia continued. — The antidote is very unstable... just shake it a little, and it stops working. If I had more time, I could find a way to stabilize it, but for now… Ithan squeezed Hypaxia's shoulder. - You can say.

Her mouth twisted and then she said, “The antidote is not a permanent solution. The effect will wear off and, as Midgard's water is still contaminated with the parasite, we will be infected again as soon as this happens. — How long can one dose work? - I don't know. A few weeks? Months? More than a few days, I think, but I'll need to keep refining it and find a way to make it permanent. — But will it work for now? - In theory. As long as there's Athalar's lightning uniting everything. But I didn't have the courage to test it on myself to see if it works and if it's safe, but also… to find out who I could be without this thing feeding on me. — She raised her head and looked into Ithan's eyes, her expression dark and exhausted. — If we remove this parasite, what will happen? What are you going to do with the extra power?

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— I will help my friends, whatever is necessary. — And the wolves?

— What about them? — If you get more power, you will be more skilled than Sabine. Strong enough to challenge her. — She looked at him seriously. — Maybe I can put an end to Sabine's tyranny, Ithan. — I… — He didn't know what to say. — I hadn't thought about what we would do next. She wasn't surprised. — You need to think. We all need. He tensed. — I'm not a planner. Damn, I'm just a gamer solebol… — You were a soleball player. And I think he hasn't thought about the implications of having more power among the wolves because he's avoiding thinking about what he actually wants to do. He looked at her. - And what would it be?

— You want Sabine to leave. No one but you will achieve this. He felt bad. — I don't want to lead anyone. She looked at Ithan, as if she could see through him. But he said, with a disappointment that struck his heart: — All this talk is useless. We don't even know if the antidote will work. — She looked at the bottle. She would take it. Ithan knew that. I would try it, take a risk… Ithan didn't give her time. He picked up the bottle, brought it to his mouth and swallowed. Hypaxia turned around, her eyes wide with apprehension… And then there was just pitch black. ***

His body was there… no, more than the body.

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His wolf, and him, and the power, like he could leap continents whole at once... Ithan's eyes widened. Had the world always been so clear, so bright? Had the morgue always had that strong antiseptic smell? Was there a body rotting in one of the boxes? When did it get there? Or had it been there the whole time? And that smell, of lavender and eucalyptus… Hypaxia was kneeling, panting. - Ithan... A blink and a flash, and he changed. She staggered back towards the wolf that appeared, faster than Ithan had ever transformed before. Another blink and a flash, and he returned to his humanoid body. As easy as breathing. Fast as the wind. Something was different, something was... His blood howled toward an invisible moon. The fingers They curved to the ground as he sat, claws curling. —Ithan? — The witch's voice was a whisper.

- It worked. — The words echoed around the room, around the world. — He's gone, I can feel it. Somehow, a barrier had been removed. The barrier that told him to bow, to obey… was nothing more than ashes. Only the purest dominance remained. Free from ties. But filling the void of that barrier with a growing, furious force… Ithan reached out and willed the thing under his skin to move forward. Ice and snow appeared on his palm. They didn't melt against the skin. He could conjure fucking snow. Magic sang in him, an ancient and strange melody. Wolves didn't have magic like that. They never had, as far as I'd heard. They were shapeshifters and had strength, that's for sure, but that elemental power... shouldn't exist in a wolf, but it was there. Growing in him, filling the place where Ithan had never realized the parasite occupied. Ithan said in a hoarse voice:

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— We need to take this to our friends. Hypaxia smiled from ear to ear. - What will you do? Ithan glanced at the hallway door. — I think it's time to start making some plans. ***

— Only my daughter to drag us to Nena — Ember complained, shivering because of the cold that made Hunt run out of breath. — You couldn't do that, um, I don't know, in the Coronais Islands?

—,

“The North Rift, Mom,” Bryce said through chattering teeth, is in the north. “There's one in the south,” Ember murmured.

"It's even colder down there," Bryce replied, and looked up at him. Hunt and Randall are looking for my help.

Hunt laughed despite the frigid temperatures and howling wind that It hit them from the moment they got out of the helicopter. They couldn't fly any further. The huge black wall stretched for miles on both sides and then curved north, with airspace protections. Hunt knew from maps that the area surrounded by the wall was 30 miles in diameter—seven times seven, the most sacred of numbers— and that in the center, somewhere in the barren, snow-covered terrain, lay the Northern Rift, shrouded in mist. Barrier after barrier protected Midgard from the Rift and the Hell beyond. “We'd better get going,” Randall said, pointing to the leaden doors in the wall before them. “There's no one watching,” Hunt observed, following the human male, grateful for the snow gear Axtar had managed to get for everyone. — There must be at least fifteen here. “Maybe they ran away because it was so cold,” Bryce commented, shivering uncontrollably.

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“An angelic guard never runs away,” Randall said, pulling the faux furlined hood of his parka further over his face. — If they're not here... it's not a good sign. Hunt pointed to the rifle in Randall's gloved hands. — Does this work at these temperatures? “We hope so,” Ember grumbled. But Hunt caught Bryce's gaze and summoned his lightning to stand ready. He knew her starfire was already heating up under her gloves. With Theia's power now united within her… he couldn't decide whether he was eager or afraid to see what that starfire was capable of. - It's a trap? Ember asked as they approached the imposing sealed gates and abandoned guard post.

Hunt peered through the frosted cabin window and opened the door. The ice was so thick that he had to use a considerable amount of force to loosen it. A quick examination of the interior revealed layers of ice covering the controls, chairs, and water station. — No one has been here for a long time. — I don't like this, it seems too easy — commented Ember. Hunt looked at Bryce, his eyes watery from the cold and the tip of his nose red. At those temperatures, they wouldn't last another ten minutes before freezing. He and his partner would recover, as would Ember and Randall, with human blood... “Let's heat this cabin,” Bryce said, then went in and began cleaning the ice off the switches. — Maybe the heater still works. Ember looked at her daughter as if she was aware that Bryce and Hunt had ignored her concerns, but she went in anyway.

***

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They made the heater work, just one of them. The others were too frozen to care. It was enough to warm the small space and offer her parents some shelter while Bryce and Hunt returned to exploring the icy terrain, studying the wall and gate. — Do you think it's a trap? asked Bryce through the tissue he had placed over his mouth and nose. I had found a few pairs of snow goggles in the cabin, and the world was clear through the lenses. Was this how Hunt saw behind his Umbra Mortis helmet? Also wearing polarized glasses, Hunt said, “I've never heard that the North Rift guard post It was empty, so... there must definitely be something wrong. —Maybe Apollion did us a favor and sent some deathcatchers to clean everything up. — When she pronounced the demon prince's name, the wind seemed to calm down. — Well, that's not scary at all. “Here, in the far north,” Hunt said, turning to survey the land—perhaps all that nonsense about —,not speaking the word. his name on this side of the Rift be true. Bryce didn't dare test again. Walked to the gates lead into the wall and placed his gloved hand on the metal. — I heard that both the wall and the gates had salt in them. inlaid white. For protection against Hell. "It didn't stop the demons from getting through," observed Hunt, whose face was inscrutable because of his glasses and the scarf covering his mouth. — I've already hunted several of them to know how flawed this wall is. And the guards too, I believe. “I hate to imagine what's going on without guards here,” Bryce said. Hunt said nothing, which wasn't comforting at all. — So, how are we going to get through? — There is a button inside the cabin. Nothing fancy,” Hunt replied. Bryce nudged him.

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— Let's take it easy this time — A gust of cold wind hit her back, as if throwing her against the wall. Even with the layers of winter clothes, she swore the cold reached her bones.

— We'd better go before the light goes out. — Hunt nodded at the sun already setting on the horizon. — The day will end in a few hours. —Bryce? — Her father called from the cabin. — You need to see this. They found Ember and Randall in front of a monitor

tremeluzente. — The security footage. Ember pointed with a trembling, gloved finger. Bryce knew the shivering wasn't from the cold. Her mother pressed a key on the computer and the footage started playing. “That's…” Bryce let out a gasp. — We need to get to the Rift. Now,” Hunt growled.

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— If you step foot in that Lair without being invited by Cousin or Sabine, they'll kill you, doggy. — I know — said Ithan, packing another box for Jesiba. A mundane task, considering everything that was happening. But when he burst into the office moments before to tell her the good news. Jesiba refused to speak to him until he had dedicated a few minutes to earning his daily bread. So there he was, filling the boxes and talking at the same time. —But if Hypaxia and I go to the Eternal City, we could very well… die. — He choked as he said the last word. — I want them to know the truth. —And what truth is that? Ithan, who had been hunched over a box, stood up. — The truth of what I did to Sigrid. That Sigrid exists, I think, still let it be a reaper. What… — So you want to ease your guilty conscience. Ithan glared at her. — I want you to know what happened. That yes, Sigrid is a reaper and that I couldn't undo that, but... that, technically, they have an alternative for Sabine, even if it's a half-alive one.

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It would be radical and unprecedented to accept a female reaper as the Presumed Cousin, but stranger things have happened, right? Jesiba started typing on the computer. — Why do you care? — Because wolves have to change. They need to know they can choose someone other than Sabine. — Ithan looked at his palm, wishing ice would form there. Ice surged, cracking the skin into a thin film before melting. —They need to know that there is an antidote that can grant powers that go beyond hers. That they don't need to be subservient to her. — The wolves will need proof of this, or you won't make it out alive. from there — declared Jesiba. — Isn't that enough?

He formed a chunk of ice on his fingertip, as much as he could safely control. He supposed he would need to talk to the fae or some type of elf to know how to command this new ability. Hypaxia took the antidote minutes after him. He passed out, just like him, but woke up vibrating with power. Ithan could have sworn that a light, breezy breeze constantly played through her hair—and that some kind of ongoing power seemed to emanate from her, even when she wasn't using it. Ithan had offered a bottle to Jesiba when he went to tell her the good news, but the witch said: you won't help me, doggy. And then demanded that he do this shitty job while he explained what had happened. Jesiba now said: —If I know wolves well, they probably think Quinlan You asked me to do something to you that made you… unnatural. — They know Bryce is a good person. — Do you really know? As far as I remember, they haven't been kind to her since Danika and the Pack died. And you are included in this. As bochechas de Ethan I will heart. — It was a difficult time. For all of us.

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— Danika Fendyr would have kicked you all the way to the Lair gates if she saw how you were treating Quinlan. — Danika would have… — Ithan stopped speaking when a memory appeared in his mind. — Danika questioned the power structure of wolves, you know? Even she found it strange that the Fendyr had been doing whatever they wanted for so long. — Did you think so?

Ithan turned to the sorceress's table. — Bryce and I found some research documents that Danika had hidden. She wanted to know why the Fendyr were so dominant… I don't think she approved of that either. — He nodded to himself. — I would have encouraged others to take the antidote. To kick Sabine away. Jesiba raised her eyebrows. — If you say so... you knew Danika much better than I did. — I know she hated her mother… and thought hierarchies were extremely unfair. — Ithan took a few steps. — I need to get these papers. I'm going to take it to the Lair and show everyone that it's not just me who questions this, that even a Fendyr disagreed with their absolute dominance. This might convince them to accept an alternative to Sabine. Sigrid is a Fendyr, but not in the direct line. Who knows, maybe this will help them understand that it can be an alternative. — They'll say you forged the papers. — Jesiba typed on the keyboard. — This is a risk I have to take — said Ithan, walking to the door. — The days of wolves controlled by Sabine, standing idly by while innocent people suffer… must end. We need a change. And big ones. And maybe, if Urd protects us, what's most important inside Sigrid will still be intact, unchanged after she turned into a reaper. If that's the case, I'd prefer Sigrid over Sabine without thinking twice. Maybe it wasn't a question of undoing what he had done, but of doing what he could with the cards he had in his hands. To adapt.

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— As much as this is a very open-minded thought, Holstrom — declared Jesiba, closing the computer — do you really think it is a smart decision to not only go to the Lair completely defenseless, but to start preaching for them to accept a reaper as Presumptive Cousin? Let's not forget that some wolves may still like Sabine and her leadership style. Many of them might like it, actually. — Yes, but it's time to give an option. To free yourself from control of it. — You forget — said Jesiba, gloomily — that from the beginning they were the main executors of the asteri. They have never shown any inclination to free themselves from anyone's control. — It's a risk I have to take. I can't sit still,” he insisted. —Quinlan told you to protect Hypaxia. — This won't take long. Keep an eye on her for me… please. He walked to the door, and Jesiba spoke as Ithan held the doorknob. His voice sounded heavy, resigned.

— Careful, doggy. ***

Ithan went to Bryce's apartment with the help of the sewer map of the House of Flame and Shadow, which was frightening with how accurate it was. I didn't want to think about who else made regular use of those tunnels. Despite Danika granting him access, Ithan entered the building through the roof door. There was no doubt that the building was being watched, so he tried to stay in the shadows as much as possible. If the guard downstairs saw him on the cameras, no one had come to investigate. Danika's papers were still where he and Bryce had left them: in the junk mail drawer. He flipped through them just to make sure the information was still as he remembered it.

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He was. It could be a convenient support for your claims. Did you see? Even Danika wanted all of this to change. And yes, Sigrid is a Fendyr… but it's also different, and could be a step in the right direction. He would find a way to say it more eloquently, but Danika's name still carried weight. Ithan folded the stack of papers gently and placed them in the back pocket of his jeans. Outside, the city remained quiet; silent. Mourning. And inside the building… Gods, it was strange to see that apartment so empty and dull without its occupants. Ithan looked at the white sofa, as if he was going to find Athalar and Bryce sitting there, Syrinx with them. How distant that life seemed now. He doubted it would ever be like that again. He wondered if his friends would ever return. If Bryce would… He didn't allow himself to finish the thought. There was no other choice but to continue. Whatever it was. And Jesiba was right. Entering the Lair would probably be suicide, but… he looked down the hall, at Bryce's bedroom door. Maybe he didn't need to go in unarmed.

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The gates took a long time — a very long time — to open, the ice and snow breaking and falling. Bryce passed first, starfire glowing beneath his gloves. — I can't understand — Ember declared as she squeezed behind Bryce, Randall was right behind her, Hunt following. —What is the Harpy doing here? “She's not the Harpy anymore,” Bryce said. —She's like… some weird necromantic thing created by the asteri thanks to whatever they managed to do with some of Hunt's lightning. I don't know, but we don't want to run into whatever it turned into. Bryce saw the worry and guilt on Hunt's face, but there was no time for her to assure him that it wasn't his fault. Hunt had had no choice but to provide Rigelus with the lightning. He had been used for horrible things, but it wasn't his fault. —But the Harpy devoured the guards… — Ember protested. “That's why we're going to the Rift,” Bryce concluded, nodding to Hunt, whose eyes gleamed with steely determination. “Now, damn it.

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Hunt didn't wait before lifting her mother into his arms and spreading her wings. Bryce grabbed Randall and said, “Surprise: I can teleport.” Don't vomit. Luckily, Randall didn't vomit as she teleported them the twenty-five miles to the center of the walled ring, but he did so as soon as they arrived. They had traveled faster than Hunt and her mother, leaving Bryce with nothing to do but watch his father vomit in the snow as he was hit with several waves of dizziness caused by the teleportation. "That's..." Randall said, and vomited again, "useful, but horrible." “I think that sums me up in a nutshell,” Bryce commented, jokingly. Randall laughed, threw up again, then wiped his mouth and stood up. “You're not horrible, Bryce. Not even a little. - Perhaps. But this is,” she said, and pointed to the structure in front of her. from them. In the swirling mists. An enormous arch of clear quartz rose forty feet into the air, its top almost hidden by the mist. You could see through the arch, and there was nothing inside except what could only be described as a ripple in the world. Between worlds. And more mist on the other side. —The Asteri must have built the arch around the Rift to try to contain it. Or try to control her, maybe,” Bryce said. “I'll ask you once and I won't say anything else,” Randall said. Behind him, Hunt and Ember appeared, approaching through the air. —But opening the Rift… is it the best solution? Bryce let out a long sigh that disappeared into the mist. — No. But it's the only idea I have. ***

There was not a single mourning banner in the Lair. No dirge offered to Cthona, beseeching the goddess to guide those who

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they had just died. In fact, somewhere in the complex, a stereo was playing a dance beat. No one better than Sabine to move forward as if nothing were happening. As if an atrocity had not occurred in a neighboring neighborhood. At this time of year, it was tradition for many of the Lair families to disperse across the countryside to enjoy the changing leaves and cool autumn mountains, so there were few packs here. Ithan knew which ones would be there—just as he knew that only Perry Ravenscroft, Omega of the Black Rose and Amelie's younger sister, would be guarding the gates. A bronze representation of the Embrace—the sun setting or rising between two mountains—was displayed in the window of the guard post. And it was because Ithan knew Perry so well that he knew that this little decoration was her way of telling the city that some in the Lair were in mourning, that they prayed to Cthona to comfort the dead. Perry's large emerald eyes widened at the sight of Ithan as he prowled up to the guard shack. She must have thought he had materialized out of nowhere. In fact, the stealthy movements were courtesy of his new speed and unearthly silence—complemented by the fact that he had traveled through the sewers, needing to remain out of sight until the last possible minute. Perry reached for the radio on the table, his long brown hair shining in the afternoon sunlight, but Ithan held up his hand. She stopped. “I need to talk,” he said through the glass.

Green eyes scanned his face, then went to a spot on his shoulder, to the sword Ithan carried. Perry looked at him and then opened the cabin door. The aroma of cinnamon and strawberries hit him an instant later. Up close, you could count the freckles on the tip of her nose. Her pale skin seemed to pale even more as she processed what he had said. — Sabine is in a meeting…

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— Sabine, no. I need to talk to everyone else. You were the only one who got in touch to see if I was alive after… everything — Ithan explained. She sent him messages every now and then, not many, but with Amelie as her alpha and sister, he knew that her friend couldn't dare communicate more than that. — Please, Perry. Let me into the courtyard. — Tell me what you want to talk to us about and I’ll think about it. — Even though she was Omega, the lowest position in the Black Rose Pack, she didn't back down. It was only because of this courage that Ithan told her his secret first. — A new future for wolves. ***

Ithan knew that the wolves had arrived quickly in the courtyard only because Perry was very loved within the Den. Many trusted her. As soon as they received the message of a last minute announcement, everyone headed there. He kept hidden in the shadows of the pillars beneath the north wing of the building, watching those he considered friends, almost family, gathered in the grassy space. The red and gold trees in the small park behind them swayed in the cool autumn breeze, and the wind thankfully kept their scent away from the wolves. When there were already a considerable number of wolves, about a hundred, Perry stepped out onto the few steps in front of the building's doors and said: —So, uh… almost everyone is here. People smiled at her, confused but indulgent. It had always been this way with Perry, the Covil's resident artist, who at the age of four painted her room in every color of the rainbow, despite her parents' order to choose a tone. Perry looked at him, his eyes shining with fear. For him or for her, Ithan couldn't say. “Go ahead,” she said softly, and went downstairs, sitting on the grass.

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Make your brother proud. Even though it was the Viper Queen who spoke those words, Ithan kept them in his heart as he stepped out of the shadows. Growls, howls and cries of surprise rose. Ithan raised his hands. — I'm not here to cause problems. —Then get lost! — someone shouted... Gideon, Amelie's third, from the back. Amelie herself walked through the crowd, her face contorted with fury… “Everything we are is a lie,” Ithan declared, before Amelie could reach him and transform. Some people quieted down. Ithan moved on, because Amelie's canines were lengthening, and he knew he would complete the transformation soon. — Danika Fendyr questioned this too. And he died before he could discover the truth. The words had the desired effect. The crowd was silent. Still, Amelie moved forward, pushing people out of the way, with Gideon, imposing, menacing, and clumsy, hot on her heels... Ithan looked at Perry, standing at the front of the crowd, her eyes greens fixed on it. He turned to his friend and continued: — The Asteri planted a parasite in our brains that repressed our inherent magic, reducing it to its most basic components: shapeshifting and strength. However, even skills were nipped in the bud. All so that we would continue to be their faithful executors, as we have been since the emergence of the Northern Rift. Amelie was ten feet away, her muscles straining to leap onto the stairs, pin him down, and destroy him… “Look,” Ithan said, and held out his hand. Ice swirled in his palm. The crowd gasped. Even Amelie looked shocked. Ithan, letting the ice crust over his fingers, continued: — Magic, elemental magic. It was here, sleeping in my veins this whole time. — He looked into Perry's eyes again, noting the shock and something like longing in them. - One

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friend of mine, a medwitch, made an antidote for me. I took it and discovered what I really am. Who I really am. What sleeps in the lineage of all wolves, repressed by the asteri for fifteen thousand years. —It's a witch's trick — Amelie spat, trying to pass by her younger sister. “Get out of there,” she ordered Perry. Not as his sister, but as his alpha. But Perry, despite her slender body, stood her ground. And said to Amelie, in a loud voice: — I want to hear what he has to say. ***

Ithan spoke as quickly as he could, giving the wolves a general context of the parasite and what it did to their magic. And then, because they still seemed to doubt, he explained what had actually happened in the Bone Quarter: secundalux. The soul grinder. When he finished, Ithan looked into Perry's eyes again. She she was white as a ghost.

— Queen Hypaxia Enador can attest to everything I said — said Ithan. — She is no longer queen! She was expelled… just like you, Holstrom,” cried a wolf. Ithan bared his teeth. — She's brilliant. He figured out how to fix this thing in our brains, to give us back our magic. So don't use that fucking tone to talk about her. And upon hearing the growl in Ithan's voice, the order, the wolves in the crowd straightened up. Not in anger or fear, but… - What did you do? asked Perry, taking a step towards the front. — Ithan, you… — There's another Fendyr — Ithan said, moving forward, preparing himself.

The crowd stirred. Perry was gaping. - What are you talking about? she asked. He couldn't stand that confusion, that hope in her voice, in your shining eyes.

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“Her name is Sigrid,” Ithan explained, his throat thick. tight. — She… she is the daughter of Sabine's late brother. It's her… — That's enough — shouted Amelie, finally taking the lead. - That nonsense has to end now. Ithan growled, low and deep, and even Amelie stopped, one foot on the step. He held her gaze, letting her see everything there. — Why is this traitor still alive? — Sabine's voice glided across the courtyard. Ithan turned, careful to keep Amelie in his sights. while looking at the approaching Presumed Cousin. A step behind her, emerging from the shadows, walked Sigrid and the Astronomer.

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“Reaper,” Perry muttered, stepping back. Not to run, but to protect a young wolf a few steps behind her, who trembled in pure terror before the acid green eyes of the reaper between them. Judging by Sigrid's rather normal gait, she was still in the middle of transitioning. But there was already a strangeness in his movements. The beginning of that smooth glide common only to reapers. Her clothes were still torn apart and bloody. As proof, he noticed — because his blood was on them too. And the wolves would know if they smelled it. Struggling to find the right words as he pointed at Sigrid, Ithan said, “She… she's not a threat to all of you. — It's a reaper! — someone shouted at him from behind. The Astronomer smiled at Ithan. How did the damned old man manage to keep her away from the Sub-King? Somehow he had orchestrated that, bringing his old mystique to Sabine. All to get revenge on Ithan. — Whatever story Holstrom is telling you, don't listen to a single word. — — Sabine announced loudly. —, The crowd backed away, desperate to escape the reaper at Sabine's side. — Ithan Holstrom is a liar and a traitor to everything we stand for.

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“That's a lie,” Ithan growled.

- AND? — Sabine pointed to Sigrid, who was beside her, looking at the crowd with an impassive expression. — Look what you did to my dear niece. The word hit the crowd like a violent wave. He practically felt them putting the pieces together—that the reaper before them was the same Fendyr heiress Ithan had mentioned just now. It is possible that… Niece, people whispered. The Astronomer crossed his withered hands before him, a portrait of a serene old age. “It's true,” he announced. — Twenty years ago, Lars Fendyr came to me and sold me his oldest cub. — He gestured to Sigrid. —She was my faithful companion, as dear to me as my own daughter. — His dark eyes slid to Ithan, sharp with hatred. — Until that boy kidnapped her and turned her into this. The crowd turned, all focus now on Ithan, eyes suspicious, condemnatory… “My brother's daughter,” Sabine said, raising her voice to be heard over the murmuring, bustling crowd. — Killed in cold blood by that male. — She pointed to Ithan. — Just as he and his fae friends tried to kill me. — That's... — Ithan began, noticing how pale Perry was. “It's the truth,” Sabine sneered. — I have the video, courtesy of the Viper Queen. I will be happy to show everyone how you mercilessly murdered a defenseless young wolf. Ithan couldn't speak, horrified. It had all been a long-term move by the Viper Queen. Not only to have fun, but also to use the knowledge of what he had done to his own advantage. The relationship between her and Sabine was tense, so why not ease it with a small peace offering? Marc had told Ithan that the Viper Queen did not deal in money, but in favors and information. He had fallen right into the

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trap. “Ithan tried to get a necromancer to raise her from the dead,” Sabine continued, gesturing to the reaper. —To use her as a puppet and usurp me. - That is not… The Astronomer added: — And when he found out what had happened to her... — The Astronomer gave Sigrid a look of pity. — I asked the Sub-King for her release so that I could bring her to the Lair immediately, for you who are so good. This couldn't be happening. Sabine smiled. It was definitely happening.

— This morning, Sigrid informed me that when she was faced with this unspeakable slavery, thinking of protecting her people, she chose to exist as a reaper. And now, you come here as my heir,” said Sabine. The shock caused silence to fall over the place. He had been an idiot, so stupid for thinking that Sigrid would be like Danika, that she could have chosen to be a reaper and still want joy and peace and what was best for the wolves—instead of the pure hatred that now shone in his gaze. , which fell on Ithan. But Amelie stared at Sabine. She was Sabine's heir. Appoint another, even more so a reaper... Perry looked between his sister and Sabine, then at the reaper. — Why don't you let your new heiress speak for herself, Sabine? Sabine growled at Perry, who took a step back. Ithan's hair stood on end at the submission, at the hatred. — Everyone knows that the Holstroms have long wanted to replace the Fendyr,” continued Sabine. — It seems so — spat Ithan. “Our traditions continue because they are strong,” Sabine told the crowd. The Astronomer approached Sigrid, looking at the wolves. — Hearing this kid spew the propaganda of a renegade witch… “Go to the Bone Quarter,” Ithan interrupted. — Ask the Sub-King an audience with my brother. Connor will tell you…

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— Only the scum of the House of Flame and Shadow are capable of such things

— Sabine scoffed. — Your heir — Perry said with calm authority — is in that House, Sabine. Sabine smirked at Perry, and Ithan was overcome with hatred. “Sigrid defected to the House of Earth and Blood,” Sabine continued. The crowd murmured again. — And, from now on, you will live here, as your future Presumed Cousin. The Astronomer nodded, his long beard brushing the belt around his draped robes. — After convincing the Sub-King to release her into my care, it is with sadness that I part again with my daughter of the heart, but I know it is for her good. Sigrid is now part of your Lair… a true wolf. “I don't remember approving the request,” said an old, weak voice. The crowd fell silent as Primo limped past the doors. Even the Astronomer lowered his head in deference. Sabine must have trained Sigrid, because the wolf fell to her knees. in front of the Cousin and lowered his head.

“Grandfather,” she said, her voice hoarse.

People gasped at the sound of his voice. The hoarse whisper of a reaper. The Cousin looked at Sigrid's pale face. Her acid green eyes. The wounds in the throat, in the neck. He said nothing and his milky eyes slid to Ithan. Full of sadness and pain.

Ithan swallowed hard, but stood his ground. - Sorry. I... I didn't want this to happen. — The crowd's attention was riveted on him. — I was trying to fix things. “At the expense of the wolves' future,” Sabine replied. Ithan reached over his shoulder and pulled out the gun he'd brought from Bryce's room.

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The Fendyr sword groaned as it freed itself from its scabbard. Sabine's eyes flashed with fury and desire... But Ithan knelt before the former Cousin and bowed his head, raising the blade in offering. “I have no intention of usurping the Fendyr,” Ithan said, keeping his gaze on the ground. — I just want what’s best for our people. I thought Sigrid might be… different, but I was wrong. I was wrong and I'm sorry. Sabine boiled: — Dad, don’t listen to that rubbish… — Silence — ordered the Cousin, in a voice Ithan hadn't heard in years. He dared to look at the old male. — I heard what you said — said the Cousin to Ithan — through the cameras. — The milky eyes seemed to clear for an instant, revealing a glimpse of the powerful and fair wolf he had been. — Danika had actually thought about what you said just now. She had some suspicions and asked me about it and, even though I had thought the same thing for a long time, I was running away from the truth. It was… it was easier to continue than to face a painful reality. Maintain stability rather than risk an uncertain future. The Cousin took the sword Ithan offered, his wrinkled hand shaking with the effort of holding the heavy blade. — I allowed our people to be forced to serve in the Aux — he continued, looking now at Perry — even when their artistic souls abhor it. — Perry's eyes shone with pain. — What Ithan said to you is true. It has always been true, since the First Wars and the unspeakable atrocities our people committed in the name of the Asteri. My daughter — he glanced at Sabine, who growled softly and didn't want to listen when I mentioned that wolves could be more, better than us. But my—, granddaughter heard it.

The old wolf let out a heavy sigh. — Danika could have led us back to the way we were before we allowed ourselves to be captured by the Asteri. I have long believed that she was killed for having this goal, by the powers that want the status quo to remain in place. — The Cousin looked at

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the wolf kneeling at his feet. —But this must be stopped. — He extended the sword to Ithan. — Ithan Holstrom is my heir. A stunned silence passed through the crowd, the world. Ithan couldn't breathe. — And no one else — concluded the Cousin. Sabine turned death white. — Good…

The Cousin gave his daughter a cold look. — For a long time, I let you act as you pleased. — I kept our people and this city safe… — You are stripped of your title, position and authority. Sabine stared at him in disbelief. Beside you, the bright eyes Sigrid's green eyes shot between the two wolves. The Astronomer stared at the distant eastern gates, as if began to wonder if he had bet on the wrong horse. “Take it,” said the Cousin to Ithan, and extended his sword again. new. Ithan shook his head. — I didn't come here to... “I offered to make you alpha once, Ithan Holstrom. Now I offer to make you Cousin. Don't run away from it. Ithan didn't take the sword. — Eu… He didn't get the chance to finish the refusal.

One moment, he was looking at the sword. In the other, Sabine snatched it from her father's hands. She stuck the gun in Cousin's old face.

The crowd erupted into screams and shouts. Out of the corner of my eye, Ithan saw Amelie drag a struggling Perry out of reach. The Cousin fell to the ground in front of Ithan, his eyes blind. covered in blood. If a medwitch arrived soon, maybe… Sigrid stirred. Ithan couldn't contain the cry of dismay when she He jumped onto his grandfather's body and pressed his mouth to his withered lips. She took a deep breath.

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Light shone through Cousin's mouth, illuminating his sunken cheeks, and then Sigrid inhaled and drank. His soul, primalux… She tilted her head back and swallowed that light, his essence. Sigrid's skin glowed as the light passed through her throat, inch by inch. There would be no way to bring Cousin back.

Still, Sabine cut off his head. The Astronomer, mouth open and splattered with blood, stumbled back a step, looking at Sigrid in disbelief as she stared at him with her voracious green eyes… Ithan only had time to turn and jump from the stairs before Sabine brandished the bloody sword at him, who couldn't stop looking at Cousin and Sigrid, the reaper he had created and who had eaten the old wolf's soul, just as hungry as she was. a vampire... —Ithan! Perry shouted, and Ithan watched as Sabine lunged at him, sword in the air. He jumped back, narrowly escaping being hit. — This sword — Sabine panted, brandishing it — is mine. The title is mine. Ithan transformed so quickly that even Sabine looked shocked. Make your brother proud.

Sabine swung her sword as Ithan attacked, a powerful that would even split his wolf's skull in two. Ithan jumped straight for the blade. His jaws closed around her. Sabine's eyes flashed with shock when Ithan bit down, tasting metal. And he broke the Fendyr sword with his teeth.

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Most of those present had fled as soon as Sigrid began feeding on her Cousin's soul. But Perry and Amelie, with Gideon at their sides, remained near the trees, watching Sabine and Ithan. Sabine looked at the Fendyr sword, broken into seven parts, and he looked up furiously at Ithan. Ithan returned to his humanoid body at the same moment. “It's just a piece of steel,” he said, panting, the metallic smell of the blade still in his mouth. — You spent all these years obsessing over this, resenting that Danika was with her… it's just a piece of metal. Sabine's claws glowed. The lips curled back from the fangs and she growled. But behind her, Sigrid approached the Astronomer, who had fallen to the ground and was crawling backwards, hands up. The male begged: — I treated you well, I freed you from the hands of the Sub-King… The Astronomer had no opportunity to plead his case. Sigrid, out of spite or out of hunger, didn't allow the old man to scream and jumped up to put her mouth on his. Even Sabine stopped to watch as Sigrid plunged her claw-like hand into the Astronomer's chest, ripping out his still-beating heart.

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as she took a deep breath, the brilliant light — secundalux — of her soul rising through her body and passing through their joined mouths… That wasn't Ithan's problem. Not at that moment. He He looked at Sabine and gave a long, deep growl. Sabine's nose wrinkled. — You're not an alpha, doggy — she growled and lunged. Ithan invested. A straight run into the jaws of death. Sabine jumped at him and Ithan ducked, sliding, grabbing the largest of the sword fragments and lifting it high… Blood poured like rain and Sabine screamed as she fell to the grass with a muffled thud. Ithan stood up and turned towards her. Sabine was crouched on the ground, one hand pressed to her stomach, as if that could keep her now oozing organs from falling onto the grass. He was vaguely aware of Sigrid, behind him, swallowing the Astronomer's dying soul and letting the inert corpse fall to the stones of the stairs. But Ithan slowly approached Sabine, and there was no one else in the world, no mission other than that. Sabine looked up at him with furious, painfilled eyes. “Everything I did was for the wolves,” Sabine said, panting. — It was because of you — Ithan said, stopping in front of her. She laughed disdainfully, showing her teeth covered in blood. — You will lead them to ruin. — That's what we'll see. — Was all Ithan said before transforming once again into a wolf with supernatural speed. Sabine looked into the wolf's eyes and saw death. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ithan didn't give him the chance. It was enough of her vitriol that was poisoning the world. One jump, one snap of the incredibly strong jaws, and it was over. With the extra strength he had acquired, he had managed to break the steel sword. Breaking flesh and bone was nothing in comparison. But once her blood hit his tongue, red took over his vision, glowing, burning. He was angry,

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growls and fangs. He was blood, guts and primal fury… - Ithan. Perry's shaky voice brought him out of his daze. Of what he had done with Sabine's body. Her blood covered her mouth, the flesh stuck between her teeth… “They're watching,” Perry said, panting, approaching him. Still in wolf form, Ithan turned to the witnesses of his savagery, but Perry said, “Don't look. — Then she fell to her knees in front of him. He tilted his head back and exposed his neck. A pause. - I surrender. I surrender to Cousin. The words touched him, more despair and suffocation. He couldn't contain the instinct to reach out and wrap his teeth around Perry's slender neck. That taste of cinnamon and strawberry in your mouth. Accept submission to him. The acknowledgment.

Footsteps echoed nearby. Then Amelie appeared, her face pale with shock. But she also fell to her knees. He exposed his neck. It was either submit to him or die. As a potential rival, Ithan would have no choice but to kill her. Looking back, he saw the Astronomer's corpse lying on the stairs, blood running down the steps. Sigrid had disappeared, as if she knew he would come after her. Something relaxed in him as he closed his jaw gently around Amelie's throat, accepting her surrender. A taste more bitter and rancid than Perry's sweetness. But he accepted anyway. — Salve Ithan, Primo dos Lobos Valbaranos — disse Amelie, alto o enough for everyone to hear. In response, a chorus of howls rose from across the Lair. Then, the city. Then the desert beyond the city walls. How from all Midgard or Saudasse. When it ceased, Ithan tilted his wolf's head toward the sky and howled. Of triumph, of mourning, of pain.

Make your brother proud.

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And when his howl stopped echoing, he could have sworn he heard the scream of a male wolf echoing from the Bone Quarter itself.

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Ruhn did not recognize the city itself. Imperial warships occupied the entire Istros. Wolves appeared Ferals roamed the streets. At 33 a accompanied by the Guard Asteriana. And Prados was still burning in the north, lines of smoke rising into the blue sky. But it was the silence that unnerved him most as he and Lidia walked through the sewers, heading towards the Comitium. Flynn and Dec had split off from them a few blocks earlier to examine the Aux headquarters in an attempt to find out where Isaiah and Naomi might be. If they could intercept them in the Comitium, it would save hours of searching. Then would come the hard part: finding a safe place to meet with them, with enough time to explain everything. But for now, the focus was on finding the two members of Celestina's triary and trying not to get caught in the process. —This must open into a tunnel that will pass just below the Comitium, — Ruhn said to Lidia, in a low voice. The sewers seemed empty, but in Crescent Moon City there was always someone watching, listening.

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“Once we're in the building, I can take us to their barracks,” she said. — Are you sure you know where the cameras are… She glanced at Ruhn. — When Ephraim came to visit, it was my job to know where they were. Both as Doe and as Agent Daybright. I could navigate this place blindfolded. Ruhn sighed. - All good. But when we get to the barracks… — Then their shadows enter the scene, and we hide until Isaiah and Naomi appear. Unless they're already there and we can find them both on our own. - Right. I understood. — He cracked his neck. She looked at him.

— You seem… nervous. He snorted. — It's my first mission with my girlfriend. I want to make a good impression. Her lips curved, and Ruhn led the way through another tunnel. — Am I your girlfriend, then? she asked. — Everything… is everything okay with you?

She gave the most sincere of smiles. It made her seem younger, lighter —the person she could have been if Urd hadn't sent her down such a fucked up path. It took his breath away thinking about it. — Yes, Ruhn. Fine by me. He smiled back, remembering how she scolded him when they met by saying “Yes”, by being so casual. Looking ahead, Ruhn saw that they were approaching a dented metal door that read: Do Not Enter. "Well, that's almost an invitation," he said, plucking a Lidia laughs as she kicks the door. ***

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Any joy Tharion might have had at smelling the familiar, alluring scent of the river died at the sight of the Imperial warships on the Istros and the Omega boats moored near them. And, next to Cais Preto… the SPQM Faustus. The same omega boat they had barely managed to overtake in Ydra. He did not dare venture to the north end of the city to see the damage in Asphodel Meadows. That wasn't why they had come there and he knew that nothing he saw would make him feel better. The city was eerily silent. As if he was in mourning. His face and hair were hidden by a soleball cap, Tharion glared at the armada for so long while he was there, on the pier, that Sathia warned: — If you keep looking like that, you'll draw attention to us. “I should get in the water and blow holes in the hulls of all these boats,” Tharion grumbled. - Focus. If you do this, we will not achieve our objective. — She looked worriedly at the ships. — Which is beyond necessary. — They are holding the city hostage.

— All the more reason to appeal to the Queen of Rio to welcome people. Tharion found nothing but the coldest determination on Sathia's heartshaped face. "You're right," he said, and then gave a low whistle and waited. An otter in a bright yellow vest jumped onto the dock, dripping water everywhere. She stood on her hind legs in front of Tharion, her whiskers twitching, spraying droplets of water. Sathia smiled. - Stop this. It will only encourage her to be cuter — Tharion murmured. Sathia bit her lip, and as much as seeing that made him Distracted, Tharion managed to compose himself and ordered the otter: — Tell the River Queen that Tharion Ketos wants a meeting. The mustaches twitched again.

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“Please,” Sathia added. Tharion avoided the urge to roll his eyes, but he also said: — Please. — He fished out a gold coin. — And be quick, friend. The otter took the coin with its little black fingers and turned it over. His eyes lit up at the exorbitant sum. With a flick of its long tail, the animal leapt back into the turquoise water with barely a ripple and disappeared. Tharion watched her swim gracefully into the depths and then disappear into the darkness of the Blue Court of the Deep. The small bright lights were the only sign of life there. - And now? — asked Sathia again, looking at the ships of war moored in the river. If a soldier recognized Tharion... He pulled his soleball cap lower. —Now we hide in the shadows and wait. ***

“This doesn't seem safe,” Ember complained for the fifth time as Bryce stood in front of the Northern Rift arch. Hunt waited ten paces behind her, his feathers freezing. — It seems to me the opposite of safe. You are opening the Northern Rift to Hell. And we're supposed to believe that these demons, the princes, for Urd's sake… are good?

— I'm not sure they're any good. But they are on our side.

Trust me, Mom,” Bryce said. “Trust her, Ember,” Randall pleaded, but from the tension in his voice, Hunt knew he wasn't very happy either. “Whenever you're ready, Athalar,” Bryce called. — I thought you didn't need me to fuel you anymore. Even more so with all this extra power he has now — said Hunt. “I don't want to try to do this alone,” Bryce said. — It seems too risky to test my new skills right now. “I bet you could do it,” Hunt shouted over the wind.

-, but everything is fine. On three. — Bryce stopped, straightening his shoulders.

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Hunt gathered his lightning. Praying to all the gods, even though they had only screwed up his life until then. The power of lightning was familiar, but it suddenly felt strange. Hellfire, as Apollion called it. Answers—at least, answers to who and what he was, why he, and no one else, had that lightning. Even the thunderbirds, created by Hell, had been hunted to extinction by the asteri. With Sofie's death, in fact, they disappeared. Although the resurrection of the Harpy, another thing he was guilty of, suggested that the Asteri now had other methods of raising the dead. Only if they could get their hands on more of his lightning. He would rather die. “One,” Hunt whispered and raised his hand wrapped in lightning. Lightning Lord, the Oracle called him. - Two… Had the Oracle seen, on that day, what he was, where his power came from? You remind me of that long lost. Thunderbirds, hunted to extinction. Was it the wind rustling her parka, or was Bryce shivering as he awaited the blow? Hunt didn't give himself a moment to reconsider. To stop. - Three. He threw the lightning at his partner.

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Just as it had happened that day in the Asteri palace, when she leapt from her world to another, Hunt's lightning passed through Bryce's back and the Horn, striking the star in his chest—and the Gate. Ember screamed in fear, and even Randall took a step back, but Hunt let the lightning flow to Bryce, maintaining a flow constant. “Open it,” ordered Bryce, his voice carried by the wind. A track of darkness began to spread in the middle of the Gate. Hunt channeled more lightning into it, and the gap widened, inch by inch. The Northern Rift had been fixed on Hell—until that moment. Until his power passed not only through Bryce's Horn, but also through the star on his chest—that link to a different world. Reorient the Gate, as on that day in the Eternal Palace, to open elsewhere. That was their theory, at least. No one has ever tried to manipulate the Northern Rift to open somewhere other than Hell, but…

— That's enough, Hunt — warned Ember. Hunt ignored her and sent another spike of power to his partner.

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Bryce's hair fluttered against the snow and ice, but she maintained an eerie calm until emptiness filled the entire enormous Gate. Hunt cut through the lightning and ran to where Bryce stood before from the wall of darkness. Darkness dappled by starlight. A female with golden brown hair was sitting on a

armchair in front of a fireplace on the other side. All that darkness was the starry night beyond the windows. His face was a picture of pure shock when Bryce He raised his hand in greeting and said, “Hello, Nesta.” ***

The River Queen sat in a chair in front of a computer panel in the control room, connected to the western airlock, on a makeshift throne in the sterile, functional space. The technician operating the computer had vacated the chamber almost running at the queen's command. Tharion was well aware that the airlock could easily be washed to remove any and all traces of blood. A body expelled from that would go straight to the sobeks circling outside like reapers. If Sathia noticed these details, if she understood that she and Tharion had been taken there just for the convenience of getting rid of the corpse, she didn't let on. The wife curtsied, a graceful movement that did nothing to match the casual leggings and white sweater, the cashmere dirty and torn at the bottom hem. — Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you — said Sathia, her voice refined but not at all threatening. The River Queen's dark eyes swept over Sathia. — Should I open my arms to the female who usurped my daughter? Sathia didn't even flinch.

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—If my union with Tharion has brought sorrow or offense, then I offer my sincere apologies. A second, too long to be comforting. Tharion looked at the River Queen and noticed her watching him. The cold, cruel look. Not impressed. — I assume you really want something from me, if you came back to risk my wrath,” said the River Queen. Tharion lowered his head. — Yes, Your Majesty. — And yet you brought your wife… for what? To calm me down? Or as a shield to hide? "Considering it barely touches my chest," said Tharion, dry —, I don't think it would serve as a shield. Sathia glared at him, but the River Queen frowned. — Always making jokes. Always making a fool of himself. — She waved her hand adorned with shell and coral rings toward Sathia. — I suppose I should wish you congratulations on your marriage, but instead I wish you good luck. With a male like that for a husband, you're going to need it. — I thank you — said Sathia with such sincerity that Tharion almost believed it too. — May your good wishes reach Urd's ears. — Okay, maybe he underestimated his wife, who seemed more comfortable in this environment than he was. In fact, the River Queen seemed quite intrigued by the Sathia's elegance when put to the test, then saying: — Well, Tharion. Let's hear what is so important that you dared to enter my kingdom again. He clasped his hands behind his back, exposing his chest as he knew the River Queen preferred. He didn't see the jagged sea glass knife anywhere, but he knew it was always in his hand. weapon.

— I am here on behalf of Bryce Quinlan, Queen of the Valbaran Fae and Avallen, to request asylum in the Blue Court for the people of Crescent Moon City. Another long pause.

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—Queen, huh? — asked the River Queen. — Of the Valbaran Fae and Avallen? — Her eyes slid to Sathia, representative of the fae, she supposed. Sathia lifted her chin. — Bryce Quinlan now rules both territories. I serve her, as well as Tharion. Eyes as black and deep as a shark's slid toward Tharion. The same eyes as her sister, the Queen of the Ocean, he realized. —Should I be pleased to know that you have defected once again? — I did what my morals demanded — said Tharion. — Morals — reflected the Queen of Rio. — What morals do you have other than ensuring your own survival at any cost? Was it your morals that guided you when you took my daughter's virginity, vowed to love her until she died, and then toyed with her affections for the next decade? Holy shit. But Sathia answered for him with that unshakable calm: — These were the mistakes of youth... Tharion reflected and learned with these errors.

The Queen of Rio turned her attention to Sathia again. — Did you reflect? Or was it the poisoned honey he spilled on his ear to woo her? “He brought me to you. Proof that you are willing to take on the own actions — countered Sathia. It took a special person to speak that way to the Queen of Rio. Not to retreat an inch, not to tremble before her power, her eternal face. The River Queen narrowed her eyes, obviously thinking what same. —And this Queen Bryce considered Tharion the best emissary to beg me for such a huge favor? Sathia didn't lower her chin. — She remembered how brave and selfless Tharion and his people were in sheltering innocent people here, safely, during the attack

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this spring. Damn, she was good. The River Queen waved her hand toward the window overlooking to the depths and the monsters that prowled beyond. —And she can give me a good reason not to kill Tharion right now and send his body to the beasts in the river? Sathia didn't even look at the hovering sobeks. — Because he is now in the service of Queen Bryce. If you kill him, you'll have to deal with the fae. A display of small pointy teeth. —They will have to reach the Depths first. Sathia didn't miss a beat. — I believe it would not be in your interest to become a city under siege. By the gods, his wife was brave. Tharion wisely showed no reaction, but for Ogenas, if they survived this encounter, he would ask Sathia to teach him those techniques. The River Queen laughed mockingly, but tilted her head before saying change the subject.

— How does the girl have so much power in her hands, all of a sudden?

— She’s the one who has to tell this story — said Sathia, folding her hands behind her back — but she has powerful allies. In this world and in others. - Others? Tharion dared to speak, transforming his voice into a mirror of his wife's balanced calm: — Bryce considers the Princes of Hell as allies. —So she is an enemy of Midgard. And an idiot too, if she's trying to hide the people of this city from the demons she's going to ally herself with. — She does not seek to hide people from Hell, but rather from the wrath dos asteri,” Tharion explained. The River Queen glared at him.

— You are asking me to stand against the Republic itself.

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“What happened in Asphodel Meadows was a disgrace,” Tharion said, his voice dangerously low. — If you don't take a stand against the Republic for something of this nature, then you are complicit in their slaughter. Sathia gave Tharion a warning look, but the River Queen considered him. As if I hadn't actually seen him until then. She opened her mouth and hope rose in Tharion's chest... But then the inner door of the room opened and the River Queen's daughter entered, anger and sadness wrinkling her beautiful face as she shouted, "How could you do this?" ***

—Is she a Prince of Hell? — Ember whispered a few steps behind Bryce, her teeth chattering from the cold. — Does she look like a prince? — Randall hissed back, the snow crackled as he hopped from one foot to the other to keep warm. — Bryce said Aidas appeared to her as a cat, so you'll know... “Guys,” Bryce murmured as Nesta slowly got up from her armchair by the fireplace. Somehow, a dagger appeared in the female's hand, as if it were hidden under the pillow. It had worked. They managed to open the Northern Rift to a place other than Hell. - What are you doing? Nesta asked, and at that moment Bryce realized that no one else could understand her. Which left Bryce in charge of the translation. Then Bryce whispered to Hunt, wide-eyed but ready to spring into action: - Just a minute. — And he looked at Nesta. — I won't hurt you

you, nor your world,” Bryce said in Nesta’s language. — Then why is there a giant portal in my living room? — Nesta’s blue-gray eyes glowed violently.

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predatory. A little of that silver flame was beginning to grow at his fingertips. Could it withstand Bryce's starfire? Especially with the strength of that power leveled in his body behind it? But she hadn't come there for that. — I needed to talk to you. — How did you know I would be alone? - I did not know. It was Urd's grace. The dagger and silver flame did not disappear. — Close the Portal. — Not until I say what I need to say. The silver flame flickered in Nesta's eyes. —Then say it and go away. — His gaze dropped to Bryce's side. —And leave the dagger you stole. Bryce ignored the request and swallowed hard. Ember hissed at Randall, “I don't think it's going well. Randall silenced her. But Nesta's eyes slid to Hunt, to the wings feathered, the lightning dancing in his hand, the halo on his forehead. — Is this your partner? Bryce nodded and motioned for Hunt to step forward. —Hunt Athalar. —She would never use Danaan again. To any one of them.

Hunt approached and tilted his head. Bryce could have sworn that lightning flashed in his eyes, as if the power he had summoned, enough to open the Northern Rift, was completely overwhelming him. But Nesta just watched him imperiously and then turned to Bryce. - What do you want? Bryce straightened his shoulders. — I need you to give me the Mask.

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— Is it a request or a threat? — Nesta asked softly, and even with a portal between them, the ground seemed to shake with the female's power. — It's a plea. A desperate fucking plea,” Bryce replied, exposing his palms to Nesta in supplication. — I need the Mask to have an advantage against the asteri. To destroy them. — No. — Nesta's eyes showed no mercy. —Now close the portal and get lost. — She looked over her shoulder, to where the stars seemed to be fading in the distance. — Before the High Lord arrives and tears you to pieces. - What is that? — asked Hunt, indicating the approaching darkness. “Rhysand,” Bryce replied, then turned to Nesta: “Please. I don't need the Masquerade forever. Just… until this is over. Then I return it. Nesta laughed coldly.

— You expect me to trust a female who tried to trick us and get the better of us at every opportunity that came her way?

AND

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— It's true that I got the better of it, yes — Bryce replied coldly, and Nesta's eyes shone with the provocation — but that's beside the point. Look, I get it… the Masquerade is incredibly powerful and dangerous. I also wouldn't trust someone who asked me to use the Horn. But my world needs it. Nesta was silent. Darkness approached, stealthily. It was possible to feel the fury emanating from her, along with a primordial anger. Bryce stepped forward, and Nesta's dagger tilted upward. “Please,” Bryce said again. — I promise I will return the Mask… and the Truth-Revealer. After doing what I have to do here. — You must think I'm a fool if you believe I'm going to hand you one of the most lethal weapons in my world. Especially considering that the monsters in her world have been wanting to get their hands on her and the other Nefarious Treasures for millennia. Not to mention that few people can survive after using the Mask. If you use it, you could end up dying. "It's a risk I'm willing to take," Bryce said with calm. — And I'm supposed to trust that you, after everything you've done here, will return the Masquerade just because you swear from the bottom of your heart?

Bryce nodded. - That. Nesta let out a humorless laugh, looking into the darkness. which was getting closer and closer. — I just need to wait for him to get here, you know. Then you'll wish you had closed the portal. “I know,” Bryce agreed, feeling a lump in his throat, “but I'm begging you. The asteri just wiped out an entire human community in my city. Families. — Tears burned in his eyes and the cold wind threatened to freeze them. — They killed children. To punish me. To punish my partner,” Bryce gestured to Hunt, “for escaping their clutches. This needs to stop… this needs to be stopped somewhere. The cold anger in Nesta's eyes faltered.

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Bryce couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his cheeks, tears that instantly turned to ice. — I know you don't trust me, there's no reason to trust me, but I promise I'll return the Mask. I brought a guarantee… to prove that my intentions are good. That I will return, yes. And with that, Bryce called on his parents to move forward. Ember and Randall gave her wary looks, but approached the portal. Doing that broke Bryce's heart, but she told Nesta firmly: — These are my parents, Ember Quinlan and Randall Silago. I'm giving them both to you... to stay in your world, until I destroy the asteri and give you back the Mask. Nesta widened her eyes, shocked, but soon recovered, straightening your shoulders. — What if you die trying?

— Then my parents will be safer trapped in their world than mine. —But the Mask will be on yours. In the hands of the asteri.

— I have nothing more important to offer you than That's it,” Bryce replied, his voice cracking. — It's not about offering me anything.

Bryce choked back a sob, and her parents turned to their daughter, confused and trusting her, feeling angry at her without knowing why. “Bryce,” Hunt said, keeping an eye on the approaching storm. — We have to close the connection.

Only Hunt knew the horrible thing she was doing. How it had ended with her having to leave Cooper behind, because it would have been too suspicious to insist that he go on such a dangerous mission. But Baxian, Fury, and June would take care of him… and Syrinx. “Bryce,” his mother called. - What is happening? Bryce couldn't hold back the tears as he looked at his mom and dad. Maybe for the last time. “Nothing,” she replied, looking back at Nesta.

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"If you don't give me the Mask," she said to the female.

—, of any

way take them with you. Nesta was left without a reaction.

“Take my parents,” Bryce repeated, his voice breaking. — They have no idea why they are here, or who you are or what your world is like. They think I'm talking to someone at That's all I ask. Hell. But take them and keep them safe. Nesta analyzed Bryce, then the girl's parents. He placed the dagger on the side table near the chair. — You would leave them in my world… to perhaps never see them again. “I would,” Bryce confirmed. — I need Hunt to help me against the asteri, but my parents are human. They will be easy targets for the asteri… they are already being hunted. They are good people. — She fought back another sob. — They are the best people. “Bryce,” Randall said, with a warning tone in his voice that said he had seen the encroaching darkness and knew there was something wrong with that plan. However, Bryce couldn't look at his parents. Just for Nesta. The silver fire in the female's gray-blue eyes dimmed, then disappeared. Nesta held out her hand to Bryce, something golden glinting there. To Mask. — If it's going to bring you anything good — Nesta said quietly, you —, can borrow it. When the female looked at Bryce's parents, it was clear: she would accept the guarantee. Bryce swallowed. — What the fuck is this? murmured Hunt, as if he could feel the ancient power of unfathomable depth emanating from the Mask in Nesta's hand. “Thank you,” Bryce replied, extending his hand toward Nesta. She could have sworn that the world itself, all the worlds, shook when Nesta's hand reached inside her.

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Midgard and handed the Mask to Bryce. Then the thing was in Bryce's gloved hand, and it was unholy and empty and cruel... but the light in his chest seemed to purr with the object's presence. Bryce stuffed it into his jacket, zipping it up. The thing reverberated against his body, the archaic heat echoing in his bones. His starlight seemed to flicker in response. As if whatever piece of Theia remained inside knew the Mask and was happy to find it again. “Thank you,” Bryce repeated. Darkness was already shrouding the city beneath Nesta's window. “Good luck,” Nesta whispered.

Bryce inclined his head in thanks, and with a subtle nod to Hunt… His power struck her parents. Not a flash of lightning, but a gust of wind at their backs, pushing them through the portal, across the Northern Rift, into Nesta's world. — Bryce! — screamed his mother, stumbling… but Bryce didn't wait. He maintained silence as he commanded the Horn to break the connection, destroying the bridge between the worlds. The last image he had was of darkness, of Rhysand's power, colliding with the windows of Nesta's room, her mother's indignant face, Randall reaching for the rifle... The snow and fog returned. The Rift has been closed. And the parents of Bryce were on the other side of her. Bryce's knees wobbled. Hunt placed his hand on her elbow. — We need to get out of here. She was wearing the Mask. With the Horn. And with the light of Theia. AND

with the blades. It would have to be strong enough to face living gods. “Bryce, we need to go,” Hunt repeated, more firmly. — Can you teleport us back to the wall? It must have been a relief for Bryce to know that her parents were in that other world, with people she had discovered were

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decent and kind, but her mother would never forgive her. Randall would never forgive her. Not just for throwing them into that world, but for leaving Cooper behind. “What the fuck,” Hunt hissed, and Bryce turned away as he forced his body behind his. Just in time for the Harpy, coated in white to camouflage itself in the snow, burst out of the mists. Even the black wings had been painted white to go unnoticed. Amid the billowing mists, she was as horrible as Bryce remembered, but her face… there was no trace of life or consciousness there. She was a carcass, a host, with a single mission: to kill.

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Any hope of Tharion achieving his goal was dashed when the River Queen's daughter threw herself into her mother's lap, sobbing. — Did you marry her?

They were the only words he could make out through his tears. Sathia just stared at the girl, as if she had run out of any courtesy they could use to their own advantage. The River Queen stroked her daughter's dark hair, murmuring gentle words, but her eyes burned with absolute hatred for Tharion. — I… — began Tharion, but he couldn't find the right words. The River Queen's daughter raised her head when she heard his voice, her face wet with tears. The river outside trembled, shaking the Blue Court. — You sold yourself to a fae bitch? — She sniffed in Sathia’s direction. —With earth in your veins? Without even a drop of water as an attraction?

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Sathia listened to the insults, her face impassive, giving him a glimpse of the way she had been treated her entire life. That didn't please him at all. It was enough to prompt him to respond: — Her magic is to make things grow, it's about life and beauty. No to drown or suffocate. The River Queen's daughter stood up slowly. — You dare talk to me like that? And with her petulant fury, with her mother's anger... He had already had enough of that. I had already fucked that up. Tharion pointed to the window. Not to the sobeks, but to the surface too far to be seen. — There are imperial warships in that river! The Asphodel Meadows turned into burning rubble, with the bodies of children lying in the streets! He had never screamed like that. With no one, least of all with his former queen and princess. However, he could not stop the utter anger and despair that exploded from him. “And all you care about is who a damn male married?” There are babies in that rubble! And you just sit there shedding tears for yourself! Sathia's jaw dropped, the expression on her face sending him a warning signal, but Tharion was speaking directly to the River Queen. “Bryce sent me here to beg for your help, but I'm also asking you for me. Not as a merman, not as someone from the Blue Court, but as a living being who loves this city. There is no other place in Valbara that can weather the storm. This place, the Depths… can at least withstand the first impact. Offer a safe haven to the children of Crescent Moon City. A chance. If you don't want the entire population to come, at least shelter the children. — No — whimpered the River Queen's daughter. — You used me and discarded me. You have no right to ask us, the Blue Court, for such favors.

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— I'm sorry — Tharion replied. — I'm sorry for having deceived you, for having slept with you, and for having realized too late that I had gone too far. I'm sorry for dragging you around for years... I didn't know how to talk to you, or be an adult, and I'm sorry. It wasn't right of me, it was immature, and I hate what I did to you, I hate that I did that to someone. She glared at him, sniffling. Tharion continued: — I married Sathia to get her out of a shitty situation. King Morven of Avallen was forcing her to marry an ignorant fae, the only options were to face the wrath of the asteri and die or marry. I offered her a way out. Marry me. Helping a female in trouble was something I owed my sister. Our marriage is not about how I feel about you or her. —And the fact that she's a fey beauty didn't influence her. nothing to your decision? — sneered the daughter of the Queen of Rio.

— No — Tharion replied sincerely. — I… — He looked at his wife, who really was beautiful. Beautiful. But that hadn't weighed on his decision to offer help. — She was a person in trouble, who needed help. The daughter of the Queen of the River was foaming with rage. Tharion continued: — But if you welcome the people of this city, if you shelter them against whatever storm the Asteri may bring... when this is over, if I'm alive... — he said, his voice breaking, and he kept his gaze in hers. — I divorce my wife and marry you. Sathia quickly turned to him, but Tharion couldn't face her, he couldn't bear to see her reaction when she heard how he would abandon her too... The River Queen's daughter sniffed, a child calming down after a tantrum. - Accepted. I will marry you when you get rid of her. — No, he won't get married. — The voice of the Queen of the River shook the

room, the river. — My daughter does not accept this proposal. Me neither.

Tharion's chest felt tight. “Please,” he begged. — If I could only…

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“I'm not done talking yet,” she interrupted, raising her hand. Tharion fell silent, obediently. — I no longer want my daughter to be linked to someone like you, neither by will nor by promise. As far as marriage between you is concerned, it will never happen. - Mother… — Now you are your wife's problem — said the Queen of the River to Tharion. He closed his eyes as he felt the burning in them, hating it, hating that he had lost this opportunity, that safe haven for the people of Crescent Moon City, because of his own stupid behavior. "But your willingness to sacrifice your freedom to live on the Surface is no small feat," the River Queen continued. Then she tilted her head to the side, and one of the shells in her hair grew legs and slid under her braids. A hermit crab. — You never asked why I sent you to look for Sofie Renast's body, and to find her brother. Tharion opened his eyes and saw her looking at him curiously. No

with kindness, but with something similar about it. — No... it wasn't my place to question — replied the merman. — You're afraid of me, like anyone with intelligence is — she concluded, a little smugly. —But I also have my fears. Of this world, at the mercy of the asteri. Tharion tried not to look too shocked. — Our people are ancient — said the River Queen. — My sisters and I remember a world before the asteri arrived and made the land's magic wither. Entire islands disappeared into the sea, and our civilizations went with them. And although we had limited power to stop them… we tried, each of us in our own way. Her daughter was looking at her as if she didn't recognize her. However, the Queen of Rio continued: — We remember the power that the thunderbirds wielded. How the asteri hunted them because they were afraid of them. And when I found out they had killed one, her thunderbird brother on the loose... I knew the asteri would try to get them back at any time.

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cost. I may not have known why, but I had no intention of letting them capture either Sofie or her brother. Tharion was left without a reaction. — You… were you after them to stop the asteri? She nodded subtly. — It might not have made a difference in a larger context, but keeping them safe was my attempt, however modest, to thwart the Asteri's plans. Tharion didn't know what to do other than bow his head and admit: — Emile wasn't a thunderbird, just a human. He's hiding now. —And you hid it from me.

The river shook because of her displeasure. — I thought it would be better for the boy to disappear into the world completely. The ruler analyzed his face again for a long time. — I see the male you are — stated the River Queen, and it was the gentlest tone he had ever heard coming from her. — I see the male you will become. — She nodded to Sathia. — Who sees a female in trouble and doesn't think about the consequences for himself before helping. — Another nod, serious and contemplative. — I would have liked to see more of this male here. I wish you had been that male for my daughter, but if you are that male now, and you are that male for the good of this city…” She waved her hand, and the sobeks swam away in a silent command. —Then the Blue Court will help. Whoever we can get here before the warships find out... Anyone, from any House: I will shelter them.

***

The Harpy was terrifying. Hunt could feel her absence. The emptiness emanating from her. The Asteri had risen from the dead, but left their souls aside.

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They had avoided the necromancers, who used someone's soul for resurrection, and instead had created a perfect soldier to be stationed there: one who felt neither cold nor hunger, and who had no scruples whatsoever. And all of this had come from his lightning. From your Hellfire. He knew, deep down, that it wasn't his fault, but… he had given Rigelus that lightning bolt. And that had created the nightmare in front of him.

Rigelus must have guessed they would go to the Northern Rift, and planted the Harpy there to lie in wait. Hunt triggered the lightning, making the mists glow eerily around him, but Bryce muttered, “What did they do to you?” The Harpy didn't respond. He showed no sign that he had heard or that he cared. As if he had lost his voice. Identity itself. “Fry that shit,” Bryce said to Hunt, and he didn't miss a beat. time to send a cloud of lightning towards the Harpy. She dodged, her white-painted wings quick as Always…

No, they hadn't been painted white. They had turned white. As if whatever the asteri had done to her, with the help of Hunt's lightning, had faded the color of her wings. Hunt fired another bolt of lightning, then another, and it could have lit up the entire fucking sky if it weren't for that shitty halo... — Athalar! — A familiar male voice rumbled from the mist. above them. Hunt didn't dare take his eyes off the Harpy when he recognized the voice.

Isaiah. — What the fuck... — said an equally familiar female voice. Naomi. But it was the third voice, coming from behind him as the person landed in the snow, which sent chills through Hunt's body. —But what new horror is this? The governor of Valbara had arrived.

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***

Bryce didn't know which was worse: Celestina or the Harpy. The female who had stabbed them in the back or the one who had literally tried to slit Ruhn's throat. She and Hunt couldn't handle two enemies at once... not in freezing temperatures, completely exhausted after opening the Rift, with the mists obscuring almost everything. The Harpy attacked, and Hunt released the lightning so fast that only the most agile of angels could dodge the attack. The Harpy did it and threw himself down, mist sliding off his white wings, heading straight for Bryce. She rolled out of the way, and the Harpy fell to the ground, snow exploding around her, but soon she was back on her feet, hurtling toward Bryce. Isaiah hit the Harpy with a wall of wind, knocking her back, but Celestina was less than a meter away, and Hunt was already spinning to face her... Bryce unzipped his thick jacket, the cold wind quickly biting his skin. She took the Mask. And he gave no warning before placing the icy gold on the face. ***

Wearing the Mask was like being underwater, or at a very high altitude. Bryce's head filled with the thing's power, his blood vibrated, pulsing in harmony with the presence in his head, in his bones. The world seemed to dilute itself to its basic essence: alive or dead. She was alive, but with the Masquerade, she could even escape her own death and live forever. The light in his chest hummed, gladly receiving the power like an old friend. Bryce pushed the revulsion aside. Hunt was preparing the lightning to attack Celestina, the mists sparkling with each crackle, and the Harpy had broken through Isaiah's power and was heading toward Bryce again...

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“Stop,” Bryce commanded the Harpy. It was his voice, but at the same time it wasn't. The Harpy stopped in place. Everyone stopped in place. “Bryce,” Hunt whispered, but it sounded distant to her. He was alive, and now she was dealing with the dead. - Get down on your knees.

The Harpy fell to his knees in the snow. Celestina began to speak: — What an evil weapon you have… “I'll take care of you later,” Bryce interrupted in that voice that resonated through her and left ripples in the fog. Even the archangel remained silent as Bryce approached the Harpy. She looked down on that narrow, abominable face. Without any soul.

A body without a pilot. Bryce was overcome with a feeling of pure horror, despite the Masquerade's unholy embrace. Perhaps it was a merciful act, she thought as she looked at the Harpy's empty, angry face. Perhaps it would be a merciful act to do so. There was no soul to cling to, to command. Only body. However, the Mask seemed to understand what was needed. “Your work is done,” Bryce said, his voice reverberating across the frozen landscape. - Rest in peace. It was nauseating… and yet a relief to watch the Harpy close its eyes and collapse to the ground. The skin began to waste away, the body regaining the form it had known in death. The cheekbones sank, collapsing onto the Harpy's face. Bryce knew that beneath the angel's white armor, her body would be doing the same thing. When the Harpy lay dissected in the snow, Bryce finally removed the Mask... and saw Naomi, Isaiah and Celestina staring at her, overcome with shock and terror.

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— Nothing done — Ruhn said on the cell phone as he and Lidia once again snaked through the sewers — they weren't in the Triarians' private tents. We wait for hours, but they are deserted. No one coming or going. Judging by Isaiah and Naomi's rooms, there are days when no one goes there. Lidia walked forward, her neck bent forward as she checked the burner cell phone she had taken with her from the Freighter of the Deep… years ago, it seemed. — So what do we do? asked Flynn. — Are we still waiting? Dec managed to hack Aux's computers while I checked the area, but didn't find anything about their movements either. It doesn't even seem like Aux knows they're gone. With the Asteri willing to punish anyone caught associating with them, it had been safer to watch Aux from afar rather than speak directly to anyone. Not to mention the risk of ending up being ratted out to the asteri by someone with intentions of moving up the hierarchy. Ruhn stopped to think. — If Isaiah and Naomi are missing, Celestina You probably want their absence to go unnoticed.

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In the background, Declan asked, “Do you think she killed them?” “It's possible,” Ruhn replied when Flynn put the call on speaker. — Let's go back there tomorrow, see if we can find out anything else. You two stay alert for any sign of them. Check the squares where the crucifixions take place. “Holy shit,” Flynn muttered. — I'll try to access Comitium's security footage — offered Dec. — Maybe there's something there that can shed some light for us.

Ruhn sighed. - Take care. We'll meet at sunset... at the far northeast part of the intersection, just beyond the shooting range. “Understood,” Flynn and Dec replied and ended the call. Ruhn and Lidia walked about another block through the silence and the stench before he said: — You once put me to sleep with a story, about a witch who turned into a monster. — What's wrong? She cast him a sideways glance. — Is it a real story, or did you make it up? — It was a story my mother told me — she replied softly. — The only one I remember her telling me when I was a kid before she… gave up on me. He had been about to ask if the similarities between the evil prince and Pollux, the gentle knight and himself, had been prophetically intended, but with the sadness in her voice… — I'm sorry you had to go through that, Lidia. I can't even think about doing that to a child. The idea of letting my own daughter go into the arms of a stranger... — But I did it — she interrupted, looking straight ahead, into space. — What my mother did to me, I did exactly the same thing to my children. He felt his heart clench at the pain and guilt in her voice. — You entrusted your children to a good family…

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- I did not know that. I had no idea who they would live with. —But the alternative was to take them with you.

— Maybe I should have taken it. Maybe I should have fled to the jungle with them and lived there in hiding forever. —What kind of life would that have been? You gave them a real, happy life on the Freighter of the Deep. —A real mother would have… — You are a real mother — he said, holding her hand and making her turn towards him. — Lidia, you made an impossible choice: you decided to protect your children, even though it meant you wouldn't see them grow up. Damn, if that doesn't make you a real mother, then I don't know what does. A flash of pain flashed across her face, and Ruhn hugged her as she leaned against his chest. — They were the only thing that kept me going — she confessed. — What got me through all the horrors was knowing that they were both there, safe, and that my choices guaranteed that for them. He ran his hand down Lidia's back, reveling in the feel of her body, offering whatever comfort he could. The two stayed like that for long minutes, just hugging each other. — I told you once — she said against his chest — that you remind me that I'm alive. Ruhn kissed the top of Lidia's head in response, feeling her silky golden hair against his mouth. “For a long time, I wasn't,” she continued. — I did my job as the Doe, as Daybright… all of this to keep my children safe and do what I thought was right, but I didn't feel anything. Most days I was almost a specter, occupying the shell of a body. But then I met you, and it was like I was back in my own body. As if I… woke up. — She stepped back, analyzing his face. — I don't think I was truly awake until I met you.

He smiled at her, his heart too full for words. Then he kissed her gently, with love.

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She placed her hand in his as they walked forward, but Ruhn stopped her again, long enough to tilt Lidia's head back and kiss her again. — I know we still have some things to resolve — he said, leaning against her mouth — but... girlfriend, lover, whatever you want to be, I'm in. Her lips curved against his in a smile.

— I thank Urd every day that Cormac asked you be my contact.

Ruhn walked away, smiling. — I still owe you a beer. “If we survive this, Ruhn, I'll buy you a beer.

Ruhn smiled again and put his arm around her waist as they walked into the dim light. They walked in warm, comfortable silence for several blocks before Lidia's cell phone vibrated and she took it out of her pocket to check the screen. — It's from the Freighter of the Deep — she informed, stopping to open the message. He watched her eyes dart across the screen…until they stopped. Lidia's hands began to shake. “Pollux,” she whispered, and Ruhn went still. She looked up at him, and her look was one of total panic as she said: — He took my children. ***

Hunt didn't allow himself to think much about it… the unholy grandeur of Bryce wearing the Masquerade. In what she had managed to do with the Harpy. He turned to Celestina, Isaiah and Naomi behind her, all dressed in heavy winter gear. The white wings of Isaiah and the governor were almost invisible against the snow. Their faces, however, were tense and shocked. - What are you doing here? Hunt asked.

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- What is that? — Naomi whispered, ignoring the question, her eyes fixed on the golden object in Bryce's hands. “Death,” replied Isaiah, his face pale. —That mask… is death. Hunt asked again: — What are you doing here? Isaiah looked back at Hunt. — We were tracking that thing. — He gestured to the pile of clothes that moments before had been the resurrected Harpy. — Celestina's old contacts here reported that the guard post on the wall had been attacked by some terrifying new thing, so we all came here quickly, afraid that it was something from Hell... — Why didn't they send a legion? asked Hunt, looking at the two angels who were once his closest companions. — Why come yourselves? —, — Because the Asteri told us to retreat — revealed Naomi but someone still had to put an end to the carnage. Hunt met Celestina's gaze, and the archangel's flawless face was impassive.

— They're walking without a leash, right? Her gaze lit up with anger.

— I regret what I did to you and yours, Hunt Athalar, but it was necessary to… “Spare me,” Hunt snapped. — You betrayed us and handed us over to the asteri… “Hunt,” Isaiah interrupted, raising his hand. — Look, there’s a lot of resentment here… — Grudge? — Hunt repeated, exploding. — I ended up in the fucking dungeon because of her! — He pointed to the governor. Bryce approached him, a comforting presence at his side. He gestured to his forehead, barely visible because of the equipment. — I have this halo on my forehead because of her! Celestina just stood there, shaking. — Like I said, I regret what I did. It cost me more than you know. — She seemed to be blinking to contain her

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tears. — Hypaxia… ended our relationship. — What happened, your girlfriend didn't like the fact that you were a two-faced snake? — replied Hunt. “Hunt,” Bryce muttered, but he didn't care. “You were supposed to be a good person,” Hunt continued, his voice cracking. — You were supposed to be the good archangel, but you're even worse than Micah. — He spat, and the saliva turned to ice before falling into the snow. — At least he didn't hide it when he was messing with someone. The lightning stirred in his veins, wanting to break free. — Hunt — said Naomi — what the governor did was shit, but... —She went against the orders of the asteri to come here — he added. Isaiah. — Let's get out of the cold and talk...

“I'm done talking shit,” Hunt cut in, and his power stirred. — I've had enough of archangels and your bullshit. His lightning hissed through the snow. When his vision flashed, he He knew that the lightning had forked in his eyes. Celestina raised her gloved hands. — I don't want to fight with you, Athalar. “What a pity,” Hunt replied, and lightning slid across his tongue. — I want to fight with you. He didn't warn anymore before releasing the power on the archangel. He gave his all, but it still wasn't enough. The power was choking because of limitations, restricted by the halo. A collar to restrain demons. It hadn't worked on the princes. He wouldn't even allow it to keep working on it. Hunt let the power grow. The snow around him melted. Apollion had bestowed the very essence, Hellfire, upon Hunt. And if that made him a child of Hell, so be it. Hunt closed his eyes and there he saw… the black strip of the halo, engraved on his own soul. The shape of the thorn vine. The spell to restrain him.

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Everyone knew that the enslavement spell could not be undone. Hunt had never tried, but he was fed up with following Asteri rules. To follow anyone's rules. Hunt stretched a mental hand toward the halo's black spikes. He wrapped his fingers in lightning, in Hellfire, in the power that was his and his alone. And he cut the thing off.

The halo's spines trembled and bled. Black ink began to flow, dissolving into nothingness, swallowed by the power that was emerging in him at the moment, growing… Hunt opened his eyes to see Isaiah slack-jawed, staring at him in fear and wonder. The halo still staining his friend's forehead. No more. Knowing where it was, how to destroy it, made it easier. Hunt stretched a tentacle of power towards Isaiah, and before his friend could retreat, he cut the halo on his forehead with a line. Isaiah hissed, staggering back. A thunderous and angry wind rose from his feet as his halo also fell from the head.

Celestina took turns looking between the two, terror written all over her face. face.

—That's not... That's not... “I suggest you run,” Hunt said, his voice so freezing as the wind that whipped their faces. However, Celestina straightened her posture. He remained firm. And with a bravery that Hunt had not expected, she asked: - Why are you here? As if he would be distracted by the question, as if that were delay the fate that awaited her… Bryce answered for him: — To open the Northern Rift to Hell. Naomi turned to Bryce and replied: — What? Isaiah, too stunned by the halo's removal to pay much attention to the conversation, stared at his hands, as if

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could see the unbridled power they now wielded. Celestina shook her head. — You have lost your mind. — She planted her feet on the ground, and a sparkling white power shone around her. — You want to fight me, Athalar, go ahead, but you won't open the Rift. — Oh, I think we will, yes — Hunt replied and then threw the lightning at her. The world tore apart as it collided with a wall of her power, and Hunt released more lightning, the snow melting, the very stone beneath them bending and warping as the lightning struck, and again and again... — Athalar! — Naomi shouted. —What the fuck… Celestina propelled the power, a wall of brilliant wind. Hunt sent the lightning himself through the barrier. He was fed up with archangels. Of their hierarchies. Fed up with… Isaiah put himself in the middle of the fight, raising his hands.

“Stop,” he said, and power shone in his friend's eyes. —Athalar, stop. —She deserves to die... all the damn archangels deserve it die for what they did to us,” Hunt said through gritted teeth. But it suddenly occurred to him that Bryce was no longer by his side. She was running back towards the Rift, starlight shining. Such an intense glow… with the two other pieces of Theia's light now joined with what Bryce had had since he was born, her light shined as brightly as the sun. The sun was a star... - No! — Celestina shouted, and her power erupted. Hunt struck the archangel with the lightning so hard that it shattered her power, sending her backwards into the snow with a thud. Celestina's wings were spread out, flinging snow at in all directions, blood running from her nose and mouth. - Don't do that! — she cried to Bryce, and continued, panting: — I spent years of my life preventing the Rift from being opened. Find an alternative. Don't do that.

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Bryce stopped in place, causing snow to fly to the sides because of his abrupt stop. That magnificent light burned in her chest, casting a brilliant glare on the snow. Breathing heavily, Bryce replied to the archangel: — The Princes of Hell have offered help, and Midgard needs that help, whether you know it or not. Hunt and I have already killed two archangels. Don't make us kill her too. Hunt looked at Bryce questioningly. As if There was an alternative other than killing Celestina... “You… You killed Micah and Sandriel,” he whispered.

Celestina. — They were stronger than you — Hunt commented, I'm not putting much faith in their chances.

—, then

Hunt's lightning erupted around him, ready to attack, to flay her from the inside out, as he had done to Sandriel. But Celestina widened her brown eyes at his lightning, freed from its bonds and spreading across the world. She had never fully seen what he could do… hadn't had the chance in those weeks they had worked together. — How come... how do you have the power of archangels when you're not one? — she questioned. “Because I am Umbra Mortis,” Hunt replied, his voice as implacable as the ice around them. And he had never felt more like a bearer of that title than when he was there facing Celestina, and he knew that, with a blow to her heart, she would be nothing more than flaming, bloody remains. Celestina lowered her gaze and fell to her knees. As if she herself knew too. A cloud of pure, raw lightning rose over Hunt's shoulder, an asp ready to strike. He looked at Bryce, waiting for confirmation to incinerate the archangel. But Bryce looked at him sadly. “You're not, Hunt,” she said softly, lovingly. He didn't understand the words, leaving him without reaction.

Bryce took a step forward, the snow crunching beneath his feet.

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— You are not Umbra Mortis — she stated. — Basically, it never was and never will be. Hunt pointed his lightning-encased finger at Celestina. — She and her entire race should be exterminated from the face of Midgard. “Maybe,” Bryce replied gently, taking another step. A Her starlight dimmed until it disappeared. —But not for you. He felt disgusted. Never in his life had he hated Bryce, but in that moment, with her doubting him, Hunt hated it. —She doesn't deserve to die, Hunt. — She fucking deserves it — he shot. — I remember each one of them… all the angels who marched against us on Mount Hermon, the entire Senate, the Asteri, and the archangels at my trial. I remember them all, and she's no better than they were. She's no better than Sandriel, than Micah. “Maybe,” Bryce repeated, his voice still gentle, still soothing. He hated that too. — No one is forgiving her, but she doesn't deserve to die, and I don't want her blood on your hands. — Where was all this mercy towards the Autumn King? You didn't stop Ruhn at the time. — The Autumn King had done nothing throughout that long and wretched life except cause pain. He didn't deserve even a warning, let alone my mercy. She Yes. - Why? — He looked at his partner, his anger softening. a little. - Why? — Because she made a mistake — Naomi replied, taking a step forward with a distressed expression. — And he's been trying to make things right ever since. Isaiah and I didn't accompany her here because she ordered us to. We wanted to help her. Hunt pointed to the Rift just inches from Bryce. —She will stop you from opening the Rift. — I won't go — Celestina promised, keeping her head bowed. - I surrender. “Leave her alone, Hunt,” Bryce said. “Morven surrendered, and you killed him,” Hunt shot back angrily.

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“I know,” Bryce retorted. — And I'm going to have to live with that. I don't want you to carry the same burden. Hunt… We already have enough enemies. Leave her alone. — I swear by Solas himself — Celestina pronounced, the greatest oath an angel could invoke — that I will help you, if it is in my power. — I won't take an archangel's word for it. “Well, we're going to need that archangel,” Bryce warned, and the anger de Hunt faded a little more as he looked at her again. - Like this? Bryce looked at the Harpy's body, half melted due to the collision between Hunt's lightning and Celestina's power. The surrounding stone had been deformed; his lightning had altered the stone itself. Bryce approached Hunt, reaching out to hold his hand. His lightning ran across Bryce's skin, but he didn't allow it to cause pain. He would never hurt her. “You said you're with me… all of you,” Bryce murmured, looking at him and only him. — Leave the past behind. Focus on what's ahead. We have a world to save, and I need my partner by my side to do it. No one else… not a child of Hell, not Umbra Mortis, not even Hunt Athalar. I need my partner. Just Hunt. He saw it all in her eyes: that it didn't matter what happened, who he was and what he had done; It didn't really matter to her. Being raised in Hell didn't matter to her. But Bryce had captured who he was, deep down, in those photos last spring. The person she had brought into the world. The person she loved. Yes Hunt.

So he left it aside. He set aside the lightning, death buzzing through his veins. He left aside the mocking smiles of Apollion and Thanatos. He set aside his anger at the archangel before him, and the archangels who were before her. Just Hunt. He liked that.

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The lightning disappeared, hissing until it disappeared completely. And he said to Bryce, as if she were the only person on Midgard, in any galaxy: — I love you, Just Bryce. She giggled derisively and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. — Now that you no longer intend to kill Celestina… — Bryce took the Jacket Mask again. — Let's put together an army. —What army? —Isaiah whispered. “We're going to resurrect the Fallen,” Bryce replied, throwing the Mask into the air and catching it again like it was a fucking soleball. Hunt's knees gave way from the shock. — You said we would use the Masquerade to fight the asteri. — And let's go — confirmed Bryce, throwing the Mask up and catching it again. — It's your problem if you didn't ask for details on how we're going to use you against them. No, he had assumed she would put on the Mask and that would give her the advantage to kill them. Hunt shook his head. — You've lost your mind. Bryce stopped throwing his mask up when he heard that, and replied in a softer tone of voice: — We need a distraction for the asteri. Hell won't be enough, but an army of the dead, an army of the Fallen, will be just what we need. An army that will not need to die again. And Isaiah and Naomi will lead them. “That's why you sent Ruhn and Lidia to get them,” Hunt commented quietly, still shocked. Isaiah gave him a questioning look, but it was Bryce who responded, “Yes. I thought if we could get them here, and then get Nesta's Mask... maybe it would work. — But how are you going to resurrect them? — asked Hunt. Bryce had told him that Nesta had used the bones of a beast. —Their bodies have deteriorated…

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“The asteri kept their wings,” Bryce said, disgust permeating every word. — They kept their wings, like trophies. But as they didn't have Sailboats, I think part of their soul may still be attached. Hunt rubbed his frozen face. — So what… Are you going to have a lot of wings to fly around? She shot him a sharp look. — No. Well, yes… but only to get them to where we need their souls. — You said the Masquerade can resurrect dead bodies… not grant new souls to bodies. “That's what I saw Nesta doing,” Bryce revealed. —But the light of Theia… Cupping her hands in front of her chest, she conjured the fiery and beautiful light. It illuminated the mists, making the snow at his feet sparkle. “Wow,” Naomi whispered.

What Bryce had taken from her chest that day during the attack last spring was a fraction of the light she held there in her hands at the moment. “This,” Bryce began, his face shining in the starlight, “seems to recognize the Mask, somehow. When I wear the Mask, I can feel the attraction between the two powers. Maybe it's something in Theia's light. I think you can command the Mask to do… different things. “This is not the time for experiments,” warned Hunt. “I know,” Bryce admitted, “but I think it would only take a few of the dead ones, and I could turn them into new ones. Not give them a real life, but their souls would return… take on new forms. Which is different… different from what the Asteri did to the Harpy. —That mask really can resurrect the dead, so — Naomi said hoarsely.

Bryce nodded.

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— The Fallen would not receive new, living bodies, but rather… they would be able to help us. —But what kind of bodies, then? Isaiah asked, giving Hunt a nervous look. “The kind the asteri already made for us,” Bryce replied. in a lower tone. — Perfect blends of magic and technology. “The new mech-suits,” said Hunt. — Those who asteri them left on Mount Hermon. Bryce nodded seriously.

— I think Rigelus left those suits up there to tease you, but it's time to blow the shit in his face. Lidia said that the suits don't need pilots to work, so we don't need to worry about any physical interference. Dec can hack their computer system and block Imperial access while the souls of the Fallen merge with the mech-suits and pilot them under Naomi and Isaiah's command. But doing what she was suggesting… “We can't do this,” Hunt murmured hoarsely, his wings hanging down. — I can't ask them to die for us again, even if they are already dead. The Fallen have already sacrificed too much. Bryce walked over to him and held his hand.

— We need those suits being piloted by the Fallen, or they will be used against us by the Asteri. We need the Asteri and their forces well occupied. But Hunt's heart was heavy. — Bryce.

— It will be their decision to return or not, to pilot those suits or not. I will give them the choice when I resurrect them. And I will be with you every moment. — She nodded toward Isaiah and Naomi. —They will command the Fallen. You no longer have to carry this burden. I will need you with me… in the asteri palace. He closed his eyes, taking in her scent. Celestina could attacked at that moment, but the archangel remained on her knees.

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And, just as he had done the day Hunt had given Sandriel what she deserved, Isaiah suddenly knelt before him. Naomi did the same. “I'm not an archangel,” Hunt said firmly. - And I dont I agreed to lead you two, so stand up. It was Celestina who replied: — Perhaps the era of the archangels has come to an end. — You seem happy about it. — I would stay, if it happened — Celestina confirmed, getting up. — I told you once: Shahar was my friend. I may not have had the courage to fight alongside her at the time…” She lifted her chin. —But now I do. He didn't believe her. — And what are you going to do in the meantime? Bryce responded before Celestina could, “She's going to Ephraim's fortress. — With Hunt and Celestina's surprised looks, Bryce explained: — He's the closest archangel to the Eternal City. We need him to stay busy. If Ephraim joins the fight, things get complicated.

Celestina nodded seriously. — I'll make sure he doesn't reach a hundred and fifty kilometers from the capital. - As? — asked Hunt. — Tying him up? — I'll do whatever it takes to put an end to this — Celestina said, chin up. Hunt pointed to the Rift. — Let's open the Rift to Hell. A moment ago you She didn't seem excited about the idea. Celestina looked from Hunt to Bryce. — This goes against everything I've worked for, but... it really seems like everything you two did was with the best interests of the innocent people of Midgard in mind. I don't think you would open the Rift if it would put the most vulnerable in danger. - Oh yes? said Hunt. — And where were you when the Did Asphodel meadows turn to dust in the explosion?

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That made Bryce's gaze harden like ice. One Genuine regret dawned on Celestina's expression. “That was the final straw, Hunt,” said Isaiah. — That's why we… she… disobeyed the asteri. They didn't give any warning. The ships docked at Istros and said it was for our protection. I didn't even know that ships could send aerial missiles from that distance. Naomi's eyelashes were pearly with tears that soon turned to ice when she added: — It was the most cowardly, unforgivable thing... We don't agree with that. None of us. Not Celestina, and certainly not the 33rd. Hunt looked at Bryce and saw only pain and cold determination reflected in his eyes. She was right. They already had enough enemies. And enemies who needed to pay. And he might not trust a syllable that came out of the archangel's mouth, but if Isaiah and Naomi believed in Celestina, that had weight. Isaiah, who had suffered under the archangels as much as Hunt, was there, helping Celestina, knowing that she had betrayed his friend. Isaiah wasn't just any asshole with no courage at all. He was good, smart and brave. And Isaiah was there.

Then Hunt said: - All good. Let's ring the bell of Hell. ***

Hunt still had enough lightning to boost Bryce again. The energy shot through her and into the gate, into the heart of the Northern Rift. Her momentum, scorching with that pure starlight, changed places again. Celestina, Isaiah, and Naomi stood a step back, all glowing with power, preparing for the worst. Impenetrable darkness spread within the arch, broken only by two twinkling blue eyes.

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Prince Aidas appeared there, dressed impeccably, all in black, without a single golden strand of hair out of place. He surveyed the freezing terrain, with the sun setting after a short time of daylight. Bryce made a grand, sweeping gesture with his arm as the Gorge Prince crossed the Northern Rift. “Welcome back to Midgard,” she greeted. - I expect May your stay be pleasant.

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— So — said Jesiba, drumming her fingers on the table — the doggo will try to sell the idea of the medicine against worms to a bunch of wolves and return home like a Cousin. Ithan ignored the jab. — I need you to put me in contact with the Sub-King — he stated. He had showered in the tents in the Lair and changed into Aux's drab clothes, then stopped by briefly to talk to Perry and the others before rushing back to the House of Flame and Shadow. He was a Cousin, yes, and everything that implied, but… - Why? — I need to see my brother. And considering what a disaster it was the last two times I got involved with the dead… I'm not going to make the same mistake a third time. I need the Sub-King's help. Ithan paced up and down Jesiba's office. — Again: why? He looked straight at her. — Because Connor is trying to talk to me. He had heard that howl from the Bone Quarter and had known who it was. Who called him.

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While Ithan was changing, Hypaxia had delivered the antidote to the Lair, to those who would accept it. Perry had been first in line, it seemed. And it wasn't an omega who had been in front of Ithan when he had gone to check on her when she left the Lair. Ithan hadn't stayed long enough to find out what Perry was, what powers she and the others had obtained, so long buried in the wolf bloodline. He had given the order that this new knowledge should be restricted to the Lair, and the wolves had agreed. They had obeyed him.

— You were right — Ithan said to Jesiba — about needing a plan. I have no idea what I'm doing. — You could have a little lesson with Quinlan about staying two steps ahead. Ithan shot her an annoyed look. — News about Avallen? — She called two hours ago. Wanting a favor, as always. And an update on its evolution. — The sorceress gave a small smile. — And when I told you what Hypaxia had achieved, it was obvious that she asked you to take the antidote to her. - When? Where? Jesiba gave another small smile. — To the Eternal City. Tomorrow. I think Quinlan is tired of being fooled. She ordered to take some wolves, if she has any, to serve as support. Ithan just stared at the sorceress. Not just being a Cousin, how to act like a Primo… — Will there be a battle? — I don't know — Jesiba looked at him seriously — but if I were you, I would take the vulnerable doggos and wolves to safe hiding places. Not the Lair, not in Lunathion. Have them evacuated to a place deep in the jungle, underground, and then take the best warriors you have to the Eternal City. — There aren't many in the Lair... most are outside.

—Then take whoever is there. It'll be better than nothing. Ithan walked one way, then the other.

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— Maybe I should have left Sigrid in that tank. It would have been better than being a reaper. — There was no one to blame for Sigrid's situation other than himself. Ithan rubbed his forehead. — Look, I need to see my brother. One last time. - Impossible. Ithan bared his teeth. — I know you can ask the Sub-King. — He didn't wait for an answer before questioning: — Do you know... about secundalux? That our souls are food for the Sub-King and the asteri? - Be. Ithan shook his head. —And that doesn't bother you?

—Of course it bothers me, it's been bothering me for fifteen thousand years. But it is only one arm of the many-headed beast that is the domain of the Asteri. Ithan ran his hands over his face. — Can you help me or not? He would need all the help he could get. He was not a leader. Judging by the mess he'd gotten Sigrid into, he wasn't fit to make decisions for anyone. He had tried to save her and had failed… failed in a spectacular way. That had been just one life. With all the Valbaran wolves under his charge no moment... He tried not to think about the debilitating panic and dread. Jesiba was silent for a moment, then replied softly: — Let me see what I can do, doggy. — She twisted the mouth to the side. — Bring Hypaxia with you. ***

Bryce had just entered the guard booth when his cell phone rang. She had needed a second, a damned second alone… to digest the enormity of what she had done. She had thrown her own parents into the world of the fae. Bryce had always found some comfort in knowing that no matter what he did, or where he was, Ember Quinlan and Randall

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Silago were on Nidaros… that Ember and Randall existed and would always be willing to fight for her. Fight with her, knowing well who her mother was. Being aware of that was also comforting. And now they were… gone. They were alive, yes, but on the other side of the universe. They could have stayed in Avallen, safe with everyone else, with Cooper, but she had needed them. He had needed them to bargain with Nesta, but he had also needed to know that his parents were categorically off limits to the asteri. Bryce knew it was selfish. Cowardice. However, he had no regrets. Although she really wanted a second to digest everything. That's why he was in the guard booth. Until the cell phone rings.

She had been outside the coverage area beyond the wall, so she had no idea if it was Urd's timing or if her brother had been trying to talk to her this whole time. Bryce answered on the first ring. - Soul? — I need you to come back here. - What there was? Panic permeated his every word: — Pollux intercepted the Deep Freighter as people were descending on the edge of Avallen's mists. He killed a lot of sea creatures… I don't know how, but he knew about Lidia's children. Pollux took them. They are trapped in the palace. Bryce almost dropped his cell phone. Outside, Hunt was a shadow against the darkness and snow, their companions like shadows around him. — I imagine the asteri have figured out how to lure us to them,” Bryce replied softly. — The Deep Freighter sent us a transport capsule... We're about to get into one now with Flynn and Dec and head to the Eternal City — Ruhn informed in a hoarse voice. —But if those children are in the dungeons… Bryce felt his stomach turn.

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“It's okay,” she whispered. - Yes, of course. He is well. Let's go Get the helicopter right now. Ruhn let out a shaky breath. — Did you… do what you needed to do there?

“I did,” Bryce confirmed, and stepped out into the howling wind and brutal cold. Hunt and Aidas were close to each other, making plans. Isaiah and Naomi stayed a few meters away, intervening when necessary, but keeping their distance, as if they weren't very comfortable with the idea of being in the presence of a Prince of Hell. Celestina had departed for Ephraim's fortress a few moments earlier, her white wings dazzlingly bright as the light bounced off the snow. She would keep him busy, she promised again before leaving, with one last nod to Hunt that was not returned.

Behind Hunt and the others, stretching into the distance, marched the armies of Hell. They covered the entire nearly forty kilometers from the wall to the still open Rift. Unholy horrors… especially those pets that had been released into Crescent Moon City that spring. Bryce had never been so happy to have the Archesian amulet around his neck, although he wondered if the object would be able to stop that many demons, if they decided it was time for a snack. Judging by Hunt's tense shoulders, she knew the horde was as unsettling for him as it was for her. Horned humanoids with leathery wings that looked like infantry soldiers. Bone-white reptilian beasts that crawled on all fours, dogs of war. Skeletal beings with oversized jaws, overlapping with needle-like teeth that glowed with greenish goo. There were more, many more: things that glided, that flew, that studied Midgard with milky, sightless eyes and barked with the anticipation of bloodlust.

Hunt made no comment about the endless rows of nightmares. He had spent his life hunting the very creatures that were currently fighting for them. How many who were now marching from the

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Hell were they also aware of that? How many of them had entered Crescent Moon City a few months earlier and, with joy, distilled pain and death? But that time, true to the prince's word, the beasts behaved. As for the soldiers, Bryce didn't look too closely at the faces beneath the armor, nor at the spiky wings jutting out over the ranks, the clawed hands holding spears. They didn't talk, they didn't growl. Breathing curved under helmet visors with each step in the frigid air. Each step deeper into Midgard. All of Hell, ready to attack. She needed to trust that this would prove to be the right choice. “Tell Lidia we're coming,” Bryce said to Ruhn, still on the call. The thunder of feet, hooves and claws shook the snow-covered earth. — And tell them we're not going alone.

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— I think I've seen that movie — Ithan murmured to Hypaxia, the two of them standing on the Black Pier, each with a Death Mark in their hand. — You, me, the Under-King… — Our best friend — Hypaxia replied ironically, the mists of the Bone Quarter forming an impenetrable wall across the river. She gestured to the water. - We can? Ithan nodded, and the two threw the Deathmarks into the river. The objects sank with a soft splash, and ripples spread from the inside out in a single direction: south. The direction of the Quarteirão dos Ossos. And they disappeared into the mist. In the subsequent silence, Ithan dared to say: — Jesiba said you and the governor were… uh… together. For how long? She turned to Ithan, with a pained expression. — A little while, but we're not there anymore. —Even while she was with Ephraim? —Her deal with Ephraim is a political contract. What she and I have… we had…” Hypaxia shook her head, the moonlight bathing her dark curls in silver. — I'm sure Jesiba said I was naive. “Maybe,” he replied, guardedly.

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Hypaxia looked at where her Death Mark had disappeared beneath the surface. — Everyone warned me, you know? That archangels cannot be trusted. That they are indoctrinated in secret training camps, that they are puppets of the asteri. But she spent all that time in Nena, and I thought that ended the influence the Asteri had on her. — Hypaxia bit her lip, then added: — Apparently it served as an incentive for her to do whatever was necessary to get out of that frozen piece of land.

— We… we all make bad decisions. — He exhaled. —Gods, that sounded stupid. Hypaxia laughed softly. — Anyway, thank you. — She became serious again. —But when I found out what she had done... Well. I miss my mother most days, especially lately. Even more so after everything that happened with Celestina. — She indicated the mists on the other side. —Then I understand why you want to talk to your brother. — I'm sorry about your mother. — Most people say I should have gotten over her death by now, but… — Hypaxia's shoulders slumped. — I don't know if there will ever be a day when I don't feel like there's a hole in my heart where it used to be. — Uhum — he murmured, feeling a tightness in his chest. - I know how it is. — Then he cleared his throat. — You couldn't… um… resurrect your mother with necromancy? — No — Hypaxia replied, seriously. —She took steps to make sure her soul did not fall into the Under-King's clutches. And even if I managed to do it, she would resent me for using it for such a… selfish reason. —But she is your mother.

— She is also my queen. Hypaxia raised her head. — It would be a shame for her to know that I am a deserter among the witches and have renounced the crown. Then no. I don't want to see her. I couldn't face her even if I had the chance.

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—But you're still a witch, aren't you? I mean, okay… now you are in the Flame and Shadow, but you have not stopped being a witch. Jesiba could have rejected the title, but that was her choice. — I'm still a witch — confirmed Hypaxia, clasping her hands at her sides. — No one can take that away from me. Ithan studied the black boards beneath his feet. I needed to get the sailboat for Cousin. For Sabine too, he supposed. But did it really have? Cousin's soul no longer existed. There was nothing to be offered to the Bone Quarter other than an empty body. And if the people of Lunathion saw Cousin's boat tip over, without understanding why... He couldn't allow that. I would gladly let Sabine go through the humiliation of everyone watching her boat tip over. I would also be happy to allow her soul to continue living in the Bone Quarter until it was time to become mysterious meat for the Asteri, but to begin with, I would have to decide whether she deserved a Sailboat. Gods, he wanted Bryce to be there. She would know what to do. Just slice it into very small pieces and put it in the garbage disposal. Ithan made a mocking sound and prayed to Luna's bright face above, asking that her friend was safe... and moving. A black boat appeared through the mists ahead, gliding right toward Ithan and Hypaxia, waiting at the dock. Exactly as Jesiba promised she would do. Ithan swallowed. - The taxi has arrived. ***

Ithan knew he was the Cousin of the Valbaran Wolves, but he certainly didn't feel like one. The whole thing was a joke. He was just… a guy. Beauty, one with more power than he had realized, but now there were people who depended on him. Ithan needed to make decisions. At least when he was soleball captain the coaches told him what to do. Now he was coach and captain, everything

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together.

And, considering how much shit he had done recently and how his choice to help Sigrid had led her to a completely disastrous fate... Gods, he really didn't feel like a Cousin at all. Except he tried to at least look like one—back straight, shoulders back—as he and Hypaxia prostrated themselves before the Underking in a temple to Urd made of gray stone. The Under-King sat on a throne beneath a monstrously large statue that depicted a figure raising a black metal bowl between his hands. There were symbols engraved on the bowl, which continued down the fingers, arms, and then the body of the figure. Ithan could only assume he intended to represent Urd. No other temple illustrated the Goddess, no one even dared… Most people claimed that it was impossible to portray destiny in any single form. However, it seemed that the dead, unlike the living, had an image of her. And those symbols that stretched from the bowl to her skin… they were like tattoos.

It was strange, but they looked familiar. Ithan did not have time to ponder the topic, because soon he and Hypaxia bowed their heads to the Sub-King. “Thank you for the meeting,” Ithan said, trying to keep his cool. breathing under control. He prayed that none of the hounds the Underking had sent after them at the Autumnal Equinox were lurking in the murky shadows. At least there were no reapers. No sign of Sigrid, wherever she had gone. Another mess he would have to deal with… but on another day. If he could stay alive to see another day, of course. The Sub-King's skeletal, thin fingers drummed on the arms of the throne. “Cousin,” he said to Ithan.

—, I am honored to be your first political visit.

Although I believe that, according to protocol, a meeting with the governor should have been his priority. - He

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threw a glance at Hypaxia. — Unless the present company makes such responsibilities… uncomfortable. Hypaxia's eyes twinkled, but she didn't say anything. They had gone there for a reason, so Ithan ignored the provocation. of the Sub-King and said:

— Listen... uh... Your Majesty — he murmured, which made the Sub-King open a smile that revealed his brownish and aged dental arch. Ithan tried not to shudder. —Jesiba Roga said that Your Majesty agreed for us to make a request. I'd like to speak to my brother, Connor Holstrom. The Under-King turned to Hypaxia. — Had I not given you obligations to fulfill? — Giving blood bags to vampires isn't a good use of my time — Hypaxia replied, with impressive authority. —Should I assign her to serve the reapers? — A cruel smile. — They'd like to give you a taste, girl. — I just want five minutes with my brother — Ithan interrupted. — For what purpose? The Under-King leaned forward.

— I need to tell him a few things.

— The goodbye you never got to say — teased the Sub-King. — Yes — confirmed Ithan, with a stern voice. The Sub-King tilted his head. — And promise not to warn him about what awaits him? — What does it matter if I warn you? He’s already trapped here,” he replied. Ithan, gesturing to the temple, to the barren land beyond. — I have no interest in civil unrest… even among the dead — declared the Sub-King. — And too much unrest would attract unwanted attention and questions. Of the asteri, without a doubt.

Ithan crossed his arms. — It didn't seem like your position when you handed over my cards. friends to Pippa Spetsos. — Pippa Spetsos offered to significantly expand my kingdom — explained the creature. — It was an investment for my

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reapers… to keep them happy and fed. Ithan blocked the image of Cousin's destroyed body from his mind, of how Sigrid had sucked his soul. — Why did the reapers desert Apollion and join you? — asked Hypaxia, calmly. The Under-King shuddered.

— Don't say his name here. “Sorry,” Hypaxia muttered. She didn't seem sorry at all. However, the Sub-King recovered. — In Hell, reapers ruled over vampires and fed on them. When the vampires defected and migrated to this world, the reapers followed their food source and found the other beings on Midgard to be a veritable feast. So they left the vampires to their own devices, feeding freely on the rest of the people. Ithan couldn't help but shudder that time. I couldn't imagine what Hell was like, if reapers and vampires were roaming the place... — But you're not from Hell — countered Hypaxia. — No. — The Under-King's milky eyes focused on Ithan. — I was born from the Void, but my people… — He opened a cruel smile. — They were not unknown to your ancestors, wolf. I lay in wait as they invaded Midgard in a reckless manner. This place is far better suited to meet my needs than the caves and tombs to which I was confined. Ithan hesitated. — Did you come from the world of shapeshifters?

“You weren't known as shapeshifters back then, kid. - So what…? — And she — continued the Under-King, gesturing to the unusual representation of Urd that stood imposingly above him — was not a goddess, but a force that ruled worlds. A cauldron of life, overflowing with the language of creation. Urd, they a

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they call here… a corrupted version of her real name. Wyrd, we called it in the old world. — Okay — Hypaxia interjected — but my friend's request... — Go talk to your brother, boy — said the Sub-King slowly, almost melancholy. As if all that talk about his old world had exhausted him. — You have seven minutes. Ithan's mouth went dry.

- But where…? The Under-King pointed to the exit behind them. — Or. Ithan turned around. And there was Connor, as vibrant as he had been in life, standing on the threshold of the temple.

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Ithan didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he sat there with his brother on the steps in front of the temple. Hypaxia remained inside, talking quietly to the Sub-King. Connor looked the same as he did the last time Ithan saw him, cheering in the stands at the soleball game… except for the bluish light that surrounded his body. The mark of a ghost. Ithan had found out the hard way what that meant; he had tried to hug his brother, but his arms went straight through him. Seven minutes. Less than that now. — There is so much I want to say to you — Ithan began. Connor opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Ithan was left without a reaction.

— You can't... can't speak? Connor shook his head. - Never? Or just… now? Connor said “never” with his mouth. — But Danika talked to Bryce… Connor patted his chest, as if to say “in here.” Ithan rubbed his face.

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— The Sub-King knew you couldn’t fucking talk, and… Blue flashed across his vision as Connor placed his hand on Ithan's shoulder. The gesture had no weight, but the look his brother gave him, a compassionate and concerned look... “I'm sorry I wasn't there,” Ithan said, his voice failing.

Connor shook his head slowly. — I should have been there. Connor placed a finger on his lips. Don't say anything else. Ithan swallowed hard, trying to clear the lump in his throat. — I miss you every day. I wish you were with me. I… Damn, I'm up to my eyeballs in trouble, and having my brother with me would help me a lot. Connor tilted his head. Tell me. Ithan said. As succinctly as I could, aware of every second that passed. About Sigrid, Sabine and Cousin. About who he was now. About the parasite and the antidote. Ithan checked his cell phone when he finished. There were only two minutes left. Connor smiled slightly.

- What it was? asked Ithan. The brother placed his hand on his chest and bowed his head, a sign of respect for his cousin. Ithan gave him a dirty look. - It's not funny. Connor stood up and shook his head. There was nothing but pride in your eyes. Ithan felt the lump in his throat. - I do not know what to do. How to be a Cousin. How to fix this shit with Sigrid… if it can be fixed at all. We can no longer rely on Athalar's lightning after all. Maybe I'm a jerk for not prioritizing Sigrid, but I need to help Bryce and the others first. I'm fucking lost. And... there are more things I can't tell you. I wanted to tell you, but… Connor looked behind them, at the temple and the Under-King inside.

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When he was sure that the two were truly alone, he reached out to Ithan. A sparkling seed of light in it. Connor put his hand over his mouth and pretended to eat it. - You know? — Ithan whispered. — About secundalux? Connor agreed.

Ithan snorted. —Of course the Pack of Demons would find out. But Connor reached into his pocket and then placed something on the floor between them. A projectile. It was made of the same smelly metal as the Death Mark. As if it had been created from all those coins thrown into the river. Whatever properties the metal had should have enabled the bullet to be touched and handled by the dead. “I don't understand,” Ithan muttered. - What is that? Connor began gesturing, too quickly for Ithan to follow. But robes rustled on the stone, and Ithan caught the black bullet before for the Sub-King to appear between the columns of the temple and declare: - Your time is over. Connor looked at Ithan's hand, then back at his brother's face, his eyes begging him to understand what he meant. “Just one more minute,” Ithan begged. - Please. — You have already been graced with more than most mortals receive. Be grateful. “Be grateful,” Ithan whispered as Hypaxia stood next to the Under-King. Whereby? Because my brother is here? — His scream echoed through the gray columns, through the gravel, through the empty mists. Connor signaled him to shut up. Ithan ignored him. — I refuse to accept it. — Ithan was foaming with hatred, claws glinting at his fingertips. — That this is the best you can have… — Remember your oath, doggy — warned the Sub-King. Ithan se eriçou.

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— And what are you other than a bizarre alien who took advantage of this world? Connor was looking at Ithan at the moment… wide-eyed, encouraging him to keep quiet, to back off. But that thing that had awakened in Ithan the moment the parasite disappeared didn't want to go away. He faced the creature from above, that thing from his people's home world, and saw the Sub-King for what he really was. Enemy, chanted his blood, and spoke of caves beneath hills, of plundered graves and musky darkness. Enemy. Ithan's growl caused the clouds of mist to part, ricocheting across the temple. The ice curled at his fingertips. Even Connor pulled away, surprised. - What is that? — asked the Sub-King, also taking a step back, towards the interior of the temple. Ithan looked at his hands. Stops the ice forming crusts on them. Enemy. The silent dead and those who suffered... Ithan would no longer allow that. — Get out of my kingdom — ordered the Under-King, and Ithan felt the smell of his fear. Surprise and terror. As if he also recognized Ithan as an old enemy. The Under-King took another step back, almost into the temple, and slipped on the pure ice. Straightening, his robes billowing, he raised his skeletal hand, and Ithan knew deep down that it was to summon the hounds. Ithan didn't give him the opportunity. Ice crusted the Sub-King's withered hand. And then the arm. Then the shoulder… - Stop it now! — shouted the Sub-King. But the ice continued to spread, covering him. Ithan left. That that male saw what a ruthless killer he was, that he would no longer tolerate his brother, his parents, or anyone he loved going through that shit.

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No more sailboats. He would never go to one again. He had single-handedly destroyed the Fendyr bloodline. Why not destroy Death too? The Under-King opened his mouth to scream, but Ithan's ice covered his face and body. A cold coating so complete that Ithan could feel it in his own heart. I heard the freezing wind, capable of killing in seconds. Ithan gave himself up. He poured it all into not being trapped on the steps before of him like a statue. He knew Connor was watching, horrified, and he didn't dare look away. focus of the Sub-King to interpret Hypaxia's expression. Ithan became so cold that he forgot what heat was. Forgot the fire, the sun and... Connor stood in front of him, growling. Ithan's focus wavered, but instead of the disgust and disgust he thought he would see on Connor's face, there was only anguish and concern. — Well, it's definitely a way to shut up the old braggart — commented Jesiba Roga, lurking in the shadows inside the temple. Ithan turned around, but Jesiba said to Hypaxia, who was tense and her body vibrating with power next to the column nearby: - Go ahead. The ancient witch-queen did not strike with the shining power, but only picked up an unlit brazier next to the entrance of time and lifted it up. With a face as hard as stone, Hypaxia brandished the dark metal. And the Under-King exploded into sparkling shards of ice.

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There was an alarming silence as Ithan watched the mound of ice that had once been the Underking… feeling nothing. The Sub-King was dead. Extinct.

Ithan had killed him. — Apparently, we're going to need a new Leader for the House — said Jesiba calmly to Hypaxia, who looked at the Sub-King, evidently appalled by what she had done. With what they did. “When I went to hit him,” Hypaxia confessed softly to Ithan, ignoring Jesiba—I put some power into the strike. Hypaxia extended her bloody hand to Ithan, who realized that his body was also bleeding due to the explosion of the razor-sharp ice shards. Rivers of red ran down his hands and face. Hypaxia's appearance wasn't much better. Ithan held her hand with his own bloody hand. Her hand glowed, and they both healed. The cuts on Hypaxia's face were gone... his were gone too, judging by the tingling he felt on his skin. The fastest he had ever seen a medwitch do. — Play later — Jesiba intervened. — We have a job to do.

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- What work? asked Ithan. — You kill the thing, you become the thing — declared Jesiba to Hypaxia. — You are now, for all intents and purposes, Head of the House of Flame and Shadow. And from this place. She turned pale. - That's not possible. I don't want this burden. — Your bad luck. You killed him. Hypaxia rushed towards Jesiba, her face contorted with anguish and fury. “You knew this would happen,” she accused. - You made me accompany Ithan not to help him, but… — I suspected that things might turn in your favor — replied Jesiba, mildly. — But even if you rightfully inherited this place, you need to make decisions quickly. Before Rigelus finds out. - What kind? — Ithan questioned, demandingly, looking at Connor, who was still nearby at the top of the stairs, watching them with an admiring expression on his ghostly face. — Like what to do with the souls here — revealed Jesiba, nodding at Connor. “We freed them,” said Ithan. — We don't need the Realms of Stillness for nothing, do we need? — No. Death worked just fine without them before arrival dos asteri - confirmed Jesiba. But Connor shook his head. - No? asked Ithan. The brother gestured with his head to Ithan's clenched fist, which held the black bullet. Connor opened his mouth, but still, he didn't make a sound. — Oh, please — murmured Jesiba, turning to Hypaxia. — Order him to speak quickly. Hypaxia raised her eyebrows. — House.

Connor exhaled audibly. Hypaxia was really the owner of that place. Ithan was amazed. And it was his brother's voice, the voice he had known all his life, that insisted:

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— Don't send us into the ether. — Connor… — Ithan began. Connor maintained eye contact with Hypaxia. — Don't miss the chance. He started down the stairs — almost running — and all they could do was follow him. With that strong and convinced grace, the brother walked the empty path flanked by obelisks with strange carvings. The path to the Gate of the Dead, the glass muffled in the gloom. Only when they were in front of the gate did Connor speak again: — That bullet — Connor nodded to Ithan's hand, we were the ones who —, made... the dead. For Bryce. — He opened a light and melancholy smile when he pronounced the name. —For use in the Godslayer Rifle. —What's special about her? — asked Jesiba. — Nothing yet, but it was created to support us. Our second luxury,” Connor explained. As if in response, the Gate began to glow. — We had planned to contact Jesiba… to ask her, through her position at Flame and Shadow, to contact one of you. — Connor lifted one of his shoulders. —But when you showed up here, Ithan, with the Sub-King distracted… Well, it was earlier than we had planned, but everyone was ready. I think Urd made sure of that. After everything Ithan had heard and experienced, no doubted his brother's claim. —So they began the exodus through the Gate. They were ending when I was called to meet you — concluded Connor. A conductor, like the one Bryce had drawn from the spring. — All our secundalux, every soul here... It's yours to put in this bullet. Use it wisely,” Connor revealed quietly.

Ithan felt a lump in his throat. —But if you... if you become secundalux...

“I'm already dead, Ithan,” Connor said softly. —And I can't think of a better way to end my existence than to strike a blow for all our ancestors who were trapped and consumed by the asteri. He nodded at the

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bullet, the shining Gate illuminating his face. — Read what is engraved on it. Memento Mori. The letters glittered in the clear light of the Gate.

Jesiba laughed softly. — You got the idea from me, did you?

Connor smiled at the corner of his mouth. Ithan almost collapsed with the half-smile. Gods, he had missed this. Missing my older brother. But the Gate of the Dead shone more brightly… as if the time had come. As if it couldn't hold all those souls for much longer, the secundalux they had become. — You make me proud, you know? Every day before today, every day from tomorrow. Nothing you do will change that,” Connor told Ithan. Something erupted in Ithan's chest. — Connor… “Tell Bryce,” Connor interrupted, his eyes shining as he approached the shining Gate, a wall of light now gleaming in the empty archway, “to make the shot count. Connor stepped into the archway and disappeared into the wall of light. He was gone. And that time it was as unbearable and unfathomable as having your brother there, as seeing him, as talking to him and losing him again... The light began to dim and contract, pulsing, and Ithan could have sworn he heard the hissing of reapers advancing on them in the distance. The light wavered and imploded, condensing into a tiny seed of pure light. It floated in the arch of the Gate, vibrating with such power that the hairs on Ithan's arms stood on end. — Put them inside the bullet — ordered Jesiba to Ithan, who unscrewed the bullet’s cap and carefully approached the bullet. seed.

All the souls of the people there… The dreams of the dead, their love for life…

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Gently, Ithan slid the bullet around the seed of light and placed the lid back on. He positioned the bullet between his thumb and index finger, the tip pressing into his skin. As light streamed through the projectile, the words Memento Mori were illuminated for a brief moment, letter by letter. Then they were gone, the dark metal stark in the gray light. - And now? — asked Ithan, hoarsely, barely able to speak. Connor had been there, and then gone. Forever. “I have some reapers to deal with,” Hypaxia muttered, watching the mists in the distance, where the hissing was getting louder. Ithan suppressed the hole in his heart and asked: — And Sigrid? Hypaxia responded carefully: — What do you want me to do with her? — Just, uh… — Shit, he had no idea. — Tell her I want to talk to her. — Then he explained: — That I need to talk to her, but only when I return from the Eternal City. If he came back. Hypaxia nodded solemnly. — If I find her, I'll pass on the message. —The reapers will not handle the change in power well — warned Jesiba. —Then I appoint you as sub-commander and order you to help me — Hypaxia replied, categorically. — I'm happy to help — murmured Jesiba, analyzing her nails. painted red. — You can't kill them — Hypaxia warned the sorceress. Jesiba gave the witch an ironic smile and nodded to Ithan, who had turned off his own grief for a moment to focus on her cold gaze. — Go to Pangera now, Cousin. And take that bullet to Bryce Quinlan. ***

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Tharion didn't speak, barely breathed, until he and Sathia were back in the open air. It had taken them a few hours to coordinate with their former colleagues how they would conduct the exodus from the city, how they would circulate the message without alerting anyone of the plan. Word would soon spread to the Blue Court, which was housing refugees, but hopefully by then they would have led a good portion of the people into the Deep. And then the Blue Court would lock itself away, praying that the power of the River Queen would be a match for the sulfur torpedoes of the omega boats docked in the river. It was risky… but it was a plan.

It was only after they entered a dark alley to take cover that Tharion said to Sathia: — We did it. We fucking did it... She smiled, and it was beautiful. She was beautiful.

However, from the shadows of the alley, a voice intoned: — What an interesting twist. Tharion only managed to draw the knife from his side and position himself in front of Sathia before the Viper Queen emerged into the light, flanked by the drugged and burly fey assassins. — I have no quarrel with you — said Tharion to the Viper Queen, who was wearing one of her usual jumpsuits, this time pool blue, with high-top suede sneakers in a shade of amethyst and brown laces. “You burned my house down,” replied the Viper Queen, with snake eyes sparkling green. Like the eyes of a grim reaper. The fae assassins behind her

moved, as if they were an extension of the Queen's wrath. —Colin? — Sathia intervened, and Tharion saw her mouth open, looking at one of the fae males. —Colin? I thought you… The Viper Queen's gaze flickered between the enormous fae male and Sathi. - Who are you? — Sathia Flynn, daughter of Padraig, Lord Hawthorne. — Sathia lifted her chin, disdain filling every word. — I know who you are, so don't bother introducing yourself, but I want to know why my friend is in your service.

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It was a different expression from the courteous grace she had shown towards the River Queen. That facet was imperious, icy, and somewhat terrifying. The Viper Queen let out a mocking sound.

Sathia showed her teeth. — Colin. Get away from that trash and go home. The huge fae male stared straight ahead, unresponsive. As had done all that time. As if he didn't hear her. “Colin,” Sathia repeated, her voice becoming more severe with something akin to panic. — McCarthy won't answer unless I order it — revealed the Queen Viper, slowly, going over to the male and running her perfectly manicured hands over his broad chest. Golden nails sparkled against the black leather of the fae's jacket. — But let me guess: childhood friend? Poor, handsome faerie guard, rich, spoiled little girl… — She curled her purple-painted lips into a smile and patted the male's cheek, purring at him. — Is that why you came crawling to me? Didn't her daddy let you court her?

Tharion felt his heart stop when he saw the pain that took over his face. Sathia as she muttered, more to herself than anyone else: — Dad said you had gotten a new post in Korinth. — Padraig Flynn has always been an excellent liar — declared the Viper Queen. —And an even better customer. He introduced me to McCarthy, obviously. She gestured to the blank-faced assassin. Sathia turned pale. — Go home, Colin. — Her voice broke. - Please. Tharion had no idea how anyone, including the male drugged, he could resist the appeal in that voice. To Sathia's face. “Too late,” replied the Viper Queen, nodding at Tharion. —But you and I have unfinished business, merman.

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“Leave him alone,” cried Sathia, showing her teeth. as he got closer to Tharion. — Don't you dare touch him. Tharion took her hand, squeezing once as a warning. so that she would remain silent.

—And what authority do you have, girl, to command me to stay away from him? — I am his wife — revealed Sathia, imposingly. The Viper Queen burst into laughter. And Tharion would have sworn something like pain appeared in McCarthy's bright blue eyes...just a flicker. “Leave him alone,” Sathia repeated, and vines wrapped around her fingers. — Both him and Colin. — I'm not interested in that option, girl — replied the Viper Queen, tilting her head to the side. The killers, including Colin, aimed their guns. I wonder if he had imagined, or had McCarthy's gun trembled slightly? Tharion sheathed his knife and raised his hands once again. getting in front of Sathia.

— Your beef is with me. — He had managed to do what he needed to do with the River Queen. And if Sathia became a widow… she could marry again, according to fae law. Maybe she would even find a way to save poor old McCarthy and marry him. Then he added: — Let her get out of here before you put a bullet in my head. — Ah, I’m not going to kill you that quickly — countered the Viper Queen. — No chance, Ketos. She stepped forward, the assassins following her. — If you take another step towards my friend — warned one, you will familiar female voice —, die. Tharion's knees wobbled as he looked over a fae's shoulder... and saw Hypaxia Enador coming from the dock, with Ithan Holstrom, the personification of danger, at her side.

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“I don't take orders from ancient witch-queens,” replied the Viper Queen. The guards didn't back down in the slightest, but Colin McCarthy's gun was definitely shaking, as if he was doing everything he could to resist the order. — And orders from the Head of the House of Flame and Shadow? — he replied

Hypaxia. Tharion's legs wobbled when he saw the green light that shone in her eyes. Sathia grabbed him around the waist, grunting as she held him upright. —Pax? — Tharion whispered.

But his friend (that female who had been his friend since the moment they met at the Summit, who always seemed to see the real male beneath the charming facade) just continued to stare at the Viper Queen, threateningly. — If you touch him, or his friend, you will incur the wrath of Flame and Shadow fall upon you.

Holstrom stood beside her, brimming with power (of magic, cold and unknown) and added: —And to the wrath of all the Valbaran Wolves.

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There was only one person who could claim that. The male before him was Primo. There was no doubt. But that one strange power emanating from him… what the fuck was that? The Viper Queen stared sternly at Ithan for a long time, and then Hypaxia. — Transfer of power — she murmured, taking a cigarette from the pocket of her overalls and putting it in her mouth. - Interesting. — The cigarette rose and fell with the word, and she lit it, inhaling heartily. Then he fixed his snake eyes on Tharion. — The reward for you is still active. — Forget about the reward — ordered Ithan, the voice of an alpha echoing.

— I will not forgive or forget what Ketos did to me and to mine, but he will leave here alive today… I will allow that. Hypaxia gave her a look that emanated disdain. — You're going to get out of here alive today. This we will allow.

The Viper Queen inhaled her cigarette again and blew smoke towards Hypaxia. — They give the witch a spark of power and it goes straight to her pretty little head. “Fuck you,” Ithan shouted, growling. But the Viper Queen retreated into the alley, whistling at the assassins before walking away. They turned as one and marched after her. Colin McCarthy didn't even look back. - But what the hell? — Tharion cursed at Ithan and Hypaxia. The Cousin of the Valbaran Wolves and the Head of the House of Flame and Shadow. - What happened? - What happened to you? asked Ithan. - Where are the others? Is Bryce here? —Bryce? No... she's in Nena. She… This was not the time to catch up on the news. But then Ithan repeated: — Nena? — Then he ran his hands through his hair. — Shit. - Why? — asked Tharion.

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— We have to find Bryce. For now — Hypaxia replied, seriously. “Okay,” Tharion replied. — I'll see if I can talk with her or with Athalar. Hypaxia and Ithan began walking, and Tharion followed. Sathia stayed a few steps behind. As the door to the House of Flame and Shadow loomed before them, Hypaxia raised her hand, and the object opened without a sound. It was under her command. Ithan soon entered, but Tharion finally managed to overcome the shock enough to ask Hypaxia: — How did you end up turning...? “Long story,” she interrupted, placing a lock of the only dark curls behind the ear. — Let's go in first. It's a safe place in the city. Tharion looked at Sathia, whose face stood pale in front of the door. “Just a minute,” he asked, and Hypaxia nodded and headed into the darkness. — Hypaxia is a friend — Tharion explained in a soft tone to Sathia. — Nothing bad will happen to you here. Sathia looked up, desolate and desperate, at his face. As if I had seen a ghost.

Maybe it really had.

— It was my Ordeal. — Sathia's mouth was so, so pale. — I only realized later. After Colin… left. Losing him was my Ordeal. Tharion placed his hand gently on his wife's back, surprised to feel the strange tension within him, and led her to the door. “I'm sorry,” he murmured, leading her toward the darkness. It was all he could offer her. ***

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— The signal in Nena is shit... There's some weird interference there — Tharion announced. Of all the possible places, they were right in Jesiba Roga's office. —But from the few words I could make out, they are on their way to the Eternal City in this exact moment.

“That's good,” Holstrom replied, pacing back and forth in front of Roga's desk. — That's what Jesiba told me earlier today. But where are we? — That's the difficult part — admitted Tharion, sitting down in one of the chairs. Sathia, sitting on the other, was lost in thought. — The signal failed before we could get to that part. I tried calling him again, and Quinlan, and her parents, but… nothing. “Maybe they opened the Rift,” suggested Hypaxia. — Hell's magic infiltrating Midgard could interfere with the connection. The presence of demons sometimes causes power outages. Imagine what a bunch of them would do. — It’s possible, but it doesn’t change the subject at hand — he said. Holstrom. The wolf had changed… Somehow, in the course of a day he had gone from lost to focused. From lone wolf to Cousin. Tharion managed to extract from him a vague story about facing Sabine, and about Hypaxia overthrowing the Under-King, becoming Head of the House of Flame and Shadow. But beyond that, it seemed like they had evolved. Significantly. Mainly Ithan. Even the most powerful of wolves were gifted only with shapeshifting abilities and super strength… not actual magic. And yet, Holstrom had suddenly gained the ability to wield ice. As if the power had been locked in his bloodline this entire time. However, Tharion dismissed the thought when Holstrom added:

— We need to find a way to join them. — I'm sure that if the Rift is open, we'll see them coming from more than a mile away.

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— We have to find Hunt and Bryce before they start any kind of confrontation with the asteri — Ithan insisted, then picked up a vial containing a clear liquid that was on the table. — Hypaxia found a cure for the asteri parasite. We need to get it out to as many people as possible. Tharion was left without reaction, shocked. Sathia left the state melancholy to pay attention. Then Ithan took a long, dark bullet out of his pocket. — And we need to get this to Bryce as soon as possible. - What is it? asked Tharion as a strange, archaic power vibrated from within the black projectile. Ithan's face was grim.

— A gift from the dead.

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“Well, friends,” Bryce said to Hunt, Declan, Flynn, Ruhn, and Lidia. They had all gathered in an unmarked white van — part of a fleet that Ophion kept hidden throughout Pangera in case an agent needed an escape vehicle — on the edge of the Eternal City. And although Lidia was agitated with the urgency of saving her children, that step was necessary. — Ready to change the world? she asked. Jesiba had just sent the recording of Micah's death. “Let's set this shit on fire,” Flynn said, and Dec nodded, typing away on his laptop. “We're going to start recording in thirty seconds,” Dec told Bryce, and she looked to where Hunt was sitting next to her, extremely quiet and thoughtful. Terrified, she realized. He looked up, desolate fear in his expression. speak in a hoarse voice:

— The last time I took an attitude like that, with the Fallen… it cost me everything. — He swallowed hard, but kept his eyes on hers. Bryce could have sworn lightning flashed across his wings. — But this time I have Bryce Adelaide Quinlan by my side.

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She grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. — Baby, I'm with you — she whispered, and his eyes They shone, making it clear that he recognized the phrase. He had said the same thing to her once... the day they had removed the kristallos poison from her leg. Hunt squeezed his hand back. - Let's start. Declan signaled, and the red light on the laptop's camera came on. Bryce looked into the camera lens and declared, “My name is Bryce Quinlan. Heiress of the Starry Fae, Queen of the Fae in Avallen and Valbara, but most importantly… the half-human daughter of Ember Quinlan and Randall Silago. Hunt barely seemed to be breathing when Bryce continued, “This is my partner and husband, Hunt Athalar. And we are here to show you… Then, right at that moment, she was overcome by a wave of nervousness. Hunt noticed and continued his speech without blinking: — We are here to show you that the Republic is not all full of powers as you were led to believe. — He lifted his chin. — Centuries ago, I led a legion, the Fallen, against the archangels, against the asteri. You know how it ended. That day, on Mount Hermon, only one group of Vanir came to our aid: the elves. We all suffered because of it, and those of us who survived are still punished for it to this day. — Hunt swallowed again, and Bryce had never loved him more than at that moment. — But today we're here to say that it's worth it. Hit back. That it is possible to challenge them and live. That their hierarchies, their rules… are ridiculous. And it's time to put an end to it. Bryce might have even smiled if she hadn't found the right words. “What happened in the Asphodel Meadows was an atrocity. What happened to those innocent families…” She bared her teeth. — It can never happen again. We, the people of Midgard, cannot allow it to happen again. — Bryce looked directly at the

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dead eye of the camera, to the world beyond. — The asteri lie to you, to all of you, every second of every day. For the last fifteen thousand years, they have been lying to us, enslaving us, and we don't even know the half of it. They use a parasite in the water to control and collect our magic under the guise of the Descent. Because they need magic… they need us, our power. Without the power of the people of Midgard, the Asteri are nothing. She straightened her shoulders. Hunt's pride at her side was like a heat that practically seeped through her body, but he let her continue talking, taking the lead. Bryce continued, “The Asteri don't want you to know that. They conspired and killed to keep everything secret. — The image of Danika's face, of the faces of the Demon Pack, came to her mind. It was for them that Bryce spoke, for Lehabah, for all those in the Meadows. — They told us we were too weak, and they were too powerful, to fight back. Another lie. So we're here to show you that it can be done. I fought back and killed an archangel the Asteri had used as a puppet to assassinate Danika Fendyr and the Demon Pack. I fought back and won… I have the recording to prove it. Declan pressed a button and the video started. ***

Bryce looked around the small, simple room in the hideout near the far northeast section of the wall surrounding the Eternal City. — Are Lidia sure this place is safe? Hunt, wings folded inside the cramped space, nodded toward the splinter-thin bed. - He has. And anyway, I'm sure five-star hotels would report us to the asteri. "That's not what I meant," Bryce muttered, sitting down on the squeaky, lumpy bed. It was more of a little mattress, really. —What I wanted to say was that the entire Ophion is…

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dead. — She choked on the word. — Who’s to say this place wasn’t discovered too? It's not like Lidia is in the best psychological condition. Maybe I'm not thinking straight. “Dec and Flynn are on guard duty,” Hunt revealed, sitting down next to him. side of her and grunting. — I think we can rest today. Bryce rubbed his face. — I don't know if I can sleep, knowing that the video will be released soon.

And soon after that, Hell would begin the journey to the Eternal City. Bryce prayed that they would be able to advance without the others noticing the presence of the armies until the right moment. She had taken steps to ensure that. Hunt moved his eyebrows up and down, looking at her. — Do you want to do something other than sleep? Despite everything that weighed on her shoulders, despite what awaited them the next day, Bryce smiled a little. - Oh yes? She sort of leaned back, propping herself up on her elbows. The bed let out a squeaky nheeeeec. “Wow,” Bryce muttered, grimacing. — If anyone is in doubt that we are about to have sex until we can no longer, this bed will make sure. Hunt smirked, but his eyes had become darker, focusing on his partner's mouth. — I'm up for noisy sex. — He passed one of his hands around her waist, leaning in until their lips almost touched. — Maybe it’s our last night to… She covered his mouth with her hand. —Nothing like that. — Bryce had a lump in his throat. - Do not say that. Hunt stepped back, his own gaze unbearably tender. — We will survive, Quinlan. All of us. I promise. She leaned forward, pressing her mouth to his. — I don't want to think about tomorrow right now.

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It was his turn to respond: — Oh, really? Bryce gently slid her tongue along the line between his lips, which opened his mouth. Then she stuck her tongue in Hunt's mouth, tasting the essence of him, her partner and her husband. — I want to think about you — she continued, reaching back, running her hand over his chest, over his defined abdomen. — On you on top of me. He shivered, lowering his head. She kissed the area where the halo had been, where he had freed himself from the clutches.

Bryce reached down until he reached his black jeans and his rigid volume beneath the tissue. — I want to think about it — she said, squeezing him — inside me. “Fuck,” he whispered and changed position, placing her lying underneath him. - I love you.

She raised her hand to touch her partner's face, making him focus on her gaze. — I love you more than anything in the world... this and any other. Hunt closed his eyes, pressing a kiss to her forehead. — I thought you banned goodbyes. — It's not a goodbye. — Bryce ran her hands down the groove in her husband's spine, his wings feeling like velvet in her fingers. - AND the truth. Hunt brought his mouth to his partner's neck, grazing his teeth along her pulse. — You're my best friend, you know that? — He pulled his head away, looking at Bryce, who couldn't stop the starlight from turning on. — I mean, you're my partner and wife... That still sounds weird... But you're also my best friend. I never thought I would have one. She ran her fingers over his strong jaw, down his cheeks. — After Danika, I didn't think... — She felt her eyes burning and raised her head to kiss him again. — You're my best friend too, Hunt. You saved me... literally, in this case,

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but also... — The female placed her hand on her own chest, in the shining light. Another reference to last spring, to everything that had blossomed between them, to the words spoken in that call that she had thought was the last one she would make. - Here. He looked into her eyes, and there was so much love there that Bryce couldn't take it, so much love that it dispelled any fear or dread of what that night or the next day might bring. For a moment, there were just the two of them, Bryce and Hunt. For a moment, there were only the souls and bodies of the two, nothing else mattered. Just Hunt. And just Bryce.

Then she kissed him again, and then there was no more conversation. Hunt's tongue responded to hers with equal intensity, and the weight of his body on hers was joy, comfort, and home. Home… he was home. Her ability to teleport him had only been a confirmation. Home wasn't a place or a thing, it was him. Wherever Hunt was… there was her home. She would find him in the middle of galaxies, if necessary. Hunt removed Bryce's long-sleeved blouse gently, lovingly. She, in turn, basically ripped off the black shirt he was wearing. Hunt laughed, standing up to remove his own belt and unzip his pants. —So impatient. She rubbed one thigh against the other, desperate to get some friction. Especially when his impressive erection popped out and… - Without underwear? — Bryce muttered, choking. Hunt smiled a little. — None of the underwear they gave me on the Deep Freighter was big enough for this. — He held his own dick and started moving his hand up and down, and she grunted when she saw the drop of moisture forming on the head of his dick. —Now let's see what kind of panties you're wearing, Quinlan. His pupils dilated with desire as he pulled down her leggings. Bryce lifted his hips, the bedsprings squeaking, and Hunt laughed at the sound.

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However, he stopped laughing when he saw the cherry-red G-string. —Is that what they gave you on the Freighter of the Deep? — Not on the Freighter of the Deep. — She smiled as she kicked off her leggings, exposing her tiny red lace panties. — I got it from Morven Castle… the guest rooms had several of these still in the packaging. Hunt's booming laugh made her starlight shine, and Bryce lost her breath as he grabbed her knees, one in each hand, and spread her legs wide. — If that asshole wasn't dead, I'd send him a letter of thanks. Hunt pressed his mouth to the front of her panties and let out a sigh. “Damn, Quinlan,” he murmured against her body, and Bryce threaded her hand through his silky hair. Hunt slipped his finger under the fabric of her G-string, teasing her. — Damn. She grabbed the sides of her own panties, unable to speak anymore. Hunt did the job for Bryce by removing the G-string with cruel, brutal slowness. She groaned, but he twirled the panties around his finger before setting them aside. — It wouldn't be good to tear up this precious little thing.

— I'm going to tear you apart if you don't come inside me right now — she declared, panting, opening her legs wider. She almost came when she saw the absolute need, the ravenous hunger on Hunt's face. Especially when very, very slowly he raised his eyes to hers, and in them he saw pure lightning. “Hunt,” Bryce pleaded, and he advanced on her. He held his partner's hips, pulling her up, placing her at exactly the angle he wanted as he entered her in one long, smooth movement. Bryce moaned as he felt his size, filling every part of his insides, and dug his fingers into the firm muscles of the male's ass, holding him there for a moment. Reveling in the feeling of her own body settling around him, the weight of his body on top of hers.

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- As? — Hunt panted against her hair. — How can it be so fucking hot every time? She dug her fingers in further, urging him to move. He withdrew until he left almost just the head of his cock inside, then inserted it again, hard enough to make her moan again. - You like this way? — He adjusted the angle of her hips again, as he pleased. — Do you like my cock deep inside you? She couldn't do more than nod. He rewarded her with another long thrust that made her see stars. There were… there were real stars dancing around them, filling the room. “Quinlan,” he whispered, eyes wide at the stars. Only she needed more friction, more pleasure. Held the own breast, squeezing, twisting the rigid nipple between his fingers. “Fuck,” he murmured and exploded, thrusting into her again, so deep and so hard that the movement pushed them both higher. in bed.

Another thrust, and lightning began to flash across the shoulders. of Hunt, by the wings, a strip upon his forehead, like a crown… She raised one of her hands, which glowed, and the lightning flashed from it.

it wrapped around Bryce's fingers, shocking her lightly. Hunt pulled away, and her moan of complaint turned into one of pure pleasure as he placed her on her stomach and entered her again, the fit of his cock so tight inside her body that Bryce could barely hold on. Starlight emanated from her, and his lightning grazed his wife's back, leaving ecstasy in its wake. “Hunt,” she murmured in a moan, her climax about to arrive. The male dug his fingers into her hips. — Cum for me, Bryce. The orgasm invaded her body, emanated from her body. The female's starlight turned on, and the room lit up to the point of blinding the eye. Hunt continued to make strong moves and

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rhythmic, and his lightning was between her thighs, was in her very blood, and everything she was and everything he was came together in such light, such power… The male's hoarse scream was the only warning before Hunt spilled himself inside Bryce, which made her come again, knowing how deep he had entered her, how much he had marked her. He brought his fingers to his partner's clitoris, stroking her throughout her climax, amplifying everything. The female stretched her body, pressing her back into his chest as Hunt's fingers continued to circle, and there had never been a more perfect moment than that, as wave after wave of pleasure raged and emanated from Bryce's body. And then the world went still, and the light went out, and they both knelt on the bed, with Bryce's entire body pressed against Hunt's, one of his hands between her legs, the other cupping the center of her body. He placed several kisses on the area between his wife's neck and shoulder. “Bryce,” he murmured against her skin, his chest heaving against the female's back. — Bryce. She placed her hand over Hunt's, keeping him between her legs, as if she could freeze that moment, prevent the next sunrise from arriving. He shuddered, kissing her again. — I can… Fuck, I can feel you. Like, on me. She turned her body to look at his shocked and devastated face. — It's as if that part of you that was... Made, or whatever you want to call it, was in me. As if that piece of you was nestled there. “That's good,” she replied, kissing his jaw. Inside her, his lightning lingered, energizing her like a small sun. She continued, breathlessly: — No matter what happens tomorrow, I'll have that piece of you with me. Giving me strength. She could almost summon lightning. It flowed under the skin, so full of possibilities that she had no idea how she would sleep.

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Hunt pulled her back against him, hugging her tight as he He positioned the two of them to lie down on the squeaky bed. “Sleep, Quinlan,” he whispered, his mouth touching her skin. female hair. — I'm with you, no matter what happens.

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Ithan left Tharion recovering from a dose of the antidote he had taken. The merman's reaction was so intense that the pipes in the House of Flame and Shadow had burst due to the spike in his water magic. Hypaxia would be quite busy, keeping the House in order. So Ithan had gone to the Lair. Which was now… his. Well, it would never be his, considering it belonged to the wolves that made it their home, but it was his responsibility. He found Perry in the guard booth again, scribbling in a notebook. He tapped the glass to get her attention, and when her eyes widened, Ithan smiled. — Working or taking a break? — provoked the wolf. But she jumped to her feet, throwing the door wide open. — Sorry, I was just... “Per, it's me,” he replied, alarmed. She straightened her posture, standing at attention, as Sabine preferred. But what the hell. He would deal with that later. For now… He sniffed, trying to interpret the subtle change in her scent. It was still that mixture of strawberries and cinnamon that he had known all his life, but with the antidote... He couldn't

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could decipher. It had gotten so strong right after she took the antidote, but then it had subsided. There was no time to ponder, to question why an omega was in front of him again. Ithan peered through the open gates of the Lair. - Where is everybody?

Perry moved, shifting her body between her feet, uneasily. — They… uh… left. Ithan was left without a reaction. — What do you mean “they left”?

Had the Rio Queen already begun the evacuation? He had come here to warn everyone that perhaps it would be better to stay quiet in the Blue Court for a few weeks, but perhaps she had already managed to warn them. — What happened shook everyone — Perry explained. “They are loyal to you, Ithan, but they are worried. Everyone left the city. They said they wanted to wait until after New Year's to see how things… um… would play out. In a couple months.

Ithan assessed the fear in her eyes. Not for him, but… - Where is your sister? he asked softly. The wolf in him began to bristle, growling at the adversary he knew was near. “Amelie led the way out,” Perry replied, swallowing hard. — I think he wanted to make sure everyone got to their destination. But soon after, she lowered her eyes. — Without a doubt — confirmed Ithan. Perry shifted his weight by one foot to the other again. — And why didn't you go? “Someone had to stay to warn you,” she murmured, with cheeks blushing.

“I find it hard to believe your sister made you stay. — She wanted me to go, but… I couldn't leave the Lair. They relocated Primo to the lobby… I think some wanted

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stay for the Sailboat, but those who were scared wanted to leave. It didn't feel right to leave his body there. Alone. Tears glistened in her emerald eyes, a genuine mourning for the deceased wolf. The aggression that was growing inside Ithan was curbed by pain, by loyalty on her face. He squeezed her shoulder. — Thanks for staying, Per. She followed him into the Lair, pressing an internal button that closed the gates behind them both. Ithan stood in the grassy meadow, watching the park's trees bend in the cool breeze. They had cleaned up the blood at the entrance to the building. The bodies of Sabine and the Astronomer… — I threw them in the sewer — revealed Perry, with contained anger, interpreting the look that Ithan gave to the place where the bodies had been. — They don't deserve a Sailboat. Mainly Sabine. He was taken by surprise at the wolf's act of rebellion, which was usually peaceful, but he nodded. — Rotting in the shitty city seems like a good fate for Sabine — he declared, and Perry let out a laugh. It wasn't a fun tone. At that point, fun was not a feeling that belonged to both of them.

- Where did you go? — Perry questioned, hesitantly, a sign that she was still evaluating his emotions. As a friend, as an alpha and a cousin. Discovering how far you could move forward with the questions. — It's a long story, but I came back to take everyone to safety. He explained about the River Queen and the Blue Court. —But now I have to go to the Eternal City — he concluded. Perry studied him for a moment, evidently understanding more than what he had shared. — So are we going to face the asteri?

— We're not going to do anything. I'll face them,” he corrected.

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—But you are Cousin. Speak for all Valbaran Wolves. Your choices are our choices. If you're going to face the Asteri, we're going to face the Asteri. — Then repudiate me — he said — That's -, but I'll go. not what I'm saying. I don't disagree with you... Things need to change, and change for the better, but the wolves are scattered. In holiday homes, traveling… too far to reach the Blue Court before you reach the Eternal City. - And? — So you need to tell them that before you go. Give them a few hours to find shelter, whether in the Blue Court or somewhere in the jungle. As soon as the asteri see you, Primo, facing them, they will go after the wolves to punish them. And after what happened in the Meadows... — Her eyes showed nothing but pain. — I don't think there is any atrocity they wouldn't commit. Ithan opened his mouth to object. He needed to hand over the bullet and the

antidote for Bryce at that moment. It might even be too late. But I couldn't live with the death of another wolf on my conscience. And if even one cub ended up hurt because he hadn't given them enough time to hide... — Three hours — agreed Ithan. — You know how to send

encrypted message? Perry nodded. —Then start spreading the word. — He looked at the entrance to the building behind the pillars and the stairs that led there. —And I'm going to start digging a grave. — Grave? — Perry complained. — But the Sailboat… — There will be no more sailboats. The Sub-King died — informed Ithan

quietly.

In response, he received stunned silence. Then Perry replied: — But… the Bone Quarter. — It's a lie. All lie. — Ithan gestured to the cell phone in her hand. — Spread the word, then we'll talk. I'll tell you everything I know.

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Perry kept his gaze on Ithan, and in his eyes you could see concern, shock and determination. Then the wolf started typing on the phone. — I'm glad, Ithan — she declared softly — that you're Cousin. At least one of us is, he almost said, but just nodded in thanks.

***

Tharion stuffed the last weapon into his backpack and turned to where Hypaxia stored vials of the antidote in her leather bag. - How many do you have? he asked. The water whispered in his ears, his heart and his veins. A steady flow of magic, as if there was a raging river running within it. A little effort and the thing would come free. — Two dozen, more or less. It’s not enough,” she replied softly. — You're going to need entire factories to distribute this around — said Tharion. She handed over the bag.

- Here. Don't swing too much along the way. Athalar's lightning is holding everything together... The slightest movement can destabilize the doses to the point where they end up not working. The merman tilted his head. - You do not come? He planned to go to the Asteri palace… the most likely place for a confrontation between Bryce and the Asteri. Gods, the mere idea was absurd. Suicidal. Yet, for his friends, for Midgard, he would go, with the antidote in tow. Hypaxia's eyes shone with that greenish light. — No... I'll stay here. Tharion measured the weight of those words and sat on the edge of Roga's table. The witch was away, dealing with some feud between vampires and medwitches in town, because, apparently, vampires had attacked a blood bank.

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- Why not? — Someone has to deal with the broken pipes in this House — Hypaxia teased. Tharion blushed lightly. It would take a long time for them to forget his outburst after ingesting the antidote. But it was so much power… suddenly, he was overflowing with water, and it was music, wrath, destruction and life. — Come on, Pax. Tell me,” he insisted. She looked at her hands. — Because if everything goes wrong there, someone needs to stay here. To help Lunathion. — If everything goes wrong there, everyone is screwed. Sorry to say, but you being here won't make much of a difference. — I want to continue making the antidote — she added. — We need to stabilize it more. I want to start now. He looked at his friend… he really looked. - Are you well?

Her eyes, so changed since she assumed the throne of Flame and Shadow, began to focus on the ground. - No. — Pax… “But I have no choice,” she interrupted, straightening her posture. Then he nodded toward the doors. — You should take your wife and go. — Do I hear a reproachful tone? Hypaxia gave a gentle smile. — No. Well, I disapprove of much of what led you to marry her, but not… the marriage itself. — Okay, okay, get the password to lecture me. — I think maybe Sathia will be good for you, Tharion. - Oh yes? Her smile became mysterious. AND. Tharion returned the smile. — Destroy them, Pax.

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— We hope not literally — Hypaxia replied, giving a wink. Smiling in spite of himself, Tharion left Roga's office. He had left Sathia in a small guest room to shower and rest, although they both knew that no amount of rest in the world would prepare her for the madness they were about to face. He had offered to send her to the Blue Court, but she had refused, and to leave her in Avallen they would have needed to go a long way, so she would go along. Tharion knocked on the guest room door and did not wait for response before opening. The room was empty. There was only a note on the bed, wrapped in her lingering scent. Tharion read it once, then read it again, before it really sank in. I can't leave Colin in her hands. I hope you understand. Good luck. And thank you for everything you did for me.

Sathia had left him. That's what that “thank you” at the end meant. It was propitious… He had done worse to the River Queen's daughter, and yet… Tharion placed the note on the bed again, carefully. He didn't blame her. It was her choice to save her ex-boyfriend from being a drugged killer... and a noble choice, indeed. No, he didn't blame her. After all, it was really better if she didn't accompany him to the city. Eternal. She would be safer. Still, Tharion stared at the note on the bed for a long, long time. And although he knew he was leaving to challenge the Asteri, probably to die trying... As he left the House of Flame and Shadow, and Lunathion herself, Tharion couldn't stop thinking about her.

***

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The video that Hunt and Bryce had recorded was scheduled to go public at any moment. Ruhn was very proud of his sister. She knew how to make the most of a bad situation. The moment arrived just after midnight, with a keystroke by Declan. Sitting on the floor of a windowless room in the hideout that Lidia had arranged it, Ruhn looked at where she was and said: — Just a few hours until dawn, and then we go into action. Lidia stared into space, her knee shaking nervously. The female had said little since they received the news of the kidnapping of their own children. And even though Ruhn was dying to touch her in the quiet moments, he kept his hands away. She had other things to worry about. — I should never have returned to the Deep Freighter — Lidia finally commented.

— If Pollux managed to find out about his children — countered —, he would have found out whether you were on the ship or not. — You should have let me die in the sea, Haldren. So he

spirit

I would have no reason to go after them. - Hey. Ruhn took her hand, squeezing it firmly. She looked back at him. — None of this is your fault. She shook her head, and Ruhn touched her face gently. — You can feel whatever you want now, but when dawn comes, when we leave here, you're going to have to block all those feelings and become the Doe again. One last time. Without the Doe, we won't be able to enter the palace. She held his gaze, then leaned forward, leaning against to test na de Ruhn. He absorbed her scent, inhaling deeply… but realized that the scent was already marking him. It had been there, hidden inside him, since the first time. - I can…? — She swallowed hard. - We can…? “Say what you want,” he said, kissing her cheek. She pulled away and stroked his jaw.

— You. I want you. - He is sure?

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She was dealing with such a heavy burden. With her children in the hands of the Asteri, he wouldn't blame her if… — I need to not think for a while — she explained, then added: — And… I need to touch you. — Lidia caressed his mouth with her fingers. — Really touching your body. He closed his eyes, feeling the touch. — Say what you want, Lidia. She brushed her mouth against his, and he shivered.

— I want you… all of you. Inside of me. Ruhn smiled. - I'm happy to help. He let Lidia dictate the pace, following the female's movements. He returned every kiss. He let her demonstrate where she wanted him to touch, lick, taste. Luckily, the parts she really wanted him to focus on were the same ones that held Ruhn's interest. Feeling her sweetness on his tongue almost made him cum in his pants... and that was before Lidia's breathless moans filled his ears with the most beautiful song he had ever heard. — Ruhn — she murmured, but she didn't ask him to stop, so he continued moving his tongue against the sensitive skin, giving long licks, wishing very much that she still had her lip piercing, knowing that he could have made her very distracted by it... but there would be time later. Lidia arched her hips on the bed, and the female's orgasm made Ruhn begin to squirm, his cock desperate for any sensation. An instant later, she put Ruhn out of his misery. The flame burned in her eyes as she unzipped the male. Then the graceful hand enveloped him…

He resisted her first movement, and was about to start begging when Lidia pushed him onto his back on the bed, placed herself on top of him, with one leg on each side, and guided his cock with her hand to her entrance. Ruhn ran his hands through Lidia's golden hair, the silky strands spilling through his fingers, and kept his gaze on hers.

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while Lidia sat on it. Ruhn gritted his teeth at the feeling of heat, how tight it was, gasping at the wave of pleasure, the feeling of perfection, the perfect fit… She settled over Ruhn, fully seated, so breathless that Ruhn held her hands, kissing her fingers. The female closed her eyes and then began to move her hips… And there was nothing more to be said or done as she rode. He lifted his hips, and her moans grew louder. The male wished he could devour the sound. He contented himself with getting up and kissing her heartily. Her legs wrapped around his waist. This made him penetrate her much deeper, and Ruhn lost control. Ferocity took him at the feeling of being so deep inside her, the smell and the taste… Lidia responded to each thrust, returning his savagery with her own, with her teeth grazing the male's neck and chest. Each thrust made him slide inside her, and damn, he was about to die from so much pleasure… Then Lidia threw her head back, and the delicate muscles contracted around him as she came, making him give in to ecstasy soon after. Ruhn continued thrusting into the sensation, the fierce part of him reveling in the act of cumming inside her, and she was his and he was hers, and there was a name for it, but the word escaped Ruhn's mind. Lidia lay still, and Ruhn supported Lidia's weight as she leaned back against him, their bodies a tangle of arms and legs, his cock still deep inside. Her breath brushed his skin, and he continued caressing the line of Lidia's spine. She was there. He was there.

For as long as Urd allowed them to stay. ***

Lidia continued to lie in Ruhn's arms as the hours passed, sleep escaping her.

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That union had been everything she had wanted, everything she had needed. The female had never felt so safe, so revered. However, their children remained in the hands of the Asteri, in the hands of Pollux. The hours passed in a trickle. Lidia blocked the part of herself that insisted on cataloging every torture that could be inflicted on Brann and Actaeon. The tortures that she herself had inflicted on so many others. Maybe that was the punishment. Punishment for so many things he had done. Ruhn moved, and Lidia snuggled closer to him, taking in the male's scent, enjoying the strength of his body pressed against her. your.

And he tried not to think about tomorrow.

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The next morning, hiding in an unmarked van in a dirty alley in the Eternal City, Ruhn glanced over to where Lidia sat, her face stern against the siding, and approached. She had barely slept, and Ruhn didn't blame her. After catching a glimpse of her haggard face early in the morning, he remained nearby, offering as much comfort as he could, as they slipped discreetly out of hiding and into the van. new. Ruhn placed his hand on her knee and announced: — Another hour or so, and we enter the palace. Another hour until Declan confirmed that the asteri were very distracted by the video they had released to the world. Based on the initial reports Dec had sent in this morning, it had turned into a fullblown disaster. The footage had been shown all over the news and shared on social media. Dec also confirmed that he had hacked the imperial network and discovered that, that morning, the asteri and advisors would meet to discuss the repercussions. The news about the parasite hit home. All the media outlets were vibrating with the buzz, and the footage

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from Bryce killing Micah, to the allegations about how Danika and the pack had died… It didn't matter that the imperial network had deleted the video almost immediately. It was already out in the world, circulating on private servers, being downloaded on cell phones, watched and analyzed consecutively. Imperial trolls insisted it was a lie, posting comments about it being a faked video, but Dec made sure that the footage of Bryce running through the streets of Lunathion last spring, saving the entire city, was also leak.

And there were people out there who remembered that, who had seen her running to save them. They spoke in her name, confirming not only that she had saved the city from Hell but also from the sulfur missiles that the Asteri had launched. The asteri were very busy that morning. As planned. And once the emergency meeting had begun, it would be time to act. — A single slip, and my children... — began Lidia, swallowing hard. “Leave fear aside,” Ruhn instructed, granting the sincerity she had so often offered him. — Focus on the task, not the “what if…?” “He's right,” Bryce added from where she and Athalar were sitting nearby, leaning on each other. Flynn and Dec lead the way, with Flynn monitoring the streets and Dec handling a laptop perched on his knee, hacking the Imperial military control system to access the mec-suits. A few more hours, and they would be inside. — Leave the burdens aside for today. Lidia straightened her posture.

— My children are not a burden… "No," Bryce corrected, "they're not, but you know that palace better than anyone." Any distraction will cost us caro.

— I know Pollux better than anyone — said Lidia, looking into space. — And that's why it's unbearable to sit here.

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— Rest while you can, Lidia — advised Athalar

—,

because soon, this will all turn into Hell. “Literally,” Bryce added with a cheer. annoying. ***

Ithan buried Cousin in the heart of the meadow, so that his soul could feel the playful joy of the puppies for generations to come. If any of them survived this. Tharion had called, asking where he was, and Ithan had ordered the merman to head to the Eternal City without him. To try to find Bryce and Athalar and deliver the antidote to them or any of their friends before they went all in on the asteri. If the antidote had enhanced him, he couldn't even imagine what it would do to Bryce and Athalar. Ithan shouldered his backpack and the Godslayer Rifle, which Roga had borrowed, and left the Lair's main building. Perry was still guarding the cabin outside the gates. — Did you get some rest? — Ithan asked, poking his head into the cabin. From the purple marks under the wolf's eyes, he knew the answer before she even shook her head. — I told you to sleep. — I wanted to stay here in case anyone showed up looking for help or with questions — she explained. He felt his heart sink at her consideration…her kindness.

—And did anyone show up? “No,” she replied, rubbing her eyes. — You'd better go to the Blue Court. She looked into his eyes.

- Are you already going? “I am,” he confirmed. Ithan hadn't slept much either, but he had forced his body to rest. I knew I would need all my strength for what was to come.

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Perry's cell phone vibrated and she checked the screen, then frowned. - What there was? She looked at her cell phone and read aloud: — “Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar killed the archangels Micah and Sandriel last spring.” There’s… there’s footage of Bryce… Ithan's heart quickened. It was too late. Bryce was already taking action. - I have to go. I need to help her in any way possible,” he declared. Perry stood up from his seat in the cockpit. — Good luck, Ithan. I… I really hope to see you again. He gave her a tight hug, feeling the wolf's cinnamon and strawberry scent envelop him. As it always was... as if I hadn't taken the antidote. He put his curiosity aside again. — I hope to see you again too — he replied with his mouth pressed against Perry's hair, then walked away. Her eyes were full of tears. - Please take care. He adjusted his backpack straps. — Go to the Blue Court, Perry. ***

— I'm inside the imperial network — Declan announced a few hours later. Hunt finished equipping himself with the few weapons he had picked up from those that Fury Axtar had managed to transport in that helicopter: two pistols and a long knife. It wasn't much, but Axtar had made good choices. They were all powerful and reliable parts. — These mech-suits are no small thing, no — Dec shuddered — but I'm ready when they are. Hunt checked the gun strapped to his thigh holster. The magazine was loaded. There were extra ammunition in the back pocket. He could have enjoyed the comfort of the Umbra Mortis suit with the double swords sheathed on his back, but two pistols, a knife in his boot, and lightning would have to suffice. It would have to be enough.

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Just Hunt. He could live with that. Hunt searched for Bryce with his eyes. Aster's fist was peeking out from behind her ponytail, and the Truth Teller had been pinned to one of her thighs. She had strapped a pistol to her other thigh, with only a clip to reload. Hell led the armies, but they fought with power, fangs, teeth and brute force. - Right. Does anyone have any questions about the plan? asked Bryce. - Which one? — replied Ruhn. — You have, like, seven plans. “It's better to be overprepared than underprepared,” Bryce replied. — The plan is simple: keep the asteri distracted by releasing Hell and the Fallen… while Athalar and I sneak into the palace and destroy the primalux core. — Without forgetting — Hunt intervened, sarcastically — to free Lidia's children, destroy Pollux, get close enough to the asteri to annihilate them from the planet... He raised his fingers to count the tasks. “Yes, yes,” confirmed Bryce, gesturing nonchalantly. She gave Lidia a wink, flashing a smile that Hunt knew was intended to calm the Doe. — Ready to beat up those assholes? Lidia raised her head. He carried a knife next to his body and a pistol. Just that. It was funny that they were heading into the Asteri palace with so little weapons, but it wasn't worth thinking about it too much. They had no choice. — Once we get out of the van, we will have two minutes until the street cameras alert the asteri technicians that we are in the city, if they identify us — informed Lidia. — And that's why my job is to keep the cameras out of sight. you,” Declan replied from the back of the van. — And my job is to keep us moving around the city to avoid being discovered — added Flynn from the driver's seat.

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“As soon as I send a message, be ready to pick us up,” Ruhn warned. — We've done this before, remember? — Flynn replied to Ruhn. — Meeting Lidia when she freed you and Athalar was a rehearsal for the big show. “I don't care what you have to do,” Lidia said to Flynn and Dec, “or who you leave behind, but get my kids out of this town and take them to the coast. — She looked at them intensely and added: — Please. Dec nodded. — We'll take care of this for you, Lidia. — Saying her name seemed to make Dec uncertain, but then he focused again. — We will protect your children. Just do what you have to do, and we will be wherever you need us. She nodded too, with teary eyes. - Thanks. Hunt looked at Bryce, who was watching silently. It wasn't a good sign. — Do you remember the way to the throne room? — Lidia asked, noticing Bryce's gaze. “I remember,” Bryce confirmed, turning to Hunt. — The wings were still there until a few weeks ago… Let's hope Rigelus didn't change the decoration. — He won't have taken them out of there. He abhors changes — assured Lidia. The words hung in the air. Hunt swallowed hard, feeling the throat dry out. They would really do that. He would really do that. Hadn't he learned his lesson the previous two times, damn it? With the Fallen, and then with recent events? Try a third time…

“I remember,” Bryce said softly… just to himself, even with the others listening, “each movement of Micah's sword as he cut off his wings. I remember how there was nothing we could do to stop it…to stop them. I remember they sold you to Sandriel again, and at that time we couldn't stop them either. I remember every damn moment, Hunt.

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— Her eyes glowed with absolute anger and focus. — Only today we can stop them. Hunt held his partner's gaze and let her courage sink in. let it be his, let her strength be his guiding light. “I promised myself the day Micah cut off his wings,” Bryce continued, speaking only to him, “that they would pay for it. For what they did. Starlight flickered around her head in a shadow of that crown of stars. Nobody said anything. Bryce stood, heading towards the doors. back of the van. The world, the asteri, the end awaited them ahead. She looked over her shoulder at the entire group. His eyes looked into Hunt's. And, before stepping out into the light, Bryce declared: — For love, anything is possible.

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It was too easy to enter the Asteri palace. Lidia knew where all the entrances were, but even though she knew the layout of the place like the back of her hand, it was too easy to enter through the service doors that led to the huge waste processing station. Too easy to slip down one of the smelly pipes and land in a trash room on a floor below. Just when the four of them were in the tiny, fetid closet It was underground that they paused and looked at each other. “Good luck,” Ruhn said to his sister, perhaps for the last time. But Bryce smiled a gentle, soft smile, and although he had shown only sheer determination in the van a few minutes earlier, it was with a loving expression that he responded, “You've brought so much joy to my life too, Ruhn. At that moment he remembered saying those words before she disappeared through the Gate. You have brought so much joy to my life, Bryce. It felt like an eternity had passed since then. She said nothing more, and Ruhn was speechless as he Bryce, with Athalar behind, opened the door and walked out.

For a moment, Ruhn waited silently beside Lidia, the stench of the trash almost making him throw out his meager breakfast.

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of bread and oil that he had eaten. Even so, he made eye contact with Lidia in the dim light. And even though she needed to be the Doe that day, even though she needed to be that cold-blooded female again, he leaned in and brushed his mouth against hers. Only once. Then he whispered, finally giving a name to the feeling he hadn't dared to admit until now: — If I don't have the chance to say it later... I love you. Lidia was left without a reaction, her golden eyes shining. — Spirit.

But he didn't wait for a response, rejection or denial. He opened the door a little and peered into the hallway. “The coast is clear,” he muttered, drawing his pistol. Hopefully Dec was doing his own thing. Hoping that the asteri, distracted trying to contain the effects of Bryce and Hunt's message, wouldn't even dream that their own house was about to turn into Hell, Ruhn went out into the hallway, with Lidia close behind. And then, shrouded in his shadow as they crept through the heart of the empire, the two began the hunt for Lidia's children.

***

They'd almost been caught a few times, and Hunt wished once again that he was in the Umbra Mortis suit, if only for the benefit of enhanced hearing to detect politicians or officials loitering nearby. If it were up to Hunt, the politicians could go to hell, but the officials... If the gods allowed, when the time came, they would be able to escape; When Declan hacked the asteri's alert system, their cell phones would vibrate with the evacuation order to leave the palace as quickly as possible, and they would heed the warning. Hunt's heart pounded throughout his body as he and Bryce hid in the shadows of a massive statue of Polaris, the female's hands raised in victory.

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Past the statue was a familiar set of doors. The entire hallway was exactly the same as it had been when Hunt had last seen it, before his lightning and Rigelus's power had sent everything flying: the busts of the asteri on one side of the wall, the windows overlooking the seven hills of the Eternal City on the other, and, somewhere out there, advancing along the main road of the Stations of the Cross… Dec and Flynn would be waiting. Just not for them. Hunt knew that he and Bryce might not come back from that fight. If they managed to destroy the primalux core and eliminate the asteri's renewable power source, they would have to get close enough to those bastards for Bryce to use his sword and knife. To unite them using starlight and try their luck with whatever happened with a portal to nowhere. Theia had been afraid of that. Aidas had warned them to choose life, damn it, if the portal was too dangerous. It didn't bode well. But what alternative did they have? There were a lot of what ifs, a lot of unknowns. It was an even more fragile plan than the last time they had snuck into that palace, and even if they had all agreed to the plan together, if it failed, if Bryce or any of them died... No. I wouldn't follow that line of thinking again. He had made mistakes and made bad decisions in the past, but fighting against tyranny, against brutality, would never be the wrong choice. Hunt looked at his partner, her attention fixed on the hallway. At the Gate at the end. When he felt his gaze on him, Bryce formed the word “Go” with his mouth and motioned for him to follow. And Hunt went, as he would go anywhere, as long as he went with her. For the first time in his life, it seemed like Urd was listening as he and Bryce walked through the doors into the empty throne room. He looked at the towering wall of the wings of the Fallen behind the seven crystal thrones. And there, in the center, posted like fresh trophies, were his Umbra Mortis helmet and costume. ***

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Bryce held the Mask, its golden surface sparkling among the crystals in the impersonal throne room. The wings of the Fallen hung on the wall, a fluttering array of colors and shapes and sizes. So many lives, given to that moment. Hunt fit the last part of the suit onto his body, then placed the Umbra Mortis helmet on his head. Bryce hadn't questioned it when he'd taken the suit off the wall. I knew why he wanted it. Just as he knew that his wings, affixed above Rigelus's throne, could not remain there. Hunt would wear the suit and helmet once again. It wouldn't be Umbra Mortis wearing the suit, but Hunt. Her Hunt. And together, they would put an end to it.

She wished Ithan had arrived in time with the antidote. Hypaxia, but there was no way to postpone that… not for a minute. Bryce ran his thumbs over the Mask's smooth face. It looked like the death mask of some long-dead king. Could it be that it had been made using the mold of an asteri's face? Modeled after the detestable visage of a daglan from that other world? “Bryce,” Hunt warned, his voice low and distorted behind his helmet. She looked at the Shadow of Death, standing there. He drew the two swords from the back of his suit, twirling them in his hands. — It has to be now. Everything she had ever done in her life, every step… had led to that time.

There, in that chamber, with the wings of the Fallen nobles all around. With Hunt, one of the last warriors. But not anymore.

Bryce placed the Mask over his face and closed his eyes. The metal adhered to his skin. It sucked your face, your soul... The world became diluted again. Alive, not alive. Breathing, no breathing. Dead… undead. The starlight inside her lit up brightly, as if saying, “Hello, old friend.” Yes, ancient magic knew the Masquerade. He understood the deepest secrets of the object.

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Bryce turned to the wings. And in the Mask's shadowy vision, where the wings were affixed, most had a flickering light. The core of a soul. The last remnants of their existence, shining like a wall of stars. She had been right: they had never been granted Sailboats. Outside the

final offense to fallen warriors, the shame of being deprived of a blessed afterlife. That would prove to be the downfall of the Asteri. Those souls, which had been left to wander for centuries, would now be claimed by Bryce. One thought, and her will became theirs. The Masquerade called, and the souls of the Fallen responded, emerging from the wall like a swarm of fireflies. A rustling sound filled the air. At first, the wings began to flutter slowly, like butterflies testing their newly acquired bodies. The flapping of wings filled the throne room, the world. A blustery wind from Hunt caused the pins to loosen. Except for two sets—one familiar gray, the other a gleaming white —, everyone freed themselves.

And then the throne room was filled with wings: white, black, and gray, rising, the sparks of souls glowing brightly within them, visible only to Bryce, who watched through the Masquerade. Hunt and Bryce were in the eye of the storm, her hair flapping in the wind and the downy feathers brushing against your skin. A spark from Hunt's lightning struck the two pairs of wings still affixed to the wall. His wings and Isaiah's. They burst into flames, burning until they were nothing but ash floating on the breeze of a thousand wings, finally free of that place. Another gusty wind blew from Hunt and the doors to the hall opened. The windows lining the hallway exploded. And the wings of the Fallen flew to the freedom of the blue sky outside. The wings emptied the throne room, like water running down a drain, leaving a lone figure on the doorstep, staring at them. Rigelus. Feathers fluttered around him. —But what do you think you are doing?

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The Radiant Hand was foaming with rage, its power shining. He entered the room, and his eyes focused straight on Bryce's face. Maybe it was because of the Masquerade, maybe she had been pushed beyond her own limits, but she felt no fear at all as she looked at the Radiant Hand of the Asteri and said: — Fixing an error. But Rigelus narrowed his eyes at the Mask. — You are carrying a weapon that you have no right to wield. In the streets outside there were people screaming at the sight of the crowd of wings overhead.

Dead and undead… Rigelus' nature confused the Masquerade. Alive and not alive. Breathing and not breathing. He couldn't make up his mind about the Radiant Hand, and he seemed to be withdrawing, moving away from Bryce... The female focused. You obey me.

The Mask stopped in place and remained his servant. Rigelus looked at Hunt in his battle suit and helmet, but said to Bryce, “You're a long way from home, Bryce Quinlan. He took a step forward. The fact that he had not yet attacked her was proof of his caution. Hunt's lightning snaked across the ground. However, Bryce pointed behind Rigelus. To one of the hills beyond the city walls, where the wings had rested on the dry grass. They covered the top of the hill, fluttering slowly, like a flock of butterflies stopping to rest. Bryce commanded: Stand up, as you once did. Ice colder than what had been on Nena flowed around her, towards the wings that were now far away. She could feel Hunt's pain, but she didn't take her eyes off Rigelus. — You have no idea what powers you're playing with, girl. — warned Rigelus. — The Mask will curse your soul… “Let's save ourselves the threats this time,” Bryce interrupted, pointing to the window again. This time for the army

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which had positioned itself behind the soul-bearing wings. — I think you have bigger problems. —, Then she smiled — a predator's smile, a queen's smile as the armies of Hell took the hill. “Just in time,” Bryce said. Rigelus fell silent as more and more of those shadowy figures appeared on top of the hill. Emerging from the portal that Bryce had opened for them just on the other side, out of sight. When he glimpsed the hordes taking over the hills, apparently coming out of nowhere, seeing the three princes marching ahead… People started shouting in the streets. Another sign… for Declan. To disseminate the evacuation order under the guise of an Imperial Emergency Alert. Every cell phone in the city would vibrate with the warning to escape beyond the city walls… to the coast, if possible. Rigelus looked at the armies of Hell gathered at his door. “Surprise,” Hunt commented. Rigelus slowly turned back to Bryce and Hunt and smiled. —Do you think I didn't know the moment they opened the Northern Rift? Bryce braced himself, mobilizing his own power as Rigelus He raised his hand full of shining shine and concluded: — I was waiting for you, and I planned as the situation required. A siren sounded, an alert echoing through the city. And in response, the Asterian Guard burst onto the streets of the Eternal City.

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— I knew as soon as you arrived at the Rift... My Harpy told me, and I watched you through the eyes of my servant before you finished her off. Rigelus took another step into the throne room, power building in his hand and slipping through the golden rings around each of his long fingers. Bryce and Hunt tensed, measuring the distance to the exit. There was a smaller door between the thrones, but to reach it they would have to turn their backs on Rigelus.

In the city, light shone and exploded… sulfur missiles. Made and fired by the Asterian Guard on the terraces, heading towards the armies of Hell. Tracing a golden arc, the missiles hit the dark ranks at the top of Mount Hermon. The earth and rocks shattered, with light exploding. — And like the rodents you are — continued Rigelus — I knew they would leave an escape route for you and your allies. Straight to Hell. I knew they would leave the Rift open. Hunt grabbed Bryce's hand, preparing to pull them both away. —So I sent three legions of the Asterian Guard to the Rift last night. I think they and the sulfur missiles will find Hell

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pretty empty considering all the armies are around here. “We need to warn Aidas,” Hunt said, shaking her hand. Bryce looked at Rigelus again… at the little triumphant smile behind him. to have been smarter than them… And, with a surge of power, she teleported herself and Hunt out of the palace. Right out in the middle of the chaos of the hills beyond the city. ***

Ruhn and Lidia advanced through the palace corridors, covered in shadows. They had found no sign of her children. Nothing in the dungeons, and the sight of the place had caused Ruhn to feel a shock of terror so absolute that he almost lost control of the shadows that camouflaged them. They also found nothing in the cells. They had advanced through the palace as quickly as possible, still unnoticed. Dec had disabled many of the cameras, and Ruhn's shadows did the rest. But after twenty minutes of searching in vain, Ruhn grabbed Lidia by the arm before they headed down another corridor.

— We need to stop and reconsider where they might be — suggested Ruhn, panting — They're here... He brought them both here — Lidia said, trying to free his arm. But Ruhn held firm. — We can't keep running around aimlessly. To think about it: where would Pollux take them? She gasped, eyes wide with panic, but took a deep breath. Then again. And that cold mask of the Doe took over the female's face. “I know how to find them,” she said.

Ruhn didn't question it as she took off again, this time down the stairs, down and down and down until...

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The heat and humidity got to him first. Then the smell of salt. The thousand asteri mystics snored in their bathtubs, in regimented rows between the pillars of the corridor that seemed infinite. “Traitor,” hissed a thin female, covered by a veil, sitting at a table in front of the doors, standing up. Lidia took out her pistol and, without hesitation, sent a bullet through the female's skull. The blast shook the corridor like thunder, but the mystics didn't even move. Ruhn looked at Lidia, then at the place where the old female had been, and, finally, to the blood spread on the stones... But Lidia was already heading towards the nearest tank, towards the commandos beside it. He started typing. Then he approached the next mystic, and the next, and the next. — We don't have much time until someone comes down here to find out what that shot was — warned Ruhn. Lidia, however, continued going from tank to tank, and he peeked at the first monitor to read the message she had written. Where are Lidia Cervo's children? She stopped typing when she reached the seventh mystic and continued by the row of bathtubs. Ruhn moved to the door to keep an eye on it, hiding in the shadows as he monitored the hallway and stairwell beyond. They would be lucky if it took even a minute for the inquisitive ears to reach there... Lidia gasped. Ruhn turned to her, but the female was already running.

— Pollux locked them under the palace — she revealed to the reach the door and take off, with Ruhn running alongside. - Underneath? asked Ruhn, following her down the stairs. — In the room with the primalux core that your sister found… under the archives. “Lidia,” Ruhn said, taking her arm. — This can only be a trap. Put them in the core…

She pointed the gun at Ruhn's head.

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- I go there. If it's a trap, then so be it, but I'm going. Ruhn raised his hands. — I know, and I'm going with you, but we have to think beyond... She was already turning around again, the gun back at her side. The castle was noisy, a cacophony of screams, frightened people trying to escape as quickly as possible. That masked the sound of the two sneaking around the place, but… Lidia was frantic, desperate. Which made her a dangerous ally, Doe or not. She would end up dead, just like her children. Ruhn couldn't let her put herself in danger like that. way. If someone were to put themselves in such lethal danger… It would be him.

Ruhn hurried down the stairs after Lidia, and when he reached her, he unlocked his own gun. She heard the lock click and stopped in place. She turned to him… slowly, in disbelief. Lidia didn't look at the gun. I already knew it was there. Her eyes focused on his. Inscrutable, cold. The eyes of the Doe. “I can't let you end up killing yourself,” he explained. Ruhn, his voice hoarse. "I'll never forgive you for that," she replied, with a smile on her face. voice like ice. - Never. “I know,” replied Ruhn. And he shot.

One shot, right in her thigh. Lidia screamed in pain and crouched, the bullet having passed through the wound and ricocheted onto the stairs behind her, the boom of the gun and her scream forming a chorus that shattered his soul. A chorus that, luckily, was drowned out by the chaos unfolding on the floors above. With her hand, she pressed against the open wound, but Ruhn had aimed far from any fatal artery, and her eyes burned with absolute, fiery rage. - I'll kill you…

Lidia made to hold the gun on her other thigh, as if it were even shoot him in the face.

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Ruhn bolted down the stairs before she could take aim. Sheathing his own weapon, he ran forward, leaving her bleeding behind him.

***

The Eternal City's water pipes were ancient, strange, and hostile. Tharion hated them, especially with the power amplified in his veins, freed from his bonds. His body and soul recognized the essence of his surroundings, and he didn't like what he was finding. There was no court of sea beings in the river that snaked like a snake through the city. There was barely life there besides the opportunists and everything that crawled in the shadows. Up there, the world was chaos. Armies, missiles and weapons. Down there, the sounds were muffled. The water whispered where he should go, where he should take the bag of sealed antidotes. It flowed with him, guiding its powerful tail, right to the railing of the riverbank. His gills bristled as he ripped the metal away. They guided him as he swam through the dark tunnel and turned on the aquatic headlamp he had been smart to take with him. And with the water carrying him, Tharion swam like never before towards the palace of the asteri. ***

The bombs were going off, and it was so, so much worse than it had been the previous spring. The sulfur missiles came from the city, from the Asterian Guard hidden within it, from the mec-suits that came to life on top of Mount Hermon... So much destruction. Hyperfocused angelic wrath. Atop one of the hills beyond the city, Bryce struggled to breathing, a little dizzy, as she ripped the Mask off her face. Hunt ran to where the Gorge Prince was, overseeing the dark creatures swarming towards the city walls, and said:

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— Time for phase two.

Bryce pulled himself together and staggered over to Aidas and Hunt. The armies of Hell, both ground and air, all hungry and angry, were no small feat, no, damn it. She knew it was the only way. To have a chance, unleashing Hell had been the only way. Still, the army was terrifying, allies or not. She needed to trust that Aidas and the other princes had a firm grip on them. “They're almost there,” commented Aidas, wearing armor black similar to that of Thanatos. Bryce deduced that his brothers were either in the middle of the fight or overseeing the very divisions of the immense dark mass. For now, there was nothing to be done but watch as the Asterian Guard concluded that they had chased away the creatures and began to cross the city walls. There was a rustle of wings, and Isaiah and Naomi landed beside Hunt. — Ready? — asked Isaiah, wearing the same black battle outfit as 33 — Soon — a replied Aidas. The angels still kept a respectable distance from him, but at least they no longer had disbelieving and suspicious expressions. .

The Asterian Guard advanced into the hills and lower valleys, with the mech-suits marching among them, and where they struck, demons died. — Do you think they have any idea what is about to happen to them? — pondered Aidas. “No,” Hunt replied, smiling grimly. — Neither Rigelus. Bryce put the Mask back on, and the ungodly, blood-sucking presence consumed his soul, but the starlight within him seemed to keep the Mask at bay. — This will be a lesson so he doesn't think he can outsmart us — commented Naomi.

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The Asterian Guard, the white horsehair that adorned their helmets shining brightly in the daylight, advanced through the field of demons. The mass of mech-suits made the earth tremble. — I think the three legions he sent to Nena are going to get quite a shock when they discover that half of Hell's army is still there, waiting for them — said Naomi. With no small amount of satisfaction, Isaiah added: — They must be warning the asteri, more or less… — he checked his cell phone — now. — Perfect — replied Aidas, purring. — Then we are ready. — Sending the message to Declan — Naomi announced, typing on her cell phone. The fae warrior waited in the van, with the hacked Imperial military network laid out before him. Halfway there, the asteri mechsuits stopped in place. The Asterian Guard paused, looking at the fancy new machines that had all failed at the same time. The lit eyes of the mec-suits dimmed until they disappeared. “Magic and machines,” Isaiah commented. — Never a good combination. — Green light — warned Naomi, reading the message on her cell phone. —

It's yours, Quinlan. Everyone looked at Bryce. Alive and not alive. Dead and undead. Bryce reached out toward the motionless metallic army below. An icy and terrifying power passed through her body, but her will became their will. Her will was everything. Stand up, Bryce said, making the thought spread. Fight. Obey Isaiah Tiberian and Naomi Boreas. Hell is your ally… You fight alongside them. Only she could see the shimmering souls of the Fallen, floating towards the suits from the top of the nearby hill, lining up one by one. The suits' eyes lit up again. Bryce saw the nearest mech-suit raise its metal arm in front of its face. Observed the

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thing moving his fingers, seeming to be amazed. Then the thing turned on the nearest Asterian Guard and smashed his head in. “By the gods,” Naomi whispered as the mechsuits, one after another, began to march away from the Asterian Guard. The souls of the Fallen had waited for the moment when the Asterian Guard and mech-suits began marching toward the city below. And the remaining souls of the Fallen who didn't have a mech-suit to enter... Well, there were several bodies of dead demons and Asterian Guards intact enough to serve as hosts. With a convulsion here and there, as if they were adjusting to their new limbs, the corpses stood upright. They went to stand next to the Fallen brotherhood of host mec-suits. “It's your turn,” Hunt said to Isaiah and Naomi. — Time to enter the city. The angels agreed. And with a great thrust of their wings, they shot into the sky. Isaiah's voice spread: — Fallen, now you are Risen! At the gates! Isaiah looked back at Hunt, his eyes brimming with pride and determination. The warrior touched his own chest at the level of his heart and flew away. Hunt raised his arm in a wave and a farewell, as if he lacked words. It was indeed a sight beyond words… beyond description. An army of undead, machines and demons, marched towards the city walls. “Here they come,” Hunt said. — It seems the video has distracted them so far. "Just in time," said Aidas, as the shining figures approached the battlefield that lay before the northern gates of the Eternal City, arriving themselves to exterminate the threat. The stars. And walking towards them, with the armies parting for his passage, was the Prince of the Ravine, with the Prince of the Moat soon after.

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back.

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Hunt stopped himself from sighing in relief, even though the helmet would muffle the sound. Bryce had freed the souls of the Fallen from the throne room and placed them inside the bodies of the mech-suits, but the most difficult and dangerous part of the plan began at that moment. Hunt struggled to keep his breathing even and focus on the battle and chaos unfolding. His helmet resonated with alerts and assessments. Aidas unsheathed a gleaming silver blade that looked like shine with a bluish light.

— My turn — said the demon prince, the dry breeze ruffling his light blond hair. To Bryce, he asked, “A ride?” Hunt had only a moment to see the concern, the fear, in her eyes, and then the female took Aidas's hand, then Hunt's, and teleported them away. With the power of Theia's starlight, it took less than a second. It barely seemed to drain Bryce's energy, but what appeared around them when they reappeared on the battlefield was a scene straight out of a nightmare. Kristallos demons, death hunters, dogs like the Shepherd, and even worse… the pets of Thanatos, all running past the asteri towards the city itself. Hunt's helmet

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turned into distant figures, the world bathed in red and black. But the Asteri had bigger problems: the three princes before from them. Mainly Apollion, alongside his brothers. There was no sign of Rigelus. He had sent the other five asteri do the dirty work. “You will pay for marching in our city,” Polaris shouted. Hunt released the power, the intensity of the lightning making itself felt even behind the visor of his helmet. Beside him, Bryce had already removed the Mask. And behind the two, around them, the Fallen (his Fallen, now in bodies made of metal and nightmares, all still bound by the order to follow Isaiah and Naomi) charged at the Asterian Guard, surrounding it. Miniature sulfur missiles were launched from the weapons on the mec-suits' shoulders towards the Asterian Guard. Only ashes and floating feathers remained. It was Hunt's idea to use the arrogance of Rigelus, who thought they were careless and stupid... that they would be so foolish as to believe that they would somehow be able to lead an army out of Nena and mount a surprise attack on the Eternal City. That they would be so foolish as to leave Hell free and vulnerable. So they had let the Asteri split the Asterian Guard in two, sending half to Nena to take over Hell... only to be slaughtered by a waiting horde of demons under the command of one of Apollion's captains. And, with half of the Guard that was there, the elite angels, the most trained… They wouldn't stand a chance either.

The three Princes of Hell stood before five asteri on the dry vegetation outside the city walls, war exploding around them. It was Polaris who looked at Bryce. “You will die for your impertinence,” Polaris shot at Bryce, then unleashed a blinding blast of raw power.

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on top of her. Apollion led the way, with his hand raised. A pure, devouring darkness destroyed the light of Polaris. And a satisfaction that Hunt had never felt came over him when he saw the way the asteri stopped in place. How they took a step back. Apollion tilted his golden head toward the asteri. — It's been forever. "Don't let him get any closer," Polaris hissed at the others, and, As one, the Asteri attacked. The ground exploded, light colliding with darkness, which collided with light… Hunt turned to Bryce, a shield of pure lightning snapping between the two and the fight.

— We have to get out of here... — His voice was partially muffled by the helmet. “No,” Bryce replied, focusing on the asteri. — That's not the plan — Hunt replied, grunting, and made to hold her elbow, intending to take flight and take them off the battlefield if she didn't teleport them. They needed to destroy the core of primalux. Otherwise, everything would have been in vain. That way, the asteri could run back to the palace, regenerate their powers, their own bodies. “Bryce,” Hunt warned. However, Bryce drew Aster and Truth-Revealer, with starlight and darkness flowing from the black blades. But it didn't unite them. At least there was still time to stick to the plan… Polaris burst into combat, her eyes burning with light. white and fixed on Bryce. — You should have run away when you had the chance — cried the Star From north.

The air around him seemed to pulse with the power of those blades, coming from Bryce. As if they knew that the time had finally come to unite. No running away then. It was time to adapt to the game. Hunt mobilized his own power, rising to reach his partner.

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Polaris lunged at them, and Hunt struck: a blast of pure lightning at the asteri's feet, deforming even the stone there, opening a hole into which she would fall... Bryce teleported slowly, and Hunt knew she was already getting tired, despite the extra power of the starlight. Until she reappeared there, before Polaris as the asteri fell to the ground, and only Hunt's lightning shield stopped the blast of power from frying Bryce along with it as she raised her sword and dagger above her head. Polaris's eyes widened as Bryce plunged the blades into her chest. The blades pierced skin and bone, and the starlight in Bryce's chest expanded until it reached them. Light clashed against the blades, and both sword and knife glowed brightly, as if they were incandescent. The light spread, rising through Bryce's hands, arms, and body, transforming the incandescence... In a star. A sun. Polaris screamed, her mouth wide open.

Hunt already knew that slowing down of the world when a great power died; I had seen it when Micah, Shahar, Sandriel died, but this time it was much worse. With his helmet on, Hunt could see everything: the particles of earth fluttering, the drops of Polaris's blood rising like red rain as Bryce drove the blades deeper and deeper... The demon princes turned to watch the scene, the asteri adversaries among them. The princes' humanoid skins were gone. In their place were creatures of darkness and decay, each with a mouth full of sharp teeth and leathery wings spread wide. There was a large black mass inside Apollion's gaping mouth as he charged at Octartis... The male asteri erected a wall of light. The sulfur missiles on the shoulders and arms of the hybrid mechsuits lit up again, ember by ember by ember, and Hunt saw with perfect clarity the spiraling missiles being launched into the world, towards the panicked Asterian Guard.

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A deathhunter ran past, each galloping step lasting an age, a lifetime, an eternity, seeming to balance on the other foot as he moved. And Bryce was still there, falling with Polaris, the two black blades meeting in the asteri's chest, Theia's light uniting them in power and purpose... Debris flew toward Bryce, toward Polaris. As if whatever was happening at that intersection of blades was drawing the world in further and further. To the portal to nowhere. A primal shiver ran down Hunt's spine. Theia had been right; Aidas had been right. That portal to nowhere, somehow opening inside Polaris, was dangerous not only for the asteri but for anyone nearby. He needed to stop this. I needed to close the portal quickly. Of Otherwise, he knew, instinctively, that they would all succumb. Time ran slowly as Polaris writhed in pain. Bryce's hair was sucked toward the asteri, toward the blades and whatever they were opening… Very slowly. Whatever Theia's starlight was summoning, the portal opened very slowly, and with every second it opened wider, it threatened to swallow Bryce as well. He had been forged by Hell to help her. To end it. Hellfire and firestar: a potent combination, Bryce had said in Inferno. It was pure instinct, and pure desperation too. Hunt released the lightning, directing it towards the point where the blades met. It flowed like a crackling ribbon through the world, passing the death hunters, the Princes of Hell, the mech-suits... Hunt watched it collide with sword and dagger at the exact point where they intersected, where Theia's light still shone between the two, binding them in an ungodly union. And there where his Hellfire touched the fiery star, where the lightning touched the blades, there was a bloom of blinding light. Polaris' face contorted in suffering. And yet the

The world kept slowing down, slowing down…

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Hunt's Hellfire tendrils curled around the blade, into Polaris itself. Lightning danced across Bryce's teeth, across his shocked eyes. He expected an external explosion, he expected to see every little piece

of the asteri's bone and brain break apart, fragment by fragment. Instead, Polaris imploded. The chest was pulled in, sucked into the blades as if there were a powerful vacuum cleaner there. Then the belly and shoulders did the same, and Polaris screamed, louder… Until he saw it, just a flash, so quick that, in real time, he would never have witnessed it: a tiny dark dot that the two blades had made, exactly where they touched. The thing Polaris had been sucked into. A black dot. It appeared and disappeared as Bryce staggered forward, and the blades separated, and time returned to normal, so quickly that Hunt lost his breath. He touched a button on the side of his helmet, lifting the visor for a breath of fresh air. One of the asteri roared, and the world itself shook, as did the city walls. But Bryce observed the place where Polaris had been. The blades he held in his hands, still enveloped by his Hellfire and her starlight. A portal to nowhere. To a black hole. No wonder it had begun to suck in Bryce too, and the rest of the world. It was no wonder Theia had hesitated, if that was what she thought would happen with the joining of the blades. Hunt's body vibrated with power as Bryce lifted his head to meet his gaze. There was absolute wild delight in her eyes. She had also seen it… She knew she had sent Polaris straight into the nothingness of a black hole. And… At that moment, a seed of worry appeared. As if he was assimilating how dangerous it would be to open another one, let alone five more. Everything they would risk each time.

Still, they looked at each other, just for a moment. They had killed a fucking asteri.

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Hunt's power vibrated again in him, in his very bones... No. It wasn't the power that vibrated through him. It was the cell phone. You

Internal speakers in the helmet answered Ruhn's call. — Danaan. — You need to come to the primalux core — Ruhn informed. — We… we need help. The call has been terminated.

“Bryce…” Hunt began, but when he turned to her, he saw that pure light in her eyes again. He had seen that expression on his partner's face only once in his life... the day she killed Micah. When she had looked into the cameras and shown the world what was hiding beneath her freckles and smile: the apex predator. The wounded heart of anger. Whatever it took to end it… she would do it. The blood pulsed through him, waking up to that look, to what she had done… “Go,” shouted the thing Aidas had transformed into, identifiable only by its burning blue eyes as it faced Octartis alongside Apollion. The princes had the appearance of nameless terror, but Hunt now knew their true nature. They had gone to help. And for a brief moment, he felt the pride of being a son of Hell run through his veins. Hunt looked at Bryce again, closing his helmet visor again. — We have to go to the room where the primalux nucleus is located — he stated, but she was already extending her arm towards him. Holding his hand, primal fury burning in her face, the Aster and the Revealer of Truth sheathed again. A blink of an eye, and they were gone. Her energy was running out quickly. They appeared in the hallway three levels up, if the number on the nearby staircase entrance was any indication. There was blood running from her nose, and Hunt would have spent time worrying about it if he hadn't heard the growls around him. If the helmet hadn't echoed with warnings.

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They had teleported to a corridor full of hunting deaths.

Thanatos had sent the pets into the palace, to distract and keep busy any asteri who might have stayed away from the battlefield, but his control over them must have been weak, or he simply didn't care. Facing just one of them had guaranteed Hunt a scar on his back. It was true that he had been trapped in the halo, but even with full power, facing all of those would not be easy. Beside him, Bryce was panting. I needed a moment to breathe. After the fight with Polaris, after managing to avoid being sucked into the black hole she opened, after teleporting… her partner needed rest. Hunt watched the growling pack. The idea of wasting power by killing an ally's creature irritated him. But, in the end, he didn't even need to decide... A waterspout came splashing down the corridor. Roaring right towards him and Bryce.

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There was no way to escape. There was no window, no exit, no way to breathe as water flooded the hallway to the ceiling. Hunt held onto Bryce, his lightning useless in the water, and swam toward what he assumed was the ladder amid the allencompassing darkness. His helmet was taken over by water, which distorted his vision… There was a glow. He hadn't imagined that Bryce still possessed so much power… but no. It wasn't Bryce. Tharion swam after them down the corridor. Ketos had never wielded enough power to control such a quantity of water, nor with such force, and yet, there he was, evidently the master of that flood. An air bubble formed around Hunt and Bryce. He he ripped off his helmet, letting the water fall down the front of his body.

- What the hell is that? said Hunt, choking up. But Bryce understood first and shouted to Tharion through the air bubble that saved their lives: — Don't drown them all! We need them in the fight! “I had a bag of antidotes,” shouted Tharion, his powerful tigerstriped tail flailing, “but the force of the water tore the handle. It's here somewhere, just wait until I...

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— There's no time! — Bryce shouted back. — Find the bag, then find us! Bryce was right: taking too long to enter that room, to destroy the source of the asteri's power... it was a risk that wasn't worth taking, even for the antidote. The water roared forward, heading for the staircase. - They go! — encouraged Tharion as the water disappeared from the corridor, the merman and the demons being carried away by the current. — I'll be right behind you!

Hunt and Bryce fell hard to the stone floor, soaking wet and coughing up water, but they didn't wait. “Hurry,” Bryce said, grabbing his arm to pull him away. to stand. — The primalux core is down here. The only thing Hunt could do was shake his head. wipe the water from his eyes, grab his helmet and run after her. ***

Ruhn had messed up. Lots of shit.

It was all he could think about as he stood there, in front of Pollux, with his hands raised, in front of the door to the hall under which the core of primalux operated. There was no sign of Actaeon or Brann.

— Where’s Lidia? asked Pollux mockingly, pointing a gun at Ruhn's head, his white wings glowing with power. Ruhn had left her bleeding and injured on the stairs, completely vulnerable, hating him… - Where are the boys? —he replied, grunting. “They're somewhere else,” Pollux replied, and Ruhn's stomach turned at the implications of that. — Rigelus guessed you would go after the mystics, so he instructed them to incite you to lie. And you believed easily, easily because you are a naive idiot. The Hammer stepped forward and nodded at Ruhn. — Come on. I know Lidia is somewhere around here. Ruhn had little choice but to comply. Letting the Hammer lead him away from the primalux core, the archives, and

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then back to the hallway where Lidia would be bleeding on the stairs. Pollux caught his breath as he smelled her blood in the hallway. “Lidia,” he called in a singsong voice.

Her scent became almost suffocating as they turned the corner. where Ruhn had left her… There was not even a trace of her. ***

Tharion helped Lidia limp forward, a strip of living water wrapped around the hole in her thigh. When looking for the antidotes, he had found both the bag and the Doe on the stairs, just before they heard the Hammer's growls. Only two intact vials remained. The others had burst, thanks either to the impact or volatility of Athalar's lightning. But Lidia had been shot… from Ruhn, according to her. Tharion didn't know whether to admire or curse Danaan for that. The idiot had done it to prevent her from getting hurt, to face Pollux alone. For starters, Tharion hadn't even needed to ask why she and Ruhn were down there. Why they had risked everything to be here, why they had separated themselves from Bryce and Hunt. Pollux had bragged about Lidia's children to Ruhn, as the mystics were ordered to lie about the teens' whereabouts, luring her into a trap. But that meant that her children were still trapped elsewhere in the palace... and Pollux knew how to find them. — Lidia… — Hammer joked. — Lidia… — He was almost singing her name.

Lidia gritted her teeth. With an impulse to get up, she made to go to the corridor, towards the Hammer, but Tharion held her back, making her lower herself down beside him again. “We need to regroup,” Tharion said, hissing. — I need to get my children — she hissed back, trying to move again.

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They spoke so quietly that the words were nothing more than whispers.

Tharion held her still. — You are in no condition… She tried again, and Tharion thought screw it. He commanded the strip of water around the female's thigh to tighten, sending a tendril into the hole in the skin for emphasis. Lidia put her hand over her mouth, swallowing a scream. Tharion removed the tendril, hating himself for causing her pain, but maintained the magic to prevent traces of the Doe's blood from marking his trail. Her eyes widened, surprise replacing pain as the water softened at his command. A simple, normal bit of magic, but he knew his own eyes were alight with power… with the raging rapids of Istros itself.

— Hypaxia managed to develop an antidote for the parasite. This temporarily gives us back the magic that the Descent stole from us... even more than that, in fact — he explained, his voice low and light. Tharion could have sworn something akin to pride flashed in her eyes. — I knew she would find a way — Lidia murmured. - Here. — He used a plume of water to remove the antidote case from the leather pouch, then took out one of the two remaining precious vials. — Here. You'll black out for a second, but... But to face the monster in the hallway, she would need to be completely healed. I would need the wound to go away. Lidia didn't hesitate as she took the bottle, removed the cork and drank. She staggered, and her eyes glowed gold. He held her when the female went out, counting her breaths: one, two... The bullet wound in Lidia's thigh healed immediately, then she opened her eyes, which were a fiery gold. He looked at his hands, flexing his fingers. — I knew she would find a way — Lidia repeated, more to herself. same as for him.

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Gently, Tharion released her and gestured for her to remain silent as the footsteps grew louder, much closer than before. “We have to be smart and stay calm,” he warned. Tharion, and helped her to her feet. She stood up without even grimacing or wincing, every step of the way. traces of pain were gone. Then the female nodded. With silent steps and Tharion's magic causing small particles of mist to evaporate the trail of her scent, they descended the stairs. “Lidia,” Pollux called again.

Looking at each other, the two stopped at the base of the stairs. Tharion peered down the long corridor that stretched behind the curve of the wall, seeing Pollux pointing a gun at Danaan in front of him. “Lidia,” Pollux hummed again. — I found yours

mate, then you shouldn't be far away... Tharion backed away. Lidia trembled with fury and power. Tharion felt the power shuddering around him, rising like a giant emerging from the depths. What had the antidote awakened in her? What had been stolen during the Descent? And what had been lying dormant all that time? His water seemed to waver at that... as if it knew something he didn't. “You're here,” Pollux continued. — I can feel your soul close by. It's intertwined with mine, remember? Lidia bared her teeth, her power growing like a physical presence. Tharion gestured with his hand, indicating that she should step back. Until he had a clear shot at the Hammer, they couldn't reveal his position... “Well then,” said Pollux, then whistled and a door further down the corridor creaked open. There was the sound of footsteps approaching them, and Pollux. Tharion dared to risk peeking behind the wall again. Two angels dressed in imperial armor had appeared there, and between them…

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Two teenagers, both tied and gagged. Lidia didn't need to look. She inhaled, smelling whatever was coming… Then his eyes widened when he recognized the smell of his children. Pure, murderous fury filled her gaze, and Tharion was suddenly very, very happy that Lidia was on their side. He didn't even dare think about stopping Lidia when she emerged from where she was.

they were hiding, he turned around and ordered, with power resonating in his voice: — Release them. ***

Bryce had enough strength to reach a room on the floor above the archives. From there, she and Hunt walked down, leaving a trail of water, as quickly and silently as possible. She could have forced herself to teleport them to the corridor with the primalux core, but she needed to save herself. There was only one asteri died…

She had killed Polaris.

That fact kept bouncing around in his head. The sensation of the act, of Polaris' blood bathing Bryce, that primal satisfaction and outrage at seeing the outrage of the other asteri when Bryce impaled their sister with sword and dagger, ignited by Hunt's Hellfire. And then Polaris had been sucked into nothingness. Into nowhere. The blades, powered by his starlight and accelerated by Hunt's Hellfire, had opened a portal to a place that was not a place. An asteri had been banished from Midgard. But would Bryce be lucky enough to get close to the others? Now that they knew what she could do, what she wielded, they would avoid her, just as they had avoided Apollion. Thoughts raced through Bryce's mind, dread flooding her as they ran through the palace. There was no point in staying hidden. Everyone knew they were there. With a nod to Hunt, his partner

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opened the doors to the archives wide open. The glass shattered, scattering everywhere, and a shield of Hunt's lightning kept them both from harm as they ran through the shards, Bryce leading them to the door that led to the hall where the power of Midgard was held. …

The brightness of the room spilled onto the stairs, indicating the way down. There was no sign of Lidia's children. In fact, the room was as it had been before. A crystal floor. The seven pipes, each with the name of an asteri on a plaque engraved below, and, next to the plaques, small screens showed the respective power levels. Those on Sirius and Polaris were now unlit, but the others were almost full. One of them, the seventh, was at maximum power. And in front of the pipe was himself, smiling at them. Rigelus.

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Rigelus released a torrent of white-hot power, and Bryce had enough sense to create one of his own, matching the lightning Hunt shot between them and the asteri. The entire palace shook from the impact. And as everything disappeared, Bryce pulled the Aster and the Revealer out of his hand.

True. “It didn't end well for Polaris,” she told the Radiant Hand, making the fiery star ripple across the blades. — It won't end well for you. “Polaris was weak,” Rigelus countered. — And a fool to let you get close with those blades. Without warning, he threw the power at them again. Bryce held Hunt that time and teleported them to the other side of the room. Rigelus' power hit the stairs behind them, and the two dodged. A true blow from the Radiant Hand could bring down the entire palace, but that blow would still have been able to roast their skin to the bone. “We have to get to the core beneath the crystal,” Bryce said, and Rigelus attacked again.

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“Kill him first,” Hunt replied, grunting, waving with her head to the blades in her hands. “He won't let us get close enough. She mustered the strength to teleport them to the core, and Hunt erupted with lightning again as they reappeared, right at Rigelus... The power collided with a light barrier and spread out. "Your lightning," Bryce said quickly, "deformed the stone as it struck Polaris." Do you think you can deform crystal too? They were about thirty feet above the glowing core. For

to cross that block of crystal, they would need precious, uninterrupted minutes. Bryce had thought the fire star could slowly pierce him, but time was a luxury they didn't have. “I need a good shot at the floor… a few, probably,” Hunt said as Rigelus attacked again. Again, Bryce teleported them. — Can you buy me time?

The female's mouth had gone dry, and her nose was bleeding once more, but she nodded. —What are they whispering there? — asked Rigelus, calmly, from where he was in front of the pipes, but Bryce teleported them again. The two appeared right in front of Rigelus, and, from the shock on the asteri's face, he wasn't expecting that. No, he had thought her power had been exhausted.

The distraction was costly. Hunt's Hellfire crashed into the crystal floor. Bryce didn't wait to see what would happen, what Rigelus' reaction would be, before teleporting them back to the center of the room, and Hunt's Hellfire grew as it collided with the stone, which had actually deformed, and at the moment fragmented under the heat monstrous. The crystal was falling apart, melting. And below, a tunnel to the primalux core began to form.

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***

The Eternal City became a chaos of sulfur missiles, mech-suits, demons, the Asterian Guard and every nightmare imaginable. But Ithan hurried through the streets towards the crystal palace, at the white light flaring inside like a huge strobe. It had to be Bryce. But the palace was gigantic, as big as the Comitium, and finding her inside… No one had answered when he called. With the battle, he hadn't thought they would respond, but he kept trying while aboard the boat he had hastily hired, until he got there, and then running from the shore, without rest, food or water. A sulfur missile whizzed overhead, sparkling with light. Golden. It hit a building nearby, and the world exploded. Even Ithan, with his speed and agility, was thrown. His body slammed against the building, and the God Slaying Rifle swung onto his shoulder. Something broke behind him, not a bone, but… Ithan slid across the floor among the screaming people, looking for his backpack. Frantically, he grabbed the container with the vials of antidote for Bryce and Hunt. The liquid flowed. Only the shards of glass remained. Tharion had more, but only Luna knew where the merman was in the middle of that mess. The rifle, at least, was still intact... with scratches on the barrel, but nothing that would affect the usefulness of the object. He got up with difficulty, but a strong hand held him back, helping him to stand. Ithan turned around, showing his teeth, then came face to face with a human, her eyes burning with determination. Behind her, helping the wounded or running toward the battle, were more humans. Some in work clothes, some unarmed, but all heading towards the conflict. For this first and possibly last chance to go against the Asteri. And he knew. Bryce's message hadn't just been a distraction for the asteri. It had been a war cry. For the people who had suffered most at the hands of the Asteri.

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Then Ithan quickly headed back to the palace. Passing by all those humans, who helped each other and fought with courage... despite the adversities, despite how much it could cost them. There were no more antidotes for his friends, but he still had the rifle and the bullet. Make your brother proud. ***

Lidia didn't bother to look for ammunition, she just sheathed her weapon and drew her sword. He knew how difficult an opponent Pollux was, but he had been studying him for years, he had learned his movements, his arrogance, his tricks. She hadn't let him find out what hers were. Then Lidia glanced sideways at Ruhn and said: — Get out of here. This is between him and me. I didn't want anything to do with Ruhn anymore. He had shot her… shot her, in a kind of masculine outburst of domination, and that had prevented her from going after her children. She would never forgive him... — No fucking way.

Ruhn watched the two guards flank her children. As if he could take them down, as if Pollux's gun wasn't pointed right at the back of his head. For Ruhn it would be a bullet, but Pollux wouldn't blow up Lidia with a gun, nor with his own power. He would want to make her bleed, hurt her very slowly and deeply, make her beg for mercy. The palace shook. “Lidia,” said Pollux, with hideous satisfaction. — You look good for someone who's been diving headlong into the scum lately. “Fuck you,” Ruhn shouted.

Behind Pollux, still a good distance away in the hallway, her children waited with their heads held high, even if they were shaking. The image of them shortcircuited Lidia's brain.

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But Pollux mocked Ruhn: — Was it because of you that she left, then? And betrayed everything he knew? For a little fairy prince? —Don’t give him that much credit — Lidia countered. She would say anything to keep Pollux's attention on her... away from the boys. For her, Ruhn could go to Hell. Even so, Lidia gestured between her and Pollux. — This reckoning has been coming for a long time. “Ah, I know,” Pollux replied, gesturing to the two angels behind him. — You see, the Queen of the Ocean's fleet isn't that big. Just catch a merman or fish, a mermaid spy and threaten to insure it. from them a small filet of and the person opens his mouth, including about where the Freighter of the Deep is going, and about the two very interesting children on board... their true lineage finally revealed and changing the feeling of the ship. Lidia considered all the scenarios in which she could defeat Pollux and get the children out of there. Few ended with her coming out alive.

—They resisted admirably, you see? But they couldn't keep their mouths shut, could they? — He gave Actaeon a stern look. There was a bruise on the boy's temple. — He learned very quickly how effective a gag is. A flame lit inside her, crackling and scalding. — After all the trouble these brats gave me — —, added Pollux, his white wings sparkling with raw power, it will be a pleasure to kill them in front of you.

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Ruhn stood still as two Imperial guards pushed Brann and Actaeon, bound in Gorsian shackles, until they were both on their knees before Pollux. The Hammer smiled at Lidia, who had froze and turned pale. — I knew right away that they weren't my blood, of course. My son would not be captured so easily. Pathetic — he sneered at Brann, who had a bloody nose. The boy would face the Hammer with his own hands. Actaeon, however, watched Pollux carefully, although he was also in a bad state. The golden eyes didn't miss anything. They analyzed everything. Looking for a loophole. — Please — Lidia asked, in a hoarse voice. Pollux laughed.

— The time for kindness is behind us, Lidia. Ruhn's mind was racing, scrutinizing every angle and advantage they could have. The odds were devastating. Even if Pollux lowered the gun he was pointing at Ruhn's head, he was still close enough to kill the boys with a single blow. There was also no way Lidia or Ruhn

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reach the children in time, neither physically nor magically. A bullet would be slower than the Hammer's swing. And even if Tharion was by Lidia's side... No, there was no chance. “Go get Rigelus,” Pollux said to the two guards, without taking Lidia and Ruhn's eyes. — I think he'll like to see this. Without questioning or even blinking at the atrocities they left behind, the guards continued down the corridor, turned towards the staircase and disappeared from sight. Tharion attacked. A blast of water, so concentrated it could have broken stone, headed towards Pollux. Ruhn dodged to the left as Pollux fired. But it didn't go towards him, the male realized as the bullet fired, faster than it should have, carried by a wave of angelic power... Pollux threw himself to the side, and the plume of water missed his wing. The bullet and his power, however, hit the target. Tharion grunted, falling before Ruhn saw which part of his body the merman had been hit. In the chest… As the water ran down the surrounding walls and ceiling, Lidia asked: — Let them go, Pollux. Your beef is with me. He sneered.

—And what better way to destroy you? I suppose I can make a concession: you can choose which boy dies first. Brann growled against the gag at Pollux, but Actaeon looked at his mother, his eyes stern, as if to say, “Kill this bastard.” — They are children — said Lidia, her voice breaking. Ruhn couldn't bear it... the pure desperation in her voice. The anguish. — They are your children — replied Pollux, power sparkling in his hand. — In a normal situation, I would like to make this last a while longer, but the battle requires sacrifices. — As if in response, the building itself shook. — I heard there are some

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death hunters on the loose around here. Maybe the brats will have a good snack. — Don't do this — Lidia asked, falling to her knees. — Tell me what what you want, what I need to do, and I will do… anything… Ruhn's heart broke in two. For the boys, for her, putting herself down because of that piece of shit. The male mobilized his own shadows, but if Tharion hadn't managed to hit the target... Pollux gave Lidia a small smile. — I always liked seeing you on your knees, you know? - Whatever you want. Please, Pollux. I'm begging... — Lidia pleaded. And she would. He would give Pollux whatever he wanted.

The boys' bodies went rigid upon witnessing the scene. Maybe finally understanding what… who… their mother was. What had motivated her all those years, and would continue to guide her in her final moments. Ruhn only saw Lidia. Lidia, who had donated so much, too much. What would you do

that without thinking twice. Then he took a step forward. — Let's make an exchange. Me, for them. Any other adversary would have disregarded the proposal, but Pollux analyzed it from top to bottom with a kind of cruel, hungry curiosity. Ruhn grunted, saying the words he had not dared to utter until then: — She's my partner, you scumbag. Lidia inhaled sharply. Ruhn continued provoking the Hammer: — Do you want to know what she used to compare you and me? They were rude and vulgar words… but words that the male knew would affect the Hammer's fragile ego. And they affected.

"I'm going to kill you all," Pollux shot angrily, with the handsome face contorting in fury.

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“Nothing,” replied Ruhn. —To touch her or the boys, you'll have to divide your attention, and if you do that, it'll give me the opening I need to send you straight to Hell. He should have seized the moment when Tharion attacked. He had wasted the merman's blow... and now Tharion was lying on the ground, alarmingly still, with blood dripping from a hole in his chest. — Ruhn — warned Lidia. — But — Ruhn continued softly — if you hand over the boys unharmed, if you let both them and Lidia and Tharion go, I'll go with you. No weapon, no magic. You can take me apart, piece by piece, taking as long as you want. —Ruhn. — Lidia's voice broke again.

He didn't look at her. I didn't have the strength to see what was in the female's eyes. He knew she hated him for shooting her in the thigh… but his intention had been to save her. Avoid that terrible fate they ended up having anyway. Then he said to her, mentally: I love you. I fell in love with you from the bottom of my soul, and it is my soul that will find yours again in another life. He ended the connection before she could respond. Then Ruhn turned to the white-winged angel, raising his hands. — I'm all yours, Hammer.

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Unarmed, Ruhn kept his gaze on Malleus. — So, what's it going to be, Pollux?

Lidia's children watched him carefully. Lidia remained silently, but the Hammer looked straight at her. "I don't see why I can't have everything I want," the angel said, then smiled at Ruhn. —Wait your turn, little prince. It happened very quickly. Pollux turned to the boys, fixing his gaze on Brann. Pure, raw power ignited around the angel. Lidia screamed as Pollux threw a lethal spear of power towards Brann. Ruhn couldn't look away. I didn't want to watch, and yet I knew I needed to witness that crime, that unforgivable atrocity... But Lidia ran, as agile as the wind. More agile than a bullet. Ruhn didn't understand what he saw next: how Lidia got to Brann in time, how she threw herself on top of her son, taking him to the ground as he burst into white-hot flames. Flames erupted from it like sulfur missiles, knocking Pollux down. It wasn't an accident or a bomb, but

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fire magic, gushing from her, scalding hot from inside Lidia. — Brann — she said, gasping for her son, while the flames didn't even touch him, and analyzed his shocked face as he ripped the gag out of the boy's mouth. — Brannon. She swallowed a sob as she uttered the boy's full name, but then Actaeon appeared and pulled his brother away as quickly as he could, both still limited by the handcuffs that held them. - What are you? — Ace whispered. Still panting, burning from the fire, Lidia responded, standing up. with:

— An ancient lineage. It was Daybright, as Ruhn had seen her in his mind. She had been showing herself, had been showing her true self to him all this time. “Get them out of here,” Lidia said to Ruhn, her hair flying like a golden halo, the embers swirling around her head. — Take the merman to a healer. It was a miracle that Tharion wasn't dead, considering the hole that ran through him. Pollux stood up.

“You bitch,” he snapped. — What the fuck? “Shapeshifters, like they used to be,” Lidia explained, fire rippling out of her mouth. — As Danika Fendyr told me we were. Now free from the asteri parasite. Ruhn gaped. Had she gotten rid of the parasite? Should have managed to get the antidote, somehow… from Tharion? Lidia looked magnificent, enveloped in flame and burning with fury. Pollux's power broke out again. — I'll kill you anyway, you slut. — Feel free to try — Lidia replied, smiling. Pollux rushed at her, striking her with magic. O corridor shook, debris collapsing… A wall of blue fire leaped between the two. Pollux crashed into the barrier, so he got stuck. A fly in a flaming web.

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Lidia went close to the angel while Pollux fought against the flames. “You signed your death warrant when you touched my children,” she announced, and then exhaled. The flame rippled from her mouth into Pollux's skin. O angel screamed… or tried to scream.

Freed from any secrets, or the need to keep them, Lidia seemed to release everything that she was. Ruhn just watched as the fire went down Pollux's throat, into his body, roasting him from the inside out until he was nothing but smoldering ash, a column of inert sulfur, his mouth still open.

She had incinerated him. Lidia raised her finger and poked the imposing column that had once been Pollux. The ash statue of Pollux crumbled to the ground.

Lidia's children stood up, shock on their battered faces. The knife in Ruhn's boot helped him loosen the Gorsian shackles that bound them, but it was Actaeon who whispered to Lidia: - Mother?

She looked over her shoulder at her son. The corner of her mouth turned up… from what he'd called her, Ruhn guessed. The palace shook again… whatever was happening outside, it was bad. — Take the merman to Declan to be cured. Even after the antidote, I don't think Ketos's own body will be able to save him — ordered Lidia. — And there's only one more vial of the antidote in his bag. My sister found a solution. But don't shake it... it's unstable. “Lidia,” Ruhn said, but her eyes burned with pure fire. — I need to help others. — She ran to the stairs. — Get my children to safety, and we can call ourselves even. Save them, and I forgive you for shooting me.

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She looked back at her children, then disappeared through the palace. At direction of the war-torn world that awaited them beyond. ***

Lidia had known, since she was a child, that she was made of pure power, and had kept that power hidden in her own veins. Not a witch's power. She knew her flames were… different. His father didn't have them either. She had kept them secret, even from the Asteri. Mainly the asteri. As far as she knew, no other shapeshifter had them, and she understood what revealing them would mean: becoming an experiment to be dissected by the asteri. Then he had bumped into Danika Fendyr, who had somehow discovered things about Lidia's paternal lineage, and wanted to know if Lidia had any strange gifts. Fae type, elemental gifts. She had considered killing Danika outright to keep the gift a secret. And what else did Danika know… Could she know about her children? Shapeshifters were fey from another world, Danika had explained. Blessed with a fey and a humanoid form, endowed with elemental powers. That confirmed what Lidia had suspected for a long time. Why she had named Brannon after the oldest legends in her family lineage: of an otherworldly fae king, with fire in his veins, who created deer with the power of flame to be his sacred guards. Lidia hadn't mentioned any of that while Danika told her how they had become shapeshifters and that the asteri had experimented on them in Midgard, which had ended up eliminating their pointy ears. He had been happy when Danika died, taking all his questions with him. No more. After ingesting the antidote that her brilliant and courageous sister had created, the fire rose so close to her skin that she could no longer control it.

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deny it. I didn't want to deny it anymore.

Lidia felt the flame go through her as she left the palace, passed through the city and headed towards the battlefield beyond. Unrestricted, indomitable. The feral wolves were the first to pick up her scent, no doubt thanks to Mordoc's keen hound senses. They identified her before she reached the gates to the city. They recognized her, even with the fire, and ran towards her in humanoid form, teeth bared. Mordoc led the pack, hatred practically radiating from him. Behind, as always, came Gedred and Vespasian, with sniper rifles aimed. It was time for Lidia to clean up.

— You… — began Mordoc, angrily. But she didn't even give him the chance to finish. It was enough for that male, Danika Fendyr's father, to spread his perversity around the world. It was enough of him causing suffering to Midgard. Lidia turned Mordoc and the two snipers into ashes with just her

thought. Until all that was left of them was just the melted silver from the darts in their collars, pooling on the ground. Another thought, and the pack of feral wolves, who had stopped in place in panic, met the same end. Asterian Guardian Angels shot from the heavens in a burst of power. Lidia obliterated them too. The demons stopped, the long-dead Fallen allies beside them, the mechsuits ceasing to move. The war machines of the Asterian Guard changed direction and rumbled toward her, each colossal tank armed with sulfur missiles. The angels controlling them aimed their rifles at Lidia and fired a volley of bullets. But the fire was like a song in Lidia's blood, and she crossed the battlefield on foot. The bullets melted before reaching her. It was more natural than it had ever been. In the Cave of the Princes, it had taken almost all of her concentration to extinguish the Autumn King's flames around her companions. Just Morven

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he had seemed surprised... the others hadn't even questioned how the flames had disappeared. The chaos had been too widespread for anyone to put the pieces together. At that moment, Lidia's fire flowed freely. Her truth was free. The war machines stopped, aimed their weapons and bombs. They wanted to exterminate her on Midgard.

But she would continue until the end. She didn't look back at the palace, where she could only hope that Ruhn, her partner, was ensuring the safety of her children. For the first time in her entire unhappy existence, she allowed the world to see her as she was. He was allowing himself to see himself as all that he was. The missile launchers turned white-hot. Lidia mobilized her own flames. Even if he intercepted the missiles while they were still in the air, the shrapnel could kill his allies... There was only one way to stop it: getting there first, before the missiles were launched, and ending everyone at once, including herself. Lidia started running. He wished he had been able to say goodbye to his children, to Ruhn, to have

responded to what he had said. I love you.

She left the thought behind, of the fae prince she knew would keep her children safe. The war machines followed her movements with their launchers. They would try to send her straight to Hell before she reached them. Emphasis on would try. It had been a short life, by Vanir standards, and a bad one, but there had been moments of joy. Moments she remembered and cherished: holding her newborn children, smelling their baby smell. Talking to Ruhn for hours when she only knew him as Night. Lay down in his arms. So few happy memories, but she wouldn't have traded them for anything.

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I would have done it all again, just for those memories. Lidia dove deep, into the seething residues of her own power. The war machines loomed, black and flaming. Ready for combat. The launch cylinders stared down at her, sulfur missiles glowing gold in their throats. Lidia released her own fire, ready for the final incineration. But before its flame touched those war machines, before the sulfur missiles could be fired, the launch cylinders melted. The iron flowed out, scalding the dry earth. And those sulfur missiles, trapped in the machinery that melted... Explosions shook the world as missiles exploded, turning war machines into death traps for the soldiers inside. They melted into nothing. The heat scorched Lidia’s face, and amidst the burning and billowing smoke… Three tiny white lights glowed brightly.

Fire elves. Glowing with power. Through the fire, the smoke and the embers, Lidia recognized them: Sasa, Rithi and Malana. Shining, burning with fire. They must have sneaked behind enemy lines without being seen. Too small to be noticed, to even be considered by the arrogant Vanir. Another war machine rumbled forward, passing overhead. from the ruins of the front line. Stupidity. The metal wheels melted too, trapping the machine in place. Enclosing the soldiers and pilots. They tried to fire the missiles at Lidia and the three elves standing next to her, but they didn't have the opportunity. One moment, the war machine was there, missile launchers ready with their payload, but in the next instant, the metal of the machine emitted a white glow, and then melted. Where the machine had been, a fourth elf glowed, a warm, intense blue. Irithys.

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She raised her little hand in greeting. Lidia waved back. — We found her — Sasa commented to Lidia, breathless from adrenaline, hope, fear, or all of these at the same time. — We told you what you and Bryce said. “But it didn't take much effort to convince her to come,” Malana added as Irithys approached, leaving a trail of blue embers. — How did you know you were supposed to come today? — asked Lidia, as Irithys joined them, a blue star among the three shining lights of the others. Irithys smiled, the first genuine smile Lidia had seen from the Goblin Queen. — We didn't know. They met me yesterday, and we talked until late at night. — An affectionate smile was directed at the three elves, who blushed a raspberry pink with satisfaction. — We were still awake when the video of Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar came out. We came running from Ravilis, hoping we could help in some way. — Apparently, we arrived on time — said Sasa, nodding towards the smoking ruins. “It would be a shame to miss out on the fun,” Rithi added, with a mischievous smile. Irithys' smile was more moderate when analyzing Lidia. The queen's flame made Lidia's glow in response. Dancing on your fingertips, in your hair, like a power happy to recognize another. — I felt the fire in you as soon as we met — commented the queen. — But I didn't know that yours would manifest itself with such intensity. Lidia bowed, but refrained from telling the queen about the antidote, about how it would make Irithys' flame even more lethal. After… if they survived. But at that moment, Lidia smiled at the queen and the enemies who had gathered. — Let's set everything on fire. Because, in front of them, a force of dozens, an entire row of war machines approached. Missile launchers

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they creaked, getting into position. Everyone was looking at Lidia and the elves. — With pleasure — agreed Irithys, and, even at her distance, Lidia's skin singed with the heat of the queen's flame. — We will build a new world on their ashes. Rithi, Sasa and Malana turned blue, their fireworks matching the queen's. The four fire elves released their power onto the war machines and the Vanir that powered them. Lidia's white-hot flames joined theirs, writhing and dancing, as if every moment of recognition thus far had paved the way for this instant, as if her flames had known theirs for millennia. As one flame, a unified people, as Bryce Quinlan had promised, their fire fell upon the enemy line. The machines broke down. Lidia staggered back, and back, and back with the force of it, still feeling strange about the fire in her own veins, after remaining suppressed for so long. But the goblins kept their fire focused on the machines and pilots. And when Lidia hit the ground, when the missiles exploded upon contact with the flames, she threw the last blow of power upwards, to protect both the allied forces fighting behind and the fire goblins in front from the shrapnel. The fragments of the war machines dissolved until they became a shower of molten metal. The liquid hissed as it met the earth. Irithys lit up like a blue star, moving from machine to machine, leaving fiery death in her wake. The other three elves followed. Where they glittered, imperial forces died. And, while the enemy melted before her fingertips… for an instant, just an instant, Lidia allowed herself to nourish a spark of hope. ***

— I'm fine — assured Tharion, panting, with blood dripping from his mouth. - I am fine.

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“My tail,” replied Ruhn, kneeling beside the merman, looking for a bag with a bottle that Lidia mentioned. The merman would already be dead without the antidote in his veins. But if Ruhn didn't do something to help Tharion right now, the other would certainly die in a matter of minutes. — Put him in a sitting position — Actaeon advised his brother. — Position his head above your chest so that the blood doesn't come out so quickly. “We have to help her,” Brann replied. —She is in battle… — You're not going anywhere — Ruhn warned the boys. He found the transparent bottle and drank its entire contents in one gulp. — Help me lift Ketos. We have two seconds before those asshole guards return, perhaps with Rigelus in tow… They didn't even have the second two. From the staircase at the end of the hallway, the two angels who had kept the boys trapped appeared. There was no sign of Rigelus, thank the gods, but at that moment, whatever was in that potion hit Ruhn's stomach, his body itself, and the world buckled, swelled, went out... An instant, long enough that, by the time his vision returned, Ruhn saw the two angels making to pick up their hands. weapons.

Ruhn exploded. Starlight, two beams straight into the angels' eyes, blinding them. Just like Bryce had done to the murderous twins. Two identical whips from his shadows wrapped around each of the guards' necks and began to tighten. — What the fuck? Brann muttered, but Ruhn barely heard him. There was only power, growing like never before. His mind was fully focused as he commanded the shadows to begin cutting into the angelic flesh. Blood gushed out, bones cracked, two heads rolled to the ground. “Fuck,” Brann whispered.

Actaeon stared at Ruhn, mouth open.

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— The merman — said the boy, turning to where Tharion had passed out again. “Shit,” Ruhn shouted, placing his hand on Tharion's chest. to stop the bleeding... A warm, intense magic responded. Healing magic, coming to surface as if it had been inactive in his blood. He had no idea how to use it, how to do anything he wanted. If it weren't for launching a simple command: save it. In response, light gushed from his hands, and he could feel Tharion's flesh and bones knitting themselves back together, mending themselves, healing themselves... It had been a clear shot to the chest and came out the back. But this new healing magic seemed to know what to do, how to close both the entrance and exit holes. He couldn't replace the blood, but if Ketos's blood was no longer draining from his body… he might survive. A tremor shook the palace, and time slowed down. For a blink of an eye, Ruhn thought it might be his own power, but no. I had felt that before. Not long ago, when the world had reverberated with what he knew, deep down, was the impact of a dying asteri. Like the death of an archangel, but worse. Outro asteri devia estar succumbindo. But he commanded that great and intense power to continue healing Ketos. I needed to use that moment to buy more time for the merman, to heal, heal, heal… It was an eternity, and yet it was nothing. Time returned to normal, so quickly that the boys ended up releasing Tharion, but the wound had closed. Ruhn grunted as he threw the unconscious merman over his shoulder and told the boys, “We have to get out of here.” Half of him wanted to throw the twins somewhere safe and run to wherever Lidia was, but his partner had asked him to protect the two most precious people in the world to her. Ruhn would not betray such a great gesture of trust. For nothing in the world.

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They advanced through the palace, the corridors eerily empty. People should have received the evacuation order and fled. The guards had even abandoned their posts at the front doors and gates. Ruhn and the boys arrived on the city streets, and he made to pick up his cell phone to call Flynn, hoping that the male was nearby with the van. Only then did he look at the battlefield beyond the city. The cloud of darkness above the bright lights. The darkness was pure abyss. The fires were burning on the other side of the field… It could only be Lidia. Spirit!

He knew that voice. He turned, with Tharion a dead weight on his shoulder, and saw Ithan Holstrom running toward them, a rifle slung over his shoulder. Ruhn also knew that rifle. The Godslayer Rifle. Ithan's face was covered in dirt and blood, as if I had literally fought to get there. — Ketos is alive? When Ruhn nodded, Ithan asked, "Where's Bryce?" As if in response, light shone overhead in the palace behind them. Ruhn felt chills. — We told her and Athalar to find us, but it was a trap… Fuck.

“I need to get to Bryce,” Ithan said urgently. Ruhn pointed toward the palace, and couldn't find the words, any words, to tell the wolf that it might already be too late. Ace and Brann looked at him, at the palace, at the battlefield. And the boys were his responsibility. Who he needed protect during the storm. “Run,” Ruhn said to Ithan, then gestured to the twins. —Stay close to me and follow me.

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Bryce felt the air cutting into his lungs when he breathed, but he tried to do his best. To the wind, to the movement and propulsion of her and Hunt across the small space as Rigelus threw blow after blow. She wasn't the terrified female she had been a week ago, running away from him down the hallway. He knew that Theia's light gave her the advantage to stay one step ahead of Rigelus as he teleported consecutively. They just needed to deactivate the core, and then she would take her sword and knife and go after the asteri. One by one. Hunt's lightning kept crashing into the ground, but she and Hunt kept moving, so fast that one bang didn't even end before another started. The sound was monstrous, devouring, and it rained stones and crystals in the room. But in the middle of the room, the warped and melted crystal tunnel it was almost complete. Minutes had passed, perhaps years. Continuing one step ahead of Rigelus was like a dance, and she knew that it would all come to a destructive end very soon. Another bang, and the primalux core's glow intensified, highlighting Rigelus' furious face with terrifying sharpness.

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Bryce teleported them away, but he went slower... too slowly... Rigelus struck them with power. A wall of searing acid threw them staggering toward the stairs, and Bryce knew that only Hunt's lightning had prevented the blow from being fatal. He mobilized the power to teleport, but the movement failed. — Perhaps you shouldn't have expended so much strength against Polaris — commented Rigelus with a small smile, and raised his sparkling hand... It was a choice between dying or surviving.

Bryce teleported her and Hunt… but not to the center of the living room. The two reappeared on the floor above, far from the nucleus.

— One more blow! shouted Hunt. — Bryce, just one more fucking hit, and we’ll do it… Bryce's knees gave way, and his head felt heavy. The power had dissolved into stardust in his veins. Hunt caught her as she staggered. — Bryce. Her nose burned, and Bryce could taste the blood in her mouth, metallic and intense. “Shit,” Hunt hissed, cupping her face in his hands. — Bryce… look at me. She had to try hard. Too much. “I'm sorry,” she replied, panting, and the words didn't come through. of a whisper. - I'm sorry. All that power he had gained… what good was it? And what was the point of having Aster and the knife if there was no starlight left inside to unite them? “One more, Bryce,” Hunt repeated, panting. Blood was dripping from his nose too. The cost of all that power, without ceasing. — Just one more blow, I can feel it… “Okay,” she agreed. - He is well.

They needed to get down there again before Rigelus gave a way to repair the damage the two had already inflicted.

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"Okay," she said again, but the power didn't budge. expressed. She looked at Hunt. — A little push? From the worry in his eyes, Bryce knew Hunt didn't have much power left either. However, his lightning ignited, a crown upon the male's head, making him a primal God. Instead of hitting her with Hellfire, he pulled her over and kissed her. Lightning flowed from him to her, a living river of music and power. Bryce pulled away, panting, and it wasn't much power, but it was there, it was enough... “Stop,” said an exhausted male voice from the hallway.

And although she had leapt between worlds and put an end to archangels and asteri, nothing had prepared her for seeing Ithan Holstrom racing down the palace corridor with the Godslayer Rifle slung over his shoulder.

***

Hunt no longer had the energy to ponder the fact that Holstrom seemed… evolved. Older, somehow more powerful, even though Hunt had just seen him. He didn't care about it when the wolf approached and said: — I was sent to deliver this to you. Ithan held out the rifle to Bryce. With shaking hands, she wielded it. — Jesiba? — No. I mean, it was, but… — Ithan's eyes were wide. —There's a bullet in there, filled with the secundalux of the Crescent City's dead. Connor handed it to me, to give to you. — Connor? Bryce staggered again, and Hunt caught her. — There's no time to explain, but the dead sent me to deliver the rifle and the bullet to you. — Ithan's eyes shone with intensity. — Connor said to make the shot count. Bryce looked at the rifle in his hands, feeling the weight.

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— What use is a secundalux bullet against the asteri? Hunt asked. “Not against the Asteri,” Bryce corrected. — The bullet is a secondlux bomb. Ithan nodded, apparently understanding what she meant better than Hunt. — I don't have the strength to teleport us both back to the core — Bryce said and held Hunt's hand, placing something cold there. Her words hit him hard, and Hunt snapped, “No fucking way.” — He started to get excited. — No fucking way, Bryce, let's send that monster to Hell... — Leave the palace — warned Bryce, and teleported. Alone. Taking the Godslayer Rifle with him, and leaving the Mask in Hunt's hand. ***

She had a chance. Last time, Lehabah had managed to buy her time, the two seconds needed to aim the shot. That time, there was no fire elf to save her. There was no synthesis to propel it. Just the training Randall had instilled in her over the years. Bryce said a silent prayer of thanks to him. A shot, towards the tunnel that Hunt had opened, to destroy the last crystal around the core and release all that primalux. She knew that lining up the shot would be costly. She knew that in the second it would take to adjust her aim, Rigelus would unleash his power upon her, and there would be no wall of Hunt's lightning to contain him. Bryce enjoyed the fierce wind that whipped around him as he teleported… one last time, propelling himself through the world. She raised the rifle to shoulder height, releasing the safety, and then she was in the center of the room filled with debris and debris.

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crystals, with the rifle already aimed at the hole in the center. But Rigelus wasn't alone. Three other remaining asteri had joined him, and the four formed a solid wall between Bryce and the primalux core. At least one more of them was dead, if the slowing of the world a few minutes earlier was any indication. But there were still four left. Bryce's finger stopped on the trigger. Waste that bullet on them... — Don't you want to know what you're risking before you act so recklessly? asked Rigelus, smugly. He didn't wait for a response. — If you destroy the primalux core, you will destroy Midgard itself.

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Bryce didn't lower the Godslayer Rifle, he kept it pointed at the asteri's feet, at the hole right behind them. To get closer, she would need to teleport to where they were, and shoot straight into the hole. “The core is tied to the very soul of Midgard,” Rigelus continued. — If you destroy it, the entire planet will cease to exist. Bryce felt chills. I might have responded that that was nonsense, if it weren't for Vesperus' claims regarding the Cauldron. “You turned the core into an emergency button,” Bryce whispered. — To prevent rats like you from getting ideas about destroying us — sneered the asteri to Rigelus' left, Eosphoros, the Morning Star. — Our destiny — Rigelus said to Bryce, crossing his hands in front of him in an almost beatific way — is tied to the fate of this planet. If it kills our food source, it will doom every living soul on Midgard as well. — What if I say you're bluffing? — replied Bryce, buying as much time as possible to assimilate everything that was happening.

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He had heard, witnessed and endured…

— Then a darkness like you have never seen will devour this planet, and you will all succumb — replied the asteri to the right of Rigelus, Hesperus, the Evening Star. — So you would rather die than free any of us? asked Bryce. — If we are deprived of food, then we will die; There is no purpose in your existence, other than to serve us as sustenance. You are possessions. — You've lost your fucking mind. — Bryce kept the rifle pointed at their feet. — What if I kill you all and leave the core here? What about? — You'd have to get close to us with those blades to do that, girl — sneered Eosphoros, with death in his eyes as he observed the Aster on Bryce's back and the Truth Revealer sheathed at the female's side. — We won't make the same mistake as Polaris. They were right... Bryce knew that if she lowered the gun, if she drew the blades... Well, they would kill her so quickly that she probably wouldn't be able to draw the blades in time. “Think very carefully, Bryce Quinlan,” Rigelus advised, stepping forward with his hands raised. — One bullet to the core, and this world and all innocents will be sucked into an endless void. The same Void that Apollion claimed allowed him to devour the asteri? Polaris' body had been sucked into nothingness... — You seemed so outraged in your little video, — commented Rigelus, almost purring, — at the death of all those innocent people in the Asphodel Meadows, but what are a few hundred children compared to the millions you will condemn once you fire that bullet? An endless void… “Kill her, brother,” hissed the fourth asteri, Austrus, glowing with power. — Kill her, and we'll fight the princes again before they find us down here...

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— What will it be, Bryce Quinlan? asked Rigelus, extending his hand. — You have my word that if you don't fire that bullet, you and yours will be able to walk out of here free. And they will remain so. O outro asteri se voltou para ele, indignado. “I can teach you things you never even dreamed of,” Rigelus promised. — The language of the words tattooed on your back… is our language. From our home world. I can teach you how to use it. Any world at your disposal, Bryce Quinlan. Name a world, and it will be yours. “I just want this world to be free of you,” Bryce said. between teeth. - Forever. One of the asteri began to speak: — How dare you… However, Rigelus interrupted him, focusing only on Bryce. — That could also be viable. A Midgard the way you imagine it. — He smiled, so excitedly that she almost believed it. — You will have a comfortable life. I will name you queen for real... not just of the fae, but of all Valbara. Enough with governors. No more angelic hierarchies, if that's what you and Athalar want. If you want the dead to be freed, then we will find a way to circumvent death too. They were always just a dessert to us.

“Dessert,” Bryce repeated, his hands shaking with rage. She tightened her grip on the rifle.

“The dead will be able to keep the secundalux,” continued Rigelus. But Bryce, his vision blurred by a familiar white haze of pure fury, he replied: — They are not dessert, they are people. People that the inhabitants of this planet knew and loved. — It was an unfortunate choice of words — Rigelus admitted — and I'm sorry about that, but whatever you want, you'll have it. And if you wish…

— Enough of being courteous to the worm — interrupted Eosphoros, irritated. - She dies.

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“I don't think so,” Bryce said, teleporting straight in front of the asteri. Right next to the hole Hunt had made in the ground. — I think it's your turn to die now. Then she fired the Godslayer Rifle at the primalux's core. ***

The asteri screamed, and time lengthened as the bullet fired from the rifle, slowly enough for Bryce to see what was written on the side of the round: Memento Mori. Powered by the souls of the dead, of Connor and the Pack of Demons, and so many others... The dead sacrificing themselves in favor of the living. The dead giving up eternity so that Midgard could be free. The bullet spiraled downward, toward the light, toward the final crystal barrier.

Rigelus charged at Bryce, his hands ablaze with raw power. When he touched her, she would die… And perhaps that was what Danika had planned from the beginning when she placed the Horn on her, when she wanted her to claim the other piece of Theia's star for Avallen. Perhaps it had been what Urd had planned for her, what he had whispered to her to do since she had accessed the power, or what Hell had imagined she and Hunt would do one day. Bryce wished he had a little more time with Hunt. With parents and friends. A little more time to enjoy the sun, the sky, the sea. To listen to music, all the music I could listen to. To dance… just one more step or a spin… Rigelus was reaching out his shining hands for her arm; the projectile continued to spiral. And as that secundalux bullet shattered the last layer of crystal and descended further and further… Bryce wished he had more time. But he hadn't, and if that was all the time he had been given, She… would make it worth it.

I believe everything happened for a reason. I don't believe it was in vain.

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In the distance, the words he had said at the Gate, the previous spring, echoed.

All of that had happened because of that. Not for her, but by Midgard. For the safety and future of all the worlds. And as the bullet penetrated the primalux's core, as Rigelus's hand wrapped around Bryce's wrist and the pure acid burned his skin and bones wherever it touched... Like the battery it was, it took his power and sucked it away. Light found light, but... Rigelus's starlight was not light. It was power, yes, but it was primalux. It was the power of Midgard. Of the people. It flowed into her, so much power it almost took her breath away. Time slowed down even more. However, she took more of Rigelus' power. His power indicator on the wall plummeted. Rigelus stepped back, releasing her—whether out of pain, fury, or fear, she couldn't say... His light was not his own. His light had been stolen from the people of Midgard. He was a living gate, storing power, and just as she had drawn from the Gates in the spring, just as she had fueled her Ascension, fueled her power to reach new levels… in this instant he became hers. Without the primalux, without the people of Midgard and all the other planets they had sucked until there was nothing left... without the power of the people, the damned asteri were nothing. And with that understanding, the undeniable truth, Bryce channeled all that power through the Horn on his back. Right when the core exploded. Midgard's emergency button has been triggered. Just inches away from her, the world began to collapse, sucking itself in, obliterating everything… Bryce commanded, and the Horn obeyed. A portal was opened… right in front of the core and the dark point that emerged from there, vacuuming up everything that was life. Bryce sent the core, that lifeless, growing point, through her portal.

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The asteri screamed again and never stopped. As if they knew Bryce had conjured his own emergency button. With a thought, Bryce widened the portal to suck in the asteri, their screams disappearing along with each of their bodies. Rigelus and his shimmering hands were a faint glow at that moment, still stretched toward Midgard, clinging to Bryce as he was sucked away. Bryce had a single instant to realize what—and where—she had opened a portal to: a dark, airless place, dotted with small, distant stars. A blink of an eye, and she was sucked in too. Straight into deep space.

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The asteri's crystal palace was collapsing. Near the city walls, a crack and a crash left the muffled sounds in Ruhn's ears, reverberating through his body. He looked back and saw the palace towers sway and topple. “Bryce,” he murmured, panting. Tharion, awake and walking carefully, stopped, and the twins, who had been helping him, stopped along. The entire world stopped as the tremor shook everything. When light broke out from beneath the palace. An enormous force, like a whirlpool sucking them in, in and in, began to draw them in that direction. — Run — whispered Tharion, also feeling it. Ruhn nodded and took both boys by the hand. They ran along the last few blocks to the city gates, with Tharion struggling to keep pace. Ruhn felt the pull toward the crumbling palace and I knew there would be no escape. ***

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Bryce had left him. She had left him and teleported back to face those monsters alone. Hunt hadn't gone far, with Holstrom close behind, before that crash shook the palace, the heavens opened, and the palace began to collapse, more, and more, and more... It was a choice between letting Holstrom die or continuing

trying to get to Bryce. But Hunt knew that his partner would never forgive him if he abandoned Ithan, so he held the wolf and took flight, dodging the falling blocks of crystal, stone and metal. He wasn't sure where they had landed, only that they were on the edge of a giant crater that hadn't existed there before. He remembered the news footage he had seen, showing what was left of the Asphodel Meadows… All he could do was wonder if Bryce had done it on purpose. But as he tried to wipe the blood and dust from his eyes, Hunt saw what was at the heart of the crater: a gaping void, with stars beyond. The force of the vacuum pulled him in, causing him to stagger forward… “Go,” he commanded Holstrom. — Take as many people away as you can. Because on the other side of that portal Bryce had opened into the stars was a wall of impenetrable darkness. Hunt could make out the glowing figures being sucked in. Bryce had opened a black hole in the middle of Midgard. Had he done that with the blades? Or did the union between Aster and the Truth-Revealer just give her an idea of how she could capture all the Asteri at the same time, instead of wiping out each one individually? It didn't matter. Nothing mattered, because there was a fucking black hole on the other side of that portal, and the force of the thing was strong enough that this side of the portal was being sucked in as well... But that didn't matter either.

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Because there, among the bright lights of the asteri… was Bryce's starlight. And she was being sucked into the black hole too. ***

Bryce knew she should be dead. There was no air there, no heat. Maybe it was the Horn in her skin, the Made essence, that kept her alive… just enough. It had been a gamble, but she had seen what Aster and the Truth Teller had done to Polaris. They had created a vacuum that sucked the asteri inside... the only kind of prison that could destroy a being of light. The only force in the universe that ate light, so strong that no light could escape. A portal to nowhere. To a black hole. Wasn't that the unholy power Apollion possessed? The power of the Void. The antithesis of light. The only thing that could kill a planet with a mordida. Destruir os asteri, e Midgard junto. The asteri also knew that... forever, and used it as an emergency button, to be activated upon the destruction of the primalux core. So she had breasted their black hole with her own. A bigger one. A black hole, a void, to eat the other black holes. Because Bryce couldn't let that happen to Midgard. He had opened his own portal to the black hole, which was just the right size so that only those who were very close to the core would be sucked in. And now she was there, floating through space with the asteri. Light poured from the glowing beings around them, their screams silenced by the absence of air. Behind her, the only light that filtered through the crack she had left behind... a crack that still needed

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to close. A little window into Midgard. She couldn't bring herself to close it. Not yet. Bryce allowed himself to look at the sliver of light, the blue sky. The last vestige of home. I believe everything happened for a reason. I don't believe it was in vain. In front of the asteri was the shining mass that was the nucleus of the primalux, the growing black hole at the heart of it… The light expanded and curved as it was pulled down the throat of the larger black hole. And then it disappeared. There was no beam left. No emergency button, no primalux. Midgard was free of them. That crack of light became thinner and thinner. It was too far for her to reach. It was not possible to return to the portal. There was no way to propel yourself there. There was only the slow flow towards the black hole's event horizon. The inevitable and crushing end. Ahead, the first two asteri, Hesperus and Eosphoros, approached the point of no return. They tried to hold on to nothingness, looking for a way to cling to the emptiness of space to move them away from the gaping mouth of the black hole... But the shining fingers found nothing as they glided over the point and disappeared.

Time slowed down for a fleeting moment… just one, with time dragging, and dragging… then it returned to normal. The deaths were quick. An agile swallow. I believe everything happened for a reason. I don't believe it was in vain. Rigelus and Austrus followed, but the two clung to each other. to the other.

No, she saw it immediately: it was Austrus who was holding the other, frantic as a drowning person, and Rigelus was trying to free himself, hitting his fellow asteri with the remnants of power that Austrus absorbed... Maybe if Bryce hadn't drained Rigelus' power, he might have succeeded. The Radiant Hand seemed to realize this as well. He decided to try another movement to free himself, because he raised his feet between them and kicked.

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Austrus fell backwards… straight to the point of no return. Your screams made no sound. Time slowed down and shuddered as the black hole devoured him as well. And then there was only Rigelus left, still glowing… but in a faint way. That kick he had given Austrus had propelled him towards Bryce. There was nothing she could do to escape, there was no way to escape his grasp… Rigelus' expression revealed pure hatred as the two clashed. They whirled through space, where up and down had no meaning, and whatever protection the Horn gave her seemed to bow in the asteri's presence. The Horn would bow to the creator, the master. She needed air. I needed air... Bryce pushed him away, getting some space between them. It didn't break the contact completely, but it was enough for the Horn's protection to activate again and she was able to breathe. Rigelus was saying something, shouting in her face, but there was no sound. There was no sound in the space. Just his face contorted in contempt, and she knew he saw the same expression on her face as Bryce inhaled. The last inspiration, she knew. It would make that worth it too. Bryce held his thin torso and hugged him, then wrapped him with the legs too. Rigelus had a one-way ticket to that black hole… and she would make sure of it.

Even if, to do so, I had to go along.

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With the Umbra Mortis helmet thrown into the rubble at his side, Hunt watched the giant, dark thing that had appeared in the center of the city and, little by little, devoured everything. Bryce was in that hole. A dark wind ruffled the hair of Hunt, and he didn't need to look to know who had arrived. — I told her to choose to live — Aidas murmured, sadly, looking at the starry black opening. “She wouldn't be Bryce if she'd chosen herself,” Hunt said hoarsely. He wouldn't love her so much if she weren't the kind of person who would have jumped into that hole. — We have to help her — he added, with a grunt, his wings struggling against the pull of the black hole that was trying to suck all of Midgard into itself. — We can't do anything — countered Aidas, his voice filled with anguish. — I have to try. Hunt bent his knees and spread his wings, preparing for that leap into space. For Bryce. And to that eternal wall of black where his partner shone. “If you go in there, you'll die,” Aidas replied. “There's no air to propel your wings, nothing to help propel them so you can get to Bryce. You will be adrift, and even then

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she will end up going with Rigelus to the Void. After a few minutes, you follow helplessly. —But she left the portal open. To Midgard,” said Hunt. Aidas turned exhausted eyes to him. — I believe it will close when it and the Horn are obliterated. “She left him open to coming home,” Hunt snapped. He analyzed the Mask in his hands. Bryce had left her with him… Why? There was no way he could give her back to the fae on her home world. Hell, he probably couldn't even handle that shit. It wasn't done, I wouldn't be able to command it. “She probably already died from lack of oxygen,” he said. Aidas quietly. - I am really sorry.

"I don't accept that for a minute," Hunt replied, irritated. — I refuse to accept…

“Then go die with her,” said Aidas, without cruelty. — If that's what you want, do it now. She and Rigelus are already approaching the edge of the Void. Hunt analyzed the Mask again.

Bryce didn't do anything without a reason. He had left the Mask with him, knowing he was going to his own death. He had left her with her partner... her partner, who had a little of her Made essence in him because the two had made love the night before. Which perhaps attributed to him the ability to manage it. Just for one time.

She had given everything for Midgard. By him.

That day last spring, when there was no more hope, she had made the Descent alone. To save him, and to save the city... and she had done it out of pure love. He had done that without expecting to return. Just as he should have jumped into the portal with the suspicion that he would never return.

Demons spread through the streets, and the Asterian Guard still fights, unaware that their remaining masters are on their way to annihilation. The Fallen mechsuits and enemies collided.

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Bryce had walked into his own death for him that spring day. Hunt could do no less for her. “Athalar,” called Aidas as he watched the hole in the world. - He finished. Come… We have to finish this. Even without the asteri, there are other battles to be fought before the day ends well. The words sank in—“without the asteri”—but the ground shook behind him. Hunt turned around. A mech-suit was there, towering imposingly above him. Without a pilot… it was one of the Fallen. The glowing green eyes alternated between him and the hole in the universe, the small beam of light wandering and wandering towards the infinite darkness. The mech-suit reached out, and Hunt knew. I knew who the Fallen was who controlled the suit, whose soul had approached to offer assistance. To help you do the impossible. “Shahar,” Hunt murmured, and tears ran down his face. face.

The mech-suit, with the archangel's soul inside, tilted its head. Aidas took a step back, as if surprised. In the streets, other costumes had stopped in place. Kneeling, in reverence. Hunt could feel them… the souls of the Fallen. Surrounding him, surrounding the suit. But Shahar just knelt in front of Hunt and opened the pilot's door. Their wings wouldn't work in space, but the propulsion of the suit's weapons would. Hunt didn't hesitate. He entered, squeezing his wings into the small space inside, and closed the metal door. “Thank you,” Hunt said to the archangel, to the Fallen who now felt pressed around him. He had previously been forced to dismember mech-suits on the battlefield to help Shahar's sister destroy humans. But at that moment, the suit would help him save a life. The most important life in the world for him.

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Hunt didn't look at Aidas, at the ruined palace sending debris toward the portal, or at the black hole so enormous that the pull threatened to suck everything in. He just stared into the void and ran, the suit rumbling around, straight to the portal. Then he jumped after his partner. ***

It was too far. Not to the suit, whose blasts of power sent Hunt staggering toward Bryce and Rigelus, but to the oxygen systems. This information lit up on the screens, flashing red. The air became thin; his lungs started to hurt… Hunt did the only thing he could think of: he put the Mask on his face. To escape death, he would wear the artifact. The real Umbra Mortis. The Masquerade tore his soul apart.

Life and death… they were all in that space, in the universe, in fact. But the huge, gaping pit, so close to Bryce and Rigelus… that was death incarnate. The two were fighting. Hunt could see it now. The light shining between them, rippling into nothingness, each trying to get away from the other, to finish each other off… There was only one sulfur missile left in the suit. Hunt aimed toward his partner and Rigelus. The two were moving very quickly, very close together. Shooting one would be shooting the other. He could have sworn a light, ghostly hand guided his to the fire button. “She's going to be thrown in there too,” Hunt whispered to Shahar. The ghostly hand squeezed (gently, as if that was all she could do) his hand. On the button. As if to say: Shoot. The gods had never done him any favors, Urd had certainly never helped him, but still…

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Maybe they would have helped.

Maybe that day he met Bryce, the gods had sent him there. Not to be an instrument of Hell, but because Urd knew that there would be a female there who would be kind, selfless and courageous, who would give her all for the city, for the planet. And that she would need someone to give everything for her. Bryce had given him a life, a beautiful life. He didn't need all the visual evidence that had flashed before his face when he'd been in the Comitium cell to realize. She had given joy, laughter and love, freed Hunt from a cold, dark existence and led him toward the light. From her light. Hunt wouldn't let that light go out. Then he pressed the button to launch the missile. One squeeze, and the thing shot from the mech-suit's shoulder panel. And, as he was launched by the suit, spiraling through space, golden with all that angelic wrath… Hunt felt Shahar go along. I could have sworn I saw huge, glistening wings curl around the missile as it spiraled through space, straight towards Bryce and Rigelus. The cause of the Fallen, finally ended with one last blow. Bryce and Rigelus stopped the fight as the glowing missile approached. And Hunt knew that it was Shahar, along with each of the Fallen and everyone who fought against the Asteri, who guided the missile to hit Rigelus square in the face. It didn't explode. He pulled it away from Bryce, and the Radiant Hand staggered to the point of no return, the missile with it… And Bryce was free. To drift. But still too close to the edge of the void. Using his precious store of firepower as momentum, Hunt propelled himself forward, hurtling through space to his partner, his wife, his love… The missile and Rigelus crossed the horizon. Time slowed down. It stretched and rippled as a flare of light appeared, either Rigelus or the missile bursting, Shahar and the cause of the Fallen

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disappearing together into the darkness. And then Bryce stood before him, her hair flying as if she were underwater. The stern face… frozen. Unconscious. The Mask said a different word, but he ignored it. He ignored it and stretched out his arms as much as possible, the time was too slow...

The suit's metal hands wrapped around her waist as time returned to normal. He released what little artillery remained and dashed for home. To the portal, which was beginning to close. That could only mean one thing. The Mask had been trying to tell him that, but Hunt had refused to believe it. I wouldn't believe it for a second. But the portal was closing, getting smaller and smaller… A dark, glowing figure filled the space. Then another. Aidas and Apollyon. Their powers gripped the edges of the portal and opened it wide. little more. They kept him like that for a moment longer. And with what little strength he had left, Hunt hurled a desperate, revolting, scorching rope of lightning toward Apollion. The only being on Midgard that could withstand its power. Apollion, once again in his humanoid form, grabbed the rope and pulled. Aidas lit up with black light, struggling against the closing portal, against Urd's will. Hunt could already make out the princes' tense faces, Apollion's teeth clenched with the effort of pulling him through the lightning, inch by inch, closer and closer. Aidas sweated, panting, as he struggled to keep the portal open…

And then Ruhn appeared. Starlight burning. Fighting against the impossible. Lidia beside him, her fire crackling. Tharion. Holstrom. Flynn and Dec. A fire elf, with the little body lit on fire. Isaiah and Naomi. So many hands, so many powers, from almost all Houses. What mattered at the end of the day was the friends they made. Not the enemies.

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For love, everything is possible.

It was love that was keeping the portal open. It was what kept him open until the end, until Hunt and Bryce crossed back over, falling into the land of Midgard, the blue sky filling his vision and all that wonderful air filling his lungs… The portal closed, sealing the black hole and all space within. The asteri had died. Hunt was out of the mech-suit in the blink of an eye, breaking the metal panel, and went to where Bryce was lying on the floor. She didn't move. He wasn't breathing. At last he let the Mask say the word he had been ignoring it since it had reached Bryce in the depths of space. Dead.

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“It took too long,” Declan said as Hunt tried to revive Bryce's heart, the lightning hitting her again and again and again. — She spent too long without oxygen, even though she was Vanir. There's nothing my healing magic can do if it's already… Hunt threw the lightning at his partner's chest again. Bryce's body jolted, but his heart didn't beat again. Their friends were gathered around, shadows of Hunt's suffering, of unfathomable pain. Get up, he ordered the Mask, Bryce. Get up, dammit. But the Mask didn't respond. As if with one last Fuck You, the Mask fell from his face. As if her Made essence had disappeared from him with Bryce's death. “Bryce,” he ordered, his voice cracking. This wasn't happening, couldn't be happening to him, not when they had come so close… — Blessed Luna, so radiant in the sky — whispered Flynn — spare your daughter... “No prayer,” interrupted Hunt, grunting. — No fucking prayer.

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She couldn't be dead. I had fought so much and done so much... Hunt threw the lightning at her chest again. It had worked before. On the day of the demons' attack on spring… he had brought her back to life. But the heart no longer responded. Rigelus had used his shitty lightning to resurrect the Harpy… Why didn't it work on Hunt? What had Rigelus known about Hunt's power that Hunt himself hadn't? — Do something — he ordered, growling, to Apollion and Aidas. — You have a black hole in your fucking mouth… you have all the power in the galaxy! —he shouted at the Prince of the Moat. — Save her. "I can't," Apollion replied, and Hunt had never hated anything in his life as much as he hated the distress in the prince's eyes. The tears on Aidas' face. — We don't have such a gift. “Then find Thanatos,” ordered Ruhn. — He goes around calling himself the Prince of Souls or some shit like that. Find him and... “He can't save her either,” Aidas replied softly. — None of us can. Hunt looked at his partner, motionless, cold and lifeless. The scream that emanated from him shook the world. There was nothing but that scream, and the emptiness in the place where she had been, where the life they were supposed to have together should have been. And when the breath ran out, for Hunt it was… the end. There was nothing left, and what was the point of it all if…? Someone placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Maybe I can try something,” said a female voice. Hunt looked up and saw Hypaxia Enador beside him, with the Bone Crown of the House of Flame and Shadow above her shining black curls.

***

His sister had died. Ruhn looked at Bryce's face and knew she was dead. More than dead.

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Ruhn's mind was silent. Lidia stood beside him, holding his hand, with her children at her back. It was the boys who convinced him to return… they had refused to move forward until they had helped in some way. But it hadn't made the slightest difference. Not even Athalar's lightning could revive Bryce. And then Hypaxia had stepped forward, wearing that crown of bones. Somehow, she had transformed into the Head of the House of Flame and Shadow. And he offered help. “She'll never forgive me if you resurrect her as a shadow of herself,” Hunt replied, his voice weak with tears, with screams. “I'm not proposing to resurrect her,” Hypaxia assured. Hunt ran his hands through his hair. —She doesn't have a soul... I mean, she does, but she sold it to SubKing, then if that's what you need, you're out of luck... “The Sub-King has died,” Hypaxia said. Ruhn's knees felt weak. — Any dealings he had made with the living or the dead are undone and void. Bryce's soul is hers to use as she pleases. — Please… help her — said Ruhn, desperately. — Help her if you can. Hypaxia looked at him, then at Lidia beside him, her hands united of the two. Then he smiled. - Anything. Whatever you need, I'll give anything whispered Athalar.

The witch looked at Bryce and replied to Athalar: — It is not a sacrifice, but an exchange. She motioned behind her, summoning Jesiba Roga to stand beside her.

***

Hunt stared at the sorceress, but Roga didn't take his eyes off Bryce. “Ah, Quinlan,” Roga murmured, tears gathering on her eyelashes.

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“Priestess,” Apollion hissed, and Roga raised his full eyes.

of disdain and disgust for the Prince of the Moat. —Are you still wondering if I'm going to do anything with those books? — Roga shouted at Apollion, irritated. She pointed at the dead Bryce. — Don't you think that if they had any power, I would be using it right now to save this girl? Apollion scowled at her. — You were born a liar, priestess… “We don't have much time,” Hypaxia interrupted, and even the Moat Prince fell silent at the command in her voice. — We need to act before her body suffers too much damage. — Please — Ruhn asked, his voice hoarse — just tell us. I know I said we didn't need it, but if we can offer something... — It's up to me to offer — explained Jesiba, looking at Bryce from new. Tears ran down the sorceress's cheeks. Priestess, as Apollion had called her. — Offer what? asked Lidia. - My life. My long and wicked life,” replied Roga. She looked up at Apollion again. “That's not possible,” replied Apollion. “You cursed me,” declared Jesiba, and even though Hunt was very perplexed, he couldn't interrupt. — You cursed me with immortality. Now I am turning it into a gift: the gift of a long Vanir life. I freely offer it to Bryce Quinlan if she wants.

“The curse is for the living,” cried Apollion. “Then it's a good thing I'm good with the dead,” Hypaxia added. Perhaps for the first time in his entire existence, Apollion looked surprised. —Is…is this possible? — asked Aidas. “I offer my life, then,” Hunt said. —And what would be the point of that? — replied Jesiba, with a laugh. humorless. — Save her, only to end up dead yourself? —Are… are you going to die? asked Ruhn.

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Jesiba smiled softly. — After fifteen thousand years, Midgard has already been given to me.

— We have to do it now. I can already feel it fading away,” Hypaxia intervened. Hunt didn't like that word at all, so he said to Jesiba: — Thank you. I didn't know that Quinlan... that she had any value to you. Jesiba raised her eyebrows, and some of the irritable sorceress he knew returned. — Obviously she does. Do you know how difficult it is to find a competent assistant? But Hunt couldn't laugh at that moment. “Thank you,” he repeated. — I hope… that you find peace. Jesiba's smile lit up her face, and it was perhaps the first real smile he had ever seen her give. — I already found it, Athalar. Thanks to both of you. — After nodding to him and Bryce, she walked back to Hypaxia and offered her hand. — Guide the House of Flame and Shadow back to the light — she said to the witch, who bowed her head. None of them dared to speak as Hypaxia began to chant.

***

That place was the opposite of where she had gone during the Descent. Instead of the infinite abyss, it was just… light. A soft, golden light. Gentle and pleasing to the eye. It was warm and relaxing, and she didn't want to be anywhere else, except for… Except for… Bryce looked back. There was more light shining in that direction. — Looking for the exit? — asked a dry female voice. — It's that way. Bryce turned around, and Jesiba was there.

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The golden light rippled and faded, and then the two were on a green hill in a lush and pleasant terrain. The land Bryce had seen that day after the attack in the spring… when he had believed Connor and the Pack of Demons had been safe and secure in the Bone Quarter. It was real. — Quinlan. She turned to Jesiba. — Are we dead? - We are. — The others… — They are alive, although the asteri are not. — And he nodded ironically. - Thanks to you. Bryce smiled, and allowed the sensation to course through his body. - Good good. She inhaled some of the fresh, sweet air, noted the hint of salt, a hint of sea nearby… — Quinlan, you have to go back — said Jesiba. Bryce tilted his head. - Like this? — To life — said Jesiba, as irritable as usual. — Why do you think I'm here, now? I traded my life for yours. Bryce didn't react. - What? Why? — Holstrom can fill you in on the details of my existence, but let's just say... — Jesiba approached and held his hand. — That Archesian amulet isn't just for protection against my books or demons. It's a link to Midgard itself. Bryce looked down at his chest, at the thin gold chain and delicate tangle of circles hanging there. - I don't understand. —The amulets belonged to the librarian-priestesses of Parthos. Each was imbued with the innate magic of Midgard...

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older. The kind that all worlds have, for those who know where to look. - And? —So what if I think Midgard knows what you did, whatever way a planet can be sentient. You know how you freed Avallen, not because you wanted to claim the land, but because you believed it was the right thing to do. At Bryce's surprised expression, Jesiba continued: — What's up, Quinlan? I know you can be all soft-hearted. — The words were dry, but the sorceress's expression was soft. “And what does that have to do with” — Bryce gestured around them — “all this?” — As a thank you for what you did for Midgard… we have been given permission to make this switch, so to speak. Bryce was left unresponsive again, still not understanding. - A switch? Jesiba continued, ignoring the question: — Parthos's books are yours now. Protect them, watch over them. Share them with the world. Bryce stammered, “How is it possible that you… why did you…?” — A hundred thousand humans marched on Parthos to save the books… to save centuries of knowledge from the clutches of the asteri. Everyone knew they wouldn't come back. That day I had to run away. To protect the books, I ran away from my friends and family, who fought to buy me time. — Her eyes shone with tears. — You entered that portal today knowing that you wouldn't return either. Now I can offer what I couldn't offer at the time, so many years ago. My family and friends are long gone, but I know they would like to offer this to you too. As a thank you for freeing our world. Bryce staggered. Had Jesiba been in Parthos when it had collapsed? —The books are yours — repeated Jesiba. — And the gallery collection also. The paperwork is ready. — But how did you know I would end up…?

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— I've never seen anyone sacrifice their own life as much as you did — interrupted Jesiba. — I thought an intervention would be necessary today. — She looked at the blue sky and smiled to herself. — Go home, Bryce. All of this will be here when it's ready. - My soul…

- It's free. The Sub-King died. I repeat: Holstrom will fill you in on everything. Bryce felt his eyes burn. — I don't… I don't understand. I was happy to sacrifice my life…

Well, not happy, but willing… — I know — said Jesiba, squeezing her hand. - That's why I'm here. — Then he gestured to the spot behind Bryce, where a crystal door, reminiscent of the Crescent Moon City Gates, glowed. —The angel is waiting for you, Quinlan. The angel. Hunt.

What she had left behind. What you were looking for, the reason for hesitation... “All of this will be here when it's ready,” Jesiba repeated, then gestured toward the rolling green hills. — We'll all be here when you're ready. In the distance, on a distant hill, there were seven figures. Bryce knew them by their shape, the height of each one and the glow that surrounded them. She made out Connor with his head held high behind. And in front, with his hand raised... Bryce burst into tears, overwhelmed with pure joy and love as she raised her hand to greet Danika. Danika, there… with everyone. Safe and loved. She heard the words on the wind, driven from her friend's soul: Light it, Bryce. And Bryce began to laugh and sob as he shouted back across the lush plains and hills, “Light it up, Danika!” A wolfish laugh flowed to her. Then there was a spark of light over Danika's shoulder, and Bryce knew that fire... She blew Lehabah a kiss. Still crying, she turned back to Jesiba.

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- As? The second luxury…

— He took their power, but what is eternal, what is made of love… can never be destroyed. Bryce watched her, amazed. Jesiba riu. — And that's the most emotion you'll see from me, even here. — She gave Bryce a little push toward the crystal arch. —Live life, Quinlan. And live well. Bryce nodded and hugged Jesiba, conveying everything in his heart. Jesiba hugged her back… At first a little awkwardly, then willingly. And during the hug, Bryce looked once again at the hill where Danika, Lehabah, Connor, and the Pack of Demons had waved. But they were gone. They returned to enjoy the wonders and peace of the place. Knowing this filled her heart with joy. Then Bryce turned his back on Jesiba. To what awaited them, all of them, and returned to the archway. Towards life. Towards Hunt.

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Bryce opened his eyes. There were… a lot of people around. Most were crying. “That,” she declared, grunting, “is a pretty shitty way to participate in the sailboat itself. Everyone was open-mouthed, watching her. And Hunt… he was real, he was right there, and the shock on his face was so genuine that Bryce just laughed. The asteri had died. They, and the primalux, the secundalux, the prison of an afterlife; all those she had loved and lost… were safe too. All of Danika's work, done. Bryce looked from Hunt to Ithan, also leaning over her, and He watched the wolf closely.

— Who died and made you Cousin? Ithan was gaping too, but Hypaxia—crowned with bones, holy shit—smiled and replied, “Sabine.” And Bryce laughed again.

— What the fuck, Quinlan? — muttered Hunt, and she looked back at her partner, whose face was so haggard, his eyes filled with wonder…

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She knew there were others there. Ruhn, Lidia, Flynn, Dec, Tharion and the Princes of Hell, but they all disappeared while looking at Hunt. Bryce touched his cheek, wiping away a tear with his thumb. — Look at my big, tough, asshole alpha — she said softly, her voice hoarse with tears. — How can you play at a time like this? — Hunt retorted, and Bryce leaned over and kissed him. And it was light, love and life.

She had a faint sense of something stirring around them and Ruhn asking, "Does anyone want to... um, put Jesiba's ashes in a... cup or something?" But Bryce just kept kissing Hunt, and he hugged her, squeezing it tight against his body. As if it would never let go again. ***

Hunt allowed himself to take his eyes off Bryce for a few minutes so he could complete the last task. Wings of all colors and the carcasses of mechsuits still lay where they had collapsed hours before, after falling as soon as the souls of the Fallen had left them. He didn't have a specific one in mind, but he walked through the field full of mech-suits... skipping over the bodies of dead demons and asteri angels, feathers scattered everywhere, until he finally stopped in front of a heavy suit, his eyes blacked out. . “Thank you,” he said to the Fallen, even though their souls were gone. To the place Bryce claimed they would all go in the end. — For supporting me one last time. The battlefield beyond the city walls was eerily silent except for the calls of the scavengers, but the city behind him was a symphony of sirens, wails, and screams. In

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news helicopters circling, trying to find a way to convey what had happened. Naomi had gone to find them to try and restore some semblance of of order. “We did it,” Hunt said, with a lump in his throat. — Finally, we did it. The hierarchies are still here, I guess, but I promise…” He swallowed hard, analyzing all the cold, empty metal littering the field around him. — From now on it will be different.

Wings fluttered above him, and then Isaiah was there, his wounds already healed under the blood crusted on his dark skin. The forehead was smooth, wonderfully free of the halo. With empty eyes, Isaiah analyzed the mec-suits and bowed his head in silent thanks. “Wherever they went,” Isaiah commented, after one moment —, I hope it’s the paradise they deserve. “Yes,” Hunt agreed, and he knew in his heart that it was true. Then he observed the angel. - What happened? Isaiah gave a small smile. “I heard you came here and I thought you might want to company. You know, someone to sulk with. Hunt laughs.

- Thanks. I'm always grateful to have a partner to sulk along with me. Isaiah's smile widened, but his eyes shone as he spoke, "So, after all this time, all this suffering... finally the cause of the Fallen has been concluded." “I was telling them exactly that,” Hunt said, gesturing to the empty metal carcasses. Isaiah squeezed Hunt's shoulder. — Thank you… for fighting with us until the end. Your mother would be proud, I think. Fucking proud, Hunt. Hunt was speechless, then nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.

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— But what do we do from now on? I don't know shit about building a government. You know? “No. But I think we're going to get a crash course,” Isaiah confirmed. — That's not encouraging.

Hunt turned back to the city. It was a shock, as big as a blast of his lightning, to see the familiar cityscape without the crystal palace towers. The asteri had died. He needed to get back to Bryce. Hug her, kiss her, smell her. For no other reason than this: the fact that he had come very, very close to losing her. “Hunt,” Isaiah called. The eyes of the white-winged angel they were solemn. —You could rule the angels, you know? Hunt didn't react. — We will dismantle the archangels, their schools and hierarchies, and it will take years, but in the meantime, we will need a leader. Someone to guide us, to mobilize us and give us the courage to turn our backs on the old ways, and move towards something new and fair — continued Isaiah, folding his wings. — That leader should be you. It was the second time that angels had bowed to him. It was the second time he had been granted recognition and permission. And, beauty, with Hellfire in his veins, he could even be a leader. He could get any archangel stronghold or faction to subordinate themselves to him. But… Hunt's cell phone vibrated, and he took the device out of his pocket.

Bryce makes me have magical orgasms (literally) had sent a message. Where are you?? I have separation anxiety! Come back here now!!! Another flutter, and she added, I mean, after you do what you need to do. Like, I support you having the space you need to do what needs to be done. Another vibe. But still, come back here now.

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A laugh escaped Hunt. He had everything he needed. Everything you could want. No need to pull your panties over your head, Quinlan, he replied. I'm already coming back.

Then the male added: Actually, do me a favor: take off your panties quickly. He didn't wait for a response, he just put his cell phone in his pocket. back and smiled at Isaiah. The friend raised his eyebrows, no doubt surprised that he had stopped to text instead of responding to such an important suggestion. But Hunt already had the answer. He had already thought of one for some time. He patted Isaiah on the shoulder and said: — The angels already have a leader to guide them in this process, Isaiah. —Celestina… — No Celestina. — He squeezed his friend's shoulder once, then moved away, flapping his wings, ready for them to take him to his wife, his partner, his best friend. To the future that awaited them. - You. - I? —Isaiah replied, choking. — Athalar… Hunt took his feet off the ground, hovering a little as the autumn breeze ruffled his wings and hair, as if singing the news of the world to come. —Lead the angels, Isaiah. I'm here if you need me. — Hunt. But Hunt took off into the sky, toward Bryce and what bring it tomorrow. ***

Bryce's soul was hers. She thought it had always been hers, but it had been a… loan. But it was hers again, completely, and there was a whole new world to explore without the asteri lurking around. A whole new afterlife, when she and Hunt were ready.

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But only after a good, long time. Not until solve everything they had to solve. But there was one specific task she needed to do right away. How Isaiah had managed to commandeer a helicopter to fly to Nena so quickly, Bryce had no idea. But perhaps it had something to do with Celestina's influence, even Ephraim's control. Or perhaps it had more to do with Celestina wanting to impress Hypaxia, who, apparently, had become the Head of the House of Flame and Shadow. And, if the glances they surreptitiously gave each other were any indication, Hypaxia didn't seem to be completely opposed to the idea of talking to Celestina again.

new. The Ocean Queen and the fleet had taken the witch there… Hypaxia had intercepted the monarch on her way to beat up the Asteri for kidnapping Lidia's two children. The Queen of the Ocean could be quite a figure, but she stood her ground. And when the two children were kidnapped while in her care, she had appeared prepared to flood the entire city in their defense.

She and her commanders continued into the Eternal City, the threat of the tsunami she had kept under control around the perimeter was causing those loyal to the Asteri to hold back. At least the ruler seemed too busy with the new world to deal with the trivial nitpicking with Tharion. For now. Yes, it was a new world. In almost every way. Declan was already working with a team to calculate how long Midgard could run using what was left of Primalux before it went dark, without a new Primalux powering the power grid. Before they had to pick up the candles and watch their cell phones drain little by little. Not that there would be any signal when the networks failed. Everyone would return to the Avallen-like lifestyle. What a shame Morven wasn't there to enjoy it. But they would need to think of a solution soon if they wanted to restore Primalux's electrical system or find an alternative method. Whether they would require people to cede power, or whether

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would tax the super powerful. Requesting that archangels, who had plenty of power, donate part of their power to the network. The powerful serving the weak. Or anything else like that. Honestly, Bryce planned to leave the solving to smarter minds than hers. Although he knew that he would end up needing to intervene to give him some scratches before everything was finished. At that moment… There was a capital in chaos. The world turned upside down. Still, she focused her gaze towards the north. He found Nesta in the same room the female had been in before. With Ember, Randall, and a handsome, slightly familiar winged male beside them who smelled like Nesta's partner. They were sitting at a table talking while drinking tea and eating chocolate cake. Chocolate cake, damn it. Nesta was immediately on her feet, a long dagger in her hand. The male beside her also made to grab a hidden weapon, as agile as a thought. But Bryce only looked at his parents. Happy and at ease with the fae. Her mother stared back at her as if she had seen a ghost.

The teacup he was holding began to shake on its saucer. Hunt saved Ember from guessing what had happened by saying: — The asteri died. Midgard is free. A tear slipped from Ember's eye. Bryce didn't think twice before taking a step into the other world and hugging his mother tightly. Ember held Bryce's face in her hands. — I'm very proud to be your mother. Bryce's face lit up with emotion, and her eyes stung with tears. Randall leaned over to place a kiss on his daughter's head. — You did well, daughter.

Bryce hugged his father too. He embraced the human warrior who had served in the Asteri armies, shattering his own soul

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for them, until his mother made him whole again. Nesta and her partner tensed, and Bryce knew Hunt had entered that world too. He looked around the room. To the city sparkling below, with a ribbon of river snaking from end to end. They must have been on top of a mountain to have that view. — You have one minute before Rhys gets here and loses his temper — warned Nesta's partner. “Ah, there won’t be a problem with Rhys, Cassian,” he replied. Ember... in the language of fairies. Noticing Bryce's shocked expression, Randall said in the same language: — It got too difficult having to mime everything. They gave us that seed thing they offered you. Only Bryce shook his head. — Won't there be a problem with Rhysand? The guy who brings darkness incarnate… — He and Randall became close, they are both overprotective parents — Ember explained. —So now Rhys knows exactly what kind of shit you like to pull, which he apparently did here too… Bryce looked at Nesta, who was watching everything warily. Then Bryce reached into his jacket and pulled out the Mask. - Here. As promised. Everyone was silent.

And then Bryce pulled out the Truth Teller, and Cassian looked to be about to position himself between her and Nesta.

Hunt also took a fighting stance in response, but Bryce just said: — Asshole alphas.

And he placed the dagger on the table, among the tea dishes and snacks. — You brought them back. — Nesta's voice was low.

— Did you think I wouldn't bring it?

“I'm not sure what I thought,” Nesta replied, but she gave a small smile.

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— Poor Nesta got in trouble after you took their weapons and left us here — Ember explained. — I tried to explain to Rhysand and Azriel that there's no way to stop it when you put something in your head, and I think Feyre, Rhysand's partner, believed it, but... — Ember looked at Nesta and made a face. — I apologize again for my daughter's behavior. — I made the choice to give her the Mask — Nesta reminded Ember. To Bryce, she said wryly, “Your mother, for some reason, doesn't believe I gave up the weapons willingly. Bryce rolled his eyes at his mother. - Excellent. Thank you for that. — She gestured to the portal. twinkling behind them. - We can?

Ember gave a slight smile. —So they really died.

“They died, never to return,” confirmed Bryce, feeling my heart rejoice with the words. Ember's eyes glistened with tears, but she turned away, holding Nesta's hands and squeezing firmly. —Despite the fact that my daughter lied, conspired and basically betrayed us…

— Wow, no need to mince words, Mom — murmured Bryce, which made Nesta cast a sideways glance, amused. But Ember continued, looking only at Nesta. — I'm happy for one thing: having met you. Nesta pursed her lips and looked down at their joined hands. Bryce intervened, at least to spare Nesta from her mother's increasingly tearful expression. — The next time I go to fight intergalactic evil, I will try to consider a scheme conducive to making friends. Ember finally turned to Bryce, frowning. — You and I are going to have a little chat when we get home, Bryce Adelaide Quinlan. Leaving Cooper behind like that... “I know,” Bryce replied.

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She had a lot of explaining to do about that. And what to apologize for too. “Your mother loves you,” Nesta said softly, reading the expression on Bryce's face. — Don't underestimate this for a second. All Bryce could do was tilt his head at Nesta. - I am lucky. I was always lucky to have you as a mother,” she admitted. Ember really looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment. moment, especially when he turned to Nesta again and said: — This time here with you has been a gift, Nesta. In truth. And then she pulled Nesta into a tight hug, and Bryce could have sworn he saw something like pain and longing cross Nesta's expression. As if he hadn't received a hug from his mother in a long time. Then Bryce offered the female some privacy to enjoy every second of that maternal hug and turned to where Randall and Cassian were, behind them. The males had linked arms in a friendly manner. — Thank you, friend — Randall said to the warrior — for everything. Cassian cracked a smile, and, well, Bryce could understand why. that Nesta had fallen for a male with that appearance. — Perhaps we will meet again one day, under less… strange circumstances. — I hope so — Randall agreed and, as he passed by where Ember and Nesta were hugging, he patted the faerie on the shoulder, which translated into paternal affection. Bryce felt his heart swell almost to the point of pain as Randall approached Hunt and hugged him back. Hunt returned the hug, patting her father on the back, until the two separated and walked through the portal together. Ember finally moved away from Nesta, but placed her hand on her The female's cheek gently and whispered: — You will find your way.

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Then he headed towards the portal. Bryce could have sworn there were tears in Nesta's eyes when her mother crossed back to Midgard. But those tears were gone when Nesta met Bryce's gaze. And Cassian, like any good partner, felt that his presence was not required, and went to the fireplace to pretend to read some old manuscript. Bryce knew that, like any good partner, if she made one wrong move, he would end Bryce's race. And that was the exact reason Hunt returned to the room to watch Nesta closely.

— Asshole alphas — Nesta echoed, amused. Bryce laughed and pulled out the Aster. Again, Cassian tensed, but Bryce just extended the blade to Nesta. The female accepted the weapon, her face expressionless. “You said you had a tattoo of an eight-pointed star,” Bryce explained. — And that he found the chamber with the eight-pointed star in the Prison too. Nesta raised her head. - And? — And then I want you to stay with Aster. — Bryce touched the blade between them. — Gwydion… or whatever they call it here. The Starry age is over on Midgard. It ended with me. - I didn't understand.

But Bryce began to walk back to the portal, holding Hunt's hand, and smiled at the female again, at her partner, at their world, as the Northern Rift began to close. — I think they tattooed the eight-pointed star on you for a while. reason. Keep the sword and discover this reason.

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The Freighter of the Deep had anchored outside the dock because the port closest to the Eternal City was too narrow to accommodate the city ship. Beside Ruhn, Lidia watched her children wait on the concrete pier as the transport capsule rose to the surface, water dripping from the dome-shaped glass top. When Renki and Davit were revealed, the two waved frantically at the two boys next to Lidia. To her children, who smiled at their parents, with Brann waving back enthusiastically, Ace returning a shorter—but no less eager— wave. Ruhn placed his hand on Lidia's back, who leaned back into the comforting, loving touch. Her partner. Yes, she was sure of that. The capsule's glass top opened, and then Renki and Davit leapt onto the pier gracefully, Brann and Ace running toward them... The hugs that boys gave their parents. Tears of relief ran down Renki's face, and Davit held the two boys as if he would never let go.

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But he let go. He approached Lidia in two steps and hugged her too. “Thank you,” said the male, his voice hoarse from the tears. - Thanks. Renki appeared the moment Davit walked away, hugging her very tight too. Lidia found herself smiling, even though her heart had started to hurt again, and walked away to watch her children. They both looked at her. Brann looked worried, but the Ace's expression was more indecipherable. It was Brann who asked, "So this is goodbye?" Lidia looked at Renki and Davit, who nodded. They had spoken on the phone the day before to coordinate that meeting… and what would come next. — Until things calm down a little here. On the surface, that is,” Lidia replied. Because, even the day after the annihilation of the asteri, it was already going to shit. The depletion of the primalux network would be a huge problem, but the Queen of the Ocean had supplied all the city ships and the various capsules without primalux. With your own power. Perhaps the ruler had some idea about how they could adapt the technology to work without consuming primalux. The Queen of the Ocean, of course, was not happy when Lidia sent a message to the Freighter of the Deep. It was a succinct and efficient message: I believe that my services are no longer needed, and I therefore inform you of my termination.

Thankful for your compassion, Lidia Cervos An hour later, the Queen of the Ocean had sent the answer —again on a piece of seaweed. I have more to worry about than your loyalty, Lidia Cervos. I accept your termination, but don't be fooled into thinking that our paths won't cross again. For now, you can live life on the Surface. It was the best Lidia could hope for.

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At that moment, Lidia looked from one son to the other and added:

— But I want to see you again, if that's something you want too. Brann nodded, and she was speechless as he came over and hugged her. The smell of her son, his warmth and his closeness almost made her fall to her knees, but Lidia managed to stay standing, knowing that Ruhn was by her side, that he would always be there, supporting her, when Brann walked away, opening a smile. — You're too brave — praised Brann and added: — Mom. Even with her heart leaping with joy, Lidia dared to look over his shoulder and saw Renki and Davit with smiles as wide as Brann's. Happy for her… for all of them. Her children had a beautiful family, and maybe, if everyone was cool with the idea, she could find a space there. Finding joy in being part of it. Brann leaned over and kissed Lidia on the cheek, and she knew she would cherish that kiss for the rest of her existence. Then he went to Ruhn, and Lidia could only watch as Brann hugged him in the same way, very tightly. “Thank you,” Brann said, “for what you were going to do. To save us… and our mother. Ruhn patted Brann on the back, and Lidia's chest filled with so much light that she could barely hold it all inside. - No problem. Just a normal day for us Aux soldiers,” Ruhn replied. Brann smiled again, then returned to his parents, hugging Renki once again. Lidia looked at Ace, who was watching her warily. Knowing he wouldn't run into her arms like Brann had, Lidia went to him. Slowly. Giving the boy time to decide what he wanted to do. Ace stood his ground, but there was no coldness in his eyes as he said: — Thank you for picking us up. — The corner of his mouth moved up. - He takes care of himself.

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— I have Ruhn to cover me — Lidia replied, looking at the male. - I will be fine. “He shot you,” Ace countered, making a face at Ruhn. "I shouldn't have told you that," Ruhn commented.

Lidia smiled a little, but turned to Ace again. — He'll pay for this, don't worry. Ace didn't seem so calm, staring at Ruhn for a moment, but as he started to walk towards his parents, he stumbled, as if…

Lidia glanced at Ruhn, who began to whistle innocently, looking up at the sky. Nice... that he kept his own little secrets of speaking between minds. Ruhn put his arm around her waist as the boys and their parents entered the capsule. Davit went to the pilot's seat, flipping a few switches, and Brann took the seat next to him. Renki and Ace took the back seats, and as the capsule hummed into operation, they all looked at Lidia. She gave a small, hopeful smile. Her fingers found Ruhn's and squeezed them tightly. Ruhn didn't let go. Her children were alive and free and in her life again, and everything this was more than she had ever dared to dream.

So whatever the future held… she would cherish every second of it. ***

Bryce was completely fed up with Nena's coldness when she opened the Northern Rift again. Not to the Fae homeworld, but to Hell. There was only darkness waiting for the army that marched across. Creatures, flying things and princes, who came one by one, Thanatos giving her a look that said Bryce may have destroyed the asteri, but that he was still hurt by what had happened to his dog, until only Apollion and Aidas were left. before her in the ice and snow.

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They didn't need a coat, hat or gloves. They didn't even reach shake.

—Hell does not have dominion over you, and you do not have no obligation to us,” Apollion said to Hunt. — Huh, thanks? replied Hunt. - I say the same. Apollion gave him a half-smile, then looked at Bryce. — You did better than I expected. Bryce snapped his fingers, the sound muffled by his gloves. — This is what I'm going to put on my new business cards: Bryce Quinlan: better than expected. Apollion just smiled and walked into the darkness. “Hey,” Bryce called, behind the Moat Prince's back. Apollion stopped and raised his eyebrow. Bryce cracked a smile. — Thank you for not giving up on Midgard. She could have sworn she saw a grain of compassion cross his face. Apollion before he looked at Aidas and said: — I'll be happy to close the matter, and let my brother have peace. And then he crossed the Rift. Bryce was already chattering his teeth from the cold, but he looked at Aidas. — Shall we see you again?

Aidas smiled a devilish smile. - Do you want to see me?

“No,” Bryce said, seriously. — Although we are grateful… I think our ideas of “pet” are different. Aidas finally broke into a full smile. “Then I'll just offer my gratitude, Bryce Quinlan, and say goodbye. “I will forever be grateful,” said Bryce to the Prince of Gorge — for his kindness that day at the Oracle. His smile became gentler. —Theia would be proud of you. — And from you — Bryce replied, the only gift he could give to a Prince of Hell. But she held back from

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to say that Theia's pride didn't mean shit to her. — I think I might hear it directly from her one day. Aidas tilted his head. Bryce had told them all about the that Jesiba had alleged. What he had seen in that land of sparkling light. —Do you think a Prince of Hell will be allowed in? Bryce walked over to him and kissed his cheek. The skin his lips touched was icy. — I think a good male, regardless of where he comes from, will always be allowed in. Aidas' eyes glowed a vivid blue…whether with gratitude, longing, or love, she couldn't tell. But the prince only nodded at her, and then at Hunt, then crossed the Northern Rift into the darkness. Apollion was waiting inside and took the place next to his brother. Bryce took Hunt's hand and raised the other in farewell. To his surprise, the two princes returned the gesture. With a ripple of thought and power, she closed the Rift. He locked it tightly, leaving no gaps through which it was possible to cross. Although the Asteri were dead, all of their Crystal Gates across Midgard remained intact. But for now, at least that specific Gate was closed. Finally. “Looks like your demon-hunting days are over,” she said to Hunt. Her partner smiled and kissed her softly, and even the winds Nena's cold eyes seemed to get hotter. — I think I'll have to look for another job. ***

Tharion Ketos was on the edge of the Meat Market, looking for his wife. Thanks to the water goblins in her service, Queen Viper had apparently managed to extinguish the flames in the main building.

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before the fire spread, leaving most of the Meat Market's interconnected warehouses intact. In fact, it seemed like business was business as usual… even if still adjusted to a new world. From the bed of the truck, grim-looking soldiers unloaded cylinders shining with primalux. Already stocking up on a product that would soon be in high demand. Tharion was not sure why he had come here, when Sendes had informed him that the Queen of the Ocean had forgiven his disobedience. In fact, she had made a very good offer to him, to become a commander in her armed forces and work aboard the Deep Freighter, but he had ended up responding that he would need to do something first. And then he came back there.

The world was a mess. The Asteri were dead, but there was an Imperial Senate to deal with, archangels, several Heads of Houses, and… maybe he should have stayed on that ship. I didn't know why I expected peace and comfort, why I thought everyone would be happy and just… good. But there were a lot of stupid and ambitious people around the world, taking the opportunity to use restructuring as a way to gain power. And Tharion knew it was likely that the asshole who dominated the Meat Market was among those people. He would have to face her at some point, probably soon. But right now he needed to find his wife, just to make sure she was okay. Then he would follow his own path. Would he go to the Deep Freighter, or do something else, he didn't know. He imagined that Ogenas would guide him at some point, perhaps help him sort out the mess that was his life. Tharion lifted the hood of his sweatshirt, checking to see if the weapon hidden at his side was safe and ready, and entered the labyrinth of the Meat Market. Towards whatever Urd had in store for him. He had only walked a block when a female voice said from the shadows:

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— You must have joined the stupidity line many times to get back in there. He stopped in place, peering into the alley where the voice had come from. Two Crimson eyes burned amidst the darkness.

Tharion tilted his head. — Hello, Ariadne.

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Bryce stood in the lobby of the Autumn King's mansion, watching a bunch of cameras go off, the haughty fae nobility and the guards with confused expressions alternating glances between her and the crowd. For the occasion, she had chosen a pink dress that she knew would take Hunt's concentration away. It would be either that or leggings and a tshirt, and considering she wanted to avoid any distractions from what she would actually do, the female had opted for something formal. Of course, choosing the pink dress had been a torment. There was currently a huge pile of clothes in her room that she would need to deal with when she got home, which was an incentive to linger there a lot. But she looked at the mocking faces of Sathia and Flynn's parents, Lord and Lady Hawthorne, who had recently returned from Avallen, and decided that waiting might be to hell. All the rest of the fae nobility who had gathered there that morning at his invitation could be damned. He had set foot in the city late at night the day before, gone to the ruins of the Asphodel Meadows and called the meeting for the following day. She would have met the night before, but Hunt had advised her to take time to decide what she wanted to say. To let Mac prepare

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the paperwork.

At the moment, the leopard shifter and Declan were next to the table that had been taken into the lobby, Ruhn and Flynn with them. She looked at Hunt, and he nodded subtly. It was the moment. Then Bryce went to the lectern and said to the cameras, to the fae aristocrats: — I'll be brief and succinct, just like the busy nobles here. they can go back to their champagne lunches and spa days. Silence, and a frantic noise from the cameras. The cameramen came closer, positioning the microphones to capture even her breathing. One of the guys, a draki male, was smiling. But Bryce kept her gaze focused on the cameras, on the world listening to her. —This is my first and only decree as the Fae Queen of Valbara and Avallen: the royal houses will be extinct. — She ignored the gasps and complaints, and drummed her fingers on the paperwork on the table. — The documents have already been issued. Let me be very transparent: I am not abdicating either throne. I am no longer queen, but with this document, no one will wear the crown again. The fae monarchy is being abolished. Forever. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hunt crack a smile. She wanted her mother to be there, but they had decided that Ember Quinlan's presence might cause a lot of speculation about her human mother having pressured her into making this decision. — I will donate all of the Autumn King's residences in this city — Bryce continued, gesturing to the elegant space around them — to house those displaced by the attack on Asphodel Meadows. This specific mansion will be used to house children who were orphaned after the massacre. One of the fae nobles choked. — And as for the residential properties elsewhere, in Valbara and Avallen, they will be sold to anyone who can put up with the tacky-ass decor. The profits will be used to rebuild the Asphodel Meadows.

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Bryce picked up the gold fountain pen he had stolen from the Autumn King's office after throwing all of his prisms in the trash. He planned to dismantle the planetarium and sell it for scrap. He knew enough about how light traveled and formed…how it could separate and come together again. She never wanted to learn anything about light again, not even her own. “The Asteri died,” Bryce declared to the listening world, “and the fae kingdoms died with them. Instead of them, we will build a government based on equality and equity. This document grants me the right to represent the Fae in the construction of such a government, nothing more. “Traitor,” hissed one of the fae nobility who Bryce could have sworn had mocked her in a restaurant years ago. Bryce muttered to herself, twirling the King's beloved pen Autumnal between your fingers.

— You shouldn't have granted royalty such absolute power in an attempt to keep the rest of the people in the mud. — She leaned over the documents. — Maybe then they could have stopped me from doing this. The golden pen touched the paper, the ink marking the parchment. “But now you're in the mud with the rest of us,” Bryce concluded for the fae as he signed his name, “so you'd better get used to the smell. So, with a flick of the Autumn King's golden pen, the Royal fey bloodlines ceased to exist. ***

Ruhn turned on the lights in the apartment… for as long as the place still had power. — Bryce is going to throw a hissy fit, but I swear it was the only thing furnished so last minute — he explained to Lidia as they entered the place that was literally one floor below Bryce's. Lidia smiled, analyzing the apartment, which was identical in configuration to Bryce's, except for the furniture. She approached the

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bright white kitchen. — It's cute... seriously. I will send the money to your account.

“Nothing like that,” replied Ruhn. — Consider a gift from acknowledgment. For saving me from the dungeons.

Lidia turned to him, raising her eyebrows. — I think we're even at this point. After all. After that shit with Pollux, which he knew would haunt your dreams for a long time. But there would be joy to brighten the dark memories. When he had accompanied her to take the boys back to their parents, Ruhn had been happy to observe the happy reunion, especially because Lidia had been embraced with the same warmth and love by the boys' parents. And because the boys made it clear, each in their own way, that Lidia would be welcome in their lives. Ruhn was sure that with Brann it would be easier. But Ace… Ruhn smiled to himself at the memory of how Ace had looked Ruhn up and down before leaving, his dark, intelligent eyes. Sharp. As if to say: Take care of my mother. Ruhn had responded in the boy's mind: She can take care of herself, but I'm going to help.

Ace's eyes widened in shock and he stumbled, but, with an analytical and impressed look at Ruhn, he continued towards the transport pod. Ruhn and Lidia spent a night at his screwed-up house, desperate to have sex until they couldn't anymore, but very aware of their friends just a thin wall away, until he called a real estate agent and asked him to find an apartment. Immediately. With very few requirements. — That room over there has two beds — he explained, pointing to the other side of the large room. — For your children. Her eyes lit up as she took in the guest room. That was the main demand Ruhn had made of the broker: find an apartment with a guest room that had

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two beds. — They can visit whenever they both, and you, want. Lidia smiled so softly and hopefully that Ruhn felt his heart sink, but then the female went to the couch in front of the television and sat down, as if she were testing him. Experiencing that apartment, that life. — I think their parents will want to keep them around for a while after what happened — Lidia replied — but yes... I would love for them to come here sometimes. Ruhn sat next to her on the couch. — They're going to raise hell when they grow up. — That's fine with me, as long as it's not literally. Lidia sighed. — I've had my share of demons for a while, even the friendly ones. Ruhn laughed. - Mine too. For a few minutes, the two sat there in silence. comfortable, watching the apartment, their apartment. — I can't believe we're alive — Lidia finally commented. — I can't believe the asteri died. The last few days had been a whirlwind of emotions, and he hadn't assimilated everything that had happened. Or the current state of the world. — Your sister and Athalar's intentions are good, but it's going to take a lot more than a meeting with a bunch of world leaders to establish an entire new system of government. Or end slavery — Lidia said carefully. - I know. Bryce knows. — You… What do you plan to do? It was a difficult question, but Ruhn replied: — I'll help you. I'll lead the Aux with Holstrom, I think. Considering that as of this morning there is no longer any faerie throne. It had been incredible to witness the scene: Bryce in front of the throng of cameras and nobles, ending monarchies with a scribble of a pen. Their father's favorite pen, to boot.

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Ruhn had never been so proud to be Bryce's brother. He gave a slight smile.

—The Oracle was right in many ways, I think. Lidia raised her eyebrow, and he continued: — Not only that the crown would go to Bryce, but that it would put an end to everything.

The Danaan royal line is over. Lidia made a little noise with her mouth. —You're not dead or childless, after all. “Not yet,” Ruhn confirmed, laughing again. All that time he spent fearing the prophecy, worrying about his own destiny... Lidia looked at him, in a way no one else on Midgard did. he looked… as if he saw him. —But are you prepared to no longer be a prince? To be… normal? — I think so — replied the male, giving her a little push with his knee. - And you? - I don't know. I don't even know what normal is — admitted Lidia. Ruhn held her hand, intertwining their fingers. — What if we figure this out together, then? —How to be normal? — How to live a normal life. A normal, adult apartment is a good start. For us both. Enough of living in a republic. But caution took over her gaze.

- My life is complicated. — Who said normal isn't complicated? — he replied. — I just know that whatever tomorrow, next year or the next millennia have in store for this world, I want to face it by your side. Her expression softened. Lidia leaned in close, brushing aside a strand of his hair with her hand. The two were not the Doe and the Crown Prince of the Fae. It wasn't Day and Night. There, at that moment, it was just Lidia and Ruhn. He wouldn't change anything.

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But Ruhn got up, went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. The other requirement he had made to the broker: store a single thing in the refrigerator. Perhaps the republic would not be left aside completely. He returned to the sofa and handed Lidia a beer. “As promised, Day,” he said, opening the lid of his own bottle. - One beer. She looked down at her drink, and her face lit up. He took off the cap, but stood up and tapped his bottle, toasting before drinking. — To a normal life, Ruhn. He leaned in to kiss her, and Lidia closed the distance. And the love and joy in him shone brighter than starlight when Ruhn said with his lips pressed to hers: — To a normal life, Lidia.

***

It would take a few days for the Lair wolves to return from where they were hiding, but they were coming back, yes. Ithan didn't know if it was on Amelie's orders or if Perry had asked, but everyone was returning. Maybe just to see for himself what a shitty job the new Primo would do at leading them. Or to analyze the dynamics without the Fendyr. Or to look for your own belongings before the power grid primalux fell and chaos reigned. Ithan was in the command center of Aux headquarters, with Flynn and Dec on the other side, and the former was watching Perry with an interest that Ithan didn't like. Perry was blushing, and Ithan didn't like it either. But Ruhn and Lidia walked in before Ithan could say anything. stupid, and the former fae prince declared: — So, before anything else: I think it's shit this thing about saving the world and having to go back to work two days later. Perry laughed, and… okay, maybe Ithan liked the sound of it.

But Lidia said, in a serious but calm voice:

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— I'm expecting an announcement tonight regarding the status of Primalux's power grid and how we can prevent it from going down. Lunathion's engineers are meeting with the Ocean Queen to find out how she makes the ships work without it, and they'll let us know what they find out, but in the meantime, we need to start taking stock of allies inside and outside of Lunathion. city. Celestina is still dealing with Ephraim, trying to get his support, but the other archangels will start to compete for power. If we don't want to return to old habits, we need a solid plan. — Shouldn't Athalar be present to discuss this? asked Flynn. - He is coming. With Bryce, but they told us to start without them,” revealed Ruhn. Dec and Flynn started blowing loud kisses at each other in mockery, and Ithan and Perry laughed. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Not the part about being a Cousin, that he didn't really like, but the part about creating a new future. It would probably be pure desperation for a while, and they would have enemies to give and sell, but… They would also have each other. A pack. From all the Houses.

Which was why they were there. No segregated Aux members, divided between Houses and species. They would set an example in leadership. From that day on. Then Ithan said to Lidia, Ruhn, Flynn, Dec, and Perry, “Whatever these assholes want to throw at us, let's fight back in kind.

— He spoke like a true soccer captain — Dec teased. — Yes — Ithan confirmed, letting the word sink in, and for a moment he felt… the urge to step onto the field, to catch the ball. A flash and it was gone, but… after years of nothing, he felt it. And wanted. Then Ithan smiled and added: — I am.

***

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“It was Hypaxia on the phone,” Bryce announced, in the sunny, open atrium of the elegant house that would soon be the new Griffin Antique Shop. Hunt, who was taking a statue of Thurr out of a box, asked over his winged shoulder, “What did she say?” — If we manage to find a way to stabilize the antidote, we can distribute it to everyone by the Spring Equinox. In other words: if we still have energy at that point. She wants more of your lightning, by the way. This shipment of antidotes has already ended. Bryce and Hunt had taken the dose. The resulting burst of magic had been intense to the point that, it seemed, an entire new island had formed on Avallen… as if it were now tied to her very soul. As if she and Midgard were, as Jesiba had claimed, linked, Archesian amulet or not. And because of Hunt, there was a day full of storms. Of course, he was fined by the city for improper and illegal manipulation of the weather, but the justification that Bryce had given about “it being a climax of magic” did not convince the authorities. It would take some time for them to get used to the new power in their veins, as if returned from what the Asteri had extracted. They would need new training too. Bryce could teleport in one jump between the city and his parents' house. Which was… good and bad. Good because she could see Cooper whenever she wanted, and steal him out of town for some real fun. Bad because her parents expected her and Hunt to go there for dinner every week. Bryce had negotiated the meeting to once a month, but she knew Ember would put pressure on her to go at least once every two weeks. But it all depended on what they would do next… whether the primalux electrical network would hold the line. If it would fall. If they had to start over, crouched around fires in the dark. But she — they — would carry on as always. May the geniuses and scientists find a way to save them that time. “Well,” muttered Hunt, “if Hypaxia needs someone to beat up the Redners, I'm in. They are bizarre.

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The former witch-queen had reluctantly allied herself with the Redner Industries, in an attempt to mass-produce the antidote. — Scary Asshole, Part Two? - With pleasure. He turned to where Bryce kept books on the huge cabinet. built in behind her desk. The books. The Parthos collection. No longer in the dark or hidden, but there, in daylight, for anyone to access. She couldn't bear to keep them locked up. Luckily, she had found three new employees to help her manage the difficult collection. Sasa, Rithi and Malana were hunched over a takeout package, watching an episode of Love in the Dark on Hunt's cell phone, which he had propped up on a water bottle. They would never replace Lehabah, but Bryce was happy to see them. For hearing Syrinx, snoring under the new table, in the little nest of blankets she had made there. It was as if something finally fell into place. As if she knew where she was supposed to be. “So,” muttered Hunt, returning to emptying the boxes Hypaxia had sent from the House of Flame and Shadow. Apparently, Jesiba had been waiting for that transfer of property…had made Ithan pack up most of the artifacts. Bryce thought Jesiba would like the Godslayer Rifle fixed behind the desk. Both as a warning to anyone who tried to steal the books and in honor of the priestess who had kept them for so long. That is, if the fire goblins didn't roast the would-be thief first. She didn't know where Irithys had gone, and she still wanted to talk to the queen, tell her about Lehabah, but from what Sasa had said, it seemed that the Goblin Queen was traveling the world, intending to free all of her people. Mainly those who were still being held by masters averse to the new global ban on slavery. — So... what's up? — Bryce asked Hunt, placing a pile on the shelf.

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“So… are you going to say something about the whole down-with-theFae-Monarchy thing?” —What has to be said? I issued the decree. He finished. It's not my problem anymore,” Bryce asked. — Maybe not everyone sees it that way. — That's why, Athalar... — she began, putting away another book that tried to escape from her hands. He pulled the copy back and stuck it on the shelf. — That's why we're going to structure a faerie democracy. A senate, all that shit. That way the fae can go and complain to them about their problems. —A senate and all that shit, huh? — Hunt repeated. — It looks very official. She turned to the male. a and the whole thing - And you? Why can you say goodbye to 33 angels, but I, by chance, can't get rid of the faerie drama? — It wasn't me who made magical islands sprout from the ocean and I resurrected an entire territory.

“Well, Avallen is different,” she replied, sniffling. “You just don't want to give up your summer home,” he teased, crossing the room to Bryce. She let him corner her against the bookshelf, loving it. size, strength and wall of power that was pure Hunt. — Maybe he doesn't really want to — replied the female, without shying away. — But until the fae prove to me that they will share Avallen with everyone, she is mine. — Bryce had considered sending Parthos's books there, to the Avallen Archives, but she had wanted them nearby. I wanted them to be accessible to everyone, not locked away on a remote island. — Or, at least, it's my responsibility — he amended. — Yeah, well, Baxian is thirsty to get off the island and get back to civilization, then you might need to hire a caretaker. Fury and June had already returned to Crescent Moon City. Apparently her friends had reached their limits when it came to living medieval style, but Baxian had stayed.

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She grimaced. The angel had been keeping the fae in line since she and Hunt left Avallen in his hands, taking good care of any refugees who arrived there. Danika would have been proud. Bryce had made sure to tell the Hellhound that… and he had made sure to tell him about seeing his partner in the afterlife. He had been silent for a long time on the call, making her realize he was crying, but all he had said to Bryce was "thank you."

— Beauty, beauty. — Bryce turned to Hunt. — Structuring a democracy, finding a new nanny for Avallen, playing Scary Asshole with you… Anything else? Besides me starting a new business? She gestured to the gallery that would soon be open to the public. — How about hiring a sexy assistant? The warmth, the spark in his eyes did not go unnoticed. Bryce bit his lip. — Sexy assistant, huh? And is it okay for you to go from Umbra Mortis to coffee boy for me? — If among the benefits is the bonus of having really naughty sex

in the office, that's fine with me,” Hunt grunted and nibbled on her ear. — Oh, the position certainly comes with the benefit of some pretty naughty sex in the office — she assured, almost purring. She felt his hard cock pressing against her hip before he say, in a low and mischievous voice:

— Goblins… go find another place to stay for a while. They grumbled, but hurried to the stairs, all blushing a deep pink. Syrinx followed, barking. Bryce didn't care where they were going. Not when Hunt pressed his cock into her core, and she squirmed. — Get on the table — he said, his voice thick. Her blood quickened. — We're already late for the meeting with Ruhn and the others at Aux. “They're going to be fine. —His voice was pure, relentless sex.

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Bryce's knees wobbled. She had only taken a step towards the table when her cell phone rang. Baxian. “Come back later,” Hunt instructed, positioning himself behind her. Then he ran his hands up the female's thighs, lifting her skirt. Yes… fuck yes. Hunt's cell phone rang. Baxian again.

“Maybe we should… answer it,” Bryce suggested, although he barely managed to speak, considering Hunt was holding her skirt with one hand and her ass with the other… Hunt grunted and reached for his cell phone, answering it irritably: — What's wrong? With his fae ears, Bryce could hear perfectly when Baxian asked: — Where's your partner? It was the subtle tone of panic and urgency in the voice that made Hunt put the phone on speaker and say: — We're both here. Baxian sighed shakily, and Bryce's arousal vanished, dread chilling his insides. If something had already happened, an attack on Avallen... — I… — Baxian choked on the word. —There are about twenty of them. Bryce exchanged a confused look with Hunt and asked, “Them?” Baxian gave a laugh that was almost hysterical. — I swear, it's as if they sprouted from the earth, as if they were hibernating or hiding here, I don’t know, holy shit… “Baxian,” Bryce said, his heart pounding. - What happened? — Flying horses. Horses with wings.

Bryce didn't react. — Horses… with wings.

— Yes — Baxian confirmed, raising his voice. — They're flying around, trampling everything and eating all the crops, and I think maybe

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you need to come here because it looks like the kind of thing that might belong in Super Magical Chic Starry Princess... Bryce looked at Hunt, admiration washing over her. “There are flying horses in Avallen,” Hunt muttered, his hands eyes as wide with joy as hers. — In Silene's story — Bryce whispered — she told about her mother having flying horses. And that some came here... and there were representations of them in the Cave of the Princes and in the castle of Morven. I thought they killed everyone, but maybe…” She shook her head. - It is possible? Had Helena somehow kept everyone alive, dormant, waiting until it was safe again? She didn't care. Not at that moment. “There are flying horses in Avallen,” she repeated to Hunt. — There are pegasi in Avallen.

— Please come and help — asked Baxian, begging. — We'll arrive at dawn — assured Bryce and ended the call. She met her partner's burning gaze. No shadows, no halo, no pain. Never. — Is sex in the office coming next? — For a Cold Jelly in the flesh? Hunt smiled. —

Anything. Bryce hugged him around the neck, kissing him passionately, then he bolted for the door. There was an angel in his office, and a horde of pegasi in Avallen. And the Asteri had been exterminated and the dead freed… And although he knew there was work to be done to heal Midgard, the world was there. Life was there. So Bryce and Hunt ran off to live. Together.

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Thanks Even after so many books, I still wake up every day grateful for the incredible people I have the honor of meeting and working with. With this in mind, my love and deep gratitude: To the magnificent worldwide team at Bloomsbury: Noa Wheeler (whose editorial genius is unprecedented!), Nigel Newton, Kathleen Farrar, Adrienne Vaughan, Ian Hudson, Rebecca McNally, Valentina Rice, Erica Barmash, Angela Craft, Nicola Hill, Amanda Shipp, Marie Coolman, Lauren Ollerhead, Rebecca McGlynn, Grace McNamee, Eleanor Willis, Katie Ager, Ben McCluskey, Holly Minter, Sam Payne, Donna Mark, David Mann, John Candell, Donna Gauthier, Laura Phillips, Jaclyn Sassa, Britt Hopkins, Claire Henry , Michael Young, Nicholas Church, Brigid Nelson, Sarah McLean, Sarah Knight, Joe Roche, Fabia Ma, Sally Wilks, Inês Figueira, Jack Birch, Fliss Stevens, Claire Barker, Cristina Cappelluto, Genevieve Nelsson, Adam Kirkman, Jennifer Gonzalez, Laura Pennock, Elizabeth Tzetzo, Valerie Esposito and Meenakshi Singh. To Kaitlin Severini, for preparing the manuscript, and Andrea Modica and Hannah Bowe for reviewing. To Elizabeth Evans for the fantastic audio adaptations, and to Carlos Quevedo for the stunning cover art. To the brilliant and brave team at the Writers House agency: Robin Rue (wonderful agent and amazing friend), Beth Miller, Cecilia de la Campa, Maja Nikolic, Kate Boggs, Maria Aughavin, Albert Araneo, Sydnee Harlan, Alessandra Birch, Sofia Bolido, Angelamarie Malkoun, Melissa Vasquez, Rosie Acacia, Lisa Castiglione and Angela Kafka. To the spectacular team from Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz: Maura Wogan, Victoria Cook, Kimberly Maynard, Louise Decoppet, Mark Merriman, Michael Ling, Michael Williams, Gregory Boyd, Edward

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Rosenthal, Molly Rothschild, Amanda Barkin and Nicole Bergstrom. To Jill Gillet for her wisdom and guidance. To my sister, Jenn, who inspires me daily, and to my dear friends who always make me smile: Julie, Megan, Katie, Steph, and Lynette. To Laura and Louise, whose emails always brighten my is. To Ana, who takes such good care of my babies, thus enabling me to write these books. To Josh, Taran, Sloane, and Annie: You are the greatest gifts in my life, and I love you more than words can express. And to the readers who make all this possible: thank you for everything.

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Next, an unpublished story after the events of

HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW

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RUHN IS LYDIA

The modern art gallery on Rua do Arqueiro was empty, except for the arrogant draki receptionist who had opened the glass doors for them. Bryce had recommended the place, and as Ruhn and Lidia looked through the many paintings of bug-eyed cats and statues of rotting banana peels, he couldn't help but wonder if his sister had used this opportunity to mess with him.

— That's... — Lidia walked towards a painting in which a dog took the owner for a walk — art? Ruhn grumbled. — Apparently. Across the immaculate gallery, the receptionist sniffed but didn't look up from his computer. Would the asshole have let them in if he hadn't recognized them? It was impossible to go anywhere in the city, on the continent, on the fucking planet without being recognized. There would be no way, after the events of the previous month. Life wasn't back to normal yet, not really, but that night was Ruhn's attempt to make it happen again. — Do you swear you want to hang one of those things in the living room? — Lidia pointed to one of the paintings in which one of the bug-eyed cats was sitting on top of a trash can, a mouse dangling from its mouth. - Did not like? She frowned. — I don't really know what kind of art I like, but it's certainly not that one. He thought carefully about her words. — Don't you know what kind of art you like?

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She shook her head, her long golden hair flowing with the movement. She no longer wore the bun. He had spent hours with his hands in the silky strands of her hair, learning what made her voluptuous body literally burn with desire. — I was educated to appreciate only classical and imperial art, as would be appropriate for a female of my bloodline. He shuddered. He thought his own childhood had been oppressive, but at least his father, as much of a piece of shit as he was, hadn't cut Ruhn's interests short. — So no teenage years with a room full of band posters? She laughed, crossing her arms as she walked to the next painting. The jeans highlighted her wonderful ass, and the tight black cashmere sweater left little to the imagination when it came to those breasts he couldn't stop touching. To try. He couldn't get enough of her. Even after the last few weeks of living together, working together almost every day at Aux... I couldn't stop wanting her, needing her. But it wasn't just his body. It was Lidia herself — so insightful, with her dry humor, so courageous, selfless and empathetic. It didn't matter how much Flynn and Dec teased him. He was shamelessly, relentlessly in love with this female. Your partner. — I never had the chance — said Lidia while analyzing the next cat painting — to express myself through art. Not even the decoration. Ruhn looked at the huge black and white painting of a cat spewing out a planet that resembled Midgard. — If you want, you can take the apartment and paint it black and put up band posters. I will not object. But if you hang one of those horrible things, then we have a problem. Lidia laughed, turning to him. Gods, she was beautiful. Even more so wearing everyday clothes, without reminding her of Corça at all. Everything inside him was turning with fire, and by the way his eyes

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Her golden eyes warmed, Lidia seemed to know what he was thinking. But she said: — I had some rooms on my father's property. It never crossed my mind, not even when I was a child, to make the space mine in any way. The rooms belonged to my father. They had to look the way he wanted, just as I also had to look the way he wanted. The heat in his eyes cooled and Ruhn approached, placing the arm around her waist. — And when you made Ophion crush him, he finally became the way you wanted. She choked. — It's not funny at all. Ruhn pressed a kiss to her forehead, inhaling her tempting scent. - You laughed. Admit it: that sound was laughter. She pushed him with her hips. — You are a terrible influence. — That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said about me. Lidia walked away, and for a moment Ruhn allowed himself to admire her. Your partner. Your brave, lovely, brilliant partner. Somehow, they had managed it. Somehow, they were in this strange gallery, buying art for their apartment. They were there, doing something mundane together, and the asteri were dead. Pollux was dead. Mordoc was dead. His father was dead. And Ruhn was no longer Crown Prince Ruhn, just Ruhn Danaan. Well, in theory, he was now Commander Danaan of the Crescent City Aux, but he only liked to use that card when the Aux foot soldiers were very responsive. It was strange that life was normal and at the same time... not. How long would this gallery last? Or the streetlights outside? What about cars stuck in traffic? Or the cell phone ringing in your pocket... Ruhn looked away from Lidia, realizing that he had been getting lost in her eyes, and picked up his cell phone. It was Flynn, who, in theory, was on duty at that moment. Ruhn's instructions were for the asshole not to bother him in

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your night off, under no circumstances. None. So Ruhn answered dryly: — What happened? — There was, um... a problem. Ruhn gripped the cell phone so tightly that the plastic creaked. —Rigelus back from the dead? - No. —Then leave me alone. Ruhn hung up. Lidia raised an eyebrow. — You didn't want to know what it was?

Ruhn placed his hand on her lower back, guiding her to the next piece of art. And okay, maybe his hand slid a little lower. Until the beginning of the delicious curve of her ass. Maybe she arched her back a little. As if he remembered how devoted he had been to that spectacular ass the night before... His cell phone rang again. This time it was Dec. Ruhn gave a guttural growl and replied: —What happened? — I think it would be really good for you to take a look here. — Call Athalar. — Athalar is on the Freighter of the Deep with his sister and the Ocean Queen. You are closer. — And it's my night off... — We're in the east night garden in CiRo. Come soon. — Dec hung up. Ruhn let out a long sigh. Lidia's eyebrows they lifted, a discreet smile gracing their full mouth. “My plan for tonight was to take you art shopping,” he explained, “and go out to a fancy dinner. Afterwards, we would have sex for ten hours straight. — She laughed, a sound full of joy, of life. Then Ruhn wrapped her around her waist, kissing that beautiful, smiling mouth once, twice. - Stick for the next? She returned the kiss.

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— As long as we can have sex for at least two hours straight, I'm good. It was Ruhn's turn to laugh, and as he led them toward the glass door, leaving the horrible cat art behind, he knew that it didn't matter what he did during the night as long as Lidia was by his side. ***

The traffic was so bad that they decided to walk to Cinco Rosas instead of spending an hour in a taxi. — I'm shocked at these people using their cars now — Lidia murmured as they passed yet another crowded avenue. — Waste of primalux. — They must be the Primalux Zero deniers. There was a growing group of people who refused to believe that primalux would end at some point. They believed it was all just a huge government conspiracy led by a cabal of nefarious people, including Ruhn and Lidia, to switch to a different energy source that they had a commercial stake in and could profit from. It was a collective delirium, a complete joke. And yet, many people believed, even denying the extremely real possibility that the end would come, a fucking Primalux Zero energy measurement. They now had finite resources, and if they didn't stop spending and started conserving, they would reach Primalux Zero much faster than the experts had calculated. Traffic slowed down a bit in CiRo, mostly because the Fae had instituted so many zoning laws and regulations against low-cost restaurants, bars, and hotels that there wasn't much to attract tourists and unwanted people to their prosperous paradise of mansions and private homes after the sunset. A problem Ruhn promised himself he would solve later; once they discovered the best way to prevent the entire

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technology was lost and they had to go back to reading by candlelight and cooking by fireplaces. Lidia slipped her slender hand into his as they reached a quiet block surrounded by houses, the olive trees whispering in the cool autumn night. “I've been thinking,” she commented, softly enough to let him know that whatever he was going to say, he was serious. - Oh yes? — He squeezed her hand, a warning that he was paying attention. Lidia stopped at the end of the street, a block away from the night garden. The golden light from the streetlights sparkled in her hair as she brought her other hand to his face. Ruhn closed his eyes, savoring her light touch. Lidia said: — You are so... beautiful. Ruhn opened his eyes, laughing.

— Is that what you were thinking? Joy shone in her eyes. — No. I mean, yes. I was thinking about something else, but then I looked at you... and... — She stood on tiptoe and kissed him, nibbling on his new lip piercing, pulling lightly. Taunting. Before he could grab her to explore her mouth better, Lidia pulled away, running her fingers over the shaved side of his head. — Before you distracted me with all this. — She ran her fingers over the tattoos that ran up his neck. Ruhn smiled. He had gotten some tattoos again—mostly new designs, but he had also asked for some of the old ones to be recreated. The skin on one of his hands was still a lighter shade compared to the other — a subtle reminder of everything he had been through in the Asteri dungeons. Lidia's hand stopped on the side of his neck. There was so much love, so much joy and hope in her eyes that he could barely breathe. She smiled again, as if she could feel it too. He looked at their joined hands. — I was thinking... that I wanted to marry you.

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He felt the ground disappear beneath his feet. The stars seemed to shine more brightly, closer. Were his knees shaking?

Lidia started to laugh. - Your face! Ruhn... what does that mean? - Do you want to marry me? — The words caught in his throat, choked. She looked down for a moment, as if unsure. - Do you want to marry me? He blinked. — Fuck, are you serious? She frowned at him. — Yes. I mean, we're partners, I thought it might be... Ruhn gave her a long kiss. — I want to marry you — he said between kisses, nibbling her lips. — I want you to marry me. More than anything. She laughed again, and he took in the sound as he kissed her hard. more intensity, for longer. She wanted to marry him. She loved him enough to make their situation permanent, to be more than partners. So that... they could become a family. His eyes were full of tears. He had never realized how much he wanted a family. Yes, Bryce was his sister and he had his mother, but somehow it wasn't the same as what he and Lidia were about to start. It didn't matter if they had children or if her children were enough; he and Lidia would be family. She stepped back, analyzing his face, noticing the tears that were forming. He gave one of them a kiss. — I love you, you know? Ruhn cupped her face gently with his hands.

- Are you sure? Do you want a marriage with everything it deserves?

There was amusement in her expression. — I don't think I want a big, fancy wedding, but... a small party with our friends, perhaps?

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- Whatever you want. I do not care. I mean... not that I don't care, but I'll accept anything, as long as we get married on paper and everything. She smiled and held his hand again, leading him back. to one of the paths. “Good thing,” she said after a minute, as the sweet scent of nighttime jasmine greeted them and the bioluminescent garden glowed just a few steps away. - Why? — They crossed the silent street, the smooth cobblestones stained green and blue by the light of the bright plants and flowers. He was so busy trying to read her expression that he only turned around when she pointed to the garden. To where Flynn and Dec stood in suits, Bryce and Hunt smiling with them. — Because I thought we could get married now. ***

It was the most romantic, insane thing Ruhn had ever done—and he hadn't even planned it. It was all Lidia's work: Flynn and Dec lured him there on her instructions, with the vague information that they had a “problem”. Without wanting to spend any extra primalux, Lidia chose the night garden as a natural source of lighting. She asked Bryce and Athalar, who had pretended to be summoned by the Ocean Queen, to stay there all afternoon and evening, setting the long table under a huge lunar magnolia tree. Ithan, Tharion and Isaiah smiled at him. Along with Hypaxia and Brann and Actaeon, and... It was at that moment that Ruhn began to cry. I hadn't noticed who else was sitting there; All he knew was that everyone was there to celebrate him — and Lidia. Ruhn and Lidia's wedding was officiated by a black-robed High Priestess of Cthona beneath the lunar magnolia, the large flowers shining as brightly as the celestial orb after which they were named.

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He didn't need time to think, or prepare, or question. Nothing ever felt more right. It didn't matter that they were both dressed casually, or that Ruhn hadn't showered since the day before. All that mattered was that Lidia was there with him under the lunar magnolia, holding his hand, Ruhn slipping the titanium ring—which she had provided herself, of course—on her finger. Titanium, the strongest of the wedding metals. Which symbolized the unbreakable nature of a couple's bond. After everything they had been through, Ruhn suspected that a new type of metal would have to be invented to incorporate the strength of the bond between them, but he would accept titanium for now. And as Lidia placed a similar titanium ring on Ruhn's finger, he wondered if they, too, would need to invent a new word for love, to represent what was overflowing from his heart.

***

"So that whole joke you came up with about going to the Deep Freighter," Ruhn said to Bryce later, as they sat at one end of the long table, drinking sparkling wine courtesy of the Autumn King's dwindling supply, and had boasted. the sister — was it just to cover everything up? Bryce, wearing a tight red dress that Ruhn had caught Athalar drooling over at least twice, took a sip of the bubbly in her glass. — Ah, we went to the Freighter of the Deep. — She pointed her thumb over her shoulder, to where Lidia was with Brann and Ace, a few seats away. — We went to look for them both. I think I could start a new company: Magical Starry Princess Grumpy Teen Transportation Services. Ruhn laughed.

— Where are Renki and Davit? Bryce smiled.

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— Lidia also invited the two of them, but they thought this would be a good time for the boys to travel alone. Let's take them both back tomorrow morning. Ruhn watched his partner, his wife, talking to the children. The discreet, exultant happiness that radiated from her. —, Whether she had introduced her children to Hypaxia—their aunt Ruhn had not seen it. The new Master of the House of Flame and Shadow had already left, no doubt to deal with yet another crisis in the House or in the city. “The boys are staying with us,” Bryce added, “so they don't have to listen to you and Lidia being naughty all night. Ruhn made a face at his sister. “Thanks, I guess?” But he really couldn't have asked for anything better. The boys would be one floor away from them — and that's okay, they wouldn't be using the guest room that Lidia had already decorated for them, but there would be time for that. Then Ruhn added, with a warm smile: — Thank you, really. Bryce gave him a kiss on the cheek. —Anything for my big brother. — She gestured towards Lidia. — I'm happy for you... too happy, Ruhn. — I'm happy for us too. — Brann said something that made Lidia let out a laugh. Even Ace gave a small smile.

Ruhn looked at his sister, her eyes glowing silver. — Don't you dare cry — he warned — or I'll cry too. Bryce pulled him towards him and hugged him tightly.

— You deserve to be happy, Ruhn — she said hoarsely. — More than anyone I know. He just returned the hug, letting that grip convey everything that was in his heart.

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***

Ruhn found himself going from friend to friend over the next hour, losing sight of his wife for a good while. When he finally got tired of being away from her, he found Lidia talking quietly to Naomi Boreas. — Are you talking about work? — asked Ruhn, sliding an arm around Lidia's shoulders. — At our wedding? Serious?

Naomi rolled her eyes. — And what should we talk about? Our hair and nails? Ruhn didn't dare answer the question, so he just smiled his most charming smile. Naomi gave Lidia a wink before leaving. They had become good friends over the last few weeks, and Ruhn was happy about that. She knew that Bryce was trying to get the two of them — and Hypaxia — to join her, Fury and Juniper in some kind of group for Badass Females, but the difficulty of fitting in their schedules and the need to solve constant problems was getting in the way. But may the gods help everyone else when they finally put them into practice.

Ruhn pulled Lidia a few feet deeper into the garden, the night crocuses glowing like a deep amethyst at her feet. — Lidia, I don’t even have words to express what happened that night. What is being. What it meant to me. Her discreet smile was incredibly beautiful. — I was so afraid you'd say no.

— Deny me to marry you? Really? She shrugged. — I was hoping you'd say yes, but you have so many tattoos and that lip ring, and... He laughed.

—And does that mean I'm against marriage? — You are unconventional. I was worried about the possibility that marriage was too normal for you.

— What made you change your mind?

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- Your sister. She told me that if I asked you to marry me, you would cry like a little child and say yes. Lidia tilted her head. —And that's what you did. Ruhn glanced over her shoulder at Bryce, now sitting on Athalar's lap and chatting excitedly with Fury and June. — She knows me well, huh? When he looked at Lidia, she was smiling again. - This is music? As if on cue, a trio of musicians appeared near the end of the table. Real musicians, to avoid using the primalux of your speakers or your cell phones. And when they started playing a slow, soft song... — Dance with me, Ruhn. He gaped at his wife. — You really thought of everything, down to the last detail. She brushed invisible dust off her shoulders. — I planned the entire attack on the Spine... a wedding was small in comparison. — But she lowered her hand to take his. — I didn't get to dance with you in the garden during the Autumn Equinox. Consider this my apology for dumping you. Ruhn kissed her gently, softly. — I think you really owe me that. She linked her arms around his neck, and as their bodies aligned, as they gave in to the melody, everything else disappeared. “I'm very grateful,” Ruhn said, seeing her and only her. — I am very grateful that Cormac gave me that crystal-com. “Well, he blackmailed you until you accepted,” she replied. dryly.

- True. — But Ruhn still offered a prayer of thanks to the late prince of Avallen, wherever his soul now resided. With luck, he would finally be reunited with Sofie Renast. — I'm grateful too — Lidia added in a low voice. — For everything, the good things and the bad. Because they brought me to you.

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They brought us here... to this moment. There was nothing more to say, not after that. Then Ruhn hugged her tighter and they danced in peaceful, blissful silence under the lunar magnolia, the distant stars twinkling in the sky. The future was still so uncertain — he knew there were still many difficult times to come. But there, at that moment, with Lidia in his arms, surrounded by friends... At that moment, for the first time in my life, everything was perfect.

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This e-book was developed in ePub format by Distribuidora Record de Serviços de Imprensa SA

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House of flame and shadow

Author's official website: https://sarahjmaas.com/

Author's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealsjmaas/?hl=pt-br Author's page on Wikipedia: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_J._Maas Book page on Skoob: https://www.skoob.com.br/livro/122381676ED122389892 Book page on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52857700-house-of-flame-and-shadow Author page on Skoob: https://www.skoob.com.br/autor/8285-sarah-j-maas Author page on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3433047.Sarah_J_Maas

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Table of Contents 1. Cover 2. Works by the author published by Galera Record 3. Face 4. Credits 5. Dedication 6. Summary 7. The four houses of Midgard 8. Prologue 9. PART I – THE DESCENT 1. 1 2. 2 3. 3 4. 4 5. 5 6. 6 7. 7 8. 8 9. 9 10. 10 11. 11 12. 12 13. 13 14. 14 15. 15 16. 16 17. 17 18. 18 19. 19 20 . 20 21. 21 22. 22 23. 23

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24. 24 25. 25 26. 26 27. 27 10. PART II – THE SEARCH 1. 28 2. 29 3. 30 4. 31 5. 32 6. 33 7. 34 8. 35 9. 36 10. 37 11 38 12. 39 13. 40 14. 41 15. 42 16. 43 17. 44 18. 45 19. 46 20. 47 21. 48 22. 49 23. 50 24. 51 25. 52 26. 53 27. 54 _ 28. 55 29. 56 30. 57 31. 58

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32. 59 33. 60 34. 61 35. 62 36. 63 37. 64 11. PART III – THE ASCENSION 1. 65 2. 66 3. 67 4. 68 5. 69 6. 70 7. 71 8. 72 9 73 10. 74 11. 75 12. 76 13. 77 14. 78 15. 79 16. 80 17. 81 18. 82 19. 83 20. 84 21. 85 22. 86 23. 87 24. 88 25. 89 _ 26. 90 27. 91 28. 92 29. 93

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30.94 31.95 32.96 33.97 34.98 ___ ___ ___ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 15. Find out more

Yes, Margaret, the War in Israel is Fake they all were

by Miles Mathis First published October 7, 2023

Well, we knew they were going to start another war, and the timing of this one is perfect. Just as Congress stops funding Ukraine, Hamas conveniently flies into Jerusalem on motorized kites. . . because, you know, why not? The Gentiles will believe anything. They could have reported that Hamas rode in on tricycles and no one would have questioned it. Or if anyone did question it, Google would block them. That's what will happen to this paper. In the first minutes it will go to number one and then it will be magically delisted, just like all my other papers. [Added October 9: If you think I am delusional, I can prove it. Google did exactly that, and we know they censored it because the other search engines didn't.

I am listed #9 on page one at Bing for the general search Israel War Fake, with no quotes and no mention of me. I picked that search because it is a general search many would use and it is not a direct quote from my title. So it is not skewed to my paper. And if we check page two we find I am outranking MSN at #12. So I am beating MSN at Bing! Also outranking NBC, Yahoo News, AP, CNN, Wikipedia, and the BBC. I am ranked #16 at Duck and #19 at Yahoo. At Yandex this paper ranks #1.

[October 10: Bing was so embarrassed by my outranking of MSN, they immediately removed my listing. Which is censorship. Which is of course illegal. These major search engines are not allowed to simply remove results they don't like. We know my paper didn't fall off the charts overnight, since it retained its rankings at Yahoo, Duck, and Yandex. For more proof of my high rankings and internet censorship, you may visit this paper.] [October 12: Bing has reinstated my listing at #14, perhaps in response to this. We will see how it goes from here.] Here's more proof of the war:

Because, you know, you can't fake a smoke plume by burning a pile of wood or something. Or with CGI. Mossad doesn't have that tech. Here's more proof of the war:

A woman with a baby fleeing a burning pile of leaves. With cops. Wow, I'm convinced. I can hardly witness the carnage. I hope this came with a triggering warning. Here's more proof of the war:

Yeah, that looks totally real. Totally not pasted together. And what horrible damage from a missile! It destroyed two entire windows! I like the guy sitting there in the other window, hoping he can catch the next one in his teeth. Here's more proof, from a search on “bodies paraded through streets”.

But wait. Are those bodies being paraded through streets, or just some soldiers practicing war games. Don't matter, publish it! Then we are shown video of some guys in a truck firing weapons. Yeah, so. Are the rounds live or blanks? We don't know, but since this is Israel, Hollywood east, I assume this is the usual Jewish theater. But we knew this was theater without even studying the pictures, since we already know Hamas is fake. Just like the PLO and all the other Arab organizations, it is a front for the Israeli army and was created by Mossad just for times like this. As I say, Jews in turbans.

For more proof of that, I send you back to my 2021 article by my writer-on-the-ground in Tel Aviv, Josh, who quotes mainstream Jewish sources admitting Hamas was created and funded by the Israeli Defense. He reminds us of the alleged founder of Hamas, Sheik Yassin:

You have to laugh. A dead ringer for Jewish actor Christopher Lee. And remember what Gore Vidal taught us: Lee=Levi. Still don't believe me? Well try this: an article just out at the New York Post, admitting that Hamas is represented by New York attorney Stanley Cohen. My readers will get a big kick out of that name, and not just for the Cohen. Here's more horrific images from the Israel War:

As you see, the carnage is incredible, with that little hooker wearing a bandage on her knee and running, that lady smiling because she is being groped by an Aryan dude, that guy tilted, and that smoke! Just offscreen children and grandmothers are being killed, held hostage, or made to watch American TV! UPDATE, Next day: More information continues to arrive, confirming this was all staged. That running girl in the last image was allegedly at a big peace party being held out in the desert— conveniently right on the Gaza border—and the parasailers were attacking this peace concert. Another prominent photo allegedly shows a girl dead in the back seat of a car, killed by a strawberry jam grenade, by the looks of it.

Because that makes sense, right? If you were Hamas, itching for revenge against Israel, you would target a bunch of kids at a peace party, and kill all their model girls:

That's another model girl allegedly killed. Here is what we are being told. See if you find it believable at all. Hamas raped her, broke her limbs, killed her, they paraded around her naked dead body as they spat on her corpse and yelled "Allahu Akbar".

Yeah, I bet. That's the video from the back of the pickup truck. Except that we are already getting confirmation this was all staged and that she was just an actress flown in for this part. To start with, we find she has an extensive previous photo and video presence online, indicating she is an actress. She has a bunch of spooky tattoos, including snakes, indicating she is bad news. I suspect her name given in the press Shani Louk/Luk isn't her real name. It means “Red Comrade”, so figure it out yourself. Within 24 hours the internet was littered with poorly written stories about her, like this. These stories appear to have been prewritten by agents who don't know how to write, using AI for help. In these stories, she is anywhere from 22 to 30. Her mother Ricarda Louk is quoted saying she was 22, while her cousin Tom Weintraub is quoted saying she was 30. Weintraub is identified as both male and female, as Tom and Tomasina. And another problem. I have just looked at dozens of photos and videos of Shani Louk posted online, and I don't see a match to the death photo. We are told friends and family identified her by the leg tattoos, but Louk's leg tattoos go all the way around her leg, and are dark and obvious.

In the video, the tats looked CGI'ed in later, and they are blurry, light, and don't go all the way around the leg. If you have the stomach to look more closely, you see why this is: that thing in the film isn't a person, it is a dummy made to look like Louk with dreads. All the limbs are bent backwards like they are rubber—which they are. As usual, we can't see her face, so there is no way to truly identify her. To answer that, we are told all her limbs were broken by these guys, but that isn't how broken limbs look. That is how rubber dummy limbs look. If these guys had completely broken her knee joints, you would see bones poking out and bruises and blood. All you see is pristine rubber knees. If you don't believe me, ask your surgeon if that looks real. Plus, remember this recent paper, where I showed you how realistic these female mannequins/sex dolls have become. In a blurry video like this, you literally could not tell the difference. Here's another problem no one is mentioning. This video had to have been shot by Hamas, but there is no way those guys are going to appear by face in video and then allow it to be posted online worldwide. If any of this were real, it would just be asking Mossad to find you, torture you, and kill your whole family, including all pets. So all these guys are also actors. This whole thing was staged. Israel has now released the names of 42 of these young female models/actresses that are supposedly missing:

Not surprisingly, several of them are Kohens. Even stranger, the site posting them, voiceofeurope.com, has since scrubbed 9 of them, including the Kohens, taking us down to. . . 33. If that is because they were already found safe, it means 1/6th were found safe in the first few hours, meaning they weren't too careful compiling this list. What are the odds the others will be found safe in the next few hours, or be found working for Mossad or Hollywood? Olga Pilnik has since been removed as well. Possibly because we can translate her Hebrew name as Shani Amin, which means “red shining one”. That is more indication Shani Louk's name is an alias as well. These are stage names, not real names. You do realize this makes absolutely no sense, right? A dozen bozos hang-glided over the border into a kibbutz peace party and kidnapped 42 of the most beautiful women in Israel? So how did Hamas get

those girls out of there and back across the border? The border was tight on the way in, requiring they come in silently by air, but then they could noisily drive their pickups full of dead girls back over the border? Where did the pickups come from? Did they bring those in on kites, too? Anyone buying this story is braindead. Despite the obviousness of this fake, everyone on both sides in the US and worldwide is selling it as real, including Trump, David Icke, RFK, Lara Logan, AOC, Alex Jones, and all the rest. No prominent person is questioning it. None of them can spot moulage or a rubber girl. Perhaps most surprisingly, the Dems are actually taking the side of Hamas. Why on earth would they do that? Because it is part of the purposeful tanking of the Democratic Party, something I have been telling you about for years now. The Dems are purposely doing everything wrong now, and this is just one more example. Addendum October 10: reports from the mainstream press in France (LCI) are already confirming my reading here:

That is yesterday, and it is saying “ 48 hours ago nobody knew the location of the Peace Party, it seems that it is the Israeli army which organized the operation, it is staggering.” Anne Nivat, the reporter, admits that the party was only organized the day before, so how did Hamas make these complicated plans to attack it using parasails and so on? She doesn't seem to be aware that the deaths were staged/faked, but she does seem to be realizing the event was an inside job or a false flag. In the same report, we see this photo of cars attacked:

What's wrong there? Anyone? Why are all the cars white? It is the same problem we saw recently in Hawaii, where everything went to white. The CGI program apparently goofed here, forgetting to apply color to any of the fake cars it pasted in.

After three days of selling this as real and even amplifying it, a few places like Infowars are finally reporting today on fake coverage. There we find Clarissa Ward at CNN getting caught faking incoming missiles on the ground in Israel. They then remind this has happened many times before, going back to the First Gulf War. Yes, but Infowars knew that three days ago: why didn't they question any of this stuff to start with? Why are they still selling the main lines of the “war” in many other stories? Same for Zerohedge, Breitbart, Gateway Pundit, NaturalNews, and all the alternative sites of that sort. They know—and have reported themselves—that the mainstream has been caught hundreds of times making up stories about babies killed, civilians decapitated, all the usual worst atrocities. But then they all reported that in the last three days without questioning any of it. Just today there were stories about Hamas decapitating babies, and these alternative sites printed it with no question, in lockstep with the mainstream. Breitbart is turning out to be the worst of those in this regard, and is again shooting itself in the foot. It will lose many readers, since it assuming everyone on the right is a big supporter of Israel—something that is simply not true. But readers there are seeing just how slanted their coverage is, proving who is really running things over there: the Phoenician Navy, of course. Same with Trump, who has previously commented on fake news. He is famous for promoting the idea. But here he has been among the worst repeating this fake news and the fear and division that accompanies it. Today he was giving speeches warning about WWIII, nukes, and “obliteration”. All for political hay, so that the Pentagon can send aircraft carriers to fight guys on kites and request billions more for “defense”, and so that he himself can claim none of this would have happened on his watch. In other words, more of the worst kind of wag-the-dog propaganda and gaslighting. Really putrid made-for-TV-and-internet theater. But it continues to unwind on them, and we see proof of that straight from this paper of mine. The fact

it went superviral immediately, even above anything at the highly promoted Infowars, proves that millions of people were searching on “Israel War Fake.” So many, as it turns out, the Pentagon and Langley were forced into panic mode, being ordered to immediately manufacture a lot of fake news items with those search terms, to misdirect and water down on that question. They desperately needed to push my listing down. Finding that impossible on such short notice, Bing was forced to simply delete it. At many of those manufactured pages, they try to convince us that yes, false stories do get shared online, photos get mixed up, mistakes are made, but that is mainly the fault of social media, and bad actors probably sent in from Russia or China. It doesn't mean you should question this event as a whole, or the news as a whole. In other planted stories around the “fake” search, the mainstream sites are claiming that anyone that disbelieves the mainstream stories is themselves spreading fake information or “hate”. Standing the truth on its head, as usual. They want you to believe that those who refuse the propaganda are propagandists. Those who refuse the hate are haters. Those who refuse the lies are liars. They even want to seem to bluff you into believing it is illegal to question the news. If everyone assures you there is a real war going on and you refuse to believe it, you are a criminal or terrorist. It isn't true. There are no laws of that sort. You don't have to believe what the government reports, no matter how loudly they report it. Even some of my best readers can't seem to get the message here, even after all we have been through. They are saying, yes, Miles, you have proved some fakery here, and others are showing other instances, but that is no reason to jump to conclusions. That is no reason to write off the entire war as a fake. Really? So exactly how many cases of fraud would I have to show you before this was not “jumping to a conclusion”? What percentage of all events in history would I have to out as fakes before you got the message that these people are inveterate fakers and pathological liars? Because the percentage is getting up there. I have covered literally thousands of the top events and people in history, showing you precisely none of them were what we have been sold. We have been sold a line of a million lies, and yet when I tell you the next thing they say is a lie, you claim I am jumping to a conclusion? Where is the jump? There is no jump, I am just arriving naturally and rationally at the logical conclusion, after decades of research: it is a vast and audacious fraud, run on us all for profit and control. There is no longer any least doubt of it, so there is no jump. The only jump would be coming to any other conclusion, given what we have discovered. Get this through your head once and for all, as a general rule of logic: once you have proven a person or group is a liar, the default assumption is that everything important he says is a lie. All trust should be gone. If, in an extended event, you discover sub-events are purposely falsified, the default assumption is that all events are false. In other words, if we find—and we have found—that many events in this Israel War are manufactured, staged, or purposely falsified, the logical assumption is that the whole thing is fake. There is no reason to fake parts of a real event, since a real event has plenty of real things to report on. Plus, we are not judging this event in isolation. We are not judging it only upon its owns merits. It is one in a long line of similar events, put on by the same people. We have already caught them lying about everything else in history, so of course they are lying about this, too. Do you see how that works? It isn't just my research, it is Lestrade's voluminous research on the Pacific Theater. It is Orwell, promoted by the mainstream, who warned us of exactly this: staged wars in far off lands, faked by the

media. If you have read 1984, you know they didn't just have constant war to create hate and drive the economy, they had constant fake war, manufactured by writers, with nothing real going on on the ground. It is Hollywood, which has admitted this is what is going on in films like Wag the Dog. Robert DeNiro told you to your face. They also admit it in films like The Truman Show and The Matrix: the whole thing is a fake. Even George Bush admitted it, saying “if they knew what we were doing they would hang us all from the nearest lamp post”. What was it they were doing? What did he mean? He meant this. He meant that if we found out the Phoenicians were faking everything, and always had, we would rise up, burn them all down to ash, and then launch the ash in a rocket to the Sun, where it could never be reconstituted again. Addendum October 12: You want more? I will keep giving you more. Readers are continuing to send in fake photos from this fake war. They have more patience with this than I do. Here are two more.

There are programs you can use to tell if a photo is real or not, so my reader fed that photo into it. It read 4% real, 96% AI. Metadata on the photo indicates it was not taken with a camera, rather all done in photoshop then compressed and downsized to hide the seams. That's pretty obvious at a glance, or should be. Why? Well, remember what I have taught you: look at the photo as a background, middleground, and foreground. In a real photo, that will be harder to do, since it will all blend in together naturally, as it should. But in fake photos like this one, it is very easy to divide it into those three parts. Often a middleground is filled with smoke, but we don't see that here. We see a confusing middleground that seems to consist of a tank, one guy, and some trash in a land of dirt. The guy is way too big, since he would match the size of the Jeep in the foreground. You could stand him beside that Jeep and he would almost be large enough. But there is a little problem called perspective. He is much further away than the Jeep, so he should look much smaller. These bozos who piece these photos together always bungle perspective, which is why it is so easy for artists like me to catch them at it. Same problem with the tanks in the background, which are the same size as the tank in the middle ground. But since they are much further away, they should be much smaller than that. So I don't need a computer program to tell me this is fake. I can tell just from its lack of perspective.

Next we have that one, supposed to be two Israeli soldiers protecting a cameraman. You have to laugh. Looks like something completely different, don't it? But they forgot to protect the other cameraman. What other cameraman? The one taking the picture. Also notice these guys appear to be from different units, since their uniforms don't match. Different shoulder patches and helmets. But the strangest thing is that we are supposed to believe soldiers protect the press, two soldiers assigned to each cameraman as human shields. Again, you have to laugh. That isn't what we have seen in the past, is it, especially from the Israeli Army, which hates real media people, who just get in the way and see things they weren't supposed to see. They may take an unauthorized photo. The press is generally kept out of all war zones now, and those allowed in are agents themselves, and are therefore left to fend for themselves—if any real fending is required, which it isn't. Plus, if they are in such a dangerous zone, why isn't the cameraman wearing a helmet to start with? We just saw this photo heading Lestrade's new article, remember:

She has the press vest on and a helmet, but the guy above doesn't. Another continuity error. So many questions, so few answers. And another one, hot from my inbox:

Three of the four guys are in sandals, and the fourth may be as well. So everyone over there wears open-toed shoes to walk through war zones? Reminds us of Hawaii, where we saw the same thing. You may want to ask yourself what miraculous path those guys took through that rubble behind them, to get through without cutting up their toes or ankles. But obviously they didn't, since this is more CGI. The computer doesn't understand things like shoes or walking.

After Lestrade's paper on Israel came out yesterday, I decided to dig a bit more on Nicole Zedeck, bikini reporter for i24News.

Her father is listed at Instantcheckmate as David Zedeck of Florida and Newport Beach, CA. Is that the same David Zedeck who is head of Global Music at United Talent Agency, one of the biggest in Hollywood? Seems like more than a coincidence, since I am proving the Israel War is just a Hollywood production, and the main scene in Act 1 has been at a music festival. Both David Zedecks are 58. But Newport Beach is far to the south of Beverly Hills, where the music guy is listed. It is in Orange County, which indicates our David Zedeck moved there with his daughter when she went to college. Although not from there, she went to Chapman, graduating in 2021. So what does this tell us? Well, it appears that despite having the same names and ages, they are not the same guy, since the music producer's daughter is named Missy and works for AEG. She is dark-haired. Our David Zedeck is listed as an attorney in Austin. He is also a company owner in Steamboat Springs. He has owned 11 companies, and is currently listed as the owner of Eretz Management, which sells properties in Israel. I guess you see how that ties in here? Before we move on, let's take a quick look at that Chapman University. Although often sold as a Christian University, that is just a front. They admit it has had military connections since at least 1958, and a big film school opened in 1996, when the spooks took over the university in toto. It now has strong links to Hollywood and through them to the Pentagon and Langley. A few years later the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education was opened as well, telling you who took it over. Explaining why Chapman was involved in this latest hoax. That was funded by Barry Rodgers of BFM Aerospace, formerly Lear Siegler, the big defense contractor. Otherwise he is a ghost, with no presence on the internet. Also interesting concerning Chapman is what I was told by other reader, who informed me he had been at a big conference there in the early 1990s on psychedelics, led by the usual cadre of spooks including Ram Dass, Tim Leary, and Dennis McKenna. So, just what I expected going in. But are the two David Zedecks related? It would explain the promotion of Nicole, wouldn't it? And it would explain why she went to Los Angeles for school. As we dig on that, we find Nicole's grandfather Murray Zedeck, and we can definitely link him through his locations to the Murray Zedeck, retired COB of TransCapital Bank. Since bought out by Power Financial. So that's a palpable hit. Nicole's aunt Gina is married to Shane Stansbury, who just happens to be a senior lecturer in law at Duke University, previously a federal prosecutor. He is a distinguished fellow at their Center for Law, Ethics, and National Security. So we are really getting somewhere now. I guess you see how that ties in here? In his profile we find that among many others, he prosecuted Minh Quang Pham, a former associate of Anwar al-Awlaki and key operative for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, for terrorism offenses;

Oho, you mean the Anwar al-Awlaki I have proved was a big fake? [See p. 3, there] Remember this, from that paper: Al-Awlaki (real name Nasser) graduated from Colorado State University, which he illegally attended on a foreign student's visa, claiming to have been born in Yemen. While still at CSU, he (allegedly) went to Afghanistan to train with the mujahideen, where he was allegedly radicalized. Seems like he would have needed to have been radicalized before he went, but we aren't told how this rich boy was radicalized in Colorado. Despite being a radical, he then went to George Washington University to work on his PhD in education. As radicals and imams do.

The usual BS we are sold by the Intel communities. This indicates Nicole's uncle Stansbury is a spook working fake court cases, like many others we have blown the cover of.

Note the Arlington, VA, there, along with all the other locations. But let's return to the Zedecks. The Hollywood David Zedeck's parents are listed as still alive in Islip, Jack and Lorraine. . . Finally, I found a link. These Zedecks of Central Long Island (Islip, Babylon), related to the David Zedeck of Beverly Hills, also have links to Parkland, FL. See for example Maurice Zedeck, 88. Well, Nicole also has links to Parkland through her Zedecks, see her cousins Jordan and Benjamin. That's because her (great?)uncle Leonard is from there, as well as Jupiter. We are told Leonard worked with Murray Zedeck the big banker in a large real estate company in that area (or actually many of them). So we now have the two Zedecks with family in the same town, strongly indicating they are related. Murray's father is given as Benjamin in one of his bios, and we find a Benjamin Zedek, later Zedeck, in Albany, and his Geni page is managed by Murray. Our Zedecks are also from Albany, with some of them having the locations of Ballston Lake and Clifton Park. Benjamin is not listed with a son Murray, but that is because Murray is still alive. They don't list living relatives. At any rate, these Zedeks of New York are not just Jewish, they are HaKohens. Of the high priestly class. So that fits in here like buttered fingers in a glove. It also allows us to link Nicole's Zedecks back to New York, as well as to give us a second town match with Albany. So we now have a probable match based on locations that Nicole is related to the big talent agency/music festival guy in Hollywood. That would start to explain why they used a music festival in this current fake event. Otherwise it is inexplicable. Now we just need to link to a paragliding company, to explain that. Speaking of which, one of my French readers just sent me this link, about EU Ambassador Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, who paraglided in July in Gaza to “show the way” to the Palestinians. Remember, Kuhn=Kohen, so we have the usual telegraphing of an event.

And in other news, it is being reported that the Red Cross is AWOL, refusing to check on the “hostages” in Gaza. That just confirms again this is all a fraud, though nobody but me is reading it in the logical way. How can the Red Cross check on hostages that don't exist? You would think the CIA would be able to bring the Red Cross under the hoax umbrella, but I guess they forgot to write them into the script. President of Israel Isaac Herzog is quoted today as saying all Palestinians are now war targets, “all responsible”, but that somehow that is not against international laws of warfare. Israel is ordering the evacuation of huge areas and cutting off their water and electricity and food supplies. UN High Commissioner Volker Turk has admitted all that is strictly illegal, since a country cannot target civilian populations in that manner. All this has been illegal since the time of the US Civil War and before, which is just one reason our treatment of the Natives was seen as so heinous. So even if you believe the mainstream story of the “war” so far, you should be shocked at Israel's response. They appear to be using it as an excuse for genocide. And these people can't figure out why they aren't liked. The Jews seem to be trying to use this manufactured conflict to generate sympathy for themselves, but as usual they are shooting themselves in the foot high caliber. We are finding out the left in the US was already sympathetic to Palestine, and though places like Breitbart and Gateway Pundit want you to believe Israel has strong support from the right, that isn't true, either. It has the support of Republican political leaders and the military, but almost no support from voters on the right. The only conservatives in the US who support Israel are conservative Jews and some fundamentalist Christian sects who are philoSemitic. The rest of us are sick to death of the whole subject. We wish these people would colonize the Moon and leave us be of their fake projects and conjobs.

So the timing and form of this latest fraud is the worst possible for them. It not only puts eyes on them, generating more revolutionary fervor at the grassroots, it hurts the Republican party and these conservative voices like Breitbart, Gateway Pundit, and all the rest. People are ditching those sites in droves, due to this alone. And it undercuts support for Trump and any other conservative candidates talking about supporting the new war in Israel. I have news for you: the American people don't support ANY new war. They are sick to death of the Old World Order of constant fake wars, draining the treasuries and stealing taxes, and they do not support a New World Order that does the same. They can see that as bad as the Old World was, the New World is even worse. The only good news, if you could call it that, is that Infowars has seen the writing on the wall here and is already pulling back quickly from its early support of this narrative. Today it is leading with stories on the ADL using this event to crack down on free speech, and the Isaac Herzog story—admitting that Israel's over-reaction is shocking and even suspicious. Except that, in another lead story, they are still selling the Peace Party massacre as real and selling newer fake films of Hamas taking hostages and setting houses on fire. So they have a long way to go. This is to be expected, since Infowars' main job is to keep fear levels high. The manner isn't so important, and they can even appear to be revolutionary as long as the message is fear and division. And if their message is contradictory and garbled, both pro-Israel and con, so much the better: it keeps your mind properly stirred, so you can't figure out anything and therefore cannot act.

Introduction Public Schools The Family American Symbols and Holidays Christianity and Churches The LGBTQ+ Agenda Immigration Antiwhiteism Censorship Cowardly Conservatives Conclusion Copyright Info  

Introduction

Conservatives, or who should really just be called normal humans who maintain the basic values, traditions, and social norms that individuals, families, and communities have lived by since ancient times, are under attack by a barrage of deeply disturbing ideologies and well-funded institutions that can only be described as insane—or evil. Instead of being relegated to a fringe group in a dark corner of the Internet or the subjects of a documentary looking into the lives of degenerate weirdos for viewers’ entertainment, these insane people and their agendas are being promoted in public schools and Universities, by Hollywood celebrities and award-winning shows and films, and boosted by the algorithms on the Big Tech social media platforms. Even major food brands and retailers are awash in this new breed of Leftist propaganda. The onslaught of wokeness is even gaining support in the legal system with draconian laws being snuck through Democratcontrolled state legislatures which undermine the very foundation of what America once stood for. We now have Marxists in our own Congress calling for the removal of American symbols, the erasure of our history, and the systemic demonization of White people. The communication tools our society now relies on are being used to censor those who push back against their agenda too loud, and countless activist media outlets exist for the sole purpose of being attack dogs for the regime and smear its enemies as “racists,” “transphobes,” “antisemites,” and an array of other defamatory labels they hope will stick. Children, being impressionable and vulnerable, are one of the enemy’s prime targets. And in recent years it’s become common in public

schools across the country for teachers to sexualize their students as young as preschoolers—having kids engage in LGBTQ Pride parades at school, and the mainstream media now promotes pre-teen boys dressing in drag and young girls getting their breasts surgically removed if they feel uncomfortable with their body or unsure of their gender.1 Freaks, who in past generations you would only see featured on the Jerry Springer Show, are now credentialed teachers and proudly post videos on TikTok bragging about what they’re doing with their students. The U.S. Military is openly recruiting and celebrating gays, lesbians, and transgenders.2 Kids’ cartoons are promoting gender bending drag queens to their young impressionable audiences on Disney+ and Nickelodeon.3 What had always been seen as an adult form of entertainment at gay night clubs in seedy parts of the inner city is now being performed for small children at schools and libraries across the country.4 Many of our cherished holidays are even under attack from those within our own country. Such disgruntled citizens (and illegal aliens) were once relegated to shouting on the street corner, but now their anti-American ideas have taken root and mainstream Marxist Democrats are openly calling for the destruction of statues of the Founding Fathers, abolishing the national anthem, and even replacing the American flag.5 They hate the foundation of our country, including the Bill Rights and the freedoms Americans have enjoyed since 1776. And there’s not just an ongoing assault on our nation’s symbols and founders, but on Capitalism itself with many Democrats continuously nudging us toward socialism. The COVID lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 warmed millions of Americans up to the idea of getting free handouts from the government while they sit at home instead of going to work. And calls for issuing a Universal Basic Income, or UBI—free money to those unwilling to work, are increasing.6 Antifa, the Marxist foot-soldiers who show up to intimidate, threaten, and attack attendees at Conservative events, are now commonplace in cities across the country, and they’re allowed to act with impunity and face no legal consequences for the violence they carry out, which is either ignored by the media or blamed on Trump supporters for “inciting it” by simply existing. In their efforts to overthrow the United States and collapse us into the New World Order, our country has been flooded with a steady stream of millions of illegal aliens from third world countries for decades. These

people aren’t just future Democrat voters, but they further reduce the White majority and erode patriotism in America because most of them aren’t interested in becoming Americans and don’t care about our history, values, or customs—they just simply want to take advantage of what America has. They’ll never assimilate, and instead just further weaken the bonds that hold our cultural fabric together. To entice the caravans of migrants to continue coming, Democrats offer them free housing, free healthcare, free education, and an endless list of welfare benefits which further stresses our sputtering financial system. We’re already so far in debt as a nation that it’s impossible to repay, and things are getting to the point where even paying the interest on the national debt may be impossible.7 The only way out of such a financial hole is to print more money—a lot more. Which means hyperinflation—drastically eroding the value of the dollar and skyrocketing prices, which will likely lead to what some call the Great Reset. A primary tactic to sow discontent and foment social unrest is the promotion of antiwhiteism (anti-White racism) under the banner of Critical Race Theory, which is a scholarly sounding veneer used to cause racial strife by opening old wounds that healed long ago and blaming White people for all the current problems and shortcomings Black people have today. Critical Race Theory disguises antiwhiteism as supposed “history” and promotes the conspiracy theory that White supremacy is woven into the fabric of America and at the heart of our institutions. While we’ve had racial injustices in the past (as with every multicultural country or region throughout history) and struggled to overcome the conflicts between different ethnic groups living among each other, by the end of the 20th century race relations were quite harmonic in the United States—only to begin deteriorating in the 21st century under President Obama who constantly stoked the embers of what was nearly an extinguished fire, reigniting racial and class conflicts and using Black Lives Matter to fan the flames. They’re “woke” they say, which just means they blame others for their own personal failures under the guise of “oppression” which is either imaginary or self imposed so they can portray themselves as victims who insist deserve special treatment. Wokeness is just another synonym for Marxism and is used to gather more supporters for the cause.

And of the Conservatives being targeted in this current culture war, Christians are enemy number one because of their adherence to traditional (normal) family values and customs. The Left’s vicious hatred for Christianity has no bounds with Christian holidays, symbols, and businesses now under constant attack.8 The forces manipulating our society are more than just social media algorithms amplifying absurdities, perverts, and antiwhiteism; although the Big Tech platforms are a large part of the problem. There’s also Operation Mockingbird secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes of the “news” networks, Wikipedia masquerading as an “encyclopedia,” Google curating search results and burying websites and articles containing information they don’t want the general public to know; and now various artificial intelligence “chatbots” which present just as biased information because their programmers have placed strict parameters on the kinds of answers they can give and the content they can generate.9 Of course the high priests of Hollywood are in lockstep, building up false idols whose behaviors and ideologies are modeled by millions of mentally enslaved morons. What most people mindlessly consume as “entertainment” is carefully crafted political propaganda designed to incrementally desensitize the population to various ideas and activities; slowly shifting sensibilities and encouraging radical new notions. The advent of social media proved to be a powerful tool against mainstream media, ultimately revolutionizing countless industries—from how customer service is conducted by businesses, to how people consume TV shows, movies, and music. Through Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (the first three massive platforms to become centerpieces in society), various “personalities” and independent media companies organically grew massive audiences by utilizing the new technology which allowed anyone to post and distribute their reports to millions (for free), which had previously required enormous and expensive infrastructure to accomplish. It wasn’t until after Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory that mainstream media conglomerates fully realized the average individual in their kitchen on a laptop was now on an even playing field with them, and their information monopoly had slipped through their fingers. What was once seen as a technological novelty that people used to keep in touch with old friends also meant they could share a local news story that may end up being seen by so many others it becomes a national story by going viral.

People also couldn’t help but notice how the mainstream media acted as gatekeepers and purposefully ignored crime patterns and other issues that should have been widely covered. So the mainstream media struck back, co-opting the Big Tech social media platforms, partnering with them—and they were soon transformed into extensions of the mainstream media instead of alternatives, and the good old days were over. The brand name conglomerates weaseled their way back into a position of dominance over the flow of information. Donald Trump winning the 2016 Presidential Election shocked much of the country, if not the world. Hillary Clinton had been expected to win and most of the media portrayed her victory as inevitable—as if it was her “right” to be the next president, which compounded Democrats’ disappointment when she ultimately failed. Once the shock began to wear off, instead of coming to grips with the outcome, a vicious war was launched in hopes of destroying the Trump administration by any means necessary. Plans to impeach him were drawn up before he was even inaugurated.10 Then throughout his administration, he and his associates were relentlessly attacked by Deep State operatives in the intelligence agencies, frivolous lawsuits in the courts, Operation Mockingbird mouthpieces in the “news” media, and his supporters faced increasing censorship on social media. Trump would have been banned from Twitter shortly after the 2020 election even if the January 6th protest hadn’t turned into a riot because the media and the Democrats had manufactured an image of him as a dangerous monster, and numerous politicians including Kamala Harris had been demanding he be banned from social media even before the election.11 But the provocateured and staged false flag “insurrection” was the pretense they were looking for to finally purge him from all the Big Tech platforms and further crackdown on his supporters. Republicans who doubted the outcome of the 2020 election or voiced concerns about Democrats stealing it were now censored on social media, despite Democrats making the same allegations for four straight years prior. But now any talk of a stolen election was “dangerous,” and “undermines our Democracy.” Only in communist countries and other dictatorships are citizens not allowed to question the legitimacy of the ruling party, and that’s what happened in America.

They’re also engaging in what’s called lawfare (legal warfare), which means using the legal system to harass and persecute one’s enemies. Donald Trump, his associates, and his supporters have all been swept up in crippling legal entanglements—while the justice system allows the Biden and Clinton crime families, and Black Lives Matter and Antifa foot soldiers to operate above the law. Many January 6th defendants who weren’t even accused of assaulting police or vandalism during the infamous protest at the Capitol that day were denied bail and held in jail for several years until their trials.12 Many of these same political prisoners were then sentenced to extremely harsh and unfair prison time for technically just trespassing if they happened to be members of the Proud Boys, or became symbols of the protest like the “QAnon Shaman” and the guy who was photographed with his feet resting on Nancy Pelosi’s desk. They were all sentenced to years in prison13 One of the first actions the Justice Department took once Joe Biden was sworn into office was indicting a Twitter user named Douglas Mackey for posting a meme five years earlier back in 2016 joking that Democrats could “skip the lines” on election day by “texting” in their vote instead.14 A common joke posted every election year by people from both political parties, along with the one about the “friendly reminder” that the opposing political party votes on Wednesday. Nobody is fooled by such posts because they’re obvious jokes. And not a single person took the meme about Democrats being able to “text” in their vote for Hillary Clinton seriously, but Douglas Mackey (who went by “Ricky Vaughn” on Twitter) was still indicted for “election interference!”15 He was later sentenced to seven months in federal prison.16 Legal battles often take years and easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions to defend. Those found innocent (or not liable in a civil case) usually can’t recoup any of those costs. They may win the case, but are still destroyed financially. The head of Joseph Stalin’s secret police force in the Soviet Union infamously said, “Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime,” and the power of prosecutors to abuse their authority is widely known even in western Democracies. Former Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson admitted in some cases, “it is not a question of discovering the commission of a crime and then looking for the man who has committed it, it is a

question of picking the man and then searching the law books, or putting investigators to work, to pin some offense on him.”17 He goes on, “It is in this realm—in which the prosecutor picks some person whom he dislikes or desires to embarrass, or selects some group of unpopular persons and then looks for an offense, that the greatest danger of abuse of prosecuting power lies. It is here that law enforcement becomes personal, and the real crime becomes that of being unpopular with the predominant or governing group, being attached to the wrong political views, or being personally obnoxious to or in the way of the prosecutor himself.”18 The U.S. Supreme Court has found that even though the law may be “fair on its face, and impartial in appearance” it can still be “applied and administered by public authority with an evil eye and an unequal hand,” allowing prosecutors to make “unjust and illegal discriminations between persons in similar circumstances,” thus violating their civil rights by using the very mechanisms of government that are supposed to protect them.19 The FBI used disinformation to get a FISA warrant to spy on the Trump campaign in order to create the false narrative he conspired with Russians to “steal” the 2016 election. After his administration was bogged down for years, the Mueller investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing and when Robert Mueller finally testified about his investigation, he proved to be an embarrassing and bumbling old man who couldn’t even convincingly articulate why it was launched in the first place.20 But the lawfare continued, with prosecutors ultimately indicting Trump for paying Stormy Daniels to sign an NDA to keep quiet about their alleged affair (claiming it was an unreported campaign expense), then for keeping some documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence from his time in the White House; and soon after that for other trumped up charges (no pun intended) claiming he orchestrated a “criminal conspiracy” trying to steal the 2020 election. All signs of a banana republic and a collapsing society. And sadly, we aren’t just opposed by a matrix of enemies on the Left, but also from within our own ranks. Brand name “Republicans” and corporate “Conservatives” have been too cowardly for years to stand up against what’s happening to our culture—afraid of being called “homophobic” or “racist.” Only recently since the insanity has boiled over and infected elementary school children’s cartoons and soiled

advertisements from big box retailers and the U.S. military have they dared say anything. And it wasn’t until censorship of Conservatives had snowballed out of control and swept up mainstream figures (culminating in the seated President at the time, Donald Trump, being banned from all Big Tech platforms) that brand name Conservative news outlets, pundits, and Republican members of Congress finally began speaking out about what many of us independent YouTubers had been shouting from the rooftops about for years. You’ve seen what’s happening. And even though you may try to keep up with the news, there’s only so much time in the day for that among all the other obligations of life. Unless your full-time job is following politics or pop culture, it’s impossible to know the full extent of the damage being done to society, but it’s clear to anyone that we are facing relentless assaults on numerous fronts. And as the weeks, months, and years fly by, we tend to lose perspective on where things are and how much they’ve changed. The shock wears off, and the “new normal” sets in. Like the proverbial frog slowly boiling in the pot unaware of what’s happening because of the small but incremental temperature increases, most people won’t see the big picture of what the Marxists are doing to America until it’s too late. So before we get to the point of no return (which hopefully we haven’t already crossed) mute your phone, schedule some quiet time for yourself, and let’s take a close look at how the pieces of the puzzle all fit together in The War on Conservatives.  

Public Schools

Public schools (which should really be called government schools) were once a place for kids to learn the basic knowledge needed to get through life: reading, writing, and arithmetic; along with history, geography, science, and a few others; but in recent years they have become indoctrination centers where Leftists use the captive audience of young and impressionable minds to shape future generations into the mold of Marxism. “Give me a child when he’s seven, and we’ll have him for life,” is an old maxim attributed to numerous individuals throughout history from the Greek philosopher Aristotle to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. Whoever said it doesn’t matter because the statement conveys the obvious importance of early education and how what a child is taught when they’re young can shape their character and beliefs for the rest of their lives. It’s now commonplace in public schools across the country for teachers to not just hang LGBTQ+ rainbow “Pride” flags up in their classrooms, but stock their libraries with sexually explicit queer books, and countless teachers are now “coming out” to their students as gay, lesbian, and gender non-binary—even posting the videos on TikTok.21 Many schools are inviting drag queens to put on “performances” for the kids and hold “Pride” parades every June to kick off queer Pride Month.22 Activities that had previously always been contained in seedy gay bars have now been imported into elementary schools across America.23 Most LGBT teachers who have infiltrated the schools are openly grooming young students hoping to convince them to question their own gender and experiment with their sexuality. And instead of just teaching history (which contains atrocities, and embarrassing actions carried out by

every culture around the world), the woke system is intent on indoctrinating students to think that not much has changed from 1850s until now in the United States. And even though slavery ended after the Civil War they still insist that America has “White supremacy” woven into the very fabric of our society. Every institution—from the legal system and schools to businesses and sports are supposedly secretly being run by “White supremacists” and keeping Black people down!24 It’s all being done under the cover of Critical Race Theory which is further disguised under the label of “history,” but the agenda is the same. As countless proponents of Critical Race Theory have openly admitted, the principles and concepts are the same ones teachers are using to indoctrinate children with while avoiding the term itself in hopes of hiding their motive. “Critical Race Theory” is really just a code word for antiwhiteism (anti-White racism), and it’s now common for teachers to have Black Lives Matter flags hanging in their classrooms. Project Veritas was able to give everyone a close look at the mindset of these teachers when they caught one on hidden camera during an undercover investigation in Sacramento, California where he admitted he was trying to turn his students into “revolutionaries.”25 He had a poster of Chinese communist dictator Mao Zedong on the wall in his classroom as well—not as an educational tool about history or communism, but because the teacher himself is an avowed communist. When Project Veritas later confronted him while he was out walking his dog to ask about what they had captured him on video saying, he was literally wearing a giant hammer and sickle communist tank top! A school board meeting held the next day was packed with parents who demanded he be fired.26 Surprisingly he was, but how many other literal communists are working as teachers doing the same thing and go unnoticed by school officials and parents? During a meeting of the American Federation of Teachers Union, a Colorado teacher boasted that there were fellow Marxists in the crowd and called for a “forceful cultural revolution” in America against “whiteness.”27



FBI Investigates Parents

After a wave of parents began showing up to school board meetings and telling off the administrators for mandating children wear COVID masks in school all day and subjecting the students to gender bending propaganda and Critical Race Theory (antiwhiteism), the National School Boards Association sent a letter to the Biden administration literally comparing parents who were slightly aggressive or a bit rowdy during the meetings to domestic terrorists.28 Less than a week later the Department of Justice sent a memo to the FBI instructing them to investigate alleged “threats” made to school boards by parents, and so the FBI’s counterintelligence division began opening investigations. One case involved a mother who told her local school board “we’re coming for you” during a meeting, which was interpreted as a threat (when it was an obvious figure of speech about exposing them and voting them out) but an investigation was launched into her anyway.29 Another investigation was launched after someone reported a parent to the FBI because he “rails against the government” and “has a lot of guns.”30 Joe Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland testified to Congress that antiterrorism tools (like spying on their social media activity) had not been used against any of the protesting parents, but seven months later an FBI whistleblower revealed that they actually had.31 The New York Times even blamed the Proud Boys (a right-wing men’s social club, similar to a Moose Lodge or The Elks) for the increasing turnout at school board meetings by angry parents who got fed up with their children being indoctrinated with queer theory and antiwhiteism. Their headline read, “Proud Boys Regroup, Focusing on School Boards and Town Councils,” and the article detailed in horror that “The far-right nationalist group has become increasingly active at school board meetings and town council gatherings across the country.”32

Others like MSNBC host Jason Johnson suggested the pushback against school boards was being fueled by “white nationalists” as well.33 Mother Jones, a Leftist online outlet warned, “School boards have long been a tool of White supremacy” and that the “once-innocuous local gatherings have become anti–critical race theory caucuses administered by white people.”34 The Columbus Dispatch in Ohio echoed this sentiment telling their readers that “racists may be coming to a school board near you.”35



“Cultural Discipline”   

Some schools are even adopting a practice called “Cultural Discipline” or “Transformative Education Professional Development & Grading,” which means they’re allowing Black students to get away with causing trouble and handing out lesser punishments to them if they are disciplined because of concerns the school may be perceived as being “racist” since more Black students cause trouble than White students (because they statistically tend to come from fatherless homes and don’t grow up with the proper discipline) and thuggery is often glorified and celebrated in Black culture.36 The schools adopting this practice are framing it as taking an “equitable” approach to punishment and discipline.37 Notice the Orwellian change of terms recently from equality to equity. Marxists don’t want people to be treated equally. They want special privileges granted to nonWhite people (and queers) to supposedly “make up” for past “injustices” they claim haven’t been remedied.38 Schools are even adopting policies of not docking students’ grades for missing class, misbehavior, and failing to turn in their assignments on time because those methods “disproportionately hurt the grades of Black students,” they say.39 Not issuing detentions and suspensions to Black students who deserve them and letting their bad behavior go unpunished is rationalized by the same ridiculous argument we see from people who claim there must be “systemic racism” in police departments across the country because Black people are arrested for committing violent crime at levels nearly ten times that of White people (per capita).40 It’s uncomfortable for most people to face the fact that Black men commit astonishingly more crimes per capita than White people, so of course they’re going to get arrested more! And an important side note about what per capita means, since most Liberals don’t know anything about statistics. Often when people point out

the Black Crime statistics and mention the fact that Black people are 13% of the U.S. population, but commit 50% of the total violent crimes, some Liberals will look up the murder statistics in the United States and claim “that’s not accurate.” But it is. Those who deny the facts about Black Crime are only comparing the total number of murders committed by White people to the total number committed by Blacks, but don’t take into consideration that Blacks are only 13% of the U.S. population.41 The term per capita means per person, or the average number per group, and is a more accurate way of reporting statistics, but because Liberals are ignorant about most things—they just don’t get it. Since the White population is still an extremely higher percentage of the overall population in the United States, it would be common sense that White people would account for a higher number of murders, but we’re talking about percentages per group here. And the uncomfortable reality is that Black people make up only 13% of the U.S. population, but commit half of all violent crime as a whole.42 And the vast majority of those perpetrators are Black males, so if you really want to get down to specifics, 6% of the US population (since half of the total Black population are males, and they’re the ones who commit virtually all the violent crime compared to females out of the group) the scary reality is that a tiny demographic of the American population (6%—the Black males) are responsible for half of the violent crime in the country! Nobody would argue that police are being “sexist” because men are arrested far more often than women for committing violent crime, because everyone knows that men commit more violent crime than women! But admitting the obvious facts about Black Crime is deemed “racist.” And when the figures of students who are punished for misbehaving and causing disruptions in school are broken down by race, it shouldn’t be surprising to find the same patterns that are shown in crime statistics. But the actual reason for such a wide disparity raises uncomfortable questions, so instead of addressing the root of the problem, “racism” is blamed.



Removing Honors Classes

Schools across the country have been ending honor classes along with gifted and talented programs because administrators are worried that they may appear as if they’re “discriminating” against Black and Latino students because the programs tend to be dominated by White and Asian students.43 Proponents of such idiocy are calling it a more “equitable” education, the social justice buzzword meaning there are too many White students in the programs.44 In San Diego, the entire school district changed the grading system because Hispanic students’ grades were on average significantly lower than White students because of the language barrier since so many of them are illegal aliens or anchor babies born and raised by Mexican parents who speak little to no English themselves.45 Before the change, 23% of D or F grades went to Hispanics, another 23% went to Native Americans, and 20% to Black students, while only 7% went to White students.”46 In hopes of making the grades more “equitable” the district stopped docking students’ grades for assignments that are turned in late. So now there are basically no deadlines for homework which will just further incentivize students not to schedule their time properly to do it, and they’ll just keep watching TikTok videos or playing videogames all night instead. A Minnesota school announced they were no longer going to be giving students F’s in order to “combat systemic racism.”47 And homework doesn’t get marked down if it’s turned in late anymore there too, and students’ grades are no longer effected by tardiness or detentions for bad behavior either. Standardized tests have been deemed “racist” as well. The National Education Association says, “Since  their inception almost a century ago, the tests have been instruments of racism and a biased system. Decades of research demonstrate that Black, Latin(o/a/x), and Native students, as well

as students from some Asian groups, experience bias from standardized tests administered from early childhood through college.”48 Of course the whole point of a standardized test is that all students take the same test! But now the Marxists want affirmative action-style tests so Black and Hispanic students can get different questions (easier questions) in order to artificially and unfairly boost their test scores! “We still think there’s something wrong with the kids rather than recognizing there’s something wrong with the tests,” said race hustler Ibram X. Kendi, who heads up the laughable “Antiracist Research & Policy Center at Boston  University.”49 He says that, “standardized tests have become the most effective racist weapon ever devised to objectively degrade Black and Brown minds and legally exclude their bodies from prestigious schools.”50 During the 2020 election cycle, at a town hall event Joe Biden was asked by a lunatic in the audience if he would promise to put an end to “racist” standardized tests, and he responded “yes.”51



Teachers Coming Out as Gay to Their Class

Until very recently, teachers would never talk about their personal lives in the classroom. Students didn’t know if they were single, dating someone, married, or divorced, because their personal relationships have no bearing on the material students need to learn at school. But now it’s commonplace for teachers who are LGBTQ to announce their sexual preferences to their students in hopes of getting the kids to start talking with them about sex or experiment with homosexuality themselves. The Libs of TikTok Twitter account, which is dedicated to finding videos posted publicly on TikTok by Liberal teachers and other odd individuals who keep coming up with new “genders,” has highlighted countless teachers who don’t just make TikTok videos talking about how they’ve “come out” to their students as LGBTQ. Some of them actually record their speech on their phones and then post those videos on TikTok! One teacher made the announcement she was a lesbian to every class that day so all of her students heard her speech.52 Many of the students cheered since they’ve been conditioned to celebrate such behavior. Another TikTok video posted by a teacher shows her explaining that she took down the American flag in her classroom and hid it because it’s an “offensive symbol,” but has an LGBT Pride flag hanging in her room and when a student asked what they were supposed to do during the Pledge of Allegiance she told them to pledge allegiance to the Pride flag.53 One queer high school teacher posted a video he recorded inside his classroom bragging about how “most days” he comes to school wearing stilettos, “and the reason why is so I can create an explicitly queer space for all my students. That way they know this place is a place for them, by them, and cuz I never had one of these growing up.”54 In the video he showed off his high heels. It’s important to understand that these aren’t just a few rare or isolated instances. The Libs of TikTok Twitter account regularly reposts

videos that are found on TikTok to raise awareness about just how widespread the problem is and to show how many teachers are talking with their students about their sexuality or trying to confuse the kids about which gender they are.



“Gender Non-Binary” Teachers

But it’s not just gay and lesbian teachers who feel they need to “come out” to their students these days. Libs of TikTok has also uncovered numerous teachers (many of whom are elementary school teachers), “coming out” as “gender non-binary” to the kids (someone who doesn’t consider themselves to be a man or a woman, but neither!) Blue and green-haired freaks who were once only found loitering in the streets of inner cities or working at adult video stores are now teaching elementary school children and preschool across the country. One woman (with green hair as usual) explains, “So I’m a nonbinary elementary school teacher, and my kids know I’m non-binary, they know I’m not a girl or a boy, I use ‘they’ ‘them’ pronouns in the classroom. We work on it. Not all the kids get it. That’s okay. And I go by Mx. Gray in the classroom, not Miss or Mister—Mx. And today one of the kids goes, ‘hey, we’ve got two boy teachers in the classroom because the other teacher in the classroom at the time was a guy. And I go, no there’s not. I’m not a girl or a boy, remember? And she goes ‘oh my God. Wait, does that mean you’re dead? So, I think that’s my new gender now.”55 Of course a three-year-old doesn’t understand what the hell her lunatic teacher means by saying she’s not a boy or a girl. How could any child begin to comprehend such nonsense? And what kind of school wouldn’t escort the teacher from the property immediately after learning that they’re saying they aren’t a man or a woman and trying to confuse the children with such mentally deranged insanity? One polyamorous gender-fluid witch (polyamorous meaning in open relationships with numerous different sexual partners) who teaches preschool in Florida posted a video on TikTok saying how proud she is to talk with her 4-year-old students about her sexuality.56 And that’s not a typo, she also identifies as a witch. The list goes on and on of preschool and

elementary school teachers who post TikTok videos boasting that they’re teaching children about “transness” and “queerness.”57 One preschool teacher explained that she hands out “pronoun pins” to the 4-year-olds she teaches every day so they can choose which “gender” they want to be that day. “We have some that pick, like, ‘she’ / ‘her’ every single day, and we have some that change it up.”58 When I was in high school in the 1990s if a teacher put up a gay Pride flag, we would have torn it down every time they stepped out of the classroom into the hallway, and no one would have said who did it. And if they replaced it, the same thing would happen every single day until they gave up. And if a teacher came out as a “gender non-binary” and started talking about they weren’t a man or a woman, the parents in the community wouldn’t have even needed to get involved because we the students would have run them out of town ourselves. Virtually any community in America would have run such freaks out of town in previous generations (or even hung them in the town square depending how far back it was) if they started telling elementary school children that boys could be girls and girls could be boys or made an announcement that they were queer, but today these creatures are allowed to make children participate in their fetishes and delusions by affirming their “identity” and most schools and parents are doing nothing to stop them!59



Sexual Predator Teachers Now Allowed

Teachers even vaguely hinting at anything sexual with their students has always been a major red flag that they were a predator, and even the most subtle reference to anything sexual would have immediately been condemned by administrators and a dark cloud of suspicion would have hung over them for the rest of their career. Each year students would pass on word of the incident to the incoming students in the freshman class and such behavior would become part of school lore. The rumors would never stop. Students with younger siblings would tell them what happened and they would tell their friends, and the teacher would never live it down, and in most cases would have been fired immediately. But now if the teacher is gay or bisexual, they often openly brag in TikTok videos about what they’re doing and the grooming agenda has gone full speed ahead. All while the media runs stories defending the practice and accusing Conservatives of being “homophobic” and going on a “witch hunt.”60 The Government Accountability Office [GAO] published a report back in 2014 warning about the dangers of sexual predator teachers in public schools, recommending administrators be on the lookout for “grooming behaviors” that are “part of a pattern of behavior and are done with the intent to perpetrate future sexual abuse or misconduct.”61 In 2015 The Washington Post ran the headline, “More teachers are having sex with their students. Here’s how schools can stop them.”62 The article noted that the previous year there were 781 teachers or school employees were accused or convicted of sexual relationships with students, and cites social media as the primary method perpetrators use to first start communicating with their victims. In 2019 the Iowa Department of Education published a guidebook to help teachers and administrators identify grooming in public schools, listing one of the red flags as (obviously) “talking about student sexuality” and

having “inappropriate and personal conversations with students.”63 But now queer teachers grooming students using these exact same methods is widely acceptable behavior.



Gay Pride Parades in Schools 

Once something that was always confined to inner city streets in places like New York and Los Angeles, gay Pride parades and “celebrations” are now regular occurrences in public schools across America.64 They call them “Pride” parades now instead of gay Pride parades, because that name wasn’t inclusive enough for the transgenders, pansexuals, and all the rest of the gender-bending degenerates who all fall under the queer umbrella. And young children who don’t yet know what differentiates gay and transgender people from normal people are being deceived about what the events are for. They’re told that “Pride” celebrations are just about people celebrating “who they are” and anyone who is “different,” or that it’s about “diversity,” while masking what is actually being celebrated. Teachers are using classical conditioning techniques to associate the rainbow “Pride” flag with positive feelings—and like new members of a cult, the kids aren’t being told what the group actually believes in hopes of incrementally indoctrinating them in order to make them more receptive to what’s really going on so it won’t appear as a sudden shock, causing them to possibly turn away. Girls have always loved rainbows, and to innocent children they symbolize magic because they’re such a rare occurrence. Most people only see naturally occurring rainbows a few times throughout their lives, but the LGBTQ movement has turned it into a sexual kink fetish symbol. In 2022 “Pride Month” debauchery went supernova with countless schools across the country holding drag queen events for children. It’s not just one or two, or even a handful of isolated instances—it’s now a common occurrence. And not just in high schools. Drag queen “Pride” events targeting children as young as two years old are now commonplace.65 Schools regularly host drag queen story hour, and other drag queen themed events, like “drag queen bingo” night, and drag queen talent

shows.66 A middle school in New York even welcomed a drag queen to teach boys how to apply drag makeup.67 There are too many such events to list here. And many public schools are now forcing kids to study “gay history.” As of 2023 at least six states require schools to teach it, including California (which was the first, as usual), along with New Jersey, Illinois, Oregon, Colorado, and Nevada.68 And not just in high schools, but middle schools and elementary schools too.69 In one Illinois school, prekindergarten children are given an “introduction” to the rainbow flags and gender identity, and third graders are taught that White European colonizers “forced two-spirit people to conform to the gender binary.”70 A Florida school took elementary students on a field trip to a local gay bar to teach them about Pride Month.71 Michigan’s Democrat attorney general said she wants “a drag queen for every school.”72 But the Leftists aren’t satisfied with “Pride” month events now being the norm at schools across the country throughout the month of June so some schools now have “Back to School Pride Festivals” to celebrate queerness as the new school year begins.73 Some people are now calling summer “Pride season” because they’re not satisfied with “just” one month dedicated to them.74 Project Veritas caught the dean of students at a Chicago area high school on undercover video bragging that he had dildos, butt plugs, and lube passed around to students (as young as 14) and was excited they were interested in how to use the butt plugs.75 Of course the dean is a queer himself. It’s nobody’s business what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom they used to say, but now the queers won’t shut up about it and insist on sharing their lifestyles with children and demand they celebrate it with them. A math teacher in Huntington Beach, California forced students to watch an LGBTQ Pride Month propaganda video and many of them revolted. One student caught this on video and posted it online showing them booing, making barfing sounds, and asking “Why are you showing this to kids?” The teacher then threatened them with a Saturday detention, claiming they were being “inappropriate.”76



Drag Queen Story Hour Pedagogy

Drag shows have always been considered adult entertainment because of their inherent sexual nature. And it’s always been gay—there has never been a single heterosexual drag queen in the history of the world, with the exception of some men dressing in drag as a joke because of the absurdity of it—something that has always been viewed as such, with depictions in popular films and sketch comedy bits on TV. But the Marxists are now using drag as a way to indoctrinate children into gender bending and other queer activities instead of making people laugh at how odd it is for men to dress as women. On one hand they try to claim it’s just “entertainment” for the kids and there’s “nothing sexual about it,” while on the other admit that they are strategically using it as a pedagogy, meaning a method of teaching, in hopes of sparking “queer imagination” in the children, “strategic defiance against social norms” and the “destigmatization of shame.”77 In an article published in the educational journal Curriculum Inquiry they admit, “Drag queens have historically been relegated to the realm of the night. In the past few years, however, drag performers have made their way from the dimly lit bars of gayborhoods [gay neighborhoods] and into the fluorescent lights of libraries and classrooms.”78 It goes on to say “positioning queer and trans cultural forms” are “valuable components of early childhood education” and they encourage teachers to use Drag Queen Story Hour “as a way of bringing queer ways of knowing and being into the education of young children” and “create spaces for young children and families to immerse themselves in LGBT-themed stories.”79 It was cowritten by a drag queen who goes by the name of “Little Hot Mess” who was featured in an Associated Press video about drag queen story hour where he is seen asking the children “Who wants to be a drag queen when they grow up?”80



Transition Closets 

An increasing number of public schools are now offering what are called “Transition Closets” which include clothes, makeup, and jewelry that students can change into once they arrive at school so they can “transition” their “gender” into something else while hiding it from their parents.81 The idea seems to have been popularized on TikTok (as with nearly all socially toxic tends) and now some schools are receiving grants to fund them.82 An organization called Valid USA aims to “support schools interested in creating gender-affirming wardrobe spaces for trans and nonbinary affirming clothing” by donating clothes and makeup in what they call their Schools Affirming Wardrobe program.83 Their website notes, “We offer a range of complimentary services, including free chest binders, bras, underwear, packers, referrals, and compassionate support from fellow trans peers.”84 These “transition closets” don’t just stock ordinary clothes though. They supply children with binders (not three ring binders, but breast binders to flatten girls’ breasts tight against their chests to help them look more like a boy), as well as “tucking” underwear which help hide the penis and testicles of males who want to look like “girls.” They also include “packing underwear” which contain prosthetic penises and testicles to give girls who wear them the appearance of a bulge in their crotch as if they have male genitalia.85 Many schools are now issuing guidelines to teachers demanding they not tell parents about such activities. A Conservative activist group called Empower Wisconsin obtained a copy of training materials given to teachers in the state’s Eau Claire district which says that “Parents are not entitled to know their kids’ identities. That knowledge must be earned,” meaning they aren’t supposed to tell parents if their child starts gender bending at school.86

New Jersey’s “Transgender Student Guidance for School Districts” says that teachers aren’t allowed to tell a parent if their child “comes out” as “transgender” and mandates all school officials use whatever name or pronoun students want.87 “A school district shall accept a student’s asserted gender identity; parental consent is not required. Further, a student need not meet any threshold diagnosis or treatment requirements to have his or her gender identity recognized and respected by the district, school or school personnel. Nor is a legal or court-ordered name change required. There is no affirmative duty for any school district personnel to notify a student’s parent or guardian of the student’s gender identity or expression,” it says.88 “Schools are advised to work with the student to create an appropriate confidentiality plan regarding the student’s transgender or transitioning status,” it goes on to say. And “a school district shall keep confidential a current, new, or prospective student’s transgender status.”89 Such rules are probably in place in countless districts across the country by now. Parents in Massachusetts sued their child’s school after they found out that teachers were secretly encouraging students to change their gender and use different pronouns while keeping the “transitions” secret from the children’s parents.90 And it’s up to parents to find out whether their children’s schools are engaging in this same behavior. Most parents have no idea because few (normal) people could have imagined such policies would even be considered, let alone actually implemented.



LGBT Children’s Books

The first LGBT children’s books appear to have been published in the early 2000s, such as King and King (2003) about a prince who’s supposed to be marrying a princess, but instead catches the eye of her brother and marries him instead. Another one called And Tango Makes Three (published in 2005) is about two gay penguins who adopt a baby penguin as “their” child, and was written to teach kids about same sex couples. Back then the books barely made any waves with only a few people denouncing them like Bill O’Reilly on his primetime show on Fox News at the time. And most Conservatives who heard of them thought, while they may be strange, they were no cause for alarm and quickly forgot about them. But these LGBT children’s books weren’t rare novelties, they were just the start of an onslaught of this kind of material. And the books that would soon follow weren’t designed to supposedly help parents explain what gay people are and why some children have “two mommies” or why their uncle has a “special friend.” This new wave of LGBTQ children’s books teach children it’s cool for boys to wear dresses and makeup and that they should try dressing in drag and experiment with homosexuality. Jacob’s New Dress, which came out in 2014, encourages young boys to wear dresses. “Jacob loves playing dress-up, when he can be anything he wants to be,” the description on Amazon reads. “Some kids at school say he can’t wear ‘girl’ clothes, but Jacob wants to wear a dress to school. Can he convince his parents to let him wear what he wants? This heartwarming story speaks to the unique challenges faced by children who don’t identify with traditional gender roles.”91 Sparkle Boy (2017) also encourages boys to wear dresses, even if they’re not transgender and still identify as a boy. The book’s description reads, “Casey loves to play with his blocks, puzzles, and dump truck, but he also loves things that sparkle, shimmer, and glitter. When his older sister,

Jessie, shows off her new shimmery skirt, Casey wants to wear a shimmery skirt too.”92 And so he does, and he also starts painting his nails like his older sister too. The parents embrace his new “gender expression,” but his older sister is uncomfortable with it at first, but at the end she accepts his new style and respects it since dresses and “sparkly things” are “for everyone to enjoy.” Julian is a Mermaid (2018) is another book aimed at grooming boys to wear dresses. Big Wig (2022) is another one about a young boy who becomes a drag queen, and was even promoted by Pizza Hut’s Book It! program which encourages young children to read.93 Others are sexually explicit, and unimaginably obscene. One such book titled Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evinson is so explicit that in 2021 when a mother who checked it out from the school’s library and started reading it out loud to the school board meeting they tried to get her to stop. She began, “What if I told you I touched another guy’s dick? What if I told you I sucked it? I was 10 years old, but it’s true. I sucked Doug Goble’s dick, the real estate guy, and he sucked mine, too.”94 A school board member interrupted her, saying, “There are children in the audience here.”95 She responded that if it’s too offensive to read out loud at a school board meeting, then why is it in the school library? Other parents in the audience at the school board meeting cheered her when she was finished speaking. And others across the country began showing up at school board meetings too and reading Lawn Boy and other books like it out-loud, all of which are also found in the schools’ libraries. Videos of the incidents went viral on social media since most schools, like city councils, record their meetings and post the archives online. A graphic novel titled Let’s Talk About It, written by a bisexual man named Matthew Nolan, encourages boys to play with each other’s buttholes, saying “When you’re starting out, explore your butt solo till you get used to it. Lube up and don’t rush,” and tells them, “a great place to research fantasies and kinks safely is on the Internet. There are tons of people and communities out there who share your interests and have all kinds of advice.”96 It also recommends sex toys for kids and promotes sexting.

One of the reviews on Amazon reads, “This is NOT appropriate for teenagers. Some of the content had me and my husband absolutely shocked and horrified! Read this book before you let your children touch it! The book starts off great and about half way through it’s extremely inappropriate, things I don’t even want to detail on this review.”97 A book called Seeing Gender by Iris Gottlieb, which is aimed at teens, contains a chapter titled “Sex work is not a bad term” (meaning prostitution) and glowingly says it’s “one of the oldest jobs in history” and explains that “A person may exchange sex or sexual activity for things they need or want, such as food, housing, hormones, drugs, gifts, or other resources.”98 A school librarian at a middle school in Loudoun Country, Virginia defended the book being on the shelf, saying many of the students “are sex workers” and the book “makes them feel validated.”99 The list of degenerate books aimed at children could fill an entire book in and of itself. Of course many Leftists these days are furious that Conservative parents don’t want these kinds of books in school libraries, denouncing socalled “book bans,” but these same people would be screaming bloody murder if copies of The Turner Diaries were included in school libraries, the novel that inspired Timothy McVeigh to bomb the Oklahoma Federal Building in 1995. And if that book was in a school library, it should outrage parents because obviously certain books are inappropriate for children. Would the parents who claim banning LGBTQ books in school libraries is reminiscent of Nazi Germany want copies of The Anarchist Cookbook, the infamous bomb-making manual, available to the students? What about Playboy magazine or Penthouse? Any reasonable person can admit that some ideas can be dangerous (like books about how to build bombs) and measures should be taken to ensure such materials aren’t planting seeds into the minds of impressionable and irresponsible children.



Anti-Grooming Laws

After the general public became of aware of how pervasive the problem of teachers grooming their students is, discussing their sex lives with them, and encouraging gender bending; Florida passed an antigrooming bill forbidding teachers from discussing sexuality or gender identity with students from preschool through third grade.100 Later expanded through 12th grade.101 It was dubbed the “don’t say gay bill” by Democrats who falsely claim the laws forbid gay teachers from talking about their partners at all. Similar legislation was then introduced in other states, including Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, and Louisiana.102 Sixteen states would eventually move to prohibit teachers from talking about sexual orientation or gender identity with students in the early grades.103 Word finally got out about what the LGBTQ teachers were doing, and parents and state legislatures knew they had to stop them. A major reason Florida’s legislature introduced the bill is because of the Libs of TikTok Twitter account which simply searched TikTok for publicly available videos posted by teachers who were openly bragging about discussing their sexuality with their students and then reposted them on Twitter, bringing them to the attention of others. These videos of the fluorescent-haired freaks often went viral and caught the attention of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and others who decided to draft legislation to stop the groomers. The Washington Post admitted, “Libs of TikTok has become an agenda-setter in right-wing online discourse, and the content it surfaces shows a direct correlation with the recent push in legislation and rhetoric directly targeting the LGBTQ+ community.”104 Media Matters, the George Soros funded Leftist smear merchant, told the Washington Post, “Libs of TikTok is shaping our entire political conversation about the rights of LGBTQ people to participate in society…It

feels like they’re single-handedly taking us back a decade in terms of the public discourse around LGBTQ rights. It’s been like nothing we’ve ever really seen.”105



Cameras In Classrooms? 

In 2020 and 2021 when word spread about the extent of the child grooming and Critical Race Theory (antiwhiteism) in public schools, some parents started pushing for cameras in all classrooms that would livestream what’s happening so they could check in and listen to what the teachers were doing. Conservative lawmakers in Florida and Iowa even introduced bills to mandate them, but so far none of the bills have passed.106 Of course, Leftists are opposing the idea, but why shouldn’t parents have access to a password-protected livestream of the classrooms? Many parents set up nanny cams in their house to monitor their nanny and baby sitters so they can see what they’re doing with their children when they’re gone. Even many dog kennels have livestreams so people can have some peace of mind by checking in on their pet when they’re out of town if they have to put them into a doggie daycare center. So why shouldn’t parents be able to see what’s happening in their child’s classroom?



Homeschooling Makes Big Comeback

Once seen as fringe or something only extremely religious parents did, homeschooling is now seeing widespread acceptance by many Conservatives who don’t want to turn their children over to government schools to be indoctrinated by some crazy leftist who’s going to incorporate Critical Race Theory into their math class somehow. If you live in a small town or a city in a Republican state and know the teachers and people in the community, the schools might be somewhat safe, but if you live in a Democrat controlled region, then God help you! Of course putting your kids in a private Christian school is a great idea, but not everyone can afford that. If you’re just starting a family, these are things to consider, and you need to plan ahead. Start investing for your children’s education in a private school, or move to a different town or even a new state to raise your kids so you won’t plant any roots in a Liberal community and then get stuck there. MSNBC deemed this growing trend racist (of course), saying, “It may seem harmless, but the insidious racism of the American religious right’s obsession with homeschooling speaks volumes.”107 Actor Kirk Cameron, who has been a vocal Christian and critic of Hollywood’s war on our culture, has been attacked by the media for encouraging more parents to start homeschooling their kids.108 And if the Liberal media is against something, then you can be sure that whatever it is—it’s the right thing to be doing.    

Author’s Note: Please take a moment to rate and review this book on Amazon.com, or wherever you purchased it from if you’re reading the ebook, to let others know what you think. This also helps to offset the trolls who keep giving my books fake one-star reviews when they haven’t even read them.

Almost all of the one-star reviews on Amazon for my previous books are from NON-verified purchases which is a clear indication they are fraudulent hence me adding this note. It’s just more proof that Liberals are losers and can’t play fair, so if you could help me combat them as soon as possible since you actually bought this book, that would be great! Thank you!

The Family

Since the beginning of the human race, families have been the foundation of our species’ survival. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings have helped feed, protect, and educate their fellow humans who they share common ancestry with. Families maintain cultural norms and customs, and offer emotional and even financial support if one of their members falls on hard times. Families have been the center point of civilization and everyone instinctually knows they are the most important thing in life. But now our modern society is plagued by broken families missing tight-knit social structures, which is causing a cascading failure that is having devastating effects emotionally and financially that reverberate throughout the entire country. It’s largely due to single mothers, many of which were raised by single mothers themselves, compounding the problem. Working mothers, who turn their children over to strangers at day care centers so they can go sit in a cubicle behind a computer for eight hours a stretch only contributes to the breakdown, a situation which is impossible to avoid for most families because of the current cost of living. The ideal single income family with a stay at home mom of the 1950s is sadly a bygone era in America. Parents used to be able to trust leaving their children alone in front of the television when Sesame Street or Barney and Friends were on to keep them entertained while mom did laundry, cleaned the house, or got dinner ready, but today the major brand name television stations are cultural poison and toddlers are given Internet connected devices to play games and watch cartoons which are being covertly used to indoctrinate them with enemy propaganda before they can even talk.

Political science professor James Kurth wrote, “The great movement of the second half of the nineteenth century was the movement of men from the farm to the factory…The greatest movement of the second half of the twentieth century has been the movement of women from the home to the office…[This] movement separates the parents from the children, as well as enabling the wife to separate herself from her husband. By splitting the nuclear family, it is helping to bring about the replacement of the nuclear family with the non-family.”109 TikTok stars, teachers, and traditional Hollywood celebrities have mostly replaced parents as the primary influence on children’s lives. And now that we’re into the third generation of nearly half of all children growing up in broken homes where the parents have separated (or were never married in the first place) perhaps out of spite from being raised in dysfunctional families, many Liberals today are vehemently anti-family and despise what was once the cultural norm—like Edward Norton’s character in Fight Club who “felt like destroying something beautiful” because of his nihilism. The official website for the Black Lives Matter movement explained one of their goals was to “disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure.110 Not to preserve, protect, or restore it—but to disrupt and dismantle it. At a TEDx talk, a popular forum for “experts” to present their ideas, feminist Merav Michaeli detailed why she wants marriage to be abolished. “We must cancel marriage,” she begins. “Not only religious marriage. Marriage is not an issue of religion. Also civil marriage. I want all secular states to totally eliminate all registration and regulation of marriage. I want to cancel the very concept of marriage.”111 And she certainly isn’t alone. Feminist activist (and lesbian) Masha Gessen once admitted that the Left’s goal of legalizing gay “marriage” was to eventually eliminate marriage and monogamous relationships altogether. “Gay marriage is a lie,” she said, back in 2012, three years before the Supreme Court mandated it be legalized in all 50 states. “Fighting for gay marriage generally involves lying about what we’re going to do with marriage when we get there. It’s a no-brainer that the institution of marriage should not exist,” she concluded.112 She’s a contributor for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and numerous other mainstream publications, so

she’s not just some fringe queer on TikTok. She is one of the establishment’s LGBTQ activists (who now uses they/them pronouns). There is a relentless assault on intimate and committed relationships (not to mention gender norms and heterosexuality in general), and aside from the moral decay in society, technology is making it easier than ever to shop around for one-night stands and swipe through dating apps to see if the grass appears greener elsewhere.



Tradwifes

As a reaction to modern Liberal society, the term “Tradwife” has emerged in some Conservative circles to refer to a traditional wife who chooses to be a stay at home mom and take care of the house and kids instead of turning them over to a daycare center and heading off to be stuck in a cubicle all day in the corporate world. They’re not gold diggers who don’t want to work—they’re traditionalists who seek to restore the kind of family culture that was the norm in previous generations. Often this involves modest living since the families are supported by only one income. But these lifestyles are under attack by the very Liberal Establishment they are trying to avoid. In response to a story by the BBC about a tradwife named Alena Kate Pettitt who runs a YouTube channel called The Darling Academy with just a few thousand subscribers where she encourages other women to embrace the lifestyle, Becca Lewis (who published the infamous “YouTube Alternative Influence” report in 2018 complaining about how popular many Conservative YouTubers had become), said the tradwife featured in the story was “radicalizing” right-wing extremists. “Who needs YouTube rabbit holes when you have the BBC broadcasting literal white supremacist propaganda,” she said.113 Yes, a woman who chooses to take care of her kids at home while the husband goes off to work and prefers the traditional gender roles is considered to be “white supremacy” to Liberal lunatics. The New York Times is also upset over the rise of Tradwives. They published a story titled “The House Wives of White Supremacy” which started, “Over the past few years, dozens of YouTube and social media accounts have sprung up showcasing soft-spoken young white women who extol the virtues of staying at home, submitting to male leadership and bearing lots of children—being ‘traditional wives.’” It goes on, “These accounts pepper their messages with scrapbook-style collections of 1950s

advertising images showing glamorous mothers in lipstick and heels with happy families and beautiful, opulent homes.”114 The article focused on one particular woman who goes by Wife With a Purpose (Ayla Stewart) on YouTube and attacked her as “the most prominent and certainly most openly white supremacist of the women who call themselves tradwives, but she is not an anomaly.”115 Ayla Stewart caught the eye of the Liberal Media Industrial Complex when she posting a video with the tongue in cheek title “The White Baby Challenge,” saying she had made six—and challenged other women to match or beat her number of kids.116 But while Black and Latino women can boast about making more brown babies to quicken the demographic decline of White people into a minority group in the U.S., if any White person expresses interest in boosting the White population, they are denounced as a “Nazi.” CNN complained that “Though the numbers of self-identified tradwives are low, social media has allowed them to reach sizable audiences. The 10 to 15 largest tradwife accounts have tens of thousands of followers across Instagram and YouTube.”117 CNN also decried that some of them “nod to White nationalist ideas such as Replacement Theory” and don’t support LGBTQ people and use phrases like “the natural order” when talking about relationship dynamics and gender roles. They’re especially concerned that, “Some promote homeschooling to avoid exposing their children to progressive ideas about sex education and gender identity.”118 The New Statesman, a radical Leftist publication founded by the Fabian Society—a British socialist organization whose original symbol was literally a wolf in sheep’s clothing, openly supports “abolishing” families, saying, “Family is a terrible way to satisfy our desire for love and care, according to the writer and academic Sophie Lewis. The solution? Abolish it.”119 The article sung praises of Sophie Lewis’s insane ideas which are detailed in her book titled Abolish the Family: a Manifesto for Care and Liberation, where she compares families to prisons.120



Cooking is “Sexist” 

Marxists work to attack and undermine every custom and social norm in order to sow chaos and destabilize the culture in hopes of being able to push their agenda through as a replacement for the “old” ideas. And aside from trying to stigmatize stay at home moms, they’re also trying to portray women who cook for their husbands and families as “oppressed” and embarrassingly “old fashioned.” Every time surveys come out showing how many people still believe all women should know how to cook, feminist bloggers fume. “Good grief. It turns out gender stereotypes are just as bad today as they were 30 years ago,” reports Women’s Health magazine.121 Saying “women should know how to cook” shouldn’t even be a controversial statement. It’s like saying all accountants should know how to add. Of course they should! There’s something wrong with them if they don’t. (And yes, all men should know how to use a variety of basic tools. I’ll get to America’s masculinity crisis later in this chapter.) The Today Show in Australia (another hotbed of liberalism, particularly in Melbourne) did an entire segment attacking a stay at home wife after she posted something on Facebook about how she makes her husband breakfast and coffee in the morning, saying it was “sexist” and like living back in the 50s. “Has he hypnotized her or something? Who does this stuff?” asked one of the hosts. “I mean, I like my husband, but make your own bloody breakfast,” said another.122 Feminists even claim that the standard specifications of kitchens are sexist, because the height of countertops and sinks were set in order to be an ideal height for the average-sized woman.123 And why shouldn’t they be? A viral video of a girl cooking on a Twitch livestream showed the pan catch fire and she didn’t know what to do so she literally started asking her viewers in a panic hoping they would type something in the chat to help her.124 It was a grease fire, but the first thing she did was take the pan off the

stovetop, turn on the sink, and pour running water all over it, so the fire then got even bigger! If she would have taken HomeEc class in school (like all girls should), or learned how to cook from her mother like she should have ever since she was little, she would have known to smother the fire by putting the lid on the pan (if it was a metal lid, not glass), or pour baking soda all over it (which releases carbon dioxide when heated so it smothers the flames), or take the pan outside and set it on the driveway where nothing else will catch fire. But Home Economics (or HomeEc) classes have been deemed sexist and mandating that all girls enroll in them is “sexist.”125 For generations while boys were in auto shop or wood shop class learning about how to fix and maintain vehicles and use tools to build things; girls took HomeEc and learned about cooking, sewing, child care, home management, and interior design so when they entered the real world they would know how to take care of sick children and cook healthy meals for their families—things every mom needs to know, but now learning the essential responsibilities that people need in order to have a productive and well balanced life are shunned, thanks to feminism.



Feminist Poison 

Feminism isn’t about “equal rights” for women anymore, and hasn’t been for generations. It’s about disrupting the social order, the divisions of labor, and partnerships between the two sexes and is attempting to suppress the natural instincts of women and turn them against men (or the Patriarchy, as feminists say) and even against the idea of being mothers. Feminism has meant different things depending on the time period and has gone through four different phases, or waves as they’re called, since the early 1900s when groups of women banded together to demand the right to vote (called women’s suffrage), resulting in the 19th amendment passing in 1919. The 1960s and 70s marked the second wave, where groups of women demanded they be given more political positions and worked to legalize abortion (succeeding in 1973 with Roe v. Wade). But many feminists still weren’t happy, so they continued complaining about things which led to the third wave in the 1990s where they demanded even more women be given leadership positions in the government and business— while simultaneously complaining about men “objectifying” them as they boosted their sex appeal through every possible means in order to use their sexuality to their advantage since they know men are innately suckers for any beautiful woman’s requests. Then around 2012 the fourth wave of feminism arose due to the advent of social media which allowed angry and ugly women from across the country to connect with each other online and affirm each other’s maladjustments and abnormal ideas, culminating in new “causes” like celebrating abortions, obesity, and their periods.126 Stuck in online echo chambers, most fourth wave feminists (who are usually queers with blue hair which is used to signal to others that’s who they are), these women usually find themselves trapped in a downward spiral and hating normal women (especially beautiful ones and White women) for existing, and are so spiteful of their happiness, marriages, and

motherhood that they are determined to tear down every institution and social norm that embraces such lifestyles. The “Women’s March” held every January isn’t about “women’s rights,” it’s a feminist parade. This is where Madonna voiced her fantasies about blowing up the White House after Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton for the presidency, and where actress Ashley Judd did her famous rant about her period and having to pay sales tax when she buys tampons.127 The feminists today who constantly whine about imaginary problems—like men supposedly making more money than women, fail to acknowledge that men often work jobs which involve much higher safety risks and are exposed to greater physical and health hazards. Not to mention they regularly work jobs that involve backbreaking labor (like construction, pouring concrete, laying brick, roofing, etc.) and also jobs that involve getting dirty every day (like a mechanic or garbage man). A Sex and the City writer, the famous show that aired on HBO following the exploits of a group of women living in New York City, later said she regrets choosing a career over having children because now she is “truly alone.”128 She’s worth nearly twenty million dollars, but now says she regrets where she placed her priorities when she was younger. Most feminists eventually find themselves in the same position (minus the wealth) realizing that once their looks fade and guys stop paying attention to them, they have no purpose in life and nobody loves them. Not having children has other implications aside from future loneliness for most people. And it doesn’t just raise the difficult question of who will help look after you when you become elderly, or who will make sure the nursing home isn’t taking advantage of you or abusing you. But also who will visit you in the hospital when you get sick or need surgery? Who will inherit your “stuff” when you die? Who will clean out your house? Who will organize your funeral? Who will even know that you died?



Relationships in Shambles

Online dating was once seen as something only computer geeks did. Even when Match.com first launched in the early 1990s many people thought it was odd, and “online dating” was often ridiculed. But today when most people never leave their phone more than an arm’s length away, apps like Tinder have turned online dating into a game. Swiping through potential matches is like looking for a new shirt or someplace to eat. With the new apps to find dates while sitting on your couch at home instead of having to leave the house to go anywhere like a party or even a bar, people feel if a relationship ends they can just pick up their phone and find another date later that day. And like ordering dinner, they scroll through the menu looking at photos and listed interests until they see something they like. It’s almost strange now to ask a girl out on a date in person at school, the gym, or at the store. These “dating” apps have cheapened relationships, leading to others being treated as if they’re disposable.129 They’ve caused a hedonistic hookup culture, and virtually ruined dating dynamics. Facebook and other social media sites make it easy for old classmates or just friends of friends to contact people privately. And prior to social media and cellphones, if a married person wanted to cheat on their spouse, they couldn’t just have their lover call the home phone which sat in the kitchen because it could be picked up by the husband/wife or the kids and blow their cover. But now everyone has their own phone, and if you don’t have their number you can message them privately on Facebook or Instagram. These endless options combined with the moral decay of the culture has caused long term relationships (and especially marriage) to dramatically decline, which will have disastrous consequences further down the road. Facebook is actually cited in one-third of divorces as a major contributing factor.130 One survey of Tinder users found that two-thirds of them were already in a relationship, and many of them were even married.131 But not all

of them are looking to cheat or find someone else to dump their partner for. Many of them, it turns out, just crave the attention of others like those who obsess over their Instagram “likes.” They’re seeking validation through matches on Tinder, even though they never intend to actually meet up with anyone.132



Normalizing Porn

People once had to go to a seedy adult bookstore or gas station to buy a Playboy or Penthouse magazine, or find where their dad hid his pornos, but now endless porn is just a couple taps away and with few parents using restrictions on their children’s tablets or smartphones, it’s fully accessible for anyone of any age. For decades since the proliferation of Internet porn the only “safety” mechanism in place is a button users click to “verify” they’re at least 18-years old, which is just a self-certification with zero actual verification of their identity or age.133 Producing porn, whether explicit photos or a sex tape, used to be completely taboo and something that only extremely vulnerable girls from broken families or those with drug problems would succumb to, but slowly the Left has been normalizing that as well. In 2016 a new “social media” platform launched called OnlyFans which is basically Instagram for adult content where girls post sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves behind a paywall for their subscribers. It’s not even an underground or fringe platform. OnlyFans is so huge that it’s now part of American pop culture and boasts three million “content creators” (virtual prostitutes).134 And tabloids like The New York Post regularly publish stories about women who quit their respectable jobs as nurses or scientists, and then “get rich” from their OnlyFans accounts.135 In 2021 OnlyFans reluctantly announced they would no longer allow sexually explicit content (which is the only reason it exists) due to banks and credit card processors threatening to refuse to do business with them anymore after a letter signed by 100 members of Congress demanded the Department of Justice investigate them because the site “has become a major marketplace for buying and selling Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in the United States, as well as soliciting sexual activity with minors.”136 But six days later, the credit card processors changed their mind

about severing ties with the “social media” amateur porn giant, so it continues to thrive.137 YouPorn and Pornhub are other user generated porn platforms for explicit homemade videos, which have been used to host not just revenge porn (recorded or published without the consent of one of the participants) but also child sexual abuse material as well.138 These platforms allow turnkey porn production anyone with just a webcam or cellphone can make, all from the comfort of their own bedroom. In the past, girls would have to respond to postings from porn companies (usually disguised as “model agencies” looking for vulnerable girls to exploit) and travel to their studios because the infrastructure to produce and sell it was expensive and required a degree of technical skills to run a whole website and setup payment systems for credit cards, but OnlyFans and the other “do it yourself” porn platforms have made it just as easy as being an Instagram influencer or YouTuber. Perhaps equally shocking is that Twitter also allows hard core porn to be posted and shared.139 Elon Musk didn’t ban it after he purchased the platform, and it’s the only major social media platform that allows it. Facebook and Instagram have strict policies against just nudity, but Twitter allows hard core porn. That alone should have caused it to be banned from the Apple and Android App Stores, which both have strict policies against sexually explicit content, but they mysteriously allow Twitter to operate as an X-rated app. And while Democrats whine about “hate speech” on the platform (speech they hate), none of them have a problem with Twitter hosting countless hardcore pornographic videos and allowing accounts by porn stars to promote their explicit content. Many people who get addicted to porn eventually need more hardcore videos in order to become aroused and get off, so they start watching fetish porn involving all kinds of perverted acts hoping to satisfy their growing sexual appetites. It literally rewires the pleasure sensors in their brain making them less aroused by “normal” porn, and sexual encounters with (actual) women.140 Many porn addicts experience what’s called porn-induced erectile dysfunction when they try to have sex with a woman because the reward centers of their brain have been desensitized from watching so much porn,

and like a drug addict who needs larger doses in order to get high, they have artificially caused a tolerance to build up in terms of sexual arousal.141



Promoting Prostitution

Watching porn, and producing amateur “social media” porn isn’t just being normalized in the New World Order through OnlyFans, PornHub, and YouPorn. An increasing number of Liberals are boldly supporting the normalization and legalization of prostitution. The slogan for their plan is “sex work is real work.”142 It used to be virtually impossible to find anyone except some odd libertarian eccentrics who would call for the legalization of prostitution, but now the idea is gaining popularity in Democrat circles as the next frontier of “civil rights.”143 Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has openly endorsed prostitution as a profession, parroting the mantra that “sex work is real work.”144 Ana Kasparian, cohost of The Young Turks—one of YouTube’s most popular “news” channels, says, “it’s totally fine if someone’s working as a sex worker, something that we’re supportive of,” and equates prostitution “rights” with abortion rights.145 Teen Vogue magazine supports it too, with articles like “Why Sex Work is Real Work” which endorse prostitution to their young teen readers and recommends prostitution apps be created in the same vein of hookup apps, and says there shouldn’t be any stigma attached to it.146 George Soros’ Open Society Foundation (the largest private donor for Leftist causes) also endorses it, and recommends people call them “sex workers” rather than “prostitutes” because “The term ‘sex worker’ recognizes that sex work is work. Prostitution, on the other hand, has connotations of criminality and immorality.”147 Their official stance on the issue is “Sex workers sell sexual services in order to earn a livelihood. The vast majority of sex workers choose to do sex work because it is the best option they have. Many sex workers struggle with poverty and destitution and have few other options for work. Others find that sex work offers better pay and more flexible working conditions

than other jobs. And some pursue sex work to explore and express their sexuality.”148 The TEDx forum also promotes it, giving a platform to a woman for her talk titled “Sex Work is Real Work” in 2022.149 The ACLU also supports legalizing prostitution, posting their official stance on the issue in an article titled, “Sex Work is Real Work, and it’s Time to Treat it That Way.”150 The Democrat Supervisor of the City of San Francisco, Hillary Ronen, introduced a resolution in early 2023 urging state legislatures to decriminalize prostitution in California.151 And it likely won’t be long before this is a major Democrat Party platform for future congressional or presidential candidates.



Abortion

The messaging behind supporting abortion went from “safe, legal, and rare” to women wearing t-shirts that read “I Had An Abortion” (sold by Planned Parenthood), and Hollywood actresses proudly proclaiming that without getting abortions when they were younger, they wouldn’t have been able to become “stars.”152 An organization calling itself “The Satanic Temple,” which exists solely to hate and troll Christians, has wealthy financial backers and lawyers who help them file lawsuits against Christians—including challenging states which have restricted abortions, claiming that banning or restricting abortions violates their “right to practice their religion,” and literally refers to the practice as a “Satanic abortion ritual.”153 After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the ADL [Anti-Defamation League, a Leftist Jewish secular organization] issued a statement denouncing the decision and called abortion a “Jewish value.”154 In my previous book, Hollywood Propaganda: How TV, Movies, and Music Shape Our Culture, I detail how Planned Parenthood has a special department dedicated to lobbying Hollywood studios and writers to encourage them to insert pro-abortion messages in their projects.155 For the last decade now they even host a special reception with hundreds of producers, directors, and writers to celebrate films and TV shows that promote abortion.156 In 2017, the dating app OkCupid partnered with Planned Parenthood to integrate a special profile badge on users’ accounts to show if they “Stand with Planned Parenthood” as a way to signal to potential matches that if those women get pregnant, guys could be at ease knowing they would kill the baby so they wouldn’t have to become fathers.157 When the new Roe v. Wade draft decision was leaked showing the Supreme Court had overruled the previous 1973 decision, a move that would now allow each state to decide whether they want to ban or restrict

abortions, Democrats had an even bigger meltdown than usual. Congressman Eric Swalwell warned “The Republicans won’t stop with banning abortion. They want to ban interracial marriage. Do you want to save that? Well, then you should probably vote.”158 Chelsea Manning, (born Bradley Manning before “transitioning” into a “woman” who had been convicted of espionage after leaking classified documents to Wikileaks during the Obama administration), encouraged “her” Twitter followers to buy guns and start training in teams to “protest” the court’s decision.159 Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot echoed this sentiment, saying, “To my friends in the LGBTQ+ community—the Supreme Court is coming for us next. This moment has to be a call to arms.”160 She and others were concerned the Supreme Court may also reverse their decision on gay “marriage,” which hopefully they will someday, which is what she meant by they’re “coming for us next.” After the stunning overturning of Reo v. Way Vice News published a story about how people can make “DIY abortion pills” from horse medication, saying “Misoprostol is relatively easy to acquire from veterinary sources, since in addition to medically inducing abortions, it’s also used to treat ulcers in horses.”161 The fury unleashed by the Democrats over them not being able to kill babies at will, even up until just before the moment of birth makes them look no different than the ancient Canaanites who used to sacrifice their infants to Molech. To add some perspective, it’s a crime to damage or destroy the eggs of a Bald Eagle, and many other animals that are considered endangered species. It’s a felony, in fact.162 It’s even a crime to harm various plants if they’re located on designated Wetlands.163 So quite literally, plants and bird eggs are considered more precious to Liberals than unborn human babies.



The Masculinity Crisis In America  

Aside from most women not knowing how to cook anymore (or sew, or properly keep a house clean), the majority of men are also failing in their social responsibilities. They don’t know how to check or change the oil in their cars, or even know when it should be done. Lucky for them, newer cars have oil change monitors which notify drivers when it’s time, but that’s beside the point. Many don’t know how to use basic tools (and don’t even own any). They wouldn’t even know how to stop a squeaky kitchen cabinet (hint: you lubricate the hinge). This is because they’re raised without fathers, so they never learn the basic knowledge or skills that have been a standard part of boy’s lives since the beginning of time. So many turn to online role models in hopes of learning what being a man is all about, but unfortunately many of those men are preying on the vulnerable and lost in order to take advantage of them financially and use them to boost their own out of control egos. Countless young men came to look up to Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer turned camgirl kingpin who made his fortune as a pornographer exploiting women (and the lonely gullible men who paid to interact with them online).164 He later hired a team of social media managers to promote his new scheme of teaching men “how to be men” through his “Hustlers University” online course—which also offers an affiliate program to entice his fans to promote it to others in hopes of making a commission and make some “easy money” themselves.165 He is an entertaining guy, like a heel in professional wrestling (the bad guy) playing the part to a T, always wearing sunglasses indoors like some rock star and posting pictures of himself standing in front of fancy cars or seated in a private jet with his shirt halfway unbuttoned, but Andrew Tate is a complete failure of a man. He is a misogynist in the truest sense, but a broken clock is right twice a day.

Sure, some of the cliché truisms he says are valid critiques of society, but the guy is a complete scumbag which was clear from the moment he first started going viral (due in large part to financially incentivising his young teenage fans to spam video clips of him across social media through an affiliate marketing scheme).166 It’s amazing how so many Conservatives came to see him as some kind of inspiration and sage especially when there are so many clips of him and his brother in their past openly bragging about their camgirls cashing in on suckers.167 He’ll never know what love is or be in a healthy relationship, let alone a marriage, because he has no conscience and his entire schtick is a money-making charade that compensates for the deep insecurities he is desperately trying to hide. The so-called manosphere, which is the online community of pickup artists, men’s rights activists, and hyper anti-feminists is full of phonies and frauds. A prime example being “Jack Murphy” (whose real name is John Goldman) who became a popular “guru” selling online courses claiming he’ll teach guys how to be “real men” through his “Liminal Order.” He was exposed as a literal cuck (who enjoyed having his wife getting screwed by other men) and sticking dildos up his butt (and talking about having sex with other men) while he was working as the male equivalent of a camgirl.168 Other desperate young men look to psychologist Jordan Peterson as a parasocial father figure who is best known for his advice to “clean up your room” which is a metaphor he uses to encourage people to take control of their own lives instead of allowing their environment to dictate their behavior. But despite him building his reputation as a self-help guru with all the answers to life’s questions, he had a mental breakdown, becoming suicidal and addicted to benzodiazepines, an anti-anxiety drug, after he couldn’t handle the pressures of his wife’s kidney cancer diagnosis.169 A psychologist who couldn’t even handle his own problems and emotions, yet became a social media celebrity by dispensing what is seen as profound wisdom to everyone else on how to manage theirs. Former Rolling Stone music critic Neil Strauss wrote an interesting book called The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists in 2005, back when online dating was still seen as something only for nerds and before dating apps, which detailed his experiences learning how to

develop the courage (and strategies) to actually walk up to women in person and talk to them and get their numbers and schedule dates. Aside from being an autobiographical story about his own journey and personal transformation, the book also conveys how anyone can use the same techniques as he did to dramatically improve their dating life. His sidekick “Mystery” (Eric Von Markovic) later published his own how-to guide titled The Mystery Method, which despite occasionally recommending using some unethical tactics (like lying or stretching the truth) actually does have the social science down pretty solid regarding early stage relationship dynamics, and contains proven strategies to start conversations with girls and get dates the old fashion way—in the real world—face to face, not through some app. The biggest problem most single and lonely guys face is illustrated by NHL star Wayne Gretsky who used to say you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, and all strategies and tactics aside, if books like Neil Strauss’s or Mystery’s just convince young men to take action and actually ask out women they’re interested in instead of being afraid of rejection, that alone would make a world of difference. Learning the art of the pickup shouldn’t be about bringing girls home from the bar and getting laid (which is actually a terrible idea). It’s about developing the skills and confidence to ask the cute bank teller or receptionist at the dentist office for her number if you feel a connection instead of walking away and thinking “what if” on your way home. While feminism (and all other forms of Liberalism) have thrown relationship dynamics out of balance, and created monsters, there are still plenty of girls who haven’t fallen victim to the new culture, and will feel as though they’ve been rescued by Prince Charming from it once they find a guy whose interests, values, and goals align with their own.  



American Symbols and Holidays

The enemy hates America, our past, our present, and everything we stand for—including symbols of our country like the Founding Fathers, the American flag, and even our national holidays. They’re trying to change the meaning of America from a place of freedom, prosperity, and ingenuity, to one of exploitation, racism, and oppression in order to weaken the foundation of our society so it will collapse into a socialist / communist revolution. This is the same strategy China’s dictator Mao Zedong used by directing his student-led paramilitary group of faithful followers called the Red Guards to target the “Four Olds”—old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas; to have them eradicated so the “new” China could emerge with a bureaucratic superstructure controlling all education, art, and entertainment to facilitate the communist society he had envisioned.170 A country’s holidays not only preserve its culture, but help each new generation carry on traditions, reflect back on important events, and enjoy the benefits a country has to offer. But now nearly every American holiday from fairly small ones that don’t cause much of a celebration like Columbus Day, to big ones like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, and Christmas are attacked every year by the ungrateful and spiteful rejects in our society— just like Mao Zedong’s Red Guard did in China, hoping to eliminate patriotism in America and pride in our culture. Many of them can’t even enjoy Martin Luther King Day because it just reminds them of what White people did to the poor Blacks generations ago. I’ll detail the attacks on Christmas and Easter in the next chapter because those are the two main targets of the American Marxists, but their list is long, so here’s just a brief overview:



Independence Day

Every year when the 4th of July comes around now countless Black people and self-hating Whites cry about how Blacks weren’t free when the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, so they can’t be grateful for the freedoms they enjoy today as a result of living in this country. Their opposition to the holiday is like clockwork, and every year there are columns published in mainstream Liberal outlets about how the 4th of July makes Black people feel bad, and lists their grievances about why they shouldn’t celebrate it.171 The holiday causes disgruntled “African” Americans to blame “the White man” for their own personal failures because of what happened to ancestors of theirs whose names they don’t even know. Many dream of one day getting reparations, and think they’re entitled to millions of dollars each.172 Marxist Democrat Congresswoman Cori Bush from Missouri says “When they say that the 4th of July is about American Freedom, remember this: the freedom they’re referring to is for white people. This land is stolen land and Black people still aren’t free.”173 Vox, a well-funded Leftist “news” website published an article titled “3 Reasons the American Revolution Was a Mistake,” which argues that declaring independence from England was “a monumental mistake” and “We should be mourning the fact that we left the United Kingdom, not cheering it.”174 It goes on to say that the United States should have remained a British colony because fewer Native Americans would have been oppressed and slavery would have supposedly ended sooner! They even claim our form of government would be better since Britain has a parliamentary system instead of our three branch separation of powers system. (Britain doesn’t have a free speech amendment in their constitution, by the way, and instead have strict laws that criminalize “hate speech.”)

Of course Vox couldn’t conclude their screed without distain for White people, saying, “The main benefit of the revolution to colonists was that it gave more political power to America’s white male minority.”175 It’s always the White man’s fault! On the eve of Independence Day a few years ago, The Washington Post declared, “It’s time to reconsider the global legacy of July 4th 1776,” and denounced American independence saying it “helped further colonialism and white supremacy.”176 The article goes on to lament how after freeing ourselves from the British empire we went on to build an empire of our own, acquiring Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam—and that America reinforced “black and indigenous lives did not matter.”177 The Associated Press published a story on Independence Day in 2023 about how the word “patriot” is now often seen as a negative word because “Today, the word and its variants have morphed beyond the original meaning. It has become infused in political rhetoric and school curriculums, with varying definitions, while being appropriated by white nationalist groups.”178 That same year Ben and Jerry’s, the over-priced “super premium” ice cream tweeted, “This 4th of July, it’s high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it,” and linked to a petition demanding South Dakota give the land where Mount Rushmore stands back to the Sioux Indian tribes as part of the Land Back movement, which demands that “traditional territories” of Native American tribes be given back to them.179 But it turns out that the Ben and Jerry’s factory in South Burlington, Vermont sits on land that used to belong to the Abenaki tribe until British colonists arrived in North America and forced them out.180 They probably didn’t even know that, and surely don’t care, because if they meant what they said about supporting the Land Back movement they would turn the deed to their property over to the tribe.



Thanksgiving 

Thanksgiving offends Liberals too because it reminds them of how the pilgrims “stole the land from Native Americans.” But if someone is dumb enough to trade Manhattan for $24 worth of beads and trinkets (which is purportedly what the Native Americans did with the early settlers), then that’s their loss. Many Liberals go so far as to say Thanksgiving is a celebration of “White imperialists” and the supposed “genocide” early settlers committed against the natives.181 But it’s not just a few thousand crazies on Twitter. Such insane ideas have institutional support, and as usual, that of Hollywood celebrities.182 Marxist media outlets now publish editorials from Native Americans every year about how Thanksgiving hurts their feelings because it reminds them of their ancestors’ failings. The official YouTube Twitter account even posted an animated GIF showing a group of Native American girls tipping over a dinner table filled with the traditional food in protest of the holiday.183 They also tweeted a link to a video by Francesca Ramsey (best known for complaining about White kids wearing certain Halloween costumes) titled “5 Comebacks For Your Racist Relative During The Holidays,” because Leftists obsess over non-White people who suffer from inferiority complexes.184 Previous years’ tweets had been about helping nonprofit organizations feed homeless and needy people on Thanksgiving, or “Thanksgiving Fun Facts,” but that was before YouTube went full libtard.185 When the NFL’s Washington Redskins were scheduled to play Thanksgiving one year, it added extra “insult” according to those triggered by holiday because they considered the team’s very name to be a “racist slur.”186 A few years later the team’s name was changed to the “Washington Football Team” (after 87-years as the Redskins) as an interim name, and then later to the Washington Commanders in order to appease critics who kept harping about how the team’s name was “racist.”

Marxist media outlets now even ring the alarm about the supposed “environment impact” of Thanksgiving, claiming that it increases greenhouse gas emissions and is contributing to climate change.187 Vice “News” calculated what they claimed to be the CO2 emissions for preparing a turkey, writing, “cooking a typical Thanksgiving dinner contributes 80 pounds of CO2 to the planet’s decline. That’s equivalent to the carbon emissions of driving about 100 miles in your average American car.”188 Others echo these concerns, including The Huffington Post, which published an article titled “The Environmental Impact Of Your Thanksgiving Dinner,” and suggested “alternative ingredients that cause less environmental damage,” going so far as to say people should consider not serving turkey at all, and use plant-based foods instead.189 Many of the White people who hate Thanksgiving are just spiteful since they grew up in dysfunctional families that probably don’t even get together for the holiday, or if they did when they were growing up, it was an utter disaster and regretful. But instead of trying to break the cycle by starting their own family to restore the tradition, they just invent reasons to complain about the holiday and try to spoil everyone else’s fun. A new form of virtue signaling has arose in recent years called a “land acknowledgement,” where people openly apologize to ancient Native American tribes which used to live in the region where an event is occurring. For example, at the Oscars in 2020 just before actor Taika Waititi presented the nominees for an award, he did a “land acknowledgement” by saying that the Tongva, the Tataviam, and the Chumash used to live in the vicinity where the Oscars ceremony was being held.190 It’s a way of apologizing for White people modernizing the region, or as the Leftists say, “colonizing” it. Such a ridiculous practice isn’t just done by Hollywood actors who often embrace fringe causes hoping to look like they’re helping ordinary people. To kick off an online Microsoft training seminar in 2021, the hosts began by saying, “We need to acknowledge that the land where the Microsoft campus is situated was traditionally occupied by the Sammamish, Duwamish, Snoqualmie, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, Snohomish, Tulalip, and other coast-Salish peoples since time immemorial. A people who are still continuing to honor and bring to light their amazing heritage.”191

These ridiculous land acknowledgements even occur before some city council meetings and board of supervisors meetings.192 A growing number of schools even hold land acknowledgment ceremonies, and some have put up plaques inside of schools as a form of their “acknowledgement” as well.193 The idiots who engage in such a ridiculous practice never mention that Native American tribes were at war with each other, long before the European settlers arrived in North America (not to mention they committed genocide against each other as well, and enslaved those from other tribes who survived).194 But as usual, all the problems other ethnic groups have experienced throughout all of history, are blamed on White people.



Halloween

“Progressives” can barely enjoy Halloween anymore either because some stores might sell costumes the snowflakes think are “cultural appropriation.” These same people don’t have a problem letting kids dress up as psychotic mass murderers for Halloween, but if they happen to wear a rasta wig or sombrero, then it’s the end of the world. Megyn Kelly was famously fired from hosting NBC’s flagship show Today after saying she didn’t see a problem with White kids dressing up as characters that happen to be of another race.195 The following day she even issued a dramatic apology on air, starting the show by saying how sorry she was—how she was “wrong,” and it’s “not okay.” But that was the last time she would appear on the show.196 From the media outrage over her comments, you would have thought she shouted out the n-word on air, but she just dismissed the insane controversy over White kids wearing certain Halloween costumes. Disney pulled a costume for their animated film Moana after morons complained that it was “brownface” and “cultural appropriation,” thus offensive.197 In the film, a demigod named Maui (voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) is a Pacific Islander, with his arms covered in tattoos and he wears a grass skirt. But if that style of clothing is worn by a White kid who loves the movie, then that’s “offensive” to Pacific Islanders. So the costume was recalled and banned.198 There were even complaints about White kids wearing the Black Panther costume in some promotional pictures advertising the sale of the costume on Walmart and Target’s websites.199 Their grievances are obviously absurd, but imagine the backlash if White people complained that a Black kid was pictured modeling a Superman costume! The Democrats in Congress would pass a resolution denouncing the complaints and the Justice Department would launch a Civil Rights investigation!



Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is offensive to many Liberals too now since gay men who are raising children are confronted with the reality of the horrifying and unnatural environment they’re forcing “their” children to grow up in, so there’s a push to make Mother’s Day “more inclusive” for LGBTQ people.200 For Mother’s Day 2022, clothing company Calvin Klein released an ad featuring a pregnant transgender “man” wearing only underwear with “his” belly sticking out where the poor unfortunate baby is growing.201 The person’s breasts were surgically removed, so the mother won’t be able to properly feed the baby once it’s born and will have to resort to formula instead of breastmilk. Some transgender “women” are even posting photos online showing them “breastfeeding” babies, who they abuse by having the babies suck on their fake “breasts” despite not being able to produce any milk.202 There are now even transgender “women” who post TikTok videos about how they’re deciding to celebrate Mother’s Day despite actually having fathered children because now they identify as “women.”203 The “Human Rights Campaign,” a Leftist queer lobbying organization, has a guide for teachers called “Welcoming Schools” which encourages them to “develop more inclusive practices around celebrating Mother’s and Father’s Days” and recommends a book called Stella Brings the Family which is about a girl whose school is having a Mother’s Day celebration but Stella has “two daddies” and doesn’t have a mom to invite to the party so the book is designed to “help” kids “acquire the vocabulary to talk about LGBTQ families.”204 An increasing number of schools are just canceling Mother’s Day celebrations altogether. The madness seems to have started in 2017 and has since spread.205 The Washington Post complains, “For some gay parents, Mother’s Day (or Father’s Day) is awkward” and features numerous gay

couples who call them “Hallmark holidays” that “don’t merit a celebration.”206 GLAAD—the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation lobbying organization, has a “Mother’s Day Resource Kit” that provides “potential story ideas and suggestions on how to make coverage of Mother’s Day more inclusive.” Some of their recommendations are to, “Include a lesbian or transgender mother as part of a composite profile of how mothers in the region enjoy the holiday. Profile a lesbian couple’s journey to adopt (either locally or abroad). Report on the legal difficulties faced by lesbian couples as they try to become parents. Profile a mother who has come out as lesbian, bisexual or transgender to her children, spouse/partner or extended family. Profile a child who has come out to his or her mother or grandmother.”207 In 2018 Fortune magazine published an article titled “Making Mother’s Day More Inclusive” and shows two gay Black men with a baby. It starts off saying “Mother’s Day can be fraught for many reasons for many people,” and repeats the same Leftist complaints about how gay men raising children together are uncomfortable with the holiday.208 Some lunatics are even upset that Mother’s Day leaves out women who don’t have children and say it should be a day “for all women” and “there’s no need to feel left out” if a woman never had children!209 The British Medical Association, the equivalent of the American Medical Association in the United States, issued new “guidance” in 2017 recommending doctors and other health care providers not refer to pregnant women as pregnant women, and instead call them pregnant people.210 While laughable at the time, the insane trend has caught on and now the Center for Disease Control in the United States,211 Planned Parenthood, and other organizations recommend using the same term.212 That or birthing person.213 During her confirmation hearing after being appointed as Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson (who was chosen by Joe Biden simply because she’s a Black woman) couldn’t even provide a definition for the word woman when asked by Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn. “I’m not a biologist,” she responded, which proved the point the senator was trying to raise by asking it.214 Liberals are afraid to say what a woman is now, because they don’t want to ostracize transgender people who “identify” as women. And

admitting that trans “women” aren’t real women would derail the Marxists’ gender bending agenda, so when asked the basic question “what is a woman?” they freeze up, and avoid answering the question, or provide a nonsense response like “a woman is whoever identifies as a woman.”



Father’s Day

Father’s Day reinforces cisgender heteronormative patriarch stereotypes of men controlling the grill and so Liberals are upset about that, and they also feel it’s offensive to single mothers whose children don’t have fathers in their lives—and lesbian couples who have adopted children or purchased sperm from a sperm bank and had themselves artificially inseminated since their poor children don’t have a dad. And since most Black kids don’t have fathers in their homes and Father’s Day is an uncomfortable reminder of that fact, the holiday is also deemed racially insensitive.215 The average Black woman has children by two or three different fathers (baby daddies as they call them), none of whom they’ve ever married and on average none of them even live in the home with her and the children.216 Another uncomfortable fact about the Black community you’re not supposed to mention, which has also been the inspiration for some very politically incorrect jokes you’re not supposed to tell either. The Huffington Post published an article titled “Three Reasons Why Father’s Day Should Be Abolished,” and complains that dads are often the “secondary parent” because the mother is usually the primary caregiver since men typically work longer hours while moms are in charge of childcare and housework, and even calls the holiday a waste of money.217 Others who have no children, along with those whose fathers were abusive or absent, are also upset about Father’s Day, prompting The Chicago Tribune to ask “Is Father’s Day Outdated?” They say since the holiday triggers bad memories for some it should be abolished. Others have been calling for it be renamed “Special Person’s Day” instead.218 For these same reasons some schools are now doing away with acknowledging the holiday at all.219 LGBTQ groups are upset that Father’s Day is about normal men (straight men) and not homosexuals or transgenders, so GLAAD published

a “Father’s Day Resource Kit” (just like they did for Mother’s Day) to encourage their allies in the media to make sure they include queers in their Father’s Day news coverage and television show plots.220 “The lives of gay, bisexual and transgender parents and their families are often absent in Father’s Day coverage since print and electronic press reports often focus solely on straight parents,” they complain. Their “resource kit” even provides story ideas and other suggestions on how to make Father’s Day more “inclusive” which are just as ridiculous as you could imagine.221



Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day upsets these same crazies too because it “perpetuates heteronormativity,” a Leftist buzzword meaning that heterosexual couples are the norm (which of course they are) but that upsets them because all the commercials throughout the entire history of the holiday (until the queer Pride pandemic) featured couples consisting of a man and a woman celebrating the holiday and that reminds LGBTQ people that they are a fringe minority (despite efforts to artificially amplify their representation in media). It used to be just feminists who get upset about Valentine’s Day because they’re perpetually single and have nobody special in their lives to celebrate it with, so they lash out every February 14th when it comes around, publishing a slew of blogs, YouTube videos and TikToks complaining about it. But now with the Marxist’s cultural insurrection underway, Valentine’s Day is under attack for not being gay. The ADL complains, “Be aware of how some holidays can reinforce restrictive social norms around gender identity and sexual orientation. For example, as students get older and Valentine’s Day becomes more focused on romantic relationships and not friendships, celebrations may reinforce heterosexist notions that all relationships are between a boy and a girl and marginalize LGBTQ  youth, or youth who simply are not interested in romantic relationships.”222 University student newspapers are usually the most upset about Valentine’s Day being about normal (heterosexual) couples, and every year publish articles spewing their heterophobia. The University of Utah’s paper complains, “For individuals that identify outside of the gender binary, this heteronormative depiction of Valentine’s Day presents other problems—not only does it exclude any potential relationships they might be involved in, it also dismisses the existence of their gender identity altogether.”223 One student interviewed for the article said, “I perceive Valentine’s Day as a huge piece of heteronormativity. While having good intentions, it

really pushes the norm of cis[gender] male and cis[gender] female romance. For instance, pretty much every movie and TV show’s portrayal of this day is between a cis[gender] man and cis[gender] woman. It makes me a little upset, especially because I feel like my ideal relationship is never shown onscreen.”224 “Cisgender” if you don’t know, is a cultural marxist term meaning someone whose genitalia matches their gender identity, or as they say, whose gender identity “corresponds” to the sex they were “assigned at birth.” Cis is Latin for “on this side of,” which is the opposite of trans which means “across from” or “on the other side of.” Or as comedian Norm MacDonald used to say, “It’s a way of marginalizing a normal person.” The student newspaper at California State University, San Marcos whines that, “The holiday perpetuates a fixed depiction of couples and romance as primarily held between a man and a woman,” and blames “the media” for heterosexual relationships being viewed as the norm.225 Some elementary schools are canceling Valentine’s Day celebrations which involve arts and crafts and forbid students from handing out Valentine’s cards to their classmates. One such school sent out a notice to parents saying, “While we acknowledge the celebration of Valentine’s, and are mindful of the popularity of that day, it is not celebrated by all students/families in our community. It is essential that all students feel welcomed and reflected at school, and that our celebrations do not negatively impact our families and students.”226 It also explicitly told parents not to let their children bring any Valentine’s cards or candy. The principal of an elementary school in Saint Paul, Minnesota who canceled Valentine’s Day celebrations said he was concerned that kids doing arts and crafts or exchanging Valentine’s Day cards may “suppress” some students!227 Elementary schools in an East Lansing, Michigan district also canceled Valentine’s Day celebrations, saying they can cause “unintended consequences” such as “drama and teasing.”228 A Rutgers University psychology professor is urging all schools to cancel Valentine’s Day celebrations because it’s about “romantic love” and so it “does not have a place in school.”229



It Never Ends 

Columbus Day is another annual reminder of how the early European settlers treated the natives which sparks the usual rounds of complaints, so progressives have been pushing to not just cancel Columbus Day, but to replace it with a new holiday they call Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor and commemorate Native Americans. In 1992 the city of Berkeley, California symbolically renamed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day and nobody really noticed or took the move seriously and just wrote off the idea as coming from a bunch of hippies, but as the years went on more and more cities began officially replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day.230 In 2017 the Los Angeles city council voted to do so, becoming the largest city to make the change.231 Two years later Washington D.C.’s city council did the same thing.232 And as president, Joe Biden issued a presidential proclamation in 2021 declaring October 10th (Columbus Day) to be “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”233 Now on the iPhone calendar it marks the “holiday” automatically as such, and the notification cannot be removed.234 At some point they’ll probably fully cancel Columbus Day, purging it from all calendars like the toppled confederate monuments were removed from public display and the confederate flag banned, claiming it’s disgraceful to commemorate the “violent colonization in the Western hemisphere.” But if the European settlers hadn’t colonized North America, instituted our form of government—bringing with it law and order, and designed and built the infrastructure of modern society; then the Native American tribes may still be living in tepees, warring with each other, and doing rain dances hoping to get their crops to grow so they wouldn’t starve instead of having the luxuries of grocery stores and other modern conveniences.

And without the Europeans establishing colonies here, the African Americans wouldn’t be Americans at all, because if their ancestors weren’t brought here as slaves then they would have been born and raised in any number of the third world countries in Africa, many living in dirt huts and walking around barefoot not owning any shoes. But because of what their ancestors went through, they get to enjoy everything that the United States has to offer.



American Monuments

When there’s a revolution in a country, the old flag and monuments are torn down and replaced by symbols of the new regime. There is a famous video of a gigantic Saddam Hussein statue being toppled during the War in Iraq showing Iraqis celebrating and hitting it with their shoes once it fell to the ground (a sign of disrespect in their culture).235 And in the 21st century United States, countless monuments were toppled in a similar fashion as the attempted Marxist revolution began heating up.236 Since Leftists hate America’s history, culture, and customs, it only makes sense that they would focus that hatred on American monuments. But not just the old “racist” Confederate monuments, which have stood in the South for a hundred and fifty years. They also want statues of the Founding Fathers torn down, and ultimately the American flag that flies on top of the U.S. Capitol building. During a discussion about numerous Confederate monuments being torn down across the South on CNN, one of their contributors named Angela Rye called for statues of George Washington to be torn down too because he owned slaves, saying, “To me, I don’t care if it’s a George Washington statue or Thomas Jefferson, they all need to come down.”237 Race-baiting grifter extraordinaire Al Sharpton agrees.238 And so did the city council of New York, which had a statue of Thomas Jefferson removed from City Hall which had stood there for over 100 years.239 Later they considered removing more statues and artwork of Jefferson, and those honoring George Washington too.240 A few years before the height of the anti-Confederate monument hysteria (which succeeded in removing nearly 100 monuments across the South in the year 2020 alone), protesters in Atlanta vandalized a Peace Monument that was set up in 1911 to symbolize reconciliation between the North and the South after the Civil War, thinking it was a Confederate

statue of some kind.241 A statue of Abraham Lincoln (who freed the slaves) was vandalized in Chicago with graffiti saying “colonizer.”242 Mount Rushmore is also a target of frequent protesters and even threats to blow it up.243 Vice News wrote an article originally titled “It’s Time To Blow Up Mount Rushmore” and then quietly changed it to “Let’s Get Rid of Mount Rushmore” after controversy grew about them trying to incite violence.244 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi responded to the rash of vandalism and angry mobs toppling confederate monuments in the wake of the George Floyd riots by saying, “If the community doesn’t want the statue there, the statue shouldn’t be there,” adding, “I don’t care that much about statues.”245 One reporter pressed her, asking “Respectfully, shouldn’t that be done by a commission, or the city council—not a mob, in the middle of the night throwing it into the harbor?” to which she responded, “People will do what they do,” and shrugged off the mobs as if what they were doing was no big deal.246 Interestingly, George Orwell foresaw this kind of cultural erasure in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, writing, “One could not learn history from architecture any more than one could learn it from books. Statues, inscriptions, memorial stones, the names of streets—anything that might throw light upon the past had been systematically altered.”247 They’re engaged in a cultural genocide (not to be confused with an ethnic genocide, which is the deliberate killing of a large group of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the purpose of eradicating it). Cultural genocide is defined as “acts and measures undertaken to destroy nations’ or ethnic groups’ culture through spiritual, national, and cultural destruction.”248 This is done through destroying cultural artifacts like books, artwork, and monuments (or even buildings). Destruction of such artifacts is actually a violation of numerous international treaties which aim to protect such objects even in times of war. The Treaty on the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historic Monuments (also known as the Roerich Pact), which was signed by 21 different countries reads, “The historic monuments, museums, scientific, artistic, educational and cultural institutions shall be considered as neutral and as such respected and protected by belligerents. The same respect and protection shall be due to the personnel of the institutions

mentioned above. The same respect and protection shall be accorded to the historic monuments, museums, scientific, artistic, educational and cultural institutions in time of peace as well as in war.”249



The National Anthem

For generations the National Anthem had been proudly played before nationally televised sporting events to signify how fortunate we are to live in the United States where citizens can enjoy such entertainment at their leisure, but that tradition too came under attack by anti-American forces within our own country. That battle became part of pop culture in 2016 when the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (who was adopted as a child by a nice White family since his Black biological mother and father abandoned him) started kneeling (or sitting) during the song instead of proudly standing with his hand over his heart in order to “protest” against supposed “police brutality” and to show solidarity with the Marxist Black Lives Matter movement.250 It sparked a national debate with the usual leaders of cultural decay —Hollywood celebrities and Liberal “journalists,” siding with Kaepernick and painting him as some kind of civil rights hero. Then the tradition itself was attacked, with many calling for the song to stop being performed at sporting events all together.251 Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, quietly stopped playing the national anthem before games at his stadium in November 2020, but then resumed the tradition after pushback from the NBA three months later.252 New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees apologized for saying that he would still stand during the National Anthem and thought people kneeling were disrespecting the flag.253 The following day after his initial comments he posted a video on Instagram saying, “It breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused. I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the Black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused.”254

All that for just disagreeing with those who refused to respect the National Anthem at the games! To appease the crazies, the NFL started having a singer perform the “Black National Anthem” before games in the 2021 season, which is a song that some Black people feel “better represents” them.255 Many disgruntled Black people think the National Anthem itself is racist, and it’s a celebration of “White supremacy.”256 The NAACP, the National Association for the Advance of Colored People, says it’s one of the most racist songs in America, and have lobbied legislatures to remove it as a our national anthem.257 Democrat Congressman Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, who is the head of the “Congressional Black Caucus” (a group of Black congressmen who work to promote the interests of Black people over other Americans), supported a petition posted on Change.org calling for it to be abolished, saying it contains “racism, elitism, and even sexism.”258



The American Flag 

The American flag obviously symbolizes our great nation (or at least what a great nation we used to be), and since the Marxists hate everything about the United States—from our Founding Fathers, to the Bill of Rights, and every aspect of our culture, it should come as no surprise that the very sight of Old Glory sends them into a hissy fit as well. A survey conducted in 2018 by the non-profit Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness found that 1 out of 5 millennials see the American flag as “a sign of intolerance and hatred.”259 In 2015, I posted a YouTube video showing me asking random people walking along a boardwalk by the beach in southern California if they would sign a petition to “ban” the American flag and issue a new flag featuring rainbow stripes for “diversity,” and many people gladly supported the cause.260 While it was slightly funny at the time, it was an early indicator of the declining patriotism in America and the growing hostility from within. Nike canceled the rollout of a limited edition shoe that was scheduled to be released in 2019 to commemorate Independence Day because it featured the Betsy Ross flag, a flag that represents the original 13 colonies.261 The cancellation came after complains by Colin Kaepernick who had become the face of Nike, landing a multi-million dollar contract with them the previous year.262 In the past, athletes like Michael Jordan and Andre Agassi were the face of the sneaker giant, and they never engaged in divisive political rhetoric or got involved in political causes. Instead, they strictly stuck to sports, knowing it would be bad for business to ostracize half of their fans by publicly aligning with either political party or anything having to do with politics at all. But today, promoting Liberal political causes is put before profits and most of corporate America is now in a competition with each other over who can best use their resources to promote “social justice.”263

A group of students at a California high school were sent home after they came to class on Cinco de Mayo (the Mexican holiday, meaning May 5th) wearing shirts with the American flag on them. The school considered their shirts to be “cultural disrespect” and forbid the students from wearing them.264 They sued the school for violating their first amendment rights, but the Ninth Circuit court ruled against the students!265 Their lawyers wanted to take the case to the Supreme Court, but in 2015 (when it was still dominated by Liberals) they rejected even hearing the case!266 The Sigma Chi fraternity at Stanford University was told by a school administrator that the American flag flying on their frat house could be seen as “offensive, intimidating, aggressive or alienating” to others.267 In response, the frat bought an even larger flag the very next day and hung that one outside as a “silent but visible protest.”268 They didn’t get a letter from the school because they were flying a Confederate flag or one with an expletive or offensive imagery. They were just flying an American flag! Comedian Sarah Silverman, best known for being Jimmy Kimmel’s ex-girlfriend from many years ago, said in her now defunct Hulu show that the American flag makes her “scared” and “shaken” because she’s a Jew, and “nationalism  is innately terrifying for Jews” because the Nazis were nationalists, meaning they were highly dedicated to their own nation and it formed a central part of their identity. And so Americans saying “We’re number one” and posting a flag outside their home is too nationalistic for her, because it’s “really like an old bed buddy of racism and xenophobia.”269 So, she’s worried that some Americans (the patriotic ones) like America too much, and they remind her of Nazis because of their national pride. MSNBC contributor and New York Times board member Mara Gay says she thinks it’s “disturbing” that so many Donald Trump supporters fly the American flag because it sends the message that this is “their” country.270 And now every year around the 4th of July numerous TikTok videos go viral of Black people complaining about seeing all the American flags everywhere, and insisting that anyone who has one flying outside their house must be “some racist ass White mother fuckers.”271



The Coming Collapse of the United States? 

The polarization between Red states and Blue states has never been more intense, aside from the Civil War era. The coronavirus lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 clearly showed the vast disagreement between different states regarding mandates for masks, vaccines, and forced school and business closures. And with such dramatically different views regarding abortion, school curriculums, transgenderism, reparations, and other irreconcilable divides, many wonder at what point do we have a “national divorce” and split the country in two, or numerous different Republics. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, various regions broke off into independent republics. And the borders of many countries have changed throughout history as they rose and fell. So it’s not unforeseeable that at some point in the future the United States could break apart into various regional republics. Nearly a dozen Conservative counties in Oregon have been trying to secede and be annexed into Idaho, in what’s called the Greater Idaho Movement.272 For decades fringe voices have been calling for Texas to secede, but nobody took such people seriously; although now many have been wondering what possible solution is there to America’s growing cultural divide other than a national divorce? If the Supreme Court gets stacked with a Liberal majority and keeps passing draconian laws that businesses and teachers would have to legally follow or get sued into bankruptcy—like the “Equality Act” that Democrats keep hoping to cram through, which would force everyone to recognize dozens of different “genders” and allow anyone to declare themselves a man or a woman (or neither), and let them to participate in any activities which had been exclusive to that sex—including giving them access to locker rooms and showers (and competing on girls sports teams if someone self identifies as a “girl”)—then what recourse would normal people have at that point?

Businesses would lose their license and be shut down and sued by left-wing activists or the Justice Department for violating the “civil rights” of the gender benders. Employees would be fired if they refused to play along with a transgender customer’s “identity,” or if they referred to a coworker as a he/him or a she/her if that person “identifies” as “gender nonbinary.” What do we have in common with today’s Democrats? Our moral values, political interests, and economic models are completely polar opposites. The old days of trying to find common ground on various issues or compromise on certain things in order to win other concessions are over. The debates about what to do politically with the country are no longer about which group of people should get tax cuts or which communities should get federal funding for infrastructure or social welfare programs. They’re much more personal, and the differences are so much more extreme than anyone in previous generations could have ever imagined. Every day more Conservatives want nothing to do with Democrat policies (and vice versa). And not just economic policies, but policies in schools and the workplace. We even have drastically different views about what entertainment we want to watch since many long-established shows, sporting events, and even television commercials now bombard audiences with divisive political propaganda using once-great brand name products like Bud Light, Gillette, and Hershey’s to normalize drag queens, celebrate gay “marriage,” and promote transgenderism to children. Our national debt is economically unsustainable, the lack of patriotism and open resentment and hatred for the United States from many of our own citizens is unprecedented. The floods of countless millions of illegal aliens who will never assimilate into American culture and instead are only diluting it by importing their own are forever changing the social landscape. Many historians (and ordinary Americans) see the warning signs flashing that we may be in the late stages of an empire—one that appears to be approaching a complete collapse.    



Christianity and Churches

People who love sin always hate God because His existence and moral code is offensive to their debauchery, deception, and destructive lifestyles. And while many Liberals hate God, they specifically hate Christians because Christianity is very clear about God’s principles. Instead of some generic and nebulous “god,” Christians believe in a very specific Deity who has laid out very clear codes of conduct in the Bible. And this conduct is often directly opposed to the way Liberals live their lives. Muslims mostly avoid scorn from the Left because they’re seen as a non-White minority group and thus “oppressed.” Liberals rarely if ever criticize Islam or Muslims, but love to espouse their hatred of Christians. Even fewer people criticize Judaism or Jews because they know they’ll instantly be branded an “antisemite” and have their career destroyed. You hear about how terrible “Islamophobia” and “antisemitism” is all the time, but never about Christianphobia. It’s not even seen as a real word. But Christians are the most hated group of people in America, and contrary to popular belief, the most persecuted religious group in the world.273 And not just in the Middle East or 3rd world countries in Africa, but also in Europe and even the United States.274 When Evangelist Franklin Graham, Billy Graham’s son, planned to give a series of sermons around the UK, every venue he had booked (including in Birmingham, Liverpool, and Sheffield) canceled on him over what they said was his past “homophobic and Islamophobic” comments for preaching that homosexuality is “something to be repentant of, not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized,” and for calling Islam a “wicked and evil” religion.275

The city council in San Antonio, Texas voted to ban Chick-fil-A from their new airport, claiming the restaurant has a “legacy of antiLGBTQ behavior” because it’s a Christian owned company and famously stays closed on Sundays, the Lord’s Day.276 Shortly after, another airport in Buffalo, New York did the same thing for the same reason.277 New York Magazine then published an article celebrating the ban and listing a bunch of other restaurants that sell chicken sandwiches, recommending people eat there instead, so they’re not “supporting our nation’s hate mongers.”278 The New Yorker (different from New York Magazine) complained that Chick-Fil-A was “infiltrating New York City” when they expanded there, and called it “creepy” that their corporate mission statement mentions God.279 The Left hates Hobby Lobby, the mega arts and crafts store for the same reason. They’ve donated to various Christian causes supporting prolife legislation and opposing gay “marriage.”280 And they’re also closed on Sundays, an old tradition many businesses followed until around the 1980s. So Hobby Lobby is often the target of rabid Leftists online who would never even shop there anyway because they don’t have an ounce of creativity in their brains so they would never even think of going to an arts and crafts store. One of America’s largest Christian legal defense groups, Alliance Defending Freedom, was banned from Amazon.com’s charity fundraising program Amazon Smile after the Southern Poverty Law Center branded them a “hate group” because they defend businesses in court which are bullied by LGBTQ extremists trying to force them to engage in practices that violate their religious beliefs—like baking gay “wedding” cakes and catering gay “weddings.”281 At the Jersey Shore, a large pier in the Ocean Grove community that has two sections, one which extends perpendicular to the main walkway near the end, has been interpreted to look like a Christian cross from the air, so it came under attack by LGBTQ extremists who complained it was a religious symbol.282 In one of Project Veritas’ undercover investigations they caught an assistant principal in Connecticut on tape saying that he wouldn’t hire Conservatives or Christians.283 If someone said the same thing about not hiring Jews or Muslims it would have caused a national scandal with

Democrats in Congress and the Justice Department launching an investigation, but this story went virtually unnoticed in the media.284 When a group of Christians were spotted hanging out in a coffee shop in Seattle by the owner (who is a queer) he started yelling at them to leave and said he would “fuck Christ in the ass,” and then sexually harassed them by talking about how he has sex with his boyfriend.285 As the group left he told them to tell their friends (other Christians) not to come there.286 The entire incident was captured on video and posted online but the business owner faced no consequences. If he went on a rant about Jews or Muslims and kicked them out, it would have been one of the top stories in the country and Jewish groups like the ADL would have ran him out of business by suing him for discrimination. But discriminating against a group of Christians is accepted. And sadly this isn’t an isolated incident. It’s a growing trend. A man wearing a “Jesus Saves” shirt in the Mall of America in Minnesota was told by a security guard that he needed to take it off or leave because it was considered to be “soliciting,” which is a violation of the mall’s rules.287 Just wearing a shirt promoting Jesus was deemed the same as if he was handing out flyers, which is what the ban on soliciting is actually in place to prevent—which is a reasonable policy and one that nearly every business has, but now just seeing the name Jesus on a t-shirt is offensive. A Christian group in Virginia called the Family Foundation had their dinner reservations canceled after the owner learned that they oppose abortion and gay “marriage.”288 The owner proudly posted on his Instagram about it, and this sort of thing likely happens a lot more than people know because most of the time such discrimination isn’t going to make the news since the business owners aren’t going to brag about what they’ve done on social media. Leftists tried to get the husband and wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines fired from their HGTV home renovation show in 2016 because they go to church and their church—like any real church that believes in the Bible—doesn’t support gay “marriage.”289 But despite the controversy they kept their show and they’ll be safe as long as they don’t voice their opinions about gay “marriage” themselves. Other Christian HGTV hosts, the Benham brothers (not to be confused with the “Property Brothers,” a different pair of twin brothers on the network), were going to help people renovate their shabby homes in a

new series until they got caught up in a news cycle that smeared them as “anti-gay” and “anti-choice extremists” because unlike Chip and Joanna Gaines who remain silent on the issue, the Benham Brothers denounced gay “marriage,” so HGTV dropped them.290 After Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA basketball team was caught on tape making “racist” remarks about his “girlfriend” (nearly fifty years his junior) having sex with Black guys, the league forced him to sell his team—and then some people began arguing that “homophobes” (i.e. Christians who don’t support gay “marriage”) shouldn’t be allowed to own an NBA team either, and wanted to start a witch hunt to force them to sell their teams as well.291 Christian schools are even under attack by Liberal attorney generals who claim they’re “discriminating” against LGBTQ people if they don’t hire them.292 Similar lawsuits and threats have been made against churches and pastors who refused to host same sex “weddings.”293 CNN host John King insinuated that Mike Pence’s wife should have her Secret Service protection revoked after she decided to volunteer as an art teacher a few days a week at a Christian school that doesn’t allow gays or lesbians to be teachers, saying taxpayers were “subsidizing her life” even though every vice president (and their wives) receive secret service protection.294 After word first broke that Karen Pence would be teaching at the school, which like all (real) Christian schools, doesn’t celebrate homosexuality like most government run public schools do, the hashtag #ExposeChristianSchools trended on Twitter from so many Liberals venting their hatred and Christianphobia.295 Singer Lady Gaga even chimed in on the issue, attacking Mike Pence during a concert—calling him the “Worst representation of what it means to be a Christian.”296 CNN then declared that “Christianity’s future looks more like Lady Gaga than Mike Pence.”297 It’s amazing that a bunch of people who hate Jesus are always telling Christians what Jesus would do. Because of the publicity over the controversy, another school in the district announced that they were now refusing to play any sports against the teams at the one Mrs. Pence taught at.298 A Catholic club at Georgetown University—America’s oldest Catholic college, was labeled a “hate group” by LGBTQ activists on campus because they believe (correctly) that marriage is between a man and

a woman, so a student senator filed a complaint with the school claiming the Catholic club’s beliefs violated the school policy against “fostering hatred or intolerance.”299 Why a Catholic school would even allow LGBTQ students to attend is another question—one you’re not supposed to ask. Shouldn’t Catholic and Christian schools be allowed to expel students who openly celebrate what the Bible condemns? Texas Christian University added a course called “Queer Art of Drag” to their curriculum in 2021 as an elective, where students create a “drag persona” and a “lip-sync portfolio” consisting of videos of them singing and dancing in drag. They also have to perform at the school’s annual Night of Drag.300 The fact that a supposed “Christian” college would allow and encourage drag shows is ridiculous, and having a course dedicated to it which gives students credit for it is blasphemous and the school should be forced to remove the word Christian from its name. Angry queers tried to get the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team to cancel their annual Christian Day, which is a post-game event that has been held for over 30 years where fans who wish to remain in their seats after the game can enjoy speakers (often current or former Cardinals players) who talk about Jesus and the Christian life.301 A Marxist LGBTQ extremist group called Stonewall Militant Front organized hoping to shut down a mega church in Austin, Texas and doxxed the pastor and his son causing them to be flooded with death threats because the church doesn’t support gay “marriage.”302 Conservative social media personality and former Congressional candidate Laura Loomer was banned from Twitter (under the leadership of Jack Dorsey) for “Islamophobic” comments about Democrat Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, where Loomer just pointed out that Islam oppresses homosexuals and women.303 At the time she had over 250,000 followers. But a simple search any day of the week brings up countless profanity-filled vicious and hateful anti-Christian tweets, but nobody is suspended or banned from social media for hate speech against Christians. (Loomer’s account was restored four years later along with many others after Elon Musk bought the platform.)304 If you look at how much the morality of America has been degenerating, it appears as if we’re living in the End Times and the prophecy of the Antichrist doesn’t seem so far-fetched. We’re seeing the

open worship of Satan and not just the corny heavy metal band type of satanic antics, but a more sophisticated, organized, and funded form of satanism. It probably won’t be much longer until an admitted satanist is elected to Congress (who will be a Democrat, no doubt). After Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm election, they proposed removing the age-old “so help me God” line from the oath taken before key committee hearings.305 Leftists want the government to be God, but our rights come from God, not the government. In the New World Order, however, identity politics has become a new religion. Queerness and intersectionality is their faith. And it follows most of the same tenets as a religion, including having its own rituals, path to atonement, and excommunication of “heretics” who stray from the dogma.



Christmas Under Attack

The Left often mocks the War on Christmas while they wage war. It’s a gaslighting tactic. And like most fronts in the culture war, the Left’s attacks on Christmas started small and weren’t seen as a threat that would have any effect, but they relentlessly persisted and the trickle turned into a flood. Now the “Satanic Temple”—an anti-Christian hate group, desecrates Christmas displays set up on public property by installing their own satanicthemed displays right next to them every December under threats of lawsuits against local and state governments if they’re not allowed to, claiming that forbidding their “Christmas” displays would be a violation of their First Amendment.306 If they targeted Jewish holidays, the ADL would freak out and get them banned from social media, payment processors, and apps like Venmo and PayPal to cut off their funding for being a “hate group,” but it’s acceptable to hate Christians and attempt to desecrate our holidays. As part of the Marxist agenda aiming to destroy American culture, Leftists are working to undermine almost every national holiday, but since Christmas is a Christian holiday despite it being mostly secularized for generations, they are extremely upset about it because of its origins and underlying meaning. The name itself is derived from Christ’s Mass, marking the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, but despite the holiday being more about Santa Claus than it is about celebrating the birth of Jesus these days, Leftists still hate the holiday because its Christian roots will never be forgotten. It’s not “inclusive” enough they say, and it’s “offensive” to Jews, Muslims, and atheists (although mostly Jewish secularists who are Liberal atheist non-practicing Jews, also known as JINOs—Jews in name only, in the same vein as RINOs—Republican in name only, but you’re not supposed to notice that, let alone say it out loud). Many Jews throw around the word “antisemitism” more than Black people call others “racist.” But the “antisemitism” label has much more

power and often proves to be extremely damaging to people’s careers if it’s hurled at them. An anti-Christian screed in The Washington Post starts off, “Please don’t wish me a Merry Christmas…It’s impolite and alienating to assume I follow your religion.”307 She complains “it is everywhere, for over a month…in a way no other holiday is—not even Easter. It is in every ad, in every window and doorway, and on everyone’s lips.” As a Jew, she says, it’s “uncomfortable,” “weird,” “exhausting,” and “makes me feel like a stranger in my own land.”308 She goes on, “Despite the movies and the shopping, despite the Germanic decor, Christmas is still, at its core and by design, about the birth of Christ…Whenever I hear the name, I hear the ‘Christ’ in it,” And she doesn’t want to be “reminded a thousand times every winter.”309 Most atheists enjoy Christmas, decorate their homes each year, buy presents for their loved ones and gather for Christmas dinner. They’re not the ones complaining about Christmas (except for a few rare militant ones who are actually just satanists in disguise and hate everything about life). Buddhists aren’t offended by being told “Merry Christmas.” Neither are Hindus, Sikhs, or Zoroastrians. An NBC News op-ed complained that, “December in America is a constant onslaught of Christmas culture: Every store gets decked out in Christmas finery and puts carols on full blast, seemingly believing that it encourages shopping. Television shows that normally avoid any discussion of anything approaching religious observance suddenly get into the spirit, devoting extra-long episodes to stories about the generous spirit inspired by this time of year.”310 It went on to complain that “Ostensibly secular offices and schools are suddenly awash in Santas and sleighs and reindeer…It would be bad enough if this aggressive Christmas assault were purely the domain of the rabid right wing…But the truth is that liberals—even ones who ostensibly embrace religious diversity—can be just as bad as their conservative counterparts when it comes to enforcing the oppressive Christmas climate.”311 What she means is Christmas is “oppressive” to the Jews (which she herself is one, including the typical JINO preface “as a Jew” in her tirade). The report concluded that we should “take a long hard look at the way

Christmas is used to send the message that America is a nation primarily for Christians.”312 A former producer for Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox News sued him and the network for what she claimed was a “hostile work environment” and said in her lawsuit she faced “antisemitism” because there were “noisy” Christmas decorations in the office, and when she complained about them, she was called a “grinch” and a “scrooge” by a coworker.313 That’s “antisemitism” she says! But the War on Christmas gets much worse than a small but vocal demographic of non-Christians getting offended that the holiday is an intricate part of American culture. Santa is now seen as a symbol of White supremacy and White privilege by many Liberals, who say it makes Black children feel ostracized.314 So there are increasing calls to depict Santa as a penguin instead of jolly old Saint Nicholas, to be more “inclusive.”315 In a webinar put together by the Jewish ADL aimed at public school teachers, they complained about arts and crafts projects where teachers have students draw pictures of Santa Claus! One of the panelists admitted “Santa Claus is not considered to be a religious symbol, for Constitutional purposes, so asking students to draw a picture of something that’s not deemed religious is Constitutional,” but then he turned the conversation over to another panelist to explain “even though this is technically Constitutional, an assignment like this is none the less—problematic.”316 It’s a problem to them that kids draw pictures of Santa in school! In 2017 a children’s book titled Santa’s Husband was published which depicts Santa as gay and married to a Black man—a book written by a Jew who, of course, doesn’t celebrate Christmas.317 He just wrote it to denigrate the holiday. CNN praised the book when it was first released as a “fresh new twist” on the story of Santa Claus.318 After a political activist named Jacob Wohl recommended that Jews should assimilate into American Christian culture by putting up Christmas lights in December, he started trending on Twitter from so many people attacking him, calling him an “antisemite” (not realizing he himself is Jewish) and his comments even made headlines. Publications like Newsweek even twisted his recommendation by reporting that he “demanded” Jews do it.319

After The Santa Clauses TV mini-series staring Tim Allen came out on the Disney+ streaming service, a Jewish film critic named Scott Weinberg complained that Tim Allen (who plays Santa) has a line where he laments, “Saying ‘Merry Christmas to all’ has suddenly become problematic,” thus proving the character’s point. “It just struck me as a truly weird thing to put in a kid’s series,” Weinberg said. “‘Someone wants to stop us from saying Merry Christmas!’ is not some random campaign. It’s a low-key effort to vilify anyone who doesn’t celebrate this holiday,” he concluded.320 After he was widely mocked on Twitter, he then cried that he was the victim of “antisemitism.”321 Christmas represents everything we’re trying to preserve in America: family, tradition, capitalism, and most importantly, Christ—all things the Left vehemently hates. And they deem it a “microagression” to even say Merry Christmas to someone.322 Starting in 2017 the DC Metro (the government agency that oversees public transportation, such as busses and other rapid transit services) banned any Christmas ads on or in Washington DC busses that mention Jesus, God, or Christianity.323 So no more “Jesus is the reason for the season” or “Keep Christ in Christmas” posters allowed. And now each year numerous Universities across America struggle with allowing faculty and students to hold Christmas parties out of concerns they’ll offend non-Christians who think the holiday is “oppressive.” They post sections on their websites urging people to be “culturally sensitive” in December, and saying things like, “Displays that feature exclusively singlethemed decorations [meaning Christmas] may be well intentioned, but they can marginalize those who celebrate other religious and cultural beliefs during this season.”324 Many schools suggest not doing a “Secret Santa” gift exchange either.325 The Universities don’t want the faculty to put up any Christmas decorations that have any religious connotations either (so no baby Jesus in a manger), only secular ones like snowmen. They also request faculty not hold celebrations that even “indirectly” celebrates “religious holidays.”326 Would Indian or Chinese people who emigrated to a predominantly Muslim country like Saudi Arabia or Pakistan send out memos encouraging people not to celebrate Ramadan or Eid al-Fitr because it might not be “inclusive” enough for them? Would British or Irish people who were

working in Israel ask colleagues in that country not to celebrate Jewish holidays or avoid using any religious symbols during popular celebrations there because it wouldn’t be “inclusive” enough for non-Jews? Never! Would Christians living in India complain about Hindu symbols being displayed for the celebration of Diwali (the Festival of Lights), one of the most popular celebrations in the country every year? Of course not! But those who are hostile to Christmas are aided by brand name Liberal media outlets every year which amplify their attacks on Christian celebrations in America—and it’s time people stop giving into the demands of a small minority who don’t want to assimilate and enjoy the biggest holiday around the world. Most people, out of ignorance (or fear), just point to “Liberals” as the ones who oppose and attack Christmas, and very few people will mention that there is usually a very specific group of Liberals who oppose Christmas—Liberal secular Jews—or Liberal non-practicing Jews (not to be confused with the conservative religious Orthodox Jews, who believe in God and don’t just identify as Jews ethnically or culturally).327 While Orthodox Jews don’t celebrate Christmas either, they’re not usually hostile about it like many Liberal JINOs and tend to be friendly with (and respectful of) Christians,328 despite their differences about Jesus, because Orthodox Jews share many of the same values as Christians, whereas JINOs are typically Leftist atheists.329 A lot of people get confused when they hear about Jews who don’t believe in God because most non-Jews don’t understand that “Jewish” is also an ethnicity aside from a religion, but because Jewish ethnicity has been historically linked with Judaism (the religion) most non-Jews don’t know that ethnic Jews who no longer follow the religion of the ancient Israelites still identify as Jews because the word has dual meanings.330 During a speech at Texas A&M University, Ben Shapiro, one of the most famous Orthodox Jews in America, remarked why so many (ethnic) Jews are Leftists, saying, “This is one of the questions I get most often from non-Jewish audiences, is why are Jews so disproportionately to the left. And the answer is the vast majority of Jews don’t go to synagogue, don’t believe in God, [and] don’t believe in the Bible…Jews are the single most anti-religious, quote unquote ‘religious’ group in the United States.”331 And to understand why Jews don’t celebrate Christmas and why so many of them actively oppose it being an integral part of American culture,

one has to understand the history of Christianity and how Jews rejecting Jesus as the son of God and the Messiah has caused an ongoing division between Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) for over two thousand years. Few Christians are aware that Muslims actually believe Jesus was a prophet, they just don’t believe he was God in the flesh or that his death atoned for mankind’s sins. Muslims believe Jesus was born of a virgin though (which Jews do not), and that he performed miracles—including restoring a blind man’s vision, healing a leper, and raising the dead.332 All of this is written in the Koran, which contains some of the same stories as the Christian Bible.333 In Judaism on the other hand (and among JINOs—Jews in name only—who no longer follow the Jewish religion or even believe in God but still identify as Jews culturally), Jesus is viewed as a fraud and a false prophet, and because of the events that led to his crucifixion and being rejected by the ancient Israelites as the messiah—many Jews and Christians have had an often tense opposition between each other ever since.334



Easter Under Attack 

Even though Easter has been covered with a secular veneer similar to Christmas, the Christian roots are far more visible because the resurrection of Christ is at the core of Christianity and it’s seen as a far more religious holiday than Christmas. And since most Liberals hate Jesus and Christianity, Easter Sunday causes them to flip out and spew their hatred every year, usually on social media which is where Leftists prefer to live their lives and air their every grievance as soon as they come to mind. Anti-Christian posts don’t violate the terms of service on the Big Tech social media platforms (unlike criticism of Jews or Muslims) and most Leftists wouldn’t even think of criticizing Muhammad, the revered prophet of Islam—or any Muslim holidays, beliefs, or practices; but every Easter the Christianphobes vent their hatred of Jesus and Christians online. A single post criticizing a Jewish holiday or tradition (like the eating of hamantaschen, a pastry which symbolize the cut off ears of Jewish enemies during their holiday of Purim)335 or mocking their ritual of swinging a chicken around their head while saying a prayer—thinking it transfers their sins to the chicken, which is an atonement ritual many religious Jews engage in for Yom Kippur,336 would cause a national outrage and make headlines across the country, but attacking Christians is so commonplace it’s now central to mainstream American culture. Recently, every year when Easter comes around, cries of “antisemitism” come from the Liberal media which continuously work to smear the Christian holy day as an attack on Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus. But shockingly these smears aren’t just from the usual media outlets, they’re also now coming from some heretical “Christian” or “Catholic” ones as well. America Magazine, a publication put out by the Jesuits of the United States (a Catholic group), published an article titled “The Gospel of John has been used to justify anti-semitism—so we should stop reading it on Good Friday.” It starts out saying, “Over the weekend, I saw a number of

comments from Jewish Twitter users expressing concern about the week to come. The Christian celebration of Holy Week brings with it increased antiSemitic comments, threats and violence, and it has for over a thousand years.”337 It continues, “Reading John’s Passion [meaning the Book of John from the Bible] on Good Friday causes real harm. And our practice is far more a matter of tradition than any theological necessity.”338 The writer suggests avoiding some of the specifics about the events that led up to the crucifixion of Jesus because certain historical facts have been deemed “antisemitic” by Jews. The Book of John is seen as more problematic than the other Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) because of the verse found in John 8:44 which reads, “You [the Jews who want Jesus to be killed] belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires.” It’s deemed an “antisemitic” passage because it paints the Jews who wanted Jesus killed as satanic. Aside from John 8:44, other verses that echo this sentiment such as Revelation 2:9 (and 3:9) which warn about “those who say they are Jews and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan,” are also deemed “antisemitic.”339 Some Jewish leaders have even called for Bibles to come with warning labels on them which highlight and counteract what they deem “antisemitic” passages and themes about “the seemingly stubborn nature of the Jewish people and their disloyalty to God.”340 Billy Graham, the most respected Christian evangelist in the 20th and 21st century, deemed “America’s pastor,” can be heard on the Nixon White House Tapes referencing these verses since President Nixon secretly recorded every conversation in the Oval Office using a voice-activated tape recorder. The last of the tapes, which contain more than 3,000 hours of conversations, were made public in 2002 and include Billy Graham having a very candid discussion with the president back in 1972 where he can be heard telling Nixon, “You see the Bible makes a distinction, Mr. President, between two groups of Jews. One is called the synagogue of Satan—there are two different kinds.”341 He continues saying the other group is called the remnant of God’s people, who are Jews which will become Christians in the End Times. “And then there’s the synagogue of Satan,” he says again. “And nearly all of your religious deceptions in the latter days, like the Bible speaks, latter days

would be a thousand years; [comes from] what they call the synagogue of Satan. In other words, they are energized by a supernatural power called the Devil. This is what the Bible teaches, whether you believe it or don’t believe it, this is the Biblical teaching. This is what I believe. And I believe that they have a strange brilliance about them because they’re smart. And they are energized in my judgement by a supernatural power, and you see, and uh, of course Hitler didn’t uh—they had a stranglehold on Germany. On the banking of Germany, on everything in Germany—and the media. They had the whole thing, you see. And he [Hitler] went about it wrong, but this stranglehold has got to be broken or this country is going to go down the drain.”342 Nixon asked, “You believe that?” Graham: “Yes sir.” Nixon responded, “Good Lord. I can’t ever say it, but I believe it.”343 When the tape was made public 30 years later, Billy Graham was denounced as an “antisemite” but surprisingly it didn’t completely destroy his career or legacy. And the fact that he never talked about such things publicly, but instead kept that conversation for what he thought was a private discussion with the president of the United States, speaks volumes about how dangerous it can be to talk about certain parts of the scriptures. Even the cross itself has been called an “antisemitic symbol.” The London Guardian says “Christians must understand that for Jews the cross is a symbol of oppression” and that “Christianity bears primary responsibility for historic antisemitism.”344 In 2023, Israel’s government proposed a ban on Christians proselytizing in their country.345 “America’s greatest ally,” as both the Republicans and Democrats in congress always tout, who we give billions of dollars in aid to every year,346 tried to ban preaching the Gospel.347 (And this wasn’t the first time).348 After news of the latest proposition made it to the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying he wouldn’t sign the bill into law and frantically tried to engage in damage control so Christians would continue to support the State of Israel and the Jewish people.349 The “fact checkers” online tried to mitigate the damage too, claiming the proposed bill wouldn’t ban people from “talking about Jesus,” just proselytizing, or trying to convert someone to becoming a Christian.

People in Israel could still talk about him! A senior editor at The Jerusalem Post said, “And it wouldn’t exist [meaning the proposed ban] if missionaries would just back off—at least in our own country.”350 Few Christian churches and political pundits will admit that while Israel tolerates Christian tourists—preaching to Jews about Jesus is highly discouraged and often results in hostility and scorn.351 After Mel Gibson’s blockbuster Passion of the Christ film was released in 2004, it was widely denounced as “antisemitic” because it was the most popular film about Jesus in generations. A Jewish critic for The New York Daily News named Jamie Bernard called it “the most virulently anti-Semitic movie made since the German propaganda films of the Second World War.”352 The Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said it “continues its unambiguous portrayal of Jews as being responsible for the death of Jesus. There is no question in this film about who is responsible. At every single opportunity, Mr. Gibson’s film reinforces the notion that the Jewish authorities and the Jewish mob are the ones ultimately responsible for the Crucifixion.”353 Well, Christians who have actually read the Bible would know that’s actually how it happened. Groups like the ADL try to split hairs and claim that technically the Romans killed Jesus, but the Bible makes it very clear that the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem at the time were the ones pushing for it. In Matthew 27:24 the Bible quotes Pontius Pilate (the Roman governor of Judea at the time) saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood… It is your responsibility!” meaning the Jewish Pharisees who had conspired to have Jesus arrested and killed for “blasphemy” and being a “false” messiah. The Bible also says that Pontius Pilate even offered to release Jesus, but the angry crowd of Jewish townspeople demanded Barabbas be set free instead, another prisoner who had been recently arrested for insurrection against Rome and murder.354 Bari Weiss, who has worked as the opinion editor for The New York Times and a book reviewer for The Wall Street Journal, insists it’s a “conspiracy theory” that Jews were behind Jesus being crucified.355 Others however, like Jewish comedian Sarah Silverman gloat, “I’m glad the Jews killed Christ. Good! I’d fucking do it again!”356

Of course it’s not fair to blame all Jews or Jewish people living today for killing Jesus any more than it would be to blame White people in general for slavery in America’s past, but it was the Jewish religious leadership at the time (the Pharisees) who conspired to have the Romans kill him, which Jewish advocacy groups like the ADL consider to be an “antisemitic trope” if you dare say it. Yes, quoting the Bible is considered to be “antisemitic” these days, including passages like Matthew 12:14 which reads, “But the [Jewish] Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.” And Mark 11:18 which says, “The chief [Jewish] priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.” It wasn’t the Romans who were insisting he be crucified. The Bible makes that very clear. Luke 23:23-24 says “But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.  So Pilate decided to grant their demand.” It’s rare for Biblical dramas to become so popular, but almost ten years after The Passion of the Christ, the History Channel’s miniseries The Bible was a hit in 2013, and like clockwork the same cries of “antisemitism” rang out about that as well.357 Very few Christians today have an understanding of the tense (and ongoing) opposition many Jews have toward Christians. Before becoming a Christian, the Apostle Paul (a religious Jew prior to his conversion) actually hunted down and killed the first followers of Jesus.358 Martin Luther, the monk who started the Protestant reformation by famously nailing his Ninety-Five Theses to the front door of his local church in 1517 starting the Protestant Reformation, is deemed an antisemite for his theological writings criticizing Judaism. His book On The Jews and Their Lies, published in 1543 and sold on Amazon since it first launched in 1995, was banned sometime around the year 2020 during a purge of numerous titles Jewish groups had been pressuring the retailer to censor.359 There are plenty of books critical of Christianity, Catholicism, and the Inquisition, but certain books that are critical of Judaism, Jewish secularism (JINOs), Jewish ethnocentrism (their in-group favoritism), or discussions about any “Jewish banking dynasties” have been recently censored completely from Amazon and aren’t allowed to be sold. Even used copies by third parties are forbidden from being listed.360

In the Talmud, the recorded oral teachings of Jewish religious leaders (known as Rabbinic Judaism which has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century), it not only says that Jesus was a false messiah and blasphemer who the Pharisees proudly put to death,361 but that Mary was a whore and an adulteress who had sex with a Roman soldier named Panthera, and that’s how she became pregnant with Jesus.362 The Talmud is considered to be just as sacred as the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) by most Jews, but Christians aren’t demanding the Talmud be banned, or clamoring about any “anti-Christianism” because of the theological differences they have with Jews. While Christians may debate and discuss their disagreements, they’re not framing the Jewish view as being “hate speech” or “dangerous” like Jews paint Christian beliefs and Bible verses. Most Christians aren’t even aware of the Talmud and are quite shocked to learn what it says about Jesus—and that it is one of the most sacred religious texts of modern Judaism and “the single most influential document in the history of Judaism.”363 The diametric opposition between Judaism and Christianity softened in the early 20th century largely due to a new edition of the Bible, the Schofield Bible, an annotated version of the Bible (meaning including commentary and notes alongside the scriptures) published by Cyrus I. Scofield in 1909 which changed the view many Christians have towards Jews. It eased the tensions between the two groups by convincing Christians that God commands their uncritical support of the State of Israel, and turned most American evangelicals into Zionists (people who support Israel as a homeland exclusively for Jewish people) and now put Jews on a pedestal as “God’s chosen people” or the “apple of God’s eye.” This, despite Jews not believing in Jesus as the Son of God, and most ethnic Jews not even being religious at all.364 The Bible makes it clear that God’s covenant is with those who have faith in Christ—those who believe in Jesus, not people who just so happen to belong to a certain ethnic group, even if at one point in history God issued them the Ten Commandments.365 Christians believe that faith in Jesus (that he is God in human form and he paid the penalty for your sins, accepting the punishment on your behalf) along with genuine repentance (regret or remorse for your sins) is the only way to have salvation and come into fellowship with God;366 and

the entire premise of Christianity is that it’s by faith alone (belief), not rituals or works—or outside actions; or anything that you can “do” (such as “being a good person,” so no one can boast that they have more favorability with God than others).367 And this salvation certainly isn’t contingent on anyone’s ancestry or what ethnic group you belong to. Jesus offers fellowship with God (and access to the Kingdom of Heaven) to all of mankind—Jew and Gentile (meaning non-Jews, also called Goy or Goyim, which is a disparaging term used by some Jews to refer to non-Jews).368 Judaism is a very exclusive and ethnocentric religion. Notice Jews don’t try to preach or spread the word to others about their God, because to them, he’s their God, and they are his special people. In fact, they discourage people who aren’t born (ethnically) Jewish from converting to Judaism, and many converts still aren’t considered Jews according to Jewish law because if their mother isn’t an (ethnic) Jew, then they’re not really seen as Jewish because they have no direct genetic lineage to the ancient Israelites.369 This is why some people accuse Jews of being Jewish supremacists, which of course is denounced as another “antisemitic slur” because White people are the only ethnic group that are supposed to be framed as seeing themselves superior to others. But some Jews do reveal their own superiority complex when giving the impression that they’re above doing certain kinds of jobs like manual labor.370 One of the most famous rabbis in Israel, Ovadiah Yosef, preached that “Goyim were born only to serve us. Without that, they have no place in the world—only to serve the People of Israel…Why are gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi [a member of the nobility] and eat…That is why gentiles were created.”371 When he died in 2013, he was given the largest funeral in the history of Israel.372 Jews, in their view, work “prestigious” jobs like being doctors and lawyers. This is not a knock against them at all. Their culture emphasizes education and success, much like Asian Americans do. But they’re very sensitive to even the slightest criticism from non-Jews. If an (ethnic) Jew who once also followed religious Judaism (an Orthodox Jew, the ones who wear the yarmulke) becomes a follower of Christ (a Christian believing in Jesus), they are often called a messianic Jew

to make the distinction that while they have Jewish heritage (ethnicity) they are also a Christian. Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament prophesies of a Messiah (a savior), and essentially reform (or transform) Judaism, much like Buddha reformed Hinduism by preaching his formula for “enlightenment” to all, breaking the monopoly held by the religious leaders at the time in India, the Brahmins, who saw themselves as the authorities others needed to rely on in order to gain knowledge of God.373 With the coming of Jesus the Messiah, Jews were invited into God’s new covenant which was also offered to all of mankind so they could do away with external rituals and other stringent practices they previously used in hopes of becoming holy and pleasing to God, and instead they could now be guided by faith alone through a spiritual transformation of their mind which automatically changes how they think and behave, bringing them into harmony with God through the Holy Spirit, a supernatural force that functions as an invisible guide and conscience. But the Bible makes it clear that many Jews were jealous of their “chosenness” over the Gentiles (non-Jews) being offered communion with the God of Israel who they saw as their God—the God of (ethnic) Jews. By God becoming a man in the form of Jesus, he also provided a way for humans to better understand him, and relate to him. He came to earth not only to reveal his instructions through parables that any man, woman, and child could understand, but to set an example for how to think and how to behave. To be the ultimate role model. And when the Holy Spirit enters a person’s mind (through belief in Christ) it’s like downloading a new operating system for your computer or phone, and the old animalistic (carnal) human nature is upgraded, and one becomes anointed with a spiritually-minded consciousness. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, and the new is here.” There are many metaphors that describe this, perhaps the most common is a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. Christians use the term born again to signify this transformation, and Jesus enables us to interface with the awesome and inconceivable power of God in a way that our limited brains can comprehend. Anyone who rejects Christ as the Son of God, the Light of the World (the transmission of God’s messages to mankind) also rejects God (John

2:23), so Jews who don’t believe in Jesus are not God’s chosen people.374 Not anymore. Not since the new covenant—the arrival of Jesus. Christians are God’s chosen people. This is Supersessionism because Christians superseded the Jews as God’s covenanted people. Often it’s called replacement theology as a pejorative and is considered a “heresy” by many churches today because they don’t want to be accused of “antisemitism” even though the Bible makes it very clear that Christians are God’s chosen people, and ever since the early days of Christianity, Christians were universally understood to be just that until Zionism became a major influence in Christianity.375 Romans 9:6-8 says “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel…it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” Galatians 3:29 also makes it clear that, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” And your personal salvation and relationship with Christ have nothing to do with two different ethnic groups (Jews and Palestinians) fighting over a plot of land half way around the world in Israel or which one occupies any of the disputed territories.376 And any Christians who read the New Testament for themselves, instead of relying on what non-Christians or false preachers tell them it says, would know the true history and reasons for the differences and ongoing tensions between Christianity and Judaism. While most Christians today don’t hold any grudges against Jews despite the conflicts of the past, and instead revere them for the role they played in God’s plan in the Old Testament and hope that they (along with everyone on earth) will one day come to believe in Jesus, unfortunately many Jews stand firm in their opposition to Christian culture and holidays while often masking their hostilities in hopes of not bringing any attention to themselves because of it.377



Tax-Exempt Churches

Most Christians don’t know, but in order for churches to get taxexempt status (meaning they don’t have to pay federal or state income tax on all the donations, or property tax) the government severely limits what the pastor (or priest) can say during their sermons and restricts what kinds of political activities the church can engage in or endorse.378 Virtually every church in the United States is held to these standards because they all operate as 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entities, as opposed to typical businesses which are set up as corporations (or sole proprietorships if they’re small). In 1954 then-senator Lyndon B. Johnson (a Democrat) successfully proposed an amendment to the tax code (called the Johnson Amendment) which prohibits all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations from endorsing or opposing any political candidates or legislation.379 This means that a church’s tax-exempt status could be revoked if the pastor starts incorporating real world examples into their sermons and denouncing or supporting any specific candidates or legislation.380 You didn’t think the government granted churches tax free status because they support Jesus, did you? It was to buy them off and keep them out of the way, and diminish their power to organize and influence things politically. Jesus said “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” meaning you should pay your taxes.381 But unfortunately, most churches have sold their First Amendment rights for 30 pieces of silver. Many also don’t want to drive away people who may have Liberal political views, so they try their best to keep politics out of the Church, which is one of the reasons why Christians in America have gotten so soft and afraid to denounce the widespread degeneracy in our culture. President Obama’s senior legal advisor suggested that Churches should lose their tax-exempt status if they didn’t officiate gay “weddings” once the Supreme Court ruled in favor of them under his administration.382 When Beto O’Rourke was running for president during the 2020 election

season he agreed, saying that any Churches which refuse to acknowledge gay “marriage” should lose their tax-exempt status.383 Such battles have been quietly raging for years. The city of Houston launched an investigation into a local church back in 2014 to determine whether or not to revoke their tax-exempt status. They issued a subpoena demanding sermon notes and other documents after the lesbian mayor was alerted to the pastor’s sermons denouncing a local ordinance the city was trying to pass which would have allowed those who identify as transgender to use whatever public bathrooms they wanted, no matter their biological sex.384 A United Methodist Church that owns a boardwalk pavilion in New Jersey lost their tax-exempt status in 2007 after they wouldn’t allow a lesbian couple to use the location for their “wedding.”385 Gay “marriage” wasn’t even legal at the time, but they requested to use the pavilion for their “ceremony” anyway and were denied, so they sued and the court ruled in their favor.386 After members of the Mormon Church helped organize support for Proposition 8 in California which banned gay “marriage” throughout the entire state back in 2008, LGBTQ groups tried to get their tax-exempt status revoked.387 When the San Francisco archbishop issued a notice that the Catholic church would refuse then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi communion because of her very vocal pro-abortion stance, #TaxTheChurch started trending on Twitter from so many people demanding their taxexempt status be pulled.388 Pastor Greg Locke, a popular social media personality and head of a church in Tennessee, faced calls to have his church lose its tax-exempt status after a video went viral showing him railing against abortion, shouting, “If you vote Democrat, I don’t even want you around this church! You can get out! You can get out, you demon! You cannot be a Christian and vote Democrat in this nation!”389 After his rant made headlines he claimed that he would dissolve his church’s 501(c)(3) himself, “because the government ain’t gonna tell me what I can and what I can’t say.”390



Apostate Churches

Far worse than churches afraid to weigh in on political issues out of concerns that they might lose their tax-exempt status or hoping to avoid offending churchgoers (thus driving away some Democrat attendees along with their tithing) if the pastor is too overtly Conservative, are those who openly teach things or accept things that the Bible clearly opposes. Most churches in America are afraid to denounce gay couples adopting children, let alone even call homosexuality a sin anymore (and especially not perverted or disgusting), but some “churches” have gone even further and hired openly gay pastors.391 And not just “churches” in San Francisco. Churches in Birmingham, Alabama,392 Madison, Wisconsin,393 Baptist churches in Louisville, Kentucky,394 United Methodist churches in Texas, and more.395 If you search Google for “Church hires openly gay pastor” there are countless news stories from local outlets about supposed “churches” across the country which are doing it. Soon these apostate churches will likely print Bible editions that exclude various parts of scripture that the popular culture in America objects to (like verses denouncing homosexuals or pointing out that Jewish Pharisees conspired to have Jesus killed—the Romans didn’t just crucify him out of the blue).396 A Chicago-area church announced that it was “fasting from Whiteness” for Lent—the Christian tradition in various denominations of giving something up for the period preceding Easter to commemorate the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert fasting and being tempted by Satan. Their “fast” involved “giving up” music created by White people during the worship and instead used music from Black people.397 They even put a “Fasting from Whiteness” sign in their front lawn. Other churches across America have given sermons denouncing “White privilege” and shown solidarity with the Black Lives Matter

movement.398 Drag shows are even being held at supposed “Christian” churches. In 2019 the Fairview Community Church in Costa Mesa, California held one which may have been the first “church” to do so.399 A few months later that same year, South Bay Pentecostal Church in San Diego held one.400 Followed by the Trinity Episcopal Church in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania a few months after that.401 The Episcopal Church is an apostate organization that claims to be Christian while accepting gays and lesbians as pastors (and officially supports abortion) so it shouldn’t be a surprise they’re holding Drag Queen Story Hour events, but many different denominations are doing so.402 A private Episcopal “Christian” school in Manhattan that charges nearly $60,000 a year for tuition, forced students to attend a drag show inside its chapel. Footage of the event was posted online showing a drag queen singing and dancing up and down the aisle in between the pews.403 A Lutheran church in the Chicago area hosted a drag queen story hour event at the end of 2021 where the church’s pastor was the drag queen! He told the children, “I am also a boy most of the time when I’m here, but today, I’m a girl.”404 As usual, photos of the event were proudly posted on social media by the perpetrators to celebrate what they had done.405 More “churches” continued to follow. One in Florida called Naples United Church of Christ hosted a drag queen show for kids ages 12-18 to “help” them with the “exploration of LGBTQ-related issues facing today’s youth”406 When signing up to attend the event, children (or their parents who signed them up) were asked to include their pronouns on the registration form. The “pastor” at University Christian Church in San Diego, Caleb J. Lines, does his sermons wearing an LGBTQ rainbow-colored sash, and calls drag “holy.” He also preaches that God is gay.407 As degenerate as drag shows are, they had always been considered exclusively an adult form of entertainment until the early 2010s when the LGBTQ community began openly targeting children. And despite what these satanic “churches” and their “pastors” say about it, the Bible is very clear on God’s view of crossdressing. Deuteronomy 22:5 says “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.”

Aside from the perverts who get sexual gratification dressing as women (autogynephilia), crossdressing has also been used for comedic effect for generations because it’s so strange to see a man dressed up as a woman or pretending to be one, and so countless films and TV shows have used the bit to get laughs. Classics like Some Like It Hot (1959), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), and sketch comedy shows from In Living Color and Saturday Night Live to Tyler Perry’s movies used it as a staple bit, but now it’s considered to be offensive and hateful to laugh at men who dress as women—and instead we’re supposed to not just take them seriously, but put them on a pedestal as freedom fighters for “inclusion” and “diversity” in the New World Order.



Hate Crimes Against Christians

While in America it’s common to be slandered and defamed for being a Christian, believers in other parts of the world like North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, and numerous regions in Africa, they literally risk their lives by professing belief in Jesus Christ.408 It never makes the news in the United States, but militant Muslims in African countries (including Somalia, Nigeria, Libya, and Yemen) regularly murder them.409 Aside from being mocked and slandered by the Hollywood elite and Christianphobia allowed to flourish on the Big Tech platforms, when Christians in America are victims of hate crimes those attacks go mostly unnoticed—and are only reported in the local newspapers or in a 15-second sound bite on the local television news. The ADL [Anti-Defamation League] claims to fight against “hate” and “bias” to “protect Democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all,” but they aren’t concerned in the least about hate against Christians. They’re an anti-Christian hate group who work to protect and promote Jews, gays, transgenders, and any group of people who are non-White. The Southern Poverty Law Center, another anti-White and antiChristian hate group, has what they call a “hate map” on their website showing all of the groups they hate and where they’re located. And this map was used by a mass shooter in 2012 to target a Christian organization called the Family Research Council which is a think tank and lobbying organization that has opposed gay “marriage” and other Leftist agendas like the LGBTQ child grooming movement.410 The gunman told police he intended to kill as many people as possible but was thankfully tackled by the building manager (despite being shot in the arm himself) and was able to stop what would have been a mass casualty event. The shooting soon vanished from the news, never to be mentioned again. The shooter was later convicted of terrorism charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison.411

An 84-page report published by the Family Research Council identified at least 420 attacks against 397 different churches between 2018 and 2022 including arson, vandalism, and bomb threats.412 One of these involved a church in San Diego that was vandalized with satanic symbols by someone (or a group) who spray painted them on the building after the church made headlines for denouncing a local drag queen story hour event.413 Churches across the country were vandalized with pro-abortion messages shortly after the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked in 2022. Churches in Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Virginia, Oregon, Louisiana, and others were all vandalized by pro-abortion zealots.414 Antifa social media accounts were also posting the locations of Pregnancy Resource Centers, which are pro-life organizations that encourage pregnant women not to have abortions and offer other options like counseling to help prepare them for motherhood, or connecting them with adoption agencies to place the children with couples who will raise them as their own. Such targeting has led to numerous cases of vandalism and arson against these facilities as well.415 One in Madison, Wisconsin was firebombed with a Molotov cocktail and graffiti spray painted on the building that read, “If abortions aren’t safe, you aren’t either.”416 Another Pregnancy Resource Center was set on fire in Peoria, Illinois during this tense time period after it was learned that Roe v. Wade was being overturned.417 Every Christmas there are local news reports of Nativity scenes that were set up outside of churches and peoples’ homes which were destroyed, and while these crimes may make the local news, the regular occurrences of such hate crimes are ignored by the Liberal media industrial complex as a whole. But if someone drops some leaflets outside a synagogue or in a Jewish neighborhood criticizing Judaism or claiming Jewish secularists are uniquely over-represented in positions of power in the government or the media, then it’s literally a national news story and gets denounced by members of Congress.418 World champion boxer Manny Pacquiao was assaulted while at a popular Los Angeles shopping mall called The Grove by a gay extremist who spotted him and was upset that Pacquiao had posted a Bible verse on his Instagram recently denouncing sexual perversion.419 Pacquiao obviously

could have knocked the man out with one punch, but restrained himself and defused the situation. And instead of being commended for not breaking the man’s face, Pacquiao was banned from the mall by the owners who denounced him as a “homophobe.”420 In March 2023 a transgender “man” committed a mass shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, killing three nine-year-old children and three adults. And during their investigation police discovered the shooter had written a detailed manifesto explaining why “he” did it, but authorities refused to publish it, or even discuss the contents of it, claiming it would be “dangerous.”421 After several months and numerous legal challenges by those demanding police reveal the motive for the attack (and the shooter’s manifesto), the courts still refused to release it, but the reason was obvious. They were trying to cover-up the fact that it was an anti-Christian hate crime committed by a transgender terrorist. Even the Wikipedia page about the incident (titled 2023 Nashville School Shooting) respects the shooter’s “preferred pronouns” referring to Audrey Hale throughout the article using he/him pronouns and calls her “Aiden” which is the masculine name “he” went by once identifying as transgender.422



The Left Embracing Satanism

The Marxist establishment doesn’t just hate Christians and God, they actually admire Satan—and this isn’t hyperbole or political rhetoric. They literally do. In the coming years we’ll see theistic Satanism rise—not just clownish groups like the “Church of Satan” or the “Satanic Temple,” but more serious groups that espouse the doctrine that Satan is actually the “good” God, and they’ll proclaim the God of the Bible is the “evil” one who “enslaved” Adam and Eve as robotic animals, deprived of free will. The great secret of most occult fraternities is that they believe Satan is the “good” God, who helped mankind break free from the prison of ignorance in the Garden of Eden by convincing Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Nineteenth century occultist Helena Blavatsky, whose 1888 book The Secret Doctrine is credited with helping revive interest in the occult in our modern age, wrote “Satan will now be shown, in the teaching of the Secret Doctrine, allegorized as Good, and Sacrifice, a God of Wisdom.”423 This same view is echoed by nearly all classic occult authors from Eliphas Levi and Alice Bailey, to Aleister Crowley, who wrote, “This serpent, Satan, is not the enemy of Man,” but he is good, and he “made Gods of our race.”424 An increasing number of people in the LGBTQ+ community are embracing Baphomet as one of their symbols, the hermaphroditic human/goat figure said to have been worshiped by the inner circle of the Knights Templar.425 For hundreds of years Baphomet has been used as Satanic symbol, from people like Aleister Crowley to the Church of Satan in the 1960s to The Satanic Temple today. And the creator of a transgender clothing line carried by Target also incorporated Baphomet into his designs because it’s “a deity who themselves is mixture of genders, beings, ideas and existences. They

[meaning Baphomet] reject binary stereotypes and expectations,” adding “Satan respects pronouns. He loves all LGBT+ people.”426 But the coming Luciferian religion is not just about trolling Christians by adopting satanic symbols or some abstract philosophy pondering the history of mankind and the origin of consciousness. As technology continues to advance at a breathtaking pace, Transhumanism will also rise in popularity with many people believing that through science and technology they’ll be able to literally become “immortal,” either through manipulating human DNA or replacing body parts as they wear out with 3D printed or lab-grown organs—or even transitioning human beings into what they’re calling “inorganic life forms” by uploading the contents of one’s brain into the “cloud” or external silicon databases where they can live as “gods” in a virtual world of cyberspace. Transhumanist advocates see this as the next phase of evolution through “intelligent design” instead of by natural selection. And such ideas may sound insane and the stuff of science fiction (and they are), but there are also some very wealthy and dedicated believers who are literally working night and day hoping to make such ideas a reality.427 Transhumanism and ancient occult philosophy have converged with adherents believing that they will finally be able to achieve Godhood like Satan said they could in the Garden of Eden. Dr. Richard Seed, a geneticist who horrified the medical community by advocating for cloning human beings in the 1990s, had even more radical notions. He was a Transhumanist who once ominously stated, “We are going to become gods, period. If you don’t like it, get off. You don’t have to contribute, you don’t have to participate, but if you are going to interfere with me becoming a god, you’re going to have trouble. There’ll be warfare.”428 He died in 2013 at the age of 85, so things obviously didn’t work out as he expected, but others are carrying on his vision. One of them is Ray Kurzweil, who has become the leading proponent of Transhumanism, and has worked for Google since 2012. He even signed up to be cryogenically frozen if he dies before technology is advanced enough to turn him into a “god,” hoping to be thawed out in the future if such advancements are achieved.429 Elon Musk is also a Transhumanist, and his company Neuralink is developing neural interfaces, or BMIs (brain machine interfaces) in hopes

of enabling humans to become super-intelligent cyborgs.430 He has also suggested that a new religion is needed, saying, “Too many people have lost faith in the future. A new philosophy is needed”431 and is developing an artificial intelligence entity called xAI which he says aims to “understand the true nature of the universe.”432 This discussion is far beyond the scope of this book, but just a few years ago bringing up these issues would have been considered pure fantasy and delusional, but they’re increasingly being taken seriously and the implications of such technology, if it successfully progresses, will be extremely difficult to grapple with. Most Transhumanism proponents neglect to even begin to consider the ramifications of their goals, and are willing to naively turn their mind and body over to multinational mega-corporations who can’t even be trusted with users’ personal data or protecting their privacy, but they’re still willing to grant these same companies physical access to their own brain through a neural interface, just like the enslaved humans in The Matrix films.  

 

The LGBTQ+ Agenda

All they wanted was the right to get “married” they said, which happened in 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court dictated to the American people that the definition of marriage should be changed from a man and a woman partnered together for a lifetime committed relationship to that of two men or two women as well. This, despite a marriage being defined as a partnership between a man and a woman ever since the beginning of the human race—and this mandated redefining of marriage was the moment when our society began sliding down the slippery LGBTQ+ slope into the Twilight Zone. Allowing two men and two women to call themselves a “married” couple wasn’t enough though. Soon just a few short years later we saw the rise of “drag kids”—young boys dressed as drag queens and performing in gay bars where grown men throw dollar bills at them just like patrons do to strippers in strip clubs.433 And then teachers began telling their elementary school students that little boys might actually be girls and vice versa. And schools started inviting drag queens to perform for students and even holding gay “Pride” parades on school grounds.434 These so-called “drag kids” aren’t just a few isolated instances, they’ve become an entire industry. In 2018 ABC’s flagship morning show Good Morning America famously hosted “Desmond is Amazing” when he was just 11-years-old, who sashayed onto the stage to a thunderous applause.435 He’s just one of many pre-teen “drag kids” whose parents have infected social media with such material which is then celebrated and amplified by the legacy media outlets. In 2019 YouTube, which also hosts full length films by major studios aside from user-generated content, started streaming a documentary

called Drag Kids, not to sound the alarm about the practice, but to celebrate and promote it. Netflix produced a series called AJ and the Drag Queen about a 10-year-old boy who travels around with a drag queen as he performs in shows across the country.436 In 2022 the Discovery channel produced a documentary about child drag queens—again to glorify them, not to denounce the growing trend.437 They feel so emboldened now since gender-benders and perverts are widely celebrated in pop culture at every Hollywood award show and boosted to go viral on the Big Tech platforms, that in 2021 the San Francisco Gay Choir (yes, that’s actually the name of the organization—not just the San Francisco Choir, but the gay choir) released a song with lyrics about how “We’re coming for your children…You think we’ll corrupt your kids if our agenda goes unchecked. Funny. Just this once, you’re correct.” They go on, “We’ll convert your children. Happens bit by bit. Quietly and subtly, and you will barely notice it.”438 The chorus in the song is literally “We’re coming for your children.” To promote their agenda even further, countless fake polls are published with highly skewed numbers attempting to show that LGBTQ people aren’t just one or maybe two percent of the population (which they are), but that twenty or thirty percent of people are either gay or some kind of queer or transgender.439 One such poll claimed that more freshman at Harvard and Yale identify as LGBT-whatever than consider themselves Conservative.440 38% of college students at Brown University in Rhode Island said they “identify” as LGBTQ as well, according to a recent poll.441 The CDC claims that 25% of high school students identity as LGBTQ, which is utterly ridiculous.442 Part of the reason the percentages are so absurdly high is because not identifying as queer is seen as being homophobic these days, and many straight kids falsely check that they’re some kind of LGBTQ on these surveys in order to inflate the percentages so the queers don’t feel like such a small minority. It’s like stuffing the ballot box. They’re just trying to help their “team” get more votes because they feel sorry for them. Children aren’t born a boy or a girl now, they say. They are “assigned” a sex by the doctors or their parents who “assume” the child’s sex because of their genitals. The subversives want kids raised “gender

neutral”—meaning not making any distinction between boys and girls at all.443 The children can later decide for themselves if they want to be a boy or a girl (or neither). Many suspect that parents who raise their children “gender nonbinary” are actually suffering from a form of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.444 A study conducted back in 1991 published in the National Library of Medicine found that 53% of the mothers of children with gender dysphoria met the criteria for having Borderline Personality Disorder.445 Meanwhile all the Leftist online outlets continue to promote gender bending with an endless barrage of stories touting how men should start wearing makeup.446 And not just to hide an unsightly blemish, but lipstick and eye shadow. And there is a sustained campaign to encourage young boys to wear dresses.447 It’s almost impossible now to watch any major media outlet without having gays and transgenders shoved in your face on countless TV shows, award shows, and even commercials. In 2021 Playboy magazine put a gay man dressed as a “bunny” on the cover, wearing heels and tights. Seriously, a gay man on the cover of Playboy magazine!448 Since Pandora’s Box has been opened, now men who identify as women are demanding to be allowed to use women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers. Transgender “women” who have been convicted of crimes have even been sent to women’s prisons, where they have impregnated and even raped the (actual) women there!449 Despite being biological males and not having any “bottom surgery” (to remove their penis) they “identified” as women, and so they were sent to a women’s prison!450 And then there’s the growing problem of biological men who identify as women competing in women’s sports and robbing high school girls of college scholarships and robbing college athletes of their rightful place in competitions.451 It’s as if the gates of Hell have been opened and hordes of demons are running amuck, and instead of trying to contain the madness—schools, major corporations, the U.S. military, and the mainstream media are all promoting it.



Pride Month

Every June is the worst because now you can’t escape being harassed by LGBTQ+ propaganda around every corner, whether you’re scrolling through social media, channel surfing on network television, or even grocery shopping because the cultural Marxists deemed it “Pride Month,” which is now basically a national holiday. It used to be called Gay Pride Month, but that wasn’t “inclusive enough” since it didn’t reference bisexuals, transgenders, pansexuals, and the countless other supposed “genders” and sexual orientations in the queer community. Virtually every major brand on social media from automobile companies to banks change their profile pictures to incorporate a rainbow into their logos, and most post special messages about how much they support LGBTQ people. Nearly every professional sports team in the NFL, MLB, NBA, and even NHL now hold an annual “Pride Night” in June (or launch a promotional campaign if it’s their off season) to celebrate this as well, where the teams coerce players to wear special rainbow jerseys or pins. They even have gay-themed half time shows at the games.452 And now there are “Pride” sections in major stores like Target and Walmart with special LGBTQ-themed clothes throughout the month of June.453 PetSmart even sells rainbow colored “Pride” accessories for dogs and cats each year!454 Many major food brands from Bud Light and Kellogg’s, to KIND bars and Effen Vodka all produce special gay Pride packaging for their products just like most companies do for normal holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, and Easter.455 In 2021 Chipotle started selling special burritos named after popular drag queens to celebrate the “holiday.”456 The following year Taco Bell announced they were sponsoring a “Drag Brunch Tour” at numerous locations and held drag shows inside their restaurants.457 Some teachers in public schools even have their elementary school kids make Pride flags as an arts and crafts project.458 And anyone who doesn’t participate in LGBTQ

Pride celebrations at schools, work, or sporting events is denounced as “homophobic” and their career can be destroyed in an instant.459



Targeting Children with Transgenderism

Everyone knows how impressionable young children are. Until the age of six or eight most of them believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. So it wouldn’t be hard at all to convince little boys that as they grow up they’ll transform into a girl or vice versa. And since transgenders are being celebrated as if they’re divine beings endowed with special powers, it seems many Liberal parents want their children to be transgender so they can be a symbol of how woke the family is. The Marxist propaganda trying to normalize incorporating children into drag shows is now everywhere in media—including advertisements. Kaiser Permanente insurance featured a scene from a Drag Queen Story Hour event in one of their commercials in 2019.460 It started off just showing people from different walks of life, noting that everyone needs health insurance, but for the obvious reason they included a quick segment of a drag queen reading to small children to further desensitize people to the idea. Major brands like Oreo, Sprite, Pantene shampoo, and Gillette razors have produced commercials featuring and celebrating transgender kids or young adults.461 In October 2021 the Twix candy company came out with a Halloween-themed commercial about a young boy who wanted to wear a princess dress and his babysitter (a “witch”) encouraged him to do so. She even used her “magic” powers to kill another boy who was making fun of him for wearing the dress.462 Kraft, best known for their macaroni and cheese, sponsored the publication of a children’s book about pronouns titled His, Hers, Them & Theirs: Learning Pronouns with the Bears in 2021 which was read by two drag queens online for a special Christmas-themed Drag Queen Story Hour.463 There’s even a transgender Barbie doll now, modeled after “Lavern” Cox, a transgender actor who was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 2014. And a drag queen Build-A-Bear modeled after RuPaul.464

In 2021 Blue’s Clues, a cartoon aimed at preschoolers on Nickelodeon, aired a singalong featuring a drag queen at a Pride parade as it sung how amazing queer people are (including gender non-binary people).465 The Democrats’ strategy to counter opposition to their new predatory behavior is to call anyone who is against grooming children a QAnon conspiracy theorist.466 In further attempts to stifle criticism Wikipedia calls the blatant LGBTQ grooming activities a “conspiracy theory.”467 After a few members of the Proud Boys (the American nationalist organization that often counter-protests at Marxist events) showed up to protest a drag queen story hour event at a library in the San Francisco Bay Area, the local district attorney’s office launched a “hate crime” investigation into them.468 They weren’t violent or threatening, all they did was show up and denounce the event for exposing children to sexual themes and call the drag queen a groomer. After protesters showed up outside a gay bar in Dallas, Texas that held a drag queen event advertised to children, Newsweek ran a headline titled “Video of ‘Anti-Groomer’ Protest Outside Gay Bar Sparks Outrage,” giving the impression that it was the protest which was the problem, not that drag queens were performing for small children inside.469 Of course the groomers were upset about the protest so Newsweek took their side and portrayed them as the victims of “homophobes.” Until recently it would have been unheard of for anyone to bring children to drag shows (let alone have pre-teen children themselves dress in drag) because it was always seen as an adult form of entertainment. Drag queens often have sexual innuendo names which clearly illustrate and emphasize the adult nature of the shows. The sexual focus is also evident in the fact that all drag queens are gay (or bisexual, or some kind of queer). Unsurprising to normal people, numerous drag queen story hour readers have been found to be convicted sex offenders or later arrested for possessing child pornography.470 Two of the drag queens who read books to children at a Houston, Texas library were found to be convicted child sex offenders.471 This was only discovered after a Conservative group called Mass Resistance (formerly the Parents’ Rights Coalition) investigated the drag queens who were involved. A judge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin who was the head of a local LGBTQ advocacy group called the Cream City

Foundation which sponsored drag queen story hour events, was arrested for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse videos.472 Another reader at Drag Queen Story Hour473 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was charged with 25 counts of child pornography.474 And there are undoubtedly many more, but it would take a local journalist reporting on such arrests to take a few extra steps to look into the backgrounds of such perpetrators. This, at the same time mainstream Liberal outlets are endorsing kink for children.475 Kink, if you’re not aware of it, is basically a synonym for sexual perversion of any and all kinds. The Washington Post published an op-ed by one of their writers titled, “Yes, kink belongs at Pride [celebrations]. And I want my kids to see it.”476 Photos now circulate every June showing parents who bring their small children to Pride parades which feature other attendees wearing kink gear, including “pup masks” and others who are practically naked.



Tucking And Packing Underwear for Kids 

Because an increasing number of progressive parents are either convinced their children are trans or convincing their children they’re trans, companies are even selling special “tucking” underwear for small “transgender” children.477 “Tucking” involves shoving the testes up inside the inguinal canals and then pulling the penis and scrotum between the legs and holding it in place with the underwear made of firm material in that area.478 For transgender “boys” they’re selling fake penises (known as “packers”). Such items were once only available on fringe websites but now they’re listed for sale on Amazon and even Etsy.479 For “Pride Month” in June 2022, Target began selling “chest binders” (also known as compression tops) which women who want to be men use to compress and hide their breasts; and “packing underwear” which include padding to cause a bulge in the crotch to give the appearance of a penis and testicles.480 It wasn’t until the following year that such products caught the attention of most Conservatives, sparking calls for a boycott. As part of Target’s new LGBT Pride Collection, they also sell “tucking underwear” (or gaffs) which transgender “women” (and drag queens) use to help conceal their penis, which again is done by shoving their testicles up the inguinal canals (where they were before birth) and folding their penis downward under their legs and using a stiff front panel to keep everything in place.481 The head of the Health and Human Services department under Joe Biden, Xavier Becerra,  supports sex change surgery for children.482 Not “just” crossdressing the kids and using different pronouns for them. But putting them on puberty blockers and then subjecting them to genderreassignment surgeries! They call it “health care” or “gender affirming care.”

And I won’t even describe what such surgeries entail, or the lifelong complications they bring. You can go and Google “vaginoplasty” or “phalloplasty” to see photos of exactly what “gender-affirming” surgeries do to people’s genitals. But be warned! They are horrific, but people should know what the end of the road is for transgender patients. When White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the Health and Human Services director endorsing gender-reassignment surgeries for minors she confirmed that is the official stance of the Biden administration, saying it is “a best practice and potentially lifesaving.”483 The Assistant Health Secretary, Admiral “Rachel” Levine, who is a transgender “woman,” is obsessed with legalizing and normalizing putting small children on puberty blockers and giving them gender-reassignment surgeries (which also literally sterilizes them).484



Disney Goes Gay 

Even Disney, the once family friendly entertainment giant beloved by everyone for generations, has become a vehicle to deliver LGBTQ propaganda to children. A leaked Zoom meeting of Disney executives in 2022 showed them openly talking about the company’s “not so secret gay agenda” with one of them bragging they were “adding in queerness” wherever they could and planned for at least 50% of the characters in their films and television series to be LGBTQ+ or racial minorities by the end of 2022. Shortly after the leaked Zoom meeting it became clear that Disney was keeping their promise to “queer up” more characters, something that had already been happening for the last eight years, but most parents had no idea it was happening at all. Disney had been slowly yet incrementally introducing gay characters starting back in 2014 when the Disney Channel’s most popular comedy at the time Good Luck Charlie decided to include a lesbian couple who were raising a daughter together.485 The next year (in 2015) on the Disney-owned ABC Family Channel [which has since been renamed “Freeform”] a show called The Fosters included a scene showing two thirteen-year-old boys kissing which was hailed as another first for the LGTBQ movement.486 From there, it just continued to snowball. Disney+ released an animated short called Out (2020) about—you guessed it—a kid who comes out to his parents as gay after he moves in with his “roommate” who turns out to be his boyfriend. He was nervous about his parents finding out the truth, but of course, they were thrilled. The film was hailed as Disney/Pixar’s “first gay main character.”487 Then they introduced their first bisexual character in their series The Owl House in 2020, which includes a 14-year-old girl in a leading role who used to be interested in boys, but now likes girls.488 The show’s creator is

bisexual herself and bragged that she lobbied Disney to turn the character bisexual just like her, and they agreed.489 Again, all this started happening years before the leaked Zoom meetings where they openly talked about their agenda, which wasn’t even a secret because every time they gayed up a cartoon or movie since 2014 it was celebrated as another “move forward” by the Marxist media.490 Sadly, most Conservatives didn’t notice or were too cowardly to say anything about it, but the leaked Zoom meeting in 2022 laid bare their plan for all to see. The previous year in June 2021 for “Pride Month” they produced a special “Pride Celebration Spectacular” musical hosted by a drag queen on Disney+.491 Two words nobody ever thought they would hear in the same sentence—Disney and drag queens. Then in 2022 Disney launched an LGBTQ Pride children’s clothing line.492 And in June 2023 they held their first LGBTQ Pride Night at their theme parks.493 That same month they released a feature film called Elemental which introduced their first “gender non-binary” character, voiced by a “non-binary” actor.494 There’s no putting the toothpaste back in the tube. Disney is a queer company, and it probably won’t be long before they announce that Mickey Mouse is bisexual.



U.S. Military Goes Gay 

Gays used to be banned from the U.S. military because no one wants to have a member of their unit checking them, out dreaming of having sex with them; but now our military doesn’t just allow them in— they celebrate them, and are actively recruiting them! Even during the Trump administration various branches of the military started posting messages on their social media accounts celebrating Gay Pride Month, and even posting videos of soldiers in uniform talking about how great it is to have a bunch of queers in the military.495 The Department of Defense has been celebrating LGBT Pride Month since 2012.496 And now every June the different branches of the military post rainbow flags on their Instagram, Facebook, and other social media accounts along with cringeworthy messages about how they “commemorate the proud legacy of LGBT individuals who are part of the fabric of the nation and the U.S. Army.”497 They even post videos online showing senior officers in uniform standing in front of Pride flags while announcing, “We observe LGBT pride month to mark the progress we’ve made” and call on all Americans to celebrate lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people.498 Even though President Trump is very LGBT-friendly and never really criticized the community as a whole, he did ban transgender people from serving in the military, causing every Liberal on social media to sound off about what a “bigot” he is and how it’s “discrimination.”499 We don’t allow mentally unstable people around dangerous weapons, and since statistically about half of transgender people are suicidal, that’s all the more reason they shouldn’t be allowed in the military.500 Not to mention the female soldiers don’t want to have to shower with some “chick with a dick.” But once Trump was out of office and Joe Biden moved in, the woke agenda went into overdrive. First he lifted Trump’s ban on

transgenders, and then the U.S. Army (and other military branches) began subjecting solders to mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion training on gender identity to indoctrinate them into accepting transgender and other queer soldiers.501 The Air Force then featured a transgender “woman” in a video posted online to mark the made-up Twitter holiday “Transgender Day of Visibility.”502 Lieutenant Colonel “Bree” Fam, one of the highest-ranking “openly transgender” people in the military, who works as an engineer and looks like a six-foot-tall man wearing lipstick with his hair in a ponytail. The Army released a series of woke recruitment videos in 2021, including one featuring a girl who was proud to have been raised by “two moms,” and a cartoon illustration of her story showing a scene from the lesbian “wedding.”503 She also mentioned how she had been “fighting for freedom since she was a kid” as the ad showed her marching in a gay Pride parade. That same year the CIA also posted a series of recruiting videos featuring people who would have previously never even been considered for employment in the agency due to psychological problems, but now are being celebrated as part of the new “diversity” initiative. One woman, a “proud Latino,” introduced herself as a “cisgender millennial” who said she suffers from anxiety but the CIA is so welcoming they gave her a job anyway.504 Another video featured a queer man with a giant nose ring. Even NASA now releases videos for “Pride” month featuring employees talking about how they’re gay, lesbian, transgender, and gender non-binary and “no matter what your identity is in the community, there’s going to be a place for you.”505 Since LGBT people are supposed to only be celebrated and nothing about their perverted sexual activities or unhealthy lifestyles are supposed to be criticized (like the high rate of HIV or incontinence later in life from their anuses being stretched out),506 the issue of gay men raping other men in the military is perhaps the most forbidden topic of all. The dirty secret behind President Obama lifting the longstanding ban on gays in the military is the frequency of gay soldiers raping other men.507 All of the focus around the issue of sexual assault in the military is on women victims (in the rare instances it’s mentioned in the media at all), but the fact is that since men make up almost all of the perpetrators in sex

crimes, what’s always overlooked is that they’re not just raping women— the gay ones are raping men. And ever since welcoming gays into the military instead of forbidding them and kicking them out if discovered (which was the policy until 2011), an epidemic of gay men sexually assaulting other men has been occurring.508 Such crimes are most often unreported because the victims are too embarrassed to come forward and talk about what happened.509 Recent estimates are that 90% of male victims don’t report such incidents.510 In attempts to hide the number of men raped by gays in the military—aside from usually only focusing on the female victims—reports often group all forms of unwanted sexual contact into one figure (from groping to attempted rape, to actual rape—or penetrative assault as it’s called), so most people dismiss such incidents as just hazing.511 And while there is hazing and bullying (the same kinds of juvenile and often perverted “pranks” seen in college fraternities) which do technically constitute sexual assault—the rapes and attempted rapes are swept under the rug.512 The actual number of male rape victims in the military was estimated to be fifteen times higher than what’s actually reported less than three years after gays were allowed in, according to a study by the  American Psychological Association.513 53% of overall known sexual assault victims in the military are now male.514 These facts are ignored by most of the media because publicizing them is not only deemed homophobic, but also a national security risk because it would undermine faith in our military and hurt recruiting efforts.515



The “Father” of “Gay Rights” Movement 

While the gay agenda had grown into a tsunami in the 21st century, the storm had been brewing for decades as activists plotted to get LGBTQ lifestyles accepted by society as a whole. The man credited as being the “father” of the “gay rights” movement is Harry Hay, who created a secret society in the 1950s called the Mattachine Society which was named after a French group of entertainers in the 16th century who wore masks when performing. He took inspiration from Freemasonry and Communism as well because he admired Marxist ideologies regarding “oppressed” groups.516 Harry Hay also supported the infamous pedophile group NAMBLA, the North American Man Boy Love Association, which advocates for eliminating the age of consent laws for sexual contact with children.517 During the Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade in 1986 he marched holding a banner that read “NAMBLA Walks With Me” because organizers had banned the group from participating in the parade and Harry Hay was upset that they were “discriminating” against NAMBLA.518 When he was later confronted about his support for NAMBLA he said, “If the parents and friends of gays are truly friends of gays, they would know from their gay kids that the relationship with an older man is precisely what thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen-year-old kids need more than anything else in the world.”519 Hay himself says he had a sexual relationship with a 25-year-old adult male when he was just fourteen, and thought it was “beneficial.”520 After Hay died, David Thorstad, an admitted pederast and co-founder of NAMBLA, praised him for being “a vocal and courageous supporter of NAMBLA.”521 Hay had worked closely with the organization for years hoping to legalize and normalize pederasty just like in Ancient Greece where men engaged in sexual relations with young boys and was considered a “normal” part of the culture at the time.522



Harvey Milk  

Harvey Milk is another gay icon celebrated for being the first openly gay man to be elected to public office, serving as a member of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco, which is sort of like a City Council. And like virtually all of the gay men held up as heroes in the LGBTQ community for their “trailblazing” work to normalize homosexuality, Harvey Milk himself was a pederast who had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy when he was a 34-year-old man.523 In 2008 a biographical film titled Milk was released starring Sean Penn which was praised by critics, and was given the Academy Award for the Best Film—and Sean Penn was given the Oscar for Best Actor.524 Since he served (closeted) in the U.S. Navy, they later decided to celebrate him by naming a ship after him in 2021, and now sailers are forced to be stationed on the USNS [United States Naval Ship] Harvey Milk, a gigantic replenishment oiler. A Navy ship named after a pederast.525 And now that numerous states across the country are mandating that students be indoctrinated with “LGBTQ history” in schools, Harvey Milk is included in social studies text books—portrayed as a hero and civil rights pioneer.526 After a school in southern California rejected a state-mandated text book because it included a section singing praises of Milk, Governor Gavin Newsom fined the school board $1.5 million dollars for violating the state’s mandatory curriculum.527



Dr. John Money’s Twisted Legacy 

Since we can’t go a single day without hearing about “gender identity” and the ridiculous ideas about how there are an unlimited number of “genders,” it’s important people understand the history of the concept and the man behind it. His name is Dr. John Money, a psychologist and “sexologist,” and he’s the man who is widely credited with coining the terms “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” in the 1960s which planted the seeds for the insanity that would later sweep across the country.528 John Money’s concept of gender separated it from one’s sex. If you look up the word gender in older dictionaries, the definition says something like “either the male or female division of a species,” but now many dictionaries have Orwellianly changed the definition to say it has do with one’s “identity” and an “individual’s personal awareness,” and how they “feel.” Like most (if not all) of the early LGBTQ “rights” activists, John Money also endorsed pedophilia, saying, “If I were to see the case of a boy aged ten or eleven who’s intensely erotically attracted toward a man in his twenties or thirties, if the relationship is totally mutual, and the bonding is genuinely totally mutual…then I would not call it pathological in any way.”529 He argued that pedophilia was “harmless in most instances.”530 But he is perhaps best known for recommending that a small boy (David Reimer) whose penis was accidentally cut off during a botched circumcision operation in the 1960s be raised as a girl in order to “remedy” the unfortunate situation.531 Dr. Money believed that gender was just a social construct and that there were no differences between boys and girls other than their genitals, so he thought that if the boy was raised as a girl that “she” would act like other girls and could be a girl.532 But as David Reimer (Brenda) grew up, the brainwashing wasn’t working and he rejected being raised as a girl, despite

having been subjected to sexual reassignment surgery at 22 months of age which removed his testicles and fashioned a synthetic vulva (vaginoplasty). Despite his experiment completely failing (with David Reimer not only rejecting being told he was a girl, but also committing suicide as an adult years after he resumed living as a man) and Dr. Money’s hypotheses that a boy could be socialized into being a girl proving to be false, his warped ideas about “gender identity” became solidified in the LGBTQ doctrine, not to mention codified into law. And this goes far beyond someone suffering from gender dysphoria feeling like they were born in the wrong body and wanting to change their “gender” from male to female or vice versa on their own. That was just phase one. Now they demand no gender be accepted as a “gender”—or the “gender non-binary” people as they’re called. And these oddities aren’t just found in fringe communities online. News outlets like The New York Times and NBC News are promoting this ideology.533 And gender non-binary characters who use they/them pronouns are being included in children’s cartoons in attempts to normalize it.534 Singer Sam Smith, the grammy award-winner of the chart-topping single “Stay With Me” decided to “come out” as gender non-binary in 2019, making him the most famous celebrity to do so at the time. Then two years later singer Demi Lovato did the same thing as she descended into madness.535 But it doesn’t stop there—it never stops. In 2017 numerous states began issuing drivers licenses to “gender non-binary” people using a letter X instead of M or F to signify “other.”536 By 2023 nearly half of all states allowed such practice.537 Then people started suing to have “no gender” as an option included on birth certificates instead of just a boy or girl.538 Thirteen different states now allow “non-binary” birth certificates to be issued.539 In 2021 the American Medical Association recommended that a baby’s sex no longer be included on birth certificates!540 As of 2023, seventeen different states allow people to amend their birth certificates to list “X” as their gender.541 Of course there isn’t a requirement for a medical diagnosis like an MRI brain scan because there is no such thing as “no gender.” All that’s needed for these changes is for someone to just say they are gender “neutral” or “non-binary” or whatever the hell new term they’ve come up with to describe their insanity.

Women identifying as transgender “men” who have given birth to children are even suing the government trying to have themselves legally declared the children’s father.542 And it’s not just a few isolated instances— this is an increasing legal battle that transgender “birthing persons” are waging.543 In 2017 the Dove soap company released a commercial featuring what they called “real moms” with their babies and included a transgender “woman” who fathered a child, but he not only identifies as a “woman” he also identifies as the child’s mom!544 No sane society would allow someone so delusional to have custody of a child, but these sorts of things aren’t just allowed to happen—it’s being celebrated by a major household brand!



DeTransitioners  

While transgenderism is being hailed as the next “exciting” phase of human “evolution,” what’s rarely talked about are the detransitioners, or the people who at one point in their lives decided to try portraying themselves as the opposite gender, often taking hormones and even having surgery, who then later regret their decision and decide to revert back to their original gender. The phenomena first came to widespread attention in May 2021 when CBS’s 60 Minutes featured interviews with a group of them, causing LGBTQ activists and their allies to completely freak out. The LGBTQ lobbying organization GLAAD slammed the 60 Minutes report saying it was “a shameful segment fear mongering about trans youth,”545 and were especially upset because it included some of the detransitioners explaining that they were convinced to change their gender after watching popular transgender YouTubers and joining online trans communities on Tumblr where members encourage people to change their gender if they’re the slightest bit uncomfortable with their body or confused about their identity. The Human Rights Campaign, another queer advocacy group, said it “further marginalized and victimized” transgender people.546 They were concerned all right. Concerned that people were finally beginning to hear about the dark side of trying to change one’s “gender” and how there are people who deeply regret it and are warning others not to try it. Many Leftist lunatics who live their lives online reacted as if this was the start of a transgender holocaust. Media outlets that will even mention detransitioners cite figures that are very low, trying to downplay the number of people who regret their “transition.” The supposedly small percentage of detransitioners is most likely because they don’t get the celebration and adoration of those who “come out as trans.” Many who detransition are embarrassed about what they had done and so they quietly revert back to their original identity and try to get on with their lives.



Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria

Some believe that the cause of so many young people thinking they’re transgender is due to rapid-onset gender dysphoria, or a social contagion fueled by social media (and now mainstream media), and peer pressure.547 One transgender psychologist named “Erica” Anderson (who was born a man) and who has helped hundreds of teens transition, now expresses that “she” is worried the trend has “gone too far,” saying, “What happens when the perfect storm—of social isolation, exponentially increased consumption of social media, the popularity of alternative identities—affects the actual development of individual kids? We’re sailing in uncharted seas.”548 One explanation for rapid-onset gender dysphoria is that it’s a maladjusted way children (especially girls) deal with being uncomfortable with their body during puberty and the pressures of being sexy, so they’re repulsed by their own gender—feeling they can’t compare to the cultural standards of beauty. Often there are underlying mental health conditions which exacerbate their body image discomfort. Many are just lesbians, so they’re confused about being sexually attracted to other girls and think maybe they’re a boy in the wrong body because of the explosion of transgender propaganda in recent years. Similarly many teen boys who think they’re transgender are just gay (which you’re not supposed to say is also abnormal and something the medical community should research in order to prevent or cure, just like transgenderism). A young woman named Chloe Cole, who at age 15 got a double mastectomy removing her breasts in order to “transition” to a boy, later changed her mind in less than a year and a half after realizing she made a mistake and is one of the more visible detransitioners.549 Aside from giving numerous interviews detailing her story to warn others, she filed a lawsuit

against Kaiser Permanente hospital in 2022 for breaching the standard of care for doing the double mastectomy on her when she was just a child.550 Transgender advocates argue that Conservatives being outraged over hospitals performing “sex change” surgeries or “gender affirming care” as it’s called, on minors isn’t happening, while at the same time denouncing those who are against it.551 Helena Kerschner is another young woman who speaks out about the danger of rapid-onset gender dysphoria after once identifying as a transgender man.552 “I don’t think I would have ever even considered seeing myself as a boy without the social aspects, especially if I hadn’t joined these online communities specifically because there wasn’t anything at the time, really in my school or in my community, that was influencing me. It was all online,” she now says.553 A retired Navy SEAL named Chris Beck famously became a transgender “woman” in 2013, and then years later announced that he had detransitioned back to a man and now says that he destroyed his life by thinking he was transgender and is warning people about not transitioning their children if they’re confused about who they are.554 Numerous studies have shown that the vast majority of children who suffer from gender dysphoria end up growing out of it once they go through puberty.555 And most probably wouldn’t have even questioned their gender at all if the idea hadn’t been planted in their minds in the first place.



Other Possible Causes 

Sigmund Freud believed homosexuality is caused by a disruption in a child’s psycho-social development.556 Other psychologists agree.557 An article in Scientific America titled “Oedipus Complex 2.0: Like it or not, parents shape their children’s sexual preferences” states, “This basic developmental system, one in which certain salient childhood events ‘imprint’ our psychosexuality, may not be terribly uncommon. In fact, that early childhood experiences mold our adult sexual preferences— specifically, what turns us on and off, however subtle or even unconscious these particular biases may be—could even be run-of-the-mill.”558 Some studies have shown that people who were molested as children are inclined to later become child molesters themselves when they’re adults.559 So are people born pedophiles, or do they become pedophiles because of some horrific experience they themselves fell victim to as a child that altered their brain and perverting their desires? It’s severely politically incorrect to even remotely compare pedophiles to homosexuals, but isn’t it obvious that they both suffer from a similar sexual attraction dysfunction? Scientists have even identified a high correlation between people who were molested as children and those who identify as gay when they’re adults.560 It’s not just politically incorrect to say—and if you do say it, you could easily and quickly end your career, get kicked out of school, and/or banned from social media—but gay people (and transgenders) are not normal. That doesn’t mean you should hate them. But it doesn’t mean we should ignore the scientific and obvious reality. But you’re not allowed to say that they have a birth defect if they’re actually “born that way” as many claim. And you’re certainly not allowed to say they have a mental disorder. Instead, the Establishment is trying to frame the issue as if there’s no more of a difference between someone’s sexual orientation and gender identity

than there is between someone who prefers to date blondes over brunettes, or someone who is left-handed vs right-handed. Of course there’s a world of difference between what hand somebody writes with or throws a baseball with and people using body parts in ways they clearly weren’t designed for (or cutting them off because they feel like they were born in the wrong body). You’re not allowed to have this conversation though, or even suggest that there is anything wrong with these people in any way, whether from a birth defect in a region of the brain that regulates sexual orientation and gender identity, or whether they developed some kind of mental disorder or maladjustment strategy to cope with the underlying issues.561 But inquisitive people can’t help but suspect that whatever is causing transgenderism and homosexuality is being covered up, and any investigation into it is violently discouraged.



Endocrine Disruptors 

Aside from rapid-onset gender dysphoria, others point to hormonal imbalances that may be caused from synthetic estrogen or what are called endocrine disruptors that are believed to ultimately result in birth defects in the brain as a fetus develops (known as the hormone theory of sexual orientation).562 But for well over a decade there have been concerns that these chemicals have been feminizing boys when exposed to them as they’re developing in the womb. In 2005 the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York found that “Gender-bending chemicals mimicking the female hormone oestrogen can disrupt the development of baby boys” in the first human study about this after the effects had previously been widely known to occur in tests on animals.563 A few years later in 2009 they released a follow-up study further confirming that “Chemicals in plastics alter the brains of baby boys, making them more feminine.”564 The findings were reported in some mainstream outlets, including The Los Angeles Times, which noted, “Boys born to mothers who have above-normal levels of the controversial chemicals known as phthalates in their urine are less likely to exhibit masculine behavior, a new study has found. Phthalates, which block the activity of male hormones such as androgens, could be altering masculine brain development.”565 And while such findings should have caused as big of concern as the discovery of cancerous chemicals or the dangers of gun violence, these studies went mostly unnoticed. Scientists have also found that the lower the levels of testosterone a fetus is exposed to during gestation (growth), the more feminized the child will be if it’s a boy, and the more likely they are to be gay.566 And they found that by altering the levels of testosterone in pregnant animals they can change the sexual orientation of their offspring, thus making them gay.567

They even know the specific region of the brain that is affected—the third interstitial nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus, or the INAH-3, which is the part of the brain that is responsible for sexual behavior (the sexually dimorphic nucleus).568 Research by Ray Blanchard (who himself is gay) found that when a child is forming in utero, if there are high levels of antibodies against the NLGN4Y protein (which is involved in brain development in males), then the brain is also more feminized.569 This research indicates that the more boys a woman gives birth to, the more likely they are to be gay because there is a higher level of the protein each pregnancy.570 Dr. Deborah Soh, author of The End of Gender, suggests that further researching the cause of homosexuality and transgenderism with the goal of preventing it may be “unethical” because she knows if scientists confirm it’s a birth defect that could be prevented by pregnant women avoiding hormone-altering endocrine disruptors or offsetting them through medication, that would undermine LGBTQism, therefore the people who have been celebrating and promoting it will be viewed in hindsight like other medical quackery throughout history. Before plastic food packaging was the norm, it was mostly cardboard, metal, and glass. So is it just a coincidence that as plastic food packaging containing BPA became the standard that society has seen an explosion in gay people and transgenders? Also in recent years researchers have been reporting that sperm counts have dropped 50% over the last several generations and testosterone levels in men have also been dramatically declining.571 Women’s workout clothes have also recently been found contain as much as 40 times the levels of BPA that has been deemed safe—since sports bras, leggings, and athletic shirts are made of synthetic fibers (plastic) so they don’t absorb sweat like cotton clothes do and instead helps wick it away.572 The BPA in the clothes is absorbed through the skin because of the close contact, and the Center for Environmental Health sent legal notices to eight brands of popular women’s clothes putting them on notice about the concerning levels of the chemical found in their clothes.573 Some suspect soy consumption is causing the drop in testosterone since it contains phytoestrogens or plant-based estrogen, effecting hormones levels—feminizing males.574 Is consuming too much soy

contributing to the gender-bending and sexual disorientation epidemic? Is it causing hormone imbalances in pregnant women who consume it, thus altering the brains of their baby boys? Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a very interesting statement during an interview on Dr. Jordan Peterson’s podcast when Peterson stated he believes the apocalyptic hysteria about climate change has demoralized young people and is causing high levels of depression and loneliness. Kennedy responded that he thought that was a simplistic reason, and went on to say, “In fact, I think a lot of the problems we see in kids and particularly boys, it’s probably underappreciated how much of that is coming from chemical exposures, including a lot of the sexual dysphoria that we’re seeing.”575 He continued, “You know these kids are being overwhelmed by a tsunami, I mean they’re swimming through a soup of toxic chemicals today. And many of those are endocrine disruptors. There’s atrazine throughout our water supply. Atrazine by the way, if you, in a lab put atrazine in a tank full of frogs it will chemically castrate and forcibly feminize every frog in there. And ten percent of the frogs, the male frogs, will turn into fully viable females able to produce viable eggs, and if it’s doing that to frogs there’s a lot of other evidence that it’s doing it to human beings as well.”576 Atrazine is a common herbicide used to kill weeds in farmers’ fields, golf courses, and residential lawns. And has been found in the water supply in hundreds of districts across America, which millions of people have been drinking.577 Aside from killing weeds which it’s designed to do, it has been shown to convert testosterone into estrogen.578 One of Alex Jones famous rants is about “chemicals in the water that turn the fricking frogs gay,” referring to Atrazine, and if you can look past his histrionics, he was making a good point. He had seen the studies and was frustrated and upset that the issue wasn’t getting the attention it should and that more people weren’t concerned about it. People also made fun of him for ranting about the BPA in juice boxes feminizing boys because many couldn’t look past his over the top style and didn’t understand just how sophisticated his concerns were behind his theatrics hoping to get people’s attention.579 A growing number of scientists now suspect that birth control pills may actually be causing some women to become sexually attracted to other women! The pill has long been known to come with a range of side effects from weight gain to mood swings, but now scientists are investigating

anecdotal evidence that the hormone changes they cause may result in altering some women’s sexual attraction.580 It can take eight months to a year before a woman’s hormone levels return to normal after she stops taking the birth control shot.581 In fact, it’s fairly common for women who stop taking birth control to experience side effects for months, ranging from no menstrual periods, to acne and hair loss, in what’s called post-birth control syndrome.582 Is birth control medication (which is designed to alter women’s hormone levels) also having effects on fetus development even after they stop taking it? There are other factors most people are unaware of as well that are missing from virtually every discussion and debate about homosexuality and transgenderism. TMZ, the celebrity news site, published a story back in 2015 when Bruce Jenner first announced that he was transitioning into a “woman” and taking female hormones which contradicted everything the LGBT advocates had said for years about “gay conversion therapy.” TMZ reported, “Several prominent doctors in the field tell us, the hormones often change sexual preference,” and referenced a study of 300 transgender people showing one third of them changed their sexual preference because of the opposite sex hormones they took.583 They noted that the female hormones Bruce Jenner was taking would feminize not just his body, but also his brain, causing him to “think like a woman,” and there was a 1/3 chance he would be sexually attracted to men as a result. The National Center for Biotechnology Information has also reported that many transgender patients’ sexual orientation (meaning the sex they’re attracted to) changes due to undergoing hormone therapy as they’re attempting to change their gender.584 So if over 30% of people who take hormones of the opposite sex in hopes of altering their body to become more like that sex, ultimately end up also changing their sexual orientation (who they’re attracted to because their brain also changes), then why isn’t hormone replacement therapy being explored to help children (and adults) who suffer from gender dysphoria? If a boy thinks he’s a girl, or feels like a girl, then why not give him testosterone to masculinize his brain instead of giving him cross hormones (estrogen) and then subjecting him to all kinds of horrifying surgeries trying to make him look like a woman? Is it possible that the transgender movement is looking at this entire problem from the wrong angle?

And why isn’t HRT (hormone replacement therapy) being used on homosexuals to fix their sexual attraction disorder by giving them hormone boosters that correspond with their own biological sex, since that appears to be a way to reverse their same sex attraction? Perhaps with medical advances in the future and brave scientists who aren’t afraid of the social consequences of their findings we may have definitive answers to these questions and solutions to these problems. But it’s also possible that because of the ramifications of uncomfortable truths, these answers may be forever suppressed and hidden, and the scientists who pursue them smeared by disinformation campaigns as the human species continues to suffer from mass psychosis, endocrine disrupting chemical-induced birth defects, and genital-mutilating surgeries marketed as the only solution.    



Immigration

If people sneak into a theater through the exits hoping to watch a movie without buying a ticket, they’re kicked out immediately once they are discovered—or even arrested. If some stranger walks into your house without permission even if the door is unlocked and they start relaxing on your couch, that’s trespassing—and a crime. And so is entering a country without permission, even if you find an unguarded path or sneak in by hiding in the back of a truck. But this crime is being allowed and encouraged by Democrats for various reasons, one of which you’re not supposed to say out loud, but everybody knows. Illegal immigration though our southern border has been a problem for many decades, and while some of the invaders would get deported once apprehended, once Joe Biden took over as president the word got out that the U.S. was welcoming anyone in who could make it to our southern border from anywhere in the world. Many of the people in the massive caravans who made the long trek north from South and Central America were literally wearing Joe Biden tshirts! When one man on the journey was asked by ABC News “Would you have tried to do this when Donald Trump was president?” He answered “Definitely not.” The reporter then asked him, “Did you come here because Joe Biden was elected president?” To which he responded “Basically.”585 Another one interviewed by CNN said he hoped for “Patience and prayers that we can get to the U.S. because they have a new president, of course Biden. He’s going to help all of us, he’s giving us 100 days to get to the U.S. and give us legal paper, so we can get a better life for our kids and family.”586

Every single day (year after year) hundreds, and often two or even three thousand people enter the United States illegally through the southern border, and the conservative estimates are that over 11 million illegal aliens currently live in the U.S. but more realistic figures are double that.587 In the month of February 2019 alone, over 66,000 were counted by U.S. Border Patrol, the highest number in over a decade, and that doesn’t include all the ones who got in without being noticed.588 It’s common for the Border Patrol to spot 1000 a day, every day, month after month flooding in.589 And again, those figures are just the ones we know about. The Department of Homeland Security counted 234,088 illegal aliens that were “encountered” at the border just in the month of April 2021, which was the highest total ever in one month.590 At least two million invaded the United States in the first year Joe Biden was president.591 That’s well over 100,000 every single month.592 More than two million more came the next year.593 Vice President Kamala Harris was surprisingly asked about this staggering number during an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press and she responded with a nonsensical word salad saying, “We have a secure border in that—that is a priority for any nation, including ours and our administration.”594 This was all part of the plan. During his campaign in 2020, Joe Biden said that as president he would call for all the migrants the Trump administration was able to block from coming in to “surge to the border.”595 Meanwhile Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the ADL, says that the people who talk about “open borders” or “caravans” of migrants are using “White supremacist phrases.”596 Most of them falsely claim they’re seeking “asylum” or that they needed safe harbor from a hostile government they had fled—a well-known scheme used by illegal aliens to gain access to our country. Once inside they’re allowed to stay under those false pretenses, and are given a court date to begin hearing their claims which is often ten years in the future!597 In the meantime they apply for green cards, and unless they’re arrested for a violent crime they’ll be deemed a “lawful permanent resident” after a year, and never be deported.



Anchor Babies 

The other dirty secret of the illegal immigrant invasion, aside from the astonishing number of them continuously flowing into our country, are the millions of them who have anchor babies once they’re here. An anchor baby is the child of an illegal alien mother who comes here pregnant (or gets pregnant after she arrives) and then once she gives birth, the child is automatically granted citizenship, thus all but ensuring the mother will never be deported. In 2022 there were 300,000 anchor babies born to illegal alien mothers across the U.S.598 Analysis conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies shows that 400,000 is about the average each and every year, dating back to at least 2018. The Congressional Budget Office published a report in 2017 estimating that at least 4.5 million anchor babies are currently living in the United States.599 Of course anchor baby is considered to be a racist slur, just like illegal alien, because the Left tries to deter people from pointing out what’s happening. The term refers to the child anchoring the mother to our country. And as you would expect, U.S. taxpayers end up paying the hospital bills for the children to be born because the mothers don’t have any insurance (or money), and then we also pay the expenses for the mother to raise the children through the various social welfare programs funded by our tax dollars since they can’t afford to raise them on their own. But it’s not just illegal immigrants who are living off our tax dollars. Over 50% of legal immigrant households receive some form of government welfare—from food stamps, to housing assistance, school lunch programs, and Medicaid.600 A report by the Center for Immigration Studies shows that 63% of non-citizens living in the U.S. use at least one form of welfare.601 Some Republicans have finally begun calling for an end to “birth right citizenship” which automatically grants a baby citizenship if it’s born on U.S. soil, even if the mother is here illegally. The sane thing to do would

be only grant citizenship to the child if the mother is here legally, but we live in an insane and dysfunctional society. And of course Democrats want to legalize the 20+ million illegal aliens living here so they can be the party’s new voter base. Democrats have turned their back on the working class and now pander to the welfare class who just want free stuff. The Biden Justice Department was even planning on paying illegal aliens $450,000 each as a “settlement” for the Trump administration separating families once they were detained after crossing into the U.S. illegally!602 Only after news of the planned “settlements” made headlines did they abandon the idea.



More Preferential Treatment

Sixteen different states allow illegal aliens to get drivers licenses!603 Bank of America even allows them to get credit cards!604 In California they’re given government health care through the state’s Medicaid program.605 During the 2020 election cycle all ten Democrat candidates running for president raised their hands when asked by a debate moderator if they would offer healthcare to all “undocumented” immigrants.606 Calling what’s happening an “invasion” is considered “hate speech,” because obviously it is an invasion and the puppet masters are desperately trying to discourage the American people from doing anything to stop it. The Department of Homeland Security under the Biden administration has even been caught secretly flying the aliens across the country in the middle of the night to disperse them throughout other regions so they’re not just concentrated in border states in the South. It’s for “diversity.” Many of them have no desire to become Americans. They just want to take advantage of what America can offer them. They don’t care about our culture, customs, holidays, or laws. They just want to create little Tijuanas within the American cities they inhabit. Various Latino groups like La Raza (meaning the race, which was recently renamed to UnidosUS to sound less Latino supremacist) and MEChA (the Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan) support what’s called the Reconquista movement (Spanish for reconquest) and openly brag about how they’re plotting to take back (reconquer) territory in the American Southwest (including California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) in order to make their own country called Aztlan which refers to a mythical homeland of the Aztecs.607



Illegal Alien Crimes

The illegal aliens aren’t just using up resources they’re not paying for, taking jobs away from Americans, having anchor babies that are automatically granted citizenship, and irreversibly changing our culture by making little Tijuana’s within American cities, but a lot of them also commit crimes. And not just theft or fraud (by using stolen social security numbers to get jobs), but violent crime—and a lot of it. Every year in America there are often hundreds of murders committed by illegal aliens who obviously shouldn’t even be here to begin with.608 These crimes may make the local news for 15 seconds but then it’s on to the weather, so their real impact is never realized. CNN and MSNBC will do entire segments about a White person using a racial slur during an argument in a store or restaurant somewhere, but the illegal alien murders never get a mention there. Nor on the national broadcast networks like ABC, NBC, or CBS. The New York Times and The Washington Post never report on them either and certainly wouldn’t dedicate a headline to the ongoing problem, but if a White woman gets into an argument with a Black person over something and video of the incident is posted online, then the “Karen” is doxxed with a barrage of headlines and her name trends on Twitter from thousands of people denouncing her for being “racist.”609 Aside from murder, many illegal aliens commit other crimes that should never occur because they shouldn’t even be here in the first place. Burglaries, rapes, thefts, and drunk driving offenses all go virtually unnoticed by the media and Democrat lawmakers. Democrats even defend MS-13 gang members who law enforcement agencies consider to be the most violent and sadistic street gang in the world. They’re the ones best known for torturing and dismembering their enemies.610 Illegal aliens in general are estimated to commit twice as many crimes as American citizens.611 But mentioning that is considered “xenophobic” and “racist.”

Often when illegal aliens are arrested for non-violent crimes like DUI or theft, they’re let out of jail pending their trial because Democrat run cities (the sanctuary cities, as they’re called) forbid local authorities from turning them over to ICE [Immigration and Custom Enforcement], so they’re just set free back out onto the streets!612



The Wall

Democrats used to at least pretend to be against illegal immigration, but all that changed when Donald Trump became president. They’ve long been planning on their new voter base being the 20 million illegal aliens living in the United States once they’re given a “pathway to citizenship”— which means full citizenship within a few years of being granted amnesty. Democrats blocked $5.7 billion in funding that President Trump wanted to complete the border wall, but gave Ukraine over $200 billion to defend their border.613 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez compares our southern border wall to the Berlin Wall and Senator Elizabeth Warren calls it “a monument to hate and division.”614 When he was running for president in 2020, Beto O’Rourke said he wanted to tear the wall down!615 During Joe Biden’s campaign that same year he promised if he wins “There will not be another foot of wall constructed in my administration.”616 Before the Democrats embraced open borders, when Barack Obama was a U.S. Senator from Illinois back in 2005 he said, “We all agree on the need to better secure the border and to punish employers who hire illegal immigrants. Those who enter the country illegally and those who employ them disrespect the rule of law and they are showing disregard for those who are following the law. We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked, and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently, and lawfully to become immigrants in this country.”617 When Hillary Clinton was a senator in New York she admitted, “The Mexican government’s policies are pushing migration north…There isn’t any sensible approach except to do what we need to do simultaneously. Secure our border—with technology, personnel, physical barriers if necessary in some places. And we need to have tough employer sanctions… if they’ve committed transgressions of whatever kind, they should be obviously deported.”618

Years later when campaigning for the 2016 presidential election she said, “I voted numerous times when I was a senator to spend money to build a—uh, a barrier, to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in and I do think you have to control your borders.”619 The wall had become a dirty word since it was a major part of Donald Trump’s platform, so she called it a barrier instead, but early in the 2016 race Democrats weren’t yet ready to pivot to their current no border policy. In 2009 Senator Chuck Schumer, one of the most powerful senators in Washington, said, “Illegal immigration is wrong, plain and simple… People who enter the United States without our permission are illegal aliens and illegal aliens should not be treated the same as people who entered the U.S. legally. When we use phrases like ‘undocumented workers’ we convey a message to the American people that their government is not serious about combating illegal immigration, which the American people overwhelmingly oppose.”620 All that has changed though. Democrats now deem the term illegal alien to be on par with the n-word, and they’re doing everything they can do to cater to the illegal aliens, even allowing them to vote in some local elections!621 But they’re not just looking to gain the support of the 20 million of them if or when they’re granted amnesty and allowed to vote in national elections. There’s something else at play here as well.



Demographic Changes

Non-Whites and the Democrats who use them to maintain their power have long anticipated White people becoming a minority in the United States (on pace to occur around 2045), but if anyone points out this trend while expressing any opposition to this impending future, then they’re instantly and viciously denounced as a “White supremacist” who’s promoting the “dangerous great replacement conspiracy theory.”622 These sweeping demographic changes in the racial makeup of the United States are mostly due to the massive number of illegal aliens that have been flooding in across the southern border for decades and given safe harbor in America despite them just standing on our soil being a violation of our laws. But mass immigration is only part of it. Compounding the problem is the declining White birthrate. As far back as 2011 there were more Hispanic, Black, and Asian babies being born in America than White ones.623 And despite countless Democrats expressing their joy about the rapid decline of the White population in the United States, The New York Times says “‘The Great Replacement’ is a racist and misogynistic conspiracy that holds that white people face existential decline, even extinction, because of rising immigration in the West and falling birthrates among white women,” adding sarcastically “caused, of course, by feminism.”624 Non-Whites celebrate it as the “browning of America” while some White people uncomfortable about their looming minority status figuratively call it “White genocide” to evoke stronger emotions, but that term too is considered a dog whistle for “White supremacy.” Personally, I think using “White genocide” to describe White demographic displacement is too hyperbolic and causes others to respond with an eye roll. A genocide is the mass slaughter of a group of people, and that’s not what’s happening.

Although the Leftist online magazine Counter Punch says, “White genocide would not only be good, it is necessary and even unavoidable; that is, if we are interested in the survival of the planet, humanity, and all life forms—though to be clear the phrase ‘white genocide’ is a bit of a misnomer.”625 It goes on to explain that they want White people divested from any thoughts about their own racial identity so White people don’t organize as an ethnic group to defend their own interests and culture like all other races do—something I’ll cover in detail in the next chapter on Antiwhiteism. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s president Mark Potok actually has a list hanging on the wall of his home office showing the declining percentage of White people in America starting in the 1920s through today. The chart was captured on camera for a brief moment when he was being interviewed for a documentary called Alt-Right: Age of Rage (2018). Obviously he made it as a visual reminder that the browning of America is going according to plan. Some opponents of the rapidly declining White population often point to Jewish groups as being active in facilitating mass immigration to the United States and European countries for decades in order to make them more racially and ethnically diverse so that Jews aren’t singled out as a sole minority or the “outsiders” within a society as they were in Nazi Germany and other parts of Europe.626 This is why the torch-bearing marchers at the infamous Charlottesville Unite The Right event in 2017 were chanting “Jews will not replace us.” But it’s not just supposed “White Nationalists” who have been talking about the White majority in the United States being demographically replaced through sustained immigration from other regions of the world—the Democrats have been openly bragging about this happening for years. As Vice President under Barack Obama, Joe Biden had boasted about an “an unrelenting stream of immigration” that would soon make White people a minority in the United States.627 “I’m proud of the American record on culture and economic integration of not only our Muslim communities but African communities, Asian communities, Hispanic communities, and the wave still continues. It’s not going to stop. Nor should we want it to stop. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the things I think we can be most proud of.”628

He continued, “Folks like me who are Caucasian of European descent—for the first time in 2017 we’ll be an absolute minority in the United States of America. An absolutely minority. Fewer than 50 percent of the people in America, from then and on, will be White European stock. That’s not a bad thing. That’s a source of our strength.”629 When CNN’s Anderson Cooper was speaking with Jorge Ramos, a popular host on the Spanish language station Univision about the changing demographics of the United States, Cooper gloated, “The idea that, you know, Whites will not be the majority, I mean, that’s—it’s an exciting transformation of the country, it’s an exciting evolution and you know, progress of our country in many different ways.”630 For decades Democrats had been openly bragging how “demographic trends” are going to one day keep the Republicans from holding power. After Donald Trump became president many Democrats were concerned that his immigration plan may keep White people the country’s ethnic majority for longer than they had hoped. The Washington Post lamented that instead of it happening in 2044, it might be pushed back to 2049.631 MSNBC’s Chris Hayes ranted, “That’s what Donald Trump’s plan would do—keep the nation as White as possible for as long as possible.”632 After Trump was out of office however, the globalists made up for lost time and the massive floods of illegals increased to record levels and the celebrations of the rapidly declining White majority in the United States resumed. In April 2021 Tucker Carlson started openly discussing these issues which had been completely taboo in the Republican Party, saying one night on his Fox News show, “I know that the left and all the little gatekeepers on Twitter become literally hysterical if you use the term ‘replacement;’ if you suggest that the Democratic Party is trying to replace the current electorate, the voters now casting ballots, with new people, more obedient voters from the Third World. But they become hysterical because that’s what’s happening actually. Let’s just say it—that’s true.”633 After that monologue he trended on Twitter from so many people attacking him, and the next day the ADL demanded that Fox News fire him.634 Instead of backing down and apologizing, Tucker doubled down and in the following months would bring it up again and again. “Nothing about

it is an accident, obviously. It’s intentional. Joe Biden did it on purpose. But why? Why would a president do this to his own country?” he asked.635 “Our system cannot handle this many destitute newcomers, period. Imagine what hospitals are going to look like a year from now. How about schools? What Joe Biden is doing now will change this country forever. So again, why is he doing it? There’s only one plausible answer.”636 Tucker then played the clip of Joe Biden which I just quoted earlier of him looking forward to Whites becoming an “absolute minority,” and continued, “Biden just said it: to change the racial mix of the country. That’s the reason, to reduce the political power of people whose ancestors lived here and dramatically increase the proportion of Americans newly arrived from the Third World.”637 Tucker went on, “It’s horrifying. But there’s a reason Biden said it. In political terms, this policy is called the great replacement, the replacement of legacy Americans with more obedient people from far away countries. They brag about it all the time, but if you dare to say it’s happening, they will scream at you with maximum hysteria. And here you have Joe Biden confirming his motive on tape with a smile on his face. No one who talks like this should ever be the president of the United States.”638 The Left keeps calling it a conspiracy theory when it’s a historic reality numerous cultures around the world have faced. White Europeans displaced the Indians (or Native Americans, “Indigenous” people, or whatever they’re calling themselves these days) here in North America. Jews displaced Palestinians in 1948 with the creation of Israel after the United Nations adopted the Zionist resolution causing over 700,000 Palestinians to be forced out of the land, an event that’s called the Palestinian expulsion.639 (It’s considered extremely “antisemitic” to point out this fact, by the way, so be careful when talking about it.) Tucker responded to the ADL’s calls for him to be fired for talking about this issue by pointing out the organization’s own statement regarding their concerns about Jews being demographically diminished in Israel. The ADL’s official stance on Zionism is that, “It is unrealistic and unacceptable to expect the State of Israel to voluntarily subvert its own sovereign existence and nationalist identity and become a vulnerable minority within what was once its own territory.”640 After Tucker highlighted their hypocrisy,

they deleted that page from their website, but not before it was archived on the Wayback Machine.641 On Megyn Kelly’s podcast, Tucker was even more candid than on his Fox News show. When she mentioned that the ADL was calling for him to be fired, he responded “Well, fuck them.”642 Tucker let the cat out of the bag, and the Left were furious that not only did he point out their plan, but by him finally talking about what had only been whispered in Republican circles out of fear of being called “White nationalists” or “Nazis,” now others would feel safer pointing out the obvious too. The very next day after one of Tucker’s monologues on the issue, Charlie Kirk felt it was finally okay to say such an obvious fact out loud. When talking about the need for stricter border enforcement he added, “The other side has openly admitted this is about bringing in voters that they want and they like, and honestly—diminishing and decreasing White demographics in America. We’re gonna say that part out loud. So many people in the corporate media are afraid to talk about it.”643 Yeah, people in the corporate media have been afraid to talk about it. And those in Conservative Inc., including him! For years! But Tucker shattered the taboo and now others didn’t feel like they had to completely avoid even hinting at the topic. The Washington Post soon lamented that “Half of Republicans see great replacement is real.”644 Vice News called it “a conspiracy theory that’s quickly becoming gospel on the right: that Democrats want a flood of immigrants to remake America and keep them in power.”645 Every Liberal media outlet denounced Tucker for discussing it, trying to scare others away from pointing out White people’s impending minority status in the U.S. is because of mass immigration. Some, like The Los Angeles Times, recommended that Republicans talking about “replacement theory” (which is a fact) be censored from social media.646 The ADL then started calling for Tucker Carlson to be banned from Twitter and Facebook, and demanded that all clips of his show be deleted from the Fox News YouTube channel.647



Demographics Is Destiny

“Demographics is Destiny” has been a mantra for the Democrat Party for many years as they anxiously await granting amnesty to the 20 million illegal aliens living in the United States. (They deceptively underestimate the number to be “only” 11 million, but it’s double that.)648 Politico once admitted, “The immigration proposal pending in Congress would transform the nation’s political landscape for a generation or more…pumping as many as 11 million new Hispanic voters into the electorate a decade from now in ways that, if current trends hold, would produce an electoral bonanza for Democrats and cripple Republican prospects in many states they now win easily.”649 The Center for American Progress, a Democrat think tank, openly admitted, “Supporting real immigration reform that contains a pathway to citizenship for our nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants is the only way to maintain electoral strength in the future.”650 They claim to be a “nonpartisan” organization, but it was founded by John Podesta and is filled with George Soros disciples and former Clinton and Obama staffers, so they couldn’t help but admit what “immigration reform” means to them. For years Democrats have talked with glee about the “population growth” in Texas and other border states, which is a codeword for the influx of millions of illegal aliens. Newsweek magazine even ran a headline titled “America’s Getting Less White, And That Will Save It.”651 As paleoconservative Pat Buchanan warned over twenty years ago in his 2002 book The Death of the West, “Uncontrolled immigration threatens to deconstruct the nation we grew up in and convert America into a conglomeration of peoples with almost nothing in common—not history, heroes, language, culture, faith, or ancestors.”652 Liberal European leaders have been obsessed with needing more racial “diversity” in their countries as well. But pro-immigration activists seem to only want White European countries flooded with immigrants from

South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Interestingly, nobody is demanding that Israel accept an influx of non-Jewish refugees from other Middle Eastern countries. How about more African Muslims emigrate to Israel from places like South Sudan or Somalia? If multiculturalism is so great, then why should they not want to participate in global diversification? There aren’t any cries for Japan, China, or other Asian countries to become “more diverse” by adding millions of Africans, Hispanics, or Middle Easterners either. They, like Israel, would instantly quash any such suggestions because they know that flooding their countries with millions of immigrants from other cultures would replace their own. Since BIPOCs (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) endlessly complain about European “colonizers” establishing communities and Democracies around the world, why then are they so determined to colonize North America with people from other countries? The answer of course is because they like what we built here, and instead of attempting to replicate our success in their own countries, they are coming here to live off the fruits of our labor. But shouldn’t the American people be able to maintain the dominant cultural traditions of those who founded our country and have been the foundation of our society for almost 250 years? The Founding Fathers weren’t Chinese. They weren’t Jews, Arabs, or Guatemalans. They were White Europeans. (So why should the United States continuously and incrementally change our culture and our customs to be more accommodating to immigrants from other regions of the world?) Some cultures are simply not compatible with American culture. Their values, traditions, and morals are impossible to integrate into modern society. For example, some Arab cultures believe women shouldn’t be able to drive a car, work at a job, or even go out into public without wearing a full burqa. Some Middle Eastern cultures even use bacha bazi boys, which are young boys they sexually abuse like the pederasts of Ancient Greece.653 Should we really be allowing people like that into our country—especially when so many of them clearly don’t abandon their native countries’ old traditions and customs that are incompatible with ours? Many people in Mexico and South America see drug kingpins like “El Chapo” and Pablo Escobar as folk heroes.654 The locals loved them because they provided jobs! Latino gangs in virtually all parts of the United

States (the American Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic region, the Northeast, and South Florida) work directly with Mexican drug cartels.655 The MS-13 street gang, the most violent and brutal in the United States, only exists here as a result of immigrants (from El Salvador) coming to the U.S.656 The diversity-obsessed Leftists even oppose English as the official language for the United States, despite the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution obviously being written in English. So why shouldn’t it be our nation’s official language? Why should we let foreigners dictate the dominant language in our own country? Why should we have to be told to “Press one for English and numero dos for Español” when calling every customer service number? Why should we have to deal with people we can’t even understand when they speak? Imagine if millions of Americans moved to China and then opposed Chinese as the official language. Or demanded that tests in school be given in English. Or said they need more “diversity” to make China a “better, stronger” country by bringing in more non-Chinese people. If diversity is a source of strength in a society as Liberals always say, then why not import millions of Muslims to Israel? Or millions of Indian people or Africans to Japan? Imagine White people moving to Japan en masse and then demanding that statues of the country’s founders be torn down because of how they treated other races or because the country bombed Pearl Harbor (which brought the U.S. into WWII).



Democrats’ Hypocrisy Exposed 

While Democrats love the flood of illegal aliens into the U.S., what they really love is them invading Republican border states like Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, which have historically been Red states but are shifting purple and blue because of the huge numbers of Hispanics arriving. So in April 2022 Texas Governor Greg Abbott began bussing thousands of illegal aliens into Chicago, New York City, and Washington D.C. Since he didn’t have the authority to deport them, he just relocated them to Democrat strongholds which had previously declared themselves sanctuary cities to virtue signal that they’re not “racist.”657 New York City mayor Eric Adams immediately denounced the action saying the city was “nearing its breaking point” and later said the illegals “will destroy New York City.”658 Lori Lightfoot, the then-mayor of Chicago, said the city is “completely tapped out” and they have “no more space” after just a few busloads of migrants arrived from Texas.659 The mayor of Washington D.C. (another Democrat), declared a public emergency.660 Then Florida Governor Ron DeSantis one-upped Governor Abbott and flew two planeloads of illegal aliens to Martha’s Vineyard, a wealthy island community in Cape Cod off the coast of Massachusetts where the Obamas bought a $12 million dollar estate to retire. All hell broke loose. The residents called in the National Guard and the illegal aliens were removed from the island within 48 hours and shipped off to a military base on the mainland.661 They “couldn’t handle” the fifty migrants, local officials said, even though it was the end of summer and there were plenty of empty Airbnb rentals available for them to stay in. The point was clear. They didn’t want any illegal aliens in their community—not even a few dozen of them. Meanwhile there were 5,000 a day (every day on average) pouring across the southern border into Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California at the time, overwhelming countless

communities in the Southwest—an ongoing problem that has been allowed to continue for years. As Ron DeSantis said, “The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they go berserk, and they’re so upset that this is happening. And it just shows you that their virtue-signaling is a fraud.”662    

Author’s Note: Please take a moment to rate and review this book on Amazon.com or wherever you purchased it from to let others know what you think. This also helps to offset the trolls who keep giving my books fake onestar reviews when they haven’t even read them. Almost all of the one-star reviews on my books are from NON-verified purchases which is a clear indication they are fraudulent, hence me adding this note.   These fraudulent ratings and reviews could also be part of a larger campaign trying to stop my message from spreading by attempting to tarnish my research through fake and defamatory reviews, so I really need your help to combat this as soon as possible.   Thank you!    



Antiwhiteism

White people are regularly blamed for every problem in the personal lives, communities, and countries of non-White people. And despite Martin Luther King’s wish that we could become a society where people are judged on the content of their character and not the color of their skin, it’s common and widely accepted for Black people to express racism against White people and continue to blame White people living today for things that other White people did hundreds of years ago. But it’s not just a few disgruntled and envious Black people who have embraced such beliefs. With the mainstreaming of the Black Lives Matter movement, antiwhiteism has become disturbingly widespread and normalized, and White people are constantly said to be keeping down “minorities” because of “White privilege” and “systemic racism,” despite White people actually being a minority in the world—and even in numerous states within America.663 Whites have been a minority in California since the year 2000, and they’re also a minority in Hawaii, New Mexico, and Texas.664 Other states including Georgia, Nevada, and Maryland are trending to be next, and projections are that Whites will be a minority in the whole of the United States around the year 2045, according to the U.S. Census bureau.665 But you’re not supposed to talk about that unless you frame it in glowing terms and an “exciting transformation of the country,” as CNN’s Anderson Cooper calls it.666 Jimmy Fallon’s audience cheered when he said that the 2020 census showed for the first time in our nation’s history the number of White people went down. He was setting up a joke, but the audience burst into applause at the setup, confusing Fallon, who looked bewildered. “Wait, what?” he

said, going off script. “That’s an interesting reaction to that. I didn’t want cheers or boos—I just wanted a ‘interesting,’ that’s all I wanted.” He then continued with the punchline that “Fox News declared it a national emergency.”667 New York Times columnist Jennifer Rubin celebrated the 2020 census figures calling it “fabulous news,” adding “now we need to prevent minority White rule.”668 Many Latinos, Blacks, Jews, Native Americans, and guilt-ridden White Liberals cheer the news of White people being on the verge of becoming a minority in the United States, and anyone who dares to say they don’t want it to happen are branded a “White nationalist” and a “Nazi.” But demographic displacement and becoming a racial minority in a country that was founded and built by White Europeans is just one of the complicated racial issues facing White Americans. White people are openly hated by a disturbingly large segment of the non-White American population. A viral meme illustrates the situation by showing a nice White husband and wife alongside their two kids with the caption “White People: The Only Race You Can Legally Discriminate Against.” But it’s more than that. It’s spite, envy, and hatred. White people in America are blamed for everything from the crime problems in Black communities, to even global warming!669 There are endless stories in mainstream outlets today that complain about how there are too many White people playing golf,670 too many White people going skiing,671 too many White people are hiking in public parks;672 there are too many White teachers,673 too many White doctors,674 and too many White airline pilots,675 and basically just too many White people everywhere in America! So we need more “diversity” they say, which is a codeword for less White people. The Jewish ADL, the Ant-Defamation League (an organization originally founded to protect and defend Jews from supposed “antisemitism” but later morphed into an anti-Conservative hate group) is trying to change the very definition of racism. On their website they literally defined it as, “The marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people.”676

This Orwellian word game is just one more reason why the term antiwhiteism needs to be part of the lexicon. When people hear the word “racism”—they’ve been conditioned to (wrongly) think that it’s something White people do to Black people. And the ADL is perpetuating that disinformation with their false definition of the word. So when talking about anti-White racism, it’s best to be specific and use the term antiwhiteism so people don’t get the wrong impression and automatically think that the “racism” you’re talking about is White people discriminating against Black people or other non-Whites. A similar deceptive term is Critical Race Theory or CRT, which masks what’s going on. It makes people think that anti-White racism is just a theory and it’s too generic of a term, so call it what it is: antiwhiteism. Or at least always make it clear by calling it anti-White racism, instead of just “racism” to avoid the preconceptions people have been conditioned to think when they hear the word “racism.” When speaking of supposed antisemitism, the ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt told CNN, “If you demonize the Jewish people or the Jewish State, if you make these wild accusations, if you traffic in conspiracy theories, you create the conditions for violence.”677 So wouldn’t that mean endlessly blaming White people for all the problems in America and coining new terms like “White Privilege” and perpetuating hoaxes about “systemic White supremacy” and other lies (like police officers across the country are always beating up and shooting Black suspects) mean that those who traffic in such nonsense are actually creating an environment that puts White people at risk for violence? It certainly does, but the Establishment always covers up hate crimes committed by Black people and perpetuates the myth that “hate crimes” are something that only White people commit. In this chapter I’ll detail just a small fraction of the systemic antiwhiteism occurring in America, which is a risky thing to do because daring to stand up for White people is the quickest way to be smeared as a “White supremacist.” Every time Black people complain about White people, no matter how unfounded and ridiculous the criticism is, it’s framed as an important issue that White people need to be “confronted” about and “address,” but when a White person simply mentions certain pervasive problems in the Black community (no matter how tactfully) regarding crime, fatherlessness,

poor grades, or the high STD rates, those concerns are immediately dismissed and vigorously opposed as more “evidence” of “racism.”



The Antiwhiteism Grifters  

Democrats’ favorite tactic is calling White people “racist,” and the Race Hustle is an entire industry with high-paid “experts” who get paid to just complain about White people all day, every day. People like Robin DiAngelo, who is credited with popularizing the term White Fragility which is used as a weapon against White people and was constructed to depict White people who are tired of hearing Black people complain about them as being a character flaw and more “evidence” that they’re racist because they don’t want to “acknowledge” or “address” their own “white privilege.” Ibram X. Kendi (which is a fake name to make him sound cool like Malcolm X) is another popular race grifter. His real name is Ibram Henry Rogers, and he works as an “anti-racist activist,” meaning an anti-White activist. In his mind, White people are the cause of all racism in the world, and like all other Race Hustlers he ignores the racial conflicts between Black people and Latinos which are common in places like Los Angeles, especially between rival gangs. The only thing “Ibram X. Kendi” thinks about is how terrible White people are. The 1619 Project founder Nikole Hannah-Jones is another one. This “project” started as a feature in The New York Times and refers to the year 1619 when she claims Black slaves started “building America” for White people. While there are many professional Race Hustlers, perhaps the most infamous (aside from Shaun King who looks White despite being half Black and is often mocked as “Talcum X”) is Black Lives Matter cofounder Patrisse Khan-Cullors, who bought four different homes with the millions of dollars her scheme brought in.678 Black Lives Matter (the organization) also transferred millions of dollars to a “charity” run by her “wife” who then used six million dollars to buy a mansion that was the former headquarters for the Communist Party.679 Over $90 million dollars was given to Patrisse Khan-Cullors’ Black Lives Matter organization (not to be confused with the generic

“movement”—the organization is technically a legal entity in and of itself) which claims to be a “nonprofit” organization.680 They also paid nearly a million dollars to a company run by Cullors’ baby daddy for “creative services”681 and also paid her brother over $840,000 for “security.”682



Corporate Antiwhiteism  

Under the guise of various fancy sounding terms like “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI), “racial bias training,” or “sensitivity and inclusivity” seminars—major American corporations are forcing their employees (and especially new hires) to undergo various classes derived from Critical Race Theory to indoctrinate them about how terrible White people are and how amazing non-Whites are (and queers). The “anti-racism” grifters have been around for a long time, but now it’s commonplace for major corporations to hire them to “teach” employees about how White people perpetuate “racism” simply by existing if they don’t constantly prioritize Black people’s thoughts and feelings. Walmart employees have been put through “training” where they’re told that the United States is a “White-supremacy system” and if they’re White and don’t think they’re racist and part of the problem, that’s just more evidence of their “internalized racial superiority.”683 Companies now include entire sections on their websites explaining their plans on how they’re going to hire more people of color in the name of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion despite favoring any particular race in the hiring process being illegal. Coca-Cola’s website says, “Our plan will focus on internal and external recruitment, hiring, development and advancement of people of color.”684 They go on to openly admit that they’re dedicated to only promoting Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians instead of White people. Leaked documents show that AT&T’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training course labels White employees “the problem” and says that “American racism is a uniquely white trait” and Black people can’t be racist.685 They’re also encouraged to take the “21-Day Racial Equity Habit Challenge” to reflect on their “white privilege,” and be on the lookout for “white supremacy.”686 Many major corporations now have an entire department dedicated to “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” and people have titles like “head of

diversity,” and it’s their job to make sure that fewer White people (and heterosexuals) are hired to work there. LinkedIn, the employment and business-focused social media platform, now enables job recruiters to filter their searches for candidates according to race in order to help them find a more “diverse group of candidates.”687 It used to be an unwritten rule that job applicants not include their race on their resumes to help avoid racial bias during the hiring process, but now it’s encouraged for non-White people to list theirs so they can be picked as a diversity hire. When the hiring manager of Dropbox, the Google-owned cloud storage service, posted about a new position open for product design in the U.S., she said applicants from the BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color) and URM communities (underrepresented minority), meaning queer people, were given priority over all others.688 Of course that’s a violation of federal law because a business can’t pass up job applicants simply because of their race, but as usual, systemic antiwhiteism is ignored. If a hiring manager of any business, whether a Fortune 500 company or a small family owned pizza place posted that they were prioritizing White applicants, then the Department of Labor would launch an investigation into them and sue them into bankruptcy, but no action is taken when White people or Christians are blatantly discriminated against. A producer for Fox News reached out to Dropbox for a comment when this story went viral, but they ignored the request proving that they’re complicit in the discriminatory practices.689 YouTube got sued in 2018 because of their anti-White hiring 690 policy. A recruiter who worked for YouTube for nine years claims the company set quotas for hiring non-White people and recruiters were told not to even interview applicants who weren’t Black, Hispanic, or women.691 On Valentine’s Day that same year, the official YouTube Twitter account tweeted, “Roses are red violets are blue, subscribe to Black creators.”692 As noted previously, YouTube has also been hostile towards Thanksgiving, and hosts an annual event exclusively for Black YouTubers to give them extra help to build up their subscribers.693 Comedian Tyler Fischer was turned down by an agent because he’s White, so he sued for discrimination and the talent agency quickly offered him a settlement—which he refused, saying he wanted the case to go to

court, probably because a settlement would mean he would have to sign a non-disclosure agreement, preventing him from ever talking about what happened to him again.694 Responding to a headline in the New York Post that said he “claimed” the agent turned him down because he’s White, Fischer said, “The entire claim is on tape and in plain English. I’m simply not allowing myself to be discriminated against for my skin color anymore. There’s no such thing as ‘reverse’ discrimination. There’s one kind and everyone is protected under the law against it.”695 He also said that “endless people” in the industry have reached out to him privately telling him the same thing has happened to them as well, but they were afraid to speak about it publicly. It’s not just corporations, but many cities are also indoctrinating their employees with antiwhiteism. Such “training” programs now mandated across the country for elected officials and their staff.696 Many police and fire departments are requiring such programs as well.697 These “Race and Social Justice Initiatives” teach that White staffers are “responsible” for racism and are “oppressors” of non-Whites.698 A teachers union in Minneapolis announced that they plan to layoff White teachers first if they have to make budget cuts, regardless of seniority —explaining in Orwellian language, “if excessing [laying off] a teacher who is a member of a population underrepresented among licensed teachers in the site [the school], the district shall excess the next least senior teacher, who is not a member of an underrepresented population.”699 They always try to mask their agenda by using codewords. “Excess” means to layoff, and “under represented” means if they’re not White they’ll be passed over, and the White teachers will be laid off instead. Again, all of this is illegal and violates long-standing antidiscrimination laws, and the fact that such blatant racial discrimination would be adopted by so many organizations is shocking but perhaps even more disturbing are the lack of legal consequences for their actions. The Department of Labor and the Justice Department do nothing to enforce antidiscrimination laws when the discrimination is against White people. Uber’s “head of diversity” (an Asian woman) was suspended after she held an event where she tried to encourage employees to stop calling their White coworkers “Karens” (which has become an anti-White slur that Black people like to use against White women who they view as being

entitled or bossy because of their “White privilege”), but Black employees felt like they were being “lectured” and “scolded” so they accused the executive of being racist against them!700 Black people feel so entitled these days in America that when a company executive tries nicely to get them to stop being racist against White people, they view that as racist!



Black Crimes Matter 

Black people in America commit more crimes than White people, Latinos, Asians and every other race.701 It’s an irrefutable fact, but because they commit more crimes (approximately ten times more violent crimes than White people) Blacks also get arrested and incarcerated at a much higher rate per capita than White people.702 But like obese people who get defensive when they’re told that they should lose weight because they’re at risk of having a heart attack or getting diabetes, most Black people don’t want to talk about the crime problem in their communities because it involves taking a good hard look in the mirror. Black people are arrested and incarcerated far more often than White people (and Hispanics, Asians, and every other race) because they commit more crimes, and it’s not because of some conspiracy being carried about by police, prosecutors, and juries. It’s the same reason there are dramatically more men arrested and incarcerated than women—because men commit more crimes. A lot more. It’s not that police are unfairly “targeting” men for arrest and “systemically” ignoring women who commit crime. It’s obvious to everyone that men commit more crime than women, so it makes perfect sense that they would be arrested and incarcerated more. The reasons why Black men commit more crimes (particularly more violent crimes) than White people (as well as Hispanics and Asians) is a whole other topic and beyond the scope of this book.703 And while it’s politically incorrect (or “racist,” as Liberals call it) to talk about Black Crime, it’s extremely taboo to talk about hate crimes committed by Black people. When most people think of a hate crime, they think of a group of “White supremacists” attacking a random Black person for the same reason when people hear the word racism, they’ve been conditioned to automatically think of White people being prejudiced against non-White people. But Black people not only commit hate crimes against White

people, Jews, Asians, and Latinos—but the media does their best to keep such attacks contained to small local news outlets in hopes of preventing people from seeing the pattern. When they do report on such incidents, they try to hide what actually happened by insinuating that the perpetrators are White by reporting that a hate crime did occur, and that the “perpetrator” or “man” called the victim a racial or antisemitic slur, but they purposefully omit the race of the attackers when they’re Black. When a Black man shot up a White church in Antioch, Tennessee to get “revenge” on White people for psycho Dylann Roof’s despicable attack on a Black church years earlier, his motive was covered up until the trial, and then only mentioned in local news. A note was found in the shooter’s vehicle that same day which admitted he did it for “vengeance” and that “10 of your kind” (meaning White people) “would die.”704 At the time when people were posting online that the attack was suspiciously not getting any national attention, Newsweek claimed that it was an “alt-right conspiracy theory” that it was a “reverse Dylann Roof story,” meaning the Black shooter targeted White people.705 The New York Times initially reported on the shooting in a story buried on page 14 of their paper and didn’t even mention the shooter’s motive.706 While most Americans never heard of this attack, everyone remembers the endless coverage of Dylann Roof’s heinous attack on churchgoers in South Carolina in 2015, which resulted in the Confederate flag being banned across the entire United States and social media companies deeming it a hate symbol; Amazon banning all sales of it, and even reruns of the 1980s classic Dukes of Hazzard series were pulled from TV because the famous General Lee car has the flag painted on it.707 Similarly, the media was obsessed with the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in August 2017 which would mark the end of the Alt-Right after a man who was literally a schizophrenic drove his car into a group of protesters, killing one of them and injuring others, but they always ignore Black Lives Matter violence like when Micah Xavier Johnson, a Black supremacist and supporter of the Nation of Islam, opened fire on a group of police during a Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas, Texas in 2016 killing five and wounding nine others.708 That story disappeared the next day, and the media never brought it up again, but the “White supremacists in Charlottesville” with their tiki

torches is a central part of the mythos about why Joe Biden ran for president in 2020, and the car crash will be talked about in the Liberal media for an eternity. A Black man in California was convicted of going on an anti-White murder spree, killing three random White people in Fresno in 2017 simply because they were White, and planned “to kill as many white males as possible” and advocated for the creation of a Black-only ethnostate, but that too was swept under the rug.709 I could list more that have been covered by local news outlets (since anti-White hate crimes are always ignored by the national ones), but I’m trying to keep this book to a moderate length. Antisemitism is always framed as coming from White supremacists, but the dirty little secret of antisemitic hate crimes is that many, if not most, are committed by Black people—particularly Black supremacists who follow the Black Hebrew Israelites’ philosophy believing they are the “real” Jews. Black supremacists consider White people the Edomites, which is a reference to the Biblical story of Esau (also known as Edom) who is the twin brother of Jacob and the son of Isaac and Rebekah, who Black Hebrew Israelites consider to be the patriarch of the White race.710 They often speak in code so most people have no idea what they’re talking about when they rail against “the Edomites,” the “White Edomite Devils,” or Esau-Edom.711 A Black couple in New Jersey walked into a Kosher deli and started shooting, killing two people in what was a targeted attack against Jews by Black Hebrew Israelites.712 A Black man walked into a Hanukkah party in an Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community in New York and started stabbing people, leaving five people injured.713 As usual, all reports about the stabbing omitted the man’s race and just described him as a “man” or “the suspect” to hide the fact that another Black man committed another hate crime against Jews.714 A Black woman in Brooklyn was arrested for slapping three Orthodox Jews while yelling “fuck you Jews” and because of the “bail reform laws” she was released from custody without having to pay any bail and three days later arrested again for assaulting more people.715 A lot of the hatred Black people have towards Jews isn’t from those who subscribe to the Black Hebrew Israelite philosophy, but from Black people in general who often harbor anti-Jewish sentiments from perceiving that Jewish business owners have exploited Black communities.

Malcolm X, who was a Black separatist and wanted Black people to have their own region of the United States so they could live without any White people around, said, “It is Jews right here in Harlem who run these whiskey-stores that get you drunk. It is Jews that run these old run-down stores that sell you bad food. It is Jews who control the economy of Harlem and use it for themselves and the benefit of Israel…That’s not antisemitic, that’s just plain intelligence.”716 But only White people are framed as having anti-Jewish views and Blacks are always portrayed as a fellow minority group being oppressed by the White man even though antisemitism is a central part of the Nation of Islam—the Black power Muslim movement, and many Black people who aren’t followers of the movement still harbor similar views. White people are always blamed for anti-Asian hate crimes too, when surveillance footage shows they’re almost all committed by Black men. After a Black man in Dallas, Texas was arrested for going on shooting sprees at various Asian businesses, specifically targeting Asians, that story vanished down the memory hole by the next day and was completely forgotten.717 If he was White the story would have received endless coverage on cable news and CNN would have said Donald Trump incited him because he kept calling COVID-19 the “China virus,” but as usual, once the perpetrator was found to be Black, they all dropped the story. A Black man brutally beat a 67-year-old Asian woman in Yonkers, New York, punching and stomping her more than 100 times while calling her an “Asian bitch,” which was all captured on video by a security camera.718 But he was just identified as a “man” in the news stories, not a Black man, even though it was a clear hate crime not just a random mugging or assault. Only those who saw the security camera footage, which was released by police and omitted in most news stories about the attack, saw that he was clearly a Black man. “Asian man pushed onto subway tracks in Queens” read the headlines after another hate crime in the New York area, and the perpetrator was descried as only wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, while the fact that it was known he himself is a Black man was ignored, as usual, despite footage of the attacker being captured by security cameras.719 In 2020, the Southern Poverty Law Center removed Black hate groups from their online list of “hate groups” because it was making the Black Lives Matter movement look bad by not just admitting Black

supremacist and separatist groups exist, but showing how prevalent they are. The SPLC admitted that they didn’t want to “aid law enforcement in its definition of Black Identity Extremists,” since the Department of Justice (under the Trump administration) finally admitted that Black hate groups pose a danger to society.720 They recategorized some of the groups giving them the cover of “antisemitic” groups or “general hate” groups, instead of being Black separatists or Black nationalists. There used to be three dozen Black hate groups on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s list, including the Nation of Islam, the New Black Panther Party, the Black Hebrew Israelites, and many others, but not anymore. Admitting the reality that Black supremacist organizations exist is considered to be racist. When discussing hate crimes, you can’t ignore hate crime hoaxes, which are the vast majority of alleged “hate crimes” reported today.721 To list the specific instances that have been confirmed hoaxes would fill up an entire book—and they do.722 There are also numerous websites which keep a pretty good tally of the latest hate crime hoaxes, including FakeHateCrimes.org. From a Black college Lacrosse player spray painting the n-word and a swastika on his dorm in Maryland targeting himself,723 to a Black girl tweeting death threats to a school in New Jersey hoping to gain more sympathy for Black Lives Matter,724 to a Black woman writing racist notes to herself and filing a fake police report at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.725 As The Wall Street Journal surprisingly admitted, “Hate crime hoaxes are more common than you think.”726 There are countless ones which have been foiled on college campuses where mostly Blacks and gays, but sometimes Muslims and Jews, are caught faking hate crimes by spray painting graffiti, or even harming themselves and claiming they were attacked.727 It’s a common tactic that is often exposed because the hoaxers are too stupid to realize security cameras are everywhere on college campuses, but there are exponentially more hate crime hoaxes that are said to have occurred other places which go undiscovered and are reported as real in the media. Jussie Smollett’s hoax is the most famous to be exposed, but they date back decades. Al Sharpton’s claim to fame was rallying behind the

Tawana Brawley hoax in 1987 where a Black teenager in New York falsely accused four White men of kidnapping and raping her.728 The Bubba Wallace “noose” incident isn’t technically a hoax because it wasn’t a deliberate scheme, but instead a case of Imaginary Racism which is also a common occurrence, where Black people falsely interpret something as being “racist” because they’ve become paranoid from all the fear-mongering and fake news in the media (and spread through social media) about how there are supposedly “White supremacists” around every corner and that “systemic racism” is the bedrock of every American institution.



White Identity

For most of America’s history White people haven’t thought about themselves as a racial group because their race had been largely invisible to them, like a fish in water, since whiteness has been the dominant culture going all the way back to America’s founding. But as White people are quickly becoming a minority group (and have already become minorities in several states) they are becoming racially conscious and starting to think about themselves as an ethnic group —like Blacks, Asians, Latinos and every other race—and caring about their own interests within the multicultural communities (and states, and country) they inhabit, instead of always allowing themselves to be pushed aside in the name of diversity. And as White people came under increasing attacks from the mainstream media, online activists, woke corporations, and others as a result of the insurgency of Black Lives Matter—White Identity (again, White people seeing themselves as a unique ethnic group with their own interests they want to protect or advance) has accelerated their racial consciousness and is changing how they perceive themselves in our multiracial society. In response to this, the other ethnic groups (and self-hating Whites) along with the usual suspects in the media and Democrat Party, are frantically trying to stop this inevitable paradigm shift, equating White Identity or White collectivism with “White nationalism” and “White supremacy,” deceptively conflating them as if they’re the same. These increased attacks are causing a feedback loop which is only accelerating White people’s awakening and involvement in ethnic collectivism. This then increases concern among non-Whites and incites more attacks against whiteness, and so on. An assistant Professor of Political Science at Duke University named Ashley Jardina has actually been a pioneer in scholarly research into the awaking of White Identity politics and found that contrary to most

people’s expectations and beliefs, there is a low correlation between White Identity and racial resentment towards other races.729 In other words, Whites who are racially consciousness and are thinking of themselves and other White people as part of an ethic group are not racist against non-Whites. They simply want what every other racial group in America has, which is the right to not only be proud of their race, but to be able to voice support for their own in-group interests (such as preserving their culture) and to not have their civil rights be violated by being discriminated against. The Left has stigmatized the idea of White people being concerned about their own ethnic interests to the point that it’s almost always falsely equated with White supremacy. It’s the biggest taboo, but if White people keep getting systematically demonized by radical Black and Latino groups (and Jewish groups like the ADL), Whites will naturally respond by awakening to their own White Identity as a natural instinct, and will begin to collectivize and organize as an ethnic group in order to stop other races from treating them as if they are second class citizens. Europe has seen the rise of a White Identity movement in what’s called Identitarianism (or the Identitarian Movement) which is opposed to multiculturalism and promotes localism or ethnopluralism which is the idea of maintaining unique and separate ethnocultural regions. This is a reaction to the Islamization of European countries caused by the massive influx of Muslims from the Middle East as well as millions emigrating to Europe from Africa.730 Many of the migrants cannot assimilate into such a different culture and have no desire to. And the flood of migrants has caused massive crime waves in Sweden, Germany, France, England, and other countries who took them in.731 Sweden is now over 8% Muslim.732 In 2016 Mohamed became the most common new baby name for boys in the UK, and remained the most popular through at least 2022.733 (It still may be, but the latest data for 2023 wasn’t released by the time this book went to print and the trend is likely continuing).734 London is also now 15% Muslim.735 In 2016 the first Muslim mayor of London was elected, and many of the indigenous Europeans are extremely unhappy with such dramatic demographic changes which are resulting in a rise of White Identity throughout Europe.

Beginning in 2017 as a reaction to the rising antiwhiteism on American college campuses and social media, some members of the online forum 4Chan decided to print fliers that simply read “It’s Okay To Be White” and posted them on various campuses. Instead of people ignoring such an innocuous statement, the fliers made national news and were denounced as “racist” and “neo-Nazi propaganda” by school authorities, the media, the ADL, and Southern Poverty Law Center.736 The fact that anyone was even upset about the fliers is strange, but catching the attention of the professional hate groups like the SPLC and ADL, and making the national news just proved the point the kids were trying to make. If they had spray painted the slogan on the side of some buildings, that would be vandalism and maybe justified making the local news, but these were ordinary 8 1/2” by 11” sheets of paper that were just taped on some light poles and stapled onto community bulletin boards. Similar fliers reading “All Lives Matter” have occasionally been posted on college campuses and around town as well, and as you can expect, were also firmly denounced as “overtly racist” and “White supremacist propaganda.”737 In October 2022, Kanye West (who had legally changed his name to Ye) wore a White Lives Matter shirt to a fashion show in Paris alongside Candace Owens, causing everyone in the Liberal media in America to freak out. CBS News insinuated it was “racist.”738 Rolling Stone said it was “uncalled for.”739 And The New York Times ran the headline, “There Is No Excuse for Ye’s ‘White Lives Matter’ Shirt.”740 The ADL deems “White Lives Matter” to be a “White supremacist phrase,”741 along with the Southern Poverty Law Center.742 Both organizations function to smear Conservatives and Christians as racist, bigots, and homophobes; and often label organizations they hate as “hate groups,” and are tirelessly trying to stop White people from embracing White Identity by equating it with White supremacy and neo-Nazis. Even Christopher Rufo, who’s held up as the world’s foremost expert on Critical Race Theory by Conservatives, is firmly opposed to White people collectivizing as an ethnic group like other races, saying “I do not believe that ‘white identity politics’ or ‘white identitarianism’ is a solution; in fact, I think it would be a major step backwards and, potentially, disastrous. We should emphasize the individual and de-emphasize racial categories, to the extent possible.”743

He also performs mental gymnastics in order to avoid framing Critical Race Theory as “anti-White racism” out of concerns it may fuel White Identity. He argues this because “it’s not exclusively anti-White,” and points to the college admissions scandal over affirmative action where Asians were also passed over while Blacks were given preferential treatment, but CRT is specifically anti-White—it just so happens that Asians are sometimes collateral damage. The main target is obviously White people. Rufo is married to an Asian woman, and his children look Asian, so he has a personal interest in trying to depict CRT as not being exclusively anti-White, and it would be highly unlikely that he and his wife aren’t fostering in their children a strong sense of Asian identity and pride, but he cautiously advises White people not to embrace their whiteness or White Identity, saying, “White identitarianism is pathetic and disgusting.”744 Instead, it appears Christopher Rufo wants White people to avoid any ethnic identity at all, and proposes they just view themselves as generic “Americans” and minimize their racial identity as much as possible. Of course he would never recommend Jews shed their ethnicity as the core of their identity. They’re “special,” and that would be antisemitic. Meanwhile he looks forward to a world in which Whites, Blacks, and Latinos are all mixed together into one homogeneous “human race,” saying “I think interracial marriage is a sign of progress, I think it’s beautiful, I think it’s amazing…America is going to look different in 100 years. You’re not going to be able to tell ‘you’re Black, you’re White, you’re Hispanic, you’re Puerto Rican, whatever.’ I think ultimately that’s going to be good.”745 Ask anyone who is of mixed race about some of the complications regarding their identity and acceptance among certain peer groups and they may not sing such praises of it.746 And ask any mixed race couple about the intercultural conflicts that arise (or persist), and they too would admit it’s not always as rosy as such “diversity” is often portrayed from the outside.747 So many people wish to retain their unique ethnicity within their families and aren’t interested in their children and grandchildren becoming part of a multicultural mishmash. But unlike every other race on the planet, White people aren’t allowed to be proud of being White—or proud of the list of things White people have contributed to the world, from creating the automobile and airplanes to air-conditioning and computers. “White Pride” is considered

synonymous with “White Supremacy.” Wikipedia defines it as “an expression primarily used by white separatist, white nationalist, fascist, neo-Nazi and white supremacist organizations in order to signal racist or racialist viewpoints.”748 Of course Black Pride is defined favorably as “a movement which encourages Black people to celebrate Black culture and embrace their African heritage.”749 Similarly, the entry for Asian Pride notes that it’s “a term utilized by people all over the world to celebrate their Asian ethnicity.”750 White people just wanting to date only other White people is considered racist, and any app that would facilitate White-only dating would not only cause a national outcry by Democrats in Congress who would launch a congressional committee to investigate whoever created it, but it would be banned by the Apple and Android app stores for being “racist.”751 Meanwhile there are countless dating apps for Black people and Latinos to meet each other, not to mention Black-only beauty pageants, Black-only dorms, graduation ceremonies, and other “Black safe spaces” where they can enjoy themselves without the presence of White people.752 But again, if a White person just wants to date or marry another White person, that sets off alarm bells—while Blacks, Asians, Latinos, and Jews who want to do so are celebrated for maintaining their cultural heritage. And if any White people prefer to live in a predominantly White neighborhood (like Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strip recommended) or want their children to go to a predominantly White school, that’s even worse, and they’re denounced as White nationalists and Nazis. Just for recommending that White people should live in predominantly White neighborhoods to avoid the ongoing racial strife between Whites and Blacks, Scott Adams’ Dilbert comic strip was canceled by his syndicator after more than 30 years in publication, and overnight vanished from every newspaper around the world.753 Aside from the Liberal media manufacturing outrage over his comments, he was also denounced by some brand name Conservative commentators as well, including Ben Shapiro, who said that “there’s a strong case” that anyone saying such “racist stuff” should have their career ended.754



Use Their Own Terms Against Them

One tool you can use to combat the Marxists and their incessant antiwhiteism is turning their own terminology against them by linguistically hijacking their buzzwords. When they talk about “White Fragility,” point out Black Fragility—which I would define as: Discomfort and defensiveness on the part of some Black people who live in a predominantly White culture due to fixating on long since past injustices which they never experienced (and weren’t experienced by anyone in their family alive today) causing them to imagine racism where none exists, and pine away for living in a culture that is predominately black instead. When they whine about whiteness or “White normativity” then bring up their White-Envy which is when Black or other non-White people who live in a predominantly White culture feel envious of the society because their ancestors lacked the skills, knowledge, or possessions of others in the dominant culture, often resulting in resentment and demands for reparations instead of accepting personal responsibility for their own situations and working to improve their lives through hard work, discipline, and other ethical means of achieving success and happiness.755 When they talk about the “need” for more “diversity,” call them anti-White. Don’t play into their semantical games by acknowledging their made up words and ridiculous false concepts. Every time they use their cultural marxist terminology, do linguistic judo, and turn it back against them. Doing this saves you from wasting time engaging them in an argument about why they’re wrong, (and insane). And just chuckle or laugh at them, mock them, and don’t even take their concerns seriously unless it’s your boss and you run the risk of being fired. We should all start highlighting the systemic antiwhiteism to make it clear that anti-White racism isn’t just occurring in isolated instances from a few individual Black people or organizations, but instead antiwhiteism is so pervasive it has

become woven into American culture through Black Lives Matter activism and the Liberal media constantly demonizing White people and whiteness. And again, the term antiwhiteism needs to become the common word used in place of racism when talking about anti-White racism because of the deeply rooted associations and preconceptions people have with the word racism. Just invoking the word racism always conjures up a frame that it’s something White people do to non-Whites, and the very word is basically an anti-White slur, so a completely different word should be used when talking about anti-White racism, or at the very least—the clear distinction should be made by describing it as anti-White racism, not just racism. That is as long as the ADL, SPLC, and Wikipedia don’t hijack the term and get a false definition to stick by claiming it’s a “White supremacist” code word, which they will likely attempt to do just like they’ve done with It’s Okay to Be White, Cultural Marxism, and White Pride. Even mentioning the percentage of Black people in relation to the percentage of violent crimes they commit in the United States (i.e. 13/50) is deemed a “numeric hate symbol.”756 When the Left mentions “White privilege” then turn it around on them and point out that Black Privilege is actually the centerpiece in our culture now since Black people are put on a pedestal and treated as if they deserve special benefits and treatment because they’ve been exploiting grievances about injustices in the distant past and laying guilt trips on White people in order to subvert equal rights and blind justice. This Black Privilege often stems from false perceptions of racism where none exists, or fabricating incidents of racism in order to leverage power over White people.757 They try to wield this power to silence criticism or judgment about any aspect of their culture (like glorifying thugs and crime) or others pointing out the high percentage of single mothers in the Black community. Black Privilege goes far beyond giving them jobs they’re not qualified for in the name of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (the fancy new term for affirmative action). It also grants them the benefit of often not being charged with anything when they commit crimes, or being given light sentences out of concerns that putting them in jail instead of releasing them on probation would reflect poorly on Black people as a group, so in the 21st century many are often allowed to escape justice.

Black Privilege also entails having TV shows and entire networks like BET and Fox Soul dedicated to Black-only entertainment—and having Black-only dating apps, Black-only beauty pageants, Black-only dorms at colleges, and being able to openly proclaim that Black people are the “best” and “Black is beautiful” while flying into a violent rage if a White person were to say the same thing about their race. We all know what would happen if a White person said they wanted to live in a White-only community, or if White students said they wanted to live in White-only dorms or if a network wanted to produce a TV show that expressly doesn’t include any Blacks or Latinos and instead would focus on a White family or community without any forced “diversity.” All hell would break loose, but every other race can make such demands and are given those accommodations without any resistance. But beware, because cancel culture has gotten so strong that your career could be destroyed in an instant by saying many of the obvious truths mentioned in this this book—especially if you explicitly show support for White Identity (or even bring it up in any context other than denouncing it). Not everyone is in a position to loudly or firmly push back against antiwhiteism (or LGBTQism), but we do need people who are confident they can weather the storm that may come their way if they do, or else our country and our culture will be irreparably damaged, if not destroyed.

Censorship

The World Wide Web opened up a new frontier for publishing in the 1990s where anyone could create a website from their home computer that could be seen by anyone else in the world with just a few clicks on a keyboard through their Netscape or Internet Explorer browsers. But at the time, it was difficult to build a website—and extensive computer skills (including knowing the HTML computer language) were needed, so while every major corporation eventually set one up, only a few eccentric people, computer nerds, or entrepreneurs had one. About a decade later in the early 2000s, the advent of social media made having an online presence turn-key, and anyone with practically no computer skills or technical experience could start using the Internet to publish blogs with photos and videos, and share links to news articles with others who could then share them with their friends and followers who could do the same, and the concept of “going viral” was born. It was the next phase of the Internet revolution, or Web 2.0 as it’s called. While Web 1.0 consisted of static webpages, the new era of online activity involved easy two-way communication and an interactive experience with comments, follower counts, and “likes.” While MySpace led the way, Facebook soon overtook them and quickly grew to dominate social media. At the end of 2006 Facebook opened to everyone, not just people with a college email address ending in .edu, and then MySpace quickly died.758 By the 2008 presidential election Facebook was already part of everyone’s lives, and now on their phones thanks to the launch of the Apple App Store. When the iPhone was first released in June 2007 it had only a few apps (like email, maps, and music), but the following year the App Store was opened to 3rd party developers

and enabled access to services that had previously been contained to desktop computers but were now available anywhere in the palm of your hand.759 Social media soon morphed from a fun novelty to a way of life. During this new social media revolution if you were a young adult and didn’t have a Facebook page (or later if you were a high schooler and didn’t have a Snapchat or Instagram account), then you were seen as an outcast. Social media became just as common as cellphones. Even though Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube had become extremely popular by the 2008 presidential election, their real power still wasn’t realized until a few years later. Barack Obama was the first president to have a Facebook and Twitter account, and throughout the 2008 and 2012 election cycles people used social media to argue and debate ideas and share news articles as the platforms slowly became more and more intertwined with politics and our daily lives. But even throughout the Obama administration social media was still mostly considered to be a “neat” way to communicate with other people, and while it was certainly changing our culture, it hadn’t become the center-point of it—yet. But by the 2016 presidential election cycle (which began in 2015), social media had become an integral part of our culture. Every celebrity, every TV show, every brand name business had Facebook and Twitter accounts. It’s how major companies fielded complaints from their customers instead of the “old fashioned” way of people calling them on the phone. A new kind of celebrity was created in the form of YouTubers or “social media stars” who used the technology to go viral and gain massive audiences, often dwarfing traditional talk radio shows and television networks. Stories that weren’t chosen by editors of the major newspapers and television networks to dominate their coverage (or even get mentioned at all) could now become widely publicized from people organically sharing them, and the corporate news giants lost their ability to control the topics of conversation that the general public was having. The New York Times complained that “YouTube, Reddit and Facebook have allowed fringe thinkers to bypass traditional gatekeepers and reach millions of people directly.”760 CNN’s “senior media reporter” Oliver Darcy complained that social media companies have “given

everybody the same ability to broadcast their views, unfiltered really, to millions and millions of people,” and now “they can share it and they can tell their friends about it.”761 After Trump beat Hillary Clinton, the entire Liberal Media Industrial Complex panicked and claimed that “fake news” being spread through Facebook by the Russians tricked people into not liking her, and thus not voting for her. The Establishment media aimed to take their power back and that’s when the mass censorship and algorithm manipulation started. Before the 2016 election, the only posts or content that was taken down were almost exclusively things that clearly violated what were once reasonable terms of service—forbidding death threats, porn, or people just uploading full episodes of TV shows to YouTube, infringing on studios’ copyrighted works. The mainstream media lost control of the flow of information, and so they scrambled to gain back their monopoly, partnering with the Big Tech platforms to not only get their content artificially boosted, but also systematically suppress independent voices. Immediately in the aftermath we saw an increasingly number of Conservatives having posts removed from social media and getting locked out of their accounts (or permanently banned) for posting criticism of illegal immigration, Muslim refugees, gender bending and other LGBT activities that had previously been allowed to be hotly debated and firmly denounced. Posting basic scientific facts about gender or undisputed crime statistics about Black males became a problem. During President Trump’s (first) impeachment hearings, nobody was allowed to mention the name of the “whistleblower” whose bogus allegations kicked the whole thing off after Trump asked Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky about the Biden Crime Family’s dealings in the country, which was spun into a story about seeking a foreign country’s “help” to “interfere” in our election. When Senator Rand Paul mentioned the name of the person widely believed to have helped get the impeachment hearing in motion (Eric Ciaramella) on the floor of the Senate, YouTube even removed that video, claiming it was “harassment” and an “invasion of privacy.”762 In 2017, YouTube completely changed their search results to surface videos from mainstream media channels for most topics people look up.763 Internally they tag brand name channels as “authoritative” so the algorithm artificially boosts them to the top of the search results even if other videos

from independent “ordinary” YouTubers are more relevant and should organically be the actual top results because of their views, watch time, and the amount of engagement they have. YouTube even created a special curated list of search terms after Liberals in the media complained about the top search results for things like abortion and the Federal Reserve.764 They added actress Brie Larson’s name to the list after “journalists” complained that the top search results for her name accompanied by the title of her latest film at the time (Captain Marvel) were YouTubers critical of her and the movie.765 Then they later hid the dislike ratings near the end of 2021 because so many people were thumbing down videos on mainstream channels that kept getting artificially boosted into people’s feeds and inserted onto the trending list. They claimed it was to prevent smaller YouTubers from getting “bullied” by large numbers of people thumbing down their videos, but it was just another attempt to hide negative feedback about the Liberal propaganda they kept pushing. And then another wave of censorship hit during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when people opposing the mandatory lockdowns were suspended and banned from the brand name social media platforms, and people questioning the safety of the vaccine were censored as well. Even just saying that the virus leaked from the Wuhan lab wasn’t allowed. Senator Rand Paul was censored by YouTube another time for a speech he made denouncing mask mandates on the floor of the Senate.766 Dan Bongino’s channel was banned after his third strike for “COVID misinformation” because of a rant he did about masks not being effective.767 Then just a few days later the CDC updated their “data” about masks, admitting after two years of the pandemic that cloth masks basically don’t do anything.768 Dr. Drew, the famous Hollywood Liberal TV doctor, even got a strike from YouTube for “medical misinformation” after he discussed some of the possible side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine on his podcast.769 He’s generally pro-vaccine despite experiencing some mild side effects himself, but also said if his children were under 18, he would not have given them the COVID vaccine. The censorship was so egregious that after a medical device being used on COVID patients called the Heal Light, which consisted of a breathing tube wrapped in ultraviolet LEDs designed to kill the virus once

inserted into the lungs of patents was mentioned by President Trump, the company had their YouTube channel and Twitter account censored for spreading “dangerous medical misinformation.”770 Donald Trump mentioned that scientists were using ultraviolet light “inside the body” to kill the virus, something that the media mocked him for because anything he said they used against him. His explanation of the technology was just an off the cuff remark about some of the things that were being developed to help treat patients. So the media made it seem as if he was crazy and wanted to insert light bulbs under people’s skin.771 Then when people starting pointing out he was referring to an actual device being tested in hospitals, the Big Tech platforms did what they could to hide that fact in order to prevent the media’s mockery of him from backfiring.772 And while social media was the primary focus of the “thought police” looking to censor all content they disagree with, soon those who wanted to silence others began pointing to podcasts that were hosted on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.773 The topics being censored, along with the methods and reasons for shutting down discussions kept growing.



The Next Wave of Censorship

The first wave of censorship was after the 2016 election, the second was during the COVID pandemic, and the third began immediately after the 2020 presidential election like clockwork. After four years of the Democrats coming up with countless conspiracy theories about how Donald Trump supposedly secretly worked with Russian intelligence to “steal” the 2016 election, all of a sudden claiming that Democrats stole the 2020 election for Joe Biden was a violation of the terms of service on all Big Tech platforms.774 Such claims were suddenly deemed to “undermine our Democracy” and said to be “dangerous.” Exercising your First Amendment right to question the outcome of an election, or state an opinion that it was stolen, was now forbidden. Censoring such discussions on social media was a new level of authoritarianism never seen in America. Up until that point, the only countries where people weren’t allowed to question the election results were Communist countries and third world dictatorships. They claimed it might cause more civil unrest in the wake of the January 6th protest at the Capitol, but the systemic antiwhiteism and anti-police rhetoric coming from Black Lives Matter that had been inciting violence for years was still allowed to be posted and go viral. Shortly before the 2020 election, the Big Tech platforms all censored the October surprise sprung on Democrats when the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop was published after he abandoned it at a repair shop. Aside from bizarre videos he shot of himself smoking crack and having sex with prostitutes, there were emails showing shady business deals with Ukraine and China that involved his father.775 So to muddy the waters hoping to hide the story, Deep State intelligence officials said it was Russian disinformation, but it was obvious at the time (and would later be undeniable) that their claims about the story being disinformation was the disinformation. A year and a half later, after

the Biden Administration was an utter failure and Joe Biden had become an embarrassment, Liberal mainstream outlets finally admitted that the Hunter Biden laptop story is true—that the emails and explicit videos are his, but they still denied he or Joe Biden engaged in any influence peddling or illegal activity.776 Of course Donald Trump was banned from all brand name platforms after the January 6th protest at the Capitol got out of hand, but the Taliban (and their officials) were still able to have an official Twitter account.777 So was Vladimir Putin and all Russian government officials and agencies, even after they invaded Ukraine.778 But not Donald Trump. From that point on, anytime he gave a speech or an interview, if he mentioned that he thought the 2020 election was stolen, that video would get censored from YouTube and Facebook, including his speech at CPAC in February 2021, as well as his CPAC speech the following year in 2022.779 As the 2020 election approached, numerous high-profile Democrats voiced concerns about the security of electronic voting machines and even held congressional hearings about it, but once Joe Biden was declared the supposed winner of the 2020 election, all of those concerns vanished and couldn’t be raised by Republicans. Democrats had legitimate concerns about the security and accuracy of electronic voting machines, and HBO even aired a documentary called Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections in March 2020 which demonstrated some of the vulnerabilities they had (anticipating a Donald Trump victory over Joe Biden, which Democrats would have blamed on Russia hacking the machines), but all those concerns went out the window —and after the election any Republican who raised them ever again was attacked as a “conspiracy theorist” and said to be spreading “dangerous misinformation.”780 Surprisingly, a little over two years later Donald Trump’s Twitter account was reinstated thanks to Elon Musk buying the platform, and a few months after that Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube allowed him access to his accounts again as well.781 This, shortly after he announced he was running for reelection a second time. They probably knew that keeping the Republican frontrunner off their platforms during a presidential run would have galvanized Republicans across the country to denounce such communist-style censorship, so they reluctantly allowed him back on.

Then three months later, in June of 2023, YouTube finally lifted their ban on Republicans doubting the 2020 election results and talk of widespread voter fraud affecting the outcome.782 YouTube claimed it was because they deemed there was no longer an “eminent” threat of people rioting again, like at the Capitol on January 6th 2021, since that tense time had long since passed and the anger dissipated. But YouTube probably also realized that Rumble had become a viable alternative, attracting big names and even non-political channels like gamers and other content creators who thought YouTube was too saturated and wanted to try building an audience on a newer platform that was gaining momentum. Rumble even got listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange in September 2022 and has reached a market cap of two and a half billion dollars.783 While other platforms had tried to take on YouTube, they either failed financially and ended up shutting down, or only gained niche users and audiences. Rumble has grown to be a serious threat to YouTube’s monopoly. While they still have policies against “hate speech,” their rules regarding discussions about transgenderism and vaccines are drastically less restrictive than YouTube. And they even allow (as of November 2023) channels that have been banned from YouTube, including Alex Jones, Red Ice TV, AmRen (American Renaissance run by Jared Taylor), and Nick Fuentes. But while Rumble promotes themselves as a “free speech” platform, they’re only freer, and will be put to a difficult test at some point when the Apple and Android App stores pressure them to remove certain videos or channels they deem “hateful,” “antisemitic,” or contain what they deem “extremist” content. Rumble is no longer a privately owned company. They have shareholders they’re accountable to, and it’s doubtful they will resist the ultimatum of either banning such content, or being banned from the App Stores themselves, if or when it’s given. In the small chance they stand their ground and refuse to ban specific creators from their platform if threatened by the App Stores, they’ll have to do what Gab.com did, and format their website so that users can visit it on their phone’s browser and then just use the Save to Home Screen feature to create an icon on their phone that launches the website.

This workaround, pioneered by Gab’s founder Andrew Torba after Gab was banned from the App Stores, allows a website to function essentially as an app on a phone, minus the push notifications. There may be some drawbacks however, such as lag-time when using certain features compared to the app itself, but it will still work—at least for now. Apple and Android may close this loophole at some point, but Gab.com has been using this method for years.784 Rumble will also increasingly face organized advertiser boycotts aimed at strangling them financially. After YouTube demonetized Russell Brand’s channel in the wake of a coordinated campaign to cancel him, Rumble stood by him, causing brands like Burger King and HelloFresh to pull ads from the entire platform.785 Rumble had already been the target of numerous organizations dedicated to stripping them of advertisers in hopes of shutting them down, and these groups will continue to seize on highly publicized events surrounding content creators who use the platform in order to further bully major brands (and advertising agencies) into not working with them.



Fake Fact Checkers

Facebook is the worst of all the social media platforms in terms of censorship and algorithm manipulation. What was once a great platform to keep in touch with family and friends, and a place to read interesting articles others shared, has turned into another tightly controlled corporate cog in the Left’s information warfare machine. At the end of 2016, about a month after the election when the “fake news” scare was first heating up and Democrats were blaming Hillary’s loss on people posting “misinformation” about her, Facebook decided to start automatically “fact checking” things people posted, outsourcing the operation to various organizations like Snopes and PoltiFact who were granted authority to police content so Facebook itself could claim they weren’t censoring posts deemed to be “false” or sticking their nose into everyone’s business—it’s “trusted third party independent fact checkers.”786 From this point on when anyone posted a link to a news story or YouTube video—if it triggered a “fact check,” the post would be completely blurred out with a notice over it claiming it’s “false” which also prevents it from going viral. But many of these “fact checks” are completely and obviously false, and the posts they censor are accurate and true. The new feature is just another way for the Establishment to further suppress information they don’t want people to know. But it’s not just links that are censored. Posts just containing text are too, since Facebook automatically scans and reads everything; and if posts are detected to say things that they don’t want people to say but aren’t a violation of the terms of service, then they’re secretly suppressed and only show up in a limited number of people’s feeds who are following the page. The Facebook “fact checks” started off to “protect civic integrity,” meaning election news or falsehoods about voting, such as if someone posts that the polls in a particular area are closed when they’re actually still open which could discourage people from going out to vote on their way home

from work, or posts citing the wrong location of where people can vote which would send them on a wild goose chase, etc. That kind of misinformation was initially the target of the fact checkers, along with actual hoaxes they didn’t want to go viral (such as someone claiming there was a terrorist attack in an American city, like a bombing that didn’t actually happen) which many would argue may have been a good feature. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the system got so out of control Facebook started censoring memes making fun of Democrats and Joe Biden. For example, they “fact checked” a meme about gas prices being high because of President Biden that reads “Man I haven’t seen gas prices this high since the last Democrat was in office.” Anyone who posted it had the meme automatically grayed out and it was labeled “false” with a note claiming gas prices were high due to generic “supply issues.”787 They even “fact check” the popular meme of Martin Luther King wearing a MAGA hat, claiming that his political affiliation isn’t known.788 Like all platforms, they use a Content ID system to automatically scan every image and video that’s uploaded, and they have an entire library of memes the moderators have set to be flagged. Satirical articles from The Babylon Bee even get the same “fact check” in order to censor their mockery of Liberals.789 Another ridiculously false “fact check” that was integrated into Facebook’s automatic system by USA Today, one of their “trusted” partners, claimed it was fake news that a thug named Jacob Blake was armed at the time he got himself shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He’s the thug whose shooting sparked the Black Lives Matter riots there shortly after, which led to Kyle Rittenhouse having to defend himself when he was attacked by the angry mob. Anyone who posted that Jacob Blake was armed with a knife (which he was) had their posts flagged as “false” and penalties placed on their accounts. Not only did police say he had a knife on him at the time of the shooting, but it could be seen on video, and later during an interview with Good Morning America he admitted the obvious—that he was armed with a knife when police shot him.790 But Facebook tried to protect the false narrative that another “unarmed” Black man just happened to get shot by police who must have been racist.

Facebook also “fact checked” a true claim that Donald Trump made about Kyle Rittenhouse when he said that videos showed he was trying to get away from the mob when they attacked him.791 Anyone who followed that story closely saw those videos which went viral that same night, but Facebook was censoring posts that defended Rittenhouse or showed he acted in self-defense, deeming him a “mass shooter,” and supporting or praising such individuals is a violation of their terms of service.792 Rittenhouse himself was banned from Facebook after his arrest, so he couldn’t even defend himself on the platform while the media, Democrats in Congress, and countless others online kept smearing him as a White supremacist and a mass murderer.793 One of the most hilarious fake “fact checks” happened after CNN made Joe Rogan look green when they aired a video he posted on Instagram announcing that he had tested positive for coronavirus. He wasn’t vaccinated, so the media tried to rub it in that he got sick by making him look deathly ill by drastically altering the color of his video even though he only had mild symptoms because he got the monoclonal antibody treatment right away. “No evidence video color was manipulated in CNN news segment,” claimed the fact checkers,794 but if you looked at the original video he uploaded to Instagram side by side with the one CNN aired (which is still up on their YouTube channel) he looks almost as green as the Incredible Hulk.795 It’s cartoonishly altered, and there’s no reasonable explanation for it other than it was done on purpose, just like discoloring footage of political opponents in campaign ads—a common tactic used to cast them in a negative light. Candace Owens sued the “fact checkers” because after receiving several “strikes” for posting supposedly false content then pages get demonetized just like YouTube channels—harming the livelihoods of content creators.796 John Stossel also sued Facebook for over $2 million dollars claiming their fake “fact checks” were defamatory after they had declared several posts of his to be “false” (that were not), but a judge dismissed his lawsuit at the end of 2022 claiming that the “fact checks” are only a “subjective judgment about the accuracy and reliability of assertions.”797

Note the judge’s claims that the “fact checks” were “subjective,” not objective. In other words, the supposed “fact checks” were just opinions. The judge’s ruling goes on to say, “Simply because the process by which content is assessed and a label applied is called a ‘fact-check’ does not mean that the assessment itself is an actionable statement of objective fact.”798 So a judge ruled the “fact checks” are B.S. but Facebook is allowed to still use them to censor and suppress factual information, without facing any consequences. Candace Owens’ lawsuit was also thrown out by a judge for similar bogus reasons.799



Elon Musk Tries to Save Twitter

Twitter (now rebranded as X by Elon Musk, but will still be referred to as Twitter for the sake of this discussion) often drives the news cycle. What trends on Twitter, makes headlines because lazy journalists looking for a new story to write just have to scroll through Twitter for a few minutes and see what’s trending and figure that would be a good topic since so many people are talking about it. So, activists make it their mission to get topics or hashtags to trend in order to promote their cause, and of course for years Twitter manually inserted topics into the list to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. People thought the topic was popular because it was on the trending list, so they start tweeting about it, which then caused it to become popular. It appears this manipulation stopped soon after Elon Musk purchased the platform, but since its launch in 2006 this was an extremely powerful method of directing news cycles, especially since Twitter has been predominantly a news platform and is a favorite for “journalists,” news junkies, and political activists. Equally powerful was the platform preventing topics from trending when they were so widely tweeted about the algorithm would have organically included them on the list. Under Jack Dorsey’s leadership (and later Parag Agrawal) the company regularly suppressed topics from trending that they didn’t want to become bigger issues. The platform is largely considered to be the digital public square where people argue and try to dunk on each other’s stupid tweets, and its very design incentivizes dogpiling, which can instantly flood someone’s mentions with an endless stream of mockery and this is why it’s often used by activists to cancel people. A small group of people can easily whip up an online mob and flood a business’s mentions with angry demands that someone be fired or they drop a certain product or stop advertising on certain TV shows or podcasts.

While once perhaps the least strict platform in terms of censorship, it slowly fell in lock step with the same policies of the other major platforms—banning “misgendering” transgender people (which means not using their preferred pronouns) and suspending people for “homophobic,” “Islamophobic,” or “antisemitic” tweets.800 Then in April 2022, Elon Musk—the richest man in the world at the time, made an official offer to buy Twitter for a shocking $44 billion dollars. And perhaps even more shocking—the board of directors approved the offer. But as soon as the wheels were in motion to get the legalities ironed out, the entire Liberal media machine completely freaked out over the thought of Musk, who had been clear about his support for free speech (and even saying he would reinstate Donald Trump’s account), now loosening restrictions and restoring Twitter to its glory days. The Washington Post denounced Musk’s pending takeover, saying “we need regulation of social-media platforms to prevent rich people from controlling our channels of communication.”801 Of course rich people had controlled our channels of communication for nearly two decades. People like Mark Zuckerberg, and the executives at Twitter and YouTube. What the Washington Post meant was they wanted the government to prevent Elon from allowing free speech—since he obviously had a very different philosophy about content moderation, and the mainstream media was scared to death that Conservatives may be able to leverage the platform to promote their agenda just like Liberals had been doing on Twitter since its inception. Axios, a popular online outlet, said “The world’s richest man— someone who used to be compared to Marvel’s Iron Man—is increasingly behaving like a movie supervillain, commanding seemingly unlimited resources with which to finance his mischief-making.”802 Allowing discussions critical of transgenderism and not using the platform to artificially amplify Liberal agendas was unthinkable to these people. MSNBC’s Ari Melber complained that Elon might amplify rightwing content, and suppress Liberals—which is obviously the very manipulation tactics the platform had been doing under the leadership of Jack Dorsey and Parag Agrawal for years.803 CNN’s David Zurawik, who is also a professor of Media Studies at Groucher College, said Elon Musk running Twitter would be “dangerous” and pushed for government regulation of “hate speech” like in Europe.

“You need regulation. You cannot let these guys control discourse in this country or we are headed to hell. We are there. Trump opened the gates of hell and now they’re chasing us down.”804 The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission launched a joint investigation into Elon Musk and his actions at Tesla.805 Elon even became a victim of the MeToo movement, where women accuse rich and famous men of “sexual harassment” they say occurred many years earlier to essentially blackmail the men into paying them money to go away. A settlement Elon Musk had paid out from years earlier leaked to the media once he fell under the crosshairs of the Establishment for his plans to allow free speech on Twitter. Seven women would come to sue Elon for alleged “sexual harassment.”806 Such lawsuits are common for celebrities even if they never did anything wrong because unscrupulous women figure they can get a decent settlement to make the problem go away and as counterintuitive as it may seem, it’s often cheaper (and quicker) for the celebrities to pay out settlements than defend themselves in court. Elon used to be a marvel of the world, but was now hated by half of the U.S. population who saw him as the man who would allow “Nazis” (like Donald Trump) to have Twitter accounts. And Elon would soon learn that he had dramatically underestimated the complexities of running a social media company, especially in the “woke” age of mass censorship. He never imagined the forces that would be unleashed trying to destroy him.



Elon Restores (Some) Banned Accounts

Soon after taking full ownership of the platform, Elon reinstated Donald Trump’s account, although Trump had already launched his own social media platform Truth Social, so he hesitated to return to the platform because he was under obligation to Truth Social investors to use that platform exclusively for a set period of time.807 Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the ADL, denounced Elon’s decision as “dangerous and a threat to American democracy,” and then insinuated that Twitter should be banned from the Internet, saying, “We need to ask—is it time for Twitter to go?”808 And he wasn’t just making idle threats. Efforts were underway hoping to ban Twitter from the App Stores.809 Elon also restored over 12,000 accounts which had been banned under false pretenses, including poplar Conservatives, who—while not being household names, had built up rather large followings on the platform.810 He also started releasing internal communications showing top executives who had previously run the company having discussions about banning popular accounts including Donald Trump’s, as well as discussions about censoring the Hunter Biden laptop story and other (accurate) tweets about COVID-19 related issues.811 Elon would later say, “To be totally frank, almost every conspiracy theory that people had about Twitter turned out to be true.”812 But despite restoring thousands of wrongfully banned accounts (including Donald Trump’s) and loosening the terms of service and ending the partisan manipulation of the trending list, Elon’s claims of being a “free speech absolutist” are false.813 When a user recommended he restore Alex Jones’ account, he responded “No.” And then later in the day doubled down saying “too bad” when someone else in the thread tweeted that bringing back Alex Jones should be the litmus test of him allowing free speech.814

When he was pressed even further about restoring Jones’ account, Elon tweeted that he has “no mercy” for Jones because of his conspiracy theories surrounding the mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.815 Even though Jones’ comments were insane, they weren’t why he was banned from Twitter. He was banned for confronting CNN’s Oliver Darcy in the halls of Congress in 2018 outside of a hearing about social media censorship which he live-streamed on Twitter through their Periscope app.816 Twitter deemed it “harassment,” but video of the interaction shows Jones was rather calm and wasn’t even being disruptive. Many thought perhaps Elon would change his mind in the future and allow Alex Jones back on because his policy decisions have been anything but consistent or principled, and he changes his mind more often than the way the wind blows. But a full year after taking over the platform, Alex Jones’ ban remains.817 Allowing him back on would be a PR nightmare, and even Jones has said he doesn’t hold it against Elon because he’s facing enough problems as it is. But how is Twitter banning him from having an account any different than Verizon or AT&T not allowing him to have cell service because they don’t like what he says? If he’s not breaking the law by the things he posts (which he’s clearly not) then why is he denied access to the basic communication tools available to everyone else? He also never restored the accounts of Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnis and other high-profile controversial figures, including pro-White advocates like Jared Taylor, professor Kevin MacDonald,818 and David Duke who all had Twitter accounts for years before eventually getting banned.819 Nick Fuentes, a young controversial figure who built up a sizable dedicated fanbase of Conservative Zoomers (generation Z kids) had his Twitter account initially restored after Elon took over, but was permanently banned again within 24 hours after he said he loved Hitler during a Twitter Space, the group audio chat feature.820 While I’m certainly not defending his incendiary rhetoric nor his support for Hitler, it is interesting to note that Leftists are allowed to praise murderous communist dictators like Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot. Many of them are quite open about their admiration of such figures and that never seems to be a violation of the terms of service. Nor is open support for communism (which killed more people than Nazism), and while posting swastikas is strictly forbidden (unless done so with condemnation

or for editorial purposes), communist and Marxist groups like Antifa are allowed to post hammer and sickle flags and openly promote their ideology.



The Future of X 

The future of Twitter (famously renamed X in July 2023) remains to be seen. Elon has made some great changes (restoring thousands of accounts and loosening many of the restrictions on what people are allowed to post), but he has also made some rash and dumb decisions—like selling verification checkmarks to any account that paid $8 a month without actually verifying the identity of the accounts, leading to a wave of impersonations (and hilarious parody accounts), causing him to pause the scheme less than 24 hours later and revert back to the standard procedure of actually confirming account holders’ identities before issuing the blue check signifying they’re “verified.”821 He once announced a new policy banning all links to content on other social media platforms because he didn’t want anyone driving traffic to a competitor, only to reverse his decision (again within 24 hours) upon realizing the backlash and mockery over the idea, since it would be absurd and contrary to the core principles of social media to prevent people from linking to a Facebook post or Instagram photo.822 Elon often doesn’t take into account feedback of others, even concerns of executives in the company who have extensive knowledge and experience before making dramatic changes that anyone else could have foreseen would cause massive problems (like selling verification checkmarks to accounts without actually verifying them) because he relies so heavily on his own instincts and intuition. This management style is often a double-edged sword extremely successful people wield because while this strategy can often work, it also leads them to further discount the doubts and concerns of others, which can result in them stumbling into obvious pitfalls that they themselves are blind to. He wants X to be the “everything app” or a super app, which enables voice and video calls and the ability to send payments to others just like Venmo and CashApp; and perhaps even incorporate brokerage accounts

for people to trade stocks, and possibly even online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. But because of the immense opposition to Elon allowing so many once-banned users and topics (like “misgendering” trans people, which means using pronouns other than the ones they demand people refer to them as—something that was strictly forbidden under the previous ownership and is a violation of the terms of service on all the other Big Tech platforms), it may be difficult for him to sustain enough revenue sources to keep the app financially viable in the face of ongoing boycotts and attempts to sabotage him. The platform experienced a massive revenue loss once Elon first took it over because many major advertisers fled out of fear it would now allow “hate speech,” and “racism” would be allowed to flourish, mostly due to the Liberal media churning out a bunch of hit pieces and lying about what Elon’s ownership would entail. Then he tried to increase revenue through subscription services like Twitter Blue (now called X Premium) which gives users a verification checkmark and some other features like the ability to post longer tweets instead of the standard 280 characters, and edit them after they’re posted. And despite Elon bringing aboard a new CEO from the advertising industry, Linda Yaccarino, the company continued to struggle financially.823 Hopefully he can maintain and grow the platform without further compromising on his support of free speech (remember, he already won’t allow Alex Jones, professor Kevin MacDonald, Jared Taylor, and others to use it) and it’s going to be impossible to keep everyone happy. Social media is no longer just a neat new technology for communication online. It’s an information warfare tool used to drive news cycles and shape the culture, and Elon liberating it from the Big Tech oligarchs (despite his shortcomings) isn’t going over very well with the powers that be. The smears against him and the platform are relentless, with “journalists” and activist groups constantly searching for offensive or “hateful” posts and then framing stories as if “dangerous hate speech” is proliferating the entire ecosystem. If he isn’t able to make it profitable in the long term then X may end up back in the hands of another Silicon Valley social justice warrior like Mark Zuckerberg who will implement the same strict policies as usual, and go right back to using its power to shape public opinion and stifle debates in

hopes of imposing their own values and agendas onto the world as they do on all the other mainstream platforms.



Coming After TV Stations 

The Left weren’t happy with the widespread censorship of certain topics and deplatforming of individuals from the virtual town squares of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, so they’re trying to do more. Their agenda of stamping out influential opposition to the New World Order was working so well they decided to take things even further and hoped to get Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN taken off cable and satellite TV. CNN’s Oliver Darcy, the weasel-looking creature who worked as Brian Stelter’s sidekick until he was fired in August 2022, helped amplify the idea. “Somehow, these companies have escaped scrutiny and entirely dodged this conversation. That should not be the case anymore,” he said.824 He then put out a call to action, saying “it is time TV carriers face questions for lending their platforms to dishonest companies that profit off of disinformation and conspiracy theories. After all, it was the very lies that Fox, Newsmax, and OAN spread that helped prime President Trump’s supporters into not believing the truth: that he lost an honest and fair election.”825 The editor-in-chief of The Verge, an online outlet owned by Vox Media, had also called for Fox News to be taken off the air several years earlier, saying, “I feel like we should be just as comfortable asking Comcast and Verizon and Charter why they continue to offer Fox News on their networks as we are about Facebook and Alex Jones.”826 At the time, few had even thought of such an idea, or weren’t so bold to try, but recently the calls to pull Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN from the air have been growing. DirecTV would later drop OAN in April 2022, which accounted for 90% of their revenue through what are called carriage fees, which are payments cable and satellite providers pay to channels on their service because being on the system is an incentive for people to subscribe.827 Their removal was celebrated by many on the Left, including NAACP President Derrick Johnson who called it “a victory for us and the future of

democracy.”828 Eliminating the free press in America is a “victory” in his mind! Compounding their problems was a lawsuit OAN faced after being sued for one billion dollars by the Dominion electronic voting machine company. Then a few months later Verizon dropped them from their TV service (called Fios) too.829 Newsmax was dropped from DirecTV in January 2023 but later picked back up again two months later after they came to a new agreement, perhaps in part due to Republicans boycotting the company once they were dropped. While only bringing in a small fraction of Fox News’s audience at the time, Newsmax has grown into a formidable competitor to Fox and has been gaining former Fox News viewers who prefer Newsmax because programming tends to be further to the right. And after Tucker Carlson was fired without any reason being given, even more people left Fox for Newsmax.830 A woman named Gigi Sohn, who President Joe Biden nominated to be one of the five FCC Commissioners, had previously called Fox News “state propaganda” and suggested the Federal Communications Commission should pull the broadcast license for Sinclair media’s television stations—a Conservative leaning company that owns and operates nearly 300 local news stations across America.831 Luckily after her hatred of Conservative media went viral, she withdrew her nomination (claiming she was the “victim of cruel attacks.”832 But the fact that such a Left-wing extremist would be nominated in the first place to sit as an FCC commissioner and oversee television and radio broadcast licenses is stunning. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on the FCC to pull Tucker Carlson off the air, claiming he “clearly incites violence,” but she’s so dumb she doesn’t know that the Fox News channel isn’t governed by the FCC, only over the air broadcast stations are (not cable). But Tucker Carlson was fired by Fox News just a few days later, which she celebrated on an Instagram livestream where she said “Deplatforming works,” and used the event to fundraise.833 Pulling Fox News from cable systems and satellite TV providers will never happen, but it happened to OAN because they’re too far to the right and their news and commentary is seen as more threatening to the Establishment’s order. And it did happen to Newsmax, although they

returned a few months later after the backlash, and the fact that Democrats have even proposed the idea of banning television stations is a shocking indication of just how un-American they are, and how far they’re willing to go in hopes of silencing their opposition.



Banning Books

While Democrats claim Republicans are “banning books” because they don’t want pornographic and pedophilic material in school libraries, they’re actually the ones who have been working to censor books and ban them from even being sold to adults. But as you’ll see, the brand name “free speech” activists will only ring the alarm when certain books are banned from Amazon (and Barnes & Noble) and stay fearfully silent when it happens to others. In 2018 Amazon banned a children’s book called No Dress for Timmy which is about a boy who refuses to go along with supporting gender-bending at his school, but that didn’t make any major headlines and was only mentioned in a few small blogs.834 This was back when most brand name Conservatives were still afraid to speak out against transgenderism and drag queen story hour, so only a few YouTubers (myself included) covered this story at the time. As the years went on however, transgenderism became a major political and cultural issue, and once Conservatives realized the queers are coming for the children, then finally the stigma around aggressively opposing the trans agenda had ended. In 2021 Amazon banned a book titled When Harry Became Sally which did generate major headlines and got the attention from numerous Republican members of Congress who denounced the censorship, prompting Amazon to break their silence about deleting the book’s listing saying they would now ban any book that equated transgenderism or any LGBTQ “identity” with mental illness.835 In 2022 a recording of an Amazon Zoom meeting was leaked showing employees complaining about Matt Walsh’s children’s book Johnny The Walrus which is about a boy who decides he wants to be a walrus, mocking the gender-bending craze.836 One of the employees on the

call broke down into tears and said the book is causing “trauma” to transgender employees and pushed for it to be banned.837 Then during the company’s LGBTQ Pride celebration that year several employees staged a “die-in” where they laid on the ground pretending to be dead to protest the sale of “transphobic” books like Johnny the Walrus and Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier, which discusses rapid-onset gender dysphoria.838 Surprisingly those titles have not been banned, at least at the time this book was published at the end of 2023. And while the brand name activists on Twitter, hosts on Fox News and Newsmax, popular YouTubers “fighting the culture war,” and members of Congress denounced Amazon banning When Harry Became Sally and the company’s new policy forbidding certain anti-LGBTQ books, they all remain silent about other material Amazon (and Barnes & Noble) have banned. Professor emeritus Kevin MacDonald, a sociologist from California State University Long Beach, had his magnum opus Culture of Critique: An Evolutionary Analysis of Jewish Involvement in TwentiethCentury Intellectual and Political Movements banned in March 2019.839 Another one of his books titled Cultural Insurrections: Essays on Western Civilization, Jewish Influence, and Anti-Semitism was banned at the same time.840 The books, as you can probably tell from their titles, cover a taboo topic, and despite being written by a California State University professor, they have been deemed “antisemitic” by the ADL, so both Amazon and Barnes & Noble quietly banned them. They don’t just refuse to stock them —they are completely banned, and used copies aren’t allowed to be listed by third parties either.841 They had been in stock and sold for years, but as cancel culture kept gaining momentum, the censorship of content shifted from social media platforms to podcasts, and then ultimately books. But zero mainstream Conservatives noticed or spoke out against professor MacDonald’s books being banned out of fear that they would have been accused of supporting “antisemitism.” Jared Taylor’s book White Identity: Racial Consciousness in the 21st Century was also banned from Amazon and Barnes & Noble in 2019.842 Since 1994 he has held his American Renaissance conference ever other year (falsely labeled a “White supremacist” gathering by the media, the

SPLC, and the ADL) where he and other speakers discuss some of the problems multicultural societies face and advocate that White people should demand the same rights and opportunities as other ethnic groups in the United States.843 Around this same time Amazon also quietly banned David Duke’s autobiography My Awakening and his other book Jewish Supremacy, which details what he believes is a Jewish supremacist belief system at the core of Jewish culture.844 It’s extremely politically incorrect to accuse members of any ethnic group other than White people of believing they are superior to others. Admitting that Black supremacy exists is called “racist,” but pointing out that many Jewish people believe in their own ethnic superiority is even worse—that’s “antisemitism.” Theologian Martin Luther, who is responsible for the Protestant Reformation (he famously nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the Catholic Church in 1517 challenging them on their authority), later wrote a book very critical of Jews as well, called On The Jews and Their Lies which has been in print ever since it was first published in 1543, and in stock on Amazon for years until around this same time when it too was banned after pressure from Jewish groups.845 Amazon also banned Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousands Years (1994) written by Israel Shahak who is not only a Jew (or was, since he died in 2001), but he was also a Holocaust survivor who was kept at a concentration camp in Poland, and after World War II moved to Israel where he later became an organic chemistry professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.846 Despite being Jewish (and a citizen of Israel) he was very critical of the human rights violations against the Palestinians, Zionism, ethnocentrism in Judaism, and Jewish supremacists.847 The foreword to the first edition was written by Gore Vidal and the book was endorsed by Noam Chomsky, Edward Said, and other popular human rights activists.848 So nobody can lump him in with David Duke and other supposed “White nationalists.” But Israel Shahak’s book has also been deemed “antisemitic” so it was quietly deleted from Amazon after being listed for over two decades.849 Anyone can order books critical of Christianity, Catholicism, Mormonism, the Jehovah Witness cult (not to mention White people and

whiteness) but certain books a little too critical of Jews, Judaism, or Jewish involvement in political movements and ones that focus on “Jewish bankers” have quietly vanished.850 But again, none of the “free speech culture warriors” like Ben Shapiro, Charlie Kirk, Glenn Greenwald, or even Tucker Carlson denounced the censorship of these books. The brand name Conservative Twitter personalities and YouTubers who host shows funded or produced by Turning Point USA, The Blaze, The Daily Wire, and PragerU were all silent as well. All books promoting White nationalism and the Alt-Right have also been banned, including The White Nationalist Manifesto, New Right vs. Old Right, and The Alternative Right by Greg Johnson which documents the rise and fall of the movement.851 (All purged in February 2019.)852 Another popular one in the genre called A Fair Hearing: The Alt-Right in the Words of Its Members and Leaders was also banned from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble.853 None of these books call for any violence or even suggest it, but because they’re essentially pro-White, they’ve been deemed “White supremacist” material, and the publishers are now forbidden from listing them for sale on the two biggest bookseller websites in the world. Black nationalist books however, are allowed, with several exceptions published by the Nation of Islam which were removed—not for antiwhiteism, but for “antisemitism.”854 Amazon certainly wouldn’t ban Malcom X’s autobiography, even though he was a Black nationalist and called for racial separatism and wanted to create a Black-only region of the United States.855 Countless books by Black Lives Matter activists and other “Black Power” advocates argue for Black-only spaces and support racial segregation so they don’t have to deal with any White people anymore— and that’s just fine. Activist groups are even targeting other, lesser known online book retailers like ThriftBooks.com, BooksAMillion.com and BetterWorldBooks.com, as well as eBay, pressuring them to ban the sale of used copies of such books.856 To be clear, I’m not endorsing these books, the Alt-Right, or the idea of creating a White ethnostate, which is just a nostalgic pipe dream—an impossible endeavor and a fantasy held on to by those who wish to return to an era that has long since past. Anyone who

believes such a thing is even remotely possible at this point in civilization is either just dreaming or delusional. But why shouldn’t people be able to read what such authors have to say? Especially since they’re not calling for any kind of violence at all, and in fact specifically condemn it, arguing it would only reflect negatively on those who hold their views and ostracize others from listening to them. Most are just expressing their view as White people who are increasingly becoming marginalized and demonized simply for existing, and don’t want any kind of violent conflicts at all. And you have to admit it’s odd that Amazon sells literal bomb-making manuals like the Anarchist Cookbook (and Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf) but won’t allow the sale of David Duke’s autobiography or Jared Taylor’s book because they talk about White Identity. In 2015, I posted a video on my YouTube channel showing me approaching random people on a southern California boardwalk and asking them if they would sign a petition demanding Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble both stop selling the Bible because it promotes “homophobia” and is too “offensive.” Many gladly did.857 I repeated the same experiment again over five years later with the same results.858 You may have seen the videos, but the analytics show that only about 15% of subscribers to a YouTube channel watch any given video that’s uploaded, so I mention them here because I think it’s critically important to understand just how normalized the idea of banning books has become among the Left, to the point that many of them are willing to go along with banning the Bible!



First Amendment Doesn’t Apply

A detailed discussion of censorship on social media would fill hundreds of pages, and I documented the history of it in my previous books The Liberal Media Industrial Complex and The True Story of Fake News which you should read if you haven’t already because it’s important to be familiar with the different phases the platforms have gone through—and how much they have changed, and why. When the censorship first started it was “only” social media personalities who weren’t household names but who had amassed followings of hundreds of thousands of people that were getting suspended and banned. Little to no news articles were written about them when it happened. No Republican members of Congress tweeted about them. They weren’t invited on Fox News for a segment to talk about it. Only others in their online community seemed to notice or care. Those of us who saw the writing on the wall did our best to ring the alarm bell about the growing problem, but it really wasn’t until the Hunter Biden laptop story was blocked on social media (and The New York Post suspended from Twitter) that censorship became a major concern for the Republican Party. Because the First Amendment only protects free speech from being censored by the government and not corporations which control telecommunication technologies and social media platforms, people have little recourse and are held over a barrel by the selectively enforced “terms of service” and the whims of faceless moderators who can ban anyone they want for any reason. Seeing the problem early on, however, were numerous entrepreneurs who staunchly support free speech so they worked to create platforms by basically cloning the features of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube but applying the type of content moderation policies that the Big Tech platforms used to have before they started massively restricting what people are allowed to post.

And while Rumble, Odysee, BitChute, Gab, Gettr, Truth Social, MeWe, Telegram, and others haven’t gained the widespread user bases of the Big Tech platforms, millions of people use them, and they are invaluable tools for free speech despite how “niche” they may be. The Washington Post wrote an entire article complaining about Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s reach on the alt-tech platforms after her personal account was banned from Twitter in early 2022 for “repeated violations” of their COVID “misinformation” policy. The Post was stunned that she continued to reach hundreds of thousands of people.859 Her Twitter account was among those later restored by Elon Musk, but that’s beside the point. Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram continue to severely restrict what users can say, and who can even use their platforms. And Rumble will likely cave to the demands of the app stores regarding banning certain individuals and content, but as we’ve seen with Amazon banning various controversial books, the brand name Conservatives will likely say nothing about it and go on pretending it’s a “free speech” platform because they can make fun of transgender people.860 Those who touch certain third rail issues about things like White Identitarianism or Jewish power will never have their free speech rights defended by any Conservative Inc. pundits. It’s possible that we can shift the culture enough to cause the pendulum to start swinging back the other direction and get the Big Tech platforms to ease up on their censorship (at least regarding some issues). But it’s likely they’ll get even more strict and more manipulative, especially as our society becomes more polarized with each side digging in to their positions and difficult issues regarding race and transgenderism dominating the political landscape. If they continue with the current trend, the so-called alt-tech platforms are only going to gain more users which may cause Leftists to look for their vulnerabilities, trying to get them banned from the app stores (like they already did with Gab and BitChute). Activist organizations have even gone after hosting services trying to get the websites banned too, as well as payment processors, and even banks (issues that Gab has been facing for years).861 They may never stop scheming, and for many years now the Left has wanted to criminalize “hate speech” in America, just like other supposed “free” countries around the world have—including Canada,862

Germany,863 England,864 Scotland,865 and others. These countries arrest people for posting “hate speech” on social media. Not death threats or harassment (which any reasonable person can agree should be illegal, and is), but things like insulting gay people, or being too critical of the Islamization of Europe from all the Muslim refugees that have flooded the West, or for posts deemed “antisemitic” (anti-Christian hate speech is always allowed though).866 To list the cases of people arrested for such “violations” (which include jokes) would be too long, but America should be aware that such things are happening in other western countries, and it should serve as a warning of what could happen here. There’s a reason the freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment—because it’s the most important right we have, and it must be protected at all costs.  



Cowardly Conservatives Starting shortly after the turn of the 21st century most Republican members of Congress and mainstream Conservative pundits became cowards when dealing with social issues. They suddenly became afraid of being called “homophobic” for denouncing the widespread sexual perversions which are now commonplace in society, and almost as afraid to be called a “racist” for pointing out the Black Crime problem in America or denouncing antiwhiteism. As our culture continued to rapidly decay with brazen degeneracy being thrust into the mainstream by Leftists in Hollywood and boosted by the Big Tech social media platforms, most Conservative “leaders” stayed silent, continuously self-censoring themselves hoping to avoid any backlash from the Liberal Media Industrial Complex. Instead, all they talked about were “tax cuts for the middle class” and how they were trying to prevent jobs from being outsourced to foreign countries; and while those are great policies, their focus came at a tremendous cost to the culture which is just as important, if not more so than economics and the job market. People can usually find a new job and get by with less if they have to cut their budget, but once the culture becomes polluted, it’s like a poisoned well, and anyone who drinks from it is in danger of getting sick or dying. But after two decades of quietly watching from the sidelines as the poison was poured in, the sleeping giant of “reactionaries” finally awakened. The Left had pushed too many people too far. Although time will tell whether or not the awakening was too late. Despite Republican “firebrands” like Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lauren Boebert getting involved in the culture war (to some extent, at least), most politicians and political commentators are still only doing so half-heartedly and walking on eggshells hoping to avoid being labeled “far right,” “homophobic,” “White nationalist,” and the other list of labels the Left usually tries to stick on their enemies. One of the problems that led the Republican Establishment to become so cowardly is they morphed into a Big Tent Party, meaning one

that attempts to attract as wide range of groups and voters as possible under one banner, but that means not taking a firm stance on certain issues because being “too Conservative” may scare some new people away who the party is trying to attract. “Too Conservative,” meaning still supporting various issues that were core values in the Republican Party in previous generations but ones they’ve slowly backed away from as society has gotten more tolerant of liberalism. So they water down their message, hoping to gain the support of first-time voters and that of moderates, independents, and some disaffected Democrats while taking for granted those who have usually supported them in the past. The brand name Republicans, “Conservative Inc.,” or the “Corporate Conservatives”—whatever name you want to attach to the Republican Establishment and their mouth pieces, have increased the size of the tent for “conservatism” so big that it became a circus. And because the Republican Party has become dramatically more socially Liberal over the last twenty years, there’s a saying among real Conservatives (Paleoconservatives) that the only difference between Liberals and mainstream Conservatives is ten years. The Republican Establishment functions as a political ratchet, meaning they allow the Democrats to keep moving society slowly to the left while putting up some resistance trying to stop it, but they rarely (if ever) turn things back to the right. Similarly, the political commentators who work for the brand name outlets (or are trying to build up their followers on social media in hopes of one day joining them) usually function as a false opposition and pretend to be antiestablishment by criticizing a few common points of contention people often have about Congress or the media in general trying to create the impression that they’re not part of the club, while either toeing the party line on every other issue or carefully avoiding going against others that are clearly core Establishment positions.867



Pandering To Blacks

There’s an old joke about Republicans that goes: What do you call the one Black guy at a Republican conference?—The keynote speaker! Just like Republicans now pander to the gay community and go out of their way trying to show that they’re not “homophobic” hoping to gain the support of what is just a tiny fraction of the electorate, they also pander to Black people and shamelessly try to prove that they’re not “racist,” playing the same game Democrats have been engaged in for decades. Our party has great Black people like Larry Elder, David Webb, Ben Carson, Tim Scott, Byron Donalds, Candace Owens, and others, so there’s no need to pander to them in hopes of showing how “diverse” the Republican Party is. If they like our ideas and our values, they’ll vote Republican. There shouldn’t be a focus on what the Republican Party can do “for Black people.” Older Black people tend to be socially Conservative because of their history with the church, but have historically voted Democrat for economic reasons because Democrats appeal to lower income voters through promises of social welfare programs. But seeing the Democrat Party embracing all kinds of LGBTQ nonsense should be enough to bring many of them over to the Republican side because Black people overwhelmingly do not support gay “marriage” or transgenderism. They also don’t want their jobs taken by illegal aliens. Pandering to Blacks by offering them more social welfare programs in their communities is only going to keep moving the Republican platform further to the left while marginalizing more White voters. And sadly even Donald Trump pandered to Blacks with his “criminal justice reform” (the First Step Act) hoping to gain another few percentage of Black voters by virtue signaling that he was letting Black criminals out of prison early.868 During his rallies the organizers strategically put people with “Blacks for Trump” shirts prominently in the background

right behind him to signal to other Black people watching at home hoping to gain their support. Republicans even chose a token Black man named Michael Steele to be the chairman of the Republican National Committee, who later betrayed the party, joining the anti-Trump Lincoln Project and became an MSNBC contributor where he criticizes everything Republicans do. Of course he didn’t vote for Donald Trump in 2016 and endorsed Joe Biden in 2020, and wants Donald Trump to go to prison. You get what you pay for, as the saying goes. If you buy something cheap, it’s usually going to break after a short period of time and need to be replaced, costing more in the long run. And if you hire a token Black person trying to show how “inclusive” you are instead of hiring whoever is best qualified for the job, regardless of their race, it’s always going to backfire. The Republican Party’s first major affirmative action hire, Michael Steele, went from a top leadership position to a Democrat operative in the span of just a few years. Such disastrous outcomes could easily be avoided by not even playing the diversity game. CPAC, the biggest Conservative event in the political world, sucked up to a rapper named Young Pharaoh one year because they thought it would be cool to have a rapper on the stage in hopes of attracting more Black people to the Republican Party, but right before the event, CPAC canceled his appearance because some of his past “antisemitic” comments resurfaced.869 And the one thing the Republican Party won’t tolerate is criticism of Israel or Jews, so he was canceled. Like I said, affirmative action hires always end up being a disaster.



“Conservatives” Catering to Gays 

The Republican Party is now more pro-gay than the Democrat Party was just over 10 years ago.870 Even Barack Obama and Joe Biden opposed gay “marriage” until mid 2012.871 Although when Obama was first running for president in 2008, he and his running mate Joe Biden opposed it, but once elected they both “evolved” their position and fully endorsed it, as did the entire Democrat Party. But back then nearly every Republican was firmly against it.872 Today however, there are probably less than a half dozen Republican members of Congress who oppose it. And instead, the Republican Party has climbed aboard the gay Pride bandwagon. Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the RNC, tweeted out a “Happy Pride Month” message in June 2021, adding that the GOP is proud to have “doubled our LGBTQ support over the last four years, and we will continue to grow our big tent.”873 Fox News even started celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month in 2022 with at least nine segments that June featuring the “achievements” of queer people and highlighting how great “gay culture” is.874 “Meet important voices of the LGBTQ+ community. And go inside their incredible contributions,” one of the promos announced.875 One of the stories was presented by Dana Perino who began the segment saying, “Pride Month continues as we highlight the story of Ryland Whittington whose journey of transitioning at age five has been seen by seven million people in a family YouTube video.”876 She went on to say the family hopes their experience can help convince others to support the idea of sex changes for children.877 Fox News also highlighted a lesbian priest in the Episcopal church878 and commemorated the first gay major league baseball player, Glenn Burke, who came out as gay back in the 1970s (and later died of AIDS).879 What a surprise.

Fox News also hired Caitlyn Jenner in March 2022 as a contributor who appears on Sean Hannity’s show and others to comment on issues that usually have nothing to do with transgender people at all.880 At the time neither CNN or MSNBC had any transgender contributors on salary, so Fox News was the pioneer. Richard Grenell was the first openly gay man to serve in a cabinet position after Donald Trump appointed him to the Director of National Intelligence. And practically every time his name was mentioned by Establishment Republicans as a “great” choice for the position, it was followed by them happily highlighting “he’s gay” as a virtue signal about how “diverse” and “inclusive” the Republican Party was becoming. What did his sexual orientation have to do with his ability to be an intelligence analyst and brief the President of the United States about national security matters? His personal life should have been no more of concern than someone who’s divorced, or a bachelor—or a guy who prefers to date blondes. But Republican pundits on TV couldn’t be happier talking about how great it was that he’s the first gay person appointed to a cabinet position by either political party (Pete Buttigieg would later be the second). And what did Richard Grenell do for conservatism in America? He led the effort to encourage President Trump to call for the “decriminalization of homosexuality” throughout the world because various countries in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean (68 total in the world) still criminalize LGBT conduct and propaganda.881 Of all the issues facing our country and the world, that was Richard Grenell’s top priority. Charlie Kirk, founder of the Republican college club Turning Point USA and one of the most prominent voices in the Conservative movement, has been a pied piper leading the next generation of Conservatives to accept gay “marriage” and even gay men adopting children as normal. During an interview in 2018 with YouTuber Dave Rubin, Conservative Inc.’s token gay friend, he said “I think it’s cool you’re married. It’s great. And you should have all the same tax benefits [as heterosexual couples], adopt children, it’s great.”882 Many so-called Conservatives hold this position now, but what they fail to acknowledge is when children become involved it’s not about what two consenting adults are doing in the privacy of their own bedroom anymore, it’s about what they’re subjecting innocent children to, and what kind of an environment they’re forcing them to live in.

Charlie Kirk has also welcomed drag queens into the Republican Party, posing with one in a photo at PolitiCon in 2019 who goes by the name “Lady MAGA,” a Trump-supporting drag queen, who in a normal society would have been kicked out of the event immediately, not having Charlie Kirk pose for a picture with him while smiling and giving a thumbs up.883 We don’t need any “drag queens for Trump” trying to show how queer-friendly the Republican Party is. They’re the kind of people who are ruining our party. During an event in 2019 called Culture War that Turning Point USA sponsored, an attendee asked Charlie Kirk how anal sex helps the culture war, referring to Turning Point hiring a token Black gay guy—Rob Smith (who was on stage with him at the time) and denounced Charlie’s palling around with queers in attempts to paint the Republican Party as not being anti-gay. Kirk then said the question was “weird” and insinuated the guy who asked it is a closeted gay himself and struggling with his sexuality.884 Rob Smith echoed this attack saying, “You seem to be really interested in gay sex…I’m pretty sure if you’re into that, you can go find somebody to do that with.”885 This is the same tactic gays have always used whenever someone expresses disgust with them, which if you follow their logic would mean anyone who is opposed to pedophiles is secretly a pedophile, or anyone who doesn’t want to hear about their parents’ sex lives is actually turned on by it. Charlie Kirk also claims to be a Christian, yet has done more to normalize homosexuality in the Conservative movement than perhaps anyone else. The unofficial Republican Party stance is now that gays—and gay “marriage,” and gay adoption, and gays buying children through surrogacy, and them serving in the military is just fine, and they only draw the line at transgenderism for children and transgenders competing in women’s sports. The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) chairman Matt Schlapp was asked during an interview with a Catholic news organization called Church Militant if gay men should be allowed to adopt children, and he was so caught off guard he could barely speak. “Yes or no. Should gay men be allowed to adopt young boys?” asked the host Michael Voris. Matt Schlapp responded, “Oh boy, ya know…I don’t…I don’t even know what… what…does our Church fight those positions? And does the, I don’t know, the, what the policy position is of the Church and…”886

The host cuts him off, “Well, the teaching of the Church is that two men shouldn’t be together to begin with.” Matt Schlapp responds “Yeah, I know what the Church teaches in terms of sexual ethics. But I don’t know what it teaches, in terms, I don’t know what it lobbies for in these legislative chambers. I would say this: Obviously, um, it is, ah, we’ve gotten to this position where we’ve gotten away from this idea that having a father and a mother is awfully important.”887 A weak and pathetic answer from one of the most prominent “Conservatives” in America today. Less than a decade earlier such a response would end a Conservative’s career, but the Republican Party has moved so far left that they now tacitly support such abominations and are scared to death to oppose them in the extremely rare case someone even asks them about these issues anymore. When Dave Rubin announced he and his “husband” bought two babies from surrogates after obtaining eggs from a fertility clinic and having them artificially inseminated (one with each of their sperm), they were congratulated by many of the top brand names in the “Conservative” movement including PragerU, the prestigious Conservative institution,888 along with The Blaze, Glenn Beck’s media company,889 Breitbart’s senior editor-at-large Joel Pollak,890 critical race theory “expert” Christopher Rufo,891 Megyn Kelly,892 Megan McCain,893 Kat Timpf (who works on Greg Gutfeld’s Fox News show),894 and many others. Imagine growing up as a child being raised by two gay men, and when you’re old enough to start learning about where babies come from and ask them where your mom is, they tell you they don’t know—and you’ll never know because egg donors are completely private so those who purchase the eggs will never know, and not even the children themselves will know. That’s what brand name Conservatives are now celebrating.895 Newsmax host Greg Kelly makes it clear in no uncertain terms that the U.S. military should go back to the old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy basically forbidding gays from being allowed in the military at all because normal people don’t want to get stuck in a unit with one (a Democrat policy, by the way, put in place by Bill Clinton in 1993).896 But have any Fox News hosts made such a seemingly bold statement? Have any Republican members of Congress said anything in opposition to Obama allowing gays into the military in the last ten years (or

mentioned the disturbing number of rapes they’re committing)? Have any of them dared to oppose gay men adopting children? Or buying eggs from fertility clinics and renting surrogates who they have artificially inseminated, condemning the children to a life of never knowing who their mother is, and then further condemning the children to be raised by two men as their own narcissistic science project? Of course not. They’re all lukewarm cowards. They all accept it as normal. Which begs the question, how much of the Republican base has abandoned the party and doesn’t even vote anymore because they’re sick of it basically just trailing the Democrat agenda by ten years? How many people got so fed up with the Republican Party steadily moving to the left that they’ve thrown up their hands and no longer support them out of frustration because they don’t feel they represent their interests and values anymore?



Neocons vs. Paleoconservatives

Few Conservatives today know that there are actually two basic kinds of conservatives, and the movement (along with the Republican Party) split into two different factions beginning back in the 1960s, resulting in the Neocons (Neo-conservatives or new Conservatives) taking control. Neocons are similar to RINOs (Republican in name only) but are particularly interested in foreign policy and are known for being war hawks who use the military industrial complex to intervene in the affairs of foreign countries to further the New World Order. They are globalists as opposed to nationalists, although they portray themselves as patriotic by flexing America’s military power. Paleoconservatives, on the other hand, are true Conservatives. They’re the traditionalist Americans who tend to be Christian, oppose open borders and the LGBTQ agenda, and have a strong sense of national pride. Instead of being concerned with nation building in foreign countries, they prefer a more isolationist foreign policy and focus on localism. In other words, they don’t support wars in the Middle East (like the War in Iraq), not just because they’re almost always started by lies, but because they don’t want the United States sticking its nose in other countries’ business. There are some other nuanced differences as well, such as Paleoconservatives tend to oppose free trade which they see as harming America’s manufacturing sector by allowing cheap goods to be imported from foreign countries without making them pay tariffs, and instead support what’s called trade protectionism. The term paleo means older or ancient, just like the paleo diet refers to a diet humans are believed to have eaten during the Paleolithic Era (a long time ago), and is used to differentiate traditionalist or classical Conservatives from the new (or neo) Conservatives—the Neocons.897 Ben Shapiro, for example, is a staunch Neocon who supported legalizing gay “marriage.” He tries downplaying that position to Conservative audiences

by saying he wouldn’t personally attend a gay “wedding,” but he does support it as an institution. In response to someone who claimed he didn’t, he answered “I’ve been libertarian on same-sex marriage for years, before Obergefell. But you couldn’t be bothered to Google,” referring to the 2015 Supreme Court case which ultimately legalized it.898 Shapiro, like all Neocons, would also support any Middle Eastern war or military action that would either directly or indirectly protect Israel. The Neocons were the ones who concocted the weapons of mass destruction hoax and the lie that Saddam Hussein had a relationship with alQaeda to dupe the American people (and the rest of the world) into going along with the invasion of Iraq in 2003 to carry out their Project for the New American Century. Three years earlier, the PNAC Neocon think tank had lamented their plan would be difficult “absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event—like a new Pearl Harbor.”899 The 9/11 attacks were their “New Pearl Harbor,” and two years into the War on Terror the aim shifted from Afghanistan, where Osama Bin Laden was supposedly hiding out, to Iraq. And contrary to popular belief, this wasn’t just to “steal” their oil or preserve the petrodollar.900 One of the main reasons was to protect Israel, “America’s greatest ally,”901 but you’re not supposed to say this out loud though or post it on social media.902 That’s another “antisemitic trope” they say, so be careful. In 1981 Israel bombed a nuclear reactor in Iraq out of concerns that the country would become a nuclear power and pose a danger to them since Iraq was allied with other Arab countries in the region during the Six-Day War (or the Third Arab-Israeli War) in 1967 which broke out as a result of ongoing hostilities between Israel and their Arab neighbors ever since the U.N. mandate in 1948 officially creating the State of Israel (which resulted in kicking 700,000 Palestinians out of their homes, an event known as the Palestinian expulsion).903 The Israeli-Palestine conflict is far beyond the scope of this book, but basically Israel remains concerned about its Arab neighbors, and Iraq was still considered a prime threat to them because of the possibility that they may acquire nuclear weapons in the future. So when George W. Bush

was beating the war drums and saying Iraq posed a threat to the United States (which it didn’t) and “our allies,” he was talking about Israel.904 This is why Republicans like Mark Levin and others consider any talk about Neocons to be “antisemitic” and deem the word itself to be essentially an “antisemitic slur” because they want to protect Israel from the perception of having any influence over American foreign policy, despite AIPAC [the American Israel Public Affairs Committee]—a Jewish lobbying group that advocates for pro-Israeli policies, spending over $50 million dollars a year to do just that.905 And while publicly the standard political line from both Democrats and Republicans is that Israel is “America’s greatest ally,” privately—as the classified NSA documents leaked by Edward Snowden show, the country is considered a top espionage threat because of their “intelligence collection operations and manipulation/influence operations against the U.S. government, military, science & technology and Intelligence Community.”906 Also, Al-Qaeda attacked the United States on 9/11, not because they “hate our freedom” as the Operation Mockingbird assets all sung in concert, but because of our financial and military backing of Israel which angers many Muslims around the world who side with the Palestinians in the ongoing territorial disputes in the region.907 Inside job / false flag theories aside, this was still the case. One of the most prominent “conspiracy theories” of what happened is the LIHOP hypothesis, the “let it happen on purpose” theory, which doesn’t negate Al-Qaeda’s hatred for America or their involvement in planning and carrying out the attacks on 9/11 (even if they were aided and directed by the CIA or other intelligence agencies). Years later when Congressman Ron Paul said that the attacks were “blowback for decades of US intervention in the Middle East” he was attacked for “blaming America,” but the intelligence agencies and foreign policy experts all know the truth.908 This is why the Iranian government (and Muslim terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas, etc.) call America the “Great Satan,” and sometimes chant “Death to America.”909 No matter what side of the argument you’re on (if any) regarding U.S. support for Israel, Zionism is explicitly a central part of Neoconservatism.910 Few people make the distinction anymore between Neocons and Paleoconservatives because the Neocons want to portray conservatism as if

their kind of conservatism is the only kind, and try to frame Paleoconservatism (without using that term so people don’t start looking into the Paleo/Neocon split) as an ancient relic like the idea of women being virgins on their wedding night—a political belief system that’s no longer practical in our modern age. William F. Buckley and his publication The National Review made it their goal to purge the Paleoconservatives from the Republican Party in the 1960s.911 One of their prime targets was the John Birch Society which was formed in the late 1950s to oppose communism, but their hard stance against globalists, and globalist organizations like the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Bilderberg Group was seen as a hindrance to the New World Order, so the Neocons strategically worked to exile them. The remaining Paloeconservatives who survived William F. Buckley’s purge in the 1960s were mostly pushed out of mainstream Republican politics in the early 1980s as the rift continued to grow. These were people such as Pat Buchanan, Paul Gottfried, Joseph Sobran, Samuel Francis, Russell Kirk, as well as organizations like the Rockford Institute and the Philadelphia Society.912 The John Birch Society is still in existence today, though just a shell of its former self, and hasn’t had any significant power since the 1970s. So for decades the Neocons have been the ones steering much of the Republican Party until Donald Trump came on the scene igniting a populist movement and shaking the political establishment to its core, resulting in the all-out war to impeach and imprison him. Although the term is rarely used to describe the MAGA movement, much of it is paleoconservative. And while there are now countless “Conservative” media outlets, few make any distinctions about just what type of conservatism they promote. There are some exceptions however, including Taki’s magazine, The New American (published by the John Birch Society), The American Conservative, Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, the Intercollegiate Review, and a few others. There are also some organizations dedicated to the philosophy, such as the Charlemagne Institute (the publisher of Chronicles magazine), VDARE, the Family Research Council, the American Family Association, the Conservative Caucus, as well as the Constitution Party, the American

Independent Party, and Gun Owners of America (a pro-2nd Amendment group that positions themselves further to the right than the NRA). As mainstream conservatism in America continues to drift to the left we’ll likely see a resurgence of paleoconservatism (even if it doesn’t overtly use the term) as millions of Christians and Conservatives become activated and work to turn things back to the right, rejecting not just liberalism, but neoconservatism as well.



Politics as a Grift

There’s a saying that every social cause starts off as a movement— then becomes a business, and then later turns into a grift (or swindle).913 Not that long ago—in the 1990s, the Republican Party would have shunned many of the stars in “Conservative” media today. And any Republican that was afraid to take a Conservative stand on various issues (or adopted the same stance as the Democrats) would have been voted out of office. If they started sucking up to resentful Black people who will forever hold a chip on their shoulder against Whites because of slavery 150 years ago, they would have been mocked for their pathetic pandering like Democrats. If Jews started complaining about Christmas celebrations at schools or the office, they would have been completely ignored, ridiculed, or told maybe they should move to Israel then. But today even most Christians are weak. And our weakness has only allowed our opponents to get stronger. The moral, intellectual, and economic decay in the United States may be impossible to stop, let alone reverse, so sadly we may continue to see mainstream Republicans desperately clinging to power by adopting more positions held by Democrats. More social welfare programs for minorities, further embracing gays and transgenders; maybe even a universal basic income for those who are too lazy to hold down a job or maintain a career. At this point what has the mainstream Conservative movement even conserved? I guess in their defense, the general population may have been slowly pushed so far left through cultural marxist Hollywood propaganda, social media molding their minds, and being raised in broken homes by single parents who were raised in a broken homes, and so on—the only way to hold onto any semblance of power on a national level may be to move left to the point where the Democrat Party used to stand as recent as the Obama administration, since Democrats have moved so far left they are literally marxists in comparison.

This problem brings us back to the Breitbart Doctrine, the idea popularized by Andrew Breitbart that politics is downstream from culture, meaning in order for political change (such as new bills to be passed into law) first the culture has to change, and people’s sensibilities and tolerance for certain ideas or behaviors have to be primed to accept (or demand) them. If there is any hope in saving America it starts in the home. It starts with building strong loving families which can then form into quality communities, which can extend into strong states, which can hopefully then come together into a strong country. But even if this is a pipe dream or a fool’s errand, despite what happens to our own city, state, or country as whole, we can and must maintain our social circle of family and friends and still find joy and comfort from the simple things in life, no matter what we see on the news, social media, or coming out of Washington D.C.    

Author’s Note: Please take a moment to rate and review this book on Amazon.com or wherever you purchased it from to let others know what you think. This also helps to offset the trolls who keep giving my books fake onestar reviews when they haven’t even read them. Almost all of the one-star reviews on my books are from NON-verified purchases which is a clear indication they are fraudulent, hence me adding this note.   These fraudulent ratings and reviews could also be part of a larger campaign trying to stop my message from spreading by attempting to tarnish my research through fake and defamatory reviews, so I really need your help to combat this as soon as possible.   Thank you!        



Conclusion Conservatives are traditionalists who realize that just because something is new, doesn’t mean it’s better. And when people rush into something new or try to reinvent the wheel, they often fall victim to the law of unintended consequences. Like when incandescent light bulbs were replaced by more energy efficient LED bulbs to help save electricity and reduce carbon emissions. But in areas with a cold climate like Minnesota and New York, the snow can easily collect on the traffic lights, and since LED lights don’t give off a lot of heat like the old incandescent ones, the snow doesn’t melt— sometimes completely obscuring the lights at intersections and causing massive traffic problems.914 You’ve likely experienced updating your phone or computer’s operating system to the “newest” and “best” software only to soon find major glitches that the developers overlooked which need to be fixed with another update they have to frantically release.915 The same kinds of chaos occurs when Liberals try to overturn the natural social order and norms that the human race has been following since the beginning of time. Marxists despise these practices because they despise everything normal. They’re bitter and spiteful people who want to ruin others’ fun because they themselves aren’t having any. Like the fat girl at school who hates the lead cheerleader just because she’s pretty and popular. Or someone who keys the paint of a nice car they see parked on the street because they’re envious of the owner. They’re like the three-pack a day smoker coughing and wheezing from walking up a flight of stairs who then throw a fit when they’re told that if they quit smoking it would really help. Liberals are in denial about their dysfunctional beliefs and behavior, and no matter how polite or wellintended criticism or advice is, they just get angry when people resist going along with them. But their problems aren’t just affecting themselves. They’re making society dysfunctional from their insistence that everyone else accept and celebrate their mental illnesses, perversions, laziness, and spitefulness.

And people who aren’t afflicted with such disorders often cater to those who are in order to win over their political support to feed their appetites for power. They’re gullible and easy to manipulate, so Democrats cater to dumb and lazy people since the party has shifted from once supporting the working class to supporting those who don’t want to work and are just looking for handouts. The sheer number of people who don’t have the dedication to go to work every day is scary. And through social media they can easily connect with each other and organize online mobs—and form them in the real world as well. It’s how communism took over China and other countries. The violent mobs organized and eventually became too powerful to resist. So we have to stop them here before it’s too late. But because of their viciousness they’ve already scared many people into silence. Widespread cowardice on our side earlier when they were weaker is what got us here, and allowed the Left to transform much of the United States into an almost unrecognizable dystopia. Many old Conservatives championed small government and were afraid to use its power for our own purposes because they wanted to stay “principled” by not using the levers of government at all, and instead took a laissez faire approach. And it’s been a losing strategy when facing an opponent who uses every possible means to win while Conservatives sit on the sidelines and say “they’re being hypocrites” or “hey, that’s not fair.” Conservatives’ mantra about supporting “limited government” has been nothing but an embarrassing failure as a political strategy. It’s time to use the existing power structure to achieve our goals for a change and to punish our enemies. Shrinking the size of government is a pipe dream. So we might as well use it to our advantage. Conservatives and Christians have been far too timid for far too long. It’s time to start giving the Left a taste of their own medicine and playing by some of their rules. Barraging businesses that go woke by flooding their social media feeds with negative comments and memes mocking them isn’t enough. Boycotting woke companies isn’t enough either. While that may cost them some loss of revenue, many won’t even notice or care. You have to tell the store clerks that what the company is doing is pathetic (or perverted). You have to make the employees feel uncomfortable—even miserable.

If they can’t even get through a shift without being told off by a dozen customers every single day, they’re going to complain to their managers, and the managers are going to report to the corporate office that selling woke products or promoting anti-White “diversity” initiatives or the LGBTQ agenda is causing a hostile environment in the stores by customers. Many employees may agree with us, but out of fear of losing their jobs won’t say anything themselves. So it’s our job as the customers, because the customer is always right—to pressure them. And while it’s not some random clerk’s fault what the corporation itself is doing, they are a vessel that can relay customers’ dissatisfaction to those higher up the food chain, and they are the public face of the business and what it represents. Fill their Yelp and Google listings with negative reviews. Better yet, pick up the phone and start calling local branches and sound off. And do it every time any company crosses the line. Post their phone numbers and email addresses on social media to encourage others.916 They need to be sent a loud and sustained message. Same with the schools, and our local and state governments. Look up your Congressman and Senators’ phone numbers (and those of the mayor and city council members) and save them in your contacts like you would anyone else you frequently call. They can (and do) ignore tweets and emails, but if their office phone is ringing off the hook all week and every time their aides or interns pick it up they get an earful from upset constituents, they’re not going to be able to just go about their day as usual. The Congressman, the mayor, the school (or whoever) will get the message, and as the cliché goes—the squeaky wheel gets the grease. It’s usually a small but vocal and active group that causes large societal changes because most people sit on the sidelines and say or do nothing. Run for city council, mayor, and get on your local school board. Trying to fix the government by using a top down approach will have a limited effect because of how gigantic the bureaucracy is and the number of obstacles that need to be overcome to achieve major changes. As president, Donald Trump tried, and while he had some major victories (like gaining a Conservative majority in the Supreme Court), he could only shift our nation’s course a few degrees. A bottom up approach is better in many regards because it can be done by ordinary people with limited resources, and being involved in local

politics usually isn’t as competitive as national offices because the field is less crowded. Taking control of our local communities is not as difficult as most people think. Just a small handful of active people can take over city councils and school boards, and most people only think about voting on election years for major positions like the president, but local positions (and midterms) are just as important. During COVID lockdowns, for example, in 2020 and 2021 many local Sheriffs (who are elected by the voters) refused to enforce state laws dictated by governors though executive orders which mandated restaurants not allow in-person dining—even Sheriffs in some major California cities refused to enforce the rule, and allowed businesses to stay open.917 Look up the recommended voter guide for your city which are put together by many local Republican parties and use it as a guide to choose candidates you’re not familiar with for various positions that don’t have their party affiliation listed next to their name on the ballot. Many positions, like school board members, judges, and sheriffs do not list whether a candidate is a Republican or a Democrat, so take advantage of the research and voter guide your local Republican Party puts together. A quick Google search should bring it up. One of the goals of this book is to move the Overton Window, which is the spectrum of ideas about social issues and public policy that are seen as acceptable by the general public. There are a lot of issues and facts that the Republican Party, Conservatives, and Christians are afraid to talk about out loud, so I’m working to normalize those issues and introduce the terminology, concepts, and arguments to the masses so those seeds can be planted into the minds of millions and one day these truths will be so widely spoken about they’ll be impossible to ignore. We have to push (or pull) Republican lawmakers and political pundits into these discussions by bombarding them with questions, evidence, and arguments; and make addressing these issues unavoidable. I also want people to be as well rounded as possible when it comes to media literacy. (I am a media analyst after all). Everyone should know about the Social Impact Agencies in Hollywood—the lobbying groups which work to have their clients’ messages inserted into the storylines of popular shows and movies, disguising political propaganda as mere

entertainment. (Something I detailed in my previous book Hollywood Propaganda: How TV, Movies, and Music Shape Our Culture). Everyone should know the basic facts about Operation Mockingbird and how the “war on fake news” was launched immediately after Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election as a smokescreen to begin rolling out massive censorship on social media. (See my book The True Story of Fake News). We should make sure it’s common knowledge that as a result of this bogus “war on fake news” the Big Tech platforms completely changed the way they function, and how they’ve come to manipulate their algorithms to artificially boost certain content that reinforces their agenda, while systematically suppressing and censoring those who oppose it. People should know the history of how the mainstream media merged with the very platforms that were once created so users could bypass and replace them. (See my book The Liberal Media Industrial Complex). A word of caution about becoming politically active though. Some people may want to start an organization or a group to fight for the cause, but there are enormous dangers to such an approach you should be aware of before even considering it. First of all, if a member of the group does something stupid, then the entire organization gets blamed. Not just blamed online or in the media, but it can be legally held liable. If you or your organization holds an event or promotes a protest and someone gets hurt if violence breaks out, no matter which side started it or caused it, you may be held personally liable, either civilly or even criminally. Democrats have very well-funded law firms they use to financially cripple their opponents. And even if you win a case brought against you, the legal bills are enough to bankrupt most people just defending against them. It may be better to become part of already well-established groups and then influence their members, and ultimately their leadership, to move them further right. Being part of a movement is often better than being part of an actual organization. One can be a supporter, leader, or an influencer in a movement while remaining completely independent, but this still puts you at risk for civil and criminal penalties if you’re blamed for “inciting” violence by using political rhetoric that’s too heated, or even standard political analogies talking about “fighting” or “war.”

They’ll get your private text messages, DMs, and emails, and use them as evidence against you just like they did to the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.918 And figures of speech and jokes will be framed as if you were being literal. Be cautious about posting political messages on social media. Create anonymous accounts where possible, not using your name or your photo. And use a burner email address, not your usual one, in case the platform gets hacked and login information is published for our opponents to sift through (which does happen), allowing them to find other accounts on other platforms that use the same email address, leading them to find people’s real identities. Resist the urge to become a “famous” online personality. Many online accounts have gained hundreds of thousands of followers while keeping the identity of those who run them unknown. Teach your kids how they can ruin their life with one TikTok or Snapchat post that’s deemed “racist,” “antisemitic,” “transphobic,” etc. unless or until we end cancel culture. Be careful not to cut off your nose to spite your face. Going on a rant and using the n-word to prove you don’t care what the Thought Police say isn’t worth getting fired from your job over or banned from social media. Future potential employers will Google your name during the hiring process and even if your rant doesn’t make headlines—if you’re named in tweets or Facebook posts, those are going to come up during their vetting process. Even if you use a pseudonym for your social media presence, if you show your face there is an extremely high probability your actual identity will be found. There’s facial recognition software that can find other photos of you online that were posted by your family or friends. Online sleuths can be ruthless and crafty in their quest to dox people. And someone who personally knows you may take it upon themselves to alert others who you are (like a former classmate, coworker, or ex-wife). But it doesn’t even have to be something you post online. These days if someone goes off on a “racist” rant in public that’s caught on video, that video often goes viral and ultimately the person is identified, doxxed, and fired in hopes of appeasing the angry online mob who call and harass people’s employers when they’re the subject of a viral controversy.919 So

even if you’re not posting on social media at all, social media can ruin your career from something you say in real life. It’s a brave new world. So pick your battles wisely. Some are in better positions to fight on certain fronts than others. If you’re a retired veteran with a guaranteed pension and you have nothing to lose, that’s different than an aspiring young college kid who could face a lifetime of limited career options if they happen to get the attention of the wrong people by pushing the envelope on certain controversial issues. With formidable foes dedicated to shutting down anyone speaking out too loudly about certain topics, people need to be careful before they end up with a target on their back. Each individual must carefully decide their own level of involvement. And this shouldn’t need to be said, but no matter how frustrated you get, no matter how angry and disgusted you feel because of the onslaught of attacks against Conservatives or our cultural or religious traditions, don’t do anything violent unless it’s in self-defense of an imminent and direct threat to your life or that of another.920 We’ve all seen how occasionally disgruntled and mentally disturbed people on the Left and the Right lash out in violence against their perceived enemies, and it always hurts whatever cause they thought they were fighting for. It gains widespread sympathy for the victims and casts whatever cause the perpetrator thought they were fighting for in an extremely negative and toxic light. So when I talk about The War on Conservatives—as far as our side is concerned, it’s a political and metaphoric war. It’s an information war. It’s a battle of ideas, so don’t be stupid like some misguided self-proclaimed “patriots” in the past who have lashed out in violence, or those who think that wearing camo and “training” with a dozen others in the woods to overthrow the government is going to have anything but disastrous consequences. Even in situations that could be deemed self-defense, one wrong decision in a split second could cost you your freedom. Some people shoot armed robbers after they turn around and head for the door and are charged with 2nd degree manslaughter because technically the threat to their life was over because the perpetrator was leaving. Violence is always ugly and should be avoided at all costs. And don’t try arguing or reasoning with Marxists in the street. Like Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid said, the best way to avoid a punch is to not be there.

If you haven’t read my previous books, then you should know that the rabbit hole goes much deeper, and even though some of the topics are similar, each book provides a wealth of information and can help readers gain a much better understanding of how the interconnecting relationships between media, culture, and power function. Books are one of the best forms of spreading knowledge, even in the so-called digital age (or the information age), or rather especially in the information age—because there is too much information and too many different sources trying to constantly bombard us with messages. People are drowning in information and have a difficult time sifting through it to find quality and meaningful content while avoiding all the useless drama, and pop culture gossip, propaganda, and spam. We need to free ourselves from the digital sewage pipe that directs most people’s attention. We don’t need to be slaves to whatever hit show on HBO is trending or whatever new series Netflix or Hulu just launched. We need to manage our media diets in the same way we watch what foods we eat. It’s important to continue old traditions, and always put family first. Study intimate relationships and date with the purpose of finding a life partner and getting married, not just for having fun. Too many people get stuck with someone they’re incompatible with in the areas of interpersonal relationships that matter most. They don’t look at whether their interests, values, and goals are actually aligned until it’s too late. Then it’s not just their own happiness and wellbeing that suffers, it’s that of their children and grandchildren down the road who have to grow up in broken or dysfunctional homes. We may be living in a collapsing empire. Politically, financially, intellectually, and morally. Only Republican states or red districts, local communities, small towns, neighborhoods, and families can probably be preserved at this point. The United States as a whole however, is in huge trouble. Perhaps when things get so bad, the pendulum will start to swing back the other direction and society at large may begin healing. But it may not. The America we all knew and loved may be gone. We appear to be following the Tytler Cycle of Civilizations and in the end-stage of Democracy.921 But we can carry on the same principles in our own lives that the founding fathers established starting in 1776, in hopes of one day restoring

the Republic, no matter how many generations it may take. And more importantly follow the examples set forth by Christ so that we may have the hope of glory.    

 

Copyright Info The War on Conservatives © 2023 by Mark Dice All Rights Reserved Published by Mark Dice San Diego, CA

No part of the text within this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form and by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the author.

Visit www.MarkDice.com

E-book ISBN: 978-1-943591-13-8  

Cover design by Ben Garrison

1

WPDE ABC 15 “Miami surgeon performs 'top surgery' for 15-year-old transgender kids” by Alec

Schemmel (September 26th 2022)

2

Military Times “Pentagon officials defend diversity and inclusion at Pride Month event” by Zamone

Perez (June 7th 2023)

3

Washington Examiner “Blue's Clues song shows drag queen teaching children about gay,

transgender, and nonbinary characters” by Lawrence Richard (May 29th 2021)

4

New York Times “Drag Queen Story Hour Continues Its Reign at Libraries, Despite Backlash by

Lisa Stack (June 6th 2019)

5

Washington Examiner “Millennials in San Diego sign petition to remove American flag” by Emilie

Padgett (June 30th 2015)

6

CNBC “More Americans now support a universal basic income” by Annie Nova (February 26th

2018)

7

Fox Business “The US is paying a record amount of interest on its national debt” by Megan Henny

(August 17th 2023)

8

Christianity Today “Christian Baker Sued Again for Refusing to Bake a Cake” by Colleen Slevin

via Associated Press (March 24th 2021)

9

Forbes “ChatGPT Has Liberal Bias, Say Researchers” by Emma Woollacott (August 17th 2023)

10

The Washington Post “The campaign to impeach President Trump has begun” by Matea Gold

(January 20th 2017)

11

CNN “Kamala Harris calls on Twitter CEO to suspend Donald Trump” by Donie O’Sullivan

(October 2nd 2019)

12

Politico “Judge to revoke bail for Proud Boy leaders involved in Capitol riot” by Kyle Cheney and

Josh Gerstein (April 19th 2021)



13

The “QAnon Shama” was sentenced to 41 months (nearly 3 and a half years), and Proud Boys

leader Enrique Tarrio (who wasn’t even in Washington D.C. on January 6th) was sentenced to 22 years, and Proud Boys member Joe Biggs who only entered the Capitol and walked around with the other protesters was sentenced to 17 years.

14

The Hill “DOJ: Social media influencer charged with interference in 2016 election” by John

Bowden (January 27th 2021)

15

Washington Examiner “Pro-Trump Twitter influencer found guilty of conspiracy against rights over

2016 memes” by Brandy Knox (March 31st 2023)

16

Washington Post “Trump supporter sentenced to 7 months after tweeting false voting ads” by

Praveena Somasundaram (October 20th 2023)

17

Journal of The American Judicature Society [vol. 24] “The Federal Prosecutor” by Robert H.

Jackson (June 1940)

18

Ibid.

19

Understanding Lawyer’s Ethics (Third Edition) by Monroe H. Freedman and Abbe Smith page 309

20

PBS “White House calls Mueller hearing embarrassment for Democrats” via Associated Press

(July 24th 2019)

21

Media Entertainment Arts World Wide “Who is Jadzia Watsey? Philly teacher trolled for coming

out as lesbian to her students” by Sayantani Nath (December 13th 2021)

22

CBS Los Angeles “Pride event sparks tense protest outside North Hollywood Elementary School”

by KCAL News Staff (June 2nd 2023)

23

NBC New York “Elementary Kids Get ‘Special Surprise' Drag Performance at School Talent

Show” by Roseanne Colletti (June 2nd 2017)

24

New York Post “NYC public school asks parents to ‘reflect’ on their ‘whiteness’” by Selim Algar

and Kate Sheehy (February 16th 2021)



25

Fox News “Pro-Antifa teacher brags about turning students into 'revolutionaries,' undercover video

shows” by Jessica Chasmar (August 31st 2021)

26

Sacramento Bee “See heated Natomas Unified School District meeting regarding Inderkum High

School teacher” (September 1st 2021)

27

Fox News “Colorado teacher calls for 'FORCEFUL cultural revolution' targeted at 'whiteness':

'This is sacred’" by Hannah Grossman (May 18th 2023)

28

Fox News “Whistleblowers: FBI targeted parents via terrorism tools despite Garland's testimony

that it didn't happen” by Bradford Betz (May 11th 2022)

29

Fox News “Whistleblowers: FBI targeted parents via terrorism tools despite Garland's testimony

that it didn't happen” by Bradford Betz (May 11th 2022)

30

House Judiciary Committee “Whistleblowers: The FBI has labeled dozens of investigations into

parents with a threat tag created by the FBI's Counterterrorism Division” via Press Release (May 11th 2022)

31

Fox News “Whistleblowers: FBI targeted parents via terrorism tools despite Garland's testimony

that it didn't happen” by Bradford Betz (May 11th 2022)

32

New York Times “Proud Boys Regroup, Focusing on School Boards and Town Councils” by

Sheera Frenkel (December 14th 2021)

33

Newsbusters “MSNBC Warns Parents Pushing Back Are Mentally Ill, White Nationalists” by

Kristine Marsh (October 6th 2021)

34

Mother Jones “School Boards Have Long Been a Tool of White Supremacy” by Anthony

Conwrighte (March+April 2022 Issue)

35

The Columbus Dispatch “Beware! 'Very fine' racists may be coming to a school board near you” by

Ricky L. Jones (October 29th 2021)

36

CBS Atlanta “CNN Of The Ghetto’: WorldStarHipHop Becoming YouTube For Urban Violence”

by Peter V. Milo (March 29th 2012)



37

KTTH 770 “WA schools adopt race-based discipline, white students to get harsher punishment” by

Jason Rantz (March 21st 2022)

38

This is what they mean by demanding equity now, not equality.

39

West Cook News “OPRF to implement race-based grading system in 2022-23 school year” by

LGIS News Service (May 30th 2022)

40

Per capita means the average per person, and is calculated by dividing a measurement by the

population of a specific group.

41

U.S. Department of Justice “Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980-2008” by Alexia Cooper

and Erica L. Smith (November 2011)

42

It used to be half of the violent crime, but recent statistics show that it’s now almost 60% according

to victim surveys.

43

Associated Press “New York public schools to end gifted and talented program” by Michelle L.

Price and Bobby Caina Calvan (October 8th 2021)

44

Fox News “Rhode Island parents enraged at school board for removing honors classes in 'equity

obsession’ by Hannah Grossman (May 9th 2022)

45

CBS 8 San Diego “San Diego Unified revamps grading system after minority students

disproportionately impacted” by Shannon Handy (October 21st 2020)

46

NBC San Diego “San Diego Unified School District Changes Grading System to ‘Combat

Racism’” by Alexis Rivas (October 15th 2020)

47

Fox News “Minnesota middle school will eliminate 'F's to combat 'systemic racism’” by Pilar Arias

(October 1st 2021)

48

NEA.org “The Racist Beginnings of Standardized Testing” by John Rosalas and Tim Walker

(March 20th 2021)



49

NEA Today “The Racist Beginnings of Standardized Testing” by John Rosales and Tim Walker

(March 20th 2021)

50

Ibid.

51

The Daily Caller “Joe Biden Says He’ll End Standardized Testing In Public Schools After

Questioner Calls Them ‘Rooted In A History Of Racism” by Peter Hasson (December 14th 2019)

52

Media Entertainment Arts World Wide “Who is Jadzia Watsey? Philly teacher trolled for coming

out as lesbian to her students” by Sayantani Nath (December 13th 2021)

53

NBC News “Teacher faces backlash for suggesting student pledge allegiance to Pride flag” by Jo

Yurcaba (August 30th 2021)

54

His TikTok username was @JustAQueerTeacher -but he later deleted his account after going viral.

55

https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1480723017713864705.

56

The Blaze “Preschool teacher — and 'polyamorous, gender-fluid witch' — goes viral for admitting

how she teaches her young students about sexuality and identity” by Sarah Taylor (April 12th 2022)

57

https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1521183077967417344

58

Twitchy “Teacher says she has her preschoolers pick a pronoun pin every day to wear” by Brett T.

(April 12th 2022)

59

These are most likely in California and New York, but with almost all other degenerate social

contagions, it may not be much longer until such teachers start popping up in other parts of the country.

60

New York Magazine “The Long, Sordid History of the Gay Conspiracy TheoryToday’s right-wing

campaign against ‘groomers’ is America’s latest moral panic.” by James Kirkchick (May 31st 2022)

61

United States Government Accountability Office “Child Welfare. Federal Agencies Can Better

Support State Efforts to Prevent and Respond to Sexual Abuse by SchoolPersonnel” page 5 (January 2014) Available online here https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-14-42.pdf



62

Washington Post “More teachers are having sex with their students. Here’s how schools can stop

them.” by Terry Abbot (January 20th 2015)

63

Twitchy.com “People are mad at Christopher Rufo for exposing child sex predators in public

schools” by Brett T. (April 20th 2022)

64

US News & World Report “At School Pride Event Students Destroyed Decorations, Chanted ‘USA

Are My Pronouns,' Officials Say” via Associated Press (June 13th 2023)

65

Fox News “Oklahoma State University hosts 'Drag Queen Story Hour' for kids as young as 2-

years-old” by Adam Sabes (April 15th 2022)

66

CNN “Middle school invites drag queens to encourage students to be themselves “ by Lauren M.

Johnson (May 18th 2019)

67

Post Millennial “NYC public school teaches middle schoolers how to do 'drag makeup’” by Ashley

St. Clair (May 31st 2022)

68

The Wall Street Journal “More States Weigh How to Add LGBT History to Classroom Lessons” by

Ben Chapman (June 2nd 2023)

69

Fox News “New Jersey to require 2nd graders learn about gender identity in fall, alarming parents”

by Houston Keene (April 7th 2022)

70

City Journal “Radical Gender Lessons for Young Children”by Christopher Rufo (April 21st 2022)

71

New York Post “Florida school board member under fire for field trip to known gay bar” by Mark

Lungariello (October 28th 2021)

72

WWMT Channel 3 News “A drag queen for every school': Michigan AG reportedly dismisses

concerns over kids, drag” by Zachary Rogers (June 16th 2022)

73

The Daily Universe “RaYnbow Collective hosts first BYU Back-to-School Pride Night” by Ally

O’Rullian (September 4th 2021)



74

Washington Times “Biden official Rachel Levine wants to prolong Pride Month to Summer of

Pride” by Valerie Richardson (June 26th 2023)

75

New York Post “Elite Chicago prep school dean brags about kids handling sex toys in class” by

Lee Brown (December 9th 2022)

76

Fox News “California high school teacher allegedly threatens punishment after students protest

Pride video in math class” (June 13th 2023)

77

Curriculum Inquiry “Drag pedagogy: The playful practice of queer imagination in early childhood”

by Harper Keenan and Lil Miss Hot Mess (Volume 50, 2020 - Issue 5)

78

Ibid.

79

Ibid.

80

Associated Press YouTube Channel “NY Library Brings Drag Queens to Kids Story Hour” (May

16th 2017)

81

The Post Millennial “Oakland school launches 'Transition Closet' to help students hide gender

dysphoria from parents” by Libby Emmons (February 16th 2022)

82

Spectrum News 1 “Gender Affirming Closet gives free clothes to transgender, queer students” by

Ariel Wesler (August 25th 2021)

83

https://www.instagram.com/p/CefYzntrAsy/

84

https://www.validusa.org/

85

CBN “CA Public School Bypasses Parents with 'Transition Closet' for Teens Who Want to Cross-

Dress in Class” by Steve Warren (February 25th 2022)

86

The Federalist “Wisconsin School District: Parents Are Not ‘Entitled To Know’ If Their Kids Are

Trans” by M.D. Kittle (March 8th 2022)

87

https://www.nj.gov/education/safety/sandp/climate/docs/Guidance.pdf



88

Ibid.

89

Ibid.

90

Fox News “Massachusetts parents sue school, say officials encouraged children to use new names,

pronouns without consent” by Timothy Nerozzi (April 16th 2022)

91

https://www.amazon.com/Jacobs-New-Dress-Sarah-Hoffman/dp/0807563757

92

https://www.amazon.com/Sparkle-Boy-Leslea-Newman/dp/1620142856

93

Fox News “Pizza Hut facing boycott calls after promoting 'drag kids' book for kindergartners” by

Emma Colton (June 5th 2022)

94

Fairfax County Times “Mother exposes sexually graphic books available in FCPS libraries” by

Heather Zwicker (October 1st 2021)

95

Ibid.

96

Fox News “Alaska board members brawl over silencing dad exposing book on kinks and sexting:

'I'm going to interrupt you’” by Hannah Grossman (February 16th 2023)

97

https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Talk-About-Teens-Relationships/dp/1984893149

98

Washington Stand “Loudoun Co. School Library Book Promotes Prostitution, Authorities

Investigate” by Marjorie Jackson (May 31st 2022)

99

The Daily Wire “Cops Probe After Middle School Librarian Allegedly Says Students Are ‘Sex

Workers’ To Justify Pro-Prostitution Book” by Luke Rosiak (May 28th 2022)

100

Post Millennial “Florida passes anti-groomer law banning gender identity indoctrination in

schools” by Mia Cathell (March 8th 2022)

101

The Washington Post “Florida bans teaching about gender identity in all public schools” by

Hannah Natanson (April 19th 2023).



102

The Hill “Red states consider Florida-style ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills” by Reid Wilson (April 5th

2022)

103

Associated Press “Other states are copying Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” efforts” by Andrew Demillo

(March 23rd 2023)

104

The Washington Post “Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right’s outrage

machine” by Taylor Lorenz (April 19th 2022)

105

Ibid.

106

NBC News “Iowa bill would require cameras in public school classrooms” by Adam Edelman

(February 2022)

107

Foundation for Economic Education “MSNBC Claims Homeschooling Is Driven By “Insidious

Racism,” But the Facts Show Otherwise” by Kerry McDonald (May 16th 2022)

108

Fox News “Police in Alabama stop noisy protesters from disrupting Kirk Cameron library event”

by Christine Rousselle (August 5th 2023)

109

The National Interest “The American Way of Victory” by James Kurth page 5 (Summer 2000)

110

The New York Post “BLM site removes page on ‘nuclear family structure’ amid NFL vet’s

criticism” by Joshua Rhett Miller (September 24th 2020)

111

Tedx Talks “Cancel Marriage: Merav Michaeli at TEDxJaffa” (November 10th 2012)

112

The Blaze “Lesbian Activist's Surprisingly Candid Speech: Gay Marriage Fight Is a 'Lie' to

Destroy Marriage” by Mike Opelka (April 29th 2013)

113

https://web.archive.org/web/20200122031509/https://twitter.com/beccalew/status/121982074664340 6850

114

New York Times “The Housewives of White Supremacy” by Annie Kelly (June 1st 2018)



115

Ibid.

116

Salon.com “Alt-right women and the "white baby challenge”” by Alexandra Minna Stern (July

14th 2019)

117

CNN “‘Tradwives’ promote a lifestyle that evokes the 1950s. But their nostalgia is not without

controversy” by Harmeet Kaur (December 27th 2022)

118

Ibid.

119

The New Statesman “Red love, for all” by Eric Maglaque (September 23rd 2022)

120

Ibid.

121

Women’s Health “People Still Believe Women Belong in the Kitchen and Men Belong at the

Office” by Kristina Marusic (March 10th 2016)

122

https://twitter.com/TheTodayShow/status/1225146029537931264

123

QZ.com “The specifications of American kitchens are actually sexist” by Rachel Z. Arndt

(October 13th 2015)

124

The New York Post “Cook’s kitchen goes up in flames during livestream: ‘I don’t know what to

do!’” by Eric Keller (May 12th 2022)

125

Salon “The history of ‘home economics’ is both surprisingly radical and conspicuously

regressive” by Gail Cornwall (May 9th 2021)

126

The New York Post “Gen Z women are ditching pads, tampons and embracing ‘free bleeding’ in

latest trend” by Mary Madigan (September 5th 2023)

127

USA Today “Ashley Judd slams critics of Women's March speech: I got the P word from Trump”

by Cara Kelly (January 22nd 2017)



128

The Daily Mail “Sex and the City writer Candace Bushnell, 60, admits she regrets choosing a

career over having children as she is now 'truly alone’” (July 28th 2019)

129

New York Post “Inside the ‘disposable’ young American dating curse: ‘On to the next one’” by

Adriana Diaz (March 3rd 2022)

130

The Daily Mail “The Facebook divorces: Social network site is cited in 'a THIRD of splits’” by

John Stevens (December 30th 2011)

131

NBC News “Many on dating apps are already in relationships or aren't seeking actual dates, new

study finds” by Angela Yang (July 13th 2023)

132

Elite Daily “Most People Use Dating Apps For Validation — Is That Bad?” by Sarah Ellis

(November 6th 2019)

133

Numerous states have recently introduced laws to enforce ID verification in order to view porn

sites, and there is an ongoing legal battle between those states and popular porn sites which are working to get courts to strike them down on “first amendment grounds.”

134

Business Insider “OnlyFans now has more than 3 million content creators and is a 'global

business', says the CEO” by Jyoti Mann (May 13th 2023)

135

The New York Post “Boston nurse Allie Rae left job for OnlyFans, now makes $200K a month”

by Alex Mitchell (August 18th 2021)

136

Vice “The Congresswoman Behind FOSTA Is Coming for OnlyFans” by Samantha Cole (August

12th 2021)

137

The New York Times “OnlyFans Reverses Its Decision to Ban Explicit Content” by Jacob

Bernstein (August 25th 2021)

138

“Breitbart “Pornhub Under Fire for Allegedly Hosting Rape, Child Porn Videos” by John Nolte

(February 10th 2020

139



Vice “Porn Is Still Allowed On Twitter” by Samantha Cole (November 3rd 2017)

140

The Telegraph “How porn is rewiring our brains” by Nisha Lilia Diu (November 15th 2013)

141

Time “Porn and the Threat to Virility” by Belinda Luscomb (March 30th 2016)

142

The Age “Sex work is real, legitimate work and should be decriminalised” by Fiona Patten (July

1st 2021)

143

ACLU.org “It’s Time to Decriminalize Sex Work” (July 23rd 2023)

144

Fox News “AOC responds ‘Sex work is work,’ to report of NYC paramedic posting racy photos

for cash” by Dom Calicchio (December 15th 2020)

145

The Young Turks YouTube channel “BOMBSHELL Lauren Boebert Report Exposes Serious Dirt

Hidden In Her Past” (June 14th 2022) original URL here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9OmfFqEqi6M

146

Teen Vogue “Why Sex Work Is Real Work” by Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng (April 26th 2019)

147

OpenSocietyFoundations.org “Understanding Sex Work in an Open Society” (April 2019)

148

Ibid.

149

Tedx Talks YouTube channel “Sex work is real work, and it’s here to stay | Samantha Sun |

TEDxLSE” (August 19th 2022)

150

ACLU.org “Sex Work is Real Work, and it’s Time to Treat it That Way” (LaLa B Holston-Zannell

(June 10th 2020)

151

ABC 7 News “Resolution pushing to legalize sex work in CA introduced by SF supervisor” by

Stephanie Sierra (February 14th 2023)

152

The Blaze “Hollywood actress Michelle Williams credits abortion for her success in Golden

Globes speech” by Aaron Colen (January 6th 2020)

153

The Washington Times “The Satanic Temple challenges Idaho, Indiana abortion bans” via

Associated Press by Rebecca Boon (October 5th 2022)



154

https://web.archive.org/web/20230122023959/https://twitter.com/ADL/status/1616514095892598812

155

National Catholic Register “Planned Parenthood ‘Secret Weapon’ Script Doctor Feeds Abortion

Line to Hollywood” by Lauretta Brown (September 23rd 2019)

156

PlannedParenthood.org “Planned Parenthood Hosts 8th Annual Sex, Politics, Film, & TV

Reception at Sundance Film Festival” Press Release (January 27th 2020)

157

The New York Times “OkCupid Introduces Feature in Support of Abortion Rights” by Valeriya

Safronova (September 20th 2021)

158

https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell/status/1521340822989402113

159

https://web.archive.org/web/20230906205340/https://twitter.com/xychelsea/status/152156731437366 4768

160

https://twitter.com/LoriLightfoot/status/1523844510735908864

161

https://twitter.com/motherboard/status/1521511916912488448

162

Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 (16 U.S.C. 668-668d)

163

Office of Legislative Research “Penalties for Disturbing Inland Wetlands” by Janet L. Kaminski

Leduc, Senior Legislative Attorney (December 10th 2010)

164

Mirror “Andrew Tate's webcam business employed 75 women and made him first million” by

Harry Davies (December 30th 2022)

165

Vice “The Dangerous Rise of Andrew Tate” documentary (January 13th 2023)

166



Ibid.

167

Mirror “Brothers make millions using webcam girls to sell 'sob' stories to desperate men” by Emer

Scully (March 19th 2022)

168

JackMurphyLive.com “Cultivating Erotic Energy from a Surprising Source” by Jack Murphy

(October 9th 2015) archived here: https://archive.ph/2016.01.18005825/http://jackmurphylive.com/cultivating-erotic-energy/

169

New York Post “Jordan Peterson says he was suicidal, addicted to benzos” by Jesse O’Neill

(January 31st 2021)

170

The Guardian “The Cultural Revolution: all you need to know about China's political convulsion”

by Tom Phillips (May 10th 2016)

171

Pennsylvania Capital-Star “Ten reasons why Black people shouldn’t celebrate Independence Day”

by Michael Coard (July 4th 2023)

172

Associated Press “San Francisco board open to reparations with $5M payouts” by Jaine Har

(March 15th 2023)

173

Newsweek “Progressive Lawmakers Call Fourth of July Freedom for Whites: Blacks 'Still Aren't

Free’” by Christina Zhao (July 4th 2021)

174

Vox “3 Reasons the American Revolution Was a Mistake” by Dylan Matthews (July 3rd 2019)

175

Ibid.

176

Washington Post “It is time to reconsider the global legacy of July 4, 1776” by Elizabeth Kolsky

(July 3rd 2020)

177

Ibid.

178

Associated Press “In a polarized US, how to define a patriot increasingly depends on who’s being

asked” by Gary Fields, Margery Beck and Rebecca Boon (July 3rd 2023)

179

Newsweek “Ben & Jerry’s Suggests Returning 'Stolen Indigenous Land' in July 4 Message” by

Maura Zurick (July 5th 2023)



180

Newsweek “Abenaki Tribe Demand Ben & Jerry's Pay Reparations for 'Stolen' Land” by Aleks

PLhillips (July 14th 2023)

181

Pennsylvania Capital-Star “A reminder for your holiday table: Thanksgiving celebrates a racist

genocide” by Michael Coard (November 22nd 2022)

182

The Washington Times “'Big Bang Theory' star: Thanksgiving 'one of the grossest examples of

genocide’” by Douglas Ernst (November 21st 2017)

183

Daily Caller “YouTube Wants To Make You Feel Bad for Celebrating Thanksgiving” by Scott

Greer (November 23rd 2017) Original tweet located here: https://twitter.com/YouTube/status/933757068661665793

184

https://twitter.com/YouTube/status/933787264131436551

185

https://twitter.com/YouTube/status/6103267103

186

Newsweek “Washington Redskins Use Thanksgiving Game To Promote Racial Slur, Native

American Leaders Say” by Beatrice Dupuy (November 21st 2017”

187

Vice “How Much Environmental Damage Did Your Thanksgiving Dinner Do?” by Ashley P.

Taylor (November 8th 2017)

188

Ibid.

189

Huffington Post “The Environmental Impact Of Your Thanksgiving Dinner” by Alexandra

Emanuelli (November 5th 2019)

190

The Hill “The Oscars acknowledged the indigenous land Hollywood sits on” by Anagha Srikanth

(February 10th 2020)

191

ABC 4 News “Annual Microsoft Ignite conference entices criticism over 'woke' introductions” by

Ann Dailey Moreno (November 5th 2021)



192

SCV News “Supervisors Make History with Their First Native American Land

Acknowledgement” (December 7th 2022)

193

NBC 15 WMTV “Madison School District holds land acknowledgement ceremony for Ho-Chunk

tribe” by Kylie Jacobs (April 25th 2022)

194

Smithsonian Magazine “How Native American Slaveholders Complicate the Trail of Tears

Narrative” by Ryan P. Smith (March 6th 2018)

195

CNN “Megyn Kelly apologizes for defending blackface Halloween costumes” by Tom Kludt

(October 25th 2018)

196

USA Today “Megyn Kelly will not return to NBC's 'Today' show following blackface

controversy” by Jayme Deerwester (October 26th 2018)

197

USA Today “Disney pulls offensive 'Moana' Halloween costume” via Associated Press

(September 21st 2016)

198

Time “Disney Stops Selling Controversial Moana Halloween Costume” by Melissa Chan

(September 22nd 2016)

199

All of the pictures featuring White kids wearing the costume on Target’s website were then

removed, and replaced by black boys for Halloween 2018

200

Fortune “Making Mother’s Day More Inclusive” by Ellen McGirt (May 10th 2018)

201

KATV ABC 7 “Calvin Klein slammed for 'pregnant man' in Mother's Day commercial” by

Zachary Rodgers (May 13th 2022)

202

The Daily Mail “Gender-critical campaigners slam trans woman activist for using a child as an

'identity prop' after she posted image of her breastfeeding on a bus” (July 7th 2023)

203

Toronto Star “How these transgender moms are celebrating Mother’s Day” by Tessa Vikander

(May 10th 2018)



204

Welcoming Schools: a Project of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation “Diverse Families on

Mother’s & Father’s Day” document posted on their website here: https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-uswest-2.amazonaws.com/welcomingschools/documents/WS_Lesson_Diverse_Families_on_Mothers_and_Fathers_Days.pdf

205

KREM CBS 2 "School cancels Mother's Day in effort to celebrate diversity” by Joshua Staab

(May 8th 2017)

206

Washington Post “For some gay parents, Mother’s Day (or Father’s Day) is awkward” by Gail

Cornwall (May 8th 2017)

207

Glaad.org “Mother's Day Resource Kid” posted here https://glaad.org/publications/mothersdaykit

208

Fortune “Making Mother's Day More Inclusive” by Ellen McGirt (May 10th 2018)

209

Daily Mail “Mother's Day is for all women” by Elizabeth Wilson (March 16th 2007)

210

The Telegraph “Don't call pregnant women 'expectant mothers' as it might offend transgender

people, BMA says” by Laura Donnelly (January 29th 2017)

211

Media Research Center “Gender Scrub: CDC Changes Flu Guidance Terms From ‘Pregnant

Women’ To ‘Pregnant People’” by Tierin-Rose Mandelburg (November 1st 2022)

212

CNN “The language we use to talk about pregnancy and abortion is changing. But not everyone

welcomes the shift” by Harmeet Kaur (September 4th 2022)

213

Newsweek “Biden Admin Replaces 'Mothers' With 'Birthing People' in Maternal Health

Guidance” by Benjamin Fearnow (June 7th 2021)

214

The New York Times “A demand to define ‘woman’ injects gender politics into Jackson’s

confirmation hearings.” by Jonathan Weisman (March 23rd 2022)

215

Reuters “Father absence "decimates" black community in U.S” by Joyce Kelly (June 14th 2007)

216



Forbes “Multiple Baby Daddies Can Make You Poor” by Kiri Blakeley (April 1st 2011)

217

Huffington Post “Three Reasons Why Father's Day Should Be Abolished” by Jeremy Davies (June

14th 2017)

218

The Independant “‘Special Person’s Day’: Campaign to change Father’s Day sparks outrage” by

Sarah Young (August 29th 2017)

219

Good Housekeeping “School Cancels Mother's and Father's Day Activities and Some Parents Are

Furious” by Sarah Schreiber (May 9th 2017)

220

Glaad.org “Father’s Day Resource Kit” posted on their website here:

https://glaad.org/publications/fathersdaykit/

221

Ibid.

222

ADL.org “Considerations for Inclusive Holidays and Observance” (May 21st 2014) posted here

https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/considerations-inclusive-holidays-andobservances

223

The Daily Utah Chronicle “Heteronormative Valentine’s Day and its Effects on Students at the U”

by Emily Anderson (February 13th 2017)

224

Ibid.

225

The Cougar Chronicle “Heteronormative Valentine’s depictions marginalize LGBTQIA+

community” by Samantha Carrillo (February 7th 2018)

226

CTV News “Kitchener school cancels Valentine’s Day in the classroom” by Carmen Wong

(January 31st 2023)

227

Star Tribune “St. Paul school kisses Valentine’s Day, other ‘dominant holidays,’ goodbye” by Paul

Walsh (January 29th 2016)

228

Lansing State Journal “East Lansing schools call off Halloween, Valentine's Day celebrations over

equity concerns” by Mark Johnson (October 14th 2021)



229

SheKnows.com “Is It Time for Elementary Schools to Stop Celebrating Valentine’s Day?” by

Randi Mazzella (February 6th 2018)

230

The Daily Californian “Berkeley celebrates 25 years of Indigenous Peoples' Day” (October 8th

2017)

231

CBC Los Angeles “Los Angeles Marks Third Official Celebration Of Indigenous Peoples Day”

(October 12th 2020)

232

CNN “DC Council votes to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day “ by Alaa

Elassar (October 9th 2019)

233

Associated Press “Biden is first president to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day” by Zeke Miller and

Ellen Knickmeyer (October 8th 2021)

234

Media Research Center “Latest Apple Update Deletes Easter From iPhone Calendar, But Leaves

'Indigenous Peoples Day’” by Brittany M Hughes (February 19th 2018)

235

Los Angeles Times “Army Stage-Managed Fall of Hussein Statue” by David Zucchino (July 3rd

2004)

236

CNN “Protesters tear down statues from Confederate monuments in DC and North Carolina” by

Jennifer Henderson (June 20th 2020)

237

RealClear Politics “CNN’s Angela Rye: Washington, Jefferson Statues ‘Need To Come Down’” by

Ian Schwartz (August 18th 2017)

238

National Review “Al Sharpton Puts Jefferson Memorial on Notice” by Kyle Smith (August 16th

2017)

239

CNN “A statue of Thomas Jefferson is removed from New York City Hall after 187 year” by Sara

Smart (November 24th 2021)

240

New York Post “NYC Council advances bid that could yank monuments honoring Washington,

Jefferson, Columbus” by Carl Campanile (September 18th 2023)



241

Breitbart “Protesters in Atlanta Vandalize ‘Peace Monument’ After Mistaking It for Confederate

Symbol” by Penny Starr (August 16th 2017)

242

Chicago Tribune “Lincoln statue in Chicago’s Edgewater park defaced” by Robert McCoppin

(November 25th 2022)

243

WKYC “'Not on my watch.' South Dakota Governor vows to protect Mount Rushmore as statues,

monuments across US are torn down” by Erin McHugh (June 24th 2020)

244

Newsbusters “Vice: Let's Blow Up Mount Rushmore” by Corinne Weaver (August 17th 2017)

245

Newsweek “Pelosi Draws Republican Fire Over Dismissive Columbus Statue Comments” by

Jacob Jarvis (July 10th 2020)

246

Ibid.

247

Goodreads.com “George Orwell Quotes

248

The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute listed on their website home page here:

http://www.genocide-museum.am/eng/cultural_genocide.php

249

Treaty on the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historic Monuments (Roerich

Pact), 167 L.N.T.S. 289, entered into force August 26, 1935

250

NFL.com “Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem” by Steve Wyche

(August 27th 2016).

251

The Daily Caller “Jon Stewart Says Playing The National Anthem At Sporting Events Is A ‘Weird

Ritual’” by Katie Jerkovich (January 14th 2022)

252

NPR “Dallas Mavericks To Resume Playing National Anthem Following Pushback From The

NBA” by Bill Chappell (February 10th 2021)

253



NFL.com “Drew Brees apologizes for comments on flag disrespect” (June 4th 2020)

254

USA Today “Drew Brees apologizes for his comments on protesting during national anthem after

backlash” by Scott Gleeson (June 4th 2020)

255

New York Times “The N.F.L. will keep playing the Black national anthem before games.” by

Alanis Thames (September 12th 2021)

256

The Root “Star-Spangled Bigotry: The Hidden Racist History of the National Anthem” by Jason

Johnson (July 4th 2016)

257

ABC 7 Chicago “'Star-Spangled Banner' is racist, must be replaced, California NAACP says” by

Jory Rand (November 8th 2017)

258

Local 12 KUTV “Petition to remove 'Star-Spangled Banner' as anthem calls it 'racist, elitist,

sexist’” by Adam Forgie (July 4th 2021)

259

CNS News “Survey Shows 1 in 5 Millennials Sees U.S. Flag as ‘Sign of Intolerance and Hatred’”

by Emily Ward (December 3rd 2018)

260

Mark Dice YouTube Channel “Liberals Sign Petition to Ban the American Flag” (June 29th 2015)

261

New York Times “Nike Drops ‘Betsy Ross Flag’ Sneaker After Kaepernick Criticizes It” by

Tiffany Hsu, Kevin Draper, Sandra E. Garcia, and Niraj Chokshi (July 2nd 2019)

262

CNN “Here’s How Much Colin Kaepernick Will Make in His Controversial New Ad Deal With

Nike, According to Sports Experts” by Jennifer Calfas (September 4th 2018)

263

Harvard Business Review “We’re Entering the Age of Corporate Social Justice” by Lily Zheng

(June 15th 2020)

264

NBC Bay Area “Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees” by George

Kiriyama (May 6th 2010)

265

The Washington Post “Not safe to display American flag in American high school” by Eugene

Volokh (February 24th 2014)



266

Reuters “Supreme Court rejects free speech appeal over Cinco de Mayo school dispute” by

Lawrence Hurley (March 30th 2015)

267

The Stanford Review “Does the American Flag Offend You? Stanford Thinks It Might” by

Antigone Xenopoulos (November 27th 2018)

268

The Daily Caller “Stanford Frat Told Their American Flag Was ‘Offensive’ By Admin, Hangs

Much Bigger Flag” by Benny Johnson (December 4th 2018)

269

The Daily Caller “Sarah Silverman ‘Scared’ And ‘Shaken’ At Sight of American Flag” by Amber

Athey (December 8th 2017)

270

Fox News “NYT, MSNBC's Mara Gay: 'Disturbing' to see 'dozens of American flags' on trucks in

Long Island” by Brandon Gillespie (June 8th 2021)

271

https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1676385840866422790

272

KGW8 “Bill to adjust Oregon and Idaho border introduced in Oregon Senate” by KGW Staff

(January 11th 2023)

273

The Cato Institute “Christianity Is the World’s Most Persecuted Religion, Confirms New Report”

by Doug Bandow (March 7th 2022)

274

Catholic News Agency “Nearly 1,000 hate crimes against Europe’s Christians recorded in 2020”

by Courtney Mares (November 16th 2021)

275

CNN “Evangelist preacher Franklin Graham planned a seven-city UK tour. All seven venues have

dropped him” by Rob Picheta (February 6th 2020)

276

WPTV “Chick-Fil-A banned at San Antonio airport due to alleged "legacy of anti-LGBTQ

behavior’” (March 23rd 2019)

277

USA Today “Chick-Fil-A won't be landing at Buffalo airport” by Jefferson Graham (April 2nd

2019)



278

New York Magazine via Grub Street, their food and restaurant blog “The Great New York Chicken

Sandwiches That Aren’t From Chick-fil-A” by Chris Crowley (March 21st 2019)

279

The New Yorker “Chick-fil-A’s Creepy Infiltration of New York City” by Dan Piepenbring (April

13th 2018)

280

The Atlantic “How Hobby Lobby Split the Left and Set Back Gay Rights” by Molly Ball (July

20th 2014)

281

The Daily Caller “Prominent Christian Legal Group Barred From Amazon Program While Openly

Anti-Semitic Groups Remain” by Peter Hasson (May 5th 2018)

282

New York Post “Holy war at Jersey Shore: Critics, supporters argue over cross-shaped Ocean

Grove pier” by Dean Balsamini (August 27th 2022)

283

WTNH “Tong opens civil rights investigation into Greenwich schools’ hiring practices” by Olivia

Lank and Jenn Brink (August 31st 2022)

284

He was placed on leave and later resigned due to pressure from the local community. But a search

on Google News shows zero articles from national news outlets, and only local ones like the Greenwich Free Press, the CT Examiner and Fox 61 WTIC-TV.

285

The Daily Caller “Angry Gay Owner Unleashes on Christians Drinking Coffee in His Shop” by

Amber Randall (October 6th 2017)

286

Ibid.

287

The New York Post “Man ordered to remove ‘Jesus is the only way’ T-shirt at Mall of America”

by Allie Griffin (January 16th 2023)

288

CBS News “Restaurant denies Christian group service over its anti-abortion and LGBTQ stances”

by Megan Cerullo (December 9th 2022)

289

BuzzFeed “Chip And Joanna Gaines' Church Is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage” by Kate

Aurthur (November 29th 2016)



290

CNN “Benham brothers lose HGTV show after ‘anti-gay’ remarks” by Lisa Respers (May 9th

2014)

291

Newsbusters “Esquire’s Pierce Asks: Why Doesn’t NBA Punish Owners Who Oppose Gay

Marriage?” by Paul Bremmer (April 30th 2014)

292

The Washington Times “Washington state AG targets Christian university in LGBTQ employment

probe” by Mark A. Kellner (August 3rd 2022)

293

The Christian Institute “Gay couple to sue church over gay marriage opt-out” (August 1st 2013)

294

Fox News “CNN’s John King criticized for question about Karen Pence's Secret Service

protection” by Brian Flood (January 18th 2019)

295

The Daily Caller “CONSERVATIVE PUNDITS HIT BACK AGAINST TRENDING

‘#EXPOSECHRISTIANSCHOOLS’” by Jon Brown (January 20th 2019)

296

Fox News “Lady Gaga calls Mike Pence the 'worst Christian' during concert over wife's job at

anti-LGBTQ school” by Tyler McCarthy (January 21st 2019)

297

CNN “Christianity's future looks more like Lady Gaga than Mike Pence” by Guthrie Graves-

Fitzsimmons (January 24th 2019)

298

Newsweek “School Refuses to Play Sports at Karen Pence's School Due to Its Anti-LGBTQ

Policy” by Marie Perez (January 31st 2019)

299

Fox News “Georgetown student group targeted as 'hate group' for Catholic beliefs, could be

sanctioned” by Caleb Parke (October 24th 2017)

300

The Washington Times “Texas Christian University slammed for course on ‘queer art of drag’” by

Valerie Richardson (June 24th 2023)

301

The Daily Caller “St. Louis Cardinals Resist LGBTQ Outcry Over ‘Christian Day’” by Joshua

Gill (June 16th 2017)



302

PJ Media “Militant Antifa Group Targets Christian Mega-Church in Austin; Doxes Pastor's Son”

by Debra Heine (August 29th 2018)

303

NBC News “Laura Loomer banned from Twitter after criticizing Ilhan Omar” by Linda Givetash

(November 22nd 2018)

304

Gizmodo “Elon Has Restored Nearly 12,000 Banned Twitter Accounts, Data Shows” by Kyle Barr

(December 3rd 2022)

305

Fox News “Dems to strike ‘so help you God’ from oath taken in front of key House committee,

draft shows” by Gregg Re (January 29th 2019)

306

NPR “Satanic Sculpture Installed At Illinois Statehouse, Just In Time For The Holidays” by Laurel

Wamsley (December 4th 2018)

307

Washington Post “Please don’t wish me a Merry Christmas” by Julia Loffe (December 21st 2018)

308

Ibid.

309

Ibid.

310

NBC News “A 'War on Christmas'? Jews who leave the house in December would beg to differ”

by Lux Alptraum (December 2nd 2018)

311

Ibid.

312

Ibid.

313

Yahoo News “Tucker Carlson accused of promoting a hostile work environment” by Dylan

Stableford (April 25th 2023)

314

Huffington Post “I'm Dreaming Of A Less White Christmas For My Child of Color” by Heather

Tirado Gilligan (December 14th 2020)

315

Los Angeles Times “Santa’s existential dilemma: To be white, black or a penguin?” by Robin

Abcarian (December 12th 2013)



316

ADL.org webinar “Creating More Inclusive School Communities: The December Dilemma &

Inclusive Calendar Practices” (November 18th 2021)

317

Esquire “Santa's Husband' Is War-on-Christmas Trolling at Its Finest” by Jack Holmes (November

1st 2017)

318

Newsbusters “CNN Hypes Children's Book Portraying Santa Claus As a Gay Man” by Brad

Wilmouth (December 17th 2017)

319

Newsweek “Jacob Wohl Says Jews Must Have Christmas Decorations to Assimilate in U.S.” by

Ewan Palmer (November 5th 2021)

320

Washington Examiner “SEE IT: Twitter rages against Tim Allen line in The Santa Clause reboot”

by Jenny Goldsberry (November 17th 2022)

321

https://twitter.com/scottEmovienerd/status/1593165239235022849

322

New York Daily News “Is 'Merry Christmas' a microaggression? And more importantly, even if it

is, whose business is it?” by Jonathan Zimmerman (December 19th 2016)

323

Washington Examiner “DC Metro bans religion from Christmas ads, Catholics sue” by Paul

Bedard (November 28th 2017)

324

https://web.archive.org/web/20170410065003/https://brockport.edu/about/diversity/holiday.html

325

Ibid.

326

Campus Reform “Universities strive for 'Christmas'-free campuses” by Anthony Gockowski

(December 6th 2017)

327

Orthodox Jews make up about 10% of Jews in the United States.

328

In the United States, most Orthodox Jews are tolerant and respectful of Christians. In Israel,

however, they tolerate tours of the Holy Land by Christians, but over there factions of Orthodox Jews firmly oppose Christians evangelizing (preaching) to them in their “Jewish country,” and numerous

viral videos have captured groups of Orthodox Jews harassing Christians in Israel. Lehava is one such group which is considered ultra-Orthodox.

329

While Orthodox Jews don’t subscribe to the New Testament, both Christians and Orthodox Jews

believe in the Old Testament and the values it teaches, while JINOs are typically liberal atheists who are even at odds with Orthodox Jews because JINOs prefer secularism and liberalism to traditional (religious) Judaism.

330

Pew Research Center “Who is a Jew?” (October 1st 2013)

331

Young America’s Foundation YouTube Channel “Fighting the transgressives | Ben Shapiro LIVE

at Texas A&M University.” (November 1st 2022)

332

The New Yorker “How Muslims View Easter” by Rollo Romig (April 6th 2012)

333

AboutIslam.net “Jesus in the Bible and the Quaran” by Aisha Stacey (November 2nd 2022)

334

Haaretz “Spike in Incidents of Jews Spitting on Christian Worshippers in Jerusalem” by Nir

Hasson (October 2nd 2023)

335

The Jerusalem Post “Ears to you, hamentashen” by Gil HOffman (March 9th 2017)

336

Brandeis University “Kapparot: The Yom Kippur Tradition of Chicken Twirling” by Lawrence

Goodman (August 31st 2021)

337

America Magazine: The Jesuit Review “The Gospel of John has been used to justify anti-Semitism

—so we should stop reading it on Good Friday” by Jim McDermott (April 14th 2022)

338

Ibid.

339

JewsForJudiasm.org “How does the Book of Revelation promote hatred of Jews?”

340

The Daily Mail “Jewish leaders call for new editions of the Bible and the Koran to carry trigger

warnings highlighting anti-Semitic passages” by James Wood (November 23rd 2018)



341

National Archives “White House Tapes of the Nixon Administration, 1971-1973” Conversation

No. 662-004 uploaded to the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum here: https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/662/conversation-662-004

342

New York Times “Billy Graham Responds to Lingering Anger Over 1972 Remarks on Jews” by

David Firestone (March 17th 2002)

343

U.S. News & World Report “Billy Graham’s Troubling, Nasty Nixon Moment by James Warren

(February 28th 2018)

344

The Guardian “Christians must understand that for Jews the cross is a symbol of oppression” by

Giles Fraser (April 25th 2014)

345

Newsmax “Bill Would Outlaw Talk About Jesus in Israel” by Daniel Cohen (March 20th 2023)

346

It’s usually 3 to 5 billion per year, and as of 2023 has totaled $158 billion dollars as reported by

the Congressional Research Service (March 1st 2023)

347

Haaretz “Evangelical Christians Urge Netanyahu to Scuttle ultra-Orthodox Bill Banning Christian

Proselytizing” by Ben Samuels (March 21st 2023)

348

CNN “Proposed Israeli law would ban Christian missionaries” (July 8th 1997)

349

Associated Press Israeli leader halts bill against Christian proselytizing” (March 22nd 2023)

350

https://mobile.twitter.com/LahavHarkov/status/1638532945953669120

351

The Guardian “Israel threatens to pull evangelical Christian TV station aimed at Jews” by Oliver

Holmes (May 10th 2020)

352

The New York Daily News “The Passion of the Christ” by Jami Bernard (February 24th 2004)

353

ADL.org “ADL and Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’” (January 2nd 2013)

354



Luke 23:19

355

Real Time with Bill Maher “Bari Weiss: How to Fight Anti-Semitism” segment posted on the

show’s official YouTube channel (September 13th 2019)

356

Sarah Silverman in her 2005 show “Jesus is Magic.” Clips of the segment are currently available

on YouTube and elsewhere online if you search for “Sarah Silverman Says I Would Kill Christ Again”

357

The Guardian “History Channel’s The Bible series is worse than reality TV” by Alan Nyuhas

(March 25th 2013)

358

Acts 22:4 “I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women

and throwing them into prison”

359

More titles that were also removed during this purge are mentioned in the chapter on Censorship,

and include David Duke’s autobiography My Awakening and his other book Jewish Supremacism, along with Kevin MacDonald’s Culture of Critique: Analysis of Jewish Involvement in TwentiethCentury Intellectual and Political Movement and others.

360

The topic of Amazon banning books is examined in detail in the chapter on Censorship.

361

Jesus in the Talmud by Peter Schafer pages 9 and 74 (Princeton Press 2007). Peter Shafer is a

professor Judaic Studies and director of the Program of Judaic Studies at Princeton University.

362

Jesus in the Talmud by Peter Schafer pages 17, 19, 20, 98-99, 110, 112, 141, 143 (Princeton Press

2007)

363

Invitation to the Talmud: Revised and Expanded Edition by Jacob Neusner page 1 (1973, 1984

Harper & Row Publishers)

364

Haaretz “New Poll Shows Atheism on Rise, With Jews Found to Be Least Religious” (August

20th 2012)

365

Galatians 3:29, Romans 9:6-8, 1 John 2:23

366

There are numerous interpretations of Christianity and the Bible, and what being a Christian

means. Some believe the Bible is 100% historical and literal, while others view the scriptures as

allegorical or mythological but still conveying a divine message from God by symbolically representing of various psychological processes involving the Self and the Ego.

367

Ephesians 2:8-9

368

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goys

369

Chabad.org “Why Is Jewishness Matrilineal? Maternal Descent in Judaism” by Tzvil Freeman and

Yehudda Shurpin

370

For example, I once had a manager at a retail job who is a JINO tell me to my face that he

wouldn’t take out the trash at the store because he’s “a tribesman.”

371

Times of Israel “5 of Ovadia Yosef’s most controversial quotation” by Lazar Berman (October 9th

2013)

372

Times of Israel “Rabbi Ovadia Yosef buried in largest funeral in Israeli history” by Gavriel Fiske

(October 7th 2013)

373

Buddha’s real name was Siddhartha Gautama—The Buddha is just a title meaning “the awakened

one” or “the enlightened one.”

374

Matthew 21:43 says “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you

and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”

375

Zionism is the belief (and political movement) which promotes the idea that Israel should be a

country exclusively for Jews, while all western democracies (such as the United States and all countries throughout Europe) are under strict demands to surrender their ethnic majorities by embracing multiculturalism through mass immigration and importation of other (non-White) ethnic groups.

376

The Bible calls Christians a Holy nation in 1 Peter 1:9 and in Matthew 23:37-39 it says Israel kills

their prophets and their house will be left desolate until they believe in Jesus. Also the Holy Temple is now the body of believers in Christ, not some physical building in Jerusalem as noted in 1 Corinthians 6:19



377

City Journal “Why Don’t Jews Like the Christians Who Like Them?” by James Q. Wilson from

The Social Order, Politics and Law magazine (Winter 2008). Article cites a Pew survey that found 42 percent of Jewish respondents expressed hostility to evangelical and fundamentalist Christians.

378

IRS.gov “Charities, Churches and Politics” https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/charities-churches-and-

politics

379

Ibid.

380

WCNC “Yes, the IRS can revoke tax-exempt status for churches that endorse candidates” by

Brandon Lewis and Kelly Jones (November 1st 2022)

381

Life Hope & Truth ““Render Unto Caesar”: What Does God Say About Taxes?” by Bruce Gore

382

National Review “Obama’s Lawyer: Religious Institutions May Lose Tax-Exempt Status If Court

Rules for Gay Marriage” by Joel Gehrke (April 28th 2015)

383

The Texas Tribune “Beto O'Rourke says religious institutions should lose tax-exempt status if they

oppose gay marriage” by Patrick Svitek (October 11th 2019)

384

Fox News “City of Houston demands pastors turn over sermons” by Todd Starnes October 14th

2014)

385

The New York Times “Group Loses Tax Break Over Gay Union Issue” by Jill Capuzzo

(September 18, 2007)

386

Ibid.

387

CBS News “Editorial: Mormon Church Should Lose Tax Exempt Status Over Prop 8 Support” by

Editorial Board, The Daily Athenaeum (November 18th 2008)

388

The Independent “If the Catholic Church can’t stay out of politics, it should start paying taxes” by

Jennifer Stavros (May 24th 2022) .

389

MSNBC “Pastor sparks controversy with rhetoric about Dems, Christianity” by Steve Benen (May

18th 2022)



390

Newsweek “Pastor Who Called Democrats 'Demons' Claims He Gave Up Tax-Exempt Status” by

Anders Anglesey (May 24th 2022)

391

New York Times “Lutherans Offer Warm Welcome to Gay Pastors” by Laurie Goodstein (July

25th 2010)

392

AL.com “Birmingham church hires gay pastor; he's ready to do same-sex weddings” (June 25th

2015)

393

Fox 47 “Church's first openly gay pastor hopes to help others find healing in faith communities”

by Bradly Mallory (September 29th 2021)

394

Baptist News “Historic Kentucky church calls gay man as co-pastor” by Mark Wingfield (August

15th 2022)

395

Dallas Morning News “Oak Lawn United Methodist Church to self-appoint LGBTQ pastors after

bishop denies request” by Nataly Keomoungkoun (June 3rd 2022)

396

Matthew 12:14, Mark 11:18, Luke 23:23-24

397

ABC 7 Chicago “Oak Park church 'fasting from whiteness' for Lent despite vocal backlash” by

Cate Cauguiran (April 7th 2022)

398

The New Yorker “How Black Lives Matter Is Changing the Church” by Eliza Griswold (August

30th 2020)

399

LA Times “Drag queen lends sparkle to story time at Costa Mesa church” by Hillary Davis (July

10th 2019)

400

San Diego Union Tribune “Drag Queen Story Hour: glittery entertainment or gender-bending

provocation?” by Peter Rowe (September 15th 2019)

401

Trinity Church, Swarmouth’s official website “Drag Queen Story Time at Trinity! November 3rd

2019 original post here: https://www.trinity-swarthmore.org/drag-queen-story-time.html



402

Exposing The ELCA “ELCA Congregation Hosts Drag Queen Story Hour for Children

(November 4th 2019)

403

The New York Post “Students at ritzy NYC high school forced to attend drag show in church:

report” by Patrick Reilly (August 3rd 2022)

404

Daily Mail “Newly-ordained Lutheran pastor hosts DRAG Bible study class for children at woke

Chicago church” by James Gordon (December 19th 2021)

405

Christianity Daily “'Disturbing': Church Hosts 'Drag Queen Prayer Time' For Kids During Sunday

Service” by Olivia Cavallaro (December 22nd 2021)

406

Florida’s Voice “Naples Church Hosting LGBT Drag Show for 12 Year-Old Children, District Not

Informed of Plans to Use Schools as Transit Points” by Eric Daugherty )May 12th 2022)

407

San Diego Reader “Pink God and Gay Jesus come to the defense of local pastor” by Walter

Mencken (March 31st 2023)

408

The Guardian “Persecution of Christians 'coming close to genocide' in Middle East” by Patrick

Wintour (May 2nd 2019)

409

BBC “Christian persecution 'at near genocide levels’” (May 3rd 2019)

410

Fox News “Christian nonprofit Family Research Council remains on SPLC's 'hate map' 10 years

after terrorist attack” by Emma Colton (August 15th 2022)

411

NBC News “Man gets 25 years for attack on Family Research Council headquarters” by M. Alex

Johnson (September 19th 2013)

412

The Daily Signal “An Atmosphere of Lawlessness’: Attacks on Churches Nearly Triple in 4 Years,

New Report Finds” by Ben Johnson (December 16th 2022)

413

KUSI News “Chula Vista church vandalized with Satanic imagery” (September 8th 2019)

414

America Magazine “Catholic churches vandalized by abortion-rights advocates following

Supreme Court ruling” by Michael J. O’Loughlin (June 28th 2022)



415

Wisconsin State Journal “Catholic churches vandalized by abortion-rights advocates following

Supreme Court ruling” by Alexander Shur (May 9th 2022)

416

New York Times “Anti-Abortion Group in Wisconsin Is Hit by Arson, Authorities Say” by Luke

Vander Ploeg and Addison Lathers (May 8th 2022)

417

WCBU.org “Authorities: Fire At Peoria Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Center Was Intentionally Set”

by Tim Shelley (May 3rd 2021)

418

The Palm Beach Post “Discovery of anti-Semitic flyers outside homes across Florida leads to call

for federal probe” by Julius Whigham II (July 1st 2022)

419

LGBTQ Nation “Boxer Manny Pacquiao attacked outside restaurant for antigay comments” (April

4th 2016)

420

Los Angeles Times “Manny Pacquiao is banned from L.A.’s Grove for anti-gay comments” by

Chuck Schilken (March 18th 2016)

421

CBS News “Nashville school shooter's writings reignite debate over releasing material written by

mass killers” July 25th 2023)

422

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Nashville_school_shooting

423

Helena Blavatsky - The Secret Doctrine v. II page 237

424

Aleister Crowley - Magick: In Theory and Practice page 193

425

Eliphas Levi - Transcendental Magic p. 307

426

Fox News “Target customers shocked after company features pride items by Satanist partner:

Devil is 'hope' and ‘love’" by Kristine Parks (May 24th 2023)

427

Insider “6 Billionaires who want to live forever” by Cadie Thompson (September 2nd 2015)

428

TechnoCalyps - Part II - Preparing for the Singularity documentary by Frank Theys (2006)



429

Wired “Ray Kurzweil's Plan: Never Die” by Kristen Philpkoski (November 18th 2002)

430

Axios “Elon Musk: Humans must merge with machines” by Mike allen and Jim VanderHei

(November 26th 2018)

431

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1603902562071040000

432

TechCrunch “Elon Musk wants to build AI to ‘understand the true nature of the universe’” by

Kyle Wiggers (July 12th 2023)

433

The Daily Wire “11-Year-Old Boy Dressed In Drag Dances At Gay Bar, Gets Dollar Bills Thrown

At Him” by Amanda Prestigiacomo (December 17th 2018)

434

Los Angeles Times “Fight erupts at anti-Pride Day protest outside L.A. school where trans

teacher’s flag was burned” by Summer Lin, Andrew J. Campa, and Howard Blume (June 2nd 2023)

435

Good Morning America YouTube channel “The 11-year-old trailblazing drag kid 'Desmond is

Amazing' (November 2nd 2018) original URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxdvOLdG_34

436

NewsBusters “Sick: RuPaul's New Drag Queen Dramedy Sexualizes 10-Year-Old Child as a

‘Top’" by Elise Ehrhard (January 13th 2020)

437

The Blaze “Shocking new teenage drag queen doc from Tyra Banks, Discovery+ eviscerated

online as 'child abuse,' ‘grooming” by Phil Shiver (May 2nd 2022)

438

Fox News “San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus faces backlash for 'we're coming for your children'

video” by Sam Dorman (July 9th 2021)

439

Newsweek “Nearly 40 Percent of U.S. Gen Zs, 30 Percent of Young Christians Identify as

LGBTQ, Poll Shows” by Paul Bond (October 20th 2021)

440

NBC News “More Harvard, Yale freshmen identify as LGBTQ than as conservative, surveys find”

by Eric Duran and Brooke Sopelsa (September 14th 2018)



441

Fox News “38% of Brown University students identify as LGBTQ+” by Patrick Hauf (July 11th

2023)

442

The Hill “1 in 4 high school students identifies as LGBTQ” by Lexi Lonas (April 27th 2023)

443

NBC News “'Boy or girl?' Parents raising 'theybies' let kids decide” by Julie Compton (July 19th

2018)

444

Christian Post “Is Munchausen syndrome by proxy driving kids to identify as trans? Psychiatrists

answer” by Brandon Showalter (February 23rd 2023)

445

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry. “Mothers of boys with

gender identity disorder: a comparison of matched controls” by S Marantz and S Coates (March 30th 1991)

446

The Daily Beast “Ezra Miller Shows How Gender-Fluid Lipstick Can Be—Beautifully” by Alaina

Demopoulos (March 12th 2019)

447

ABC 7 New York “Boys can be princesses, too! Photo project embraces dress-up princess play for

boys” by Jina Mackin (January 14th 2021)

448

NBC News “Bretman Rock becomes Playboy’s first gay male cover star” by Matt Lavietes

(October 4th 2021)

449

New York Post “Incarcerated transgender woman Demi Minor impregnates two inmates at NJ

prison by Patrick Reilly (July 16th 2022)

450

New York Post “Transgender Rikers inmate sentenced to 7 years for raping female prisoner” by

Patrick Reilly (April 25th 2022)

451

Washington Examiner “Female high school athletes fear for their future with inclusion of

transgender women in sports” by Joseph Simonson (February 9th 2021)

452

New York Post “Some Rays players choose not to wear LGBTQ Pride Night patches” via

Associated Press (June 5th 2022)



453

Fox Business “Walmart’s Pride merchandising unchanged as Target sees backlash over new items”

by Daniella Genovise (June 2nd 2023)

454

Newsweek “PetSmart Faces Boycott Calls Over Pride Collection: ‘Unacceptable’" by Aleks

Phillips (May 29th 2023)

455

CNET “Pride 2022: Food and Drink Brands Giving Back to LGBTQ Causes” by Dan Avery June

24th 2022)

456

The Food Network “Chipotle Is Hosting Its Own Drag Competition in Honor of Pride Month” by

Samantha Leffler (June 1st 2021)

457

Restaurant Business Magazine “Taco Bell will host a series of drag shows this spring” by Jonathan

Maze (April 25th 2022)

458

Huffington Post “13 Rainbow Craft Ideas To Help Kids Celebrate Pride” by Caitlin McCormack

(June 14th 2018)

459

New York Times “Toronto Blue Jays Cut Player Who Defended Anti-Queer Post” by Jesus

Jimenez (June 9th 2023)

460

News Busters “Kaiser Permanente Ad Says 'Too Bad' to Those Who Say Drag Queen Story Hour

Is 'Too Much’” by Elise Ehrhard (October 9th 2019)

461

Metro Weekly “Pantene champions LGBTQ families in ad featuring trans child with lesbian

parents” by Riley Gillis (March 26th 2021)



462

Newsweek “Why Twix's Halloween Commercial Has Divided the Internet” by Soo Kim (October

29th 2021)

463

The Media Research Center “Kraft Peanut Butter Sells Kids Book On Trans Pronouns to Make

Kids ‘Better” by Gabriel Hays (December 2nd 2021)

464

CBS News “RuPaul gets a new signature Build-A-Bear (gold heels sold separately)” by Caitlin

O’Kane (April 6th 2023)

465

Washington Examiner “Blue's Clues song shows drag queen teaching children about gay,

transgender, and nonbinary characters” by Lawrence Richard (May 29th 2021)

466

LGBTQ Nation “It’s a straight line from Q Anon’s pedophilia hysteria to the GOP’s groomer

rhetoric” by John Gallagher (January 20th 2023)

467

https://web.archive.org/web/20230113014449/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_grooming_conspi racy_theory

468

Washington Post “Proud Boys disrupt drag-queen reading event, prompting hate-crime probe” by

Kim Bellware (June 13th 2022)

469

Newsweek “Video of 'Anti-Groomer' Protest Outside Gay Bar Sparks Outrage” by Shira Li Bartov

(June 7th 2022)

470

ABC 13 “Drag queen storytime reader once charged with child sex assault” by KTRK (March

15th 2019)

471

Life Site News “Second ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ library reader exposed as convicted child sex

offender” by Mass Resistance (April 29th 2019)

472

Fox News “Judge who headed 'Drag Queen Story Hour' sponsor arrested on child porn charges”

by Houston Keene (March 18th 2021)

473



check caps on all mentions.

474

Penn Live “Central Pa. drag queen, activist charged with 25 counts of child pornography: police”

by Jenna Wise (June 24th 2022)

475

The Daily Signal “‘You Should Be in Prison’: Critics Slam Washington Post Article Encouraging

‘Kink Culture’ for Children” by Mary Margaret Olohan (July 1st 2021)

476

Washington Post “Yes, kink belongs at Pride. And I want my kids to see it.” by Lauren Rowello

(June 29th 2021)

477

Etsy has an entire section called “Tucking Underwear for Kids” on their website at

https://www.etsy.com/market/tucking_underwear_for_kids and Transkids.Biz is another website that sells them. https://transkids.biz/products/tuck-buddies-underwear

478

The Daily Mail “Transgender designer is accused of 'child abuse' for selling pants that seek to

'flatten' the genitals of boys as young as four - as doctors warn the underwear could cause infertility” by Georgia Edkins and Stephan Adams (April 23rd 2022)

479

Reduxx “Etsy Shop Selling “Tucking” Underwear For Toddlers” (March 13th 2022)

480

CBS Austin “Target unveils pro-trans merch for kids, 'chest binders' and 'packing underwear' for

18+” by Alec Schemmel (May 12th 2022)

481

The Daily Mail “Target is slammed for selling women's bathing suits with a section to 'tuck'

private parts in its new Pride collection - that includes clothes for babies and children with transfriendly slogan” by Lewis Pennock (May 19th 2023)

482

Fox News “Biden HHS Sec. Becerra suggests support for taxpayer-funded gender-altering

procedures on children” by Andrew Mark Miller (April 7th 2022)

483

CBN “Biden's Press Secretary Pushes Gender Change Procedures for Kids” by Steve Warren

(April 11th 2022)

484

ABC 7 KATV “Rachel Levine says Biden admin backs gender change therapies for kids” by

Zachary Rogers (March 17th 2023)



485

E! News “Disney Channel Introduces Its First Lesbian Couple on Good Luck Charlie” by Alyssa

Toomey (January 28th 2014)

486

Breitbart “ABC Family’s ‘The Fosters’ Airs Youngest-Ever Gay Kiss Between Two 13-Year-Old

Boys” by Kipp Jones (March 4th 2015)

487

NBC News “New short film ‘Out’ features Pixar’s first gay main character” by Gwen Aviles (May

22nd 2020)

488

CNN “Disney confirms its first bisexual lead character, who is also multi-cultural” by Adrianne

Morales (August 15th 2020)

489

New York Post “‘The Owl House’ becomes Disney’s first show with bisexual lead character “ by

Lee Brown (August 16th 2020)

490

Entertainment Weekly “Disney Channel features its first gay couple on 'Good Luck Charlie’” by

Hillary Busis (January 28th 2014)

491

Asbury Park Press “'Drag Race' star and Disney+ queen Nina West shares why Pride is for all

ages” by Alex Biese (June 25th 2021)

492

Fox Business “Disney announces new 2022 LGBTQ+ clothing collection for kids” by Landon

Mion (May 18th 2022)

493

ABC 10 San Diego “Disneyland announces first ever Pride Night” by Claudia Amezcua (April

16th 2023)

494

Fox News “Disney's 'Elemental,' which features 'non-binary' character, flops in opening weekend”

by Jeffrey Clark (June 20th 2023)

495

Army.mil “Serving with pride: LGBTQ Soldiers celebrate diversity, speak their truth” by Thmas

Branding, Army News Service (June 29th 2021)

496

Washington Post “Pentagon to Observe Gay Pride Month for First Time (by Lisa Rein (June 14th

2012)



497

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBgjXUWDx2M

498

U.S. Army’s official Army ROTC YouTube channel. “LGBT Pride Month” - Message from the

Commander (posted June 16th 2020) and posted on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/ArmyROTC/videos/june-is-lgbtpride-month-and-armyrotc-celebrates-thediversity-of-our-total-force/572626036979834

499

NBC News “Trump's controversial transgender military policy goes into effect” by Hallie Jackson

and Courtney Kube (April 12th 2019)

500

NBC News “Half of transgender male teens have attempted suicide, study finds” via Reuters

(September 13th 2018)

501

Washington Free Beacon “As Russia Wages War, US Army Trains Officers on Gender Identity” by

Adam Kredo (March 1st 2022)

502

https://twitter.com/usairforce/status/1509580161376731144

503

Fox News “Army recruitment video features lesbian wedding” by Fox News Staff (March 13th

2021)

504

Newsweek “Critics Slam 'Woke' CIA Recruitment Video: 'I Am Intersectional’” by Darragh Roche

(May 3rd 2021)

505

https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1532081420520284160

506

Reuters “Anal sex linked to increased risk of incontinence” by Lisa Rapaport (February 4th 2016)

507

Washington Times “‘Gay’ rape in military underreported by Pentagon” by Rowan Scarborough

(November 3rd 2015)

508

New York Times “Men Struggle for Rape Awareness” by Roni Caryn Rabin (January 23rd 2012)

509

Washington Times “‘Gay’ rape in military underreported by Pentagon” by Rowan Scarborough

(November 3rd 2015)



510

The Intercept “Culture of Silence: In U.S. Military, Sexual Assault Against Men is Vastly

Underreported” by Nick Turse (November 29th 2022)

511

ABC News “Reports of sexual assault in US military up 13%” by Luis Martinez (September 1st

2022)

512

Rand Health Quarterly “Needs of Male Sexual Assault Victims in the U.S. Armed Forces” by

Miriam Matthews, Coreen Farris, Margaret Tankard, Michael Stephen Dunbar (2018 Volume 8. No. 2)

513

The Daily Mail “Male-on-male rape in the military is 15 times more prevalent than the Pentagon

are reporting, according to a new study” by Khaleda Rahman (November 4th 2015)

514

The New York Times “In Debate Over Military Sexual Assault, Men Are Overlooked Victims” by

James Dao (June 23rd 2013)

515

Yahoo News “#MenToo: The hidden tragedy of male sexual abuse in the military” by Yahoo News

Photo Staff (December 31st 2019)

516

The Trouble with Harry Hay: Founder of the Modern Gay Movement by Stuart Timmons pages

92-93 Alyson Publications (1990) ISBN: 978-1555831752

517

San Diego Union-Tribune “FBI targets pedophilia advocates. Little-known group promotes

‘benevolent’ sex’” by Ornell R. Soto (February 14th 2005)

518

The Phoenix “The Real Harry Hay” by Michael Bronski (July 7th 2002)

519

The American Spectator “When Nancy met Harry” by Jeffry Lord (October 5th 2006)

520

The Trouble with Harry Hay: Founder of the Modern Gay Movement by Stuart Timmons pages

35-36 Alyson Publications (1990) ISBN: 978-1555831752

521

https://web.archive.org/web/20220314030036/https://www.nambla.org/hayonmanboylove.html

522

[Box 2/folder 21] Lesbian and Gay Academic Union Records, Coll2011-041, ONE National Gay

& Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California



523

The Mayor of Castro Street: A Biography of Harvey Milk by Randy Shilts (pages 30–33)

524

Reuters “Sean Penn wins best actor Oscar for ‘Milk’” by Mary Milliken (February 22nd 2009)

525

Pederasts claim they’re not pedophiles, but instead are men attracted to adolescent boys, while

pedophiles are attracted to small children, so the pederasts insist they’re not molesting children, but they’re “helping” young boys “discover” that they’re gay.

526

ABC 7 “Temecula Valley school board adopts textbooks that include Harvey Milk after warnings

from Newsom” (July 22nd 2023)

527

CBS Los Angeles “Gov. Newsom fines Temecula Valley school board $1.5 for rejecting new

curriculum” by KCAL-News Staff (July 20th 2023)

528

While John Money didn’t originally coin the terms, he did widely popularize them. It appears that

UCLA psychiatrists Robert Stoller and Ralph Greenson jointly coined “gender identity” in 1963.

529

Paidika: The Journal of Paedophilia “Interview: John Money” (Spring 1991, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 5)

530

Sexual Offender Treatment.org “John Money's ‘Chronophilia’: Untimely Sex between Philias and

Phylisms” by Diederik Janssen (January 2017)

531

The Daily Mail “The spiritual father of trans movement Dr John Money, his twisted experiment in

the 1960s” by Tom Leonard (June 25th 2023

532

Psychology Today “A Boy Raised as a Girl Killed Himself 19 Years Ago Today: Upbringing has

limited power to impose gender identity.” by Ari Berkowitz (May 5th 2023)

533

New York Times “How to Raise a Child Without Imposing Gender” by Michael Tortorello (March

7th 2019)

534

Newsweek “Transformers' First Non-Binary Character Sparks Backlash” by Chloe Mayer (May

13th 2023)



535

USA Today “Stars like Demi Lovato, Elliot Page, Sam Smith identify as nonbinary. What does

that mean?” by David Oliver (May 19th 2021)

536

The Washington Post “Meet the first person in the country to officially receive a gender-neutral

driver’s license” by Perry Stein (June 30th 2017)

537

The Hill “Here are the states where you can (and cannot) change your gender designation on

official documents” by Brooke Migdon (May 31st 2022)

538

WCAX CBS 3 Vermont parents can now use gender X marker on child’s birth certificate” by

Calvin Cutler (February 9th 2023)

539

https://www.usbirthcertificates.com/articles/gender-neutral-birth-certificates-states

540

Fox News “AMA faces backlash after opposing putting sex on birth certificates” by Sam Dorman

(August 2nd 2021)

541

The Hill “Here are the states where you can (and cannot) change your gender designation on

official documents” by Brooke Migdon (May 31st 2022)

542

BBC “Transgender man wants to be named father” (June 7th 2018)

543

Chicago Tribune “In a first for Illinois, transgender man who gave birth will be listed as the father

on his baby’s birth certificate” by Nara Schoenberg (January 14th 2020)

544

Newsbusters “Dove Ad Features Transgender Mom: ‘No One Right Way” by Sarah Stites (April

12th 2017)

545

The Wrap “GLAAD Slams ‘Shameful’ ’60 Minutes’ Story on Transgender Youth” by Lindsey

Ellefson (May 24th 2021)

546

Metro Weekly “60 Minutes criticized for ‘dangerous’ and ‘dehumanizing’ segment on transgender

healthcare” by Rhuaridh Marr (May 26th 2021)

547

The Daily Caller “Growing Body of Evidence Shows ‘Social Influence’ Is Causing Teens To

Undergo Sex Changes” by Laurel Duggan (November 25th 2022)



548

Los Angeles Times “A transgender psychologist reckons with how to support a new generation of

trans teens” by Jenny Jarvie (April 12th 2022)

549

New York Post “‘I literally lost organs:’ Why detransitioned teens regret changing genders” by

Rikki Schlott (June 18th 2022)

550

The Daily Signal “Detransition Advocate Chloe Cole Sues Doctors for ‘Breaching Standard of

Care’” by Dan Hart (November 16th 2022)

551

The Daily Mail “Pink-haired Portland surgeon who performs sex-change surgery on trans

CHILDREN admits they face lifetime of infertility, incontinence and sexual dissatisfaction, in nowdeleted video” by James Reinl (July 14th 2023)

552

The Christian Post “Female detransitioner says gender dysphoria must be treated like mental

health issue” by Leah MarieAnn Klett (April 27th 2021)

553

Ibid

554

New York Post “Retired Navy SEAL Chris Beck, who came out as trans, announces detransition:

‘destroyed my life’” by Emma Colton (December 11th 2022)

555

Those who no longer experience gender dysphoria are called “desisters” because they desist as

opposed to “persisters” whose dysphoria persists. Many of those who do desist later identity as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, but not as transgender.

556

Basic Freud: Psychoanalytic Thought for the 21st Century by Michael Kahn, Ph.D page 77 - on

the negative resolution of the Oedipus complex (2002 Basic Books)

557

Psychoanalytic Psychology “A special oedipal mechanism in the development of male

homosexuality” pages 341-359 by Lewes, K. (1998)

558

Scientific American “Oedipus Complex 2.0: Like it or not, parents shape their children's sexual

preferences” by Jesse Bering (August 17th 2010



559

The British Journal of Psychiatry “Cycle of child sexual abuse: Links between being a victim and

becoming a perpetrator” by M. Glasser , I. Kolvin , D. Campbell , A. Glasser , I. Leitch and S. Farrelly(January 2nd 2018)

560

Archives of Sexual Behavior “Comparative data of childhood and adolescence molestation in

heterosexual and homosexual persons” by Marie E. Tomeo, Donald I. Templer, Susan Anderson and Debra Kotler (Vol. 30, November 5, 2001)

561

Most Christians (as well as non-Christians) think that only the Old Testament denounces

homosexuality (which it does in Leviticus 20:13), but the New Testament does as well in Romans 1:26-27 and 1st Corinthians 6:9-10, so the arrival of Jesus didn’t change God’s stance on the behavior.

562

Pediatric Neuroendocrinology “Sexual Hormones and the Brain: An Essential Alliance for Sexual

Identity and Sexual Orientation” Volume 17 chapter 22-35 (2009) by Alicia Garcia-Falgueras and Dick F. Swaab   Trends in Cognitive Sciences “Sex-related variation in human behavior and the brain” pages 448–456 by Melissa Hines (October 2010)

563

New Scientist “‘Gender-bending’ chemicals found to ‘feminise’ boys” by Andy Coghlan (May

27th 2005)

564

BBC “Plastic Chemicals ‘Feminise Boys’” (November 16th 2009)

565

Los Angeles Times “Softeners in plastics may affect masculinity in young boys, study says” by

Thomas H. Maugh II (November 15th 2009)

566

Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology “Prenatal endocrine influences on sexual orientation and on

sexually differentiated childhood behavior” by Melissa Hines Volume 32, issue 2 pages 170-182 (April 2011)

567

Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology “Hormones of choice: The neuroendocrinology of partner

preference in animals” by Henley, C.L., Nunez, A.A., & Clemens, L.G. volume 32, issue 2 pages 146-154 (April 2011)



568

Science Journal “A Difference in Hypothalamic Structure Between Heterosexual and Homosexual

Men” by Simon LeVay (August 30th 1991)

569

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America “Male

homosexuality and maternal immune responsivity to the Y-linked protein NLGN4Y” by Anthony F. Bogaert, Malvina N. Skorska, Chao Wang, and Ray Blanchard (January 2018)

570

The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society by Dr. Debra

Soh page 104

571

Smithsonian Magazine “Human Sperm Counts Declining Worldwide, Study Finds” by Will

Sullivan (November 22nd 2022)

572

CBS News “Your athletic wear could contain high levels of BPA” by CKAL-News Staff (May

18th 2023)

573

Forbes “Worrisome BPA Levels Found In Sportswear By Nike, Adidas, Patagonia And More,

Group Alleges” by Arianna Johnson (May 18th 2023)

574

Men’s Health “Is This the Most Dangerous Food For Men?” by Jim Thornton (May 19th 2009)

575

Jordan Peterson Podcast with guest Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Ep 363 (June 8th 2023) Note: YouTube

censored the episode claiming it violated their terms of service because of a discussion on vaccine dangers, but the podcast is available on other platforms.

576

Jordan B. Peterson Rekindling the Spirit of the Classic Democrat | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | EP 363

577

The Texas Tribune “Toxic herbicide found in many Texans' drinking water” by Carlos Anchondo

(November 15th 2018)

578

The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology “Demasculinization and feminization

of male gonads by atrazine: Consistent effects across vertebrate classes” Volume 127, Issue 1-2 October 2011 Pages 64-73

579

“Alex Jones Declares War on Juice Boxes” uploaded to YouTube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_q8F_qazbI



580

The Daily Mail “Can birth control make you a LESBIAN? As a number of women say their

homosexuality was 'woken up' after starting or coming off the Pill, studies suggest there might be some truth about the unlikely side effect” by Cassidy Morrison (November 25th 2022)

581

Pandia Health “What Happens When You Stop Taking Birth Control? Everything You Need to

Know”

582

Healthline “Everything You Need to Know About Post-Birth Control Syndrome” by Lauren

Sharkey (March 31st 2020)

583

TMZ “Bruce Jenner Sexual Preference Uncertain After Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy” (February

6th 2015)

584

NCBI National Center for Biotechnology Information “Transgender Transitioning and Change of

Self-Reported Sexual Orientation” by Matthias K. Auer, Johannes Fuss, Nina Hohne, Gunter K. Stalla, and Caroline Stevens via PLOA Online (October 9th 2014)

585

Fox News “Migrant says he came to US border because Biden was elected, would not have tried

to cross under Trump” by Stephen Sorace (March 21st 2021)

586

New York Post “Honduran migrant traveling to US says Biden is ‘going to help all of us’” by

Emily Jacobs (January 19th 2021)

587

The Hill “Yale, MIT study: 22 million, not 11 million, undocumented immigrants in US” by

Rafael Bernal (September 21st 2018)

588

NPR “Migrant Families Arrive In Busloads As Border Crossings Hit 10-Year High” by Joel Rose

and John Burnett (March 5th 2019)

589

The Wall Street Journal “Record Immigration Surge at the Border” by Alicia A. Caldwell and

Louise Radnofsky (March 5th 2019)

590

Washington Examiner “234,088 migrants encountered at southern border in April, most in a

century” by Anna Giaritelli (May 17th 2022)



591

Washington Times “DHS encountered a record 2 million illegal immigrants on southern border in

2021” by Stephen Dinan (January 24th 2022)

592

CNN “More than 100,000 migrants encountered at US-Mexico border in past 3 weeks, data shows

(Geneva Sands (March 9th 2021)

593

CNN “US border encounters top 2 million in fiscal year 2022” by Priscilla Alvarez (October 22nd

2022)

594

New York Post “Kamala Harris insists border ‘secure’ as illegal migrants set to pass 2M” by

Emily Crane (September 12th 2022)

595

The Daily Wire “Biden’s 2019 ‘Surge To The Border’ Comments Resurface Amid

Growing Crisis” (March 18th 2021)

596

At the Council on Foreign Relations event “The Rise of Global Anti-Semitism” (February 27th

2017) on their YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/Q7YKE9A3I_Y?si=WjBoVBEJ84OgwE37 (at 31:52)

597

New York Post “Migrants allowed into US as asylum seekers given immigration court dates into

year 203” by Valentina Jaramillo and Stephanie Pagones (May 11th 2023)

598

Breitbart “Analysis: Nearly 400K Anchor Babies Born Across U.S. Last Year, Exceeding

Population of Cleveland” by John Binder (January 5th 2023)

599

Ibid.

600

CNBC “Report: More than half of immigrants on welfare” by Alan Gomez (September 2015)

601

Center for Immigration Studies “63% of Non-Citizen Households Access Welfare Programs” by

Steven A. Camarota and Karen Zeigler (December 2nd 2018)

602

Wall Street Journal “U.S. in Talks to Pay Hundreds of Millions to Families Separated at Border”

by Michelle Hackman (October 8th 2021)



603

The Hill “16 states allow undocumented migrants to obtain driver’s licenses” by Brooke Migdon

(February 16th 2022)

604

NPR “Bank Defends Credit Cards for Illegal Immigrants” by Scott Horsley (February 13th 2007)

605

Associated Press “California first to cover health care for all immigrants” by Adam Beam and Don

Thompson (June 30th 2022)

606

The Hill “All candidates raise hands on giving health care to undocumented immigrants” by

Alexander Bolton (June 27th 2019)

607

The Washington Times “Mexican aliens seek to retake 'stolen' land” (April 16th 2006)

608

Breitbart “Fact Check: Yes, Thousands of Americans Have Been Killed by Illegal Aliens” by John

Binder (January 8th 2019)

609

USA Today “'Citi Bike Karen' viral video shows why we shouldn't rush to judgment” by Dustin

Siggins (May 23rd 2023)

610

Newsweek “MS-13: How an FBI Informant Risked Death to Bring America’s Most Brutal Gang

to Justice” by Michele McPhee (June 14th 2018)

611

Washington Times “Illegals commit crimes at double the rate of native-born: Study” by Stephen

Dinan (January 26th 2018)

612

Huffington Post “Cities Nationwide Refuse To Cooperate With ICE’s Mass Deportation Raids” by

Carla Herreria Russo (June 21st 2019)

613

NPR “Democrats Reject Trump Border Wall Proposal, Calling It A ‘Non-Starter” by Ayesha

Rascoe (January 19th 2019)

614

Breitbart “Warren on Border Wall: We Will Not Build Trump’s ‘Monument to Hate and Division’”

by Pam Key (February 20th 2019)

615

CNN “Beto O’Rourke says he would ‘take the wall down’ separating El Paso and Mexico” by Eric

Bradner (February 14th 2019)



616

NPR “Biden Would End Border Wall Construction, But Wouldn't Tear Down Trump's Additions”

by Barbara Sprunt (August 5th 2020)

617

Associated Press “Obama’s 2005 remarks reflect strong stance on controlling immigration”

(November 2nd 2018)

618

The New American “Hillary Clinton: She Was for a Border Wall Before She Was Against It” by

Joe Wolverton, II, JD (September 10th 2016)

619

The Washington Times “Hillary Clinton: ‘We need to secure our borders’” by Jessica Chasmar

(November 10th 2015)

620

The Blaze “Dems won’t be pleased with recently resurfaced videos of Sen. Chuck Schumer

talking tough on illegal immigration” by Sarah Taylor (December 28th 2018)

621

CNN “New York City gives noncitizens right to vote in local elections” by Kelly Mena (December

9th 2021)

622

NPR “The 'great replacement' conspiracy theory isn't fringe anymore, it's mainstream” by Odette

Yousef (May 17th 2022)

623

Washington Post “Census: Minority babies are now majority in United States” by Carol Morello

and Ted Mellnik (May 17th 2012)

624

New York Times “The White-Extinction Conspiracy Theory Is Bonkers” by Farhad Manjoo

(March 20th 2019)

625

CounterPunch “Why ‘White Genocide’ is Key to the Earth’s Survival: White Genocide from

Baldwin to Ciccariello-Maher” by Roberto D. Hernandez (December 30th 2016)

626

The American Jewish Committee (or AJC) is the most active Jewish pro-immigration group.

Others include the National Immigration Forum, and HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.

627

Fox News “Flashback: Biden praised ‘constant,' 'unrelenting’ stream of immigration into US” by

Adam Shaw (December 12th 2020)



628

The Daily Caller “Biden On ‘Wave’ Of Immigration: ‘It’s Not Going To Stop” (February 18th

2015).

629

Ibid.

630

Fox News “CNN's Anderson Cooper: It's 'exciting' that whites will no longer represent nation's

‘majority’" by Sam Dorman (August 13th 2019)

631

Washington Post “Trump immigration plan could keep whites in U.S. majority for up to five more

years” by Jeff Stein and Andrew Van Dam (February 6th 2018)

632

MSNBC “All In with Chris Hayes” (February 6th 2018)

633

Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News (April 8th 2021)

634

CNN “ADL calls on Fox News to fire Tucker Carlson over racist comments about ‘replacement’

theory” by Brian Stelter (April 9th 2021)

635

Mediaite “Tucker Carlson Goes All In On ‘The Great Replacement’ Theory, Says Biden Wants To

‘Change the Racial Mix Of the Country’” by Michael Luciano (September 22nd 2021)

636

Ibid.

637

Ibid.

638

Ibid.

639

United Nationals (UN.org) “UN marks 75 years since displacement of 700,000 Palestinians” (May

15th 2023)

640

https://web.archive.org/web/20210403000313/https://www.adl.org/education/resources/fact-

sheets/response-to-common-inaccuracy-bi-national-one-state-solution

641



Ibid.

642

The Megyn Kelly Show “Tucker Carlson on the Media's Deception, the ADL's Attacks, and

Armor Against Criticism” (September 24th 2021)

643

The Charlie Kirk Show - Streamed on YouTube (September 23rd 2021)

644

Washington Post “Nearly half of Republicans agree with ‘great replacement theory’” by Philip

Bump (May 9th 2022)

645

Vice News “Racist ‘Replacement Theory’ Is Bleeding Into GOP Senate Campaigns” by Cameron

Joseph (May 10th 2022)

646

Los Angeles Times “After Buffalo, will social media companies finally ban great replacement

theory?” by Brian Contreras (May 17th 2022)

647

ADL.org “Deplatform Tucker Carlson and the ‘Great Replacement’ Theory” (May 24th 2022)

648

The Hill “Yale, MIT study: 22 million, not 11 million, undocumented immigrants in US” by

Rafael Bernal (September 21st 2018)

649

Politico “Immigration reform could be bonanza for Dems” by Emily Schultheis (April 22nd 2013)

650

Center for American Progress “Immigration Is Changing the Political Landscape in Key States”

(April 8th 2013)

651

Newsweek “America’s Getting Less White, And That Will Save It” by William H. Frey

(December 6th 2014)

652

The Death of the West: How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country

and Civilization by Patrick J. Buchanan page 3 (2002 Thomas Dunne Books)

653

BBC “The sexually abused dancing boys of Afghanistan” by Rustam Qobil (September 8th 2010)

654

Los Angeles Times “In his hometown, fugitive Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’ is a hero to many”

by Deborah Bonello (August 10th 2015)



655

Business Insider “Here's where Mexican drug cartels operate in the US, according to the DEA” by

Christopher Woodly (October 25th 2017)

656

New York Times “14 Gang Leaders Directed MS-13 ‘Wave of Death,’ U.S. Say” by Benjamin

Weiser (January 14th 2021)

657

CNN “Texas has bused nearly 9,000 migrants to NYC and DC as an affront to Biden’s

immigration policies” by Zenebou Sylla (August 27th 2022)

658

ABC 7 New York WABC “Mayor Eric Adams says asylum seeker crisis 'will destroy New York

City’” September 8th 2023)

659

ABC 7 Chicago “Mayor Lightfoot says Chicago 'tapped out' of resources as marchers call for help

for migrants” by Sarah Schulte and Stephanie Wade (May 1st 2023)

660

New York Post “DC Mayor Bowser declares public emergency over thousands of bussed

migrants” by Katherine Donlevy (Setember 8th 2022)

661

Boston Herald “Migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard moved to Cape Cod military base” by Gayla

Cawley (September 16th 2022)

662

Fox News “DeSantis criticizes Democrats after sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard: 'Their

virtue signaling is a fraud” by Timothy Nerozzi (September 15th 2022)

663

Pew Research Center “Reflecting a demographic shift, 109 U.S. counties have become majority

nonwhite since 2000” by Jens Manuel Krogstad (August 21st 2019)

664

CBS News “Census: Whites no longer a majority in U.S. by 2043” (December 12th 2012)

665

Brookings Institute “The US will become ‘minority white’ in 2045, Census projects” by William

H. Frey (March 14th 2018)

666

Fox News “CNN's Anderson Cooper: It's 'exciting' that whites will no longer represent nation's

‘majority’" by Sam Dorman (August 13th 2019)



667

The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon S8 E180 | 08/12/21 Clip posted on the show’s official

Twitter account here: https://twitter.com/FallonTonight/status/1426025966971854849

668

https://twitter.com/JRubinBlogger/status/1425899248269266947

669

CNN “European colonizers killed so many Native Americans that it changed the global climate,

researchers say” by Lauren Kent (February 2nd 2019)

670

Reuters “Diversity remains golf's biggest challenge, says PGA of America CEO” by Steve Keating

(August 8th 2018)

671

Travel Weekly “Ski industry examines its lack of diversity” by Robert Silk (July 24th 2020)

672

Washington Post “National parks are travel’s next frontier in the movement for racial equality” by

Kerry-Ann Hamilton (September 17th 2020)

673

New York Post “McAuliffe laments number of white teachers ahead of Va. governor vote” by

Samuel Chamberlain (November 1st 2021)

674

Newsweek “United Airlines Sparks Debate With Pledge to Diversify Pilot Staff” by Emily

Czachor (April 7th 2021)

675

Yahoo News “86% of Air Force pilots are white men. Here’s why this needs to change” by Major

General Ed Thomas (October 20th 2020)

676

https://web.archive.org/web/20220128192617/https://www.adl.org/racism

677

https://twitter.com/ADL/status/1483600090639986688

678

New York Post “Inside BLM co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors’ million-dollar real estate buying

binge” by Isabel Vincent (April 10th 2021)

679

Fox News “BLM transferred millions to Canadian charity to buy mansion formerly owned by

Communist Party: report” by Jon Brown (January 29th 2022)



680

Fox News “Black Lives Matter has nearly $42 million in assets: IRS documents” by Lawrence

Richard (May 17th 2022)

681

New York Post “BLM paid co-founder’s baby daddy nearly 5 times more than Trayvon Martin

foundation” by Isabel Vincent and Dana Kennedy (March 17th 2022)

682

Business Insider “A Black Lives Matter cofounder used $840,000 of the group's funds to pay her

brother for 'security services” by Matthew Loh (May 19th 2022)

683

National Review “Walmart CRT Training Encourages Employees to Accept That ‘White Is Not

Right’” by Brittany Bernstein (October 14th 2021)

684

https://web.archive.org/web/20230609015548/https://www.coca-

colacompany.com/social/diversity-and-inclusion/internal-action

685

New York Post “AT&T critical race theory training says white employees ‘the problem’” by Lee

Brown (October 29th 2021)

686

City Journal ““White People, You Are the Problem”” by Cristopher F. Rufo (October 28th 2021)

687

The Daily Wire “LinkedIn Allows Recruiters To Filter Job Candidates By Race” by Ben Zeisloft

(April 20th 2023)

688

ABC 15 WPDE “Tech exec prioritizes job opening to people of color, critics argue civil rights

violation” by Alec Schemmel (May 10th 2022)

689

https://twitter.com/gregg_re/status/1524230391825063937

690

Wall Street Journal “YouTube Hiring for Some Positions Excluded White and Asian Men, Lawsuit

Says” by Kirsten Grind and Douglas MacMillan (March 1st 2018)

691

Ibid.

692



https://twitter.com/YouTube/status/963900837570469888

693

The Verge “YouTube announces 135 creators in its 2022 Black Voices Fund” by Mia Sato (January

27th 2022)

694

New York Post “Comedian Tyler Fischer claims he was rejected by agent for being white” by

Angela Barbuti (May 21st 2022)

695

https://web.archive.org/web/20220522003711/https://twitter.com/tythefisch/status/152815641627142 5538

696

City of Sacramento Mayor’s Office of Community Engagement “Sacramento city council

unanimously adopt a mandatory diversity and equity training” (May 9th 2023)

697

WFTS “Community calls for diversity training after racism allegations at Tampa fire station” by

Rochelle Alleyne (June 27th 2023)

698

Washington Examiner “Seattle holds training session for white employees aimed at affirming

'complicity in racism' and 'undoing whiteness” by Andrew Mark Miller (July 7th 2020)

699

Fox News “Minneapolis teachers union agreement stipulates White teachers be laid off first,

regardless of seniority” by Kelsey Koberg (August 15th 2022)

700

CBS News “Uber diversity head put on leave over workplace event on ‘Karen persona’” by

Megan Cerullo (May 22nd 2023)

701

U.S. Department of Justice “Race and Ethnicity of Violent Crime Offenders and Arrestees, 2018”

by Allen J. Beck, Bureau of Justice Statistics (January 2021)

702

Ibid

703

Some argue there are racial differences in aggression and impulse control, while others point to

generational fatherlessness and thug culture being embraced and celebrated by Black communities.

704

Fox News “Tennessee church gunman hoped to kill 10 white congregants to avenge Charleston

massacre, prosecutors say” by Samuel Chamberlain (May 20th 2019)



705

Newsweek “Tennessee Church Shooting Is a ‘Reverse Dylann Roof’ Story, ‘Alt-Right’ Claims”

by Michael Edison Hayden (September 28th 2017)

706

New York Times “Shooting at a Church Near Nashville Leaves One Dead and Seven Wounded”

by Christina Caron (September 24th 2017)

707

ABC News “TV Land Pulls 'Dukes of Hazzard' Reruns” by Luchina Fisher (July 1st 2015)

708

CBS News “Dallas suspect said he wanted to kill whites” (July 8th 2016)

709

NBC News “California man convicted of murder in racist shooting spree that killed 3 in Fresno”

by Phil Helsel (April 23rd 2020)

710

The Christian Post “Was Esau-Edom white? Demolishing Hebrew Israelite lies (part 1)” by

Michael Brown (March 29th 2023)

711

Christian Research Institute “Why Do 1West “Hebrew Israelites” Call Whites “Edomites” And

Chinese “Moabites” ?” by Vocab Malone (October 1st 2019)

712

CNN “Jersey City shooters fueled by hatred of Jewish people and law enforcement, state attorney

general says” by Jason Hanna and Madeline Holcombe (December 12th 2019)

713

ABC News “5 stabbed at rabbi's Hanukkah celebration by intruder with machete-type knife” by

Bill Hutchinson, Stephanie Ramos, Joshn Margolin, and Marc Nathanson (December 29th 2019)

714

CNN “Suspect in Hanukkah celebration stabbings arrested in New York City with ‘blood all over

him,’ source says” by Christina Maxouris, Elliot C. McLaughlin and Sarah Jorgensen (December 29th 2019)

715

New York Post “Tiffany Harris let loose again after second alleged assault” by Tina Moore,

Andrew Denney, and Aaron Feis (December 30th 2019)

716

Modern Judaism: A Journal of Jewish Ideas and Experience “White Devils, Satanic Jews: The

Nation of Islam From Fard to Farrakhan” Volume 40, Issue 2 May 2020. Audio clips of this speech can be found online if you search for Malcolm X and Jews.



717

Fox News “Dallas police chief: Koreatown hair salon shooting suspect ‘motivated by hate’” by

Louis Casiano (May 17th 2022)

718

New York Post “Yonkers man hit with hate crime in ‘appalling’ attack on Asian woman” by Jorge

Fitz-Gibbon (March 14th 2022)

719

ABC 7 New York “Asian man pushed onto subway tracks in Queens” (May 24th 2021)

720

https://www.splcenter.org/presscenter/splc-collapse-black-separatist-groups-listings-hate-map-

reassigns-groups-according

721

Wall Street Journal “Hate Crime Hoaxes Are More Common Than You Think” by Jason L. Riley

(June 25th 2019)

722

One such book is titled Hate Crime Hoax: How the Left is Selling a Fake Race War by Wilfred

Reilly (2019)

723

The Daily Mail “Black college lacrosse player, 21, is arrested for spraying N-word and swastika

graffiti targeting HIMSELF and other minority students in two incidents that terrorized the campus” by Megan Sheets (December 1st 2018)

724

NJ.com “Twitter threats to black Kean students made by black alum, police say” by Jessica Re3mo

(December 1st 2015)

725

The College Fix “Hoax alert: Black Illinois student criminally charged for racist notes” by

Jonathan Draeger (February 7th 2022)

726

Wall Street Journal “Hate crime hoaxes are more common than you think” by Jason L. Riley (June

25th 2019)

727

Washington Post “An alleged hate crime at a Jewish cafe was ‘the most brazen’ a community had

seen. It was all fake, police now say” by Meagan Flynn (April 26th 2019)

728

Fox News “Al Sharpton doubles down on Tawana Brawley rape accusation hoax: ‘Should I

apologize?’” by Jeffrey Clark (January 23rd 2023)



729

Ashley Jardina, author of White Identity Politics, during an interview with Heterodox Academy

YouTube channel #52 (May 1st 2019)

730

The Economist “How “identitarian” politics is changing Europe” (March 28th 2018)

731

Newsweek “Migrants in Europe Linked To Soaring Violence and Crime in Germany, Study Finds”

by Grace Guarnieri (January 3rd 2018)

732

Pew Research “5 facts about the Muslim population in Europe” by Conrad Hackett (November

29th 2017)

733

GB News “Muhammad revealed as the most popular UK baby boy name for 2022” by Aden-Jay

Wood (May 7th 2022)

734

Some reports claim it became the most popular baby name for boys in 2014.

735

Office for National Statistics “Religion, England and Wales: Census 2021” (Census 2021, release

date November 29th 2022)

736

Huffington Post “‘It’s Okay To Be White’ Signs Appear In Schools, Cities Across The U.S.” by

Taryn Finley (November 9th 2017)

737

Washington Post “Law school professors say posting ‘All Lives Matter’ flier was an ‘incident of

intolerance’” by Susan Svrluga (April 4th 2016)

738

CBS News “Kanye West faces backlash for wearing shirt with "White Lives Matter" slogan” by

Caitlin O’Kane (October 4th 2022)

739

Rolling Stone “From the Trump Supporter Who Called Slavery a Choice: Kanye West Wears

‘White Lives Matter’ T-Shirt” by Tomas Mier (October 3rd 2022)

740

The New York Times “There Is No Excuse for Ye’s ‘White Lives Matter’ Shirt” by Vanessa

Friedman (October 4th 2022)

741



https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/white-lives-matter

742

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/white-lives-matter

743

https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1409524324638203910

744

https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1407206483830349856

745

Timcast IRL “Kyle Rittenhouse EXTRADITED To Kenosha, DEBUNKING Critical Race Theory

With Chris Rufo” (October 30th 2020) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2890lBKZX0

746

KTNV “Mental health impacts on children who struggle growing up multiracial” by Bree Guy

(March 8th 2021)

747

Marriage.com “Unique Challenges Faced by Inter-Ethnic Marriages” by Stewart Lawrence (March

9th 2021)

748

Wikipedia entry for ‘White Pride’ (archived May 21st 2022)

https://web.archive.org/web/20220522003016/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_pride

749

Wikipedia entry for ‘Black Pride’ (archived May 21st 2022)

https://web.archive.org/web/20220522002847/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pride

750

Wikipedia entry for ‘Asian Pride’ (archived May 21st 2022)

https://web.archive.org/web/20220522003322/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_pride

751

The Guardian “That dating site for white people? It's racist, no matter how it's justified” by Zach

Stafford (January 8th 2016)

752

Post Millennial “UC Berkeley holds segregated graduation ceremony for black students only”

(May 22nd 2023)

753

NPR “Distributor, newspapers drop 'Dilbert' comic strip after creator's racist rant” by Mandalit del

Barco (February 27th 2023)

754

The Ben Shapiro Show Ep. 1677 “Musk Calls The Media Racist – And He’s Right” (February

28th 2023)



755

A definition I came up with and posted on Gab in March 2023.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230326084204/https://gab.com/MarkDice/posts/11008783844329444 8

756

The ADL has 13/50 listed as a “numeric hate symbol” because it notes that Black people are 13

percent of the U.S. population but commit 50% of the violent crime.

757

A definition I came up with and posted on Facebook in June 2023

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=807399877410120

758

Huffington Post “Myspace Collapse: How The Social Network Fell Apart” by Amy Lee (June

30th 2011)

759

Tech Crunch “iPhone App Store Has Launched” by Michael Arrington (July 10th 2008)

760

The New York Times “‘False Flag’ Theory on Pipe Bombs Zooms From Right-Wing Fringe to

Mainstream” by Kevin Roose (October 25th 2018)

761

Live From America Podcast 067 ; Bringing Down Alex Jones With Oliver Darcy and Galen Druke

via YouTube (August 13th 2018) (16:26 timecode)

762

Axios “YouTube removes clip of Rand Paul reading alleged name of Ukraine whistleblower on

Senate floor” by Rashaan Ayesh (February 13th 2020)

763

USA Today “YouTube alters algorithm after searches for Las Vegas shooting turn up conspiracy

theories” by Jessica Guynn (October 5th 2017)

764

Breitbart “New Whistleblower Allegation: YouTube Manipulated ‘Federal Reserve’ Search

Results in Response to MSNBC Host’s Complaint” by Allum Bokhari (July 30th 2019)

765

The Verge “YouTube fought Brie Larson trolls by changing its search algorithm” by Julia

Alexander (March 8th 2019)

766

New York Times “YouTube suspends Rand Paul for a week over a video disputing the

effectiveness of masks” by Daniel Victor (August 11th 2021)



767

Engaget “Fox News host Dan Bongino suspended on YouTube over COVID-19 misinformation”

by Mariella Moon (January 15th 2022)

768

New York Times “The C.D.C. concedes that cloth masks do not protect against the virus as

effectively as other masks” by Apoorva Mandavilli (January 14th 2022)

769

Washington Examiner “Dr. Drew switches to Rumble after YouTube blocks him over vaccine

video” by Jenny Goldsberry (April 29th 2022)

770

The Gateway Pundit “TECH TYRANNY: Twitter Suspends Account and YouTube Removes

Video of Biotech Company that Created COVID-19 Treatment Using UV Light in Lungs” by Jim Hoft (April 25th 2020)

771

Forbes “Trump Suggests Injecting Coronavirus Patients With Light Or Disinfectants, Alarming

Experts” by Matt Perez (April 23rd 2020)

772

The Wall Street Journal “An Experimental Ultraviolet Light Treatment for Covid-19 Takes

Political Heat” by Josh Disbrow (April 27th 2020)

773

Associated Press “Extremists exploit a loophole in social moderation: Podcasts” by Tali Arbel

(January 19th 2021)

774

BBC “US election: YouTube to ban videos alleging widespread voter fraud” by James Clayton

(December 10th 2020)

775

House Oversight Committee “Evidence of Joe Biden’s Involvement in His Family’s Influence

Peddling Schemes” (September 13th 2023)

776

New York Post “Washington Post joins New York Times in finally admitting emails from Hunter

Biden laptop are real” by Bruce Golding (March 30th 2022)

777

The Wrap “Twitter Refuses to Ban Taliban Accounts, Vows to Remain ‘Vigilant’ Moderating

Content” by Samson Amore (August 17th 2021)

778

Washington Post “Why the Kremlin is still active on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube” by

Christiano Lim and Will Oremus (March 17th 2022)



779

The Hill “YouTube removes CPAC content for violating ‘election integrity policy’” by Chloe

Folmar (March 24th 2022)

780

NBC News “Baseless GOP claims about election fraud remain dangerous for a democracy” by

Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Ben Kamisar (September 14th 2021)

781

Reuters “Trump returns to YouTube and Facebook after two-year ban” (March 17th 2023)

782

NPR “YouTube will no longer take down false claims about U.S. elections” by Shannon Bond

(June 2nd 2023)

783

CNBC “Video platform Rumble to go public after successful SPAC vote” by Jack Stebbins

(September 15th 2022)

784

https://help.gab.com/faq/how-to-install-gab-app

785

The Guardian “Firms pull ads from Rumble platform over Russell Brand videos” by Sammy

Gecsoyler (September 23rd 2023)

786

Business Insider “Facebook is going to use Snopes and other fact-checkers to combat and bury

'fake news’” by Alex Heath (December 15th 2016)

787

USA Today “Fact check: Rising gas prices due to high demand and low supply, not Biden's

policies” by Miriam Fauzia (June 10th 2021)

788

Reclaim The Net “Facebook fact-checks and censors Martin Luther King Jr. memes on MLK Day”

by Tom Parker (January 20th 2020)

789

Snopes “Did CNN Purchase an Industrial-Sized Washing Machine to Spin News?” by David

Mikkelson (March 1st 2018)

790

Fox News “Jacob Blake admits he had a knife when he was shot by police” by Brittany De Lea

(January 14th 2021)



791

Fox News “Kyle Rittenhouse acquittal: PolitiFact blasted for fact-check saying Trump's comments

on incident were ‘false’" by Joseph A. Wulfsohn (November 19th 2021)

792

Fox News “Facebook accused of pulling post about Kenosha gunman after declaring shooting

'mass murder” by Sam Dorman (September 4th 2020)

793

The Daily Caller “Democratic Rep Ayanna Pressley Calls Alleged Kenosha Shooter A ‘White

Supremacist Domestic Terrorist’” by Peter Hasson (August 27, 2020)

794

Associated Press “No evidence video color was manipulated in CNN news segment” (September

10th 2021).

795

Post Millennial “Joe Rogan accuses CNN of 'yellow journalism,' altering his COVID-19

announcement video” by Hannah Nightingale (January 10th 2022)

796

Fox News “Candace Owens targets Facebook 3rd-party fact-checkers with lawsuit” by Louis

Casiano (November 5th 2020)

797

The Hollywood Reporter “Judge Dismisses John Stossel’s Defamation Suit Against Facebook

Over Fact-Checking” by Winston Cho (October 12th 2022)

798

Ibid.

799

Associated Press “Judge tosses suit by Candace Owens over Facebook fact checks” by Randall

Chase (July 22nd 2021)

800

BBC “Twitter's hate speech rules are expanded” by Dave Lee (December 18th 2017)

801

The Washington Post “Elon Musk’s vision of ‘free speech’ will be bad for Twitter” by Ellen K.

Pao (April 8th 2022)

802

Axios “Elon Musk goes into full goblin mode” by Felix Salmon (April 14th 2022)

803

Fox News “MSNBC host trashed for warning Elon Musk could use Twitter to ban political

candidates: ‘You absolute clown’” by Gabriel Hayes (April 26th 2022)



804

CNN “CNN media analyst says 'we are headed to hell' without Twitter regulation” - video clip

posted on their website of David Zurawik on “Reliable Sources” (May 1st 2022)

805

Reuters “Exclusive: Tesla faces U.S. criminal probe over self-driving claims” by Mike Spector and

Dan Levine (October 26th 2022)

806

Rolling Stone “‘How Many Women Were Abused to Make That Tesla?’” by Stephen Rodrick

(September 19th 2022)

807

As of the time of this writing in November 2023, he did tweet once, after his fourth indictment,

posting a link to his website to help fundraise. As the 2024 election approaches he will likely use it again, at least occasionally, to gain attention.

808

https://twitter.com/JGreenblattADL/status/1594161768905015298

809

CNBC “Elon Musk claims Apple has threatened to remove the Twitter app” by Kif Leswing

(November 28th 2022)

810

Gizmodo “Elon Has Restored Nearly 12,000 Banned Twitter Accounts, Data Shows” by Kyle Barr

(December 3rd 2022)

811

CNN “Elon Musk speaks out on ‘Twitter Files’ release detailing platform’s inner workings” by

Ramishah Maruf (December 4th 2022)

812

Newsmax “Musk: All 'Conspiracy' Theories About Twitter Turning 'Out to Be True’” by Nick

Koutsobinas (December 25th 2022)

813

Reuters “Twitter suspends Kanye West's account again” by Maria Ponnezhath and Eva Matthews

(December 2nd 2022)

814

CNN “Twitter won’t restore Alex Jones’ account, Elon Musk says” by Brian Fung (November

21st 2022)

815

CBS News “Elon Musk says he'll never reinstate Alex Jones on Twitter” by Irina Ivanova

(November 21st 2022)



816

NPR “Twitter Bans Alex Jones And InfoWars; Cites Abusive Behavior” by Avie Schneider

(September 6th 2018)

817

As of November 2023 when this book was originally published.

818

Kevin MacDonald was actually banned under Elon Musk’s ownership, in April 2023, and

surprisingly was allowed to operate his account for years when the company was run by Jack Dorsey and Parag Agrawal.

819

CNN “David Duke has been banned from Twitter” by Oliver Effron (July 31st 2020)

820

The Hill “Nick Fuentes Twitter account suspended less than 24 hours after reinstatement” by Julia

Shapero (January 25th 2023)

821

Washington Post “Elon Musk’s first big Twitter product paused after fake accounts spread” by

Rachel Lerman and Cat Zakrzewski (November 11th 2022)

822

Gizmodo “Twitter Suddenly Reverses Course on 'Policy' That Banned Links to Competing Social

Media Sites” by Mark DeGeurin (December 17th 2022)

823

BBC “Twitter loses nearly half advertising revenue since Elon Musk takeover” by Jemma

Dempsey (July 17th 2023)

824

CNN “Analysis: TV providers should not escape scrutiny for distributing disinformation” by

Oliver Darcy (January 8th 2021)

825

Ibid.

826

In a tweet archived here: http://archive.fo/xb693

827

The Washington Post “DirecTV says it will sever ties with far-right network One America News”

by Timothy Bella (January 15th 2022)

828

NAACP.org “NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson Releases Statement on Directv's

announcement to drop One America News (OAN)” (January 15th 2020)



829

The Verge “One America News gets dumped by Verizon, the only major carrier it had left” by

Emma Roth (July 24th 2022)

830

Washington Post “Fox’s Tucker Carlson firing is boosting Newsmax’s ratings. Will it last? by

Jeremy Barr (May 25th 2023)

831

The Federalist “Biden’s FCC Commissioner Nominee Gigi Sohn Wants To Nuke Right-Leaning

Broadcasters From Air” by Jordan Boyd (January 18th 2022)

832

CNBC “Biden FCC nominee Gigi Sohn withdraws, citing ‘cruel attacks’ in battle with cable and

media industries” by Lauren Feiner and Ashely Capoot (March 7th 2023)

833

National Review “‘Deplatforming Works’: AOC Fundraises Off of Tucker Carlson’s Ouster from

Fox News” by Caroline Downey (April 25th 2023)

834

Metro Voice “Amazon changes course again, will ban ‘No Dress for Timmy’” (January 29th 2019)

835

The Wall Street Journal “Amazon Won’t Sell Books Framing LGBTQ+ Identities as Mental

Illnesses” by Jeffrey A Trachtenberg (March 11th 2021)

836

The Daily Mail “Woke Amazon staffer cries in meeting to discuss the 'trauma' caused by best

seller children's book 'Johnny the Walrus' that compares being transgender to pretending to be a walrus” by Natasha Anderson (April 26th 2022)

837

Ibid.

838

The Daily Wire “Amazon Employees Disrupt Pride Ceremony With ‘Die In’ Protest Over Matt

Walsh’s ‘Johnny The Walrus’, Other ‘Anti-Trans’ Books” by Amanda Harding (June 2nd 2022)

839

TruthOut.org “After Activist Pressure, Amazon Purges Dozens of Far-Right Books” by Shane

Burley (March 22nd 2019)

840

The Occidental Observer Amazon Bans Culture of Critique and Separation and Its Discontents” by

Kevin MacDonald (March 12th 2019)

841

As of November 2023 when this book, The War on Conservatives was first published.



842

American Renaissance “PRESS RELEASE: Amazon Now Banning Books Based on Political

Content” (February 27th 2019)

843

See chapter on Antiwhiteism.

844

The New York Times “In Amazon’s Bookstore, No Second Chances for the Third Reich” by

David Streitfeld (February 9th 2020)

845

It’s unclear exactly when the book, along with its listing and reviews were removed, but

presumably it was in early 2019 when the big purge of supposed “antisemitic” and “White supremacist” titles were removed.

846

Foreword to the First Edition, as well as the Foreword to the Second and Third Edition.

847

Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousands Years by Israel Shahak pages

30, 36, 107, 124 (Pluto Press 1994) ISBN: 978-0-7453-2840-9

848

https://twitter.com/alisonweir/status/1612868601056460806

849

The main listing, along with all of the reviews from readers has been deleted. Someone listed a

used copy for sale on Amazon that slipped through the cracks but when a book goes out of print, the listing and all of the reviews stay, no matter how long the book has been out of print, which is not the case with Israel Shahak’s book and the others listed in this chapter.

850

A History of Central Banking and the Enslavement of Mankind (2014) by Stephen Mitford

Goodson is among the titles banned. Goodson was a South African banker and politician.

851

TruthOut.org “After Activist Pressure, Amazon Purges Dozens of Far-Right Books” by Shane

Burley (March 22nd 2019)

852

Counter-Currents.com “Amazon.com Continues to Purge Counter-Currents Titles” by Greg

Johnson (February 27th 2019)

853

The exact date of its removal is uncertain, but most likely was in February 2019 when Counter-

Currents books were banned, along with Jared Taylor’s White Identity, and his other essays compiled

in If We Do Nothing, and two books he edited: A Race Against Time, and Face to Face with Race.

854

Noirg.org “Amazon Bans The Secret Relationship Between Blacks & Jews” by Nation of Islam

Research Group (March 16th 2019)

855

The National Endowment for the Humanities “Malcolm X: A Radical Vision for Civil Rights” by

Joe Phelan (May 5th 2017)

856

The Jerusalem Post “'Elders Of Zion' book being sold by top booksellers” by Michael Starr

(January 26th 2022)

857

Mark Dice YouTube Channel “Liberals Trying to Ban the Bible from Amazon.com and Barnes &

Noble” (September 7th 2015) Original link: https://youtu.be/Y9WUeHHzf7s

858

Mark Dice YouTube Channel “Woke Californians Want to BAN the BIBLE for ‘Hate Speech’”

(April 13th 2022) Original link: https://youtu.be/XckcMeSueMA

859

The Washington Post “Twitter banned Marjorie Taylor Greene. That may not hurt her much.” by

Maggie Macdonald and Meghan A. Brown (January 14th 2022)

860

BitChute and Gab are the only true free speech platforms that allow anything that’s protected by

the first amendment to be posted, which is why they’ve both been banned from the app stores, PayPal, payment processors, and even banks.

861

The Verge “Gab.com goes down after GoDaddy threatens to pull domain” by Sam Byford

(October 28th 2018)

862

Huffington Post “Think Canada Allows Freedom of Speech? Think Again” by Tom Kott

(December 19, 2012)

863

BBC “Facebook, Google and Twitter agree German hate speech deal” (December 15th 2015)

864

Associated Press “In UK, Twitter, Facebook rants land some in jail” by Jill Lawless (November

12, 2012)



865

Breitbart “UK Police Arrest Man For ‘Offensive’ Facebook Post About Migrants” by Liam

Deacon (February 16th 2016)

866

Daily Caller “Mother Arrested, Spends Seven Hours In Jail For Calling Transgender A Man” by

David Krayden (February 10th 2019)

867

Republican Establishment positions like the fact that 35 states that have anti-BDS laws which

punish American businesses if they criticize Israel; laws that are completely contrary to the principles of free speech.

868

The Root “91 Percent of Inmates Freed by First Step Act Were Black. Should We Give

Republicans Credit?” by Michael Harriot (June 10th 2019)

869

CNN “CPAC cancels speaker over anti-Semitic social media comments” by Eric Bradner

(February 23rd 2021)

870

As of the end of 2023 when this book was first published.

871

CNN “Obama announces he supports same-sex marriage” by Phil Gast (May 9th 2012)

872

The Washington Post “Meet the four Republicans in Congress who support gay marriage” by Sean

Sullivan (April 2nd 2013)

873

https://twitter.com/GOPChairwoman/status/1400212885595426824

874

Newsweek “Republicans Blast Fox News for Promoting LGBTQ Pride Month” by Andrew

Stanton (June 14th 2022)

875

Ibid.

876

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6307598106112

877

Ibid.

878



https://www.foxnews.com/video/6260651671001

879

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6308785798112

880

Fox News “Caitlyn Jenner joins Fox News as contributor: ‘I am humbled by this unique

opportunity’” by Brian Flood (March 31st 2022)

881

NBC News “Acting intelligence head Richard Grenell's push to decriminalize homosexuality has

yielded little” by Tim Fitzimons (February 20th 2020)

882

The Rubin Report “On Trump, The Drug War, & Gay Rights (Pt. 1) | Charlie Kirk | POLITICS |

Rubin Report” (January 17th 2018) at 40:37 timestamp

883

Big League Politics “PHOTO: TPUSA Founder Charlie Kirk Yucks It Up With Drag Queen As

They Flash Kids In Libraries Across America” by Shane Trejo (October 30th 2019)

884

The Culture War Feat. Charlie Kirk at Ohio State University (October 29th 2019)

885

Ibid.

886

Church Militant “CPAC CHAIRMAN GETS SCHLAPPED” (March 21st 2022)

887

Ibid.

888

https://web.archive.org/web/20220523032505/https://twitter.com/prageru/status/15041560674286387 21

889

https://web.archive.org/web/20220523032532/https://twitter.com/BlazeTV/status/150413577193816 4736

890

https://twitter.com/joelpollak/status/1504163326380568577

891

https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1504158072192655360

892



https://twitter.com/megynkelly/status/1504171771984973824

893

https://twitter.com/MeghanMcCain/status/1504135090779172864

894

https://twitter.com/KatTimpf/status/1504283362458054662

895

LifeSite News “Conservatives should not applaud Dave Rubin and his gay partner’s surrogate

baby news” (March 16th 2022)

896

Newsmax “Greg Kelly Reports” (May4th 2023) “Colin Powell had it right” he said, about the

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, and aired video of Powell in 1993 testifying before Congress about why the policy was necessary for a successful military. Segment uploaded to Newsmax’s YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/QpncwquA52s?si=Ya6Uoztpx2ebhKhB

897

The term paleoconservative was coined in 1986 by Paul Gottfried and Thomas Fleming.

898

https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1272904470721179648

899

“Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategy: Forces, and Resources for a New Century” A Report

of The Project for the New American Century (September 2000) page 51

900

Iraq had switched to selling oil in euros, which threatened the U.S dollar’s dominance as the

world’s reserve currency.

901

Inter Press Service “Iraq War Launched to Protect Israel” by Emad Mekay (March 29th 2004)

902

The Guardian “Israel puts pressure on US to strike Iraq” by Jonathan Steele (August 16th 2002)

903

The Atlantic “A 'Catastrophe' That Defines Palestinian Identity” by Hussein Ibish (May 14th

2018)

904

Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity “The Neoconservatives, the War on Iraq, and the

National Interest of Israel “by Stephen J. Sniegoski (August 23rd 2016)

905

The Wall Street Journal “Pro-Israel Group Lobbies for U.S. Aid, Funds Congressional Trips” by

Julie Bykowicz and Natalie Andrews (February 14th 2019)



906

Newsweek “Israel Flagged as Top Spy Threat to U.S. in New Snowden/NSA Document” by Jeff

Stein (August 4th 2014)

907

Osama Bin Laden himself wrote in his “Letter to America” fatwa saying, “The expansion of Israel

is one of the greatest crimes, and you are the leaders of its criminals. And of course there is no need to explain and prove the degree of American support for Israel. Each and every person whose hands have become polluted in the contribution towards this crime must pay its price, and pay for it heavily.”

908

Politico “Ron Paul: U.S. triggered Sept. 11” by James Arkin (September 11th 2013)

909

Aljazeera “Who is the ‘Great Satan’? In a recent speech, Ayatollah Khamenei used metaphors to

describe US influence” by Hamid Dabashi (September 20th 2015)

910

The Neoconservative Revolution: Jewish Intellectuals and the Shaping of Public Policy by Murray

Friedman (2005) Cambridge University Press

911

The National Review “The Inside Story of William F. Buckley Jr.’s Crusade against the John Birch

Society” by Alvin S. Felzenberg (June 20th 2017)

912

A Paleoconservative Anthology: New Voices for an Old Tradition (Political Theory for Today) by

Paul Gottfried (editor) 2023

913

Attributed to Eric Hoffer, but this is said to be a frequently misquoted statement found in his 1967

book, The Temper of Our Time, where he wrote, “What starts out here as a mass movement ends up as a racket, a cult, or a corporation.”

914

CBS News “LED Traffic Lights Getting Bogged Down By Snow” (December 5th 2017)

915

ZDNet “iPhone owners plagued by 'no service' bug after iOS 14.7.1 upgrade” by Adrian Kingsley-

Hughes (August 19th 2021)

916

Posting the publicly listed phone numbers of business, schools, or government offices is not

doxxing, although with the way things are going some Big Tech platforms may remove the posts under the false guise that it’s an “invasion of privacy” or “harassment.”



917

Times of San Diego “Much of State Shuts Down, Though Some SoCal Sheriffs Won’t Enforce

Order” by Editor (December 7th 2020)

918

Gizmodo “Encrypted Chats, Parler Posts Indict Proud Boys Leaders for Capitol Rioting” by Dell

Cameron (March 19th 2021)

919

CNN “White woman who called police on a black man bird-watching in Central Park has been

fired” by Amir Vera and Laura Ly (May 26th 2020)

920

Even when countering a physical attack in self-defense, you could still be charged with a crime if

you go beyond proportional or reasonable force. Other factors are also involved, such as if it was an unprovoked attack, or if your assessment of the threat itself was reasonable, or if you made a reasonable attempt to avoid the confrontation to begin with.

921

The Tytler Cycle of Civilizations lists the phases as: From bondage to spiritual faith; to great

courage; to liberty to abundance to complacency to apathy to dependence back into bondage



Table of Contents Introduction Public Schools The Family American Symbols and Holidays Christianity and Churches The LGBTQ+ Agenda Immigration Antiwhiteism Censorship Cowardly Conservatives Conclusion Copyright Info Footnotes

Introduction The Politics of Entertainment War on Trump War on America Immigration War on White People Film and Television Liaison Offices Climate Change Sports “News” Late-Night Comedy Shows Award Shows Feminism The LGBT Agenda Sexual Deviants Crimes Inspired by Hollywood Conclusion Copyright Info

Introduction A lot of people say, “I don’t follow politics,” but the reality is that pop culture is politics. It’s woven into the fabric of movies, television shows, music—and now even professional sports. Just as art imitates life, life imitates art, and what is often seen as mere “entertainment” actually functions as a container to deliver carefully crafted pieces of propaganda intended to influence the audience as much as it is to entertain them. Millions of people practically worship celebrities and blindly follow their lead, imitating characters’ hair styles, the way they dress, and even their attitudes and behaviors. People subconsciously absorb ideas and actions they see in the media and regurgitate them as part of their own personalities. While many celebrities engage in political activism as a hobby during their off time, the more subtle power of Hollywood is using entertainment itself to influence. The ability to influence is a tool, and tools can do great things for humanity, but in the wrong hands easily turn into weapons. In the 1980s, The Cosby Show brought a nice upper middle class Black family into the homes of millions of Americans, depicting the husband as a doctor and the wife as a lawyer, changing the way many looked at the possibility of Black people achieving higher education and making a better life for themselves. 1 For Generation X kids who grew up during this time period we watched He-Man and GI Joe cartoons which always taught a valuable lesson, either through the plotline, or a brief PSA at the end. “So now you know, and knowing is half the battle!” Shows like Family Ties and Growing Pains often tackled serious issues kids and families sometimes faced, and as cheesy as those shows may seem today, by the end of the episode there was an obvious moral to the story that undoubtedly, however subtle, affected millions of people in a positive way. And while there are still plenty of nice family shows on television today, they are surrounded by landmines consisting of the most degenerate characters and perverted plots one could imagine—shows so vile just a

generation ago it would have been unthinkable that major networks would air such content. A strategic and relentless campaign by LGBT activists has saturated television shows, movies, and even commercials with gay, lesbian, and transgender characters which is the sole reason they have become normalized in the minds of the masses. Despite denying there was a “gay agenda,” you’ll see that well-funded and highly organized groups have been lobbying Hollywood studios to promote and celebrate such characters. 2 America went from having one television per household in the 1950s —prominently placed in the family room—to children as young as seven or eight years old carrying their own TV around in their pocket and being able to watch practically anything they want with virtually no adult supervision. 3

So not only has there been a stunning drop in the moral quality of content in recent years, the safeguards to prevent children from consuming it have all but vanished as well. Joshua Meyrowitz, professor of Media Studies at the University of New Hampshire, points out, “Television dilutes the innocence of childhood and the authority of adults by undermining the system of information control that supported them. Television bypasses the year-by-year slices of knowledge given to children. It presents the same general experiences to adults and to children of all ages. Children may not understand everything that they see on television, but they are exposed to many aspects of adult life from which their parents (and traditional children’s books) would have once shielded them.” 4 He continues, “Television and its visitors take children across the globe before parents even give them permission to cross the street.” 5 How true is that?! And he said this in a book I’ve had since college—a book published back in 1995 when the Internet was just in its infancy, and a decade before social media would begin to wrap its tentacles around an entire generation of children. Today, kids have access to unlimited adult content in the palm of their hand thanks to YouTube, Netflix, Snapchat and the rest. Parents don’t know what to do, and trying to shield children from inappropriate content in today’s online age would require living like the Amish. Pandora’s Box has been opened. Meanwhile, celebrities continue to speak out of both sides of their mouths—saying entertainment inspires, encourages, and teaches viewers

about life, while at the same time denying that it can influence anyone in a negative way. About 100 years ago a British film industry paper called Bioscope once wrote that movies were the Christian church’s “legitimate competitor in moulding the character of the nation.” 6 Since then, the Church has lost out, and it’s no longer a question of which institution has more influence. The majority of people don’t even realize what has happened. Professional hypnotherapist Dr. Rachel Copelan warned, “Most people drift into a common, everyday trance when they gaze into the light of the TV tube. Indirect hypnosis manipulates the minds of millions of unsuspecting viewers every day. Surreptitiously, subliminal persuasion leaves its mark upon the collective subconscious. Ideas implanted by commercials affect the health and behavior of all of us. We eat, drink, dress, and make love based on what we see and hear. Television has the power to lull the mind into a state of exaggerated suggestibility, opening it up to behavior control from the outside.” 7 Singer Miley Cyrus popularized “twerking” in 2013, a form of “dance” (if you can call it that) where girls rapidly shake their butt—an act that was instantly mimicked by millions of teens who now regularly post twerking videos on TikTok and Snapchat, etc. In the early 2000s we saw the “Jackass Effect”—where kids got hurt imitating the stunts they saw Johnny Knoxville and his friends doing on the popular MTV series. 8 A college football-themed film in 1993 called The Program had a scene edited out when it was later released on DVD because at one point several of the players decided to lay down in the middle of a busy highway at night to show how “brave” they were. Of course, several groups of teenagers imitated the scene which resulted in at least one death and numerous others getting seriously injured when they were struck by a car. 9 Edward Bernays, the man who is credited with being the father of public relations, was a 20th century genius who knew how to manipulate the media in order to shape public opinion around virtually any issue. He was hired by advertising agencies and even the U.S. government to deploy his methods for a variety of aims. 10 He’s the man responsible for diamond engagement rings being the cultural standard and even convinced women that smoking cigarettes was an act of defiance against the patriarchy. 11 The De Beers diamond monopoly and the tobacco industry paid him well for his ingenuity, and because of his knowledge of psychology and

mass media he was able to play the public like a fiddle through a series of cleverly crafted press releases and ad campaigns. In his 1928 book Propaganda , he admitted, “our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of...in almost every act of our lives whether in the sphere of politics or business in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world.” 12 He even went so far as to say that those in control of the media “constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.” 13 Entertainment rules America. Charlie Sheen made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the person to reach 1 million Twitter followers the fastest once joining. 14 Ellen DeGeneres set a world record for the most retweeted tweet after she posted a selfie taken with a group of other celebrities at the 2014 Oscars. 15 Music videos get more views than political speeches, and celebrities make more money while they sleep than police officers or fire fighters do risking their lives to keep their communities safe. The majority of media today functions as a modern-day equivalent of the “bread and circuses” of ancient Rome, where people were pacified by games and food at the Colosseum, so they weren’t paying attention to the collapsing empire around them. Karl Marx famously said that religion was the “opiate of the masses,” but really its entertainment. It’s television sitcoms, sports, and anything that streams. It’s the trending list on Twitter and the viral hashtags on Instagram. Entertainment is such a powerful medium for influencing people’s behavior that for several years the CIA actually secretly recruited and directed popular rappers in Cuba to write and perform “protest songs” denouncing their Communist leader Raul Castro in order to foment civil unrest and erode support for his regime. 16 It may seem like the plot out of a movie, but declassified documents obtained by the Associated Press years later show that’s exactly what they did. 17 The CIA had a budget of millions of dollars for this program and used a front company (which is commonplace) named Creative Associates International in order to conceal their activities. 18 They literally created a

talent agency to mold the music and careers of artists they thought could be used to influence Cubans to rise up against Raul Castro. 19 Similar operations have been run in America. Shortly after President Trump’s inauguration, the DJ Moby, who was fairly popular in the early 2000s, revealed that he had been in contact with “active and former CIA agents” who “confirmed” to him that Russia was “blackmailing” Trump and said they needed his help to get the word out. “So they passed on some information to me and they said, like, ‘Look, you have more of a social media following than any of us do, can you please post some of these things just in a way that…sort of put it out there.’” 20 Deep State operatives reaching out to celebrities hoping to use them to smear Donald Trump—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In this book you’ll learn in detail how the Hollywood elite are using their media conglomerates to wage a war on President Trump and his supporters, and not just by celebrities “speaking out,” but by incorporating countless anti-Trump themes into their projects. You’ll see who is behind the coordinated effort to promote climate change hysteria, how the entertainment industry was instrumental in getting the public to accept gay “marriage,” and how they are waging a war against traditional family values, American culture, and even against God Himself. The late Andrew Breitbart famously said that politics is downstream from culture, meaning if you want to change the laws in a country, you have to first change the culture. This saying became known as the Breitbart Doctrine because it captures the essence of power, propaganda, and politics and explains how many once fringe ideas and behaviors are now legally protected and any business, school, or landlord that dares to disagree can now be punished with the full force of the courts. Within these pages you’ll also learn that liberal Hollywood has some interesting bedfellows when it comes to promoting war, and you’ll be shocked to find that the U.S. government often works hand in hand with major studios to produce what essentially amounts to propaganda films; and why there has been an explosion in plots promoting mass immigration, abortion, and socialism. Not even sports coverage is immune from being turned into another mouthpiece for their agenda as the Left is now pulling out all of the stops hoping to succeed in their “cultural revolution.” Let’s now pull back the

curtain and take a look around behind the scenes of Hollywood Propaganda .

The Politics of Entertainment Television commercials try to sell you a product or a service despite the fact that most of the time the content of the commercials has nothing to do at all with what they’re actually selling. Celebrities drink a soda and react as if it gives them an orgasm. “Ahhh! Pepsi, the choice of a new generation” they say with a huge fake smile. Samuel L. Jackson shouts “What’s in your wallet!” as if it’s a punchline from a sitcom while he’s simply promoting a credit card. Ads for insurance featuring a caveman and a gecko are passed off as if they’re

characters from a recurring comedy series, and the list goes on. But it’s not just products or services that companies try to sell us through entertainment. It’s ideas. Hollywood propaganda is carefully woven into movies and TV shows with the intent of influencing the audience rather than merely entertain them. Sometimes the central plot serves as the propaganda which is coated in a thin layer of entertainment, but the writers and producers know, and often openly admit, what their true intentions are. Film critic James Combs wrote, “The term propaganda comes from the Latin propagare , denoting the ability to produce and spread fertile messages that, once sown, will germinate in large human cultures,” adding, “Removed from its pejorative connotation, propaganda may be viewed objectively as a form of communication that has practical and influential consequences,” and can “sway relevant groups of people in order to achieve their purposes.” 21 In the late 1980s a man named Jay Winsten, who worked as an associate dean at Harvard’s School of Public Health, launched a campaign to convince Hollywood producers to include messages about the dangers of drunk driving in TV shows along with the importance of using designated drivers. 22 It was called the Harvard Alcohol Project and soon the term “designated driver” was being used in shows like Cheers , L.A. Law , The Cosby Show , and countless others, catapulting it into the public lexicon. 23 Before the 1980s there wasn’t much of a social stigma against driving drunk, but with a persistent propaganda campaign from groups like the Harvard Alcohol Project and MADD [Mothers Against Drunk Driving], the country as a whole began thinking differently about the issue. More recently, special interest groups use their power to promote abortion, the gay agenda, Obamacare, climate change hysteria, and literally every one of their social justice crusades in the same way. But in these cases, instead of raising awareness for a public good, like stigmatizing drunk driving, they’re using their influence to push fringe political ideas into the mainstream and convince the masses to accept the most flagrant violations of morality and decency.

Social Impact Entertainment Today there are over 100 organizations dedicated to using entertainment to further political and social causes, and there’s even an Orwellian term for the propaganda they create—“Social Impact Entertainment.” In 2014 UCLA opened the Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment (SIE) which boasts to be “the first of its kind dedicated solely to advancing the power of entertainment and performing arts to inspire social change.” 24 The department is committed to “exploring innovative approaches to curricular development for the emerging field of social impact entertainment, but also provide students and faculty with workshops, lectures, distinguished visiting artists programs and unique opportunities to focus their scholarly and creative work in this arena.” 25 “It will launch research initiatives that explore the development of a new field in social impact entertainment research and practice; inspire students and faculty to use the power of story to make a difference and inspire social change; galvanize the public to action to foster positive social change; develop meaningful partnerships between the public and private sectors to create new models to drive social change; and engage local, national and global communities about how the industry impacts global society through film, television, animation, digital media and theater.” 26 In 2019 they released a report titled “The State of SIE” [Social Impact Entertainment] where they said, “Given the magnitude of today’s challenges—climate change, economic inequality, forced migrations and any number of other problems—it’s easy for people to get discouraged about their capacity to make a difference in the world. But as the case studies in this report reveal, SIE can play a critical role in catalyzing significant change.” 27 The report cited Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth , which it said, “helped shift global opinions on climate change, one of the most contentious issues of our time, and mobilized a new generation of pioneering environmental activists.” 28

It appears that the Skoll Center for Social Impact grew out of another UCLA program which had the same goals called the Global Media Center for Social Impact (GMI) which was founded a year earlier in 2013. Sandra de Castro Buffington, who was the director of the program, said, “Topics that have been traditionally taboo are showing up on series television and they’re being discussed, especially via social media, and because of this they don’t seem so controversial anymore. When something goes from being taboo to being openly discussed, it’s a predictor of mass behavior change.” 29 An industry publication called Cinema of Change noted, “[The Global Media Center for Social Impact] provides the entertainment industry with free, on-demand access to leading experts and cutting-edge resources on topics such as health, immigration, racial justice, America’s prison crisis, the environment, LGBT/gender equality, learning and attention issues, youth sexuality, reproductive health and rights and more. From script reviews and writers’ room consultations to off-site visits and special events, GMI facilitates experiences for industry professionals that inspire them to create stories that entertain, engage, and empower viewers to make change on issues that matter to them.” 30 Their website, GMImpact.org is now defunct, and it appears they morphed into UCLA’s Skoll Center for Social Impact in 2014, which was created with a $10 million dollar donation by billionaire Jeffrey Skoll, who made his money as the first president of e-Bay.

The Center for Media & Social Impact A similar SIE organization is located in Washington D.C. at American University called the Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI). They describe themselves as “an innovation lab and research center that creates, studies and showcases media for social impact. Focusing on independent, documentary, entertainment, and public media, the Center bridges boundaries between scholars, producers and communication practitioners across media production, media impact and effects, public policy and audience engagement. The Center

produces resources for the field and academic research; convenes conferences and events; and works collaboratively to understand and design media that matter.” 31 They receive funding through various grants and list some of those contributors on their website, including Bill Gates, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Univision. In 2019 the Center for Media & Social Impact launched “Comedy Think Tanks” which aims to use comedy to promote social justice issues. The following year they released a report titled Comedy and Racial Justice in the Climate Crisis that “analyzes the value and importance of comedy for local public mobilization in climate change.” 32 The report highlights “the unique potential of social justice comedy” and suggests it be used as a “mobilization strategy, and as disruptive creative expression inserted into a broader cultural conversation about climate change, centering communities of color and low-income people who are ‘hit first and worst’ by climate disasters.” 33 It concludes, “Through the open-minded experience of co-creating with comedy professionals, social justice organizations can embrace the innovation and creativity that comedy can provide. Comedy can cut through cultural clutter, and it also entertains and invites feelings of play. This kind of light is needed in the climate movement, which can feel too complicated and difficult to engage disparate groups and communities beyond a stream of fatiguing outrage or clinical statistics.” 34

Propper Daley Propper Daley is another “social impact agency” which was founded by Greg Propper and Mark Daley, who are close associates to Hillary Clinton. Before helping start the agency, Greg Propper actually worked for the Clinton Foundation, and when Hillary was running for president in 2016, Propper Daley helped organized fundraisers for her,

bringing together stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and others under the same roof. 35 Previously they had organized meetings with writers from TV shows like Parks and Recreation , How I Met Your Mother , and Glee , to sit down with Chelsea Clinton to discuss how they could help promote some of the Clinton Foundation’s initiatives. 36 Patti Miller, who worked for the foundation, admitted the meeting aimed to “bring together a cross section of the industry, with leading television comedy writers, hoping they can help us reach our audience with creative, funny content.” 37 In March 2019 Propper Daley held a private invite-only conference with 400 writers, producers and executives to discuss how they could use their positions to “think differently or with more nuance about certain characters or storylines and hopefully create a more empathetic public.” 38 In other words, to lobby them to include more pro-gay and transgender storylines, and promote mass immigration, abortion, and other Leftist causes through their work.

GLAAD GLAAD [the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation] has been aggressively lobbying Hollywood for years to include gay and transgender characters in television series and films. One of their current aims is to pressure studios to include gay characters in 20% of films by the year 2021 and 50% of all films by the year 2024. 39 Each year they release their Studio Responsibility Index , a report where they track their progress and complain that mainstream entertainment isn’t gay enough. They even have what they call the “GLAAD Media Institute” that has drawn up a “roadmap for Hollywood to grow LGBTQ inclusion in film.” 40 Their 2018 Studio Responsibility Index says, “With wildly successful films like Wonder Woman and Black Panther proving that audiences want to see diverse stories that haven’t been told before, there is simply no reason for major studios to have such low scores…At a time when the entertainment industry is holding much needed discussions about inclusion,

now is the time to ensure the industry takes meaningful action and incorporates LGBTQ stories and creators as among priorities areas for growing diversity.” 41 It goes on, “Studios must do better to include more LGBTQ characters, and construct those stories in a way that is directly tied to the film’s plot…Far too often LGBTQ characters and stories are relegated to subtext, and it is left up to the audience to interpret or read into a character as being LGBTQ. Audiences may not realize they are seeing an LGBTQ character unless they have outside knowledge of a real figure, have consumed source material for an adaptation, or have read external press confirmations. This is not enough…Our stories deserve to be seen on screen just as much as everyone else’s, not hidden away or left to guess work, but boldly and fully shown.” 42 It’s really an open secret in Hollywood, but few people outside the industry are familiar with the intense (and very successful) lobbying efforts the organization engages in. Entertainment Weekly recently admitted that “GLAAD is changing Hollywood’s LGBTQ narrative—one script at a time,” and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis confirmed that as far back at the mid1980s, “we realized we needed Hollywood to be telling our stories to humanize LGBTQ people. So we opened a chapter very quickly in Los Angeles, in Hollywood, and really the main focus was lobbying Hollywood to tell our stories.” 43 I’ll cover this topic in more detail in “The LGBT Agenda” chapter because it’s one of the Left’s most aggressive efforts, and in the last few years they have successfully caused an influx of LGBT characters in major television series, and even convinced Disney and Sesame Street to get on board with their plans. 44

United Nations The United Nations has a special program called the Creative Community Outreach Initiative to lobby producers and celebrities to help them promote various agendas as well. In 2009 they convinced producers of NBC’s Law and Order: Special Victims Unit to make an episode about child soldiers who were brainwashed by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda. 45 The U.N. also convinced ABC’s Ugly Betty

to incorporate the use of mosquito nets over beds to prevent the spread of malaria in Africa by having the lead character promote the (real) Nothing But Nets program which works to donate bed nets to people there. 46 The United Nations has even launched a campaign called “The Unstereotype Alliance” which has been backed by consumer product giants Procter & Gamble and Unilever, along with the Big Tech companies like Google, Facebook and others to promote “social justice” through advertising campaigns for unrelated products. 47 “Advertising is a reflection of culture and sometimes can be ahead of the curve and help effect change. We are proud to be a founding member of this UN sponsored initiative to ‘unstereotype’ through the power and breadth of our messaging. We are all in,” said a Microsoft executive. 48 It used to be that commercials promoted the benefits of their products and did their best to avoid getting political because Republicans and Democrats both drink beer, eat hamburgers, and buy cars; and companies didn’t want to ostracize half of their potential customers by supporting any polarizing causes. But since the liberal pathogen has caused a zombie-like apocalypse in America recently, many large corporations have decided to take up the banner of “social justice,” and when lobbyists from the “Unstereotype” campaign make demands, companies often oblige. This goes far beyond companies trying to be environmentally friendly, introducing recyclable packaging, or highlighting how they’re using renewable energy to power their factories. Nobody could really disagree with those practices. I’m talking about companies that actually now insult half of their potential customers in the hopes of gaining the unwavering support of a smaller segment of society because of their “woke” campaigns. They don’t even see it as insulting people, they’re just so arrogant that they feel they need to “educate” people about social justice causes, or think they need to virtue signal about how much “they care” by jumping on the bandwagon. The Unstereotype Alliance has boasted of “smashing” gender roles in commercials so now they don’t depict cleaning as “women’s work,” and regularly feature interracial and homosexual couples to give them more “visibility.” 49

Promoting Obamacare When President Obama was trying to get Obamacare passed into law, his administration was aided by a chorus of enthusiastic celebrities who used their voice to support the bill, but behind the scenes strings were being pulled to encourage them to speak up, and Hollywood studios were actually lobbied to include pro Obamacare messages in the plots of popular TV shows. 50 One such lobbyist group called Hollywood, Health & Society works with studios to promote health based initiatives and were paid $500,000 to convince them to incorporate “the need for Obamacare” into storylines of network TV shows 51 An executive with the organization said, “Our experience has shown that the public gets just as much, if not more, information about current events and important issues from their favorite television shows and characters as they do from the news media…This grant will allow us to ensure that industry practitioners have up-to-date, relevant facts on health care reform to integrate into their storylines and projects.” 52 Hollywood, Health & Society has become the one-stop-shop for organizations that want to have their messages covertly inserted into entertainment. Executive Kate Folb, admitted, “There was a time when there were so many organizations lobbying the entertainment industry on just their one issue, that it was just too much. They were all calling the same writers and trying to get meetings with the same shows. What happened was the industry stopped taking all of those calls because they became so overwhelmed. That’s part of the reason HH&S came into being: to help writers get what they need and keep them from getting overwhelmed with requests to include certain messages in their shows.” 53 Another PR firm called Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide was paid $900,000 to pitch Obamacare plots to major networks. They even tried to get major networks to shoot a reality show about “the trials and tribulations of families living without medical coverage.” 54 “I’d like to see 10 of the major TV shows, or telenovelas, have people talking about ‘that health insurance thing,’” said Peter V. Lee, the California

Health Benefit Exchange’s executive director, which hired the PR firm. “There are good story lines here.” 55 President Obama brought a bunch of actors and producers to the White House to ask them for their help promoting Obamacare, and soon they started happily doing so. 56 In October 2013, Jennifer Hudson starred in a Funny or Die skit designed to promote Obamacare where she played a Washington D.C. “fixer” or a “scandal manager” in a parody of ABC’s series Scandal. The “funny part” was that everyone who tried to hire her to fix their problems (like a college student without any health insurance, and a guy who was changing insurance companies but was worried they were going to drop him because of preexisting conditions), learned that there was no problem at all because of Obamacare. 57 It was a pathetic attempt at humor and to do such a lame skit under the Funny or Die banner made it even more sad, but they wanted to do their part to help the cause. President Obama also appeared on Zach Galifianakis’ Funny or Die skit “Between Two Ferns” for a scripted interview meant to be funny but was just another stunt to promote Obamacare. It worked, however, and when the segment was posted online it became the number one source of traffic to the new HealthCare.gov website. 58 The White House Entertainment Advisory Council admitted, “This is a perfect example of a great partnership with Funny or Die stepping up in a big way. The site has a very robust traffic base of young men and women who are on the edge of the cultural zeitgeist. It has an organic reach, and now the traditional media will be talking about it for days.” 59 Under the Obama administration all of Hollywood was more than willing to support anything the White House wanted, but once Donald Trump took over the Oval Office everything changed as I will detail in the next chapter, the “War on Trump.”

Abortion Planned Parenthood is America’s largest abortion factory and most people have no idea they also have a special Arts & Entertainment Engagement department that reaches out to television studios and “feeds” them plot points they would like included in shows. 60 Few people outside of the

industry know such a department exists and most would probably have a hard time believing it, but it does. And for eight years now they’ve been hosting an annual “Sex, Politics, Film, & TV Reception” at the Sundance Film Festival to “celebrate” films and television shows that promote abortion. 61 Little press coverage has been given to Planned Parenthood’s Arts & Entertainment Engagement department, but The Washington Post did mention their work once, saying, “For nearly 50 years, it has been legal to have an abortion in America yet stubbornly taboo to show one on television or film. But both those things are now changing.” 62 The article went on to admit the existence of the abortion A&E department and list some of their “successes.” I’ll cover their activities in more detail in the “War on America” chapter, but for now you should at least know that such an apparatus exists and has been working behind the scenes for years. Easy abortions cause many women to ignore the use of simple precautions to reduce the risk of pregnancy, and by softening the social stigma that has historically been associated with abortions, many young girls now see them as a regular part of life.

War on Trump It’s obvious that the “news” media has been waging a disinformation war against President Trump since the day he won the 2016 election—something I chronicled in my previous book The True Story of Fake News . But the entertainment industry has also dedicated much of their creative efforts to continuously casting him and everything he does in a negative light by weaving antiTrump narratives into the plot lines of countless television dramas and sitcoms to ensure as many people as possible are inundated with the message. Stephen Colbert went so far as to produce an entire

animated series for HBO called Our Cartoon President which is dedicated to mocking him. Before becoming President, the media used to love Donald Trump. For decades he was a symbol of wealth and success, and throughout the 1980s and 90s made cameos in dozens of TV shows and movies like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , Spin City , WrestleMania , Home Alone 2 , Zoolander , and more. But all that changed after winning the 2016 election, when the Liberal Media Industrial Complex launched a war against him hoping to derail his administration and prevent him from cleaning up the corruption in Washington D.C. and bringing the government gravy train to a halt. ABC’s sitcom Black-ish revolves around an African American family and the issues they face as a Black middle-class family in America today, and shortly after the 2016 election there was an episode about how “terrified” everyone was about Trump’s victory and what it would mean for Black people. 63 For his entire professional life Donald Trump has been a friend of the Black community and had been given awards for all he did. 64 Every leader in the Black community from Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to Muhammad Ali had sung praises of him for decades, but now the media started gaslighting that he was a racist, hoping to get Black people to turn against him. 65 In an episode of The Simpsons , Lisa is seen reading To Kill a Mockingbird while seated on the couch next to Homer, when he tells her, “Now just remember, it’s set in the South a long time ago. The terrible racism you’re reading about is now everywhere .” 66 Homer and Lisa then head off to the local mall and pass a TV news crew which is interviewing a group of men, one wearing a red hat. “Kent Brockman here interviewing three blue-collar men who voted for Trump. How do you feel now?” the reporter asks them. One of the men replies, “Please stop interviewing us,” as if he’s ashamed he voted for President Trump and realized he made a big mistake.

In an episode of the revived Murphy Brown series, a character (who is a reporter) was depicted as being attacked by rabid Trump supporters because of their hatred for the media. 67 While promoting the show Candice Bergen (who plays Murphy Brown) said Donald Trump winning the 2016 election was the motivation to revive it. 68 The original series which aired from 1988-1998 depicted Murphy Brown as an investigative journalist and news anchor, so producers thought with Trump’s war on the media raging they could bring the show back and have Murphy Brown working to “expose” him. Rolling Stone noted, “The season premiere climaxes with Murphy swapping insults with President Trump during a live broadcast (him via Twitter, her glaring at the camera). The second episode has her lecturing Sarah Huckabee Sanders about the fundamental dishonesty of her press briefings, while the third sees her verbally dismantling a barely-disguised version of Steve Bannon.” 69 Literally the entire reason for bringing the show back was to use the angle of Trump vs the media, with Murphy Brown and other reporters being the underdogs and the “victims” of President Trump’s attacks. When NBC brought back Will & Grace in 2017 after initially ending the series in 2006, one new episode depicted a character walking into a cake shop because she’s hosting a birthday party for the president and wants a cake that says Make America Great Again on it. While ordering the cake she makes a comment about how she’ll be serving White Russians, a reference to the Democrats’ obsession that the Trump campaign “conspired” with Russians to “steal” the 2016 election, adding, “But you don’t need to know the guest list.” 70 The baker then refused to bake the cake saying that the phrase “Make America Great Again” is racist. 71 Vice News had a whole series called The Hunt for the Trump Tapes starring comedian Tom Arnold where he traveled around the world looking for the rumored “Trump pee tape” or a supposed recording of him saying the n-word. And just like the shows about people searching for Bigfoot that are somehow able to be drawn out for an hour each week despite never finding a shred of evidence, The Hunt for the Trump Tapes finally ended without uncovering a thing. 72 Even the X-Files has included anti-Trump messages. The series, which originally ran from 1993-2002 was revived in 2016 for a few more seasons and in January 2018 the season premiere kicked off with the “Cigarette

Smoking Man” narrating footage of President Trump’s inauguration which then cuts to a montage of clips including Vladimir Putin, people at voting booths, a KKK rally, and police confronting Black Lives Matter protesters while he continues to talk about the state of the country. 73 Robert Mueller is also depicted as the head of the FBI in the series, but “the bureau’s not in good standing with the White House.” In one episode Scully tells Mulder “Sometimes I think the world is going to hell and we’re the only two people who can save it,” to which he responds, “The world is going to hell, Scully. And the president is working to bring down the FBI along with it.” 74 After an assassination attempt on Mulder he later discovers the perpetrator is a Russian contractor with a special security clearance given to him by “the Executive branch” of our government, insinuating the President was trying to have him killed. 75 But the anti-Trump snides in sitcoms and dramas get much darker than just obsessing about how “terrible” President Trump is, or promoting the conspiracy theory that he’s a Russian agent. They’re openly calling for violence against his supporters, and want him to be assassinated.

Endorsing Violence The CBS legal drama The Good Fight posted a trailer on their official Twitter account which showed one of the main characters ranting about how “some speech” deserves “enforcement” and that it’s time to physically attack American citizens “unprovoked” who are engaging in speech that social justice warriors perceive as “racist.” 76 To the Left, supporting the border wall is considered “racist” and all Trump voters are Nazis and they want us all to be silenced, jailed, or dead. The Good Fight clip also referred to Alt-Right leader Richard Spencer getting sucker punched while giving an interview in Washington D.C. and insinuated that anyone wearing a MAGA hat in public should face the same fate. The show’s Twitter account also posted a picture showing a list of words stacked on top of each other reading, “Assassinate,” “President,” and “Trump.” 77 In one episode a character was arrested for participating in a

riot, and during his court appearance when he was talking with his lawyer he told her that the judge was a Trump appointee and so he is “fucked.” She advises him not to say anything radical, and he responds in a quiet voice, “Oh, like ‘we need to assassinate the president?” Later, when they’re back at his house she says to him, “Tell me what you said today in court was a joke” to which he responds, “Why? You don’t believe in regime change?” “You’re discussing a crime with your lawyer,” she responds and then takes his pistol and unloads it. He looks at her, disappointed, and says, “This won’t slow us down.” 78 In another episode one of the lead characters (Diane) goes on a rant about needing to get rid of President Trump and when she proposes spreading fake news about him, some of her colleagues push back thinking she’s gone too far. She then responds, “I have a Smith & Wesson 64 [handgun] in my desk, and I’m this close to taking to the streets.” 79 The series even depicted the lawyers obtaining the fabled “Trump golden showers video” after getting a flash drive sent to them by a Russian woman who claimed to have been one of the prostitutes in the video. The Daily Beast , a garbage online outlet and waste of cyberspace, was happy that such a grotesque plot line was aired on network television, saying, “It allows the show to channel our collective anxieties and outrage better than most other series that grapple with our new political reality.” 80 Amazon produced a show for their Prime streaming service titled Hunters which is about a “diverse” group of vigilantes led by Al Pacino who go around assassinating people they think are closet “Nazis” working in the United States to revive the Third Reich. In one of the trailers posted online a “Nazi” could be seen wearing a red baseball cap with some white writing on it, looking almost identical to a Make America Great Again hat. 81

“The best revenge, is revenge,” says Al Pacino’s character, who tells the vigilantes they “have to find them before they find us.” The series could easily incite (and perhaps has incited) vigilantes to go out and attack supposed “Nazis” (meaning ordinary Trump supporters). The Left thinks free speech is “hate speech” and “hate speech” is “violence,” so they justify physically attacking Trump supporters unprovoked because Antifa believes they’re fighting actual Nazis.

The executive producer of Hunters is Jordan Peele, the Black director behind Get Out who has an axe to grind with White people, so it’s not surprising he would be involved with a series that fetishizes torturing and killing them. The Left always accuse others of exactly what they’re guilty of themselves. It’s a form psychological projection, as well as a gaslighting technique. They are so detached from reality that they lack the ability of introspection and can’t see that they are the violent ones, while claiming that it’s President Trump and his supporters. They’re acting like fascists, while accusing President Trump of being one. They are the racists, spewing hatred of White people every day while claiming White people are conspiring to uphold the “systemic White supremacist system” in the United States simply because they exist. Alec Baldwin says, “the near moral collapse of this country falls squarely in the lap of Trump’s supporters,” when in reality they are the immoral degenerates destroying the foundations of our Republic. 82 Law and Order: SVU aired an episode about a character based on an amalgamation of Ann Coulter and Millie Weaver who was sexually assaulted by a suspected Antifa member, but because of her political views some of the police investigating the attack wrestled with sympathizing with her. The episode was titled “Info Wars.” At the end, the final twist was the attacker might not have been Antifa after all, but one of her own supporters (depicted as a vile White supremacist) because he got upset with her after she had turned down his advances the night before when they met at a bar. The “moral” of the story was Antifa are just peaceful protesters fighting against right-wing extremists, and while the victim was worried about them, thinking they were responsible for her assault, it was her own supporters who are the violent ones. The series usually depicts White men as the criminals, often rapists, and avoids storylines about illegal aliens being the perpetrators or Latino gangs involved in sex trafficking even though the show is supposedly often inspired by actual events. And it is extra careful not to include very many Black people as perpetrators out of the usual concerns of supposedly perpetuating “stereotypes” about Black men and crime. Actress Jessica Chastain once posted a link on Twitter to a Time magazine article denouncing Antifa, the Left’s terrorist foot soldiers, adding

“If we resort to violence as a way to combat hate, we become what we are fighting,” but then later posted a video tearfully apologizing after being barraged by social justice warriors saying that she was helping “Nazis” (meaning Trump supporters) by denouncing the increasing violence being waged against them. “I’m making a video because my heart is very heavy,” the apology began. “I’ve learned so much the past few days about the trauma many people are experiencing in our country. I’ve had the opportunity to listen, more than to speak. And [dramatic pause] it’s really hard for me to express my feelings, my thoughts, in 140 characters on Twitter so here’s my first video. I wanted you guys to know that I hear you. I want you to know that I’m committed to creating transformative social change. That I’m committed to dismantling systems of oppression. I share in the sadness of what is happening in the country. I hear you and you may never have met me, but I love you.” 83 She literally cried and apologized for denouncing violence against Trump supporters! Teen Vogue magazine declared “Antifa grows out of a larger revolutionary politics that aspires toward creating a better world, but the primary motivation is to stop racists from organizing.” 84 A better world? If Donald Trump wins reelection, Antifa may feel they have no other option to stop him than to become overt terrorists like the Weather Underground or the Symbionese Liberation Army since every attempt from the last four years to demonize him and remove him through impeachment and the ballot box have failed. Daily Show host Trevor Noah, who is from South Africa, says that Trump’s demeanor and style is like “many African dictators” or those from the Middle East. 85 And virtually every celebrity with a talk show from the old bags on The View to Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel regularly paint the president as such. 86 While everyone is familiar with Trump Derangement Syndrome—the irrational hatred and fear of President Trump, for the first time in modern history the chorus of Hollywood celebrities crossed the line far beyond their usual criticisms and hatred of a Republican president into openly calling for him to be assassinated. Madonna famously said she “thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.” 87 Comedian Kathy Griffin did a photo shoot showing her holding Trump’s bloody decapitated head which looked like an ISIS

beheading. Griffin also said she wanted to beat down Donald Trump’s then 11-year-old son Barron. 88 At one of their shows in Mexico, Guns N’ Roses brought a Donald Trump piñata on stage and invited their fans to beat on it. 89 At a Green Day concert in Oakland, California singer Billie Joe Armstrong shouted “Kill Donald Trump!” in the middle of a song. 90 Rapper Snoop Dogg “shot” Trump in the head in one of his music videos. 91 Marylin Manson “beheaded” him with a large knife in one of his. 92 Rapper Big Sean did a freestyle about murdering Donald Trump with an ice pick on a popular hip hop radio show. 93 All with no consequences whatsoever. Actor Adam Pally, who starred in a time traveling comedy series called Making History , told TMZ that if time travel were possible he would go back and kill Donald Trump. 94 Johnny Depp went even further saying someone should assassinate him right now. “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?” he asked a crowd. “It’s been awhile, and maybe it’s time,” he concluded, referring to John Wilkes Booth (who was an actor) killing Abraham Lincoln. 95 He faced no consequences whatsoever. He wasn’t dropped by his management company, none of his movies were pulled from the streaming services; nothing! Before she dropped out of the 2020 Presidential race, Kamala Harris joked with Ellen DeGeneres about killing Trump if she was stuck in an elevator with him. 96 Robert De Niro has said numerous times that he wants to punch President Trump in the face. Jim Carrey said he had a dream of murdering him with a golf club, and now draws pictures almost daily and posts them on his Twitter account depicting Trump and those in his administration as madmen hell-bent on destroying the earth. Mickey Rourke said that he wants to beat him with a baseball bat. 97 After the Iranian government put an $80 million bounty on President Trump’s head, comedian George Lopez responded on Instagram saying, “We’ll do it for half.” 98 While hosting Saturday Night Live , comedian John Mulaney urged people to assassinate President Trump like Julius Caesar. “It is a Leap Year, as I said. Leap Year began in 45 B.C. under Julius Caesar. This is true, he started the Leap Year in order to correct the calendar and we still do it to this day,” he began. 99 “Another thing that happened under Julius Caesar, he

was such a powerful maniac that all the senators grabbed knives and they stabbed him to death. That would be an interesting thing if we brought that back now.” 100 The atmosphere the media has created in the Trump era, where publicly wishing for his death has become commonplace, has incited numerous unhinged lunatics to attempt to storm the White House and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida where he often goes on holidays. 101 Yet with the exception of Kathy Griffin getting dropped by CNN as cohost of their New Year’s Eve coverage, none of the celebrities calling for his assassination have faced any consequences. Not legally or professionally. Imagine the outrage if anyone even remotely suggested that Barack Obama should be assassinated, or hung for treason. Their career would have been over by the end of the day and their “terrorist threats” would have dominated the news cycle for an entire week.

The 25th Amendment Fantasies As you likely know, every few months throughout the Trump Administration the mainstream media repeats the same news cycle about the “possibility” that President Trump may be removed from office by enacting the 25th Amendment, which allows the expulsion of a president if the majority of his cabinet agree he is mentally unfit for office, which would result in the Vice President taking over. Such pipe dreams have been fueled by gossip columnists like Michael Wolff in his tabloid trash books that are hailed by the media for his supposed “anonymous sources” inside the White House who say this possibility is “being discussed” every day. 102 The Left’s desperate hope that the 25th Amendment could end their Trump nightmare has caused the issue to get written into the plots of various political dramas on television, allowing those with Trump Derangement Syndrome to have the emotional satisfaction for a fleeting moment that it has actually happened. These plot lines also serve to plant seeds in people’s minds hoping they’ll grow and increase discussions and pressure about actually doing a such thing to President Trump.

The Showtime series Homeland , a spy thriller about the Department of Homeland Security investigating terrorist threats against the United States, is just one of numerous shows to include this plot point. “I am here to relieve you of your command,” says the character playing the Vice President to a flabbergasted now former President standing in the Oval office as he is informed of the decision. 103 Before President Trump, such a topic was never addressed in any political drama or thriller. The 25th Amendment was an obscure provision few people ever heard of, but it’s included in the Constitution just in case the President becomes mentally incapacitated. Democrats, however, hoped to use it as a weapon. CBS’s political drama Madam Secretary did the same thing. “I’ve talked to White House Counsel and the attorney general, and though there is a ‘fog of law’ surrounding Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, because it’s never been invoked, they assured me that if the heads of the executive departments plus the vice president vote by simple majority, the president will be removed from office, and Vice President Hurst will become the acting president.…If ever there were a time to set aside politics and do what’s best for the country, this is it,” says the White House Chief of Staff. 104

After the Cabinet voted in favor of removing the President by enacting the 25th Amendment, he addressed the nation to announce that he would be stepping down and thanked them for putting their country first! “I thank the brave cabinet secretaries who voted to invoke the 25th Amendment. They are all true American heroes and patriots. They put their country ahead of their personal relationship with me. That’s what separates us from dictatorships and oligarchies. Without people of such courage, our democracy would be lost, and they will forever have my gratitude. And because of them, I have never felt more proud to be an American.” 105 Kiefer Sutherland’s Designated Survivor series on ABC also aired a 25th Amendment fantasy, where his vice president plotted to invoke the power hoping to have him removed as President after notes about his therapy sessions were leaked to the public, causing concerns about his mental stability as he tried to cope with the death of his wife. 106 Michael J. Fox guest-starred as the prosecutor for the Cabinet, which ultimately failed in removing Sutherland, but succeeded in making an entire

episode about the 25th Amendment, which was the whole point in the first place. Even The CW’s superhero series Supergirl , a derivative of the Superman franchise that focuses on Superman’s cousin, also aired an episode where Kara (aka Supergirl, who, like Clark Kent works as a reporter) published an exposé on the President conspiring with arch villain Lex Luther, resulting in the cabinet invoking the 25th Amendment to have him removed. As the characters are watching a news broadcast about the situation, one turns to Kara, congratulating her, saying, “Talk about the power of the press.” 107 She replies, “These have been some dark days. And I’ll admit, there were some times where I thought we would never get out of it, but we didn’t give up, and we kept chipping away, until we brought the truth to light. Can you believe the Fourth Estate saved the day?” 108 The “Fourth Estate” refers to the news media, which functions as an unofficial fourth branch of government that is supposed to help keep political power in check.

Are There Any Conservative Celebrities? Sometimes people may wonder “why are there so few conservative celebrities?” The answer is that there may not be as few as it appears because they keep quiet about their politics knowing that if they were vocal about their beliefs it would virtually end their career. Being a conservative in Hollywood has always been difficult but in the Age of Trump, it has never been more dangerous. There are a few rare exceptions like conservative comedians Dennis Miller, Larry the Cable Guy, and Jeff Foxworthy, but they are allowed to exist because they have a niche market, and only as long as they don’t come out too hard against the Left. They won’t do jokes about gays, transgenders, Black crime, or other topics they know will cause them to be canceled. They have to stay in their lane. There are some Republican actors like Jon Voight, and Dean Cain who are public about their beliefs but open conservatives in Hollywood are mostly lower-level actors who make a good living, but aren’t A-listers.

Those who want to be megastars know what needs to be done, and what must not be done—or said publicly. James Woods says that after he was asked at a Hollywood Foreign Press Association junket (the organization that runs the Golden Globe awards) if he would support Hillary Clinton for president, he was blacklisted from Hollywood for saying no. 109 After President Trump became elected Woods began tweeting support for him, and his tweets became increasingly political. He was later dropped by his talent agent who gave him no other reason than, “I don’t want to represent you anymore.” 110 Woods is now basically retired but still enjoys tweeting his disgust for liberals on a regular basis. Kanye West says it took him a year to “have the confidence” to publicly support Trump and wear a MAGA hat. He would later say that wearing the hat “represented overcoming fear and doing what you felt no matter what anyone said.” 111 When Kanye was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live for the season premiere in 2018 he wore his MAGA hat on stage for his performance, and afterwards he started ranting about how the staff and producers were not happy about it. “They said, ‘don’t go out there with that hat on.’ They bullied me backstage. They bullied me! And then they say I’m in a sunken place.” He then went on to say that ninety percent of news is liberal, “So it’s easy to make it seem like it’s so one-sided.” 112 He got a lot of backlash and was even called a White supremacist, but he is a big enough star to weather the storm and eccentric enough for many to dismiss his political views as him just “being Kanye.” But there is no tolerance for ordinary actors or actresses just starting their career. Mean Girls was a movie and is now a play on Broadway, and one of the stars (Laura Leigh Turner) made headlines because someone snooping around her Twitter account noticed that she was following various popular conservatives, including President Trump and Sean Hannity. 113 She then un-followed Trump hoping to avoid any more negative attention. Something similar happened to a contestant on The Bachelorette in the 2018 season when it was discovered that the frontrunner had “liked” various Instagram posts that made fun of feminists and illegal aliens. After making headlines for his “egregious behavior” he deleted his account so more wouldn’t be uncovered and issued a lengthy and pathetic apology. 114

Because of the increasing persecution of conservative celebrities, actor Gary Sinise founded a “secret society” of sorts called the Friends of Abe in 2004 to function as a support group and networking organization for conservatives in the entertainment industry. “Abe” refers to Abraham Lincoln, and at one time the group supposedly had around 2000 members, including Kevin Sorbo, Jon Voight, Scott Baio, and Kelsey Grammer. They used to meet once a month and would host guest speakers like conservative pundits as well as Republican politicians. When the organization filed for a 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in 2011, the Obama-controlled IRS demanded a list of their members in order to process their application which is not a requirement for a group to be granted a non-profit status. 115 It was during this same time that the IRS was later found to have discriminated against over 400 different conservative groups, especially if they had “Tea Party” in their name. 116 After getting some negative press for trying to find out the names of everyone associated with Friends of Abe, the IRS reluctantly approved them as a 501(c)(3). It is said that they disbanded in 2017 over divisions about President Trump, but there are rumors that a new “Friends of Abe” may have formed, possibly under a different name. 117 Being a conservative in Hollywood has always been difficult, but in our modern age with political correctness run amok and Thought Police ready to destroy anyone’s career for having the “wrong” opinion, it has caused most conservatives in the entertainment industry to stay hiding in the closet. It’s not just Donald Trump that Hollywood is waging war on—it’s what he represents. He’s a nationalist, not a globalist. He puts America First, and unlike most other recent presidents won’t surrender our sovereignty to the United Nations. But Hollywood isn’t just trying to destroy him and his supporters. They’re waging war on the entire country, our culture, our history, and our families.

Author’s Note: Please take a moment to rate and review this book on Amazon.com, or wherever you purchased it from if you’re reading the ebook, to let others know what you think. This also helps to offset the trolls who keep giving my books fake one-star reviews when they haven’t even read them. Almost all of the one-star reviews on Amazon for my last three books, “The Liberal Media Industrial Complex,” “The True Story of Fake News,” and “Liberalism: Find a Cure” are from NON-verified purchases which is a clear indication they are fraudulent, hence me adding this note. It’s just more proof that liberals are losers and can’t play fair, so if you could help me combat them as soon as possible since you actually bought this book, that would be great! Thank you!

War on America Since the Leftists are trying to overthrow the United States of America and replace our Republic with a socialist dictatorship they are heavily promoting illegal immigration, demonizing the police, and are relentlessly attacking American culture, customs, symbols, and holidays. This is all obvious today, but back in the late 1940s and early 50s there were widespread concerns about communists and communist sympathizers working in Hollywood who may use their positions to do just that. Numerous individuals were blacklisted and basically banned from working in the industry to prevent them from spreading anti-American

sentiments. In 1947, ten writers and directors refused to testify about their suspected communist ties or sympathies before the House Un-American Activities Committee, likely because they didn’t want to incriminate themselves. The communist purge back then was widely criticized as an overreaction and a witch hunt (often referred to as McCarthyism), but it’s obvious—the seeds of Marxism have taken root in Hollywood and now, as Tim Allen said, being a conservative in that town today is like being a Jew in 1930s Germany. 118 Orson Bean, who was a popular gameshow host in the 1960s, later noted, “Sitcoms and movies today hate old-fashioned values. There’s more anti-American propaganda today than the Soviets could have ever worked into our culture through their covert party members who were writing screenplays.” 119 A former KGB Agent named Yuri Bezmenov who defected to Canada in the 1970s would later give a series of interviews and lectures in the United States detailing how the Soviet Union was working to undermine the United States as part of their long term goal to end our reign as the world’s premier superpower. He described the process as “ideological subversion” which was comprised of four different parts: Demoralization, Destabilization, Crisis, and Normalization. 120 He said the Marxists knew it would take an entire generation to accomplish, but were patiently and persistently working towards the goal. “What [ideological subversion] basically means is: to change the perception of reality of every American to such an extent that despite [an] abundance of information, no one is able to come to sensible conclusions in the interest of defending themselves, their families, their community, and their country,” he explained. 121 Basically, the communists planned to cause cultural chaos by encouraging Americans to embrace socially toxic ideas they knew would ultimately lead to self-destruction down the road. It’s obvious that each phase of the Ideological Subversion plan has been successful. Hollywood has warped the minds of tens of millions of people causing irreversible damage, brainwashing them into believing that America is an evil country built entirely on the backs of slaves while the greedy 1% control all the wealth, so why bother trying to earn an honest living.

They’ve destabilized the nuclear family causing a sociological crisis like the world has never seen, with the majority of children now being raised by single parents; they’ve normalized the most unhealthy sexual behaviors and lifestyles anyone could imagine; and recently we’ve been faced with numerous crises from the coronavirus pandemic to the ongoing racial conflicts from Black Lives Matter. All of which have thrown America into a tailspin. The ongoing attacks on American culture are stunningly similar to the “Cultural Revolution” in China which was launched by communist dictator (and mass murderer) Mao Zedong in the 1960s to purge any remaining elements of capitalism from the country along with anything else that may be an obstacle to his power. The Communist Party claimed that although the capitalists had been overthrown they were “still trying to use the old ideas, culture, customs, and habits of the exploiting classes to corrupt the masses, capture their minds, and stage a comeback.” 122 To solidify his power Mao Zedong had his Red Guards (a network of student groups) violently target what were called the “Four Olds”— meaning old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas; in order to “transform education, literature and art, and all other parts of the superstructure that do not correspond to the socialist economic base, so as to facilitate the consolidation and development of the socialist system.” 123 This is exactly what the social justice warriors of today are doing in the United States by targeting gender norms, the nuclear family, American holidays, our history, capitalism, and free speech.

Socialism’s Emergence in America Bernie Sanders popularized socialism perhaps more than anyone else in a generation, and now an increasing number of wealthy celebrities have taken up the cause. Mark Ruffalo was one of the first to endorse Sanders’ presidential campaign. The Avengers star is worth over $30 million dollars and earned $6 million playing the Hulk in just one of the many Avengers films but he thinks “It’s time for an economic revolution,” and claims, “Capitalism today is

failing us, killing us, and robbing from our children’s future.” 124

John Cusack also endorsed Bernie Sanders and at one of his rallies said we need to end “predatory capitalism,” which basically means forgive all debt and offer everyone free stuff paid for by those of us who work hard and save our money. 125 It’s our fault that others frivolously spend their money on things they don’t need instead of saving it or investing it, and now they feel they deserve ours. Jim Carrey, Britney Spears, and others are also encouraging Americans to “say yes to socialism.” 126 The Democratic candidates for president in 2020 were in a competition to see who could offer voters more free stuff: Free health care, free college, forgiving all student loans, reparations for Black people and gays, and more. Recently we’ve started seeing blatant anti-capitalism and pro-socialism themes in major movies and television shows which is exactly what Joseph McCarthy was worried communist sympathizers would do. Such messages seem to have been glossed over in 2019’s Joker by most viewers who were captivated by Joaquin Phoenix’s disturbing performance, but they were actually at the core of the movement the Joker would come to lead. “Kill The Rich—A New Movement?” is the headline on a tabloid the Joker had in his apartment as civil unrest erupted in Gotham. “Fuck the rich! Fuck Thomas Wayne! That’s what this whole fucking thing is about! Fuck the whole system!” screams one protester. A reporter asks Mr. Wayne (Batman’s father) about the “groundswell of anti-rich sentiments,” adding, “It’s almost as if our city’s less fortunate residents are taking the side of the killer.” “What kind of coward would do something that cold-blooded?” he responds, speaking of Arthur Fleck killing three men who assaulted him on the subway, sparking his transformation into Joker. “Someone who hides behind a mask. Someone who’s envious of those more fortunate than themselves.” At the very end when the Joker is a guest on a popular late-night talk show, he begins the interview saying, “It’s been a rough few weeks Murray…ever since I killed those three Wall Street guys.”

“Okay, I’m waiting for the punchline,” Murray (Robert De Niro) responds. “There is no punchline. It’s not a joke.” He goes on to rant about how awful society is and how nobody is civil anymore. “Do you think men like (billionaire) Thomas Wayne ever think what it’s like to be someone like me? To be somebody but themselves? They don’t!” He continues ranting and gloats about the riots on the streets and the police officers who have been harmed and then shoots Murray in the face live on the air. The Joker is hailed as a hero by the mobs gathering in the streets for fighting back against the system. Throughout the riots some people are seen holding signs that say “Resist”—the same signs anti-Trump “Resistance” activists often use at their protests. The hacking thriller Mr. Robot has been praised for its anti-capitalism themes. The main character “Elliot” wants to cause “the single biggest incident of wealth redistribution in history,” by deleting all financial records of credit card debt and mortgages. 127 The Atlantic said, “for the most part the show plays like an Occupy Wall Street fever dream.” 128 Another critic called it, “the anti-capitalist TV show we’ve been waiting for,” and praised it because it, “makes socialism a vibrant force again in popular culture.” 129 Justin Timberlake stars in the 2011 film In Time about a future world where people are genetically programmed to stop aging at 25, and then die a year later if they can’t afford to buy any more “time.” Their remaining lifespan counts down on a timer implanted in their arm which shows how much longer they have to live. The rich people are able to afford more “time” and can live for hundreds of years, but the poor people can’t, and have to borrow “time” at high rates of interest. So Justin Timberlake decides to steal a whole bunch of “time” and distribute it to the poor people in order to “crash the system.” 130 The Netflix series The Society is about a small town where all the adults mysteriously disappear, leaving a group of high schoolers stuck in what appears to be a parallel universe to fend for themselves while they struggle to build a new “society” in order to survive on their own. After some of the kids decide to raid the local hardware store for supplies, fighting with each other as they scramble to take what they can, it results in a town meeting where the natural leader (the new “mayor,” who was student body president in their previous world) tells everyone they’re

going to take inventory on all the food and other resources in the town and begin eating meals communally in the school cafeteria to ration it. A group of the jocks are later shown laying around reflecting on what they had done to the hardware store and discussing the emerging government. One of them begins, “I’ve been thinking—what if we didn’t, like, take stuff? Like food or whatever. Wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, right? Sharing. It could be like socialism. There’s no “I” in team, right?” Another says it “kind of worked” in China because “everything’s made in China.” “Well. Socialism it is,” they conclude. 131 But sharing food and work responsibilities angers some of the rich kids from the town (the “haves”) who don’t want to give up their property to others (the “have nots”) or work at what they see as jobs that are beneath them, so a power struggle ensues and the “haves” organize a coup, seizing political power of the town proving how “ruthless” rich people are and the lengths they’ll go to maintain their lifestyle at the “expense” of others. In season two of Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan series, the cause for Venezuela’s economic and humanitarian crisis isn’t said to be from socialism failing the country, but because the president is a “nationalist.” The president’s opponent however, is “running against him on a social justice platform and on the strength of, in my humble opinion, just not being an asshole,” explains Jack Ryan. 132 The Foundation for Economic Freedom denounced the series, pointing out that, “By making the villain of Jack Ryan a nationalist, the writers take a not-so-subtle jab at US President Donald Trump, whose ‘America First’ slogan has been described as nationalism ‘that betrays America’s values.’” 133

The growing pro-socialist messages woven into the plots of TV series and movies caused the Orange County Register to ask, “Why does Hollywood smear capitalism, promote socialism?” 134 The answer is clear— the Marxists embedded in Hollywood are using their positions in the industry just as the Red Scare of the 1940s and 50s had feared. In February 2020 a “Netflix for the Left” was launched called Means TV by a group of socialist film makers who helped produce campaign ads for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 election to Congress. 135 It’s an “anticapitalist” subscription service that streams documentaries, news shows,

and even cartoons and comedies in order to “create the cultural foundation and need to build socialism in the U.S.” 136 It is an admittedly Marxist service that aims to incite people to rise up and “seize the means of production.” 137

Black Lives Matter Riots of 2020 After a man named George Floyd, who was high on fentanyl and methamphetamine, 138 died while in police custody in Minneapolis, it kicked off nationwide riots and looting that went on for over a week. 139 They started locally in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the Black community looted and burned businesses and even took over the local police station and burnt that down too. 140 The riots and looting quickly spread to other cities across the country largely due to the mainstream media fanning the flames of racial tensions by reporting half-truths and gaslighting, giving gullible people the impression that African Americans are being systematically hunted by police and around every corner Black people minding their own business are confronted by “White supremacists.” Celebrities were more than happy to pour gasoline on the fire, and many of them announced that they were donating money to bail out the rioters. Justin Timberlake, Chrissy Teigen, Steve Carell, Seth Rogan and many more declared that they were on the side of the mob and were helping to fund them. Others, including John Legend, Lizzo, Natalie Portman, Common, and more all signed a petition supporting the new anti-police agenda calling for police departments to be defunded and shut down. 141 Just days later the Los Angeles mayor announced that he was cutting $100 to $150 million dollars from the LAPD budget and diverting the money to communities of color. 142 New York City mayor Bill de Blasio followed suit saying he too was cutting the NYPD budget by one billion dollars to defund the police. 143 This just days after iconic stores like Macy’s on Fifth Avenue had been looted because police were too busy dealing with rioters in other parts of the city. “We don’t want no more police,” one protest leader told

Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey before the mob ran him out of an event for not supporting the cause. 144 Defunding and disbanding police departments as part the Black Lives Matter “revolution” certainly wasn’t enough to satisfy the angry mob, so soon they began calling for all TV shows and movies about cops to be canceled. The Washington Post led the charge with the headline “Shut down all police movies and TV shows—Now,” and just a few days later the popular “Cops” reality show was pulled from TV because it “glorified police.” 145 It had been on air for 33 seasons, beginning in 1989. Another popular cop reality show, Live PD, was also canceled. 146 These unscripted series show the dangers police officers face firsthand, but since they humanize them, the Marxists wanted the shows banned. And all this happened within two weeks of Black Lives Matter resurging. They even targeted Paw Patrol , a cartoon for kids about dogs who work a variety of jobs like a dalmatian firefighter, a bulldog construction worker, and a German shepherd police officer. 147 The Left doesn’t want children to have any positive depiction of police so they can more easily indoctrinate them into their nihilist cult and the “ACAB” (All Cops Are Bastards) ideology. It’s a miracle Will Smith and Martin Lawrence didn’t apologize for starring in the action comedy Bad Boys since it makes cops seem funny and cool. Apple Music even disabled the search feature for a day, called Blackout Tuesday, to help raise “awareness” for Black Lives Matter—as if we all hadn’t been hearing enough about them on the news and social media. Instead of letting people find the music they wanted to listen to, Apple replaced the Browse feature with a special curated playlist containing Black power music, including NWA’s infamous “Fuck the Police.” 148 They continued marching in the streets for months claiming the United States is inherently racist against Black people and that they are being oppressed by “systemic racism” that keeps them from succeeding in life. This, while every major social media platform coddles them and even gives Black people special privileges and perks. 149 The terms of service forbidding “hate speech,” harassment, and inciting violence are rarely enforced when such violations are made by non-White users. During the 2020 Riots countless major corporations including Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon, Disney, McDonalds, Starbucks, Bank

of America and many others released statements declaring their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and donated hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars each to Black communities and causes. 150 Cable networks, including the Discovery Channel and the Disney Channel were airing Black Lives Matter PSAs, 151 and several video games including Call of Duty and FIFA 20 (soccer) added a “Black Lives Matter” message every-time the games were booted. 152 Black Lives Matter is not about “ending racism” or “helping” Black people—it’s a front for a neo-Marxist movement attempting to overthrow the United States government and uproot our Constitutional Republic. 153 One of their original online manifestos (which has since been toned down a bit) read, “Black people will never achieve liberation under the current racialized capitalist system…The White supremacist, imperialistic, patriarchal systems needs not reform but radical transformation…We must remake the current U.S. political system in order to create a real democracy where Black people and all marginalized people can effectively exercise full political power.” 154 One of the original “founders” of the movement, Patrisse Cullors, openly admits she’s a Marxist and her “intellectual influences” are Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and Mao Zedong. 155 Other Black Lives Matter leaders like Yusra Khogali have written that White people are “subhuman” and are “genetic defects.” 156 They are also calling for a universal basic income [UBI], universal healthcare, reparations for slavery, the release of “all political prisoners” meaning Black people incarcerated for committing any crime, and want “a radical and sustainable redistribution of wealth.” 157 Such extremist ideas had been festering on the fringes of the Black power movement since the 1960s but now they have the unwavering support of virtually every celebrity and the entire Hollywood machine has been recalibrated to promote their cause.

Christianity Under Attack In order to destroy America, the conspirators are determined to eradicate faith in God and dismantle organized Christianity. Attacking Jesus and Christianity is a sacrament in Hollywood because the far-Left

hates Jesus and everything He stands for. It’s not an overstatement to say that many in key positions of power in the entertainment industry (and politics) are Satanists who will someday openly embrace Lucifer as the rebel angel kicked out of Heaven for defying God. “I’m glad the Jews killed Christ,” ranted comedian Sarah Silverman in one of her comedy specials. “Good. I’d fucking do it again!” she declares, as her audience agrees in laughter. 158 While accepting an Emmy Award one year Kathy Griffin said, “A lot of people come up here and they thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. He didn’t help me a bit…so all I can say is suck it Jesus! This award is my god now!” 159 I’m not saying people shouldn’t be able to make fun of Christians, but no mainstream celebrity would dare make such insults or jokes about Muhammad because Muslims (and Jews) are vigorously protected against any criticism or mockery and only wonderful things can be said about them. Even a slightly edgy joke ignites a barrage of attacks with cries of “Islamophobia” or “anti-Semitism” and gears start moving in the wellfunded and massive smear machines like the ADL and the SPLC which quickly move to destroy the person’s career before they can utter another word. Hating Christians is almost as necessary as believing in climate change if you’re going to be a mainstream Hollywood celebrity. There are very few open Christians in Hollywood, most of them are has-beens like Kevin Sorbo and Kirk Cameron who have been basically blacklisted since being open about their faith. Kevin Sorbo was banned from Comicon because he’s a conservative and “pals with Sean Hannity.” 160 He and other Christian actors are stuck doing low budget films that get little attention. They’re allowed to exist (for now) as long as they never point out the Bible’s teachings on homosexuality. Only watered down and generic Christian messages are allowed to be said. After Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and happened to discuss his “spirituality,” many

online began attacking him for being a Christian and attending a church. Actress Ellen Page (a lesbian) from the X-Men and Inception tweeted, “If you are a famous actor and you belong to an organization that hates a certain group of people, don’t be surprised if someone simply wonders why it’s not addressed. Being anti LGBTQ is wrong, there aren’t two sides. The damage it causes is severe. Full stop.” 161 Singer Ellie Goulding threatened to back out of her scheduled performance at the 2019 Thanksgiving NFL halftime show if the Salvation Army didn’t pledge to donate money to LGBT causes. She got the idea after her Instagram comments were flooded with complaints from her fans because the Salvation Army was sponsoring the game to announce their annual Red Kettle Campaign (bell ringers) fundraiser for the homeless. 162 Since the Salvation Army is a Christian charity, Goulding’s fans freaked out, accusing them of being “homophobic” and “transphobic.” They quickly bowed to the pressure and “disavowed” any anti-LGBT beliefs, which basically means they’re disavowing the Bible because even the New Testament denounces homosexuality in Romans 1:26-27 and 1st Corinthians 6:9-10. Many critics claim that only the Old Testament does, but the Book of Romans makes it clear that just because Jesus came to offer salvation doesn’t mean God’s law regarding homosexuality changed. The Salvation Army also removed a “position statement” from their website that had made it clear “Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex,” and replaced it with one saying “We embrace people regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity.” 163 One of the world’s largest Christian charities whose very name “The Salvation Army” refers to the salvation of Christ, cowardly bowed down to the Leftist activists out of fear they would be branded “homophobic.” Christians are easy targets since they’re much more passive than Jews and Muslims when attacked, and Hollywood loves to stereotype them as a bunch of superstitious bigots who don’t know how to have fun. In the rare case that there is a movie favorable to Christianity that gets widespread distribution, that too is attacked. Passion of the Christ was deemed “anti-Semitic” because it depicts the story of Jesus’ arrest, sham trial, and crucifixion. 164 It was the most popular film about the events to be made and wasn’t a straight to DVD release like

most others. With Mel Gibson behind it, the film became a huge success, which caused a tremendous backlash. The ADL [Anti-Defamation League] denounced the film, saying it “continues its unambiguous portrayal of Jews as being responsible for the death of Jesus. There is no question in this film about who is responsible. At every single opportunity, Mr. Gibson’s film reinforces the notion that the Jewish authorities and the Jewish mob are the ones ultimately responsible for the Crucifixion.” 165 That’s because that’s what happened! Technically, the Romans did it, but at the behest of the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem at the time. The Bible makes it very clear what led to Jesus being crucified. Pontius Pilate is quoted in Matthew 27:24 saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” and “It is your responsibility!” meaning the Jewish Pharisees. They were the ones who conspired to have Jesus arrested and killed for “blasphemy” and being a “false” messiah. Pontius Pilate even offered to release Jesus, but the crowd demanded he release Barabbas instead, another man who was being detained for insurrection against Rome, and for murder. 166 A critic for the New York Daily News called The Passion of the Christ , “the most virulently anti-Semitic movie made since the German propaganda films of the Second World War.” 167 Many others angrily denounced the film when it came out in 2004. Some in the media even blamed it for a supposed “upsurge” in anti-Semitic hate crimes. 168 When the History Channel miniseries The Bible was released in 2013, the same cries of “anti-Semitism” rang out. 169 The New York Times opinion editor Bari Weiss went so far as to say that it’s a “conspiracy theory” that Jews killed Jesus. 170 Even though most Christmas movies aren’t overtly Christian and instead focus of the importance of families reuniting and spending time together, that doesn’t mean they’re not going to come under attack. As the war on western culture continues, the Marxists have set their sights on Christmas too. Online liberal cesspool Salon.com ran a headline reading “Hallmark movies are fascist propaganda,” and complained they promote “heteronormative whiteness” because there aren’t enough LGBT characters or people of color in them. 171 “Hallmark movies, with their emphasis on returning home and the pleasures of the small, domestic life, also send a not-at-all subtle signal of

disdain for cosmopolitanism and curiosity about the larger world,” Salon said, “which is exactly the sort of attitude that helps breed the kind of defensive White nationalism that we see growing in strength in the Donald Trump era.” 172 The article went on to say that because the Hallmark Channel airs so many Christmas movies, it is promoting, “a set of patriarchal and authoritarian values that are more about White evangelicals defining themselves as an ethnic group, and not about a genuine feeling of spirituality…The very fact that they’re presented as harmless fluff makes it all the more insidious, the way they work to enforce very narrow, White, heteronormative, sexist, provincial ideas of what constitutes ‘normal.’” 173 The article wasn’t satire. Salon.com has a deep-seated hatred of Christianity, conservatives and families, and is another cog in the Cultural Marxist machine working to destroy the United States. Comedian Whitney Cummings was reported to the Human Resources department of a major Hollywood studio after she wished the crew of a TV show she was working on “Merry Christmas” when they wrapped up for the year. She made the revelation while speaking with Conan O’Brian the following December. “Last year, I was working on a TV show, [and] got in trouble with Human Resources for saying ‘Merry Christmas’ to an intern,” she began. 174 Conan asked her if she was being serious and she said it was a true story, elaborating, “I was leaving, like on the 18th or whatever…and I was like, ‘Bye guys, Merry Christmas.’” When she returned from vacation after New Year’s she was called to HR and scolded. She joked, “I don’t even care how your Christmas was. It was just a formality. It’s what you say when you leave.” 175 Conan O’Brien then replied, “In these times we’re in, that could trigger someone or offend them if it’s not their holiday.” 176 She didn’t say which network it was, but she’s been involved with some major shows like NBC’s Whitney (where she played the main character), as well as the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, which she created and was a writer for. While today it may seem impossible that Christmas movies may become a thing of the past, nobody could have ever guessed that reruns of the classic Dukes of Hazzard would get banned after the Confederate flag was deemed a “hate symbol” in 2015, or that Aunt Jemima pancake syrup,

Eskimo Pie ice cream bars, and Uncle Ben’s Rice would be deemed “racially insensitive” and pulled from production a few years later. 177 Once someone reminds liberals that the word Christmas is derived from Christ’s Mass and that it is actually a commemoration of the birth of Jesus, they may finally go over the edge and deem Christmas just as offensive as Columbus Day or the Fourth of July. And with the Muslim and Sikh populations increasing in the United States, the American standard of Christmas music playing in shopping malls and retail stores all month long every December may one day come to an end because it’s not “inclusive” and leaves non-Christians feeling “ostracized.”

Glorifying Satanism Since the Hollywood elite hate God and everything that is normal and good, it would only make sense that they have embraced Satan as their symbolic (or literal) master. The Church of Satan is an organization started by Anton LaVey in the 1960s which gained popularity among a few celebrities at the time like Sammy Davis Jr. and Jayne Mansfield. The “church” was really just Anton LaVey’s house, but he was a showman, so in the late 1960s and early 70s he was able to get some media attention for openly embracing satanism and engaging in various theatrical rituals and stunts (like serving an amputated leg for dinner that one of the members stole from a hospital he worked at). 178 While the group’s 15 minutes of fame soon faded away, satanism in Hollywood didn’t. Rock stars and heavy metal bands in the 1980s and 90s continued to promote satanism through their music. Marilyn Manson, the self-described “anti-Christ superstar,” would often tear out pages from the Bible on stage as part of his shows. Of course he would never do that to a Quran because radical Muslims would put out a fatwa calling for him to be executed, not to mention he would be denounced as “Islamophobic,” but attacking Christians gets one hailed as a hero in Hollywood.

In the early 2010s we began to see an explosion of pop stars promoting a new brand of satanism, in the form of the Illuminati. The original Illuminati was a secret society founded in Bavaria, Germany in the late 1700s by a law professor at the University of Ingolstadt named Adam Weishaupt. While the Founding Fathers in America openly declared their views and goals to gain independence from the King of England, the Illuminati sought secrecy and subversion to escape the grasp of the Monarch in Germany. After many of the members were discovered, rounded up and arrested, it was said the secret society was no more, but rumors have persisted for over two hundred years that they survived and continued on. The group’s original plans—many of which had been discovered by seizing their letters of correspondence—detailed how the organization was structured to avoid collapsing if any of its cells were discovered. Some trace their symbols, slogans, and activities to the Skull & Bones secret society founded in 1832, and later to the Bohemian Grove, and the Bilderberg Group. 179 Aside from being a mafia of sorts, consisting of powerful politicians, bankers, and businessmen—many people believe that these “Illuminati” members are privy to ancient philosophical secrets about the history of mankind and the “true” nature of divine forces. Concerns and conspiracy theories about the Illuminati were mostly contained on the fringes of the Internet until the early 2010s when allegations of celebrity Illuminati involvement went viral through YouTube videos and social media postings. 180 Many rappers and pop stars began incorporating Illuminati symbols into their music videos and hinting that they were somehow a part of it. None of these musicians were members of Skull & Bones or attending the Bohemian Grove, but by promoting the Illuminati and satanism as cool, they laid the foundation for the widespread acceptance of satanism—or Luciferianism as it is also called. Those who follow this secret doctrine believe that the God who created the world (and all living things) was actually a lower level god called the Demiurge (Jehovah), who essentially enslaved mankind through our very creation, either through malevolence or ignorance of its own lack of abilities; and so Satan/Lucifer, the “supreme” being of the Universe from this point of view, decided to enter the Demiurge’s creation to “save” mankind by convincing Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, giving them consciousness. 181 This strange

belief that Satan is the savior, and God (the creator) is evil, is found at the core of most occult fraternities and secret societies. 182 Such esoteric ideas had remained mostly hidden from public view for thousands of years, but now a large number of Hollywood celebrities seemed to be embracing the idea that Satan/Lucifer is good, and giving a wink and a nod that they too know the Illuminati secret. 183 While the Illuminati fad in pop culture has passed, the open embrace of this idea—that Satan/Lucifer is actually the “savior”—will no doubt return someday and catch on like wildfire among the high priests of pop culture. A-list celebrities will declare that Satan is “king” and countless people will blindly follow their lead as they always do. Bible prophecy predicts that one day a counterfeit Christ (the Antichrist) will declare that he is “God” and the ruler of the earth, and such proclamation will be welcomed by billions of people. And thanks to the massive cultural shifts that are taking place, the path is being paved for the widespread acceptance of the “secret doctrine” that Satan/Lucifer is really the “good” God and here to “save” mankind from the inept or malevolent creator who made a flawed world.

Abortion Because liberals celebrate hedonism, debauchery, and tend to live in the moment without any concern for the consequences, unwanted pregnancies are a common occurrence. And instead of accepting responsibility for their actions, they usually decide to kill the baby and have its remains vacuumed out of the womb, seeing such barbarism as no different than getting a wart removed. But they’re upset that such a procedure has a negative stigma for so many people, so the Hollywood propaganda machine has been working behind the scenes to change that. It’s not enough for abortion activists to hope that writers will decide on their own to include pro-abortion messages in their scripts, so Planned Parenthood took it upon themselves to create their own entertainment liaison who lobbies studios to insert such themes on their behalf.

A woman named Caren Spruch is the current director of the Arts & Entertainment Engagement department at Planned Parenthood, and the Washington Post calls her their “secret weapon,” admitting, “She encourages screenwriters to tell stories about abortion and works as a script doctor for those who do.” 184 Spruch said that Planned Parenthood has advised studios on over 150 different movies and television shows since 2014. Their first project was a “comedy” called Obvious Child which is about a girl who has a one-night stand with some random guy after breaking up with her boyfriend and later finds out she’s pregnant and gets an abortion on Valentine’s Day. 185 One of the many shows Planned Parenthood’s entertainment liaison office helped “advise” is the Hulu series Shrill , which shows the lead character (Aidy Bryant) getting pregnant and deciding to have an abortion “before it becomes illegal.” After killing the baby she tells her roommate she’s glad she “got out of a huge fucking mess” and, “I feel very fucking powerful right now. And I just feel like I need to go out [and party].” 186 A sociologist at the University of California, San Francisco wants more comedies about abortion to help destigmatize it. “The purpose of including an abortion plot line is simply to make jokes about abortion, recognizing that such satire is valuable for some people as both a means and an end,” said Gretchen Sisson, PhD. 187 She continued, “This should not be surprising: comedy has often been used as a subversive way of challenging predominant social structures,” and she thinks abortion is “intuitive new ground for comedy to address.” 188 NBC’s Parenthood included an episode where a character (played by Skyler Day) visited a Planned Parenthood clinic to get an abortion despite her boyfriend’s wishes she keep the baby and the two “start a life” together. “If I have this baby, my life is over” she told him, and proceeded to kill the child. Depicting characters getting an abortion was rare back in 2013 for network television, and the episode was celebrated for “bravely” tackling the topic. 189 The Huffington Post praised the episode as well, noting “Amy’s mind was made up and there was nothing Drew could do to stop her.” 190 Melanie Roussell Newman, who works as Planned Parenthood’s senior vice president of communications and culture, admitted, “We’ve seen pop culture change views around LGBTQ issues, for example, and pop culture

has the power to challenge abortion stigma, too.” 191 Yes, that’s a real job position—they have a “communications and culture department” (as well as their Arts & Entertainment Engagement office). One Planned Parenthood affiliate even said that there should be a cartoon where a Disney princess gets an abortion. 192 Many people believed the statement to be an Internet hoax, but it is real, and they later explained, “Planned Parenthood believes that pop culture—television shows, music, movies—has a critical role to play in educating the public and sparking meaningful conversations around sexual and reproductive health issues and policies, including abortion.” 193 Another organization called the Center for Reproductive Rights was recently formed to promote abortion through entertainment. 194 Chairwoman Elizabeth Banks said her goal is to make abortion stigma-free and wants girls getting one to be seen as symbolic of “liberty itself.” 195 Comedian Michelle Wolf had a short-lived show on Netflix where she once did a segment titled “Salute to Abortions” which consisted of her being joined on stage by a marching band as she shouted to the audience, “It doesn’t have to be a big deal, it’s actually a great deal! It’s about $300 dollars. That’s like six movie tickets.” The segment ended with her declaring, “God bless abortions, and God bless America!” 196 She later revealed that she herself had gotten one and it made her feel “very powerful” and “like God.” 197 Actress Lena Dunham once admitted she wished she had gotten an abortion so should could “better understand” other women who have had them. 198 When actress “Busy Philipps” was at a pro-abortion rally in March 2020 she stood at the podium and screamed (literally screamed ) about how glad she was to have gotten one when she was a teenager since it allowed her to become a star. “Soon I would be driving my hybrid [car] to my beautiful fucking home…and I have all of this! All of it! Because I was allowed bodily autonomy at fifteen!” 199 “I will not be shamed into being quiet. We will not be shamed into being quiet. Never again! I will never stop talking about my abortion or my periods or my experiences in childbirth, my episiotomies, my yeast infections, or my ovulation that lines up with the moon!” 200 After seeing her unhinged rant, one might think it was someone playing a character and

doing a parody sketch of a pro-abortion activist, but she really meant it and screamed it at the top of her lungs. She was happy to sacrifice her baby for fame and fortune.

Bowing to China It’s interesting to note that Hollywood is increasingly bowing to China’s cultural standards in order to maintain distribution channels there. The Communist government has strict rules about which films are allowed to be seen in China, and in hopes of pleasing them, various plots are changed and scenes altered before they are put into production. When the trailer for the Top Gun sequel was released, some eagle-eyed fans noticed that a Taiwanese flag patch which had been sown onto Tom Cruise’s jacket along with a few other country’s flags where his father had flown missions, was now missing. 201 Taiwan has been in an ongoing dispute with China trying to become an independent country, but China still claims the island as their territory and in another apparent attempt to appease the Chinese government, Top Gun producers removed the Taiwanese flag from Cruise’s jacket because it simply being there symbolized Taiwan was not part of China, but their own country. DC Comics also censored a promotional image for a Batman comic that was posted on their Instagram and Twitter accounts after some people in China interpreted it as supporting Hong Kong in their struggle for independence. The picture showed Batman throwing a Molotov cocktail with the caption “the future is young.” 202 Protests by separatists had been growing in Hong Kong, and mostly involved college age people using social media to organize, and some read too much into the Batman picture thinking it supported them, so DC Comics deleted it so it wouldn’t cause any issues with their distribution there. The 2015 film Pixels starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James about aliens in the form of popular video game characters invading planet earth was altered so China wouldn’t get offended. While waging war against our planet—in one scene an Arkanoid paddle, similar to Breakout, was supposed to destroy part of the Great Wall of China since in the game

players bounce a ball against bricks to break them apart, but the censors changed that scene to depict the object destroying the Taj Mahal in India instead. 203 The zombie action movie World War Z was based on a book that described the virus outbreak turning people into zombies starting in China, which is ultimately nuked, leaving Lhasa, Tibet the largest remaining city in the world. But for the film, producers changed the location of the outbreak to Korea and of course China wasn’t nuked because they had nothing to do with it. Apparently the Chinese government has banned the distribution of any films featuring zombies, and the Hollywood Reporter noted that a sequel was in the works for World War Z but later canceled because Paramount wouldn’t be able to distribute the film internationally there. 204 The Chinese market is huge, and if studios are pitched a film they know won’t be allowed in China, they’re often inclined to pass on making it altogether. “You’re not going to see something that’s like Seven Years in Tibet anymore,” said Larry Shinagawa, a college professor at Hawaii’s Tokai International College. 205 The 1997 film which stars Brad Pitt takes place in the 1940s and 1950s when Tibet was struggling for independence from China, but that’s too offensive to the Chinese these days and similar films may hurt distribution deals for other, unrelated projects. Richard Gere’s Red Corner (1997) was perhaps the last major film critical of Communist China to be made. In it, Gere plays a businessman who is framed for the murder of a Chinese general’s daughter while on a trip there, and soon realizes how corrupt their legal system is. In First Man (2018), a biopic about Neal Armstrong and the Apollo 11 landing on the moon, the film didn’t show one of the most iconic scenes in history—Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planting the American flag on the moon once they arrived. When viewers noticed this strange omission Ryan Gosling, who played Armstrong, defended its absence saying landing on the moon was a “human achievement” not an American one. 206 Others had their suspicions the scene wasn’t depicted to avoid making the film too American in hopes it could be distributed in China. It doesn’t make any sense that a movie about one of America’s greatest achievements wouldn’t proudly show the historic scene of the American flag being victoriously planted in the ground on the moon after we won the Space Race.

Ryan Gosling and the producers couldn’t admit to the public the real reason for omitting the scene, because it would shock filmgoers across the country and perhaps cause people to boycott the movie for downplaying our own greatness in attempts to make more money through distribution in China. Hollywood stays very quiet about the lengths they go to in hopes of achieving that. Even the NBA has sold out to China. When the general manager of the Houston Rockets basketball team tweeted support for Hong Kong in the midst of growing protests there hoping to gain their independence, it sparked an enormous problem for the NBA because their games are broadcast in China since they are surprisingly very popular there. Adding to the problem was Chinese native Yao Ming (the 7-foot 6-inch star) had played for the Houston Rockets before retiring. Stars like James Harden praised China saying “We apologize. You know, we love China.” 207 LeBron James said the coach “wasn’t educated” about the situation and that his tweet “harmed” people financially and could have “physically” harmed them as well. 208 Despite celebrity athletes always supporting “good causes” and denouncing racism, police shootings, and human rights abuses around the world, none of them were saying a word about how China treated their citizens or that one million Muslims have been locked up in re-education camps there. 209

Immigration To say that the United States is being invaded by illegal immigrants is an understatement, but we’re now living in a period of time where certain facts are considered to be “hate speech” and the liberal media gaslights their audience trying to get them to deny their own lying eyes. Over 20 million illegal aliens have breached our border and are currently living 210 in the United States,

most of which drain financial and social resources which they don’t even pay into—but to admit the extent of the illegal alien problem is strictly forbidden. In fact, the term

“illegal alien” is now considered 211 “hate speech.” In 2019 almost 400,000 anchor babies were born in the United States from illegal alien mothers. In 48 of the 50 states there were more babies born by illegal alien mothers than ones who were born by women who are U.S. citizens. 212 Flooding the United States with immigrants from third world countries is a primary objective of the globalists because it erodes patriotism, our cultural heritage, and hastens their planned economic collapse which they look to seize upon in order to launch their socialist revolution. During the early Democratic presidential debates for the 2020 election, every single Democrat candidate on stage raised their hand when asked if they support giving free healthcare to illegal aliens. 213 There are even reports of Mexicans waiting (and hoping) for Donald Trump to lose his re-election bid in November 2020, who plan to then illegally enter the U.S. because they feel their chances of getting in and being able to stay will be almost assured. 214 The more illegals the better for Democrats, who hope to one day grant them all amnesty and make them U.S. citizens (and their new voter base), destroying any chances of Republicans winning a national election again for generations. So aside from the Democrat Party and the mainstream “news” media calling for a nonstop influx of immigrants to bring this about, Hollywood is helping as much as they can as well. Often brief pro-illegal immigration messages will be inserted into the dialogue of a show or a character will comment how “terrible” President Trump’s immigration policies are, but now we’re even seeing entire television series dedicated to promoting illegal immigration and demonizing anyone who wants to secure the border. We all know Hollywood loves to reboot old shows from decades ago, from Hawaii Five-0 and Murphy Brown to MacGyver , hoping to cash-in on the nostalgia original fans had for the series. One of those reboots was Party of Five , which originally aired in the 1990s and was about a family

of five kids (ages one to twenty-four) who had to fend for themselves after both of their parents were killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. But in 2020, it was rebooted to depict a Mexican family whose parents got deported because of President Trump’s crackdown on illegal aliens! The five kids (who are anchor babies because they were born in the U.S.) are then left here to fend for themselves. 215 The show was canceled after just one season. 216 In 2017, the New York Times expressed their frustration that there weren’t enough illegal aliens in starring roles or television shows that focus on them and their struggles, so they called on studios to green-light more series about “Dreamers”—the millions of illegal aliens smuggled into the United States by their parents that President Obama gave amnesty to. 217 Producers listened, and soon plots about “innocent” illegal aliens being persecuted would become a common occurrence.

ICE Are the New Bogymen After Roseanne Barr’s character was killed off and the series renamed The Connors due to her infamous “offensive tweet” about Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett, her daughter “Becky” in the show got knocked up by an illegal alien who worked as a busboy at the same Mexican restaurant she waitressed at. He later called her one day to let her know that he got caught up in an ICE (Immigration and Custom Enforcement) raid and she breaks down in tears out of fear that now the baby is going to have to grow up without a father because he’s being deported. 218 NBC’s sitcom Superstore featured ICE agents coming to the fictional retail giant “Cloud 9” (the “superstore” at the center of the show) to arrest an illegal immigrant who works there in the season finale. Her fellow employees tried to help her escape the agents. 219 Netflix’s female prison drama Orange is the New Black also featured ICE agents as the bad guys who arrested a major character just when she was about to be released from prison for an unrelated crime, leaving her

boyfriend waiting outside with a bouquet of flowers devastated that he wasn’t getting reunited with her. 220 In an episode of the CW’s Two Sentences Horror Story, a Latino nanny fends off would-be robbers trying to break into the family’s home that she works for, but when the heroic nanny makes the news, ICE agents discovered she was undocumented and soon paid her a visit, thus the horrifying twist at the end. 221 Charisse L’Pree Corsbie-Massay, a professor at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, says, “ICE has emerged as a villain in popular discourse, and now we’re seeing that on screen. But these ICE agents are one-off characters with no lines and no names. They’re just representations of ICE, the faceless government entity. Their only role is to play the villain to our characters.” 222 Pamela Rutledge, the director of the Media Psychology Research Center, said, “Making ICE agents as bad guys exacerbates the political fission surrounding the immigration issues…Whether you agree or disagree with current policies, it is important to understand how fiction can inform beliefs on current issues where most people have little actual experience.” 223

During the Trump administration we’ve seen more open border messages being sprinkled into shows than ever before. In Showtime’s Shameless one character (Frank Gallagher) played by William H. Macy, announces he’s having a keg party at his house and is charging people 10 bucks at the door to get in, and adds that unlike this “piece of shit country,” his “border” turns away no one. 224 Pop singer Kesha released a song and music video dedicated to DACA illegal aliens (Dreamers) called “Hymn” where she sings, “Even the stars and the moon don’t shine quite like we do. Dreamers searchin’ for the truth. After all we’ve been through, no, we won’t stand and salute [the flag].” 225 The medical drama Grey’s Anatomy had an episode about an illegal immigrant who reluctantly takes her daughter to the hospital to finally get healthcare she’s been neglecting out of fear that she would get deported. Lobbying agency Hollywood, Health & Society convinced the writers to include that plot point to highlight the concerns illegal aliens have about getting deported if they go to a hospital. 226 Even the rebooted Twilight Zone on CBS featured an episode where “welcoming illegal immigrants” was the “moral of the story” at the end. An

upper middle class woman’s housekeeper is detained by ICE and scheduled to be deported, and despite working for the family for over a decade, the family’s friends seem fairly callous about her situation. “These people know the risks when they come here,” a neighbor says. 227 The homeowner herself, Eve, is later revealed to be an illegal immigrant as well—from another dimension, who came to ours thirty years ago to live among humans on earth after fleeing terrible living conditions on her own planet. In the end, she is also detained and hauled off screaming, now facing deportation herself, back to where she came from. The episode concludes with narrator Jordan Peele giving the “moral” of the story, saying, “We are all immigrants from somewhere, be it another city, another country, or another dimension. As a child, Eve Martin escaped to what should have been a better world. A world where the skies are blue. But now those skies have darkened, and the land below them is a place she is no longer welcome. For Eve Martin, there’s no passport to be stamped for passage out of the Twilight Zone.” 228

Other Attempts There were reports that Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez was hoping to produce a TV series about a college student who found out they were an undocumented immigrant, and reportedly had a pilot episode made for the CW network, but so far it hasn’t been picked up. 229 Then CBS reportedly bought the rights and hoped they could get the show to air under the working title of Rafa the Great . 230 Gina Rodriquez is also trying to get another show called Have Mercy produced, which is about a Latina doctor who immigrates to Miami but is unable to practice medicine in the United States for whatever reason (probably because the medical school she went to is considered substandard), and so she decides to open an illegal clinic run out of her apartment to help her Latino neighbors. 231 CBS shot a pilot episode for In the Country We Love , based on Diane Guerreros’s memoir of having her parents deported back to Columbia when

she was a teenager, but it doesn’t appear to have been picked up. 232 Probably because it’s too similar to the Party of Five reboot. Another planned series called Casa (Spanish for Home) was shopped around which is about a family of immigrants who have to fend for themselves after their parents are deported. 233 It’s unknown if the idea was dropped because it’s identical to the Party of Five reboot, or if the series was just rebranded as that. It’s likely numerous different scripts about the same premise floated around Hollywood before one of them finally got picked up since it’s such a predictable plot, and several different writers probably thought it was the next big idea. DACA dramas are becoming “TV’s new obsession” in the United States. 234 Even Apple TV, which has recently joined the television production business, produced an immigration series called Little America about a 12-year-old boy from India whose parents were deported, and he is left to run his father’s hotel. Each episode tries to “go beyond the headlines to look at the funny, romantic, heartfelt, inspiring and unexpected lives of immigrants in America, at a time when their stories are more relevant than ever.” 235 In 2019 Netflix released a documentary titled After the Raid which follows the lives of several people in a small town in Tennessee after ICE officers conducted a roundup of illegal aliens there in order to guilt trip White people into feeling bad for the “Latino families” that were “broken up.” 236 Netflix is also producing a documentary series about illegal aliens with singer/actress Selena Gomez called Living Undocumented , which follows around eight families that are at risk of being deported. Gomez told the Hollywood Reporter that, “I chose to produce this series, Living Undocumented , because over the past few years, the word ‘immigrant’ has seemingly become a negative word. My hope is that the series can shed light on what it’s like to live in this country as an undocumented immigrant firsthand, from the courageous people who have chosen to share their stories.” 237 Executive producer Aaron Saidman said, “Living Undocumented is designed to illuminate one of the most important issues of our time. But rather than discussing this issue with only statistics and policy debates, we wanted viewers to hear directly from the immigrants themselves, in their own words, with all the power and emotion that these stories reflect.” 238

It’s not just TV shows. For years feature length films have been subtly promoting immigration. District 9 put a unique spin on an alien invasion story by depicting the aliens arriving to earth, not to kill us and conquer our planet, but apparently in a desperate search of a new home. The friendly aliens were malnourished and weak from their long journey and presumably came here looking for help, only to be mistreated by humans and forced to live in a slum called “District 9” that serves as a giant internment camp surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. In the end, the lead “immigration” official who had previously harassed and abused the aliens is turned into one himself after being exposed to a DNA-mutating agent, and is forced to live in District 9 as one of them. The entire film was a cheesy allegory about racial segregation and xenophobia. 239 In Machete (2010), Danny Trejo plays an illegal immigrant and vigilante living in Texas who is seen as a folk hero for killing a bunch of evil White people trying to stop illegal immigration. The film’s catchphrase is “We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us.” The White people are depicted as stupid or evil and at one point Robert DeNiro’s character, who is part of a volunteer border patrol group, even murders a Mexican kid after they catch him trying to cross the border. “Welcome to America,” he says, just before pulling the trigger. Danny Trejo then kills all the White “devils.” When some people denounced the film for seemingly encouraging anti-White violence, the Southern Poverty Law Center stepped in to defend it, calling it, “an argument for comprehensive immigration reform,” 240 meaning an argument for open borders since the bad guys in the film (aside from the Mexican drug cartel) were White people who didn’t want illegal aliens crossing the border into the United States. Elysium is a 2013 science fiction action film starring Matt Damon about a futuristic society where most of the inhabitants of earth live in extreme poverty and lack basic healthcare, while a small elite group live in luxury on a space station (called Elysium) that orbits the planet. Those not authorized to land on Elysium are deemed illegal immigrants and are “deported” or even have their aircraft shot down before reaching it. 241 Matt Damon’s best friends’ daughter has leukemia and is in need a medical treatment, so he helps smuggle her to the space station to save her, despite the elite’s best efforts to stop him.

A film critic from Variety wrote that Elysium was, “one of the more openly socialist political agendas of any Hollywood movie in memory, beating the drum loudly not just for universal healthcare, but for open borders, unconditional amnesty, and the abolition of class distinctions as well.” 242 Entertainment Weekly critic Sean Smith said, “If you are a member of the 1 percent (referring to the Occupy Wall Street movement which was occurring at the time the film was released), Elysium is a horror movie. For everyone else, it’s one step shy of a call to arms.” 243

Mexican Drug Cartels Are Good Action films need “bad guys,” and for generations those bad guys have often been Mexican or Colombian drug cartels, but now those kinds of plots have been deemed xenophobic and racist out of concerns that they cast Latinos in a negative light. When the trailer dropped for Sylvester Stallone’s latest Rambo film (Last Blood ) it showed the iconic character fighting against a Mexican drug cartel and liberals immediately called it “xenophobic” and “antiMexican” propaganda. 244 Rambo’s adopted niece, who is of Mexican descent, runs away to Mexico hoping to find her birth mother, but is kidnapped by the cartel and forced into prostitution, but leave it to liberals to defend sex trafficking and get upset because an iconic American film hero hunts down and kills the traffickers! The Daily Beast said the film was “designed to prove the president’s claim that we need to Build That Wall,” and that “Rambo has gone full MAGA.” 245 One reviewer called it “deeply xenophobic” and said that the film “should be end of line for the character.” 246 Another critic called it a “hyper-violent xenophobic revenge fantasy” and said “It’s all a setup for Last Blood to live out every assault rifle owner’s worst fears and most insane fantasies about Mexico. The only way it could be more transparent is if Stallone had growled ‘I. Am. The Wall!’ in his best Judge Dredd voice.”

Some idiot even called it a “radicalizing recruitment video,” for right wing extremists. 248 On Rotten Tomatoes it got only a 27% positive rating from critics, while 85% of viewers gave it a thumbs up—a disparity often seen on Rotten Tomatoes where critics now trash politically incorrect comedy specials and movies that are well-received by viewers. In 2018, Sicario: Day of the Soldado was released starring Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro who battle drug cartels in the stereotypical fashion, and it too set off a wave of crying critics, one saying “it doubles down on violent fantasies about another Mexican-American War,” and “feels like a piece of state-sanctioned propaganda, a MAGA-sploitation thriller that does not see humanity in our neighbors.” 249 Jennifer Garner starred in a film called Peppermint (2018) in which her husband and daughter are murdered by a drug cartel, so she becomes a vigilante hunting and killing them. The New Yorker called the movie “racist” and “ignorant.” 250 Another critic said it was “irresponsible” to make movies where the bad guys are Mexican drug cartels anymore because they “portray Latinos as animals.” 251 NBC News said the film “is a poorly written blockbuster filled with racist stereotypes. Hollywood should know better.” 252 Until the Trump era, nobody thought that films about fighting Mexican drug cartels were problematic, but because of the hyper-vigilant Twitter outrage mobs that organize harassment campaigns hoping to stomp out any opposing ideas, the entire plot point may be all but abandoned by studios out of fear that their movies will be poorly reviewed by critics who deem them “racist.” 247

The Immigration Endgame Pat Buchanon warned in his 2002 book The Death of the West that, “Uncontrolled immigration threatens to deconstruct the nation we grew up in and convert America into a conglomeration of peoples with almost nothing in common—not history, heroes, language, culture, faith, or ancestors.” 253

He goes on, “Millions have no desire to learn English or become citizens. America is not their home; Mexico is; and they wish to remain proud Mexicans. They have come here to work. Rather than assimilate, they create Little Tijuanas in U.S. cities, just as Cubans have created a Little Havana in Miami…With their own radio and TV stations, newspapers, films, and magazines, the Mexican Americans are creating an Hispanic culture separate and apart from America’s larger culture. They are becoming a nation within a nation.” 254 Many Latinos actually want to create a new country in the Southwest called Aztlan that would include California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and other states in the region. 255 The name refers to a mythical homeland of the Aztecs which Chicanos (Mexicans) want to restore. Mario Obledo, the president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said, “California is going to be a Mexican State. We are going to control all the institutions. If people don’t like it, they should leave.” 256 Never mind that if California was still part of Mexico the water wouldn’t be safe to drink. On college campuses in the Southwest various Chicano student groups exist to further the cause, including MEChA (the Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan) and La Raza (recently renamed to UnidosUS). These groups (and others) are really acting as agents of a foreign government, which means they should have to register with the Department of Justice as such, but it’s doubtful any members of La Raza, MEChA, or any other proillegal alien activist groups have. For the globalists plan for the New World Order to be complete, first large regions of the various continents must be merged into unions that act as the governing bodies for those countries, and then their different currencies merged into a single unit as well. The European Union (EU) and their common currency (the Euro) is the model for the rest of the world. Plans to merge the United States, Canada, and Mexico into the “North American Union” (NAU) which would use a new common currency (called the Amero), have been drafted, and the schemers are waiting for the day they can force their agenda through. 257 Similar regional mergers, such as the Asian Union, the Middle Eastern Union, and the African Union, are also in the plan, which would each have their own common currency as well. And once they are all formed, the final step would be to merge all of those regional unions into a single global

governing system along with each of their respective currencies, ultimately forming a one world government and a single digital global currency.

War on White People Despite Hollywood’s insistence on wanting to end all bigotry and promote “tolerance” for everything; there is a growing anti-White sentiment where White people are regularly demonized, ostracized, and blamed for all the problems in the world. At the same time, Hollywood does everything they can to portray Blacks and Latinos as perpetual victims of “whiteness” whose lives have been ruined for generations because of “White privilege.” According to Hollywood, Black people never do anything wrong, or if they do it’s a result of the circumstances in their life which

put them in that position because of “systematic” and “institutional racism” at the hands of White people. John Langley, the creator of the reality show COPS, admitted he purposefully didn’t allow many segments which involved police confrontations with Black suspects, and instead aired more where White people were being detained and arrested because he didn’t want to promote the “stereotype” that Black people tend to be criminals. 258 Never mind Department of Justice statistics which show that Black people make up approximately 13% of the population in the United States, but are responsible for close to 50% of the total murders. 259 Just pointing out statistics like that is considered to be racist, and the ADL considers 13/50 a “numeric hate symbol.” 260 “Diversity” is a code word meaning less White people, and in recent years Hollywood has been obsessed with what liberals believe are too many White people starring in films and TV shows. In 2015 after the Academy Award nominees were announced, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite went viral from people complaining that there weren’t any Black people nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress that year. 261 In their minds Black people are the best , and it must have been because of “racism” that none happened to be nominated for those spots that year. From that point on their foot was in the door, and each year after that there would be more scrutiny over how many “people of color” were nominated and which actors won, and how many White people starred in TV shows and films. Every time nominees were mentioned, media reports would flood the Internet about the “lack of diversity” and how “problematic” it was. 262 “Why do snubs for women and people of color keep happening?” they would ask every time half of the nominees weren’t Black or Latino. 263 Fans of Jenifer Lopez were so upset that she wasn’t nominated for Best Actress

for her role as a stripper in Hustlers they took to Twitter (as usual) to complain about it, demanding “Justice for J. Lo.” 264 In the film she plays one of a group of strippers who drug and then defraud rich men who come into their club, running up their credit cards. Not exactly Oscar material, but she must have gotten “snubbed” because she’s Latino! Others were equally upset that Jamie Foxx (Just Mercy ), Lupita Nyong’o (Us ), Awkwafina (The Farewell ), and Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name ) weren’t nominated for anything either one year. All because of “racism,” not that they had mediocre performances or others who happened to be White made more of an impact. When Toy Story 4 was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes, some lunatics voiced their concerns that none of the toys in the franchise were Black! 265 Keep in mind that Woody, Bow Peep, and Buzz Light Year are the only “human” toys. The rest are ones like Mr. Potato Head, a dog, a pig, a dinosaur, etc. The Hollywood Reporter complained about the “near-absence of people of color,” despite two toys being voiced by the Black comedy duo Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, but that’s not good enough. Their review went on to complain that not only are each of the lead toys Caucasian, but a new character (Forky) is a “very white fork.” 266 The toy is homemade, created out of a plastic spork, some stick-on googly eyes, and has pipe cleaners for arms. It’s a spork, it doesn’t have a race, but the lunatic film reviewer saw it as another “Caucasian” toy because it’s white, which most plastic utensils are. The reviewer was also upset because, “in many ways [Toy Story 4’s] worldview seems like an Eisenhower-era fantasy, a vision of America that might have come from the most die-hard reactionary: lovely if you’re wealthy and White, but alarming if you’re Black or brown or gay or a member of any other minority—in other words, more than half the U.S. population.” 267 There weren’t enough Black people in Joker to please some critics either, even though Joaquin Phoenix’s character starts dating a neighbor of his who is a single Black mother. Time magazine complained that her character had too small of a role, saying, “In Joker, Black women are visible but they are not seen,” whatever the hell that means. 268 The review went on to complain about the roles other Black people had in the film such as the Joker’s social worker. She doesn’t really listen to

his problems and is just going through the motions, thus missing another opportunity to possibly steer him away from ultimately becoming a psychotic killer. That’s casting a Black person in a negative light, and “racist.” Another Black character, a random woman on a bus, scolds him to stop “bothering” her son when all he was doing was being nice to the kid, and that’s perpetuating “racism” too by furthering the “angry Black woman” stereotype. The 2019 film Little Women, which is based on a novel written in 1868 about four young girls living during the Civil War and coming of age, is also “too White.” A writer for Teen Vogue , a Marxist publication dedicated to perverting the minds of teen girls, wrote that when old literary classics are made into films, they need to “better incorporate diversity.” 269 Another critic said that it “romanticizes White privilege” and that “casual racism is merely the start of its problems.” They concluded that “Little Women is, indeed, rooted in the advantages of bourgeois White womanhood.” 270 We can’t have films anymore where the story just so happens to be about people who are White, because that’s not “diverse” enough. The Hollywood Reporter complained that Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel don’t have enough Black people in them and “struggles to give diversity a home for the holidays.” 271 Their complaint begins with a snarky, “While other networks are viewing the holidays with an eye toward inclusion, Hallmark is delivering the dream of a white Christmas, just like the one’s audiences used to know,” and then notes, “Of the network’s record 24 original holiday movies this season, four of them have Black leads,” but “that’s down from last year, when five of its 21 original holiday movies had Black leads.” 272 Others have complained about Hallmark movies being “too White” as well. 273 In my previous book Liberalism: Find a Cure I detailed how many on the Left are upset that Santa Claus is White, and are now calling him a symbol of “White supremacy.” 274 Some are so determined to destroy Santa’s image that publishing giant Harper Collins released a book called Santa’s Husband which depicts him as a homosexual “married” to a Black man. CNN gleefully gave the author airtime to promote the book when it came out. 275 Director Tim Burton, the man behind Edward Scissorhands (1990), Beetlejuice (1988), and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) angered

the Diversity Police because he didn’t cast a “diverse group of characters” in his movie Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016) since Samuel L. Jackson was the only Black person in it. He began trending on Twitter from so many “woke” people calling him a racist. 276 Actor Jonah Hill said that “real change” in the industry will come only when White men no longer run the studios and streaming companies. 277 While celebrities obsessively complain about too many White people being in positions of power in Hollywood and starring in too many shows (and winning too many awards); none of them would ever commit the cardinal sin of the entertainment industry by asking about Jewish influence in Hollywood. 278 Everyone knows that would kill their career overnight no matter how earnestly or tactfully it was brought up, but complaining about too many White men having positions of power in the industry has become a rallying cry for social justice warriors. There are numerous specials on Comedy Central and Netflix which feature Black and Latino comedians whose entire act is basically making fun of White people, which is fine—and sometimes funny, but we all know the double standard. Few White comedians will dare make jokes about Blacks or Latinos. Jokes about Asians used to be acceptable, but those too would be career suicide today. Blacks and Latinos can “joke” about how they “hate White people” or complain about “the problem with White people” and often their distain is obvious, and their “jokes” are just thinly veiled racism—but that’s just fine. Black sitcoms often include subplots about how the families are living in a hostile country and White people around every corner hate them. 279 An entire episode of ABC’s sitcom Black-ish was about how “America hates Black people” with a lead character telling members of her family that repeatedly throughout the show. 280

90’s Sitcoms Now “Too White” Since “diversity” dominates these days, many classic shows from the past are now seen in hindsight as “racist” because there are “too many” White people in them. Beverly Hills 90210 , Seinfeld , Home Improvement ,

Everybody Loves Raymond , Growing Pains , Family Ties , Cheers , Frasier , Full House , Dawson’s Creek , Friends , and more all “lack diversity.” 281 Even with the rash of revivals and reboots, critics are upset that many of the shows’ racial makeup remained the same. The Hollywood Reporter complained about the “blinding whiteness of nostalgia TV.” 282 In the return of Roseanne , however, producers ensured there was some “diversity” by depicting her son D.J. as having married a Black woman and has a Black daughter with her. 283 Friends star David Schwimmer would later suggest that his show be rebooted with an all-Black or Asian group of friends. He went on to virtue signal that, “I campaigned for years to have Ross [his character] date women of color. One of the first girlfriends I had on the show was an Asian American woman, and later I dated African American women. That was a very conscious push on my part.” 284 These days White people are considered racist if they prefer dating only White people. 285 No other race faces the same pressures for personal relationships and families to become more “racially diverse”—only White people. And despite David Schwimmer’s hopes for a “Black Friends” reboot, that show has already been made—and before Friends. It was called Living Single , and Friends was basically an all-White reboot of that show, but there will never be enough “diversity” in sitcoms and feature films. No matter how many shows feature an all-Black cast, or star Black characters, the Left will never be satisfied. There were plenty of Black sitcoms in the 1990s, like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , Family Matters , A Different World , Martin , Roc , Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper , The Hughleys , The Wayans Bros , The Cosby Show , and many more. All with Black stars and few, if any, White actors involved, but God forbid sitcoms exist with a White-only cast! Of course Black-only shows were made long before the 90s, and continue to be made today—like Empire , Power , Black-ish , Grown-ish , and many others, and nobody complains that there aren’t any White lead actors or threaten to boycott those shows for not being “diverse” enough.

Not Enough Mexicans The mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, wants to double the number of Latinos in TV shows

and movies within the next ten years, and launched a project called “LA Collab” in order to “connect Latinx talent, executives, and creators to opportunities in the entertainment industry.” 286 Latinx , if you’re wondering, is the new politically correct gender neutral term for Latino , since even that is problematic these days, but that’s a topic for a whole other book. 287 Los Angeles County contains 4.9 million Hispanics and now there are at least 60 million of them living in the United States (20 million of which are illegal aliens), so Hollywood is doing everything they can to cater to them. For example, Jimmy Kimmel’s little sidekick Guillermo—who speaks broken English—is paid $500,000 dollars a year to stand off to the side of the stage and laugh at his jokes and chime in once in a while with his catch phrase, “That’s right Jimmy!” Before becoming a fixture on air for the show he worked as a security guard in the parking lot of ABC Studios making $8.00 an hour. 288 There have also been a flood of TV shows starring Latinos in recent years, including the Magnum PI reboot, but there will never be enough to satisfy the social justice warriors. Every show and movie must have a “diverse” cast (meaning fewer White people). Every popular series must have a Black, Asian, and Latino equivalent. Soon there will probably be growing calls for Arab versions of hit shows, since those of Middle Eastern descent will clamor about being “under-represented” in American entertainment. And after that it will be the Indians (or Native Americans, or Indigenous people, or whatever politically correct term they’re calling themselves these days), and then probably the Eskimos. We’re sliding down a slippery slope of stupidity with no end.

Obsessed with White Sins of the Past The one kind of movie Hollywood loves to make more than crime thrillers or actionadventures are ones that highlight how “racist” White people are. “Historical dramas” about how awful White people are

and how the films “reflect what’s still happening today” come out every year. Some of them are Black revenge fantasies like Django Unchained. Actor Jamie Foxx even bragged about killing a bunch of White people in the film when he was a featured guest on Saturday Night Live , saying, “I get to kill all the White people, how great is that?” 289 The film incited some Black people to vent their fantasies of killing White people themselves, flooding Twitter with their hatred in tweets like, “Django got me wanting to kill White people!” and “After watching Django, all I wanna do is shoot White people.” 290 Of course, you can’t tell disgruntled Blacks who hate America to “go back to Africa,” because that would be “racist.” Everything is “racist” to liberals. Black people’s obsession with racism of the past can be seen in the obvious double standard of demanding White people not be “allowed” to say “the n-word” even while singing along to popular rap songs. Kendrick Lamar brought a fan on stage to perform one of his songs with him in 2018, but stopped the show mid-performance because the girl (who was White) rapped along to the original lyrics which included the word “nigga” in the hook. After about 30 seconds he told the DJ to stop the music and started staring at the girl. “Am I not cool enough for you, bro?” she asks, thinking that her rapping wasn’t good enough. He went on to tell her the “rules” and said she had to bleep that word. She apologized, and then they started again. 291 When Latino actress Gina Rodriguez sang a few lines from a rap song that included “nigga” in the lyrics (as most rap songs do) and posted it on her Instagram, Blacks (and SJW Whites) freaked out so bad she became the top trend on Twitter. 292 She then apologized. The same thing happened when a star of the Bachelorette was singing along to a rap song on Instagram Live. 293 Most Black people get more upset when a White person says the word than they do when gang bangers end up killing an innocent kid in their neighborhood with a stray bullet. As Black radio host Jessie Lee Peterson points out, “They’re not [actually] offended! They pretend to be in order to scare White folks and shake ‘em down for stuff.” 294 Imagine if White people demanded that

Black people weren’t allowed to use certain words! Democrats in Congress would hold hearings and pass a resolution denouncing such outrageous word policing and it would be a national scandal, but the word “nigga” mustn’t be uttered out loud by White people, because it’s their word.

On the Lookout for Racism Many Black people (and White SJWs) are so hyper-sensitive and obsessed with racism that they hallucinate and often see it where none exists. For example, Roseanne Barr was fired from her hit TV show within just a few hours after making a joke about Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to Barack Obama, when she tweeted that Valerie looked like a character from the Planet of the Apes movies; and if you saw a side by side photo of her and that character, you would know why Rosanne said that. But it turns out that Valerie Jarett is half Black, although you would never guess from looking at her. Rosanne later explained, “I thought the bitch was White!” which most people did. 295 Her show was number one on ABC, but the network immediately fired her and then continued the show, calling it The Conners after killing off her character with an opioid overdose from pain pills she was taking for knee pain. 296 Of course Rosanne is not a racist, and in the 1990s the original series promoted a lot of liberal propaganda, but once someone starts trending on Twitter after getting the attention of the perpetually offended online activists, most companies feel they need to appease the mob by firing the person even if they didn’t do anything wrong. Hollywood’s dogma is so rigid that if anyone dares doubt that all Trump supporters are racist they will be denounced for “supporting White supremacy,” as a star of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy realized when he simply said that “not all Republicans are racist.” 297 Jonathan Van Ness trended on Twitter from so many people attacking him for simply stating what should be obvious, but defending conservatives in any way is seen as a major transgression.

Sometimes when popular novels are made into movies, the studios feel the need to add some racism to “remind” the audience how terrible White people are. When Tom Clancy’s bestselling book The Sum of All Fears was turned into a film starring Morgan Freeman and Ben Affleck, the plot was changed from Palestinian terrorists trying to dupe the United States and Russia into a nuclear war because of the United States’ support for Israel, to a story about White supremacists trying to trick the two super powers into a nuclear war so they could build a Whites only Europe. 298 The movie was so different from the book that when Tom Clancy introduced himself on the DVD commentary he said he was the person who “wrote the book they ignored.” 299

Actors Denounce “White Privilege” If White celebrities don’t regularly denounce their own “White privilege” and falsely claim that their success is due to the color of their skin, then they may become a suspected White supremacist themselves, and aren’t seen as an ally of the Black community. Chelsea Handler even hosted a Netflix show called “Hello, Privilege, It’s Me, Chelsea” which examined “White privilege” and followed her around as she traveled across the country endlessly apologizing for being White and talking with other people about how terrible White people have made America. 300 Jon Stewart even issued an apology for having too many White people on the staff of The Daily Show when he was the host. 301 He hadn’t even been the host for five years and nobody was concerned about it, but he too was “sorry” and began doing various interviews to give his two cents about how America needs more “diversity.” He also called for Black people to be paid reparations. 302 When Netflix released a trailer for a forthcoming series about the crimes of serial killer Ted Bundy (played by Zac Efron), people were shocked how it glamorized him and made Bundy seem like a rock star instead of a monster. 303 Pushing back against the criticism, Zac Efron said the film highlights Ted Bundy’s “White privilege” and he believed the only reason Bundy got away with his crimes for so long was because he was a “clean-cut White dude.” 304

After the Black Lives Matter riots in the summer of 2020 the media became even more obsessed with demonizing White people, and there was an endless flood of celebrities apologizing for their “White privilege” and even producing PSAs about how sorry they are and how they “take responsibility.” 305 Poor Jimmy Fallon looked like he was being held at gunpoint when he interviewed the author of “White Fragility,” a book about how White people have ruined America for Black people. He had her on The Tonight Show to lecture the audience about White people’s “inevitable and often unaware racist assumptions and behaviors,” and called White people “aholes” because we make life “miserable” for Black people. 306 He went along with the agenda so well that he sat there agreeing with everything she said, even when she said that he was a racist but didn’t even know it. “When I’m talking about the racism that I have, the racism that you have, it’s the result of living in a society in which racism is the foundation. We all absorb it,” she said. “There’s no way we could exempt ourselves from it.” 307 There’s no way White people can’t be racist she says! The title of the segment posted on the Tonight Show YouTube channel is “Dr. Robin DiAngelo Wants White People to Stop Saying They’re Not Racist,” because she thinks we all are! 308

Watchmen When the Watchmen comic book was turned into a television series on HBO, of all the villains that the superheroes could have been fighting, the producers decided to have them tackle the “problems brought about by White supremacist forces.” 309 The series creator said, “In a traditional superhero movie, the bad guys are fighting the aliens and when they beat the aliens, the aliens go back to their planet and everybody wins. There’s no defeating White supremacy. It’s not going anywhere, but it felt like it was a pretty formidable foe.” 310

The HBO series kicked off depicting the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, where mobs of Blacks and Whites fought and killed each other after a Black man was arrested for assaulting a White woman and a group of armed Black men came to the jail out of concern that the man had been lynched, which wasn’t true. The series started with this to set the stage that “not much” has changed in the United Sates, and Black people are still supposedly being lynched on a regular basis. The show revolves around a modern day fictional White supremacist group in Tulsa, Oklahoma called the Seventh Kavalry, who “wage war” against the local police because the city has decided to pay reparations to Black people. In order to protect themselves from the White supremacists, police hide their identities by wearing masks and costumes. The original Watchmen comic book series and the 2009 movie depicted the superheroes fighting crime at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Obviously many fans were disappointed in the HBO series turning the vigilantes into social justice warriors and force-feeding more identity politics to the audience, but critics were eager to defend the show. Vox said, “Some Watchmen fans are mad that HBO’s version is political. But Watchmen has always been political.” 311

Others blamed “right-wing trolls” who gave it negative reviews online. 312

CBS’s Supernatural Drama “Evil” CBS has a drama which is a cheap knockoff of the X-Files called Evil where a “skeptical” forensic psychologist (who’s Black) works with a Catholic priest to investigate supposed supernatural events. And in one episode the skeptic investigates a case of a girl who was pronounced legally dead, but later “came back to life” once her body was moved to the morgue. After concluding his investigation he figured out that the “resurrected” girl did not experience a miracle, but was the victim of racism because she’s Black! Once he cracked the case, he heads to the office of a senior official at the hospital with two stacks of medical records, saying, “Turned out to be

hyperinflation [of the lungs], and undiagnosed COPD…But it wasn’t the paramedics fault.” That’s when he drops the files on the man’s desk. “What are those?” he asks. “The emergency life-saving efforts of this hospital over the last year. A hundred and seventy-six in all,” he replies, looking smug. “Okay.” “These are your Caucasian patients” he says, placing his hand on one of the stacks. “Did you know that on average during a code your doctors perform fifty-eight minutes of chest compressions and rescue breathing on Caucasian patients? “No. I didn’t.” “And these are your African American patients. Your doctors on average perform chest compressions and rescue breathing twenty-three minutes on them. Patients like Naomi Clark” (the Black girl who supposedly died and came back to life). “It is the stated position of this hospital that it does not distinguish on the basis of race,” the hospital executive responds. “Naomi Clark came back to life in the morgue because your E.R. staff called her time of death thirty minutes earlier than if she were White. That’s why this wasn’t a miracle. It was implicit racism,” he concludes. “I think you should get out of here,” the executive responds. Talk about running out of ideas! Who could come up with such a ridiculous plot? And that was the big climax of the episode!

BlacKkKlansman BlacKkKlansman (2018) directed by Spike Lee was based on a true story about a Black detective in Colorado who investigates the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. His partner, who is White, goes undercover and infiltrates the KKK while the Black detective is the brains behind the operation. There’s a scene where David Duke (played by Topher Grace from That ‘70s Show ) is making a toast to a group of people and talks about how great it is to be a White man in America and part of the “real America” and then says “I want to thank you so much for never putting your country

second. America first!” he declares as he holds up a glass of champagne. “America first!” he repeats, to cheers from the crowd. 313 That phrase, as you know, was popularized by President Trump, and that scene was included in the film as another attempt to tie David Duke to Donald Trump, even though Trump has denounced David Duke numerous times over the last few decades. 314 During an interview about the film, Topher Grace said, “This is the first script when I read it that’s really of the Trump Administration.” 315 Of course, it’s not. It’s about a Black detective and his partner investigating a local chapter of the KKK for allegedly conspiring to bomb a civil rights rally, but Spike Lee decided to use the 50-year-old story to try and tie the events to President Trump.

“Cracka” In a series called CRACKA, a neo-Nazi is sent to a parallel universe that takes place in the 1800s where Whites are the slaves and Black people are in control of America. “Cracka,” being an insult that angry Blacks love to call White people, a ghettoized derivative of “cracker.” In the trailer, before the Nazi is transported back in time to the alternate reality, he and his friends attack a random Black man and his car is shown to have a “Trump 2020” bumper sticker on it. The series slogan is “You stole our freedom, now we steal yours.” It isn’t meant to put Whites in the shoes of Blacks to make them reflect on the injustices of the past, instead CRACKA is a Black revenge fantasy. Posts on the series official Facebook page are filled with anti-White rhetoric like “You’re in our world now!” 316 The trailer was released on Juneteenth (June 19th) the date that commemorates the freeing of the slaves, and before the comments were turned off many viewers were expressing their excitement about watching White people “get what they deserve.” Trayvon Martin’s mom endorsed the series saying, “I applaud the bravery and vision for the creation of CRACKA .” 317

Magical Negroes and White Saviors Since most liberals see racism everywhere, they’re not even happy when films depict a Black person possessing a unique quality that is used to help others who happen to be White. That is what they call employing the “magical negro” trope. Spike Lee went off on The Legend of Bagger Vance because Will Smith’s character comes to help Matt Damon win a golf tournament that takes place in Georgia in the 1930s. “Blacks are getting lynched left and right, and [Bagger Vance is] more concerned about improving Matt Damon’s golf swing!... I gotta sit down; I get mad just thinking about it. They’re still doing the same old thing ... recycling the noble savage and the happy slave,” he said. 318 Whoopi Goldberg’s character in Ghost has been criticized as a “magical negro” (by Black people) because she helps the spirt of Patrick Swayze communicate with his widow after he dies. 319 Michael Clarke Duncan’s character in The Green Mile also upset some Black people because he has the power to heal sickness and disease and ends up using his ability on several White people who worked at a prison he was being held in, despite being on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. 320 It seems some Black people hate Whites so bad that they can’t stand to see a Black person do anything nice to them. No good deed goes unpunished, as the saying goes, and when well-meaning Hollywood studios produce films of White people helping minorities, that too is criticized as being a racist trope called the “White savior narrative.” In Finding Forester , Sean Connery’s character is a reclusive but wellknown writer who crosses paths with a Black teen who plays basketball in the courts across the street from his apartment. Connery learns the kid has a gift for writing that he helps encourage, and later the boy is accused of plagiarism because his teacher doesn’t think he has the ability to write as good as he does, but Connery vouches for him in a surprise appearance at the school preventing him from failing the class.

In The Blind Side (2009) Sandra Bullock is considered a White savior for taking in a Black homeless kid named Big Mike who becomes a football star thanks to her help. One critic said the Blind Side , “peddles the most insidious kind of racism, one in which whiteys are virtuous saviors, coming to the rescue of Blacks who become superfluous in narratives that are supposed to be about them.” 321 Others attacked the film because they felt it depicted Sandra Bullock saving Big Mike from inner-city Black people who were all “poor and violent.” 322 Apparently they would have been happier if she just left him to waste away in the ghetto. White people are often damned if they do, and damned if they don’t. Other popular films liberals got upset about because they feature “White saviors” are Dangerous Minds (because a White teacher helps educate Black and Latino students in a poverty stricken part of the city), and even Gran Torino because Clint Eastwood helps his Asian neighbors fight against a Black gang in Detroit. 323 Cool Runnings , a film about a Jamaican bobsled team, was attacked because the Jamaicans wouldn’t have made it to the Olympics without the “White savior” (John Candy) their trainer. 324 Even Avatar has been accused of this since a White character using a remote control avatar of an alien body helps the alien race save their planet from human invaders looking to take their natural resources. 325 In the 1980s Diff’rent Strokes was a popular sitcom about a rich White man living in Manhattan who adopts two Black orphans from Harlem. At the time the series covered a lot of serious issues like racism, drug use, and even child molestation. But today some see it as another example of a “White savior” plot. One online magazine even included Diff’rent Strokes on its “50 Most Racist TV Shows” list, writing sarcastically, “Save us, Mr. White Man! Come rescue us from Harlem and let us come live with you in yo’ giant Park Avenue mansion where our po’ deceased mama onced worked her fingers to the bone cleaning up after yo’ wrinkled White ass! We’s cute, Mista Drummond, we ain’t gwine start no trouble.” 326

MTV’s Anti-White Agenda In 2015, MTV aired a documentary titled “White People” that was hosted by a homosexual illegal

alien named Jose Antonio Vargas who traveled around America shaming White people about their “privilege” and lecturing them for not being concerned enough about minorities. 327 The following year MTV News released a video with “New Year’s resolutions for White guys” because we’re all such terrible people we need to be educated by Blacks and Latinos on how we can be better. “Try to recognize that America was never ‘great’ for anyone who wasn’t a White guy,” begins one presenter. 328 “Nobody who has Black friends says that they have Black friends, and just because you have Black friends doesn’t mean you’re not racist. You can be racist with Black friends,” says another. “Look, guys, we know nobody’s perfect, but honestly, you can do a little better in 2017.” They surprisingly deleted the video due to the backlash but their obsession with “White privilege” continues. MTV produced a YouTube show called “Decoded” where the host uncovered White people’s hidden “racism” that she sees around every corner, including decoding “microaggressions” and “the problem with White beauty standards.” The usual complaints about Halloween costumes being “cultural appropriation” (and thus offensive) have also been covered. Each week for several years beginning in 2015 the show would release a new episode where the host found more problems to blame on White people or ways White people are supposedly being racist.

White Replacement in Media Recently another obsession we’ve seen in Hollywood is remaking popular movies or sequels and replacing the main character (if they happen to be White) with a Black actor in the name of “diversity.” It’s actually considered to be a “White supremacist conspiracy theory” to talk about White populations being “replaced” through mass immigration, but that is exactly what Hollywood has been

doing to various characters in order to stamp out “whiteness.” 329

Generation Xers remember the musical Annie being about the curly redhead orphan, but when it was remade in 2014, Annie was Black with an afro. When the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid was announced, it was also revealed that the red-headed mermaid Ariel would be played by a Black actress instead. 330 When a reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was announced the show cast an African-American actress as Buffy, who was originally played by Sarah Michelle Gueller in the 1990s series. 331 Two years later the show still hadn’t made it to air, which likely means the pilot was so horrible it didn’t get picked up. But due to the low standards of what is considered “entertainment” today, that may change if they rework the script or decide to just dump it on Netflix or Hulu. Activists also began pushing for James Bond to be played by a Black man, and it was later announced that a Black woman would play Agent 007, taking over Bond’s famous codename. 332 In 2010 when The Karate Kid reboot was released it starred Jaden Smith, Will Smith’s son, who is of course Black. In 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse depicted the kid who becomes Spider Man as biracial— being half Black, half Latino. 333 There are growing calls to depict Superman as Black in future films as well. 334 In the 2015 remake of Fantastic Four, Johnny Storm (the human torch character) who is White in the first two films (as well as in the comics) was played by Michael B. Jordan, a Black man. 335 This, despite being depicted as the brother of a fellow “Fantastic Four” member, Sue Storm, who is White. Samuel L. Jackson plays Nick Fury in The Avengers series even though the character is White in the comics. In the late 1990s a made for TV movie titled Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D . aired on FOX where the character was true to the comic depiction (played by David Hasselhoff), but when Marvel launched their Avengers film series they chose Samuel L. Jackson for more “diversity.” Another comic book superhero called Domino was turned Black when she made an appearance in Deadpool 2 .

After the original actress who played Batwoman in The CW television series didn’t renew her contract, she was replaced by a Black girl. 336 ABC announced plans to reboot The Wonder Years , a hit coming-of-age comedydrama about a typical kid growing up in suburban America in the late 1960s, only this time…you guessed it—the family is Black. 337 For Black History Month (February) in 2020, Barnes & Noble planned to release special editions of various literary classics like The Wizard of Oz , Romeo and Juliet , and Alice in Wonderland with new covers depicting the lead characters as African Americans. They called it the Diverse Editions program, but canceled their plan after critics complained that it was “literary blackface” and said they should have just promoted actual books written by people of color instead of doing something so dumb. 338 When Harry Potter was turned into a play, a Black actress was chosen to play the character Hermione Granger, who is described as White in the books, and was played by Emma Watson in the films. Writer J.K. Rowling later denied that she wrote the character as White, but in the books she is specifically described as such. 339 Other films are being remade with modern day “Black” versions, like Steel Magnolias , originally released in 1989 about a group of women and how they cope with the death of one of their friends, and then remade in 2012 starring all Black women. The romantic comedy About Last Night (1986), about couples entering into committed relationships for the first time in their lives, was remade in 2014 starring an all-Black cast. And there have been others, including Cinderella , Death at a Funeral , and more. 340 Remaking a “Black” version of a film is quite different than changing a well-established character like Orphan Annie or the Little Mermaid, but when race-swapping happens to Black characters, it’s denounced as “whitewashing.”

How About Entertainment For Whites? Once Whites are a minority in the United States (estimated to occur in 2045), will it then be okay to have a White Entertainment Channel like Black people have BET [Black Entertainment Television]? Will White people be able to have a Miss White USA pageant since Blacks, Latinos,

and Asians have their own beauty pageants for their race? Once Whites become a minority in America can we have White students clubs on college campuses just like the Black, Asian and Latino student organizations? Will it be okay for a White person to say that they are proud to be White? No, it won’t. The special interest groups for Blacks and Latinos will get unhinged and scream that “White supremacy” is trying to resurrect itself and loads of “White allies” will join in on the chorus denouncing their fellow White people to show solidarity with people of color. “White people had their turn,” they’ll say, and don’t deserve to be proud of their race or culture because they enslaved Black people 400 years ago. “We ended White supremacy and must ensure it never returns,” they’ll say. White people must forever bow down to the new Latino/Black/Asian majority and live the rest of their lives in servitude to the new ruling class to atone for the sins of our White ancestors, they will demand. Of course Black people ignore the fact that virtually all countries in the ancient world had slaves. Maybe we should point out that the Egyptians (Africans) enslaved the Jews. And that Black Muslim tribes in Africa actually sold other Africans to the European slave traders who brought them to North America. 341 Africa is also the world’s leader in modern-day slavery, where millions of people remain trapped in forced labor. 342 When the question is raised about a White counterpart to BET or White-only shows and movies, the knee jerk reaction is to always claim that the majority of mainstream entertainment is produced for White people. But with forced diversity being injected into almost every single television show, movie, and even commercials which all do their best to have an equal number of White, Black, Asian, and Latino characters, the claim that White people have entertainment that is a reflection of our own family, community, and culture is rapidly becoming null and void. Since most “White” homogeneous entertainment has been “diversified” and turned into a heterogenous multicultural mishmash, this just adds to the justification that such shows should be created and maintained. But just pointing out these issues is enough to get one tarred and feathered as a “neo-Nazi,” then deplatformed from social media, and “White nationalist” added to the first sentence of their Wikipedia page. 343

Film and Television Liaison Offices Most people think that propaganda films were just something produced by Nazi Germany or perhaps are still made by communist regimes in North Korea or China, but the truth is the United States is the world’s biggest producer of such material. For example, during World War II our government commissioned a series of documentary films called Why We Fight which were designed to encourage Americans to support the war. Animated segments of the films were produced by Walt 344 Disney Studios.

Disney actually produced various cartoons throughout World War II featuring Donald Duck for this same purpose. One such film titled The Spirit of ’43 encouraged Americans to file and pay their income taxes in order to help fund the war effort. “Taxes...To Defeat the Axis” was the film’s tagline which was commissioned by the U.S. Treasury Secretary at the time. 345 The title, “Spirt of ’43 ” was a play off the old patriotic sentiment from the American Revolutionary war which was captured by the slogan “The Spirit of ’76.” Another Disney war propaganda film from the era was Der Fuehrer’s Face (originally titled Donald Duck in Nutzi Land ), which encouraged Americans to buy war bonds to help fund World War II. In the film Donald Duck has a nightmare where he is forced to work at a munitions factory in Nazi Germany, but then wakes up in “home sweet home” and has a renewed love for America. 346 Donald Duck also starred in a short anti-Japanese propaganda film during World War II, where he parachuted into a Pacific island jungle to “wipe out” a Japanese airfield. 347 While it’s simple to make the case that these films were for a good cause, the point is that propaganda is more pervasive than people realize, and the avenues used to reach the masses aiming to persuade them are so vast that even popular cartoon characters are employed. Most people think war propaganda films disguised as innocent entertainment is just something from the World War II era, but the practice continued—and so did the sophistication. During the height of the Cold War in the 1980s the film Red Dawn (starring Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen) depicted the Soviet Union invading the United States only to be confronted by a group of high school kids who form a militia called “the Wolverines” (named after their school’s mascot) and help fight off the communists, saving their town. It was remade in 2012 with North Korea being the invaders this time, who just so happened to be in the crosshairs of the Department of Defense which considered them part of the “axis of evil.” Hollywood didn’t just think this would be a neat plotline, the film (and many others) was actually produced with the help of the Department of Defense. An open secret in Hollywood, but something rarely ever mentioned because it would spoil the “fun,” is that the U.S. government works hand in hand with writers and directors to craft blockbuster propaganda films that reinforce American foreign policy objectives. 348

During the War on Terror in the early to mid 2000s, millions of Americans were subjected to pro-torture propaganda through Kiefer Sutherland’s popular series 24 which began airing just two months after the September 11th attacks in 2001. Torturing suspected terrorists or people detained who were believed to have information about Al Qaeda was a hot topic of debate at the time, and Kiefer Sutherland was on national television with a new episode each week to show Americans that torturing the “bad guys” was “necessary” to save the world. 349 Over a decade later the popular entertainment industry publication Variety would admit that “Liberal Hollywood carried water for torture.” 350 The article pointed out, “Not only has torture become more frequent since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, but the acceptance of those depictions in entertainment has been cited as a point of reference—and even an endorsement of the tactics.” 351 Zero Dark Thirty , the 2013 dramatization depicting the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, falsely depicted torture as the reason information was obtained that led to the location of his compound after years of the terror leader eluding U.S. forces. Torturing detainees had nothing to do with discovering his hideout, but the film essentially rewrote history in the minds of millions who saw it and believe it tells the real story of how it unfolded. 352

When he was Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta gave classified details about the raid to the producers to help them make the film. 353 Zero Dark Thirty later received several Oscar nominations. Most movie lovers have no idea that many big budget blockbuster films are produced with the direct help and oversight of the United States government. How else do you think the Hollywood studios get access to aircraft carriers, F-16 jets, tanks, and other sophisticated military equipment? They can’t just rent those kinds of things from a prop house. They get them from the government. The stars will never talk about this when doing the talk show circuit promoting their films. It’s kind of a trade secret really, but in the industry it’s widely known that various departments of the government have what are called entertainment liaison offices which work with producers and screenwriters to get them the equipment they want. Of course there is a price for this. It’s not monetary though—it comes in the form of script approval.

The U.S. Army isn’t going to lend a bunch of tanks to a producer for a film showing the dark side of war, or one that questions the WMD hoax that was used to justify invading Iraq in 2003, for example. Movies must always celebrate war and glorify it, and never doubt the reasons for starting one. Such deals have been made for films like Zero Dark Thirty, Red Dawn, Top Gun , American Sniper , and hundreds of others. Some have called this form of entertainment “government-subsidized propaganda.” 354 Freedom of Information requests revealed that the Department of Defense has been involved in over 800 films and television shows between 1911 and 2017, many of them since 2001 because of the War on Terror that started shortly after the 9/11 attacks. 355 It’s not just the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force, however. The CIA has their own Entertainment Liaison Office and has also been involved in the production of dozens of different films and television shows since at least 1947. 356 These entertainment liaison offices also include agreements that get active duty military personnel to be extras in movies when a scene calls for a large number of uniformed troops. That way the director gets their shot of hundreds of soldiers on the battlefield, but also saves the money they would have had to pay all the extras to be there. Mark Wahlberg plays a Navy SEAL deployed in Afghanistan in Lone Survivor , which is based on a true story derived from Marcus Luttrell’s biography about his experiences there in 2005, and thanks to the Department of Defense Entertainment Liaison Office the film was shot in New Mexico on Kirtland Air Force Base. 357 That way the studio didn’t have to recreate an entire military base, they were able to use a real one. Fortune magazine calls this “Hollywood’s Military Complex” and explained, “Even in an age of special effects, it’s exponentially cheaper to film on actual military ships with real military advisers. Despite action sequences and an A-list lead, Captain Phillips cost about $55 million to make (compared with a visual effects fest like Gravity , which cost about $100 million). The fulcrum of Hollywood’s unlikely partnership is Phil Strub, a former film school student and Navy videographer, now the entertainment liaison at the Department of Defense.” 358 Fortune goes on to say, “Scripts of movies helmed by Michael Bay, Ridley Scott, and Steven Spielberg are regularly sent to an ascetic office at the Pentagon in hopes of procuring military cooperation. If he [Phil Strub] signs off, the filmmakers stand to access the most awesome arsenal in the

world, and in turn, the image and message of the American armed forces get projected before a global audience.” 359 An official who works in the Department of Defense’s Entertainment Liaison Office confirmed they maintain control over the scripts, saying, “We make sure the Department and facilities and people are portrayed in the most accurate and positive light possible.” 360 That’s a nice way of saying, if anything in the film paints the government or war in a bad light, you’re not getting your equipment. Before an agreement is made to allow the use of government equipment (and locations), the Entertainment Liaison Office carefully reviews a script and then raises any possible concerns with the producer; and if they’re willing to change certain dialog or plot points then the government will give them basically anything they need as long as the movie will serve as an infomercial for the military. They can be quite picky even about the smallest detail. For example, in the original script of Hulk , the laboratory which caused Dr. Banner’s condition was a government lab, but documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Request show that the Department of Defense requested it be just a “lab” and not associated with the government at all. 361 The Army Times admitted that “filmmakers can ask the Pentagon for assistance on their projects, from consultation on uniforms and military procedures to use of real military aircraft and equipment.” 362 Or as Phil Strub, who was the head of Department of Defense’s Entertainment Liaison Office for almost thirty years put it, “The relationship between Hollywood and the Pentagon has been described as a mutual exploitation. We’re after military portrayal, and they’re after our equipment.” 363 Sure these films are entertaining and dramatic, but they’ll only tell half the story about why a conflict actually started, and what the costs will be. They also serve a secondary purpose by encouraging people to join the military because war is painted as exciting and glorious and always for a just cause, never because of misinformation or lies (as in the case of the War in Iraq). “We want these movies to help us in terms of recruitment and retention,” admitted the Department of Defense. 364 The original Top Gun starring Tom Cruise was said to have spiked enrollment in the Air Force to record levels. They even called it the “Top Gun Effect” and in some cities Air Force recruiters literally set up tables outside movie theaters. 365

Katy Perry’s music video “Part of Me” was actually shot at Camp Pendleton, a massive Marine base in San Diego, California, thanks to help from the Entertainment Liaison Office. 366 In the video she finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her and doesn’t know what to do with her life, so she ends up joining the Marines. The entire rest of the music video is literally a recruitment commercial, showing her dressed in uniform completing basic training, shooting an M-16, and riding in an Amphibious Assault Vehicle. The video also includes actual Marines as extras, marching alongside her and storming a beach with helicopters flying overhead—all provided by Camp Pendleton. Even the creators of the popular “Call of Duty” video game series consult with the Department of Defense’s Entertainment Liaison Office in order to get access to advisors in hopes of creating more realistic video games. 367 While the government enthusiastically helps produce movies, TV shows, and music videos that will reinforce their preferred narratives, big budget anti-war films or those which depict some of the horrors of war like Platoon (1986), Apocalypse Now (1979), and Full Metal Jacket (1987) have to go without any of this assistance. Sometimes the studios have to actually rent military vehicles and equipment from foreign governments and film outside of the United States to get their projects made. When Platoon came out, Oliver Stone, who wrote and directed the film, said, “I hope people go to see what the war was really like. That’s the statement. And once you see it, you have to think about it for yourself. Think about what you think about war. Think about what it really is, as opposed to the fantasy comic book stuff of Top Gun.” 368 He also said that the main character (played by Charlie Sheen) was actually based on his own experience of being in Vietnam, and how at first he wanted to do his “patriotic duty” for his country, but after seeing the horrors of the war first hand and later learning about the lies that got us there, he began to resent the U.S. government for what they had done. During the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in the early 2000s, George. W. Bush issued a ban on any photos and video of the coffins being unloaded from airplanes after soldiers’ remains were brought back to the United States. 369 It was widely known that support for the Vietnam War dramatically dropped when people began seeing footage of the tens of thousands of coffins returning, not to mention pictures of wounded soldiers,

and so the Bush Administration did everything they could trying to prevent a similar situation by censoring the details of the casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. It wasn’t just George W. Bush and the neocons’ policies that caused needless death and destruction because of our involvement in the Middle East, however. Barack Obama became known as the “Drone King” for using the newly popular remote-control aircraft which ended up killing a stunning number of innocent civilians while the American mainstream media provided him cover by barely, if ever, mentioning it. 370 First Lady Michelle Obama played her part to help promote the Military Industrial Complex during the Obama administration. She actually appeared at the Oscars in 2013 via satellite to announce the winner of Best Picture which was given to Argo , a movie about the CIA covertly working with Hollywood movie producers so their agents could pose as film makers working on a science fiction movie in order to infiltrate Iran so they could rescue American hostages being held there. 371 That same year Homeland won Golden Globe awards for the Best Actress (Claire Danes), Best Actor (Damian Lewis), and Best TV Drama for their Showtime series depicting a returning veteran secretly siding with Al Qaeda. 372 This narrative parroted a report released by the Department of Homeland Security a few years earlier that warned returning veterans should be considered possible domestic terrorists out of concerns they may join right-wing extremist organizations after supposedly having a difficult time re-integrating into their communities. 373 The real reason for the report, which angered veterans groups when it was made public, may have been concerns that many soldiers were disgruntled with the U.S. government after learning that the reason for starting the War in Iraq (the “weapons of mass destruction” Saddam Hussein supposedly had), turned out to be a lie. In March 2012 a 30-minute documentary titled Kony 2012 was posted to YouTube and immediately went viral. The film promoted a campaign to capture or kill the African warlord Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army. Kony 2012 was the first YouTube video ever to get one million “likes” and was called the most viral video ever at the time. 374 Celebrities from Justin Bieber to Kim Kardashian helped spread it through their social media accounts and a few weeks later the U.S. Senate

passed a resolution condemning Joseph Kony and agreed to send troops from the African Union to help find him. 375 The film’s surprising popularity was no accident. It was produced by a charity called “Invisible Children” which used a high-power public relations firm called Sunshine Sachs Associates to promote it. That PR firm was co-founded by a man named Ken Sunshine who has close ties with Barack Obama. Many people became suspicious of Kony 2012 immediately since the video seemed to come out of nowhere and went viral so quickly. In hindsight it appears it was a carefully crafted propaganda campaign to promote the United States getting involved in another conflict halfway around the world. 376 The Military Industrial Complex had been eager to become more invested in the fight against Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army, but since they weren’t a threat to the United States and had no direct connections to us, drumming up support to go after him would have been impossible. But thanks to the viral Kony 2012 video, everyone was talking about him, and despite living in a country few Americans could even find on a map (Uganda), he became public enemy number one.

The CIA In Hollywood In the 1990s the CIA appointed a man named Chase Brandon as a their liaison to Hollywood, and he began helping the agency produce dozens of films and television shows for major studios and television networks, including documentaries on the History Channel. 377 Chase Brandon retired in 2007 and was replaced by a man named Paul Barry who continues with the task. 378 Former CIA officer Bob Baer said, “All these people that run studios—they go to Washington, they hang around with senators, they hang around with CIA directors, and everybody’s on board.” 379 Just a few weeks after the 9/11 attacks CBS launched a new series about the CIA called The Agency , which was shot on location at the actual

CIA headquarters, and largely focused on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and how the CIA was tirelessly working to keep America safe. The director of The Recruit (2003) a spy thriller starring Al Pacino and Colin Farrell, was invited to visit the CIA’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia so he could “understand how the space worked and looked.” 380 He wasn’t just brought there for a tour, the CIA’s Entertainment Liaison Office was involved in the production of the film to make sure it didn’t cast the CIA as a whole in a negative light, only Al Pacino’s character who is a corrupt agent and is eventually discovered. Over a decade later, The Atlantic would publish a story titled, “How the CIA Hoodwinked Hollywood” which explained, “The agency has established a very active spin machine in the heart of the entertainment capital, which works strenuously to make sure the cloak-and-dagger world is presented in heroic terms. Since the mid-1990s, but especially after 9/11, American screenwriters, directors, and producers have traded positive portrayal of the spy profession in film or television projects for special access and favors at CIA headquarters.” 381 Robert DeNiro played a retired CIA officer in Meet the Parents who famously hooks Ben Stiller up to a lie detector as part of his over-protective antics to determine if Stiller can be trusted to marry his daughter. Apparently the original script included a brief scene showing “torture manuals” on DeNiro’s book shelf once Stiller stumbled across his secret office in the basement and learned of his future father in law’s true identity, but the CIA told the studio not to include them on the shelf since they would cast the Agency in a negative light. 382 Not all films about the CIA show them in a positive light, however. Those movies have to be made without the help of any government agency. Matt Damon stars in The Bourne Identity (2002) which is loosely based on the CIA’s very real mind control experiments called MK-ULTRA. 383 Needless to say the CIA would rather sweep that under the rug and didn’t provide any assistance in its production. Syriana (2005) starring George Clooney focuses on the CIA’s involvement in the Middle East where they engage in numerous shady activities behind the scenes in order to maintain control of major fields in the region—another film they prefer would have never been made. Spy Game (2001), starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt shows the CIA turning their back on one of their operatives in order to avoid

jeopardizing a trade deal that is about to be signed between the United States and China. The Agency wouldn’t have anything to do with that film because it showed senior management in an “insensitive light” 384 when in reality it showed the complexities of international relations and the difficult and sometimes coldblooded decisions that are made behind the scenes to maintain American superiority in the world. In his book Operation Hollywood: How the Pentagon Shapes and Censors Movies , David Robb concludes, “No society is free that allows its military to control the arts. In America, it is not only unconscionable, it is also unconstitutional.” 385 He’s certainly not alone in thinking that. Many legal experts believe that entertainment liaison offices actually violate the First Amendment because they only help producers whose films portray the U.S. government, the military, and various other agencies, in a favorable light. This kind of selective help is equivalent to the government refusing to allow certain groups from reserving local town hall venues because of what those groups or their leaders believe. Constitutional Law professor Irwin Chemerinsky, who teaches at the University of Southern California argues, “The government cannot favor some speech due to its viewpoint and disfavor others because of its viewpoint. The court has said that when the government is giving financial benefits, it can’t decide who to give to, or not give to, based on the viewpoint expressed.” 386 He and others say this one-sided favoritism is no different that if the government gave one particular religious group material support or financial favors while denying those same benefits to others. 387

Some Actors Are Real CIA Assets Aside from the CIA aiding in the production of various films and television shows, their involvement in the entertainment industry goes much further and sounds like something right out of a movie. A former CIA officer named John Rizzo wrote a memoir called Company Man: Thirty Years of Crisis and Controversy in the CIA , where he admitted the agency regularly works with production companies that allow CIA operatives to work undercover as

members of film crews when a film is being shot on location in a foreign country. 388 “Among businesses in general, the CIA has long had a special relationship with the entertainment industry, devoting considerable attention to fostering relationships with Hollywood movers and shakers—studio executives, producers, directors, and big-name actors,” Rizzo explains. 389 He also said that some celebrities have been enlisted as CIA assets through the agency’s National Resources Division, which recruits foreign students studying in America, business people here on work visas, and even foreign diplomats the Agency wants to become spies for the United States when they return to their home countries. Once initiated, the celebrities are used to relay information to the CIA about foreign leaders they meet since they’ll often speak more candidly with a celebrity than with diplomats or reporters due to being star struck and letting their guard down. 390 “These are people who have made a lot of money basically making stuff up. A lot of them, at least the smarter and more self-aware ones, realize that what they do makes them ridiculously rich but is also ephemeral and meaningless in the larger scheme of things,” Rizzo says. “So they’re receptive to helping the CIA in any way they can, probably in equal parts because they are sincerely patriotic and because it gives them a taste of reallife intrigue and excitement.” 391 In his book he also says that a major film star once approached the CIA himself, wanting to work with them, “just out of his patriotic duty,” after the actor learned that another major studio had a relationship with the agency. Rizzo says the actor asked his handler for $50,000 of cocaine for his services, which the agency allegedly refused. 392 When Ben Affleck was promoting his film Argo (2012), which is based on the true story of the CIA working undercover with a film studio to infiltrate Iran to rescue American hostages under the guise of shooting a movie there, he was asked by a reporter if he thought there were any actors working as CIA operatives in Hollywood today. “I think there are probably quite a few. Yes, I think probably Hollywood is full of CIA agents and we

just don’t know it, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to discover that this was extremely common,” he responded. 393 Knowing what happened with the Iranian hostage rescue and working on other films that are overseen by the CIA’s Entertainment Liaison Office, Ben Affleck would certainly be in a position to know. He also starred in The Sum of All Fears (2002) where he played a CIA analyst, another film that was produced with the help of Chase Brandon, the agency’s entertainment liaison at the time. 394 Affleck’s (now ex) wife Jennifer Garner also played a CIA agent in ABC’s action thriller Alias, which the Central Intelligence Agency consulted on, so he is obviously very familiar with how close the agency works with Hollywood.

The FBI and Hollywood The FBI has their hand in Hollywood too. On their website they admit, “If you are a writer, author, or producer who wants to feature the FBI, we may be able to work with you to create an accurate portrayal of the Bureau. We’ve been doing it since the 1930s.” 395 They call this office the Investigative Publicity and Public Affairs Unit (IPPAU), and they work with “domestic and international screenwriters, producers, authors, and other industry personnel associated with TV programs, documentaries, made-for-TV movies, books, and motion pictures.” 396 J. Edgar Hoover, the infamously corrupt founding father of the FBI (and its director for almost 50 years), used his position to bully Hollywood studios into dropping certain actors from projects and got scripts changed that would have shown the agency in a negative light. John Wayne was chosen to be the narrator for a television series called “The FBI” for the ABC network in the 1960s, but because of his connections to the right-wing John Birch Society, Hoover “vetoed” John Wayne’s involvement and had ABC remove him from the project “in order

to prevent any possible criticism of the Bureau by using someone with known John Birch Society connections.” 397 J. Edgar Hoover also used his position to target anti-Vietnam war musicians like Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and especially John Lennon, who he was concerned threatened President Nixon’s chances of getting reelected, so Hoover tried to have him deported back to England because he was once arrested for possession of marijuana. 398

Operation Mockingbird In the news industry, intelligence agencies enjoy similar influence and have deeply embedded operatives and developed covert relationships for decades. In the 1970s a Congressional hearing uncovered a secret program called Operation Mockingbird which involved the CIA infiltrating television news networks, newspapers, and magazines, and paying off reporters and editors to do the agency’s bidding. 399 At the time there were widespread concerns that the CIA was involved in numerous corrupt and illegal activities, including spying on American citizens and assassinating foreign leaders, so Congress investigated the agency and happened to learn of their secret dealings with the media. At one point during the hearing William Colby, the head of the CIA then, was asked if the agency had operatives working for any television networks. He refused to answer the question and said that it’s something he would rather “get into” in an “executive session,” meaning behind closed doors with just a small number of senators authorized to have access to classified information. 400 The former president of CBS, Sig Mickelson, was later asked if he thought despite Operation Mockingbird being uncovered, was the CIA still engaged in the same type of operations. “Yeah, I would think probably, for a reporter it would probably continue today, but because of all the revelations of the period of the 1970s, it seems to me a reporter has to be a lot more circumspect when doing it now or he runs the risk of at least being

looked at with considerable disfavor by the public. I think you’ve got to be much more careful about it.” 401 Anyone who followed the “Russiagate” scandal and the conspiracy to bring down the Trump administration by claiming he’s a secret Russian agent, knows in their gut that various intelligence agencies (the “Deep State”) continue to work closely with the mainstream media in order to push their agenda. I cover Operation Mockingbird in detail in my previous book, The True Story of Fake News , which I encourage you to order from Amazon or download the e-book from any of the major e-book stores if you’re interested in learning more about the subject. Decades have gone by since the name “Operation Mockingbird” has been mentioned on national television, and when you learn just how deep the CIA burrowed their way into the various news networks, it’s chilling, especially in light of their ruthless and relentless war on President Trump.

Climate Change Many of Hollywood’s concerns about the environment, specifically global warming (or “climate change” as they have rebranded it) aren’t really about keeping our air clean, preserving delicate ecosystems, or developing green energy, but instead is just a smokescreen to hide their true intentions. Obviously we should take care of the environment, not litter, recycle, and be good stewards of the earth, but the fanatical doomsday warnings about global warming are designed to mobilize people to accept exorbitant carbon taxes and embrace the implementation of enormous new socialist programs. 402 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s senior aide and puppet master admitted, “The interesting thing about the Green New Deal is it wasn’t originally a climate thing at all…Do you guys think of it as a climate thing? Because we really think of it as a how-do-you-change-the-entire-economy thing.” 403 Ocasio-Cortez said the plan was aiming for “a new national social, industrial and economic mobilization on a scale not seen since World War II and the New Deal,” in order to “provide unprecedented levels of prosperity and economic security for all people of the United States.” 404

Celebrities have always been “tree huggers” and concerned about the environment—which is a good cause, but their hysterical rhetoric about what humans are doing to the planet is getting increasingly radical to the point that they are literally claiming the human race will soon go extinct if we don’t listen to them, and any day now when we peer outside the windows of our homes it will be as if we’re looking at a scene from a disaster movie. Because of all the “end of the world” fear mongering about climate change, some children are getting what is called “eco-anxiety” which child psychologists describe as “a form of anxiety about where the world is heading when it comes to climate change.” 405 This is what caused Greta Thunberg, the teenage climate change activist from Sweden, to begin skipping school thinking she was helping save the world. Once she caught the eye of the climate change lobby, they adopted her as their spokesperson and threw the weight of their massive propaganda machine behind her to propel her to international stardom as a child prodigy who is trying to save the planet. Time magazine even put her on the cover for their 2019 Person of the Year issue. 406 Recently there have been increasing calls for geoengineering, something that was said to be conspiracy theory just a few years ago. 407 Some scientists want to spray little particles of glitter into the atmosphere to block out some of the sun’s rays hoping that will keep the earth slightly cooler to offset the supposed “global warming” that’s happening. Meanwhile geoengineering advocates ignore the law of unintended consequences, and nobody knows what kind of environmental disasters doing such a thing would cause. Like everything liberals do, their claims of “living green” are rife with hypocrisy. Just one trip on their private jet spews more pollution into the air than several months’ worth of daily commutes on the freeway in a car. 408 Just one of Al Gore’s homes uses more than 20 times the amount of energy as an average home, costing an estimated $30,000 a year in utilities for the gas and electricity. 409 Arnold Schwarzenegger said fossil fuel executives should be sued for “first degree murder” because their industry is “killing” the planet. 410 Arnold apparently forgot that he was the first civilian to buy a Hummer in 1992 when the extra-large gas guzzling military vehicle became commercially available. It famously got about 10 miles a gallon. 411

Recently Hollywood has been inserting messages about global warming hysteria into almost everything. During the Miss Universe 2019 pageant one of the contestants was asked, “Are leaders of today doing enough to protect future generations from climate change?” Steve Harvey, the host, then rolled his eyes as soon as he was done reading the question off the card. 412 Hollywood, Health & Society (the organization that helped inject storylines about Obamacare into TV shows) also lobbies Hollywood studios about climate change. They specifically have been focusing on comedy shows because as Lizz Winstead, a writer for The Daily Show points out, “Comedians have become trusted as people who observe the world and talk about it truthfully. Because they’re not beholden to anyone, they can call bullshit when they see it.” 413 That may have been true before “Cancel Culture,” but that’s a whole other topic. The organization’s website openly states, “Hollywood, Health & Society assists with research, providing a range of information from experts for storylines on topics, from rising seas to melting glaciers, the increase of extreme weather to the spread of infectious diseases, from the Arctic to L.A.” 414 But they’re certainly not the only ones lobbying Hollywood to warn viewers about the issue. In 2011 the Secretary General of the United Nations traveled to Hollywood during Oscar week in order to encourage industry insiders to make more films about climate change. 415 The U.N. famously recruits celebrities like Angelina Jolie and George Clooney as “ambassadors” to further their agendas since so many people view celebrities as experts in everything. Knowing that few people watch documentary films, the U.N. focused on getting the issues incorporated into television series and movies. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of the U.N. at the time, told attendees, “Animate these stories. Set them to music! Give them life! Together we can have a blockbuster impact on the world.” 416 Another speaker at the event said, “There’s a huge gap between what governments can do, given political constraints, and what they should do. That’s where you come in…We need you to make it sexy and cool to bring about the energy revolution that has to happen.” 417 Executives working for the FOX television network (not to be confused with Fox News) once openly admitted the network uses their shows to promote concerns about global warming. Chairman Gary Newman

admitted in a promotional video the company put out years ago to brag about their efforts that, “We want to set an example in our industry and other industries that no matter what the size of your carbon footprint is, you can make a difference...The biggest thing we have done is inserting messages about the environment into some of our content.” 418 The Simpsons , King of the Hill , Family Guy , 24 , and many other FOX shows have all included warnings about climate change, sometimes very brief, but they are there. For example, in a scene from Family Guy when a character is looking around at a car dealership he asks “what kind of jerk would drive one of those?” when he comes across a Hummer. Another FOX television executive, Dana Walden, said, “the most powerful way that we could communicate the commitment on behalf of our company was to change the practices within the production as well as work in a message about global warming, about environmental changes, and about empowering people to take responsibility.” 419 The most infamous global warming propaganda is Al Gore’s “documentary” An Inconvenient Truth which helped jump start global warming hysteria. Devastated by losing the 2000 election to George W. Bush, Al Gore found meaning in his life traveling around the world giving his doomsday predictions to anyone who would listen. But documentary films don’t have the same impact that big budget action movies do. Jesse Bryant, who organizes an environmental film festival at Yale University, said, “It’s great to publish academic journals on the issues but the real breakthrough is when pop culture stories are hinted towards this cliff that we are all heading off.” 420

The Film that Started it All? Kevin Costner’s Waterworld was perhaps the first major film used to promote fears of global warming. Released in 1995 the story takes place around the year 2500 when the polar ice caps have melted and the entire earth is covered with water, forcing citizens to live on boats. At the time, it was the most expensive film ever made, costing around 175 million dollars, and turned out to be an epic flop. 421

An interesting spin on the climate change hysteria was The Day After Tomorrow (2004) which, unlike Waterworld , depicted the earth freezing from climate change. It’s based on a crazy “non-fiction” book titled The Coming Global Superstorm written in 1999 by UFO buff Art Bell and another guy named Whitley Strieber. Dennis Quaid plays a climatologist who realizes that the melting of the polar ice caps has disrupted the ocean currents and caused an enormous polar vortex which drops the earth’s temperature below freezing. Soon dozens of feet of snow fall everywhere from the disruptive weather patterns, trapping everyone inside. There’s even a scene where the vice president, who looks like Dick Cheney, was chastised for not listening to scientists earlier about the looming disaster global warming would cause. 422 The film was widely mocked as ridiculous and had the opposite effect that was intended. Instead of raising awareness for the “dangers” of climate change, The Day After Tomorrow became a prime example of how absurd those fears were. Vanity Fair is upset that there aren’t more films about climate change, saying, “Fifteen years after The Day After Tomorrow, movies about climate change remain rare, and never as serious as the problem itself.” 423 The article recommended that the next Fast & Furious film depict the gang driving electric vehicles instead of ones with “gas-guzzling” combustion engines to “set an example.” At the bottom of the article it has a note that reads, “This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 220 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story.” 424

Perhaps the writer got the idea of Fast & Furious using electric vehicles from Pixar’s animated film Cars 2 , which casts Big Oil as the bad guy, conspiring to prevent an alternative (more environmentally friendly) fuel from catching on. 425 A 2012 film called Beasts of the Southern Wild depicts planet earth on the verge of a climate catastrophe that ends up ultimately flooding a bayou village and causing dangerous prehistoric beasts which were frozen in the polar ice caps to become free and roam the earth again when they melt. Snowpiercer (2013) starring Chris Evans is about a future where climate change made the earth freeze over due to a failed attempt by scientists trying to use geoengineering to stop it, so the humans who remain have to live on a train that constantly travels around the world non-stop.

Why do they have to live on a train, and not in a building with a furnace to keep them warm, you ask? Because that would defeat the point of the movie about the train being an allegory for “classism” and the hierarchy of society separating the rich from the poor. The upper class members live in the cars closest to the engine, in luxury, while the poor masses are stuck living in the cars at the end of the train, in poverty. 426 One science blog said the “Frozen earth in ‘Snowpiercer’ is a grim (and possible) future for our warming planet.” 427 Others liked that it wasn’t just another “climate change dystopia film” but was what they called the first geoengineering dystopia film. 428 It seems some who are concerned about climate change also doubt that geoengineering could solve the problem and think hopes of geoengineering (like spraying glitter in the atmosphere to block some of the sun’s rays) are only addressing the symptoms, and not the cause of global warming. In May 2020 the TNT television network aired a reboot of the film as a television series which is said to take place in the year 2021. The 2014 science fiction film Interstellar revolved around the human race having to find another planet to live on because of dust storms and crop failures, and while not mentioning the words “climate change,” many saw the subtle message it was trying to make. Green Peace noted, “Interstellar has the potential to play a positive role in the climate movement. It can urge those who already see the impact of climate change to take activist action. And for others who have up to now have ignored the science, they may think again.” 429 But the message was too subtle for some critics. The Atlantic complained that “climate change” is never explicitly mentioned in the film, and instead of trying to solve the “mistakes” humans have made on earth that “caused” the planet’s destruction, the characters instead decided to abandon earth and try to start over somewhere else. 430 They were upset that the space opera aspects of the film and the issues of time travel overshadowed concerns about why Matthew McConaughey and his crew had to leave the earth in the first place. It’s interesting to point out that both Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have aerospace companies and want to colonize other planets out of fear that, because of climate change and “limited resources,” earth may become uninhabitable in the future. 431

In Downsizing (2017) Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig play a couple who plan to undergo a new scientific shrinking procedure similar to Honey I Shrunk the Kids , but this time on purpose, along with thousands of other people in order to all live in miniature communities so they will use a much smaller amount of earth’s natural resources. By “downsizing” they also reduce the amount of pollution they create, and help slow climate change. Another “benefit” is that by living in the miniaturized communities everything costs less since building materials and food go much further, making ordinary middle class people wealthy in their new life. But only 3% of the population opts for “downsizing,” meaning it has little effect on saving the earth from overpopulation. In the end the people who didn’t succumb to the procedure are said to be on the verge of all dying from global warming, but the miniature “downsized” people were all safe in an underground bunker, and they will be the ones to repopulate the earth once the climate calamity finally ends. In Geostorm (2017) special weather-controlling satellites are put in space to save the planet from all the climate change we’ve caused, only to get sabotaged and turned into weapons of mass destruction. 432 Despite the film’s over the top special effects showing major cities around the world being completely destroyed, climate change alarmists felt it was a good try regardless since it helped raise awareness for the “ecological tipping point” they fear we are approaching and were glad that climate change had been a common theme in several movies that year. 433 Ethan Hawke stars in First Reformed (2017) where he plays a minister struggling with his faith after his son died in the War in Iraq because he encouraged him to enlist in the military as part of the “family tradition.” The earth is on the verge of being uninhabitable because of climate change, and at one point a woman calls him to ask if he will counsel her boyfriend out of concern for his environmental extremist views. The woman later finds a suicide vest her boyfriend made that he planned to use to fight back against the industrialists who ruined the planet. Hawke takes it but agrees not to call the police, hoping he can talk some sense into the man and avoid getting him in trouble. The minister then researches climate change for himself, starts to agree with the man’s extremist views, and begins planning to use the suicide vest himself to kill a wealthy factory owner and others who aren’t good stewards of the earth.

Writer and director Paul Schrader said the film reflects his own “despair” over the “climate crisis.” 434 Equally corny was the 2018 version of The Predator where a key part of the plot was when the humans figured out why the creatures had returned to the earth after the incident depicted in the original film. The aliens, it turns out, were worried that climate change was going to make humans extinct soon, so the creatures came to earth to collect our DNA for their own genetic experiments before it was no longer available! “How long before climate change renders this planet unlivable? Two generations? One?” asks a federal agent trying to kill the creatures. Then it suddenly dawns on the lead scientist, played by Olivia Munn. “That’s why their visits are increasing. They’re trying to snap up all of our best DNA before we’re gone.” 435 That’s literally the reason given in the film as to why they returned to earth! Climate change was going to kill us! HBO’s Years and Years aired an entire episode focusing on the issue. The series follows a political family over the course of 15 years, with each episode taking place in a different time period, and one in the year 2025 depicts the north pole as having melted because of global warming. A lead character (Edith Lyons) says, “We keep saying, ‘you’ve got ten more years to sort out climate change, you’ve got ten more years to sort out flooding, you’ve got ten more years to sort out the rain forest.’ We’ve been saying that for 30 years. It’s too late. We’ve run out of time. Everyone knows it.” 436 The show goes on to warn that most people will soon starve from floods destroying crops and those who survive will have to live in small huts and only have their memories of what life was like before the climate catastrophe. Aquaman (2018) starring Jason Momoa depicted the King of Atlantis “Orm” starting a war with humans because of the decades of pollution we have been dumping into the ocean. Despite its pro-environmental message, some critics were upset that the words “global warming” were never actually explicitly mentioned in the film. “Aquaman shows, with unfortunate clarity, that the superhero film genre is ill-equipped to take on serious subjects,” said one critic. “Superhero stories love to imagine the end of the world, but don’t have much to offer in the face of actual global catastrophes.” 437

“Aquaman” Jason Momoa took the role very seriously however. When actor Chris Pratt posted a picture on his Instagram showing himself after a workout, he got “called out” by Momoa for drinking from a “single-use” plastic water bottle. Pratt then apologized. 438 Even if you recycle your plastic water bottle, that’s not environmentally friendly enough, so now the extremists are shaming people who don’t drink out of re-usable water bottles instead. In the Marvel superhero film Venom , the villain who is using his personal space exploration company to search for other inhabitable planets because “overpopulation and climate change” are going to make earth “uninhabitable” in just “literally” one more generation. 439 It’s by accident that one of their probes discovers an alien symbiotic lifeform that is brought back to earth, creating the “Venom” superhero by merging with a man’s DNA.

“Thanos Did Nothing Wrong” Fighting climate change often involves reducing the earth’s population, since the more people there are living on the planet, the larger our supposed accumulative carbon footprint is, and it’s under this rationale that some environmentalists sided with Avengers villain Thanos in his quest to kill half of all life in the Universe. In the movies, that’s his goal once he obtains all of the “Infinity Stones” which would grant him supernatural power, and some critics began arguing that instead of being a psychotic villain, Thanos “did nothing wrong.” The saying “Thanos did nothing wrong” had become a popular Internet meme from nihilist fans who sided with him, but some on the Left took it seriously thinking that it would help save the earth. Forbes magazine asked “Is Thanos right about overpopulation? His rationale seems to make sense if we consider our own planet. Since the Industrial Revolution, the world population has grown rapidly. The figure is currently over 7.6 billion and is projected to reach 10 billion in 2050… Fewer people ought to mean more food and less hunger, and might lower the risk of an epidemic when overcrowding enables the spread of disease. Human activity is driving a loss of biodiversity, with about 25% of animals

and plants now threatened with extinction, so halving the population would help other species. As a consequence, you could conclude that by eliminating 50% of all humans, Thanos did the Earth a huge favor.” 440 Their review concluded, “you could indeed argue that Thanos did nothing wrong—and in the long run, the villain might have actually saved the world.” 441

Population Control The idea of dramatically reducing the earth’s population in order to “save” it is actually something that environmental extremists have been promoting for decades. Back in the late 1960s, Stanford University professor Paul R. Ehrlich published a book titled The Population Bomb, which warned that within the next ten years society would collapse from massive famines because there were too many people on the planet using too many resources. 442 Despite the book being wildly inaccurate and over 50 years later the predictions laughable, many activists are still warning that we need to immediately reduce the population to save the planet. 443 Some celebrities like Miley Cyrus have even said they’re not going to have children because of climate change. 444 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has also said she too isn’t sure whether or not she wants to have kids for the same reason. 445 Many others are blaming couples who have children for contributing to the “problem.” 446 With Transhumanism appearing to be on the horizon which promises to extend our lifespan by hundreds of years (or indefinitely), 447 proponents are becoming increasingly concerned that this will cause the earth’s natural resources to become even more rapidly depleted because if people are able to quadruple their lifespan, that also means they’ll end up using four times as much energy, food, and other natural resources as well. 448 The mysterious Georgia Guidestones monument located in the small town of Elberton, Georgia, was erected in 1980 to declare the “need” for such actions. The 19-foot-tall monument consists of four slabs of granite

planted into the ground with 10 “commandments” engraved on each side, written in eight different languages. 449 The first of the ten “commandments” is to reduce the planet’s population down to 500 million, an over 90% reduction from its current 7.5 billion. The “Guidestones” were commissioned and paid for by an unknown man using the pseudonym R.C. Christian who said he represented a group that wanted the monument built to send the world a message. 450

Sports “News” Unlike politics and religion, sports is supposed to be the one universal activity that people can enjoy or discuss without the usual controversies associated with the human condition. One would expect that sports news shows and networks would be the last place you’d hear about politics, let alone be subjected to political propaganda, but unfortunately that’s not true these days. In the past, sports and politics would occasionally intersect but usually only when a star athlete joined a political cause and their involvement was part of a human-interest story. It was usually void of much controversy because often their activities weren’t divisive or controversial, but instead humanitarian in nature. But recently many sports writers, websites, and television networks have become liberal propaganda outlets, promoting left wing causes and putting athletes on pedestals who become token symbols of the liberal agenda. The entire NBA and NFL endorse the Black Lives Matter movement and have turned Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers player who refused to stand during the National Anthem before games, into a hero for starting the trend. When the 2020 NBA season began after a long delay from the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the players wore special jerseys with “social justice” messages printed on them in place of their last names on the back. 451

The league had worked with Nike to make the “Black Lives Matter” jerseys. This was in response to the protests (and riots) that spread across the country that summer when it became mandatory for sports leagues to condemn White people for “systemically” ruining Black people’s lives. Several basketball stadiums even painted “Black Lives Matter” on the courts. 452 The NFL also kicked off the 2020 season with the “Black National Anthem” being performed at the start of each game during week one in order to help “raise awareness” of “systemic racism” in America. 453 The

“Black National Anthem” is a song titled “Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing” that many Black people consider to be “their” national anthem, instead of the Star Spangled Banner. Even NASCAR became political in 2020 when they banned drivers and fans from displaying any Confederate flags at the races just two days after the league’s only (half) Black driver Bubba Wallace made the demand. 454

Then a week and a half later someone allegedly hung a “noose” in his garage at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama right before a big race. Bubba became a hero overnight from the media endlessly reporting that a “racist” NASCAR fan upset at him for getting the Confederate flag banned must have snuck into his garage and hung the “noose” for revenge. At the race the next day Bubba was given a parade as he rolled out onto the track to show how the entire league supported him for being so “brave” for what he had gone through. 455 Only, as I’m sure you know, the “noose” turned out to be the handle on the end of the rope which is used to pull open the garage doors at the track. 456 But Bubba had become a star overnight and was a NASCAR hero for standing up against the imaginary “hate crime” that 15 FBI agents wasted their time investigating. 457 After Amazon obtained the naming rights to Seattle’s NHL arena, formerly called Key Arena, they changed the name to Climate Pledge Arena to “raise awareness” for climate change, so now fans can’t watch a hockey game in Seattle without the constant reminder to be on the lookout for global warming. 458 Not even the Super Bowl Halftime shows are safe from becoming avenues to deliver political messages with musical guests sometimes incorporating “social justice” propaganda into their performances. 459 Sportswriter Bryan Curtis noted, “There was a time when filling your column with liberal ideas on race, class, gender, and labor policy got you dubbed a ‘sociologist.’ These days, such views are more likely to get you a job.” 460 Sports broadcaster Jason Whitlock said, “ESPN and most of the mainstream media have lurched farther left. That’s a complaint from middle America and, in my opinion, objective America. ESPN’s own ombudsman acknowledged ESPN’s hardcore progressive slant.” 461 Speaking about Fox Sports 1, a competitor to ESPN, he said, “I think we’re the alternative for sports fans who respect and like traditional sports values. I think we’re the alternative for mainstream sports fans, Little

League coaches, athletes, sports moms and dads. I think we’re the alternative for people who want to hear authentic conversation and debate rather than words crafted for Twitter applause. I think we’re the alternative for middle America, blue-collar sports fans. I think we’re the alternative for people who don’t think every misspoken word is a fireable offense. ESPN caters to the elite, safe-space crowd. We cater to the people who love to tailgate and knock down a six-pack.” 462 Michael Brendan Dougherty, editor of The Slurve baseball newsletter, wrote, “It’s also true that conservative ideas tend to be slower off the block. Because they are defenders of tradition, conservatives’ arguments often strike liberals as either an unreflective devotion to the way things are (or were), or as being too subtle to be credible.” 463 For the 2015 season the NBA teamed up with Sheryl Sandberg, a radical feminist and top executive at Facebook, to promote her “Lean In” campaign which nagged men to, “take more responsibility for housework and child care,” and said they need to “do their fair share of daily chores.” 464

The campaign aired commercials on TV during basketball games which used NBA players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry to lecture men to help out more around the house with laundry and other chores. 465 In 2015 ESPN gave Caitlyn Jenner the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, choosing “her” over others—including double amputee Noah Galloway, who is an Iraq War veteran—and despite missing one arm and one leg became a competitive distance runner, CrossFit athlete, and won third place on Dancing With the Stars . 466 Caitlyn Jenner was also chosen over fellow nominee Lauren Hill, a college basketball player who lost her fight with a brain tumor. 467 Surprisingly, veteran sports broadcaster Bob Costas admitted choosing Caitlyn Jenner was a “crass exploitation play,” saying, “In the broad world of sports, I’m pretty sure they could’ve found someone—and this is not anything against Caitlyn Jenner—who was much closer actively involved in sports, who would’ve been deserving of what that award represents.” 468 Caitlyn Jenner hadn’t played competitive sports since the 1980s (when “she” was Bruce). Sports Illustrated also put “her” on the cover at the age of 66 wearing the gold metal “she” won at the 1976 Olympics as Bruce, forty years earlier. 469 Not long after this, ESPN fired baseball analyst Curt Schilling because he posted a meme on his personal Facebook page criticizing new

transgender bathroom laws which allow biological males to use women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers. 470 The meme simply consisted of a man dressed as a woman with the caption, “Let him in to the restroom with your daughter or else you’re a narrow minded, judgmental, unloving, racist bigot, who needs to die!” ESPN’s President John Skipper was asked if the “perceived political shift” in sports becoming political was a “conscious decision” by the network. He responded, “It is accurate that the Walt Disney Company and ESPN are committed to diversity and inclusion. These are long-standing values that drive fundamental fairness while providing us with the widest possible pool of talent to create the smartest and most creative staff. We do not view this as a political stance but as a human stance. We do not think tolerance is the domain of a particular political philosophy.” 471 One conservative employee at ESPN revealed, “If you’re a Republican or conservative, you feel the need to talk in whispers. There’s even a fear of putting Fox News on a TV [in the office].” 472 Speaking shortly after the 2016 Presidential election, ESPN’s public editor Jim Brady said, “As it turns out, ESPN is far from immune from the political fever that has afflicted so much of the country over the past year. Internally, there’s a feeling among many staffers—both liberal and conservative—that the company’s perceived move leftward has had a stifling effect on discourse inside the company and has affected its publicfacing products. Consumers have sensed that same leftward movement, alienating some.” 473 Sportscaster Joe Buck is uncomfortable with sports recently becoming political, saying, “Unless I’m completely wrong, and I know in this case I’m not, nobody’s tuning into the 49ers-Cowboys game to hear my political opinions, whether it’s about Trump, or Kaepernick or Flint, Michigan. That’s not why they’re watching a football game. It’s misplaced. I hear guys doing it at times. It seems self-serving. Like they want to inject themselves into the conversation. Wait for a talk show. Go on Bill Maher’s show. Bill O’Reilly. Whoever. I think people watch these games to get away from that stuff. I think you risk alienating and upsetting a lot of people when you start going down that rabbit hole.” 474

NFL Promotes “Social Justice”

Shortly into the 2017 season, NFL players and owners issued a joint statement saying they held an important meeting to, “discuss plans to utilize our platform to promote equality and effectuate positive change. We agreed that these are common issues and pledged to meet again to continue this work together.” 475 Then Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee encouraging them to pass the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2017, which would reduce the prison sentences for drug offenders. A few months later the NFL announced the creation of their new “Inspire Change” initiative which involves giving millions of dollars in grants to “social justice” causes, including “helping schools implement more comprehensive African-American history education programs.” 476 The NFL also started becoming concerned that the tradition of using beautiful women as cheerleaders was “sexist,” so for the 2018 season they introduced male “cheerleaders” for the first time. The Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints were the first two teams to add them, and they’re not there to help the girls perform stunts by tossing them into the air and catching them. They dance with the girls and do all the same routines on the sidelines, even holding pom-poms. 477 Instead of being denounced as stupid or weird, they were hailed by the liberal media for “making history.” 478

Nike also decided to get into politics recently. In September 2018 the sportswear giant put out a new ad featuring Colin Kaepernick to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the company’s “Just Do It” campaign. While it was a polarizing choice, pushing half of their potential customers away who despise Kaepernick for his anti-American and anti-police activism, Nike’s revenue increased over the previous year’s quarter. 479 Under their new business model they don’t care how many of their previous customers will never buy a Nike product again because with Kaepernick as their new poster boy the company’s focus is now on the fanatics who will buy Nike gear even more because it reflects their social justice warrior identity. 480 As everyone knows, Black people dominate the NBA and NFL—and other sports like long distance running; but NBC Sports president Pete Bevacqua is worried that too many White people play golf. “Golf hasn’t had the best history,” he says. “Golf needs more diversity. How do you get more minorities playing the game, how do you get more women playing the

game? I think all of golf understands that, whether it’s the LPGA, the PGA Tour, the USGA, the PGA of America, Augusta National.” 481 Imagine a sports broadcaster saying there’s too many Black people in the NBA, or that it needs more “racial diversity!” They would be fired within the hour, but as I detailed in the “War on White People” chapter, the liberal media has no problem with anti-White racism, and in fact encourages it. Jemele Hill (a proud Black woman) who was co-host of SportsCenter, called President Trump a “White supremacist” in 2017 without any repercussions from the network. 482 Such an outrageous comment from the host of ESPN’s flagship show drew criticism from White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and even President Trump himself. Many had become accustomed to hearing such slander from CNN and MSNBC panelists, but coming from an ESPN host took things to a new level of depravity.

“Pride Night” All major sports leagues now host an annual “Pride Night” where they celebrate LGBT people, decorate their stadiums with rainbows, and bring special guests to the games from the gay (and transgender) community. To make sure everything is gay enough they even have gay men’s choirs sing the national anthem. 483 Today, most—if not all—NBA teams now host one each year, but it’s not just the NBA. The NFL launched their own annual “Pride Night” as well, to “heighten sensitivity to the LGBTQ community” and show their “commitment to an inclusive environment in which all employees are welcome.” 484 As of 2018, every major league baseball team except one hosted an annual Pride Night. 485 The following year the one hold out (the Yankees) gave in and held their first “Legacy of Pride” night and even awarded scholarships to various LGBT students. 486 Even the NHL has an annual Pride Night, where they too decorate the stadiums in rainbow colors and players even use hockey sticks wrapped in rainbow colored tape to show support for the LGBT community. 487 You

can’t even go to a hockey game these days without LGBT propaganda being shoved in your face.

The Super Bowl Since the Super Bowl is the most-watched event on television every year, the NFL and their sponsors can’t pass up the opportunity to spread liberal propaganda to as many people as possible. Lately we’ve been seeing an increasing amount of Super Bowl commercials pushing a political agenda, from Audi using a car commercial to complain about the (non-existent) “gender pay gap” to a lumber company denouncing President Trump’s plan to build a wall on the U.S. / Mexico border. 488 The NFL has also reportedly refused to air pro Second Amendment commercials. 489 Even the Halftime show, which might be the last place one would expect to push a political agenda, isn’t immune. In 2016, Beyonce was the featured artist and turned her performance into a dedication to the Black Panthers and Black Lives Matter. 490 The following year, with tensions still high from the recent Presidential election, Lady Gaga also used the spotlight to promote a political agenda, although a lot more subtle than Beyonce the year before. Many people missed it, but it was there, and it was undeniable if you knew what to look for. 491 Gaga gave a shoutout to the anti-Trump protesters who were (at the time) out protesting the new president’s temporary travel ban from seven countries which had been identified as hotbeds of terrorism. 492

When Jennifer Lopez and Shakira performed in a sex-charged halftime show that included stripper poles, booty shaking, and crotch-grabbing; they also depicted “kids in cages” as a way to denounce President Trump’s immigration policy of detaining people who cross illegally into our country. 493

Both Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are of Latin descent, and at one point during their performance they started singing in Spanish to cater to the tens

of millions of non-assimilating immigrants who are occupying areas in American cities. After the New England Patriots visited the White House following their 2017 Super Bowl win, the New York Times tweeted out two side by side photos, one showing when the Patriots visited the White House in 2015 when Barack Obama was president, and the other from the current visit, giving the impression that far fewer players showed up because they didn’t want to have anything to do with President Trump. 494 The official Patriots Twitter account then issued a statement saying, “These photos lack context. Facts: In 2015, over 40 football staff were on the stairs. In 2017, they were seated on the South Lawn.” 495 Countless other people called out the New York Times for their fake news, and of course President Trump took to Twitter to denounce them as well. 496 The next day the New York Times sports editor Jason Stallman apologized, saying, “Bad tweet by me. Terrible tweet. I wish I could say it’s complicated, but no, this one is pretty straightforward: I’m an idiot. It was my idea, it was my execution, it was my blunder. I made a decision in about four minutes that clearly warranted much more time. Once we learned more, we tried to fix everything as much as possible as swiftly as possible and as transparently as possible. Of course, at that point the damage was done. I just needed to own it.” 497 But that wasn’t the only politicizing of the Patriot’s White House visit. Rob Gronkowski, who played tight end, interrupted Sean Spicer’s press briefing that day asking if he needed any help [arguing with the fake news] in a hilarious stunt that had Spicer and the press corps laughing, but ESPN’s Max Kellerman didn’t think it was funny at all. “When the press corps is cracking up at a press secretary because of an athlete’s presence there, so he’s lending something to the proceedings, the athlete is, and the press corps is, you know, they’re having a rollicking good time…that’s a very bad thing. That’s an unhealthy thing to have happened,” he complained on air. 498 Kellerman went on to say that Gronkowski’s prank “normalized” Sean Spicer, who he insists worked for an “authoritarian” administration. 499

Layoffs Many people were growing tired of politics being intertwined with sports coverage, especially when the issues

weren’t even remotely related, and polls began showing it was causing some viewers to tune out. 500 In April 2017 ESPN laid off about 100 people, including several on-air personalities, and six months later laid off another 150 people. 501 This was after ESPN had reportedly lost an average of 15,000 subscribers a day in October alone, totaling an estimated decline of 465,000 for the month. 502 In the fiscal year of 2018 they lost two million subscribers. 503 While some of the loss can be ascribed to cord-cutters ditching cable in favor of streaming services, a significant portion was due to fans becoming sick of the players protesting during the national anthem. 504

In October 2019 the sports news website Deadspin sent out a memo to their editors and staff telling them to stick to sports and stop covering politics since the website had steadily drifted into regularly complaining about President Trump. The memo said in part, “Deadspin will write only about sports and that which is relevant to sports in some way.” 505 The editor-in-chief then decided to plaster the entire website with political and pop culture news in protest, and was immediately fired. He unironically tweeted, “I’ve just been fired from Deadspin for not sticking to sports.” 506 Members of the staff then quit en masse to show solidarity with the editor, and to also protest the new “stick to sports” policy. 507 Yes, people who worked for a sports website quit when management told them to write about sports! Sports are supposed to be an outlet for people to get away from the stress and responsibilities we face during the work week. And the last thing most sports fans want is to have politics brought up when they’re trying to enjoy their favorite game, but unfortunately “stick to sports” is no longer the motto for most sports entertainment outlets. While playing sports is a great way for kids and adults to stay physically fit and learn about working together with others, the artificial importance placed on professional sports entertainment largely serves as a type of bread and circus distraction, diverting people’s attention and energy away from important problems in society.

Instead, the focus is put on concerns about whose team is going to win, and which players are injured or may get traded, and other trivial and meaningless controversies which, when you boil them down, do nothing other than serve to keep people pacified with things that lack any real importance whatsoever. George Orwell summed this phenomenon up in his prophetic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four when he wrote, “films, football, beer, and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of [people’s] minds. To keep them in control was not difficult.” 508

Author’s Note: If you haven’t already, please take a moment to rate and review this book on Amazon.com, Kindle, Google Play, iBooks, or wherever you bought it from, to let other potential readers know how valuable this information is. Almost all of the one-star reviews on Amazon for my last three books “The Liberal Media Industrial Complex,” “The True Story of Fake News,” and “Liberalism: Find a Cure” are from NON-verified purchases which shows the “reviewers” probably didn’t even read them, and just hate me. So if you could help me offset their fake one-star reviews by leaving a real one yourself since you actually read the book, that would help a lot! Thank you!

Late-Night Comedy Shows For decades the late-night talk shows were something Americans could watch at the end of the day to get a few laughs about current events, celebrity stupidity, or from other theatrics. Viewers couldn’t tell Johnny Carson’s politics because he was an equal opportunity offender. The same was true for Jay Leno and David Letterman who were staples of late-night TV for a generation. Starting the evening following Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, late night TV stopped being funny. In fact, the hosts were visibly distraught when they took to the air, speaking in a somber tone as if we had just experienced a national tragedy. They tried to pull themselves together over the following days and weeks, but late-night television was never the same.

Today Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Fallon aren’t merely “entertainers.” They are stealth propagandists; whose political messages go down easier than those from “news” outlets because it’s covered in comedy. Their agenda is no longer to make people laugh, it’s to get them to cheer on the liberal agenda and mock conservatives. New York Magazine embraced comedy’s new mission and asked, “How Funny Does Comedy Need to Be?” noticing that it wasn’t very funny anymore. “Like post-rock, post-comedy uses the elements of comedy (be it stand-up, sitcom, or film) but without the goal of creating the traditional comedic result—laughter—instead focusing on tone, emotional impact, storytelling, and formal experimentation. The goal of being ‘funny’ is optional for some or for the entirety of the piece.” 509 Comedy without comedy? At least they’re honest enough to admit the shows aren’t funny anymore. When Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced he was retiring, opening the door for President Trump to nominate a second judge to the court, the official Comedy Central Twitter account tweeted sarcastically “Thanks, Justice Kennedy,” along with a graphic that read “Supremely Fucked.” 510 Comedy Central’s Jim Jefferies went so far as to deceptively edit an interview with a man named Avi Yemini who is opposed to Muslims mass emigrating to European countries, but unbeknown to Comedy Central, Yemini secretly recorded the entire interview and posted it on YouTube to show how manipulated the footage was for the segment when it aired and demonstrated how many of his statements were completely taken out of context. He then sued them for defamation. 511 Some hosts like HBO’s John Oliver are steeped in guilt because they mocked the idea of Donald Trump becoming president. When guest hosting the Daily Show, John Oliver responded to a news clip reporting Trump was considering running in 2016 by saying, “Do it. Do it! I will personally write you a campaign check now!” because he thought it would make for some great material and didn’t think for a moment Trump had a chance to actually win. Now John Oliver lives in misery every day of his life. In an interview five years after he was fired from NBC as host of the Tonight Show, Jay Leno was asked how much different the late-night comedy shows are in the Trump era. “Do you miss being on the show, or is it such a different time that it would be hard to do?” Al Roker asked him.

“No, it’s different. I don’t miss it,” he replied, going on to say during his time hosting he didn’t want people to know his politics, so he tried to hit both sides equally. 512 “Because, you know, the theory when we did the show was you just watch the news, we’ll make fun of the news, and get your mind off the news. Well, now people just want to be on the news all the time. You just have one subject that’s the same topic every night, which makes it—makes it very hard. I mean, all the comics, Jimmy and Colbert and everybody else, it’s tough when that’s the only topic out there.” 513 Leno noted that the comedy on late-night TV is now “one-sided” and “all very serious” and that “I’d just like to see a bit of civility come back to it, you know?” 514 Saturday Night Live alumni Rob Schneider noted today, “Much latenight comedy is less about being funny and more about indoctrination by comedic imposition. People aren’t really laughing at it as much as cheering on the rhetoric.” 515

Jimmy Kimmel Jimmy Kimmel is largely credited with killing the Republicans’ plan to repeal Obamacare after he spent several nights ranting (and crying) about it on his show in 2017, claiming it would prevent poor people from getting healthcare. He even used his newborn son Billy as a prop since he was born with a congenital heart defect and claimed that if Obamacare was repealed then other children with similar life-threatening conditions would die. But Kimmel wasn’t coming up with his Obamacare material on his own. The Daily Beast admitted, “Kimmel and his team were in touch with health care officials, charities and advocacy groups,” as well as Senator Chuck Schumer who, “provided technical guidance and info about the bill, as well as stats from various think tanks and experts on the effects of [it].” 516

CNN asked, “Did Jimmy Kimmel kill the health care bill?” after Senator John McCain [who cast the deciding vote] said he wouldn’t support the repeal. “Kimmel’s critique [of the Republican plan] inspired intense

coverage and analyses, pundits debated Kimmel’s expertise on the subject while others told him to stay in his lane, and the comedian found himself again at the center of the health care fight.” 517 Kimmel’s propaganda efforts have extended far beyond healthcare. He has used children in skits about how “disastrous” global warming is. 518 He calls CPAC the largest gathering of “anti-vaxxers” and “very angry White people.” 519 And he even called for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to be castrated. 520 Kimmel says, “It just so happens that almost every talk show host is a liberal and that’s because it requires a level of intelligence.” 521 He has also admitted that sharing his political views “has cost me commercially” but neither he nor ABC care, because it’s “for a good cause.” 522

Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert took over The Late Show from David Letterman in 2015 and ever since has turned the nightly monologue into an anti-Trump editorial, but his audience enjoys it, even his pathetic Donald Trump impression which should be enough for anyone with any taste in comedy to change the channel. He plays a big role, however, in politics. Practically all the Democrat candidates running for president in 2020 appeared on his show: Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Julian Castro, Beto O’Rourke, Elizabeth Warren, Corey Booker, etc. CNN admitted that, “Aides for several of the mosttalked-about contenders confirmed that they view Colbert as a crucial stop on the presidential roadshow,” and one campaign official who spoke off the record said, “We strategize about Stephen a lot.” 523 New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced she was running for President in 2020 on his show. 524 She had coordinated with them and then Stephen shamelessly had her on to awkwardly ask if she had anything to announce, and then she revealed the “big” news. Congressman Eric Swalwell also officially announced he was running for president in 2020 on Colbert’s show. 525 His campaign soon embarrassingly ended with him

begging people on Twitter to donate “just one dollar” in hopes he could stay in a little bit longer.

Jimmy Fallon Poor Jimmy Fallon tried not to become a rabid anti-Trump ranter out of concerns he would ostracize half his viewers, but was reportedly pressured by NBC to stop being so soft on Trump. 526 Industry-wide Fallon was shunned and denounced after his 2016 interview with then-candidate Donald Trump because he didn’t use the opportunity to tear into him, and instead had a fun interview like he does with all of his guests. Trump even famously let Jimmy mess up his hair to prove it was real, but the liberal media was furious and claimed Fallon had “humanized” him. 527

He was shut out of the Emmys that year in what many speculated was retaliation for “helping” Trump. 528 Fallon later apologized for being too friendly and said that people “have a right to be mad.” 529 Despite trying to not have a show tainted with an obvious political agenda like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, Fallon soon bent to the will of his producers and started focusing more on the president and other social justice issues. He even had anti-gun activist David Hogg and his sister on the show to rail against the NRA and Florida Senator Marco Rubio for not supporting radical anti-gun laws. 530 Fallon had the kids recount their experience during the Parkland school shooting, because what could be a more appropriate topic for a late night comedy show than talking about a mass shooting at a school?

Saturday Night Live Once a staple of American comedy, Saturday Night Live has been on a slow and continuous decline, perhaps in part to an increasing number of options for viewers with the growth of cable TV and more recently streaming

services and other online entertainment; but the show’s parodies of presidential politics still bring in viewers and the sketches make headlines. More importantly than that, Saturday Night Live has been responsible for significantly altering how tens of millions of people view certain politicians. One critic noted, “The series has also shown a deft ability to define politicians’ personas—for better or worse. For some, Chevy Chase’s exaggerated version of President Gerald Ford or Dana Carvey’s over-the-top President George H.W. Bush are more familiar than the politicians’ actual legacies. And sketches spoofing the likes of Michael Dukakis and Sarah Palin have had a much longer shelf life than the real-life versions’ political careers.” 531 University of Tennessee professor and blogger Glenn Reynolds admitted, “Personally, I think that Chevy Chase cost Ford the 1976 election. Well, part of it, anyway.” 532 Decades later Chase admitted, “[M]y leanings were Democratic and I wanted [Jimmy] Carter in and I wanted [Ford] out, and I figured look, we’re reaching millions of people every weekend, why not do it.” 533 During the 2000 presidential campaign Darrell Hammond’s character of Al Gore was devastating, accentuating his dull personality to the point that the real Al Gore reminded people of Hammond’s character. SNL’s portrayal of a George W. Bush vs Al Gore debate showed him repeatedly referring to his “lock box” and haunted Gore for the remainder of the campaign. Will Ferrell’s impression of a bumbling George W. Bush is what really launched him to stardom. In 2008 Tina Fey’s portrayal of Sarah Palin stuck like glue and many political analysts credit SNL with permanently tarnishing her image in the minds of millions of voters. 534 While the show and its cast have always leaned Left, once they came down with Trump Derangement Syndrome their sickness began showing its symptoms in their skits. In 2018 they sung a special rendition of Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas Is You” conveying their wishes to have Robert Mueller throw President Trump in prison. 535 And their anti-Trump obsession has caused them to sink so low that they actually endorsed assassinating him.

Cast member Michael Ché began, “Maybe I just don’t understand politics well, because when they said Trump was gettin’ impeached, I immediately thought, ‘Great! Trump’s fired! Let’s get drunk!’ But they’re like ‘no, he’s just being impeached, but he ain’t exactly impeached yet, it’s still gonna take another year or so.” 536 The punchline was, “You know, I’ll bet somebody explained how long impeachment took to John Wilkes Booth, and he was like ‘Okay, well where’s he at right now?’” 537 Jokes about assassinating a current President, or any President even after they’ve left office, have always been out of bounds, especially for any show on network television, but Saturday Night Live decided to go there. SNL alumni Norm McDonald has trashed the show’s obsessive antiTrump agenda, such as framing his 2016 election victory as if it was the end of the world. “I was like, what the fuck are we getting through? That a man was duly elected president? What are you, crazy? …I can get through anything. I got through my own father’s death. You think I can’t get through a man getting elected president of the United States?” 538 McDonald made it clear that he is certainly no fan of President Trump, but says they’re “playing into Trump’s hands.” 539 He said he doesn’t even do political jokes because he hates politics and mostly just watches sports. Pondering how comedy shows have gotten so partisan these days he said, “I wonder when it happened. Maybe with Jon Stewart. But it happened at some point that talk show hosts had to be political pundits.” 540

The Good Old Days In a 1984 interview with Barbara Walters, late night legend Johnny Carson was asked if there were things in the world that bothered him and caused him to want to use his platform (then host of The Tonight Show on NBC) to raise awareness for them. He responded, “I think one of the dangers if you are a comedian, which basically I am, is that if you start to take yourself too seriously and start to comment on social issues, your sense of humor suffers somewhere.” 541

“I’ve seen other people, whose names I won’t mention, who do humor, and then somewhere along the line they start to want to make their views known. I try to do it humorously. Some critics over the years have said that our show doesn’t have great sociological value, it’s not controversial, it’s not deep,” defending the show saying it’s just to entertain people and make them laugh. 542 He was asked a few years earlier by Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes about why he never gets political. “Do you get sensitive about that fact that people say ‘he’ll never take a serious controversy?” 543 Carson responded, “Well, I have an answer to that. Now tell me that last time that Jack Benny, Red Skelton, any comedian, used his show to do serious issues. That’s not what I’m there for. Can’t they see that? Why do they think that just because you have a Tonight Show that you should deal in serious issues? That’s a danger. That’s a real danger. Once you start that, you start to get that self-important feeling that what you say has great import, and strangely enough, you could use that show as a forum, you could sway people, and I don’t think you should as an entertainer.” 544

Hate Crime Charges for Jokes? Although mainstream shows have lost their edge and turned into social justice cesspools, some stand-up comedians are trying to save freedom of speech by carrying on the tradition of George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, and others who stood up for the right to offend people with thin skin, but comedy is under attack by the Thought Police who want people arrested for telling jokes. The London Independent published a piece titled, “As a comedy aficionado, I’m appalled at disgusting ‘jokes’ creeping back into the industry” where the columnist complained, “Comedians, crying ‘free speech’ isn’t good enough—hate crime laws should apply to all of us.” 545 She complained about what she called “Alt-Right comedy” naming YouTubers PewDiePie and Sargon of Akkod as supposedly having “persuaded some comedians that there is money to be made from belittling social justice.” 546 The writer then whined about Ricky Gervais’ Netflix special Humanity where he “deadnamed” Caitlyn Jenner (liberalspeak for calling a

transgender person by their legal name or birth name), and complained about Dave Chappelle cracking some jokes about transgender people too, saying, “I would go so far as to argue that some of the jokes I have heard on the comedy circuit of late constitute actual hate speech.” 547 Chappelle’s 2019 Netflix special Sticks & Stones upset a lot of liberals since they have no sense of humor and he kept the edge he once had for his Comedy Central sketch series in the early 2000s. Vice News told their moronic readers that “You can definitely skip Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix special Sticks & Stones ” because he “doubles down on misogyny and transphobia.” 548 The critics at Rotten Tomatoes, the popular entertainment rating website, gave it an approval rating of just 35% while the average audience rating is at 99%. 549 Matt Stone, co-creator of South Park, said that the reason so many critics trashed it was because they were afraid to say it was actually funny. “When I read TV reviews or cultural reviews, I think of someone in prison, writing. I think about somebody writing a hostage note. This is not what they think. This is what they have to do to keep their job in a social media world.” 550 Tim Allen has said that today he couldn’t do his old act from the ‘90s because it would be deemed too “sexist” since much of it was about the dynamics between men and women. 551 His hit show Last Man Standing was canceled by ABC after he appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show and joked about how being a conservative in Hollywood these days is like being a Jew in 1930s Germany because of the persecution they face. 552 ABC claimed it was canceled because the show wasn’t performing as well as they wanted, but it was actually the network’s second most watched comedy, and the third most watched show on the entire network. 553 It was later picked up by FOX where it instantly became the highest rated show on its night. 554 Many European countries have much stricter “hate speech” laws than the United States, and it’s a model the Left wants to implement here, starting by amending or repealing the First Amendment to allow criminal charges for people who say things that hurt others feelings or are “divisive” and “not inclusive.” 555 Scottish comedian “Count Dankula” was famously arrested and convicted for hate speech after he posted a video on YouTube

showing that he trained his girlfriend’s dog to do a “Nazi salute” as a joke to upset her. 556 There is no doubt that Leftists would love to have political commentators like me arrested for jokes (or even sarcastic statements) about Black people, illegal aliens, gays, and transgenders. Comedy, which was once seen as the last bastion of free speech, is increasingly coming under attack by intolerant liberals who aim to use the mechanisms of government to silence people if the social media companies won’t.

Award Shows Award shows aren’t just for awards. They themselves are elaborate propaganda campaigns whose winners are often chosen, not because of their extraordinary talent, but because certain songs, movies, and TV shows promote agendas the social engineers want to encourage. Movies that fail miserably at the box office are still awarded if the Hollywood elite want to highlight their “powerful” message. In recent years the award shows have veered further left than most people could imagine, and it’s impossible to make it through one now without getting browbeat by nauseating messages about “diversity,” antiWhite bigotry, and gender bending. For example, the 2018 Emmys began with Kate McKinnon (a lesbian) and Kenan Thompson (a Black man) saying, “Tonight is the celebration of the hard work and the talent of everyone in this room,” begins Kate. “That’s right,” continues Kenan.

“We’re also celebrating the fact that this year’s Emmy Awards has the most diverse group of nominees in Emmy history.” It seemed like they may have been setting up a joke for a second, but they were really being serious. A few more celebrities then came out on stage and literally began to sing a song celebrating the “diversity” of the nominees. Halfway through their little musical number Ricky Martin entered the stage, saying, “You haven’t solved it. This song is way too White!” and then the music changed to salsa music and they all started dancing again. At that point Saturday Night Live’s Andy Sandberg joined the group and sings, “What about me? Is there any room in this song for a straight White guy like me?” “You can’t be a part of this,” he is told. “Sounds good, have fun you guys,” he replies, and then walks off stage. White people should be shunned was the message. Get rid of them. If you took a drink every time someone said “diversity” during the show you would have died of alcohol poisoning. When Jimmy Kimmel took to the stage to present he began, “We are delighted this year to have such a diverse collection of talented supporting actress nominees.” 557 Another presenter, Emilia Clarke (best known for starring in HBO’s Game of Thrones ), also had to make note of the wonderful “diversity,” saying, “Tonight, we are happy to announce that the comedy writing category, once dominated by White male nerds now boasts more female and diverse nerds than ever before.” 558 But there were still too many White people winning awards despite the “diverse” group of nominees that night, so in protest when James Corden was presenting he told the audience at home to get #EmmysSoWhite trending on Twitter, which they did. 559 And we can’t have an award show these days without it including a celebration of drag queens, so RuPaul was given the Emmy for his crossdressing competition, RuPaul’s Drag Race . 560 The Golden Globes are basically the Oscars and Emmys combined, meaning both movies and television shows are given awards. The event is put on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which is an organization consisting of foreign media outlets and reporters who cover American entertainment outside the United States.

It’s the typical superficial award show with celebrities who think they can save the world by giving a shout out to various causes, but once Donald Trump became president it was obligatory for at least one of the winners to denounce him while accepting their award. Meryl Streep was the first at the 2017 Golden Globes, held just two months after the 2016 election, where she gave an overly dramatic speech about how he’s ruining the country for immigrants. 561 The following year feminism was the theme of the night with host Seth Meyers beginning the show by saying, “People in this room worked really hard to get here, but it’s clearer now than ever before that the women had to work even harder. So thank you for all the amazing work that you’ve all done, and you continue to do. I look forward to you leading us into whatever comes next. So thank you so much for letting me say that.” 562 His cucking didn’t stop there. After his monologue he expressed concerns that the first presenters were going to be two White men. “Now to present our first awards, please don’t be two White dudes, please don’t be two White dudes. Oh, thank God! It’s Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson everybody.” 563 The very first award of the night went to a man named Ramy Youssef who won Best Actor in a Comedy Series. As soon as he took the stage he said, “Look, I know you guys haven’t seen my show,” and then the entire audience laughed. “Everyone’s like ‘is this an editor?’” he continued. 564 He was only half joking because nobody there, and hardly anyone watching at home, knew who he was. His show Ramy streamed on Hulu and was a comedy about a Muslim family from Egypt who had just moved to New Jersey. He was given the Golden Globe as a form of affirmative action to demonstrate how “woke” Hollywood is by celebrating a Muslim comedy, not because it was the funniest show, but simply for the sake of “diversity,” and he knew it. When Jessica Chastain announced the winner for Best Actress that year, she began sarcastically, “I’m so happy to announce that the winner of this category will also receive the 23 percent of her salary that went missing in the wage gap.” Chris Hemsworth, who stood there alongside her virtue signaling, added, “It’s true. That’s correct.” 565 When presenting the nominees for Best Actor, Geena Davis also made a sarcastic comment about the supposed wage gap, saying, “These five nominees have agreed to give half of their salary back, so that the women

could make more than them.” 566 But the White male bashing didn’t end there. When Natalie Portman announced the winner for Best Director, she went off script, saying “And here are the all-male nominees,” clearly upset that no women were nominated that year because of “sexism.” 567 At the end of the night Oprah Winfrey was given the Cecil B. de Mille Award for her “contributions” to the entertainment industry, where she gave a tearful acceptance speech causing liberals to become ecstatic and filled with hope that she would run for president in 2020 against Donald Trump. NBC’s official Twitter account even tweeted a picture of her and said, “Nothing but respect for OUR future president.” 568 The New Yorker ran the headline, “Oprah Leads a Decisive Feminist Takeover.” 569 At the 2020 Golden Globes, Ellen DeGeneres was given an “Award for Excellence” for all she has done to advance the LGBT agenda. 570 The dinner which takes place before the show was an all vegan meal that year to help “raise awareness about climate change.” 571 When Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor award for his performance in Joker, he began his acceptance speech thanking the Hollywood Foreign Press for “recognizing and acknowledging the link between animal agriculture and climate change.” Adding, “It’s a very bold move making tonight plant-based and it really sends a powerful message,” referencing the vegan dinner. 572 While Sacha Baron Cohen was presenting he took the opportunity to rip into Mark Zuckerberg for not cracking down on free speech enough on Facebook, sarcastically describing him as a “naive misguided child who spreads Nazi propaganda.” 573 Just two months earlier Cohen gave a speech to the Jewish ADL where he aggressively called for the major social media companies to increase censorship, claiming that they’re still allowing people to post “hate speech.” 574 Then during her acceptance speech for Best Actress in a Limited Series, Michelle Williams (who was visibly pregnant), admitted she once killed her other baby in an abortion and was glad that she did because if she had the kid it would have prevented her from becoming a successful actress. 575

The audience cheered her “bravery” for admitting what she had done.

The Biggest Night in Hollywood The “biggest night in Hollywood” is the Academy Awards where the Oscars are

handed out, and for many years celebrities have spewed political nonsense—often about saving the environment or some issue in a third world country, but in the Trump-era, everything is about Trump. At the 2017 Oscars, held just one month after President Trump’s inauguration, host Jimmy Kimmel called him a racist and insinuated that the entire world now hates America. “I want to say thank you to President Trump,” he said sarcastically. “I mean, remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist?” referring to the “Oscars so White” controversy. 576

In 2018 Call Me by Your Name was nominated for “Best Picture” which is based on the true story of a 24-year-old man seducing a 17-yearold boy. Hollywood calls that a great “love story.” 577 As the Oscars kicked off that year host Jimmy Kimmel gave a shoutout to the actor who played the boy, Timothee Chalamet, saying he is “the star of a small but powerful story, Call Me By Your Name, which did not make a lot of money, in fact, of the nine best picture nominees, only two of them made more than 100 million dollars. But that’s not the point. We don’t make films like Call Me By Your Name for money. We make them to upset Mike Pence.” 578 (Vice President Mike Pence is a devoted Christian who doesn’t support same sex “marriage.”) Then came more White guilt as Black films, Black actors, and Black writers were touted as being the best. At one point Jimmy Kimmel mentioned that the new Black power film Black Panther wouldn’t be included in that year’s awards because it just came out, and then expressed his disappointment that there aren’t more Black superheroes. “It’s weird that so many superheroes are White because that’s what they were in the comics, right? People say, ‘Well Superman is White. He’s always been White. You know what else Superman has been? Not real!” 579 Apparently it’s racist now that Superman is always White in the movies, because he’s White in the comics! Then two Black women (Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph) came out to present and Maya began, “We are so happy to be here, but a little

nervous too, because a few years ago people were saying that the Oscars were so White, and since then some real progress has been made.” 580 Tiffany Haddish, who has a voice scratchier than Axl Rose then chimed in, agreeing. “Mmhmm. When we came out together we know some of you were thinking, ‘are the Oscars too Black now?’” Maya Rudolph replies, “Don’t worry. There’s so many more White people to come tonight.” “Mhhhmmm. So many! We just came from backstage and there are tons of them back there! And not just movie stars. There are White people walking about with headsets. White people with clipboards. I’m personally not a fan of White people with clip boards because I’m always wondering ‘what are they writing down about me?’” 581 The message was clear. There were still too many White people around, despite the recent strides in “diversity.” Best documentary that year went to Icarus , a movie about the Russian doping scandal at the Olympics to fan the flames of the hysteria at the time about Russia supposedly helping Donald Trump win the 2016 election. Then there was more pro-immigration propaganda. Lupita Nyong’o (who is from Kenya) and Kumail Nanjiani (who is from Pakistan) presented an award, but not before saying they’re not just actors, they’re also immigrants, “and like everyone in this room and everyone watching at home, we are dreamers. We grew up dreaming of one day working in the movies. Dreams are the foundation of Hollywood, and dreams are the foundation of America…To all the Dreamers out there, we stand with you,” they said, to a resounding applause, referring to the millions of illegal immigrants Barack Obama granted amnesty to with his “Dream Act” executive order. “Now the nominees for achievement in production design.” 582 Rapper Common and singer Andra Day performed their social justice anthem “Stand Up for Something” with Common beginning, “We put up monuments for the feminists. Tell the NRA they’re in God’s way… Sentiments of love for the people from Africa, Haiti, and Puerto Rico.” 583 Later while Andra Day sung, Common continued injecting his two cents with statements like, “We stand up for the Dreamers. We stand up for immigrants.” The eight-year-old Syrian refugee, Bana al-Abed, who (supposedly) began tweeting photos of civil war-torn Syria in 2016, was brought on stage during their performance. 584 Of course eight-year-olds

don’t tweet, but the girl was used as a propaganda tool to promote U.S. intervention in the country by making her a symbol of the civil war there, but that’s a whole other story. 585 Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards was also on stage, along with a total of ten social justice activists invited up there during the performance because they all “Stand Up for Something.” 586 Mexican film maker Guillermo del Toro won the Academy Award for Best Picture that year for The Shape of Water , a movie about a woman who falls in love with a fish-man (and literally gets naked and has sex with it). Probably Hollywood’s way of taking baby steps on the path to giving an Oscar to a film about bestiality. Guillermo del Toro also won for Best Director and when he took to the stage he began, “I am an immigrant like, like my compadres, Alfonso and Alejandro, like Gael [García Bernaland] Salma [Hayek], and like many of you. And in the last 25 years, I’ve been living in a country all of our own. Part of it is here. Part of it is in Europe. Part of it is everywhere, because I think the greatest thing the industry does is erase the line in the sand,” [meaning borders]. 587 The 2019 Oscars were just more of the same. At the beginning of the show Maya Rudolph announced, “Just a quick update for everybody in case you’re confused. There is no host tonight. There won’t be a popular movie category, and Mexico is not paying for the wall.” 588 Kevin Hart had originally been scheduled to host, but he was canceled after snowflakes dug up some of his past jokes and tweets about not wanting his son to be gay, so like many others, he became a victim of the “cancel culture.” 589 Black Panther was nominated for “Best Picture” simply because it was the first Black superhero movie. Spike Lee won the Academy Award that year for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman , and during his acceptance speech said that the 2020 election is “just around the corner” and told everyone to “mobilize” and “do the right thing” by voting Donald Trump out of office. 590 Within just a few minutes of the 2020 Academy Awards show starting, Chris Rock was complaining that not enough Black people were nominated, but the show certainly made up for it that year with presenters. At one point a guy came on stage to announce, “The Academy would like to acknowledge that tonight we have gathered on the ancestral lands of the

Tongva, the Tataviam and the Chumash” [Native American tribes] to apologize for White people “stealing” their land. 591 To kick off the show, singer/rapper Janelle Monae changed the lyrics in one line of her song to say “It’s time to come alive, cuz the Oscars, it’s so White,” marking the sixth year in a row the “Oscars so White” complaint was made. 592 No amount of “diversity” could make them happy. Hair Love won Best Short film for a 7-minute-long animation about a Black father learning to do his daughter’s hair. Usually the winner for this category isn’t included in the show, but because the film celebrated Black people and their “hair” the producers made a special exception this year. When accepting the award the director encouraged people to support the Crown Act, which was pending legislation that would ban employers and schools from “discriminating” against people for their hairstyles, for example, if a business didn’t want their employees to wear dreadlocks, or have an afro that sticks out two feet. 593 A Netflix show called American Factory that Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company made won the Oscar for best documentary in 2020, and when accepting the award, the director quoted straight from the Communist Manifesto, saying “workers of the world unite.” 594 When Joaquin Phoenix won the Oscar for Best Actor in Joker he rattled off as many social justice buzzwords as he could, saying, “Whether we’re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights, we’re talking about the fight against injustice,” and then went on to complain about cow rights and people using milk in our cereal and coffee in the morning. 595 After the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020 caused a surge of Black supremacist sentiments to spread across the country and endless virtue signaling by corporations and schools about how they were going to work much harder to “support the Black community,” the Oscars announced that they were changing the criteria for films to be considered for the awards, adding a “diversity requirement.” 596 So now it doesn’t matter how good a film is, if there isn’t a Black person, a Latino, or a queer as part of the main plot, then it may get passed over in favor of another film with more “diversity.”

The Grammys The Grammys used to be mostly just about the music, but now the event browbeats the audience about how there are too many White people in the United States and endlessly praises LGBT people for being “amazing.” The Grammys have even openly celebrated Satanism. In 2014, Katy Perry performed her song “Dark Horse” in a ceremony that depicted her as a witch and made headlines across the country from people saying the performance looked like a satanic ritual. 597 She did it as a collaboration with a group called Three Six Mafia—get it—three sixes “666”—the “Satanic Mafia.” A few years earlier in 2012 Nicki Minaj had done a similar “satanic ritual” for her performance of her song “Roman Holiday.” 598 (A “Roman holiday” means to get pleasure from someone else’s pain or misfortune.) The Grammys is supposed to be a celebration of music, but they can’t make it through a show without expressing their love for the LGBT agenda. Katy Perry performed her lesbian-themed single “I Kissed a Girl” in 2009 shortly after she burst onto the music scene thanks to that song. A few years later Lady Gaga performed her “gay rights” anthem “Born This Way” during the show. 599 And now every year there are shoutouts to the “LGBT community” and how “awesome” they are. In 2014 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis won a Grammy for Best New Artist and Best Rap Album as a reward for producing a “gay rights” anthem called “Same Love” which promoted gay “marriage.” 600 When they performed at the Grammys that year thirty-three gay couples were married on stage as part of the show. 601 At the time, gay “marriage” still wasn’t legal in all fifty states, and the issue was awaiting a ruling by the Supreme Court. That same year Irish musician Hozier’s debut single “Take Me To Church” was nominated for Song of the Year because it denounced Christianity, particularly the Catholic Church’s views on homosexuality. The music video for the song was a gay anthem depicting two homosexuals being persecuted by an angry mob. It was made for just $500 and posted to YouTube when the band was still virtually unheard of, but music executives in Hollywood discovered the video and turned Hozier into a star that year because they wanted a new “gay rights” anthem to promote.

To kick off the 2017 Grammys, Jennifer Lopez said it was a really tough time in our nation’s history since it was just a few weeks after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president. Sounding like she was about to breakdown and cry she said, “It is about the music, the words, and the voices. How they move us and inspire us and touch all of our lives. At this particular point in history our voices are needed more than ever.” 602 There was no question what “point in history” she was talking about. Hollywood and the talking heads in the news media were still in shock that Hillary had lost. James Corden even performed a rap song at the start of the show which included lyrics about his fear of what Donald Trump was going to do to the country. 603 Busta Rhymes later trashed President Trump on stage, calling him “President Agent Orange.” He was joined by another group “A Tribe Called Quest” who made their entrance to the stage by breaking through a wall constructed of foam blocks. At one point Busta said that President Trump was “perpetuating evil” throughout the United States. 604 The following year the Grammys were hosted by James Corden who began the show saying “This year, we don’t just have the most diverse group of nominees in Grammys history, we also have, for the second year in a row, the least diverse host in Grammys history,” referring to himself being a straight, White male, with blonde hair and blue eyes. 605 Then rapper Kendrick Lamar got on stage and performed an anti-cop, pro-Black Lives Matter song. Halfway through his performance the lights dimmed and the camera cut to Dave Chappelle, who said, “I just wanted to remind the audience that the only thing more frightening than watching a Black man being honest in America, is being an honest Black man in America.” 606 Later Hillary Clinton made an appearance via a video which showed her reading the anti-Trump book Fire and Fury that was all the rage at the time. 607 The following year in 2019, they brought Michelle Obama on stage during the opening segment to talk about how much music means to her and how it keeps her going in tough times. 608 Childish Gambino won the award for Song of the Year and Album of the Year for his racist, anti-White, anti-police diatribe “This is America,” marking the first time that a rapper had won both awards. 609 When the nominees were announced a month or so earlier, he and other rappers complained that there weren’t enough Black artists being nominated, so it

looks like the Recording Academy tried to make it up to him by crowning him the night’s big winner. At the 2020 Grammys, host Alicia Keys started the show playing a piano melody while doing a spoken word performance mentioning the various artists who were nominated and tossed in a line celebrating President Trump getting impeached. 610 Broadway theater performer Billy Porter then took to the stage (dressed like a woman) and introduced the Jonas Brothers who performed a song, but not without first giving a wink and a nod to the “gender fluid” and “gender non-conforming” people. “Ladies, gentlemen, and those who have yet to make up their minds…” he said, before introducing the group. 611 Singer John Legend also gave a non-verbal shout-out to the gender “nonbinary” people by wearing a “dress/suit.” Ellen DeGeneres introduced a performance by “country rapper” Lil Nas X, and after mentioning some of his accolades added, “And he’s done it all by being true to himself. Unwavering in the face of prejudice, he told the world that he was gay, and overnight he became an inspiration and a role model for millions of young people around the world.” 612 Michelle Obama was then given a Grammy for “Best Spoken Word Album” for the audio book version of her memoir Becoming . 613 There was also a performance by a Spanish singer who goes by the name of “Rosalia” who sung a few songs in Spanish to pander to the tens of millions of nonassimilating Mexicans and other Latinos who have invaded the United States. The American Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards are just more of the same. Taylor Swift even “broke her political silence” at the 2018 AMAs to encourage her fans to vote Democrat in the upcoming midterm elections. 614 For her entire career she stayed out of politics completely, but the pressure was building for her to denounce the Trump administration, so she eventually did.

MTV Awards The most degenerate of award shows can be found on MTV. Their annual Movie Awards and VMAs (Video Music Awards) are geared for kids, which makes them even more disturbing. The only time anyone really tunes in to MTV

anymore is for these award shows once a year since music videos are all released on YouTube now, and it’s been a decades-long running joke that MTV (which stands for Music Television) doesn’t play any music anymore because the network mostly consists of teen dramas. MTV’s VMAs gave birth to Miley Cyrus with her 2013 performance where she introduced “twerking” to the world, a form of “dance” she popularized which simply consists of shaking one’s butt in a rapid motion, although that’s just the beginning of MTV’s degeneracy. They have unique awards compared to other shows, for things like the Best Villain and Best Fight, and even the Best Kiss. And in 2017, the Best Kiss award went to two men for a “gay coming-of-age” film called Moonlight . 615 The following year in 2018, it was given to two men again, one of them (Keiynan Lonsdale) identifying as a “pansexual” (meaning someone who will have sex with a person of any gender, including trans people). Their movie was another teenage gay “romantic comedy” called Love, Simon. While accepting his “Best Kiss” award the pansexual told the audience, “You can live your dreams and wear dresses.” 616 In 2017 the MTV Movie Awards announced it was going to be a “genderless” award ceremony, meaning they weren’t giving different awards for best actor or best actress because that was “sexist” and “divisive.” They boasted that it was the first “gender-neutral” awards show in history. 617 To emphasize their idiotic idea, the first presenter of the evening was a real life “gender non-binary” person named Asia Kate Dillon who nobody has ever heard of. Her “preferred pronouns” are “they” and “them,” and of course she has a shaved head. The Wikipedia entry for Asia Kate Dillon reads, “Dillon was born in Ithaca, New York. They were assigned female at birth, but identifies as nonbinary. Dillon explained around 2015, they began removing gendered pronouns from their biography, and auditioning for the part of Mason helped them understand their gender identity. Dillon identifies as pansexual, stating they are attracted to multiple genders.” 618

It’s confusing because using the pronoun “they” to refer to one person is usually grammatically incorrect, but even the Merriam Webster dictionary has caved in to the craziness and recently updated the “rules” for grammar to accommodate gender non-binary or non-conforming people and their “preferred pronouns.” 619 Emma Watson won the first award that night for the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast and made sure to start off her acceptance speech by praising how great of an idea it was to go “genderless,” saying, “Firstly, I feel I have to say something about the award itself. The first acting award in history that doesn’t separate nominees based on their sex says something about how we perceive the human experience. MTV’s move to create a genderless award for acting will mean something different to everyone, but to me, it indicates that acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. And that doesn’t need to be separated into two different categories.” 620 This was all part of the show. She was just reciting the script that MTV’s producers had given her to emphasize the “historic” genderless theme of the night. Everything in Hollywood is fake, even the award shows. When Vin Diesel was given the Generation Award, he made sure to go along with the social justice agenda and said the only reason that the Fast & Furious series was a success is because the younger generation is accepting of multiculturalism. “Most importantly, I got to thank a generation that was willing to accept this multicultural franchise where it didn’t matter what color your skin was or what country you were from, when you’re family, you’re family.” 621 Multiculturalism had nothing to do with the franchises’ success. It’s an action movie series about cars , and a lot of people love car movies, and the chase scenes and action sequences are amazing, but the Hollywood elite never miss an opportunity to sing praises of their precious “diversity.” In 2018, rapper “Logic” wore a t-shirt that said “F*ck the Wall” and dozens of Mexican immigrants were brought out on stage during his performance who had shirts on that read “We Are All Human Beings.” 622 The previous year a “descendent” of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate Army general, was brought on stage to denounce racism. “We have made my ancestor an idol of White supremacy, racism, and hate,” he began. “As a pastor, it is my moral duty to speak out against racism, America’s original

sin.” 623 The man was the great-great-great-great (four “greats”) nephew of Robert E. Lee. He went on to tell the audience, “Today, I call on all us with privilege and power to answer God’s call to confront racism and White supremacy head on. We can find inspiration in the Black Lives Matter movement, the women who marched in the Women’s March in January, and especially Heather Heyer, who died fighting for her beliefs in Charlottesville.” 624 Then Heather Heyer’s mother was brought on stage, whose daughter was killed during the infamous 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, to announce the winner of the “Best Fight Against the System” award. All the nominees had music videos denouncing racism, anti-immigrant sentiments, and promoted “diversity.” While opening the show in 2019, Taylor Swift had the words “Equality Act” projected on the stage in giant letters under a rainbow. 625 The Equality Act is a proposed bill by Democrats that would amend the Civil Rights Act and mandate someone’s gender identity be legally recognized no matter which one of the 58 different “genders” they claim to be. 626 It would also severely restrict the religious freedom of individuals and groups who don’t accept the positions of LGBT extremists. The following year the Supreme Court ruled on similar legislation, declaring that business owners can’t fire employees for being gay or transgender, nor refuse to hire them. 627

Feminism The Left has a saying that “representation matters,” which means the more on-screen depictions of certain kinds of characters, lifestyles, and behaviors, the more the general public warms up to accepting those kinds of things in real life. And part of paving the path to what they hope will be a woman President of the United States someday involves producing a variety of shows focusing on a female character who holds that position. In the years preceding Hillary Clinton’s long-expected attempt at a presidential bid there were almost a dozen television shows that had a woman president as the central part of the plot. Geena Davis starred in Commander in Chief , a short-lived series from 2005 to 2006 where she was originally the Vice President, but then had to takeover after the president died of a brain aneurysm. In FOX’s thriller 24, the show had a female

president for two seasons in 2008-2010. Julia Louis-Dreyfus ascended to the presidency in her series Veep after the president resigned, leaving her in charge. And that was just the beginning. State of Affairs, which aired for just one season on NBC, depicted a Black woman as the president, and CBS’s political drama Madam Secretary revolved around a female Secretary of State (obviously modeled after Hillary Clinton), and at the end of the fifth season the character decided to run for President and won. The following season (which was its last) the series focused on the new female president but kept the name Madam Secretary . But Hollywood’s feminist propaganda goes far beyond hoping to normalize the idea of a woman president. Liberals are obsessed with uprooting the traditional gender roles of men as providers and protectors, and women as nurturers and caretakers. They are determined to “empower women” at any cost and embrace the disastrous effects on family dynamics and society as a whole that their radical agenda is causing. “The future is female” is their mantra, showing they have no concern for equality, but instead have a thirst for power and want to dominate instead of cooperate. They despise traditional families and gender roles, and are on a mission to undermine the very foundational relationships of human society. To feminists, being a stay at home mom is slavery. Women cooking for their family is “oppression” under the Patriarchy, and men are all scumbags; but having unprotected sex with an endless line of them while avoiding any committed long-term relationships is the ideal life. That’s what Hollywood wants women to believe. Their latest plan to promote “women empowerment” is hijacking popular franchises and then completely changing the major characters and turning good old-fashioned action films into social justice warrior propaganda. Not just swapping male characters for females, or adding strong female leads, but by also portraying men as inept and incompetent losers who always need to be rescued from their own stupidity. When the Star Wars series was revised in 2015 with The Force Awakens , it diverted from the usual storyline featuring male leads (Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy and Anakin Skywalker in the prequels) to a totally new character invented by JJ. Abrams named Rey, a female loner.

A female Yoda-type of creature named Maz first starts teaching Rey about the force once she happens to discover Luke Skywalker’s old lightsaber lying around. And throughout the film Rey keeps proving to everyone that a girl can do amazing things like pilot a ship, and even fix one with her ingenuity, saving the Millennium Falcon from exploding. After there was an electrical overload and Han Solo didn’t know what to do, Rey saved the day. For extra diversity the new Star Wars teased a possible interracial romance between Rey and Finn (the Black former stormtrooper). 628

In the next film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), all women are in charge of the Resistance (the good guys), giving the orders to subservient and bumbling men. The tension keeps building between Poe Dameron and Vice Admiral Holdo (his superior) with them butting heads numerous times and Poe facing repeated snarky comments from her. The Last Jedi was hailed as “the most triumphantly feminist Star Wars movie yet,” because of this odd storyline. 629 And critics hailed it for “awakening the feminist force in little girls everywhere.” 630 At one point Poe and the other men take over the ship at gunpoint, tired of the perceived inability of the women to lead the mission. They committed mutiny only to later learn that Vice Admiral Holdo had a great plan but they just didn’t know it, and now Poe had put everyone at risk. The women save everyone though, and he’s sorry for ever doubting them. Even the Star Wars spinoff Rogue One starred a woman. NBC News noted that, “Not only is Rogue One continuing The Force Awakens trend of putting a young woman in the center of the action, but it appears to provide prominent roles for African-American, Latino and Asian actors as well—a relatively new development in the Star Wars universe.” 631 They loved the “diversity.” George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars , sold the rights to Disney in 2012 and later said he felt “betrayed” after the entertainment giant decided to “go in another direction” from his original ideas. 632 He once referred to the films as his “kids” and said that he regretfully sold them into slavery. 633 In 2015, a new installment of Mad Max was released titled Mad Max: Fury Road , but instead of starring Mad Max it starred Charlize Therone’s character “Imerator Furiosa.” It was declared the “feminist picture of the year.” 634 And instead of Max being a hero like the previous films, he was depicted as an idiot who had to be repeatedly rescued by women.

In Disney-Pixar’s animated Incredibles 2 , a “superhero mom” named Elastigirl (Mrs. Incredible) is chosen for a secret mission over her husband, who led the superhero family in the first film, because he has the tendency to cause unnecessary “collateral damage” and the superhero organization felt they needed to change the image of superheroes in the public’s mind. She then leaves her husband at home to watch the kids while she takes off on her mission. When she calls to check on how things are going, the husband is depicted as being in over his head and not able to handle taking care of the kids and running the house. The London Guardian called the film a “feminist triumph.” 635 Bustle , an online women’s magazine, wrote, “In a time when conversations about representation are more prevalent than ever, showing the diversification of familial roles is definitely fitting. Though not entirely out of the ordinary, seeing a father—especially one as domineering as Mr. Incredible—taking on more of a domestic role will definitely serve as a comedic relief for some, but will also, hopefully, contribute to larger conversations surrounding familial structures and their many forms.” 636 Their glowing review continued, “The responsibilities of family life should be divvied up amongst its members, and gender shouldn’t play a determining factor in who takes on whichever task. In this way, The Incredibles 2 is adding some much-needed perspective to conversations surrounding family dynamics and female empowerment. But, though extremely relevant and important to discuss today, true progressiveness will be measured once conversations about strong female leads and diverse familial structures are no longer needed.” 637 Birds of Prey is a spin-off from Suicide Squad , a film based on DC Comics’ characters, focusing on Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie) who just broke up with her boyfriend the Joker and must survive as a supervillain in Gotham City with no man to protect her. Some critics called the character’s portrayal in Suicide Squad sexist and misogynistic, so for the spin-off producers decided to atone for their “sins” by making Birds of Prey a hyper-feminist film where all of the bad guys aren’t just criminal masterminds, but misogynists who treat women poorly and deserve to be punished. 638 Ewan McGregor, who plays the crime lord Black Mask, said, “What interested me with Birds of Prey is that it’s a feminist film. It is very finely written. There is in the script a real look on misogyny, and I think we need

that. We need to be more aware of how we behave with the opposite sex. We need to be taught to change. Misogynists in movies are often extreme: they rape, they beat women ... and it is legitimate to represent people like that, because they exist and they are obviously the worst. But in the Birds of Prey dialogues, there is always a hint of everyday misogyny, of those things you say as a man you do not even realize, mansplaining ... and it’s in the script in a very subtle way. I found that brilliant.” 639 Salon.com raved, “Harley Quinn is back to take down the patriarchy, and this revolution brings scrunchies.” 640 Another critic loved that it was about “women’s emancipation,” because the character proved she could be a supervillain on her own without a boyfriend. 641 Like most “woke” movies, the film bombed its opening weekend, so the producers changed the title to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey , hoping to spark people’s interest because the character had become a breakout star from Suicide Squad. The film was still a huge loss for the studio, but Hollywood can’t take a hint. They’ll keep making feminist propaganda pieces and have their favorite critics try to sell them to viewers no matter how much they suck and how poor they perform at the box office.

Gender Swaps In 2016 a new Ghostbusters film was released, but instead of starring Bill Murray and the gang it featured four women as the Ghostbusters. At the end of the movie the girls shoot the giant evil ghost in the crotch with their proton packs to finally destroy him. Actress Leslie Jones, who was one of the Ghostbusters, quit Twitter and said she cried because she was getting “harassed” by people who hated the film. 642 It completely bombed at the box office and cost the studio an estimated $125 million dollars in losses. 643 A few years later when it was announced that a new Ghostbusters was in the works that would continue the original series and “hand the movie back to the fans,” the director Jason Reitman was called a “sexist” because that meant it wouldn’t be another feminist empowerment film. 644

In the 2019 film Terminator: Dark Fate , John Connor, the future leader of the “Resistance” against the machines, is killed in the first few minutes, making all of the previous films completely pointless since the primary mission was to ensure that he lives so he can grow up to lead the war against the machines. Then Sarah Connor, along with the help of another “good” time-traveling Terminator (who is an “enhanced” cyborg woman) help another girl evade a new advanced “bad” Terminator which is on a mission to kill her before she becomes a threat to the machines in the future. “If you’re at all enlightened, she’ll play like gangbusters,” director Tim Miller said, speaking of the “good” female cyborg. “If you’re a closet misogynist, she’ll scare the fuck out of you, because she’s tough and strong but very feminine. We did not trade certain gender traits for others; she’s just very strong, and that frightens some dudes. You can see online the responses to some of the early shit that’s out there, trolls on the internet. I don’t give a fuck.” 645 The film bombed, reportedly losing 100 million dollars, 646 and the Hollywood Reporter said the studio had no future plans for any other Terminator movies. 647 Ocean’s Eleven was a popular heist film that originally starred the Rat Pack in 1960 and was remade in 2001 featuring an ensemble cast led by George Clooney. The reboot, which did very well, was followed up with two sequels, (Ocean’s Twelve , and Ocean’s Thirteen ) but then in 2018 the gender swap mania infected the franchise and Ocean’s 8 was released, reenvisioning the professional burglars as a group of all women, led by Sandra Bullock. As I’m sure you expected, the film bombed, and the actresses blamed bad reviews on men of course, saying they were due to a “lack of diversity” among the critics. 648 In 2019, a crime drama called The Kitchen was released as an allwoman gangster film starring Melissa McCarthy because someone thought it would be a good idea to make such a ridiculous movie. It wasn’t even a comedy, which made it even more absurd. The title refers to Hell’s Kitchen, a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan where the women “gangsters” live. The plot revolves around them collecting protection money from local businesses and running the neighborhood as part of the Irish mafia. It was a complete bomb and lost the studio tens of millions of dollars which should come as no surprise. 649

Disney announced they were going to reboot the 1990s Doogie Howser M.D. series about a teenage genius who becomes a doctor which originally starred Neil Patrick Harris, but the remake will star a 16-year-old girl as the child doctor. 650 Disney is also producing an all-female version of Pirates of the Caribbean that will star Margot Robbie. 651 Steven Spielberg said that his iconic character Indiana Jones should take “a different form” and be played by a woman named “Indiana Joan.” 652

Vin Diesel even said that an all-female version of Fast & Furious was in the works. 653 In 2017 when the film Dunkirk was released, which depicts the historic Dunkirk evacuation during World War II when Allied soldiers pulled out of the Dunkirk harbor in France, liberals were upset that the film didn’t gender-swap some characters to make it more “diverse.” 654 Of course that wouldn’t have been historically accurate, or made any sense because women were not on the battlefield, but that didn’t stop the snowflakes from complaining about the soldiers being all men.

The Institute on Gender in Media In 2004 actress Geena Davis started a non-profit research organization to study “gender representation” in media. The “Institute” on Gender in Media is obsessed with monitoring the number of women vs men in TV shows and movies and tracking what percentage of them have speaking roles and how many of them have power. Their website says, “we’re the only organization working collaboratively within the entertainment industry to engage, educate and influence the creation of gender balanced onscreen portrayals, reducing harmful stereotypes and creating an abundance of unique and intersectional female characters in entertainment targeting children 11 and under.” 655 Another pointless project the “Institute on Gender in Media” has been working on is a computer program that checks scripts for “gender bias” language to make sure they’re “inclusive.” Not only does the software scan scripts for words and phrases like fireman , postman , and mankind ; but it also produces a report on the percentage of characters who are “people of

color” and even LGBTQ so the writers and producers can make sure their projects are “diverse” enough. 656

Television Commercials Turn Feminist For many years feminists have been upset about the way cleaning products are marketed, so recently there are an increasing number of commercials for laundry detergent, vacuums, and mops depicting men using the products. Creating “gender equality” in commercials for cleaning products has even been called “the final feminist frontier.” 657 Some companies are even promoting feminism in their commercials even when their products have nothing to do with gender at all. For example, some morons in the marketing department at Anheuser-Busch thought it would be a good idea for Bud Light to promote the supposed “wage gap” in an incredibly unfunny ad featuring Amy Schumer and Seth Rogan. It begins with Schumer saying, “Bud Light party here, to discuss equal pay.” Seth Rogen goes on to complain that “Women don’t get paid as much as men and that is wrong!” The two banter back and forth about women supposedly having to pay more for cars, dry cleaning and shampoo, but “Bud Light proudly supports equal pay. That’s why Bud Light costs the same, no matter if you’re a dude or a lady,” explains Schumer. Forbes magazine called the commercial “unusual” and the writer wondered, “So why did Bud Light choose to make what might be the first civil-rights-inflected beer ad…Are they targeting Hillary voters? Are they simultaneously making fun of ‘equal pay’ claims by subverting the meaning of the term to be about a non-problem—what men and women pay for beer? Or are they trying to thread the needle with comedy to speak to both audiences?” 658 Their beer sales soon declined, and they pulled the ad. 659 When journalists started inquiring about the company’s own business practices regarding “equal pay” they declined to reveal how many women work for

the company or how their salaries compare to those of their male counterparts. 660 Bud Light even took the video off YouTube trying to distance themselves from the mess they created. In 2018 Burger King launched an ad campaign to “raise awareness” about “gender inequality.” Using a hidden camera in one of their restaurants they served what they called “Chick Fries” (which were just thin chicken strips or “chicken fries”) to customers, but when women ordered them, they were served the chicken strips in a pink box and were told they had been charged a few dollars more than men “for the pink box.” 661 When some of them got upset and started arguing with the cashier (who was an actor) about how they shouldn’t have to pay more just because the box is pink for women, the cashier began lecturing them about how women’s razors supposedly cost more than men’s “just because they’re pink” and asked them why they didn’t complain about that too. Why not just promote their chicken fries and say they taste great and are on sale you may be wondering? That’s what a normal person would do, but we’re talking about people who have become infected with the liberal pathogen. The Audi car company aired a Super Bowl commercial showing a group of kids racing in a pine box derby, while focusing on the only girl in the group. As the race begins her dad is the narrator, musing aloud wondering how he was going to teach her about sexism. “What do I tell my daughter? Do I tell her grandpa is worth more than her grandma? That her dad is worth more than her mom? Do I tell her that despite her education, her drive, her skills, her intelligence, she will automatically be valued as less than every man she meets?” 662 She then wins the race, beating the boys, and it concludes with him saying, “Or maybe I’ll be able to tell her something different,” and then the words “Audi of America is committed to equal pay for equal work,” and “Progress is for everyone,” are shown on the screen. 663 The “Secret” women’s deodorant brand aired a Super Bowl-themed commercial showing a kicker kick the winning field goal at the end of a game and then when “he” takes off “his” helmet the crowd realizes it was a woman and goes silent, but after a moment of surprise they begin cheering even more and then the catchphrase “Let’s Kick Inequality” is shown on the screen. 664 Companies often use their big Super Bowl commercials to really promote the liberal agenda instead of their product. The “Unstereotype

Alliance” campaign launched by the United Nations notes, “Advertising is a particularly powerful driver to change perceptions and impact social norms,” and says they are “excited to partner with the foremost industry shapers in this Alliance to challenge and advance the ways women are represented in this field.” 665 It’s impossible to escape liberal propaganda, even when viewing commercials for cars and deodorant! Jared jewelers even released a commercial encouraging women to propose to their boyfriends with the tagline “Dare to ask him.” 666 One ad shows a woman drop down on one knee holding the ring, and then as she slides the ring on his finger the camera cuts to their friends seated at a nearby dinner table all celebrating his acceptance, having witnessed her pop the question.

Fat is “Beautiful” No fat jokes (or “fat shaming” as they’re called now) are allowed anymore, because they’re considered “bullying” and “hate speech” so liberals have been promoting “body positivity” which is a more politically correct term for the “fat acceptance movement” in which morbidly obese women are said to be “beautiful” by those who pity them. Despite becoming obese later in her career, Amy Schumer was reportedly in talks to play Barbie in a live-action film based on the doll—in what some people thought was a joke, but it turned out to be true. 667 She was then pulled from the project, probably due to the ridicule she was receiving or after producers realized the movie would be a complete flop because of their idiotic idea. 668 Lena Dunham is another token fat ugly girl in Hollywood who is always promoted as a feminist icon. 669 Dunham has posted pictures on her Instagram over the years celebrating her weight gain, once posting a beforeand-after photo showing her of average weight in the past next to a current photo of her 24-pounds heavier (weighing in at 162 pounds). 670 The post got almost 500,000 likes from people who were proud of her for being happy that she was obese. A year later she posted a picture of her lying in bed wearing lingerie, noting that “I weigh the most I ever have,” and saying she’s the “happiest I’ve ever been.” 671

By accepting obesity as “normal” and banning criticism of obesity as “fat shaming” people are only contributing to the problem. It would be like claiming you were “bullying” people by declaring opioid use is dangerous and something that should be shunned and avoided. Singer Lizzo, best known for being the 300 pound Black girl who likes bouncing around on stage during her performances, was hailed as “brave” and “beautiful” after she posted a semi-nude photo of herself on Instagram. 672

During the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 she posted a picture of herself wearing a face mask and matching bikini, and one tabloid reported that it was a balance of “safety with sex appeal.” 673 Hollywood’s new affinity for fat women is causing some older TV shows and movies to come under scrutiny. As part of the storyline in Friends , Monica (Courtney Cox) was depicted as severely obese when she was younger, but then ended up losing a bunch of weight and became hot. In flashbacks, Courtney would wear a fat suit and a prosthetic chin playing her old self, but now Entertainment Weekly calls “Fat Monica” the “ghost that continues to haunt Friends 25 years later,” and complains that the show used her to get “cheap laughs in the laziest ways possible.” 674 Shallow Hal and The Nutty Professor have since been deemed the most “fat-phobic” movies of all time for their use of fat suits. 675 It probably won’t be long now until the practice of actors wearing fat suits for comedic effect will be banned industry wide, and the those kinds of characters will be deemed just as offensive as someone wearing “blackface” which used to be a staple of comedy with people like Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Howard Stern, Dan Aykroyd, Robert Downey Jr. and many others once doing skits as a Black person. Most have recently apologized for what were actually hilarious characters after old clips circulated on Twitter with people denouncing them for being “racist.” Feminists even got upset when Pixar’s Wall-E came out, which depicts a dystopian future where the earth is evacuated because it has turned into a trash heap from all the garbage humans were creating. The online outlet Slate was upset that the movie “goes out of its way to equate obesity with environmental collapse.” 676 They complained, “It plays off the easy analogy between obesity and ecological catastrophe, pushing the notion that Western culture has sickened both our bodies and our planet with the same

disease of affluence. According to this lazy logic, a fat body stands in for a distended culture: We gain weight and the Earth suffers.” 677 The London Telegraph noted that fat pride groups, “believe the film propagates anti-obesity hysteria comparable with the quest for the perfect body by the eugenics movement in Nazi Germany.” 678 Yep, Wall-E is Nazi propaganda to these lunatics! Since the Left is so concerned with “global warming” and people’s “carbon footprint,” you’d think they would start calling out fat people for using triple or quadruple the natural resources as the average person, but that would hurt people’s feelings—so instead they’re trying to convince trendy social justice warriors to eat bugs because the cow farts from beefproducing cattle are supposedly destroying the planet. 679 In 2019, Victoria’s Secret hired a plus-size model named Ali TateCutler in order to be “more inclusive.” 680 And what a surprise—later that year they canceled their annual fashion show, citing declining sales and ratings! That same year they had also celebrated hiring their first transgender model in the name of “diversity” so it’s no wonder the Victoria’s Secret brand had become less appealing to so many people. 681 The move came after lunatics on Twitter kept complaining they were “discriminating” against transgender people by having only (actual) women as models. 682 Abercrombie & Fitch also decided to be “more inclusive” by distancing themselves from their well-established brand of flawless models in their catalogs and have now embraced the “body positivity” movement by using “plus-sized” (fat) models and LGBTQ people in their ads. 683 The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition has also featured a “plus size” (fat) model on the cover recently, but she doesn’t attribute her success to the fat acceptance movement. She believes it’s because of White privilege! “I know I’m on this pedestal because of White privilege,” she says. “To not see Black or Latina women as famous in my industry [meaning the plus size model industry] is crazy! I have to talk about it. I want to give those women kudos because they are the ones who paved the way for me,” she said. 684 The glass is always half empty with social justice warriors. Even when things are good, they’re not good enough, and when a fat woman has a successful modeling career she can’t be happy about that either, because she’s worried that her success is due to “White privilege.”

There are also calls for the NFL to start using plus-sized cheerleaders, and the league is under fire from feminists because the cheerleaders must abide by various strict rules, including maintaining their “ideal weight.” There are even calls to ban cheerleaders altogether because it’s “demeaning to women.” 685 In 2016 toy maker Mattel released a “curvy” Barbie to celebrate “body diversity.” An executive at the company said, “These new dolls (are) more reflective of the world girls see around them—the variety in body type, skin tones and style allows girls to find a doll that speaks to them.” 686 Sofie Hagen, a fat “comedian” who got triggered by billboards warning about the link between obesity and cancer, is also hoping Disney will soon feature a princess in one of their cartoons who is fat. She tweeted, “I cannot stress how much we need a fat Disney princess. We need it now. Shut up. We fucking do.” 687 (No, she’s not joking, and on a side note, she blocked me on Twitter for laughing at her). Feminists are often fat, ugly, angry women, as you know, so the AMC television network aired a dark comedy series called Dietland where a morbidly obese woman fed up with “society’s beauty standards” decides to start killing men who contribute to the “objectification of women,” like fashion photographers. It was basically a fat chick revenge fantasy. Only in Hollywood would someone come up with the idea of the protagonist being a fat woman who kills people who hurt her feelings!

The Four Waves Feminism is like an old tool that has outlived its usefulness, but instead of discarding it and appreciating what it accomplished during the time it was needed, feminists have continued trying to “advance” the movement in our modern era. Feminism has gone through four different phases, or waves as they’re called, since its first incarnation in the early 1900s when women banded together to demand the right to vote (women’s suffrage). In the 1960s and 70s the second wave rose up to fight against the lack of women in political positions, and they were very successful in popularizing birth control pills

and legalizing abortion, but for some power-hungry feminists there was more work to be done to dismantle “the Patriarchy.” They continued pushing forward in the 1990s (the third wave) where they worked to get more women into leadership positions in the government and corporations, often simultaneously complaining about men continuing to “objectify women” while doing everything they could to artificially boost their sex appeal and use it to their advantage in every possible situation. Then came the fourth wave of feminism which is completely unrecognizable from the first two waves which actually had a legitimate purpose and goals. Around 2012, not coincidentally coinciding with social media becoming a fixture of most peoples’ lives, the fourth wave of feminism hit the Internet like a tsunami of insanity. Through social media, crazies from across the country were able to connect with each other and affirm one another’s bizarre ideas about their abnormal lifestyles and celebrate their mental illnesses. They now come up with new “causes” to fight for online like “free-bleeding” (not wearing tampons or pads during their period) in order to “raise awareness” for periods (as if we’re not already painfully aware of them), and “smashing the scale” (celebrating obesity). The most radical feminists (the ones with blue or purple hair) eventually turn into cat ladies. Single, childless, alone, and filled with regret and hate. As their looks fade, so does their ability to attract new mates, thus leading them to the inevitable downward spiral of despair which is then used as fuel to reaffirm their beliefs that men have ruined the world and their lives.

The LGBT Agenda Gays are only approximately one or maybe one and a half percent of the 688 population.

But because of the bombardment of LGBT propaganda, many Americans falsely believe ten or even twenty percent of people are homosexual. 689

And liberals want everyone to think that there is no more of a difference between someone who is straight or gay than there is between someone who is lefthanded or right-handed. Homosexuality used to be officially classified as a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association until 1973 when they gave in to

intense pressure by LGBT groups and had it removed from their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). 690 Now they just call it a “sexual orientation.” Gays used to deny there was a “gay agenda” and claimed that they weren’t promoting homosexuality; all they wanted was to not be “attacked” or “discriminated against”—but those claims, like almost everything that comes out of liberals’ mouths, turned out to be a massive lie. Today it’s not even about LGBT “rights” to them, it’s about LGBT privilege . They get extra rights. They’re special . And any criticism about their behavior or lifestyle is deemed “hate speech” and “harassment” no matter how mild or reasonable. These days anyone who doesn’t celebrate them is considered an enemy. You must put them on a pedestal and marvel at their “awesome” sexuality, or you’re a Nazi! The reason gays and transgenders went from being widely viewed as strange, to being “privileged” and “special” people over the course of a single generation is the result of a massive propaganda campaign the likes of which the world had never seen. In 1987 Gay Community News , a popular LGBT publication at the time, admitted the “gay revolution” would require the use of entertainment in order to be achieved, saying, “We shall sodomize your songs, emblems of your feeble masculinity, of your shallow dreams and vulgar lies. We shall seduce them [children] in your schools…in your youth groups, in your movie theater bathrooms…wherever men are men together. Your sons will become our minions and do our bidding. They will be recast in our image. They will come to crave and adore us.” 691 In 1989 two gay activists published a book titled After the Ball: How America Will Conquer its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90s which detailed their goals to have Hollywood produce propaganda that portrayed gays as “victims of circumstance and oppression, not as aggressive challengers.” Their idea was that, “Gays must be portrayed as victims in need of protection so that straights will be inclined by reflex, to assume the role of protector.” 692 Their plan worked perfectly, as Joe Biden admitted when giving a speech for Jewish American Heritage Month, where he said, “It wasn’t anything we legislatively did. It was ‘Will and Grace,’ it was the social media. Literally. That’s what changed peoples’ attitudes. That’s why I was so certain that the vast majority of people would embrace and rapidly

embrace [gay marriage]. Think behind all that, I bet you 85 percent of those changes, whether it’s in Hollywood or social media are a consequence of Jewish leaders in the industry. The influence is immense, the influence is immense.” 693 All gays wanted was to be able to get “married” they said, but within just a few short years after the Supreme Court ruling made it legal nationwide (in 2015) we saw the proliferation of dozens of different “genders,” pre-teen child drag queens and “Drag Queen Story Hour” events popping up at public libraries across the country. In numerous cases the drag queens who were reading books to children at the events have been found to be convicted pedophiles. 694 What a surprise! An LGBT website called Pink News ran a headline titled, “Republican Lawmakers Want to Make Child Drag Shows Illegal,” expressing their anger that a U.S. Representative proposed a bill that would prohibit anyone under the age of eighteen from participating in drag shows. 695 And now LGBT activists harass Christian owned businesses like Chick-Fil-A for not supporting gay “marriage.” 696 I put gay “marriage” in quotes when referring to gay “marriage” because a marriage is between a man and a woman—I don’t care what the Supreme Court says, and I refuse to acknowledge it. Chick-Fil-A restaurants have been banned from opening in airports and on college campuses, and new locations often face boycotts wherever they are. How much longer until the LGBT extremists start trying to run churches out of town and harass parishioners as they come to worship on Sundays?

Ellen DeGeneres, the Trailblazer Ellen DeGeneres is considered a pioneer in the television industry for normalizing gay people after her sitcom Ellen decided to depict her character as a lesbian when she came out in real life in 1997. Will and Grace then picked up the baton in 1998 with a sitcom about a woman (Debra Messing) and her gay roommate. “Will and Grace was the first time you saw characters on television that made gay normal, you wanted to be friends with them,” said Lance Bass from the boy band NSYNC. 697

Sean Hayes, the actor who played Will’s boyfriend on Will and Grace, said, “The best feeling I get is when people come up and say thank you for all you do for the gay community and thank you for playing that part and that show and you feel so fortunate to have been part of something so great.” 698 Since then, the world has been flooded with countless shows and movies where homosexuality is at the center of the plot. Films like Brokeback Mountain (2005) about two gay cowboys; Milk (2008) about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician to be elected to public office; Call Me by Your Name (2017) about an adult male who falls in “love” with a teenage boy; and many others which have been made for the sole purpose of promoting “gay rights” no matter how little success they’ll have commercially. But that’s not enough. They want gays and transgenders in every TV show and movie. In 2018, a transgender “woman” was included in the Miss Universe Pageant, a move, as you expect by now, was praised as a “historic first.” 699 Two years later Sports Illustrated included a transgender “woman” in their famous swimsuit edition. 700 And throughout this chapter you’ll see they’re trying to “gay up” everything from Star Wars to Sesame Street. When producers of the HBO vampire series True Blood decided they wanted to depict a character as bisexual and have him do soft-core porn sex scenes with other men (since it’s HBO and shows regularly include nudity), the actor Luke Grimes, who played the character, quit the show. 701 He was immediately denounced by the media and his castmates as “homophobic.” 702

NBC launched a sitcom in the Spring of 2019 called Abby’ s about a bisexual woman who runs a bar—a move that was celebrated as the first sitcom on network television to feature a bisexual as the lead character. For extra diversity she is also a Cuban-American, and the show was promoted as a “multicultural comedy.” 703 It was canceled after just one season. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was recently a guest host on RuPaul’s Drag Race , a reality show where drag queens compete to see who is the “best.” When the drag queens thanked her for being so “brave” for standing up against Republicans, she responded by lavishing praise on them for being on the forefront of changing the culture and the laws. “People think Congress and government is all about leading people, but ultimately, a lot of our politics is about following the public will. And the

people who change the way people think are artists and drag queens.” 704 She went on to call the contestants “patriots” and gushed about how proud she was of them.

Gay Superheroes In 2011 Marvel released Captain America: The First Avenger which was a huge success, and when a sequel was released in 2014 (Captain America: Winter Soldier ), many liberals were upset that Captain America and his best friend Bucky weren’t in a gay relationship together. Vanity Fair gave the film great reviews, but said it had one “flaw,” writing, “So while Marvel was likely never going to make the homoerotic subtext of Cap and Bucky into text, would it really have hurt to keep their relationship more ambiguous?” 705 It went on, “As if to put the nail in the coffin of speculation, Bucky and Cap paused for a moment in the middle of snowy Siberia to reminisce about their days chasing skirts in pre-War Brooklyn. It’s a sweet, human bonding moment but one that also bristles with heterosexual virility. If Disney isn’t inclined to give audiences a gay superhero, couldn’t they have at least left us the dream of Bucky and Cap?” 706 The critic was literally upset they reminisced about chasing women in the previous film, which normal guys do, but LGBT extremists were projecting their own thoughts onto the characters and hoping that they would be just like them. When the much-anticipated Black Panther film came out in 2018, the first superhero film starring a Black man, some people were upset because it didn’t include any gay characters. 707 GLAAD, the gay lobbying organization, was upset after the first Wonder Woman film was released because there weren’t any gay or lesbian characters, saying “On screen, record-breaking films like Black Panther and Wonder Woman prove that not only does inclusion make for great stories— inclusion is good for the bottom line. It is time for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) stories to be included in this conversation and this movement.” 708

Wonder Woman was turned into a bisexual later in the comics, and the LGBT extremists clamored for her to be explicitly bisexual in Wonder Woman 1984 , the sequel to the 2017 film. When the trailer was released, Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), teased that it may involve a potential romance between her and the villain, “The Cheetah” played by Barbara Ann Minerva. 709 The Eternals includes a gay superhero named Phastos and is Marvel’s first film to feature an on-screen gay kiss which takes place between him and his “husband.” 710 As soon as the new year rang in for 2020, the president of Marvel Studios announced that the franchise would also be introducing a transgender character. 711 Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder (scheduled to be released in February 2022) will feature a lesbian superhero called Valkyrie. 712 And the trend continues. The CW television network’s Batwoman series depicts the superhero as a lesbian. 713 In the first season she was played by actress Ruby Rose, who is herself a lesbian in real life, and throughout much of the series “Kate Kane” (the character whose alter ego is Batwoman) makes it abundantly clear she’s “very gay.” In one episode after a college student tearfully tells Batwoman that her parents hate her because they found out she’s gay, Batwoman “outs” herself and is then shown on the cover of CatCo (a fictional magazine in the DC Comics universe) with the headline “Batwoman Reveals Herself as a Lesbian.” 714 It was hailed as a “historic reveal” and celebrated that the character is now an “openly gay superhero.” 715 Even back in the late 1990s, director Joel Schumacher (who is gay) tried to depict Batman and Robin as gay. When asked about the seemingly gay innuendo between Batman (played by George Clooney) and Robin (played by Chris O’Donnell) in the 1997 Batman & Robin , O’Donnell admitted, “going back and looking and seeing some of the pictures, it was very unusual.” 716 George Clooney later said he played a “gay” Batman. 717 In 2012, DC Comics relaunched the Green Lantern as a gay man. 718 A few years after that they also decided to turn Catwoman into a bisexual. 719 There are growing calls to depict Spider-Man as gay now too. The character has been played by numerous actors over the years in various incarnations, and now one of them (Tom Holland) who currently portrays the character, is lobbying Marvel Studios to depict Spider-Man as gay or bisexual. 720

Sources close to the franchise say the character will be depicted as bisexual or have a boyfriend in a future film. 721 Andrew Garfield, who played the character in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), said, “Why can’t we discover that Peter is exploring his sexuality? It’s hardly even groundbreaking!…So why can’t he be gay? Why can’t he be into boys?” 722

Star Wars Isn’t Gay Enough When the new Star Wars film The Force Awakens was about to be released in 2015, activists said they wanted Luke Skywalker to be gay. Mark Hamill who plays the character said fans kept asking him, “Could Luke be gay?” and instead of telling them they’re insane, he gave them hope, saying, “If you think Luke is gay, of course he is. You should not be ashamed of it.” 723 If you’re a fan of the franchise you may recall that before Luke learned of his true identity (and that of his twin sister) both he and Han Solo had a crush on Princess Leia. After Star Wars: The Last Jedi was released in 2017, LGBT extremists were upset that characters Finn and Poe weren’t in a gay relationship. BuzzFeed wasn’t happy either because they hoped the two men might have a “romance” as part of the plot. 724 Oscar Issac who plays Poe Dameron, “expressed regret that the ‘natural chemistry’ between Poe and Finn in The Force Awakens was not explored in an overtly romantic way in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’—and wouldn’t be in ‘The Rise of Skywalker.’” 725 “Personally,” he said, “I kind of hoped and wished that maybe that would’ve been taken further in the other films, but I don’t have control. It seemed like a natural progression, but sadly enough it’s a time when people are too afraid, I think, of… I don’t know what.” 726 John Boyega, who plays Finn (the Black former Stormtrooper), agreed, saying, “They’ve always had a quite loving and open relationship in which it wouldn’t be too weird if it went beyond it.” 727 LGBT websites seized the news with one declaring, “Oscar Isaac wishes Star Wars’ Poe and Finn were in a gay relationship but ‘people are too afraid.’” 728

Trying to appease the criticism, director J.J. Abrams included a scene showing two lesbians kissing at the end when everyone was celebrating that the First Order had been defeated. It was hailed as “making history” for the first same-sex kiss in a Star Wars movie, but that wasn’t good enough— nothing ever is. 729 Just a few years ago all they wanted was for gay “marriage” to be legal, they said. And now they’re furious that leading male characters in Star Wars aren’t having sex with each other. They just want to be “accepted” for who they are, they said, and then once they were, they began demanding everyone embrace them and celebrate them. But it’s not just gays and lesbians. Now it’s transgenders too, and the “gender nonconforming” people, and even child drag queens.

Disney Goes Gay Even what was once the most family friendly entertainment brand in the world has gone gay, and is adding an increasing number of LGBT characters and storylines. In 2014 the Disney Channel’s most popular comedy at the time, Good Luck Charlie, included a lesbian couple in the show. 730 They tried to make it funny by depicting two parents confused about the name of the mother of their daughter’s friend. Each one of them had met the “mom,” but one thought her name was Susan, and the other swore it was Cheryl. Then there’s a knock on the door and they open it to reveal their daughter’s friend has two “moms.” The media celebrated Disney for being “brave” and said it was “about time,” and once the LGBT foot was in the door activists started pressuring the network to include a gay teenager in one of their shows. 731 The following year on the Disney-Owned ABC Family Channel [which has since been renamed “Freeform”] they included a gay kiss in a show called The Fosters between two thirteen-year-old boys. 732 The executive producer Peter Paige (who is a homosexual) was proud to have depicted the “youngest same-sex kiss in US television history.” 733 When Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was made into a live-action film in 2017, it included a brief scene of a same-sex couple dancing, which was

hailed as the “first exclusively gay moment” in a Disney movie. 734 That same year they included a “male princess” in their animated series Star vs. The Forces of Evil . 735 The Huffington Post called it a “beautiful message” for kids. 736 The show also depicted Disney’s “first same-sex cartoon kiss,” another move which thrilled the liberal media. 737 Toy Story 4 (2019) had a brief scene where a child is dropped off at school by “two moms,” something that LGBT activists were happy about. “It’s a small scene, sure, and it’s certainly not the major representation that queer people have been waiting for, but it’s still important,” wrote the Gay Times . 738 In Disney’s The Jungle Cruise (2020) starring Dwayne Johnson, one of the characters (played by Jack Whitehall) comes out as gay, which is the first-ever openly gay character to have a role in a Disney movie. 739 Disney then announced that a character in an upcoming animated movie called Onward would be a lesbian. “It’s been a long wait, but a Disney heroine finally has a girlfriend,” gloated Yahoo News when it was revealed that Officer Specter, which is voiced by a lesbian actress named Lena Waithe, would also be a lesbian in the movie. 740 The idea was praised as “making history” for being the first LGBTQ character in a Disney animation film, but as expected, critics complained that the character only appears in one scene. Then a few months later Disney released an animated film on their streaming service Disney+ called Out about a kid who was nervous about moving in with his boyfriend because he hasn’t told his parents that he’s gay. The parents then come to find that his roommate is actually his boyfriend, but instead of being horrified, to his surprise, they’re happy for him. It was hailed as Disney/Pixar’s “first gay main character.” 741 Then they introduced their first bisexual character who stars in another animated series on Disney+ called The Owl House . 742 The character, a 14-year-old girl, had previously been interested in boys, but after the show’s creator, Dana Terrace (who is bisexual herself), lobbied the network to turn the character bisexual just like her, they complied. 743 Soon they’ll probably make Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck gay.

More Gay Characters for Kids Ever since 2017, Sesame Street’s official social media accounts have been posting annual “Happy Pride Month” messages along with pictures of rainbows and various characters from the show celebrating it. 744 In 2018 a former writer for Sesame Street claimed that Bert and Ernie are gay. 745 That man himself is a homosexual (what a surprise) and really just wished they were gay. The next day the show’s producer issued a statement rebuking the former writer’s claim, saying, “As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves. Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.” 746 But PBS would soon cave in to the gay agenda completely. The following year (in 2019) their cartoon Arthur included a gay “wedding” in the season premiere where they revealed that one of the teachers in the show, Mr. Ratburn, is gay. The episode is titled “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” and his students all attend the wedding expecting he’s going to marry another character in the show, Patty, but it’s revealed that she’s actually his sister, and then his new “husband” is introduced to everyone. 747 The year after that (in 2020) PBS included a lesbian couple in their animated series Clifford the Big Red Dog , based on the popular children’s book series that follows the adventures of an 8-year-old and her dog. 748 The official Twitter account for Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network now post messages celebrating “Pride Month,” as well as “International Transgender Visibility Day,” which is another made-up “holiday” by the Left used to promote transgenderism. 749

Old Comedies “Transphobic”

Mrs. Doubtfire , a 1993 comedy starring Robin Williams, has come under attack recently for being “transphobic” after it was revealed that a musical adaptation would hit the stage at a theater in Seattle, and then later on Broadway. In the film, Robin Williams loses custody of his kids after a divorce and in order to remain in their lives poses as an elderly woman who successfully applies for a job working as the kids’ nanny. It was well-received at the time, but the culture has shifted so far Left that when word of the musical was announced, activists started a petition on Change.org calling for it to be canceled because the plot uses “tired, transphobic tropes” and “strengthens the assumptions and misjudgments that continue to harm trans women in implicit, pervasive ways.” 750 Jim Carrey’s 1994 comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective has now been deemed “transphobic” because the pet thief who kidnapped the Miami Dolphins’ mascot is found to be a transsexual, now living as a woman. When Jim Carrey realizes this, he runs to the bathroom and starts vomiting, burns his clothes, and jumps in the shower, because earlier in the film “she” came onto him and they made out. 751 Silence of the Lambs (1991) is also now considered “transphobic” since the serial killer Jodie Foster is trying to hunt down (Buffalo Bill) has gender dysphoria. As part of the plot he murders women so he can make a “woman suit” out of their skin to complete his “transformation.” Variety magazine recently denounced the film for “depicting the criminal’s transgender identification as part of his mental illness.” 752 GLAAD complained that the killer is “a walking, talking gay stereotype.” 753 What’s next? Older classics like Some Like it Hot or Tootsie ?, or more modern shows like Tyler Perry’s “Madea” character or Martin Lawrence’s “Shanaynay?” Jimmy Fallon also used to have a regular segment on the Tonight Show called “Ew” where he would dress up as a woman, but he hasn’t done it in quite some time, and it probably won’t be much longer until he apologizes for it. Soon it will probably be considered a slur to call a transgender person “transgender,” and making any distinction between them being born the opposite sex from which they currently identify will be considered an invasion of their privacy, much like releasing someone’s medical records. To call a transgender “woman” a “transgender woman” will be considered “dehumanizing” and “hateful,” and no distinctions will be allowed.

LGBTQ extremists claim people are “assigned” a gender at birth, much like they are given a name—and maintain that the “assignment” of one’s gender is just as arbitrary and is used to confine the “gender expression” of people to correspond with their biological sex. They won’t say that a transgender “woman” was born a male, they say “she” was “assigned” the male gender at birth, as if it was just a coin toss. The animated comedy series Family Guy announced in early 2019 that they were going to stop making jokes about gay people and transgenders. The series, which has been on air for over 20-years, is known for its no holds barred comedy about typically taboo subjects, but now offending LGBTQ people is too much even for them. The executive producers said, “Some of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then [earlier in the series], we now understand is not acceptable…The climate is different, the culture is different and our views are different.” 754

Drag Queen Story Hour and “Drag Kids” One of the three strikes on Alex Jones’ YouTube channel that led to him being banned from the platform was a rant about a local drag queen festival that included children giving dollar bills to the drag queens as they engaged in simulated strip teases. He called it a “freak show” and an “abomination” in a segment for his show and YouTube considered that to be “hate speech.” 755 In my previous book The Liberal Media Industrial Complex I detail the “unpersoning” of Alex Jones and the censorship of conservatives on social media, which I encourage you to read if you haven’t already so you can grasp just how big the ramifications are for speaking out against this degeneracy. At one of the Drag Queen Story Hour events in New York, a drag queen asked the children, “Who wants to be a drag queen when they grow up?” 756 At another, one of them taught the children how to “twerk,” asking them, “Does anybody in this room know how to twerk?” Nobody spoke up, and the drag queen continues, “All you need to do is you just need to stand with your feet sort of shoulder-width apart like so…and then you crouch down in this sort of position, so you’re bum’s sticking out. And then you

just move your bum up and down like that [as he does it]. And that’s twerking.” 757 Equally disturbing is the recent phenomena of young pre-teen boys being dressed in drag by their parents and paraded around at drag queen festivals in hopes they’ll become social media stars. One such “drag kid” who goes by the name “Desmond is Amazing” was even featured on Good Morning America . 758 “Desmond is Amazing” certainly isn’t one of a kind. Other child drag queens like “E! the Dragnificent” and “Lactacia” (who started doing drag at eight-years-old) are building up their social media followings, all trying to be the next YouTube or TikTok star. 759 YouTube even hosts a documentary film called Drag Kids which follows a group of pre-teen kids as they travel around the country participating in child drag shows. 760 The documentary’s purpose isn’t to raise the alarm about this horrific practice, it’s to show how “cool” the kids are. Netflix has a reality series called AJ and the Queen where a 10-yearold child travels across the country with RuPaul as he performs drag shows in gay bars. The sexual things the drag queens say about the child are too disgusting to include here because they’ll make you physically ill as they did me when I first read about it. 761 Another Netflix original series called Dancing Queen follows the life of a drag queen who teaches dance lessons to kids. 762 In 2015, TLC premiered I Am Jazz , a reality show following the life of Jazz Jennings, a transgender teenager, who at the time was one of the youngest people in the world to identify as transgender. “Jazz Jennings” is a pseudonym, and unlike every other public figure on the planet who uses one, “her” birth name is not allowed to be mentioned on Wikipedia because of the special protections given to transgender people. Similarly, “Lavern” Cox’s birth name (Roderick) is not allowed to be mentioned either. In fact, simply mentioning a transgender person’s birth name or legal name is considered a violation of the terms of service on Facebook and Twitter. 763 TLC was originally called “The Learning Channel” and aired educational programming about science, history, and nature, but slowly morphed into another reality TV network (just like the History Channel has), and now instead of featuring anything remotely educational, TLC is

known for mind-numbing trash like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo , and Toddlers & Tiaras .

Celebrities Raising Kids Trans Celebrities love to adopt children from Africa as a novelty and to show how much they “care” about Black people, and since transgenderism has become the coolest new fad in Hollywood, many celebrities seem to be inspired to raise their kids as the opposite gender to defy cultural norms. Charlize Theron adopted two Black kids, one boy and one girl, and then later was spotted around town with the kids both wearing dresses and now insists she has “two beautiful daughters.” 764 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (who are now divorced) adopted several children, but their first biological child was daughter Shiloh who they started dressing in boy’s clothes, causing many to speculate whether she is a tomboy or actually identifies as a boy. 765 Megan Fox (now divorced from Brian Austin Green) dresses her sixyear-old son in girls’ clothes. “He likes to wear dresses sometimes and I send him to a really liberal, hippy school, but even there—here in California—he still has little boys going, ‘Boys don’t wear dresses’ or ‘Boys don’t wear pink.’ And so, we’re going through that now, where I’m trying to teach him to be confident, no matter what anyone else says.” 766 Megan and her son were once spotted by paparazzi when he was dressed up as Elsa from Disney’s Frozen. 767 Singer Adele also dresses her son up as Disney princesses, which the liberal media has hailed as “a triumph for us believers in gender-neutral parenting.” 768 Actor Liev Schreiber brought his eight-year-old son to Comic-Con dressed as Harley Quinn, the Joker’s girlfriend from Suicide Squad . 769 When Mario Lopez appeared on Candace Owen’s podcast and the subject of parents raising their children transgender came up, he said he didn’t think it was right to be deciding that a 3-year-old kid should start

being treated as the opposite gender. 770 But he was immediately attacked for being “transphobic” and soon apologized. That wasn’t enough, however. The LGBT fascists demanded that he become an “advocate” for transgender kids.

Commercials Go Gay It’s not just movies and television shows that have been filled with LGBT people, now even many commercials feature them as well. Homosexual couples are now regularly included in commercials for major brands from IKEA and Chevrolet, to Target and Tide laundry detergent. 771 Each time another one jumps on the bandwagon, their allies in the media always write an article about it celebrating how “great” it is, encouraging more. 772 For example, Campbell’s Soup created a commercial in 2015 showing two gay “dads” feeding “their son” because the company wanted to show the “diverse mix” of American families. The Huffington Post said it, “will melt your heart.” 773 In 2017, the Dove soap company released an ad featuring “real moms” with their babies and praised the “diversity” in how each of them were raising their children, saying there was “no one right way.” Included with the “moms” was a transgender woman who is the biological father of one of the babies, along with the actual mother who gave birth to the poor child. “We are both his biological parents,” the transgender says. “You get people that are like, ‘What do you mean you’re the mom?’ We’re like, ‘Yep! We’re both gonna be moms.’” 774 Gillette razors released a commercial in 2019 featuring a transgender “boy” being taught how to shave by “his” dad for the first time as part of their campaign to “redefine masculinity.” 775 Starbucks released a commercial in support of people’s “preferred pronouns” showing a teenage girl with a butch haircut named Jemma who appears to be uncomfortable every time someone says her name as she goes about her day until she walks into a Starbucks and is asked what it is so the barista can write it on the cup, which is customary.

She proudly answers “James” and is revealed to be transitioning to a boy. The commercial was part of Starbuck’s announcement that they were partnering with a charity that supports transgender children. 776 Coca-Cola’s 2018 Super Bowl ad featured a lesbian and a “nonbinary” person. 777 In another commercial for Diet Coke released the following year a blue-haired woman drives around in an Uber picking up all kinds of different people while enjoying her Diet Coke all night. At one point her passengers are shown to be two gay men, one White and one Black for extra “diversity,” who are kissing in the back seat. The camera then cuts back to the driver who has a big smile on her face. 778 Smirnoff vodka now features transgender actress Lavern Cox in their commercials. 779 Other alcohol brands like Absolut, Effen, Bud Light, and Barefoot Wine, all release special edition “Gay Pride” bottles for the month of June every year featuring rainbows on them. 780 Most major food brands now release special “Pride” themed packages for gay pride month each year, and on social media change their avatars to pictures that include rainbows. All major retailers celebrate it too, from Walmart and Target, to Kohl’s and Old Navy. All tweeting about it and posting on Facebook and Instagram how important LGBT people are to them and issuing press releases alerting the media how they’re going to be “celebrating Pride month.” 781 Sprite even released a commercial for “Pride” month in 2019 showing a bunch of transgender people transitioning; including a man having makeup put on him by another transgender “woman,” and a girl engaging in “breast binding” with her friend as they joyfully wrap her breasts tightly to her chest so she can “pass” as a male. 782

Gay Sexual Predators Swept Under the Rug In the “Me Too” era, Harvey Weinstein has become the symbol of sexual degeneracy in Hollywood, but most of the women who accused him of sexual “assault” willingly had sex with him in order to further their own careers, and they weren’t forcibly raped. Years later they just jumped on the bandwagon to cash-in once they saw the opportunity, and in hindsight regretted they had sex with such a pig for a chance to be a star.

That’s not to say he didn’t make some of them feel extremely uncomfortable by blatantly propositioning them for sex—and he’s undoubtedly a sexual predator—but powerful men using the “casting couch” to entice women into having sex with them isn’t Hollywood’s dirtiest secret. One of the things nobody wants to talk about (aside from the industry’s pedophilia problem which is actually the biggest secret and covered in the next chapter) is the fact that gay men are basically allowed to sexually harass (and assault) other men with impunity because daring to say that a gay man has done anything sexually inappropriate amounts to blasphemy. Surprisingly, actor Terry Crews developed the courage to come forward in 2017 to admit that he was once sexually assaulted by his agent, who grabbed his genitals while making sexual advances toward him. 783 James Van Der Beek, star of the teen drama Dawson’s Creek , later came forward as well to reveal that he was sexually harassed (and groped) by “older, powerful men” in Hollywood. 784 Others including Brendan Fraser, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure star Alex Winter, and Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp, have also come forward with allegations of being sexually harassed by gay men in Hollywood. 785 Their stories were just a blip on the radar however, and then the issue was swept under the rug. Undoubtedly the same thing has happened to many others who are afraid to come forward out of embarrassment or because they don’t want to make waves out of fear it may derail their career. In fact, after Terry Crews revealed he was assaulted, others in the entertainment industry including D.L Hughley and 50 Cent mocked him. 786 During a 2011 interview, Rapper Fat Joe admitted that he believes a “gay mafia” controls the music industry, saying, “The hip hop industry is most likely owned by gays. I happen to think there’s a gay mafia in hip hop. Not rappers—the editorial presidents of magazines, the [program directors] at radio stations, the people who give you awards at award shows. This is a fuckin’ gay mafia, my man, and they are in power.” 787 It’s not just in the entertainment industry that gay sexual predators are mostly ignored. The same thing is happening in the U.S. military, especially after Barack Obama lifted the ban on them enrolling. 788 According to the Department of Defense statistics, more men than women are victims of

sexual assault in the military. 789 You won’t hear that on the news because it’s another uncomfortable fact that shows the liberal agenda is severely flawed. When gay couples adopt small children and molest them, those stories are just reported in local outlets and never make the national news. 790 Few people want to even comment on such abuse out of concerns they’ll be branded “homophobic.” Reports of gay couples sexually abusing their adopted or foster children can be found around the world. 791 In some cases the couples force the children into sex trafficking and sell them to other pedophiles. 792 But just mentioning those cases is enough to anger LGBT activists who may then target you to be “canceled.” Same sex couples adopting children was the real issue at hand regarding legalizing gay “marriage,” but very few conservatives or even Christians dared talk about it. When gays are allowed to adopt children it’s no longer about what “two consenting adults” are doing “in the privacy of their own bedroom,” it’s about an innocent third party, and no child should be held prisoner in such an environment. Like many gay people, CNN’s Anderson Cooper became a father (at the age of 52) after he bought an egg from a fertility clinic and then hired a surrogate—and had the egg artificially inseminated with his sperm. 793 The woman carried the child to term and then turned it over to Anderson Cooper to be raised by him and his boyfriend. The kid will most likely never know his mother due to privacy shields regarding egg donors, nor even have the surrogate in his life either, and instead will be raised by two homosexual men in their fifties, only to someday have to be told the horrible truth about how he came to exist.

What Causes It? In 2019, a massive study conducted by over 30 organizations including Harvard and Cambridge Universities was released after scientists analyzed the DNA of almost 500,000 people and ruled out any supposed “gay gene” that caused people to be born homosexual. 794 They cited “the environment” for being 75% responsible for people’s sexual preference. 795

“Obviously, there are environmental causes of sexual orientation. We knew that before this study,” said Michael Bailey, a psychologist at Northwestern University who has researched the causes of sexual preferences. 796 The same may be true of transgenderism as well. In other words, if an infant boy not yet knowing the difference between men and women, sees mommy putting on makeup—and for a moment wants to be like mommy and do what she does—and if the mother doesn’t teach him the distinctions between boys and girls, he’ll obviously grow up extremely confused and have a difficult time knowing which behaviors are normal for a man and which are not. The boy might start “identifying” with the mother if he is not brought up to understand the biological and sociological differences between boys and girls, possibly leading to gender dysphoria and transgenderism later in life. Some psychologists believe that “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria” is a form of social contagion or mass psychosis sparked by teens being bombarded with depictions of transgender people on social media portrayed in a positive light, and as a result see themselves as transgender in order to be a part of this “in” group of “cool” people as a coping mechanism for other underlying psychological disorders. 797 YouTube as a company promotes and glorifies transgender YouTubers like “Gigi Gorgeous” as well as gender-bending male makeup artists like Jeffrey Star and James Charles who identify as men but wear women’s makeup and clothes, which is fueling this phenomenon. They have created an extremely confusing environment for children, who as you know, are so impressionable they can be convinced that a fat bearded man in a red suit flies around the country every Christmas to bring them presents. Today, with so many of them being raised by social media personalities instead of their parents they have no idea what kinds of behaviors are conducive or detrimental to a happy, fulfilling life. Freud believed homosexuality is a mental disorder that develops from a disruption in the Oedipal phase of children’s psychosexual development. 798

It’s possible that it could also be a birth defect resulting in a certain region of the brain being wired backwards, so to speak, during gestation while the fetus is developing. 799 Transgender people could be born with the brain of the opposite sex due to the same reason. If, as some scientists believe, prenatal abnormalities in the womb due to a hormone imbalance or other external forces are causing these issues,

then scientists just admitting that homosexuality and transgenderism are birth defects is considered “hate speech” today. 800 To admit that they have a “defect” would be to admit that they’re not normal—and that’s “hateful.” Searching for a cure that would prevent the prenatal changes to a fetus that cause such things is tantamount to eugenics, and equally opposed by the liberal ideologues. Another theory is that homosexuality arose as a maladaptive behavior due to a mutation in the gene pool as a result of the decline of the pressures of natural selection, because in our modern age humans don’t have to complete for mates to pass on their genes as if it were a life or death situation for the species since there are already billions of us, often crammed in large cities literally living on top of one another. Today large groups of “free-riders” exist because of economic abundance, modern conveniences, and social safety nets, so the urge to become financially successful and physically fit in hopes of attracting a beautiful female mate is drastically diminished for many males. Conversely, because of our economic abundant society, many females don’t feel the need to attract a male to provide protection and resources for them like our ancestors did for tens of thousands of years, since modern society offers those luxuries instead. This would explain the explosion of florescent-haired lesbians and socially dysfunctional people who identify as dozens of different genders whose sole purpose in life seems to be ruining it for everyone else. Under this school of thought, because the evolutionary pressures for men and women to find mates have been lifted, many are no longer conforming to the social framework and norms our species has known since the beginning of time, and their behaviors are “mutating.” But instead of being content as “free-riders” whose survival is protected through modernday conveniences and social programs, these changes are causing the rise of what some scientists call “spiteful mutants” who hold hostile views towards those who are normal (i.e. people who continue heterosexual traditions, behaviors, and gender roles; and those who work hard in their careers and take care of their health). 801 The end result of these “spiteful mutants,” according to the theory, is the collapse of the social structure of the entire group of organisms (humans in this case) because the non-affected group (heterosexual and cis gender people) who do not suffer from the same mutations are still severely

impacted due to the disruption of the entire social fabric of the species by those with the mutation. 802 People who are molested as children tend to later become child molesters themselves. So it appears that pedophilia may in some cases be a psychological condition that is induced from an experience rather than something someone is born with. 803 The same may be true of homosexuality and gender-bending. Is it a birth defect, or a psychological disorder exacerbated by the celebration of sexual deviancy and other abnormal lifestyles in the media and on the Internet? Just asking this question is considered “hate speech,” and few scientists will dare risk their career by publicly doubting the new liberal orthodoxy regarding gender identity and sexuality. Once a crazy idea takes hold in a culture it becomes reinforced through social policing, and anyone who begins to doubt the practice is ostracized, reprimanded, or in some cases physically punished. Others who may quietly have the same concerns about the current practice are thus afraid to voice those concerns, which helps to maintain the hegemony, no matter how irrational, abusive, or dangerous it is. Imagine living in Central America and speaking up when your fellow villagers were getting ready to cut out someone’s beating heart to appease the Aztec “gods,” or telling the tribal elders in Africa that slicing your bottom lip and stretching it out by sticking a large plate in there is ridiculous. It’s extremely difficult to break cultural traditions once they have taken root.

“Homophobia” is a Hoax Anyone who doesn’t celebrate this onslaught of homosexuality, bisexuality, and gender-bending is branded “homophobic,” “transphobic,” or a basic “hateful bigot,” but those are just more lies from the Left. A phobia is an irrational fear of something. 804 People who are sick of seeing drag queens and homosexuals celebrated in the media aren’t afraid of them, they’re repulsed by them. The same way normal people are when they hear their parents or grandparents talking about having sex with each other. What

they do behind closed doors in the privacy of their own home is their business, but the rest of us don’t want to hear about it, much less see depictions of it. Unfortunately, today you can’t avoid having gender benders and other LGBT people shoved in your face every time your turn on the TV or scroll through a news feed on social media. And you must not criticize them. You must celebrate them, or you are a “Nazi!” A few years before this cultural Marxism infected the country, comedian Adam Carolla joked that he believed in the future, kids would get bullied for not being gay. 805 It’s sad how right he was.

Sexual Deviants In the 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy, the couple Ricky and Lucy had to each sleep in their own twin bed for a few seasons because the network was concerned about the show being “too sexual” if they were seen lying in the same bed together. Back then it was considered too suggestive to depict a couple in bed on network television even if they were 806 married.

The Brady Bunch (1969-1974) didn’t even have a toilet in the bathroom of their house because executives thought it would be too disgusting to show one on TV during scenes when the

cast was brushing their teeth or 807 doing their hair. Fast forward a few decades and Charlie Sheen would become Hollywood’s darling and the highest paid sitcom actor in history. 808 An HIV-infected scumbag who smoked crack and regularly used hookers became the industry’s favorite star! Hollywood once celebrated wholesome characters and families but now embraces the biggest degenerates as creative “geniuses” who can’t help being a little “eccentric.” The media raved over Fifty Shades of Grey , the sadomasochistic film series based on the bestselling novel, and “The Weeknd” performed a song from the soundtrack at the 2016 Grammys as they attempted to mainstream this once-fringe lifestyle. Target even sold 50 Shades of Grey sex toys. 809 Skip Chasey, the vice president of Endeavor (formerly known as the William Morris Endeavor) one of the largest management firms in Hollywood, accidentally killed a man in his sex dungeon in 2017, but no charges were filed, not even for negligent homicide. 810 He also kept his job at the agency. 811 Lady Gaga tried to revive R. Kelly’s career at the 2014 American Music Awards by doing a live performance with him, despite the allegations of him being a child predator making headlines for well over a decade at the time. 812 She also put him in her video “Do What You Want” which was directed by the infamous Terry Richardson, who has been accused of sexually exploiting models for years. 813 Then a couple years later at the 2016 Grammys, she performed her song “Till It Happens To You” and was hailed as a hero for “raising awareness” about sexual assault and everyone forgot that just a few years earlier she single-handedly put R. Kelly back in the spotlight. 814 Ellen DeGeneres once introduced two little girls aged six and eight to rapper Nicki Minaj because she was their favorite pop star. 815 Ellen had Nicki surprise them on stage live on her show and the audience couldn’t have been any happier. No adult should be letting their children listen to

Nicki Minaj’s music because it’s filled with sexually explicit and vulgar lyrics, but that didn’t stop Ellen DeGeneres from introducing the adult entertainer to the little girls. Perversion apparently runs in Nicki Minaj’s family because her 25year-old brother was convicted of raping an 11-year-old and sentenced to 25 years in prison. 816 Hulk Hogan’s infamous sex tape was the result of him sleeping with his best friend’s wife (with his permission) as he hung out in another room of the house after inviting Hulk over to have his way with her. At one point during the escapade the husband even came into the bedroom to see how they were doing. 817 Celebrities often have dysfunctional lifestyles, becoming jaded and numb from overindulgence due to an endless supply of money and an inner circle of yes men who will never doubt their desires out of fear that they may be cut off from the cash cow they have attached themselves to. Their carnal appetite can never be satisfied, causing them to obsessively try to fill the emptiness in their souls with worldly pleasures. Instead of the media acknowledging these kinds of decisions lead to a disastrous downward spiral, they are celebrated and encouraged. HGTV’s popular series House Hunters follows a couple around town as they search for a new home, and they make sure to regularly include LGBT couples in the show for “diversity,” but that wasn’t enough so they recently included a “throuple,” a group of three people in a polyamorous relationship. “The past four years, I have been living in Lori and Brian’s house, so buying a house together as a ‘throuple’ will signify our next big step as a family of five rather than all four of them plus me,” said one of the three. 818 The “throuple” is also raising two children because for some reason child protective services doesn’t think the kids are in a toxic and abusive household. Imagine trying to explain to the children who the third person is that’s living with them. Democrat Congresswoman Katie Hill was also in such a relationship before she resigned when it was revealed the third wheel was one of her staffers. 819 In ABC’s sitcom Single Parents they introduced a “throuple” that consists of two men and a woman, one of whom is a public school teacher. 820

When they explain their “relationship” to their friends, instead of being

taken aback by the weirdness, one of them gets excited and pulls out her phone to download the same app the “throuple” used to find each other. We’re even seeing incest promoted on network television and in films. 821

Nick Cassavetes, the director of The Notebook, endorsed incest while promoting his film Yellow (2012) which features the main character having an incestious relationship with her brother, saying, “If you’re not having kids—who gives a damn? Love who you want. Isn’t that what we say? Gay marriage—love who you want?…you’re not hurting anybody, except every single person who freaks out because you’re in love with one another.” 822 Other films like Close My Eyes (1991), The Cement Garden (1993), Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998), Delta (2008), Beautiful Kate (2009), and Illegitimate (2016) all have incest as the central plot. Some websites have even compiled lists of what they call the “20 Best Incest Movies of All Time,” 823 and the “13 Steamiest Incestuous Relationships In Film.” 824 Actress Mackenzie Phillips, best known for her role in American Graffiti and more recently working on the Disney Channel’s So Weird, wrote in her memoir that when she was 19-years-old she began having sex with her biological father and continued the incestuous relationship for ten years until she was almost thirty! She described the relationship as “consensual” and once had an abortion after becoming pregnant because she figured he was the father. 825 In recent years we have been seeing more stories approving of people engaging in incest. 826 Cosmopolitan magazine published a story about how “great” it was with the headline, “Girl describes what it was like to have sex with her dad.” In the article the woman is quoted as saying, “The sexual intensity was nothing like I’d ever felt before. It was like being loved by a parent you never had, and the partner you always wanted, at once.” 827 They did a similar article about a brother and sister who were separated at birth but entered into a sexual relationship with each other when they were reunited as adults. 828 Scientists believe that when parents are reunited with their adult children after giving them up for adoption when they were born, they sometimes develop a strong sexual attraction for each other, called GSA (Genetic Sexual Attraction). 829 The same phenomena can happen to adult siblings when they meet for the first time. 830

Soon liberals will likely welcome incest into the LGBT community and declare it no more abnormal than homosexuality. In fact, there are already a growing number of blogs, Tumblr accounts, and YouTube videos dedicated to legalizing “consensual incest.” 831 As everyone knows, it’s common for Hollywood-types to date people a decade or two younger than them, but some in the industry like partners so young it’s utterly disgusting, and in some cases illegal. Billionaire music mogul David Geffen has a well-known reputation of dating men who are over 40 years younger than him. 832 When he was in his seventies he was “dating” a 20-year-old former college football player. 833 The famous pianist Liberace had a 16-year-old boyfriend when he was fifty-seven years old. 834 75-year-old actress Holland Taylor, who played Charlie Sheen’s mother on Two and a Half Men, has a 35-year old girlfriend. 835 David Bowie is alleged to have had sex with a 14-year-old groupie at the height of his career. 836 Jerry Seinfeld dated a 17-year-old when he was thirty-nine years old. 837 And these are just a few of the most well-known instances. Writer, director, and actor Woody Allen is considered a “treasure of the cinema” (having won four Academy Awards and nominated 24 times), but nobody in the industry seems to care that he began a sexual relationship with his girlfriend Mia Farrow’s adopted 21-year-old daughter when he was fifty-six. 838 Such people would be shunned in most professions, but for decades Hollywood has welcomed those who engage in the most bizarre behaviors and nothing is too taboo. The “MeToo” movement really originated in Hollywood from actresses who finally grew tired of the predatory environment that was pervasive in the industry. A long list of big-named actors have been accused of sexual harassment and other predatory behavior as the “MeToo” movement gained momentum in 2017. But it seems everyone in the industry was very well aware of what was happening and who the perpetrators were. It took the fall of Harvey Weinstein to finally open the floodgates and admit the entertainment industry had a massive sexual predator problem. But sleazebags in Hollywood who prey on young actresses are just the tip of the deviance iceberg that runs rampant in the industry. And even worse, what they’re doing is being exported to the rest of society.

Celebrity Selfies Selfies are a symptom of our narcissistic culture, with people obsessing over posting pretty pictures of themselves on social media in order to feel validated. It’s a sickness that has infected large portions of our society and celebrities like Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, and Kim Kardashian have normalized posting nude pictures online, something that just a few years ago would have been unthinkable for most girls. 839 Some experts have even said that celebrities like Kim Kardashian are making children vulnerable to predators online because so many of them mimic their scantily clad selfies in hopes of attracting the attention of complete strangers who “like” and comment on their posts. 840 Kim even had her 4-year-old daughter (at the time) take a topless photo of her and posted it on Instagram. 841 You could see little North (her daughter) in a mirror holding the phone, taking the picture. Kim Kardashian even captioned it “By North.” Teaching 4-year-old girls to take topless photos and post them online—that’s Hollywood today. Kim Kardashian, perhaps more than any other celebrity has normalized sex tapes. Without hers being “leaked” in 2007 showing her with her then-boyfriend pop singer Ray J, she would be just another spoiled rich girl in Los Angeles, but her sex tape made her a star. The same thing with Paris Hilton’s. When her sex tape was leaked in 2003 she became a star overnight only to be later overshadowed by Kim Kardashian as the “queen” of pop culture. Some wannabe reality stars have even leaked their own sex tapes hoping to follow in these footsteps thinking they too will become famous.

Mainstreaming of Porn People who regularly watch porn have their brains physically altered through the creation of new neural pathways, causing them to become less aroused by actual women during real sexual encounters over time. 842

These neurological changes are similar to the tolerance level of drug addicts which cause them to need more of the drug to achieve the same high they once got the longer they use it. People who develop porn habits often find themselves in need of more hardcore porn to get aroused, even leading them to watch bizarre fetish videos hoping to get off since they don’t experience enough gratification from “regular” porn, let alone actual sexual partners. 843 The Internet has mainstreamed porn since people had to once drive to seedy adult video stores to get VHS tapes of it, but now millions of videos are just a few clicks away. Twitter even allows porn stars (and aspiring porn “actresses”) to have accounts where they can post sexually explicit content in their feed which can easily be accessed by children. 844 A site called PornHub is basically YouTube for porn, where anyone can upload hardcore pornographic videos and they are then instantly published for the world to see. Due to the lack of oversight that traditional pornography producers follow, like verifying the identity, age, and consent of the parties involved, PornHub has hosted numerous videos of underage girls and even rape videos, including one of a 14-year-old girl from Ohio who was kidnapped and gang raped while being recorded by the assailants. 845

The video was uploaded to PornHub several times with titles like “Teen Crying and Getting Slapped Around,” “Teen Getting Destroyed,” and “Passed out Teen.” One upload had over 400,000 views. 846 The victim later emailed the website, explaining she was raped (which was clear by the video and the titles) but the video remained online. A 30-year-old man in Florida uploaded over 50 different videos of him sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl after she went missing before he was finally arrested. 847 Breitbart pointed out, “Pornhub apparently has no idea whatsoever who is uploading content. Pornhub also has no idea and apparently doesn’t bother to verify the age of the performers in the videos, or if they consented to have sex, to be filmed, or to have the video commercialized and made public.” 848 There’s now a social media company called OnlyFans that caters to girls who want to start selling their own amateur nude photos and porn

videos. OnlyFans is basically like Instagram, but people have to pay a monthly fee to see what others are posting, and the website has no rules about nudity other than the users have to supposedly be 18 years old. When unemployment levels skyrocketed because of the stay-at-home orders during the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, many young girls flocked to OnlyFans hoping to make some easy money. Once they’re signed up they use Instagram and Twitter to promote their accounts by leaving the link to their OnlyFans page in their bio and then post content using trending hashtags hoping to get guys’ attention and drive traffic there. Previously if a girl wanted to get into porn she would have to go to work for a company that had the infrastructure to host the videos and charge customers’ credit cards, but now OnlyFans has given the ability to anyone to become a “porn star” within just a few minutes. It’s well known that many aspiring actresses who move to Los Angeles hoping to become stars end up working in porn out of desperation to pay their bills (or to afford their drug habits). Some even resort to prostitution. Teen Vogue magazine even published an article in 2019 titled “Sex Work is Real Work,” encouraging girls to become prostitutes and demanding that it become legalized around the world. 849 Many psychologists are warning that porn and video game addiction is actually causing a masculinity crisis among young men. A study by researchers at Stanford University looked into how excessive gaming and use of pornography is causing many young men to be extremely isolated and preventing them from developing the social skills needed to form relationships with girls, which only fuels more isolation. 850

Pedophiles in Hollywood Sexual harassment and pornography aren’t Hollywood’s worst problems however, as child actor Corey Feldman said, “the number one problem in Hollywood was, is, and always will be, pedophilia. That’s the biggest problem for children in this industry…It’s the big secret.” 851 He made the claim in 2011 on ABC’s Nightlight, but his concerns largely fell on deaf ears.

A few years later in 2013 when he was a guest on The View the topic came up again. “I’m saying there are people that were the people that did this to both me and Corey [Haim] that are still working, they’re still out there, and that are some of the richest most powerful people in this business. And they do not want me saying what I am saying right now,” he told the hosts. 852 Barbara Walters responded, “Are you saying that they are pedophiles and that they are still in this business?” “Yes,” Corey replied, going on to warn parents who are thinking about getting their children involved in acting. “You’re damaging an entire industry,” Barbara responds, looking disappointed in him. Feldman said that his best friend Corey Haim, who he costarred with in numerous movies, told him that Charlie Sheen raped Haim in 1986 on the set of a movie (Lucas ) they were filming together. 853 Sheen allegedly told Haim, “it was perfectly normal for older men and younger boys in the business” and “it was what all the guys do.” 854 Sheen denies the allegation. “It’s all connected to a bigger, darker power,” Feldman later said. “I don’t know how high up the chain that power goes, but I know that it probably is outside of the film industry too. It’s probably in government; it’s probably throughout the world in different dark aspects.” 855 Elijah Wood, who was a child actor in various films before hitting it big by playing Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, once made some comments during an interview about the issue, saying, “Clearly something major was going on in Hollywood. It was all organized. There are a lot of vipers in this industry, people who only have their own interests in mind. There is darkness in the underbelly. What bums me about these situations is that the victims can’t speak as loudly as the people in power. That’s the tragedy of attempting to reveal what is happening to innocent people: they can be squashed, but their lives have been irreparably damaged.” 856 He later “clarified” his statements, claiming that his interview was supposed to be about his latest film but “became about something else entirely” and said he had “no first-hand experience or observation of the topic” and that he just heard about such things from a documentary he had seen (most likely An Open Secret , which had come out a year earlier). 857

An Open Secret In 2014, a film maker named Amy Berg investigated Corey Feldman’s claims of pedophiles in Hollywood in a documentary titled An Open Secret . Previously she had been nominated for an Oscar for another documentary she made called Deliver Us From Evil about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, so it was a subject she was quite familiar with. An Open Secret alleges that pedophile producers have held parties where they enticed young child actors with drugs and alcohol in order to take advantage of them. 858 It details the alleged activities surrounding an Internet media company called Digital Entertainment Network that was founded in the late-1990s by Marc Collins-Rector [a convicted sex offender], and his boyfriend Chad Shackley. 859 The company is alleged to have held pool parties at their 12,000-square foot mansion that were used to entice underage teenage boys into having sex with adult men. 860 Leonardo DiCaprio’s former talent agent was convicted of molesting a 13-year-old boy in 2005 and sentenced to eight years in prison. 861 The Los Angeles county deputy district attorney said, “People like this are predators who prey on little kids who want to be the next Justin Bieber—and they’re told, ‘That’s what’s done, this is all normal in the industry.’” 862 The Los Angeles Times noted that, “At least a dozen child molestation and child pornography prosecutions since [the year] 2000 have involved actors, managers, production assistants and others in the entertainment industry.” 863

One of those was a talent agent named Martin Weiss who managed kids that had roles on Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel, and in numerous films like Parenthood and The Muppets Movie. He was charged with several counts of child molestation and faced up to 80-years in prison, but was given just one. 864 Director Bryan Singer, whose credits include X-Men, Superman Returns, Valkyrie , and many others, has been accused by numerous men who say he made sexual advances towards them when they were boys. 865 Singer, who denies the allegations, has also claimed journalists who were investigating him were just “homophobic.” 866

Singer is also alleged to have been in attendance at some of the parties held by the Digital Entertainment Network, and is well known in Hollywood for hosting his own pool parties filled with what many have described as “kids.” 867 He has been followed by sexual predator accusations for decades. As far back as 1997 several child actors accused him of asking them to film a nude scene when they were working on one of his movies, yet his career has continued almost unscathed. 868 Infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein also had numerous ties with Hollywood A-listers, some of which had flown on his private jet to his island in the Caribbean, dubbed “Pedo Island.” 869 Epstein operated with impunity for years and is believed by many to have worked as an intelligence operative for Mossad (Israel’s CIA) to get dirt on powerful people, including many politicians, so they could be blackmailed. 870 For decades Hollywood hasn’t seemed to care about child abuse, and in fact many defend it and give awards to the abusers. Director Roman Polanski fled the United States in the 1970s after he was convicted of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl, but continued to make films in Europe where he could avoid being extradited by U.S. authorities. 871 Not only did he continue to make films, but Hollywood continued to give him awards. In 2002 he was given the Oscar for Best Director for his film The Pianist. When he was announced as the winner, the audience gave him a roaring applause and a standing ovation by many, including Martin Scorsese and Meryl Streep. 872 Harrison Ford, who was presenting the winner that year, looked out at the crowd astonished, knowing very well why Polanski wasn’t there to accept his award. After the applause died down he said, “The Academy congratulates Roman Polanski, and accepts this award on his behalf.” 873 Not only did his peers give him a standing ovation at the Oscars, but many in Hollywood defend Polanski, still to this day. Whoopi Goldberg said that things were “different” in the 1970s, and it wasn’t “rape-rape” and thinks Polanski should be left alone and not extradited to the United States to serve the prison time he has been avoiding for over 40 years. 874 In an interview on the Howard Stern Show director Quentin Tarantino defended Polanski. Howard interrupted him, saying, “Wait a minute. If you

have sex with a 13-year-old girl and you’re a grown man, you know that that’s wrong.” 875 Howard’s cohost Robin Quivers was stunned and pointed out that Polanski had also given her alcohol and Quaaludes to which Tarantino responded, “She wanted to have it…And by the way, we’re talking about America’s morals, not talking about the morals in Europe and everything… Look, she was down with this.” 876 In 2009, Harvey Weinstein wrote an op-ed in The Independent titled “Polanski has served his time and must be freed.” 877 Over one hundred Hollywood celebrities and directors including Natalie Portman, Penelope Cruz, David Lynch, and Martin Scorsese, signed a petition that year to show their support for Polanski, demanding his release after he was taken into custody in Switzerland since he was facing extradition back to the U.S. 878 Switzerland later decided against extraditing him and let him go free. Virtually an entire industry rallied behind a man who drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl and then fled the country to avoid going to prison. That’s Hollywood! After a documentary called Leaving Neverland investigated some of the allegations surrounding Michael Jackson, singer Barbra Streisand said she believed boys were molested by Jackson, but, “they were thrilled to be there” and “his sexual needs were his sexual needs,” adding, “They [the alleged victims] both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.” 879 In 2017, Stephen King’s It was remade into a feature film due to the wildly popular TV miniseries in 1990, but what people who hadn’t read the 1987 novel don’t know is that Stephen King depicted the kids all having an orgy after they finally defeated the “It” creature in the sewer. Out of the blue Beverly Marsh, the only girl in the group, tells the boys “I have an idea,” and then they all got naked and she has sex with all six of them. 880 In the book she’s depicted as eleven-years-old (and twelve in the 1990 TV miniseries). Once the boys are all done having sex with her, they magically remember which way to go in order to get out of the sewer and finally escape. Stephen King literally wrote an entire scene about an elevenyear-old girl getting gang banged and nobody seems to care. 881 Actress Annette O’Toole, who played Beverly Marsh in the 1990 television version, was upset that the orgy scene wasn’t allowed in the film. “This was their greatest attachment to one another—she thought they were

all going to die, and this was a gift she was giving to each one of them, and I thought it was the most beautiful, generous love-filled gift, and it tied them all together in such an amazing way.” 882 In 2017 after Kevin Spacey was accused of trying to engage in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old child actor back in 1986, he announced for the first time that he was gay. That deflected much of the media criticism away from the allegations and he was celebrated for his “emotional” admission. ABC News ran a story with the headline, “‘I choose now to live as a gay man,’ Kevin Spacey comes out in emotional tweet,” but later changed it due to the backlash from people who on social media were shocked ABC sanitized the story with such a pleasant headline. 883 The CEO of entertainment giant Allied Artists, Kim Richards, said of Spacey, “If true, acting on impulse while inebriated speaks to overindulgence, not predatory behavior. You’re good & decent, deserving forgiveness.” 884 Years earlier Seth McFarlane’s Family Guy animated comedy series included a brief scene of a character (Stewie) running naked through a shopping mall screaming “Help! I’ve escaped from Kevin Spacey’s basement!” 885 McFarlane had previously called out Harvey Weinstein in 2013, years before the MeToo movement and the widespread reports about Weinstein. When he read off the names of the nominees for Best Supporting Actress for the Oscars, he followed up by saying, “Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein.” 886

McFarlane knew of the rumors about Weinstein but at the time outsiders just though it was a joke. Many wondered if he also heard rumors about Kevin Spacey’s secrets as well, resulting in him adding the bizarre scene in Family Guy . Others came forward with similar allegations as well. Spacey was soon fired from his Netflix series House of Cards , and went into hiding. But on Christmas Eve of 2019 he posted a bizarre video on YouTube speaking in the tone of his evil House of Cards character Frank Underwood while sitting in front of a fireplace. “You didn’t really think I was going to miss the opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas, did you?” he began. “I know what you’re thinking, ‘Can he be serious?’ I’m dead serious. The next time someone does something you don’t like, you can go on the attack. But

you can also hold your fire and do the unexpected. You can…kill them with kindness.” 887 He smiled menacingly at the camera and the video ends. Even more disturbing is that one of his accusers had died just a few months earlier. 888 He seemed to be alluding that he had killed him. The very next day, on Christmas, another one of his accusers died from a purported suicide. 889 That person’s estate then dropped the lawsuit against Spacey which had been pending.

Crimes Inspired by Hollywood While it’s not entirely accurate to say that violence depicted in movies causes real world violence, it can be said that sometimes it’s a catalyst, and in numerous cases mass murderers, bombings, bank robberies, and other crimes have been inspired by popular movies. Extensive news coverage of mass shootings is actually correlated with more mass shootings because it seems to plant the seeds in other 890 lunatics’ minds.

The same is true of news reports about suicide,

a phenomenon called suicide 891 contagion. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security were concerned that Joker (2019) may inspire mass shootings at theaters, so police presence was increased during the film’s opening weekend and some even inserted undercover agents inside as a precaution. 892 The fears arose from a lunatic dressed as the Joker opening fire inside a theater during a showing of The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, killing a dozen people and injuring many more. The New York Post reported that, “It’s reasonable to ask if ‘Joker’ will inspire would-be killers.” 893 Some of the victims’ families of The Dark Knight Rises shooting wrote a letter to Warner Brothers, the studio that produced Joker , expressing their concern that the movie gave the character a “sympathetic origin story.” 894 It’s not a typical superhero film, nor is it cartoonish in any way like many of the previous Batman movies. Instead, Joker is a depressing “character study” showing a man descend into madness and morph into a mass murderer, but because a portion of the population are severely mentally ill, many saw the Joker as a hero. The 1976 film Taxi Driver starring Robert De Niro (which was largely the inspiration for Joker ) is said to have triggered John Hinckley Jr.’s murderous fantasy that resulted in him attempting to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981. In Taxi Driver, Robert De Niro’s character plots the assassination of a presidential candidate he becomes fixated on, which gave John Hinkley Jr. the idea to do the same thing to Ronald Reagan. He later shot Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. 895 In the 1995 film Basketball Diaries starring Leonardo DiCaprio, his character has a dream sequence where he walks into his high school wearing a black trench coat and starts blowing away his fellow classmates with a shotgun. Three years later in 1998, two students in Colorado carried out the infamous Columbine High School shooting, causing the very name “Columbine” to become synonymous with a school shooting.

The killers wore black trench coats on the day of the massacre just like Leonardo DiCaprio. Some parents of the victims filed lawsuits against the producers of The Basketball Diaries for inspiring the attack. The Columbine massacre itself has inspired dozens of copycats from more unhinged high school students who see the killers as heroes. 896 Oliver Stone’s 1994 black comedy Natural Born Killers is believed to have inspired over a dozen copycat murders and mass shootings by teenagers in the 1990s and early 2000s. 897 In the film, a murderous couple (Mickey and Mallory) go on a drug-fueled killing spree and become television news sensations. Oliver Stone says he meant the film to be a critique of how the media sensationalizes violence and murders, but some unhinged viewers actually saw Mickey and Mallory as true heroes and wanted to become famous mass murderers just like them. After actor Robin Williams committed suicide in 2014, researchers believed it caused suicide rates to spike almost 10% from copycats. “Although we cannot determine with certainty that these deaths are attributable to the death of Robin Williams, we found both a rapid increase in suicides in August 2014, and specifically suffocation suicides, that paralleled the time and method of Williams’ death,” said a report compiled by researchers at Columbia University. 898 NBC News admitted, “It has been known for decades that media reports about suicides, especially celebrity suicides, lead to an increase of suicide deaths.” 899 The Netflix teen drama 13 Reasons Why is about a girl who commits suicide after being bullied and gossiped about at her high school. She left behind a box of cassette tapes where she recorded the “13 reasons why” she killed herself, which forms the basis of the show, and many researchers believe that the series actually increased the rate of teenage suicide. 900 Studies show that suicide is “contagious” and the more widely it is portrayed in the media, the more people get inspired to follow the same path in hopes of putting an end to their own personal struggles. 901 At the University of Illinois, a student was arrested for sexually assaulting a woman he tied up in his dorm room in order to re-create a scene from Fifty Shades of Grey , the popular sadomasochism film based on the bestselling novel. 902 The lead actor in the film, Jamie Dornan, later admitted that he feared a crazy obsessed fan would actually murder him like John Lennon. 903

Ben Affleck’s 2010 film The Town was the admitted inspiration behind a pair of Brooklyn crooks who, like the characters in the film, dressed up as cops to rob a local check-cashing business. 904 Another robbery at a bank in Chicago is also believed to have been inspired by The Town , where the perpetrators copied a different scene from the film in which the characters dressed as nuns for their disguise when they robbed one of the banks. 905 A teenager in New York City was inspired by Fight Club to bomb a Starbucks which thankfully didn’t cause any injuries because it was closed. 906

In the 1999 film, the underground fight club started by Brad Pitt and Edward Norton escalates into a terrorist organization with the launch of “Project Mayhem,” beginning with a series of attacks on symbols of corporate America. One of those attacks was on a “corporate piece of art” consisting of a gigantic metal ball which is knocked off its foundation and rolls into a nearby coffee shop, clearly designed to look like a Starbucks, destroying it. There is also speculation that a serial bomber in Austin, Texas who ultimately blew himself up after being pulled over by police may have been inspired by a recent television series about Ted Kaczynski, the “Unabomber.” 907 The perpetrator had sent five package bombs in the Austin area, killing two people and injuring five others during a three week period in March 2018. On Halloween night in 2018 police in France arrested over 100 masked people for rioting and threatening locals after word spread through social media calling for a “Purge,” referring to the 2013 horror film of the same name which depicts the American government allowing all crimes, including murder, to be perfectly legal for one night a year. 908 Similar “Purge” threats have gone viral through social media in the United States claiming such uprisings would occur in various communities on specific dates, thankfully turning out to be hoaxes posted by troublesome teenagers. 909 But the inspiration for the threats of indiscriminate killing for “fun” were obviously inspired by the film. Following the 1996 release of Scream there were also numerous murders and attempted murders by people inspired by the teen slasher film, several of which actually involved the famous Ghostface mask that the killer used in the movie. 910 Two days after watching Interview with the Vampire when it first came out in 1994, a man told his girlfriend “I’m going to kill you and drink your blood,” and proceeded to stab her seven times

and did indeed drink her blood. She miraculously survived, and when he was arrested the “vampire” admitted to police he was inspired by the film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. 911

Rap Videos Nothing promotes violence and crime more than rap music. Listeners internalize the lyrics which are presented from a first-person perspective, putting them in the proverbial driver’s seat of countless drive-by shootings and other mayhem which is portrayed as exciting and fun. It would be impossible to know how many seeds have been planted in the minds of thugs who become accustomed to crime and whose music choices reflect back to them a distorted world where they are a hero for the lifestyle they chose. Many former gang members have admitted that the music helped to “brainwash” them. 912 And numerous studies have connected rap music to real world violence. 913 It’s common for rappers to include a line in their songs about doing a “187 on a cop,” which is a police code for murder. Countless rappers from Snoop Dogg and NWA, to Eminem and Tekashi 6ix9ine have entire songs about murdering people. Just two weeks after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, where twenty children and six adults were gunned down by 20-year-old lunatic Adam Lanza, stunning the entire country, a popular rapper who goes by “The Game” released a song titled “Dead People” which is about him stalking and murdering people for fun. 914 A 17-year-old acting out the music video “Bustin’ At ‘Em” from rapper Waka Flocka Flame accidentally shot and killed his friend while he was waving a gun around. 915 The lyrics go “Shoot first ask questions last. That’s how these so called gangstas last. Bitch I’m bustin’ at ‘em (shooting). Ain’t no talkin’ homie I’m just bustin’ at ‘em. Bitch I’m bustin’ at ‘em.” In the music video Waka Flocka Flame and his thug friends are waving guns around shooting them in all directions the entire time. After a man in Hawaii shot and killed his landlord, he claimed he was possessed by rapper Jay Z and said that he should be the one who goes to prison. 916 In a certain sense the man was possessed by Jay Z, since the

rapper’s murderous lyrics filled his head. In his mind he just did what he thought Jay Z would have done. Jay Z has called for George Zimmerman, the man who shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense, to be killed, and has numerous songs about murdering people. 917 Thousands of years ago philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates understood the influence that music has on its listeners. Aristotle recognized that music can even shape people’s character, saying, “Music directly represents the passions of the soul. If one listens to the wrong kind of music, he will become the wrong kind of person.” 918

Bobo Doll Experiment A famous study conducted in the early 1960s known as the Bobo Doll Experiment demonstrated how children often mimic violent behaviors they see others engaging in. Researchers monitored the children in a playroom filled with a variety of toys including a bobo doll, a sort of inflatable punching bag with a weighted bottom that stands on the ground—and when punched, returns to its upright position. Even though the bobo doll was in the room and available for the children to play with, they mostly ignored it at first, but after witnessing an adult punching the toy, they began doing the same thing, imitating their actions shortly after they had left the room. 919 The experiment clearly demonstrates the fundamentals of social learning theory and observational learning because the children’s behavior immediately changed from simply witnessing the adults interact with the doll in a “violent” manner, or as the saying goes—monkey see, monkey do. And just like children mimicked the actions they saw against the bobo doll, they also mimic behaviors they see in the media. A Senate Committee was formed in 1999 to investigate the influence of media violence on children and concluded that one of the primary catalysts of youth violence is media violence. 920 The word cause may be too strong of a word, and to more accurately describe the relationship between viewing violence and engaging in violent

acts, media effects researchers often use the word prime , instead—meaning viewing violence primes people to potentially act out similar behaviors. 921 One popular textbook, The Fundamentals of Media Effects , explains, “Media message content triggers concepts, thoughts, learning, or knowledge acquired in the past that are related to the message content. In this way, message content is connected, associated, or reinforced by related thoughts and concepts that it brings to mind.” 922 There are numerous variables that function as catalysts for priming aggressive or violent behaviors in viewers, such as the extent they identify with a character engaging in violence, the consequences the character faces for such behavior, and the perceived justification for it, or meaning of the violence. 923 Media mogul Ted Turner knew this, as do most people with common sense. Best known for founding CNN in 1980, he once noted, “You know that everything we’re exposed to, influences us…those violent films influence us, and the TV programs we see influence us. The weaker your family is, the more they influence you. The problems with families in our societies are catastrophic, but when you put violent programs before people who haven’t had a lot of love in their lives, who are angry anyway, it is like pouring gasoline on the fire.” 924

Author’s Note: Once you finish this book, please take a moment to rate and review it on Amazon.com, or wherever you purchased it from if you’re reading the e-book, to let others know what you think. This also helps to offset the trolls who keep giving my books fake one-star reviews when they haven’t even read them. Trolls often target books on Amazon written by people they don’t like and flood them with fake one-star reviews in order to tank the ratings and hope to dissuade people from reading them. It’s a dirty tactic they’ve used on my other books. If you look close, you can see that practically none of the one-star reviews are from actual verified purchases which is a clear indication they are fraudulent. Also, please spread the word about this book by posting a link to the Amazon listing on your social media accounts, or order a few extra copies for family and friends. I don’t have a large publisher behind me to promote the book since I self published it; all I have is word of mouth, social media, and you. Thank you!

Conclusion There’s a famous quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt that says, “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” The moronic masses are concerned about who their favorite celebrities are dating, which rappers are having a new beef, or the latest actor found to have said something “racist” years (or decades) ago, while life is passing them by. It’s a circus, and as media analyst Neil Postman noted, people are amusing themselves to death. 925

Everything is backwards and upside down in Los Angeles, even the city’s name. “Los Angeles” is Spanish for the City of Angels, when it’s really a city of demons. Hollywood is the “city of dreams” they say, but it’s really the city of broken dreams. Cute girls from across the country move to LA thinking they’re going to be the next Kim Kardashian or Jennifer Lawrence only to realize that they’re just one of tens of thousands of other girls equally as beautiful who are all competing for the same prize. After a string of dead end auditions or maybe landing a few bit parts in b-movies that are never released in theaters, most girls eventually give up or turn to drugs hoping to numb the increasing depression they feel from not seeing their dreams materialize as they are faced with the harsh reality of the entertainment industry. The supposed sunny blue skies of Los Angeles are filled with toxic smog from the overcrowded freeways. Many of the people driving fancy cars and renting nice houses are often living paycheck to paycheck and have no money saved for retirement and spend most of what they earn trying to portray an image of a person they’re not, living further beyond their means every day. Almost everything is fake in Los Angeles. The LA River is made of concrete. The city’s basketball team is called the Lakers, but most of the lakes are man-made. Most people think the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a beautiful place symbolic of the glitz and glam they see on the award shows, but in reality it’s a dirty street filled with homeless people and beggars. Los Angeles is widely considered to be one of the loneliest cities in America because so many people living there have few (or no) close friends they can confide in or trust. Many residents don’t even make eye contact with their neighbors when out to check the mail, they just ignore them and pretend they don’t exist. It’s a strange and sad city. Unfortunately, much of our country is now afflicted with the same kinds of sentiments. The American empire will most likely collapse someday just as ancient Rome did. The United States has too much debt, there is no sense of community throughout much of the country anymore, national pride has been undermined by floods of immigrants who won’t assimilate and are openly hostile to our culture, customs, and history—and now even many millions of native-born Americans hate our country as a result of the Marxist indoctrination they’ve been inundated with.

Open hatred of America by enemies within has never been more widespread, and they are determined to overthrow our Republic and put an end to our Constitutionally protected freedoms. Child drag queens are being celebrated by major media outlets, celebrities are bragging about their abortions, work ethic is dwindling, calls for socialism are spreading, and people can’t decide which one of the fiftyeight different “genders” they are. The angry and ignorant masses want to seize financial assets through force from those who have worked hard and saved their money for decades instead of steadily pissing it away on things they don’t need. But we do need entertainment (in moderation). It’s important to relax your mind at the end of the day or get a little distracted after a long week, so what should we do? What can you show your kids without having them indoctrinated with the idiocy and enemy propaganda that surrounds us? Fortunately, there are limitless choices of quality entertainment if you just take the time to look. There are science shows, cooking shows, how-to videos, and plenty of family friendly entertainment available—not to mention good old-fashioned books like the one in your hands. Aside from quality non-fiction books that can educate while they entertain, there are also countless literarily classics that will take your mind on a journey to faraway lands, all from the comfort of your own home. But it’s critical to do a regular digital detox, especially on the weekends, and tune out the endless distractions competing for your attention on television and smartphones. Spend time with family and friends, having face to face interactions, not artificial ones by “liking” their Facebook posts or communicating through social media. It’s important to limit social media consumption because by design it’s addictive due to the endless feedback and dopamine boosts people get from “likes” retweets, comments, and follows. Stories on social media are hard to resist because they personalize incidents that happen across the country in cities and states you’ll never step foot in, but the viral videos and photos open a window to an artificial world you have no business being in. It’s also dangerous because lies spread through social media at the speed of light, racking up tens of thousands of retweets and “shares” within minutes. By censoring opposing voices, manipulating trending topics, and major celebrities constantly jumping on the bandwagon for liberal causes,

the Big Tech companies create the false appearance of a consensus around issues. Many are afraid to stand up against it out of concern they may catch the attention of the angry online mobs who will harass them, dox them, and do everything in their power to destroy them. All of this leads many to wonder—what is wrong with liberals? Why do they always seem like they have no sense of right and wrong, almost like they have no soul? Researchers at Virginia Tech discovered that people can be identified as either liberal or conservative by a simple fMRI (Functional MRI) scan of their brain. They found that when they show people images of disgusting things like a dead animal or food covered with maggots, they could predict with a 95% accuracy rate whether the person was a liberal or a conservative based solely on brain scans which showed how people’s brain activity reacted to seeing such things. 926 How is this possible? What they found was that the brains of liberals don’t show the same signals of being disgusted when shown the disgusting images. It was a discovery made by accident, but it has an enormous significance. What it means is, the further Left someone is on the political spectrum, the higher their tolerance is for abnormal (and horrifying) things. It makes perfect sense when put into perspective. They’re the ones who accept and embrace the most bizarre, unhealthy, and disgusting behaviors and lifestyles. So when shown images of disgusting things, their brain scans show little reaction, when a normal person should be repulsed. The researchers who conducted the experiments appear to be afraid to explain why liberals aren’t disgusted by disgusting things, but the answer is clear. The Bible calls this the reprobate mind. 927 The Bible also predicted, “There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 928 The fact that you read this book shows where your heart and mind is, and while we may be a minority, there are many millions of us who see the principalities and powers that oppose us and refuse to go along with their

agenda or submit to their demands. We know the truth, and the truth has set us free!

Copyright Info

Hollywood Propaganda © 2020 by Mark Dice

All Rights Reserved

Published by Mark Dice San Diego, CA No part of the text within this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form and by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the author. Visit www.MarkDice.com E-book ISBN: 978-1-943591-10-7

Cover images licensed from iStockPhoto

Cover design by Mark Dice

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The Los Angeles Times “‘The Cosby Show’ Was Profound, Influential--and Indispensable” by Bobby Crawford (May 11th 1992) 2 Bloomberg

“Why Stop at 10%? Advocates Push for Even More LGBT Characters on TV” by Jeff Green (November 8th 2019) 3

The Guardian “Most children own mobile phone by age of seven, study finds” (January 29th 2020)

4 Questioning

the Media - Chapter 3, the Mediating Communication - What Happens? page 43 by Joshua Meyrowitz 5

Questioning the Media - Chapter 3, the Mediating Communication - What Happens? page 44 by Joshua Meyrowitz 6

History of British Film (Volume 4): The History of the British Film 1918 - 1929 - edited by Rachael Low 7

Dr. Rachel Copelan - How to Hypnotize Yourself And Others page 3

8

New York Times “Boy, 13, Is Critically Burned After Imitating Stunt on MTV” by Sherri Day (January 29th 2001) 9

The New York Times “Disney Plans to Omit Film Scene After Teen-Ager Dies Imitating It” by The Associated Press (October 20th 1993) 10

Encyclopedia Britannica online edition entry “Edward Bernays: American publicist” (July 20th 1998) 11

New York Times “Edward Bernays, 'Father of Public Relations' And Leader in Opinion Making, Dies at 103” (March 10th 1995) Bernays, Edward – Propaganda page 37-38 (Ig Publishing 2005)

12

Ibid.

13

14

CBS News “Charlie Sheen Sets Guinness World Record: Fastest to a million Twitter followers” by Crimesider Staff (March 4th 2011) 15

USA Today “Ellen DeGeneres nabs most retweeted tweet of the year” by Alison Maxwell (December 10th 2014) 16

Billboard “How the U.S. Government Infiltrated Cuba’s Hip-Hop Scene to Spark Change” via Associated Press (December 11th 2014) 17

Reuters “U.S. defends program to fund anti-government hip-hop music in Cuba” by David Adams (December 11th 2014)

18

CBS News “U.S. infiltrated Cuba’s hip-hop scene to spark change” (December 11th 2014)

19 The

Guardia n “US agency infiltrated Cuban hip-hop scene to spark youth unrest” by Matthew Weaver (December 10th 2014) 20

Pitchfork “Moby Says CIA Agents Asked Him to Spread the Word About Trump and Russia” by Noah Yoo (January 12th 2018) 21 Film

Propaganda and American Politics: An Analysis and Filmography by James Combs and Sara T. Combs page 6 (Routledge 2013) 22

New York Observer “Hooray for Hollywood: How Charities Influence Your Favorite TV Shows” by Anne Easton (October 28th 2015) 23

The Washington Post “This Harvard professor used TV sitcoms to fight drunk driving. Can he do the same for distracted driving?” by Fredrick Kunkie (April 26th 2017) 24

UCLA’s official Theater, Film & Television department website. http://www.tft.ucla.edu/skollcenter-for-social-impact-entertainment/ 25

Ibid.

26

Ibid.

27

https://thestateofsie.com/the-state-of-social-impact-entertainment-sie-report-introduction-peterbisanz/ 28

Ibid.

29

New York Observer “Hooray for Hollywood: How Charities Influence Your Favorite TV Shows” by Anne Easton (October 28th 2015) 30

https://www.cinemaofchange.com/directory/listing/the-global-media-center-for-social-impact.

31

https://cmsimpact.org/about-us/ (August 2020)

32

Comedy for Racial Justice in the Climate Crisis by Caty Borum Chattoo page 5 (August 2020)

33

Ibid.

34

Comedy for Racial Justice in the Climate Crisis by Caty Borum Chattoo page 19 (August 2020).

35

Hollywood Reporter “Hillary Clinton Woos Young Hollywood Democrats at Fundraisers in L.A.” by Tina Daunt (June 19th 2015) 36

Hollywood Reporter “Chelsea Clinton to Meet With Network TV Writers on Saturday” by Tina Daunt (June 13th 2014)

37

Ibid.

38 Forbes

“The Power Of Purpose: How Propper Daley Is Driving ‘Unreasonable Conversations’” by Afdhel Aziz (March 12th 2019) 39

GLAAD.org “2018 Studio Responsibility Index” by Megan Townsend (May 22nd 2018)

40 Ibid. 41

Ibid.

42

Ibid.

43

Entertainment Weekly “How GLAAD is changing Hollywood’s LGBTQ narrative — one script at a time” by Gerrad Hall (May 23rd 2020) 44

The Advocate “Sesame Street Celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride With Rainbow Muppet Message” by Daniel Reynolds (June 12th 2020) 45

CNN “U.N. hosts filming of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ episode” by Richard Roth and Even Buxbaum (March 30th 2009) 46

TV Guide “Ugly Betty Teams with United Nations to Fight Malaria” by Adam Bryant (October 9th 2009) 47

AdAge “The UN Believes Ads Can Turn the Tide in Long-Losing War for Gender Equality” by Jack Neff (June 23rd 2017) 48

Unilever Press Release “Launch of Unstereotype Alliance set to eradicate outdated stereotypes in advertising” (June 20th 2017) 49

Unilever.com “12 Unilever Ads That Smash Stereotypes” (January 8th 2019)

50

New York Post “Is there ObamaCare ‘propaganda’ on our favorite shows?” by Kyle Smith (October 19th 2013) 51

The Washington Times “TV propaganda? $500K grant to sneak pro-Obamacare messages in shows” by Cheryl Chumley (October 11th 2013) 52

The New York Post “Is there ObamaCare ‘propaganda’ on our favorite shows?” by Kyle Smith (October 19th 2013) 53

New York Observer “Hooray for Hollywood: How Charities Influence Your Favorite TV Shows” by Anne Easton (October 28th 2015) 54

The New York Times “California Tries to Guide the Way on Health Law” by Abby Goodnough (September 14th 2012)

55

Ibid.

56 The

Los Angeles Times “Obama looks to Hollywood to help promote his healthcare law” by Maeve Reston (September 20th 2013) 57

The Hollywood Reporter “Jennifer Hudson Pitches Obamacare in Will Ferrell's Funny or Die Clip” by Paul Bond (September 30th 2013) 58 USA

Today “Healthcare.gov gets traffic boost after Obama’s ‘Funny or Die’ video” by Jolie Lee (March 12th 2014) 59

Hollywood Reporter “ObamaCare Website Traffic Spikes After President’s ‘Funny or Die’ Interview” by Tina Daunt (March 11th 2014) 60

National Catholic Register “Planned Parenthood ‘Secret Weapon’ Script Doctor Feeds Abortion Line to Hollywood” by Lauretta Brown (September 23rd 2019) 61

PlannedParenthood.org “Planned Parenthood Hosts 8th Annual Sex, Politics, Film, & TV Reception at Sundance Film Festival” Press Release (January 27th 2020) 62

The Washington Post “Planned Parenthood’s Secret Weapon” by Nora Caplain-Bricker (September 23rd 2019) 63

Black-ish (Season 3, episode titled “Lemons”) first aired January 11th 2017

64

Snopes “Did Donald Trump Receive an Ellis Island Award in 1986?” Rating: True by Dan Evon (September 5th 2016) 65

Patheos “FLASHBACK: Jesse Jackson Praises Donald Trump for ‘Lifetime of Service’ to Blacks” by Martin English (January 16th 2018) 66

The Simpsons (Season 30, episode 9, title “Daddicus Finch”)

67

Newsbusters “Reporter Beaten at Trump Rally on ‘Murphy Brown,’ Attacked by ‘Sea of Red Hats’” by Karen Townsend (November 29th 2018) 68

CBS This Morning “Trump’s election motivated ‘Murphy Brown’ reboot, Candice Bergen says” by Jessica Kegu (September 26th 2018) 69

Rolling Stone ‘Murphy Brown’ Review: A Crusty Comeback” by Alan Sepinwall (September 25th 2018) 70

News Busters “Will & Grace Won’t Bake MAGA Cake: Conservatives are ‘Terrible People’ with ‘Horrible Beliefs’” by Dawn Slusher (March 16th 2018) 71

Ibid.

72

Vulture “The Hunt for the Trump Tapes Doesn’t Seem Likely to Uncover Much” by Jen Chaney (September 14th 2018) 73 The

Verge “In a post-truth environment, The X-Files has gotten political” by Samantha Nelson (February 9th 2018) 74

Ibid.

75 Newsbusters

“‘The X-Files’ Wants to Believe in Trump-Russia Conspiracy” by Lindsay Kornick (January 10th 2018) 76

RedState “Is CBS Inciting Violence In The Latest Episode Of ‘The Good Fight’” by Jennifer Van Laar (April 13th 2019) 77

The Wrap “CBS All Access’ ‘The Good Fight’ Deletes Tweet with List of Words That Included ‘Assassinate’ and ‘Trump’” by Sean Burch (April 16th 2019) 78

Newsbusters “‘The Good Fight’ Character: ‘We Need to Assassinate the President’ by Callista Ring (April 22nd 2018) 79

Ibid.

80

The Daily Beast “‘The Good Fight’ Imagines a Trump ‘Pee Tape’ as Impeachment Heads to Network TV” by Kevin Fallon (April 30th 2018) 81

Summit News “New Amazon Show Features White People Wearing Red MAGA-Style Hats Being Hunted As ‘Nazis’” by Paul Joseph Watson (November 25th 2019) 82

Washington Times “Alec Baldwin sees ‘near moral collapse’ in America, blames it on Trump ‘supporters’” by Jessica Chasmar (January 14th 2020) 83

Hollywood Reporter “Jessica Chastain Clarifies Comments About Non-Violent Protests” by THR Staff (September 1st 2017) 84

https://twitter.com/TeenVogue/status/1250159551111929862

85

Breitbart “Trevor Noah: Trump’s ‘Demeanor,’ ‘Style’ Is Like ‘Many African Dictators’” by Pam Key (July 10th 2018) 86

Newsbusters “‘View’ Attacks ‘Menace’ ‘Dictator’ Trump for Acosta Heckling” by Kristine Marsh (August 1st 2018) 87

Washington Post “Madonna says she’s thought about ‘blowing up the White House’” by Coby Itkowitz (January 21st 2017) 88

Washington Examiner “Kathy Griffin said in 2016 she wanted to ‘beat down’ Donald and Barron Trump” by Leah DePiero (June 2nd 2017)

89

Time “Watch Guns N’ Roses Invite Mexican Fans Onstage to Smash a Donald Trump Piñata” by Tessa Berenson (December 2nd 2016) 90 Multiple

people recorded video of the incident and posted it on YouTube the next day, although it went unnoticed by major media outlets unlike most of the other incidents of celebrities making similar threatening statements. 91

The Hill “Snoop Dogg shoots clown dressed as Trump in latest music video” by Judy Kurtz (March 13th 2017) 92 Metro

UK “Donald Trump brutally beheaded in new Marilyn Manson video” by Ann Lee (November 8th 2016) 93

Rolling Stone “Hear Big Sean Threaten Donald Trump in New Freestyle” by Daniel Kreps (February 3rd 2017) 94

TMZ “‘Making History’ Star Adam Pally ‘I’d Have to Kill Trump or Hitler’.. If Time Travel Existed” (March 16th 2017) 95

NBC News “Johnny Depp: ‘When Was the Last Time an Actor Assassinated a President?’” (June 23rd 2017) 96

San Francisco Chronicle “Sen. Kamala Harris ruffles feathers with ‘Trump death joke’ on ‘Ellen’ show” by Michelle Robertson (April 5th 2018) 97

Toronto Sun “Mickey Rourke goes on vicious anti-Trump rant” (April 7th 2016)

98

Newsweek “Comedian George Lopez Under Fire for Instagram Joke About $80-Million Bounty for Trump's Head” by Tufayel Ahmed (January 6th 2020) 99

Mediaite “SNL: John Mulaney Jokes That Senators Should Stab Trump Like Julius Caesar” by Sarah Rumpf (March 1st 2020) 100

Ibid.

101

CNBC “Trump’s Mar-a-Lago security breach: Officials shoot Connecticut woman’s SUV after she crashes through checkpoints” by Dan Mangan, Mike Calia, and Yelena Dzhanova (January 31st 2020) 102

Newsweek “Michael Wolff Says Trump's White House Is 'That Bad' The 25th Amendment Mentioned Every Day” by Harriet Sinclair (January 7th 2018) 103

Newsbusters “‘Homeland’ Invokes 25th Amendment on ‘Unconstitutional’ President” by Lindsay Kornick (April 16th 2018) 104

Newsbusters “‘American Heroes’ Invoke 25th Amendment, Remove ‘Unfit’ President in Liberal Fantasy Show” by Lindsay Kornick (January 15th 2018)

105

Ibid.

106 RealClear

Politics “ABC’s ‘Designated Survivor’ Uses 25th Amendment To Remove President” by Ian Schwartz (April 16th 2018) 107

IMDB “Super Girl” (Episode: The Quest for Peace) 2019

108 Ibid. 109

USA Today “James Woods: I was ‘blacklisted’ like Brendan Fraser but for my conservative politics” by Maria Puente (February 23rd 2018) 110

CBS News “James Woods dropped by ‘liberal’ agent on Fourth of July” by Andrea Park (July 5th 2018) 111

NME “Kanye West says speaking out about Trump support ‘represented overcoming fear’” by Rhian Daly (August 10th 2018) 112

New York Times “Kanye West Ends ‘S.N.L.’ With Speech About Trump and Bullying” by Joe Coscarelli (September 30th 2018) 113

The Daily Dot “‘Mean Girls’ Broadway actress called out for following right-wing Twitter accounts” by Esther Bell (February 11th 2020) 114

Variety “‘Bachelorette’ Frontrunner Apologizes for Controversial Instagram Likes” by Ellis Clopton (May 31st 2018) 115

Variety “Hollywood Conservative Group Grapples With IRS Scrutiny As It Seeks Tax-Exempt Status” by Ted Johnson (January 22nd 2014) 116

Reuters “Justice Department settles with conservative groups over IRS scrutiny” by Brendan O’Brien (October 26th 2017) 117

The Guardian “Club for Hollywood Republicans locked in dispute – caused in part by Trump” by Rory Carroll (June 13th 2017) 118

The Hollywood Reporter “Tim Allen Compares Being Conservative in Hollywood to 1930s Germany” by Arlene Washington (March 19th 2017) 119

Newsweek “The Hollywood Blacklist Then And Now: The Late Actor Orson Bean On AntiAmerican ‘Propaganda’" by Paul Bond (February 29th 2020) 120

Epoch Times “How Soviet Russia Conducted ‘Ideological Subversion’ in Western Nations” by Michael Wing (January 29th 2020) 121

BigThink “34 years ago, a KGB defector chillingly predicted modern America” by Paul Ratner (July 18th 2018)

122

The Communist Party’s “Decision Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution” also known as the Sixteen Points (August 8th 1966) 123 Ibid. 124

Fox News “Actor Mark Ruffalo attacks capitalism for ‘failing us’ in tweet, but boasts 7-figure net worth” by Melissa Robert (December 3rd 2019) 125 Fox

News “John Cusack at Bernie Sanders rally: World has 10-12-year window to stop climate change, ‘predatory capitalism’” by Bradford Betz (January 19th 2020) 126

Washington Post “Jim Carrey tells Democrats: ‘We have to say yes to socialism’” by Amy B. Wang (September 10th 2018) 127

Los Angeles Times “TV Preview: Wealth disparity, hackers and cyber threats in ‘Mr. Robot’” by Alan Everly (May 29th 2015) 128

The Atlantic “Whose Side Is Mr. Robot On, Anyway?” by Spencer Kornhaber (August 6th 2015)

129

InTheseTimes “Mr. Robot Is the Anti-Capitalist TV Show We’ve Been Waiting For” by Brian Cook (August 4th 2015) 130

Reuters “Dopey socialist parable ‘In Time’ a slick, fun ride” by Alonso Duralde (October 27th 2011) 131

The New Yorker “‘The Society,’ Reviewed: A Teen Dystopia, but with, Like, Socialism” by Doreen St. Felix (May 22nd 2019) 132

Jack Ryan Season 2 Episode One on Amazon Prime

133

Foundation for Economic Freedom “‘Jack Ryan’ Gets 4 Pinocchios on Venezuela” by Jon Miltmore (January 15th 2020) 134

Orange County Register “Why does Hollywood smear capitalism, promote socialism?” by John Stossel (December 4th 2019) 135

USA Today “‘Radicalized’ couple behind viral AOC ad launches pro-socialism, Netflix-like service” by JC Reindl via Detroit Free Press (April 13th 2019) 136

Deadline Detroit “‘Netflix For The Left’: Socialist Streaming Service Launches In Detroit” (February 25th 2020) 137

HuffPost “The Couple Behind The Viral AOC Ad Plans A Streaming Channel For Socialists” by Christopher Wilson (May 17th 2019) 138

Newsweek “George Floyd Was on Fentanyl, Medical Examiner Says, As Experts Dispute Cause of Death” by Daniel Villarreal (June 2nd 2020)

139

Fox News “Rioting, looting linked to George Floyd protests leaves trail of destruction across American cities” by Greg Norman (June 1st 2020) 140 Fox

News “Minneapolis Third Precinct police station set on fire after rioters break in” by Dom Calicchio (May 28th 2020) 141

Rolling Stone “John Legend, Common, the Weeknd, Lizzo Sign Open Letter to Defund the Police” by Jon Blistein (June 2nd 2020) 142 NPR

“Amid Protests Against Police Violence LA Mayor Eric Garcetti Announces Cuts To LAPD” by Vanessa Romo (June 3rd 2020) 143

CBS News “De Blasio seeks to cut $1 billion from NYPD budget” (June 29th 2020)

144

New York Times “For Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis, a Stinging Rebuke” by Michael Levenson (June 7th 2020) 145

New York Times “‘Cops,’ Long-Running Reality Show That Glorified Police, Is Canceled” by Nicole Sperling (June 9th 2020) 146

Entertainment Weekly “Live PD host slams cancellation: ‘There’s an overreaction going on’” by James Hibberd (June 11th 2020) 147

New York Times “The Protests Come for ‘Paw Patrol’” by Amanda Hess (June 10th 2020)

148

Rolling Stone “What Music’s Tech Companies Are Doing on Blackout Tuesday” by Ethan Millman (June 2nd 2020) 149

TubeFilter “YouTube Hosts Inaugural #YouTubeBlack Event To Support Creators Of Color” by Geoff Weiss (April 11th 2016) 150

CNET “These are the major brands donating to the Black Lives Matter movement” by Mercey Livingston (June 16th 2020) 151

Fox 23 “Disney releases video showing support for Black Lives Matter movement” by Katlyn Brieskorn (June 14th 2020) 152

CNN “‘Call of Duty’ games now display a Black Lives Matter message” by Steve Dent (June 5th 2020) 153

The Telegraph “Make no mistake – BLM is a radical neo-Marxist political movement” by Alexandra Phillips (June 12th 2020) 154

Breitbart “Black Lives Matter Anti-Cop Protests Part of Agenda Seeking Socialist Revolution” by Joshua Klein (June 12th 2020)

155

Time “Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors on Her Memoir, Her Life and What’s Next for the Movement” by Aric Jenkins (February 26th 2018) 156 The

Blaze “Toronto Black Lives Matter co-founder says white people are ‘genetic defects’” by Tre Goins-Phillips (February 13th 2017) 157

Breitbart “Black Lives Matter Anti-Cop Protests Part of Agenda Seeking Socialist Revolution” by Joshua Klein (June 12th 2020) 158 Sarah

Silverman in her 2005 show “Jesus is Magic.” Clips of the segment are currently available on YouTube and elsewhere online if you search for “Sarah Silverman Says I Would Kill Christ Again” 159

Reuters “Kathy Griffin’s Jesus remark cut from Emmy show” (September 11th 2007)

160

Daily Caller “Daily Caller: Comic Convention Bans Christian Conservative Actor Kevin Sorbo For Friendship With Hannity” by Ian Miles Cheong January 14th 2018) 161

NBC News “Ellen Page doubles down on criticism of celebs who attend anti-gay churches” via Variety (February 11th 2019) 162

Dallas News “Ellie Goulding threatens to cancel her Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime show over Salvation Army concerns” by Dan Dinger (November 12th 2019) 163

USA Today “Ellie Goulding threatens to quit Thanksgiving NFL game; Salvation Army says she’s a go” by Charles Trepany (November 13th 2019) 164

The Telegraph “Mel Gibson’s film on Christ condemned as anti-Semitic” June 29th 2003)

165

ADL.org “ADL and Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’” (January 2nd 2013)

166

Luke 23:19

167

The New York Daily News “The Passion of the Christ” by Jami Bernard (February 24th 2004)

168

The Guardian “Mel’s Passion blamed for rise in anti-semitic attacks” (March 16th 2005)

169

The Guardian “History Channel’s The Bible series is worse than reality TV” by Alan Nyuhas (March 25th 2013) 170

Real Time with Bill Maher “Bari Weiss: How to Fight Anti-Semitism” Segment posted on the show’s official YouTube channel (September 13th 2019) 171

Salon.com “Hallmark movies are fascist propaganda” by Amanda Marcotte (December 25th 2019) 172

Ibid.

173

Ibid.

174 Breitbart

“Whitney Cummings Says She Was Reported to HR for Saying ‘Merry Christmas’” by David NG (December 20th 2019) 175

Ibid.

176 Ibid. 177

Wall Street Journal “Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s, Rooted in Racist Imagery, to Change” by Annie Gasparro and Micah Maidenberg (June 17th 2020) 178

The Secret Life of a Satanist: The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey by Blanche Barton page 78 (Feral House 1992) 179

See my previous book, Inside the Illuminati (2014)

180

The Daily Beast “How the Illuminati Stole the Mind, Soul, and Body of Hip-Hop” by Rob Brotherton (January 2nd 2016) 181

Manly P. Hall wrote, “The serpent is true to the principle of wisdom, for it tempts man to the knowledge of himself. Therefore the knowledge of self resulted from man’s disobedience to the Demiurgus, Jehovah.” — The Secret Teachings of All Ages page 272 (Tarcher/Penguin 2003) 182

Aleister Crowley wrote “This serpent, Satan, is not the enemy of Man, be He who made Gods of our race, knowing Good and Evil; He bade ‘Know Thyself!’ and taught Initiation. He is ‘the Devil’ of the book of Thoth, and His emblem is Baphomet, and Androgyne who is the hieroglyph of arcane perfection.” — Magick: In Theory and Practice page 193 183

Rolling Stone “Katy Perry: I Want to Join the Illuminati!” (August 1st 2014)

184

Washington Post “Planned Parenthood’s Secret Weapon” by Nora Caplan-Bricker (September 23rd 2019). 185

Ibid.

186

Newsbusters “Hulu Character Feels ‘Really, Really Good,’ ‘Very F**king Powerful’ After Abortion” by Rebecca Downs (March 18th 2019) 187

Campus Reform “Sociologist calls for more abortion-based comedy” by Toni Airaksinen (January 2nd 2018) 188

Ibid.

189

Salon “‘Parenthood’ bravely tackles abortion” by Willa Paskin (January 9th 2013)

190

HuffPost “‘Parenthood’: Dramatic Episode Tackles Teen Pregnancy And Abortion” (January 9th 2013) 191 PlannedParenthood.org

“Planned Parenthood Announces New Senior Hires” Press Release

(January 11th 2019) 192

USA Today “Planned Parenthood called for Disney princess ‘who’s had an abortion’ in nowdeleted tweet” by Josh Hafner (March 27th 2018) 193 WNEP

16 ABC “Planned Parenthood Keystone: ‘We need a Disney princess who’s had an abortion’” by WNEP Staff (March 27th 2018) 194

Hollywood Reporter “Elizabeth Banks to Lead Center for Reproductive Rights Creative Council” by Lindsay Weinberg (October 29th 2019) 195

Washington Times “Elizabeth Banks: Abortion can be stigma-free, seen as ‘liberty itself’ with the right storytellers” by Douglas Ernst (March 5th 2020) 196

Netflix “The Break with Michelle Wolf” (June 2018)

197

Washington Examiner “‘I am God’: Comedian says abortion empowered her and encourages others to get one” by Spencer Neale (December 18th 2019) 198

New York Magazine “Lena Dunham: ‘I Still Haven’t Had an Abortion, But I Wish I Had’” by Gabriella Paiella (December 20th 2016) 199

Townhall “Actress Busy Philipps Screams She's Proud of Her Abortion at 15-Years-Old Because It Helped Her Career” by Julio Rosas (March 5th 2020) 200

Ibid.

201

Hollywood Reporter “‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Trailer Sparks Controversy as Fans Notice Taiwanese Flag Missing From Tom Cruise’s Jacket” by Patrick Brzeski (July 22nd 2019) 202

Hollywood Reporter “DC Comics Faces Backlash for Deleting ‘Batman’ Artwork That Caused Controversy in China” by Abid Rahman (November 28th 2019) 203

The Big Think “The silent Chinese propaganda in Hollywood films” by Scotty Hendricks (December 10th 2018) 204

Hollywood Reporter “Zombie Films at Cannes: What’s Up With All the Undead?” by Tatiana Siegel (May 18th 2019) 205

The New York Times “How China is Writing Its Own Script” by Amy Qin and Audrey Carlsen (November 18th 2018)

206

CNN “Ryan Gosling defends ‘First Man’ amid American flag controversy” by Sandra Gonzalez (August 31st 2018) 207 ESPN

“James Harden apologizes as controversy grows: ‘We love China’” (October 6th 2019)

208

ABC News “LeBron James says general manager who tweeted in support of Hong Kong protesters ‘wasn’t educated’ on the issue” by Meghan Keneally (October 15th 2019) 209 New

York Times “In China’s Crackdown on Muslims, Children Have Not Been Spared” by Amy Quin (December 28th 2019) 210

The Hill “Yale, MIT study: 22 million, not 11 million, undocumented immigrants in US” by Rafael Bernal (September 21st 2018) 211

CBS News “New York City’s anti-discrimination policy warns against terms like ‘illegal alien’” by Christopher Brito (October 1st 2019) 212

Breitbart “Nearly 400K Anchor Babies Born in 2019, Exceeding U.S. Births in 48 States” by John Binder (January 5th 2020) 213

CNN “Democrats want to offer health care to undocumented immigrants. Here’s what that means” by Tami Luhby (September 11th 2019) 214

Washington Times “Illegal immigrants lying in wait for Trump to lose election” by Stephen Dinan (January 17th 2020) 215

NPR “In ‘Party Of Five’ Reboot, Deportation Separates The Family” by Michael Martin (January 11th 2020) 216

Hollywood Reporter “‘Party of Five’ Reboot Canceled at Freeform” by Lesley Goldberg (April 17th 2020) 217

The New York Times “Hollywood’s Diversity Problem and Undocumented Immigrants” by Monica Castillo (October 20th 2017) 218

NewsBusters “‘Roseanne’ Spinoff: Illegal Immigrants ‘Just Trying to Have a Better Life’” by Dawn Slusher (January 23rd 2019) 219

Vulture “America Ferrera Says Superstore Season Four ICE Raid Could Shape the Show for Years” by Jordan Crucchiola (July 19th 2019) 220

The Hollywood Reporter “‘OITNB’ Star Opens Up About Tackling ‘Dangerous’ Immigration Storyline” by Jackie Strause (August 1st 2018) 221

Newsbusters “New CW Anthology Advises Illegal Immigrants To ‘Hide’” by Lindsay Kornick (August 15th 2019)

222

Daily Beast “ICE Agents Are Television’s Newest Bogeymen, From Netflix’s ‘Orange is the New Black’ to NBC’s ‘Superstore’” 223 Ibid. 224

Breitbart “Showtime’s ‘Shameless’: America Is a ‘Piece of Shit Country’” by Alana Mastrangelo (November 25th 2019) 225 Rolling

Stone “Watch Kesha Celebrate DACA Dreamers in Moving ‘Hymn’ Video” by Jon Blistein (May 31st 2018) 226

New York Observer “Hooray for Hollywood: How Charities Influence Your Favorite TV Shows” by Anne Easton (October 28th 2015) 227

Newsbusters “‘The Twilight Zone’ Defends Illegal Immigration: ‘We Are All Immigrants From Somewhere’” by Lindsay Kornick (May 16th 2019) 228

Ibid.

229

Vulture “Why You Could Be Seeing a Lot of Immigrant Stories on TV This Fall” by Maria Elena Fernandez (January 23rd 2018) 230

Hollywood Reporter “‘Jane the Virgin,’ ‘Vida’ Writers Talk Onscreen Representation” by Jenna Marotta (October 3rd 2018) 231

Variety “Gina Rodriguez Developing Pair of Latino Series at CBS, CW” by Joe Otterson (September 6th 2017) 232

Variety “Immigration Projects Take Center Stage at Broadcast Networks” by Joe Otterson (September 8th 2017) 233

Washington Post “TV dramas and sitcoms are suddenly all about immigration” by Travis M. Andrews (October 13th 2017) 234

The Guardian “‘Daca dramas’: How immigration become US TV’s new obsession” by Lanre Bakare (September 13th 2017) 235

Deadline.com “‘Little America’ Immigrant Anthology Series In Works At Apple From ‘The Big Sick’ Writers, Lee Eisenberg & Alan Yang” by Nellie Andreeva (February 8th 2018) 236

The Daily Beast “How an ICE Immigration Raid Tore Apart a Small Midwest Town” by Nick Schager (December 20th 2019) 237

Hollywood Reporter “Selena Gomez-Produced ‘Living Undocumented’ Docuseries a Go at Netflix” by Rick Porter (September 17th 2019) 238

Ibid.

239

The Guardian “District 9: South Africa and apartheid come to the movies” by David Smith (August 20th 2009) 240 SPLCenter.org

“Does Robert Rodriquez’s ‘Machete’ Advocate ‘Race War?’” by Alexander Zaitchik (September 10th 2010) 241

Philadelphia Inquirer “‘Elysium’ - the rich above, the slums below” by Steven Rae (August 8th 2013) 242 Variety

“Film Review: ‘Elysium’” by Scott Foundas (August 1st 2013)

243

Entertainment Weekly “‘Elysium’: Future Shock” by Sean Smith (July 26th 2013)

244

Worcester Telegram & Gazette “Movie review: Xenophobic ‘Rambo: Last Blood’ should be end of the line for character” by Katie Walsh (September 19th 2019) 245

Daily Beast “‘Rambo: Last Blood’ is a Trumpian, Anti-Mexican Nightmare” by Nick Schager (September 20th 2019) 246

The Spokesman-Review “Deeply Xenophomic, lazy ‘Rambo: Last Blood’ should be end of line for character.” by Katie Walsh via Tribune News Service (September 19th 2019) 247

Uproxx “‘Rambo: Last Blood’ Is A Rollicking Good Time Of Hyper-Violent Xenophobic Revenge Fantasies” by Vince Mancini (September 18th 2019) 248

The Playlist.net “‘Rambo: Last Blood’: Sylvester Stallone Leads A Manic MAGA Fever Dream & Radicalizing Recruitment Video [Review]” by Charles Barfield (September 21st 2019) 249

Indiwire “‘Sicario: Day of Soldado’ Doubles Down on Mexican Stereotypes and Violent MAGA Fantasies — Opinion” by Monica Castillo (June 29th 2018) 250

The New Yorker “‘PEPPERMINT,’ REVIEWED: JENNIFER GARNER STARS IN AN IGNORANT, RACIST DRUG-TRADE REVENGE FILM” by Richard Brody (September 7th 2018) 251

Latino Rebels “‘Liberal’ Hollywood Is Reinforcing Trump’s Hate” by Alejandro Diaz (July 25th 2018) 252

NBC News “‘Sicario: Day of Soldado’ is a poorly written blockbuster filled with racist stereotypes. Hollywood should know better.” by Ani Bundel (July 1st 2018) 253

The Death of the West: How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization by Patrick J. Buchanon page 3 (2002 Thomas Dunne Books) 254

The Death of the West: How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization by Patrick J. Buchanon pages 125-126 (2002 Thomas Dunne Books)

255

Los Angeles Times “Vision That Inspires Some and Scares Others: Aztlan” by David Kelly (July 7th 2006) 256 FrontPageMag.com

“Expressions of Ethnic Animosity” by James Lubinskas (November 24,

1999) 257

“Building a North American Community” report by the Council on Foreign Relations (2005)

258 The

Hollywood Reporter “TV Executives Admit in Taped Interviews That Hollywood Pushes a Liberal Agenda” by Paul Bond (June 1st 2001) 259

U.S. Department of Justice “Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980-2008” by Alexia Cooper and Erica L. Smith (November 2011) 260

ADL.org “Hate on Display™ Hate Symbols Database”

261

CBS News “#OscarsSoWhite: Academy Awards slammed for lack of diversity” by John Blackstone (January 14th 2016) 262

Fortune “These Oscar Best Picture nominees are ‘problematic’—but will that matter?” by Paula Bernstein (January 16th 2020) 263

USA Today “Oscar nominations 2020: Why do snubs for women and people of color keep happening?” by Andrea Mandell (January 13th 2020) 264

NBC Los Angeles “Fans Link J.Lo ‘Hustlers’ Snub to Oscars Diversity Problem” (January 13th 2020) 265

The Hollywood Reporter “The Whiteness of ‘Toy Story 4’” by Stephen Galloway (January 3rd 2020) 266

Ibid.

267

Ibid.

268

Time “In Joker , Black Women Are Visible But They Are Not Seen” by Beandrea July (October 11th 2019) 269

Teen Vogue “‘Little Women,’ Laurie, and the Argument for Racebent Casting” by Natalie De Vera Obedos (December 23rd 2019) 270

National Review “Greta Gerwig’s Little Women Romanticizes White Privilege” by Armond White (December 27th 2019) 271

Hollywood Reporter “Hallmark Channel Struggles to Give Diversity a Home for the Holidays” by Lesley Goldberg (November 27th 2019)

272

Ibid.

273 IBTimes

“Why Are Hallmark Movie Casts So White? We Asked The CEO” by Rachael Ellenbogen (December 21st 2017) 274

Mediaite “Touré Says There’s Already a Benevolent Black Man Who Gives Gifts to Kids: Obama” by Noah Rothman (December 16th 2013) 275 CNS

News “Harper, CNN Promote Gay ‘Married’ Santa Claus” by Michael W. Chapman (December 20th 2017) 276

USA Today “Tim Burton’s diversity comments blew up Twitter” by Carley Mallenbaum (September 29th 2016) 277

Breitbart “Jonah Hill: ‘Real Change’ in Film Will Come When Women, Minorities Run Studios and Streaming Companies” by Warner Todd Huston (January 31st 2020) 278

Newsweek “CNN’s Rick Sanchez Fired After Implying Jews Run the Media” by David A. Graham (October 1st 2010) 279

Newsbusters “‘Blackish’ Does Episode on Teaching Black Kids ‘America Hates You’” by Amelia Hamilton (January 16th 2018) 280

Ibid.

281

Complex.com “The 50 Most Racist TV Shows of All Time” (June 3rd 2013)

282

The Hollywood Reporter “Critic’s Notebook: The Blinding Whiteness of Nostalgia TV” by Inkoo Kang (March 28th 2018) 283

Inquisitr “Roseanne Barr Explains Why She Wanted The Conners To Have A Black Grandchild On The ‘Roseanne’ Revival” by Victoria Miller (February 21st 2018) 284

The Guardian “David Schwimmer: ‘I’m very aware of my privilege as a heterosexual white male’” by David Smith (January 27th 2020) 285

Slate “Is It Racist to Date Only People of Your Own Race? Yes.” by Reihan Salam (April 22nd 2014) 286

CNN “Los Angeles mayor wants to double Latino representation in Hollywood in the next 10 years” by Christina Maxouris (January 20th 2020) 287

See my previous book, Liberalism: Find a Cure (2018)

288

Parade “Guillermo’s Job Before Becoming Jimmy Kimmel’s Sidekick” by Walter Scott (April 12th 2014)

289

Washington Examiner “Jamie Foxx: It’s ‘great’ to ‘kill all the white people’” by Kelsey Osterman (December 9th 2012) 290 VLADTV

“‘Django Unchained’ Viewers Tweet Desire To ‘Kill White People’” by John S (January 9th 2013) 291

BBC “Kendrick Lamar stops white fan using N-word on stage at concert” (May 22nd 2018)

292 CNN

“Actress Gina Rodriguez comes under fire over her use of the n-word” by Faith Karimi (October 19th 2019) 293

NBC News “‘Bachelorette’ star Hannah Brown apologizes for using the N-word” by Janelle Griffith (May 19th 2020) 294

https://twitter.com/jlptalk/status/1262490953094295552

295

Vanity Fair “Roseanne Barr Screams About Valerie Jarrett: ‘I Thought the Bitch Was White!’” by Laura Bradley (July 20th 2018) 296

The Washington Post “Roseanne’s character overdosed on opioids and left ‘The Conners’ behind. It’s better this way.” by Hank Stuever (October 16th 2018) 297

The Wrap “‘Queer Eye’ Star Jonathan Van Ness Under Fire After Saying ‘Not All Republicans Are Racist’” by Jon Levine (August 16th 2018) 298

Carolina Journal “‘The Sum of All Fears’ Falls Victim to Political Correctness” by Hans Marc Hurd (August 6th 2002) 299

IGN “The Sum of All Fears: The Jack Ryan prequel hits DVD. Our full review” by Jeremy Conrad (December 13th 2018) 300

Mashable “Chelsea Handler talks about facing up to her own white privilege” by Rachel Thompson (September 10th 2019) 301

Rolling Stone “Jon Stewart Talks Lack of Staff Diversity During his ‘Daily Show’ Tenure” by Jon Blistein (June 24th 2020) 302

Esquire “Jon Stewart: America Can Only Have Equality When Black People Are Given What’s Been Taken From Them” by Justin Kirkland (June 25th 2020) 303

Insider “Zac Efron’s portrayal of serial killer Ted Bundy is being accused of romanticizing the brutal murderer” by Jacob Shamsian (January 28th 2019) 304

Fox News “Zac Efron says white privilege allowed Ted Bundy to kill people for so long before being captured” by Jessica Napoli and Tyler McCarthy (May 3rd 2019)

305

Los Angeles Times “White celebrities partner with NAACP to ‘take responsibility’ for racism” by Christi Carras (June 11th 2020) 306 The

Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon “Dr. Robin DiAngelo Wants White People to Stop Saying They’re Not Racist” segment posted on the show’s official YouTube channel (June 17th 2020) 307

Ibid.

308 Mashable

“‘White Fragility’ author Robin DiAngelo explains why white people shouldn’t say they’re ‘not racist’” by Sam Haysom (June 18th 2020) 309

IndieWire “‘Watchmen’: Damon Lindelof Shares How The New HBO Adaptation Deals with White Supremacy” by Steve Greene (July 24th 2019) 310

Ibid.

311

Vox “Some Watchmen fans are mad that HBO’s version is political. But Watchmen has always been political” by Alex Abad-Santos (October 24th 2019) 312

Esquire “The Right-Wing Troll Backlash Against HBO’s Watchmen Is Hilariously Stupid” by Matt Miller (October 24th 2019) 313

The Hollywood Reporter “Watch Topher Grace Embody KKK Leader David Duke in ‘BlacKkKlansman’” by Evan Real (August 1st 2018) 314

The American Spectator “Trump Denounced a ‘White Supremacist Loser’ — 19 Years Ago” by Jeffrey Lord (March 19th 2019) 315

Interview with BlackTreeTV’s YouTube Channel “Topher Grace says finding the human side of David Duke was a challenge in BlacKkKlansman” (August 16th 2018) 316

https://www.facebook.com/crackatv/photos/a.119499679798117/119499656464786

317

CrackaWorld.com - the film’s official website (July 2020)

318

Yale Bulletin & Calendar “Director Spike Lee slams ‘same old’ black stereotypes in today’s films” Volume 29, Number 21 (March 2nd 2001) 319

Salon.com “The offensive movie cliche that won’t die” by Matt Zoller Zeitz (September 14th 2010) 320

NPR “‘Magical Negro’ Carries The Weight Of History” by Mary Louise Kelly (February 11th 2019) 321

Dallas Observer “The Blind Side: What Would Black People Do Without Nice White Folks?” by Melissa Anderson (November 19th 2009)

322

Ranker “Quietly Racist Things You Probably Missed In ‘The Blind Side’” by Evan Lambert (July 13th 2020) 323 RacismReview.com

“‘Gran Torino,’ White Masculinity & Racism” (January 17th 2009)

324

Slate.com “Cool Runnings Was Not Good, and It Is Definitely Not a ‘Cult Classic’” by Justin Peters (February 16th 2014) 325 Gizmodo

“When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like ‘Avatar’?” by Annalee Newitz (December 18th 2009) 326

Complex “The 50 Most Racist TV Shows of All Time” (June 3rd 2013)

327

Vulture “MTV’s New Documentary Wants to Make White People Very Uncomfortable” by Dee Lockett (July 8th 2015) 328

RealClearPolitics “‘MTV News’ Deletes YouTube Video Telling ‘White Guys’ What They Could Do Better In 2017 After Backlash” by Tim Hains (December 20th 2016) 329

The College Fix “Stanford University course to study ‘abolishing whiteness’” by Matthew Stein (August 11th 2017) 330

The Hill “Disney network defends casting black actress in ‘Little Mermaid’ after backlash” by Rachel Frazin (July 9th 2019) 331

CNN “‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ reboot to feature African-American lead” by Chloe Melas (July 23rd 2018) 332

The Guardian “Bond’s number is up: black female actor ‘is the new 007’” by Steph Harmon (July 15th 2019) 333

NBC News “In Marvel’s ‘Spider-Verse,’ Spider-Man’s mom is alive and Puerto Rican” by Arturo Conde (December 13th 2018) 334

Forbes “Science Says Superman Should Be Black” by JV Chamary (March 31st 2016)

335

The Guardian “Fantastic Four film-makers respond to criticism of decision to cast black actor” by Ben Child (June 4th 2015) 336

NBC News “‘Batwoman’ casts Black, bisexual actress Javicia Leslie to play superhero” by Tim Fitzsimons (July 9th 2020) 337

Variety “‘Wonder Years’ Reboot With Black Family in the Works at ABC, Lee Daniels to Produce” by Joe Otterson (July 8th 2020) 338

NPR “Author L.L. McKinney: Barnes & Noble ‘Diverse Editions’ Are ‘Literary Blackface’” by Audie Cornish (February 6th 2020)

339

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling

340 BuzzFeed

“10 Classic Remakes That Gave Minority Actors The Spotlight” by Doriean Stevenson (March 28th 2014) 341 Wall Street Journal “When the Slave Traders Were African: Those whose ancestors sold slaves to Europeans now struggle to come to terms with a painful legacy” by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani (September 20, 2019) 342

Reuters “West African slavery lives on, 400 years after transatlantic trade began” by Angela Ukomadu (August 7th 2019) 343

See my previous book The Liberal Media Industrial Complex (2019)

344

PBS “The War” series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick in the “At Home” episode 345

Time “The U.S. Government Used Disney Cartoons to Convince Americans That Paying Taxes Is a Privilege” by Oliva B. Waxman (April 16th 2018) 346

Der Fuehrer’s Face (1942) produced by Walt Disney

347

Commando Duck (1944) produced by Walt Disney

348

Operation Hollywood: How the Pentagon Shapes and Censors the Movies by David Robb (2004 Prometheus Books) 349

Variety “The ‘24’ Effect: How ‘Liberal Hollywood’ Carried Water For Torture” by Brian Lowry (December 14th 2014) 350

Ibid.

351

Ibid.

352

Washington Post “‘Zero Dark Thirty’ waterboarding depictions not accurate, senators say” by Ed O’Keefe and Ann Hornaday (December 19th 2012) 353

The Atlantic “Secret Report: Panetta Gave bin Laden Raid Details to ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Makers” by Philip Bump (June 5th 2013) 354

Washington Post “25 years later, how ‘Top Gun’ made America love war” by David Sirota (August 26th 2011) 355

The Independent “Washington DC’s role behind the scenes in Hollywood goes deeper than you think” by Matthew Alford (September 3rd 2017) 356

Ibid.

357

Universal Studios “Lone Survivor Production Notes”

358 Fortune

Magazine “Hollywood’s military complex” by Soo Youn (December 19, 2013)

359

Ibid.

360 Wired

Magazine “CIA Pitches Scripts to Hollywood” by Mark Riffee (September 9th 2011)

361

The Independent “Washington DC’s role behind the scenes in Hollywood goes deeper than you think” by Matthew Alford (September 3rd 2017). 362

Army Times “The Pentagon’s Hollywood Liaison” by Hope Hodge (July 1 2013)

363

Business Insider “One Man In The Department Of Defense Controls All Of Hollywood’s Access To The Military” by Aly Weisman (March 5th 2014) 364

Wired Magazine “CIA Pitches Scripts to Hollywood” by Mark Riffee (September 9th 2011)

365

Los Angeles Times “‘Top Gun’ Boosting Service Sign-ups” by Mark Evje (July 5, 1986)

366

San Diego Union Tribune “Marines say Katy Perry video is good publicity” by Jeanette Steele (March 22nd 2012) 367

Newsweek “‘Call of Duty’ Creators Collaborated with Pentagon Adviser in Upcoming Videogame” by Madeline Grant (August 28th 2014) 368

Oliver Stone in CNN’s “The Movies” documentary series - Episode 1: The Eighties

369

CBS News “Pentagon Defends Photo Ban” (April 23rd 2004)

370

Bureau of Investigative Journalism “Obama’s covert drone war in numbers: ten times more strikes than Bush” by Jessica Purkiss and Jack Serle (January 7th 2017) 371

USA Today “Michelle Obama presents Oscar to ‘Argo’” (February 25th 2013)

372

Hollywood Reporter “Golden Globes 2013: Complete List of Winners” (January 13th 2013)

373

CBS News “DHS’ Domestic Terror Warning Angers GOP” (April 16th 2009)

374

Time “Top 10 Everything of 2012” - Top 10 Viral Videos

375

ABC News “Senate Resolution Condemns Uganda’s Joseph Kony” by Sunien Miller (March 21st 2012) 376

Reason “Kony 2012’s Old-Fashioned War Propaganda” by Tate Watkins (March 14th 2012)

377

The Guardian “The caring, sharing CIA: Central Intelligence gets a makeover” by John Patterson (October 4, 2001) 378 PR

Week “Barry named CIA Entertainment Liaison” (June 5, 2007)

379

The Guardian “An Offer They Couldn’t Refuse” by Matthew Alford and Robbie Graham (November 13th 2008) 380 Cinema

Review Magazine “The Recruit: About the Production”

381

The Atlantic “How the CIA Hoodwinked Hollywood” by Nicholas Schou (July 14th 2016)

382

The Independent “Washington DC’s role behind the scenes in Hollywood goes deeper than you think” by Matthew Alford (September 3rd 2017) 383

Time Magazine “CIA Mind-Control Experiments” by Nate Rawlings (August 6th 2010)

384

The Guardian “The caring, sharing CIA: Central Intelligence gets a makeover” by John Patterson (October 4, 2001) 385

Robb, David - Operation Hollywood: How the Pentagon Shapes and Censors Movies page 365 (2004 Prometheus Books) 386

Robb, David - Operation Hollywood: How the Pentagon Shapes and Censors the Movies page 47-48 (2004 Prometheus Books) 387

Chemerinsky also points to the 1995 U.S. Supreme Court case Rosenberger v. the University of Virginia. 388

Los Angeles Times “Hollywood figures spied for CIA, book asserts” by Ken Dilanian (January 10th 2014) 389

John Rizzo - Company Man: Thirty Years of Crisis and Controversy in the CIA page 63 (2014 Scribner) 390

Ibid.

391

John Rizzo - Company Man: Thirty Years of Crisis and Controversy in the CIA page 64 (2014 Scribner) 392

Ibid.

393

YouTube - Interview with The Guardian “Ben Affleck on Argo: Probably Hollywood is full of CIA Agents” (November 8the 2012) 394

Los Angeles Times “The CIA Spins Itself” by Patrick Goldstein (September 29th 2001)

395

https://www.fbi.gov/about/faqs/how-can-screenwriters-authors-and-producers-seekingauthenticity-work-with-the-fbi396 Ibid. 397

John Wayne: American by Randy Roberts page 569 (1995 Free Press)

398 CBS

News “The U.S. vs. John Lennon” by Jon Wiener (September 15th 2006)

399

Final Report of the Select Committee to Study Government Operations With Respect to Intelligence Activities. April 1976. 400

Church Committee Hearings (1975) testimony by William Colby

401

Sig Mickleson in a clip widely available on YouTube about the CIA and the news

402

CNBC “A carbon tax is ‘single most powerful’ way to combat climate change, IMF says” by Emma Newburger (October 10th 2019) 403

Washington Post “AOC’s Chief of Change” by David Montgomery (July 10th 2019)

404

Politico “‘Green New Deal’ lands in the Capitol” by Zack Colman and Anthony Adragna (February 7, 2019) 405

Daily Mail “The devastating rise of ‘eco-anxiety’: Psychologist says school kids are being damaged by the climate change debate” by Zoe Zaczek (September 25th 2019) 406

Time magazine “Greta Thunberg: TIME’s Person of the Year 2019” by Edward Felsenthal (December 11th 2019) 407

CNBC “This Bill Gates-funded chemical cloud could help stop global warming” by Katie Schoolov (September 7th 2019) 408

The Independent “How Bad are Private Jets for the Environment?” by Helen Coffey (August 20th 2019) 409

ABC News “This Bill Gates-funded chemical cloud could help stop global warming” by Jake Taper (February 27th 2007) 410

Politico “Schwarzenegger to Sue Big Oil for ‘First Degree Murder’” by Edward-Isaac Dovere (March 12th 2018) 411

History.com “The Origins of the Hummer”

412

Fox News “Steve Harvey brings drama to ‘Miss Universe’ with eye roll before contestant claims ‘the planet is dying’” by Melissa Roberto (December 9th 2019)

413

New York Observer “Hooray for Hollywood: How Charities Influence Your Favorite TV Shows” by Anne Easton (October 28th 2015) 414 HollywoodHealthAndSociety.org

“Climate Change Resources”

415

The Los Angeles Times “U.N. leader asks Hollywood for help in fight against global climate change” by Margot Roosevelt (February 27th 2011) 416 Ibid. 417

Ibid.

418

Promotional video for News Corp (2006)

419

Ibid.

420

Ibid.

421

Time “Top 10 Disappointing Blockbusters” (August 24th 2009)

422

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “‘The Day After Tomorrow’ falls far short of its goal” by Tony Norman (May 27th 2004) 423

Vanity Fair “When Will Hollywood Actually Tackle Climate Change?” By Richard Lawson (September 19th 2019) 424

Ibid.

425

The Wall Street Journal “In ‘Cars 2,’ John Lasseter Says Big Oil is the ‘Uber Bad Guy’” by Ethan Smith (June 20th 2011) 426

USA Today “Stylish ‘Snowpiercer’ takes a cold look at class divisions” by Claudia Puig (June 26th 2014) 427

LiveScience.com “Frozen earth in ‘Snowpiercer’ is a grim (and possible) future for our warming planet” by Mindy Weisberger (October 11th 2019) 428

Earth Island Journal “In Review: Snowpiercer” by Jason Mark (July 19th 2019)

429

GreenPeace.org “No, Interstellar doesn’t mention climate change but it could still do the problem a lot of good” by Brian Johnson (November 12th 2014) 430

The Atlantic “Interstellar: Good Space Film, Bad Climate-Change Parable” by Noah Gittell (November 15th 2014) 431

CNBC “Jeff Bezos: Forget Mars, humans will live in these free-floating space pod colonies” by Catherine Clifford (March 8th 2019)

432

Variety “New ‘Geostorm’ Trailer: Gerard Butler Attempts to Save the World From Climate Change Disaster” by Dave McNary (July 6th 2017) 433 The

Guardian “Is climate change Hollywood's new supervillain?” by Greme Virtue (October 19th

2017) 434

Variety “Paul Schrader on How ‘First Reformed’ Reflects His Own Despair Over Climate Crisis” by Ted Johnson (May 19th 2018) 435 Screen

Rant “The Predator: Ultimate Predator Origins, Hybrid DNA & Abilities Explained” by Hannah Shaw-Williams (September 14th 2018) 436

NewsBusters “Futuristic HBO Drama Lambasts Trump, Pence, ‘Old Men In Power Forever’” by Rebecca Downs (July 1st 2019) 437

NBC News “DC Comics ‘Aquaman’ raises questions about environmentalism” by Noah Berlatsky (December 21st 2018) 438

The Hill “Chris Pratt apologizes for posing with single use plastic bottle” by Justine Coleman (December 4th 2019) 439

Yale Climate Connections “Superheroes and aliens: Climate change in the movies in 2018 - with a preview of 2019” by Michael Svoboda (March 21st 2019) 440

Forbes “The Science Of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Proves Thanos Did Nothing Wrong” by JV Chamary (May 7th 2019) 441

Ibid.

442

Smithsonian Magazine “The Book That Incited a Worldwide Fear of Overpopulation” by Charles C. Mann (January 2018) 443

The Guardian “Climate crisis: 11,000 scientists warn of ‘untold suffering’” by Damian Carrington (November 5th 2019) 444

Washington Times “Miley Cyrus: ‘I refuse’ to have kids until climate change resolved” by Jessica Chasmar (July 12th 2019) 445

Newsweek “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Asks: Is It Still OK to Have Kids in Face of Climate Change?” by Nicole Goodkind (February 25th 2019) 446

BBC “The couples rethinking kids because of climate change” by Ted Scheinman (October 1st 2019) 447

Newsweek “Silicon Valley Is Trying to Make Humans Immortal—and Finding Some Success” by Betsy Isaacson (March 5th 2015)

448

The New Bioethics: A Multidisciplinary Journal of Biotechnology and the Body “Transhumanism: How Far Is Too Far?” by Joel Thompson pages 165-182 (July 6th 2017) 449 The

Elberton Star “The Georgia Guidestones: tourist attraction or cult message?” by Gary Jones (April 21st 2012) 450

The man published a little-known book in 1986 titled Common Sense Renewed where he admits that he represented a group. In it, he also says that leather-bound copies were sent to all members of Congress. At the time of this writing in July 2020, one is for sale on E-bay, and listed for $3,500. I own a paperback version which was later published in a small quantity. 451 ESPN

“‘Equality’ tops list of NBA players’ most popular social justice jersey messages (July 8th

2020) 452

CBS News “NBA reportedly plans to paint ‘Black Lives Matter’ on courts when season resumes” by Christopher Brito (June 30th 2020) 453

USA Today “NFL will play Black national anthem ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ before each Week 1 game” by Mike Jones (July 2nd 2020) 454

New York Times “Bubba Wallace Wants NASCAR to Ban the Confederate Flag” by Maria Cramer (June 9th 2020) 455

NBC Sports “NASCAR drivers push Bubba Wallace’s car in act of solidarity after noose found in his garage” via Associated Press (June 22nd 2020) 456

Boston Globe “FBI says noose in Bubba Wallace’s stall was garage door-pull rope, not a hate crime” by Jenna Fryer via Associated Press (June 23rd 2020) 457

USA Today “FBI announces noose found in Bubba Wallace's garage had been there since 2019; no federal crime committed” by Michelle R. Martinelli (June 23rd 2020) 458

Seattle Times “Amazon buys naming rights to KeyArena, will call it Climate Pledge Arena” by Geoff Baker (June 25th 2020) 459

CNN “Beyonce gets political at Super Bowl, pays tribute to ‘Black Lives Matter’” by Deena Zeru (February 9th 2016) 460

The Ringer “Sportswriting Has Become a Liberal Profession — Here’s How It Happened” by Bryan Curtis (February 16th 2017) 461

SportingNews.com “Jason Whitlock sounds off on ‘liberal’ sports media, whether Bill Simmons should return to ESPN” by Michael McCarthy (April 12th 2017) 462

Ibid.

463

The Week “The arrogant thinking of liberal sports writers” by Michael Brendan Dougherty (February 21st 2017) 464 Associated

Press “Facebook exec, NBA team up to get men to ‘lean in’ for women” by Michael Liedtke (March 5th 2015) 465

NBA.com “NBA and WNBA Partner with LeanIn.Org to encourage men to support equality at home and at work” (March 5th 2015) 466 National

Review “Yes, ESPN Did Pick Caitlyn Jenner Ahead of Iraq War Vet and Amputee Noah Galloway for the ESPY Courage Award” by David French (June 3rd 2015) 467

New York Daily News “Twitter users call for ESPN to give Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Lauren Hill, not Caitlyn Jenner, at ESPYs” by Bernie Augustine (June 2nd 2015) 468

The Washington Post “Bob Costas: Caitlyn Jenner’s ESPYs courage award is ‘crass exploitation play’” by Cindy Boren (June 10th 2015) 469

ABC News “Caitlyn Jenner Appears on Sports Illustrated Cover 40 Years After Victory” by Ricki Harris (June 28th 2016) 470

New York Times “Curt Schilling, ESPN Analyst, Is Fired Over Offensive Social Media Post” by Richard Sandomir (April 20th 2016) 471

ESPN.com “Inside and out, ESPN dealing with changing political dynamics” by Jim Brady (December 1st 2016) 472

Ibid.

473

Ibid.

474

Sporting News “Fox’s Joe Buck says announcers should stick to sports” by Michael McCarthy (April 18th 2017) 475

NFL.com “Players, owners meet to discuss social issues in N.Y.” (October 17th 2017)

476

Sports Illustrated “NFL Announces ‘Inspire Change’ Initiative, Will Boost African-American History Education in Schools” by Jenny Vrentas (January 11th 2019) 477

USA Today “Los Angeles Rams’ male cheerleaders make NFL history” by Steve Gardner (March 28th 2018) 478

Los Angeles Times “Rams’ male cheerleaders make NFL history at Super Bowl” by Bill Plaschke (January 30th 2019) 479

Time “Despite Outrage, Nike Sales Increased 31% After Kaepernick Ad” by Gina Martinez (September 10th 2018)

480

ABC News “Why the sneaker game is becoming more political: 'It’s not just good business but a net positive for the world’” by Deena Zaru (December 22nd 2018) 481 Hollywood

Reporter “NBC Sports President: 2020 Will Be ‘Uniquely Combustible’ as Olympics, Conventions Collide” by Marisa Guthrie (December 16th 2019) 482

USA Today “ESPN’s Jemele Hill stands by comments calling President Trump white supremacist” by Steve Gardner (February 21st 2018) 483 NBA.com

“Los Angeles Lakers to Hold Second Annual Pride Night” (September 24th 2019)

484

USA Today “NFL launches LGBT initiative, NFL Pride” by Scott Gleeson (August 18th 2017)

485

NBC News “Yankees set to be only MLB team not to host LGBTQ Pride Night” by Kit Ramgopal (July 5th 2018) 486

USA Today “New York Yankees, the only team without a Pride Night, announce LGBT initiative for 2019” by Scott Gleeson (September 21st 2018) 487

NHL “Washington Capitals To Host Pride Night Jan. 7” (January 7th 2020)

488

Fortune “This Will Probably Be the Super Bowl’s Most Controversial Commercial” by Tom Huddleston Jr. (February 3rd 2017) 489

Breitbart “NFL Bans Super Bowl Gun Commercial” (December 2nd 2013)

490

CNN “Beyonce gets political at Super Bowl, pays tribute to ‘Black Lives Matter’” by Deena Zaru (February 9th 2016) 491

Vanity Fair “Lady Gaga Made an Edgy Political Statement You Might Have Missed at the Super Bowl” by Joanna Robinson (February 5th 2017) 492

CNN “How the Trump administration chose the 7 countries in the immigration executive order” by Kyle Blaine and Julia Horowitz (January 30th 2017) 493

CBS News “‘Kids in cages’ help J-Lo make powerful statement at Super Bowl halftime show” by Christopher Brito (February 3rd 2020) 494

USA Today “The truth behind the New York Times’ Patriots photo that went viral on social media” by Luke Kerr-Dineen (April 20th 2017) 495

CBS Boston “Patriots Hit Back At New York Times Over White House Tweet” (April 20th 2017)

496

Fox News “Trump Blasts NY Times for ‘Big Lie’ About Patriots’ Visit to White House” (April 20th 2017)

497

The Washington Times “New York Times sports editor takes sole blame for Patriots tweet that elicited Trump response” by Cindy Boren (April 20th 2017) 498 Breitbart

“ESPN’s Kellerman: Gronkowski Popping Into WH Press Briefing Normalizes Sean Spicer — Patriots Should’ve Boycotted Trip” by Trend Baker (April 20th 2017) . 499

Ibid.

500 Washington

Times “Hollywood stars, athletes driving away viewers with political activists poll finds” by Valerie Richardson (March 21st 2018) 501

Los Angeles Times “ESPN laying off 150 employees in another round of cuts” by Daniel Miller (November 29th 2017) 502

Media Research Center “ESPN Lost 15,000 Subscribers a Day In October” by Nick Kangadis (October 31st 2017) 503

Variety “ESPN Loses 2 Million Subscribers in Fiscal 2018” by Cynthia Littleton (November 21st 2018) 504

New York Post “Anthem protests biggest reason for NFL’s falling ratings: study” by Richard Morgan (February 2018) 505

USA Today “Order from management to ‘stick to sports’ has Deadspin site in open revolt” via Associated Press (October 30th 2019) 506

Fox News “Top Deadspin editor says he was fired after refusing to ‘stick to sports’” by Joseph A. Wulfsohn (October 29th 2019) 507

NPR “After Days Of Resignations, The Last Of The Deadspin Staff Has Quit” by Brakkton Booker (November 1st 2019) 508

Orwell, George - Nineteen Eighty-Four page 63 (1983 Plume)

509

New York Magazine “How Funny Does Comedy Need to Be?” by Jesse David Fox (September 4th 2018) 510

https://twitter.com/comedycentral/status/1012049409503358982

511

ReclaimTheNet.org “Avi Yemini files lawsuit against Jim Jeffries and Viacom after deceptively edited Comedy Central video” by Didi Rankovic (February 19th 2020) 512

Today Show “Jay Leno Talks Cholesterol, Comedy And Life After Late-Night” (March 12th 2019) 513

Ibid.

514

Ibid.

515 Fox

News “Alec Baldwin says Rob Schneider ‘has a point’ in criticism of ‘SNL’ Trump impersonation” by Jennifer Earl (April 30th 2018) 516

The Daily Beast “Jimmy Kimmel Got a Hand From Chuck Schumer in His Fight Against Obamacare Repeal” by Asawin Suebsaeng, Lachian Markay, and Sam Stein (September 23rd 2017) 517 CNN

“Did Jimmy Kimmel kill the health care bill?” by Frank Pallotta (September 22nd 2017)

518

Mediaite “Jimmy Kimmel Enlists Little Children to Explain ‘Global Warming’ and Climate Change to Trump” by Tommy christopher (January 30th 2019 519

Newsbusters “Kimmel: CPAC Is ‘Largest Gathering’ of Anti-Vaxxers Led by a ‘Dementia’Stricken Trump” (March 5th 2019) 520

Newsweek “Jimmy Kimmel Suggests Cutting Off Brett Kavanaugh’s ‘Pesky Penis’ if He’s Confirmed to Supreme Court” by Janice Williams (September 25th 2018) 521

Town Hall “Jimmy Kimmel: ‘Almost Every Talk Show Host Is Liberal’ Because ‘It Requires a Certain Level of Intelligence’” by Timothy Meads (February 4th 2018) 522

Daily Caller “Jimmy Kimmel: Sharing political views ‘has cost me commercially’” by Justin Caruso (March 13th 2018) 523

CNN “Welcome to the Stephen Colbert primary” by Brian Stelter (January 14th 2019)

524

Vanity Fair “Kirsten Gillibrand Just Announced Her Presidential Bid on The Late Show” by Laura Bradley (January 16th 2019) 525

Rolling Stone “California Democrat Eric Swalwell Announces 2020 Presidential Run on ‘Colbert’” by Ryan Reed (April 8th 2019) 526

New York Post “Fallon forced to change ‘Tonight Show’ amid Colbert ratings wins” by Carlos Greer (March 7th 2017) 527

Washington Post “Jimmy Fallon says people ‘have a right to be mad’ at his friendly hair-tousling of Trump” by Travis M. Andrews (May 18th 2017) 528

Decider.com “Did Donald Trump Cost Jimmy Fallon His Emmy Nomination?” by Joe Reid (July 13th 2017) 529

Washington Post “Jimmy Fallon says people ‘have a right to be mad’ at his friendly hair-tousling of Trump” by Travis M. Andrews (May 18th 2017) 530

The Hollywood Reporter “Parkland Survivors David Hogg and Lauren Hogg Recall Mass Shooting and Call for Change” by Katherine Schaffstall (June 20th 2018)

531

NBC “How ‘Saturday Night Live’ Has Shaped American Politics” by Adam Howard (September 30th 2016) 532 PJ

Media “‘The President’s Watching. Let’s Make Him Cringe And Squirm.’” by Ed Driscoll (December 26th 2006) 533

CNN “Chevy Chase: I wanted Carter to win” (November 3rd 2008)

534 Boston

Globe “How Tina Fey destroyed Sarah Palin” by Kevin Lewis (March 3rd 2012)

535

Newsbusters “All ‘SNL’ Wants for Christmas Is for Mueller to Lock Up Trump, ‘Only Other Option Is a Coup’” by Nicholas Fondacaro (December 2nd 2018) 536

Breitbart “SNL ‘Weekend Update’: Impeachment Process Was Too Slow for John Wilkes Booth” by David Ng (September 30th 2019) 537

Ibid.

538

The Daily Beast “Norm Macdonald Sounds Off on SNL: ‘I Think They’re Playing Into Trump’s Hands’” by Matt Wilstein (July 27th 2017) 539

Ibid.

540

Ibid

541

Barbara Walters interviews Johnny Carson (1984)

542

Ibid.

543

Rolling Stone “Flashback: ‘60 Minutes’ Profiles Johnny Carson in 1979” by Patrick Toyle (June 23rd 2015) 544

Ibid.

545

The Independent “As a comedy aficionado, I’m appalled at disgusting ‘jokes’ creeping back into the industry” by Liam Evans (February 26th 2019) 546

Ibid.

547

Ibid.

548

Vice “You Can Definitely Skip Dave Chappelle’s New Netflix Special ‘Sticks & Stones’” by Taylor Horsking (August 26th 2019) 549

Rotten Tomatoes “Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones” Critics Consensus (as of February 2020)

550

RedState “‘South Park’ Co-Creator Matt Stone Knows Why Critics Trashed Dave Chappelle’s New Special: to ‘Keep Their Jobs’” by Alex Parker (September 13th 2019) 551 Fox

News “Tim Allen decries ‘thought police,’ political correctness in comedy” by Sam Dorman (November 26th 2019) 552

The Wrap “Did Tim Allen’s Nazi Germany Joke Help Kill ‘Last Man Standing’?” by Tony Maglio and Ryan Gajewski (May 10th 2017) 553 Deadline

“Tim Allen Comedy ‘Last Man Standing’ Canceled By ABC After 6 Seasons” by Nellie Andreeva (May 10th 2017) 554

Deadline “Friday Ratings: Fox’s ‘Last Man Standing’ Returns To The Top” by Bruce Haring (March 16th 2019) 555

The Washington Post “America Needs Hate a Speech Law” by Richard Stengel (October 29th 2019) 556

BBC “Man guilty of hate crime for filming pug’s ‘Nazi salutes’” (March 20th 2018)

557

Jimmy Kimmel and Tracy Morgan present Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at 2018 Emmys 558

Orange Country Register “Emmys 2018: Here’s how diversity in Hollywood was handled on the awards show” by Angela Ratzlaff (September 17th 2018) 559

Boston Herald “Focus on Hollywood’s diversity at Emmy Awards” by Mark Perigard (September 18th 2018) 560

Hollywood Reporter “Emmys: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Wins Best Reality Competition Program” by Allison Crist (September 17th 2018) 561

Washington Post “Meryl Streep called out Donald Trump at the Golden Globes. He responded by calling her ‘over-rated.’” by Elahe Izadi and Amy B Wang (January 9th 2017) 562

Yahoo “Golden Globes 2018: The 5 most memorable lines from Seth Meyers’s monologue” by Ethan Alter (January 7th 2018) 563

New York Times “Seth Meyers’s Golden Globes Opening Monologue: Transcript” by Giovanni Russonello (January 7th 2018) 564

Entertainment Tonight “Ramy Youssef Jokes ‘I Know You Guys Haven’t Seen My Show’ After First Golden Globe Win” by Myeisha Essex (January 5th 2020) 565

Esquire “The Best, Worst, and Most Empowering Moments of the 2018 Golden Globes” by Jake Kring-Schreifels (January 8th 2018)

566

Hollywood Reporter “Golden Globes: ‘Thelma & Louise’ Stars Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis Reunite Onstage” by Meena Jang (January 7th 2018) 567 USA

Today “Natalie Portman savages the Golden Globes’ ‘all-male nominees’ for best director” by Maeve McDermott (January 7th 2018) 568

Entertainment Weekly “NBC apologizes for tweet calling Oprah ‘our future president’” by David Canfield (January 8th 2018) 569 The

New Yorker “The 2018 Golden Globes: Oprah Leads a Decisive Feminist Takeover” by Michael Schulman (January 8th 2018) 570

Los Angeles Times “Ellen DeGeneres accepts Carol Burnett Award at Golden Globes” by Greg Braxton (January 5th 2020) 571

NBC News “Golden Globes will serve plant-based meal at awards ceremony to raise environmental awareness” via Associated Press (January 3rd 2020) 572

Variety “Joaquin Phoenix Made the Golden Globes Go Vegan” by Meg Zukin and Ramin Setoodeh (January 5th 2020) 573

Business Insider “Sacha Baron Cohen satirically described Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg as a ‘naive, misguided child who spreads Nazi propaganda’” by Isobel Asher Hamilton (January 6th 2020) 574

Washington Post “‘Your product is defective’: Sacha Baron Cohen slams Facebook for allowing hate speech” by Katie Shepherd (November 22nd 2019) 575

Hollywood Reporter “Michelle Williams Delivers Empowering Acceptance Speech on Women’s Rights at Golden Globes” by Katherine Schaffstall (January 5th 2020) 576

New York Times “Jimmy Kimmel’s Oscars Opening Monologue” by Giovanni Russonello (February 26th 2017) 577

Tampa Bay Times “Coming-of-age love story ‘Call Me By Your Name’ is a rare treasure” by Steve Persall (January 11th 2018) 578

The Hill “Kimmel: We make films like ‘Call Me By Your Name’ to upset Mike Pence” by Morgan Gstalter (March 4th 2018) 579

Jimmy Kimmel at 2018 Oscars

580

Slate “Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph Reassure America That The Oscars Are Still Pretty White” by Rachel Withers (March 4th 2018) 581

Ibid.

582

ABC News “Lupita Nyong’o, Kumail Nanjiani at the Oscars: ‘To all the Dreamers ... we stand with you’” by Emily Shapiro (March 4th 2018) 583 Vibe

“Oscars 2018: Andra Day and Common Celebrate Unsung Heroes During ‘Stand Up For Something’ Performance” by Christine Imarenzor (March 4th 2018) 584

Washington Post “Syrian refugee girl gets star treatment at the Oscars” by Christina Barron (March 5th 2018) 585 NBC

News “Aleppo Twitter Star Bana al-Abed Asks Trump to ‘Save’ Syria’s Children” by Mark Hanrahan and Ammar Cheikh Omar (January 25th 2017) 586

Variety “Here Are the 10 Activists Who Shared the Oscars Stage With Common and Andra Day” by Shirley Halperin (March 4th 2018) 587

USA Today “Mexico had great night at the Oscars. President Trump still tweeted smear” by Maria Puente (March 5th 2018) 588

The Hill “Maya Rudolph hits Trump at Oscars: ‘Mexico is not paying for the wall’” by Judy Kurtz (February 24th 2019) 589

Washington Post “Trending: Kevin Hart is out as Oscars host” by Briana R. Ellison (December 9th 2018) 590

Hollywood Reporter “Oscars: Read Spike Lee’s Powerful Political Acceptance Speech” by Jasmyne Bell (February 24th 2019) 591

The Hill “The Oscars acknowledged the indigenous land Hollywood sits on” by Anagha Srikanth (February 10th 2020) 592

Newsweek “Janelle Monae’s Oscars Performance Channels Mr. Rogers, Calls Out Lack of Diversity in Opening Number” by Samuel Spencer (February 10th 2020) 593

Washington Post “Oscar-winning ‘Hair Love’ director calls attention to efforts to ban race-based hair discrimination” by Jenna McGregor (February 10th 2020) 594

New York Post “Karl Marx gets shoutout during Barack Obama-produced film’s 2020 Oscars speech” by Tamar Lapin (February 9th 2020) 595

The Hill “Joaquin Phoenix makes impassioned plea for animal rights in Oscars speech” by Judy Kurtz (February 9th 2020) 596

The New York Times “The Oscars Will Add a Diversity Requirement for Eligibility” by Nicole Sperling (June 12th 2020) 597

Christianity Today “Katy Perry satanic performance of ‘Dark Horse’ at Grammys called demonic glorification by Glenn Beck” by Serena McGill (January 29th 2014)

598

Wall Street Journal “Nicki Minaj Defends ‘Roman Holiday’ Grammy Performance” by Lyneka Little (February 4th 2012) 599 MTV

“Lady Gaga Emerges from Egg to Perform ‘Born this Way’ at the Grammys (Jocelyn Vena (February 13th 2011) 600

New York Times “Stars Align for Gay Marriage Anthem” by James McKinnley Jr. (June 30th 2013) 601 The

Hollywood Reporter “Grammys: Macklemore and Madonna Perform ‘Same Love’ As 33 Couples Wed Live on Air” by Debbie Emery (January 26th 2014) 602

W Magazine “2017 Grammys: Jennifer Lopez Made a Moving Political Statement at the Award Ceremony” by Lynsey Eidell (February 12th 2017) 603

Hollywood Reporter “Grammys: Read the Lyrics of James Corden’s Opening Rap Number” by Lexy Perez (February 12th 2017) 604

The Hollywood Reporter “Grammys: Busta Rhymes Refers to Trump as ‘President Agent Orange’ During A Tribe Called Quest Performance” by Ryan Parker (February 12th 2017) 605

People Magazine “James Corden Jokes in Opening Monologue About Being the ‘Least Diverse Host in Grammys History’” by Jeff Nelson (January 28th 2018) 606

Mediaite “Dave Chappelle Interrupts Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy Performance With Joke About Race in America” by Rachel Dicker (January 28th 2018) 607

Politico “Hillary Clinton reads from ‘Fire and Fury’ at Grammys” by Brent D. Griffiths (January 28th 2018) 608

Vanity Fair “Michelle Obama Made a Surprise Visit to the 2019 Grammys” by Erin Vanderhoof (February 11th 2019) 609

Billboard “Childish Gambino’s ‘This Is America’ Becomes First Rap Song to Win Record of the Year Grammy” by Tatiana Cirisano (February 11th 2019) 610

Newsweek “Alicia Keys References Trump’s Impeachment, Tells President to ‘Get Out’ and Cardi B to Enter Politics at Grammys” by Christian Zhao (January 26th 2020) 611

MRCtv.org “Billy Porter ‘Ladies and Gentleman and Those Who Have Yet To Make Up Their Minds’” by Rachel Peterson (January 27th 2020) 612

Hollywood Reporter “An Epic Performance and 2 Wins: Lil Nas X’s Big Night at the Grammys” by Evan Real (January 26th 2020) 613

Hollywood Reporter “Grammys: Michelle Obama Wins Best Spoken Word Album for ‘Becoming’” by Katie Kilkenny (January 26th 2020)

614

ABC News “Taylor Swift breaks her political silence, endorses Democrats in passionate post on midterm elections” by Deena Zaru (October 8th 2018) 615 Time

“Moonlight Stars Dedicate MTV Best Kiss Award to ‘Those Who Feel Like the Misfits’” by Megan McCluskey (May 8th 2017) 616

MTV “Love, Simon’s Keiynan Lonsdale Accepts Best Kiss Award with a Magical Speech” by Crytal Bell (June 18th 2018) 617 Variety

“The MTV Movie & TV Awards: A New Gender Revolution?” by Owen Gleiberman (May 7th 2017) 618

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_Kate_Dillon

619

Time “‘Social Forces Change Language.’ Merriam-Webster Adds Gender-Neutral Pronouns to Dictionary” by Suyin Haynes (September 17th 2019) 620

Washington Post “Emma Watson takes first major gender-neutral movie award” by Travis M. Andrews (May 8th 2017) 621

Entertainment Weekly “Vin Diesel pays tribute to Paul Walker as Fast & Furious wins MTV Generation Award” by Derek Lawrence (May 7th 2017) 622

Variety “VMAs 2018: Logic Wears ‘F— the Wall’ Shirt in Bold Statement on Immigration” by Rachel Yang (August 20th 2018) 623

The Daily Beast “MTV VMAs Unite Heather Heyer’s Mom and Robert E. Lee’s Descendant Against Racism” by Matt Wilstein (August 28th 2017) 624

Ibid.

625

The Hollywood Reporter “Taylor Swift Promotes Equality Act During 2019 VMAs Performance” by Katherine Schaffstall (August 26th 2019) 626

Forbes “What Is The Equality Act And What Will Happen If It Becomes A Law?” by Eric Bachman (May 30th 2019) 627

The Hill “Workers can’t be fired for being gay or transgender, Supreme Court rules” by Harper Neidig (June 15th 2020) 628

Digital Spy “How Star Wars: Episode VIII could break Hollywood’s final taboo” by Al Horner (December 23rd 2015) 629

The Guardian “A Force for good: why the Last Jedi is the most triumphantly feminist Star Wars movie yet” by Anna Smith (December 18th 2017)

630

The Guardian “Star Wars is a game-changer, awakening the feminist force in little girls everywhere” (December 29th 2015) 631 NBC

News “‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ Diversity a Selling Point” by Adam Howard (August 13th 2016) 632

NME “George Lucas ‘felt betrayed’ by Disney’s plans for ‘Star Wars’ sequel trilogy” by Sam Moore (September 24th 2019) 633 Business

Insider “George Lucas says he sold ‘Star Wars’ to ‘white slavers’” by Jason Guerrasio (December 31st 2015) 634

New York Post “Why ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ is the feminist picture of the year” by Kyle Smith (May 14th 2015) 635

The Guardian “How Incredibles 2 goes to work for the feminist superhero” by Anna Smith (June 28th 2018) 636

Bustle “‘Incredibles 2’ Has A Feminist Message That Couldn’t Be More Timely” by Ashley Rey (June 6th 2018) 637

Ibid.

638

Metro UK “Bird Of Prey’s Ewan McGregor is proud to be part of the ‘feminist film that tackled misogyny’” by Zara Woodcock (January 30th 2020) 639

CinemaBlend.com “Ewan Mcgregor Calls Birds Of Prey A ‘Feminist Film’” by Corey Chichizola (October 10th 2019) 640

Salon.com “‘Birds of Prey’ is a fantabulous, feminist grenade” by Mary Elizabeth Williams (February 8th 2020) 641

Digital Spy “Birds of Prety does feminism in a way Endgame never could” by Gabriella Geisinger (June 2nd 2020) 642

ABC News “‘Ghostbusters’ Star Leslie Jones Quits Twitter After Online Harassment” by Luchina Fisher and Brian McBride (June 20th 2016) 643

Forbes “‘Ghostbusters’ Brand Crosses The (Revenue) Streams For Halloween” by Simon Thompson (July 17th 2019) 644

Fox News “‘Ghostbusters’ reboot director faces sexism accusations for saying he’s handing the film ‘back to the fans’” by Joseph A. Wulfsohn (February 21st 2019) 645

IndieWire “Tim Miller Says ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Will ‘Scare the F*ck’ Out of Misogynistic Internet Trolls” by Zack Sharf (July 10th 2019)

646

Variety “Box Office Bomb: ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Could Lose Over $100 Million” by Rebecca Rubin (November 3rd 2019) 647 Hollywood

Reporter “‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Puts Franchise on Ice, Faces $120M-Plus Loss” by Pamela McClintock (November 3rd 2019) 648

IndieWire “Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett Second Brie Larson in Championing More Diversity Among Film Critics” by Jenna Marotta (June 15th 2018) 649 Deadline

“‘Hobbs’ Hauls $25M; ‘Scary Stories’ Frighten ‘Dora’; ‘Kitchen’ Sinks Melissa McCarthy & Tiffany Haddish To Career B.O. Lows – Sunday Final” by Anthony D’Alessandro (August 11th 2019) 650

Hollywood Reporter “‘Doogie Howser’ Reboot in the Works at Disney+” by Rick Porter (April 8th 2020) 651

Entertainment Weekly “Margot Robbie set to star in new Pirates of the Caribbean movie” by Nick Romano (June 26th 2020) 652

The Sun “INDIANA JOANS - Ready Player One director Steven Spielberg says it’s time for a woman to play Indiana Jones” (by Grant Rollins (April 3rd 2018) 653

Entertainment Weekly “Vin Diesel says a female Fast & Furious spin-off is coming, so here are some we’d love to see” by Derek Lawrence (January 24th 2019) 654

Washington Times “‘Dunkirk’ review in USA Today warns ‘no lead actors of color’ in WWIIinspired film” by Douglas Ernst (July 19th 2017) 655

https://seejane.org/about-us/

656

Hollywood Reporter “Geena Davis Unveils Partnership With Disney to ‘Spellcheck’ Scripts for Gender Bias (by Patrick Brzeski (October 10th 2019) 657

The New Republic “Cleaning: The Final Feminist Frontier” by Jessica Grose (March 18th 2013)

658

Forbes “What Amy Schumer And Bud Light Have To Say About Marketplace Inequality” by Ian Ayres (August 15th 2016) 659

New York Post “Bud Light abruptly pulls Amy Schumer, Seth Rogen ads” via Fox News (November 1st 2016) 660

CNBC “The big problem with Bud Light’s new commercial” by Sarah Whitten (June 30th 2016)

661

ABC News “Burger King raises awareness of the pink tax with ‘Chick Fries’ that cost $1.40 more” (July 28th 2018)

662

Wall Street Journal “Audi’s Super Bowl Ad on Gender Pay Gap Faces Criticism” by Alexandra Bruell (February 2nd 2017) 663 Ibid. 664

Men’s Health “Secret Deodorant’s Super Bowl Ad Contains a Powerful Message About Gender Equality” by Philip Ellis (January 31st 2020) 665 UnstereotypeAlliance.org

“About the Unstereotype Alliance”

666

The Federalist “In Flight of Idiocy, Diamond Ad Tells Women to Propose to Men (by David Marcus (November 19th 2018) 667

US Weekly “Amy Schumer Is Reportedly in Talks to Star in Live-Action Barbie Movie” by Stephanie Webber (December 2nd 2016) 668

Variety “Amy Schumer Drops Out of ‘Barbie’ Movie” by Justin Kroll (March 23rd 2017)

669

Time Magazine’s 2013 List of Most Influential People

670

Breitbart “Lena Dunham Celebrates Gaining 24 Pounds” by Ben Kew (July 11th 2018)

671

Breitbart “Lena Dunham Posts Lingerie Photo to Celebrate Weighing ‘The Most I Ever Have’” by Justin Caruso (February 27th 2019) 672

ET Online “Lizzo Poses Fully Nude in Racy Instagram Photos and Video” by Paige Gawley (December 2nd 2019) 673

Page Six “Lizzo’s bikini and matching face mask balance safety with sex appeal” by Elana Fishman (May 25th 2020) 674

Entertainment Weekly “‘Fat Monica’ is the ghost that continues to haunt Friends 25 years later” by Clarkisha Kent (September 4th 2019) 675

The Revelist “The 8 most fat-phobic movies in Hollywood, ranked by awfulness” by Lauren Gordon (October 3rd 2016) 676

Slate “Fat-E: The new Pixar movie goes out of its way to equate obesity with environmental collapse” by Daniel Engber (July 10th 2008) 677

Ibid.

678

The Telegraph “WALL-E's ‘fattist’ satire angers fat pride groups” by Tim Shipman and Rowena Mason (July 12th 2008) 679

CNN “The food that can feed, and maybe save, the planet: Bugs” by Sandee LaMotte (October 25th 2019)

680

USA Today “Victoria’s Secret just got its first plus-sized model: ‘It felt surreal’” by Rasha Ali (October 8th 2019) 681 The

New York Times “Victoria’s Secret Casts First Openly Transgender Woman as a Model” by Christine Hauser (August 5th 2019) 682

Los Angeles Times “Valentina Sampaio makes history as first transgender Victoria’s Secret model” by Christi Carras (August 5th 2019) 683 New

York Post “Abercrombie tries to redeem its body-shaming past with inclusive ad campaign” by Melkorka Licea (February 6th 2020) 684

The Cut “Now, This Is a Supermodel. Ashley Graham isn’t a sample size. Which is exactly why she’s become the face of a movement” by Jada Yuan (August 6th 2017) 685

USA Today “NFL cheerleading is demeaning to women. It’s time to end this nonsense” by Tom Krattenmaker (August 9th 2018) 686

New York Daily News “Mattel remakes Barbie dolls to include a curvy body type” by Nicole Lyn Pesce (January 28th 2016) 687

https://twitter.com/sofiehagen/status/903706367646687232

688

The Atlantic “Americans Have No Idea How Few Gay People There Are” by Garance FrankeRuta May 31st 2012) 689

Gallup “Americans Still Greatly Overestimate U.S. Gay Population” by Justin McCarthy (June 27th 2019) 690

Psychology Today “When Homosexuality Stopped Being a Mental Disorder” by Neel Burton (September 18th 2015) 691

Gay Community News “Gay Revolutionary” by Michael Swift (February 15th 1987)

692

After the Ball: How America Will Conquer its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90s by Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen (1989 Doubleday) 693

Washington Post “Biden: Jewish leaders helped gay marriage succeed” by Rachel Weiner (May 22nd 2013) 694

Newsweek “Sex Offender Busted as Drag Queen Who Read Books To Children in City Library” by Scott McDonald (March 16th 2019) 695

Pink News “Republican Lawmakers Want to Make Child Drag Shows Illegal” by PinkNews Staff Writer (April 22nd 2019)

696

New York Times “Chick-fil-A Thrust Back Into Spotlight on Gay Rights” by Kim Severson (July 25th 2012) 697 In

CNN’s “The Nineties” miniseries in episode 1 “The One About TV Part 2”

698

Ibid.

699 NBC

News “In a first, transgender woman competes in Miss Universe competition” by Tim Frizsimons (December 17th 2018) 700

CNN “Valentina Sampaio becomes Sports Illustrated's first trans model” by Kiely Westhoff (July 13th 2020) 701

BuzzFeed “Luke Grimes Left ‘True Blood’ Because He Refused To Play Gay” by Louis Peitzman (June 25th 2015) 702

New York Daily News “‘True Blood’ star Nelsan Ellis on Luke Grimes quitting show because he didn't want to play gay: ‘I’m over him’” by Kirthana Ramisetti (July 24th 2014) 703

NBC News “‘Abby’s,’ 2nd network sitcom with a bisexual lead, premieres” by Gwen Aviles (March 28th 2019) 704

Washington Examiner “AOC backs drag queen ‘patriots’ to ‘push society forward’” by Spencer Neale (April 11th 2020) 705

Vanity Fair “Is this the one flaw in the otherwise great Captain America: Civil War?” by Joanna Robinson (May 9th 2016) 706

Ibid.

707

The Washington Times “‘Black Panther’ packed with action, diversity -- but no gays” by Bradford Richardson (February 20th 2018) 708

Washington Times “GLAAD report condemns Hollywood for decline in LGBT representation on big screen” by Bradford Richardson (May 23rd 2018) 709

The Daily Mail “‘The sexual tension is always there’: Gal Gadot teases potential romance between her character and Kristen Wiig’s villain Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984” by Roxy Simons (May 30th 2020) 710

Entertainment Weekly “The Eternals will feature Marvel’s first onscreen LGBTQ kiss: ‘It’s a beautiful, very moving kiss’” by Sydney Bucksbaum (February 15th 2020) 711

NBC News “Transgender character coming to Marvel Cinematic Universe, studio president suggests” by Gwen Aviles (January 2nd 2020)

712

NBC News “Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie to become Marvel Studios’ first LGBTQ superhero” by Alexander Kacala (July 22nd 2019) 713 The

Hollywood Reporter “Ruby Rose to Play Lesbian Superhero Batwoman for The CW” by Lesley Goldberg (August 7th 2018) 714

Newsweek “‘Batwoman’ Officially Comes Out on the CW Show: Ruby Rose ‘Cried’ While Reading the Script” by Samuel Spencer 1-20-2020) 715 The

Hollywood Reporter “‘Batwoman’ Boss Goes Inside That Historic Reveal”by Shannon O’Connor (January 19th 2020) 716

Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Part 6-Batman Unbound (2005) Warner Home Video 717

ABC - Barbara Walters Interview (2006)

718

New York Post “DC Comics Green Lantern relaunched as gay superhero” by Dareh Gregorian (June 1st 2012) 719

The Washington Times “Catwoman comes out as bisexual in new DC comic” by Jessica Chasmar (March 1st 2015) 720

The Sun “SASSY SPIDEY Tom Holland hints there will be a gay Spider Man in the next few years” by Carl Greenwood (June 30th 2019) 721

We Got This Covered “Sony Reportedly Wants To Introduce A Bisexual Spider-Man” by Christian Bone (February 11th 2020) 722

Entertainment Weekly “Andrew Garfield on Spider-Man’s sexuality: ‘Why can't he be gay?’” by Sara Vilkomerson (July 10th 2013) 723

Vanity Fair “‘Of Course’ Luke Skywalker Is Gay, Confirms Mark Hamill, Echoing Thousands of Fan-Fiction Prayers” by Charles Bramesco (March 5th 2016) 724

BuzzFeed “Why LGBT Representation Didn’t Make It Into ‘The Last Jedi’” by Adam B. Vary (December 18th 2017) 725

Ibid.

726

Ibid.

727

Ibid.

728

Pink News “Oscar Isaac wishes Star Wars’ Poe and Finn were in a gay relationship but ‘people are too afraid’” by Emma Powys Maurice (December 4th 2019)

729

New York Post “‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ has a same-sex kiss – but not the one fans hoped for” by Eric Hegedus (December 19th 2019) 730 E!

News “Disney Channel Introduces Its First Lesbian Couple on Good Luck Charlie” by Alyssa Toomey (January 28th 2014) 731

New York Times “Waiting for Disney’s First Gay Teenager” By KJ Dell’Antonia (February 27, 2014) 732 Breitbart

“ABC Family’s ‘The Fosters’ Airs Youngest-Ever Gay Kiss Between Two 13-Year-Old Boys” by Kipp Jones (March 4th 2015) 733

BuzzFeed “This May Be The Youngest Ever Same-Sex Kiss On US TV” by Lane Sainty (March 2nd 2005) 734

The Guardian “Beauty and the Beast to feature first ‘exclusively gay moment’ in a Disney movie” by Catherine Shoard (March 1st 2017) 735

Entertainment Weekly “Disney XD gets a male princess in Star vs. the Forces of Evil” by Nick Romano (November 22nd 2017) 736

Huffington Post “Disney Sends Beautiful Message With First ‘Boy Princess,’ Complete With Chest Hair” by Noah Michelson (November 22nd 2017) 737

Teen Vogue “Disney Just Aired its First Same-Sex Cartoon Kiss” by Brittney McNamara (February 27th 2017) 738

Gay Times “Toy Story 4 has a small but important moment of LGBTQ representation” by Daniel Megarry (June 26th 2019) 739

Newsweek “Comedian Jack Whitehall to Play Disney’s First-Ever Openly Gay Character in ‘Jungle Cruise’ by Dory Jackson (August 13th 2018) 740

Yahoo! “‘Onward’ introduces the first LGBTQ character in Disney animation history” by Ethan Alter (February 21st 2020) 741

NBC News “New short film ‘Out’ features Pixar’s first gay main character” by Gwen Aviles (May 22nd 2020) 742

CNN “Disney confirms its first bisexual lead character, who is also multi-cultural” by Adrianne Morales (August 15th 2020) 743

New York Post “‘The Owl House’ becomes Disney’s first show with bisexual lead character “ by Lee Brown (August 16th 2020) 744

Hornet “‘Sesame Street’ Celebrates Pride Month, But How LGBTQ-Friendly Is the Show?” by Daniel Villarreal (June 27th 2017)

745

NBC News “Bert and Ernie are indeed a gay couple, ‘Sesame Street’ writer claims” by Kalhan Rosenblatt (September 18th 2018) 746 The

Washington Post “‘They remain puppets’: ‘Sesame Street,’ once again, shuts down speculation over Bert and Ernie’s sexual orientation” by Elahe Izadi (September 19th 2018) 747

Entertainment Weekly “Arthur season premiere reveals Mr. Ratburn is gay” by Tyler Aquilina (May 13th 2019) 748 CBN

News “‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ Becomes Second PBS Kid Series to Feature LGBT Character” by Steve Warren (February 28th 2020) 749

The Daily Caller “Kids’ Networks Celebrate Transgender People Through #TransDayOfVisibility” by Mary Margaret Olohan (March 31st 2020) 750

Seattle Times “Does ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ at The 5th Ave transcend the original’s problematic elements?” by Seattle Times Staff (December 20th 2019) 751

BuzzFeed “25 Years Of Transphobia In Comedy” by Meredith Talusan (February 27th 2016)

752

This quote was included in the original article published by Variety titled “10 Problematic Films That Could Use Warning Labels” by Tim Gray (June 17th 2020) but was later removed because it insinuates that transgenderism is a mental illness. The Internet Archive Wayback Machine has the original article saved and can be viewed at https://web.archive.org/web/20200618004648/https://variety.com/2020/film/news/gone-with-thewind-problem-films-forrest-gump-1234640666/ 753

Slate “When Gays Decried Silence of the Lambs , Jonathan Demme Became an Early Student of Modern Backlash” by Jeffrey Bloomer (April 28th 2017) 754

CNN “‘Family Guy’ phasing out gay jokes” by Lisa Respers (January 2019)

755

Politifact “Why Infowars’ Alex Jones was banned from Apple, Facebook, Youtube and Spotify” by Manuela Tobias (August 7th 2018) 756

Associated Press “NY Library Brings Drag Queens to Kids Story Hour” Video posted on official AP Archive YouTube channel (May 21st 2017) 757

Lifesite News “WATCH: Drag queen teaches kids to ‘twerk’ at library story hour” by Calvin Freiburger (August 7th 2019) 758

Media Research Center “Good Morning America Devotes a Whole Segment to a Child Drag Queen” by Ferlon Webster Jr. (November 19th 2018) 759

The Advocate “Meet 8-Year-Old Drag Queen Lactatia” by Neal Boverman (May 6th 2017)

760

HuffPost “Meet The ‘Drag Kids’ Who Want To Slay The World And Then Some” by Curtis M. Wong (October 24th 2019) 761 Newsbusters

“Sick: RuPaul’s New Drag Queen Dramedy Sexualizes 10-Year-Old Child as a ‘Top’” by Elise Ehrhard (January 13th 2020) 762

NPR “‘Dancing Queen’: Alyssa Edwards Doesn't Let Dance Moms Drag Her Down” by Glen Weldon (October 11th 2018) 763 The

Verge “Twitter has banned misgendering or ‘deadnaming’ transgender people” by Adi Robertson (November 27th 2018) 764

E! News “Why Charlize Theron Decided to Speak Out About Raising Two Daughters” by Jess Cohen (December 17th 2019) 765

OK Magazine “Shiloh Jolie-Pitt ‘Only Wears Boys’ Clothes’ After Questioning Gender Identity To Brad & Angelina” (August 4th 2016) 766

Today “Megan Fox opens up about letting her 6-year-old son wear dresses” by Ree Hines (September 20th 2019) 767

Teen Vogue “Megan Fox’s Son Wore a Frozen Dress Again in Spite of Critics” by Alyssa Hardy (October 5th 2017) 768

The Independent “Adele letting her son dress as Disney princess Anna is a triumph for us believers in gender-neutral parenting” by Siobhan Freegard (February 19th 2016) 769

HuffPost “Liev Schreiber’s Son Dressed As Harley Quinn, And the Internet Inevitably Reacted” by Isabelle Khoo (July 25th 2017) 770

NBC News “Mario Lopez’s comments about transgender kids aren’t just dumb. They’re dangerous.” by Chase Strangio (August 1st 2019) 771

LGBTQ Nation “The new normal: Gay couple featured in Tide TV commercial” (December 14th 2014) 772

Huff Post “J.C. Penney and Gap’s Gay-Themed Ads Seek Profit With Progress” by Ron Dicker (May 17th 2012) 773

Huffington Post “This Campbell’s Soup Ad Featuring Gay Dads Will Melt Your Heart” by Curtis M. Wong (10-6-2015) 774

NewsBusters “Dove Ad Features Transgender Mom: ‘No One Right Way’” by Sarah Stites (April 12th 2017) 775

CBS News “New Gillette ad shows dad teaching transgender son how to shave” by Aimee Picchi (May 29th 2019)

776

Daily Caller “Starbucks Partners With Trans Children Charity, Releases Ad On Calling Transgender Youth By Preferred Pronouns” by Marty Margaret Olohan (February 5th 2020) 777 Daily

Beast “Why Coke’s Non-Binary Super Bowl Moment Mattered” by Samantha Allen (February 5th 2018) 778

The commercial is titled “Late-Night Driver” and can be seen on YouTube and elsewhere.

779 Forbes

“Behind The Scenes Of Smirnoff’s New ‘Hang Out From Home For America’ Campaign With Laverne Cox” by Emily Price (April 24th 2020) 780

Newsweek “These 50+ Brands Are Celebrating Pride by Giving Back to the LGBT Community” by Daniel Avery (June 3rd 2019) 781

USA Today “How retailers have turned Pride month into a marketing, sales bonanza” by Verena Dobnik via Associated Press (June 23rd 2019) 782

PJ Media “Creepy New Sprite Commercial Sells Transgenderism and Breast Binding, Not Soda” by Megan Fox (November 18th 2019) 783

The Guardian “Actor Terry Crews: I was sexually assaulted by Hollywood executive” by Gwilym Mumford (October 11th 2017) 784

Vanity Fair “James Van Der Beek Reveals His Own Experience of Sexual Harassment” by Hilary Weaver (October 12th 2017) 785

Vanity Fair “‘I Was Terrified, and I Was Humiliated’: #MeToo’s Male Accusers, One Year Later” by Laura Bradley (October 4th 2018) 786

Newsweek “Terry Crews Threatens to ‘Slap’ D.L. Hughley for Mocking His Sexual Assault Allegation” by Dory Jackson (January 28th 2019) 787

VLADTV “Fat Joe thinks the Gay Mafia Controls Hip-Hop” (November 7th 2011)

788

Washington Times “‘Gay’ rape in military underreported by Pentagon” by Rowan Scarborough (November 3rd 2015) 789

U.S Army S.H.A.R.P (Sexual Harassment / Assault Response & Prevention report “What We Know About Sexual Assault of Military Men” 790

Sky News “Adopted Boy Sexually Abused by Gay Fathers” (July 3rd 2013)

791

The Telegraph “Gay couple arrested for abusing foster children” by Paul Stokes (June 24th 2006)

792

Australian Broadcast Network “Australian paedophile Peter Truong jailed for 30 years in US after trafficking adopted son to Boy Lovers Network” (December 9th 2013)

793

USA Today “Anderson Cooper proudly announces the birth of his son Wyatt: ‘I am a dad. I have a son’” by Cydney Henderson (April 30th 2020) 794 CBS

News “Is there a ‘gay gene’? Major new study says no” by Dennis Thompson (August 29th

2019) 795

The Telegraph “‘Gay gene’ ruled out as huge study shows environment is major factor in homosexuality.” by Sarah Knapton (August 29th 2019) 796 PBS

“There is no ‘gay gene.’ There is no ‘straight gene.’ Sexuality is just complex, study confirms” (August 29th 2019) 797

Psychology Today “Why Is Transgender Identity on the Rise Among Teens?” by Samuel Paul Veissiere Ph.D. (November 28th 2018) 798

Basic Freud: Psychoanalytic Thought for the 21st Century by Michael Kahn, Ph.D page 77 - on the negative resolution of the Oedipus complex (2002 Basic Books) 799

Sci Tech Daily “Homosexuality Might Develop in the Womb Due to Epigenetic Changes” (December 12th 2012) 800

Science Magazine “Homosexuality may be caused by chemical modifications to DNA” by Michael Balter (October 8th 2015) 801

Evolutionary Psychology Science (2017) “Social Epistasis Amplifies the Fitness Costs of Deleterious Mutations, Engendering Rapid Fitness Decline Among Modernized Populations” by Michael A. Woodley, Matthew A Sarraf, Radomir Pestow, and Heitor B.F. Fernandes 802

Of Mice and Men: Empirical Support for the Population-Based Social Epistasis Amplification Model by Matthew Alexander Sarraf and Michael Anthony Woodley (National Institute of Health 2017) 803

The Journal of Offender Rehabilitation “The Genesis of Pedophilia” by J. Paul Fedoraff and Shara Pinkus pages 85-101 (Volume 23, 1996) 804

Dictionary.com definition of “phobia”: a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it. (2020) 805

Adam Carolla - In 50 Years We’ll All Be Chicks page 12 (Crown Archetype 2012)

806

TVtropes.org “Sleeping Single”

807

Mental Floss “16 Things You Might Not Know About The Brady Bunch” by Kara Kovalchik (February 25th 2016) 808

Forbes “Hollywood’s Highest-Paid TV Actors” by Dorothy Pomerantz (October 11th 2011)

809

CNN “‘Fifty Shades of Grey sex toys hit stores like Target” by Katie Lobosco (February 3rd 2015) 810 Hollywood

Reporter “Death in a Hollywood Sex Dungeon: How a Top Agency Executive’s ‘Mummification’ Ritual Ended in Tragedy” by Seth Abramovitch (June 29th 2018) 811

Page Six “S&M-loving Hollywood exec keeps job after man dies in his sex dungeon” by Richard Johnson (June 29th 2018) 812 New

York Times “R. Kelly’s Two-Decade Trail of Sexual Abuse Accusations” by Jacey Fortin (May 10th 2018) 813

The Guardian “Fashion photographer Terry Richardson accused of sexually exploiting models” by Caroline Davies (March 19th 2010) 814

MTV “Lady Gaga Gives a Lesson On ‘Chemistry’ with R. Kelly in ‘Do What U Want’ Video” by Jocelyn Vena (November 11th 2013) 815

Hollywood Reporter “Nicki Minaj Performs ‘Super Bass’ With YouTube Star Sophia Grace” by Erika Ramirez (October 12th 2011) 816

USA Today “Nicki Minaj’s brother Jelani Maraj sentenced to 25 years to life for raping 11-yearold” by Cydney Henderson (January 27th 2020) 817

New York Post “Husband cheered on Hogan during sex-tape romps with wife” by Kathianne Boniello and Laura Italiano (March 20th 2016) 818

Deadline “HGTV’s House Hunters Breaks New Ground With Its First Throuple Exploration” by Bruce Haring (February 13th 2020) 819

New York Post “Rep. Katie Hill resigns amid snowballing ‘throuple’ scandal” by Marisa Schultz and Kenneth Garger (October 27th 2019) 820

Newsbusters “Now Even Network Sitcoms Have ‘Throuples:’ ABC Comedy on Polyamory: ‘It Just Works!’” by Elise Ehrhard (January 15th 2020) 821

Newsbusters “Gay Psychiatrist on ‘New Amsterdam’ Pushes Incest” by Karen Townsend (February 26th 2020) 822

Fox News “‘The Notebook’ director Nick Cassavetes says of incest: ‘Who gives a damn?’” (September 10th 2012) 823

The Cinemaholic “20 Best Incest Movies of All Time” by Vishnu Warrior (August 16th 2018)

824

Ranker “13 Steamiest Incestuous Relationships In Film” by Roger Nackerman (June 8th 2020)

825

ABC News “Mackenzie Phillips Confesses to 10-Year Consensual Sexual Relationship With Father” by Russell Goldman, Eileen Murphy, and Lindsay Goldwert (September 22nd 2009) 826 Fox

News “North Carolina father-daughter couple arrested for incest after having love child” (February 4th 2018) 827

Cosmopolitan “Girl describes what it was like to have sex with her dad” (February 19th 2015)

828 Cosmopolitan

“This is what it’s like to fall in love with your brother” by Asher Fogle (October

30th 2015) 829

The Guardian “Genetic sexual attraction” (May 16th 2003)

830

The Telegraph “Disgusted by incest? Genetic Sexual Attraction is real and on the rise” by Charlie Gill (September 9th 2016) 831

https://marriage-equality.blogspot.com/p/genetic-sexual-attraction.html

832

Daily Mail “Billionaire David Geffen, 69, splits from toyboy lover 41 years his junior after six years together” by Daniel Bates (February 21st 2012) 833

Daily Mail “David Geffen takes out restraining order against his ’20-year-old former college football player ex after ending affair’” by James Nye (December 29th 2014) 834

Daily Mail “Liberace’s ex-lover who wrote memoir ‘Behind the Candelabra’ is back behind bars after violating his probation and testing positive for meth in random drug test” by Ashley Collman (September 6th 2013) 835

Page Six “Sarah Paulson defends 32-year age gap with girlfriend Holland Taylor” by Francesca Bacardi (May 22nd 2018) 836

The Guardian “‘I wouldn’t want this for anybody’s daughter’: will #MeToo kill off the rock’n’roll groupie?” by Thea De Gallier (March 15th 2018) 837

Seinfeld FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Show About by Nicholas Nigro Nothing (2015 Applause Theatre and Cinema Books) 838

New York Times “Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Soon-Yi Previn, Dylan Farrow: A Timeline” by Sopan Deb and Deborah Leiderman (January 31st 2018) 839

Time “Study Finds Most Teens Sext Before They’re 18” by Randye Hoder (July 3rd 2014)

840

Daily Mail “Children ‘at risk of abuse’ because they’re copying Kim’s sexy selfies: Trend for imitating explicit images posted online by celebrities leaves young girls vulnerable to predators, experts warn” by Laura Cox (November 14th 2014)

841

People “Kim Kardashian Posts Topless Photo Taken by Daughter North West” by Brittany Talarico (February 8th 2018) 842 The

Telegraph “How porn is rewiring our brains” by Nisha Lilia Diu (November 15th 2013)

843

Ibid.

844 Vice

“Porn Is Still Allowed On Twitter” by Samantha Cole (November 3rd 2017)

845

BBC “‘I was raped at 14, and the video ended up on a porn site’” by Megha Mohan (February 10th 2020). 846

Ibid.

847

Newsweek “Florida Man Arrested After 58 Porn Videos, Photos Link Him To Missing Underage Teen Girl” by Scott McDonald (October 23rd 2019) 848

Breitbart “Nolte: Pornhub Under Fire for Allegedly Hosting Rape, Child Porn Videos” by John Nolte (February 10th 2020) 849

Teen Vogue “Sex Work is Real Work” by Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng (April 26th 2019)

850

The Independent “Porn and video game addiction leading to ‘masculinity crisis’, says Stanford psychologist” by Doug Bolton (March 10th 2015) 851

ABC News Nightline “Actor Corey Feldman Says Pedophilia No. 1 Problem for Child Stars, Contributed to Demise of Corey Haim” By Steven Baker and David Wright (August 10, 2011) 852

Fox News “Corey Feldman’s tense Barbara Walters interview recirculates amid Harvey Weinstein scandal” (October 17th 2017) 853

Entertainment Weekly “Corey Feldman accuses Charlie Sheen of sexually abusing Corey Haim in (My) Truth documentary” by Rosy Cordero (March 10th 2020) 854

Ibid.

855

Vanity Fair “Corey Feldman on Abuse Allegations: ‘It’s All Connected to a Bigger, Darker Power’” by Yohana Desta (November 10th 2017) 856

Vanity Fair “Elijah Wood Says Hollywood Has a Pedophilia Problem” by Alex Stedman (May 23rd 2016) 857

CNN “Elijah Wood clarifies comments on pedophilia and Hollywood” by Lisa Respers (May 24th 2016) 858

The Hollywood Reporter “Hollywood Sex Abuse Film Revealed: Explosive Claims, New Figures Named (Exclusive)” by Gregg Kilday (November 12th 2014)

859

The Atlantic “Nobody Is Going to Believe You” by Alex French and Maximillian Potter (March 2019 Issue) 860 The

Hollywood Reporter “Bryan Singer Sex Abuse Case: The Troubling History Behind the Accusations” by Kim Masters and Jonathan Handel (April 30th 2014) 861

Los Angeles Times “Child sexual abuse cases in Hollywood attract attention” by Dawn C. Chmielewski (January 08, 2012) 862 Ibid 863

Ibid

864

Ibid

865

People “Bohemian Rhapsody Director Bryan Singer Accused of Sexually Assaulting Four Underage Boys” by Ale Russian (January 23rd 2019) 866

Variety “Bryan Singer Hit With Fresh Allegations of Sex With Underage Boys” by Gene Maddaus (January 23rd 2019) 867

The Federalist “A Timeline of the Many Sexual Assault Accusations Against Director Bryan Singer” by Paulina Enck (June 25th 2020) 868

Chicago Tribune “Bryan Singer Allegations Part of Upcoming Sex Abuse Documentary” by Ramin Setoodeh (April 18th 2014) 869

New York Magazine “Jeffrey Epstein’s Rolodex: A Guide to His Famous Friends and Acquaintances” by Adam K. Raymond and Matt Stieb (July 10th 2019) 870

Fox News “Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged ‘spy’ ties under fresh scrutiny in new book” by Hollie McKay (June 18th 2020) 871

Daily Mail “French government drops support for director Roman Polanski as he faces extradition to the U.S.” by Peter Allen (October 1st 2009) 872

Snopes “Did Meryl Streep Applaud Roman Polanski at the Academy Awards?” Rating: True (January 9th 2017) 873

CBS News “An Oscar Out Of Reach For Polanski” via the Associated Press (Marcy 24th 2003)

874

The Guardian “Polanski was not guilty of ‘rape-rape’, says Whoopi Goldberg” by MaevKennedy (September 29th 2009) 875

Time “Quentin Tarantino Defends Roman Polanski in Resurfaced Interview: 13-Year-Old Victim ‘Wanted to Have It’ by Cady Lang (February 7th 2018)

876

Ibid.

877 The

Independent “Polanski has served his time and must be freed” by Harvey Weinstein (September 28th 2009) 878

Indy Wire “Over 100 In Film Community Sign Polanski Petition” by Peter Knegt (September 29th 2009) 879 Rolling

Stone “Barbra Streisand Draws Criticism for Stance on Michael Jackson’s ‘Leaving Neverland’ Accusers” by Daniel Kreps (March 23rd 2019) 880

The Independent “It movie: How the book’s infamous orgy scene is handled and why Stephen King wrote the scene” by Jack Shepherd (September 10th 2017) 881

The Telegraph “Why the It movie left out Stephen King’s Losers’ Club sewer orgy” by Adam White (September 8th 2017) 882

SciFiNow Annual “Stephen King’s It: 25th Anniversary” (Vol. 2. 2015) pages 160–163

883

Mediaite “ABC News Changes Headline About Kevin Spacey After Spinning His ‘Emotional’ Coming Out” by Joseph A. Wulfsohn (October 30th 2017) 884

News.com.au “‘Over-indulgence, not predatory behaviour’: Hollywood CEO says Kevin Spacey deserves forgiveness” by Frank Chung (October 31st 2017) 885

Entertainment Weekly “Family Guy producers finally explain origin of 2005 Kevin Spacey joke” by Dan Snierson (January 4th 2018) 886

Hollywood Reporter “Seth MacFarlane Explains 2013 Oscars Jab at ‘Abhorrent, Indefensible’ Harvey Weinstein” by Ashley Lee (October 11th 2017) 887

USA Today “Kevin Spacey posts bizarre video suggesting you ‘kill people with kindness’” by Maria Puente (December 24th 2019) 888

Hollywood Reporter “Kevin Spacey Accuser Dies in Midst of Sexual Assault Lawsuit” by Eriq Gardner (September 18th 2019) 889

CBS News “Kevin Spacey accuser and writer Ari Behn dies by suicide” via Associated Press (December 26th 2019) 890

NBC News “Mass shootings: Experts say violence is contagious, and 24/7 news cycle doesn’t help” by Dennis Romero (August 5th 2019) 891

Time “Suicide Deaths Are Often ‘Contagious.’ This May Help Explain Why” by Jamie Ducharme (April 18th 2019)

892

Washington Post “Undercover police officers in theaters as Warner Bros.’ ‘Joker’ opens” by Steven Zetchik (October 4th 2019) 893 The

New York Post “It’s reasonable to ask if ‘Joker’ will inspire would-be killers” by Sara Stewart (September 24th 2019) 894

NBC News “‘Joker’ backlash: Aurora shooting victims’ families express concerns to Warner Bros.” by Daniel Arkin (September 24th 2019) 895 Washington

Post “Hinckley, Jury Watch ‘Taxi Driver’ Film” by Laura A. Kiernan (May 29th

1982) 896

The Hill “Investigation shows more than 100 copycat shooters inspired by Columbine since 1999” by Rachel Frazin (April 17th 2019) 897

The Guardian “Natural Born Copycats” by Xan Brooks (December 19th 2002)

898

NBC News “Robin Williams’ death followed by rise in suicides” by Maggie Fox (February 7th 2018) 899

Ibid.

900

NPR “Teen Suicide Spiked After Debut Of Netflix’s ‘13 Reasons Why,’ Study Says” by Matthew S. Schwartz (April 30th 2019) 901

New York Times “The Science Behind Suicide Contagion” by Margot Sanger-Katz (August 13th 2014) 902

Time “Fifty Shades of Grey Inspired Student’s Sexual Assault, Prosecutors Say” by Kevin McSpadden (February 24th 2015) 903

New York Daily News “Jamie Dornan says he’s scared of 'Fifty Shades of Grey’ fans: ‘I fear I'll get murdered like John Lennon’” by Kirthana Ramisetti (January 8th 2015) 904

Daily Mail “Revealed: How black robbers copied Ben Affleck film ‘The Town’ by disguising themselves as white cops with latex masks to snatch $200,000 from check-cashing store” (July 31st 2013) 905

ABC News “Thieves Dressed Like Nuns Rob Chicago Bank in Scene out of ‘The Town’” by Russell Goldman (May 31st 2011) 906

NBC New York “Teen Pleads Guilty to ‘Fight Club’-Inspired Starbucks Bombing” by Colleen Long (September 17th 2010) 907

Inside Edition “Was Suspect in Austin Explosions Inspired by Unabomber Miniseries?” (March 20th 2018)

908

Reuters “French police arrest over 100 after Halloween ‘Purge’ night riots” by Michael Roseand Catherine Lagrange (November 1st 2018) 909 USA

Today “Social media ‘Purge’ campaigns spark fear of bloody copycats” by Nindsay Deutsch, Kelsey Pape and Ryan Haarer (August 19th 2014) 910

The Irish Times “Student charged with murder amid concerns in France over violent films” (June 6th 2002) 911 Orlando

Sentinel “Inspired by Vampire Film, Man Stabs His Girlfriend” (November 30th 1994)

912

Chicago Tribune “Ex-gang member talks about rap music’s influence” by Dawn M. Turner (November 5th 2015) 913

NPR “Study: Rap Music Linked to Alcohol, Violence” (May 8th 2006)

914

“Dead People” by The Game on the album “Jesus Piece” (2012)

915

USA Today “Sheriff: Man acting out rap song fatally shoots friend” by J.D. Gallop via Florida Today (January 28th 2015) 916

Hawaii Tribune Herald “Nanawale murder suspect says Jay Z possessed his body” by John Burnett (October 10th 2015) 917

Spin “Jay-Z Asks Why XXXTentacion Died While George Zimmerman Lives on Drake’s ‘Talk Up’” by Israel Daramola (June 29th 2018) 918

A Concise Survey of Music Philosophy by Donald A Hodges page 111 (Routledge 2016)

919

Simple Psychology “Bobo Doll Experiment” by Sean McLeod (February 5th 2014)

920

CHILDREN, VIOLENCE, AND THE MEDIA: A Report for Parents and Policy Makers Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Utah, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, Prepared by Majority Staff Senate Committee on the Judiciary (September 14, 1999) 921

Fundamentals of Media Effects - Second Edition by Jennings Bryant, Susan Thompson, and Bruce W. Finklea page 74 (Waveland Press Inc. 2013) 922

Fundamentals of Media Effects - Second Edition by Jennings Bryant, Susan Thompson, and Bruce W. Finklea pages 78-81 (Waveland Press Inc. 2013) 923

Fundamentals of Media Effects - Second Edition by Jennings Bryant, Susan Thompson, and Bruce W. Finklea page 79 (Waveland Press Inc. 2013) 924

Los Angeles Times “We’re Listening, Ted” by Jane Hall (April 03, 1994)

925

Amusing Ourselves to Death is the title of his famous book on the media, first released in 1985. The subtitle is “Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business” 926 New

Scientist “Left or right-wing? Brain’s disgust response tells all” by Dan Jones (October 30th

2014) 927

Romans 1:28

928 2

Timothy 3:1-5

Introduction Censorship The Memory Hole The War on Trump The War on Trump Supporters The War on Families TV “News” Internet “News” Sites Wikipedia Google Rise of Social Media Facebook Twitter YouTube The Future of Fake News Conclusion Copyright Info

Introduction Today, “media” doesn’t just mean television, radio, newspapers, and magazines; since all of those industries have been swallowed up by the Internet (convergence as it’s technically called). As you know, people now get most of their news and entertainment online where there is an endless supply of things to click on, scroll through, and stream. People carry TVs in their pockets and wear them on their wrists like the old science fiction films predicted. With the push of a button anyone can watch almost any show, access any newspaper or magazine article, and even send instant feedback

about what they think. Everywhere you go people are constantly glued to their device, consuming an endless stream of “media.” It’s like a madhouse that’s almost impossible to escape. In our current mobile age, trying to keep up with the news is like running on a treadmill that’s getting faster and faster. The longer you’re on it, the more exhausting it gets, leading many to become so fatigued they decide to jump off and quit paying attention altogether. Many have become so stressed out, disgusted, and tired of the “news,” that they basically boycott it and only follow sports or other forms of entertainment, but even there they can’t escape being bombarded by political messages and cries for “social justice.” Those who wish to push political agendas know that movies, music, and TV shows are convenient vehicles to deliver their propaganda to millions under the cloak of “entertainment.” Even some sports coverage on ESPN has become political in recent years, amplifying the messages of athletes involved in fringe causes or ones based on half-truths and out-right lies. 1 Music, movies, and television shows are not just “entertainment.” They shape and influence the culture by manufacturing iconic characters whose beliefs and behaviors are mimicked by millions. While art imitates life, life also imitates art, as President Obama admitted during an appearance via video at the 2015 Grammies where he told the audience, “Tonight, we celebrate artists whose music and message helps shape our culture…Artists have a unique power to change minds and attitudes and get us thinking and talking about what matters.” 2 Celebrities have largely taken over the role that families, the Church, and national traditions used to play in molding and monitoring a society’s attitudes and actions.

As Andrew Breitbart pointed out in his book Righteous Indignation , “Hollywood is more important than Washington. It can’t be overstated how important this message is: pop culture matters. What happens in front of the cameras on a soundstage at the Warner Bros. lot often makes more difference to the fate of America than what happens in the back rooms of the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill.” 3 He continues, “As it stands, the Frankfurt School-taught Left is fighting the political battle on both the political and the cultural battlefields. Conservatives are fighting it only on the political battlefield. That means that art, humor, song, theater, television, film, dance, are all devices used every day in order to influence the hearts and minds of the American people.” 4 He’s talking about Cultural Marxism, which is the practice of waging a psychological war against America and all of Western civilization by relentlessly attacking every aspect of our culture, symbols, and institutions; hoping to gradually weaken society by subverting its foundations to the point where it becomes so dysfunctional it can be overthrown and replaced by a Marxist State. To accomplish this, the supposed “news” media regularly engages in what’s called Agenda Setting by hyping up certain stories and covering them ad nauseam to create the false impression that those stories are actually important because they’re “what people are talking about.” This provides a false justification for the extensive coverage, creating an artificial feedback loop where they hype up a story as if it’s the talk of the town, and then everyone starts talking about it because they’re inundated by reports about it, so the media keeps reporting on it, claiming that it’s a relevant story because so many people are talking about it.

They carefully choose stories, oftentimes of rare and isolated incidences, and then amplify them hoping to give the impression that there’s an epidemic and use the cherry-picked examples to promote or reinforce liberal ideologies. At the same time they act as gatekeepers, purposefully omitting other (actually important) stories and events which show a side of an issue they’re hoping people don’t hear about, or are trying to downplay the significance of. The Liberal Media Industrial Complex uses their technology to influence rather than inform; to attack instead of educate; to promote certain events while pretending others don’t exist. They always amplify salacious allegations that feed into the one-sided narratives they’re pushing, and then completely ignore the facts when they later come out if they prove the initial reports to be false. They just carry on as if nothing happened and keep repeating the same pattern like clockwork — amplifying the allegation, and then ignoring the outcome. The election of President Trump has resulted in the American mainstream media throwing all objectivity out the window and dedicating their existence to painting him as a mentally deranged dictator who needs to be impeached and imprisoned. They’ve gotten so bold in their attempts to overthrow our Republic that they now regularly engage in gaslighting and continue to repeat easily debunked falsehoods as if they are true, hoping to get people to start doubting their own memory, reasoning, and perception about what is actually going on. This is what gaslighting is. By repeatedly lying with confidence, using misdirection and discounting contrary information, the media causes some people to begin questioning their own version of reality. The term gaslighting originates from an old 1938 play (later made into a movie in 1944) where a central theme of the plot involves a woman’s husband who subjects her to all kinds

of mind games trying to drive her insane, including dimming the gas lamps in their home while convincing her that she’s just imagining it’s getting darker. The media insists that the name George Soros is a code word for antiSemitism, as are “globalists” and “Hollywood liberals.” 5 The constant assertions that anyone who supports building a wall at the US-Mexico border is racist, and anyone who supports President Trump is a white supremacist are ridiculous, but are believed by gullible people who are susceptible to propaganda. Television “news” anchors lie with such assurance and being accompanied by symbols of authority like their fancy studios and graphics, on the surface it appears as if they’re legitimate news broadcasts. The 2016 presidential election proved that the balance of power had shifted from the tight-knit group of mainstream media companies into the hands of everyday Americans who used Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to spread their messages to others, whether it was a few hundred of their Facebook friends, or an audience of millions if their posts went viral. So in order to regain control of the flow of information, the legacy media conglomerates began working closely with the Silicon Valley titans to rewrite the algorithms so these popular platforms would favor their content above that posted by ordinary people or popular social media personalities. It’s an understatement to say that what’s happening is a conspiracy between various sectors of the media industry which are working together to give traditional outlets the loudest voices online. Mix in Google and YouTube manipulating search results, Wikipedia being the number one source of “encyclopedia” articles, and social media companies systematically censoring prominent conservative accounts under the disguise of combating “hate speech,” and you have a recipe for total

information control. There is a reason that dictators throughout history have aimed to seize their country’s media as one of their top priorities so they can use it to not only further their own aims, but prevent their opposition from using it for theirs. Just two weeks after the shocking loss of Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump in the 2016 election, the war on “fake news” was launched as a smokescreen to suppress the reach of regular users’ social media posts and artificially boost messages from the mainstream media. The Democrats became frantic about supposed “fake news” being shared on Facebook that they claimed had cast Hillary in a false light, and that was the reason they said, why so many people didn’t trust her; and hence, didn’t vote for her. 6 While there were a few viral fake news stories smearing her, all the studies show they had no influence on people’s votes and just reinforced beliefs they already held about her. 7 There were also fake stories about Donald Trump that went viral during the heat of the campaign, but that fact is ignored and the “fake news” problem was framed as an issue that’s only one-sided. In reality, the fake news scare was just an elaborate ruse to drastically alter the way social media functions by pressuring Big Tech companies to emphasize mainstream media outlets in people’s feeds instead of showing organically what should be there based on who they were following and what was being posted. 8 Barack Obama was the first “social media president,” getting elected in 2008 when Facebook was first becoming a central hub in people’s lives. He was the first president to have a Facebook page and a Twitter account, and his senior advisor David Axelrod admitted, “If not for social media, Barack Obama would never have been elected president [because] it gave us the ability to connect to a new generation of voters.” 9

At the time, social media was still kind of a novelty, but a few years later it would permeate most people’s lives when everyone had to have an iPhone and the social media companies released mobile apps so people could “stay connected” wherever they were instead of having to wait until they got home from work or school to open up their laptop to see what’s happening online. But today, getting news online isn’t just a novelty, it’s the norm. A report from the Pew Research Center in 2018 showed that more Americans get their news from posts on social media than from newspapers. 10 Social media now starts revolutions, and overnight a single video clip can turn most of the world against a nation’s leader, or galvanize members of an entire political party to rally behind a cause. Since the barriers to entry are now so low today with anyone being able to start a YouTube channel or create a Facebook page, we are seeing the legacy media frantically trying to stop their industry (and their influence) from slipping through their fingers. Liberals’ favorite tactic today is silencing their opposition under the disguise of combating “hate speech” or stopping “right-wing extremists,” and the ability to censor and manipulate information online rests in the hands of just a few gigantic corporations whose values are completely opposed to middle America and traditional family values. Because of the emergence of social media, billions of people around the world communicate through Facebook, Twitter, and other online platforms which have largely taken the place of sending emails and talking on the phone. As you know, these social media apps can allow anyone’s message to be spread just as far as something broadcast on the national news, or printed on the front page of the New York Times , but because of

this massive redistribution of power, the Liberal Media Industrial Complex is scrambling to put the genie back in the bottle. One doesn’t even have to be a “social media star” to be a victim of the Left’s censorship because average users have their Facebook posts, tweets, Instagram pics, and YouTube videos removed all the time for “violating community standards.” Big Tech’s increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence systems automatically scan every post for key words they have identified as sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, or just generically “hateful” or “offensive;” and has them removed once discovered. Just a handful of these “violations” and your entire account is shut down for good and everything you’ve ever posted there deleted. Nothing is out of the reach of their AI, and anything can be deleted at any moment by the nameless and faceless moderators, leaving the victims with no recourse or appeal. Total control of information is what they want, and they have hijacked the technology we all use to communicate in our modern age, but thankfully you were able to get this powerful tool into your hands before they could stop it — an old fashioned book! I commend you for picking one up and tuning out the noise relentlessly trying to make its way to your ears, and turning away from the millions of tweets, Facebook posts, and video clips all competing for your attention. In the coming pages we’ll do a deep dive into each of the major social media platforms and I’ll detail their algorithm manipulation, double standards, liberal bias, and censorship. We’ll also dissect the media’s war on President Trump, their mission to destroy our culture by undermining traditional family values, and we’ll look at the future of fake news.

While scrolling through tweets and Facebook posts is often like junk food for the brain, reading a book is a healthy and nourishing four-course meal in comparison. Sure, junk food is fine in moderation, but if it’s all you eat then you’re going to be very unhealthy. And the difference between reading through social media feeds (or watching the news) and reading a book is about the same as the difference between a good steak and eating a burger at McDonalds. One is quick, cheap, and poor quality; while the other is expensive, time consuming to make, and healthy to eat. And since we’re dealing with a very important subject, it’s best to do this right. So let’s begin by taking a look behind the curtain of the monolithic Liberal Media Industrial Complex and start dismantling it piece by piece.

Censorship There are several classic books that highlight the dangers of censorship and depict tyrannical governments that use their endless power to snuff out any opposition in hopes of maintaining their control over society. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four , which was first published in 1949, and Fahrenheit 451 , published in 1953, are two of the most popular examples and weren’t just written for entertainment. They were meant to serve as a warning of what giant bureaucracies could do if their growing power goes unchecked. But today in America, it’s not the government censoring what newspapers print or what airs on the evening news. It’s the Silicon Valley titans — it’s Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Susan Wojcicki. In the marketplace of ideas they are losing, and so these industry leaders are silencing influential opponents who speak out against the Left’s attempted revolution.

They’re also trying to create a chilling effect by scaring people into not speaking out about certain issues or make us think twice before sharing certain information on social media out of fear we will be socially ostracized, or even fired from our job; so many people are self-censoring themselves in what’s been called the “Spiral of Silence.” 11 The fewer people who speak out about an issue due to fear of repercussions causes others who feel they should say something to be more apprehensive about doing so because nobody else seems to be doing it, which in turn causes even more people to stay silent, causing the false impression that no one seems to be opposed to what’s happening. Thankfully, in the United States (at least today) the First Amendment is still intact, but in places like Canada, 12 Germany, 13 England, 14 Scotland, 15 and other supposedly “free” countries, people are being arrested and charged with “hate speech” crimes for posting things on their social media accounts that are critical of the “Islamization of Europe” from the mass influx of Muslim refugees and for voicing opposition to the LGBT agenda. 16

But while Americans are still technically free to say these things without getting arrested, there are other serious consequences since we’re living in an online world where most people rely on a handful of apps to communicate with others. Back in 1997, Harvard Law professor Larry Lessig wrote an article for Wired magazine titled “Tyranny in the Infrastructure” warning that, “Laws affect the pace of technological change, but the structures of software can do even more to curtail freedom. In the long run the shackles built by programmers could well constrain us more.” 17

In his book Cyber Ethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace , Richard A. Spinello expanded on this concern saying, “This notion that private code

can be a more potent constraining force than public law has significant implications. The use of code as a surrogate for law may mean that certain public goods or moral values once protected by law will now be ignored or compromised by those who develop or utilize this code.” 18 We’re seeing the very principle of free speech under attack like never before, with the Liberal Media Industrial Complex even claiming that freedom of speech is “dangerous” and saying that conservatives have “weaponized” the First Amendment. 19 There have always been restrictions on the First Amendment, for example you can’t yell fire in a crowded theater, and you can’t threaten to murder someone or encourage acts of terrorism; but today just insulting a person who believes there are 58 different gender identities or pointing out certain facts and statistics is considered “hateful” and “dangerous.” Democrat Congressman Ted Lieu from California says he’s frustrated by the fact that the First Amendment is preventing him from silencing conservatives for Thought Crimes, so he’s calling on the Big Tech companies to do it on the government’s behalf. 20 Meanwhile Jerry Nadler, a Democrat Congressman from New York, says it’s just a “conspiracy theory” that the Big Tech companies have a liberal bias and, “The notion that social media companies are filtering out conservative voices is a hoax, a tired narrative of imagined victimhood.” 21 Other Democrat members of Congress, like Jamie Raskin from Maryland, insist that it is an “entirely imaginary narrative that social media companies are biased against conservatives.” 22 Of course CNN repeatedly denies conservatives are being censored and claims that pushback from President Trump is, “exacerbating a longstanding paranoia from conservatives who have for years erroneously accused social media companies of bias and censorship.” 23 It’s just

paranoia that conservatives are being censored, guys! Nothing to worry about! CNN claims, “For years, the conservative media machine has pushed the flimsy narrative that conservatives are unfairly treated by social media companies, which they accuse of bias and censorship. When the claims often fall apart under a light touch of scrutiny, right-wing media outlets continue to advance the narrative, irrespective of the facts.” 24 After years of mounting evidence, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey finally admitted that even conservatives who work at Twitter, “don’t feel safe to express their opinions at the company” and that “They do feel silenced by just the general swirl of what they perceive to be the broader percentage of leanings within the company.” 25 With each new purge of conservative voices from the social media platforms, more and more people are seeing just how big of a threat these tech giants are to the principles of free speech and the massive implications of their monopoly on communication tools. Donald Trump Jr., who obviously has the president’s ear, has also been very vocal about the increasing censorship on social media, even writing an op-ed about it in The Hill , saying, “Our right to freely engage in public discourse through speech is under sustained attack, necessitating a vigorous defense against the major social media and internet platforms.” 26 In May 2019, the White House set up a new tool on WhiteHouse.gov for people to report instances of social media bias and censorship so the Trump administration could put together more thorough reports of what conservatives are facing online. 27 The page includes a form for users to submit details about which post was taken down, what it said, and which platform removed it. “Social media platforms should advance freedom of speech. Yet too many Americans have seen their accounts suspended,

banned, or fraudulently reported for unclear ‘violations’ of user policies,” the website reads. 28 In subsequent chapters I’ll detail what’s been happening on each of the major social media platforms, but rampant censorship isn’t limited to just Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Music Streaming Services While politicians and news commentators have always had to watch what they say about certain subjects so they don’t get fired, artists have always been seen as the bastions of free speech, and censoring art—no matter how provocative or offensive it is to some people—was always seen as something only a tyrannical government would do. Major music labels and movie studios always stood by their artists and vigorously resisted calls for censorship, championing the freedom of expression whether it was NWA’s “Fuck the Police” or blasphemous anti-Christian films like The Da Vinci Code or Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. But in August 2017 Spotify, the popular music streaming service, announced they would start censoring songs from “hate bands” including songs they claim “incite violence against race, religion, [or] sexuality.” 29 How will they determine which bands and songs to censor? Whatever the Southern Poverty Law Center tells them to. 30 Not surprising, the SPLC got their tentacles wrapped around Spotify and other streaming services to “help” them keep a lookout for “hateful” content. 31 Other streaming services like Apple and Pandora followed suit, banning supposed “white power” music, while allowing rap music that blatantly calls for the murder of police officers from people like Ice-T, NWA, and Snoop Dogg, who recently depicted himself murdering President Trump in one of his music videos. 32 As you know, it’s common for rappers

to diss “crackers” and “white boys” in their music, but that’s just fine. Hating white people isn’t considered to be racist to the Left. And Jay Z’s albums are okay, despite calling women “bitches” in (literally) 50% of his songs. 33 About a year later Spotify announced another new policy, saying they were going to start banning songs from artists who have engaged in “harmful or hateful conduct” in their personal lives, like domestic violence or sexual abuse. That put songs by R. Kelly and Michael Jackson at risk of not being available anymore. But then just three weeks later they reversed their decision and apologized, saying they don’t want to be the “moral police,” but affirmed that they were still going to be censoring “hate speech.” 34 Guns ‘N Roses song “One in a Million,” which was released on their 1988 album G N’ R Lies, includes a line about “immigrants and faggots” but when the studio released the Guns ’N Roses box set in 2018 they didn’t include that song on the album because it’s been deemed “racist” and “homophobic.” 35 It’s probably only a matter of time before other songs like Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks Like a Lady” will be banned for being “transphobic” as well. Once you give liberals an inch, they demand a mile, and since they smell blood in the water they will continue their quest to eliminate everything they find offensive.

Netflix and Prime Video Even movie streaming services like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video are showing signs of liberal bias and censoring “controversial content” that had once been available on the platforms for years. Netflix won’t allow The Red Pill , a popular documentary about the Men’s Rights Movement

produced by Cassie Jaye, to be streamed. Through the course of producing the film she found that claims about the “patriarchy” and supposed “male power” were extremely warped and that many of the burdens men typically bear in society are overlooked and often discounted by feminists. 36 Cassie Jaye herself was a feminist when she started making the film and expected to find the Men’s Rights Movement would be full of misogynists and losers who had no luck with women, but learned they have very legitimate points about gender roles and unfair treatment in child custody cases, and by the end of the film she admitted they weren’t a bunch of women-haters as she had previously thought, and decided that she could no longer call herself a feminist because “feminism is not the road to gender equality.” 37 When the trailer was released on YouTube it reached over a million views in 24 hours and was the number one purchased movie on YouTube (which streams movies on-demand for 4 or 5 dollars) beating Guardians of the Galaxy and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. 38 But Netflix wouldn’t allow the film to be streamed on their platform because when it was released in selected theaters it had generated some negative publicity from feminists protesting it, calling it “misogynistic propaganda.” 39 In March 2019 Democrat Congressman Adam Schiff sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos pressuring him to censor “anti-vaccination” documentaries from Amazon Prime after seeing a report on CNN claiming that “Anti-vaccination conspiracy theories thrive on Amazon.” 40 Within hours of Schiff sending his letter, the streaming service pulled at least five documentaries including the popular Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe , 41 which had been promoted by Robert De Niro when it first came out because one of his children is autistic which he suspects may have been caused by the MMR vaccines. 42

Others included: We Don’t Vaccinate!;” Shoot ‘Em Up: The Truth About Vaccines , The Greater Good ; and Man Made Epidemic , which investigated the alleged connections between the autism epidemic and the preservative Thimerosal used in vaccines. Many have long suspected a link between Thimerosal and autism, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has tried to bring awareness to the dangers of vaccines for years. 43 CNN then celebrated the censorship with a follow-up story touting, “Anti-vaccine movies disappear from Amazon after CNN Business report.” 44 During a segment on CNN in 2009 Dr. Oz was talking with host Campbell Brown about the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines, encouraging people to get them, but was put on the spot by the host about her concerns that they may not be safe. He responded, “I’m going to get it, if that helps at all, but I’ll tell you my wife is not going to immunize our kids. Cuz I’ve got four of them and when I go home I’m not Dr. Oz, I’m Mr. Oz.” 45 So he went on television encouraging people to take the vaccine and give it to their children, but admitted that he’s not going to give it to his own children because his wife didn’t think it was safe; and despite him being a famous doctor, he couldn’t convince her otherwise and allowed his children to go unvaccinated. Netflix also censored an episode of comedian Hasan Minhaj’s show, blocking it for customers in Saudi Arabia at the request of the government there because in it he talked about Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 attacks and the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudis. 46 Netflix will not stream the 1980s classic Dukes of Hazzard because that’s too “racist” today. Reruns of the show were pulled from TV Land and other cable networks in 2015 after growing sentiment that the Confederate Flag is a “white supremacist” symbol, and since the Duke boys’ car (The

General Lee) has one painted on the roof, networks now deem the TV show too offensive to air. 47 Other classic TV shows and movies will likely slowly and quietly disappear from the streaming services and cable TV because they’re deemed too “insensitive” for our modern age. Owning DVDs may be the only way to ever see them again. A growing number of activists are upset about Ace Ventura: Pet Detective for what they call its “contempt” for LGBT people because the main suspect in the movie later started living as a woman and after catching him and realizing this, Jim Carrey goes into convulsions vomiting while having flashbacks to when “she” had kissed him earlier in the film. Or other comedies like Mrs. Doubtfire or Tyler Perry’s “Medea” character may be banned for being “transphobic” as well. Or films like Idiocracy , The Breakfast Club , or Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure because characters call people fags. Or maybe even The Sand Lot since one boy tells another that he plays baseball like a girl. That’s sexist! In 2018, Barack and Michelle Obama signed a deal with Netflix to produce several documentaries, scripted series, and full-length feature films through a production company they started called Higher Ground. 48 “Touching on issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights, and much more, we believe each of these productions won’t just entertain, but will educate, connect and inspire us all,” said Barack. 49 The couple’s debut documentary American Factory was hailed as their “first big anti-Trump statement of 2020” by Politico, although it didn’t mention him by name “it’s message is clear.” 50 Others called it “lefty propaganda” and an attack on Trump. 51 Netflix has also produced various liberal “comedy” shows called Netflix Originals which have included hosts like skank Chelsea Handler, Michelle Wolf, and other insufferable and non-funny Leftists. Similarly,

Hulu produced a show hosted by Sarah Silverman called “I Love You America” which got canceled after two seasons, calling into question the streaming services ability to tap into the late-night talk show genre. 52 They also produced a documentary following the Congressional campaign of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. After Georgia’s controversial “heartbeat” abortion bill was signed by the governor in May 2019 which bans abortions after six weeks into the pregnancy, Netflix announced they may quit using the state as a production location because several of their shows like “Stranger Things” and “Ozark” are shot there. They even vowed to help fight the bill in court. 53 It certainly is strange for a major corporation to take a stance on abortion, but that’s where we’re at.

Amazon Banning Books Banning books was once seen as the ultimate sin, and something only the Nazis would do, but today we’re seeing a growing number of books disappearing down the memory hole in the name of political correctness and stopping “hate speech.” 65% of all books are sold through Amazon and they have a virtual monopoly over the entire industry. 54 They are the reason Borders, Walden Books, and B. Dalton went out of business. Amazon advertises themselves as the world’s largest bookstore where you can find practically any book, new or used, since if they don’t stock it, they (supposedly) allow anyone to list used copies for sale themselves. For over twenty years since Amazon was launched in 1995 they would sell any book new or used, but recently that all changed. In July 2018 a children’s book titled No Dress for Timmy was banned for being “transphobic.” It was written by Shefflorn Ballantyne and is described as, “A story of a little boy who found himself in a perplexing situation where

he was forced to choose between speaking the truth and cheering on a friend who thinks of himself as a girl.” 55 The young protagonist basically wouldn’t support a transgender classmate. After an LGBT advocacy organization called Family Rhetoric discovered it when searching for LGBT-themed children books, they launched a campaign to pressure Amazon to ban the book, which they did. The group later celebrated on their Facebook page saying, “We did it. You did it friends! The link to No Dress for Timmy is not working. Amazon took down the book. It’s gone!” 56 And indeed it is. Amazon banned almost all of pickup artist Roosh V’s books just days after his latest one was released, titled Game: How to Meet, Attract, and Date Attractive Women. 57 They wouldn’t even give him a reason, just that they “violated” their policy and “can’t offer any additional insight or action on this matter.” 58 Roosh had come to the attention of various radical feminist groups who see him as a huge “misogynist” for his views on women and feminism, and they most likely lobbied Amazon to pull his books. Juanita Broaddrick’s book about Bill Clinton allegedly raping her was removed in June 2018, and then later restored. 59 It appears that Amazon keeps testing how far they can push the envelope by gauging the backlash, but not everyone is so lucky to have their books re-listed after media reports denounce the censorship. In August 2018 Amazon banned a book that contained plans to build a 3D printed gun called The Liberator Code Book: An Exercise in Freedom of Speech , which had been listed by the publisher just a few weeks earlier. An Amazon spokesperson said it violated their guidelines. 60 Yet they sell the Anarchist’s Cookbook and other bomb-making manuals (at least at the time this book was first published in November 2019). The Anarchist’s

Cookbook author William Powell later denounced his terrorist manual which he wrote in 1971 when he was just nineteen-years-old. 61 But he does not own the rights to the book; the publisher does (now Ozark Press), which keeps it in print, and which Amazon still sells. 62 The Columbine school shooters, who planted bombs in the school aside from shooting and killing twelve students and one teacher, owned a copy of the Anarchist’s Cookbook and used it to manufacture their bombs. 63 When members of the Black Liberation Army were arrested in the 1970s for murdering several police officers, they had a copy in their possession and are believed to have planted a bomb in a San Francisco church during the funeral of a police officer who died in the line of duty. 64 Thomas Eugene Spinks, who bombed ten abortion clinics in the 1980s, used the Anarchist Cookbook to build his bombs. 65 Many others have used it as well, including Timothy McVeigh, who carried out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and the radical Islamic terrorists who committed the July 2005 bombings on the London public transportation system used the book as their instruction manual too. So No Dress for Timmy is too “transphobic” to be sold, but a literal bomb-making manual used by terrorists in numerous high-profile bombings is okay. Jared Taylor, a leader in the white identitarian [pro-white] community, had several of his books censored from Amazon in February 2019, including White Identity , despite having been sold on the site since 2011. 66 The following month Tommy Robinson’s book Mohammed’s Koran was banned from Amazon just days after Facebook and Instagram banned him (in response to Tommy posting a documentary critical of the BBC on his YouTube channel). 67 His book was deemed “Islamophobic.” 68 Then in March 2019 they banned David Duke’s autobiography My Awakening and another one of his books titled Jewish Supremacism where

he details what he believes is a Jewish supremacist belief system within Judaism. 69 The books had been available on Amazon since they first came out, one in 1998, and the other in 2004, but were removed shortly after a no-name freelance writer “inquired” about why Amazon was selling books written by a “white supremacist.” 70 They’re not just shown as out of stock or unavailable; the entire listings for the books have been deleted, and it appears Amazon is also prohibiting any 3rd party sellers from listing used copies as well. They also banned several books published by the Nation of Islam which were critical of Jews, 71 as well as a few written by Christian pastor Texe Marrs, including Holy Serpent of the Jews , for being “anti-semitic.” 72 This is especially interesting because Amazon still sells Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf (for now). 73 After CNN successfully pressured Amazon to censor various popular documentary films from their Prime Video streaming service in March 2019 that question the safety of some vaccines, they went on to lament that Amazon still sold “anti-vaccine” books, saying, “while some anti-vaccine videos are gone from the Prime streaming service, a number of anti-vaccine books were still available for purchase on Amazon.com when CNN Business reviewed search results on Friday afternoon, and some were still being offered for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.” 74 Amazon soon banned several “anti-vax” books for promoting what they called “vaccine misinformation.” 75 In July 2019 they banned books by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, who is best known for advocating conversion therapy for homosexuals. Two of his most popular books on the subject, Healing Homosexuality and A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality were taken down after sustained pressure from LGBT activists. 76 Perhaps Amazon will ban some of Sigmund

Freud’s books next because he believed that homosexuality was caused by a disruption in a child’s development due to a dysfunctional relationship with their parents in terms of the role those parents fill in their lives. 77 For several years now Amazon has banned sales of all Confederate flags because they’re considered to be symbols of “white supremacy” these days. 78 They have also banned the sale of various Halloween costumes liberals consider to be offensive, like the “Tranny Granny” costume that’s “transphobic,” 79 a Chinese dress for being “cultural appropriation,” and a “sexy burka” costume for being disrespectful to Islam. In January 2019 Amazon removed dozens of other products that were said to be offensive to Muslims as well. 80 Meanwhile, an album by a band called Marduk titled “Fuck Me Jesus” is allowed, which shows a naked woman using a crucifix as a dildo on the cover. 81 Amazon also sells a song titled “Fuck White People” which has a noose on the album cover. 82 They also stock various black supremacist books that promote hate groups like the Black Hebrew Israelites.

Twitch.TV Twitch.TV (which is owned by Amazon) is a website where people livestream themselves playing video games (I know this seems strange to anyone over 40) and they can have a large number of viewers who enjoy watching them play. Like YouTube livestreams, there is a chat box on Twitch where viewers can post comments and even tip the player. While it’s mostly for video games, sometimes the gamers will talk politics during their streams, and the Thought Police are watching in case they say something “racist,” “sexist,” “homophobic,” etc., etc. One gamer was recently banned from Twitch for simply saying there are only two genders. 83 The email informing her of the ban read, “Your recent behavior

has proven your lack of understanding of what hateful speech is and how it may affect your community on your channel…Several of your statements have been found offensive towards the transgender community, and we don’t tolerate this kind of behavior.” 84 In a YouTube video discussing the ban she said, “I specifically said, it’s okay if a man wants to be a woman, and a woman wants to be a man, you cannot be anything in between,” referring to the odd “gender fluid,” “pan gender,” and the dozens of other “genders” liberals have invented. A popular DJ named Deadmouse (stylized Deadmau5), who also streamed on Twitch for fun was banned for “hate speech” after he called another streamer a dreaded “homophobic slur.” He issued a statement saying, “It was intended to insult a fuckin asshat who was being a fucking asshat…it wasn’t ‘directed at an entire group of people who have a sexual orientation that differs from my own.’ Fuck off with that shit. I know who I am, and I don’t have to fucking sit here and cry and defend my fucking self with the obligatory ‘I’M NOT THAT PERSON, I AM SORRY” reflex… The sane people who knew what it was in the heat of the moment knew the purpose of the statement, and the people that think otherwise, I’m better off not even fucking knowing and they can just keep the fuck clear of me.” 85 It was great to see someone of his celebrity push back against this PC nonsense, but he soon backtracked and issued an apology, along with apologizing for his previous “non-apology” in response to the ban, saying, “I know what I said was wrong, and my hastily composed non-apology was an insult to injury.” 86 Many other Twitch streamers have had their accounts suspended and banned for just uttering what moderators thought were “slurs” out loud in a fit of anger when something went wrong on the game they’re playing when they actually said something that just sounded similar to one. 87 So even

while players are virtually “mass murdering” people in a video game, the Thought Police are carefully monitoring them to make sure their off-thecuff commentary doesn’t happen to offend someone in the LGBTQ community or other “protected group.” One streamer was even given a 30day suspension for calling another player a “mongoloid,” because Twitch considers that “hate speech” too. 88 Like YouTube and Facebook Live, Twitch uses real-time voice recognition systems to analyze what people are saying in order to lookout for any words that are flagged as being inappropriate. Monitoring livestreams using AI is one of the top priorities of the tech companies due to the bad press they get when someone livestreams something completely ridiculous (or criminal) so they are putting enormous resources into being able to detect what is being said in real-time, and even what is being shown so they can take down a stream if their algorithm deems the broadcast includes anything “inappropriate.” Twitch, however, like all the other major platforms turns a blind eye when liberals flagrantly violate their rules. A popular streamer who goes by “Destiny” (real name Steven Kenneth Bonnell II) has explicitly called for violence against conservatives on at least one occasion. When he was asked during a stream, “You genuinely do hate conservatives, don’t you?” he answered, “Very much so. I’ve moved full-on to the political violence level or the real violence level when it comes to conservative people. I feel like they need to be fucking excised from my fucking country. I think they’re demonstrably evil people.” 89 He remains on the platform and his channel is still monetized.

Alex Jones “Unpersoned” One of the scariest aspects of censorship isn’t a few songs, movies, or books disappearing from the Internet, but a person being deleted. An

“Unperson” is a term from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four that describes someone whose very existence has been erased from society, and this basically happened to radio talk show host Alex Jones in August 2018. Within the course of just a few days he was banned from YouTube, Facebook, iTunes, the TuneIn radio app, Spotify, Stitcher, Pinterest, and even LinkedIn! Years of archived shows and interviews just disappeared. PayPal also closed his account, preventing his website Infowars.com from accepting payments through the service, 90 and numerous credit card processors also refused to allow him to have an account, making it difficult to accept debit and credit cards for the products he sells. Liberals were thrilled with the actions, including Democrat Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut who said, “Infowars is the tip of a giant iceberg of hate and lies that uses sites like Facebook and YouTube to tear our nation apart. These companies must do more than take down one website. The survival of our democracy depends on it.” 91 Many conservatives, even those who think Alex Jones is a raving lunatic, were quite concerned about his sudden “disappearance” from the Internet. Even Senator Ted Cruz defended Alex, tweeting, “Am no fan of Jones — among other things he has a habit of repeatedly slandering my Dad by falsely and absurdly accusing him of killing JFK — but who the hell made Facebook the arbiter of political speech? Free speech includes views you disagree with.” 92 Others came to his defense as well, including Bill Maher who said despite Jones telling “lies” about him, “if you’re a liberal, you’re supposed to be for free speech. That’s free speech for the speech you hate. That’s what free speech means. We’re losing the thread of the concepts that are important to this country. You care about the real American shit or you

don’t. And if you do, it goes for every side. I don’t like Alex Jones, but Alex Jones gets to speak. Everybody gets to speak.” 93 The ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union] even warned his ban could set a dangerous precedent and expressed concerns that the pendulum could swing the other way some day, and groups like Black Lives Matter could be shut down under the same pretense. 94 President Trump appeared to reference the unpersoning of Alex Jones which had made national headlines, saying, “I won’t mention any names but when they take certain people off of Twitter or Facebook and they’re making that decision, that is really a dangerous thing because that could be you tomorrow.” 95

Alex Jones Was Just the Beginning Many people who were quite concerned about Alex Jones getting unpersoned overnight were afraid to speak out against it because they didn’t want to appear as if they supported Jones because of some of the outlandish things he has said over the years, but Big Tech coordinating with each other to ban him was just a test case and the beginning of what was to come. The editor in chief of The Verge , one of Vox Media’s online properties, started calling for Fox News to be taken off the air next, saying, “I feel like we should be just as comfortable asking Comcast and Verizon and Charter why they continue to offer Fox News on their networks as we are about Facebook and Alex Jones.” 96 Immediately after Jones was universally deplatformed PBS did a report about it and in that report complained that he had inspired countless “imitators” who “sell merchandise” and then showed a clip of me from one of my YouTube videos promoting my popular t-shirts.

Apple CEO Tim Cook then said it’s a “sin” for social media platforms not to ban people the Left deems “hateful” and “divisive.” He was given the first “Courage Against Hate Award” from the Jewish ADL, and during his acceptance speech said, “We only have one message for those who seek to push hate, division, and violence: You have no place on our platforms. You have no home here.” 97 He went on to say, “and as we showed this year, we won’t give a platform to violent conspiracy theorists on the app store,” referring to banning Alex Jones. “Why? Because it’s the right thing to do,” Cook concluded. 98 Even conservative darling Ben Shapiro is technically in violation of their terms of service for “hate speech” by saying transgenderism is a mental illness. 99 They could drop the hammer on anyone at anytime for things they’ve said years ago, and even “off platform,” meaning things said in interviews or speeches that didn’t even directly involve social media. Just voting for Donald Trump is considered “hate speech” by the Silicon Valley titans, and it won’t be long now before they include negative tone of voice, contorted facial expressions or even supposed “code words” and “dog whistles” into their terms of service as things that are not allowed. For example, if someone is reporting on a new television commercial featuring two gay men who are raising a child they adopted and react with a disgusted look on their face, or a sarcastic, “I’m sure the child will grow up to be totally normal.” That will likely be a violation of their policies. George Orwell even warned about such things in his classic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four , saying, “to wear an improper expression on your face (to look incredulous when a victory was announced, for example) was itself a punishable offense. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: facecrime, it was called.” 100

They’ll start claiming that certain words or phrases are “code words” for something else just like they’ve done with the “okay” hand sign, and soon nobody will be safe from being smeared as a “white supremacist,” “Islamophobe,” “homophobe,” “xenophobe,” etc. The Left are now engaged in a Maoist-style attempted overthrow of our culture and our country, and are systematically purging influential dissenting voices from social media. Get ready, because this is just the beginning. They don’t just want prominent vocal opponents of the liberal agenda silenced; they want our lives destroyed. Some people believe censorship amplifies extremism by forcing people to descend into the dark corners of the Internet where their ideas aren’t challenged or debunked by onlookers who disagree with them, and so they fester in an echo chamber that fuels and radicalizes them. Censoring someone who’s not calling for violence can also be seen as confirmation that they are being persecuted and cultivate a sense that they feel justified fighting back in a more extreme way. By having their voice taken away for what was perfectly legal speech, they may be compelled to act out in other ways in order to “be heard.” The liberal Establishment is working tirelessly to take down any independent social media personalities who organically gain sizable followings, and if they’re truly independent, meaning not working for a major media outlet then they are extremely vulnerable because they don’t have a legal department behind them that can push back on their behalf. They have developed a formula to take us down. First, a few unscrupulous liberal online outlets like the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, and Vox label certain conservatives “Alt-Right” or “right-wing extremists” and then the editors at Wikipedia update those people’s pages to claim they are a white

nationalists or neo-Nazis and use those dubious reports as “sources” to solidify the smear. And since Wikipedia is the go-to place for information for most people and one of the top search results on Google, anyone looking those people up from that point on will be presented with information claiming they’re a racist or far-right extremist. Then, even more outlets repeat the false claims, thus generating even more news articles from mainstream sources parroting the smear which are then used to add even more citations to the Wikipedia articles to reinforce their false narrative. These liberal outlets know that most people don’t have the vast resources necessary to sue for defamation, and so they are forever branded a “racist.” Then the self-referencing Wikipedia page is used as the justification to demonetize their YouTube channels and suspend their PayPal accounts to cutoff their revenue streams in order to crush them into silence. In our current political climate, especially as the 2020 election is approaching, I wake up every morning wondering if today will be the day that it happens to me.

What’s Next? How far will this fascism go? Will Visa, MasterCard, or American Express deactivate certain accounts because the banks don’t like what some people say or believe? Will Bank of America and Wells Fargo start closing people’s checking accounts because they don’t like their politics? Some banks are already doing just that. Chase Bank issued a letter to Proud Boys (a pro-Trump men’s fraternity) leader Enrique Tarrio that they would be closing his account and he had until the end of the month to move all his money somewhere else. 101 Then Joe Biggs, a former reporter for Infowars who banks at Chase, got the same notification. Others did as well, including

Martina Markota who works for the conservative news site Rebel Media. 102

After word spread of the shocking move, outraging many veterans groups because Joe Biggs is an Iraq vet, Chase re-activated his account, but wouldn’t give him a reason as to why they had initially banned him. 103 PayPal has already banned Alex Jones, Laura Loomer, Milo Yiannopoulous, Lauren Southern, Tommy Robinson, Gavin McInnes, Roosh V, Faith Goldy, as well as Twitter alternative Gab, and YouTube alternative BitChute because they support free speech and won’t ban users for posting things that hurt others feelings. 104 A senior software engineer at Google recommended the company delete Donald Trump’s G-mail account, and that of everyone working in his administration. He even suggested they “brick” Donald Trump’s cell phone. 105 A “bricked” phone, if you’re not familiar with the term, means one that is completely deactivated and won’t even turn on. So the engineer was literally recommending Google remotely disable Donald Trump’s phone, since they are the owners of the Android operating system which it uses. We only know about this because the proposal was included in a series of documents obtained as part of a lawsuit filed by former Google employee James Damore who was fired after circulating a memo explaining how the company’s obsession with “diversity” is misguided. While the company didn’t authorize those radical actions, who’s to say in the future they (or Apple) won’t ban certain people from using their phones? When you activate a smartphone you “agree” to the terms and conditions, even though hardly anyone actually reads them. Those terms also say the manufacturer can change the terms at any time, so what’s to stop them from adding a clause that says they reserve the right to brick your phone (or computer) if they feel you’re engaging in certain kinds of

behavior or speech that they find objectionable? Perhaps Google didn’t want the publicity and the backlash of sabotaging the President of the United States’ cellphone, but what’s to stop them from doing it to people who aren’t as powerful or well known? How far will the Silicon Valley titans go to stamp out vocal critics of the radical Leftists’ agenda? Will video editing software companies deactivate their software on people’s computers if they don’t like the content people are creating? Will Photoshop not sell their software to artists who are making the “wrong” kind of memes? Or will Microsoft and Apple refuse to license their operating systems on the computers (or smartphones) of political activists, social media personalities, or authors they consider racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic, etc.? Or maybe their local ISP [Internet Service Provider] won’t even allow them to have an Internet connection or will start blocking certain websites. 106 What if Priceline or Orbitz decides not to sell you a plane ticket because they refuse to do business with “hateful” people? Or if Enterprise decides they won’t rent you a car. Or a popular gas station chain won’t sell you gas? What if a major grocery store chain decides they won’t sell you any food? If Visa or Mastercard blacklist you, then you won’t even be able to have a debit card. If no banks will allow you to have an account, how can you cash your paycheck? In the Bible, a prophecy in the Book of Revelation says that one day “no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name,” warning that people who don’t worship the counterfeit Christ will be completely cut off economically from the modern world. It appears we are beginning to see the justifications for such widespread bans by those who control the backbone of the financial system.

Section 230 of the CDA Technically, private companies can ban people from their platforms as long as it’s not because of their race, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, country of origin, or other legally “protected” class. But political affiliation is not a protected class, and companies could legally ban all Republicans if they wanted to. Laws and regulations are always many years behind innovation, and the framers of the legislation governing our communication infrastructure could have never imagined the emergence of social media, let alone how instrumental of a role it would come to play in our lives. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton in order to overhaul the rules and regulations governing communication systems in response to the development of the Internet. Within the Act was a subsection called the Communications Decency Act, and Section 230 of the law granted immunity to Internet Service Providers, Domain Registrars, and website hosting services so if customers use these services in ways that violate copyright laws (or criminal statutes), the companies themselves are not liable for the legal consequences because they are not deemed publishers, but platforms, and are not responsible what their customers are posting. In other words, if someone posts an episode of The Big Bang Theory television show on their YouTube channel, YouTube is not responsible for that person violating CBS’s copyright (as long as YouTube would promptly remove the infringing video if notified by CBS.) Because YouTube provides a service (i.e. the “platform”) to the public, they can’t necessarily prevent people from using that service to post copyrighted material, so they are given “safe harbor” and are immune from any civil or criminal penalties when their users break the law.

Section 230 of the CDA also granted immunity to Internet Service Providers and interactive websites if third party users post defamatory information about someone, 107 death threats, 108 or even if they sell fake merchandise on eBay, meaning eBay is not responsible, only the person posting the fake listing is. Today, many Big Tech companies are abusing their immunity granted to them by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act by censoring certain users and posts and deciding themselves what to delete from their platforms, when that content is not violating any laws. They are now acting as publishers, not platforms, because they are making editorial decisions about what will and will not be allowed. If a person posts something that doesn’t violate any laws, then why should the social media companies have the right to take it down if they are in the business of offering a platform for (supposedly) anyone to use? Currently there is a loophole in section 230 that allows for what it calls “Good Samaritan” blocking and screening of “obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable content.” 109 So they interpret “objectionable” content as being facts or opinions that hurt people’s feelings or undermine the liberal agenda. Further evidence that section 230 of the CDA is outdated and unfair can be seen by the fact that a court ruled that President Trump can’t block people on Twitter after several trolls who he had blocked found a law firm that sued the President on their behalf. 110 The court ruled that Trump can’t block people on social media because it “deprives them of access to official Presidential statements,” and his feeds are considered a “public square.” This begs the question, why is Facebook, Twitter and YouTube allowed to deprive citizens access to that same public square?

If the President of the United States can’t “deprive” someone of access to his statements on social media, why should the tech companies be allowed to do that to ordinary citizens? Facebook and Twitter are basically the modern day equivalent of a telephone, or post office. They’ve become an intimate and crucial part of billions of people’s lives. It’s how friends and families communicate with each other, and share photos and videos. It’s where they send out party invitations and look up old childhood friends or family members they’ve lost touch with. It’s how they get their news and see what the President is saying. Imagine the phone company canceling your service because they didn’t like what you and your friends talked about. That’s essentially what Facebook and other social media platforms are doing today when they suspend people, delete their posts, or ban them completely because of what they say when their statements are not crimes, but just a “controversial,” “divisive,” or “hateful” point of view. The power these mega corporations have over how billions of people on the planet communicate with each other is staggering. And the fact that they are working in concert together to enforce their arbitrary and bias “terms of service” to silence certain people and points of view is beyond horrifying. As George Washington said, “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” 111 Author’s Note: Please take a moment to rate and review this book on Amazon.com, or wherever you purchased it from if you’re reading the ebook, to let others know what you think. This also helps to offset the trolls who keep giving my books fake one-star reviews when they haven’t even read them.

Almost all of the one-star reviews on Amazon for my last two books “The True Story of Fake News” and “Liberalism: Find a Cure” are from NON-verified purchases which is a clear indication they are fraudulent hence me adding this note. It’s just more proof that liberals are losers and can’t play fair, so if you could help me combat them as soon as possible since you actually bought this book, that would be great! Thank you!

The Memory Hole Censorship encompasses much more than people getting their posts and accounts deleted from social media platforms. It involves the mainstream media self-censoring stories and certain issues as well. They lie by omission and purposefully ignore events and individuals they don’t want to give publicity to, even when what’s happening fully warrants extensive coverage. They spent years chasing after “Russian agents” who are supposedly around every corner trying to infiltrate every aspect of America, while ignoring that the National Security Agency actually considers Israel to be the top espionage threat against the United States. 112 While regularly portraying Muslims and Jews as poor minorities who are constantly persecuted by Islamophobes and anti-Semites, the American media never reports that Christians are actually the most persecuted religion in the world, and are being murdered at such a rate in the Middle East that it is considered to be “near genocide levels” according to human rights groups. 113

When a reporter for Reuters learned that Beto O’Rourke was a member of the infamous Cult of the Dead Cow hacking group when he was a teenager, he promised Beto he wouldn’t reveal that information until after the 2018 midterm election when Beto was running against Ted Cruz for his Senate seat. 114 During the campaign Beto was already being haunted by his past for leaving the scene of an accident he caused while driving drunk, and if word got out that he was also committing computer crimes as well, it certainly wouldn’t have looked good. PBS edited out a part of Finding Your Roots , a documentary series that traces celebrities’ ancestry, after Ben Affleck discovered that his ancestors owned slaves and then pressured the network to cut that part out of the episode, which they did, so it wouldn’t hurt his image. 115 We only know about the censorship because hacked emails from Sony were posted on Wikileaks, including one between Finding Your Roots host Henry Louis Gates Jr. and the CEO of Sony Entertainment discussing Affleck’s request. 116

In our digital world, news outlets can alter an article or a headline after something is published without most people even noticing, covering up falsehoods and mistakes, or even changing the overall message of the story. This often results in an inflammatory article going viral and whipping people into a frenzy, only to later have key points quietly changed in response to the backlash. Sometimes outlets have other reasons for dumping things down the memory hole. For example, the popular New Zealand news website Stuff.co.nz quietly deleted an article about how a local resident had allegedly been “introduced to radical Islam at the Al-Noor mosque in Christchurch,” immediately after a white supremacist walked into the same mosque and livestreamed his mass-murder of 50 Muslims inside. 117 It appears the

website was trying to prevent word from getting out that the attacker appeared to have targeted that particular mosque because it had allegedly been linked to Muslim extremists.

Project Censored Have you heard of Project Censored? Most people have not, which is the ultimate irony because it’s an organization that highlights important under-reported or censored stories that mainstream media buries. Each year they publish a list of the top 25 censored or under-reported stories in America hoping to give them the attention they deserve. “Under-reported” meaning that they may have been mentioned in some mainstream outlets, but weren’t front page stories or didn’t dominate the news cycle for a week as they should have due to their importance. In our fast paced world, if a story isn’t one that happens to get circulated in the news cycle non-stop for a week, it is almost immediately forgotten by most people who are swept up in the next wave of reporting about mass shootings, fires, floods, celebrity gossip, health scares, and political scandals. Project Censored was founded in 1976 at Sonoma State University by a professor who wanted to expose censorship and propaganda in mainstream media. It has been praised by many media analysts around the world. Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers which showed that the Johnson administration lied to the American people and Congress about the reasons for getting involved in the Vietnam War, said Project Censored, “shines light in the dark places of our government that most need exposure.” 118 Even Walter Cronkite, who anchored the CBS Evening News for almost twenty years and who was considered to be “the most trusted man in

America” said, “Project Censored is one of the organizations that we should listen to, to be assured that our newspapers and our broadcasting outlets are practicing thorough and ethical journalism.” 119 The Los Angeles Times once admitted that Project Censored, “offers devastating evidence of the dumbing-down of mainstream news in America” and said their annual book of the top 25 most censored and under-reported stories was, “Required reading for broadcasters, journalists, and well-informed citizens.” 120

New York Times Best Seller List When the New York Times learned the NSA was illegally spying on tens of millions of Americans they sat on the story for over a year and only published it after the reporter who got his story killed by the editors decided to write a book about the spying since the paper couldn’t stop him from publishing that. 121 But that’s not the only censorship the New York Times has engaged in. They even censor books from their prestigious “best seller” list. Ted Cruz’s book A Time for Truth was excluded from their list in 2015 when it qualified to be number three on the list. 122 They claimed it was because most of the sales were from bulk orders, which they say was evidence that an author is ordering their own book to artificially inflate the numbers, but the publisher HarperCollins issued a statement saying they investigated the sales patterns and found no evidence of any such bulk orders. 123 Cruz’s campaign tweeted “The New York Times is lying — they should release their evidence or issue a formal apology.” 124 A few days later, the book was then finally included on the best seller list. 125

Bill O’Reilly’s book Legends & Lies: The Patriots was included on The New York Times best sellers list when it came out in 2016, but was only ranked number six despite being number one on the Wall Street Journal’s best seller list, as well as number one on the Publisher’s Weekly list. At the time the Nielsen organization reported Bill O’Reilly’s book sold 24,348 copies that week, while the number one book on The New York Times best seller list, The Gene , sold only 9,781 copies. 126 The New York Times also omitted a bestselling book about the Philadelphia abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell who killed babies that were born alive during his attempted abortions and was found to have kept baby body parts in jars around his office. He was later convicted of three counts of murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter but the liberal media paid little attention to the trial because it cast abortion in such a horrific light. 127 The book’s co-author Ann McElhinney said it is “shocking that the cover-up of the Gosnell story is continuing…It’s clear that this is a blatant fake list in a fake news newspaper…It’s not only an insult to the people who have bought this book, but an insult to the readers of The New York Times who buy the newspaper and think they are getting the truth about book sales across America but instead get false facts disguised as a neutral list.” 128 In October 2018 when Stormy Daniels’ book came out detailing her alleged affair with Donald Trump, the New York Times included it on their top 10 best seller list but not Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro’s book Liars, Leakers, and Liberals , or David Limbaugh’s Jesus is Risen , both of which had actually sold more copies than Stormy’s. 129 In June 2019, CNN’s Jim Acosta released a book about President Trump titled The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth

In America that didn’t even make it into the top 50 on Amazon’s best seller list and completely dropped off the top 100 list after just two days. But the New York Times placed Acosta’s book at number ten on their “best seller” list, proving once again it’s not an accurate ranking of the week’s bestselling books, but really just a favorites list of the editors. Books are so powerful that today liberals even protest companies which decide to publish certain authors. Simon & Schuster came under tremendous fire when it was revealed they had signed a deal with rightwing provocateur Milo Yiannopolous, causing the publisher to become one of the top trends on Twitter from triggered liberals calling for people to boycott not just Milo’s book (which they weren’t going to read anyway), but every book Simon and Schuster publishes! 130 Hollywood producer Judd Apatow tweeted support of the boycott, saying, “I am in! In these times we can not let hatemongers get rich off of their cruelty. Shame on Simon (and) Schuster.” 131 Former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean tweeted, “This is an embarrassment for [Simon & Schuster] and their owner CBS which is already on record putting their company ahead of the USA.” 132 The publisher eventually canceled their contract with Milo and he later had to self-publish it.

Illegal Immigration The facts about illegal immigration are rarely allowed into the news cycle because the American people would learn just how big of a crisis it is, and the damage illegal aliens are doing to our country. In 2015 over 50% of legal immigrant households received some form of government welfare— including food stamps, housing assistance, school lunch programs, or Medicaid. 133 A 2018 report by the Center for Immigration Studies found that 63% of non-citizens use at least one form of welfare. 134 While the

liberal media loves to report that they’re just coming here to work, the fact is millions of them are sucking off our tax dollars. Many illegal immigrants come infected with diseases as well, including ones that had been previously eradicated from the United States, like measles—resulting in new “mysterious” outbreaks (at places like Disneyland) because the diseases are imported by illegal aliens and those claiming to seek asylum. 135 Just in the last few years there have been thousands of murders committed by illegal aliens. 136 Lives stolen and families shattered by people who should have never been in our country in the first place. Every day there are headlines in local papers about violent illegal aliens (“undocumented workers,” as liberals call them) being arrested, and the stories may get a 15-second sound bite on the local news, but that’s it. The number of drunk driving arrests, thefts, burglaries, rapes, and other crimes they commit on a daily basis is staggering. One study shows that illegal aliens commit crimes at double the rate of native-born citizens. 137 In June 2018 when President Trump met with Angel Families at the White House (people whose family members have been killed by illegal aliens), both MSNBC and CNN abruptly cut their live feed and began talking about how the Trump administration isn’t treating illegal immigrant families who sneak into our country good enough. Ironically, during the meeting a woman who lost her son to an illegal alien drunk driver began telling the president, “The mainstream media does not let you know what is really happening.” 138 Democrats say the flood of illegals entering our country isn’t a national emergency, as President Trump declared, meanwhile in a recent four-month period Border Patrol agents apprehended 136,000 people crossing from Mexico into the U.S. illegally. 139 In February 2019 alone over 66,400

people were arrested trying to cross the border, the most detained in a single month in over ten years. 140 During one live feed on MSNBC when their reporter was down at the border talking about the prototypes for Trump’s proposed new wall, in the background a group of illegal aliens climbed over the current short and inadequate fence that’s only a few feet high, right in the middle of his report. 141 The Left go so far when denying and defending the crimes of illegal aliens that when Donald Trump called MS-13 gang members “animals” the Democrats and their mouthpieces in the media began claiming that he was referring to immigrants in general! “Trump calls immigrants animals” was their new talking point which was repeated for years as a deceptively edited video of his statement continues to circulate as the “proof.” 142 MS-13 is widely considered to be the most sadistic and vicious street gang in the world by law enforcement agencies. 143 Their motto is “rape, control, kill” and they are known for torturing and dismembering people. 144 Democrats all used to support expanding the border wall and were tough on illegal immigration, until Donald Trump became president. 145 You’ve probably seen the video compilations of Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and other top Democrats all previously supporting the wall and saying we need to stop the influx of illegals crossing the border —but that has changed. It appears the Democrats don’t support the blue collar working class any more. President Trump has won most of them over to his side, so now the Democrats are hoping to build a new base of future voters consisting of Americans who are too lazy to work and want free handouts from a Socialist government, and 20 million illegal aliens who they are hoping to grant citizenship to.

Transgender Crimes Transgender people have an extremely high rate of mental illness, 146 so it should be expected that they also have a high rate of crime. But because they’re part of a legally “protected class” and liberals see them as having achieved the next phase in human evolution, the media always ignores the dangers they pose to society. While their crimes may be reported briefly in local outlets where they occurred, the national conversation regarding transgender people is always framed as if they are amazing and special people who are being treated unfairly by society because they are different. A 30-year-old transgender “woman” in Wyoming was convicted of raping a ten-year-old girl in a bathroom in 2017 but nobody really heard about this story except for maybe some locals. 147 Another transgender “woman” sexually assaulted a ten-year-old girl in a grocery store bathroom in Scotland but avoided jail and was just given community service. 148 A 52-year-old transgender “woman” was arrested for raping (an actual) woman in 2016 and then once placed in a female jail “she” sexually assaulted four female prisoners within the first few days. 149 This story spread through social media because people found it so disturbing, but some were in denial and thought it was a hoax, causing Snopes to post an article asking “Did a Male Rapist Who Identifies as Female Transfer to a Women’s Jail and Assault Female Inmates?” and rated the claim “True.” 150 In March 2019 a black transgender “woman” in New York was arrested for hate crimes after targeting random white women walking along the sidewalk near subway stations in Harlem and the Upper West Side and spraying them in the face with pepper spray. Police believe 37-year-old

Thomas Herd, a black man who identifies as a woman, was behind almost a dozen other similar attacks in the area. 151 A transgender “woman” in Sydney, Australia was captured on surveillance cameras inside a 7-Eleven walking into the convenience store in January 2019 with an ax, and then randomly smashing two customers in the face after getting upset about a bad Tinder date. 152 In 2015, a 30-year-old man dressed as a woman was arrested for secretly videotaping women in a mall’s bathroom in Virginia. 153 A 37-yearold man in Toronto was arrested after he claimed to be a transgender “woman” and was allowed inside a women’s shelter, where he then assaulted four women. 154 These are just a few of many examples. Aside from ignoring the transgender Peeping Toms, rapes, and hate crimes that transgender “women” commit, the liberal media also ignores the rapes that gay men commit, and try to portray rape as something that only a man does to a woman, but the reality is that gay men raping other men occurs far more frequently than people know, particularly in the U.S. military since Barack Obama lifted the ban on gays being allowed in. 155

Black Crime The liberal media always portrays black people as being “racially profiled” by police and cite figures about black people being arrested at exponentially higher rates than whites as some kind of “proof” that the police are racist, but the reality is that black people per capita commit significantly more violent crimes than whites, so it only makes sense that they would get arrested more! Since liberals don’t know anything about math, when you mention that black men commit murder at approximately ten times the average of whites, they may lookup the statistics and claim that’s not true, but they are only

comparing the total number of murders committed by whites to the total number committed by blacks, and don’t factor in that blacks are only about 14% of the U.S. population. 156 The figures are per capita , meaning the average per person, and since less than 20% of murders in Chicago are actually solved, 157 the number of murders committed by black people is likely much higher than the FBI and Department of Justice records show, which again, reveal that black people commit murder at close to ten times the average of whites. Not twice as many per capita, or three times as many—ten times , or 1000% more murders per capita! Unfortunately many black Americans have embraced the identity of a thug, and see gangster rappers as role models, and view going to jail as a badge of honor. Local TV news in Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Baltimore cover the day’s murders, stabbings, and robberies for a few minutes each night, and it’s almost the same story the next night, and the night after that, but the black crime problem in America is never addressed as part of our national discussion. Memorial Day weekend of 2016 in Chicago ended with 69 people shot, every one of them from black on black crime. 158 And while the story may have gotten a fifteen second segment on some of the national broadcast news networks, the horrifying weekend was forgotten by the next day. There was no CNN Town Hall special to discuss the violence problem there. No endless panelists brought on air to discuss it with Anderson Cooper or Don Lemon. It’s like it never even happened. The following year 52 people were shot in Chicago over the same holiday weekend. 159 36 people were shot the year after that over Memorial Day weekend. 160 All black victims and black perpetrators. Over the Fourth

of July holiday and Labor Day weekends the same thing happens every year. It’s total carnage in the black communities in Chicago. It’s especially sad that the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement was built upon a foundation of lies. The list of armed and dangerous perpetrators justly shot and killed by police and then labeled “victims” of “police brutality” is long. In fact, convicted cop killer Assata Shakur, who fled to Cuba which granted her “political asylum,” is considered to be an inspiration for starting the Black Lives Matter movement. 161 She was a member of the domestic terrorist organization the Black Liberation Army which stated their goal was to wage war against the United States government, and they carried out a series of bombings and assassinations of police officers in the 1970s. 162 Many Black Lives Matter supporters carried on the philosophy of the Black Liberation Army and see themselves in a war against police. During their marches they would sometimes chant “What do we want? Dead cops! When do we want them? Now!” 163 In June 2015 two black men were arrested for plotting to blow up a police station in Ferguson, Missouri to get revenge for an officer shooting Michael Brown (after Brown attacked him and tried to take his gun). 164 In July 2016 a black man ambushed a group of police officers during a Black Lives Matter march in Dallas, Texas, killing five of them and injuring nine others. 165 In 2017 when groups of black youth were robbing people of their cellphones at a train station in San Francisco, police refused to release security footage of the crimes “to avoid racial stereotypes.” 166 Debora Allen, who works for the Department of Transportation, gave an interview with the local news and explained the police told her that, “To release these videos would create a high level of racially insensitive commentary toward the district. And in addition it would create a racial bias in the riders against

minorities on the trains.” 167 Police wouldn’t release video footage of the perpetrators because they were concerned it would make black people look bad! The media regularly tries to ignore or downplay most instances of antiwhite hate crimes committed by black people. For example, after a black man walked into a predominately white church in Nashville, Tennessee in 2017 and opened fired, killing one woman and wounding seven others, a judge sealed most of the evidence for almost two years, and then during the trial it was revealed, as many had suspected, that he specifically went there to kill white people. 168 Meanwhile, if you’re concerned about white farmers being murdered in South Africa by the racist mobs of blacks who believe it’s their rightful land, you are called a racist conspiracy theorist for promoting what the Liberal Media Industrial Complex calls the “white genocide conspiracy theory.” 169 In recent years, white farmers in South Africa (called the Boers) have been facing persecution by vicious black gangs who raid their homes and slaughter them to get “revenge” against the “imperialists” who benefited from the Apartheid. 170 And God forbid you point out the anti-white hate crimes that occur in the United States at the hands of disgruntled blacks who blame white people for all of their personal and cultural failures. That’s a guaranteed way to get labeled a “white supremacist.”

Fake Hate Crimes Since a large part of our culture has come to celebrate victimhood instead of personal achievement, we have seen a staggering increase in the number of hate crime hoaxes where mostly black people, gays, Muslims, and Jews report fake hate crimes to the police after vandalizing their own

property with racial slurs, or claim they were physically attacked by some evil white people. The initial reports air on local and national news and go viral on social media, sparking outrage at the “racist” white people and “Trump supporters” who allegedly keep carrying out these attacks. But oftentimes when police get involved and interview the “victim” and gather evidence, the supposed “hate crime” turns out to be a hoax and it’s quietly forgotten about. Just after the 2016 election an 18-year-old Muslim woman in New York claimed that Trump supporters harassed her on the subway, chanting “Trump!” while trying to steal her hijab, but after police launched their investigation she was arrested for making the whole story up in an attempt to distract her father from the fact that she had been out getting drunk with her friends that night. 171 A Muslim student at the University of Texas-Arlington said she was threatened at gunpoint by a group of white men in a pickup truck only to later admit she fabricated the whole story too. 172 Hate crime hoaxes are a specialty in LGBT communities and have been used to further their cause and gain sympathy for years, and in some cases defame a neighbor they’re feuding with. 173 Since LGBT people are treated like an endangered species by the liberal media, every time a claim is made that one of them has been harassed, assaulted, or had their property vandalized with anti-gay “slurs,” the activist media is more than happy to amplify their claims. But when the police discover, as they often do, that the “victim” made the whole thing up, the story is dropped like a hot potato and the media just moves on to cover something else. For example, after a transgender “man” who was a prominent LGBT “rights” activist in Michigan had “his” home burned down, killing five pets, the FBI investigated it as a hate crime and the incident was used as leverage by the “man” to help pass a local ordinance that prohibited the

discrimination of gays, but authorities later arrested “him” for the crime and said the motive was to create publicity to help pass more gay “rights” legislation. 174 It seems every “protected” group engages in these kinds of false flags. A Jewish freshman at George Washington University reported someone had drawn swastikas on her dorm room door, but a security camera actually captured her doing it. 175 At the same school another student posted a swastika on a community bulletin board that belonged to a Jewish fraternity and it was later discovered that the perpetrator, a Jew, was a member of that same fraternity. 176 An African American community center in Seattle was vandalized with racist graffiti including “Nigger Babies” and “Vote Trump,” and as you can guess, an African American was arrested for the crime. 177 A 44-year-old black man in Colorado was arrested after it was discovered he was the one who hung racist flyers outside of a predominantly black church that caused the local community to be understandably outraged. 178 A black man reported that while his car was parked near Kansas State University it had been vandalized by someone painting “Go home nigger boy” on it. A photo of the damage went viral on social media only to later be exposed as another false flag and the man admitted that he defaced his own car and filed a false police report. 179 The FBI was even brought in to help investigate the case, which turned out to be another hoax. The following year a black student at the same school posted a photo of a note on his Twitter account that he claimed had been put on the door of his apartment, reading “Beware Niggers Live Here!!!” But when the police got involved he admitted that he made the note and put it there himself. 180

And of course the most popular hate crime hoax in decades involves actor Jussie Smollett, who claimed that two men wearing MAGA hats attacked him in the streets of Chicago in subzero weather and tied a noose around his neck, poured bleach on him, and yelled “This is MAGA country, nigger.” His story was so absurd that many were skeptical from the start, and as the investigation went on, police discovered he staged the whole thing hoping to become a social justice hero. 181 Aside from a lot of fake hate crimes being fabricated by black people, they also hallucinate that there are hate crimes committed against them. The black mayor of a small South Carolina town called police thinking she was the victim of a hate crime after she found a “yellow, sticky substance” covering her car in March 2019 which was parked in the driveway of her home. She assumed someone had spray-painted it, but police investigated and discovered it was just pollen. 182 Black college students at the University of Mississippi freaked out when someone saw a banana peel hanging over a tree branch outside a cabin at a fraternity’s weekend retreat. It caused such a concern that the retreat was canceled because some black students were afraid it was meant as a warning or to harass them, but it turns out a student who had finished eating the banana hung it on the tree because there were no garbage cans nearby and he didn’t want to just throw it on the ground where someone may end up stepping (or slipping) on it. 183 The list of recent hate crime hoaxes from “protected groups” like gays, lesbians, and black people could fill an entire book. 184 If you want to learn more about the issue there’s a whole chapter in my previous book, The True Story of Fake News which details these kinds of incidents.

Good News Ignored

Aside from burying bad news that will cause audiences to question the liberal narrative of how the world works, the Liberal Media Industrial Complex also ignores good news that undermines the agenda they’re trying to push. If it’s not completely ignored, it might be mentioned for 15 or 30 seconds on the broadcast news or published in newspapers or online articles but won’t be included in the lengthy discussions on cable news or the weekend talk shows like Meet the Press (NBC), Face the Nation (CBS), or This Week (ABC). Good news about President Trump is just a tiny blip on the radar, and then drowned out by the endless whining and moaning about minor issues and pundits’ latest paranoid delusions about what Trump “may do.” Despite reporting that if Donald Trump won the 2016 election the stock market would tank, it has skyrocketed largely in part due to him repealing countless burdensome business regulations and scrapping various awful trade deals previous administrations had gotten us into such as the Trans Pacific Partnership and NAFTA. In the first two years of his presidency the S&P 500 rose 28% 185 The Dow Jones Industrial Average later reached a record high, closing above 27,000 for the first time ever. 186 Black unemployment hit an all-time record low in May 2018 of just 5.9 percent. 187 In Trump’s first two years as president he was able to do more for African American communities than Barack Obama did in eight. Hispanic unemployment has fallen to its lowest level on record, down to 4.8%. 188 The unemployment rate for veterans also fell to an all-time low as well. 189 The average unemployment rate for the country dropped to 3.7% in October 2018, the lowest in almost 50 years. 190 The average American’s salary is also increasing at record rates. 191 President Trump signed the Veterans Affairs Choice program to dramatically speed up the amount of time that it takes U.S. veterans to get

their healthcare claims processed by enabling them to use private doctors and health care facilities instead of just the government-run VA hospitals. 192 The VA, like the DMV, the Post Office, and almost every other government-run program, was a disaster and it had taken months for veterans to see doctors and get the treatment they need. Trump’s reforms were a much-needed and long-overdue upgrade to how our veterans are taken care of. When Trump first took office ISIS controlled about 20,000 square miles of territory in Iraq and Syria, which contained a population of several million people. 193 However a year later they were driven out of their last outpost in Syria, crippling their organization and expelling them from their “Islamic State.” 194 While there are many Muslims in the Middle East who still adhere to the radical Islamic ideology of ISIS, they lost their territory and precious caliphate under President Trump. The ABC Nightly News spent literally 18 seconds on the story the day the Department of Defense announced the news that ISIS’ once planned Islamic State had fallen. 195 The CBS Evening New s spent one minute and twenty three seconds on the event. 196 Admitting that, despite his abrasive style and personality flaws, President Trump’s policies have been great for America is the last thing the Establishment will do. Instead they are trying to misdirect people’s attention and occupy their minds with issues of little significance and artificial controversies they drum up to smear him.

The War on Trump Because politicians on the Left and the Right have been screwing us over for years and using the mechanisms of government to fulfill their own selfish desires for power and wealth, the election of Donald Trump shook

the very foundation of the Washington D.C. Establishment. The lifelong bureaucrats knew the gravy train was going to come to a halt. For decades millions of Americans had felt a businessman, not a politician, would be the only one who could begin to fix the broken system—and the opportunity had finally come. Trump’s arrival to Washington was like parents who came home early from a long vacation, and now the kids (who were running around unsupervised breaking the rules) have to end the party and be held accountable for their actions. In 1988 on Oprah Winfrey’s show he was asked if he would ever run for president and he responded probably not, but added that he wouldn’t rule it out in the future because he was tired of seeing what’s happening in America. 197 And that’s why he thought about running in 2012, but felt his sons needed a few more years of experience before they were ready to take over the family business. In 2016 he felt it was the right time, and the rest is history, but the Establishment immediately struck back because they needed to destroy him before he started cleaning up the mess that decades of corruption had created. He was the ultimate roadblock to their globalist agenda, and longawaited New World Order. They were so upset about Trump’s victory they counterattacked by kicking off the “fake news” scare hoping to regain control of the flow of information. The Big Tech companies then started changing their algorithms and suppressing posts about certain topics and artificially favoring content from “authoritative” [liberal] mainstream sources. Even Tim Berners-Lee, the “founder of the World Wide Web” and the man who basically created HTML, said, “[People] are all stepping back, suddenly horrified after the Trump and Brexit elections, realizing that this web thing that they thought was that cool is actually not necessarily serving humanity very well.” 198

Nonstop Negative Coverage They began fabricating fake stories like the supermarket tabloids that invent scandals based on their own imaginations to smear President Trump and keep him constantly on the defense. “Our source says” and “if true” are littered throughout reports that endlessly speculate about Trump being engaged in a massive conspiracy to steal the election and work as a Russian “Manchurian candidate.” Nothing President Trump does is good in the eyes of the mainstream media. Everything he says is twisted and taken out of context in order to paint him as an incompetent racist who is destroying America. Journalist critic Anthony Brandt once said, “Members of the press sometimes print gossip as truth, disregard the impact they have on people’s lives, and are ready to believe the worst about people because the worst sells…We in the media have much to answer for.” 199 The week President Trump was inaugurated, Democrat operative David Brock, founder of Media Matters, a Leftist “media watchdog group,” launched a new plan to “kick Donald Trump’s ass” which included handing out a 50-page document marked “private and confidential” that outlined how they were going to use their resources to push for impeachment, bog down his administration by continuously filing lawsuits, and use their new proxy “media outlet” Shareblue to attack conservative media personalities and harass their advertisers to pull out. 200 The city of West Hollywood even voted to remove Donald Trump’s star from the Walk of Fame. “Earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is an honor,” the mayor said. “When one belittles and attacks minorities, immigrants, Muslims, people with disabilities or women — the honor no longer exists.” 201 The city has no problem with accused underage

sexual predator Kevin Spacey having a star, or convicted rapist Bill Cosby, or accused pedophile Michael Jackson. But they were determined to have Trump’s removed. So far, the star remains, since the Walk of Fame is considered a historic landmark and run by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce which said “as of now” they have no plans to remove it. 202 A Pew Research study found that the media’s coverage of President Trump’s first 60 days in office was three times more negative than that of President Obama. 203 Even NPR admitted, “Compared to other recent presidents, news reports about President Trump have been more focused on his personality than his policy, and are more likely to carry negative assessments of his actions.” 204 Another study from the Media Research Center showed that 89% of the broadcast news reports from President Trump’s first 100 days in office were negative. 205 Newsbusters, a website run by the Media Research Group, declared 2017 “The year the news media went to war against a president.” 206

A poll by Politico showed that 46% of Americans believe the media just makes up fake stories about President Trump. 207 And ethics scholar John Hulteng previously warned, “It may be well that if journalism loses touch with ethical values, it will then cease to be of use to society, and cease to have any real reason for being.” 208 But unfortunately that ship sailed a long time ago.

“He’ll Crash the Economy” Just a few weeks before the 2016 election, CNN reported that, “A Trump win would sink stocks.” 209 Politico said that, “Wall Street is set up for a major crash if Donald Trump shocks the world on Election Day and wins the White House.” 210 CNBC warned that, “it probably won’t be a

pretty picture for stocks if he does.” 211 New York Times economist Paul Krugman wrote a column the day after the 2016 election saying, “So we are very probably looking at a global recession, with no end in sight,” adding that, “a terrible thing has just happened.” 212 Instead, the stock market kept reaching all-time highs, 213 black unemployment soon reached the lowest in history, 214 and countless Americans were getting bonuses and taking more money home each week in their paychecks because of his new tax reforms, 215 but still the liberal media kept nitpicking every little thing he did or said, trying to spin it as if it was the end of the world. People’s tax refunds were technically “lower” under Trump’s new tax code because less money was being taken out of their paychecks; money that would have been returned to them once they filed their taxes at the end of the year. Headlines from NBC News read, “Under new Trump tax code, average refund is 8.4 percent smaller,” and they reported, “Frustrated taxpayers are using the hashtag #GOPTaxScam to vent about their smaller than expected tax refunds.” 216 All the major news outlets piled on with similar reports, but this was only half of the story. The other half would put things into perspective. An executive at the Tax Foundation, a think tank that studies U.S. tax policies, told a New Jersey PBS station, “What the Treasury Department did is they adjusted the amount of taxes that were withheld from your paycheck every time you got paid, say every two or three weeks. And so you actually saw a little bit more in every paycheck in terms of less taxes withheld, but that means your refund at the end of the year might be a bit smaller than you actually expected.” 217 Why would you want to give the government more money than is required each paycheck and then wait until the end of the year to get it

back? Taking less money from each paycheck is much more efficient, but since many people are too dumb to grasp this simple concept the media spun the news about lower refunds as if people were somehow having to pay more taxes to the government, when the complete opposite is true!

“Trump is Hitler” We’ve never seen the American media be so slanderous, vicious, and dangerous when reporting on a president. They sound worse than a raving lunatic you would find standing in the streets ranting about the end of the world. CNN and MSNBC hosts regularly say that President Trump is acting like a dictator and often compare him to Adolf Hitler. Not even in the months and years after the weapons of mass destruction hoax fell apart did the liberal media stoop so low when criticizing President George W. Bush for the disaster that the Iraq War had become. Just two days after Donald Trump was inaugurated, CNN’s Brian Stelter gave the impression that the country had just been hijacked by a dictator. “These are uncomfortable questions, especially these last ones, but it’s time to ask them,” he began. “Do citizens in dictatorships recognize what’s happening right here, right now? Are they looking at the first two days of the Trump administration and saying, ‘that’s what my leader does.’ What should we learn from them today?” 218 Don Lemon opened his broadcast one night by declaring “This is CNN Tonight. I’m Don Lemon. The President of the United States is racist,” 219 and often insinuates the President supports neo-Nazis and could become the next Hitler. 220 In response to Trump’s speech at CPAC 2019 where he highlighted his America First agenda, CNN analyst Sam Vinograd said she felt “sick” after hearing it, because Trump talking about “preserving our heritage” to her,

“sounds a lot like a certain leader that killed members of my family, and about six million other Jews in the 1940s.” 221 Another CNN panelist said that President Trump has radicalized more people than ISIS ever did. 222 The New York Daily News ran a headline reading, “Trump, Not ISIS is America’s Greatest Existential Threat,” and went on to say “This is not some bit of clickbait,” and claimed, “Trump can wreak far more havoc on America, its vaunted institutions and its people than a terror group on the other side of the world.” 223 Keith Olbermann later said that Donald Trump and his family have done more damage to America than Osama Bin Laden and ISIS combined. 224 MSNBC’s Donny Deutsch has said Trump is a dictator on several occasions and people need to hit the streets and start a “revolution” to overthrow him. 225 Fellow MSNBC host Christ Matthews even compares Ivanka Trump and her husband Jered Kushner to Saddam Hussein’s two murderous sons, Uday and Qusay. 226 In his commentary about President Trump’s inauguration speech Matthews said it sounded “Hitlerian.” 227 Just before the 2018 midterms an MSNBC legal analyst hoping the Democrats would take back control of the House and the Senate said, “We’re going to see if this reign—that [Republicans] now have control over all three branches of government—we’re going to see if this reign lasts for 30 days or two years, or a thousand-year Reich.” 228 The “thousand-yearReich” was the Nazi’s name for their planned global empire. In the past, if an unhinged guest on cable news would make such outrageous statements they would never be invited back and the host would apologize for their behavior, but it is a common occurrence in the Trump era to compare him to Hitler, and it’s not just guests who aren’t affiliated with the networks, it’s people on the payroll, from regular contributors, to the hosts themselves!

Calls to Assassinate Trump The endless streams of fake news painting President Trump as a Russian agent or the reincarnation of Hitler have incited countless unhinged whack jobs to publicly make assassination threats against him on social media. 229 There have also been numerous arrests of individuals who have made such threats (and taken specific action towards their goal), but the vast majority of them go unpunished. Just a few weeks before he was elected, a Secret Service agent said she wouldn’t protect Donald Trump if someone tried to assassinate him. 230 After word spread of her treasonous statements she was forced to retire. The New York Times even published several fictional stories by various novelists imagining how the Mueller investigation may end, and one of them depicted President Trump getting assassinated with the help of a Secret Service agent. 231 The anti-Trump mania has even resulted in numerous high-profile celebrities uttering threats of violence or wishing violence against him. Madonna famously declared she “thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House,” but that was just the beginning. Johnny Depp asked an audience, “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?” answering, “it’s been awhile and maybe it’s time,” referring to John Wilkes Booth (who was an actor) killing Abraham Lincoln. 232 Jim Carrey said he had a dream about killing President Trump with a golf club. 233 Mickey Rourke said he wanted to beat him with a baseball bat. 234 And Robert Di Niro said he wants to “punch him in the face.” 235 Rapper Big Sean did a free style on a popular radio show about how he wanted to “murder Trump.” 236 Snoop Dogg released a rap video depicting himself shooting Donald Trump in the head. 237 Marilyn Manson made a

video titled “Say 10” (a play on words to sound like “Satan”) which depicted him decapitating Donald Trump with a large knife. 238 Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong shouted “Kill Donald Trump!” at one point when performing the song “American Idiot” at a concert in Oakland, California. 239 And of course Kathy Griffin posted that infamous photo of herself holding Trump’s bloody decapitated head. 240 Never before have there been so many threats to assassinate a president of the United States, and it’s utterly shocking to see that there have been little to no repercussions for the high profile celebrities who have done so. Previously such reckless and dangerous statements would completely end someone’s career and gotten their movies and music pulled from store shelves and streaming services, but today these celebrities have been mostly immune from any consequences.

The Red Scare The Democrat conspiracy theory that Donald Trump “colluded” with Russians to “steal” the 2016 election caused the greatest case of mass hysteria in America since the Salem witch trials. As you know it completely consumed the news cycle for over two years, and every night the speculation and imagination about “what really happened” got more and more out of control. “Donald Trump now sits at the threshold of impeachment,” MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell once declared with glee. 241 “The worst case scenario that the president is a foreign agent suddenly feels very palpable,” Rachel Maddow concluded one night. 242 He was certainly going to not only be impeached, but led out of the White House in handcuffs for committing “treason” and “undermining our Democracy,” they thought. Those who hadn’t succumbed to the madness were skeptical of these wild allegations from the start, and when the

“bombshell” reports kept turning out to be completely false, the mainstream media became increasingly discredited and desperate. Alan Dershowitz, a rare liberal who still maintained his sanity though all of this, summed it up pretty well when he said that “hope over reality” fueled their delusions. 243 When the Robert Mueller investigation finally cleared Trump and everyone connected to him of conspiring with the Russians in any way, the Democrats and their mouth pieces in the media still couldn’t admit they were wrong (and completely insane), and instead kept concocting new conspiracy theories about a “cover-up.” Since they took control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm election, they kept “investigating” Trump’s business records trying to find “something.” As President Trump once noted, “If it was the goal of Russia to create discord, disruption and chaos within the U.S. then, with all of the Committee Hearings, investigations and party hatred, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They are laughing their asses off in Moscow.” 244

LGBT “Rights” President Trump supports gay “marriage” unlike every previous Republican president (and all Democrat presidents too, except for Obama when he flip-flopped during his second term). But the media still portrays Trump as anti-gay. At a campaign event before he was elected, Donald Trump held up a big gay pride rainbow flag and waved it around stage after seeing someone in the audience holding it. 245 He even said Caitlyn Jenner can use whatever bathroom “she” wants to in Trump Tower. 246 But the radical LGBT activists are still convinced that he “hates” gay people because the mainstream media ignores his pro-LGBT positions.

After President Trump announced a plan to work with the United Nations to prevent countries from enforcing laws banning homosexuality, Out Magazine , a popular American gay publication, attacked him, publishing a story titled, “Trump’s Plan to Decriminalize Homosexuality Is an Old Racist Tactic,” and claimed, “The Trump administration is set to launch a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality in dozens of nations where anti-gay laws are still on the books,” which you would think they would be happy about, but they denounced the move, saying, “Rather than actually being about helping queer people around the world, the campaign looks more like another instance of the right using queer people as a pawn to amass power and enact its own agenda.” 247 You can’t make these lunatics happy!

They Sided with North Korea The liberal media hates Trump so bad, they basically sided with North Korea out of spite when President Trump was trying to help broker peace between the North and the South. When he was trying to incentivize Kim Jong Un to dismantle his nuclear program, NBC News complained about it, reporting that, “Trump’s North Korea policy could trigger famine,” because of new sanctions he threatened to put in place if they didn’t comply with the U.S. demands. 248 How else was he supposed to apply pressure to them without launching a full-out war? Applying sanctions to cutoff imports is a basic tactic when dealing with rogue regimes! Comedian Michelle Wolf (who had recently bombed at the White House Correspondents Dinner) polled her Netflix audience, asking them, “Are you sort of hoping we don’t get peace with North Korea so you wouldn’t have to give Trump credit?” and 71% agreed that they didn’t want

peace in North Korea because it would make President Trump look good. 249

When Michael Moore was talking with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, the cable news host admitted that he was “genuinely rooting for him to handle the Korean situation well,” at which point Michael Moore cut him off and replied, “I don’t know if I agree with that.” A stunned Hayes responded, “You’re not rooting for him to deal with North Korea well?!” Michael Moore continued his explanation with a ridiculous analogy trying to justify his hope that President Trump fails at helping negotiate a peaceful resolution between North and South Korea. 250 The two countries joined together during the 2018 Winter Olympics to form a unified Korean hockey team which was an incredible sign that relations were improving. Kim Jong Un later crossed over the DMZ (demilitarized zone—the border between the North and South) to meet personally with the leader of South Korea, marking the first time leaders of the two countries had met since Korea split apart after World War II. 251 Families have been allowed to reunite with each other for the first time since the separation, and President Trump himself was invited to step over the DMZ where he was greeted by Kim Jong Un in a historic moment giving more hope for peace in the region, but Trump doesn’t get any credit for that, and the media kept claiming his tactics were going to start World War Three.

Trump Derangement Syndrome Conservatives began joking about liberals being afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome when it became obvious that they weren’t able to cope with the fact that he is the president, but as time went on many psychologists said they were actually treating patients for what they called

Trump Anxiety Disorder. 252 A therapist at the Washington D.C. Counseling and Psychotherapy Center admitted that they were getting a lot of patients who had anxiety, fear, and hopelessness about the Trump administration. 253 The shock on election night 2016 when Hillary Clinton lost was like nothing the country had ever seen. Reporters couldn’t hold back their horror and Democrats across the country were in tears, but after a week the shock still hadn’t worn off. And then a month went by and they were still in denial that Trump was going to be our next president and were getting increasingly distraught. But the months dragged on, and then it was a year, and then two years since he won the election, and instead of gaining their composure and getting back to business, they continued to get more unhinged with every passing week. When a New York Times reporter was asked about why Hillary Clinton wrote her What Happened book, she responded, “I think that the intention of the book was two things. One, it was to really, I think, just to vent and get it out there because there are so many people like Hillary Clinton who are still writing about this, who are still thinking about this, who are still in therapy frankly, sources that I know who are still really upset about the election.” 254 In therapy! On the one-year anniversary of the 2016 election, anti-Trump protesters gathered in Boston to “scream helplessly at the sky.” 255 Over 4000 people RSVP’d to the event on Facebook which was literally titled, “Scream helplessly at the sky on the anniversary of the election,” and hundreds of them actually showed up and did just that! 256 Rosie O’Donnell later admitted that she had been seeing a therapist and it took her a year to be able to compose herself enough to go out into public again. 257 Chelsea Handler also opened up a few years after the election and admitted she too had been seeing a psychiatrist because she had a “mid-life

identity crisis once Trump won the election.” 258 Model Chrissy Teigen, who’s married to singer John Legend, admitted that she asked her doctor to up her medication because Trump was causing her “crippling anxiety” and had to get a Botox injection in her jaw to relieve tension because she kept grinding her teeth, which she blames Trump for. 259 Since Democrats always project, meaning they imagine others doing what they themselves are doing, they started saying that President Trump was “mentally unfit” for office, and kept floating around the idea that the 25th Amendment could soon be enacted to remove him. But to actually invoke the 25th Amendment and get him removed it would take the vice president, his entire cabinet, and two-thirds of both the House and the Senate to achieve it. Democrats are so delusional that they are regularly accusing the president of being crazy, while being completely unaware of the irony of their own activities. One MSNBC guest even said that President Trump’s strong warnings to North Korea were the result of him having, “profound sexual and masculine insecurities” that “are literally threatening to annihilate the planet.” 260 Shortly before he died, Stephen Hawking warned that since President Trump is not very concerned about man-made global warming he may, “push the Earth over the brink, to become like Venus, with a temperature of 250 degrees, and raining sulfuric acid.” 261 One way liberals regularly vent their hatred of President Trump is by obsessively replying to his tweets, and it’s become a game for them to see who can reply first and whose reply can get the most “likes.” Some Twitter activists, like the odd Krassenstein brothers whose obsession with trolling President Trump’s tweets have become “Twitter famous.” (They were later banned for allegedly using fake accounts to artificially amplify their tweets). 262

As one writer in the London Guardian pointed out, it appears that liberals “worst nightmare” is actually a successful Donald Trump presidency. 263 The mainstream media would have to admit that they were wrong about everything and had been stringing along their audience for years under the false pretense that they were reporting news, when in reality they were just throwing an endless temper tantrum and lost every ounce of their integrity.

The War on Trump Supporters The oldest trick in the Democrats’ playbook is to call Republicans racist. When the Tea Party movement emerged in 2009 as a response to Barack Obama’s massive government expansion and increasing taxes, supporters were smeared as a bunch of old racist white people. The same tactic has been deployed against popular social media personalities today who have built up large followings in recent years and are often smeared as members of the alt-right in attempts to derail their careers and get their accounts shut down. Online media outlets and self-proclaimed journalists on Twitter often call conservatives Nazis and alt-right even if they’re Jewish! Laura Loomer (who is Jewish) has been smeared as a member of the white nationalist “altright” 264 As has Trump advisor Stephen Miller, who is also Jewish. 265 And even Ben Shapiro, a devout Orthodox Jew who wears a yarmulke in every one of his public appearances, is considered to be a member of the alt-right by these morons. 266 Instead of defending conservative Jews smeared by the liberal media, Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Jewish ADL [AntiDefamation League], adds fuel to the fire by saying that the words “caravan,” and “open borders” are “literally white supremacist phrases.” 267

Alex Jones has been called an “alt-right” radio host by Forbes magazine, which you would think would be a credible publication. 268 YouTuber Steven Crowder was smeared by Newsweek as becoming popular by “touting an alt-right ideology.” 269 And immediately after Trump won the 2016 election various outlets defamed me with the same smear, even though I had never expressed any support whatsoever for white nationalism and am just an ordinary Constitutional Conservative. Several publications issued retractions or removed my name from such articles after I sent them cease and desist notices. 270 Psychology Today published an article titled, “An Analysis of Trump Supporters Has Identified 5 Key Traits,” and said we have “Authoritarian Personality Syndrome, social dominance orientation, prejudice, lack of intergroup contact (contact with minorities), and relative deprivation.” 271 Actor Rob Reiner (who played “Meathead” in the 1970s show All in the Family ) told MSNBC that “20 to 30 percent” of Trump supporters “are hardcore racists.” 272 And guests on MSNBC and CNN often declare that a huge number of Donald Trump supporters are white nationalists and only support building the wall to “keep the brown people out.” 273 Don’t forget the mainstream media’s vicious smears against Nick Sandmann, the high school student from Covington Catholic who was pestered by an old Native American man who beat a drum in the kid’s face when he and his classmates were visiting Washington D.C. on a school trip. CNN then declared that MAGA hats “have become a potent symbol of racism.” 274 Sandmann then filed lawsuits against the Washington Post, CNN, and NBC for $250 million dollars each for defamation. 275 A reporter that CNN gave their “Journalist of the Year” award to was later fired in disgrace after it was discovered he had fabricated numerous stories including claiming he saw a “Mexicans Keep Out” sign at the city

limit of a small Minnesota town when he was reporting “from Trump country.” 276 The Daily Beast published an article just before the 2019 Super Bowl titled, “Tom Brady’s New England Patriots Are Team MAGA, Whether They Like It or Not,” and declared, “Their star quarterback, coach, and owner all supported Trump,” and then called them “the preferred team of white nationalists.” 277 It went on to attack quarterback Tom Brady because he was pictured previously with a MAGA hat in his locker which the Daily Beast says is, “a symbol of white nationalism in America.” 278 The article concluded that the Patriots “are the official team of American White Nationalism” and “When you root for the Patriots, you are associating yourself with a virulent and revolting strain of politics that seeks to Make America Great Again—which is to say, white, European, Englishspeaking.” 279 It also said the Covington Catholic kids are “entitled little shits being racist.” CNN is so despicable they even sent a reporter to an elderly woman’s home to confront her about sharing something on Facebook that had allegedly been originally posted by a Russian troll farm. 280 She was ambushed while doing yard work in the front of her home and had a microphone stuck in her face and was accused of being a pawn of the Russians. The woman, who is 76-years-old, said after CNN aired the segment confronting her she was relentlessly harassed online and her phone rang off the hook from strangers calling her. 281

Denial of Basic Services An increasing number of reports keep circulating about instances where people wearing red MAGA hats have been kicked out of bars and restaurants for just wearing the hats. After attending a Trump rally in

Richmond, Virginia during the summer of 2016 a family stopped into a local Cook Out burger joint for lunch but were turned away by staff because they were wearing Trump t-shirts and hats. 282 After a man wearing his MAGA hat was kicked out of a bar in New York City, he sued the owner for discrimination, but a judge threw out the lawsuit. 283 A 9-year-old boy in California who is a big fan of the President wanted a Trump birthday cake, but his mother said she couldn’t find a bakery that would make one for him. 284 Gays want bakeries sued into bankruptcy if they refuse to bake a special cake for a gay “wedding” but think it’s okay for them to deny service to Trump supporters. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee and her family were kicked out of a restaurant in Lexington, Virginia after the owner recognized her and made them leave. When word of the incident spread, liberals celebrated it. The Washington Post even ran a headline saying, “Chasing White House officials out of restaurants is the right thing to do.” 285 Congresswoman Maxine Waters then encouraged more harassment, saying, “If you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd, and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.” 286 Soon after this, activist Laura Loomer confronted Maxine Waters in the halls of the Capitol on camera, asking her, “Where can a conservative eat at a restaurant in D.C.? Do you think it’s civil to call for the harassment? Are we supposed to sit at the back of the bus?” 287 Maxine scurried away to a “members only” elevator in shock from getting a taste of her own medicine. The Boston Globe published an op-ed that began describing how one of the writer’s “biggest regrets” of his life was not pissing in political commentator Bill Kristol’s food when he ate at a restaurant the writer

worked at. He went on to urge people to tamper with Trump supporters’ food by doing what he was afraid to do, saying members of the Trump administration “have to eat,” and while the person may lose their job, (tampering with someone’s food is actually a crime) “you’d be serving America,” he said. “And you won’t have any regrets years later.” 288 The Boston Globe actually published this filth, but after a growing backlash changed parts of the op-ed and added a note saying, “A version of this column as originally published did not meet Globe standards and has been changed. The Globe regrets the previous tone of the piece.” 289 Even with the alterations, the title was, “Keep Kirstjen Nielsen unemployed and eating Grubhub over her kitchen sink,” and the overall message of the piece was still that people should run members of the Trump administration out of any restaurant they’re seen in. After growing shock and outrage that a major paper would publish such garbage, the Globe later deleted the article. 290

The Left Encouraging Violence In the Trump era political rhetoric from the Left has sunk to levels never before seen in modern American history. Not only are they insistent on smearing all Trump supporters as racists, but they are encouraging people to physically attack anyone seen wearing a MAGA hat in public. During the 2016 election season many peaceful Trump supporters were assaulted as they were leaving events by rabid protesters who had gathered outside. At a San Jose rally one woman was pelted with eggs and water balloons by an angry mob and others were punched and hit with bottles as they left. 291 After a 16-year-old Trump supporter was assaulted in a Whataburger fast food joint by having a drink thrown on him and had his MAGA stolen, CNN’s Marc Lamont Hill said, “I actually don’t advocate throwing drinks

on people. Not at all. But yes, I think MAGA hats (deliberately) reflect a movement that conjures racism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. So yes, it’s a little harder to feel sympathy when someone gets Coca Cola thrown on him.” 292 Vox’s Carlos Maza encouraged assaulting right-wing figures as well, and hopes to make them “dread” being in public. 293 Breitbart News compiled a list of violent acts against Trump supporters and detailed mainstream media reporters and pundits who approved of them and counted 639 incidents between September 2015 and November 2018. 294

Just wearing a red MAGA hat in public can put you in danger of getting assaulted by some random lunatic who happens to see it. An MSNBC host even said wearing one is “an invitation for confrontation” and considers them “the modern day version of the Confederate battle flag.” 295 The Huffington Post reported that, “Searching for MAGA symbolism is one of the easiest ways to notice online extremists and members of hate groups.” 296 CNN’s Angela Rye said that MAGA hats are “just as maddening and frustrating and triggering for me to look at as a KKK hood.” 297

An 81-year-old man in New Jersey was attacked inside a grocery store by a 19-year-old teen because the old man was wearing a Make America Great Again Hat. 298 A couple shopping at a Sam’s Club in Kentucky had a gun pulled on them by a man who got triggered after seeing their MAGA hats. 299 A man eating at a restaurant in Massachusetts was assaulted by a woman who spotted him wearing the hat. She was arrested for assault and it turns out was an illegal alien, so a few days after her initial arrest, she was arrested again by ICE. 300 A legal immigrant from Africa living in Maryland was beat down by two other black men because he was spotted walking down the street wearing a MAGA hat. 301

A group of five Asians walking down the street in Washington D.C., all wearing MAGA hats, were harassed by two black men who videotaped themselves stealing two of the hats and posted the video on Twitter to brag about what they had done. The group happened to be North Korean defectors who had escaped the country and proudly wore their MAGA hats because President Trump was making progress facilitating peace between the North and the South. 302 A young woman wearing a red hat reading “Make Bitcoin Great Again” in the style of the MAGA hat was pepper sprayed right in the face by a member of Antifa while she was in the middle of doing a television interview on the campus of UC Berkeley during an event at the school. 303 A man in the back of a pickup truck leaving a Trump rally in Arizona was sucker punched in the head by a protester as the truck pulled away. 304 A customer eating at a Cheesecake Factory in Miami was harassed and threatened by several employees of the restaurant because he was wearing a MAGA hat. 305 When Hillary Clinton was asked about civility returning to America, she endorsed the growing angry mobs saying, “You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about. That’s why I believe, if we are fortunate enough to win back the House and or the Senate [in the 2018 midterms], that’s when civility can start again.” 306 Barack Obama’s former attorney general Eric Holder went even further saying, “Michelle [Obama] always says, you know, ‘When they go low, we go high.’ No. When they go low, we kick them! That’s what this new Democratic Party is about.” 307 Two days after the 2018 midterm election a fascist mob gathered right outside the home of Fox News host Tucker Carlson and with a bullhorn

shouted, “Tonight you are reminded that the people have a voice. Tonight, we remind you that you are not safe,” adding, “We know where you sleep at night.” 308 Facebook didn’t even suspend the Antifa page that organized the event. 309 The Huffington Post published an op-ed calling for violent resistance against Trump and denounced those on the Left who were saying violence isn’t the answer. It’s titled “Sorry Liberals, A Violent Response To Trump Is As Logical As Any,” and starts off saying “there’s an inherent value in forestalling Trump’s normalization. Violent resistance accomplishes this.” 310

It went on to say, “Assuming anti-Trump protests should be strictly focused on electoral politics and not these broader goals would be a detrimental oversight. Understanding European anti-fascists’ use of violent tactics to shut down large rallies from White Supremacists can be illustrative here. Because while Trump isn’t leading full bore White Supremacist rallies, there is value in making it clear that even his fascismlite has no place in civilized society.” 311 The liberal media has been engaging in what’s called stochastic terrorism, which is when the widespread demonization of an individual or a group incites lone wolf political extremists or members of an extremist group to attack them in what appears to be a random act of violence but was actually inspired by inflammatory rhetoric being aimed at that individual or the group they belong to. In April 2019 the CBS show The Good Fight posted a teaser video on their official Twitter account showing one of the main characters engaging in a diatribe about how “some speech” deserves “enforcement” and that “It’s time” to physically attack American citizens “unprovoked” who are engaging in speech that social justice warriors perceive as “racist.” 312

Anti-White Racism Part of the war on Trump supporters involves painting a large percentage of white people as racists in hopes of preventing more blacks and latinos from joining the Trump train. The Liberal Media Industrial Complex now regularly paints white people as the enemy, blaming “systemic racism” for the problems in black communities, and depicts anyone who wants to stop the flood of illegal aliens into America as members of the KKK. While Martin Luther King wanted everyone to judge their fellow man by the content of their character—not the color of their skin, the Liberal Establishment uses identity politics to pit the different races against each other and are trying to create a culture where white people should be ashamed of being white and atone for their “white privilege” by paying reparations to black people and giving blacks special perks in America just because of their race. Online outlets like Salon.com and BuzzFeed are notorious for their anti-white articles. Salon has posted articles titled, “White men must be stopped; The very future of mankind depends on it,” 313 “10 ways white people are more racist than they realize,” 314 and “White guys are killing us: Toxic, cowardly masculinity, our unhealable national illness,” 315 just to name a few. One of BuzzFeed’s racist articles links to various Power Point presentations with titles like “White People Are a Plague to the Planet,” and “White People are Crazy.” 316 They’ve also published articles titled “17 Foods That White People Have Ruined,” “17 Deplorable Examples of White Privilege,” and “22 Reasons Why Straight White Boys Are Actually The Worst.”

Vice News calls whiteness “toxic” 317 and black publications like The Root regularly attack white people as “useless.” 318 MTV did a whole documentary titled “White People” that depicts the entire race as a group whose very existence is based on oppressing black people and other “people of color.” 319 Hollywood constantly complains about white people with campaigns like the “Oscars are too white” and always cries about how there isn’t enough “diversity” in leading roles. When hosting Saturday Night Live to promote his new movie Django Unchained , actor Jamie Foxx bragged, “I kill all the white people in the movie! How great is that!?” 320 Rapper Jay-Z has been photographed at an NBA game wearing a medallion from the 5% Nation, a black power group that believes white people are the Devil. 321 Many rappers admire Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan who has taught that white people are “the Devil” and “deserve to die.” 322 CNN’s Don Lemon says the biggest terrorist threat in America are white men. 323 The network also claims that, “The Internet is radicalizing white men” and urges Big Tech to censor YouTube videos and change the algorithms even more to hide certain ideas on the Internet. 324 CNN contributors and other cable news pundits go so far as to say blacks can’t be racist and justify their racism against white people as “payback” for slavery in the 1800s. Just pointing out anti-white racism is enough for the Liberal Media Industrial Complex to label you a “white supremacist,” so most people are afraid to talk about it.

Demonizing Black Conservatives While it appears that black people can do no wrong in the eyes of liberals and that all their shortcomings, bad decisions, and crimes are the

fault of white people; there is one thing that black people aren’t allowed to do in America today without severe criticism and backlash—and that’s be conservative. Black conservatives like Larry Elder, David Webb, Sheriff David Clark, Pastor Daryl Scott, Ben Carson, and others are constantly smeared by the media as “traitors” to their race, or “uncle Toms” and “house niggers” who have sold out to white people. After Diamond and Silk appeared at CPAC 2019, CNN’s Oliver Darcey insinuated they were “grifters,” meaning con artists. 325 Rolling Stone magazine called Candace Owens an “Alt-Right Provocateur” once she became a star. 326 After posting a few YouTube videos about being a black conservative she was thrust into the spotlight when Kanye West tweeted about her, jumpstarting her career and turning her into one of the most popular young black conservative women in the country. When Candace spoke at a college in Utah, protesters gathered outside, which is common at her events, but this time they had a huge banner that read “End White Supremacy.” 327 When visiting Philadelphia in August 2018 a group of protesters surrounded the cafe she was eating breakfast at and shouted with a megaphone “fuck white supremacy.” 328 Georgetown University professor and regular MSNBC guest Michael Eric Dyson attacked Kanye West after he met with President Trump in the Oval Office (while wearing his MAGA hat), saying, “This is white supremacy by ventriloquism. A black mouth is moving, but white racist ideals are flowing from Kanye West’s mouth.” 329 He went on to say “Kanye West is engaging in one of the most nefarious practices yet. A black body and brain are the warehouse for the articulation and expression of anti-black sentiment.” 330

The Southern Poverty Law Center actually included the mild-mannered and meek Ben Carson on their “Extremist Watch List,” citing a line in his book America the Beautiful where he affirmed that marriage is between a man and a woman and said Leftists are pushing the United States down the same path that led to the fall of the Roman Empire. 331 They labeled Ben Carson an extremist! Hollywood actress and singer Bette Midler claimed that President Trump was paying black people to come to his rallies after she kept noticing them in attendance. She said they were just props for the background. 332 Liberals don’t want diversity of thought, they want everyone to be lockstep in line with the core tenants of the radical liberal agenda and many of their supporters are so dumb that they believe there are black white supremacists in America today, and have no clue how insane they sound. They are afraid that if 20% of black voters leave the Democrat Party and become Republicans, that would be enough to tip the scales in favor of Republicans in elections for years to come and the Democrat Party’s political power would be gravely diminished. 333

The War on Families Families instill moral values, carry on important cultural traditions, and provide a support network when someone goes through an emotionally or financially difficult time. And when someone is engaging in self-destructive or unscrupulous behaviors, those close to them can often see the warning signs and intervene to help get them back on track. But the Left doesn’t want families to raise, teach, or protect children. They want the government

to do it, along with help from the high priests of Hollywood who are held up as the moral leaders of America. Joshua Meyrowitz, Professor of Media Studies at the University of New Hampshire, points out, “Television dilutes the innocence of childhood and the authority of adults by undermining the system of information control that supported them. Television bypasses the year-by-year slices of knowledge given to children. It presents the same general experiences to adults and to children of all ages. Children may not understand everything that they see on television, but they are exposed to many aspects of adult life from which their parents (and traditional children’s books) would have once shielded them.” 334 He continues, “Television and its visitors take children across the globe before parents even give them permission to cross the street.” 335 He said that back in 1995, when the Internet was just in its infancy, and more than a decade before social media would gain a stranglehold on an entire generation of children who access an abyss of adult content, completely unsupervised, through their own smartphones while alone in their bedrooms. The Left’s war on families is targeting the most vulnerable of our society — children. They are determined to raise the next generation to be as perverted as possible—worse than ancient Rome where it was socially acceptable for adult men to engage in sexual activity with young boys. 336 In fact we’re seeing child drag queens like “Desmond is Amazing” and “Lactacia” being celebrated and featured on major television shows as if they’re heroes. NBC’s Today Show promoted “Desmond is Amazing,” the “drag kid” when he was just 10-years-old, calling him “inspiring.” 337 His parents dress him up in drag and have him perform at drag queen festivals across

the country. 338 He also does simulated strip teases on stage (including at gay bars) where grown men throw dollar bills at him. 339 ABC’s Good Morning America also promotes child drag queens, and host Michael Strahan introduced a segment saying, “Get ready for this trailblazing 11-year-old drag kid who RuPaul is calling the future, and his bravery is inspiring so many.” The kid (Desmond is Amazing) then came out on stage dancing like a stripper to hoots and hollers from the audience. 340

Good Morning America glowingly promoted Kate Hudson when reports circulated she was allegedly raising her child “genderless.” Anchor George Stephanopoulos began the segment saying, “Kate Hudson is opening up about how she’s trying to raise her new baby as ‘genderless,’ apparently that’s an approach more and more Americans are trying.” 341 Co-host Paula Faris went on to say the actress will be raising her 3-monthold daughter “without labels or restrictions” because “she doesn’t want to assume how she’ll identify herself as she’s growing up.” 342 Another co-host, Lara Spencer, chimed in, saying, “That’s a great conversation. It’s just a great conversation,” and then (lesbian) Robin Roberts concluded, “No judgment, no judgment. Whatever you feel is best for your child.” 343 Kate Hudson then released a statement on her Instagram saying, “Dear all my friends, fans and others who read this, recently someone asked me something along the lines of, if having and raising a girl is different from boys. My response was simple. Not really. This whole clickbait tactic of saying I’m raising my daughter to be ‘genderless’ is silly and frankly doesn’t even make sense.” 344 Fringe lunatics had been promoting the idea of raising children “genderless” for some time, and so the media saw an opportunity to give

the bizarre practice a boost by attaching a celebrity’s name to it by twisting around what Kate Hudson meant. But there will come a day when major celebrities embrace the “gender neutral” agenda, and they will be hailed as heroes and held up as models for what other parents should do. The media is increasingly glorifying “theybies,” meaning children whose parents are raising them as gender neutral. 345 These child abusers call their kids “theybies” instead of babies, because they use the gender neutral pronoun “they” to refer to their kids instead of “he” or “she.” NBC News recently recommended, “One way of shielding children from gender stereotypes: Keep their biological sex secret.” 346 The radical Leftists don’t want boys raised as boys, or girls as girls. They want all children to be raised as if there’s no biological difference between males and females at all. They want to completely deconstruct the traditional gender roles and deny the inherent differences between the sexes. They want to invert and pervert everything that’s normal including the most fundamental aspects of being human. Every facet of the family and interpersonal relationships is under attack. CNN has even urged people to “rethink” monogamous relationships and become swingers. “Could opening your relationship to others benefit you and your partner?” they asked. 347 According to CNN, a man’s wife banging other dudes “can be a healthy option for some couples and, executed thoughtfully, can inject relationships with some much-needed novelty and excitement.” The report quotes several “sex therapists” who recommend the practice, saying it “can bring back some of the initial novelty and excitement you felt at the beginning of your relationship.” 348 CNN is disappointed that “non-monogamy still carries a stigma in many circles, so think about how you and your partner will address that concern.” 349

Eradicating families is a Communist tactic and as soon as they seized power in Russia in 1917 the new government started shunning families and promoting “free unions” because families raising children were said to be extensions of the old system. 350 The Left wants everyone to be loyal first and foremost to the Party, not to their family. So they’re doing everything they can to rip them apart. In January 2018, CNN published a story advocating cuckolding as a way to “help” couple’s relationships. For those who aren’t familiar with “cuckolding,” it’s a term that originally referred to a man whose partner had been unfaithful, but has morphed into a kink fantasy that some strange couples carry out where the man watches another guy have sex with his wife or girlfriend. CNN cited a “study” by anti-Christian gay extremist Dan Savage and several others which claims that, “acting on cuckolding fantasies can be a largely positive experience for many couples.” 351 To be clear, this isn’t about swinging, an open relationship, or threesomes; it’s about men watching their wives have sex with another man, and CNN portrays the practice in glowing terms, and says, “Acting on adulterous fantasies may strengthen a relationship, as counterintuitive as it may sound.” 352 People are becoming so inept at how to engage in normal and healthy relationships with others that loneliness is plaguing the younger generations who rely on hook-up apps like Tinder to meet people instead of the “old fashioned way” like at school, parties, through mutual friends, or while engaging in their hobbies. 353 Their communication skills are often so poor that many don’t even have the guts to break up with someone when they feel they’re not compatible, so instead they engage in “ghosting” which means they just abruptly stop returning their calls or texts. 354 More than half of adults aged 18 to 34 don’t have a steady romantic partner. 355

And recently birthrates in the United States have fallen to a 32-year low. 356 For teenagers today it is now considered “normal” to be in a virtual “relationship” with someone online for months and even years and never even meet them face to face! 357 Many Millennials don’t even have a best friend or anyone they feel they can confide in. 358 To fill the void created from lack of intimacy in people’s lives, some are turning to unthinkably bizarre alternatives. The disturbing rise in popularity and acceptance of sex bots, which are just high tech blow up dolls that people are having sex with, seems like something out of a horror movie, but it’s actually happening. 359 While blow up dolls are a common gag gift brought along to bachelor parties, no normal person has ever considered actually having sex with one, but recently expensive “life-like” sex bots are being manufactured and sold to lonely losers who resort to having sex with them since their lives are so dysfunctional they can’t get a date with an actual woman. 360 The sex bot business is already a multi-million dollar a year industry and growing. Companies are even working to build models that incorporate artificial intelligence so they can have conversations with people. 361

Google Upset About Families In leaked documents detailing internal discussions of Google employees, one thread shows the use of the word “family” upset a bunch of them who felt it was homophobic and not inclusive enough because of its connotation as referring to a heterosexual couple with children. After one employee walked out of a company presentation over the use of the word “family,” they posted on an internal message board venting their frustration. 362

“This is a diminishing and disrespectful way to speak. If you mean ‘children,’ say ‘children’; we have a perfectly good word for it. ‘Family friendly’ used as a synonym for ‘kid friendly’ means, to me, ‘you and yours don’t count as a family unless you have children.’ And while kids may often be less aware of it, there are kids without families too, you know.” 363 The complaint went on, “The use of ‘family’ as a synonym for ‘with children’ has a long-standing association with deeply homophobic organizations. This does not mean we should not use the word ‘family’ to refer to families, but it mean we must doggedly insist that family does not imply children…Use the word ‘family’ to mean a loving assemblage of people who may or may not live together and may or may not include people of any particular age. STOP using it to mean ‘children.’ It’s offensive, inappropriate, homophobic, and wrong.” 364 It wasn’t just one lone nut who got triggered because the presentation mentioned Google is trying to make “family friendly” apps and services. The documents show that about 100 other Google employees thumbed up the post, and many responses echoed the same psychotic sentiment. “Thanks for writing this. So much yes,” replied one. “Using the word ‘family’ in this sense bothers me too,” said another. Adding, “It smacks of the ‘family values’ agenda by the right wing, which is absolutely homophobic by its very definition,” and continued, “it’s important that we fix our charged language when we become aware of how exclusionary it actually is. As a straight person in a relationship, I find the term ‘family’ offensive because it excludes me and my boyfriend, having no children of our own.” 365 The replies go on and on, all chastising Google for using the word “family.” Another says, “My family consists of me and several other trans feminine folks, some of whom I’m dating. We’re all supportive of each

other and eventually aspire to live together. Just because we aren’t a heterosexual couple with 2.5 kids, a white picket fence, and a dog doesn’t mean we’re not a family.” 366 Google’s Vice President, Pavni Diwanji, then responded saying, “Hi everyone, I realize what we said at TGIF [the name of the event] might have caused concerns in the way we talked about families. There are families without kids too, and also we needed to be more conscientious about the fact that there is a diverse makeup of parents and families.” 367 He continued, “Please help us get to a better state. Teach us how to talk about it in inclusive way, if you feel like we are not doing it well. As a team we have very inclusive culture, and want to do right in this area. I am adding my team here so we can have open conversation.” 368

Celebrating Unwed Mothers When the number of unwed mothers in America reached more than 50% in 2012, the feminist blog Jezebel celebrated the “milestone” with a headline reading, “The Increase in Single Moms Is Actually a Good Thing,” because the increase in single mothers means fewer women are “relying” on men economically, and feminists view more single moms as a sign of female empowerment. The writer was upset that experts (and ordinary people) were concerned about the growing trend since children born out of wedlock “face greater social and economic obstacles than their peers born into traditional nuclear families.” 369 Liberals never want to hear about the effects of their disastrous decisions, but there’s one thing they like more than single mothers, and that’s women who never become mothers at all. A report from CNBC declared, “Your friends may tell you having kids has made them happier. They’re probably lying.” It went on to say,

“Research shows that parenthood leads to a happiness gap. Maybe that’s because the pleasures of parenthood are outweighed by all the extra responsibilities, housework and, of course, the costs.” 370 The article then broke down the average costs per month of having a child and calculated how much it adds up to by the time the kid is eighteenyears-old in attempts to dissuade people from having children. On her short-lived Netflix show, comedian Michelle Wolf (the woman who looks like Carrot Top that performed at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2018) did a segment titled “Salute to Abortions” which included a marching band coming out on stage where she then began to chant, “It doesn’t have to be a big deal, it’s actually a great deal! It’s about $300 dollars. That’s like six movie tickets.” She ended her speech saying “God bless abortions, and God bless America!” 371 In the Hulu series Shrill , the lead character (Aidy Bryant) got pregnant and decided to have an abortion “before it becomes illegal,” and after killing the baby she tells her roommate she’s glad she “got out of a huge fucking mess” and now, “I feel very fucking powerful right now. And I just feel like I need to go out [and party].” 372 A YouTube channel called “HiHo Kids” which features videos of young children meeting drag queens, transgender people, a gynecologist, and other individuals no child should be subjected to, even produced a video titled “Kids Meet Someone Who’s Had an Abortion” where the woman tells the children about how happy she was to do it, and that it was “part of God’s plan.” 373 Alabama State Representative John Rogers made a startling declaration during a debate about a proposed state law that would ban most abortions unless the fetus had a “lethal anomaly” or if the pregnancy would put the mother’s life at risk, saying, “Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them

now or you kill them later. You bring them in the world unwanted, unloved, [and then] you send them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now or you kill them later.” 374 He wasn’t being sarcastic, he supports abortion and was arguing against the bill. 375

“Kids Cause Global Warming” Perhaps one reason liberals are big supporters of abortion is because children are increasingly being blamed for causing global warming. The London Guardian declared, “The greatest impact individuals can have in fighting climate change is to have one fewer child, according to a new study that identifies the most effective ways people can cut their carbon emissions.” 376 One of the researchers on the project said, “I don’t have children, but it is a choice I am considering and discussing with my fiancé. Because we care so much about climate change that will certainly be one factor we consider in the decision, but it won’t be the only one.” 377 Other lunatics are so concerned that planet earth is doomed they’re afraid to have children because they don’t want to bring them into the world if it’s going to soon plunge into chaos like a science fiction movie. The New York Times interviewed a 32-year-old woman in a story about this madness who said, “I don’t want to give birth to a kid wondering if it’s going to live in some kind of ‘Mad Max’ dystopia.” 378 “Animals are disappearing. The oceans are full of plastic. The human population is so numerous, the planet may not be able to support it indefinitely. This doesn’t paint a very pretty picture for people bringing home a brand-new baby from the hospital,” said another. 379 Others see it as a “sacrifice” they have to make to save the planet. One woman who wanted to have kids but decided not to, said “it’s hard for me

to justify my wants over what matters and what’s important for everyone.” 380 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even said that it’s a “legitimate question” for Millennials and those in Generation Z to ask, “Is it OK to still have children?” because global warming is supposedly going to make their lives miserable. 381

The LGBT Mafia Every time a social media personality, actor, singer, or sports figure “comes out” as gay, liberal media outlets across the Internet all celebrate them as if they’ve accomplished some incredible achievement. President Obama made a habit of calling and “congratulating” professional athletes who decided to come out as gay. 382 When the Supreme Court ruled that gay “marriage” was legal in all fifty states, Obama had the White House lit up in rainbow colors that night to celebrate. 383 The media is also on a mission to ruin the careers of any celebrity who dares voice opposition to gay “marriage” or gay adoption. 384 HGTV famously canceled a television show of the Benham Brothers (not to be confused with the “Property Brothers,” who have a show on the network) after news reports started surfacing that the Benhams were Christians and didn’t support gay “marriage.” 385 Comedian Kevin Hart was scheduled to host the 2019 Oscars until LGBT activists started spreading around one of his old bits about him not wanting his son to grow up to be gay. 386 In 2014 Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich, the creator of the popular Firefox web browser, was forced to resign after LGBT activists discovered that he had donated $1000 of his own money to support Proposition 8 in California which amended the state’s constitution to define marriage as specifically between a man and a woman. 387 A gay man once filed a $70 million dollar lawsuit against a popular

Bible publisher claiming that the anti-gay verses caused him “emotional distress.” 388 Kids in California, Colorado, New Jersey, and Illinois schools are now being forced to learn about “LGBT History Month” and are being taught about the “amazing contributions” LGBT people have made to the country. 389 In the UK, school children are being taught that “all genders” can have periods, not just women, and schools started adding tampon dispensers in the boys bathrooms. 390 Since “Drag Queen Story Hour” is being held at an increasing number of public libraries across the country (where insane parents bring their small children to have drag queens read stories to them about being gay or transgender) the city council in Lafayette City-Parish, Louisiana held a meeting after many (normal) parents were outraged the event was being held in their community. During the meeting a gay man took to the podium to support the event, saying, “I’m here to let you know that this event is something that’s going to be very beautiful and for the children and the people that support it are going to realize that this is going to be the grooming of the next generation.” 391 Others in the meeting gasped since the term “grooming children” refers to a sexual predator attempting to persuade a child into a sexual relationship over time. 392 One drag queen who read to children at the Houston Public Library’s “Drag Queen Storytime” is a registered sex offender who had previously been convicted of aggravated sexual assault against an 8-year-old child. 393 The library failed to do background checks on the drag queens who were given access to the children and the sex offender had only been exposed after a conservative activist organization MassResistance took it upon themselves to investigate the drag queens who were reading to the kids at

the events. 394 Another drag queen reading to children at a library actually taught children how to twerk (jiggle their butts in a sexual way, as popularized by skank Miley Cyrus.) 395 Liberals began complaining that Victoria’s Secret “discriminates” against fat women and transgenders because only beautiful (and actual) women walk the runway in their fashion shows. Online outlet “Mic” complained that they “normalized discrimination” and that, “It doesn’t take a fashion insider to recognize that when it comes to plus-size and transgender women, as well as gender nonconforming people, Victoria’s Secret would rather maintain a closed door policy. Since the brand’s first runway show at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in August 1995, not a single plus-size or out transgender or gender nonconforming person has walked in the show’s 23-year history.” 396 Activists then called it “hateful” when the chief marketing officer dismissed criticism, but Victoria’s Secret official Twitter account soon apologized and released a statement saying, “we absolutely would love to cast a transgender model for the show.” 397 Nine months later they hired their first transgender model. 398 Just like conservative blacks are shunned and smeared by the media, so are conservative gays. Deadspin , a sports blog owned by Univision, published an article titled “Conservative Gays Need to Shut The Fuck Up.” 399 And when Caitlyn Jenner “came out” as a Republican, liberals went nuts and completely denounced “her” as a traitor to the LGBT community despite recently having been celebrated as the most famous transgender person in the world upon announcing “her” transition. “She” received infinitely more hate on social media for being a Republican than “she” did for deciding to identify as a “woman,” and

actually said it was harder to come out as Republican than it was transgender. 400

TV “News” Television news is very different from newspapers and magazines which tend to cover stories in much greater detail and context than a fifteensecond sound bite, and require a reader’s active attention and willingness to follow a story. Television, on the other hand, is a passive medium and relies on a quick pace, flashy graphics, and dramatic music in hopes of gaining an audience’s attention and holding it long enough for the commercial break so they can get paid. TV news only skims along the surface of issues, mentioning a few basic points, and is often just infotainment with no real substance. What the audience sees is a carefully crafted version of a story that the producers and editors want people to see, while leaving out the parts they don’t want. Famed media analyst Neil Postman noted, “Television always recreates the world to some extent in its own image by selecting parts of that world and editing those parts. So a television news show is a kind of symbolic creation and construction made by news directors and camera crews…and stranger still is the fact that commercials may appear anywhere in a news story, before, or after, or in the middle, so that all events are rendered essentially trivial; that is to say all events are treated as a source of public entertainment.” 401 The reason intelligent people listen to talk radio is because radio shows provide long-form interviews and in-depth discussions which explore subjects in detail during a 15 or 20 minute segment, and may even continue the discussion after the commercial break for even longer. In comparison,

the average television news segment on a national evening news broadcast is just 2 minutes and 23 seconds. 402 For local TV news it’s just 41 seconds. 403 Television news is the equivalent of reading the headline of a newspaper article and the first paragraph or two. Aside from the limitations of the television format, the days of Walter Cronkite, “the most trusted man in America” who anchored the CBS Evening News for 19 years, are long gone. After his era was over we got people like Dan Rather who used fake documents in a report about George W. Bush’s service record from when he was in the National Guard. 404 And Brian Williams who fabricated a story about his plane being shot down in Iraq when he was covering the war. 405 Most television “reporters” today aren’t reporters, but are just actors. Everyone knows Hollywood celebrities make millions of dollars a year, but most people don’t think about how much money celebrity “journalists” make. They too are performance artists not much different from a Hollywood actor reading their lines. They know when to sound somber, and when to turn up the energy and display faux outrage to the audience when the teleprompter tells them. Many of them don’t believe half the things they say, they’re just playing a part, and for that they get paid very well. For example, before he was fired from the NBC Nightly News , anchor Brian Williams was making $10 million a year. 406 Dan Rather was making $6 million a year at CBS News. 407 At CNN Anderson Cooper makes $12 million dollars a year and has a net worth of over $100 million. 408 MSNBC morning host Joe Scarborough’s divorce documents show that in 2013 he was making just under $100,000 per week! 409 Matt Lauer was making $25 million a year before he was fired from NBC’s Today Show for sexual misconduct. 410 And when Megyn Kelly was fired from NBC’s morning

lineup she left with a $69 million windfall, the remainder of her contract. 411

To put these figures in perspective, Anderson Cooper’s $12 million a year divided by 52 (weeks in a year) is over $230,000 a week, or over $46,000 per show . He makes more money in one day than many Americans make in an entire year! And for that kind of money, these television personalities will say and do almost anything. Being a cable news contributor is also very lucrative, earning pundits an easy six-figure salary to sit around a table for an hour to give their “analysis” on various issues a few nights a week. They know what the host, producers, and network want, and that’s what they deliver. They’re very careful not to bite the hand that feeds them by daring to point out facts that go against the narrative the show is trying to promote. All of the Big Three broadcast networks (NBC, ABC, and CBS) try to separate themselves from the “cable” shows, but promoting the liberal agenda remains at the core of their existence. That’s not to say they don’t have some value. The major networks are useful to learn about dangerous weather events, product recalls, health scares, etc., and they do cover some events that can’t have political spin put on them and which the general public should be aware of. And it can be important to watch what they are reporting just to be aware of the latest issues they are promoting and see what their current agenda is. They also aren’t without their own major scandals that should cause viewers to remain skeptical about their integrity as “news” networks. CBS once killed a story about the tobacco industry covering up how addictive cigarettes are out of concerns that if they were sued by the tobacco companies for their report it would interfere with the pending sale of the

network to Westinghouse. 412 The incident was later made into a movie called The Insider (1999) staring Al Pacino and Russell Crowe. 413 After allegedly burying a story about Nike using sweatshops to manufacture their clothes out of fears they would lose the company as a sponsor for the 1998 Winter Olympics, CBS reporters wore Nike jackets during their coverage as part of the sponsorship deal in what was widely criticized as a breach of journalistic ethics. 414 CBS News has even digitally inserted advertisements for their own network onto fake billboards during live shots using the same technology sports broadcasts use to display banners behind home plate at baseball games. CBS inserted them onto buildings, water fountains, and even on the back of a horse-drawn carriage during “news” reports. 415 After ABC News interrupted the network’s broadcast for some “breaking news” about the “Russia investigation,” Brian Ross falsely claimed that Michael Flynn had implicated Donald Trump in the “conspiracy,” resulting in the stock market immediately dropping 350 points out of concerns that the President would now be impeached or arrested. 416 General Flynn had made no such allegations and the story was completely false. A few years earlier during their breaking news coverage of the shooting in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater by lunatic James Holmes, anchor George Stephanopoulos said that Brian Ross found something that “might be significant.” He then went on to incorrectly report that the shooter may be a member of the Tea Party because ABC found someone on Facebook with the same name who had the Tea Party listed as one of his interests. 417 It was, of course, the wrong James Holmes. ABC News claimed that then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered a speech to a “hate group” after meeting with the Christian non-profit

organization Alliance Defending Freedom, one of the most powerful Christian rights legal organizations in the country. 418 Basically all Christian groups are seen as “hate groups” to the liberal Establishment, which always cites the Southern Poverty Law Center as the ultimate authority of such things. After Oprah Winfrey accepted an award at the 2018 Golden Globes and gave an “inspiring” speech that caused many to hope she would be running for president, the official NBC Twitter account tweeted out a picture of her with the caption “OUR future president.” 419 In 2015, NBC News launched “NBC BLK” (NBC Black), a new website for “black-oriented issues.” 420 Apparently it just wasn’t enough to cover that kind of news on their main platform, they had to dedicate an entire division to “black news.” The following year they launched “NBC Out,” a website featuring LGBT news, “Out” meaning “out of the closet.” The site has it’s own Twitter account and other social media pages dedicated to using the NBC brand to promote the LGBT agenda 24/7.

Cable News As bad as the Big Three broadcast networks have become in recent years, cable news channels like CNN and MSNBC are much worse. They’ll talk endlessly about the same story on every show, every hour, all day, to ensure maximum saturation hoping their propaganda will reach as many viewers as possible since most people just tune in for an hour or two a day. Fox News, while still following the basic sound bite format of television news, actually does a very good job of presenting a variety of stories and perspectives, whereas CNN and MSNBC mostly have endless panel discussions with each pundit throwing in their two cents when their “research” consists of glancing over a few headlines before the show or

reading the producer’s notes about what the topic is for the day. Barack Obama once said that Fox viewers are living on a different planet than those who watch CNN and MSNBC. 421 Maybe he’s right. Fox viewers are the ones living on planet Earth! The Left is so fearful of Fox News that the Democratic National Committee barred them from hosting any of the twelve Democrat presidential primary debates for the 2020 election, claiming they’re “state run TV” controlled by the Trump White House. 422 God forbid any of the moderators ask the candidates some real questions! MSNBC was started in 1996 and functioned as the liberal counterpart to Fox, whereas CNN was supposedly the middle ground. CNN stands for Cable News Network and they were the first 24-hour news network in the world, started in 1980 by Ted Turner. For over 30 years they would cover news from around the globe and were once—as their trademarked slogan still (falsely) claims—one of the most trusted names in news. When something interesting was happening somewhere in the world, it was live on CNN, but in the Trump era all that changed. They rarely report on news anymore. Instead, all they do is talk about how terrible of a person Donald Trump is. It’s improv theater. The producer gives the panel a topic each night, or each segment, and like a group of actors at an improv show, the panelists pretend to be experts on the issue and put forth their opinions as if they actually know what they’re talking about when in most cases they’re just making it up as they go along. CNN doesn’t air newscasts anymore, they air talk shows filled with endless speculation and theorizing about things they have no idea about. It’s a gossip network. CNN now covers one story—Trump. It’s Trump 24/7 and virtually every minute of airtime is dedicated to complaining about him. What would

once be contained in the grocery store tabloids or frivolous websites with zero editorial ethics now regularly airs on CNN. Gossip about Stormy Daniels and the “pee tape” and endless allegations from anonymous sources about how “corrupt,” “incompetent,” “racist,” fascist,” etc., Trump is, is the only thing they talk about. The network is desperate to prevent blue collar Democrats from supporting Trump and abandoning the Democrat Party, so after a grassroots movement called #WalkAway was started by a gay liberal named Brandon Straka encouraging people to stop voting for Democrats because the party has become insane, CNN branded the movement part of a Russian plot! They reported that despite the #WalkAway campaign being “presented as a grassroots effort by former Democrats who are critical of the party’s alleged intimidation, confrontation and lack of civility and want people to walk away from the party,” they said it has, “been connected to Kremlin-linked Russian bots.” 423 The #WalkAway campaign’s YouTube channel and Facebook page are filled with video testimonials of average Americans from all different backgrounds who give their reasons for why they no longer support the Democrat Party and are encouraging others to “walk away” as well. 424 CNN’s poisonous anti-Trump obsession may have incited several terrorist attacks such as the man who shot up Republicans’ softball practice in June 2017, severely injuring Congressman Steve Scalese, or the person who mailed white powder to Donald Trump Jr.’s apartment, causing an anthrax scare and landing his then-wife in the hospital for testing. CNN’s reckless rhetoric could be the catalyst that helped push any number of mentally unstable viewers over the edge, convincing them that the Trump administration is the reincarnation of the Third Reich.

Meanwhile CNN’s senior “media analyst” Brian Stelter says that Trump’s base is a “hate movement” against the press. “I think what we are increasingly seeing from the president and his aides and his allies is a hate movement against the American press,” Stelter whined. “When you look at the behavior around Jim Acosta and some of the other reporter at these rallies, you really do see a hate movement.” 425 Shortly after the election Stelter declared that Donald Trump becoming president was “a national emergency” and painted him as a dictator who just seized power. 426 In an interview with New York Magazine CNN’s president Jeff Zucker admitted, “The perception of Donald Trump in capitals around the world is shaped, in many ways, by CNN,” warning Trump that, “Continuing to have an adversarial relationship with that network is a mistake.” 427 Even the Washington Post admitted that, “it is hard to escape the perception that Zucker issued a kind of threat.” 428 CNN was instrumental in getting Alex Jones banned from all major social media platforms after they literally lobbied the tech giants to have him removed. Before he was “unpersoned,” when his YouTube channel had just one strike they gleefully reported, “InfoWars’ Main YouTube Channel is Two Strikes Away From Being Banned” 429 A few days later his channel got a second strike, and outlets like Newsweek gloated, “InfoWars is perilously close to a permanent YouTube ban after peddling yet another debunked conspiracy theory.” 430 Dozens of other outlets picked up the story about the second strike, salivating that Infowars was one strike away from permanently being banned. 431 Even before Alex Jones’ YouTube channel was deleted, CNN was organizing an advertiser boycott against all the companies whose ads were appearing before his videos played. CNN reported, “Some of the biggest brands in the U.S. had ads running on the YouTube channels for far-right

website InfoWars and its founder, notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and they say they had no idea YouTube was allowing their advertising to appear there.” 432 Well, how did they learn their ads were running on Alex’s channel? Because CNN made of list of which ads were running, and then contacted the advertisers to pressure the companies into pulling them! Their story goes on, “CNN has discovered ads on InfoWars’ channels from companies and organizations such as Nike, Acer, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Network, the Mormon Church, Moen, Expedia, Alibaba, HomeAway, the NRA, Honey, Wix and ClassPass.” At the end of their story they admitted, “Many of the brands — including Nike, Moen, Expedia, Acer, ClassPass, Honey, Alibaba and OneFamily — have suspended ads on InfoWars’ channels after being contacted by CNN for comment.” 433 MSNBC is usually not quite as insane as CNN but it’s still almost always off the rails. Donny Deutsch, who is a regular contributor on the Morning Joe show, has challenged President Trump to a fight on air, 434 and their other regular panelists say things like Trump’s name is the “modern day swastika.” 435 They also regularly compared him to a dictator and call him a white supremacist. 436 When President Trump announced that he would be meeting face to face with Kim Jong Un, MSNBC claimed it was to “distract” the media from talking about his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels. 437 The network’s darling is lesbian Rachel Maddow whose monologues are convoluted streams of consciousness rattling off all kinds of social justice warrior buzzwords without ever really making a point. Her show is so fanatical and hyper-partisan that the New York Times banned their reporters from even appearing on it out of concern it will tarnish their credibility. 438

The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald admitted, “I used to be really good friends with Rachel Maddow [but] I’ve seen her devolution from this really interesting, really smart, independent thinker into this utterly scripted, intellectually dishonest, partisan hack.” 439 MSNBC’s research department is so awful they took seriously a parody Twitter account that listed its location as a city in Russia and tweeted satire about a variety of issues (calling itself Boston Antifa). MSNBC reported that it was more “evidence” that Russian bots were active on Twitter. 440 They also fell for a tweet posted by the popular parody account for North Korea, the “DPRK News Service” which MSNBC cited in a report attacking President Trump. 441 Immediately after Robert Mueller wrapped up his two-year long investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged “collusion” with the Russians and found none, CNN and MSNBC’s ratings dropped like a stone over night. After stringing along their viewers for two years giving the impression that any day now Mueller would announce he found “proof” Trump was a Russian agent and that his impeachment and imprisonment was imminent, hundreds of thousands of disappointed viewers finally quit tuning in. Following the Mueller nothing burger, Rachel Maddow’s viewership dropped by almost 20%. 442 Anderson Cooper’s prime time show on CNN got only 835,000 viewers, and for weeks couldn’t break a million. 443 Meanwhile Fox News continued to dominate, getting more viewers than MSNBC and CNN combined. 444 Even Newsweek magazine, which is part of the anti-Trump smear machine, reported, “MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Found Huge Ratings Success Covering Trump and Russia — So What Now?” 445 Election years are always huge ratings boosters for cable news, and the regular viewers

who suffered through two years of endless speculation and listened to countless conspiracy theories about Trump and the Russians obviously aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. Most have already forgotten all about the massive deception they were victims of and due to their short attention spans and lack of intellectual capacity, these cable news companies will continue on as if they did nothing wrong, and hundreds of thousands of people will still tune in. Normal Americans wonder how anyone could watch them again after the massive fraud the “news” networks had engaged in, but it’s easy to underestimate how many stupid people there are out there. After all, the Jerry Springer Show aired for 27 years and was able to keep audiences coming back every day to watch another group of trailer trash fight with each other about who cheated on who and who the father is of some poor child; and despite how mindless and repetitive the show was, enough people kept tuning in every day for it to stay on air for almost three decades.

Internet “News” Sites Just like the Internet sparked the creation of countless different kinds of businesses selling everything from books to airline tickets, it also gave birth to new “news” companies as well. While the brand name newspapers and television networks eventually began migrating their content online, unknown entrepreneurs threw their hat in the news business as well, creating digital-only magazines and “news” sites like the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, the Daily Beast, Politico, Axios, Vox, Slate, Vice News, and many others.

Since the barriers to entry are so low, and these companies didn’t need to invest in gigantic printing presses or develop supply chains to deliver their product to readers’ homes every morning, many of them saw the incredible opportunities the Internet opened up. But while most newspapers and magazines require people to buy them, the vast majority of Internet news sites are free to read. All they had to do was get people to click on their articles and the advertisements on the website would fund their operation, so instead of focusing on producing quality content that people would be willing to pay for, they began flooding the Internet with sensational clickbait, throwing all journalistic standards out the window with one goal in mind—drive traffic to the articles, no matter what. The Huffington Post was one of the first “successful” online “news” outlets. It was started in 2005 specializing in clickbait trash and other pop culture nonsense, but due to spamming the Internet with countless articles on anything and everything, they generated a lot of traffic and made a name for themselves as one of the most viewed online “news” outlets. 446 In 2011 they were purchased by AOL for $315 million. 447 When Conan O’Brien was the comedian at the 2013 White House Correspondents Dinner he mocked the Huffington Post for being invited, saying, “All the Washington news media here tonight including the stars of online journalism. I see the Huffington Post has a table, which has me wondering if you’re here, who’s covering Miley Cyrus’s latest nip slip? Who’s assembling today’s top 25 yogurt related tweets? [Or] 7 mistakes you’re making with bacon? That’s a real one, and you should be ashamed of yourselves!” 448 The Huffington Post (later rebranded as HuffPost) being welcomed as part of the Washington press corps marked the beginning of the end of

journalism.

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed is another online abomination which took advantage of the new clickbait business model. The site was created in 2006, and began churning out ridiculously dumb quizzes about pop culture and recycling the same handful of topics over and over again to litter Google’s search results with their spam, often in the form of listicles like: “37 Things White People Need to Stop Ruining in 2018;” “21 Things That Almost All White People Are Guilty Of Saying;” and “33 Things That Almost All White People Are Guilty Of Doing.” They seem to hate white people so much that after the White House announced the National Day for the Victims of Communism a BuzzFeed reporter declared that the phrase “victims of Communism” was a “white nationalist talking point.” 449 Aside from their distain for white people, BuzzFeed also can’t stand heterosexual people (known as normal people to those not infected with the liberal pathogen.) When Star Wars: The Last Jedi was released, despite Disney turning the movie into a feminist propaganda piece, BuzzFeed still wasn’t happy because there were no LGBT characters and suggested that Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac) should have had a “romance” as part of the plot. 450 BuzzFeed is perhaps the worst clickbait bottom feeder online and makes the National Enquirer look like a Pulitzer Prize winning publication. Outside of the community of morons who actively visit their website, BuzzFeed is best-known for publishing the fake news story about Donald Trump allegedly being caught on tape with hookers peeing on him in a Russian hotel.

The story about the now-infamous “dossier” had been circling internally at most of the major news outlets but nobody had reported on it because it was so ridiculous and there wasn’t a shred of evidence to back it up, but BuzzFeed decided they would get the “scoop” and ran with it. Then the allegations were all over social media and “Golden Showers” was trending on Twitter which provided cover for other “news” outlets to repeat the story. BuzzFeed often does the dirty work for Democrats by publishing salacious allegations and hyping them up enough to then get amplified by mainstream outlets which hide under the cover of qualifiers like “BuzzFeed reports” and “according to BuzzFeed.” This way, they can give the impression that they’re not making the claims, it’s someone else and they’re just passing it along because “if true” it would be a big story.

Vice News Vice News is another popular online outlet which regularly celebrates the most bizarre sexual perversions and promotes degenerates as modern day heroes. Some of their headlines are literally: “We Interviewed the Zoophilia Advocate Who Had Sex with a Dolphin;” “Ever Fantasized About Ingesting an Animal Through Your Anus?” “How to Make Breakfast With Your Vagina;” “Why Can’t I Consent to Sex with My Brother?” “Dear Straight Guys, It’s Time to Start Putting Things In Your Butt;” “Was Jesus Gay?” “Getting Cocaine Blown Up Your Butt;” and “Should Every Man Be Penetrated At Least Once In His Life?” It should be no surprise that Vice News is also on the forefront of celebrating child drag queens and sexualizing children. 451 Vice’s founder Shane Smith became a billionaire from peddling this kind of cancer. 452 In the early 2010s they regularly made viral videos on interesting topics that other news outlets wouldn’t cover, like traveling to

Columbia to investigate scopolamine (also known as the Devil’s Breath) which allegedly puts people into a chemically induced hypnotic trance where they will do anything they’re told, 453 and visiting Kim Dotcom’s estate in New Zealand and letting him give his side of the story regarding the massive copyright infringement case he’s facing for running the filesharing site Megaupload. 454 But Vice quickly devolved into the most perverted of online outlets. Like all the other large Leftist web-based media outlets, Vice seems to be obsessed with criticizing white people and sees “white supremacists” around every corner. They literally reported that, “Racist and white supremacist ideas have become more visible among the Chinese Canadian right.” 455 So Chinese people living in Canada are white supremacists now? There’s no point in trying to make sense of their insanity. It’s best to just stay away from them so their poisonous propaganda doesn’t enter your view because it will only make you upset. In 2015, Disney invested over $400 million into Vice, but four years later had lost all of their money and wrote it off on their taxes. 456 George Soros came to the rescue in mid-2019 and “invested” another $250 million dollars into the failing media company so they could continue to operate. 457 The “investment” from Soros was really just a donation to help them cover their operating expenses for the next few years so they could keep pumping out their liberal propaganda regardless of how much money it cost them to produce or whether they earned any revenue from it.

Vox Vox is another well-funded online outlet that sees white supremacist boogeymen around every corner, and paints anyone to the right of Karl Marx as an alt-right Nazi. Vox largely functions as an activist organization

working to destroy the careers of conservatives by painting targets on their back and smearing them with labels that are difficult to shake. In 2015 they were given $200 million dollars by NBC to do their dirty work without tarnishing the NBC name. 458 For years Vox has been obsessed with PewDiePie, who held the title of YouTube’s most subscribed channel for six years, and thinks that he is putting out secret white supremacist messages to his viewers. 459 Of course they labeled me one of YouTube’s “most extreme” creators in a video they produced crying about how conservatives were making viral anti-feminist and anti-illegal immigration videos on YouTube. 460 Vox came to most people’s attention in June 2019 when one of their activists (who calls himself a “journalist”) named Carlos Maza tried to get Steven Crowder completely banned from YouTube for calling him a “lispy queer” and an “anchor baby.” Just as gay pride month kicked off, Carlos Maza rallied his fans to pressure YouTube to ban Crowder for “bullying” him and for using “hate speech,” despite Maza often referring to himself as a “queer” and the Q in LGBTQ stands for just that. The little sissy spent an entire weekend ranting on Twitter about how miserable his life was and kept harassing YouTube to ban Crowder for his “homophobic attacks.” YouTube then demonetized Crowder’s entire channel, along with many others the company claimed were posting “offensive” content. More on that in the chapter on YouTube. In case there is any doubt as to whether or not Vox hates the First Amendment, for the 4th of July they published an op-ed titled “3 Reasons the American Revolution Was a Mistake,” which starts off saying, “This July 4, let’s not mince words: American independence in 1776 was a monumental mistake. We should be mourning the fact that we left the United Kingdom, not cheering it.” 461

It goes on to wish we would have remained a British colony because slavery would have supposedly been abolished sooner, fewer Native Americans would have been oppressed, and we would have a parliamentary system of government instead of a separation of powers (the three-branch system, which we currently have). The writer also added his belief that we would have passed a carbon tax, since that’s what happened in Britain, whereas such a proposal has (thankfully) so far failed to get enough support in the United States. The article concluded that, “The main benefit of the revolution to colonists was that it gave more political power to America’s white male minority.” 462 Of course! It’s always the white man’s fault!

The Daily Beast The Daily Beast is another unscrupulous online outlet that often functions as a political activist organization instead of a “news” website and regularly depicts Trump supporters as a bunch of bigots. They like to publish stories that smear rising conservative social media personalities as “far-right” to brand them as “extremists” in attempts to derail their careers before a major network hires them as contributors. It’s their way of trying to kill off the next generation of conservative voices before they become household names. The “far-right” label is often associated with neo-Nazism and by muddying up the search results for peoples’ names with a bunch of salacious articles about them it can cause real damage for current and future employment. Headlines like “Meet Candace Owens, Kanye West’s Toxic Far-Right Consigliere,” 463 and “Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec, the Far Right’s Twin Trolls, Taste Their Own Bitter Medicine,” 464 and “ProGun Parkland Teen Kyle Kashuv Apologizes for ‘Inflammatory’ Racial

Comments” are commonly deployed to digitally tar and feather conservatives. 465 The Daily Beast calls YouTube a “radicalization factory” for the “farright” and says that it’s “pulling YouTubers down the rabbit hole of extremism.” 466 Like others of their ilk, they often push for more censorship of right-wing content under the smokescreen of fighting “racism” and “extremism.” Defame, demonetize, and deplatform is their M.O. After a joke video depicting Nancy Pelosi as drunk and slurring her words went viral on Facebook, the Daily Beast doxed the person who allegedly made it, revealing his name, the city he lives in, and what he does for a living. The “reporter” (activist) who cyber-stalked the meme maker had apparently messaged his Facebook friends, including his ex-girlfriend, fishing for information about him. 467

Don’t Fall for Their Tricks If you use social media, the best thing you can do is block these Leftist clickbait accounts, and don’t share their links no matter how outrageous their articles are because these sites often rely on hate-clicks, which means they know people will share the links on their social media accounts with the intention of showing their friends how insane the articles are. Unfortunately trying to “expose” them this way just drives more traffic to their website which is what they want. They don’t care if the people clicking the articles like them or hate them, as long as they get the traffic and thus the ad revenue from it. Oftentimes articles are purposefully inflammatory and designed to get attention because of how outlandish they are, even though the people writing them may not even believe a word of it, but are simply publishing

outrageous things in hopes that people will spread them around so they can get a bunch of hate-clicks from it. So instead of posting links to these outlets, take a screenshot of their headline and post that, along with a summary of the article and your commentary so you’re not driving any more traffic to their websites. Starve them of traffic! Or post an article from a conservative website that is covering what the Leftist sites are reporting instead of giving them any more page views directly. It may be best to just ignore them altogether sometimes and not even mention them so that you don’t inadvertently inspire anyone to visit them out of curiosity. And be sure to bookmark and follow conservative sites like Fox News, Breitbart, the Drudge Report, Daily Caller, the Washington Times, Townhall, The Federalist, Washington Examiner, Newsbusters, PJ Media, Red State, One America News, WorldNetDaily, and National Review.

The End of Print Journalism? In early 2018 the New York Times CEO predicted their print edition may only last another ten years before it becomes economically unsustainable to keep it going. 468 Newspaper circulation has been on a steady decline since the Internet revolution, and many magazines are struggling as well. PC Magazine ceased printing a physical edition in 2009 and is now just a website. Computerworld followed suit in 2014. Teen Vogue magazine and Self did the same thing in 2017. Newsweek , once considered to be one of the staples of the news magazine industry ever since its creation in 1933, even quit issuing a print edition at the end of 2012 due to financial problems. 469 About a year later after it had been bought by another media organization (IBT Media) they re-launched the print edition, but continue to struggle.

Despite having over 3 million Twitter followers, most of Newsweek’s tweets barely get a dozen interactions, leading many people to think they bought millions of fake followers in order to appear popular. 470 In 2018 Newsweek was accused of fraudulently inflating the traffic to their website in order to present advertisers with false numbers, causing numerous online ad vendors to pull their ads. 471 So buying fake Twitter followers surely seems right up their alley. CNN’s president Jeff Zucker complained at an industry conference that his network was having a difficult time monetizing their content online since so many videos are spread through social media with CNN clips being posted to YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. “In a Google and Facebook world, monetization of digital and mobile continues to be more difficult than we would have expected or liked,” he said. 472 What he means is, there is just too much competition from other websites and YouTube channels, and since there are so many different links being shared on social media, CNN’s web traffic has dramatically dropped and with fewer people actually watching them on cable they’re not getting the revenue from the long blocks of commercials. Because a lot of people use ad blocker plug-ins on their browsers which automatically hide banner ads from websites, the Washington Post recently began blocking people from being able to see their articles if their browser is using an ad blocker, requiring people to turn it off or white list (allow ads on) their site in order to even see what’s on the website at all. 473 The New York Times began limiting people’s ability to read free articles on their website to ten per month by either tracking their IP address or placing cookies on their computer, and later reduced it to just five articles a month. 474 When that number is exceeded, the articles are blacked out and a notice pops up saying you have exceeded the allowed free articles limit and

it encourages you to become a digital subscriber for $4 per month (for the first year) which then automatically changes to $15 a month from then on. The business model of displaying digital ads next to articles on their website just isn’t working anymore because there is too much competition now with countless websites all using the same ad servers.

Mainstream Asking for Donations Things are getting so dire for the major online “news” businesses that some are now asking for donations. At the bottom of every Guardian article now there is a notice that reads, “Since you’re here…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are failing fast. And unlike many news organizations, we haven’t put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money, and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters — because it might well be your perspective too. If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $1, you can support the Guardian – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.” 475 In August 2017, BuzzFeed “News” started asking for donations at the bottom of all their articles too. There’s a banner that reads “Play a bigger role in our journalism” encouraging people to donate $5 dollars a month to them which readers get zero benefits for other than being added to a BuzzFeed email list. People who donate $100 get an “exclusive BuzzFeed News tote bag.” 476 Soon we may see major media outlets join Patreon!

Wikipedia Encyclopedia Britannica is the world’s oldest encyclopedia, first published in the late 1700s. For many generations they were the standard in school libraries and some homes if parents decided to spend the $1000 plus dollars for the 32-volume set. But in 2012 the company announced they were no longer going to print the books (after 244 years), and instead Encyclopedia Britannica became an online only edition available for a small yearly subscription fee. 477 Unfortunately in the Internet age where everyone wants everything for free, Encyclopedia Britannica has been largely forgotten and Wikipedia has become the new standard “encyclopedia,” which is both sad and disturbing. Wikipedia is one of the top search results, if not the top search result, for almost anything you Google, and gets 33 billion page views a month. 478 And you probably know that literally anyone can edit almost any article on the site, anonymously, without even registering as an editor. In theory, other editors will watch over new updates and remove or correct them if someone posts incorrect information, but this often results in “edit wars” where people go back and forth posting something and then others change it, and then others change it back, and on and on. So depending on when you read an article on Wikipedia, information could be completely different or even missing entirely. For benign pages about things like plants and animals there may be little controversy about what is said about them, but for pages that are biographies of people, particularly political figures (and even for some products and corporations which have entries on the site) they are usually a battleground between different editors fighting to have the final word in terms of what is (and is not) said about the topic.

Wikipedia is a major part of the Liberal Media Industrial Complex smear machine because it solidifies the liberal consensus about individuals by using careless and defamatory online articles as the “sources” for labeling someone a racist, sexist, homophobe, etc. Once outlets like the HuffPost, Daily Beast, Vox, etc., publish an article making baseless claims about a person, then the Wikipedia editors update that person’s page to paint them in a false light and cite the salacious hit pieces as the source in the footnotes, cementing the allegations in the target’s Wikipedia page. Because public figures have to prove “actual malice” in a defamation case, unlike private citizens, its difficult to win a judgment against “news” outlets for libel because they can easily claim they “thought” what they were writing was accurate, or it’s their opinion that someone is “far-right,” “racist,” “Islamophobic,” etc. Often they’ll sneakily add a weak qualifier about someone they’re smearing by saying they are an individual “who some people call far-right.” Who calls them that? A few random trolls on Twitter, so technically “some people” have called them that and it’s a devious way many of these outlets try to get labels to stick. They also know that suing them can easily cost a plaintiff a million dollars in legal fees, and even if they win a judgment for the defamation, that person will still be on the hook for their own legal costs, which may be much more than the actual judgement awarded to them for the defamation in the first place. For months Wikipedia had a section on Tomi Lahren’s page saying she was considered “White Power Barbie,” because an article in the London Guardian labeled her that simply because she’s a beautiful blonde woman who has had a few viral videos criticizing Black Lives Matter. 479 Wikipedia is such a pit of disinformation and slander that Ron Paul was included on their white supremacist list for three weeks before editors

finally fixed it. 480 Wikipedia even listed the California Republican Party’s ideology as “Nazism” for a period of time. 481 There is even an entire Wikipedia page titled “Racial Views of Donald Trump” which paints him as a huge racist, detailing how he is a “birther” for questioning Barack Obama’s heritage; taking his comments about “fine people” on “both sides” of the Confederate statue controversy out of context, and including a whole long list of supposed “evidence” that he’s a racist because he referred to El Salvador, Haiti and parts of Africa as “shit hole countries” and makes fun of Elizabeth Warren, calling her Pocahontas. In September 2018 a Democrat congressional staffer doxed several Republican Senators including Lindsey Graham by posting their home addresses and phone numbers right on their Wikipedia pages. 482 The perpetrator was later arrested and sentenced to 4 years in prison for computer fraud and sharing restricted private information, showing the seriousness of his crime and that the lack of oversight and editorial control makes Wikipedia the Internet’s equivalent of a wall in a gas station bathroom. Wikipedia editors fiercely protect the Antifa page, and (at the time of this writing) have successfully prevented any references to their violent and terrorist activities. The subsections of the article are “History,” “Ideology and Activities,” and “Notable Activism;” but nothing about their violence at all. 483 These are the scum who wear black masks and look like members of ISIS that show up at events to harass, intimidate, and assault Trump supporters with sticks, bricks, and mace. This is the same group that went to Tucker Carlson’s house, banged on his door, and shouted threats through a megaphone. 484 After Antifa members assaulted Quillette journalist Andy Ngo at an event in Portland, Oregon in June 2019, punching him in the face and

throwing milkshakes on him (causing him to be hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage) word of the incident made national news. 485 President Trump even mentioned the attack but Wikipedia editors decided that it wasn’t “significant” enough to warrant being included on the Antifa page. 486 Wikipedia is also preventing any mention of the terrorist attack on an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement [ICE] facility in Tacoma, Washington, where an Antifa member approached the property armed with a rifle and firebombed the building, resulting in him being shot and killed by police. He had also posted a manifesto online before his attack using language from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, claiming the United States was keeping illegal immigrants in “concentration camps.” His manifesto began declaring “I am Antifa.” 487 Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar refused to condemn the attack when specifically asked about it. 488 Others, like Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King, appeared to celebrate it and encouraged people to “liberate” the “concentration camps” by any means necessary because illegal aliens are being “tortured” inside. 489 The FBI reported that Antifa has been engaging in terrorist activities, and members of the Senate, including Ted Cruz of Texas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana introduced an official resolution deeming them a terrorist organization. 490 But not a word of any of this is included on the Wikipedia page about Antifa. 491 Meanwhile the Wikipedia page for disgraced former FBI agent Peter Strzok says the text messages he and his mistress Lisa Page exchanged speaking of having an “insurance policy” to derail the Trump administration is just a “conspiracy theory” saying, “The revelation of the text messages led Republican congressmen and right wing media to start pushing

conspiracy theories to the effect that Strzok was involved in a secret plot to undermine the Trump presidency.” 492 There have been controversies surrounding certain Wikipedia editors being paid to protect pages of political figures as well as big names in tech and the media. 493 Others, like myself, have no hope of ever having a fair or accurate representation on Wikipedia. Right now my page says that I’m best known for being a “conspiracy theorist” because I wrote a few books about the Illuminati when I was younger with the subtitle of “Facts & Fiction” separating the facts from the fiction, because they are a historical group that became a pop culture phenomena in the early 2010s. It’s an interesting subject I was fascinated with for a period of time, but the Wikipedia editors forever want me branded as “conspiracy theorist” for daring to look into the topic. And while I have had a sizable YouTube audience steadily growing ever since 2006, at the end of the 2016 presidential election my channel exploded. But for years after that (and currently at the time I’m writing this) the editor overlords at Wikipedia won’t allow ANY mention of my YouTube stats on my page, which is standard for professional YouTubers. Several liberal YouTubers whose channels that are much smaller than mine, like that of Kyle Kulinski who runs the Secular Talk channel, and David Pakman have their Wikipedia pages loaded with details about their subscriber counts and viewership and all the news sites which have mentioned them; but not mine. My YouTube subscriber count isn’t allowed to be mentioned at all. 494 Wikipedia gives the impression that my career ended in 2015, when in reality it took off in 2016, and I was the first conservative YouTube channel to reach 1 million subscribers. 495 Despite my 2017 book, The True Story of Fake News, reaching the #15 best seller spot (of all books) on Amazon (and #1 in its category for weeks)

the Wikipedia editors say it’s not “significant” enough to mention on my page! My book which came out the following year, Liberalism: Find a Cure , also hit #15 on Amazon best seller’s list (of all books, not just a certain category) but they still refuse to even mention it! One of the editors who fiercely guards my page wrote on the Talk Page discussion about the edits that, “The books were removed via consensus at some point because there were no reliable sources that mentioned them as being significant.” 496 Another editor writing about why my YouTube subscriber count is not allowed on the page says, “I think there is enough evidence that subscriber counts have been manipulated in the recent past that we should not be including this information in this article.” 497 They also removed (and are preventing any mention of) all the television shows I’ve appeared in, including Secret Societies of Hollywood on the E! channel, America Declassified on the Travel Channel, America’s Book of Secrets on the History Channel, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura on TruTV, as well as shows on the Sundance Channel and interviews on Fox News. These appearances are all listed on IMDB and other media outlets, but the Wikipedia editors have decided that mentioning them would make me look too popular, so they dumped them down the memory hole and are preventing anyone from adding them back to the page. Larry Sanger, the co-founder of Wikipedia (who is no longer with the organization), chimed in on Twitter when I was complaining about this, saying, “If these idiots don’t like you, then they will ignore their own f’n rules. You’re far from being the first this has happened to. It pisses me off. Arrogant little SOBs.” 498 He now calls Wikipedia “a broken system” and says “Wikipedia has long since decided to turn the other cheek when influential editors make

articles speak with one point of view, when they dismiss unpopular views, or when they utterly fail to do justice to alternative approaches to a topic.” 499

The Washington Times did an article about my “battle” with Wikipedia after I made a YouTube video about it, but instead of fixing the page the editors scrubbed any mention of my education credentials, deleting the fact that I have a bachelor’s degree in Communication. They then added a few lines that I once made “numerous homophobic statements” about a Korean boy band after they played at the American Music Awards. I had simply tweeted a picture of them with the caption, “Meet the Korean lesbian pop group BTS featured at the American Music Awards #AMAs last night.” It was clearly a joke because the band members looked very feminine and had blue hair like a stereotypical lesbian. Teen Vogue magazine wrote an article about my tweet because the group’s teeny bopper fans got upset and started a petition on Change.org urging the band to sue me, and that is the “reliable” source Wikipedia used to add a section to my page branding me “homophobic.” They also added a line about how I had been temporarily suspended from Twitter for making “transphobic” comments (in reality saying there are only two genders.) They’re trying to paint me in the most negative light possible, citing random articles from little-known or garbage websites that happened to mention jokes I’ve made on Twitter, while at the same time preventing any real information about my career, my credentials, and my success from being mentioned at all. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales (who now lives in England) got so triggered when President Trump visited the UK in June 2019, he tweeted that he was leaving the country until Trump returned to the United States. 500 He was widely mocked in the replies, including by me, causing him to

block me. (He later unblocked me after people continued to ridicule him over the block.) Google has donated millions of dollars to Wikipedia to help cover their operating expenses, 501 and guess who else has given them millions as well —George Soros. 502 You’d think with all their money they could have just funded the Encyclopedia Britannica and made that free to the world instead of giving it to such a garbage website filled with inaccuracies and biased information, but then the Left’s army of online trolls wouldn’t be able to edit entries about people and political policies they want to control the perception of. Author’s Note: If you haven’t already, please take a moment to rate and review this book on Amazon.com, Kindle, Google Play, iBooks, or wherever you bought it from, to let other potential readers know how valuable this information is. Almost all of the one-star reviews on Amazon for my last two books “The True Story of Fake News” and “Liberalism: Find a Cure” are from NON-verified purchases which shows the “reviewers” probably didn’t even read them and just hate me. So if you could help me offset their fake one-star reviews by leaving a real one yourself since you actually read the book, that would help a lot! Thank you!

Google Google is the most-visited website in the world, and is so popular that “Google” has become a verb meaning to look something up. They dominate not just the search engine industry, but others as well, since a large number

of the most popular mobile apps are also owned by Google (like G-mail, Google Maps, Chrome, Google Play, Google Drive, Google News, etc.). Most people assume Google knows the answers to everything, and think the top search results for what they’re looking for is the correct answer. Studies have shown that over 90% of the time people click on what is served up on page one and rarely even look at page two or beyond. 503 The ranking of search results gives Google an enormous amount of power since each page shows just ten different results out of hundreds of thousands, or millions of possible webpages. They can easily prevent people from finding articles or websites by just dropping them down to page two or three in the results. Google’s ability to surface certain information they want to promote while suppressing what they don’t like by manipulating their algorithm gives them enormous power to artificially boost certain companies, products, or political candidates and causes over others. Speaking of the 2016 election, one Google engineer wrote in internal emails, “This was an election of false equivalencies, and Google, sadly, had a hand in it.” 504 They then suggested manipulating the search results to bury articles from Breitbart and the Daily Caller, saying, “How many times did you see the Election now card with items from opinion blogs (Breitbart, Daily Caller) elevated next to legitimate news organizations? That’s something that can and should be fixed.” 505 “I think we have a responsibility to expose the quality and truthfulness of sources—because not doing so hides real information under loud noises…Beyond that, let’s concentrate on teaching critical thinking. A little bit of that would go a long way. Let’s make sure that we reverse things in four years—demographics will be on our side.” 506

Google insiders also discussed manipulating the search results to counter President Trump’s proposed “Travel Ban” in January 2017 which would have prevented people living in countries with high rates of terrorist activity from entering the United States for a period of time. The Wall Street Journal reported, “Google Workers Discussed Tweaking Search Function to Counter Travel Ban,” 507 and detailed, “Days after the Trump administration instituted a controversial travel ban in January 2017, Google employees discussed ways they might be able to tweak the company’s search-related functions to show users how to contribute to pro-immigration organizations and contact lawmakers and government agencies, according to internal company emails.” 508 Those emails showed that, “employees proposed ways to ‘leverage’ search functions and take steps to counter what they considered to be ‘Islamophobia.’” 509 After they were leaked, Google issued a statement denying that they had actually done it, and said the plan was just a “brainstorm of ideas.” 510 A Google employee who has been leaking information to Breitbart told them, “I know there are efforts to demote anything non-PC, antiCommunist and anti-Islamic terror from search results. To what extent that has been successful, I don’t know.” 511 PJ Media did an examination of the search results for the word “Trump” in the Google News tab and calculated that 96% of the results were from liberal media outlets. 512 Similar informal tests have been done by searching for various other topics, such as when Fox News founder Roger Ailes died people noticed that most search results painted him as a monster, with articles from Rolling Stone declaring he was “one of the worst Americans ever” surfacing at the top, along with others like one from NBC News claiming he “built a kingdom on exploited bias,” and the London Guardian saying he helped “create this nightmare world.”

513 A

study at Northwestern University’s Computational Journalism Lab also found that the majority of search results on Google News were from left-leaning outlets. 514 If you search for the same key words on Google and Bing, or Duck Duck Go, you’ll often notice dramatically different results. On numerous occasions when doing research for this book I have Googled various topics trying to find articles that I had seen in the past so I could use them as the citations and had a difficult time finding many of them on Google, but when I looked on other search engines they were in the top results. Sometimes when I was even searching for an article’s exact title after having copied and pasted it into my notes when I first saw it posted on social media, it wouldn’t show up on the first page of search results on Google. Google even rolled out a new “fact check” widget as part of their supposed fight against “fake news” but after a report from the Daily Caller showed the feature was targeting mostly conservative news sites in attempts to paint their overall reporting as inaccurate or misleading, (while ignoring false stories published by BuzzFeed, the Huffington Post, Vox, Salon, and others) Google shut down the feature saying they “encountered challenges” and admitted they were “unable to deliver the quality” they hoped to provide their users. 515 Google deleted Dr. Patrick Moore from the list of Greenpeace founders after he made headlines for insulting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over her ridiculous Green New Deal and praised President Trump. 516 Google often displays what are called “knowledge panels” as the top search results for certain topics, which are small boxes highlighting a few main points about the subject. And prior to his headline-making comments about the moronic Congresswoman, Dr. Patrick Moore was included in the knowledge panel

when someone searched for “Greenpeace founders,” but immediately after insulting her royal highness, Google mysteriously scrubbed him from it. 517 The knowledge panel for the popular pro-life movie Unplanned (2019) listed the genre as “propaganda” when it first came out, instead of “drama,” “action,” or “science fiction” like all other movies are labeled. As usual, after word went viral on social media of this “mistake” Google fixed it. 518 A group at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology concluded a study in April 2018 after looking into how much Google’s search results could influence undecided voters by surfacing negative or positive results about certain issues and candidates and reported that such manipulation could shift the preference of those voters between 20 and 80 percent. 519 The same research team led by search engine expert Dr. Robert Epstein concluded that during the 2018 midterm election, Google had been able to flip three key congressional seats from Republican to Democrat due to the prevalence of pro-Democrat bias in the search results. 520

A former Google employee who worked as a “design ethicist” where he studied the ethics of using technology to persuade people, later warned in a TED talk, “A handful of people, working at a handful of technology companies, through their choices will steer what a billion people are thinking today.” 521 Even Google News has recently changed to prevent people from finding exactly what they are looking for. The “News” tab is used to retrieve only search results from mainstream and brand name news sources, not just any random website like the main Google search page. You used to be able to select specific topics you’re interested in and Google News would show recent stories about those topics all on one page, but in 2017 they changed the layout making it much more difficult to customize your

Google News feed, and now you have to click on each individual topic you’re interested in, making it tedious and cumbersome, thus encouraging users to rely on the Google News home page which contains stories curated by their editors instead of creating a custom feed to see only the topics you want to read about. Then in March 2018 Google announced their “News Initiative” plan promising to give $300 million dollars to various “news” organizations over the next three years, as well as offer them various tools and services in order to help them expand their online presence. 522 They have so much money they’re just giving it away, probably to garbage websites like Vox, the Daily Beast, and HuffPost. The Internet created an even playing field allowing someone on a laptop in their kitchen to create a website (or YouTube channel) which gave them access to the same number of potential readers (or viewers) as brand name newspapers and TV networks, and completely changed the power dynamics in media, since ordinary people could bypass the traditional gatekeepers of editors and producers who decide what gets published on their platforms. But this power shift has caused a massive backlash and we’re seeing the very tech companies which created the infrastructure that empowered the individual now quietly working to tip the scale back in favor of the massive corporations their technology once disrupted.

Champions of “Diversity” Google’s corporate culture is liberal to the core, and one brave conservative employee leaked a video of an internal meeting held just after the 2016 election showing all the senior executives sitting around talking

about how disgusted they were with Donald Trump’s victory and that they’re “sure” most people in the company agree. 523 Google is such a “champion” for “diversity” and “social justice” that there are reportedly tampon dispensers in men’s bathrooms because “some men menstruate.” 524 In August 2017 Google fired engineer James Damore after he wrote and circulated a memo internally titled “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber” which was critical of the company’s corporate culture and their diversity policies which were aiming to hire more women. Damore pointed out that because of the biological differences between men and women, most women tend to be more interested in social activities than engineering (people rather than things). Google soon fired him for “sexism” for daring to point out well-established facts about the differences between men and women. Various psychologists including Geoffrey Miller, a professor at the University of New Mexico; Jordan Peterson, professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto; Lee Jussim, social psychology professor at Rutgers University; and others publicly defended Damore’s memo as being scientifically sound. Damore then filed a class action lawsuit against Google and is suing them for discrimination against conservatives and white men since their diversity policies are inherently discriminatory because they openly favor women and people of color in the hiring process instead of choosing applicants who are best qualified for the job, regardless of their race or gender. 525

Has Google Committed Treason? Billionaire tech investor and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel says the FBI and CIA should investigate Google for possibly committing treason because of their “decision to work with the Chinese military and not with

the US military.” 526 Google had been secretly working on a special search engine for China that was compatible with their strict censorship rules and would have linked people’s phone numbers to their searches so the Communist government could monitor what everyone was looking up. 527 The project was only revealed after someone leaked documents to The Intercept in August 2018. Google had already been working with the Communist Chinese government since 2006 on their “Google.cn” (Google China) which allowed officials to blacklist certain search terms, but Dragonfly, the codename of the newer system they were working on, was going to be fully compatible with China’s “social credit score” system which tracks and rates citizens based on their personal activities. 528 Senator Josh Hawley called Google “the most dishonest company to appear before Congress” after one of their executives testified before a Senate Intelligence Committee and was evasive in many of his answers. 529

Creepy Google There are also serious privacy issues with Google for those who use it in the U.S. and other countries around the world. Most people don’t think about it too often, but they’re telling Google more than they tell their spouse or their best friend since people sometimes search for answers about relationship or health problems they are keeping to themselves. Google knows exactly who you are and keeps a log of everything you’ve searched for and what links you’ve clicked on. All of this information is then analyzed and sorted to create detailed profiles of people, their personalities, interests, income, and other data points about them. When asked about the privacy concerns surrounding Google, thenCEO Eric Schmidt responded, “There is what I call the creepy line. The Google policy on a lot of things is to get right up to the creepy line and not

cross it.” 530 They are, however, so creepy, that in the future they want to wire the Internet directly into people’s brains. 531 Google engineer Ray Kurzweil is one of the leading proponents of Transhumanism and hopes to one day upload his brain into the Internet so he can become a god-like “immortal” being. 532 Such megalomaniacal goals seem like science fiction and have been the plot of various films like The Lawnmower Man (1992) and Transcendence (2014), but Kurzweil is serious and has the backing of one of the world’s wealthiest tech companies. Google is also a lead developer of artificial intelligence which an increasing number of tech leaders and scientists worry may quickly get out of control and end up exterminating or enslaving the human race. 533 Other companies, including Elon Musk’s Neuralink, are developing braincomputer interfaces in hopes of enabling humans to merge with AI by turning us all into cyborgs. 534 But these are topics for a whole other book. Google’s former motto was “Don’t be evil,” a phrase that was also included in their official code of conduct, but in April 2018 they quietly removed all references of it, and sadly it seems more every day that is exactly what they are becoming.

Rise of Social Media From the creation of the printing press in 1439 to the telegraph in 1837, to radio in 1895 and television in 1927, each new form of media revolutionized society, but the development of the Internet far surpassed all previous communication technologies, especially since it’s now fully mobile and in our pocket wherever we go. It’s changed almost everything from how we interact with our friends to how we get our news and

entertainment, and people gauge what topics and events are the “most popular” because they’re “trending” on social media. As futurist George Gilder noted, “Computer networks give every hacker the creative potential of a factory tycoon of the industrial era and the communications power of a TV magnate of the broadcasting era.” 535 That’s the capability of what’s been dubbed Internet 2.0, or the two-way communication networks the Internet now enables, instead of just static websites. Comedian Dane Cook was one of the first comics to use social media to promote himself in the early 2000s through MySpace, and many of his early critics called him a better marketer than a comic because they didn’t see his humor as all that funny but couldn’t deny his popularity. “I remember getting ready to play Madison Square Garden,” he recalled to the Hollywood Reporter . “I posted once on MySpace and without spending a dime on any promotion or advertising, we sold out.” 536 Similarly, Tila Tequila became the most popular person on MySpace in 2006 from posting racy photos of herself, taking advantage of the new medium and getting floods of friend requests from lonely losers online who hoped to connect with her. 537 Her popularity on My Space opened the door for her (bisexual) dating show A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila on MTV in 2007, which began her 15 minutes of fame. In the early years of social media most people just saw the technology as something to use for fun, and a way to entertain themselves or reconnect with old friends, but as time went on the true power and ability to influence large numbers of people through it became apparent. One member of the Obama administration called journalists on social media “force multipliers” (a fancy term for propagandists) and admitted, “We have our compadres, I [would] reach out to a couple people, and you

know I wouldn’t want to name them.” These people were “prominent Washington reporters and columnists who [would] often tweet in sync with [Obama’s] messaging.” 538 Obama’s former campaign “mastermind” David Axelrod admitted, “over the last couple of years, there’s been an investment in alternative means of communication: using digital more effectively, going to nontraditional sources, understanding where on each issue your constituencies are going to be found. I think they’ve approached these major foreign-policy challenges as campaign challenges, and they’ve run [social media] campaigns, and those campaigns have been very sophisticated.” 539 Amateur video caught Hillary Clinton collapsing at the 9/11 memorial after her campaign and the mainstream media kept dismissing growing concerns that there was something wrong with her health in the final stretch of the 2016 presidential election. 540 The video first went viral through social media before finally getting covered in the mainstream press because so many people were talking about it. The Washington Post, which had been calling questions about her health “conspiracy theories,” then finally admitted, “Hillary Clinton’s health just became a real issue in the presidential campaign.” 541 A bartender working at a fundraiser held by Mitt Romney in 2012 captured the then-presidential candidate on video talking about how 47% of the country wouldn’t vote for him because they’ll support Obama no matter what since they want free hand outs so he wasn’t going to pay much attention to them. 542 Liberals pretended to be outraged and accused Mitt of not caring about half of the country, particularly lower income folks, and the video proved to be quit damaging to his campaign.

Bloggers were the ones who first debunked the fake documents CBS News anchor Dan Rather claimed were the service records of George W. Bush from his time in the National Guard. 543 Matt Drudge’s Drudge Report website first broke the Monica Lewinsky scandal when other outlets were sitting on the story and refused to cover it. 544 Facebook and Google now account for 25% of all advertising spending, both online and off. 545 Social media has swallowed up the news business, and the power-shift has been revolutionary.

Getting “News” on Social Media We all know kids love their devices, and virtually live their lives on them. An entire generation of children have been raised on them, and get babysat by smartphones since parents use them to keep kids occupied while seated in the shopping cart at the grocery store and even at the dinner table. It’s how they communicate with their friends, listen to music, watch movies, and so it only makes sense that’s where they get their news. A study conducted by Internet security company Anchor Free for the Jack Meyers Knowledge Exchange reported, “When asked to identify their two primary sources of news, the majority of this cohort name Instagram (29 percent), You Tube (22 percent), and Facebook (15 percent) as the media where they are most likely to read/see the news. Fewer than a quarter of young people depend on newspaper or television news, with 8 percent reading national newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today, 10 percent watching broadcast and cable network news, and 6 percent exposed regularly to local television news or newspapers…By comparison, a stunning 82 percent of Gen Z and younger millennials include among their primary news sources Reddit, Twitter,

Facebook, YouTube, BuzzFeed, Instagram, Snapchat and their desktop newsfeed.” 546 Media advisor Jack Myers warned, “Without the traditional filters of trusted news organizations and journalists, this new generation of potential voters may be highly susceptible to fake and biased news and may find it difficult to discern fact from fiction. Compounding this reality, Instagram — the #1 source of news for young people — is dependent almost exclusively on visual images, and none of the major social media channels invest meaningfully in original news reporting, nor do they provide usertools for deeper investigative analysis of their content.” 547 Of course it’s not just kids who are increasingly relying on social media for their news, it’s everyone.

Homeland Security Studying Influencers Because so many people are now getting their news from social media and there are millions of ways stories can be planted online and go viral governments around the world are very interested in tracking and studying the flow of information through these new channels of distribution. In 2018 the Department of Homeland Security revealed they were developing systems to monitor the social media feeds of various journalists, bloggers, and social media influencers in order to “identify any and all media coverage related to the Department of Homeland Security or a particular event.” 548 In other words there are very serious national security concerns, as well as issues and events local law enforcement need to monitor on social media because they can easily cause real-world consequences. A report in the Chicago Sun Times notes, they were building a database “to monitor the public activities of media members and influencers” so the

government would have the ability “to create unlimited data tracking, statistical breakdown, and graphical analyses on ad-hoc basis.” 549 They reportedly are tracking 300,000 different accounts to create a realtime information matrix of topics that are being talked about and how they spread. Shortly after the 2016 election I myself was contacted by the United States Special Operations Command which integrates various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces because they wanted to interview me and even send a team of researchers to observe me working so they could learn how my YouTube channel had become so popular in the final stretch of the 2016 election. I declined their request.

Operation Earnest Voice Around 2011 the U.S. government launched a program called Operation Earnest Voice which uses specialized software that allows military personnel to create and manage fake social media profiles of various “people” in order to use them for propaganda purposes. 550 The government claims they’re only doing this on websites outside the United States because technically (until President Obama amended it in 2012) it was a violation of the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act for the military to target our own citizens with propaganda, but it’s hard to believe that such technology isn’t being used by U.S. government agencies in black ops on the major social media platforms to influence the American people. Obviously all countries engage in cyber warfare, and in the 21st century that means flooding social media with bots and trolls to push certain agendas or to disrupt various discussions. The London Guardian surprisingly admitted in 2015 that, “Israel Defense Forces have pioneered state military engagement with social media, with dedicated teams

operating since Operation Cast Lead, its war in Gaza in 2008-9. The IDF is active on 30 platforms – including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram – in six languages.” 551 The Chinese government was caught using Twitter trolls and posting propaganda videos on YouTube designed to demonize protesters in Hong Kong in the Summer of 2019 when pro-democracy demonstrations broke out. 552 And everyone knows Russia used social media to cause disruption during the 2016 election by promoting both pro-Trump and anti-Trump content, however its effect has been greatly exaggerated by Democrats, causing a modern day moral panic. It’s rarely reported that the biggest Black Lives Matter page on Facebook, which had over 700,000 followers, was found to be run by a white guy in Australia who was using it to scam people into donating money to him. 553 Another huge Black Lives Matter Facebook page called “Blactivist” (meaning black activist) which had over 360,000 followers was found to be part of Russia’s disinformation campaign against the United States and used the page to incite division and fan the flames of racism. 554 Michael Moore even promoted and attended a protest outside of Trump Tower in New York City that had been organized by the Russians. 555 So to say that Russian meddling in American social media circles was just to support Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton is just plain false.

Social Media Causing Mental Health Problems While social media is a powerful tool, it is hard to control. And it seems with every benefit it brings comes the equivalent of an equal sized detriment. The younger generations are getting lost in a world of isolation and have few real-world friendships or interactions. Social media is being

increasingly linked to mental disorders amongst teens since it has become a fixture in their lives. 556 Feeling the need to share how “great” and “perfect” one’s life is through carefully choreographed Instagram photos or Facebook posts appears to be increasing people’s anxiety and depression. 557 Many people have become literally addicted to their phones, not to mention that social media blew the door wide open for kids to be cyberbullied 24-hours-a-day by their fellow classmates who are now able to harass them when they’re not even at school, and can reach them when they’re supposedly in the safety of their own homes. Teen suicide rates have skyrocketed due to cyber bullying because now kids can never get away from their bullies no matter where they go. 558 One study even found that close to 6% of kids aged 12 through 17 have set up fake social media accounts and cyber bullied themselves so they could get attention for being a “victim.” 559 Many people are also developing “mean world syndrome,” which is a term coined by professor George Gerbner who was the dean of the communication department at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a leading researcher in the effects of mass media and concluded that the more time someone spends consuming mass media, the more distorted their view of how the world actually gets, ultimately leading them to think society is a much more dangerous and “mean” place than it actually is since their perceptions are shaped through the warped representations of the world by the media, which amplifies atrocities, arguments, and divisions. Gerbner’s “mean world syndrome” phenomenon was coined in the age of television, and now that most people are glued to their phones and are consuming an almost nonstop diet of media, one can see how the syndrome has only gotten worse. Spending too much time on social media and being bombarded by the never-ending political conflicts and fear-mongering

about things like global warming, mass shootings, and racism is wreaking havoc on the mental health of millions. Many people are getting so depraved that when they witness a tragedy like a car accident or an assault, instead of helping the victims or calling for help, their first thought is to take pictures so they can post them on social media. 560

No Customer Service Despite the Big Tech companies being an integral part of most people’s lives; unlike almost every other company that offers products or services to the public, there are no customer service phone numbers at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Google. You can’t get anyone on the phone there to talk with them about problems you’ve experienced or the grievances you have with their companies. Despite names like Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey attached to them, they remain faceless corporations you can’t get in touch with. There’s no local branch you can visit where you can ask to speak with a manager, and instead users are relegated to sending tweets or submitting a “help ticket” from within the apps’ dashboard, and those attempts to get answers often only result in automated responses thanking you for contacting them and saying they’ll try to look into it. The social media giants are actually strangely anti-social. For those of you who read my previous book, The True Story of Fake News: How Mainstream Media Manipulates Millions , you know I dedicated different chapters to Facebook, Twitter, Google, and YouTube, where I detailed their Orwellian manipulation and censorship, but since their underhanded activities have only continued, it is necessary to dedicate

chapters to each of them again in this book to discuss their more recent activities. I’ll keep the overlapping information to a minimum and mostly cover what they’ve been doing since the publication of my previous book because you need to know how far they’re going to regain control of the genie they let out of the bottle.

Facebook For countless millions of people Facebook became the family photo album, their contact list, and even their diary of sorts. First started in 2004 as a social network for college kids, it quickly expanded to become the most popular one in the world used by 2.2 billion monthly active users. 561 Its dominance made founder Mark Zuckerberg the youngest billionaire in history at the age of twenty-three. 562 For those naive enough to fill in all the entry boxes when they first signed up for Facebook, the company knows not only who you’re friends with, who you’re dating or married to (as well as when you break up or get a divorce), but also which TV shows, movies, and music you like, which restaurants and businesses you visit, what cities you travel to, where you work, your birthdate, your personal interests, hobbies, and more. It’s free because you are the product and your personal data is what you are trading in exchange for using Facebook. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden noted, “Businesses that make money by collecting and selling detailed records of private lives were once plainly described as ‘surveillance companies.’ Their rebranding as ‘social media’ is the most successful deception since the Department of War became the Department of Defense.” 563 Many millennials and Generation Z kids either quit Facebook or never signed up, and prefer Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) and SnapChat because they don’t want be on the same social network as their parents. Despite the endless scandals about abusing users’ personal information, Facebook hasn’t gone the way of MySpace (at least not yet) and remains one of the world’s top social networks.

While people use Facebook for various reasons—like keeping in touch with friends and family, many use it to share news stories and videos about political issues, but it wasn’t until after the 2016 presidential election that Facebook saw this as a problem. As you know, the Democrats largely blamed Facebook for Hillary’s loss, citing the spread of supposed “fake news” about her they claimed had caused people to see her in a negative light and not vote for her. Hillary was supposed to pound the final nails in the coffin of the United States of America, and usher in the New World Order for her globalist puppet masters, but Donald Trump canceled those plans. The war mongering neocons in the Bush administration, followed by the charismatic socialist Barack Obama had set the stage, knocking out most of the legs from under our once-great Republic. But the election of Donald Trump changed everything, and he began to right the ship. The scheming globalists were furious. The very tools that Facebook had proudly created so people could share information with others were now seen as a problem because they disrupted the traditional channels of distribution that were controlled by major media companies. If anyone posted a message, link, photo, or video, that post could be seen by as many people who read the New York Times or watch the NBC Nightly News from other Facebook users simply clicking the “share” button. But all that had to change because the “Russians” had posted “fake news” about Hillary Clinton. Rob Goldman, Vice President of Ads at Facebook, admitted, “The majority of the Russian ad spend happened AFTER the election. We shared that fact, but very few outlets have covered it because it doesn’t align with the main media narrative of Trump and the election.” 564 He was reprimanded for revealing the truth, but Facebook would go on to

completely change the way their platform functioned under the guise of stopping “fake news.” Before Facebook, people used to “bookmark” their favorite websites on their Internet browser, and would use that list to navigate to their news sources, but Facebook (and Twitter) have largely replaced browser bookmarks, and by weaseling their way in between news websites sites and their potential audience, it is Facebook, not the users, who are now in control of what articles people see.

Manipulating Users’ Feeds Most people used to assume—and many probably still do—that if they follow certain accounts on Facebook they’re going to get posts from those pages in their news feeds, but the algorithms detect keywords in posts and identify the source of links and Facebook’s proprietary technology throttles the reach of content they don’t want people to see and often limits the reach so posts only show up in a few people’s news feeds. For example, when Wikileaks first released a batch of hacked DNC emails, Facebook blocked links to them claiming they were “malicious” or “spam.” Only after Wikileaks tweeted about their links being blocked and people began clamoring about it did Facebook fix it. 565 There were even reports that when people tried to share certain links to articles exposing Jussie Smollett’s hate crime hoax they were blocked from posting and a pop-up notified them that, “This post goes against our Community Standards, so no one else can see it.” 566 Facebook even patented technology to shadow ban people so they could prevent certain posts from being seen by others without giving any indication to the person who posted it that such censorship was occurring. The Abstract on their patent explains the process, “[T]he social networking

system may receive a list of proscribed content and block comments containing the proscribed content by reducing the distribution of those comments to other viewing users. However, the social networking system may display the blocked content to the commenting user such that the commenting user is not made aware that his or her comment was blocked, thereby providing fewer incentives to the commenting user to spam the page or attempt to circumvent the social networking system filters.” 567 Facebook has admitted conducting several experiments on users to test how well they could manipulate people by making changes to what they see in their news feeds. 568 In 2010 they toyed with 60 million people’s newsfeeds to see if they could increase voter turnout in the midterm election that year and concluded they were able to get an extra 340,000 people to the polls. 569 On their own website they bragged about a case study which found that, “Facebook as a market research tool and as a platform for ad saturation can be used to change public opinion in any political campaign.” 570 They cited the study as an attempt to court advertisers and to show just how powerful their platform is, hoping to get them to run targeted ads. Hopefully it’s common knowledge now that Facebook was caught suppressing conservative news from appearing in the trending section in 2016 and artificially injecting other topics into the list to give the false impression that certain stories were organically viral from so many people talking about them. 571 After Facebook announced they were changing the algorithm to favor posts from people’s friends over the businesses, brands, and media pages they were following, Donald Trump’s engagement dropped 45%. 572 The Western Journal did a survey and analyzed the engagement of 50 different news pages ranging from the Washington Post to the Daily Caller and found

that after these algorithm changes, conservative outlets averaged a 14% drop in traffic, while liberal media accounts increased by 2%. 573 In June 2019, Tomi Lahren had the “Boosting” feature disabled on her account, which is a way for public figures and brand pages to get their posts to actually show up in the news feeds of the people who follow them by paying Facebook different dollar amounts to allow what they post to be seen by people following the page. 574 For anyone running a professional Facebook page (like mine), whatever we post is severely suppressed and only a small fraction of the people who follow the page will see it unless we “Boost” the post, which is a huge revenue generator for Facebook. Tomi Lahren became famous because her videos went viral on Facebook, but once the Boost feature was disabled she couldn’t even pay Facebook to distribute them in the news feeds of people following her page. 575 A slide from a presentation given to Facebook moderators to teach them what kind of content is inappropriate details what the company says is “destructive behavior” by “trolls” and lists doxing and harassment alongside “toxic meme creation,” and “red-pilling normies to convert them to their worldview,” and also includes an “example video” of Lauren Chen (formerly known as Roaming Millennial), a moderate conservative YouTuber who now works for The Blaze. 576 A “normie” is a slang term meaning a normal person, or in the context of certain Internet subcultures means someone who is not part of the group in question. But Facebook considers that word to be an indicator that the person posting it might be a right-wing “troll.” Things have changed so much since the early days of Facebook that it’s a completely different platform than it was when it first rose to popularity in the late 2000s. They have been getting increasingly less tolerant of different

views and their algorithms can easily hide people’s posts or automatically suspend accounts for posting what they deem to be “hate speech,” which you know is just a code word for something that hurts liberals’ feelings or facts they won’t want people to know about. In August of 2018, a senior manager at Facebook posted on their internal message board a thread titled “We Have a Problem With Political Diversity” that explained, “We are a political monoculture that’s intolerant of different views.” It went on to say, “We claim to welcome all perspectives, but are quick to attack — often in mobs — anyone who presents a view that appears to be in opposition to left-leaning ideology.” 577 That person has probably been fired by now but they were brave enough to point out what is obviously wrong with the corporate culture there. PayPal co-founder and Facebook board member Peter Thiel left Silicon Valley and moved to Los Angeles because he was sick of the Leftist culture that permeates the tech industry in Northern California. 578 Thiel reportedly considered resigning from Facebook’s board over disagreements with Mark Zuckerberg and sold three-quarters of his Facebook stock before leaving Silicon Valley. 579

Helping Mainstream News In July 2018 Facebook announced they were partnering with CNN, ABC, Univision, and other mainstream networks and began paying them to do special livestreams Monday through Friday. 580 Their goal was to, “create a curated news hub of content that would be seen as more credible than many of the random posts cycling through the News Feed.” 581 Anderson Cooper’s Facebook show, called “Full Circle” usually averaged around 1,500 live viewers and lasted a year. 582 CNN now claims they’re going to try streaming the show on their app, CNNgo, instead of Facebook.

Six months after launching the new livestreams Facebook announced they would soon be investing $300 million into various news organizations to help them “boost” their online presence. 583 People like me have to pay Facebook to “Boost” our posts so they actually show up in the news feeds of fans following our pages, while at the same time Facebook is paying hundreds of millions of dollars to mainstream media channels to help them get out their messages! The liberal bias is obvious but goes deeper than most people think. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, wrote to Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager on June 6th 2015, saying “I still want HRC to win badly. I am still here to help as I can.” 584 Facebook openly plays favorites, for example they have a real name policy, except for transgender people, who can open an account in any name they want. 585 The company even put up a huge Black Lives Matter banner on their campus. 586 They also give out employee bonuses based on how much they’re doing for “social justice.” 587

Facebook Censoring People In October 2018, Facebook deleted over 800 accounts for publishing what they called “political spam” and “sensational political content.” 588 One of the pages belonged to Brian Kolfage, a disabled veteran who lost both his legs and one arm in the Iraq War. After retiring from the military due to his injuries he took over management of a Facebook page called “Right Wing News” and helped it build up a following of over three million people. 589 But Facebook banned the page, destroying Brian Kolfage’s thriving online business, while leaving content farms like BuzzFeed and Vox to continue littering Facebook with their political spam. The day after British activist Tommy Robinson released a documentary on YouTube showing his undercover investigation into the BBC as they were planning to air a hit piece on him, he was banned from Facebook and Instagram (which is owned by Facebook). 590 Because he’s been a vocal opponent of the Islamization of England, he has been branded an “Islamophobe.” After Facebook banned him, activists and “journalists” smelled blood and started pressuring YouTube to ban him too. “His YouTube channel has hundreds of thousands of followers and includes films viewed by millions of people,” complained Damian Collins, a Member of Parliament. 591 He continued, “Far-right groups are exploiting social media to spread their messages of hate, and the YouTube [Up Next] feature helps them by directing viewers to even more of this content once they start to engage with it.” He concluded, “I believe YouTube should also ban Tommy Robinson from their platform.” 592 More on this in the chapter on YouTube. The official Facebook page for Britain First, an anti-immigration organization working to stop the flood of Muslims from the Middle East

into the UK was also banned for “Islamophobia.” Their page had over 2 million followers, showing it isn’t just a fringe group, but they have a large number of supporters in the UK. 593 In April 2019 Facebook (and Instagram) banned Faith Goldy, a conservative Canadian journalist who has been smeared as a white supremacist because she too is critical of the massive influx of nonassimilating Muslims into Europe. 594 The Huffington Post gleefully took credit for persuading Facebook to ban her, posting a story titled, “Facebook Bans Faith Goldy After HuffPost Report On White Nationalism Content.” 595 Facebook said, “Individuals and organizations who spread hate, attack, or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are have no place on our services.” 596 After Comedy Central’s Jim Jeffries recorded an interview with a Jewish political commentator from Australia named Avi Yemini, who is critical of Muslim immigration into Western countries, he was permanently banned from Facebook for “hate speech.” 597 The ban came not necessarily because of his interview on Comedy Central, but because he had secretly recorded the interview himself, and exposed how deceptively edited it was when they aired it. 598 The truth of what Comedy Central had done to him couldn’t be seen, so they banned him. Facebook’s moderators despise any criticism of mass immigration and the effects non-assimilating newcomers have on the countries they come to occupy. After a German historian posted a short essay about Islam’s historic impact on Germany, he was banned for 30 days for “hate speech.” 599 Facebook even deletes accounts of Palestinians at the direction of the Israeli government if they deem the people to be engaging in “incitement” due to their complaints about how the Palestinian people are treated. 600

Facebook took down an event page for an anti-caravan protest that was scheduled to happen when hundreds of migrants from Central America were to make it to the U.S.-Mexico border. 601 It may not be much longer before they consider the term “illegal alien” to be a “racist slur” and a violation of their terms of service in the same way posting the n-word is (if you’re white). Like all the other major social networks, conservatives are at risk of having their pages shut down for “hate speech” for being “non-inclusive.” But it’s not just supposed “extremists” like Tommy Robinson and Faith Goldy. In December 2018, Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, was suspended by Facebook for a post he made almost two years earlier criticizing singer Bruce Springsteen for canceling a concert in North Carolina to protest a proposed bill that would have required people to use the bathroom that corresponds to their biological sex. Graham’s post said in part, “Mr. Springsteen, a nation embracing sin and bowing at the feet of godless secularism and political correctness is not progress,” and urged the state’s legislators to “put the safety of our women and children first!” But a Facebook moderator decided that calling liberals “godless” was a violation of their policy forbidding “dehumanizing language,” so they suspended him. 602 After the incident started making headlines Facebook lifted the ban and said the moderator had made a “mistake” in their decision. Facebook even censored the Declaration of Independence after it was posted by a small newspaper’s page (The Vindicator ), claiming it was “hate speech” because it includes the phrase “merciless Indian Savages.” 603 The paper had posted it a few days before the Fourth of July to celebrate Independence Day. I was suspended in April 2017 for criticizing a Dove Soap commercial that featured “real moms” and their babies because it included a transgender

“woman” who is the biological father of “her” child but identifies as the baby’s “mom.” 604 Facebook considers it “hate speech” to denounce such insanity. Then in January 2019, I was suspended for one week after making a comment about there being a lot of crime in black communities. I appealed it, and it was denied. Residents know the local news begins every night in Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Baltimore, etc, with shootings, stabbings, and robberies which occurred in black ghettos, but those stories are just fifteensecond sound bites on the local news and are then forgotten about by everyone except those directly affected—like the victims’ family and friends. But when a black person is killed by a white man, or the suspect is a white man, then the keyboard warriors amplify the story to the national level as if there’s an epidemic of white men assassinating random black people in America. They denounce “evil” “racist” white people and make ridiculous and hateful generalizations about the entire white race, but that’s allowed on Facebook. You just can’t post certain facts and statistics about black crime in America. The truth is, black men make up only about 7% of the U.S. population, but are responsible for 50% of the total murders. 605 It’s a distressing statistic no one in the mainstream media dares to point out, and if you simply mention this on Facebook, your post may likely be removed and you’ll get issued a suspension for “hate speech.” Black conservative commentator Candace Owens was suspended because of a post saying liberalism is a greater threat to black people in America than white supremacy, and for including some statistics about fatherless homes in the black community. 606 It’s “hate speech” even when black people mention certain uncomfortable facts about their communities.

Leaked documents later revealed that Facebook had labeled her a “hate agent” and was offering employees “extra credit” if they could dig up dirt on her and find any previous statements she’s made or groups she has endorsed that they consider to be objectionable. 607 Facebook sensations Diamond and Silk, two black sisters who support Donald Trump by doing a hilarious routine where one of them rants while the other acts as a “hype girl” by adding cleverly timed one or two word comments to emphasize what the other is saying, have also been censored by Facebook. Their videos became so popular that they were invited to Trump rallies during his 2016 campaign and then later to the White House once he won. Their content is 100% family friendly but Facebook deemed them “unsafe” and suppressed the reach of their page, which at the time had 1.2 million followers. 608 As usual, after the issue started making headlines, Facebook lifted the restrictions on their page and said it was just another “enforcement error.” 609 Facebook also reportedly removed posts and memes by people who were (correctly) referring to the man who shot and killed a police officer in California as an “illegal alien” and a “murderer.” 610 Criticizing illegal aliens, even if they’re murderers, is “hate speech.” A writer for the Gateway Pundit named Lucian Wintrich, who is a gay, referred to himself as a “fag” in a post, and seven months later their AI system detected it and banned him for 30-days for “hate speech” just for using the word. 611 Facebook even blocked President Trump’s social media director Dan Scavino from replying to people in the comments, claiming his posts were “spam.” Shortly after the President tweeted about the restriction, Facebook “fixed” it and said it was just another “error.” 612

Banning “Dangerous Individuals” In May 2019, Facebook (and Instagram) permanently banned Paul Joseph Watson, Milo Yiannopoulos, Laura Loomer, and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan; labeling them all “dangerous individuals” and “extremists.” 613 What’s especially interesting is that news reports were published about their ban a full hour before they were actually banned, because Facebook had been secretly coordinating with CNN and other outlets but botched the timing of the big announcement. 614 Loomer, Milo, and Watson were banned because they are critical of the Islamization of Europe, so they have all been branded “Islamophobes,” and Facebook decided to throw Louis Farrakhan in the mix as a cover to give the appearance that they weren’t just removing vocal opponents of Islam. The Atlantic initially reported, “Any account that shares Infowars content will see it removed, unless the post is explicitly condemning Infowars [or Alex Jones]. Facebook and Instagram will remove any content containing Infowars videos, radio segments, or articles (again, unless the post is explicitly condemning the content) and Facebook will also remove any groups set up to share Infowars content and events promoting any of the banned extremist figures, according to a company spokesperson.” 615 They later “updated” their article and removed the part about people having to explicitly condemn Alex Jones if they are to post anything about him. At this rate it won’t be long before Facebook bans people who say abortion is murder, citing their policy against “hate speech.” Or if you dare say you don’t believe in gay “marriage,” or call it “marriage” in quotes (because a marriage is between a man and a woman.) That’s “hateful.” If Facebook was around in the 1960s, they would have banned Martin Luther King because what he was saying was “dangerous” to the social

order. The FBI at the time, led by J. Edgar Hoover, considered King to be an enemy of the State and the bureau engaged in all kinds of nefarious activities trying to derail his message. 616 Meanwhile the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas has an official Facebook page (and Twitter account). 617 So does the Muslim Brotherhood, which is listed as a terrorist organization in multiple countries. 618 They can have Facebook pages, but Alex Jones, Paul Joseph Watson, Tommy Robinson, Milo Yiannopoulos, and Laura Loomer can’t.

Instagram Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) is more about photography than news, but people do share political memes and news-related posts there, and in recent years they have enabled users to upload videos, so it too has become a place for vlogs. For years just about the only thing that would get removed by Instagram’s moderators for violations of their terms of service were pictures that included nudity or gory and gratuitous violence, but once the Orwellian era began and the Thought Police are now cracking down on free speech online, censorship on Instagram became common. They have censored a few different memes that I had posted, one of them showed a picture of actor Tobey Maguire from a scene in Spiderman looking at a picture of President Trump giving a speech to the Boy Scouts Jamboree, and then below it showed Tobey wearing “CNN glasses” which caused him to see Adolf Hitler talking with a group of Hitler Youth. The message is clear—anything President Trump does when seen through the lens of CNN is sinister, but that meme violated Instagram’s terms of service.

They also censored a meme I had posted showing a happy white couple with two young children that was captioned, “White people — the only race you can legally discriminate against.” As you know, there is a war on white people being waged by the Left in America today and whites are being blamed for everyone else’s problems, but just pointing out the Left’s open discrimination (and hatred) of white people is a violation of Instagram’s terms of service. As the Jussie Smollett hate crime hoax was unraveling, Instagram took down a Scooby-Doo meme from my account which showed the characters surrounding a “ghost” they had captured after unmasking it to reveal who it really was, and the “ghost” had Jussie’s face photoshopped onto it. Instagram said that was “harassment” and “bullying.” They also took down one of Donald Trump Jr.’s posts about Jussie Smollett’s hoax as well. 619 After conservative commentator Kayleigh McEnany posted a picture on her Instagram of Elizabeth Warren’s newly discovered Texas Bar Registration card showing she listed “American Indian” as her race, that post was removed and Kayleigh was given a notification she had violated Instagram’s terms of service by “bullying” Warren. 620 Instagram has also begun testing new technology to fact-check memes by adding pop-ups that appear next to certain posts they deem “false” and even hiding them so they don’t show up when people are searching for particular hashtags. 621 The Thought Police don’t just patrol social media for what people post, they also keep a lookout for things that people “like.” During the 2018 season of The Bachelorette , one of the frontrunners (who got the “first impression rose”) made headlines after people were combing through his social media accounts and found that he had “liked” several “inflammatory” memes that made fun of illegal aliens, transgender people, and radical

feminists. 622 He literally just clicked the “like” button on a few funny memes making fun of social justice warriors and he was smeared in the press as a xenophobic, transphobic, sexist, and forced to apologize.

What It’s Doing To Our Brains Steve Jobs wouldn’t allow his kids to even use an iPad when they were little, admitting in 2012 (two years after it was released), “Actually we don’t allow the iPad in the home,” in response to an interviewer saying his kids must love it. 623 He knew how addictive they could be and how people, especially children, were vulnerable to being completely consumed by them. Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn’t have kids but says he has placed restrictions on what his nephew can do with technology, and he doesn’t want him using social media. 624 Bill Gates also limited the amount of screen time he allowed his kids to engage in and wouldn’t let them have cellphones until they were 14-yearsold, despite them complaining that other kids in their class were able to have one. 625 But using tablets or smartphones to surf the web or watch videos is one thing. Social media apps opened up a whole new world to waste people’s time and warp their minds. The former president of Facebook, Sean Parker, later admitted the site creates an artificial social-validation feedback loop that is, “exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology” and “literally changes your relationship with society, [and] each other. It probably interferes with productivity in weird ways. God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains.” 626 Former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya warned, “The shortterm, dopamine-driven feedback loops we’ve created are destroying how society works,” referring to the validation people get from likes, hearts, and thumbs up on their posts. 627 He also pointed out how “social media” is

making people anti-social, saying it’s harming civil discourse and spreading misinformation and hoaxes that have real world consequences. He mentioned how a hoax about a kidnaping spread through WhatsApp (which is owned by Facebook) in India and led to the lynching of seven innocent men who were killed by a local mob. “That’s what we’re dealing with. And imagine taking that to the extreme, where bad actors can now manipulate large swathes of people to do anything you want. It’s just a really, really bad state of affairs.” He also said his children “aren’t allowed to use that shit.” 628 A Google engineer posted a lengthy thread on his Twitter account about the dangers of Facebook, starting off saying, “The problem with Facebook is not *just* the loss of your privacy and the fact that it can be used as a totalitarian panopticon. The more worrying issue, in my opinion, is its use of digital information consumption as a psychological control vector.” 629 He went on to tweet, “The world is being shaped in large part by two long-time trends: first, our lives are increasingly dematerialized, consisting of consuming and generating information online, both at work and at home. Second, AI is getting ever smarter.” 630 “These two trends overlap at the level of the algorithms that shape our digital content consumption. Opaque social media algorithms get to decide, to an ever-increasing extent, which articles we read, who we keep in touch with, whose opinions we read, whose feedback we get.” 631 “If Facebook gets to decide, over the span of many years, which news you will see (real or fake), whose political status updates you’ll see, and who will see yours, then Facebook is in effect in control of your political beliefs and your worldview.” 632

“This is not quite news, as Facebook has been known to run since at least 2013 a series of experiments in which they were able to successfully control the moods and decisions of unwitting users by tuning their newsfeeds’ contents, as well as prediction user’s future decisions.” 633 “In short, Facebook can simultaneously measure everything about us, and control the information we consume. When you have access to both perception and action, you’re looking at an AI problem. You can start establishing an optimization loop for human behavior. A RL loop.” 634 “A loop in which you observe the current state of your targets and keep tuning what information you feed them, until you start observing the opinions and behaviors you wanted to see.” 635 “The human mind is a static, vulnerable system that will come increasingly under attack from ever-smarter AI algorithms that will simultaneously have a complete view of everything we do and believe, and complete control of the information we consume.” 636 “Importantly, mass population control — in particular political control — arising from placing AI algorithms in charge of our information diet does not necessarily require very advanced AI. You don’t need self-aware, super-intelligent AI for this to be a dire threat.” 637 “We’re looking at a powerful entity that builds fine-grained psychological profiles of over two billion humans, that runs large-scale behavior manipulation experiments, and that aims at developing the best AI technology the world has ever seen. Personally, it really scares me,” he concludes. 638 Even one of Facebook’s co-founders says the company is now “unAmerican” and is calling on the government to break it up. “The most problematic aspect of Facebook’s power is Mark [Zuckerberg’s] unilateral control over speech,” he said in a New York Times op-ed. “There is no

precedent for his ability to monitor, organize and even censor the conversations of two billion people.” 639

Twitter Fake news and idiotic ideas spread faster on Twitter than perhaps any other social media platform. 640 Unlike Facebook status updates which can be rather lengthy, Twitter is designed for short and quick messages (limited to 280 characters) and with the click of the retweet button, a tweet posted from anyone can soon be in front of the eyes of millions of people. It’s a place where people share first and think later, and it’s often a sea of angry people arguing with each other and jumping to conclusions based on out of context statements, photos, or video clips; and quickly spread the falsehoods even further without a second thought. 641 By the time the facts come out, the misinformation has already gone viral and shown up on the trending list—poisoning the opinions of countless others. Few people delete their tweets which fueled fake news fires, and fewer still issue retractions when learning of their mistake. Even in those rare occasions the retractions receive little attention compared to the initial tweets, since they aren’t retweeted thousands of times, not to mention most of the damage has already been done. When there’s a tragic event like a mass shooting, the wannabe sleuths online often end up naming and doxing the wrong suspect, and take someone’s photo from a social media account with the same name as the suspect and spread it around claiming they’re the killer. 642 Who knows what will happen when deepfake videos become more popular and carefully crafted hoax clips are spread through Twitter. The

effects could be devastating beyond measure and it’s something I’ll cover in detail later in the chapter titled “The Future of Fake News.” Spreading misinformation through Twitter isn’t just something that random idiots do online. Many mainstream media journalists regularly engage in the practice, or amplify fake news through retweets. Dave Weigel of the Washington Post tweeted a photo of the audience at a Trump event in Florida that went viral, claiming the event had a ton of empty seats, disputing the President’s statement that people had to be turned away because the stadium was over capacity. People starting calling the President a liar because the “prestigious” Washington Post said otherwise, but Weigel’s photo was taken hours before the event had actually started which is why there were rows of empty seats. 643 Just hours after President Trump was inaugurated, a Time magazine reporter claimed that he removed the bust of Martin Luther King Jr. from the Oval Office, posting a photo of the table where it sat, claiming it was gone, insinuating Trump is such a racist he couldn’t stand to see the face of MLK in his new office and got rid of it on his first day as president. It turns out that someone was just standing in front of it, blocking it from view, and the bust was still there. 644 But countless liberals tweeted their disgust after being duped by an “authoritative” Time magazine reporter who made the claim. There are countless vipers who live online, glued to their phones, and derive a sense of power from the amount of likes and retweets they get. And many function as a volunteer army, ready to attack any target on demand. It’s where liberals harass companies that advertise on Fox News, and where they flood the mentions of anyone who dares speak out against garbage like corporations pandering to gays and transgenders during “Pride” month.

Twitter can suck you in, wasting hours of your time while you argue with idiots about anything and everything since your mentions can easily turn into an endless flow of responses from more and more people as those triggered by your tweets keep sharing them with their followers, rallying others to join in on the dogpile. Twitter is often a dangerous and mind-bending place. As a New York Times columnist wrote after the Covington Catholic debacle, it is, “the epicenter of a nonstop information war, an almost comically undermanaged gladiatorial arena where activists and disinformation artists and politicians and marketers gather to target and influence the wider media world.” 645 An article in The Week went even further, warning that Twitter actually poses a threat to our democracy, saying, “Extreme partisan polarization is combining with the technology of social media, and especially Twitter, to provoke a form of recurrent political madness among members of the country’s cultural and intellectual elite.” 646 It continued, “But too little attention has been paid to what may be the most potent facet of the social media platform: its ability to feed the vanity of its users. There’s always an element of egoism to intellectual and political debate. But Twitter puts every tweeter on a massive stage, with the nastiest put-downs, insults, and provocations often receiving the most applause. That’s a huge psychological incentive to escalate the denunciation of political enemies. The more one expresses outrage at the evils of others, the more one gets to enjoy the adulation of the virtual mob.” 647 The piece concluded (accurately) that, “more and more the venom has been bleeding into the real world, with boycotts, doxings, firings, death threats, and groveling apologies offered to placate mobs wielding digital pitchforks. It increasingly feels like it’s just a matter of time before realworld violence breaks out in response to an online conflagration.” 648

After a Black Lives Matter supporter ambushed a group of police officers during one of the movement’s marches in Dallas, Texas in 2016, a surviving officer sued Twitter and Facebook for allowing the social media networks to radicalize the gunman, saying they were used “as a tool for spreading extremist propaganda.” 649 The shooter’s Facebook profile pic was him making a black power salute and he followed various black supremacist pages. 650 While the tech companies are determined to ban anyone posting support for “white supremacy,” they turn a blind eye to radical black power groups and those who promote their extremist ideologies and anti-white hatred. Twitter is a known safe haven for Antifa, with countless Antifa accounts active, many of which regularly promote violence against conservatives. 651 The launch of Twitter was a carefully crafted campaign involving various celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Ashton Kutcher, and even CNN, which promoted Twitter’s “Million Followers Contest” in 2009 when the site first appeared on the public’s radar. Now practically every television show and political cause has a hashtag and everyone wants you to “follow” them on Twitter. It’s interesting to note that the CIA actually created “Cuban Twitter” so they could monitor everyone’s online activity in the country and manage the spread of information in order to undermine the government there. 652 It’s not unreasonable to think that the CIA has the same interest and control over Twitter in America (and all other major social media sites) as well. It certainly is odd that Twitter awarded the coveted blue verified checkmark to a supposed eight-year-old Syrian refugee, despite the minimum age to be allowed on Twitter is thirteen. Starting in 2016 “Bana al-Abed” began posting photos of the civil war-torn country, urging people around the world (in English) to help. Her tweets soon began making

headlines, gaining her over 322,000 followers, and she was even invited to the 2018 Academy Awards and brought on stage for a performance by Andra Day and Common for their song “Stand Up for Something.” 653 President Trump had wanted to stop intervening in foreign affairs that didn’t directly affect the United States, and what better way to undermine his efforts than showcase an eight-year-old Syrian girl using social media to beg for help? You should never believe what you see on Twitter. In 2013 the Associated Press account was hacked and tweeted that the White House had been bombed and President Obama was injured. The tweet was also said to have caused the stock market to fall until it was discovered that it was a hoax. 654 A rogue employee even took it upon himself to delete President Trump’s entire account in November 2017. If one low level employee has the administrative control to delete the President’s account, what would stop someone from hijacking the account and posting tweets as the President himself? Even if the false tweets were deleted and exposed within a few minutes, the damage they would inflict on international relations or the economy could be enormous. While Democrats cry about “Russian bots and trolls” manipulating Twitter by tweeting out certain hashtags hoping to boost them into the trending module or mass-“liking” certain tweets to give the appearance that the message is resonating with more people than it actually is; the effect they have is often minimal. One of Twitter’s executives, Nick Pickles, testified at a Congressional hearing that just 49 Russian Twitter accounts were involved in trying to artificially boost support for Brexit [the proposal for England to leave the European Union] and those collective tweets had only been liked 637 times and retweeted just 461 times. 655

While troll farms run by foreign governments or domestic political activist organizations should be a concern, Twitter and the other major tech companies have safeguards in place to detect and prevent most of this inauthentic activity from disrupting the platforms. The biggest threat in this modern information war comes from the tech companies themselves, since they hold the power over what billions of people see and hear, and with small changes to their algorithms can hide or amplify certain issues or events in order to further their own political agendas.

Massive Liberal Bias After years of avoiding the issue, Twitter’s CEO finally admitted “It’s no secret that we are largely left leaning, and we all have biases. That includes me, our board, and our company.” 656 They are so liberal in fact, that Jack Dorsey actually apologized for eating at Chick-Fil-A after he tweeted that he just used Square’s Cash App to buy lunch there, which triggered a flood of angry responses from many of his followers because Chick-Fil-A’s CEO doesn’t support gay “marriage.” 657 Jack Dorsey has been photographed hanging out with Black Lives Matter activist Deray McKesson and the two even did a joint interview together in 2016 at the popular Recode Code Conference. 658 Twitter also hired a woman named Dr. Patricia Rossini to examine “civil discourse” on the platform because everyone knows Twitter has become a nasty place, but an examination of Dr. Rossini’s past tweets reveal that she believes the basic tenets of the Republican Party are hate, racism, and homophobia. 659 The leader of Twitter’s new “task force” on “uncivil discourse,” Rebekah Tromble, thinks that President Trump is a Nazi and has “quintupled down on his commitment to white nationalists.” 660 Democrat Congressman Ted Lieu from California tweeted out a photo of himself and

the party’s new social media star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at what he described as a “training session” on Twitter, noting representatives from the company were in attendance helping Democrats learn to be more social media savvy. 661 Twitter also allows people to post pornography, and is an easy place for children to access it. 662 Most porn stars have Twitter accounts which contain a steady stream of hard core pornographic videos and pictures with no effective safeguards to prevent kids from following such accounts and seeing their explicit posts.

What’s Trending Twitter’s “Trending” list is supposed to be the top ten list of the most tweeted about topics or hashtags of the moment, but most users are unaware of the manual curation that is often involved. Topics are regularly artificially boosted to give the appearance that they are “popular” while others are suppressed to prevent people from looking into them further. Oftentimes if something trends on Twitter, it then starts making national headlines. Whether it’s a local issue in a small town that, for whatever reason, goes viral and starts trending, or something stupid that a celebrity said or did—if it trends, it then makes headlines. For over six consecutive months starting in the Spring of 2019 every single Sunday pro-LGBT hashtags like #LGBTangels, #LGBTQsquad, #unitedLGBT, #rainbowLGBT, LGBTQoftwitter, etc. would be on the top ten trending list. 663 The hashtag campaigns are organized by liberal groups likely in coordination with Twitter which then inserts them into the trending list to regularly expose people to selfies of teenagers “coming out” online, in attempt to normalize homosexuality and gender bending.

In his testimony to the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, Twitter’s lawyer admitted the company had censored almost half of all tweets using the hashtag #DNCLeak when Wikileaks first published the hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee, despite their systems only linking 2% of the tweets to supposed Russian troll farms. 664 When you click on the Search tab (the magnifying glass icon) on a mobile device, which you need to do in order to get see the Trending list, first you are taken to a page that contains a featured story (they call a “Moment”) which is always chosen by Twitter that supposedly has something to do with what’s trending, but always attempts to frame the issue in a certain light. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jack Dorsey admitted, “We can amplify the counter-narrative [to what Trump is saying]. We do have a curation team that looks to find balance. A lot of times when our president tweets, a “Moment” occurs, and we show completely different perspectives.” 665

Shadow Banning In July 2018 conservative Twitter users started noticing that when they looked up top Republican members of Congress in the Twitter Search bar that many of their names were mysteriously missing. Devin Nunes, Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Mark Meadows, John Ratcliffe, Republican Party chair Ronna McDaniel, and many others (including myself) were all shadow banned from the Search box to make it more difficult for people looking us up to find our accounts. Surprisingly the very liberal Vice News did an investigation into the shadow banning “allegations” and admitted, “Twitter is limiting the visibility of prominent Republicans in search results — a technique known

as ‘shadow banning’ — in what it says is a side effect of its attempts to improve the quality of discourse on the platform.” 666 The article went on to detail that prominent Republican members of Congress “no longer appear in the auto-populated drop-down search box on Twitter” and that, “It’s a shift that diminishes their reach on the platform — and it’s the same one being deployed against prominent racists to limit their visibility.” 667 Vice also pointed out that the shadow banning was not implemented on any Democrats they looked up, noting “Democrats are not being ‘shadow banned’ in the same way, according to a VICE News review. [Ronna] McDaniel’s counterpart, Democratic Party chair Tom Perez, and liberal members of Congress — including Reps. Maxine Waters, Joe Kennedy III, Keith Ellison, and Mark Pocan — all continue to appear in drop-down search results. Not a single member of the 78-person Progressive Caucus faces the same situation in Twitter’s search.” 668 Many conservatives began noticing this anomaly but it wasn’t until Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz called out the shadow banning that it began making headlines. 669 Then President Trump tweeted about it and the issue couldn’t be ignored. 670 A reporter for Axios then tweeted that he, “Must admit that when some [Republican] sources have complained about this to me I mocked them to their face as conspiracy theorists. This Vice article makes me rethink that, and response from Twitter is inadequate.” 671 Twitter then released a statement, saying, “We do not shadow ban,” but then in the very next sentence admitted, “You are always able to see the tweets from accounts you follow (although you may have to do more work to find them, like go directly to their profile).” 672 They played with the definition of shadow banning too, defining it as, “deliberately making someone’s content undiscoverable to everyone except the person who

posted it.” That’s why it’s more appropriate to label it shadow suppressing or throttling than to call it a “ban.” Earlier that year an undercover journalist at Project Veritas had spoken with various former and current employees of Twitter including a Content Review Agent who admitted that there were a lot of “unwritten rules” about shadow banning and that “It was never written, it was more said.” 673 A Policy Manager for Twitter’s Trust and Safety council named Olinda Hassan said the company was working on down-ranking “shitty people” so their tweets don’t show up. 674 A former software engineer at Twitter told the undercover journalist, “One strategy is to shadow ban so you have ultimate control. The idea of a shadow ban is that you ban someone but they don’t know they’ve been banned, because they keep posting and no one sees their content. So they just think that no one is engaging with their content, when in reality, no one is seeing it.” 675 Twitter most likely uses shadow throttling (instead of a full shadow ban) to limit the reach of certain users, so some people are able to see and interact with their tweets, but far less than if no such filter was activated on the accounts. Facebook admits they limit the distribution of posts unless users pay to “Boost” the post, so it’s foolish to think Twitter isn’t shadow throttling accounts as well using a filter to limit the reach of people the company has deemed politically problematic. When Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sat down for a rare interview with CNN in August 2018 he said that the company is considering removing the “like” button from all tweets, and hiding people’s follower counts. 676 A few months later he repeated the same thing, indicating they may get rid of the “like” button “soon.” 677

Hiding the number of “likes” and retweets people’s posts get would make shadow banning certain individuals or tweets about specific topics almost impossible to detect, because without being able to see how many people are clicking “like” on a post, users wouldn’t know if their followers were actually seeing the post at all. People who use Twitter get a feel for how many “likes” an average tweet gets, and if all of a sudden their engagement dropped 95% and went from getting twenty likes per tweet to only one or two, they would notice something was wrong and suspect that people weren’t seeing their tweets. Some have pointed out that certain tweets they have posted appear to them when they’re logged in, but when looking at their feed from a different browser (not logged in) they don’t show up, adding to the concerns that Twitter is shadow banning certain tweets. 678

Censoring Accounts by Suspending Users Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey once said his goal was to have Twitter function as a basic utility, like water. 679 And in their early years, Twitter executives used to call their company the “free speech wing of the free speech party,” but as the culture changed, and the social justice warriors clamored for more censorship, Jack Dorsey said their once unofficial motto about being the free speech wing of the free speech party was actually just “a joke.” 680 While he may have been idealistic when starting the company, he later succumbed to pressure to “reign in” the wild, wild west nature of Twitter and rolled out increasingly strict policies resulting in a number of high profile people being permanently banned for saying things that are commonplace on Twitter.

Milo Yiannopoulos got banned permanently in July 2016 for trolling “comedian” and actress Leslie Jones about how horrible the all-female Ghostbusters remake was. 681 Political operative and unofficial Trump advisor Roger Stone got banned in October 2017 after going off about several CNN hosts including Don Lemon, Jake Tapper, and Ana Navarro for “using an expletive” to describe them and saying they should be “mocked” and “punished” for constantly lying about the President. 682 Tommy Robinson was permanently banned from Twitter for posting facts about crimes committed by Muslims in the UK. 683 Twitter has suspended other people’s accounts for posting facts about black crime statistics in America as well. 684 Jayda Fransen, another vocal critic of Muslim immigration to the UK and founder of “Britain First,” was banned less than one month after President Trump retweeted a few of her videos showing violent Muslim mobs attacking people, which put her on the radar of activist groups who wanted to take her down for spreading “Islamophobia.” 685 Blogger Chuck Johnson was banned for saying he was going to “take out” Black Lives Matter troll DeRay McKesson, meaning expose him and take him out of the game, but Twitter claimed it was a threat of violence. 686 Johnson responded on his blog saying “Twitter doesn’t seem to have a problem with people using their service to coordinate riots [referring to the recent spree of Black Lives Matter riots that had been occurring]. But they do have a problem with the kind of journalism I do.” 687 Supposed “white supremacist” Jared Taylor was also banned, along with the account for his American Renaissance organization as a part of a crack down on “abusive content,” but Taylor doesn’t use slurs or heated rhetoric and seems like a mild-mannered senior citizen who is just pushing back against anti-white racism, and celebrating European culture and

achievements. Despite being called a “white supremacist” he actually says that Jews and Asians on average have higher IQs than white Europeans. 688 Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys [conservative men’s fraternity], was banned after he was falsely labeled the leader of a “hate group.” He then sued the Southern Poverty Law Center for defamation. 689 Comedian Owen Benjamin was banned after going on a rant about anti-gun activist David Hogg where he said “Don’t you think it’s weird that you are telling grown men how to live when you barely have pubes?” 690 Comedian Anthony Cumia, who was once co-host of the Opie and Anthony show, was banned in June 2017 for “harassing” a writer for The A.V. Club after he called her a “fat old trans looking twat.” 691 YouTuber Sargon of Akkad was banned in August 2017 for posting sarcastic comments that included “racial slurs.” 692 Free speech activist Lindsay Shepherd was banned in July 2019 for “misgendering” a transgender “woman” who sexually harassed her. The “woman” attacked Shepherd, who had just had a baby, saying “At least my pussy is tight and not loose after pushing out a 10 pound baby.” 693 This same “woman,” who goes by the name Jessica Yaniv, has been filing discrimination claims against waxing salons for refusing to do a Brazilian wax on “her” penis. 694 Lindsay Shepherd responded, “This is how men who don’t have functional romantic relationships speak. But…I guess that’s kinda what you are!” At least I have a uterus, you fat ugly man.” 695 Twitter then banned Lindsay Shepherd for calling “Jessica” a man, and not the transgender “woman” who clearly violated Twitter’s policy against sexual harassment. Street artist Sabo, who is like an American version of Banksy, was banned in April 2018 for the generic reason of “abusive behavior.” 696 It’s likely they considered him posting pictures of his street art, which is

technically vandalism, to be a violation of the rules. Many other lesser known conservatives have also been banned but don’t get any media attention because they aren’t public figures with an active fanbase who can alert others about what happened. CNN’s Brian Stelter once tattled to Twitter asking them if President Trump violated their terms of service by “threatening North Korea” in a tweet saying he has a “nuclear button” that is much bigger and more powerful than Jim Jong-Un’s when the two were having a heated war of words about North Korea testing missiles and threatening Japan. 697 The @MAGAphobia account, which documented acts of violence and harassment against Trump supporters, was banned in May 2019 for a reason that was never given. 698 Perhaps it was for “showing graphic violence” since the account posted pictures of victims and videos of them being assaulted. Only mainstream media accounts are allowed to post graphic content so they can carefully choose how to frame certain issues, while ignoring others. Even a parody account called the “Alexandria OcasioCortez Press” was banned, even though it was clearly a parody, and labeled a parody in the account’s bio in accordance with Twitter’s terms of service. 699

Meanwhile, Twitter refused to shut down an account that organized a harassment campaign against senator Jeff Flake after he voted in favor of confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The person said, “I am starting a National @DemSocialists working group to follow Jeff Flake around to every restaurant, cafe, store, etc he goes to for the rest of his life and yell at him.” 700 Inciting harassment is supposed to be against Twitter’s terms of service, but moderators usually look the other way when liberals do it.

Comedian Kathy Griffin’s account wasn’t penalized after she called for the doxing of the Covington Catholic kids who went viral for wearing MAGA hats during their trip to the nation’s Capital. 701 When the account @HouseShoes, the verified account of a DJ and hip hop producer tweeted out to his supporters that “I want you to fire on any of these red hat bitches when you see them. On sight,” and “IF WE COULD WIPE THESE FAMILIES OUT WE WOULD BE IN A MUCH BETTER PLACE,” and his account wasn’t suspended. 702 Actor Peter Fonda tweeted rape threats to President Trump’s young son Barron and Twitter let him keep his account. 703

An investigation by Breitbart found dozens of pedophiles using Twitter to openly promote pedophilia. Some of them refer to themselves as MAPs (Minor-Attracted Persons) and others call themselves “anti-contact pedophiles” meaning they’re attracted to children but claim to not act on their desires. 704 One of them tweeted, “MAPs have every right to talk (including, yes, on public blogs) about their fantasies, sexual and romantic, as long as sexually explicit material is hidden from children. It’s not bad or disrespectful to talk about people you think are cute.” 705 Other news outlets have covered the issue of admitted pedophiles being allowed on Twitter as well, and Members of Parliament in England have denounced Twitter for allowing the accounts to remain active, some of them having been operating for years. 706 While Twitter doesn’t seem to have much of a problem with pedophiles openly fantasizing about molesting children, Laura Loomer got permanently banned for criticizing Ilhan Omar, the Muslim congresswoman from Minnesota, after Loomer said she was anti-Semitic and is a member of a religion in which “homosexuals are oppressed” and “women are abused.” 707

Not long after Laura Loomer was banned, the Congresswoman made headlines and was denounced by members of her own party, including Nancy Pelosi, for comments she made about AIPAC [The American Israel Public Affairs Committee], the largest Israeli lobbying organization, after many deemed her criticism anti-Semitic. 708 So Loomer was right about Ilhan Omar, but got banned for being “Islamophobic” and posting “hate speech” about Muslims. Later a video clip surfaced of Ilhan Omar appearing to mock Americans who were fearful of Al-Qaeda in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 709 A writer named Meghan Murphy, who refuses to accept transgender “women” as real women, was banned for simply referring to a transgender “woman” as a “he” (a violation called “misgendering” someone). 710 A world-renowned expert in gender dysphoria, Dr. Ray Blanchard, was suspended for tweeting that transgenderism was a mental disorder. 711 He didn’t say it to be mean, he said it as part of a thread about the condition, (which up until May 2019 was classified as a mental disorder by the World Health Organization — and still is by many psychiatrists around the world, including the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5) but some facts are considered hate speech now. 712 After I tweeted that there are only two genders and insinuated the rest of the 50+ “gender identities” liberals have come up with were mental disorders, I was suspended for that too. My account was also disabled from uploading videos longer than 2 minutes and 20 seconds because they said I had posted “Inappropriate Content,” and I have been banned from running ads on Twitter too. I have also been suspended for calling Kevin Spacey a “Satanic scumbag” and telling him to “burn in Hell” after an actor came forward and claimed Spacey made aggressive sexual advances on him when he was just

14-years-old. 713 My tweet was considered to be “hateful” because he’s a gay man who is above reproach. Actor James Woods’ account was suspended for posting a satirical meme making fun of Democrats, showing three soy boys with the caption, “We’re making a woman’s vote worth more by staying home,” and included the hashtag #LetWomenDecide and #NoMenMidterm. Twitter claimed it was in violation of their policy forbidding posting content that “has the potential to be misleading in a way that could impact an election.” 714 Twitter suspended the account of Austin Petersen who was running for Senate in Missouri in 2018 just one week before the primary. 715 Twitter even banned Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn from running pro-life ads during her campaign because they were deemed “inflammatory” 716 The official account for the anti-abortion movie UnPlanned was briefly suspended by Twitter during the film’s opening weekend in March 2019. 717 As usual, the suspension caused a wave a backlash and Twitter later restored it saying it was another “mistake.” Twitter also suspended a user for calling Maxine Waters a “crazy old lying lunatic in a bad wig.” 718 A recent change to Twitter’s terms of service says they will ban anyone who is “amplifying hate groups” by posting articles about them, or even retweeting other tweets about them. (That only applies to right-wing “hate groups” though. Supporting Antifa, black power groups, and other far-left movements is fine). After a bunch of Huffington Post and BuzzFeed employees got laid off in February 2019, a lot of people mocked them by responding with “Learn to Code” after they posted Dear Diary-style tweets crying about being let go, and so Twitter began suspending accounts for using that phrase or hashtag, claiming it was “abusive behavior.” 719

The saying “Learn to Code” is a reference to news outlets publishing stories encouraging coal miners who are getting laid off as clean energy companies replace their jobs to do just that. Expecting a fifty-year-old coal miner to become a software engineer is insane and shows how out of touch the journalists were who recommended they do just that, so people threw “Learn to Code” back in their faces, but that’s “harassment.” When CEO Jack Dorsey appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast in February 2019, Joe brought up Alex Jones being banned and pointed out that Twitter was the last major platform to do so after (briefly) allowing him to keep his account in the wake of YouTube, Facebook, iTunes, etc, banning him. When Joe asked, “What did he do on your platform, that you all were in agreement that this is enough?” Jack responded, “Ah, I’m not — I’m not sure what the, what the actual like, ya know, violations were.” 720 (That’s an exact quote.) Alex was banned for telling off CNN’s Oliver Darcy outside of the Jack Dorsey congressional hearing in September 2018, where Jones denounced Oliver for pressuring all the social media companies to get him banned. The confrontation was broadcast live on Twitter via Periscope and so Twitter quickly banned Jones for “harassing” a supposed “journalist.” 721 It’s important to point out that Oliver Darcy was working in the capacity of a journalist at the time, on public property, while he was covering an event about social media; thus confirming everything Alex Jones was saying about the censorship of conservatives. Oliver Darcy later admitted that CNN had “presented Twitter with examples of [violations of Twitter’s terms of service] available on both the InfoWars and Jones account.” 722 In August 2019 a group of Leftists gathered outside Senator Mitch McConnell’s house after sunset to harass him and some of them made

threatening statements saying he should be killed, and when he posted a short video on his Twitter account showing the angry mob and what they were saying, he was suspended and the video removed for allegedly violating their terms of service prohibiting making threats, even though he had just posted evidence of what people were doing to him! 723 His staff appealed the suspension but the appeal was denied. 724 Only after growing outrage and media coverage did Twitter lift his suspension and restore the video. 725 Mitch McConnell is the Senate Majority Leader, the most powerful Senator in the country, yet was censored when he tried to show his fellow Americans that Leftists had surrounded his home to intimidate and threaten him.

Twitter Verification The “verified” checkmark on someone’s social media account is a confirmation that the account actually belongs to that person, and isn’t being run by someone else pretending to be them. Public figures like celebrities and journalists usually get them to prevent imposter accounts from impersonating them, and having a verified account is often seen as a sign that someone is “important” and so every wannabe rapper and blogger wishes to get one, but you have to apply, and Twitter won’t just verify anyone’s account. They have, however, verified numerous Black Lives Matter activists’ accounts whose credentials are basically that they’re anti-police trolls who spend their entire lives on Twitter spewing hatred of police and white people. Virulent racist troll Tariq Nasheed, who accuses almost every white person in America of being a “suspected white supremacist,” has been verified. Other Black Lives Matter trolls like Shaun King and Deray McKesson have also been rewarded with verified accounts.

Twitter also verified Sarah Jeong, a new editorial board member at the New York Times , despite a series of racist tweets about “dumbass fucking white people” and saying she gets “joy” out of being “cruel to old white men.” 726 Twitter also verified loads of fringe LGBT social media personalities, and plenty of pro-feminist and pro-abortion trolls in order to give them more clout online. Meanwhile, popular conservatives like James O’Keefe, Carpe Donktum, Gary Franchi, David Harris Jr., Brandon Tatum, David Horowitz, and others have been denied verification for years. 727 Before they were permanently banned, Tommy Robinson, Laura Loomer, and Milo Yiannopoulos had been unverified . Twitter released a statement saying “Reasons for removal [of verification checkmark] may reflect behaviors on and off Twitter that include: Promoting hate and/or violence against, or directly attacking or threatening other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease” and even, “Supporting organizations or individuals that promote the above.” 728 Twitter verified the “Parkland kids,” a small group of anti-gun activists who became social media stars over night after a lunatic shot up their high school on Valentine’s Day 2018 in Parkland, Florida. One of them, David Hogg, went on to sic his nearly 500,000 followers onto the advertisers of various Fox News shows, harassing them to pull their ads from the network. 729 Twitter even hosted the Parkland kids for a live Q&A to help them promote their “March For Our Lives” event where they demanded more gun control laws. 730

Never Tweet

There’s a meme that looks like the sign-up page for Twitter but reads “Get fired from your job in ten years” just above the link to open an account, and it’s not that far from the truth. What you say in a tweet can be perfectly fine if it was just said amongst a group of friends, but often our enemies are lurking quietly on Twitter, watching and waiting for one little slip up, and even complete strangers who happen to come across your tweet may feel compelled to enact “revenge” because you said something on the Internet that offended them. People often like to go digging through old tweets of their enemies, hoping to find years or decade-old tweets saying “racist,” “homophobic,” or “sexist” things so they can derail their career. Twitter’s search function allows people to search anyone’s Twitter feed for any keyword or phrase, making this tactic extremely simple. (I advise, if you use Twitter, to consider a “tweet delete” app which allows you to easily search for and delete old tweets which contain certain words or phrases. Or regularly delete your tweets that are older than six months in order to avoid past tweets posted years ago from coming back to haunt you.) Oftentimes when someone becomes famous, people will go nosing around their old tweets typing in keywords like “nigger” and “faggot” into the search to see if they’ve ever tweeted anything with those words in the past so they can retweet them, trying to get the person in trouble. This is exactly what happened right after Kyler Murray won the 2018 Heisman Trophy. A reporter for USA Today took it upon himself to search through his past tweets and found some “homophobic” ones from when he was fifteen-years-old. 731 When Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Josh Hader was chosen to pitch in the 2018 All-Star Game, people dug up some of his old tweets from when he was in high school and it made headlines because he used the “n-word”

in a few tweets. 732 He then apologized and deleted his entire account. The same thing has happened to “Mr. Beast,” a popular YouTuber, and singer Shawn Mendes. 733 The best example of what can happen when you tweet is the disaster that occurred to a woman named Justine Sacco in 2013 who had just 170 followers. When boarding a flight to South Africa she tweeted, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” and then got on the plane without thinking anything of it. She didn’t say it as a racist insult about the AIDS epidemic there, but meant it as a sarcastic jab at Americans who she said lived in “a bit of a bubble when it comes to what’s going on in the third world,” since she herself was born in South Africa and returning there to visit family. 734 But somebody following her got offended and retweeted it, and then their followers saw it and got triggered and retweeted it, and then she soon began trending from so many people being upset about her tweet even though she was just some random person on Twitter. She and her tweet then became a national news story and she ultimately ended up getting fired from her job. 735 Twitter is often fueled by anger with people venting their political frustrations through tweets like irate sports fans yelling at the TV. For others it’s a narcissistic circus where they derive their self-worth by getting likes and retweets since the immediate engagement can become addicting because their notifications release dopamine similar to getting a small payout from a slot machine at the casino. The instant gratification of getting feedback becomes a deeply engrained habit that’s hard for people to break. Perhaps the only good thing about Twitter is President Trump’s tweets. Previously, to hear what a President had to say, he would have to hold a press conference or give an

interview, but now with Twitter he can fire off his thoughts on anything at any time, day or night, and then the media reports on it—often overreacting to the point of having a meltdown. There have been calls to ban him, and groups have even started petitions and presented them to Twitter with the foolish hope they would shut down his account, but he’s still there. Twitter’s co-founder Evan Williams even said he was sorry for his creation helping Donald Trump get out his message during his campaign in 2016 after Trump told the Financial Times that without it, he didn’t think he would have won. 736 “If it’s true that he wouldn’t be president if it weren’t for Twitter, then yeah, I’m sorry,” Williams said. 737 Trump knows and loves the power of Twitter, but the big question is— will he still tweet after he’s left office? Barack Obama broke the unwritten rule of not criticizing his successor, and it’s been the tradition of former presidents to not inject themselves into matters involving the next administration, but both Barack Obama and George W. Bush have been openly criticizing the Trump administration, so after he leaves office he may not sit by silently, and could regularly criticize the next administration as well, and it will be hard for people to ignore what he’s saying since his Twitter feed has become such a newsmaker. There may be only one way for the Liberal Media Industrial Complex to silence Donald Trump, which is why they are constantly painting him as the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler, and incessantly calling him a fascist dictator, because they are hoping to incite some unhinged lunatic who believes what they say to assassinate him.

YouTube

Most people don’t realize this but YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, after Google of course, and it’s also part of the same conglomerate since Google bought YouTube in 2006 for 1.6 billion dollars. Later corporate restructuring put both of them under the new umbrella company Alphabet Inc. When referring to YouTube many people consider it a part of Google, but it should be considered its own separate entity, which it technically is, with its own CEO — Susan Wojcicki. For the better part of a decade after YouTube was launched, it was largely seen as just a website for user generated entertainment. It was the place for people to upload funny cat videos and show themselves doing stupid “Internet challenges,” but a small group of people (myself included) knew from YouTube’s beginning that it was a powerful tool that could be used to share news and analysis about current events and other important issues that weren’t being properly addressed by mainstream outlets. It was like having our own public access cable channel where we could do anything we wanted with the potential to reach an audience of millions, and for some of us, that started happening on a regular basis. For over a year after the 2016 election, the mainstream media’s war on “fake news” (in reality a war on independent news and ordinary people using social media to get out their message) focused almost exclusively on Facebook and Twitter since the news giants saw them as being responsible for completely losing their power to control the national narrative surrounding major issues and events. The mainstream media could no longer prevent certain information from becoming widely known and millions of people were spending their time scrolling through Facebook, and Twitter, and watching YouTube videos instead of engaging with the traditional news outlets that had dominated the industry for decades since their creation.

But Donald Trump beating Hillary Clinton was a wakeup call for the Liberal Media Industrial Complex , so they launched a bold new effort under the disguise of fighting “fake news” to completely reshape social media. While they first focused on Facebook and Twitter, eventually they stumbled upon a huge secret that was right in front of their nose for years. People like me were creating YouTube videos on a regular basis covering news and politics and we were getting enormous audiences rivaling or beating cable news. In the run-up to the 2016 election my YouTube channel was averaging around 700,000 viewers a day, about half of what CNN’s primetime shows like Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon get on their best nights. 738 But now the Establishment discovered the “fake news” problem was flourishing on YouTube, they said, and it had to be stopped by changing the algorithm to artificially favor mainstream media channels over videos posted by ordinary YouTubers. In October of 2017, sociologist and technology critic Zeynep Tufekci said, “YouTube is the most overlooked story of 2016,” after realizing there was much more to YouTube than cat videos and pranksters. 739 Traditional media outlets discovered the world of underground news and they were shocked at just how popular we were. Slate pointed out that Twitter and Facebook had been receiving the brunt of criticism about spreading “fake news” but, “Now a series of controversies is forcing YouTube to address its responsibilities more directly and candidly than it has in the past.” 740 Soon YouTube would completely change the way the website had functioned for the previous ten years, and turned it from what was meant to be a place where anyone with an important message could post videos and build an audience, to mostly just another mainstream media site filled with brand name news channels and videos of familiar celebrities.

By mid-2018, as Wired magazine points out, YouTube was “ditching vloggers” in favor of Hollywood celebrities. “YouTube used to be all about young digital influencers who managed to threaten TV with their video blogs. Not anymore. It seems that YouTube is opting for traditional celebrities instead.” 741 Another blogger noticed the changes and ran with the headline, “YouTube is turning away from its creators to become a new MTV,” and noted, “YouTube can’t promise brand safety with volatile creators on the platform — advertisers don’t want to be caught in a firestorm. The only move is to pivot, and YouTube is ready. Hollywood names like Will Smith and Demi Lovato are safe bets. Same with music videos already vetted by major record labels.” 742 YouTube, which for over a decade was a place for independent content creators to upload their videos, even began producing shows themselves. 743 For the better part of ten years since its launch in 2006, Hollywood studios and mainstream celebrities didn’t pay much attention to YouTube. They either were afraid of it because it threatened their monopoly on content distribution, or they were too blind to see how the new technology was revolutionizing media and helping to create new kinds of stars.

Right-Wing Channels Dominating In March of 2018 Vanity Fair warned that right-wing “Dark-Web Trolls” were “taking over YouTube” because so many anti-social justice warrior channels were getting popular. 744 The New York Times then said YouTube was “radicalizing” people to the right, and claimed that if people started watching videos of Donald Trump speeches then YouTube will begin recommending videos of “white supremacist rants” and “Holocaust denials.” 745

The article declared that, “Given its billion or so users, YouTube may be one of the most powerful radicalizing instruments of the 21st century,” and that, “Its algorithm seems to have concluded that people are drawn to content that is more extreme than what they started with — or to incendiary content in general.” 746 The New York Times had previously complained that, “For the New Far Right, YouTube Has Become the New Talk Radio,” saying, “They deplore ‘social justice warriors,’ whom they credit with ruining popular culture, conspiring against the populace and helping to undermine ‘the West.’ They are fixated on the subjects of immigration, Islam and political correctness. They seem at times more animated by President Trump’s opponents than by the man himself, with whom they share many priorities, if not a style.” 747 The Left became determined to paint the Right’s rising stars as radicals, Islamophobes, and far-right extremists hoping to derail the spread of our videos. One Leftist blog called “Right Wing Watch” founded by Jared Holt declared that, “White Supremacy Figured Out How To Become YouTube Famous,” and whined that, “YouTube has served as an alternative media ecosystem apart from the mainstream where any person can contribute to national conversation and reach thousands of people overnight. But the Right’s overt domination of the platform, in addition to political forums on Reddit and 4chan, has created an environment where white nationalists and right-wing extremists can easily inject hateful rhetoric and conspiracy theories into national political discourse.” 748 When BuzzFeed or CNN reported “breaking news” about the Trump administration or when something started trending on Twitter, us YouTubers could quickly publish videos giving another perspective and point out things the mainstream media was ignoring or lying about. Our subscribers

would see the videos, but perhaps more importantly, people searching for information on YouTube about those issues could find our videos, and if they were popular with favorable ratings, those videos would be discovered by people seeking out information on the subject matter. But all that has changed.

“Authoritative Channels” Boosted to the Top For over a decade the top search results on YouTube were the most popular videos associated with the search terms you entered in, regardless of whether the videos were posted by someone who had just opened a YouTube account, a full time YouTuber, or a mainstream media outlet. The algorithm that was originally in place worked very well, because instead of showing the most-viewed videos (which could have generated a large number of views by using misleading titles and thumbnails) YouTube surfaced videos with the most “watch time” up at the top. This means that if people clicked on a video and found that the title and thumbnail were misleading or it wasn’t a quality video, and then decided not to watch it by clicking away rather soon once it began playing, the algorithm would know that it wasn’t what people were searching for because the average amount of time people spent watching the video would be low. But if the video had a high watch time average, the site (accurately) figured that people had found what they were looking for because they kept watching it, and those were the videos that ranked the highest in the search results. All that mattered was that the video was uploaded to YouTube by someone—anyone. If it was good, and people watched it instead of clicking away after a few seconds, it would show up in the top of the search results.

But all that changed in October 2017 when YouTube reconfigured the algorithm to favor videos from mainstream media outlets. 749 They added internal tags on certain channels deeming them “authoritative sources,” and overnight the top search results for most things were now videos from channels like CNN, NBC, Entertainment Tonight, etc. Most of these videos have only a tiny fraction of the views (and watch time) compared to countless other videos about the subject being searched for, but those videos are now buried under pages of content from channels that YouTube has deemed “authoritative” sources. 750 They had manually intervened in the search results previously, but only for certain topics they deemed “extremist” material, like videos supporting ISIS. YouTube had been redirecting search results for these topics to curated videos and playlists they had specifically chosen in order to “confront and debunk violent extremist messages.” 751 But now “the Jigsaw Method” as they call it, was rolled out on a massive scale and incorporated news, current events, and many other topics people regularly search for. “We’re continuing to invest in new features and changes to YouTube search that provide authoritative results when people come to YouTube looking for news,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. 752 “So far this year we have introduced new features that promote verified news sources when a major news event happens. These sources are presented on the YouTube homepage, under ‘Breaking News,’ and featured in search results, with the label ‘Top News.’ Additionally, we’ve been rolling out algorithmic changes to YouTube search during breaking news events. There is still more work to do, but we’re making progress.” 753 Soon it wasn’t just videos from mainstream media channels boosted to the top during “breaking news” events, but almost anything having to do with news at all.

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes rang the alarm about YouTube’s algorithm because he didn’t like the search results for videos about the Federal Reserve. 754 Mother Jones magazine joined in on the criticism, reporting, “If you search for ‘Federal Reserve’ on YouTube, one of the first videos to surface is titled ‘Century of Enslavement.’ Using archival footage and the kind of authoritative male voice heard in countless historical documentaries, the 90-minute video espouses the idea the Federal Reserve was formed in secret by powerful, often Jewish, banking families in the early 20th century, causing America to spiral into debt.” 755 It continued, “The incendiary Federal Reserve video, flagged by MSNBC host Chris Hayes earlier this month, is just one of many examples of how political extremists have mastered YouTube’s algorithms and monetization structure to spread toxic ideas ranging from conspiracy theories to white supremacy. The video ‘Why Social Justice is CANCER,’ for instance, appears after searching for ‘social justice.’ 756 That video was from Lauren Chen (formerly known as Roaming Millennial.) 757 Soon the search results for “Federal Reserve” featured only videos from mainstream media channels, and the documentary Chris Hayes called out (Century of Enslavement: The History of the Federal Reserve— which was the top search result) was nowhere to be seen. I looked all the way through page 25 of the search results and it still didn’t show up. 758 Other videos critical of the Federal Reserve, including one titled “Exposing the Federal Reserve,” which is a high-quality 30-minute cartoon, 759 and “The Federal Reserve Explained in 3 Minutes” also vanished. A whistleblower later revealed to Breitbart that “Federal Reserve” had been added to the secret “Controversial Query Blacklist” file which causes “authoritative content” (i.e. mainstream media channels) to artificially rise

to the top of the search results over other videos that actually qualify organically for those positions. 760 My most-viewed video “Donald Trump’s Funniest Insults and Comebacks,” which has over 11 million views, is now buried on page three of the search results when looking for the exact title. All the top results for “Donald Trump’s Funniest Insults and Comebacks” are videos from CNN, NBC News, ABC News, the Washington Post, HuffPost, etc, most of which are critical of President Trump and have far less views and watch time. My channel had reached one million subscribers in May of 2017, and at the time had more subscribers than MSNBC’s channel, NBC News, CBS News, and even Fox News. 761 And many of my videos far eclipsed theirs in the number of views, but since the algorithm changes my channel virtually stalled in growth while theirs all grew exponentially. In the spring of 2019, YouTube changed the algorithm so when people searched for my own name, the top search results were other people’s videos about me, with mine buried at the bottom of the page. When searching for almost any other YouTuber, however, their most recent videos were featured at the top of the page with a notification highlighting their latest uploads. I had been calling YouTube out about this since I first learned of it in May 2019, thanks to people leaving comments on my videos giving me a heads up, but YouTube wouldn’t respond to me. It was only after an uproar four months later when Steven Crowder became aware that none of his videos were coming up in the search results for his name either, and directed his lawyer to contact them about it while his fans bombarded YouTube with a flood of tweets denouncing them for what they had done. They quickly made some adjustments, partially fixing the problem near the end of September 2019, but didn’t publicly acknowledge the complaints

or that they had reverted the algorithm back to the way it was. But at least my two most recent videos started showing up again at the top of the search results along with those of the other popular conservative channels that had been censored (Steven Crowder, Paul Joseph Watson, The Next News Network, Lauren Chen, and Breitbart News). Shortly after a feminist writer for Slate.com, an online magazine, complained about many of the top search results for “abortion” being prolife videos (including one that showed what a baby looks like in the first trimester—complete with arms, legs, fingers and toes), YouTube quickly changed the algorithm to feature various pro-abortion videos at the top. “I emailed YouTube Friday afternoon asking why anti-abortion videos saturated the search results for ‘abortion,’” she wrote, adding, “By Monday morning…the search results had changed to include a number of news outlets among the top results.” 762 National Review pointed out that YouTube was happy to “airbrush away the reality of abortion,” by artificially boosting pro-abortion videos after her complaint. 763 Now a search for “abortion” brings up videos from Vice News, the BBC, and BuzzFeed. In a leaked document given to Breitbart, one engineer admitted “We have tons of white and blacklists that humans manually curate.” 764 The document also first revealed the existence of the “Controversial Query Blacklist” file that contains a list of search terms that will bring up manually curated videos in the results or ensure the top results are videos from mainstream media channels. 765 The list includes “abortion,” “Federal Reserve,” and even people like anti-gun activist David Hogg, and Congresswoman Maxine Waters. When Captain Marvel was released in March 2019 YouTube changed their algorithm in order to bury videos of people who were giving the movie

negative reviews which were appearing as the top search results. 766 The film’s star Brie Larson had been insulting white men and promoting intersectional feminism on her publicity tour, angering many Marvel fans who took to YouTube to express their thoughts. Those videos, being very popular, surfaced at the top of the search results for “Brie Larson,” but that soon changed. A writer for The Verge posted two side by side screenshots showing the before and after top search results and noted, “This is kind of a fascinating discovery: YouTube seems to have changed the immediate ‘Brie Larson’ search results to News. That pushes up authoritative sources and, in turn, pushes troll or MRA-style [Men’s Rights Activists] video rants pretty far down the page.” 767 She went on to report that, “YouTube recategorized ‘Brie Larson’ as a news-worthy search term. That does one very important job: it makes the search algorithm surface videos from authoritative sources on a subject. Instead of videos from individual creators, YouTube responds with videos from Entertainment Tonight, ABC, CBS, CNN, and other news outlets first.” 768 YouTube has even experimented with disabling some of the search filters to make it impossible to do a more focused search when looking for something specific. In March 2019 they temporarily disabled the ability to filter search results by dates, in order to prevent people from finding recent uploads of the New Zealand mosque massacre which was live-streamed by the shooter and was being uploaded to YouTube by various people who had gotten the footage from the perpetrator’s Facebook page before moderators removed it. 769 This way you couldn’t narrow the search perimeters by the date something was posted which is often the only way to find certain clips now

because they’re buried under countless other videos that are artificially pushed to the top even though they’re not necessarily relevant to the search terms. Luckily this time, disabling the search filters was only temporarily, but who knows what the future holds.

Recommended Videos Playing favorites with mainstream channels and serving their videos up as the top search results no matter how few views or little engagement they have wasn’t good enough though. The Wall Street Journal complained, “YouTube’s algorithm tweaks don’t appear to have changed how YouTube recommends videos on its home page. On the home page, the algorithm provides a personalized feed for each logged-in user largely based on what the user has watched…Repeated tests by the Journal as recently as this week showed the home page often fed far-right or far-left videos to users who watched relatively mainstream news sources, such as Fox News and MSNBC.” 770 Their report continued, “After searching for ‘9/11’ last month, then clicking on a single CNN clip about the attacks, and then returning to the home page, the fifth and sixth recommended videos were about claims the U.S. government carried out the attacks. One, titled ‘Footage Shows Military Plane hitting WTC Tower on 9/11—13 Witnesses React’—had 5.3 million views.” 771 Others had been complaining about “conspiracy videos” too. As you can imagine, CNN piled on the criticism as well, reporting, “YouTube has long faced criticism for allowing misinformation, conspiracy theories and extremist views to spread on its platform, and for recommending such content to users. People who came to the site to watch videos on innocuous

subjects, or to see mainstream news, have been pushed toward increasingly fringe and conspiracist content.” 772 NBC News also complained that, “YouTube search results for A-list celebrities [have been] hijacked by conspiracy theorists” and noted, “YouTube did not respond to a request for comment,” [but] “Some conspiracy videos’ rankings dropped after NBC News reached out for comment.” 773 In January 2019 YouTube issued a public statement saying that they will continue, “taking a closer look at how we can reduce the spread of content that comes close to—but doesn’t quite cross the line of—violating our Community Guidelines. To that end, we’ll begin reducing recommendations of borderline content and content that could misinform users in harmful ways—such as videos promoting a phony miracle cure for a serious illness, claiming the earth is flat, or making blatantly false claims about historic events like 9/11.” 774 It went on to say, “This change relies on a combination of machine learning and real people. We work with human evaluators and experts from all over the United States to help train the machine learning systems that generate recommendations.” 775 YouTube now deciding what is and is not a conspiracy theory has dramatic implications. For example, mainstream media outlets claimed that people who thought “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett faked his “racist and homophobic attack” at the hands of Trump supporters were spreading a “conspiracy theory.” 776 And since such “conspiracy theory” videos are now admittedly buried in the search results and kept out of the Recommended and Up Next sections, YouTube was actively hiding the truth about what actually happened, which later came out. 777

A recent addition to YouTube’s terms of service specifically bans, “Content claiming that specific victims of public violent incidents or their next of kin are actors, or that their experiences are false,” which means that anyone who posted a video or did a livestream saying they thought Jussie Smollett faked the “attack” was in violation of their rules and at risk of having their videos taken down and issued a Community Guidelines strike or even having their entire channel banned if they had previous infractions. 778

For many years about one-third of my total views were from “Suggested” videos, but then in April 2019 I and many other YouTubers noticed a quick and dramatic drop, which is detailed in our Channel Analytics. From that point on my total views from “Suggested” videos dropped to around five percent, a significant drop, most likely because my channel was identified as “borderline” and so my videos don’t show up on people’s homepages anymore or next to similar content.

The “Alternative Influence Network” It wasn’t enough to bury independent content creators’ videos under piles of mainstream media channels when searching for various topics, or preventing our videos from showing up in the “Recommended” section or the “Up Next” sidebar. The Liberal Media Industrial Complex got upset that a bunch of YouTubers were collaborating with each other, and doing interviews with one another. In September 2018 a report from a “research institute” called Data & Society claimed to have identified what they called a network of “far-right” YouTubers who indoctrinate people through their videos by promoting right-wing “extremist” ideologies. “Although YouTube’s recommendation algorithms are partly to blame, the problem is fundamentally linked to the social network of political

influencers on the platform and how, like other YouTube influencers, they invite one another on to their shows,” the report reads. 779 It includes an illustration looking like a collage on the wall of a detective’s office linking together all the connections of an organized crime family and notes, “The graph is a partial representation of collaborative connections within the Alternative Influence Network (AIN)–a network of controversial academics, media pundits, and internet celebrities who use YouTube to promote a range of political positions from mainstream versions of libertarianism and conservatism to overt white nationalism. While collaborations can sometimes consist of debates and disagreements, they more frequently indicate social ties, endorsements, and advertisements for other influencers.” 780 The report basically recommends that YouTube forbid people from interviewing individuals who liberals deem unsavory or who talk about things they consider “offensive” or “hateful” which as you know includes almost everything from illegal immigration to the American flag. “The platform should not only assess what channels say in their content, but also who they host and what their guests say. In a media environment consisting of networked influencers, YouTube must respond with policies that account for influence and amplification.” 781 In an interview about the report, lead researcher Rebecca Lewis explained how most of the focus on “extremism” and “fake news” has been on Facebook and Twitter, but, “We don’t have as clear a picture of what’s happening on YouTube and Google. It is important to bring to the fore some illustrations of the problems that do exist on these platforms. I’m trying to show there are fundamental issues we need to be addressing [regarding the algorithms of] YouTube in the same way we have recognized fundamental issues with Facebook and Twitter.” 782

She went on to say, “I absolutely think reassessing the algorithms is one step that needs to be taken. Assessing what government regulation options are available is absolutely worthwhile, and then thinking about how YouTube monetization structures incentivize certain behaviors is something that needs to be done. It needs to be a multi-pronged solution.” 783 Five months after the Alternative Influence Network report was published a group of “researchers” calling themselves Digital Social Contract did a test to see how YouTube’s “Recommended” videos section changed, and looked at over 80 different channels listed in the report and noted, “For the first two weeks of February [2019], YouTube was recommending videos from at least one of these major alt-right channels on more than one in every thirteen randomly selected videos (7.8%). From February 15th, this number has dropped to less than one in two hundred and fifty (0.4%).” 784 The Digital Social Contract report also highlighted that a video of actress Emma Watson promoting feminism had another video titled “How Feminism Ruined Marriage” queued in the “Up Next” autoplay section right beside it, which they claimed was “an anti-feminist video from an altright channel.” 785 That “alt-right” channel was Ben Shapiro’s, who is a Jew, not an alt-right white nationalist, but instead is often a target of altright figures who hate him because he’s Jewish. 786

Censoring Videos YouTube has always had a policy forbidding certain kinds of content from being uploaded like pornography, graphic violence, animal abuse, or blatant invasions of someone’s privacy; which are very reasonable rules, but after the 2016 election they began removing videos critical of the radical

Leftist agenda, including videos denouncing child drag queens, feminists, and for even reporting on anti-white hate crimes. Those kinds of videos can now easily violate YouTube’s “Community Standards” and result in getting channels issued a strike (and the video taken down), and if a channel gets three strikes within a three month period, the entire channel and all its videos are completely deleted. YouTube’s senior leadership (and overall corporate culture) believes there are 58 different genders, and Christians are just old-fashioned superstitious bigots; so we’re talking about godless liberal Silicon Valley standards, not Midwestern community standards. YouTube also teamed up with the Southern Poverty Law Center, who began searching for videos they recommend be taken down. Soon all kinds of them were being removed under the banner of stopping “hate speech.” 787 I got a strike on a video I uploaded about a black man who opened fire inside a Tennessee church hoping to kill as many white people as possible. 788 The video was appropriately titled “Black Man Shoots Up White Church - Media Ignores Anti-White Hate Crime” and didn’t show any graphic images, but as you probably know by now, reporting on anti-white hate crimes is deemed “racist” by the Left. The liberal media wants people to believe hate crimes are only committed by white people against blacks and don’t want anyone talking about how such attacks are actually a two way street. Black conservative Candace Owens even had a video removed from her channel that was critical of Black Lives Matter because it was deemed “hateful” against black people. 789 A channel called High Impact Vlogs had a video removed and got a Community Guidelines strike for criticizing the parents of Desmond is Amazing, the 11-year-old “drag kid,” after the boy was featured on Good Morning America . 790

YouTube pulled a funny 2018 midterm election ad by a Republican running for governor of Florida in which he showed off his “Deportation Bus,” which he used to promote his campaign, claiming his ad was “hate speech.” 791 They later restored the video after their censorship began making headlines. Tommy Robinson’s entire channel has been “quarantined” with special restrictions that prevent any of his videos from ever showing up in the search results at all. This designation also causes all comments to be disabled on every video, and the view counts censored as well, so people can’t gauge how popular they are in another attempt to suppress his message by hiding the number of people watching his videos. 792 Hunter Avallone, a conservative millennial who makes fun of feminists and other SJWs, had his entire channel deleted in April 2019 for “hate speech” despite not having any current strikes. After a growing outrage about the censorship, YouTube restored his channel and once again claimed it was just a “mistake.” 793 The Prager University channel (stylized PragerU) sued YouTube after they discovered that almost all of their videos were hidden when YouTube was in Restricted Mode, which most schools and public libraries have it set on by default in order to filter out “sensitive content.” 794 Many of my videos are also completely hidden to people who are browsing in Restricted Mode as well, even though my content is family friendly. In December of 2017 YouTube hired 10,000 new human moderators to supposedly remove “extremist” content and videos containing “hate speech,” and soon after they began taking down popular videos and entire channels that hadn’t come anywhere close to actually violating the terms of service. As a result of the new moderators a major purge occurred a few months later in February of 2018. Jerome Corsi’s entire channel was taken

down, Mike Adams’ “Natural News” channel was also removed, and many others. YouTube even began issuing community guideline strikes and removing videos that criticized CNN’s Town Hall on gun control following the Parkland school shooting in Florida. 795 Tim Pool had produced a video where he debunked the conspiracy theories about the shooting, but his video was removed as well. 796 After some channels and videos were restored due to a major outcry about this latest wave of censorship, Gizmodo reported that, “the usual whackos like far-right personality Mark Dice are going wild on Twitter claiming the admission of any mistake at all constitutes victory. Hopefully they’re wrong and YouTube isn’t walking back punishments on people like [Jerome] Corsi, whose prior best hits include a steadfast belief Barack Obama is secretly gay and also some kind of Muslim, though InfoWars claimed yesterday that it got YouTube to revoke one of the two strikes against it.” 797

“YouTube’s New Moderators Mistakenly Pull Right-Wing Channels” was the headline at Bloomberg News. 798 It was just another “mistake,” they said. YouTube deleted the entire channel of a gamer for posting a clip of him playing “Red Dead Redemption 2” which showed him “killing” a feminist NPC (non playable character) by lassoing her and then feeding her to an alligator. 799 The game is a western and takes place in the late 1890s, and the character was just one of the townspeople who was hanging out in the street and happened to be promoting women’s suffrage (right to vote) so he thought it would be funny to feed her to the alligator, which the game allows players to do to any of the “townsfolk.”

Professional gaming is a huge industry where people stream themselves playing various video games, which as you know, often include the main character “killing” a number of other characters in the game, but the YouTube moderators deemed feeding the feminist to the alligator “graphic content that appears to be posted in a shocking, sensational, or disrespectful manner.” After others in the gaming community expressed outrage over YouTube censoring a clip of someone playing a popular game, they restored his channel. 800 After the Covington Catholic incident involving the high school kid in the MAGA hat and the Native American man beating a drum in his face at the National Mall in Washington D.C., a retired Navy SEAL named Don Shipley posted a video about Nathan Phillips, the “Vietnam Veteran” Native American, calling him a fraud because Army records show he was never actually in Vietnam. YouTube soon terminated the Navy SEAL’s channel, claiming he was “harassing” the old man. 801 Infowars host Alex Jones was banned from YouTube in August 2018 in part for his criticism of a drag queen festival where adult drag queens performed simulated strip teases for an “all ages” show which included children in the audience brought there by their degenerate parents. He called it an “abomination” and a “freak show” and so his video was deemed “hate speech” and “transphobic,” resulting in YouTube removing the video and issuing him a community guidelines strike. 802 The deleted video (titled “Shocking ‘Drag Tots’ Cartoon Sparks Outrage”) can be seen on BitChute.com 803 and Infowars.com. 804 YouTube also cited another video of Jones as being “Islamophobic” because he was ranting about the increased crime in Europe due to the influx of Muslim refugees in recent years. 805

He was given his second strike for that video, titled “Learn How Islam Has Already Conquered Europe,” 806 and soon a third (and final) strike for “circumvention” of YouTube’s “enforcement measures” because he had promoted another YouTube channel that had taken the feed of his show from his website and was streaming it on their channel since Jones was under a 90-day live-streaming suspension from the previous strikes. 807 The H3H3 Podcast channel then had their livestream taken down and were issued a community guidelines strike simply for talking about Alex Jones being banned. 808 They are a popular husband and wife duo with over a million subscribers (on their podcast channel) who were actually defending YouTube’s decision to ban Alex Jones, and were repeating some of the crazy things he has said over the years which may have been flagged by the AI voice recognition systems that monitor livestreams. H3H3 co-host Ethan Klein later said, “How can I even sit here now and call Alex Jones a conspiracy theorist when our channel just got [a strike] for even fucking talking about him? I was criticizing him!” 809 After BuzzFeed stumbled across a 14-year-old girl’s channel who does comedy sketches mocking social justice warriors and deriding political correctness, they did what they always do and wrote a hit piece urging people to pressure YouTube to ban her for “hate speech.” 810 The writer of the article (Joseph Bernstein) even labeled her an “extremist.” 811 Before the article came out, “Soph” as she goes by, had over 800,000 subscribers which terrified BuzzFeed that such a young, talented, and popular girl was pushing back against the liberal agenda, but shortly after it was published she got two strikes on her channel for previous videos which had been up for weeks with no problems. 812 The following week her entire channel was completely demonetized, dealing a crushing blow to her chances of turning YouTube into a career. 813

A month and a half later she received her third and final strike for “hate speech” after she posted a video critical of homosexuals, and her entire channel was completely deleted. 814 In June 2019 Project Veritas released a 25-minute report which included an undercover investigation into Google which showed that the head of the Innovation Department said they were doing everything they could to prevent another “Trump situation in 2020” and was bragging about how Google had come up with a new definition of “fairness.” The Project Veritas report also included an interview with a current YouTube employee which was done in a silhouette to protect his identity. He explained how YouTube was actually preventing certain conservative and libertarian channels from having their videos show up in the “Recommended” section, confirming what most of us had already basically known since it was obvious. He also provided Project Veritas with leaked documents detailing their algorithm manipulation. 815 Within hours YouTube deleted the video from Project Veritas’ account, claiming it violated the head of Innovation’s privacy even though it only showed her talking at a restaurant and mentioned who she was. Most privacy violations are for publishing someone’s home address or cell phone number. On CNN’s official YouTube channel they posted the video of their reporter stalking and harassing the old woman in her front yard because she shared someone on Facebook that originated with the Russians. During part of the altercation her full street address, which is posted on the front of her house, was completely visible. 816 How is that not a violation of her privacy and YouTube’s terms of service? In October 2019, the channel Red Ice TV was completely deleted, despite having no current strikes against it. No specific reason was given, just that it had supposedly violated YouTube’s policy prohibiting “hate

speech.” It had over 330,000 subscribers, and for over ten years was run by a husband and wife duo out of Sweden who focus on preserving European culture and exposing anti-white racism, so of course they’ve been smeared by the media as “white supremacists.” They were the most popular Identitarian channel on YouTube. 817 Leftist groups like Media Matters, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the ADL had been pressuring YouTube to ban the channel for years. 818

No Conservative is Safe Kara Swisher, the co-founder of Recode Media which hosted the historic joint interview with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, said she wanted to “kill” YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki after discovering that her 13-year-old son was watching Ben Shapiro’s videos, and claims he is the “gateway drug” to “neo-nazi stuff.” 819 She made the comments while interviewing Susan Wojcicki at the “Lesbians Who Tech” conference in March 2019 (Kara Swisher is a lesbian who must have adopted her poor kid or used a sperm bank). She added that her son is “lost” (meaning he’s not infected with the liberal pathogen) and insinuated that YouTube was responsible. Susan Wojcicki responded, “I have a son too and I get some of these discussions also at the dinner table. I think what you’re describing is — and the way we think about it too — look, there’s a set of content that has to meet the community guidelines. Ben Shapiro is going to meet the community guidelines. I don’t think you’re suggesting that we remove him from the platform. Are you?” Kara Swisher responded, “I would,” and continued, whining “You know, last time I saw you, I was like, ‘Get Alex Jones off that platform,’ and you’re like, ‘Well the community guidelines,’ and then [later] you got

him off.” 820 She then changed the subject and went on to ask Susan if there was enough “diversity” in the company, particularly in management. “Diversity” is a code word for “less straight white men,” because Big Tech is concerned that there are too many of those kinds of people working in Silicon Valley. Ben Shapiro is a huge nerd, he’s not a right-wing extremist or a hateful bigot, and is about as mainstream of a political commentator as you can get, yet Kara Swisher, who holds tremendous power in Silicon Valley and has direct access to all of the major CEOs, is demanding that he be banned from YouTube because she thinks he’s a right-wing extremist, proving that no conservative, no matter how moderate, is safe.

YouTube Gives Millions to Mainstream Media Demonetizing us, censoring our videos, down-ranking them in the search results, and hiding them from the “Recommended” section while boosting mainstream media channels still wasn’t silencing us enough, so YouTube decided to just give $25 million dollars to brand name news channels and provide them with special consulting to help them create more engaging videos and grow their audience on the platform. 821 “We will provide funding across approximately 20 global markets to support news organizations in building sustainable video operations,” they announced in July 2018. “Provided on an application basis to news organizations of all types, these grants will enable our partners to build key capabilities, train staff on video best practices, enhance production facilities and develop formats optimized for online video.” 822 So people like me were able to figure out how to produce quality and engaging videos and built an audience all on our own, but since ordinary YouTubers came to dominate mainstream media, YouTube decided to just

give them everything they need to emulate what we had come to learn through years of innovation and practice. The largest “YouTube news channel” is the Young Turks, which was started by progressive Democrat Cenk Uygur in 2005, and over the years has gotten help from some very wealthy benefactors. In 2014 they got $4 million dollars from an investment firm, 823 and then later got another $20 million in 2017 from former Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg. 824 That’s not a typo—twenty million dollars! It’s interesting that their channel bears the same name as the insurgent group of Muslims who committed genocide against the Armenian people (who were Christians), killing 1.5 million of them between 1914 and 1923 in one of the first modern day genocides. 825 For years Cenk Uygur actually denied the Armenian Genocide until growing pressure caused him to change his position, saying he will refrain from commenting on it because he doesn’t know enough about it. 826 Making things even more bizarre is that the Young Turks cohost Anna Kasperian is Armenian, and works for a “news” organization which appears to be named after the very group which committed genocide against members of her own family. 827 She’s the daughter of Armenian immigrants and actually grew up speaking Armenian as her first language. 828 While YouTube has a policy against allowing “extremist groups” on the platform, they have no problem with a channel that some interpret as paying homage to a group that murdered more than a million Christians. 829 Instead, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki enjoys hanging out with them and tweeted a photo of herself sitting down talking with Cenk Uygur at YouTube’s headquarters, thanking him for his time. 830 Young Turks host Hasan Piker even declared that “America deserved 9/11” in response to Congressman Dan Crenshaw doing an interview with

Joe Rogan where he said that Osama Bin Laden attacked the U.S. because of our western values. 831 Piker also appeared to praise Al Qaeda for blinding Crenshaw (a retired Navy SEAL) who lost an eye while serving in Afghanistan in 2012. 832 He then mocked the disabled veteran for having one eye. Hasan Piker is allowed to host a show on the platform, but Alex Jones isn’t. Piker has his own personal YouTube channel as well, that hasn’t been demonetized. In 2016 YouTube launched their “Creators for Change” program where they began funding and coaching various YouTubers to make videos denouncing “hate speech,” “xenophobia,” and “extremism.” 833 These handpicked social justice warriors produce propaganda for the platform and some of them promote the latest degeneracy the Left is trying to convince people is normal. At the end of every year YouTube produces a mashup of what they consider to be the year’s top stars and it’s always a bunch of SJWs and LGBT activists. Their 2018 “Rewind” video, as it’s called, featured drag queens and highlighted Hollywood celebrities like Will Smith and John Oliver over ordinary YouTubers. It got so many thumbs down that overnight it became the most disliked video on YouTube ever . 834 Shortly after that, YouTube announced that they were trying to figure out how to prevent what they called “dislike mobs” from “weaponizing the dislike button” and considered removing it altogether. 835

The Adpocalypse Since I’m an old school YouTuber, I was posting videos for six years before my channel was monetized (at the end of 2012) opening the door for me to become a professional YouTuber. While it has always been difficult to make a living on YouTube because monetized videos only pay a small

fraction of a penny per view, a few years after I started doing it full time, it became almost impossible, especially for smaller channels that aren’t getting five to ten million views a month. In April 2017 after the Wall Street Journal published a report about finding advertisements for major brands appearing on “racist” and “offensive” videos, all hell broke loose. Tons of companies pulled their advertisements from the platform entirely, kicking off what us YouTubers call the “Adpocalypse” (advertising apocalypse). YouTube immediately rolled out some new tools they had been testing to comb through the titles, tags, and descriptions of videos and automatically demonetize (strip advertisements from) ones that were about (or even mentioned ) certain topics. Every video uploaded is now immediately scanned by YouTube’s voice recognition software which creates a transcript of everything that’s said in the video. That transcript is then scanned for keywords that may indicate a video is about a “sensitive” or “controversial” topic and then demonetizes it if certain words or phrases are found. As a result of the Adpocalypse, almost half of all of my videos were demonetized, and from that point on making a living on YouTube became uncertain. News channels like mine were hit the hardest, because news and politics are filled with “divisiveness” and controversial issues that YouTube wanted to shield advertisers from. For people who make cooking videos, or how-to videos about fixing cars, or doing home improvement projects, those kinds of videos aren’t about anything that’s particularly “nonadvertiser friendly” like ones that talk about illegal immigration, climate change, political cover-ups, or exposing fake news. Bloomberg News later reported, “In fact, 96.5% of all of those trying to become YouTubers won’t make enough money off of advertising to crack

the U.S. poverty line.” 836 Their report continued bearing bad news, pointing out that, “Breaking into the top 3% of most-viewed channels could bring in advertising revenue of about $16,800 a year…That’s a bit more than the U.S. federal poverty line of $12,140 for a single person. (The guideline for a two-person household is $16,460.) The top 3% of video creators of all time in [the research group’s] sample attracted more than 1.4 million views per month.” 837 But even for those who never expected to be full-time YouTubers, it was still nice to make a few dollars every month for the time and effort put into creating videos about things they’re passionate about. Despite the loss of income caused by the increased scrutiny, a lot of the more popular YouTuber news channels were still able to get by, or at least kept making videos because it’s about the message not the money, but we all have to pay the bills, so YouTube decided to make people’s lives even harder by demonetizing entire channels instead of just certain videos. In January 2019 Tommy Robinson’s entire channel was demonetized. 838 A few months later in May 2019 Count Dankula was fully demonetized. What’s particularly interesting is that he learned about it from an email from BuzzFeed asking for a statement about it. It appears they had lobbied YouTube to get him demonetized and then reached out to him for a comment immediately after their YouTube source confirmed they had done it. 839 BuzzFeed learned about it before him, which speaks volumes about what’s happening. Sargon of Akkad’s channel was also completely demonetized because of a rape joke he had made three years earlier on Twitter, and—what a “coincidence”—BuzzFeed was the first to break that story as well. 840

Another round of mass demonetization and channel bans occurred in June 2019 (dubbed the Vox Adpocalypse) occurred after a gay activist named Carlos Maza, who works at Vox, ranted nonstop on Twitter for an entire week about conservative comedian Steven Crowder making fun of him. Maza’s rant, which was conveniently timed to coincide with the kickoff of gay pride month for extra leverage, was a rallying call for liberals to pressure YouTube to completely ban Crowder (the most-subscribed conservative channel on YouTube) for “hate speech” because he called Maza a “lispy queer” since he talks with a lisp, and he’s a queer. What do you think the “Q” stands for in LGBTQ? They call themselves queers, but normal people can’t use the word now apparently because the Left is trying to claim that only gay people can say queer , similarly to the double standard most black people have about the n-word. While YouTube didn’t ban Steven Crowder from YouTube, or give him any community guideline strikes to take down any of his videos; they did demonetize his entire channel, not just the “offensive” videos in question, which were probably never even monetized to begin with, thus, preventing him from ever making another dollar from the pre-roll ads you often see before videos start playing. 841 It wasn’t just Steven Crowder’s channel though. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of others were hit at the same time, some of which were very popular with hundreds of thousands of subscribers. 842 YouTube said this was just the beginning of their latest crackdown, and vowed to purge more “hateful” right-wing channels. The very next week the New York Times ran a front page story titled “The Making of a YouTube Radical” which included a collage of various (mostly) conservative YouTubers who have sizable followings, and told the story about how a lonely loser named Caleb Cain “fell down the YouTube

rabbit hole” and it turned him into a “radical.” How radical? The Times explained that, “He began referring to himself as a ‘tradcon’ — a traditional conservative,” supported “old-fashioned gender norms,” started dating a Christian girl, and “fought with his liberal friends.” 843 “Fought” meaning discussed politics and disagreed with the nonsense they were indoctrinated to believe. The man admits he never thought about doing anything violent and wasn’t even a hateful person, but he was the new poster boy denouncing right-wing YouTubers and the “algorithm.” Other outlets immediately added more fuel to the fire and he was interviewed on CNN where he once again blamed “the algorithm” for “radicalizing” him. 844 He said the conservative YouTubers he used to watch warned of Cultural Marxists who “were trying to destroy Western civilization and install some sort of socialist regime.” 845 That’s exactly what they’re doing of course, but now if you just mention that, you’re considered a right-wing extremist and at risk of having your entire channel demonetized or even deleted. When the White House announced the Social Media Summit and invited dozens of the top conservative social media personalities to meet with President Trump to discuss the issues of censorship and liberal bias, the media freaked out saying that the attendees (which included me, as you probably know) were “trolls,” “conspiracy theorists,” and “extremists.” 846 President Trump addressed us by saying, “So this is a historic day. Never before have so many online journalists and influencers, and that is exactly what you are, you are journalists and you are influencers, come together in this building to discuss the future of social media…Each of you is fulfilling a vital role in our nation. You are challenging the media gatekeepers and the corporate censors to bring the facts straight to the

American people…Together you reach more people than any television broadcast network by far.” 847 I knew once word got out that I was invited to the White House I would have a huge target on my back and just a few days later over 200 of my YouTube videos were demonetized, with about 100 of them manually reviewed by the moderators and deemed “non-advertiser friendly” despite not just being fully monetized for days, months, (and some for years) but many of them had been manually reviewed previously and approved for monetization. YouTube moved the goal post again, and may be looking for a reason to demonetize my whole channel by deeming a “significant portion” of my content “non-advertiser friendly” like they had done to dozens of other channels a month earlier. Many of the videos were of me making fun of CNN hosts, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Beto O’Rourke, and other members of Congress. Apparently it’s okay for Stephen Colbert to do political comedy, but not a conservative YouTuber. In January 2017 YouTube introduced what they call Super Chats, which is a creative way for a viewer to get their question answered by their favorite YouTuber while they’re doing a livestream by tipping them a few bucks. Basically, viewers can choose a dollar amount anywhere from $5 to $500, and their question or comment will be highlighted in color and pinned up at the top of the chat box in order to catch the streamer’s attention since comments in the chat can scroll by the screen so fast they’re impossible to read. In May 2018 BuzzFeed targeted Super Chats, claiming they were fueling racism and began pushing for them to be disabled because someone spent $100 on a Super Chat to post a message that said “WHITE PRIDE WORLD WIDE!” during someone’s livestream. 848 A few months later the

Wall Street Journal (which is responsible for setting off the first Adpocalypse in April 2017) also started complaining about people making money from Super Chats in a report titled, “Hate Speech on Live ‘Super Chats’ Tests YouTube.” 849 Just a few days later, KillStream, which was a free speech variety show that included debates about various issues, was completely banned from YouTube since the Wall Street Journal pointed out some of the viewers had been posting racist messages in their Super Chats. 850 A channel has no control over what viewers put in the comments or Super Chats, but now the media was blaming YouTubers themselves for what their fans (or trolls) were saying. The Liberal Media Industrial Complex is targeting Super Chats because even fairly small channels can earn a significant amount of revenue from them, since fans tossing in $5 and $10 can add up pretty fast, whereas in order to earn the same amount of money from video views alone as they can make in a livestream could take hundreds of thousands or millions of views. Because of the growing demonetization issues those of us on the politics and news side of YouTube have had to move to a more fan-funded business model instead of relying on monetized views. I now rely heavily on fans buying my books, shirts, and supporting me through Patreon and PayPal. By removing the financial incentives for people to make quality videos it was just another way for YouTube to discourage us from spending our time and energy producing news commentary and covering current events and has killed the dreams of one day becoming a full-time YouTuber for many. BuzzFeed reported, “The result of the YouTube crackdown is that prominent right-wing YouTubers are scrambling to find alternatives, setting

up shop on YouTube wannabes, or even building their own video apps. It’s all in preparation for what they see as the inevitable day when YouTube gives them the boot or forbids them from making money on the platform by demonetizing all of their videos.” 851

MCNs Dropping Channels Many YouTubers join what are called Multi-Channel Networks, or MCNs, which are companies that take a percentage of their revenue in exchange for offering consultations on how to improve the performance of videos, grow their audience, and even give them access to “brand deals” or sponsorships like talk radio shows have when the hosts plug various products and services. So even if YouTube’s automated system demonetizes a lot of videos, MCNs can get the channel some sponsors who are okay with their product being promoted there, and that way the YouTuber can still earn a living. But since being a member of an MCN can be a way around demonetization, YouTube decided to order MCNs to drop certain channels, and they had to, because they’re under contract with YouTube, and if they didn’t then YouTube wouldn’t do business with the MCN at all. 852 So first it was just certain videos getting demonetized, then entire channels (including the loss of Super Chats), and then YouTube went even further forcing MCNs to drop certain people so they couldn’t acquire sponsorships for their videos. One person who got kicked out of his network got an email reading, “The team here at Fullscreen is reaching out to let you know that your agreement with Fullscreen, Inc. has been terminated. Due to the nature of your uploads and because your uploads may potentially infringe on the rights of others or potentially violates applicable laws or regulations,

including without limitation YouTube’s Terms of Service and/or YouTube’s Community Guidelines, we feel it is best that we part ways. Thank you for your understanding, and good luck with your YouTube channel.” 853 A friend of mine, Luke Rudkowski, who runs the “We Are Change” YouTube channel was kicked out of his MCN, and when applying to others he was told that he would have to delete several of his videos they deemed inappropriate before they would accept him. The videos in question had been automatically demonetized, but didn’t violate YouTube’s terms of service so they were not deleted. Various MCNs thought they were problematic, however, and could get them in trouble with YouTube for including Luke’s channel in their network because he had posted certain content about various wars, military actions, and social unrest in parts of the world. When a channel reaches 100,000 subscribers YouTube sends them a framed “Silver Play Button” plaque to celebrate their success, and if they reach a million subscribers, they get a gold plated one, but YouTube got upset that so many anti-social justice warrior, pro-free speech, conservative channels were reaching 100,000 subscribers, they started refusing to send out the plaques to certain channels once they reached the milestone because YouTube didn’t want to appear as if they were endorsing their views. 854

Patreon Patreon is a service that allows artists to fund their work by having fans sponsor them with varying amounts of monthly support. While the site was created in 2013, it really took off in April 2017 after the “Adpocalypse” when YouTube rolled out their new guidelines and screening mechanisms to demonetize videos they deem “non-advertiser friendly.”

Most YouTubers joined Patreon as a way to supplement the revenue they were losing from so many videos getting demonetized, and for most of them, especially small to moderate sized ones, Patreon is pretty much a standard part of being a YouTuber since earning money from ads has never been the same in the wake of the Adpocalypse. But since many of them came to rely so heavily on Patreon for their revenue, this became a danger for conservatives who are now at risk of having their Patreon accounts shut down at any time for being “intolerant” of the liberal agenda by not supporting gay “marriage,” or pointing out facts about illegal immigration and crime. The first person to be banned from Patreon that made headlines because it was seen as a political decision was Lauren Southern (banned in July 2017), a Canadian YouTuber who became known for her criticism of multiculturalism and the mass immigration of people from the Middle East into Europe. She once even documented her visit to a doctor where she said she wanted to identify as a man and was given a doctor’s note which she then took to Canada’s “DMV” and got a driver’s license legally declaring she was a “man” just to see how easy it was to get her gender legally changed. 855 Lauren Southern’s ban caused quite a stir online and Patreon’s CEO Jack Conte appeared on Dave Rubin’s “Rubin Report” YouTube channel to respond to the criticism. He said that Lauren wasn’t banned because of what she had been saying about the “Islamization” of Europe, but that she had “put lives at risk” during a stunt she recorded involving refugee boats illegally bringing people across the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. The CEO claimed they have a policy about what he called “manifest observable behavior,” and if a creator does certain things, like commits crimes, then they will be banned, but, “The decision to remove a creator

page has absolutely nothing to do with politics and ideology.” 856 He also claimed that Patreon’s policies about speech (not actions) only focused on what people said on their Patreon page , not on Twitter or anywhere else, and emphasized that Lauren Southern was banned for actions not words, but soon this would be proven to be another lie. 857 December 2018, Sargon of Akkod (who had over 800,000 subscribers at the time) was banned for using a “racial slur” that someone at Patreon discovered he said in an interview months earlier. The context in which it was said was actually while he was denouncing the alt-right, saying they were acting like a bunch of “white niggers,” (trying to use their own insults against them) and so his entire Patreon account was disabled, causing him to lose thousands of dollars a month in income with no recourse. 858 About a year after Lauren Southern was banned from Patreon, her friend and sometimes collaborator Brittany Pettibone was also banned for her support of Generation Identity, a right-wing identitarian movement in Europe working to preserve European culture from Islamization. 859 The two girls have been smeared as “white supremacists” by the liberal media because they celebrate Western European culture and oppose mass migration of Muslim refugees into Europe. Soph’s Patreon was shut down one day after YouTube deleted her channel for the same enigmatic excuse of “hate speech” against homosexuals. 860 Patreon now has a policy against even making “negative generalizations of people based on race [and] sexual orientation,” so if you point out well-documented facts about crime in black communities or the HIV rate among gay men, that would be a violation of their terms of service because it’s seen as casting them in a negative light. Imagine a bank not letting someone cash a check that was written to them because the bank didn’t like what the person was going to do with the

money, or didn’t like the kind of language the person uses when talking with their friends. That’s exactly what Patreon has done here, and it’s beyond Orwellian and is a dangerous precedent that’s likely only going to follow with much worse actions in the near future.  Meanwhile, far-left individuals and groups are allowed on Patreon, including “Revolutionary Left Radio,” a communist podcast which is run by an admitted “militant revolutionary Communist who wants to put every fascist in the world against the wall and violently expropriate the wealth and property of the owning class.” 861 Before a Breitbart article was published highlighting violent Leftists using Patreon, the group’s banner on their Twitter account featured masked militants holding guns. 862 Another Communist account called the “Guillotine Podcast” had over 350 patrons (sponsors) donating monthly. The Patreon page itself said they are working to “inspire insurrection” and notes that they want to fire “massive .44 rounds at the heads of politicians and capitalists.” 863 Milo Yiannopoulos was banned by Patreon one day after he joined in December 2018. They released a statement saying, “Milo Yiannopoulos was removed from Patreon as we don’t allow association with or supporting hate groups on Patreon.” 864 He joined Patreon just days after widely circulated reports said he was $2 million dollars in debt from legal fees, employee salaries he hadn’t been paying, and other expenses he racked up in his ascent to Internet infamy. So in a desperate attempt to try and raise money he joined Patreon, but was immediately denied access. In some cases it’s not necessarily Patreon that wants to ban someone, but Visa or MasterCard, who demands Patreon shut down people’s accounts, or threatens to stop processing payments for Patreon all together which would completely put them out of business overnight. 865

The Future of YouTube For the first ten years of YouTube’s existence it was an even playing field where anyone could upload videos and if people watched them and shared them, their message could be seen by millions of people. The search results were fair, and if you were looking something up the videos you would find were relevant to what you had hoped to find. The only videos that would be deleted were things any reasonable person could agree on, like pornography, animal abuse, calls to violence, etc. People found themselves having great careers when their passion unexpectedly opened the door to huge audiences who shared their views. But the corporate conglomerates didn’t realize how many people would use YouTube to counteract the mainstream media and nobody expected how popular conservative channels would become. So YouTube is scrambling to put the genie back in the bottle, and don’t really care how obvious their liberal bias is, or even how much money they lose doing it. Conservative content must be reigned in or stamped out at any cost. In the early years of YouTube only a few carefully chosen channels were monetized, but in 2012 they opened up the “Partner Program” as it’s called, to anyone, allowing them to monetize their videos no matter how many (or few) subscribers or total views they had. You could start a channel, and immediately begin earning ad revenue from your videos if people watched them, but that has all changed. Now they manually review every channel before it’s allowed in the Partner Program, so their moderators look through the videos and see what kind of content someone is producing, and if they don’t like it, none of the videos on the channel will ever be monetized no matter how popular they are.

Some wonder if YouTube is harming themselves financially with all these new restrictions and the mass demonetization crusade they’ve engaged in, but the fact is there are plenty of other “brand friendly” or proliberal agenda channels that they can get revenue from. After all, being a YouTuber is the number one dream job for most kids today. It’s not being an astronaut, football player, or a movie star; it’s literally being a YouTuber. 866

They’ve also been moving away from the monetized view business model entirely. In 2017 they began offering television packages similar to a cable provider but through an Internet connection, calling it YouTubeTV. It started off in just five U.S. markets, but then in January 2019 they massively expanded to 195 markets, making their service available to 98 percent of U.S. households. 867 They have also been slowly morphing into another Netflix by producing original content like the popular Cobra Kai series which is a spinoff from the 1980s Karate Kid movies and stars Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). They rent a large library of popular movies and TV shows on-demand too, for just a few dollars per stream. As one online media outlet put it, “The golden age of YouTube is over,” and it will never be the same. 868 “The platform was built on the backs of independent creators, but now YouTube is abandoning them for more traditional content.” 869 Countless videos once regularly discovered by curious minds are now lost in limbo. Voices opposing certain aspects of the liberal agenda have been systematically silenced. And Leftist propaganda has been artificially amplified to give the impression that their view is the correct one.

For those of us who have seen the changes made in recent years, as we look back on what YouTube once was, it’s like returning to the location of your favorite dive bar to find that it’s been bulldozed and replaced by a strip mall filled with a bunch of trendy stores you would never step foot in. Author’s Note: Once you finish this book, please take a moment to rate and review it on Amazon.com, or wherever you purchased it from if you’re reading the e-book, to let others know what you think. This also helps to offset the trolls who keep giving my books fake one-star reviews when they haven’t even read them. Almost all of the one-star reviews on Amazon for my last two books “The True Story of Fake News” and “Liberalism: Find a Cure” are from NON-verified purchases which is a clear indication they are fraudulent hence me adding this note. It’s just more proof that liberals are losers and can’t play fair, so if you could help me combat them once you’re finished with this book since you actually bought and read it, I would appreciate it very much! Thank you!

The Future of Fake News Once “fake news” consisted primarily of made-up stories posted on cheap websites nobody had ever heard of, or websites with similar URLs to brand name outlets publishing completely fake articles hoping they’ll go viral through social media and generate a bunch of ad revenue from all the clicks. I’m sure you’re familiar with people making fake screenshots on Photoshop and posting them on social media claiming they came from news articles, text messages, DMs, or someone’s “deleted” tweet, but we’re far

beyond those primitive forms of fake news and are approaching something that was once only found in science fiction films. In Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 film The Running Man , he was an innocent police helicopter pilot who was framed for the massacre of civilians looting a grocery store after an economic collapse, and with the help of some doctored video that aired on national television, the general public thought that he had been caught red handed murdering the people, when in fact he had refused orders to open fire on them. His face was also digitally placed onto the body of someone else at another point in the film to further sell the lie to the public. While deceptively edited video has been a problem and can cast people in a false light and twist their statements or place them out of context, the video tricks we’re now facing are far more sophisticated. They can make almost anyone appear to do or say almost anything—just like what happened to Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Running Man. These fake videos are called “deepfakes” named after the deep learning of artificial intelligence algorithms that are used to create them. This same technology had been used dating back to the 1990s in order to make it appear that Forrest Gump shook hands with President John F. Kennedy, and made John Wayne look like he was handing off a six pack of Coors Light to someone in a commercial even though he had been dead for over ten years. 870

More recently it was used to digitally impose Paul Walker’s face onto another actor’s body to finish Fast and the Furious part 7 after he died in a car accident before the film was done being shot. 871 But unfortunately this technology isn’t just being used for entertainment anymore, and people are starting to realize that in the wrong hands it can pose a tremendous danger.

In April 2018 comedian Jordan Peele released a video showing Barack Obama appearing to warn that, “We’re entering an era in which our enemies can make it look like anyone is saying anything at any point at time — even if they would never say those things.” Obama went on to say, “So, for instance, they could have me say things like…President Trump is a total and complete dip shit.” 872 The video then cut to a split screen showing Obama on one side and Jordan Peele on the other, revealing that he was doing the voice for Obama since he does a pretty good impression, and he was also using real-time face mimicking software in order to match his lips and facial expressions onto a digitally recreated version of Obama. It was a clever PSA to bring this kind of technology to people’s attention, since at the time most people hadn’t heard of deepfakes. Two years earlier, in 2016, researchers at Stanford University posted a video demonstrating their “Face2Face Real-time Face Capture” technology, showing how by using their software and an ordinary webcam they could map a person’s facial expressions onto George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. 873 This may have been the same software Jordan Peele used for his video. The following year a different group of researchers from the University of Washington created another fake Obama video showing him saying things that he has actually said in the past, but the video was completely synthetic and showed him in a different setting while making the statements. They released a paper explaining how they were able to do it. 874 Deepfakes like this could easily change someone’s reaction to seeing or hearing something, giving a false impression as to how they feel about a certain event or issue; but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Technology to manipulate video in such ways was once extremely expensive and required teams of people to produce, but today deepfakes can be made by amateurs on their home computers. SnapChat filters and Facebook messenger filters can now overlay different cartoon faces and other effects on someone’s face in real time. In January of 2018 someone took a video of actress Amy Adams singing “I Will Survive” and swapped her face for that of Nicholas Cage’s. 875 Then in January 2019 someone made one by taking a segment of Jennifer Lawrence speaking with reporters backstage after the Golden Globe awards and put Steve Buscemi’s face in place of hers. The video was so bizarre and realistic looking that it became the most viral deepfake video since Jordan Peele’s Obama video, and introduced the term “deepfake” to a much wider audience. 876 A few days later Stephen Colbert had Steve Buscemi on as a guest and asked him if he’d seen the video. He joked that he had “never looked better,” but underneath the laughs appeared to be a concern about what this technology was now capable of. 877 In June 2019 a deepfake of Mark Zuckerberg was posted online showing him giving what looks to be an interview with CBS News, where he says, “Imagine this for a second: One man, with total control of billions of people’s stolen data, all their secrets, their lives, their futures. I owe it all to Spectre. Spectre showed me that whoever controls the data, controls the future.” 878 It was a publicity stunt for a futuristic art and technology exhibit in the UK, but also was meant to serve as a warning for what problems technology may cause in the near future. CBS tried to get the video removed from Facebook because the deepfake was made from an interview Zuckerberg gave to CBS News and “violated their trademark.” 879 Facebook wrestled with whether or not to remove the deepfake videos, but

chose not to take any action, but their existence sparked a difficult conversation, which is what the makers intended. The “Spectre” exhibit also commissioned the creation of a deepfake of Kim Kardashian which looked and sounded extremely realistic, unlike the Zuckerberg one which was an obvious fake. This one looked and sounded just like Kim Kardashian bragging about the power social media companies have over their users’ data, and concluded, “I feel really blessed because I genuinely love the process of manipulating people online for money.” 880 Needless to say, she was not happy about it, and tried to have the video removed by filing copyright complaints against social media accounts that posted it. 881 But these kind of satire videos are the least of celebrities’ concerns.

Deepfake Porn Just like many early Internet entrepreneurs were quick to use the emerging new technology to share porn— allowing people to access it from their home computer instead of having to go out and buy magazines or VHS tapes from some seedy adult video store—one of the early uses of deepfake technology was to make fake porn videos depicting famous celebrities like Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman ), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars ), and Scarlett Johansson (The Horse Whisperer ). Celebrity deepfake porn videos were soon banned by PornHub 882 and Reddit where users were posting clips they had made of their favorite actresses. 883 While most of the videos weren’t being passed off as actual sex tapes, their creation obviously caused concern for those actresses whose likeness is now appearing in realistic-looking porn videos. 884 Another concern is that since the software to create such fakes is widely available online, people could make fake sex tapes of someone in

attempts to extort money from them, threatening to post the fakes online if they don’t pay up. Or scorned ex-lovers or those rejected by women could create deepfakes and post them online in order to “get back” at them. 885

Information Warfare When the Bush administration was planning for the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the CIA reportedly came up with the idea to create a fake video appearing to be Saddam Hussein having sex with a teenage boy. “It would look like it was taken by a hidden camera. Very grainy, like it was a secret videotaping of a sex session,” a CIA official later admitted to the Washington Post . 886 The CIA also reportedly discussed making a fake video appearing as if Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants were sitting around a campfire drinking alcohol and talking about their “conquests with boys” as well, but another former CIA official with knowledge of the plan said, “Saddam playing with boys would have no resonance in the Middle East — nobody cares. Trying to mount such a campaign would show a total misunderstanding of the target. We always mistake our own taboos as universal when, in fact, they are just our taboos.” 887 He was referring to the practice of “bacha bazi” which is an Afghani term meaning “boy play” that refers to sexual relationships between older men and young boys who are from very poor families or orphans and used as sex slaves by wealthy and powerful Afghanis. 888 U.S. soldiers were reportedly told to ignore such abuse because it is part of the culture in regions of the Middle East. 889 This abomination is a whole other issue, but the point is the CIA actually proposed making a deepfake of Saddam Hussein as a pedophile thinking it would incite people to rise up and

overthrow him, because if such a video were real, people in a civilized culture would do just that.

Fake Photos Nvidia, a video graphics card company, has created an AI so powerful that it can automatically change the weather in video footage, making a clip of a car driving down a road on a sunny day appear as if it was actually shot in the middle of winter with a few inches of snow on the ground and the leaves missing from the trees. 890 The same technology can take photos of cats or dogs and change them to make them look like a different breed, and can change people’s facial expressions from happy to sad, or anything in between. 891 Nvidia’s AI can even generate realistic pictures of people who don’t actually exist by taking features from actual photos and combining elements of them together into a composite that is almost impossible to tell that it’s fake. 892 The website ThisPersonDoesNotExist.com uses this technology to display a different fake photo every time you visit it, most of them looking like HD photos of ordinary people. AI can now create 3D models of people just from a few photographs, and while it may be fun to input a character in your favorite video game that looks just like you, the capacity for nefarious abuses of this technology are vast.

Fake Audio In November 2016, Adobe (the creator of Photoshop) demonstrated what they called Adobe Voco, or Photoshop-for-voices, which can generate realistic sounding audio, making it sound like someone is saying something

that they never actually said. The software works by inputing samples of someone’s voice, and then can create fake audio files in that same voice saying whatever is typed onto the screen. 893 Dr. Eddy Borges Rey, a professor at the University of Stirling, said, “It seems that Adobe’s programmers were swept along with the excitement of creating something as innovative as a voice manipulator, and ignored the ethical dilemmas brought up by its potential misuse.” 894 He continues, “Inadvertently, in its quest to create software to manipulate digital media, Adobe has [already] drastically changed the way we engage with evidential material such as photographs. This makes it hard for lawyers, journalists, and other professionals who use digital media as evidence.” 895 Google has created similar software called WaveNet that generates realistic sounding human speech by modeling samples of people actually talking. 896 In May 2019 a group of Machine Learning Engineers released an audio clip they created using their RealTalk technology which sounded like podcaster Joe Rogan talking about investing in a new hockey team made up of chimpanzees. 897 It wasn’t perfect, but if you didn’t know that it was fake before you heard it, you may be fooled into thinking that it’s real. The researchers admitted, “the societal implications for technologies like speech synthesis are massive. And the implications will affect everyone.” 898 “Right now, technical expertise, ingenuity, computing power and data are required to make models like RealTalk perform well. So not just anyone can go out and do it. But in the next few years (or even sooner), we’ll see the technology advance to the point where only a few seconds of audio are needed to create a life-like replica of anyone’s voice on the planet. It’s pretty f*cking scary,” the creators wrote on their blog. 899

They went on to list some of the possible abuses this technology may be used for, “if the technology got into the wrong hands.” These include, “Spam callers impersonating your mother or spouse to obtain personal information. Impersonating someone for the purposes of bullying or harassment. Gaining entrance to high security clearance areas by impersonating a government official,” and “An ‘audio deepfake’ of a politician being used to manipulate election results or cause a social uprising.” 900 They raise some great points. What’s to stop people from creating deepfakes of politicians, CEOs of major corporations, or popular YouTubers, and making them appear as if they’re saying racist, hateful, or violent things, and claiming they got it from a coworker or a “friend” who secretly recorded it, or that the clip was from an old YouTube video once uploaded to someone’s channel that they later deleted?

National Security Concerns In July 2017 researchers at Harvard, who were backed by the U.S. Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), published a report titled Artificial Intelligence and National Security where they detailed the growing risk of deepfake forgeries, saying, “The existence of widespread AI forgery capabilities will erode social trust, as previously reliable evidence becomes highly uncertain,” and details some of the horrific possibilities that are right around the corner. 901 The report then quotes part of an article one of the researchers wrote for Wired magazine about these dangers, saying, “Today, when people see a video of a politician taking a bribe, a soldier perpetrating a war crime, or a celebrity starring in a sex tape, viewers can safely assume that the depicted events have actually occurred, provided, of course, that the video is of a

certain quality and not obviously edited. But that world of truth—where seeing is believing—is about to be upended by artificial intelligence technologies.” 902 The article continues, “When tools for producing fake video perform at higher quality than today’s CGI and are simultaneously available to untrained amateurs, these forgeries might comprise a large part of the information ecosystem.” 903 The Artificial Intelligence and National Security report goes on to warn that, “A future where fakes are cheap, widely available, and indistinguishable from reality would reshape the relationship of individuals to truth and evidence. This will have profound implications for domains across journalism, government communications, testimony in criminal justice, and of course national security…In the future, people will be constantly confronted with realistic-looking fakes.” 904 It concludes that, “We will struggle to know what to trust. Using cryptography and secure communication channels, it may still be possible to, in some circumstances, prove the authenticity of evidence. But, the ‘seeing is believing’ aspect of evidence that dominates today—one where the human eye or ear is almost always good enough—will be compromised.” 905 Elon Musk is funding a non-profit organization called OpenAI which is trying to ensure that the creation of artificial intelligence will be “safe,” but they created an AI tool so powerful they won’t release it to the public out of concern that it could create such realistic forgeries and fake news articles that they would be difficult to distinguish from real ones. “Due to our concerns about malicious applications of the technology, we are not releasing the trained model,” the organization wrote on their blog. 906

Others are equally concerned. Sean Gourley, who is the founder and CEO of a company called Primer, which data mines social media posts for U.S. intelligence agencies to track issues of concern and possible threats, warns, “The automation of the generation of fake news is going to make it very effective.” 907 Nothing may be safe from the weaponization of artificial intelligence. A group of researchers at the University of Chicago developed an AI system in 2017 that could write fake Yelp reviews and even though sites like Yelp and Amazon have machine learning algorithms designed to detect fake reviews written by trolls or bots, when they unleashed their Yelp review writer on the site their safeguards had a hard time detecting the fake reviews. 908 Ben Zhoa, one of researchers who worked on the project, said, “We have validated the danger of someone using AI to create fake accounts that are good enough to fool current countermeasures,” and warned, “more powerful hardware and larger data for training means that future AI models will be able to capture all these properties and be truly indistinguishable from human-authored content.” 909 This makes the forged documents purported to be George W. Bush’s service record in the National Guard or the infamous “Steele Trump-Russia Dossier” created by Fusion GPS seem like child’s play. The New York Observer reported that there are already multiple fake “Trump sex tapes” circulating among those working in intelligence agencies and suggested that they were created in order to “muddy the waters” in the event that a “real” Trump sex tape surfaces, which some believe was made by the Kremlin when Trump visited Russia in 2013 for the Miss Universe Pageant, for what the KGB calls “kompromat” or compromising material. 910

Trump has insisted that even before his trip to Russia he was well aware of hidden cameras in hotel rooms there and the government’s attempt to gain blackmail material on high profile individuals like himself, and made sure not to get ensnared in their trap. 911 His bodyguard testified that prior to the trip he and Trump had discussed that the Russians used such tactics and knew not to take the bait. 912 So it’s highly unlikely that a real Trump sex tape exists, but it is likely that Deep State operatives within our own CIA may have manufactured such fakes for the same reason they floated the idea of doing such a thing to Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden — to discredit Trump and use it as propaganda to fan the flames of an insurgency hoping to bring him down. As Winston Churchill said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” 913 Nobody is safe from being smeared by deepfakes, whether they’re an ordinary person who has been targeted by a jealous ex-lover, a disgruntled coworker or classmate, or whether they are the President of the United States whose political opponents or a foreign adversary want to bring down. The other side of the coin is that if and when actual damning footage is shot of someone doing or saying something illegal or morally reprehensible, they could easily just claim the footage is fake. Perhaps half of the people would believe them, having reasonable doubt since the technology exists to actually fake it and people may have a motive to do it. We’re clearly not in Kansas anymore and only time will tell just how pervasive and damaging deepfakes will become.

Conclusion

We’re in the middle of a war — an information war. It’s being waged by tyrannical billion dollar tech companies against those of us who use their products and services in ways they hadn’t intended or imagined. They sold us tools thinking they were toys, but we saw the potential this new technology had to enable us to defend the Republic and spread our message across the country with a few clicks of a keyboard or taps on a touchscreen. In the marketplace of ideas, we were winning; so our opponents started cheating, and despite the metaphors this is not a game, this is our life. They don’t want to just silence us online, they want to repeal the First Amendment and arrest us for “hate speech” for disagreeing with them as they aim to overthrow the United States government and replace it with a Communist technocratic super-state that’s a crossbreed between the regimes in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World . Syndicated columnist Joseph Sobran Jr. once stated, “Liberalism is really piecemeal socialism, and socialism always attacks three basic social institutions: religion, the family, and private property. Religion, because it offers a rival authority to the state; the family, because it means a rival loyalty to the state; and property, because it means material independence of the state.” 914 They want to turn Boy Scouts into child drag queens, and are encouraging people to buy sex bots instead of engagement rings. They want people to denounce God and view Christians as the enemy, while the hordes of lazy and entitled degenerates live off the labor of those who get up and go to work every morning. Most people are too distracted to see what’s actually happening and are slowly becoming part of the problem. They know more about the history of their favorite football team than they do of their own country. They’re more familiar with the names and

statistics of the players than they are of the people who are in charge of running the government. Sports entertainment and the latest talent shows on TV are mostly modern day bread and circus events that distract attention and divert energy from things that really matter. Our culture, our economy, and our country is at stake. If America falls, it will never be restored. It will be relegated to the history books like the Roman Empire and other great civilizations that have collapsed. To prevent our planned destruction it’s going to take hard work, vigorous study, and unwavering dedication. You don’t get physically fit by going to the gym once a year. Or once a month, or even once a week! You have to go on a regular basis, and keep going! Isn’t the health of our society just as important as our own physical health? Pay close attention to what you do with your time, your talent, and your money. Get involved in your local community. Get on the school board, or city council, or at least show up once in a while to give them a piece of your mind. Maintain regular face-to-face interactions with your friends and family so you don’t get trapped in the downward spiral of living your life through a screen. Do a regular digital detox on the weekends and holidays, and give yourself time for introspection by stepping away from the endless news cycle and social media feeds to get a bigger perspective of what’s going on and what’s important. Maybe we have been asleep at the wheel. Maybe we took the freedoms and prosperity of living in America for granted while the enemy quietly schemed behind our backs. Well not any more! It’s time to wake up. It’s time to get focused on the long-term goals of what we need to do in order to preserve the freedom of speech, family values, Christian traditions, and our economic security. I hope this book has helped you become more media literate so you can see how the mechanisms

of information distribution function in our modern age and what their effects are. If you found this book valuable in your journey please rate it and write a brief review on Amazon or whatever ebook store you downloaded it from, if that’s where you bought it, and tell your friends and family to checkout this book since I don’t have a major publisher backing me (I self-published this) or their marketing team to promote it. I only have my social media accounts, and you. But that’s all I need. And that’s is exactly why they are so scared of us! Also by Mark Dice: -The True Story of Fake News -Liberalism: Find a Cure -The Illuminati in Hollywood -Inside the Illuminati -The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction -The New World Order: Facts & Fiction -The Resistance Manifesto -Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare -The Bilderberg Group: Facts & Fiction -Bohemian Grove: Facts & Fiction Connect with Mark on: Facebook.com/MarkDice Twitter.com/MarkDice Instagram.com/MarkDice YouTube.com/MarkDice MarkDice.com

Copyright Info

The Liberal Media Industrial Complex © 2019 by Mark Dice All Rights Reserved Published by The Resistance Manifesto San Diego, CA No part of the text within this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form and by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the author. Visit www.MarkDice.com Cover Design by Jason Bermas E-book ISBN: 978-1-943591-08-4 Cover images licensed from iStockPhoto Logos for Google, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, CNN, NBC, and the Washington Post are registered trademarks of their respective companies and are used in accordance with fair use statutes and case law. 1 Washington Post “‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ was built on a lie” by Jonathan Capehart (March 16th 2015)

2 NBC News “Obama Promotes #ItsOnUs Campaign At 2015 Grammy Awards (February 8th 2015)

3 Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World! by Andrew Breitbart page 97

4 Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World! by Andrew Breitbart page 132

5 Washington

Post “Conspiracy theories about Soros aren’t just false. They’re anti-Semitic” by Talia Lavin (October 24th 2018)

6 CNBC “Read all about it: The biggest fake news stories of 2016” by Hannah Ritchie (December 30th 2016)

7 The Washington Post “Real research suggests we should stop freaking out over fake news” by Christopher Ingraham (January 24th 2017)

8 Wired “YouTube Debuts Plan to Promote and Fund ‘Authoritative’ News” by Issie Lapowsky (July 9th 2018)

9 David Axelrod interview in CNN’s The 2000s

10 TechCrunch “Pew: Social media for the first time tops newspapers as a news source for US adults” (December 11th 2018)

11 http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/08/26/social-media-and-the-spiral-ofsilence/

12 Huffington Post “Think Canada Allows Freedom of Speech? Think Again” by Tom Kott (December 19, 2012)

13 BBC “Facebook, Google and Twitter agree German hate speech deal” (December 15th 2015)

14 Associated Press “In UK, Twitter, Facebook rants land some in jail” by Jill Lawless (November 12, 2012)



15 Breitbart

“UK Police Arrest Man For ‘Offensive’ Facebook Post About Migrants” by Liam Deacon (February 16th 2016)

16 Daily Caller “Mother Arrested, Spends Seven Hours In Jail For Calling Transgender A Man” by David Krayden (February 10th 2019)

17 Wired “Tyranny in the Infrastructure” by Larry Lessig (June 7th 1997 edition page 96)

18 Cyber Ethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace Second Edition by Richard A. Spinello page 5

19 New York Times “How conservatives have weaponized the first Amendment” by Adam Liptak (June 30th 2018)

20 Washington Free Beacon “Lieu: ‘I Would Love to Be Able to Regulate the Content of Speech’ but First Amendment Stops Me” by David Rutz (December 12th 2018)

21 Reuters “U.S. Congress spars over social media filtering; companies skip hearing” by David Shepardson (April 26th 2018)

22 Jamie Raskin’s opening statement at House Judiciary Committee hearing on Social Media Filtering the (July 17th 2018)

23 CNN “Trump props up false claim that big tech is out to silence conservatives” by Oliver Darcy (August 24th 2018)



24 Ibid.

25 Recode

“Twitter is so liberal that its conservative employees ‘don’t feel safe to express their opinions,’ says CEO Jack Dorsey” (September 14th 2018)

26 The Hill “Conservatives face a tough fight as Big Tech's censorship expands” by Donald Trump Jr. (March 17th 2019)

27 The Hill “White House launches tool for reporting social media ‘bias’" by Emily Birnbaum (May 15th 2019)

28 https://whitehouse.typeform.com/to/Jti9QH

29 The Independent “Spotify removes white supremacist bands from streaming service” by Roisin O’Connor (August 17th 2017)

30 Reason.com “Spotify Partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center to Purge ‘Hate Content’ from Its Music” by Christian Britschgi (May 14th 2018)

31 Breitbart “Spotify Announces Partnership with Far-Left Groups Including SPLC to Police Platform” by Charlie Nash (May 22nd 2018)

32 Rolling Stone “Watch Snoop Dogg Aim Gun at Clown-Trump in ‘Lavender’ Video” by Ryan Reed (March 13th 2017)

33 Time

“How Many of Jay-Z’s Songs Contain the Word ‘Bitch’?” by Claire Suddath (January 18th 2012)

34 Rolling Stone “Spotify Admits Its R. Kelly Ban Was ‘Rolled Out Wrong’” by Amy X. Wong (May 31st 2018)

35 The Guardian “Guns N' Roses remove song with homophobic and racist language from reissued album” by Ben Beaumont-Thomas (May 8th 2018)

36 Breitbart “Netflix Declines Streaming Hit Documentary ‘The Red Pill’” by Lucas Nolan (May 8th 2017)

37 Evening Standard “Feminist filmmaker Cassie Jaye: women’s rights have gone too far are now silencing men” by Chloe Chaplain (December 1st 2016)

38 Ibid.

39 The Sydney Morning Herald “Melbourne’s Palace Cinemas cancel screenings of MRA documentary ‘The Red Pill’ after petition” by Jenny Noyes (October 25th 2016)

40 CNN “Anti-vaccination conspiracy theories thrive on Amazon” by Jon Sarlin (February 27th 2019)

41 Variety “Amazon Pulls Anti-Vaccination Documentaries From Prime Video After Congressman’s Inquiry to Jeff Bezos” by Todd Spangler (March 1st 2019)



42 Sky

News “De Niro offers $100k reward to media for ‘truth’ about controversial children's vaccine” by Duarte Garrido (February 17th 2017)

43 Rolling Stone “Deadly Immunity” by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (July 14th 2005)

44 CNN “Anti-vaccine movies disappear from Amazon after CNN Business report” by Jon Sarlin (March 1st 2019)

45 The New Yorker “The Operator: Is the most trusted doctor in America doing more harm than good?” by Michael Specter (January 27th 2013)

46 NBC News “Netflix pulls episode of ‘Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj’ after Saudi complaint” by Saphora Smith (January 2nd 2019)

47 Vanity Fair “The Dukes of Hazzard Pulled Off TV Following Confederate-Flag Controversy” by Julie Miller (July 1st 2015)

48 The New York Times “The Obamas and Netflix Just Revealed the Shows and Films They’re Working On” by John Koblin (April 30th 2019)

49 Rolling Stone “Barack, Michelle Obama Unveil Initial Slate of Netflix Projects” by Althea Legaspi (April 30th 2019)

50 Politico “The Obamas’ First Big Anti-Trump Statement of 2020” by Ted Johnson (August 20th 2019)

51 Fox

News “Obamas’ debut Netflix documentary slammed as ‘lefty propaganda,’ an attack on Trump” by Brian Flood (August 20th 2019)

52 The Hollywood Reporter “Hulu Cancels ‘I Love You, America With Sarah Silverman’” by Lacey Rose (January 9th 2019)

53 Bloomberg “Netflix Threatens to Leave Georgia If Abortion Law Stands” by Nick Turner (May 28th 2019)

54 TheAtlantic “Amazon Has Basically No Competition Among Online Booksellers” by Polly Mosendez (May 30th 2014)

55 ShefflornBallantyne.com (the author’s website) So far no major media outlets have reported on Amazon banning the book.

56 Family Rhetoric by Amer Leventry on Facebook (July 10th, 2018)

57 RooshV.com “Amazon Has Banned 9 Of My Books Without Explanation (UPDATE)” by Roosh (September 10th 2018)

58 Ibid.

59 PJ Media “Juanita Broaddrick’s Book about Alleged Clinton Rape Disappears from Amazon” by Jeff Reynolds (June 12th 2018)

60 FreeBeacon “Amazon Bans Gun Book” by Stephen Gutowski (August 23rd 2018)

61 The

Guardian “I wrote the Anarchist Cookbook in 1969. Now I see its premise as flawed” by William Powell (December 19th 2013)

62 As of November 2019 when this book was first published.

63 NBC News “After latest shooting, murder manual author calls for book to be taken ‘immediately’ out of print” by Tony Dokoupil (December 17th 2013)

64 Wired “THE ANARCHIST COOKBOOKTURNS 40” by Matthew Honan (January 31st 2011)

65 Newsweek “Sorry About All The Bombs” by Tony Dokoupil (February 20th 2011)

66 American Renaissance Press Release “Amazon Now Banning Books Based on Political Content” (February 27th 2019)

67 The Sun “Amazon stops selling Tommy Robinson’s book on Islam the day after he was booted off Facebook and Instagram – but he can still broadcast on YouTube” by Annabel Murphy (February 27th 2019)

68 Independent “Amazon bans book co-written by Tommy Robinson from their website” (March 7th 2019)

69 The Script “Amazon Removes David Duke's Books After Inquiry By The Script [UPDATED with Amazon response]” (March 18th 2019)

70 https://twitter.com/JerylBier/status/1107675822377316352

71 Nation

of Islam Research Group “Amazon Bans the Secret Relationship Between Blacks & Jews” (March 16th 2019)

72 TexeMarrs.com “Amazon Bans Texe Marr’s Book for ‘Content.’”

73 As of November 2019 when this book was first published.

74 CNN “Anti-vaccine movies disappear from Amazon after CNN Business report” by Jon Sarlin (March 1st 2019)

75 NBC News “Amazon removes books promoting autism cures and vaccine misinformation” by Brandy Zadrozny (March 12th 2019)

76 NBC News “Amazon removes controversial books by ‘father of conversion therapy’’’ by Gwen Aviles (July 3rd 2019)

77 Basic Freud: Psychoanalytic Thought for the 21st Century by Michael Kahn, Ph.D pages 78-79

78 USA Today “Amazon, eBay join other retailers to pull Confederate flag” by Gregg Zoroya and Hadley Malcolm (June 23rd 2015)

79 Fortune “Walmart and Amazon Pull ‘Tranny Granny’ Halloween Costume From Their Sites” by Michelle Toh (October 7th 2016)

80 CNN:

Complaints prompt Amazon to remove products that are offensive to Muslims” by Alaa Essar (January 8th 2019)

81 Newsbusters “Amazon Removes ‘Islamophobic’ Products But Sells ‘F**k Me Jesus’” by Corinne Weaver (January 8th 2019)

82 https://www.amazon.com/Fuck-White-PeopleExplicit/dp/B07HXDG3JL/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543984803&sr=82&keywords=fuck+white+people

83 Newsweek “Streamer HelenaLive Speaks Out After Being Banned From Twitch For Saying ‘There Are Only Two Genders’” by Steven Asarch (February 12th 2019)

84 News.com.au “Gamer reportedly banned from Twitch for claiming there are only two genders” by Nick Whigham (February 7th 2019)

85 Business Insider “deadmau5 accuses Twitch of censorship after being suspended for using homophobic language during a live stream” by Kevin Webb (February 13th 2019)

86 Newsweek “DeadMau5 Apologizes For Homophobic Slur After Twitch Ban” by Steven Asarch (February 14th 2019)

87 The Verge “League of Legends streamer banned from Twitch for slur says he was misheard” by Julia Lee (April 24th 2019)

88 Dexerto.com

“Twitch streamer banned for 30 days for using word he didn't know was offensive” by David Purcell (March 19th 2019)

89 Newsbusters “Still on YouTube: Lefty Who Calls for Violence, Purge of Conservatives” by Alexander Hall (May 31st 2019)

90 Bloomberg “PayPal Is Latest Tech Company to Ban Alex Jones and InfoWars” by Julie Verhag (September 21st 2018)

91 https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1026580187784404994

92 https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1023207746454384642

93 The Hill “Bill Maher criticizes social media bans: ‘Alex Jones gets to speak’” by Jacqueline Thomsen (August 18th 2018)

94 The Hill “ACLU: Alex Jones ban could set dangerous social media precedent” by Megan Keller (August 21st 2018)

95 Reuters “Exclusive: Trump says it is ‘dangerous’ for Twitter, Facebook to ban accounts” by Steve Holland and Jeff Mason (August 20th 2018)

96 http://archive.fo/xb693

97 Washington Times “Apple CEO Tim Cook: Hateful views have ‘no place on our platforms’” by Jessica Chasmar (December 4th 2018)

98 Ibid.



99 https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/890824543522226178

100 George

Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four

101 BigLeaguePolitics

“Chase Bank Shuts Down Proud Boys Leader’s Personal Bank Account” by Waldo Crane (February 8th 2019)

102 Breitbart “Financial blacklisting: Chase bank withdraws service from independent and conservative figures” by Allum Bokhari (February 27th 2019)

103 One America News “Chase Bank suspends account of pro-Trump Iraq vet” (February 20th 2019)

104 Breitbart “PayPal Blacklists Free Speech YouTube Alternative ‘BitChute’” by Charlie Nash (November 14th 2018)

105 Breitbart “Google Lawsuit: Senior Engineer Alon Altman Wanted to Sabotage Trump’s Android Phone, Ban His Gmail Account” by Allum Bokhari (April 19th 2018)

106 Major Internet Service Providers in Australia and New Zealand completely blocked the video sharing site BitChute in March 2019 for supposedly not promptly removing re-uploads of the Christchurch mosque shooting which was originally livestreamed on Facebook.

107 Green v. AOL and Blumenthal v. Drudge and Zeran v. AOL



108 Delfino

v. Agilent Technologies Inc.

109 CDA

Section 230(c)(2)(A) Protection for Screening.

110 New

York Times “White House Unblocks Twitter Users Who Sued Trump, but Appeals Ruling” by Charlie Savage (June 5th 2018)

111 BrainyQuote.com “George Washington Quotes”

112 Newsweek “Israel Flagged as Top Spy Threat to U.S. in New Snowden/NSA Document” by Jeff Stein (August 4th 2014)

113 BBC “Christian persecution ‘at near genocide levels’” (May 3rd 2019)

114 Reuters “Backstory: How Reuters uncovered Beto O'Rourke's teenage hacking days” by Jame Lee (March 15th 2019)

115 New York Times “Citing Ben Affleck’s ‘Improper Influence,’ PBS Suspends ‘Finding Your Roots’” by John Koblin (June 24th 2015)

116 CBS 5 KPIX “WikiLeaked Sony Emails Reveal Ben Affleck Told Producers Not To Reveal His Slave-Owning Ancestor On PBS ‘Roots’ Show” (April 19th 2015)

117 http://archive.is/phtxU

118 ProjectCensored.org

“What Some People Been Saying About Project Censored Over The Past Decades”

119 Ibid.

120 Ibid.

121 The Washington Post “At the Times, a Scoop Deferred” by Paul Farhi (December 17th 2005)

122 The Daily Signal “The New York Times Leaves Ted Cruz’s Book Off Bestseller List” by Kate Scanlon (July 13th 2015)

123 BuzzFeed “HarperCollins Refutes New York Times Claim That Ted Cruz Tried To Game Bestseller List” by McKay Coppins (July 10th 2015)

124 https://twitter.com/TeamTedCruz/status/619585464144519168

125 Mediaite “New York Times Finally Adds Ted Cruz Book to Bestsellers List” by Alex Griswold (July 16th 2015)

126 Fox News “The O’Reilly Factor” (June 8th 2016)

127 Washington Times “Kermit Gosnell’s abortion trial draws little media coverage, much outrage on Twitter” by Douglas Ernst (April 12th 2013)

128 Washington Examiner “NYT snubs top-selling book on abortionist Gosnell” by Paul Bedard (February 2nd 2017)



129 Washington

Examiner “NYT bestseller list ignores ‘Jesus’ for porn star Stormy Daniels” by Paul Bedard (October 12th 2018)

130 Huffington

Post “Critics Threaten Boycotts Of Simon & Schuster Over Milo Yiannopoulos Book Deal” by Claire Fallon (December 30th 2016)

131 https://twitter.com/JuddApatow/status/814658578174935040

132 https://twitter.com/GovHowardDean/status/814969506615455749

133 CNBC “Report: More than half of immigrants on welfare” by Alan Gomez (September 2015)

134 Center for Immigration Studies “63% of Non-Citizen Households Access Welfare Programs” by Steven A. Camarota and Karen Zeigler (December 2nd 2018)

135 Breitbart “Six Diseases Return To US as Migration Advocates Celebrate ‘World Refugee Day’” by Michael Patrick Leahy (June 19th 2016)

136 Breitbart “Fact Check: Yes, Thousands of Americans Have Been Killed by Illegal Aliens” by John Binder (January 8th 2019)

137 Washington Times “Illegals commit crimes at double the rate of nativeborn: Study” by Stephen Dinan (January 26th 2018)

138 Washington

Times “CNN, MSNBC cut away from Trump event with ‘Angel Families’ by S.A. Miller and Stephen Dinan (June 22nd 2018)

139 The Wall Street Journal “Record Immigration Surge at the Border” by Alicia A. Caldwell and Louise Radnofsky (March 5th 2019)

140 Ibid.

141 Town Hall “Ha: Illegal Immigrants Jump Border Fence During MSNBC Report on Trump's Wall” by Leh Barkoukis (October 24th 2017)

142 Politifact “In Context: Donald Trump's comments about immigrants, ‘animals’” by Miriam Valverde (May 17th 2018)

143 Newsweek “MS-13: How an FBI Informant Risked Death to Bring America’s Most Brutal Gang to Justice” by Michele McPhee (June 14th 2018)

144 Fox News “What is MS-13, the violent gang Trump vowed to target?” by Kaitlyn Schallhorn (May 23rd 2018)

145 Washington Post “Trump says Democrats used to be for new border barriers. He’s right” by JM Rieger (January 19th 2019)

146 Medical News Today “Mental health risk higher for transgender youth” by Honor Whiteman (April 16th 2018)

147 Christian

Post “Transgender Woman Convicted of Raping 10-Y-O Girl in Bathroom, Faces Up to 70 Years in Prison” by Leonardo Blair (October 20th 2017)

148 The Sun “Transgender woman, 18, sexually assaulted girl, 10, in female toilets in Morrisons” by Gemma Mullin (March 15th 2019)

149 The Telegraph “Transgender person accused of rape is remanded into female prison and sexually assaults inmates within days” by Martin Evans, Kate McCann, and Olivia Rugard (September 6th 2018)

150 Snopes “Did a Male Rapist Who Identifies as Female Transfer to a Women’s Jail and Assault Female Inmates?”

151 CBS New York “Police Arrest Transgender Woman In Bronx Pepper Spray Attack, Links To More Hate Crimes Being Investigated” (March 9th 2019)

152 BBC “Sydney axe attacks: Woman jailed for wounding 7-Eleven customers” (January 18th 2019)

153 NBC Washington “Man Dressed as Woman Arrested for Spying Into Mall Bathroom Stall, Police Say” (November 17th 2015)

154 Toronto Sun “Predator who claimed to be transgender declared dangerous offender” by Sam Pazzano (February 26th 2014)

155 Washington

Times “Victims of sex assaults in military are mostly men” by Rowan Scarborough (May 20th 2013)

156 U.S. Department of Justice “Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980-2008” by Alexia Cooper and Erica L. Smith (November 2011)

157 USA Today “Chicago police solved fewer than one in six homicides in the first half of 2018” by Aamer Madhani (September 21st 2018)

158 Chicago Tribune “Memorial Day weekend closes with 69 shot in Chicago, many of them on West Side” by Peter Nickeas, Grace Wong, Alexandra Chachkevitch and Joe Mahr (May 31st 2016)

159 Chicago Tribune “52 shot in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend, nearly half on final day” by Peter Nicheas and Elvia Malagon (May 30th 2017)

160 USA Today “36 people shot in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend, marking a reduction in gun violence” by Aamer Madhani (May 29th 2018)

161 Town Hall “Exposing The Black Lives Matter Movement For What It Is: Promotion of Cop Killing” by Katie Pavlich (September 2nd 205)

162 Politico “The Untold Story Behind New York’s Most Brutal Cop Killings” by Bryan Burrough (April 21st 2015)

163 Real Clear Politics “Last Week: NYC Protesters Chant ‘What Do We Want? Dead Cops! When Do We Want It? Now!’” by Tim Hains

(December 22nd 2014)

164 St. Louis Post-Dispatch “Two admit plot to blow up police station, St. Louis County prosecutor and Ferguson police chief” by Robert Patrick (June 2nd 2015)

165 NBC News “Dallas Police ‘Ambush’:12 Officers Shot, 5 Killed During Protest” by F. Brinley Bruton, Alexander Smith, Elizabeth Chuck and Phil Helsel (July 7th 2016)

166 KPIX CBS SF Bay Area “BART Withholding Surveillance Videos Of Crime To Avoid ‘Stereotypes’” by Melissa Caen (June 9th 2017)

167 Ibid.

168 Associated Press “State: Man in church shooting aimed to kill 10 white people” by Jonathan Mattise (May 20th 2019)

169 Newsweek “Organization Candace Owens Represents Shares, Then Deletes, Photo Promoting White Genocide Conspiracy Days After Her Testimony” by Daniel Moritz-Rabson (Aril 12th 2019)

170 Newsweek “A White Farmer is Killed Every Five Days in South Africa and Authorities Do Nothing About it, Activists Say” by Brendan Cole (March 19th 2018)

171 USA Today “NYPD arrest Muslim woman who claimed attack by Trump supporters” by Melanie Eversley (December 14th 2016)



172 Dallas

News “UT-Arlington student admits making up claim that gunman followed her to campus, threatened her” by Matt Peterson (February 13th 2015)

173 ABC News “Lesbian Couple Charged With Staging Hate Crime” by Alyssa Newcomb via Good Morning America (May 19th 2012)

174 Detroit News “Jackson gay rights leader accused of burning down own home” by Francis X. Donnely (February 25th 2019)

175 National Review “George Washington University’s Swastika Problem” by Kevin D. Williamson (April 26th 2015)

176 Daily Caller “Jewish Student Admits Swastika Hoax in Jewish Frat Dorm at George Washington U” by Eric Owens (March 19th 2015)

177 Seattle PD Crime Blotter “Burglary, Bias Crime Investigation at Africatown Center, Arrest Made” by Detective Mark Jamieson (March 26th 2016)

178 CBS Denver “Black Suspect Arrested After Racist Message Discovered Outside Predominately Black Church” (June 30th 2015)

179 The Wichita Eagle “Kansas man said he defaced his own car with racist slurs” by Kaitlyn Alanis (November 6th 2017)

180 The

Witchita Eagle “For second time in two years, racist slur at Kansas State was a hoax, police say” by Jason Tidd (November 8th 2018)

181 Variety “Jussie Smollett Indicted on 16 Counts in Attack Hoax Case” by Gene Maddaus (March 8th 2019)

182 Newsweek “S.C. Mayor Says ‘Yellow Sticky Substance’ on Her Car Was Sprayed by Vandals, Police Say It’s Just Pollen” by M.L. Nestel (March 1st 2019)

183 National Review “Frat Retreat Ends Early after Students ‘Frightened’ by a Banana Peel” by Katherine Timpf “August 31st 2017)

184 Hate Crime Hoax: How the Left is Selling a Fake Race War by Wilfred Reilly (2019)

185 Reuters “Two years in, Trump holds stock market bragging rights” by Noel Randewich (November 5th 2018)

186 NBC News “Dow notches record high, closing above 27,000 for first time” by Lucy Bayly (July 11th 2019)

187 CNBC “Black unemployment rate falls to 5.9%, ties record low hit earlier this year” by Kate Rooney (December 7th 2018)

188 Bloomberg “Black and Hispanic Unemployment in America Reach Record Lows” by Randy Woods (May 4th 2018)

189 Fox

Business “US veteran unemployment rate hits all-time low in 2018” by Brittany De Lea (January 14th 2019)

190 NPR “U.S. Unemployment Rate Drops To 3.7 Percent, Lowest In Nearly 50 Years” by Avie Schneider (October 5th 2018)

191 New York Post “Average US salaries on the rise thanks to booming economy” by John Aidan Byrne (May 18th 2019)

192 USA Today “Trump signs VA law to provide veterans more private health care choices” by Donovan Slack (June 6th 2018)

193 Washington Post “Under Trump, gains against ISIS have ‘dramatically accelerated’” by Karen DeYoung (August 4th 2017)

194 NPR “U.S.-Backed Forces Declare Defeat Of ISIS ‘Caliphate’” by Ruth Sherlock (March 23rd 2019)

195 Newsbusters “ABC Yawns as ISIS Stripped of All Territory, CBS Declares ‘ISIS Is Done’” by Nicholas Fondacaro (March 20th 2019)

196 Ibid.

197 Washington Examiner “Flashback: Trump and Oprah discuss presidential run in 1988 interview” by Melissa Quinn (January 8th 2018)

198 Newsweek: World Wide Web Inventor on 30th Anniversary: People Horrified by Trump Election Realize Web Is Not ‘Serving Humanity’” by

Jason Murdock (March 12th 2019)

199 Quoted in Media/Impact: An Introduction to Mass Media (12th Edition) by Shirley Biagi page 312

200 Washington Free Beacon “David Brock’s Shareblue to Be ‘Nucleus’ of Multi-Platform Anti-Trump Media Entity” by Joe Schoffstall (January 24th 2017)

201 PJ Media “Trump May Lose Star on Walk of Fame, But Kevin Spacey Won’t” by Tom Knighton (August 8th 2018)

202 The Wrap “Why Trump Won’t Lose His Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Anytime Soon” by Itay Hod (August 8th 2018)

203 Washington Times “As first 100 days in office approaches, media coverage of Trump is 89% negative: Study” by Jennifer Harper (April 19th 2017)

204 NPR “Study: News Coverage Of Trump More Negative Than For Other Presidents” by Danielle Kurtzleben (October 2nd 2017)

205 NewsBusters “Honeymoon from Hell: The Liberal Media vs. President Trump” by Rich Notes and Mike Ciandella (April 19th 2017)

206 Newsbusters.org “2017: The Year the News Media Went to War Against a President” by Rich Noyes and Mike Ciandella (January 16th 2018)

207 Politico

“Poll: 46 percent think media make up stories about Trump” by Steven Shepard (October 18th 2017)

208 Media/Impact: An Introduction to Mass Media (12th Edition) by Shirley Biagi page 312

209 CNN “A Trump win would sink stocks. What about Clinton?” by Heather Long (October 24th 2016)

210 Politico “Economists: A Trump win would tank the markets” by Ben White (October 21st 2016)

211 CNBC “This is what could happen to the stock market if Donald Trump wins” by Patti Domm (November 2nd 2016)

212 New York Times “Paul Krugman: The Economic Fallout” by Paul Krugman (November 11th 2016)

213 CNBC “S&P 500 and Nasdaq close at record highs after strong GDP report” by Fred Imbert (April 26th 2019)

214 Washington Post “Black unemployment falls to lowest level on record” by Heather Long (January 5th 2018)

215 Money.com “Check Your Paycheck: You Probably Just Got a Surprise Pay Bump” by Katie Reilly (February 2nd 2018)

216 NBC

News “Under new Trump tax code, average refund is 8.4 percent smaller” by Alyssa Newcomb (February 11th 2019)

217 NJTV News “Here’s why your tax refund may be disappointing this year” by Raven Santana (February 18th 2019)

218 CNN’s Brian Stelter (January 22nd 2017)

219 Washington Post “‘This is CNN Tonight. I’m Don Lemon. The president of the United States is racist.’” by Samantha Schmidt (January 12th 2018)

220 RealClear Politics “CNN’s Don Lemon Says Trump Could Become Like Hitler: ‘It Starts With Little Lies’” by Tim Hains (June 19th 2019)

221 Mediaite “CNN Analyst: Trump CPAC Speech Looked Scripted by Putin, ‘Reclaiming Our Heritage’ Talk Sounded Like Hitler” by Josh Feldman (March 2nd 2019)

222 Real Clear Politics “GQ's Julia Ioffe: ‘This President Has Radicalized So Many More People Than ISIS Ever Did’” by Ian Schwartz (October 29th 2018)

223 NY Daily News “Trump, Not ISIS is America’s Greatest Existential Threat” by Gersh Kuntzman (February 17th 2017)

224 Real Clear Politics “Olbermann: Osama Bin Laden Did Less Damage To America Than Donald Trump” by Ian Schwartz (November 4th 2017)

225 Free

Beacon “MSNBC Panel Says Trump Is a ‘Dictator’ Who’s Owned by Putin: ‘We Need a Revolution’” by Paul Crookston (February 2nd 2018)

226 Fox News “Chris Matthews Compares Ivanka, Jared Kushner to Saddam Hussein's Sons” (March 28th 2017)

227 Real Clear Politics “Chris Matthews: Trump's Inauguration Speech Had ‘Hitlerian’ Tone To It” by Ian Schwartz (January 20th 2017)

228 Washington Free Beacon “MSNBC Panelist: Kavanaugh Appointment Supports GOP’s Goal of ‘Thousand-Year Reich’” by Paul Crookston (October 8th 2018)

229 Breitbart “Twitter Explodes with Donald Trump Assassination Fantasies” by Patrick Howley (November 10th 2016)

230 Real Clear Politics “Anti-Trump Secret Service Agent Leaving With Pay, Pension” by Susan Crabtree (March 1st 2019)

231 The Washington Examiner “New York Times publishes fictional story on Trump assassination” by Caitlin Yilek (October 25th 2018)

232 NBC News “Johnny Depp: ‘When Was the Last Time an Actor Assassinated a President?’” (June 23rd 2017)

233 World Net Daily “Jim Carrey defends Griffin: I dreamed of beating Trump with golf club” by Chelsea Schilling (June 1st 2017)

234 Breitbart

“Mickey Rourke: Donald Trump ‘Can S*ck My F**king D*ck,’ Threatens to Beat GOP Candidate With Baseball Bat” by Daniel Nussbaum (April 7th 2016)

235 Associated Press “De Niro: I’d Like to Punch Trump In the Face” (October 8th 2016)

236 Rolling Stone “Hear Big Sean Threaten Donald Trump in New Freestyle” by Daniel Kreps (February 3rd 2017)

237 Rolling Stone “Watch Snoop Dogg Aim Gun at Clown-Trump in ‘Lavender’ Video” by Ryan Reed (March 13th 2017)

238 Independent “Marilyn Manson ‘beheads Donald Trump’ in new music video” by Jack Shepherd (November 8th 2016)

239 Multiple people recorded video of the incident and posted it on YouTube the next day, although it went unnoticed by major media outlets unlike most of the other incidents of celebrities making similar threatening statements.

240 USA Today “Kathy Griffin says she doesn’t regret Trump photo despite backlash, death threats” by Sara M. Moniuszko (March 24th 2019)

241 Newsbusters “MSNBC’s O’Donnell Claims Trump Will Get Impeached for ‘Ignorance’” by Kristine Marsh (May 17th 2017)

242 RealClear Politics “Rachel Maddow: “Worst-Case Scenario That The President Is A Foreign Agent Suddenly Feels Very Palpable” by Tim Hains

(July 22nd 2018)

243 Washington Times “Dershowitz: ‘Hope over reality’ delusion fuels obstruction of justice claims against Trump” by Douglas Ernst (December 4th 2017)

244 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/965212168449941505

245 The Washington Times “Donald Trump holds high the flag for gay equality” by Richard Grenell (November 2nd 2016)

246 ABC News “Donald Trump OK With Caitlyn Jenner Using Any Bathroom in His Tower” by Candace Smith and Jessica Hopper (April 21st 2016)

247 Out Magazine “Trump’s Plan to Decriminalize Homosexuality Is an Old Racist Tactic” by Matthew Rodriguez (February 19th 2019)

248 NBC News “Trump’s North Korea policy could trigger famine, experts warn” by Alexander Smith December 9th 2017)

249 Herald Sun “Leftists: Rather War with North Korea Than Peace with Trump” by Andrew Bolt (June 17th 2018)

250 Mediaite “‘I’m Not Rooting for the 6-Year-Old’: Michael Moore Not Sure He Wants Trump to Succeed on North Korea” by Justin Baragona (April 28th 2017)

251 ABC

News “North Korea’s Kim Jong Un crosses DMZ line for historic meeting with South Korea” by Joohe Cho, Hakyung Kate Lee, and Tara Fowler (April 26th 2018)

252 Newsweek “Therapists Coin New Term: Trump Anxiety Disorder” by Emily Zogbi (July 28th 2018)

253 CBC “In a divided U.S., therapists treating anxiety are hearing the same name over and over: Donald Trump” by Matt Kwong (July 28th 2018)

254 Real Clear Politics “New York Times’ Yamiche Alcindor: ‘Sources' ‘Still In Therapy’ Because Clinton Lost” September 14th 2017)

255 Newsweek “Thousands of Americans Will Scream Helplessly at the Sky on Trump’s Election Anniversary” by Chris Riotta (October 23rd 2017)

256 Fox News “Anti-Trump protesters ‘scream helplessly at the sky’ to demonstrate on election anniversary” by Caleb Parke (November 9th 2017)

257 The Daily Caller “Rosie: Trump’s Presidential Victory Made Me ‘Physically Sick,’ Took a Year to Recover” by Benny Johnson (October 19th 2018)

258 CNS News “Trump Win Sent Chelsea Handler to a Psychiatrist: ‘I Just Wanted to F***king Fight People’” (April 8th 2019)

259 The Independent “Chrissy Teigen says Donald Trump’s election victory has damaged her mental health” by Maya Oppenheim (May 4th 2017)



260 Newsbusters

“MSNBC Analyst: Trump’s ‘Profound Sexual and Masculine Insecurities’ Threaten to Kill Us All” by Tim Graham (January 3rd 2018)

261 BBC “Hawking says Trump’s climate stance could damage Earth” by Pallab Ghosh (July 2nd 2017)

262 Variety “Twitter Permanently Bans Anti-Trump Krassenstein Brothers, Who Deny They Broke Platform’s Rules” by Todd Spangler (May 24th 2019)

263 The Guardian “Your worst nightmare: a successful Donald Trump presidency” by David Smith (July 3rd 2017)

264 Vox “Far-right protester interrupts Dorsey hearing. Auctioneer-turnedcongressman drones her out.” by Emily Stewart (September 5th 2018)

265 The Jerusalem Post “Ilhan Omar Defends Calling Stephen Miller a White Nationalist” by Ron Kampeas (April 11th 2019)

266 The Hill “Shapiro rips Economist after it labels him alt-right” by Joe Concha (March 28th 2019)

267 Council on Foreign Relations event “The Rise of Global Anti-Semitism (February 26th 2019)

268 Forbes

“Alex Jones: The Preposterous Poster Boy For Bitcoin” by Billy Bambrough (February 28th 2019)

269 Newsweek “Steven Crowder Incites Homophobic Harassment of Voc Reporter, YouTube Slow to React” by Steven Asarch (May 31st 2019)

270 The Guardian “Former Ku Klux Klan leader and US alt-right hail election result” by Esther Addley (November 9th 2016)

271 Psychology Today “An Analysis of Trump Supporters Has Identified 5 Key Traits” by Bobby Azarian Ph.D (December 31st 2017)

272 Newsbusters “Rob Reiner and Wife Liken ‘Evil’ Trump to Hitler, Supporters Are ‘Hardcore Racists’” by Brad Wilmouth (June 24th 2018)

273 International Journal Review “MSNBC Guest Claims That ‘Everything’ Trump Says Is Racist, Says POTUS ‘Is a White Nationalist’” by Madison Dibble (April 28th 2019)

274 CNN “Why Trump's MAGA hats have become a potent symbol of racism” by Issac Bailey (January 21st 2019)

275 Fox News “Trump supporter, 76, blames ‘fake news’ CNN for threats following reporter ambush” by Brian Flood (February 23rd 2018)

276 Washington Post “A Reporter’s dispatch from Trump country featured a ‘Mexicans Keep Out’ sign. But he made it all up” by Antonia Noori Farzan (December 21st 2018)



277 The

Daily Beast “Tom Brady’s New England Patriots Are Team MAGA, Whether They Like It or Not” by Corbin Smith (February 1st 2019)

278 Ibid.

279 Ibid.

280 Real Clear Politics “CNN Reporter Confronts Trump Supporter: Your Pro-Trump Group Was Infiltrated By Russians” by Ian Schwartz (February 21st 2018)

281 Fox News “Trump supporter, 76, blames ‘fake news’ CNN for threats following reporter ambush” by Brian Flood (February 23rd 2018)

282 Fox News “‘Hell No!’ Cashier refuses to serve Trump backers” by Todd Starnes (June 17th 2016)

283 The Hill “Judge rules bar was allowed to kick out Trump supporter” by Luis Sanchez (April 25th 2018)

284 Washington Times “Bakers refused to make pro-Trump birthday cake for 9-year-old boy: Report” by Bradford Richardson (August 7th 2017)

285 Washington Post “Chasing White House officials out of restaurants is the right thing to do” by Tom Scocca (June 26th 2018)

286 Time

“‘They're Not Welcome Anymore, Anywhere.’ Maxine Waters Tells Supporters to Confront Trump Officials” by Jennifer Calfas (June 25th 2018)

287 Daily Wire “WATCH: Activist Confronts Waters Publicly. Here’s How Waters Responded.” by Hank Berrien (June 26th 2018)

288 RedState “Toxic Masculinity: ‘Journalist’ Writes Boston Globe Column Urging Waiters to Pee, Bleed On Kirstjen Nielsen’s Food” by Sister Toldjah (April 10th 2019)

289 Boston Globe “Keep Kirstjen Nielsen unemployed and eating Grubhub over her kitchen sink” by Luke O’Neil” (April 10th 2019)

290 The Washington Times “A column suggested waiters could ‘tamper’ with Trump officials’ food. Amid backlash, the Boston Globe pulled it” by Allyson Chiu (April 12th 2019)

291 NBC News “Protesters Assault Trump Supporters With Eggs, Bottles, Punches After Rally” by Jacob Rascon and Ali Vitali (June 3rd 2016)

292 https://twitter.com/marclamonthill/status/1014904101988167685

293 https://twitter.com/gaywonk/status/1130862813713502210

294 Breitbart “Rap Sheet: ***639*** Acts of Media-Approved Violence and Harassment Against Trump Supporters” by John Nolte (July 5th 2018)

295 Washington

Times “MSNBC host, Princeton professor discuss MAGA hats as an ‘invitation’ to confrontation” by Douglas Ernst (January 23rd 2019)

296 HuffPost “How Far-Right Extremists Abroad Have Adopted Trump’s Symbols As Their Own” by Nick Robins-Early (April 6th 2019)

297 Washington Free Beacon “CNN Commentator Angela Rye Compares MAGA Hat to KKK Hood: I’m ‘So Triggered’ by the ‘Hatred’ It Represents” by Nic Rowan (January 22nd 2019)

298 NBC New York “Teen Arrested for Attack on 81-Year-Old Man Wearing MAGA Hat: Prosecutors” (February 27th 2019)

299 WTSP “Man accused of pulling gun on couple wearing MAGA hats at Sam's Club” by 10News Staff (February 18th 2019)

300 CBS Boston “Woman Charged With Attacking Falmouth Man Wearing MAGA Hat Taken Into ICE Custody” (February 26th 2019)

301 New York Post “Men accused of beating, robbing African immigrant because of MAGA hat” by Max Jaeger (April 17th 2019)

302 Washington Times “North Korean defectors wearing MAGA hats harassed in D.C.” by Jessica Chasmar (May 6th 2019)

303 ABC7 News “VIDEO: Trump supporter pepper sprayed at Milo protest” by Wayne Freedman (February 1st 2017)



304 Mediaite

“Black Trump Supporter Punched While Fleeing Arizona Melee” by Aidan McLaughlin (August 23rd 2017)

305 USA Today “Cheesecake Factory apologizes to black man reportedly harassed for wearing Trump cap” by Eli Blumenthal (May 15th 2018)

306 USA Today “Hillary Clinton: You ‘cannot be civil’ with Republicans, Democrats need to be ‘tougher’” by William Cummings (October 9th 2018)

307 Washington Post “Eric Holder: ‘When they go low, we kick them. That’s what this new Democratic Party is about.’” by Aaron Blake (October 10th 2018)

308 The Hill “Activists converge on home of Fox’s Tucker Carlson: ‘You are not safe’” by Joe Concha (November 8th 2018)

309 Townhall “Chilling Details: Tucker Carlson's Terrified Wife Hid in the Pantry As Antifa Thugs Damaged Her Home” by Guy Benson (November 8th 2018)

310 Huffington Post “Sorry Liberals, A Violent Response To Trump Is As Logical As Any” by Jesse Benn (June 6th 2016)

311 Ibid.

312 RedState “Is CBS Inciting Violence In The Latest Episode Of ‘The Good Fight’” by Jennifer Van Laar (April 13th 2019)



313 Salon.com

“White men must be stopped: The very future of mankind depends on it” by Frank Joyce (December 22nd 2015)

314 Salon.com “10 ways white people are more racist than they realize” by Kali Holloway (March 5th 2015)

315 Salon “White guys are killing us: Toxic, cowardly masculinity, our unhealable national illness” by Chauncey Devega (December 17th 2015)

316 BuzzFeed “19 School Powerpoint Presentations That Give Zero Fucks” by Hattie Soykan and Rachael Krishna (December 5th 2016)

317 Vice “Want to Heal Yourself from ‘Toxic Whiteness’? This Class Can Help” by Shahirah Majumdar (October 15th 2016)

318 The Root “Polite White People Are Useless” by Damon Young (August 29th 2017)

319 The Independent “MTV’s White People documentary succeeds in making viewers ‘uncomfortable’” by Emily Shackleton (July 23rd 2015)

320 Ebony “Jamie Foxx Defends ‘I Kill All the White People’ Joke” by The Grio (December 14th 2012)

321 New York Post “Jay Z’s bling from ‘whites are devils’ group” by Gary Buiso (April 6th 2014)

322 The

Daily Caller “Seven Louis Farrakhan Quotes on Jews, Gays, and White People” by Peter Hasson (January 26th 2018)

323 The Washington Post “CNN’s Don Lemon doubles down after saying white men are ‘the biggest terror threat in this country’” by LIndsey Bever (November 1st 2018)

324 CNN “The internet is radicalizing white men. Big tech could be doing more” by Alex Koppelman (March 17th 2019)

325 https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/1102248695989325825

326 Rolling Stone “Kanye West Distances Himself From Alt-Right Provocateur” by Brendan Klinkenberg (October 30th 2018)

327 Breitbart “Utah Valley University Students Protest Candace Owens with ‘End White Supremacy’ Sign” by Alana Mastrangelo (March 7th 2019)

328 Front Page Magazine “Antifa, The Real Fascists” by Matthew Vadum (August 10th 2018)

329 Newsbusters “Dyson Slams Kanye West Speech as 'White Supremacy by Ventriloquism’” by Brad Wilmouth (October 11th 2018)

330 Ibid.

331 Washington Times “Slippery Slope with a Disastrous Ending, as Witnessed in the Dramatic Fall of the Roman Empire” by Jessica Chasmar

(February 8th 2015)

332 Los Angeles Times “Bette Midler slammed as racist for tweet about black Trump supporters” by Christie D’Zurilla (July 25th 2019)

333 RealClearPolitics “Could Trump Win 20 Percent of the AfricanAmerican Vote in 2020?” by Victor Davis Hanson (October 18th 2018)

334 Questioning the Media -Mediating Communication - What Happens? by Joshua Meyrowitz page 43

335 Questioning the Media -Mediating Communication - What Happens? by Joshua Meyrowitz page 44

336 The Independent “A Brief Cultural History of Sex” (September 23rd 2008)

337 NBC News “Meet the 10-year-old ‘drag kid’ taking over social media with inspiring message” by June 18th 2018)

338 Newsbusters “Morning Child Abuse. ‘Today’ Features 10-Year-Old Drag Queen” by Rachel Peterson (June 18th 2018)

339 The Daily Wire “11-Year-Old Boy Dressed In Drag Dances At Gay Bar, Gets Dollar Bills Thrown At Him” by Amanda Prestigiacomo (December 17th 2018)

340 Good

Morning America’s YouTube channel “The 11-year-old trailblazing drag kid ‘Desmond is Amazing’” (November 2nd 2018)

341 Newsbusters “GMA: ‘Genderless Babies’ Is ‘Healthy,’ Part of ‘Great Conversation’” by Gabriel Hays (January 24th 2019)

342 Ibid.

343 Ibid.

344 https://www.instagram.com/p/BtL8p9FAtZF/

345 NBC News “‘Boy or girl?’ Parents raising ‘theybies’ let kids decide” by Julie Compton (July 19th 2018)

346 Ibid.

347 CNN “Rethinking Monogamy Today” by Ian Kerner (April 12th 2017)

348 Ibid.

349 Ibid.

350 The Epoch Times “The Failed Soviet Experiment With ‘Free Love’” by Petr Svab (October 5th 2018)

351 CNN “Cuckolding can be positive for some couples, study says” by Ian Kerner (January 25th 2018)



352 Ibid.

353 NBC

News “Despite social media, Generation Z, Millennials report feeling lonely” by Sharon Jayson and Kaiser Health News (March 8th 2019)

354 The Independent “Millennial Dating Trends 2019: All You Need to Know, From Ghosting to Bird Boxing” by Oliva Petter and Sarah Young (February 7th 2019)

355 SFGate “It’s not just you: New data shows more than half of young people in America don’t have a romantic partner” via The Washington Post by Lisa Bronos and Emily Guskin (March 21st 2019)

356 NPR “U.S. Births Fell To A 32-Year Low In 2018; CDC Says Birthrate Is In Record Slump” by Bill Chappell (May 15th 2019)

357 Wall Street Journal “For Teens, Romances Where the Couple Never Meets Are Now Normal” by Christopher Mims (May 18th 2019)

358 New York Daily News “More than 20% of millennials claim to have no friends, poll finds” by Tim Balk (August 3rd 2019)

359 The Telegraph “Sex robots on way for elderly and lonely...but pleasurebots have a dark side, warn experts” by Sarah Knapton (July 5th 2017)

360 Forbes

“Goodbye Loneliness, Hello Sexbots! How Can Robots Transform Human Sex?” by Reenita Das (July 17th 2017)

361 Daily Mail “March of the sexbots: They talk, they make jokes, have ‘customisable’ breasts - the sex robot is no longer a weird fantasy but a troubling reality” by Caroline Graham (October 29th 2017)

362 Daily Caller “‘Disrespectful’: Google Employees Melt Down Over the Word ‘Family’” by Peter Hasson (January 16th 2019)

363 Ibid.

364 Ibid.

365 Ibid

366 Ibid

367 Ibid

368 Ibid

369 Jezebel “The Increase in Single Moms Is Actually a Good Thing” by Hugo Schwyzer (February 22nd 2012)

370 CNBC “You can save half a million dollars if you don’t have kids” by Yoni Blumberg (August 17th 2017)

371 Netflix

“The Break with Michelle Wolf” (June 2018)

372 Newsbusters

“Hulu Character Feels ‘Really, Really Good,’ ‘Very F**king Powerful’ After Abortion” by Rebecca Downs (March 18th 2019)

373 KTSA “Video: “Kids Meet Someone Who’s Had An Abortion” by Jack Riccardi (January 4th 2019)

374 Real Clear Politics “Alabama State Dem Rep. Defends Abortion: ‘You Kill Them Now Or You Kill Them Later’” by Ian Schwartz (May 2nd 2019)

375 CNN “Alabama lawmaker sparks backlash for ‘kill them now or kill them later’ comments over state abortion bill” by Veronica Stracqualursi (May 2nd 2019)

376 The Guardian “Want to fight climate change? Have fewer children” by Damian Carrington (July 12th 2017)

377 Ibid.

378 New York Times “No Children Because of Climate Change? Some People Are Considering It” by Maggie Astor (February 5th 2018)

379 Ibid.

380 Ibid.

381 Fox

5 DC “Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ‘Is it OK to still have children?’” by Fox News (February 26th 2019)

382 CNN “Obama congratulates Michael Sam, first openly gay player drafted by NFL” by Chelsea J. Carter and Ralph Ellis (May 11th 2014)

383 CNN “White House shines rainbow colors to hail same-sex marriage ruling” by Allie Malloy and Karl de Vries (June 30th 2015)

384 CNN “Benham brothers lose HGTV show after ‘anti-gay’ remarks” by Lisa Respers (May 9th 2014)

385 Hollywood Reporter “Benham Brothers, Dumped by HGTV Over AntiGay Remarks, Could Land at ‘Traditional Values’ Network INSP TV” by Paul Bond (May 12th 2014)

386 The New Yorker “Why Kevin Hart Had to Go as Oscars Host” by Michael Schulman (December 7th 2018)

387 Washington Examiner “Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich forced to resign for supporting traditional marriage laws” by Joel Gehrke (April 3rd 2017)

388 Christian Post “Gay Man Files $70M Suit Against Bible Publishers Over ‘Homosexual' Verses” by Elena Garcia (July 10th 2008)

389 US News and World Report “These States Require Schools to Teach LGBT History” by Casey Leins (August 14th 2019)

390 Telegraph

“Boys can have periods too, children to be taught in latest victory for transgender campaigners” by Helena Horton (December 16th 2018)

391 Breitbart “Watch: Drag Queen Admits He’s ‘Grooming Next Generation’ in ‘Story Hours’” by Dr. Susan Berry (November 29th 2018)

392 “Grooming” definition in Cambridge Online Dictionary.

393 Houston Chronicle “Houston Library apologizes after registered sex offender participated in Drag Queen Storytime” by Jasper Scherer (March 16th 2019)

394 Newsweek “Sex Offender Busted as Drag Queen Who Read Books To Children in City Library” by Scott McDonald (March 16th 2019)

395 LifeSiteNews “Drag queen teaches kids to ‘twerk’ at library story hour” by Calvin Freburger (August 7th 2019)

396 Mic “How Victoria’s Secret normalized discrimination” by Evan Ross Katz (November 12th 2018)

397 https://twitter.com/VictoriasSecret/status/1061106626583822338

398 Los Angeles Times “Valentina Sampaio makes history as first transgender Victoria’s Secret model” by Christi Carras (August 5th 2019)

399 Deadspin

“Conservative Gays Need to Shut The Fuck Up” by Lauren Theisen (December 12th 2018)

400 CNBC “Caitlyn Jenner says it was harder to come out as Republican than transgender” by Ivan Levingston (July 20th 2016)

401 Mass Communication: Living in a Media World “Can Television Take Anything Seriously” by Ralph E. Hanson (Seventh Edition 2019)

402 Pew Research Center “Video Length” by Pew Research Center: Journalism and Media Staff (July 16th 2012)

403 Ibid.

404 Washington Post “Dan Rather to Step Down at CBS” by Howard Kurtz (November 24th 2004)

405 Chicago Tribune “NBC removes Brian Williams from ‘Nightly News’” by Tribune Wire (June 18th 2015)

406 Los Angeles Times “Brian Williams’ $10-million salary should buy some honesty” (February 10th 2015)

407 CBS News “Court Tosses Dan Rather’s Lawsuit Vs. CBS” (September 29th 2009)

408 Yahoo Finance “Anderson Cooper Net Worth: His Fortune at Age 51” by Joel Anderson (June 1st 2018)



409 TMZ

“Joe Scarborough Divorce: He Earns $99,000 a Week” (October 11th 2013)

410 Business Insider “Fired ‘Today’ host Matt Lauer’s contract was reportedly worth $25 million a year — here’s how that compares to other top TV show hosts” by Jason Guerrasio (November 29th 2017)

411 Vanity Fair “Megyn Kelly Officially Out at NBC, $69 Million Richer” (January 12th 2019)

412 Los Angeles Times “Tobacco Company Sues Source in Unbroadcast ‘60 Minutes’ Report: Litigation: Brown & Williamson is also seeking to prevent its former employee from testifying” by Jane Hall (November 22nd 1995)

413 New York Times “Film Drama Shines a Harsh Light on ’60 Minutes’ and CBS” by Peter Applebom (July 13th 1999)

414 Los Angeles Times “CBS Woes Go Beyond the Ratings to a Swoosh” by Larry Stewart (February 15th 1998)

415 New York Times “On CBS News, Some of what you see isn’t there” by Alex Kuczynki (January 12th 2000)

416 Washington Post “ABC News apologizes for ‘serious error’ in Trump report and suspends Brian Ross for four weeks” by Amy B Wang (December 3rd 2017)



417 Fox

News “ABC News, Brian Ross apologize for report suggesting shooting suspect tied to Tea Party” (July 20th 2012)

418 ABC News “Jeff Sessions addresses ‘anti-LGBT hate group,’ but DOJ won’t release his remarks” by Pete Madden and Erin Galloway (July 12th 2017)

419 New York Post “NBC slammed for tweet endorsing Oprah as president” by Mark Moore (January 8th 2018)

420 The Wrap “NBCBLK Editor Defends New Black Site: ‘It Was Destined to Be Controversial’” by Alicia Banks (January 22nd 2015)

421 The Hill “Obama: Fox viewers ‘living on a different planet’ than NPR listeners” by Julia Manchester (January 13th 2018)

422 NPR “DNC Bars Fox News From Hosting 2020 Primary Debates” by Jessica Taylor (March 6th 2019)

423 CNN “Russian bots are using #WalkAway to try to wound Dems in midterms” by David A. Love (July 17th 2018)

424 https://www.YouTube.com/WalkAwayCampaign

425 CNN “Trump leading ‘hate movement’ against media” (August 5th 2018)

426 PJ

Media “CNN Anchor Calls Trump’s Election a ‘National Emergency’” by PJ Staff (December 12th 2016)

427 New York Magazine “CNN’s Jeff Zucker on Covering Donald Trump — Past, Present, and Future” by Gabriel Sherman (January 18th 2017)

428 Washington Post “CNN’s president has fired a warning shot at Donald Trump” by Callum Borchers (January 19th 2017)

429 CNN “InfoWars’ main YouTube channel is two strikes away from being banned” by Paul P. Murphy (February 24th 2018)

430 Newsweek “Florida Shooting Conspiracy Theories and Alex Jones, Infowars In Hot Water with YouTube” by Gillian Edevane (February 27th 2018)

431 The Hill “Infowars one strike away from YouTube ban” by Julia Manchester (February 27th 2018)

432 CNN “Advertisers flee InfoWars founder Alex Jones’ YouTube channel” by Paul P. Murphy and Gianluca Mezzofiore (March 3rd 2018)

433 Ibid.

434 Washington Times “Donny Deutsch issues Trump ‘serious’ fight challenge: ‘I’ll meet you in the schoolyard, brother’” by Douglas Ernst (June 30th 2017)

435 Daily

Caller “MSNBC Guest: Trump Name Is The ‘Modern Day Swastika’ [VIDEO]” by Amber Athey (August 7th 2017)

436 Newsbusters “MSNBC: ‘Everyone’ Agrees Trump’s a White Supremacist; Prove You're Not Racist by Voting Democrat” by Kritine Marsh (August 1st 2019)

437 Business Insider “Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski say Trump’s North Korea surprise is a ‘painfully obvious’ distraction from porn star sex scandal” by Eliza Relman (March 9th 2018)

438 The Hill “New York Times reinforces policy prohibiting reporters from appearing on cable shows like Maddow” by Joe Concha (May 31st 2019)

439 The Wrap “Glenn Greenwald Blasts Rachel Maddow: ‘Intellectually Dishonest, Partisan Hack’” by Jon Levine (January 22nd 2018)

440 Skeptic Review “Boston Antifa Explains Parody: Vladivostok, Russia, Geo-Tagging & More” by Gretchin Mullen (November 17th 2017)

441 Mediaite “MSNBC Falls for Parody North Korean Twitter Account Attacking Fox News” by Alex Griswold (August 10th 2015)

442 Associated Press “Maddow, other MSNBC hosts see ratings drop, Fox up” by David Bauder (March 27th 2019)

443 BigLeaguePolitics “Tucker Gets More Viewers Than All of CNN Combined, Fox Early News Beats MSNBC Prime Time” by Tom Pappert

(April 4th 2019)

444 Fox News “Fox News dominates CNN, MSNBC in Wednesday primetime ratings, topping both networks’ combined viewership” (March 28th 2019)

445 Newsweek “MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Found Huge Ratings Success Covering Trump and Russia — So What Now?” by Tim Marcin (March 25th 2019)

446 eBizMBA “Top 15 Most Popular Political Websites - January 2019”

447 Reuters “AOL to buy The Huffington Post for $315 million” by Anthony Boadle and Jennifer Saba (February 6th 2011)

448 Archive.org “CSPAN April 27th 2013 White House Correspondents Dinner”

449 The Wrap “BuzzFeed Reporter Apologizes for ‘Very Dumb’ Remarks About Communism” by Jon Levine (November 8th 2017)

450 BuzzFeed “Why LGBT Representation Didn’t Make It Into ‘The Last Jedi’” by Adam B. Vary (December 18th 2017)

451 Twitchy “What was that about exploitation? Now VICE Canada is celebrating the next generation of drag queens” by Brett T. (June 6th 2019)

452 Forbes

“Vice Media’s Shane Smith Is Now A Billionaire” by Natalie Robehmed (June 20th 2017)

453 Vice “World’s Scariest Drug (Documentary Exclusive)” on YouTube (May 11th 2012)

454 Vice “Kim Dotcom: The Man Behind Megaupload” on YouTube (January 5th 2014)

455 https://twitter.com/vicecanada/status/1042156417577365505

456 The Hollywood Reporter “Disney Discloses New $353 Million WriteDown on Vice Media Investment” by Natalie Jarvey (May 8th 2019)

457 Variety “Vice Media Gets $250 Million in Debt Funding From George Soros, Other Investors” by Todd Spangler (May 3rd 2019)

458 New York Times “NBCUniversal Invests $200 Million in Vox Media” by Emily Steel (August 12th 2015)

459 Vox “YouTube’s most popular user amplified anti-Semitic rhetoric. Again” by Aja Romano (December 13th 2018)

460 Vox “YouTube’s messy fight with its most extreme creators” (October 19th 2017)

461 Vox “3 Reasons the American Revolution Was a Mistake” by Dylan Matthews (July 3rd 2019)



462 Ibid.

463 Daily

Beast “Meet Candace Owens, Kanye West’s Toxic Far-Right Consigliere” by Amy Zimmerman (May 9th 2018)

464 Daily Beast “Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec, the Far Right’s Twin Trolls, Taste Their Own Bitter Medicine” by Lloyd Grove (July 23rd 2018)

465 Daily Beast “Pro-Gun Parkland Teen Kyle Kashuv Apologizes for ‘Inflammatory’ Racial Comments” by Will Sommer (May 23rd 2019)

466 Daily Beast “Inside YouTube’s Far-Right Radicalization Factory” by KellyWeill (September 18th 2018)

467 Fox News “Daily Beast accused of ‘doxxing’ alleged creator of ‘Drunk Pelosi’ video” by Frank Miles (June 2nd 2019)

468 CNBC “New York Times CEO: Print journalism has maybe another 10 years” by Kellie Ell (February 12th 2018)

469 Wall Street Journal “Newsweek Quits Print: After 79 Years, the Title Will Be Digital Only” by Keach Hagey (October 19th 2012)

470 https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1116426290817638400

471 The Wall Street Journal “Ad-Tech Firms Blacklist Newsweek Sites, Alleging Website-Traffic Manipulation” by Lara O’Reilly and Lukas I.

Alpert (March 7th 2018)

472 New York Post “Jeff Zucker joins fight to monetize mobile journalism” by Richard Morgan (February 26th 2018)

473 Business Insider “The Washington Post is blocking people with ad blockers from reading its articles” by Max Slater-Robins (September 10th 2015)

474 The Verge “The New York Times cuts free articles limit from 10 to five per month” by Natt Garun (December 1st 2017)

475 https://contribute.theguardian.com/components/epic/inline-payment

476 The Wall Street Journal “BuzzFeed News Asks Readers to Chip In With Donations” by Benjamin Mullin (August 27th 2018)

477 The Guardian “Encyclopedia Britannica halts print publication after 244 years” by Tom McCarthy (March 13th 2012

478 Pew Research Center “Wikipedia at 15: Millions of readers in scores of languages” by Monica Anderson, Paul Hitlin, and Michelle Atkinson (January 14th 2016)

479 The Guardian “The rise of Tomi Lahren, the media star lampooned as ‘white power Barbie’” by Jason Wilson (September 23rd 2016)

480 Zero

Hedge “Wikipedia Listed Ron Paul On ‘White Supremacists’ List For 3 Weeks Before Removing Him” by Tyler Durden (July 26th 2018)

481 CBS News “Google blames Wikipedia for ‘Nazism’ tag on California GOP” (June 1st 2018)

482 Washington Post “Former Democratic aide pleads guilty to ‘doxing’ GOP senators, threatening employee” by Spencer S. Hsu (April 6th 2019)

483 As of the time of this writing in July 2019 although that could change. But since Antifa has been engaged in repeated violent acts for years, that’s something that should have been included on their Wikipedia page long ago.

484 Mediaite “Mob Gathers Outside Tucker Carlson’s Home: ‘We Know Where You Sleep at Night!’” by Joseph A. Wulfsohn (November 7th 2018)

485 The Washington Times “Journalist Andy Ngo beaten up by Antifa activists at Portland protest” by Valerie Richardson (June 29th 2019)

486 Breitbart “Wikipedia Protecting Antifa: Wikipedia Editors Protect Antifa by Censoring Andy Ngo Assault, ICE Attack” by T.D. Adler (July 18th 2019)

487 Fox News “Washington ICE detention center attacker Willem Van Spronsen wrote ‘I am Antifa’ manifesto before assault” by Travis Fedschun (July 15th 2019)

488 NewsBusters.org

“The ‘Squad’ Won’t Condemn Antifa Terrorism....WHERE Are The Media?” by Tim Graham (July 17th 2019)

489 https://twitter.com/shaunking/status/1144944444992450560

490 TownHall “Republicans Craft Resolution Condemning Antifa As A ‘Domestic Terrorist Organization’” by Timothy Meads (July 19th 2019)

491 As of July 2019. Increased pressure could change this, but the fact remains, for months (or perhaps years) Wikipedia editors have vigorously protected the page, scrubbing any references to Antifa’s violence.

492 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Strzok (Accessed May 2nd 2019)

493 Breitbart “Wikipedia Editors Paid to Protect Political, Tech, and Media Figures” by T.D. Adler (March 26th 2019)

494 As of August 2019, although this could change if I happen to get some favorable media coverage highlighting my subscriber count, but it hasn’t been allowed on my page which has been up since 2007.

495 SocialBlade.com lists the historical YouTube statistics for all channels. Under “Detailed Statistics” it shows my channel reached 1 million subscribers in May 2017, and Paul Joseph Watson followed in August 2017, then PragerU in September 2017, Stephen Crowder in November 2017, and Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire in October 2018, and Next News Network in February 2019

496 TonyBallioni

23:23, 2 February 2019 (UTC)

497 Barkeep49

17:19, 30 January 2019 (UTC)

498 https://twitter.com/lsanger/status/1096227555466596352

499 150Sec.com

“‘Wikipedia is a broken system,’ says co-founder Larry Sanger” by Sophie Foggin (May 22nd 2019)

500 https://twitter.com/jimmy_wales/status/1135456897899945984

501 Tech Crunch “Google.org donates $2 million to Wikipedia’s parent org” by Megan Rose Dickey (January 22nd 2019)

502 Wikimedia Foundation “George Soros, founder of Open Society Foundations, invests in the future of free and open knowledge” by Kaitlin Thaney (October 18th 2018)

503 Search Engine Watch “No. 1 Position in Google Gets 33% of Search Traffic [Study]” by Jessica Lee (June 20th 2013)

504 The Daily Caller “Exclusive: Google Employees Debated Burying Conservative Media In Search” by Peter Hasson (November 29th 2018)

505 Ibid.

506 Ibid.

507 The

Wall Street Journal “Google Workers Discussed Tweaking Search Function to Counter Travel Ban” by John D. McKinnon and Douglas MacMilan (September 20th 2018)

508 Ibid.

509 Ibid.

510 Fox Business “Google employee discussions on altering search function after travel ban raise bias concerns” by Thomas Barrabi (September 21st 2018)

511 Breitbart “Former Google Employee: ‘There Are Efforts to Demote Anything Non-PC from Search Results’” by Allum Bokhari (August 8th 2017)

512 PJ Media “96 Percent of Google Search Results for ‘Trump’ News Are from Liberal Media Outlets” by Paula Bolyard (August 25th 2018)

513 World Net Daily “Does Google have a liberal bias? Search Results for Roger Ailes Speak Volumes” via Heat Street (May 21st 2017)

514 Washington Times “Handful of ‘left leaning sources’ dominate Google’s ‘top stories’ study finds” by Gabriella Munoz (May 12th 2019)

515 The Daily Caller “Google Suspends Fact Check Project, Rediting The DNCF Investigation with Decision” by Eric Lieberman (January 19th 2018)

516 Daily

Caller “Tech Tyranny!’ Greenpeace Co-Founder Claims Google Scrubbed Him From List of Founders” by Virginia Kruta (March 17th 2019)

517 World Net Daily “Google makes Greenpeace co-founder ‘vanish’” by Art Moore (March 18th 2019)

518 Daily Caller “Google Backs Down After Labeling Pro-Life Movie ‘Propaganda’” by Mary Margaret Olohan (April 12th 2019)

519 Breitbart “EXCLUSIVE — Research: Google Search Manipulation Can Swing Nearly 80 Percent of Undecided Voters” by Allum Bokhari (April 24th 2018)

520 Breitbart “Research: Google Search Bias Flipped Seats for Democrats in Midterms” by Allum Bokhari (March 22nd 2019)

521 TED “How a handful of tech companies control billions of minds every day” (July 26th 2017)

522 Fortune “Google Has Announced a $300 Million Initiative to Support News Organizations” by Eli Meixler (March 21st 2018)

523 CNET “Google’s Sergey Brin calls 2016 election ‘offensive’ in leaked video” by Richard Vieva (September 12th 2018)

524 Breitbart “Rebels of Google: Tampons Kept in Men’s Restrooms Because ‘Some Men Menstruate’” by Lucas Nolan (August 17th 2017)



525 Tech

Crunch “James Damore just filed a class action lawsuit against Google, saying it discriminates against white male conservatives” by Connie Loizos (January 8th 2018)

526 CNET “Trump backs billionaire supporter Peter Thiel’s calls for Google investigation” by Dhara Singh and Sean Keane (July 17th 2019)

527 The Guardian “Google's prototype Chinese search engine links searches to phone numbers” by Noah Smith (September 18th 2018)

528 Forbes “Project Dragonfly And Google’s Threat To Anti-Democratic Processes” by Julian Vigo (October 18th 2018)

529 https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1151287368382656519

530 Washington Post “Eric Schmidt: Google’s Policy Is To ‘Get Right Up To The Creepy Line And Not Cross It’” by Nick Saint (October 1st 2010)

531 CNET “Google boss predicts Google implant will put the Web in your head by 2020” by Richard Trenhold (November 10th 2010)

532 PBS News Hour “Inventor Ray Kurzweil sees immortality in our future” (March 24th 2016)

533 Time “5 Very Smart People Who Think Artificial Intelligence Could Bring the Apocalypse” by Victor Luckerson (December 2nd 2014)

534 Business

Insider “Elon Musk believes AI could turn humans into an endangered species like the mountain gorilla” by Isobel Asher Hamilton (November 26th 2018)

535 Media/Impact: An Introduction to Mass Media (12th Edition) by Shirley Biagi page 176

536 Hollywood Reporter “Bring On the Haters: Dane Cook Is Plotting a Comedy Comeback” by Ryan Parker February 13th 2019)

537 Slate “Tila Tequila for President” by Jonah Weiner (April 11th 2006)

538 New York Times “The Aspiring Novelist Who Became Obama’s Foreign-Policy Guru” by David Samuels (May 5th 2016)

539 Ibid.

540 The Washington Post “Hillary Clinton’s health just became a real issue in the presidential campaign” by Chris Cillizza (September 11th 2016)

541 Ibid.

542 ABC News “The Lesson of Mitt Romney's 47-Percent Video: Be Nice to the Wait Staff?” by Chris Good (March 14th 2013)

543 The Los Angeles Times “No Disputing It: Blogs Are Major Players” by Peter Wallsten (September 12th 2004)

544 Washington

Post “Twenty years ago, the Drudge Report broke the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal” by Annys Shin (January 11th 2018)

545 Business Insider “Google and Facebook dominate digital advertising — and they now account for 25% of all ad sales, online or off” by Caroline Cakebread (December 7th 2017)

546 The Ripon Forum “How Generation Z Gets their News” by Jack Myers (Volume 52, No1 February 2018)

547 Ibid.

548 Chicago Sun Times “Homeland Security to compile database of journalists and ‘media influencers’” by Sun-Times Staff (April 7th 2018

549 Ibid.

550 The Guardian “Revealed: US spy operation that manipulates social media” by Nick Fielding and Ian Cobain (March 17th 2011)

551 The Guardian “British army creates team of Facebook warriors” by Ewan MacAskill (January 31st 2015)

552 Engadget “YouTube pulls hundreds of channels tied to Hong Kong influence campaign” by Richard Lawler (August 23rd 2019)

553 Washington Post “Facebook’s most popular Black Lives Matter page was a scam run by a white Australian, report says” by Amy B Wang (April

10th 2018)

554 CNN “Exclusive: Fake black activist accounts linked to Russian government” by Donie O’Sullivan and Dylan Byers (September 28th 2017)

555 Fox News “Michael Moore participated in anti-Trump rally allegedly organized by Russians” by Gregg Re (February 20th 2018)

556 NBC “Social media linked to rise in mental health disorders in teens survey finds” by Shamard Charles (March 14th 2019)

557 Time “Why Instagram Is the Worst Social Media for Mental Health” by Amanda Macmillan (May 25th 2017)

558 New York Post “Rise in teen suicide connected to social media popularity: study” via Associated Press (November 14th 2017)

559 USA Today “Cyberbullying’s chilling trend: Teens anonymously target themselves online, study finds” by N’dea Yancey-Bragg (November 8th 2017)

560 New York Post “Man fatally stabbed on subway while onlookers post on social media” by Tamar Lapin (January 17th 2018)

561 NBC News “Facebook hits 2.27 billion monthly active users as earnings stabilize” by Jason Abbruzzes (October 30th 2018)

562 Business

Insider “How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion” by Kathleen Elkins (February 17th 2016)

563 https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/975147858096742405

564 https://twitter.com/robjective/status/964680123885613056

565 New York Post “Facebook Admits to blocking Wikileaks links in DNC email hack” by Bruce Golding (July 24th 2016)

566 PJ Media “Censored: Facebook Bans Conservative Articles on Jussie Smollett Hate Hoax” by Tyler O’Neil (February 18th 2019)

567 Gizmodo “Facebook Patents Shadow Banning” by Bryan Menegus (July 16th 2019)

568 The Guardian “Facebook sorry – almost – for secret psychological experiment on users” by Dominic Rushe (October 2nd 2014)

569 UC San Diego News Center “Facebook Boosts Voter Turnout” by Inga Kiderra (September 12th 2012)

570 Facebook.com “Case Study: Reaching Voters with Facebook Ads (Vote No on 8)” (August 16th 2011)

571 Gizmodo “Former Facebook Workers: We Routinely Suppressed Conservative News” by Michael Nunez (May 9th 2016)

572 Breitbart

“EXCLUSIVE: Trump’s Facebook Engagement Declined By 45 Percent Following Algorithm Change” by Allum Bokhari (February 28th 2018)

573 Western Journal “Confirmed: Facebook’s Recent Algorithm Change Is Crushing Conservative Sites, Boosting Liberals” by George Upper and Shaun Hair (March 13th 2018)

574 https://twitter.com/TomiLahren/status/1141129134359269376

575 After filing several complaints with Facebook and publicly calling attention to the feature being disabled, they later restored it and said it was just another “error.”

576 Project Veritas “Facebook Insider Leaks Docs; Explains ‘Deboosting,’ ‘Troll Report,’ & Political Targeting in Video Interview” (February 27th 2019)

577 The New York Times “Dozens at Facebook Unite to Challenge Its ‘Intolerant’ Liberal Culture” by Kate Conger and Sheera Frenkel (August 28th 2018)

578 Fortune “Why Peter Thiel Is Leaving Silicon Valley for L.A.” by Chris Morris (February 15th 2018)

579 Reuters “Peter Thiel sells most of remaining Facebook stake” (November 22nd 2017)

580 Variety

“Facebook Paying for News Shows From ABC News, CNN, Fox News, Univision, Others” by Todd Spangler (June 6th 2018)

581 Advertising Age “Facebook Gets CNN to Bring Anderson Cooper To It’s New Media Venture” by Garett Soan (June 6th 2018)

582 Variety “CNN Is Pulling Anderson Cooper’s Show Off Facebook, Will Launch ‘Go There’ on Social Platform This Summer” by Todd Spangler (June 12th 2019)

583 NBC News “Facebook investing $300 million in local news initiatives” (January 15th 2019)

584 Zero Hedge “Facebook COO Sandberg To John Podesta: ‘I Want Hillary To Win Badly’” by Tyler Durden (March 20th 2018)

585 BBC “Facebook amends ‘real name’ policy after protests” by Dave Lee (December 15th 2015)

586 Fortune “Facebook’s Employee Bonuses Now Hinge on ‘Social’ Progress” by Michael Lev-Ram (February 6th 2019)

587 CNET “Facebook ties employee bonuses to progress on social issues” by Steven Musil and Queenie Wong (February 5th 2019)

588 The Hill “Facebook removes over 800 accounts, pages for political spam” by Ali Breland (October 11th 2018)

589 Breitbart

“Facebook Deletes Disabled Veteran’s Page Without Warning — After Taking $300,000 for Ads” by Lucas Nolan (October 16th 2018)

590 The Guardian “Tommy Robinson banned from Facebook and Instagram” by Alex Hern and Jim Waterson (February 26th 2019)

591 The Independent “Tommy Robinson: YouTube under pressure to join Facebook and Instagram in banning far-right activist” by Tim Wyatt (February 27th 2019)

592 Ibid.

593 BBC “Facebook bans Britain First pages” by Rory Cellan-Jones

594 CNET “Facebook, Instagram ban Faith Goldy as they purge white nationalist groups” by Queenie Wong (April 8th 2019)

595 Huffington Post “Facebook Bans Faith Goldy After HuffPost Report On White Nationalism Content” by Andy Campbell (April 9th 2019)

596 Ibid.

597 Breitbart “Facebook Bans Jewish Veteran After Exposé of Jim Jefferies’ Deceptive Editing” by Lucas Nolan (March 26th 2019)

598 RedState “YouTuber Who Outwitted Comedy Central Drops More Hidden Footage Exposing Their Lies” by Brandon Morse (April 10th 2019)

599 PJ

Media “Facebook Bans German Historian for Saying ‘Islam Is Not Part of German History’” by Tyler O’Neil (April 9th 2018)

600 The Intercept “Facebook Says It Is Deleting Accounts at the Direction of the U.S. and Israeli Government” by Glenn Greenwald (December 30th 2017)

601 Breitbart “Facebook Takes Down Event Page for Anti-Caravan Protest” by Allum Bokhari (April 28th 2018)

602 The Washington Post “Evangelist Franklin Graham claims Facebook ‘is censoring free speech’ after it blocked him” by Michael Brice-Saddle (December 30th 2018)

603 Washington Post “Facebook censored a post for ‘hate speech.’ It was the Declaration of Independence.” by Eli Rosenberg (July 5th 2018)

604 Breitbart “Facebook Suspends YouTuber for Disliking ‘Transgender Mother’ Commercial” (April 14th 2017)

605 U.S. Department of Justice “Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980-2008” by Alexia Cooper and Erica L. Smith (November 2011)

606 Fox News “Facebook temporarily suspends Candace Owens over post about ‘liberal supremacy’” by Christopher Howard (May 17th 2019)

607 Breitbart “EXCLUSIVE: Facebook Includes Candace Owens On ‘Hate Agents’ List” by Allum Bokhari (May 17th 2019)



608 The

Hill “Diamond and Silk slam Facebook after company deems their rhetoric ‘unsafe to the community’” by Joe Concha (April 9th 2018)

609 NPR “Facebook Admits ‘Enforcement Error’ In How It Handled Content From Pro-Trump Duo” by Tim Mak (April 15th 2018)

610 The Western Journal “Facebook Suspends Account for Calling Alleged Cop Killer an ‘Illegal Immigrant’” by Kara Pendleton (December 30th 2018)

611 https://twitter.com/lucianwintrich/status/937391808363016192

612 Fox News “Facebook apologizes to Trump’s social media director for temporarily restricting his account” by Chris Ciaccia (March 19th 2019)

613 CNN “Facebook bans Louis Farrakhan, Milo Yiannopoulos, InfoWars and others from its platforms as ‘dangerous’” by Oliver Darcy (May 3rd 2019)

614 Wired “Facebook Bans Alex Jones, Other Extremists—but Not as Planned” by Paris Martineau (May 2nd 2019)

615 The Atlantic “Instagram and Facebook Ban Far-Right Extremists” by Taylor Lorenz (May 2nd 2019)

616 New York Times “Ex‐Officials Say F.B.I. Harassed Dr. King to Stop His Criticism” by Nicholas M. Horrock (March 9th 1975)



617 https://twitter.com/HamasInfoEn

618 https://twitter.com/Ikhwanweb

619 Daily

Caller “Don Trump Jr. Slams Instagram After Smollett Post Deleted: ‘Why Don’t You Want The Truth Out There?’” by Amber Athey and Katie Jerkovich (February 18th 2019)

620 Washington Times “Instagram deletes Kayleigh McEnany post on Elizabeth Warren, issues ‘bullying’ warning” by Victor Morton (February 6th 2019)

621 The Verge “Facebook is turning its fact-checking partners loose on Instagram” by Jon Porter (May 7th 2019)

622 Hollywood Reporter “‘Bachelorette’ Frontrunner Under Fire for Liking Controversial Social Media Posts” by Jackie Strause (May 29th 2018)

623 Business Insider “Here’s why Steve Jobs never let his kids use an iPad” by Eames Yates (March 4th 2017)

624 Business Insider “Apple CEO Tim Cook: I don’t want my nephew on a social network” by Rob Price (January 19th 2018)

625 SF Gate “Bill Gates didn’t allow his kids to have cell phones until age 14” by Amy Graff (April 21st 2017)

626 The

Guardian “Ex-Facebook president Sean Parker: site made to exploit human ‘vulnerability’” by Olivia Solon (November 9th 2017)

627 The Verge “Former Facebook exec says social media is ripping apart society” by James Vincent (December 11th 2017)

628 Ibid.

629 https://twitter.com/fchollet/status/976563870322999296

630 https://twitter.com/fchollet/status/976564096605679616

631 https://twitter.com/fchollet/status/976564511858597888

632 https://twitter.com/fchollet/status/976565324622344192

633 https://twitter.com/fchollet/status/976565553761476608

634 https://twitter.com/fchollet/status/976565723597176832

635 https://twitter.com/fchollet/status/976567526023872513

636 https://twitter.com/fchollet/status/976568469679357952

637 https://twitter.com/fchollet/status/976568588378152960

638 https://twitter.com/fchollet/status/976569442728525824

639 New

York Times “It’s Time to Break Up Facebook” by Chris Hughes (May 9th 2019)

640 Science Magazine “Fake news spreads faster than true news on Twitter —thanks to people, not bots” by Katie Langin (March 8th 2018)

641 Engaget “Twitter’s fake news problem is getting worse” by Nicole Lee (February 17th 2018)

642 New York Magazine “All the Mistakenly Identified ‘Suspects’ in the Boston Bombing Investigation” by Joe Coscarelli (April 19th 2013)

643 The Hill “Washington Post reporter apologizes for tweet on crowd size at Trump rally” by Julia Manchester (December 9th 2017)

644 Daily Caller “Trump Calls Out Time Magazine For Fake News Story About Removing MLK Bust From Oval Office” by Saagar Enjeti (January 21st 2017)

645 New York Times “Never Tweet” by Farhad Manjoo (January 23rd 2019)

646 The Week “How Twitter could be the death of liberal democracy” by Damon Linker (January 22nd 2019)

647 Ibid.

648 Ibid.

649 CBS

DFW “DART Officer Sues Social Media Giants Over 2016 Downtown Police Ambush” by Andrea Lucia (February 14th 2019)

650 The New York Times “Suspect in Dallas Attack Had Interest in Black Power Groups” by Jonathan Mahler and Julie Turkewitz (July 8th 2016)

651 NewsBusters.org “Twitter Bans Doxxing, But Why Are Antifa Accounts Still Active?” by Corinne Weaver (October 4th 2018)

652 Guardian “US secretly created ‘Cuban Twitter’ to stir unrest and undermine government” via Associated Press (April 3rd 2014)

653 Washington Post “Syrian refugee girl gets star treatment at the Oscars” by Christina Barron (March 5th 2018)

654 Washington Post “Market quavers after fake AP tweet says Obama was hurt in White House explosions” by Dina ElBoghdady (April 13th 2013)

655 Engaget “Twitter says 49 Russian accounts tried to sway Brexit voters” by Mallory Locklear (February 8th 2018)

656 The Washington Post “Inside Facebook and Twitter’s secret meetings with Trump aides and conservative leaders who say tech is biased” by Tony Romm (June 27th 2018)

657 Business Insider “Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey forced to apologize for eating Chick-fil-A during Pride Month” by Hayley Peterson (June 11th 2018)



658 Recode

“Full video: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and #BlackLivesMatter activist DeRay McKesson at Code 2016” by Recode Staff (June 8th 2016)

659 https://twitter.com/patyrossini/status/756329790907490304

660 https://twitter.com/RebekahKTromble/status/897792260821090304

661 https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1085901851927687168

662 The Sun “TWISTED TWITTER: Channel 4 doc shows kids get unlimited access to porn on social media sites” by Rod McPhee (July 2nd 2019)

663 It started as early as March 3rd 2019, and occurred every Sunday through at least September 1st 2019 when I was finalizing this manuscript to be sent off to the proofreader.

664 LawAndCrime.com “Twitter’s Lawyer Admits Hiding Tweets With ‘#DNCLeak’ And ‘#PodestaEmails’ Hashtags” by Colin Kalmbacher (November 2nd 2017)

665 Rolling Stone “Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey: The Rolling Stone Interview” by Brian Hiatt (January 23rd 2019)

666 Vice News “Twitter appears to have fixed ‘shadow ban’ of prominent Republicans like the RNC chair and Trump Jr.’s spokesman” by Alex Thompson (July 25th 2018)



667 Ibid.

668 Ibid.

669 The

Hill “Republican feels ‘victimized’ by Twitter ‘shadow banning’” by Juliegrace Brufke (July 25th 2018)

670 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1022447980408983552

671 https://twitter.com/jonathanvswan/status/1022175120373309441

672 Twitter official blog “Setting the record straight on shadow banning” by Vijaya Gadde and Kayvon Beykpour (July 26th 2018)

673 Project Veritas “UNDERCOVER VIDEO: Twitter Engineers To ‘Ban a Way of Talking’ Through ‘Shadow Banning,’ Algorithms to Censor Opposing Political Opinions” (January 11th 2018)

674 Ibid.

675 RealClear Politics “‘Project Veritas’ Hidden Camera: Twitter And Reddit Use ‘Shadow Ban’ Algorithms to Censor Political Opinions” by Tim Haines (January 12th 2018)

676 CNN - Interview with Jack Dorsey (August 19th 2018)

677 The

Telegraph “This, he said, is to promote more ‘healthy’ conversations” by Margi Murphy (October 29th 2018)

678 Daily Caller “Twitter Censors ‘The Federalist’ Co-Founder Over Lisa Page Tweet” by Amber Athey (March 18th 2019)

679 SearchEnginLand “Twitter as utility, like running water? That’s the goal, says CEO” by Pamela Parker (February 14th 2011)

680 Breitbart “Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey: Our Free Speech Motto Was a ‘Joke’” by Charlie Nash (October 18th 2018)

681 The Guardian “Milo Yiannopoulos, rightwing writer, permanently banned from Twitter” by Elle Hunt (July 20th 2016)

682 New York Times “Roger Stone Suspended From Twitter After Expletive-Laden Tweets” by Jacey Fortin (October 29th 2017)

683 BBC “Tommy Robinson banned from Twitter” (March 28th 2018)

684 Breitbart “Twitter Is Banning Conservatives for Posting Facts” by Allum Bokhari (May 9th 2018)

685 The Wrap “Twitter Drops ‘Britain First’ Leader and Other Alt-Right Accounts” by Sean Burch (December 18th 2017)

686 Politico “Troll Charles Johnson banned from Twitter” by Dylan Byers (May 26th 2015)



687 Ibid.

688 CNN

Special “State of Hate” (2019) hosted by Fareed Zakaria which includes an interview with Jared Taylor where he says this.

689 NBC News “Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes sues Southern Poverty Law Center over hate group label” via Associated Press (February 4th 2019)

690 https://twitter.com/kenklippenstein/status/981359404875505669

691 The Laugh Button “Anthony Cumia’s Twitter account suspended, allegedly following a fight with an A.V. Club writer” (July 12th 2017)

692 JRE Clips Channel on YouTube “Twitter Exec Reviews Sargon of Akkad's Ban | JRE Twitter Special” Trust and Safety leader Vijaya Gadde talk with Joe Rogan and Tim Pool about Sargon’s ban (March 5th 2019)

693 Ibid.

694 The Daily Wire “Woman Forced To Close Business After Refusing To Wax Male Genitals Of Transgender Person” by Amanda Prestigiacomo (July 21st 2019)

695 Breitbart “Free Speech Activist Lindsay Shepherd Banned from Twitter for ‘Misgendering’” by Alana Mastrangelo (July 17th 2019)

696 The

Wrap “Right-Wing LA Street Artist Sabo Banned From Twitter” by Sean Burch (April 14 2018)

697 CNS News “CNN: ‘Dangerous’ ‘Fascist’ Trump ‘Threatening’ Our Lives With His WWE Tweet” (July 2nd 2017)

698 Washington Times “Twitter suspends Jack Posobiec’s @MAGAphobia account for tracking violence against Trump supporters” by Douglas Ernst (May 78th 2019)

699 Fox News “Twitter permanently suspends AOC parody account for being misleading” by Sam Dorman (May 7th 2019)

700 https://twitter.com/anastasiakeeley/status/1047930583777779714

701 Fox News “Kathy Griffin calls for doxing student’s identities after viral video at Native American march: ‘Shame them’” by Tyler McCarthy (January 21st 2019)

702 Newsbusters “Twitter Deletes Some Covington Threats, Ignores Others” by Alexander Hall (January 22nd 2019)

703 Politico “White House reports Peter Fonda tweet on Barron Trump to Secret Service” by Christopher Cadelago (June 20th 2018)

704 Breitbart “Twitter Allows Self-Proclaimed Pedophiles to Spread Their Message on Its Platform” by Charlie Nash (December 4th 2018)

705 http://archive.is/T9EUe

706 Daily

Mail “Twitter under fire from MPs and child safety campaigners for failing to block accounts used by paedophiles to discuss their sick cravings” by Abe Hawken (December 11th 2017)

707 NBC News “Laura Loomer banned from Twitter after criticizing Ilhan Omar” by Linda Givetash (November 22nd 2018)

708 Politico “Ilhan Omar apologizes after Pelosi denounces tweet as antiSemitic” by Melanie Zanona and Heather Caygle (February 11th 2019)

709 The Daily Caller “Ilhan Omar Blows Off Al-Qaeda, Mocks Americans For Fearing Them in Recently Surfaced Video” by Virginia Kruta (April 12th 2019)

710 National Review “Journalist Sues Twitter for Banning Her over ‘Women Aren’t Men’ Tweets” by Mairead Mcardle (February 11th 2019)

711 Breitbart “Twitter Blacklists Famed Gender Dysphoria Researcher Ray Blanchard” by Neil Munro (May 13th 2019)

712 Psychiatry.org “What Is Gender Dysphoria?” by the American Psychiatric Association

713 USA Today “Who is Anthony Rapp, the actor who accused Kevin Spacey of sexual harassment?” by Jayme Deerwester (October 30th 2017)

714 Associated

Press “Actor James Woods bashes Twitter after getting locked out” by Amy Forliti (September 2018)

715 Daily Caller “Twitter Issued GOP Candidate Temporary Ban Week Before Election” by Kyle Perisic (July 31st 2018)

716 Politico “Twitter pulls Blackburn Senate ad deemed ‘inflammatory’” by Kevin Robillard (October 9th 2018)

717 Hollywood Reporter “Anti-Abortion Movie’s Twitter Account Briefly Suspended” by Paul Bond and Katie Kilkenny (March 30th 2019)

718 The American Mirror “Twitter suspends user for calling Maxine Waters ‘crazy old lying lunatic in a bad wig’” by Kyle Olson (March 3rd 2018)

719 Daily Caller “Daily Caller editor in chief locked out of account for tweeting ‘learn to code’” by Amber Athey (February 6th 2019)

720 Joe Rogan Experience #1236 - Jack Dorsey (February 1st 2019)

721 NPR “Twitter Bans Alex Jones And InfoWars; Cites Abusive Behavior” by Avie Schneider (September 6th 2018)

722 CNN “Twitter says InfoWars hasn’t ‘violated our rules.’ It looks like that’s not the case” by Oliver Darcy (August 9th 2018)

723 CNBC “Twitter locks Mitch McConnell’s campaign account for tweet violating threats policy” by Marc Rod (August 8th 2019)



724 CBS

News “Twitter suspends Mitch McConnell’s campaign account after posting video of protesters threatening him” by Christopher Brito (August 8th 2019)

725 The Wrap “Twitter Reverses Mitch McConnell Suspension, Says Protest Video ‘Will Be Visible’” by Sean Burch and Lindsey Ellefson (August 9th 2019)

726 Breitbart “Twitter Verifies Sarah Jeong Without Making Her Delete Racist Posts” by Charlie Nash (August 16th 2018)

727 Project Veritas “Why James O’Keefe Isn’t Verified On Twitter” by Laura Loomer (September 1st 2016)

728 Twitter.com “Verified account FAQs

729 SF Gate “Here Are the 27 Advertisers David Hogg Convinced to Dump Laura Ingraham” by Brian Welk (April 13th 2018)

730 The Blaze “Twitter only invites anti-gun Parkland students to Q&A panel. Pro-gun student has perfect response” by Chris Enloe (March 18th 2018)

731 USA Today “Kyler Murray apologizes for homophobic tweets that resurfaced after he won Heisman Trophy” by Scott Gleeson (December 9th 2018)

732 USA

Today “Josh Hader apologizes for racist tweets, claims they ‘don’t reflect any of my beliefs now’” by Gabe Lacques (July 18th 2018)

733 NBC New York “Shawn Mendes Apologizes for Past ‘Racially Insensitive Comments’” by Corinne Heller (August 24th 2019)

734 New York Times Magazine “How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life” by Jon Ronson (February 12th 2015)

735 ABC News “Justine Sacco, Fired After Tweet on AIDS in Africa, Issues Apology” by Kami Dimitrova, Shahriar Rahmanzadeh and Jane Lipman (December 22nd 2013)

736 Financial Times “Donald Trump: Without Twitter, I would not be here — FT interview” by Lionel Barber, Demetri Sevastopulo and Gillian Tett (April 2nd 2017)

737 New York Times “‘The Internet is Broken’ @ev Is Trying to Salvage It” by David Streitfeld (May 20th 2017)

738 SocialBlade.com - Detailed Statistics for the Mark Dice YouTube channel October 2016

739 https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/915608049141915648

740 Slate “YouTube Is Realizing It May Be Bad for All of Us” by Will Oremus (March 14th 2018)

741 Wired

“YouTube’s ditching vloggers, old-school celebs are back again” by Chris Stokel-Walker (May 8th 2018)

742 Polygon “YouTube is turning away from its creators to become a new MTV” by Julia Alexander (May 7th 2018)

743 Bloomberg “With 40 New Original Shows, YouTube Targets TV’s Breadbasket” by Lucas Shaw and Mark Bergen (May 4th 2017)

744 Vanity Fair “Why the Right’s Dark-Web Trolls Are Taking Over YouTube” by Maya Kosoff (March 1st 2018)

745 The New York Times “YouTube, the Great Radicalizer” by Zeynep Tufekci (March 10th 2018)

746 Ibid.

747 New York Times “For the New Far Right, YouTube Has Become the new Talk Radio” by John Herrman (August 3rd 2017)

748 Right Wing Watch “White Supremacy Figured Out How To Become YouTube Famous” by Jared Holt (October 2017)

749 USA Today “YouTube alters algorithm after searches for Las Vegas shooting turn up conspiracy theories” by Jessica Guynn (October 5th 2017)

750 Wall Street Journal “YouTube Tweaks Search Results as Las Vegas Conspiracy Theories Rise to Top” by Jack Nicas (October 5th 2017)



751 YouTube

Official Blog “An update on our commitment to fight terror content online” (August 1, 2017)

752 Fortune “YouTube Responds to Criticism After Unverified Texas Shooting Reports Top Search Results” by Tom Huddleston Jr. (November 6th 2017)

753 Ibid.

754 https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1037831504158646272

755 Mother Jones “Political Extremists are using YouTube to monetize their toxic ideas” by Tonya Riley (September 18th 2018)

756 Ibid.

757 “Why Social Justice is CANCER | Identity Politics, Equality & Marxism” by Lauren Chen (July 24th 2017)

758 The video, which is an hour and a half long, is titled “Century of Enslavement: The History of the Federal Reserve” posted by the CorbettReport channel on July 6th 2014 and has nearly 2 million views.

759 While the YouTube video is titled “Exposing the Federal Reserve” the video itself is actually the film “The American Dream” by Tad Lumpkin and Harold Uhl

760 Breitbart

“New Whistleblower Allegation: YouTube Manipulated ‘Federal Reserve’ Search Results In Response to MSNBC Host’s Complaint” by Allum Bokhari (July 30th 2019)

761 SocialBlade.com Detailed Statistics for MSNBC, NBC News, CBS News, and Fox News’ YouTube channels.

762 Slate “YouTube’s Search Results for “Abortion” Show Exactly What Anti-Abortion Activists Want Women to See” by April Glaser (December 21st 2018)

763 National Review “YouTube Changed ‘Abortion’ Search Results after a Slate Writer Complained” by Sanda Desanctis (December 22nd 2018)

764 Breitbart “THE SMOKING GUN: Google Manipulated YouTube Search Results for Abortion, Maxine Waters, David Hogg” by Allum Bokhari (January 16th 2019)

765 Ibid.

766 The Verge “YouTube fought Brie Larson trolls by changing its search algorithm” by Julia Alexander (March 8th 2019)

767 https://twitter.com/loudmouthjulia/status/1103730622281994240

768 The Verge “YouTube fought Brie Larson trolls by changing its search algorithm” by Julia Alexander (March 8th 2019)

769 CNBC

“Facebook, YouTube and Twitter go to extraordinary lengths to take down mosque massacre videos” by Lauren Feiner (March 18th 2019)

770 Wall Street Journal “How YouTube Drives People to the Internet’s Darkest Corners” by Jack Nicas (February 7th 2018)

771 Ibid.

772 CNN “YouTube says it will crack down on recommending conspiracy videos” by Kaya Yurieff (January 25th 2019)

773 NBC “YouTube search results for A-list celebrities hijacked by conspiracy theorists” by Ben Collins (July 30th 2018)

774 YouTube Official Blog (January 25th 2019)

775 Ibid.

776 Mercury News “Is Donald Trump Jr. promoting a Jussie Smollett conspiracy theory?” by Martha Ross (February 1st 2019)

777 NBC News “YouTube announces it will no longer recommend conspiracy videos” by Kalhan Rosenblatt (February 10th 2019)

778 YouTube Help “Harassment and cyberbullying policy”

779 The Guardian “YouTube's ‘alternative influence network’ breeds rightwing radicalisation, report finds” by Olivia Solon (September 18th

2018)

780 The Alternative Influence Network on YouTube by Rebecca Lewis page 10

781 The Alternative Influence Network on YouTube by Rebecca Lewis page 44

782 Mother Jones “Political Extremists Are Using YouTube to Monetize Their Toxic Ideas” by Tonya Riley (September 18th 2018)

783 Ibid.

784 Digital Social Contract “YouTube stops recommending alt-right channels” by Nicolas Suzor (February 27th 2019)

785 Ibid.

786 The Washingtonian “83 Percent of Anti-Semitic Tweets Against Journalists Targeted Just Ten People” by Benjamin Freed (October 19th 2016)

787 Daily Caller “EXCLUSIVE: YouTube Secretly Using Southern Poverty Law Center To Police Videos” by Peter Hasson (February 27th 2018)

788 US News & World Report “State: Man in Church Shooting Aimed to Kill 10 White People” by Associated Press (May 20th 2019)

789 https://twitter.com/RealCandaceO/status/903027170460803072

790 YouTube

“High Impact Vlogs” channel “The Two Videos YouTube Didn’t Want You To See! (December 1st 2018) The original video titled “ABC Just Promoted Something SO DISGUSTING & DISTURBING You Won’t Believe It…Or Will You?” can be seen on BitChute here: https://www.bitchute.com/video/_1uEOgN41CU/ (Published November 26th 2018 on the HighImpactFlix BitChute channel.)

791 Washington Times “Ga. gubernatorial candidate’s ‘Deportation Bus’ ad deemed ‘hate speech,’ removed from YouTube” via Associated Press (May 16th 2018)

792 The Independent “Tommy Robinson’s YouTube videos restricted after internet giant refuses to delete channel” by Lizzie Dearden (April 2nd 2019)

793 Hunter Avvalone YouTube Channel “I Got Banned!” (April 10th 2019)

794 TubeFilter.com “Conservative Organization PragerU Sues YouTube Over Alleged Censorship Of Conservative Voices” by Sam Gutelle (October 24th 2017)

795 Breitbart “YouTube is Shutting Down Conservative Criticism of CNN over Parkland Shooting” by Allum Nokhari and Charlie Nash (February 28th 2018)

796 Gateway Pundit “YouTube Deletes Popular Journalist’s Video Criticizing the Media Over Falling for 4Chan Florida Shooter Hoax” by

Cassandra Fairbanks (February 17th 2018)

797 Gizmodo “YouTube’s New Moderation Team Stumbles Out the Gate” by Tom McKay (February 28th 2018)

798 Bloomberg “YouTube’s New Moderators Mistakenly Pull Right-Wing Channels” by Mark Bergen (February 28th 2018)

799 Variety “YouTuber Temporarily Suspended For Video of Suffragette Killing in ‘Red Dead 2’” by Stefanie Fogel (November 8th 2018)

800 The Verge “YouTube reverses ban for streamer who killed Red Dead 2 feminist” by Patricia Hernandez (November 8th 2018)

801 PJ Media "YouTube Deplatforms Retired Navy SEAL Who Exposed Tribal Elder Nathan Phillips’ Stolen Valor” by Debra Heine (February 26th 2019)

802 Politifact “Why Infowars’ Alex Jones was banned from Apple, Facebook, Youtube and Spotify” by Manuela Tobias (August 7th 2018)

803 https://www.bitchute.com/video/WtAHuu0ycCY/

804 Infowars.com “Watch These Videos YouTube Doesn’t Want You To See” (July 25th 2018)

805 Tech Crunch “Here are the platforms that have banned Infowars so far” by Sarah Wells (August 8th 2018)



806 The

video is still available to watch on Infowars.com, which hosts it and the other videos that led to the YouTube ban here: https://www.infowars.com/watch-these-videos-youtube-doesnt-want-youto-see/

807 Engadget “YouTube removes Alex Jones’ official channel for violating guidelines” by Kris Hold (August 6th 2018)

808 https://twitter.com/h3h3productions/status/1028047008144080896

809 H3 Podcast #77 “Alex Jones Stream Shut Down” (August 11th 2018)

810 BuzzFeed “YouTube’s Newest Far-Right, Foul-Mouthed, Red-Pilling Star Is A 14-Year-Old Girl” by Joseph Bernstein (May 13th 2019)

811 https://twitter.com/Bernstein/status/1128308490047561728

812 ReClaimTheNet.org “YouTube censors 14-year-old creator Soph after BuzzFeed hit piece” by Tom Parker (May 14th 2019)

813 https://twitter.com/sewernugget/status/1131340929720147968

814 ReclaimTheNet.org “YouTube deletes Soph’s channel after her latest video was removed for ‘hate speech’ by Tom Parker (August 1st 2019) The video which caused the strike is titled “Pride & Prejudice” and can be seen on her BitChute channel here: https://www.bitchute.com/video/FNqiV8kL4cc/



815 Project

Veritas “Insider Blows Whistle & Exec Reveals Google Plan to Prevent ‘Trump situation’ in 2020 on Hidden Cam” by Staff (June 24th 2019)

816 CNN’s YouTube Channel “Some Americans unwittingly helped Russian trolls” (February 21st 2018)

817 Identitarianism is a right-wing political ideology whose supporters believe European people are entitled to preserve their own cultures and territories, instead of becoming “melting pots” due to massive immigration from countries of other races.

818 Media Matters “YouTube banned Alex Jones, but it’s letting white supremacist content thrive” by Madeline Peltz and Talia Lavin (November 5th 2018)

819 Recode.net “Full Q&A: YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki talks about child safety, the Google walkout, and AI on Recode Decode” by Eric Johnson (March 11th 2019)

820 Ibid.

821 AdWeek “The Google News Initiative Is Putting $25 Million Toward Fighting Fake News on YouTube” by David Cohen (July 10th 2018)

822 YouTube official blog “Building a better news experience on YouTube together” (July 9th 2018)



823 Politico

“Buddy Roemer firm invests $4 million in Young Turks Network” by Hadas Gold (April 16th 2014)

824 Business Insider “Progressive media outlet The Young Turks has raised $20 million in venture-capital funding and plans to double its staff” by Maxwell Tani (August 8th 2017)

825 Encyclopedia of Human Rights by David Forsythe page 98 Oxford University Press

826 TYT Network “Rescinding Daily Pennsylvanian Article” by Cenk Uygur (April 22nd 2016)

827 The Young Turks “Germany Acknowledges The Genocide” By Ana Kasperian on official YouTube channel (June 2, 2016) Around 3:20 timestamp in the video.

828 The Young Turks “People Don’t Trust Foreign Accents — Study” via The Young Turks YouTube channel (October 28th 2010) at the :20 mark, Ana explains she grew up speaking only Armenian.

829 Paste “Why Cenk Uygur Is Getting Confronted about the Name ‘The Young Turks,’ and Why It Matters” by Monica Hunter-Hart (January 5th 2017)

830 https://twitter.com/SusanWojcicki/status/890654400192028672

831 Washington

Times “Young Turks host Hasan Piker mocks Dan Crenshaw’s war injury, says ‘America deserved 9/11’” by Jessica Chasmar (August 22nd 2019)

832 Ibid.

833 The Verge “YouTube is investing $5 million in creators who ‘counter hate and promote tolerance’” by Lizzie Plaugic (January 24th 2018)

834 Vox “YouTube’s 2018 ‘Rewind’ is the site’s most disliked video ever. The implications are huge.” by Aja Romano (December 14th 2018)

835 The Verge “YouTube wants ‘dislike mobs’ to stop weaponizing the dislike button” by Julia Alexander (February 1st 2019)

836 Los Angeles Times “Hey, star-struck. Making it on YouTube isn’t easier than making it in on the silver screen” by Chris Stokel-Walker (February 28th 2018)

837 Bloomberg “Success on YouTube still means a life of poverty. 96% won’t crack the poverty line” by Chris Stokel-Walker (February 26th 2018)

838 BuzzFeed “YouTube Says Tommy Robinson Will No Longer Be Able To Make Money From His Videos” by Mark Di Stefano (January 17th 2019)

839 BigLeaguePolitics “Count Dankula Demonetized on YouTube After Buzzfeed Hit Piece” by Tom Pappert (January 18th 2019)



840 BuzzFeed

“YouTube Has Downgraded Carl Benjamin’s Sargon Of Akkad Account After He Talked About Raping A British MP” by Mark Di Stefano (May 10th 2019)

841 Fox News “YouTube ends monetization of conservative commentator Steven Crowder’s channel, several others after left-wing outrage” by Gregg R (June 5th 2019)

842 Just a few of them include Jesse Lee Peterson, Press For Truth, Ford Fischer, Mr. Allsop History, SinatraSays, and many others.

843 New York Times “The Making of a YouTube Radical” by Kevin Roose (June 8th 2019)

844 CNN “It’s YouTube’s time in the hot seat” by Seth Fiegerman (June 11th 2019)

845 CNN “Former alt-right follower calls radicalization a health crisis” posted on their YouTube channel (June 12th 2019)

846 CNN “Trump invites right-wing extremists to White House ‘social media summit’” by Oliver Darcy (July 11th 2019)

847 White House Official Transcript “Remarks by President Trump at the Presidential Social Media Summit” (July 11th 2019)

848 BuzzFeed

“How YouTube’s ‘Super Chat’ System Is Pushing Video Creators Toward More Extreme Content” by Ishmael N. Daro and Craig Silverman (May 17th 2018)

849 Wall Street Journal “Hate Speech on Live ‘Super Chats’ Tests YouTube” by Yoree Koh (November 2nd 2018)

850 WhatsTrending “Killstream is KICKED OFF YouTube For Hate Speech SuperChat” by Alex Firer (November 6th 2018)

851 BuzzFeed “Right-Wing YouTubers Think It’s Only A Matter Of Time Before They Get Kicked Off The Site” by Ishmael N. Daro (April 18th 2018)

852 Polygon “YouTube networks drop thousands of creators as YouTube policy shifts” by Julia Alexander (April 24th 2018)

853 https://twitter.com/ChiefCanuck/status/984921575471251456

854 TubeFilter “YouTube On ‘Play Button’ Awards: “Not All Creators Who Apply Will Receive Awards” by Geoff Weiss (February 6th 2018)

855 YouTube “Lauren Southern Becomes a Man” by Rebel Media (October 3rd 2016)

856 The Rubin Report “Patreon CEO Jack Conte: Lauren Southern, IGD, and Free Speech (Live Interview)” (July 31st 2017)

857 Ibid.

858 Business

Insider “Crowdfunding platform Patreon defends itself from protests by ‘intellectual dark web,’ publishes slur-filled posts from banned YouTuber” by Benjamin Goggin (December 18th 2018)

859 Breitbart “Stripe, PayPal, Patreon: The Right Is Being Banned from Online Fundraising” by Allum Bokhari (July 24th 2018)

860 ReclaimTheNet.org “Patreon suspends Soph’s account one day after YouTube deleted her channel” by Tom Parker (August 2nd 2019)

861 Breitbart “Patreon tolerates calls for violence from leftists while demonetizing conservatives” by Allum Bokhari (December 15th 2018)

862 Ibid.

863 Ibid

864 https://twitter.com/Patreon/status/1070446085787668480

865 Breitbart “Mastercard Forces Patreon to Kick Off Jihad Watch’s Robert Spencer” by Charlie Nash (August 15th 2018)

866 USA Today “Forget astronaut: YouTube is a more intriguing work frontier than space for today’s kids” by Dalvin Brown (July 18th 2019)

867 CNBC

“YouTube’s bet against big cable announces nationwide expansion” by Jillian D’Onfro (January 23rd 2019)

868 The Verge “The golden age of YouTube is over” by Julia Alexander (April 5th 2019)

869 Ibid.

870 Hollywood Reporter “R. Lee Ermey and John Wayne Shared Screen Time Together — Kind of” by Ryan Parker (April 15th 2018)

871 Hollywood Reporter “How ‘Furious 7’ Brought the Late Paul Walker Back to Life” by Carolyn Giardina (December 11th 2015)

872 The Hill “‘Obama’ voiced by Jordan Peele in PSA video warning about fake videos” by Morgan Gstalter (April 17th 2018)

873 Standford.edu “Face2Face: Real-time Face Capture and Reenactment of RGB Videos”

874 UW News “Lip-syncing Obama: New tools turn audio clips into realistic video” by Jennifer Langston (July 11th 2017)

875 Washington Post “Here are the tools that could be used to create the fake news of the future” by Philip Bump (February 12th 2018)

876 Fortune “What Is a Deepfake? Let This Unsettling Video of Jennifer Lawrence With Steve Buscemi’s Face Show You” by Kevin Kelleher

(February 1st 2019)

877 Time “Here’s Steve Buscemi’s Reaction to That Haunting Fake Jennifer Lawrence Mashup Video” by Melissa Locker (February 7th 2019)

878 CNET “Deepfake video of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on Instagram” by Queenie Wong (June 11th 2019)

879 CBS News “CBS News asks Facebook to remove ‘deepfake’ video of Mark Zuckerberg with unauthorized CBSN trademark” by Lex Haris (June 12th 2019)

880 PC Magazine “Facebook Declines to Delete Fake Zuckerberg Video” by Michael Kan (June 11th 2019)

881 Tech Dirt “Kim Kardashian Deep Fake Video Removed By Copyright Claim” by Timothy Geigner (June 19th 2019)

882 The Verge “Pornhub is the latest platform to ban AI-generated ‘deepfakes’ porn” by Adi Robertson (February 6th 2018)

883 CNET “Reddit cracks down on ‘deepfake’ pornography” by Erin Carson (February 7th 2018)

884 Wired “Yes people can put your face on porn, no the law can’t help you” by Emma Grey Ellis (January 1st 26th 2018)

885 Engadget

“AI-powered face swapping has taken a dystopian turn” by Richard Lawler (January 26th 2018)

886 The Washington Post “CIA unit’s wacky idea: Depict Saddam as gay” by Jeff Stein (May 25th 2010)

887 The Telegraph “CIA considered faking Saddam Hussein sex video” by Toby Harnden (May 26th 2010)

888 BBC “The sexually abused dancing boys of Afghanistan” by Rustam Qobil (September 8th 2010)

889 The New York Times “U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Sexual Abuse of Boys by Afghan Allies” by Joseph Goldstein (September 20th 2015)

890 The Verge “Nvidia uses AI to make it snow on streets that are always sunny” by James Vincent (December 5th 2017)

891 Ibid.

892 CNET “This website uses AI to generate startling fake human faces” by Jackson Ryan (February 14th 2019)

893 BBC “Adobe Voco ‘Photoshop-for-voice’ causes concern” November 7th 2016)

894 Ibid.

895 Ibid.

896 Medium

“RealTalk: This Speech Synthesis Model Our Engineers Built Recreates a Human Voice Perfectly” by Dessa (May 15th 2019)

897 Ibid.

898 Ibid.

899 Ibid.

900 Ibid.

901 The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Artificial Intelligence and National Security by Greg Allen and Taniel Chan (July 2017) page 30

902 Wired “AI Will Make Forging Anything Entirely Too Easy” by Greg Allen (July 1st 2017)

903 Ibid.

904 The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Artificial Intelligence and National Security by Greg Allen and Taniel Chan (July 2017) page 31

905 Ibid.

906 USA

Today “Too scary? Elon Musk’s OpenAI company won’t release tech that can generate fake news” by Edward C. Baig (February 15th 2019)

907 MIT Technological Review “Fake News 2.0: personalized, optimized, and even harder to stop” by Will Knight (March 27th 2018)

908 Scientific America “Could AI Be the Future of Fake News and Product Reviews?” by Larry Greenemeier (October 16th 2017)

909 Ibid.

910 Observer “Spies Suspect Kremlin Is Pushing Dozens of Fake Trump Sex Tapes” by John R. Schindler (November 9th 2017)

911 New York Post “Russian offered to send prostitutes to Trump’s hotel room” by Mark Moore (November 9th 2017)

912 New York Daily News “Ex-Trump bodyguard testifies Russian operative offered to ‘send five women’ to future President’s hotel room” by Leonard Greene (November 9th 2017)

913 Brainy Quote - Winston Churchill

914 AZQuotes.com - Joseph Sobran Quotes

Insights on Mark Dice's The Bohemian Grove

Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6 Insights from Chapter 7 Insights from Chapter 8 Insights from Chapter 9 Insights from Chapter 10 Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 1



#1

The Bohemian Club is a club for artists, musicians, and writers that was established in San Francisco in 1872. It soon took a more rural turn, and by the early 1880s, the Bohemian Club was holding weekend campouts in the vast redwood forests around Sonoma County, California.

#2

The 2013 records show that the club took in $10,168,330 in revenue that year. They paid out $3,007,779 in salaries to the staff, and other expenses were listed at $2,971,656, which went to pay for the food, booze, insurance, electricity, building maintenance, etc. Their total expenses for the year were $5,997,272.

#3

The Bohemian Club, a club that hosts the Bohemian Grove, was sued for discrimination in 1978 by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. The court ruled in favor of the club in 1981, but the feminists did not give up and continued to pursue the case.

#4

The Bohemian Grove, along with men’s country clubs, are able to turn down people of the opposite sex for membership without being sued for discrimination because these clubs are considered private, not public.

Insights from Chapter 2



#1

The Bohemian Grove’s mascot is an owl, or more specifically, the Owl of Minerva, who is the Goddess of wisdom. The Dictionary of Symbols says, In the Egyptian system of hieroglyphs, the owl symbolizes death, night, cold and passivity. It also pertains to the realm of the dead sun, that is, of the sun which has set below the horizon and which is crossing the lake or sea of darkness.

#2

A patron saint is someone who embodies a group’s philosophies or goals, and for the Bohemian Grove this is Saint John of Nepomuk. He was a priest who received the confessionals of the queen of Bohemia in the 1300s, and when pressured by the king to reveal her confessions, he refused and was then killed by the king.

#3

The Bohemian Grove’s motto is Weaving spiders come not here, which is said to mean that members and guests are not supposed to conduct business inside the Grove.

#4

The big secret of the Illuminati is that they believe that Satan is not bad, but came to earth to free mankind from enslavement by the Creator. They believe that God was a tyrant who did not want humans to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.



#5

The ruling class wants to evolve into Gods, and they believe that through the ancient secret and the emerging science of Transhumanism, they will achieve this.

Insights from Chapter 3



#1

Inside the Bohemian Grove, there are 124 different camps, each managed by a camp captain. Each camp has its own unique name and consists of anywhere from a dozen to one hundred men who work in the same field to provide networking opportunities.

#2

The Bohemian Club and the Bohemian Grove are two of the most exclusive and influential clubs in the world. They have been known to select politicians and other powerful people for their favor.

Insights from Chapter 4



#1

The Bilderberg Group, which has been meeting annually for the past sixty years, is a human sacrifice ritual where an effigy called Care is burned on an altar. The men chant No fire, no fire, no fire. Let it be kindled in the world where Care is nourished on the hates of men, and drive him from this Grove.

#2

The Bohemian Grove, a secretive San Francisco club, is where the ceremony depicted in the photos takes place. It’s one thing to read about the ceremony, or see the photos, but the video leaves you with your head shaking. It seems that some kind of bizarre secret ritual takes place there.

#3

In 2004, National Geographic magazine published a photo taken during a Cremation of Care ritual in 1915. The caption said, To purge himself of worldly concerns, a member of the elite Bohemian Club participated in a 1915 Cremation of Care ceremony.

#4

The Bible describes Molech sacrifices in detail, and explicitly condemns them as evil. It states that anyone from the Israelites or the foreigners who live in Israel who gives one of his children to Molech must be put to death.

#5

The symphonic poem The Isle of the Dead by Russian composer Sergie Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff tells the tale of a ghostly ferryman who transports the dead in his small rowboat, as it moves slowly across the calm dark water. The symphony was inspired by Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin’s famous Isle of the Dead painting.

#6

Presidential advisor David Gergen resigned from the Bohemian Club, three days after saying he would not run around naked at its annual Bohemian Grove encampment, and insisting he would not quit. He also resigned from the Bilderberg Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, and nearly all organizations dedicated to setting up a New World Order.

#7

The anchor for the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981, Walter Cronkite, is believed to have recorded the voice for the Owl Shrine that is played over the loudspeakers during part of the Cremation of Care.

Insights from Chapter 5



#1

The Bohemian Grove is a two-week-long annual gathering of the most powerful men in the world. The speakers mainly discuss political, economic, and business trends, and occasionally include information that is not publicly disclosed.

#2

The Bohemian Grove is a camp that members of the elite go to every summer. It is rumored that Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck were there as guests or possibly speakers in 2013 because they were both missing from their usual schedules at some point in time.

#3

The camp had four sessions: Jeffrey Toobin on the Supreme Court, David Martin on the Obama administration, Michail Armacost on China, and Arthur Laffer on economics.

#4

The summit was held on July 14-21, 2018. The topics of the talks were as follows: Friday, July 14: Global Financial Warriors by John Taylor, professor of economics at Stanford University. Monday, July 17: Untold Tales from the Cold War by Tom Reed, former Secretary of the Air Force.

#5



The Grove hosts many talks, but for the most part, they keep them secret. The only thing that is announced ahead of time is the speaker.

#6

The program was hosted by Charles Elachi, director of the Jet Propulsion Lab at the California Institute of Technology. The topics were: exploring Mars and searching for life in the universe, the landscape of American politics, the elections and their aftermath, state building, and the unrealized potential of the technological revolution.

#7

The festival had a wide variety of speakers and topics, from Yurek Martin, senior writer at the Financial Times of London, to Donald Rumsfeld, member of Nixon cabinet and future Secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush administration.

Insights from Chapter 6



#1

In 1980, a local resident named Mary Moore founded the Bohemian Grove Action Network with the purpose of infiltrating the Grove by having people obtain summer jobs there or by convincing those who already worked there to steal membership lists, program guides, and other information.

#2

In July of 2000, radio talk show host Alex Jones infiltrated the Bohemian Grove and videotaped the Cremation of Care ritual. He cut a hole in the side of a shoulder bag and mounted a camcorder inside, and sat in the bleachers with the rest of the approximately 1500 members and guests. He was accompanied by his thenproducer Mike Hanson.

#3

The Bohemian Grove, a redwood grove in Sonoma County north of San Francisco, is where the wealthy and well-placed gather every summer to socialize, lecture, and conduct rituals away from public scrutiny.

#4

In January 2002, a 37-year-old man named Richard McCaslin snuck into the Grove wearing a superhero outfit, a bulletproof vest, and armed with a fully loaded MK-1 rifle-shotgun. He was there to expose the ritualistic human sacrifices happening there.



#5

In 2005, Chris Jones, a man in his late thirties, got a job at the Bohemian Grove to gather photos and video evidence of what happens inside. He was able to get photos of some of the camps and elaborate clubhouses, as well as some close-up pictures of the site of the Cremation of Care ritual.

#6

The Bohemian Club, a secret society that’s been operating in California since the United States was founded, has been accused of cutting down some trees to prevent forest fires. However, this isn’t actually illegal.

#7

Guccifer, an anti-Illuminati hacker, accessed the emails of various Clinton, Bush, and Obama administration officials, including George W. Bush’s sister’s email where he found family photos.

Insights from Chapter 7



#1

The Bohemian Grove, which is a resort and campground located near San Francisco, is known for its homosexual activities. In 1989, reporter Philip Weiss snuck into the Grove and wrote a lengthy article about the rampant homosexuality there.

#2

It has been rumored that the Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theatre in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district has been a source of strippers and high-class call girls used by the Bohemians.

Insights from Chapter 8



#1

The Bohemian Grove, which is a club for the world’s richest and most powerful men, is also said to have performed a human sacrifice. These rumors involve claims of horrific sadistic acts that involve the sexual abuse of children and the production of snuff films.

#2

Around this same time, the Washington Times ran a front page story detailing a gay prostitution ring operating in Washington D. C. that provided teen call-boys to some very powerful and well-connected men. The article quietly went away, and has been forgotten by most Americans.

#3

The Guardian reported, Two newspaper executives have told the Observer that their publications were issued with D-notices – warnings not to publish intelligence that might damage national security – when they sought to report on allegations of a powerful group of men engaging in child sex abuse in 1984.

#4

The world’s lust for realistic and brutal horror movies shows that millions of people find excitement in watching people getting tortured and murdered. It's not hard to believe that some people would pay money to witness an actual murder in person.



#5

Hunter S. Thompson, a journalist known for his work with the Hells Angels, was also connected to the Bohemian Grove, where he allegedly propositioned a man to shoot a snuff film involving the murder of a child.

#6

Hunter S. Thompson’s former editorial assistant, Nickole Brown, posted an article online in 2005 recounting some of the bizarre behavior she had witnessed while working for him. She said he had thrown her out of the house for refusing to watch a snuff film.

#7

Sex magic is the belief and practice of generating sexual energy and directing it to shape the fabric of reality. It is similar to the Law of Attraction, but with sex. The Knights Templars, who learned about sex magic from the Tantrics of India, practiced it.

#8

Sex magic is not just a myth, and it is not just a fringe element of the occult. It is real, and it is disgusting. It involves taking a woman’s menstrual blood and a man’s semen, and then mixing them together and baking the fluids into cookies or a cake. Then you eat it.

#9

The author Cathy O’Brien, who wrote a book about her experiences with the Illuminati, claims that the Bohemian Grove has a Necrophilia theme room. In reality, only a small fraction of the members could possibly be so evil as to enjoy such things and no informants, guests, members or employees have ever mentioned such a thing.

#10

O’Brien claims that some of her abusers were George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Dick Cheney, and Hillary Clinton, who she said performed oral sex on her on front of Bill. Yet, her CIA handlers decided to let her live to tell about it.

Insights from Chapter 9



#1

I used to try and get on the radio to question the hosts about Bohemian Grove, but every time I would get through to the call screener, they would hang up on me immediately as soon as I told them I had a question about Bohemian Grove.

#2

Bill O’Reilly, the host of the radio show, would take call after call on any topic. He would even hang up on people if their questions were off topic. I could understand if my question was irrelevant, but this was the segment where O’Reilly said, You can ask me whatever you want.

#3

Hannity: You are a kook. You are a nut. You are absolutely out of your mind insane. I’ve never been to the Bohemian Grove, sir. It’s just a great conspiracy.

#4

The Bohemian Grove is a club composed of elitist politicians and journalists who conduct secret meetings to take over the world. They run around naked, and no women are allowed.

#5

On the Savage Nation, I asked Savage about the Bohemian Grove and George W. Bush’s and Bush 41’s membership. He was skeptical at first, but did listen to me. When I told him that senator John DeCamp alleged that there were mock funerals there, he said, Well, that’s what everyone goes to the Bohemian Grove for.

#6

I once called Glenn Beck and asked him about the book The Resistance Manifesto. He replied by saying that I might have just gotten that entire show taken off the air because of me. I was promptly taken off the air.

#7

I was on the phone with Fox News host Tucker Colmes, who was asked about the Bohemian Grove and the Republican elite’s annual mock human sacrifice. He said he didn’t know anything about it, and quickly dropped the call.

#8

The Friday night free for all is where you set the agenda, you run the show, and you determine what we talk about. We cannot keep callers off the air as much as we would like to in some cases.

#9

I have continued to try to get onto the show as a guest. You are a phony and a fraud, and I am not going to put you on the air as a guest. It is not going to happen. That's that guy, anyway.

Insights from Chapter 10



#1

The Belizean Grove, a female-only retreat, was started in 2001 by Susan Stautberg, the president of PartnerCom Corporation, who gathered around 100 influential women to fly down to Belize and meet up every year for three days of balanced fun and bonding.

#2

The Belizean Grove is a all-female club that was founded in 2009 after Sonia Sotomayor was nominated for a position on the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama. It has been revealed that Republicans dug up dirt on Sotomayor and found that she was a member of this club, which supposedly discriminates against men.

Insights from Chapter 11



#1

The film Eyes Wide Shut is based on real events, and it has been suggested that the Bohemian Grove or the Illuminati sex orgies occur at the private parties of the ruling elite. The Killing Kittens club has popped up in recent years to hold Eyes Wide Shut themed parties in rented mansions.

#2

The world of politics and Hollywood is full of sex offenders and deviants, who regularly host secret orgies. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Eyes Wide Shut-type parties occur.

#3

South Park is a show that makes fun of pop culture figures, politicians, and religious beliefs. It is often distasteful and crude, but it is still funny. The use of the disclaimer This is what Mormons/ Scientologists believe was included in an episode about the Super Adventure Club, an organization of pedophiles who travel around the world to have sex with young boys.

#4

The man who did the voice for Mr. Burns on The Simpsons, Harry Shearer, wrote and directed a little known film that was a spoof on the Bohemian Grove. Shearer labeled the members of Bohemian Grove white Christians, and didn’t believe their activities were secret.



#5

Shearer is just one example of how many Hollywood actors are extremely wealthy. He was paid $400,000 per episode in 2008, but had to take a pay cut in 2013 to lower production costs of the show or else Fox was going to cancel it.

#6

The Turner Broadcasting Network, which owns the Cartoon Network, airs cartoons aimed at children. But after primetime, when most children are supposed to be in bed, the network changes its format to what they call Adult Swim and airs raunchy cartoons supposedly aimed at adults.

End of Insights. Thank you for reading.

Introduction

It sounds like the plot of a cheesy horror film; a group of the world’s most powerful men gather in a secluded forest once a year where they dress in black robes and perform a strange ceremony looking like a human sacrifice as they discuss their plans for world domination—but in this case it’s not the story in some movie, it’s the story of the Bohemian Grove.

Many people interested in “conspiracy theories” about the Illuminati and the New World Order have heard of the Bohemian Grove and probably know a few things about it, and if you’re one of these people, I promise this book will be packed with information and little-known details that few people have ever heard. It’s a story so bizarre, that many simply can’t believe it.

You are about to learn the hidden history, the strange rituals, and the secrets of one of the world’s most exclusive clubs. I will reveal the identity of their most powerful members and details of the over 100 different subgroups within and what world-changing ideas and events the Bohemian Grove has given birth to. I’ll cover what they call Lakeside Talks which are off the record speeches given by elite politicians and business titans to members in order to give them inside information about the speakers’ area of expertise. I will reveal the secret meaning of their motto, “weaving spiders come not here,” and the name of their patron saint and what he symbolizes. I’ll cover early investigations into the club and the leaks of their membership lists, maps, and year books; I will even reveal their tax returns and financial statements, and show you how we know what we know about this mysterious millionaires men’s retreat.

I will analyze the allegations of prostitutes servicing the members, and the gay orgies that are rumored to occur inside. I’ll also take a close look at the horrific allegations of murders and snuff films some say have occurred

inside the forest at the hands of members; and you’ll see why major talk radio hosts and the mainstream media are afraid to acknowledge the place even exists.

The Bohemian Grove is a 2700-acre redwood forest in northern California located about an hour north of San Francisco in a small town named Monte Rio. It is owned by the Bohemian Club, which is headquartered in San Francisco, and their forest—or “the Grove,” as it is called—serves as a vacation spot for around 1000 of the world’s most wealthy and powerful men who meet there every summer in the middle of July for a “men’s retreat.”

Every summer it’s common for both boys and girls to have retreats in the form of basketball camp or cheerleading camp, where the kids spend a week or so polishing their skills and going through various drills to improve their game. Of course, many Christian churches have annual men’s and women’s retreats which facilitate friendship and camaraderie among their church members, and the events also serve to further the attendees’ education on spiritual matters.

So, similarly, the Superclass, the Establishment, the Ruling Elite, the Illuminati—whatever name you want to call them—have their retreat as well, which serves as a place to rub elbows with other industry leaders and powerful politicians in a private, relaxed, and informal environment.

The annual mid-summer encampment at the Bohemian Grove has been called the “greatest men’s party on earth” by members, who include many presidents, military leaders, famous journalists, and top businessmen who enjoy getting away from their wives and the public eye for a bit to let loose and mingle with other like-minded individuals. The gathering lasts for two weeks from mid-July to the end of the month, with some men coming for a weekend, and others staying for an entire week or longer. The men call each other Bohos or Grovers, and members often bring guests with them, but they must be prescreened and approved beforehand by the club.



The term Bohemian refers to people who live non-traditional lifestyles and people who are adventurers, or vagabonds. Ever since it was started, the club’s logo has been an owl because it symbolizes wisdom since it can “see in the dark.” This is because the elite members view themselves as wise and enlightened beings. A forty-foot tall concrete “owl” shrine was constructed inside the Bohemian forest, and every year since 1929 has been the site of the annual Cremation of Care ceremony, one of the strangest aspects of this elite retreat. This is the ritual which they perform each year to kick off their two week long “encampment.”

The Cremation of Care consists of an elaborate production involving live music and fireworks—and a human sacrifice reenactment where a lifesize effigy of a person is placed on an altar at the base of the giant owl shrine and then burned or “sacrificed.” Critics claim the ritual is a toned down and theatrical version of an ancient human sacrifice to Canaanite Gods or the Devil.

It sounds so bizarre, many people chalk it up to an urban legend or an Internet conspiracy theory, but I’ll prove to you in this book that such a thing does happen, and the “rumors” are in fact true. In the 1980s, and 90s as word slowly spread about this place, occasionally a reporter tried to sneak inside the now highly guarded compound, but (at least at the time I’m writing this in mid-2015) little to nothing has been reported in the mainstream media about this fascinating (and frightening) forest.

In the past, membership lists and program guides would sometimes get stolen and made public by employees, and in the 1980s a group called the Bohemian Grove Action Network dedicated themselves to doing just that. The membership list, one of which I personally have in my possession thanks to a former employee, has included every Republican U.S. President since 1923, many cabinet officials, directors and CEO’s of large corporations and major financial institutions, and top military brass.

Some of these names include George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Dwight

Eisenhower, Alan Greenspan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and many other mainly Republican members and guests. No current president attends because their schedule and whereabouts is too closely watched, but before and after they are in office they can be found in the Grove.

Some consider the Bohemian Grove to be like a Skull & Bones club for adults, and see the Cremation of Care ceremony as being similar to the satanic induction ritual that “Bonesmen” are put through in college, only with a few extra zeroes added to the budget. As you may be aware, the Skull & Bones “fraternity” located at Yale University recruits fifteen new seniors each spring to join their club and then grooms them for a possible high-level position in the Eastern Establishment once they graduate. Their initiation rituals are blatantly satanic and involve a simulated human sacrifice as well.1

Many people dismiss Skull & Bones as just a “fraternity” for rich kids, but it is far from a fraternity. In reality it is a senior society, meaning people don’t become a member until their senior year, and the organization is designed as an entryway to America’s Establishment and geared for the students’ post-graduate life. They hold meetings every Thursday and Sunday night during the school year to indoctrinate the new members with the philosophies and tactics of the ruling class—where, by the way, no alcohol is drank, or even allowed inside their clubhouse.2

What kind of a college “fraternity” doesn’t allow alcohol in their clubhouse? One that is very serious about their goals of gaining and maintaining power. If you take the time to study Skull & Bones, you will see beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they are far from a “fraternity,” and are in fact a deadly serious secret society with direct connections to the Bavarian Illuminati in Germany which was started by Adam Weishaupt.

So the “kids” in Skull & Bones conduct a satanic human sacrifice reenactment ritual in college, but then instead of outgrowing this juvenile frat boy “phase,” they become involved in even more elaborate and strange

rituals when they are well established adults and old men at the Bohemian Grove!

Is this where the secret rulers of the world meet to plot the course of planet earth? Is the mainstream media part of a cover-up to blackout any mention of the club? What is the evidence for the allegations made about the Grove? Is this annual gathering the Bilderberg Group’s summer camp? Are they really performing satanic rituals or human sacrifices? You are about to learn the answers to these questions and more, and we take a close look into The Bohemian Grove: Facts & Fiction.





History of the Grove

The Bohemian Club was started in San Francisco in 1872 by artists, musicians, and writers as an excuse for late-night drinking for those who supported Bohemianism which had become quite trendy in the late 19th and early 20th century. These Bohemians celebrated hedonism and overindulgence, and reveled in rebelling against the conservative conventions of the culture. Soon after its formation, businessmen and those with money joined the party and were called “men of use” by the original artistic founders, who called themselves “men of talent.”3 The artists enjoyed having the wealthy newcomers help foot the bill for their increasingly elaborate parties.

What originally began in their San Francisco clubhouse soon took a more rural turn. By the early 1880s, the Bohemian Club was holding weekend campouts during the summer in the vast redwood forests around Sonoma County, California. In 1893 they began renting the location now known as the Bohemian Grove from the Sonoma Lumber Company and later purchased 160-acres of the forest in 1901, later expanding their ownership to the current 2712 acres [over four square miles].

Most men’s clubs meet in Masonic lodges or fancy country clubs, but because of its unique rural atmosphere, the Bohemian Grove soon became a favorite spot where wealthy men could relive their college days of partying like there was no tomorrow. In the 1930s the Bohemian Grove became a favorite of U.S. Presidents as sort of a Camp David in the woods, and this is when word about the Grove began to quiet and the media blackout began. Members and guests enter the campground with the strict understanding that what goes on at the Bohemian Grove stays at the Bohemian Grove, and discussions—whether personal or business related—are all completely “off the record.”



The Grove is not “just a campground.” There are hundreds of structures inside ranging from elaborate clubhouses and sleeping quarters to a massive industrial kitchen and large amphitheaters—all of which is maintained by a rather large staff, not to mention guarded by an expensive security force and local police. As you may imagine maintaining such a luxurious facility is not cheap.

Back in 1887, the entrance fee for joining the club was $100 and the dues were $3.00 a month. By 1930 this had risen to $500 and $15 a month after that. In the 1990s, the initiation fee was $10,000 with $120 a month dues.4 There is a ten to fifteen year waiting list for new applicants, and in order to even be considered for membership two current non-related members must sponsor the prospect, who is then thoroughly screened by a membership committee before being placed on the wait list.

Since few men actually quit the club, most aspiring members literally have to usually wait until someone dies to then take their place. Many of the members are in their sixties and seventies, and a few of them usually pass away each year.

The Bohemian Club is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)7 Social Club, which makes them exempt from federal income tax and possibly state property tax as well. One of the requirements for 501(c) organizations is that their financial records are made available to the public for inspection— if you know where to look. I have been able to obtain these documents and they are quite interesting.

The 2013 records show that the club took in $10,168,330 dollars in revenue that calendar year.5 They paid out $3,007,779 in salaries to the staff, and “other expenses” were listed at $2,971,656, which went to pay for the food, booze, insurance, electricity, building maintenance, etc. Their total expenses for the year were $5,997,272. Total assets are listed at $20,428,708. Yes—twenty million dollars!



The general manager or the chief operating officer, Matthew Oggero was paid $556,897. The executive chef Jean-Marie Rigollet was paid $164,515. The controller Michael Boozing was paid $146,240; the HR director Jennifer Robertson was paid $145,385; the Grove Keeper James Daniel took in $146,874; and the financial director Deena Soulon was paid $222,071.

The forms note, “The compensation of all management employees are reviewed and approved annually by the compensation committee consisting of the president, vice president, and treasurer, who also set the composition benefits for the general manager.”6 Each Bohemian Grove member casts one vote for each position the governing body fills.

The first book dedicated to exposing the Bohemian Grove was published in 1974 titled The Bohemian Grove and other Retreats, written by William Domhoff, a sociologist and professor who taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He starts off the book explaining that upper-class retreats are of a major sociological relevance because, “they increase the social cohesiveness of America’s rulers and provide private settings in which business and political problems can be discussed informally and off the record.”7

Domhoff and a handful of other scholars who are familiar with the Grove insist it’s not just a vacation hideaway for the rich and powerful, but instead functions to facilitate the ruling class network and elitist ideologies which affects the entire world.

The book also exposed the Cremation of Care ritual, and starts off the first page saying, “You are one of fifteen hundred men gathered together from all over the country for the annual encampment of the rich and famous at the Bohemian Grove. And you are about to take part in a strange ceremony that has marked every Bohemian Grove gathering since 1880.”8 It goes on to include a full transcript and detailed description of the Cremation of Care, which was a historic revelation at the time, especially since this was back in the 1970s—decades before the Information Age.



Almost ten years after Domhoff’s book came out, ABC News surprisingly aired a segment about the Bohemian Grove in 1981. Somebody, somehow, was able to get a copy of this report from their archives and posted it on YouTube in 2006 where it can be seen today.9 The anchor at the time was Frank Reynolds, who began the segment asking, “What have Herbert Hoover, Art Linkletter, Jack London and Richard Nixon all had in common? Well, they’ve all been members of the exclusive all male, Bohemian Club in California, where every year at this time the elite from around the country get together for two and half weeks of, um, fun and games.”10

The segment then went on to reveal that more than 2000 members and guests spend two weeks camped out in the secluded redwood forest and named Gerald Ford, Henry Kissinger, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon as members, along with executives at Standard Oil and Bank of America. “Privacy is one of the Grove’s most cherished virtues,” the report continues. “Members may not photograph, record, speak or write about activities at the retreat. While many public officials are Grove members, the press is a distinctly unwelcome guest.”

The segment even showed a photograph of the Cremation of Care and included an interview with sociologist William Domhoff who explained, “With the ceremony called the Cremation of Care that begins the two week encampment, where the body of Dull Care—symbolizing woes and concerns—is burned on an altar in front of a big owl statue, when that ceremony ends, they all start to cheer and yell, and hand each other a beer.”11

The segment also pointed out that no women were allowed, not even as employees [at the time], and admitted the atomic bomb was developed by club insiders. The senior ABC News editor must have been on vacation, or the Bohemian Grove became arrogant and didn’t think a major news network would betray the strict editorial control by Establishment insiders which usually prevents such stories from making it to the airwaves.



Since this historic segment over three decades ago, there hasn’t been a single national news organization that has made a peep about the Bohemian Grove—at least as of mid-2015 when I’m writing this book—not even a tabloid news show. Pretty much only alternative news sites, and the local Sonoma County Press Democrat newspaper have ever acknowledged it even exists.

A staff of several hundred people help run the place during the summer encampment, working to cook food and keep up the grounds, most of them local high school kids from nearby towns who have no idea about the identities of the men they are serving. For almost 100 years only men (and teenage boys) were allowed to work inside. But as powerful as the Bohemian Grove is, they were not strong enough to prevent the feminists from crashing their party. In 1978 the club was charged with discrimination by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing for not hiring female employees.12

The club fought the charge and in 1981 a judge dismissed the case, but this was only a temporary victory. The judge’s decision was based on the members’ freedom to associate with who they wanted to associate with and included a statement that since the men “urinate in the open without even the use of rudimentary toilet facilities,” the presence of women would infringe on the men’s right to privacy.

The feminists didn’t give up though and continued to pursue the case. Another judge overruled the previous decision a few months later and ordered the club to begin hiring women.13 The club filed an appeal with the Supreme Court arguing that their freedom to associate was being violated, but the Court found against the Bohemian Grove.

To be clear, the Court didn’t say they had to allow women as members, but did force them to hire women as employees. There is a world of difference between being a member (or guest) and being an employee at the Grove. The employees are mainly contained in the kitchen and dining

area, and do not mingle with the guests in their clubhouses or throughout the grounds.

Despite losing their vigorous battle hoping to prevent women from working at the Grove, the Bohos find it amusing that women now work in the kitchen, “where they belong,” so it really wasn’t much of a victory for the feminists at all, since the “civil rights” victory against their “discrimination” is really just a big joke to the Bohos.

The Unruh Civil Rights Act states, “All persons within the jurisdiction of [California] are free and equal, and no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, or disability are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind whatsoever,” so how is it that the Bohemian Grove is able to legally “discriminate” against women as members?

The Bohemian Grove, along with men’s country clubs—or conversely, all-female organizations like the Girl Scouts, are able to turn down people of the opposite sex for membership without being sued for discrimination because these clubs are considered private, not public. Marcy Frost, an employment attorney at Moss & Barnett, explains, “If you are truly a private club, and not open to the public, the answer is generally, yes, you’re allowed to discriminate on the theory we have a Constitutional right of freedom of association.”14

It’s called the “private club exemption” from civil rights legislation. This issue of “legal discrimination” gets into a gray area when people begin arguing over what is considered a private verses a public club. So, at least for now, membership at the Grove remains exclusively reserved for men, but they now have to include women (and teenage girls) as employees who serve the men.

Back in 2008 when Hillary Clinton was first running for president, Bill Clinton was speaking at a campaign event when a heckler began

shouting at him about the Bohemian Grove. There was a pretty big crowd and security couldn’t immediately make it to the man to throw him out and his repeated interruptions were derailing Bill’s speech, finally causing him to respond.

“The Bohemian Club? Did you say the Bohemian Club? That’s where all those rich Republicans go up and stand naked against redwood trees right? I’ve never been to the Bohemian Club, but you ought to go. It’d be good for you. You’d get some fresh air.”15

His comment about “standing naked against redwood trees” refers to the common practice of members just whipping it out and peeing almost anywhere as if they were teenagers again at summer camp. It’s a fun thing for them to do apparently, and is part of the Bohemian Grove culture. The practice is literally encouraged and visitors have reported repeatedly seeing men everywhere around the club peeing on the side of trees or in some bushes instead of making their way to a bathroom.

Bill Clinton was also right about it being primarily a Republican club. Most, but not all of the members, tend to be Republicans who have historically been more involved with big business than Democrats. With the exception of Bill Clinton’s surprising outburst about this “Republican club,” no Democrats have dared to publicly denounce the Bohemian Grove, afraid of a backlash by their Establishment colleagues in Washington. Like the Bilderberg Group, it appears even mentioning the Bohemian Grove is off limits for most politicians.16

 





Their Symbols, Saint, and Motto

The Owl

The Bohemian Grove’s mascot (and logo) is an owl, or more specifically, the Owl of Minerva (or Athena, the Greek equivalent), who is the Goddess of wisdom. Interestingly this is the same symbol that Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Illuminati, used as his personal emblem as well.17 Within the Bavarian Illuminati in Germany, Weishaupt had also created a level in the hierarchy called the Minervals.18 An owl symbolizes wisdom because it can “see in the dark” which is analogous to being enlightened.

Pictures of owls are often seen in school classrooms standing on top of a small stack of books in order to symbolize knowledge. The National Press Club’s logo contains an owl standing on a book for this reason. Owls are also seen as guardians, and you may often see an owl statue on the top of a building in order to scare away other birds in hopes of preventing them from congregating on the ledge of the roof so they won’t dirty the building’s face with their droppings—or worse, hit passersby on the sidewalk below.

The Dictionary of Symbols by J.E. Cirlot says, “In the Egyptian system of hieroglyphs, the owl symbolizes death, night, cold and passivity. It also pertains to the realm of the dead sun, that is, of the sun which has set below the horizon and which is crossing the lake or sea of darkness.”19

A tiny owl can be found hidden in the design of the American one dollar bill, perched on the upper left corner of the frame that surrounds the

“1” located in the upper right hand corner. This isn’t just a case of people seeing something that looks like an owl popping out of a random pattern; it’s clear someone purposefully included it in the design. Some people also see an owl figure designed into the street layout of Washington D.C., appearing on top of the U.S. Capitol building when looking at the location from overhead or on a map. This one is a bit more ambiguous, but still may have been included on purpose by the Freemason architects who are known for their use of occult symbols.20

There is also a giant 40-foot tall concrete statue of an owl standing inside the Bohemian Grove on the shore of their manmade lake which is the site of the Cremation of Care ritual. Many think the “owl” looks more like a demon with horns actually, and at its feet is a large altar where the life-size human effigy (called “Care”) is “sacrificed” each year to kick-off the encampment.

Many people also believe this “idol” represents Molech, an ancient god from the Middle East that the Canaanite culture used to sacrifice their children to. Before the construction of the owl, there stood a large Buddha statue from 1892 to 1928 that was made of plaster of Paris. More on the Cremation of Care in a later chapter.



The Patron Saint

A patron saint is someone who embodies a group’s philosophies or goals, and for the Bohemian Grove this is a man named Saint John of Nepomuk. He was a priest who received the confessionals of the queen of Bohemia in the 1300s, and when pressured by the king to reveal her confessions after he suspected her of cheating on him, Saint John refused and was then killed by the king.

A large statue of Saint John carved from the trunk of a tree stands inside their forest showing him holding his index finger over his mouth, signifying the nonverbal gesture to keep your mouth shut and be quiet, paralleling Robert De Niro’s motto in Goodfellas that you “never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.” Their patron saint serves to remind Bohos of their oath of secrecy and that what happens in the Bohemian Grove, stays in the Bohemian Grove.



Weaving Spiders Come Not Here

The motto of the Bohemian Grove is “Weaving spiders come not here,” which is said to mean that members and guests are not supposed to conduct business inside the Grove—“weaving” meaning working, but this explanation is just a cover story for the saying’s true meaning. “Weaving spiders come not here” actually means “don’t dare challenge the members,” (or really, the “Gods,” as they see themselves) and is an allegory that comes from an ancient story in Greek mythology.

According to the tale, a woman weaver named Arachne once disrespected Athena, the Goddess of weaving, by failing to acknowledge that her weaving talent was a gift from the Goddess and not derived from her own power. Arachne even pridefully boasted that she was a better weaver than the Goddess herself. Angered by her lack of respect, Athena then turned Arachne into a spider, subjecting her and her descendants to weave webs forever as a curse for disrespecting the Gods.

The Bohos claim that their saying “weaving spiders come not here” is taken from a Shakespeare play called A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but given the elite’s appreciation for the occult and Greek mythology, not to mention their elitist attitude that they are gods among men, this explanation appears to be simply just a cover story for non-members used as an attempt to defuse the allegations that they conduct business in the Grove, which as you will see later in this book is quite common.

Albert Pike, a favorite philosopher among elite Freemasons, wrote that “Masonry, like all the Religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it

[the Mason] calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it.”21 So it should not come as a surprise to learn that the actual meaning of sayings and symbols by elitist organizations are not what we are told.



The Secret of Satan

When you first hear allegations about the ruling elite, or the Illuminati “worshiping Satan” it is hard for many to believe at first, but once you take a close look at the philosophies of the ruling class and the big secret of occult fraternities, it becomes undeniable that this is what’s happening. Do you think this book just took a turn into “crazy tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy land?” Stick with me for a moment and let me explain and I’m sure you will soon agree.

Everyone, whether they believe it is literally true or just a myth, is familiar with the story of the Garden of Eden and the serpent temping Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, causing what is called the Fall of Man or the first sin. Adam and Eve were then banished from Paradise and the entire human race was cursed from that point on.

The big secret, or the “royal secret,” as it is often called, is that many men (and women) involved in secret societies believe that Satan is not bad, but instead came to earth to free Mankind from enslavement at the hands of the Creator, who in their view is seen as a tyrant who wanted to keep humans ignorant, hence forbade them from eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The big secret taught within elite secret societies is that Satan the rebel “wanted to help” us poor humans, and risking his own eternal banishment from Heaven, he disobeyed God and encouraged Eve to eat the forbidden fruit to begin mankind’s supposed evolution to Godhood by giving them the power [knowledge] that the Creator supposedly was holding back from them out of selfishness or malevolence.



According to the Bible, Satan claimed Man could “become like God” if they listened to him and disobeyed the Creator, and this is the secret of secrets (arcanum arcanorum) of the Illuminati. In 1854 French occultist Eliphas Levi wrote, “There is indeed a formidable secret, the revelation of which has once already transformed the world, as testified in Egyptian religious tradition…This secret constitutes the fatal Science of Good and Evil, and the consequence of its revelation is death.”22

Manly P. Hall, who is considered to be Freemasonry’s “greatest philosopher,” revealed in his 1928 book The Secret Teachings of All Ages that, “The serpent is true to the principle of wisdom, for it tempts man to the knowledge of himself. Therefore the knowledge of self resulted from man’s disobedience to the Demiurgus, Jehovah [God].”23 Hall also stated that, “Both the sinking of Atlantis and the Biblical story of the ‘fall of man’ signify spiritual involution—a prerequisite to conscious evolution.”24

Helena Blavatsky, who was a major spiritual inspiration for Adolf Hitler, wrote in her 1888 book The Secret Doctrine, that, “Thus Lucifer— the spirit of Intellectual Enlightenment and Freedom of Thought—is metaphorically the guiding beacon, which helps man to find his way through the rocks and sand banks of Life, for Lucifer is the Logos in his highest.”25

Albert Pike, another highly esteemed historical figure of Freemasonry wrote, “Lucifer, the Light-bearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable, blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish souls? Doubt it not!”26

Even the infamous Satanist Aleister Crowley admitted this is what he believed was the biggest secret of life, saying, “This serpent, Satan, is not the enemy of Man, be He who made Gods of our race, knowing Good and Evil; He bade ‘Know Thyself!’ and taught Initiation. He is ‘the Devil’ of the book of Thoth, and His emblem is Baphomet, and Androgyne who is the hieroglyph of arcane perfection.”27



Saul Alinsky, the leftist radical who Hillary Clinton wrote her college thesis on, acknowledged Satan in his book Rules for Radicals as the first rebel who stood up to the tyranny he said was imposed by God. According to the scriptures, Satan said, “ye shall be as gods,” if you follow his advice, and this is what the elite are striving for. They believe that through this ancient secret and the emerging science of Transhumanism, that they themselves will “evolve” into Gods as the final phase of human evolution.28

The plan to “conquer death” is being promoted as a real possibility through Transhumanism, which involves modifying our DNA or all together replacing our biological brains and bodies with interchangeable mechanical and silicon based systems.29

This is a topic for a whole other book, which I am currently working on, but this is in short the top priority of the ruling class. If my Transhumanism book is not out at the time you are reading this, there is a section on this topic in my book Inside the Illuminati: Evidence, Objectives, and Methods of Operation if you would like to learn some of the details about this disturbing agenda.

 



The Different Subcamps

Inside the Bohemian Grove there are approximately 124 different groups or camps—each having their own sleeping quarters, kitchen and bar, and each managed by a camp captain who is responsible for overseeing their group.30 Each different camp has its own unique name and consists of anywhere from a dozen to around one hundred men who tend to work in the same field to provide commonality and networking opportunities.

For example, the Hill Billies camp is made up mainly of men in big business, bankers, politicians, and media moguls from the state of Texas. The sign for the Hill Billies’ camp, which the Bush family belongs to, consists of a cloven hoofed and horned Devil figure.31 One of most elite camps is Mandalay, which is comprised of former presidents and other top political figures along with major defense contractors. No seated president ever attends the summer encampment because his schedule and location is so closely monitored that his visitation would bring too much unwanted attention to the Grove, but once they are out of office (and before they are even elected) many make it a priority to be there.

Another elite camp of former presidents and high ranking military personnel and defense contractors is Owls Nest. The Hillside camp is made up of Joint Chiefs of Staff members and other top military brass. Other camp names include the Lost Angels which is where major bankers and media executives belong. Uplifters is made up of corporate executives and international business big wigs. The Rockefeller family and other big oil men have their own camp as well called the Stowaways.

It’s quite obvious that having the Grove broken up into small subgroups which are comprised mainly of men who work in the same field facilitates discussions revolving around areas of overlapping interest. Sociologist Peter Phillips, who was a guest inside the Bohemian Grove on

two occasions and who earned his Ph. D. by writing his doctoral dissertation on it in 1994, wrote, “Sharing a camp together at the Grove gives Bohemian directors of major U.S. policy councils ample opportunity to discuss current affairs and socio-economic policy issues. Watching and listening to reactions to Lakeside Chats by various other Bohemians also gives policy directors an opportunity to evaluate policy concerns from the broad sampling of the American corporate business community encamped at the Grove. In this sense, the Grove serves as an informal evaluatory feedback process to the top socio-economic domestic and foreign policy councils in the United States.”32

Although the club claims the mid-summer encampment is just a vacation, and “weaving spiders come not here,” some major worldchanging programs have admittedly been hatched in the Grove. For example, the Manhattan Project (the plan for the atomic bomb) was admittedly conceived inside the club in 1942.33 Aside from the birth of the atomic bomb, the United Nations was hatched from the inside the club as well.34

Peter Phillips’ dissertation reveals, “One of the foremost political events in which the Bohemian political network played a significant role was the United Nations Conference of International Organization (UNCIO), April 25th to June 26, 1945 in San Francisco. This was the original formation meeting for the United Nations, with delegates from fifty nations. Receptions for UNCIO delegates and key dignitaries were held at the Bohemian Club on May 17, May 29, June 4, and June 5. Towards the end of the U.N. conference the Club invited all delegates to a program at the Grove.”35

It is rumored that Alan Greenspan was chosen to be the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank shortly after a meeting in the Grove where insiders came to a consensus that he should be their man. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful bid for governor of California in 2003 after a special recall election to replace then-governor Gray Davis was allegedly given the green light by the Establishment following a visit to the Grove as well.36



There is even a picture of Ronald Reagan when he was the Governor of California sitting down with Richard Nixon (who would be elected president the following year), taken in 1967 showing them inside the Bohemian Grove together where they were said to have been coordinating their future political careers.37 Nixon even admitted in his memoirs that the path to his presidency began with his visit to the Bohemian Grove.38

President Dwight Eisenhower’s road to the White House also began in the Bohemian Grove. In 1950, two years before he was elected president, he was a guest during the summer encampment and gave a Lakeside Talk that impressed the Establishment insiders. We know of this because President Richard Nixon openly admitted it in his memoirs!

He wrote, “After Eisenhower’s speech we went back to Cave Man Camp and sat around the campfire appraising it. Everyone liked Eisenhower, but the feeling was that he had a long way to go before he would have the experience, the depth, and the understanding to be President. But it struck me forcibly that Eisenhower’s personality and personal mystique had deeply impressed the skeptical and critical Cave Man audience.”39 Nixon was later chosen as his vice president.

After learning how the geopolitical system really works once inside the Oval Office, apparently Eisenhower’s conscience began bothering him. During his famous presidential farewell address in 1961 when his two terms were up he warned Americans that, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”40

There are also rumors that in the build-up to the 2000 presidential election Bohemian Grove members George Bush Senior, Colin Powell, and other neocons had come to a consensus at the summer encampment that Dick Cheney should be George W. Bush’s running mate as VP.



 





The Cremation of Care Ritual

When you learn the details of the Cremation of Care, or see the photos or the video footage, it becomes clear why the mainstream media has maintained a near complete blackout on this issue for decades. In the age of social media, word about the Bilderberg Group—which meets every spring in a five-star hotel for three days of secret off the record talks—has spread far and wide, so the mainstream media can no longer completely ignore their annual gathering.41 While it may be somewhat simple to paint the Bilderberg Group as just another boring conference—explaining away the Cremation of Care is not so easy.

Basically, it is a human sacrifice ritual—only instead of sacrificing an actual person, they use a life-size effigy consisting of a metal skeletal framework wrapped with paper which is burned on an altar at the base of the 40-foot tall Owl Shrine. Close-up photos taken by a former employee reveal the effigy has two arms and two legs and is the size of an adult. The ritual kicks off the two-week encampment at sunset on the second Saturday of July each year, where a small number of members carry out the ceremony while the majority of others sit on a set of bleachers and watch.

It is conducted by a “High Priest” who wears a silver robe with a red cape. He is accompanied on stage by around two dozen other men who wear long black and red robes, some of whom are holding flaming torches. The High Priest also wears a wireless microphone which broadcasts over a sound system so the audience of around 1000 men can hear him. He begins by saying, “The owl is in his leafy temple; let all within the Grove be reverent before him. Lift up your heads, O ye trees, and be ye lift up, ye ever-living spires. For behold, here is Bohemia’s Shrine and holy are the pillars of this house. Weaving spiders, come not here!”



He continues, “Nay, thou mocking spirit, it is not all a dream. We know thou waitest for us when this our sylvan holiday shall end. And we shall meet and fight thee as of old, and some of us prevail against thee, and some thou shalt destroy…But this, too, we know: year after year, within this happy Grove, our fellowship has banned thee for a space, and thy malevolence that would pursue us here has lost its power beneath these friendly trees. So shall we burn thee once again this night and in the flames that eat thine effigy we’ll read the sign: Midsummer set us free!”

It is a very elaborate ceremony with a live symphony orchestra playing music at certain points for dramatic effect. The effigy is called Care, and the ritual is said to symbolically be the killing of Care, or the ritualistic “casting off their cares” so the men can have a good time at their party. As the ritual reaches its climax and the effigy is set on fire, screaming is played over the sound system, and once it is fully engulfed in flames, fireworks are set off and the crowd cheers in excitement.

The High Priest continues “Oh owl! Prince of all mortal wisdom. Owl of Bohemia, we beseech thee, grant us thy council.” A short song is then sung with lyrics that go: “No fire, no fire, no fire. Let it be kindled in the world where Care is nourished on the hates of men and drive him from this Grove. One flame alone must light this fire, one flame alone must light this fire. A pure, eternal flame, a pure, eternal flame. At last within the lamp of fellowship upon the altar of Bohemia.”

The High Priest then concludes, “Oh, great owl of Bohemia! We thank thee for thy adoration! Be gone detested Care! Be gone! Once more, we banish thee! Be gone, dull Care! Fire shall have its will of thee! Be gone, dull Care and all the winds make merry with thy dust! Hail fellowship’s eternal flame! Once again, midsummer sets us free!”

The first photo of the ceremony to be published came from a flier given to members within the Grove which was stolen by an employee and given to a group of activists called the Bohemian Grove Action Network

which was formed in the 1980s by a woman named Mary Moore who lives nearby in the neighboring town of Occidental.

Radio host and founder of Infowars.com, Alex Jones, snuck into the Bohemian Grove in July of the year 2000, and using a small video camera secretly recorded the entire ceremony and released the footage as part of a documentary film called Dark Secrets: Inside Bohemian Grove. By this time, there had been various photos available online of the ritual and many rumors of its occurrence, but Jones’ footage confirmed once and for all that such a thing did in fact take place. The footage can be viewed on YouTube and is quite shocking.42

A British TV producer named Jon Ronson documented Alex Jones’ infiltration for a segment of his own television series titled Secret Rulers of the World, which then featured some of Jones’ footage. Ronson, initially a skeptic who appeared to mock the “conspiracy theories,” was himself stunned to learn they were true. “As incredible as it sounds, it seems that some kind of bizarre secret ritual witnessed by world leaders really does take place in the forests of Northern California,” he said.43

When Ronson contacted the Grove for a comment on the newly shot footage they gave him a brief statement saying, “The Cremation of Care is a musical and verse pageant heralding a two week midsummer escape from business cares and celebrating nature and good fellowship. As grand scale stage drama it may be a bit overdrawn, but it’s about as innocent as anything could be.”44

It’s one thing to read about the ceremony, or see the photos, but the video leaves you with your head shaking. When I first saw it myself in the early 2000s, I thought it was a ceremony conducted by a small and powerless pagan cult and that Alex Jones was crazy for claiming such high profile people were in attendance, but he was right. I first came across Jones’ footage on a torrent site after searching for videos about the Illuminati. This was before video hosting sites like YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion were created, and bit torrents were the primary way people

shared videos through peer-to-peer file sharing applications like BearShare and Morpheus.

After Jones’ infiltration, the club beefed up security and began using thermal imaging scanners and K-9 police tracker dogs to identify anyone lurking around the grounds who doesn’t belong there. Anyone who attempts to sneak inside will be charged with trespassing.

In 2004, National Geographic magazine published a photo taken during a Cremation of Care ritual in 1915 and included a caption saying, “To purge himself of worldly concerns, a member of the elite Bohemian Club participated in a 1915 Cremation of Care ceremony—complete with candles and a robed and hooded comrade to guide him. This private club of influential men still meets annually north of San Francisco and uses this symbolic ritual to kick off its summer retreat. But today the ceremony involves burning a mummy-like effigy named Care at the foot of the group’s mascot: a 40-foot-tall (12-meter-tall) concrete owl.”45



Molech

In the ancient Middle East, the Canaanites and the Phoenicians would regularly sacrifice their children to a horned god called Molech (sometimes spelled Moloch or Molekh). This horrifying ritual consisted of building a fire at the base of the Molech idol, which had its arms extended out over the fire pit, and then having the village high priest lift up a couple’s first-born infant son and place him into the arms of the beast, resulting in the child burning alive over the flames. Many people believe that this was the inspiration behind the Cremation of Care ritual.

David Icke, a popular British conspiracy theorist best known for his belief that the Illuminati are supposedly “reptilian shape-shifting aliens,” claims, “Today, these elite names are still doing ritual sacrifices of children at Bohemian Grove.”46 Yes, David Icke believes the ritual is a real human sacrifice!

Icke also believes the earth is hollow with ancient civilizations living deep inside it,47 and thinks the moon is a giant spacecraft just like the Death Star in Star Wars he says was built by aliens in order to watch over planet earth.48

The book of Leviticus in the Bible describes Molech sacrifices at length, and specifically denounces it as evil. “Don’t sacrifice your children on the altar fires to the god Molech,” it reads.49 It goes on to give specific instructions as to the punishment for such actions. “The Lord spoke to Moses: You are to say to the Israelites, Any man from the Israelites or from the foreigners who reside in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones.”50



It continues, “I myself will set my face against that man and cut him off from the midst of his people, because he has given some of his children to Molech and thereby defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.”51



Music During Ceremony

The symphonic poem The Isle of the Dead by Russian composer Sergie Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff tells the tale of a ghostly ferryman who transports the dead in his small rowboat, as it moves slowly across the calm dark water. The symphony was inspired by Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin’s famous Isle of the Dead painting which shows a coffin being transported to the symbolic grave depicted by the dark nothingness off in the distance.

Rachmaninoff’s symphony is played by an actual live orchestra during the beginning of the Cremation of Care ritual as a hooded boatman dressed as Death paddles his rowboat along with the coffin containing Care across the pond in front of the stage where “Molech” stands. Beethoven’s 7th Symphony is played later during the ritual.



David Gergen Confrontation

A top advisor to Presidents Ford, Nixon, Reagan, and Clinton— named David Gergen, who also worked as a CNN contributor, was confronted on camera by Alex Jones on the streets of New York during the 2004 Republican National Convention where Jones walked up to him and asked if he’d ever seen the Cremation of Care ritual.

Gergen, looking visibly uncomfortable, responded, “Frankly I don’t think that’s something I need to talk to you about.”52 When Jones asked him again about the ritual, Gergen snapped, “That’s none of your damn business!” and walked away. The clip can be seen on YouTube. Why was he so defensive? If it’s just an innocent “play” then why not answer such a simple question? Jones didn’t accuse him of worshiping Satan or participating in an actual human sacrifice; he just asked him if he’d been there for the Cremation of Care.

Back in 1993 The Washington Times reported, “Presidential counselor David Gergen resigned yesterday from the all-male Bohemian Club, three days after saying he would not run around naked at its annual Bohemian Grove encampment and insisting he would not quit [as the president’s advisor]. White House spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers announced the resignation along with Mr. Gergen’s departure from 17 other interest groups, charities and public boards ranging from the Trilateral Commission to the Very Special Arts Foundation.”53

He also resigned from the Bilderberg Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, and nearly all organizations dedicated to setting up a New World Order, leading many to think that perhaps he grew a conscience and decided he wasn’t going to have anything to do with such a plan any longer. Perhaps the reason he got so upset about Alex Jones’ question was that he wanted to

let sleeping dogs lie and being put on the spot about the Bohemian Grove freaked him out because he knows they cherish their oath of secrecy and didn’t want to be seen as betraying them.



Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite was the anchor for the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981, and is widely believed to have recorded the voice for the Owl Shrine that is played over the loudspeakers during part of the Cremation of Care. This is especially interesting when you learn that while accepting the Norman Cousins Global Governance Award in 1999 at a World Federalist Association meeting, Cronkite made a disturbing joke about Satan running the New World Order and seriously suggested countries need to give up their sovereignty and yield their authority to a global government.

During this event Cronkite said, “What Alexander Hamilton wrote about the need for law among the thirteen states applies today to the approximately two hundred sovereignties in our global village, all of which are going to have to be convinced to give up some of that sovereignty to the better greater union, and it’s not going to be easy.”54

He then mentioned Pat Robertson’s 1991 book, The New World Order and how Robertson (creator of The 700 Club) wrote that the construction of the global government is the work of the Devil, at which point Cronkite added, “Well, join me, I’m glad to sit here at the right hand of Satan.”55

 

Author’s Note: Please take a moment to rate and review this book on Amazon.com or wherever you purchased it from to let others know what you think. This also helps to offset the trolls who keep giving my books fake onestar reviews when they haven't even read them. Almost all of the one-star

reviews on my books are from NON-verified purchases which is a clear indication they are fraudulent, hence me adding this note. These fraudulent ratings and reviews could also be part of a larger campaign trying to stop my message from spreading by attempting to tarnish my research through fake and defamatory reviews, so I really need your help to combat this as soon as possible. Thank you!

 

The Lakeside Talks

Every afternoon throughout the two week encampment a Lakeside Chat or Lakeside Talk is given just after lunch at 12:30pm, where a political insider or industry leader gives a thirty-minute speech on his area of expertise. These daily talks are a rare and uncensored look into the minds of the most powerful men in the world. The speeches primarily revolve around political, economic, and business trends, and often include information that is typically not revealed publicly.

A reporter named Philip Weiss working for Spy Magazine successfully snuck inside the Grove in 1989 and witnessed a Lakeside Talk given by General John Chain, who was the Commander of the Strategic Air Command.56 In his speech the General lobbied the audience members to help him get the funding for the Stealth B-2 bomber program which would later end up costing almost 45 billion dollars, yes 45 billion dollars.57

Every decade or so the club produces a limited number of yearbooks called the Annals of the Bohemian Grove, which are given out to members so they can reminisce about their time there. These rare books contain dozens of photos from inside the forest and some include attendees dressed in drag, along with pictures of the Cremation of Care ritual and various Lakeside Talk speakers.

I have personally been able to obtain four different copies of these books, (Volumes V, VII, VIII, and IX) since occasionally they’ll find their way into used bookstores after older Bohemian Grove members die and their book collections are sold at estate sales or donated to thrift stores like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. In one book (volume VII 1987-1996 ) there is a clear photo of George Bush Senior and George W. Bush standing at the podium giving a Lakeside Talk in 1995 where Bush Senior reportedly told the audience that his son would make a great president one day.58



President Nixon revealed in his memoir (published in 1978) that his Lakeside Talk marked the beginning of his road to the White House, writing, “If I were to choose the speech that gave me the most pleasure and satisfaction in my political career, it would be my Lakeside Speech at the Bohemian Grove in July 1967. Because this speech traditionally was off the record it received no publicity at the time. But in many important ways it marked the first milestone on my road to the presidency.”59

While Nixon praised the Bohemian Grove in his memoir as the key to his path to the presidency, privately—as you will see in the next chapter— he denounced the widespread homosexuality he witnessed while he was there.60

Schedules of the Lakeside Talks are handed out to members inside which include who each afternoon’s speaker is and what their topic is. Often one of these schedules have been stolen by an employee and made available on the Internet. In the next few pages you’ll find a list of some of these speakers and their topics so you can get a feel for just how exclusive these talks are, and how the information presented impacts the world.

If the members’ time spent inside the Bohemian Grove is “just a vacation,” then why are there speeches by people like the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Army Generals, mainstream media executives, political analysts and talk show hosts, leading economists, and bigwig businessmen? The stolen program guides have revealed for example, in 1981 the Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger gave a speech titled “Rearming America” where he urged his well-connected audience to pull some strings to increase military spending. In 1991 Dick Cheney, who was Secretary of Defense under George Bush Senior’s presidency, gave a speech titled “Defense Problems of the 21st Century” where he did the same thing.

The Grove may have tightened up security in recent years, because the itineraries for the most recent years are unavailable. Some leaks did indicate

who was speaking there, but the program guide of the complete speakers list and their topic is unavailable from 2012 to 2014. It is rumored that they may have stopped handing out the schedule to members since employees keep stealing them and leaking them to the public, and the club may be securing them under a sheet of glass so they may be viewed but not carried away.

In 2013 the local Press Democrat newspaper did report that four-star U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal and comedian Conan O’Brien were among the speakers, as well as MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, who also gave a Lakeside Talk back in 2003.61 There were rumors that Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck were there as guests or possibly speakers in 2013 because they were both missing from their usual schedules at some point in time while the encampment was in session.

 



Lakeside Talks 2011

Saturday, July 17

“The Supreme Court in the Age of Obama” by Jeffrey Toobin—legal analyst for CNN and The New Yorker.

 

Sunday, July 18

“The Obama Administration at War” by David Martin, national security correspondent for CBS News.

 

Wednesday, July 21

“How Should We Think about China. Partner, Competitor, Threat?” by Michail Armacost, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan and member of the National Security Council who handled East Asian and Chinese affairs.

 

Friday, July 23

“K—12 Education in America” by Joel Klein, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education.



 

Saturday, July 24

“The Future of News” by Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corporation, the parent company of the Fox News Channel.

 

Sunday, July 25

“The Revenge of God: Religion & Violence in the Modern World” by Reza Aslan, professor at the University of California, Riverside.

 

Monday, July 26

“Venture Philanthropy—Andrew Carnegie 2.0” by John Wood, founder of Room to Read, a global non-profit organization that’s focused on literacy and gender equality in education.

 

Tuesday, July 27

“Cultural Diplomacy” by Dr. Gary Smith, executive director of the American Academy in Berlin.

 



Wednesday, July 28

“Defeating IEDs as a Weapon of Strategic Influence by” Thomas Metz, Lt. General, U.S. Army (retired).

 

Thursday, July 29

“The Four Most Important Words in Economics: People Respond to Incentives” by economist Arthur Laffer.

 

Friday, July 30

“To Be Announced” by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 

Saturday, July 31

“Why is Mars so Important?” by Michael Malin, planetary geologist. Also “Countdown for America” by David Gergen, former presidential advisor.

 



Lakeside Talks 2006

Friday, July 14

“Global Financial Warriors” by John Taylor, professor of economics at Stanford University.

 

Monday, July 17

“Untold Tales from the Cold War” by Tom Reed, former Secretary of the Air Force.

 

Tuesday, July 18

“Energy, CO2 and Climate Change” by Lynn Orr, director of the Global Climate & Energy Project at Stanford University.

 

Wednesday, July 19

“Gulf Coast Erosion: Consequences for America” by Michail Armacosting, Chairman of Louisiana Governor’s Coastal Restoration and

Conservation Committee.

 

Friday, July 21

“America in the New World” by Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek magazine and CNN host.

 

Tuesday, July 25

“Island Conservation with Guns, Traps & Poison” by Bernie Tershy, research biologist at the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

 

Wednesday, July 26

“The Parallelism & Ultimate Convergence of Science and Religion” by scientist Charles Townes.

 

Thursday, July 27

“Global Urbanization: a Challenge for the Future” by Richard Koshalek, President of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.



 

Friday, July 28

“Lessons Learned from War, Assassination, the White House and Hollywood” by Jack Valenti, former president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

 

Saturday, July 29

“From Battlefields to Playing Fields: Economics, Energy, and Education” by General Colin Powell (retired), former Secretary of State.



Lakeside Talks 2005

Saturday, July 16

“Of Laughter & Leadership” by David Gergen, public policy professor and former presidential advisor.

 

Sunday, July 17

“To Be Announced” by naturalist Richard Leakey.

 

Monday, July 18

“The Case for Immigration Restriction” by Richard D. Lamb, professor at the University of Colorado and former Colorado Governor.

 

Tuesday, July 19

“Iraqi Medicine: Rip Van Winkle’s Burden” by Bernard S. Alpert, M.D.



 

Wednesday, July 20

“Wealth, Poverty & the Threat to Global Security” by William W. Lewis, director emeritus at the McKinsey Global Institute.

 

Thursday, July 21

“Dark Energy & the Runaway Universe” by Alex Filippano, professor of astronomy at the University of Berkley, California.

 

Friday, July 22

“Unlimited Government” by Chris DeMuth, executive director of the American Enterprise Institute.

 

Saturday, July 23

“To Be Announced” (Name not printed, which usually means someone “important” who doesn’t want to be connected to the Grove publicly).

 



Monday, July 25

“Nuclear Considerations: The Way Ahead” by Albert Konetzni, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy.

 

Tuesday, July 26

“Peering Into Pandora’s Box: Avian Flu & Beyond” by W. Ian Lipkin, M.D., scientific director at the Northeast Biodefense Center.

 

Friday, July 29

“To Be Announced” by Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico.

 

Saturday, July 30

“Hoover Talk” by General Colin Powell, U.S. Army General (retired) and former Secretary of State during the George W. Bush administration.



Lakeside Talks 2004

Friday, July 16

“Exploring Mars & Searching for Life in the Universe” by Charles Elachi, director of the Jet Propulsion Lab at the California Institute of Technology.

 

Saturday, July 17

“The Landscape of American Politics” by David Brooks, New York Times columnist and political commentator.

 

Sunday, July 18

“The Elections & Their Aftermath” by Norman Ornstein, political analyst at the American Enterprise Institute.

 

Monday, July 19

“State Building: What We Do and Don’t Know about Creating Institutions in Developing Countries” by Francis Fukuyama, dean of advanced international studies at John Hopkins University.



 

Tuesday, July 20

“The Internal Life of Planets: A Comparison of Earth, Venus, Mars & the Moon” by Mark Richards, professor of geophysics and dean of physical sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.

 

Thursday July 22

“The Coming Virtual Soldier” by Roger McCarthy, chairman & principal engineer at Exponent Inc.

 

Friday, July 23

“The Long War of the 21st Century” by James Woolsey, Former Director of the CIA.

 

Saturday, July 24

“The Unrealized Potential of the Technological Revolution” by James H. Billington, librarian at the Library of Congress.

 



Monday, July 26

“Remembering Reagan, One Insiders Account” by Kenneth Adelman, author and policy analyst.

 

Wednesday, July 28

“Did the Terrorists Expect the World Trade Towers to Fall?” by Ian Mackinlay, architect.

 

Saturday, July 31

“Politics, Plagues, Prevention & Preparedness” by Vice Admiral Richard Carmona M.D., United States Surgeon General



Lakeside Talks 1997

Friday, July 11

“Rogues, Terrorists and Two Weimars Redux: National Security in the Next Century” by James Woolsey, former Director of the CIA.

 

Saturday, July 12

“Augustine’s Laws and the High Tech Grove” by Norman Augustine, chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Inc.

 

Sunday, July 13

Individualism in Western History” by Ken Jowitt , professor of political science at the University of California, Berkley.

 

Monday, July 14

“The Triumph of the Market and the Politics of Affluence” by Christopher DeMuth.



 

Wednesday, July 16

“Heretical Thoughts” by Yurek Martin, senior writer at the Financial Times of London.

 

Thursday, July 17

“The New Economics—Ideas Hatched in the Forest are Worth More Than the Trees” Craig McCaw, Chairman & CEO Eagle River LLC.

 

Friday, July 18

“Cyberspace and Managed Care: Is the Acceleration Manageable, or Do We Throw Momma from the Train?” by Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. Former Secretary Health & Human Services.

 

Saturday, July 19

“Plutonium Today and Tomorrow” by Charles Hollister.

 



Sunday, July 20

“National Security is Going South: Where is the Vision?” by William A. Owens, Admiral USN (retired) Former Vice-Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Vice Chairman SAIC.

 

Wednesday July 23

“Taxation with Representation” by Kurt Hauser

 

Thursday, July 24

“The Information Superhighway: A Way Upward, or a Toll Road to Nowhere?” by Ervin S. Duggan, President and CEO Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

 

Friday, July 25

“Church, State and the Constitution” by Antonin Scalia, Justice on the Supreme Court.

 

Saturday, July 26



“Campaign Operative The Best of Times and the Worst of Times” Donald Rumsfeld, member of Nixon cabinet and future Secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush administration.



Infiltrations and Leaks

In 1980 a local resident named Mary Moore founded what she called the Bohemian Grove Action Network with the purpose of infiltrating the Grove by having people obtain summer jobs inside or by convincing those who already worked there to steal membership lists, program guides, and other information in order to expose the Grove.

Mary also organized demonstrations outside the Grove beginning in the 1980s consisting mainly of left-wing hippies who were concerned about the big business, environmentally unfriendly “Republicans” inside. She says, “When powerful people work together, they become even more powerful. The Grove membership is wealthy and becoming more so, while the middle class is steadily becoming poorer. This close-knit group determines whether prices rise or fall (by their control of the banking system, money supply, and markets), and they make money whichever way markets fluctuate.”62

Due to all the attention the Bohemian Grove Action Network was generating, in 1982 a reporter from Time magazine decided to sneak inside but his story was censored by the magazine and never published.63

As I mentioned earlier, a reporter from Spy Magazine named Philip Weiss was able to sneak inside the club in 1989 and published an article titled “Masters of the Universe Go to Camp: Inside Bohemian Grove,” detailing what he had witnessed. Aside from seeing a Lakeside Talk by General John Chain, who urged the audience to pull some strings to get the 45 billion dollars in funding for the B-2 bomber program, Weiss also said the members loved chewing on cigars, drinking beer, and peeing everywhere.



“You know you are inside the Bohemian Grove when you come down a trail in the woods and hear piano music from amid a group of tents and then round a bend to see a man with a beer in one hand and his penis in the other, urinating into the bushes. This is the most gloried-in ritual of the encampment, the freedom of powerful men to pee wherever they like,” he wrote.64

In 1991 a reporter for People magazine named Dirk Mathison was able to sneak inside and wander around for a period of time, but he was eventually spotted and removed from the property. He wrote a story about his experience that was supposed to appear in the August 5, 1991 issue of People magazine, but it never did. The managing editor at the time, Landon Jones, claimed killing the story had nothing to do with executives at Time Warner (People magazine’s parent company) being members.65



Alex Jones from Infowars.com

In July of the year 2000, radio talk show host Alex Jones, founder of Infowars.com, successfully infiltrated the Bohemian Grove and actually videotaped the Cremation of Care ritual and got out with the footage. He cut a hole in the side of a shoulder bag and mounted a camcorder inside, and sat in the bleachers with the rest of the approximately 1500 members and guests and watched the event unfold. He was accompanied by his thenproducer Mike Hanson.

A British journalist named Jon Ronson documented Jones’ and Hanson’s infiltration and included their adventure in an episode of his television series, The Secret Rulers of the World which follows Ronson as he “investigates” the claims of what he called “conspiracy theorists” surrounding the New World Order.

Ronson is a skeptic and appears to make fun of his subjects, seemingly intent to “debunk” their claims, but after Jones and Hanson emerged from the Bohemian Grove with the footage in hand, even Ronson was surprised that the “conspiracy theories” were true. After the two returned back to the hotel with the footage, Ronson questioned them about what they had seen.

[Ronson] Do you think this was unholy?

[Hanson] It’s very strange to me. These people are supposed to be running the world and they’re out there doing this.

[Ronson] You seem freaked out.



[Hanson] I am.

[Jones] These people point their fingers all day and call people extremists or cult members or whatever for their religious beliefs, this was a pagan ceremony and engaging in human sacrifice, a mock human sacrifice…

[Ronson] Aren’t they just saying that for two weeks they don’t need to worry about anything?

[Jones] But they’re burning someone in effigy and as it’s burning they “ahh ohhh nooo!”

[Ronson] But they’re not killing a person.

[Jones] We understand they’re not literally killing a person…

[Ronson] They’re killing something that is symbolic…

[Jones] Wait a minute. You saw it. You’ve got Death on this black boat bringing a pallet with the paper mache person obviously, it’s got the feet and the head and they take it over and burn it.

[Ronson] But wasn’t it just a metaphor?

[Hanson] To me it doesn’t matter. I think they’re sacrificing in the real world too.

[Ronson] Was this the New World Order?

[Hanson] Yes definitely. I looked the New World Order in the face out there.



Shortly after Alex Jones’ posted the footage online, a show called Washington Journal on C-SPAN discussed his infiltration. The show was hosted by Brian Lamb, the director of C-SPAN, who interviewed a “scholarly conspiracy researcher” named Michael Barkun who ridiculed Jones and appeared to be engaging in damage control.

The host states that he heard Alex Jones on Coast to Coast AM talking about his adventure and “he was talking about the Bohemian Grove club as if that’s where it all happens. That’s where all the decisions are made. There are thousands of people who go there, and there is some kind of ceremony and an owl and all that, have you followed this?” Lamb asked Barkun.66

Barkun replies, “Yes I have, even though the show is on past my bedtime, but, Alex Jones has been talking about this for quite a while. The Bohemian Grove, of course, is a privately owned redwood grove, up in Sonoma Country, north of San Francisco, where every summer there is a get together of the wealthy and well placed, all male, who get together for general cavorting, socializing, lecture, symposium and so on, in an atmosphere that is completely removed from public scrutiny. Alex Jones and some others have suggested for a long time that there are all sorts of nefarious rituals that go on, and a matter of fact, and I talk about this incident actually in my book, someone who had listened to the Alex Jones show about this was arrested within the Bohemian Grove, very heavily armed, because he said he was trying to bring attention to what he thought were human sacrifices that were being committed by the elite who attend these gatherings.”67

Barkun was referring to a man named Richard McCaslin who snuck onto the property in January of 2002 with the hopes of exposing the Cremation of Care ritual which he believed involved an actual human sacrifice. More on Richard McCaslin in a moment. Lamb and Barkun didn’t even mention the Cremation of Care ritual, and how it clearly depicts a theatrical human sacrifice, and gave the audience the impression that crazy conspiracy theorists have just invented the idea out of thin air that the club

is burning people alive during their party and the intruder was completely insane for thinking such a thing was happening.



The Phantom Patriot

In January 2002 a 37-year-old man named Richard McCaslin snuck into the Grove while wearing a superhero outfit, a bullet proof vest, and armed with a fully loaded MK-1 rifle-shotgun. Having heard the rumors about what allegedly goes on inside, and having seen Alex Jones’ footage of the Cremation of Care, McCaslin was convinced there were actual human sacrifices being carried out and he intended to expose it.68 Jones never said the ritual was an actual human sacrifice, but many people have, including, as I’ve mentioned earlier—David Icke, the guy who believes the Illuminati are blood-drinking shapeshifting reptilians from another galaxy.69

If you’ll recall, the summer encampment begins the second weekend of July, and since “The Phantom Patriot,” as he called himself, went there in January, not much was going on. After he didn’t find any elite insiders gathering, McCaslin decided to set a building on fire and was apprehended by Bohemian Grove security. He was sentenced to eleven years in prison, a sentence dramatically increased because he was wearing a bullet proof vest in the commission of a crime (felony arson) which is an additional charge in California.70

Richard McCaslin was (and still is) part of the real-life super hero subculture, a small and bizarre group of adult males who like to dress up as “superheroes” and fantasize about being “real” crime fighters.71 Some of these people actually walk the streets of cities in America wearing their costumes and see themselves as neighborhood watchmen.72 After McCaslin was released from prison, he continued wearing his “Phantom Patriot” costume and still believes the Bohemian Grove members are reptilian shape-shifters from another planet.73



In 2011 he was seen protesting outside a business in Davenport, Iowa where President Obama was speaking and accused Obama, the Bush family, and Bill Clinton of being reptilians. A local paper did a story on him where he is quoted saying, “Every American president has British peerage [relation], and royalty has always said they have the right to rule by their bloodline. Their ancestors weren’t human; they were aliens, probably of the reptilian type.”74

Les Claypool, the singer of the rock band Primus, wrote a song titled “Phantom Patriot” for his solo project Of Whales and Woe (2006) which is about McCaslin’s “raid” on the Bohemian Grove. Claypool lives in Occidental, California, a small town right next to the Grove and is obviously aware of the rumors and allegations surrounding the place. Here’s a sample of the lyrics:

Walking through the compound With a formulated plan

There to help his fellow man At this decisive point in time The Bohemians of the Grove Don’t see it quite the same Sensing danger in his game They dub his quest a crime - Phantom Patriot



Chris Jones

In the summer of 2005, a man in his late thirties named Chris Jones [no relation to Alex Jones] got a job at the Bohemian Grove for the sole purpose of infiltrating the club and gathering photos and video evidence of what happens inside. He was able to get photos of some of the camps and elaborate clubhouses, and even some close-up pictures of the site of the Cremation of Care ritual, including the effigy used during the ceremony.

His photos clearly show that the object burned on the altar is in fact a life-size human effigy. It consists of a metal skeleton that’s wrapped with paper. Chris said he was able to inspect the effigy shortly before the Cremation of Care in 2005 and stuck his hand inside the paper wrapping to feel around inside it to see if by any chance there was an actual person, child, or vial of blood inside, but he said it was just paper wrapped around the metal skeletal frame.75 His photos and videos were included in Alex Jones’ 2005 film The Order of Death, a sequel to Dark Secrets: Inside Bohemian Grove which first showed the footage Alex shot in July of 2000.

I have personally met Chris Jones and he showed me the photos and videos on his camera along with some other memorabilia he “kept” (stole) from the club, including a membership list, a program guide, a book of matches, and a trashcan.

When he first turned over his photos and footage to Alex Jones for publication on Infowars.com, Chris called himself “Kyle,” wanting to remain anonymous, but after he was later jailed, he went public with his real name. Chris claims he showed some teenagers in his neighborhood the footage and photos he took, trying to educate them about the Bohemian Grove, but one of them got scared and told their parents Chris showed them a “snuff film” and says this was the start of his legal troubles. He was later

arrested for lewd conduct with a minor for playing strip poker with some boys he was babysitting.76

Some people believe these charges were trumped up as payback for him working to expose the Bohemian Grove and for releasing his never before seen photos and video footage, but the court documents detail what appear to be a history of inappropriate behavior with teens in his neighborhood.77 He claimed he was innocent and said the charges were based on misunderstandings but was found guilty in court and sentenced to three years in the Theo Lacy jail in Orange, California.



More Recent Attempts

In July of 2008 a Vanity Fair reporter named Alex Shoumatoff was arrested for trespassing after sneaking onto the property. Apparently he was working on a story—not about the strange rituals or the Lakeside Talks, no —he was working on a story about the club cutting down some Douglas-fir and diseased oak trees in order to help prevent forest fires—or at least that’s what he said he was doing there.78

Shoumatoff later wrote an article in Vanity Fair titled “Bohemian Tragedy,” where he complained about them cutting down some trees and talked about his arrest. He snuck inside, in his words, “to investigate reports that the Bohemians have been desecrating their own bower. That nothing is sacred with these guys anymore. Everything is fair game. But how could the Bohemian Club, where California’s forest-preservation movement began, be logging its own land, which includes the largest stand of old-growth redwoods in Sonoma County?” he wrote.79

In January of 2011 the History Channel’s Decoded included an episode about the Bohemian Grove and two of the show’s “investigators” paddled down the Russian River in canoes and entered the forest from the riverbank which runs right along the edge of the Grove’s property. They were discovered immediately and arrested for trespassing. This wasn’t even during the summer encampment so they wouldn’t have even found anything very interesting happening inside anyway.

The show didn’t even include any of Alex Jones’ footage of the Cremation of Care because the host, Brad Meltzer, said the History Channel’s lawyers were afraid they would get sued for airing it since it was technically obtained illegally. At the end of the segment, the “investigators” talked about their experience and arrest. One of them said, “I had nine hours

of incarceration to think about this. The more I thought about it, the less I was bothered by the Grove, even though they had just arrested me. I sort of felt like they are allowed to do this, it’s their property, and if they want to continue to have presidents and Saudi princes and military leaders come here, they need to promise those guys that they’ll be safe.”80

Another of the “investigators” concluded, “There’s nothing nefarious going on here. It’s just a bunch of businessmen and a men’s club.”81 Brad Meltzer the host ended the show by saying, “To be clear, this is a great club, and breaking laws isn’t a way to get into it, but a bit more disclosure, a bit more transparency, would go a long way.” Meltzer is also friends with President George Bush Senior, who gave him the idea for the plot of his book The Inner Circle, which is about a secret society that’s been operating in Washington D.C. ever since the United States was founded. This secret society isn’t the Illuminati or any “evil” group with ill intentions—no—it turns out to be a “good” secret society that George Washington started, called the Culper Ring, which Meltzer’s book claims is still in existence today to help “protect” America.

It’s likely the Decoded “investigators” arrests were staged in order to send a warning to viewers not to attempt to sneak in. As someone who’s been involved with a variety of “reality” television shows myself, I can tell you there’s not much reality in them.82 Scenes are staged and shot out of sequence to simplify the production schedule and then edited together to make it appear as if they were shot in chronological order.

In 2013 Colin Powell’s personal email was hacked into by an antiIlluminati hacker who called himself Guccifer. Powell’s email inbox contained some photos of him and his buddies inside the Bohemian Grove, and one of the emails was from News Corp executive Andrew Knight asking Powell to “firmly point out” to British Prime Minister Tony Blair that he should attend the Grove’s summer encampment that coming July and saying, “Tony has not yet got his priorities straight.”83



Guccifer was apprehended the following year and sentenced to seven years in prison.84 This is the same hacker who illegally accessed the emails of various Clinton, Bush, and Obama administration officials, including George W. Bush’s sister’s email where Guccifer found family photos as well as a self-portrait painted by George W. Bush depicting him taking a shower.85

On my YouTube channel there is a playlist of footage that I shot at the front gates of the Bohemian Grove in July of 2012 when I attended the Occupy Bohemian Grove protest, where hundreds of people gathered outside the entrance to raise awareness about the club.86 You can see dozens of police wearing riot gear standing guard in order to prevent the crowd from marching inside. I also captured footage of a K-9 unit patrolling the perimeter of the property, a speech by anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, and the rather violent arrest of one of the protesters.



Hookers and Homosexuality

San Francisco is basically the gay capital of America, and with the Bohemian Grove located just north of the city, one might expect some of this “gayness” would spread to the Grove, especially since it was founded by artists and “Bohemians.” A Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle named Herb Caen wrote about the homosexual activities in the Grove in his gossip column in the 1980s, and informants for the Bohemian Grove Action Network have claimed there has been widespread homosexual behavior inside.

Philip Weiss, who snuck inside in 1989 and wrote a lengthy article in Spy Magazine, said, “Today AIDS has put a damper on the Grove’s River Road pickup scene, which Herb Caen used to write about in his San Francisco Chronicle gossip column. Just the same, a man on his own often gets invited back to camps by gay Bohemians.”87 Weiss went on to say that several men tried to pick him up during his visit there.

According to Mary Moore of the Bohemian Grove Action Network, a man named Don Heimforth, who worked inside the Grove, was the “Deep Throat” (referring to the famed White House informant during the Watergate scandal) of the Bohemian Grove in the 1980s, and claimed a lot of gay men were involved in the club. Heimforth himself was gay and later died of AIDS.88

In 2004 The New York Post reported that a gay porn star named “Chad Savage” was discovered working in the Bohemian Grove, supposedly as a “valet,” which many people believe was just a cover story so he could engage in other kinds of activities— like perhaps “entertaining” the members.89 The Bohemian Grove yearbooks (the Annals) have various pictures of men dressed in drag to entertain each other while inside, and one

can only imagine what kind of weirdness goes on at some of the camps under the cover of darkness.

President Richard Nixon, who in his memoir admitted that the path to his presidency began in the Bohemian Grove, had something else to say about the place as well, which was not so favorable. In 1999 the National Archives released over 400 hours of Oval Office tapes from the 1970s, and on one of them Nixon made a pretty damning statement about the Bohemian Grove.

Nixon, along with John D. Ehrlichman and H. R. Haldeman, were discussing how the media was glorifying homosexuality and how it had been spreading, especially in San Francisco. Nixon went on to say, “The Bohemian Grove—which I attend, from time to time—it is the most faggy goddamned thing you could ever imagine, with that San Francisco crowd. I can’t shake hands with anybody from San Francisco.”90



Prostitution

It’s common knowledge that many wealthy men like buying the pleasures prostitutes provide. Sex scandals and politicians go together like peanut butter and jelly and it seems a new one is uncovered every few months. The trophy wives of many wealthy businessmen and powerful politicians are often twenty or thirty years younger than their husbands, and many of these couples have an unspoken open relationship.

The wives sleep with the pool boy or men they meet at the gym, while their husbands buy prostitutes through elite escort services when they’re away on business. And so, during the “greatest men’s party on earth” at the Bohemian Grove, it would be foolish to think some of these wealthy and power-hungry men could spend a week away from their wives without buying some time with a lady of the night (or a call-boy).

The Northwood Lodge and Resort, which is just a few minutes away from the Bohemian Grove, is the spot where some men slip away to hook up with prostitutes throughout the two-week long encampment. Back in 2001 Counter Punch, an independent investigative news site, wrote, “A few years ago KGO radio, out of San Francisco, had an interesting talk show in which callers with first-hand Grove experience told their tales. A man from Monte Rio said he was only one of several towns-people renting cabins every year to prostitutes traveling from as far as Las Vegas to renew the Bohos’ spiritual fibers.”91

It has also been rumored that the Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theatre in the Tenderloin red-light district of San Francisco has been a source of strippers and high-class call girls used by the Bohos. Mike Hanson, who worked as Alex Jones’ cameraman and producer, and who was with Jones when he snuck into the club in July of 2000, later interviewed four dancers

from Mitchell Brothers for his book who claimed that prostitution was the “unofficial” but accepted policy at Bohemian Grove.92

These girls said that the strippers who had been brought inside to perform for the guys were always expect to “perform” in other ways, if you know what I mean. The girls Mike Hanson interviewed said they signed NDAs, non-disclosure agreements, preventing them from reveling information about their experiences inside, or even admitting publicly that they had been there, so they only spoke with him on the condition that he would not reveal their identities.

Hanson’s book, titled Bohemian Grove: Cult of Conspiracy, details his and Jones’ infiltration into the Grove, where he includes his interview with these strippers who were between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-five. They say they were hired for a three-day gig inside the Grove and on the first night they said they performed for a group of around 40 men and then later some of the guys paid the girls for their “company for the night.”93

The second night they said they put on a show for a group of around 100 men, but the girls said they started getting extremely uncomfortable with how degrading some of the men were and got creeped out so they chose to leave before their third show and claimed the men wouldn’t pay them since they had agreed to work for three nights and were breaking their contract.94

Hanson wrote that one stripper/hooker admitted she stole a laptop computer she saw laying around as compensation for not getting paid, and said that after she took it home and turned it on, she found pictures of what appeared to be women and children being violently raped.95 More about these allegations in the next chapter.

 



Allegations of Murder

In the past, when hardly anything was publicly known about the Bohemian Grove, rumors about the Cremation of Care “human sacrifice” ritual led many in the conspiracy community to believe the club was performing an actual human sacrifice every year.

After seeing the photographs and confirming that the world’s richest and most powerful men do in fact meet in a secluded forest and perform what appears on the surface to look like a human sacrifice, it’s understandable how many could come to this conclusion. But even though the details about the Cremation of Care eventually emerged showing it involves an effigy and not an actual person—accusations of murder still persist, and there are even allegations more disturbing than them supposedly “just” burning someone alive on an altar in a ritual sacrifice.

These allegations involve claims of horrific sadistic acts that are said to involve the sexual abuse of children and the production of snuff films (the videotaping of a murder for entertainment). These allegations are so grotesque and nauseating, I don’t even like to talk about them, but I feel they must be addressed and investigated. I warn you, this section will be quite disturbing and graphic, and you may wish you had never read it.

These rumors, which I will detail in a moment, don’t just lurk in the dark depths of the Internet, made by anonymous individuals on obscure websites or forums; but actually come primarily from a former U.S. Senator named John DeCamp. DeCamp was a Nebraska state senator in the 1990s who is also an attorney who represented several children who he claimed were sexually abused inside the Bohemian Grove in the 1980s at the hands of a pedophile ring allegedly operating within one of the camps.96



In 1992 he published a book titled The Franklin Cover-Up, where he claimed that a boy named Paul Bonacci was viciously sexually abused at the hands of a group of men inside the Bohemian Grove. DeCamp alleged the boy was forced to engage in necrophilia (sex with a dead body) and claimed to have witnessed these same men rape a young male child and then murder him during the summer of 1984, on or around July 26th inside the Grove.97

This was before anything about the Bohemian Grove had been posted on the Internet, and really before most people had ever heard of the Internet. Paul Bonacci claimed this abuse occurred in a luxurious Northern California campground in an area that had big trees where men wore black hooded robes and where there was a giant moss-covered owl statue.98 DeCamp says that when he asked Bonacci to guide him to the location of this alleged abuse, he said he led him to the gates of the Bohemian Grove.99

Paul Bonacci wrote in his journal about this alleged abuse right after it was said to have occurred. What he wrote is so horrifying I will not include some of it here because it will make you physically ill. He said that he and another boy he called Nicholas were forced to rape another kid who was then shot and killed immediately afterward, all while being videotaped.100

His journal reads, “After that the men grabbed Nicholas and drug him off screaming. They put me up against a tree and put a gun to my head but fired into the air. I heard another shot from somewhere and then saw the man who killed the boy drag him like a toy. Everything including when the men put the boy in the trunk was filmed. The men took me with them and we went up in a plane. I saw the bag the boy was in. We went over a very thick brush area with a clearing in it. Over the clearing they dropped the boy. One said the men with the hoods would take care of the body for them.”101

More details of Bonacci’s journal are available in DeCamp’s book The Franklin Cover-Up, and are far beyond the most gruesome and grotesque things one could imagine, and involve the alleged gang rape of a child and

necrophilia.102 In the first printing of his book in 1992 Senator DeCamp left out Bonacci’s claims of the giant owl statue and men in hoods because at the time he thought it was too far-fetched for people to believe. DeCamp had never heard of the Bohemian Grove, the Cremation of Care, or the giant owl statue at the time. Only years later did he learn about the details of Bohemian Grove and became convinced that Paul Bonacci was abused there.103

When John DeCamp first told William Colby, head of the CIA, about his investigation, Colby reportedly told him to forget everything he knew and to, “Get as far away from this thing as you can. Forget you ever saw it or know it, heard it or anything else.”104 He said DeCamp was opening a can of worms containing forces too dark for him to handle. Only after saying he couldn’t walk away from his investigation did Colby tell him he better get his story out before someone murdered him to stop it. Colby himself later died in what was called a canoeing accident, although many suspect he was murdered due to the strange circumstances surrounding his death.105

Now before you write John DeCamp off as mentally ill, or a conspiracy theorist, or perpetuating a hoax—you should know that around this same time the Washington Times ran a front page story with the headline, “Homosexual prostitution inquiry ensnares VIPs with Reagan, Bush,” and detailed a shocking story of a gay prostitution ring operating in Washington D.C. that provided teen call-boys to some very powerful and well-connected men.106 The man running the ring was a lobbyist named Craig Spence—who, through his connections—was able to bring several teenage boys who worked for him as prostitutes on a midnight tour of the White House, which was the focus of the Washington Times report.

The article begins, “A homosexual prostitution ring is under investigation by federal and District authorities and includes among its clients key officials of the Reagan and Bush administrations, military officers, congressional aides and U.S. and foreign businessmen with close social ties to Washington's political elite, documents obtained by The Washington Times reveal.”107 The story quietly went away and has long been forgotten by most Americans.



A similar elite pedophile ring was also operating in London at this time (and likely still does today). The Guardian recently reported that major news agencies in England were gagged by the government in the 1980s to prevent them from reporting on powerful members of the British government who were suspected of being involved in an elite pedophile ring there which also murdered children for fun.108

The Guardian reported, “Two newspaper executives have told the Observer that their publications were issued with D-notices—warnings not to publish intelligence that might damage national security—when they sought to report on allegations of a powerful group of men engaging in child sex abuse in 1984. One executive said he had been accosted in his office by 15 uniformed and two non-uniformed police over a dossier on Westminster pedophiles passed to him by the former Labour cabinet minister Barbara Castle.”109

The article continues, “The other said that his newspaper had received a D-notice [similar to a national security letter in America] when a reporter sought to write about a police investigation into Elm Guest House, in southwest London, where a group of high-profile pedophiles was said to have operated and may have killed a child.”110

This is the London Guardian, not the National Enquirer or some random website on the Internet, and this story sounds exactly like the accusations Senator John DeCamp was making about a group operating within the United States at the same time, doesn’t it? Two retired Scotland Yard detectives recently came forward and said that a network of powerful and well-known politicians in the United Kingdom sexually abused and murdered young boys at parties but they were prevented from arresting them because they were part of what are called The Untouchables.111 The detectives actually named names, including Cyril Smith, a popular member of the British Parliament who died in 2010, and who was a serial sex offender who preyed on young boys.112



In 2012 a paparazzi working for TMZ came across Ralph Rieckermann who played bass for the Scorpions, a popular rock band from the 1980s, and asked him if he would be going to any fetish parties while in Germany which are apparently very popular in Berlin. Rieckermann answered, “I don’t go to fetish parties,” but then went on to appear to insinuate that he had been to a “snuff party” one time where people were murdered for the partygoers entertainment. “I went to one, one time—I seen some really bad shit,” he says.113

When the TMZ cameraman asks, “Was it a donkey show?” Rieckermann responds “No, they actually, I think, it’s…they actually killed people there and stuff. They pay up to $100,000 to see people get…” the cameraman completes his sentence, asking “executed?”

Rieckermann responds, “I’m not kidding. I went to another one where literally I saw like…the grossest…I wanted to throw up.” The video, which can be seen on YouTube, then cuts back to the TMZ studio to show reactions from the staff. “He is dead serious. He’s not laughing, there’s not a smile on his face,” one man comments. Another says, “I’m disgusted right now.” Harvey Levin, the founder and managing editor of TMZ looked absolutely horrified, and said, “I’m shocked,” and just shook his head.

Three years later, just days after I myself posted a YouTube video about this story, getting almost 10 times as many views as TMZ’s original interview, Rieckermann posted a video statement on YouTube clarifying what he meant about the “snuff party.” He said that he didn’t personally witness anyone getting killed, but was at a party at someone’s estate where the host showed him some of the bondage/sadomasochism fetish rooms where the owner said he and his friends would murder people for fun at special events.114 Rieckermann emphasizes that he did not witness any murders but appeared to believe what the host told him was true.

It’s not hard to believe that a group of extreme sadomasochists would find enjoyment by having someone murdered at one of their parties. The world’s lust for realistic and brutal horror movies shows that millions of

people find excitement in watching people getting tortured and murdered, and with films like Faces of Death, and certain websites which specialize in collecting gruesome photos and videos of crime scenes and people getting murdered, it’s not that hard to believe that some people would pay money to witness an actual murder in person, or even participate in one themselves.



Hunter S. Thompson

A man closely connected with what Senator John DeCamp called the Franklin Cover-Up (named after the Franklin Community Federal Credit Union in Omaha, Nebraska that was allegedly used to fund a pedophile ring used by high-level U.S. politicians in the late 1980s and early 1990s) has made some startling allegations about Hunter S. Thompson and the Bohemian Grove.

Rusty Nelson, [Russell E. Nelson] who worked as the personal photographer for the man at the center of the scandal, Larry (Lawrence E.) King, alleges that the famous “gonzo” journalist offered him $100,000 in 1988 to produce a snuff film involving the murder of a child.115 Rusty said he turned the offer down.

Paul Bonacci also claimed, and wrote in his journal, that a man named “Hunter Thompson” was inside the Bohemian Grove at the time he was allegedly abused there, and also claimed that Thompson was the man videotaping his abuse.116

Interestingly, Hunter S. Thompson wrote in his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas about receiving Adrenochrome from a Satanist, which is supposedly a powerful hallucinogen believed to come from the pineal gland immediately after a person is killed. Adding yet another twist to the story is the fact that Hunter S. Thompson wrote in his 2004 book titled Hey Rube about how organized pedophile rings keep children as sex slaves.

“The autumn months are never a calm time in America,” he wrote. “There is always a rash of kidnapping and abductions of schoolchildren in the football months. Preteens of both sexes are traditionally seized and

grabbed off the streets by gangs of organized perverts who traditionally give them as Christmas gifts to each other to be personal sex slaves and playthings.”117

This writing clearly shows Thompson knew of the dark pedophile ring subculture. Thompson was known for getting personally involved in his stories, as was the case when he lived with the Hells Angels for nearly two years in the 1960s while he chronicled his activities for his book Hells Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga. And so with Paul Bonacci’s allegations that a “Hunter Thompson” was present during his abuse and videotaping it, and Rusty Nelson claiming Hunter S. Thompson propositioned him to shoot a snuff film, some are led to believe he was involved in even more sinister activities than hanging out with a motorcycle gang.

Hunter S. Thompson was a celebrity during his time and is still considered to be a counterculture antihero by many today. In 1988 during an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman he appeared to have admitted to once being inside the Bohemian Grove. At the start of the bizarre interview Letterman asked him what he likes to do for fun, to which Thompson answered, “I like to kill.”118 The audience was noticeably uncomfortable, and the clip is available on YouTube—at least at the time I’m writing this.119

In his sometimes hard to understand mumbling Hunter went on to say that he liked the Jesuits because, “they’re smart and mean,” and that he himself had what he called a “neo-religious” world view. George Bush Senior came up during the interview since he was running for president at the time, and Thompson appeared to say, “I went to Hillbilly,”120 which is the name of the Bush family’s camp in the Bohemian Grove.

After his suicide in 2005, Thompson’s former editorial assistant Nickole Brown posted an article online titled In Memory of Hunter S. Thompson: Postcard from Louisville, Kentucky, recounting some of the bizarre behavior she had witnessed while working for him over the years.

“For weeks he played a tape recording of a jack rabbit screaming in a trap,” she wrote. She also said that one time, “he threw me out of the house for refusing to watch a snuff film.”121 As she left, he allegedly called her a coward.

In an interview I conducted over the phone with Nickole Brown on May 20th 2005, she told me she thought he was possibly joking about owning a snuff film, and says she didn’t think much of it after the incident, citing his “unique” character. She also said she couldn’t imagine him being involved in anything like what Paul Bonacci and Rusty Nelson claimed. She believes Hunter was possibly investigating such claims, and may have pretended to be interested in shooting a snuff film as part of his own investigation into the rumors, which she thinks might be the source of these allegations.



Sex Magick

Sex magic is the belief and practice that through various sex acts, people can supposedly generate sexual energy and direct it to metaphysically shape the very fabric of reality. It’s basically like mixing the visualization techniques found in teachings like the “Law of Attraction,” popularized in 2006 by Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret, with sex.

The Knights Templars, who reportedly learned about sex magic from the Tantrics of India, and medieval alchemist Paschal Beverly Randolph, and Satanist Aleister Crowley, all practiced secret sexual rites in what they considered to be the secret to “real” magic. Several fraternal organizations and secret societies such as the Ordo Templi Orientis, and the Chthonic Aurarian Temple also believe in—and continue to practice these kinds of rites.

On the surface, sex magic (often spelled with a “k” on the end, as stylized by Satanist Aleister Crowley) may seem like innocent sexual experimentation or a fun game, but the deeper one looks into the practice, the more bizarre it gets.

Multiple members and former members of the Ordo Templi Orientis, the secret society which uses Aleister Crowley’s Book of the Law as their Bible, have admitted that the 11th degree of their hierarchy is dedicated to homosexual sex magick.122 Former OTO member Jason Miller revealed in his book on sex magick, that, “the OTO’s 11th degree is largely dedicated to the cultivation of sperm in the anus,” and goes on to say that according to Crowley’s diaries, “In some writings the point seems to be to cultivate the sperm alone, but in others it seems to be to combine it with blood that seeps in from tearing in the anus and remnants of feces. In this theory the blood attracts the demons and the sperm brings them to life.”123



Miller goes on to say that a group of sex magic practitioners in Japan called the Tachikawa, supposedly engage in “skull fucking.” Miller wrote, “One of the most infamous rituals they practiced is the empowerment of a human skull as a Honzon, a holy relic with supernatural powers…First the practitioner chooses a particular type of skull, such as the skull of a Shogun or an elder….He then has sex with the skull as well as with a woman. Then they wipe the combined sexual fluids on the skull.”124 Miller’s book is not written to “expose” sex magic as sinister or evil, but instead to teach it, and he is an admirer and true believer of it.

The reason I’m talking about sex magic is because the group of men who allegedly abused Paul Bonacci in the Bohemian Grove were most likely doing so under the belief that they were engaging in some dark form of this kind of “magic.” As a disclaimer I must mention that the Ordo Templi Orientis, along with former member Jason Miller, who I quoted above, do not advocate child abuse, pedophilia, or human sacrifice, but it’s not hard to believe that some rogue members or a splinter group of a fraternity that practices esoteric sex magic have tried to follow in the footsteps of Aleister Crowley—dubbed “the wickedest man alive” in his day—by experimenting with, or incorporating child abuse and pedophilia into their rites.

Even consensual adult sex magic is strange, and the deeper one looks into it, the more disgusting the rituals become. One ritual involves taking a woman’s menstrual blood and a man’s semen and then mixing them together and baking the fluids into cookies or a cake and then eating it, believing that this gives people spiritual power.125 Another involves placing sperm in the womb of a horse, which I can only assume mentally deranged people like Aleister Crowley have attempted through bestiality, which he is widely rumored to have committed in his quest to contact demons and gain spiritual energy.

With passages in Crowley’s Book of the Law such as, “Worship me with fire & blood; worship me with swords and with spears, is the

command…let blood flow to my name. Trample down the Heathen; be upon them, o warrior, I will give you of their flesh to eat! Sacrifice cattle, little and big, after a child,”126 it’s obvious he was a mentally deranged sadist.127

In some parts of Africa today, men believe that raping babies is actually a ‘cure’ for AIDS.128 This belief is not as rare as you may think, and again, this is not something people just believed 500 years ago—it’s what many believe today! Many men in Africa also believe that raping an albino woman is a cure for AIDS as well.129 These beliefs and abuses are well documented by humanitarian groups and are not just an urban legend.130

With such bizarre, brutal, and disgusting “sex magic” beliefs out there, is it really that hard to believe that an inner circle of a secret society of power-hungry megalomaniacs would engage in rape, pedophilia or murder in hopes of gaining some kind of supernatural power?



Cathy O’Brien

In 1995 a woman named Cathy O’Brien published a book titled Trance Formation of America (a play on words for Transformation, using the word “Trance” to refer to a hypnotic trance) where she recounts what she claims is a true story of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of the CIA in their MK-ULTRA mind control program.

In the book, and in her lectures which she gave at conspiracy conferences throughout the 1990s, she claims to have been taken to the Bohemian Grove where she says she worked as a sex slave for the enjoyment (and entrapment) of some of the members. “I was programmed and equipped to function in all rooms at Bohemian Grove in order to compromise specific government targets according to their personal perversions…I do not purport to understand the full function of this political cesspool playground as my perception was limited to my own realm of experience,” she wrote.131

What she means is she allegedly was used to entice high level politicians into having sex with her while they were secretly videotaped for blackmail purposes, which seems pretty reasonable, but her claims soon get so strange, they are simply beyond belief. She wrote, “Slaves of advancing age or with failing programming were sacrificially murdered at random in the wooded grounds of Bohemian Grove, and I felt it was simply a matter of time before it would be me.”132 She went on to say, “Rituals were held at a giant, concrete owl monument on the banks of the Russian River.”133

It gets even stranger. She went on to claim, “The club offered a ‘Necrophilia’ theme room to its members,”134 which she says included, “a triangular glass display centered in a main throughway where I was locked in with various trained animals, including snakes. Members walking by

watched illicit sex acts of bestiality, women with women, mothers with daughters, kids with kids, and any other unlimited perverse visual display.”135

She then says, “No memory of sexual abuse is as horrifying as the conversations overheard in the Underground pertaining to implementing the New World Order. I learned that perpetrators believed that controlling the masses through propaganda mind manipulation did not guarantee there would be a world left to dominate due to environmental and overpopulation problems. The solution being debated was not pollution/population control, but mass genocide of ‘selected undesirables.’”136

So, in her mind, keeping child sex slaves isn’t as bad as talking about their plans for a global government and world domination? The closer you look into the claims of Cathy O’Brien, the more holes you’ll find. No Illuminati member or sadistic Satanist is going to be chatting with his friends about their plans for the New World Order in the middle of sex with a prostitute or sex slave! These conversations happen around a campfire, at lunch, or while sitting around having a few drinks in the casual atmosphere of the Grove.

And her claims that the Bohemian Grove has a huge glass display “centered in a main throughway” where children are abused and women are having sex with animals for the enjoyment of the members is absurd. In reality only a small fraction of the members could possibly be so evil as to enjoy such things and zero informants, guests, members or employees have ever mentioned such a thing. If such abuse does occur, it certainly wouldn’t be put on display for the whole club to see and would be limited to a handful of individuals.

O’Brien claims that some of her abusers were George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Dick Cheney, and Hillary Clinton, who she said performed oral sex on her on front of Bill.137 Yet, for some reason after witnessing all this, her “CIA handlers” decided to let her live to tell about it? Why wouldn’t they have just killed her like she said

they did to all the other supposed sex slaves kept in the Bohemian Grove? Cathy O’Brien appears to be another opportunist who tried (and successfully did) make a bunch of money off the conspiracy community by claiming to be a first-hand witness to the activities inside the Bohemian Grove, as well as a victim of the CIA’s mind control experiments.

Her book, Trance Formation of America, is written in the form a novel and includes long passages of dialog that O’Brien claims to have remembered after she was “deprogrammed” by a man named Mark Phillips who claims to be a former CIA operative who decided to rescue her.138 She claims that as a result of being subjected to the MK-ULTRA mind control program, one of her multiple personalities developed a photographic memory and could supposedly recall every conversation that had occurred in her presence.139

In case you’re not aware, the CIA did conduct (and most likely still is conducting) horrific mind control and brainwashing experiments which began in the 1950s. Declassified documents reveal that these inhumane and illegal experiments involved sleep deprivation, drugging people with LSD and other mind-altering drugs, hypnotism, torture, and murder.140 The existence of these declassified and confirmed experiments is what leads many people believe her claims since they do at least contain a grain of truth.

One of the goals of the MK-ULTRA program was to create mind controlled slaves or Manchurian Candidates, as they were called, who would willingly carry out any order given to them whether it included murdering someone, or putting themselves in harm’s way.141 Through post hypnotic suggestions these orders were designed to be forgotten after they were carried out. Several victims of these experiments have actually been awarded six-figure financial settlements for the abuse they suffered, but Cathy O’Brien is not one of these people.142

She was most likely inspired by John DeCamp’s book The Franklin Cover-Up, which first came out several years before she wrote her book,143

where DeCamp, as I mentioned earlier, claims that numerous children have come forward saying they were sexually abused inside the Bohemian Grove and forced to participate in other sadistic acts.144 John DeCamp’s account of what he says happened to his clients is pretty straight forward, and as farfetched as it may sound to some, the claims appear to be plausible and are centered around a small subgroup within the Bohemian Grove, not the entire club.





 

Author’s Note: Please take a moment to rate and review this book on Amazon.com or wherever you purchased it from to let others know what you think. This also helps to offset the trolls who keep giving my books fake onestar reviews when they haven't even read them. Almost all of the one-star reviews on my books are from NON-verified purchases which is a clear indication they are fraudulent, hence me adding this note. These fraudulent ratings and reviews could also be part of a larger campaign trying to stop my message from spreading by attempting to tarnish my research through fake and defamatory reviews, so I really need your help to combat this as soon as possible. Thank you!

 

Talk Radio Hosts Dodge the Topic

Years ago when I first began investigating this subject, I thought I would test to see if the top call-in talk radio shows in America would dare address the Bohemian Grove, so I decided to start calling the shows trying to get on the air. I soon realized that every time I would get through to the call screener, they would hang up on me immediately as soon as I told them I had a question about Bohemian Grove. “We’re not taking calls on that right now, sorry. Click.”

I soon devised a method to actually get on the air and verbally confront the talk show hosts about this and other Illuminati issues. What I did was feed the call screener a fake question that pertained to one of the top stories of the day, and then they would place my call in the queue to be taken by the host. As soon as the host took the call—instead of asking the question the screener approved—I would fire off a question or comment about the Bohemian Grove.

I got recordings of many of these calls from the shows’ podcasts and posted them on MarkDice.com and on YouTube to show people that hosts like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, and others wouldn’t dare inform their audience about the activities or allegations surrounding the Bohemian Grove.

Even with the seven-second delay, many times I was able to plant seeds in the minds of the audience before getting hung up on, and sometimes the hosts would argue with me for a few seconds before dropping my call and then telling the listeners I was crazy. On the next few pages are transcripts of just a few of these calls so you can see how they reacted to my questions. Sometimes I had to give the call screener a fake name like “John” because “Mark from San Diego” became a known

problem for many of these shows when I repeatedly called into them week after week during my investigation.



First Call to Bill O’Reilly

[O’Reilly]

“Let’s go to Mark in San Diego, what’s going on Mark?”

 

[Me]

“Can you address the Bohemian Grove club private presidential…” [hung up on by Bill]

 

[O’Reilly]

“You know these guys in San Diego they’re just…the weather’s just too nice there. Now here’s what happens…not everybody…but you go out to the beach and you do all that…and some kind of substance gets in your mind. And Mark just demonstrated it.” [referring to getting stoned]



Second Call to Bill O’Reilly

[O’Reilly]

“Ok, we’ve got an all-skate going on, which means you can ask me anything you want at 1-877-9 No Spin…let’s go to Mark in San Diego, what’s going on Mark?”

 

[Me]

“How do you feel about the private presidential resort the Bohemian Grove…” [Bill interrupts and drops the call]

 

[O’Reilly]

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I don’t care.”

 

This was on a Friday when Bill was having what he called an ‘allskate’ in which he took call after call on any topic…or so he said. I could understand getting hung up on if my question was off topic, but this was the segment where O’Reilly said, “You can ask me whatever you want.” This call and others can be heard on my YouTube channel, just look for the Bohemian Grove playlist on YouTube.com/MarkDice.145 Bill O’Reilly quit

his syndicated radio show in 2009 but continued to host the O’Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel.





First Call to Sean Hannity [Hannity] “Hello.”  

[Me] “The Bohemian Grove, have you been there, do you know about it…”  

[Hannity] “I’m very aware of it, I’ve been invited, I’ve never gone.”  

[Me] “Do you know about the mock human sacrifice ritual, the Cremation…” [Hannity drops call]  

[Hannity] “All right, goodbye. This guy’s nuts.”



Second Call to Sean Hannity

[Hannity]

“Alright, back to our phones. San Diego, Mark on KFMB, how are you?”

 

[Me]

“Good. Let’s talk about the Bohemian Grove and the kickoff of their summer festival in July which is a mock human sacrifice, Sean.” [Hannity drops call]

 

[Hannity]

“You’re out of your mind, you’re a sicko...this guy’s a nutcase.”



Third Call into Sean Hannity’s Show

[Hannity]

“KFMB San Diego, Mark next, Sean Hannity show, Mark, how are you?”

 

[Me]

“Let’s discuss the issue instead of hurling insults and ad hominem attacks…”

 

[Hannity]

“You are a kook. You are a nut. You are absolutely out of your mind insane. I’ve never been to the Bohemian Grove, sir. It’s just a great conspiracy.”

 

[Me]

“You said you were invited, but have you looked up what happens in the Bohemian Grove?”



 

[Hannity starts playing the theme song from the film Psycho in the background]

 

[Hannity]

“I have no idea.”

 

[Me]

“The Cremation of Care?”

 

[Hannity]

“No, I don’t.”

 

[Me]

“Look it up on any search engine Sean, ask your friends.”

 



[Hannity]

(Sarcastically) “What do you think is happening in there?”

 

[Me]

“Well, they I think they’re doing a mock human sacrifice where they burn an effigy of a human, it’s like a paper-mache human body.”

 

[Hannity]

“What Republicans do this, sir?”

 

[Me]

“Well, President Bush is on the membership list…”

 

[Hannity]

“President Bush? He’s burning figures in effigies in the Bohemian Grove, sir?”



 

[Me]

“In front of Molech, the ancient Canaanite deity, while they’re dressed up in black robes and colored robes carrying torches.”

 

[Hannity]

(Sarcastically) “Yeah.”

 

[Me]

“Look at Infowars.com.”

 

[Hannity]

“Hey Mark…”

 

[Me]

“Look it up.”



 

[Hannity]

“You are a nut.”

 

[Me]

“Well, you’re a gatekeeper, trying to avoid the truth.”

 

[Hannity]

“You are a nut. Go seek help. Go get help.” [Hannity drops call]



Call to Rush Limbaugh

When I asked Rush Limbaugh about the club, at first he pretended not to know anything about it, saying he had never been there, but when I pressed him, he made a fairly long sarcastic speech about the place, showing he knew exactly what it was and what goes on there.

 

[Rush]

“Mark, you’re next on the EIB Network, hello.”

 

[Me]

“Since I have you on the line, Rush, have you seen the video of the Bohemian Grove ceremony that Alex Jones produced that’s on Google Video?” [the predecessor to YouTube]

 

[Rush]

“Uhh…No. Been invited to the Bohemian Grove, but I’ve never been there. And I’ve not seen the video.”



 

[Me]

“Do you know about the activities within the Grove, can you talk about that?” [hangs up on me]

 

[Rush]

“No! Cuz I don’t…I’ve never been there. All I know is that it’s a bunch of elitists and power brokers who conduct secret meetings to take over the world and they run around nude. It’s all men, no women are allowed. And they run around and you can find them going to the bathroom on trees and so forth. And they have men come out and make speeches to them and all that.”

 

After his little sarcastic rant, he addresses his producer referring to my call, and says, “He believes it’s the CFR in the woods,” and then moves on as if nothing happened. The CFR (Council on Foreign Relations) is an elitist think tank that masquerades as if it were an ordinary committee in Congress that is composed of prominent politicians and journalists who are given policy recommendations and talking points which are practically viewed as marching orders by the Establishment. See my book The Bilderberg Group: Facts & Fiction to learn more about the CFR which functions as a less secretive sister organization to Bilderberg.

 



Call to Michael Savage

Michael Savage seemed skeptical and pretty shocked at first but did listen to me for a bit before he hung up with disgust after I asked him on air about the ritual for the first time.

 

[Savage]

“Mark in San Diego, you’re on the Savage Nation.”

 

[Me]

“Michael, why has information about the Bohemian Grove and George W. Bush’s and Bush 41’s membership been suppressed and ignored, and why is it laughed at in the mainstream media?”

 

[Savage]

“I don’t know. What is so weird about the Bohemian Grove? It’s a powerful group of men who have a club. I don’t understand. What’s the big secret up there?”



 

[Me]

“You haven’t heard of, or seen the mock human sacrifice video?”

 

[Savage]

“Oh please. Come on. Do you have evidence of this? Is there any evidence you can post about this?”

 

[Me]

“Look it up on Google. Look at Alex Jones’ Infowars” [website muted and not allowed on air].

 

[Savage]

“So everybody who goes to the Bohemian Grove including Henry Kissinger, is what, they’re doing snuff movies up there now?”

 

[Me]



“Well, that’s what senator John DeCamp alleges and his witness back in 1984, but…”

 

[Savage]

“Senator who? Senator who?”

 

[Me]

“Listen Michael, you really need to look into this, I’m surprised that you haven’t.” [Savage drops call]

 

[Savage]

“I have a migraine headache sir, there’s only so much a man can do in one day. My God, now the Bohemian Grove, they’re doing mock funerals. There’s only so much madness a man can listen to until he goes crazy. You know, I’m serious. How much more can I take?”



Call to Glenn Beck

[Beck]

“Let’s go to San Diego, welcome to the Glenn Beck program.”

 

[Me]

“I was wondering if you’ve read the book The Resistance Manifesto. I know you’re a big fan of the Bohemian Grove [sarcasm] and I thought you could expand on the rituals and the mock human sacrifice that goes on there each year.”

 

[Beck]

“Yeah, do me a favor. Don’t ever lie to my phone screener again. I’d answer that question if you would have asked my phone screener that question. Don’t lie to my phone screener. We take you off the air immediately and won’t deal with you. You might have just gotten that whole show that we were going to do on that topic taken out of line. I might not do it now because you pissed me off!”





First Call to Alan Colmes [Colmes] “Let’s go to Mark in Oceanside, California. Hello.”   [Me] “Wondering if you checked out those photos or the video of the mock human sacrifice in the Bohemian Grove…” [Colmes drops call]   [Colmes] “No I have not.”

Second Call to Alan Colmes

[Colmes]

“Mark in San Marcos, California. Hello.”

 

[Me]

“Hey, I was wondering since you’ve heard a little bit about it, and you’ve probably seen the photos and the video clips, I was thinking we could spend a few minutes talking about the Bohemian Grove and the mock human sacrifice that’s done each year by the Republican elite.”

 

[Colmes]

“What about it?”

 

[Me]

“What are your comments on that?”



 

[Colmes]

“I don’t know much about it.”

 

[Me]

“You haven’t checked it out after hearing about this bizarre activity that the Republicans engage in?”

 

[Colmes]

“All right, thank you very much.” [Drops call]



Third Call to Alan Colmes

[Colmes]

“The Friday night free for all is where you set the agenda, you run the show, you determine what we talk about, I do not. We take the calls in the order they arrive, and we cannot keep you off the air as much as we would like to in some cases, if you get through you get on. Mark in San Diego, hello.”

 

[Me]

“Alan, if you type in Bohemian Grove into any search engine, the entire page is full of wonderful links and photos, and I’m sure that you’ve done this…” [Colmes cuts me off]

 

[Colmes]

“That’s very nice. And I’m sure that someday you’ll call me with actually a new topic rather than repeating yourself every single time you call me with the same thing. That will be nice.”



Fourth Call to Alan Colmes

[Colmes]

“Hello.”

 

[Me]

“Let’s spend more than just a few seconds talking about such an important issue like the Bohemian Grove…” [Colmes drops call]

 

[Colmes]

“Well, first of all, you are a problem. You have continued since this show has been on the air to try to get to me to put you on the show as a guest. You’re a phony and you’re a fraud and I’m not going to put you on the air as a guest. Ok? It’s not going to happen! That’s that guy by the way, he has attempted to book himself as a guest on the show, he’s left messages on my voicemail, has emailed me. We’ve talked to him off the air and tried to discern whether or not he was someone we wanted to put on as a guest. We decided not to. During the free for all, if he wants to call up and make his statements he’s welcome to do it. That’s why we do the free for all. And if we decide that someone is not someone we’re not going to put on as a guest, I trust the determination of our producers, that’s why they’re hired to make those decisions.”



 



The Belizean Grove

Apparently some wealthy and well-connected women were jealous of the all-male Bohemian Grove, so they started their own version for women —called the Belizean Grove. Not much is known about this girls’ club, but there are a few pieces of information I have been able to put together. The Belizean Grove was started Super Bowl weekend in 2001 by Susan Stautberg who is the president of PartnerCom Corporation, a company which manages advisory boards around the world for businesses and governments.

In a response to her husband and most other men being preoccupied with the “big game,” Stautberg gathered up a small group of her highpowered girlfriends and flew down to Central America for a women’s weekend. This wasn’t just a vacation; this was also a business trip where the women worked to further their careers and privately plotted their futures.

The group now consists of around 100 of the most influential women in the world who meet up every year in Belize for three days for what is said to be “a balance of fun, substantive programs, and bonding.”146 The group says they are “a constellation of influential women who are key decision makers in the profit, nonprofit and social sectors; who build longterm, mutually beneficial relationships in order to both take charge of their own destinies and help others to do the same.”147

One member, Mary Pearl, who works as the Dean of New York’s Stony Brook University, said, “It’s hard if you’re someone who’s a type ‘A’ personality, who’s achieved a lot and who may be in the public eye—it’s hard to make friends, so it’s just a mutually supportive wonderful experience. We get together just for socializing and also just for intelligent conversation.”148



It is bizarre that these women—most of whom are from the United States, would fly all the way down to Central America for a weekend getaway when they could just meet up locally at a fancy resort or one of their lavish private residences. Some speculate this is so the women can go out and have a night on the town with little chance of bumping into anyone they know or being recognized by someone. Perhaps it’s like a Cougar’s night out, when some of the women pickup younger men and bring them back to their hotel rooms, which if they did in an American city, they would run the risk of being spotted by someone who knew who they were, but when down in Central America, it is extremely unlikely anyone would recognize them.

Belizean Grove members include female executives from major banks, public relations firms, and even women in the U.S. Military. A New York Times article written in 2011 said, “Belizean Grove has connected the top women in technology to the top women in finance, to the top women in media, to the top women in law, to the top women in retail, and so on.”149 It is currently unknown if they engage in any occult rituals like their male counterpart at the Bohemian Grove.

The group was really only discovered in 2009 after Sonia Sotomayor was nominated for a position as a Supreme Court Justice by President Barack Obama. During the vetting process, Republicans digging for dirt on her discovered she was a member of this strange girls’ group. She immediately resigned from the Grove since the American Bar Association forbids a judge from being a member of any organization that “discriminates” against anyone based on sex, race, religion, or national origin; and since it’s an all-female club, this caused a potential hang-up for her getting approved to sit on the Supreme Court.

Founder Susan Stautberg was not happy about the new publicity, and said, “We like to be under the radar screen.”150 In order to join, a woman must be recommended to the Belizean Grove “advisory board” which then decides whether or not to admit her. A few known members are U.S. Army

General Ann E. Dunwoody; former Goldman Sachs executive Ann Kaplan; and General Services Administration Director Lurita Doan. Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, a major promotor of the feminist agenda, is a likely member as well.

Before taking over for David Letterman on Late Night, Stephen Colbert hosted the popular Colbert Report on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2014, where he pretended to be a radical right-wing conservative, basically satirizing Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly. In 2009 when Sonia Sotomayor was being considered for a position on the Supreme Court, and the Belizean Grove was first discovered—Colbert joked about it in his monologue. “Now it has come to light that Sotomayor is a member of something called the Belizean Grove, a private organization whose members must be a female professional from the profit, nonprofit, and social sectors,” he began.151

“This is not only more Sotomayor reverse discrimination—it also violates the code of conduct for federal judges which forbids membership in groups that practice invidious discrimination on the basis of sex,” Colbert says, pretending to be outraged.

He goes on to say that Republicans have questioned her membership in this “sexist” club, and that, “There’s only one way for Sotomayor to be a member of a single-sex club and still be confirmed for the Supreme Court, which brings us to Tonight’s Word: Bohemian Grove! As opposed to the Belizean Grove, the Bohemian Grove or Bohemian Club is an all-male, 130-year-old secret society of captains of industry, international power brokers and every Republican president since 1923. Herbert Hoover called it quote ‘the greatest men’s party on earth,’ and Richard Nixon agreed,” he says sarcastically before playing the White House Oval Office tape of Nixon calling it the most faggy God damned thing you could ever imagine.152 “That is really saying something from a guy named tricky dick,” Colbert continues.



“Every year, the Bohemian Club holds a retreat in the Bohemian Grove in northern California where they are rumored to engage in costumed pageantry, simulated human sacrifice and worshiping before a 40-foot stone owl. In 1999 after being denied membership in the Bohemian Grove, a group of women started their own same sex organization—the Belizean Grove.”

He then quotes a statement from Sotomayor denying they discriminate against men, reading “All interested individuals are duly considered by the membership committee [and] to the best of my knowledge, a man has never asked to be considered for membership.”

“Until now!” Colbert says. “Because I hereby demand to be admitted to this ladies’ shadowy cabal. Making me a member is the quickest way to put this controversy to rest…and between you and me, the Bohemian Grove is a total sausage fest. I can’t spend another summer watching Henry Kissinger belly dance around a statue of the tootsie pop owl, so madam I await your invitation.”







Depictions in Television and Film

Eyes Wide Shut

In 1999 Tom Cruise and his then-wife Nicole Kidman stared in Eyes Wide Shut, a bizarre film directed by Stanley Kubrick about a secret society of wealthy men and women in New York City who meet periodically in large mansions to engage in strange ceremonies and masked sex orgies.

Tom Cruise’s character (Dr. Bill Hartford) is told about the parties by a friend of his who is paid to play the piano during the events. Out of curiosity Cruise rents a black robe and a mask from a local costume shop, and attends one of the parties. Once inside he witnesses a group of around 100 men and women conducting some kind of occult ritual while wearing long black robes and venetian masks just before having an orgy.

Tom Cruise is eventually discovered and escorted from the property after being given an ominous threat to remain silent about what he had seen. The following day, one of his wealthy friends reveals that he was in attendance at the ceremonial orgy and warned Cruise, “Do you have any idea how much trouble you got yourself into last night just by going over there? Who do you think those people were? Those were not just some ordinary people. If I told you their names...no, I’m not going to tell you their names...but if I did, I don’t think you’d sleep so well at night.”

As strange as it sounds, the plot of Eyes Wide Shut is based on actual events, and for some, the film brought to mind images of the Bohemian Grove or the rumored Illuminati sex orgies many believe occur at the

private parties of the ruling elite. The Hellfire Club was a sex club in England where members of Europe’s class would have sex orgies back in the eighteenth century.153

The club’s name was a celebration of the Hellfire that sin is said to bring, and their motto was “Do what thou wilt,” the same credo Aleister Crowley would adopt over 100 years later. The Hellfire club was a place where European royalty and wealthy men would get drunk and have group sex with prostitutes or loose women from their social circles. But sex clubs and swinger parties aren’t just a thing of the past. In fact, today, they are more popular than ever.

In recent years a franchise of secretive elite sex clubs called Killing Kittens has popped up in Europe and the United States that hold Eyes Wide Shut themed parties in rented mansions in major cities like London, Los Angeles, and New York. Couples pay $250 per party to participate in masked orgies with other strangers.154 The Killing Kittens club vets all requests and couples must be approved before they are allowed to attend a “Kittens Party.”155 Everyone wears a venetian mask, just like the party in Eyes Wide Shut, and everyone has sex with whoever they want, wherever they want, throughout the mansion right in front of everyone else.

A Christian singer named Jeannie Ortega, who had one of her singles reach the Billboard Top 100, wrote a blog in February of 2015 talking about how a record producer she once worked with said he was invited to an Eyes Wide Shut-type of party that was allegedly thrown by rapper Jay Z. “I was working with him [the producer] on my album and we had a conversation about the abnormal things the entertainment industry is involved in. At the time the word ‘Illuminati’ was not as popular, so we called it more so Freemasonry or something like that. The producer proceeded to share with me his own experiences while on Roc-A Fella while Jay-Z was a part of the company. He said he was once invited to a party where he was given a poker chip and asked to go to the party wearing a black trench coat with nothing else underneath it.” 156



The poker chip was supposedly the entrance pass. The producer, who Ortega did not name, said he did not attend. It’s standard operation procedure to have people sign non-disclosure agreements when attending elite parties so they are legally prevented from talking about them and strict security measures are put in place which enforce a no cell phone policy so no pictures can be taken inside. Are such sex parties thrown by the Hollywood and political elite today like they were in the days of the Hellfire club?

Billionaire Andrew Epstein—a personal friend of Bill Clinton—who also rubs elbows with many political and Hollywood elite, is accused of organizing orgies with underage prostitutes and sex slaves to entertain him and his friends on his luxurious and secluded Virgin Islands estate.157 Epstein is a sex offender, having been convicted of soliciting underage prostitutes in the past as young as fourteen-years-old.158 Court documents also claim that Epstein had the bedrooms in his estate fitted with hidden cameras to videotape his high-powered guests’ encounters with prostitutes so he could allegedly then use the videos to blackmail them.159

With swinger clubs becoming more and more popular, and websites and apps like Adult Friend Finder, a place where couples go to meet other couples and fulfill their strange sexual fetishes—and the well-known sexual deviancy of many powerful politicians and Hollywood elite, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Eyes Wide Shut parties occur. It’s likely that at some point in the future these sex magic orgy practitioners will come out of the closet and demand that the world accept their activities as “normal,” much in the same way we saw the gay rights movement grow from a ripple to a tidal wave in the early 21st century.



South Park

Known for its no holds barred lampooning of pop culture figures, politicians, and religious beliefs, South Park tries to be as offensive as possible with their crude and often distasteful “humor.” Occasionally the show ridicules various people and institutions by simply presenting bizarre facts in a humorous way, like they did in their episodes making fun of Mormonism and Scientology. Both of these episodes included a banner on the bottom of the screen that read, “This is actually what Mormons/Scientologists believe,” and it really was what they believe! This disclaimer was used to point out the fact that the show wasn’t making up these foolish beliefs, which made the episodes even more hilarious.

The use of this banner was also included in an episode about what was called the “Super Adventure Club.” This episode, titled “The Return of Chef,” was about an organization of pedophiles who travel around the world to have sex with young boys because they believe that it gives them magical powers. The current leader of the group explains, “Our club offers hope. Do you think we go around the world molesting children because it feels really good? No. Our club has a message and a secret that explains the mysteries of life.”160

The leader continues to explain the history of the “Super Adventure Club,” saying that a man named William P. Phineas, a pedophile who traveled all over the world molesting young boys, discovered a great secret. “But now the most wonderful part. You see, after having sex with all those children, Phineas realized that molesting all those kids had made him immortal. He discovered that children have things called marlocks in their bodies and when an adult has sex with a child, the marlocks implode feeding the adult’s receptor cavity with energy that causes immortality.”161



While this is not funny at all, and only in a morally bankrupt society would such dialogue be allowed to air on a major network like Comedy Central, the plot appears to have been inspired by the teachings of satanic sex magic—which—as I covered earlier in this book, is the belief that certain perverted sexual practices unlock spiritual powers latent in the mind. As I pointed out, Satanist Aleister Crowley believed that though sex magic a person could summon demons that would grant them supernatural power, and some believe that if these rituals involve children, it will enable them to harness “real” black magic forces.

South Park’s creators and writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone must have stumbled across this idea since there are probably whispers in Hollywood about people doing such things. Aleister Crowley is highly revered by many musicians and celebrities today.162 And again, just like the episodes making fun of Mormonism and Scientology, this episode included the note on the bottom of the screen saying, “This is what the Super Adventure Club actually believes.”

How could the writers have possibly come up with such a crazy idea out of the blue, and why would they put a banner at the bottom of the screen saying this is what these people actually believe in the same manner they did in the other episodes about strange religious beliefs if they weren’t in a sense trying to be serious?

The “Super Adventure Club” is possibly a reference to NAMBLA, the North American Man Boy Love Association, a “pedophile rights” group which claims there is nothing wrong with pedophilia, and want society to accept it as “normal” as many have in the case of homosexuality. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to learn that NAMBLA members had incorporated satanic sex magic into their teachings as another way to try to justify their mental illness and child abuse.



Teddy Bears’ Picnic

The man who did the voice for Mr. Burns on The Simpsons for over twenty-five years, Harry Shearer, wrote and directed a little known (and commercial failure) which was a spoof on the Bohemian Grove. Teddy Bears’ Picnic went straight to DVD and was too terrible for any distributer to put it in theaters. The movie was made in 2002; just two years after Alex Jones had infiltrated the Bohemian Grove and videotaped the Cremation of Care ritual, which served as Shearer’s inspiration for his film.

The plot of Teddy Bears’ Picnic involves an exclusive men’s club called Zambezi Glen that meets in the woods for their annual summer party where they get drunk, dress in drag, enjoy peeing on trees, and have sex with prostitutes. An employee of the campground secretly videotapes some of the members’ activities hoping to sell the footage to the media, but is spotted and chased into the woods. The well-connected men of Zambezi Glen then call in the military to track the guy down using helicopters and K9s, and in the process end up accidentally setting the forest on fire.

The Molech statue in the Grove is depicted as a large pelican in Shearer’s film, and club members dress up in Halloween-type witch costumes and conduct a ritual called the “Assassination of Time.” Shearer has admitted to being a guest at the Bohemian Grove and talked about his experience there with British television producer Jon Ronson in an episode of his Secret Rulers of the World series which basically makes fun of New World Order conspiracy theorists.

Being a left-wing Hollywood liberal, Shearer labeled the members of Bohemian Grove “white Christians.” He told Ronson, “You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to know that this is a get together of very powerful guys. Whatever it is they’re doing there, whether they’re running the world

or just reliving their adolescence, they’re a self-selected group of powerful white Christian Americans.”163

He then went on to say he likes conspiracy theories because he thinks they’re entertaining, but doesn’t believe they are true. “I love the theories, because I believe that these people are the only real good narrative writers left in the English language. They do write really good compelling narratives, but I just don’t happen to think they’re true.”

In the interview he then goes on to stereotype conspiracy theorists as gun-loving, backwoods hicks who live in the middle of nowhere. “And you can imagine, I’m in New York and they’re keeping me spellbound. Imagine being isolated on a ranch in Montana with nobody except your son, who you’re teaching to shoot a rifle, this would be some amazing stuff coming through the night to you, you know.”164 Apparently Harry Shearer thinks Montana is stuck back in the 1800s.

Ronson asked him if he thought the Bohemian Grove was a secret society, to which Shearer answered, “Yeah but I mean it’s a secret society the way the secret society that I was inducted into at UCLA in my senior year is a secret society. There is a lot of meaningless mumbo jumbo and the main conspiracy is to take it seriously.”

“If you’ve ever been through a secret society in college, you know this stuff. Just add two zeros to the budget and you’re doing what you did when you were eighteen-years-old,” he concluded.

Just to put Shearer’s twenty-five year career with The Simpsons into perspective, from around 1989 up until 1998 he was paid $30,000 per episode, then after the show became a wild success and renegotiating his contract, this jumped to $125,000. His income then jumped again to $250,000 an episode a few years later. In 2008 he was being paid $400,000 per episode, but he and other Simpsons staff had to take a pay cut in 2013 in order to lower production costs of the show or else Fox was going to cancel it, so his pay was reduced to $300,000 per episode.165



So Shearer himself is just as wealthy as some of the Bohemian Grove members, and being part of Hollywood’s elite means he probably has a lot more in common with the men inside the Bohemian Grove than he does with the average American.



Lucy, Daughter of the Devil

The Turner Broadcasting Network (TBN) owns the Cartoon Network —which, as its name suggests—consists of cartoons primarily for kids, but after primetime, when most children are supposed to be in bed, the network changes its format to what they call “Adult Swim” and airs raunchy cartoons supposedly aimed at adults. One such show called Lucy, Daughter of the Devil was a short ten minute CGI comedy about Satan trying to convince his daughter, Lucy, to fulfill her role as the Antichrist.

In 2007 an episode titled “Human Sacrifice” was about a satanic ritual at the Bohemian Grove which was being performed to honor a senator who had been chosen to be elected as the next president. “Chosen to be elected,” meaning the elite members control the elections through fraud and had chosen him to be their next puppet.166

A character named DJ Jesús, who is Jesus Christ—and Lucy’s boyfriend in the show, was chosen as the person to be sacrificed to celebrate the new president being picked. Jesus was lured to the Bohemian Grove under the pretense that he would be DJing a party that will be like the film Eyes Wide Shut and is told that Alan Greenspan (former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank) will be there.

The Bohemian Grove, as depicted in the cartoon, is clearly modeled after the actual Grove and includes the giant owl statue with the altar at its feet and men wearing hooded robes holding flaming torches—all identical to the real Bohemian Grove. “Half of Washington” is in attendance in the episode and everyone chants “Hail Satan” as the ritual begins. The Devil even boasts that ten presidents have announced their candidacy in the Bohemian Grove as the ceremony begins.



Before he can be killed, DJ Jesús escapes and the episode ends by zooming out to an aerial view showing the location of the incident being in Northern California, where the actual Grove is located.

 



Conclusion

After sixty years of mainstream media blackouts regarding the elusive and secretive Bilderberg Group, it became impossible in the age of social media and smartphones to keep them under wraps any longer. The easily swallowed claims of the Bilderberg Group being “just another business conference,” are now offered up after the decades of denials about their existence and power, but writing off the Bohemian Grove as “just another party” is not so easy.

Most of the public gullibly buy into the claims now that the Bilderberg Group is just a bunch of men in suits getting together for another boring meeting, but trying to explain the Cremation of Care—not to mention the allegations of Satanism and child abuse that hang over the Bohemian Grove—is quite a bit more difficult. The video footage and photos of the annual “human sacrifice” ceremony would be disturbing to most people once they saw it, and no amount of whitewash or spin would remove the suspicions that many have about the Bohemian Grove.

A bunch of guys meeting for a three-day conference in the case of the Bilderberg Group is pretty easy to brush off as something rather normal—a bunch of men gathering in the middle of a secluded forest, dressing up in hooded robes, and engaging in a “human sacrifice” ritual—not so much.

Even setting this aside, it’s clear that the Bohemian Grove serves as an elite consensus-building party, held about a month after the more formal Bilderberg conference which occurs in the late spring each year. If one wants to gain a comprehensive view of the world and the mechanisms of power that work to guide it, then learning about the Bohemian Grove is a critical piece of the puzzle.



As Mary Moore of the Bohemian Grove Action Network once said, “Kiwanis and Rotary clubs in every small town has that same sort of ‘goodold-boy network’ of prominent men in the community getting to know each other through a social club. But when you get to the level of the Bohemian Grove, it’s a very global network, and much more powerful.”167

When the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world, from heads of industry to high ranking government officials and those who work in the intelligence agencies, all meet together to hang out and listen to off the record lectures given by a variety of experts and insiders, it is undeniable that this has a tremendous impact on society as a whole.

At the time I’m finishing writing this in June of 2015, very few books exist on the Bohemian Grove, and most Americans have still never heard of it. The stories are so strange that even when they do, many dismiss them as an Internet urban legend or a conspiracy theory, but you now hold the evidence in your hands.

I hope this book has helped shed some light on this dark subject, and put some of the wild allegations into their proper context so you can understand where they came from and why they spread. If you would like to continue your education on related subjects, I encourage you to checkout some of my previous books, and if it’s not too much to ask, please write a brief (or lengthy) review for this one and rate it on Amazon.com or whatever e-bookstore you downloaded it from to let other potential readers know what you think.

Please pass this book on to someone else now that you have finished it to share the information with them, and thanks again for investing your time and energy into my ten-year-long investigation of The Bohemian Grove: Facts & Fiction.





Further Reading

The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction

Secret societies have both fascinated and frightened people for hundreds of years. Often the infamous Illuminati is mentioned as the core of conspiracies which span the globe. The Illuminati is actually a historical secret society which had goals of revolutions and world domination dating back to the 1770s.

Since then, rumors and conspiracy theories involving the Illuminati continue to spread, sometimes finding their way into popular novels like Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons and Hollywood movies like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Some men have even come forward claiming to be former members, offering details of what they allege are the inner workings of the organization. When you sift through all of the information available on the subject, you may be surprised that the truth is stranger than fiction.

In The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, conspiracy and occult expert Mark Dice separates history from Hollywood and shows why tales of the secret society won’t die.



The New World Order: Facts & Fiction

What is the New World Order? Proponents say that it’s an anticipated new era of global cooperation between diverse nations and cultures aimed at ushering in a utopia providing all the earth's citizens with everything they need.

Detractors claim it’s the systematic take-over by secret societies, quasi-government entities and corporations who are covertly organizing a global socialist all-powerful government which aims to regulate every aspect of citizens’ lives, rendering them a perpetual working-class while the elite leadership lives in luxury.

Conspiracy theory expert Mark Dice looks at the evidence, claims, and conspiracy theories as he takes you down the rabbit hole to The New World Order.

 

Calls for a New World Order World Governed Through Secret Societies Mainstream Media Controlled by the Elite Banking, Money, and Taxes One World Currency Population Reduction One World Religion A Coming Global Dictator Who Will Claim to be God



Illuminati in the Music Industry

Famous pop stars and rappers from Jay-Z and Rick Ross to Rihanna and Christina Aguilera are believed by many to be a part of the infamous Illuminati secret society. These stars allegedly use Illuminati and satanic symbolism in their music videos and on their clothes that goes unnoticed by those not “in the know.”

Since these stars appear in our livings rooms on family friendly mainstream shows like Good Morning America, Ellen, and dozens of others —and are loved by virtually all the kids—they couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the infamous Illuminati or anything “satanic,” could they? Some famous musicians have even publicly denounced the Illuminati in interviews or songs.

Illuminati in the Music Industry takes a close look at some of today’s hottest stars and decodes the secret symbols, song lyrics, and separates the facts from the fiction in this fascinating topic. You may never see your favorite musicians the same way ever again.



Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True

In Big Brother, Mark Dice details actual high-tech spy gadgets, mindreading machines, government projects, and emerging artificial intelligence systems that seem as if they came right out of George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Orwell’s famous book was first published in 1949, and tells the story of a nightmarish future where citizens have lost all privacy and are continuously monitored by the omniscient Big Brother surveillance system which keeps them obedient to a totalitarian government.

The novel is eerily prophetic as many of the fictional systems of surveillance described have now become a reality. Mark Dice shows you the scary documentation that Big Brother is watching you, and is more powerful than you could imagine.

 

Orwellian Government Programs Facial Recognition Scanners Mind Reading Machines Neural Interfaces Psychotronic Weapons The Nanny State Artificial Intelligence Cybernetic Organisms



The Resistance Manifesto

The Resistance Manifesto by Mark Dice contains 450 pages of extensively researched and documented information drawing from declassified documents, mainstream news articles, religious texts, and personal interviews. A dark web of evil is exposed like never before, making Bible Prophecy and the New World Order crystal clear.

Learn the most powerful information about the Illuminati, plans for the rise of the Antichrist, the institutions, people, and powers involved, and how you can fight them.

 

“Powerful and compelling. A must read.”

- Alex Jones from Infowars.com

 

“Mark takes you beyond 9/11 into a world of secret societies, mystics, and madmen.”

- Jason Bermas, Producer of Loose Change

“Mark Dice is not a conspiracy theorist, he is a conspiracy realist. This book tells it like it is. I urge every American to read it and pass it on to your friends and relatives. Wake up America!”



- Ted Gunderson, Senior Special Agent in Charge (retired) FBI Los Angeles



Inside the Illuminati

When looking into the existence and alleged activities of the infamous Illuminati secret society, one finds an overwhelming amount of conspiracy theories, hidden history, half-truths and hoaxes.

But how much truth is there to some of these claims? What is the real history of the mysterious group? Do they continue to exist today? What is the evidence? And what are they doing?

After a decade of research sifting through the facts and the fiction, secret society expert Mark Dice will help you navigate through the complex maze from the original documents to rare revelations from elite politicians, bankers and businessmen, as he takes you Inside the Illuminati.

 

Insider Revelations Original Writings Spiritual Beliefs Occult Symbolism Early Evidence Zodiac Club “Ex Members” Communism Seraphic Society The Jesuits The Jasons And more!



The Bilderberg Group: Facts & Fiction

Every spring since 1954, a group of approximately one hundred of the world’s most powerful businessmen, politicians, media moguls, and international royalty meet in secret for several days to discuss the course of the world. Called the Bilderberg Group after the Bilderberg Hotel in Oosterbeck, Holland where their first meeting was held, this off the record annual gathering is said to be where the globalist puppet masters plot and scheme.

Does this group of power elite develop new political, economic, and cultural policies that are then covertly implemented by their underlings? Do they choose who our world leaders will be, including the next president of the United States? Is the Bilderberg Group a shadow government? Are they the Illuminati? Why has the mainstream media had a complete blackout regarding their meetings for decades? Who attends? And who pays for it?

Is this “just another conference?” Or, are the “conspiracy theorists” right? What is the evidence? How were they first discovered? What are they doing? And should the public be concerned? Secret society expert Mark Dice will show you the hidden history, financial records, and some of the insider leaks showing how this small group’s consensus has staggering effects on the political landscape of the world, global economies, wars, and more, as he uncovers The Bilderberg Group: Facts & Fiction.

 

Their History Bilderberg’s Goals Their Discovery Recent Meetings

Members and Guests Actions and Effects Financial Records The Oath of Silence Media Blackouts Exclusive Photos And More!

 



The True Story of Fake News

Is fake news being spread through social media as part of an information war? Are political operatives publishing disinformation to smear the opposition and help their own agendas? Who creates fake news, how does it spread, and can it be stopped?

 

What are the real world effects of fake news stories that go viral? Did it affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election? Or is ‘fake news’ a fake problem, designed to justify tighter control over the mechanisms of sharing information online to drive audiences back to brand name media outlets because their audiences and influence are dwindling?

Media analyst Mark Dice takes a close look at the fake news phenomenon and the implications of mega-corporations like Facebook, Google, and Twitter becoming the ultimate gatekeepers and distributors of news and information.

You will see the powerful and deceptive methods of manipulation that affect us all, as numerous organizations and political activists cunningly plot to have their stories seen, heard, and believed by as many people as possible.

The depths of lies, distortions, and omissions from traditional mainstream media will shock you; and now they’re colluding with the top tech companies trying to maintain their information monopolies. This is The True Story of Fake News.



 



About the Author

Mark Dice is a media analyst and author who, in an entertaining and educational way, exposes our celebrity-obsessed culture and the role mainstream media and elite secret societies play in shaping our lives.

Mark’s YouTube channel has over 1 million subscribers and more 400 million views. His viral videos have been mentioned on the Fox News Channel, CNN, the Drudge Report, TMZ, the New York Daily News, the Washington Times, and other media outlets around the world.

He has been featured on various television shows including the History Channel’s Decoded and America’s Book of Secrets; Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, Secret Societies of Hollywood on E! Channel, America Declassified on the Travel Channel, and is a frequent guest on Coast to Coast AM, The Alex Jones Show, and more.

Mark Dice is the author of 11 books, including The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True, The New World Order: Facts & Fiction, Inside the Illuminati, The Bilderberg Group: Facts & Fiction, The Bohemian Grove: Facts & Fiction, and more.

While much of Mark’s work confirms the existence and continued operation of various powerful secret societies, he is also dedicated to debunking conspiracy theories and hoaxes and separating the facts from the fiction; hence the “Facts & Fiction” subtitle for several of his books.

He has a bachelor’s degree in communication from California State University.

 



Connect with Mark on: Facebook.com/MarkDice

Twitter.com/MarkDice.com

YouTube.com/MarkDice

MarkDice.com



1

New York Observer “At Skull and Bones, Bush’s Secret Club Initiates Ream Gore” by Ron Rosenbaum (April 23rd 2001)

2

Robbins, Alexandra - Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power page 130

3

Hanson, Mike - Bohemian Grove: Cult of Conspiracy page 25

4

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 27

5

Bohemian Club’s 2013 - 990 Tax Forms - Line 9

6

Bohemian Club’s 2013 Tax Forms 990 Schedule O, Supplemental Information (2013)

7

Domhoff, William - The Bohemian Grove and Other Retreats: A Study in Ruing-Class Cohesiveness Preface

8

Domhoff, William - The Bohemian Grove and Other Retreats: A Study in Ruing-Class Cohesiveness Page 1

9

YouTube: 1981 News Report about Bohemian Grove (posted by user Jaketom3 on December 15th 2006) Other channels have also reposted this video.

10

ABC News - Segment about Bohemian Grove (July 23, 1981)

11

Ibid.

12



The New York Times “Bohemian Club Is Upheld On Refusal to Hire Women” (January 23rd 1981)

13

The New York Times “Bohemian Club Ordered To Begin Hiring Women” (October 17th 1981)

14

CBS WCCO-TV “Good Question: Why Can Some Clubs Discriminate?” by Jason DeRusha (August 20th 2012)

15

YouTube “Bill Clinton gets asked about the Bohemian Grove club that he and other elites attend” (uploaded October 2011)

16

See my book The Bilderberg Group: Facts & Fiction for a complete analysis of the annual Bilderberg meeting and the effects it has had on shaping the world.

17

Barruel, Abbe- Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism page 582

18

See my previous book Inside the Illuminati: Evidence, Objectives, and Methods of Operation, available in paperback from Amazon.com or e-book from all major e-books stores.

19

Cirlot, J.E. -Dictionary of Symbols p. 236-237

20

Ovason, David - The Secret Architecture of our Nation’s Capital (2002 Harper Perennial)

21

Pike, Albert - Morals and Dogma page 104-105

22

Levi, Eliphas - Transcendental Magic pages 9-10

23

Hall, Manly P. - The Secret Teachings of All Ages page 272

24

Hall, Manly P. - The Secret Teachings of All Ages page 83

25

Blavatsky, Helena - The Secret Doctrine: Volume II page 192



26

Pike, Albert - Morals and Dogma page 321

27

Crowley, Aleister - Magick: In Theory and Practice page 193

28

TechnoCalyps - Part II - Preparing for the Singularity (2008) Documentary by Frank Theys

29

CNET “Google exec: Humans will be hybrids by 2030” by Chris Matyszczyk (June 4th 2015)

30

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 67

31

Shown in Alex Jones’ film Dark Secrets: Inside Bohemian Grove (2000)

32

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 127

33

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 92

34

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 93

35

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 111

36

SFGate “Behind the Count” (July 23rd 2003)

37

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 95



38

Nixon, Richard -RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon

39

Nixon, Richard -RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon pages 80-81

40

President Dwight Eisenhower’s Farewell Address in 1961

41

Checkout my book The Bilderberg Group: Facts & Fiction if you would like to learn more about this annual meeting of the ruling class.

42

There are many different YouTube channels that have posted clips of Alex Jones’ footage and his entire documentary, just search YouTube and you’ll find them.

43

Jon Ronson’s Secret Rulers of the World: The Satanic Shadowy Elite? episode 4 (at approximately the 32:13 mark)

44

Statement from Bohemian Grove included in“Secret Rulers of the World: The Satanic Shadowy Elite? by Jon Ronson (2001)

45

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/bestvintage/photogallery_02.html

46

David Icke in a lecture of his, shown in Jon Ronson’s Secret Rulers of the World: The Satanic Shadowy Elite? Episode 4 (at approximately the 42:44 mark)

47

Icke, David - The Biggest Secret page 250

48

YouTube: David Icke - The TRUTH about the Moon - Interview with David Icke talking about this theory of his.

49

The Bible: Book of Leviticus 18:21



50

The Bible: Book of Leviticus 20:2

51

The Bible: Book of Leviticus 20:4

52

YouTube: Alex Jones asks David Gergen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHFoUZEjuNM

about

Bohemian

Grove

Rituals

53

Washington Times “Gergen quits Bohemian Club and 17 other organizations” by Frank J. Murray (June 11, 1993)

54

YouTube: Walter Cronkite speech at the World Federalist Association receiving the Norman Cousins Global Governance Award

55

Ibid.

56

Spy Magazine “Masters of the Universe Go to Camp: Inside the Bohemian Grove” by Philip Weiss (November 1989) pages 59-79

57

B-2 Bomber: Cost and Operational Issues (Letter Report, 08/14/97, GAO/NSIAD-97-181)

58

Rothkopf, David - Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making page 284

59

Nixon, Richard - Memoirs (1978)

60

President Richard M. Nixon on the Watergate tapes in 1971 conversation with John D. Ehrlichman, and H. R. Haldeman made public in 1999 by the National Archives

61

The Press Democrat “Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Conan O'Brien highlight secretive Bohemian Grove gathering” by Guy Kovner (July 12th 2013)



62

Sonoma Country Free Press “Bohemian Grove http://www.sonomacountyfreepress.com/bohos/bohofact.html (now defunct)

Fact

Sheet”

63

FAIR.org “Inside Bohemian Grove: The Story People Magazine Won’t Let You Read” (November 1st 1991)

64

Spy Magazine “Masters of the Universe Go to Camp: Inside the Bohemian Grove” by Philip Weiss (November 1989) pages 59-79

65

FAIR.org “Inside Bohemian Grove: The Story People Magazine Won’t Let You Read” (November 1st 1991)

66

C-SPAN - Washington Journal with guest Michael Barkun (March 12th 2004)

67

Ibid.

68

San Francisco Chronicle “Masked man enters, attacks Bohemian Grove / 'Phantom' expected armed resistance” by Peter Fimrite (January 24th 2002)

69

Jon Ronson’s Secret Rulers of the World: The Satanic Shadowy Elite? Episode 4 (at approximately the 42:44 mark)

70

San Francisco Chronicle “Bohemian Grove commando found guilty” by Kelly St. John (April 17,

2002)

71

Krulos, Tea - Heroes in the Night: Inside the Real Life Superhero Movement (October 2013) Chicago Review Press

72

Chicago Tribune “Costume-clad activists hit Chicago streets to spread altruism” by Geoff Ziezuleqicz (January 18th 2014)



73

Quad City Times “Alcoa protester believes Obama is an alien” by Rashah McChesney (June 29th 2011)

74

Ibid.

75

A personal interview I conduced with Chris Jones in 2006

76

05HF1675 The People of the State of California plaintiff vs Christopher Jones 12/21/67 Defendant c6972092 http://www.fearnotlaw.com/wsnkb/articles/p_v_jones-33569.html

77

Ibid.

78

San Francisco Sentinel “Vanity Fair Editor Arrested at Bohemian Grove” by Pat Murphy (July 2008)

79

Vanity Fair “Bohemian Tragedy” by Alex Shoumatoff (May 2009)

80

History Channel’s Decoded (Season 1 Episode 7) Aired January 13th 2011

81

Ibid.

82

I was included in a different episode of Brad Meltzer’s Decoded, as well as a variety of other shows, some of which were pilots that never got picked up. Check the “About the Author” section of this book for a more complete bio of the shows I’ve been involved with.

83

RT “Guccifer emails link Tony Blair to top-secret Bohemian Grove gathering” (March 25th 2013)

84

Herald Globe “Guccifer indicted in US for Bush family email hack” (June 14th 2014)



85

The Washington Post “Guccifer emails link Tony Blair to top-secret Bohemian Grove gathering” by Caitlin Dewey (January 22nd 2014)

86

www.YouTube.com/MarkDice

87

Spy Magazine “Masters of the Universe Go to Camp: Inside the Bohemian Grove” by Philip Weiss (November 1989) pages 59-79

88

Sonoma West Times & News “Remember When: West County Community Protests” by Frank Robertson (November 22nd 2002)

89New

York Post “Gay Porn Star Serves Moguls” by Richard Johnson with Paula Froelich and Chris

Wilson (July 22, 2004)

90

President Richard M. Nixon on the Watergate tapes in 1971 conversation with John D. Ehrlichman, and H. R. Haldeman made public in 1999 by the National Archives

91

CounterPunch.org “Meet the Secret Rulers of the World: The Truth about the Bohemian Grove” by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair (June 19th 2001)

92

Hanson, Mike – Bohemian Grove: Cult of Conspiracy page 192

93

Hanson, Mike – Bohemian Grove: Cult of Conspiracy page 194

94

Ibid.

95

Hanson, Mike – Bohemian Grove: Cult of Conspiracy page 195

96

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up page 326



97

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up page 103

98

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up pages 326-327

99

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up pages 326-327

100

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up page 104

101

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up pages 326-327

102

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up pages 103-104

103

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up pages 326-327

104

The Alex Jones Show - “Alex Jones Interviews John DeCamp, Author of “The Franklin Cover-up”

(July 21, 2004)

105

Pytha Press “Who Murdered the CIA Chief?” by Zalin Grant

106

Washington Times “Homosexual Prostitution Inquiry Ensnares VIPs with Reagan, Bush” by Paul Rodriguez and George Archibald (June 29th 1989)

107

Ibid.

108

Guardian “Media ‘gagged over bid to report MP child sex cases’” by Daniel Boffey (November 22nd 2014)

109

Ibid.



110

Ibid.

111

Mirror “Retired Scotland Yard detectives back up claims that paedo MPs murdered boys at sex orgies” By Keir Mudie, Mark Conrad (November 23rd 2014)

112

BBC “Sir Cyril Smith: Former MP sexually abused boys, police say” (November 27th 2012)

113

TMZ “Scorpions Bassist: Yeah, about those Snuff Parties I Went to…” (posed on the official TMZ YouTube channel on April 21st 2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JiQAzZ0tzM

114

YouTube: “Ralph Rieckermann official Statement about TMZ Snuff Party Video Clip” Posted on Ralph Riekermann’s YouTube channel on June 4th 2015

115

Interview with Rusty Nelson on A Closer Look with Michael Corbin (April 12, 2005)

116

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up: Child Abuse, Satanism, and Murder in Nebraska page

105

117

Thompson, Hunter S. - Hey Rube: First article titled The New Dumb

118

CBS “Late Night with David Letterman” (1988) (at approximately the 7:12 mark in interview)

119

YouTube: Hunter S. Thompson on David Letterman 1988 https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=B6JnkmFMhoU

120

CBS “Late Night with David Letterman” (1988) (at approximately the 7:12 mark in the interview)

121

Brown, Nickole - In Memory of Hunter S. Thompson: Postcard from Louisville, Kentucky (posted

April 15th 2005) http://www.pw.org/mag/pc_thompson.htm



122

Kraig, Donald Michael - Modern Sex Magick: Secrets of Esoteric Spirituality page 62

123

Miller, Jason - Sex, Sorcery, and Spirt: The Secrets of Erotic Magic page121

124

Ibid.

125

Kraig, Donald Michael - Modern Sex Magick: Secrets of Esoteric Spirituality page 56

126

Crowley, Aleister – The Book of The Law page 40

127

Aleister Crowley: The Wickedest Man in the World (2002) documentary film by Neil Rawles

128

Telegraph “South African men rape babies as 'cure' for Aids” by Jane Flanagan (November 11th 2001)

129

Reuters “Albinos in Tanzania murdered or raped as AIDS ‘cure’” by Fumbuka Ng’Wanakilala (May 5th 2011)

130

Ibid.

131

O’Brien, Cathy - Trance Formation of America page 169

132

O’Brien, Cathy - Trance Formation of America page 170

133

Ibid.

134

O’Brien, Cathy - Trance Formation of America page 170



135

O’Brien, Cathy - Trance Formation of America page 171

136

Ibid.

137

O’Brien, Cathy - Trance Formation of America page 155

138

O’Brien, Cathy - Trance Formation of America page 1

139

O’Brien, Cathy - Trance Formation of America page 117

140

The Guardian “CIA sued over 1950s 'murder' of government scientist plied with LSD” by Karen McVeigh (November 28th 2012)

141

Marks, John D. - The Search for the Manchurian Candidate 1991 Norton Paperback

142

Chicago Tribune “CIA Brainwashing Suit Settled” by Howard Witt (October 5th 1988)

143

The first printing of The Franklin Cover-Up was in 1992, three years before Cathy O’Brien’s book was released.

144

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up page 326-327

145

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa8S4GilqogR8aZGfDIztCDZD_3ImeKHC

146

New York Times “Sotomayor Defends Ties to Association” by Savage, Charlie and Kirkpatrick, David D (June 15th 2009)



147

CNN.com “Sotomayor resigns from women's club” (June 19th 2009)

148

Politico “Sonia Sotomayor found friends in elite group” by Kenneth Vogel (June 4th 2009)

149

The New York Times “A Club for the Women Atop the Ladder” by Pamela Ryckman (April 2, 2011)

150

Politico “Sonia Sotomayor found friends in elite group” by Kenneth Vogel (June 4th 2009)

151

Comedy Central “The Colbert Report” (June http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/v8qfms/the-word---bohemian-grove

17th

2009)

152

President Richard M. Nixon on the Watergate tapes in 1971 conversation with John D. Ehrlichman, and H. R. Haldeman made public in 1999 by the National Archives

153

The Irish Times “Uncovering the origins of Dublin's Hellfire Club” by David Ryan (August 10th 2012)

154

New York Post “Kate Middleton’s pal hosts the swankiest sex party in NYC” by Dana Schuster (March 10th 2015)

155

New York Post “A night inside the sex club hosted by Kate Middleton’s pal” by Dana Schuster (March 17th 2015

156

BreathCast “Questlove Recounts Illuminati Experience with Jay-Z? Christian Artist Shares Own Experience with the Occult in Music Industry” by Jeannie Ortega (February 17th 2015)

157

Newsweek “Jeffrey Epstein: The Sex Offender Who Mixes With Princes and Premiers” by Catherine Ostler (January 29th 2015)



158

The Guardian “Jeffrey Epstein's donations to young pupils prompts US Virgin Islands review” by Jon Swaine (January 13th 2015)

159

The Mirror “Prince Andrew may have been secretly filmed with underage girl he is alleged to have abused” by Matthew Drake (January 3, 3015)

160

Comedy Central - South Park “The Return of Chef” Season 10 Episode 1 (March 22nd 2006)

161

Ibid.

162

See my previous book Illuminati in the Music Industry.

163

Jon Ronson’s Secret Rulers of the World: The Satanic Shadowy Elite? Episode 4 (at approximately the 42:12 mark)

164

Ibid.

165

The Washington Post “Harry Shearer, voice of Mr. Burns, to leave ‘The Simpsons,’ reports say” by Justin Moyer (May 14th 2015)

166

See Hacking Democracy (2006) produced by HBO

167



SonomaCountyFreePress.org (website now defunct)

Causing Trouble

© 2012 by Mark Dice and The Resistance

All Rights Reserved

Published by The Resistance

San Diego, CA No part of the text within this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form and by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher and the author. Visit www.MarkDice.com ISBN: 09673466-9-X

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62346-360-1 Table of Contents Introduction High School College Craziness Middle School Moving to California Looking Back on it All

Introduction Kids always cause trouble when they’re growing up, especially boys, but not like my friends and I. We didn’t steal cars, commit armed robberies, or burn down someone’s house. Our trouble was different. It was more creative. It was more fun. It still landed us in handcuffs, in the newspapers, and for me, ultimately getting kicked out of high school and featured on the evening news. But there was a style to our trouble. It was often misguided creative energy that we didn’t know how to handle in our youth, and would manifest itself in our outrageous schemes, our over-the-top pranks, and a life that was more exciting than something out of a movie. Years later, whenever discussing high school pranks or stupid things people did growing up, I always had the best stories. Always. And not just one epic story that became legendary at the school for years afterward. I had story after story of the craziness. My stories were so entertaining to those listening that occasionally people said I should write a book about them, so I did.

I’ll tell you about every detail: Painting obscenities consisting of 30-foottall letters in the snow on the football field using food coloring mixed with water in a giant weed sprayer; sending hundreds of magazine subscriptions to a teacher and checking the “bill me later” box; replacing the magazines in the school library with old pornos from the 1970s that a friend of mine found in her dad’s basement; sending a fake college rejection letter to a former friend informing him that the school had changed its mind about enrolling him; and that’s just the beginning. Two years after getting thrown out of high school for a prank I orchestrated that got out of hand, I moved to California with one of my best friends and the craziness continued for about a year before I really started to grow up and channel my energy into more positive things. You could say that immediately after moving to California was the lowest point in my life as you will discover in this book. Within two weeks I found myself in jail for a DUI and later helped turn my roommate’s closet into a marijuana growing operation hoping we wouldn’t have to spend money on pot anymore since we smoked it every day. Instead of getting jobs, we started selling fake IDs to people at my college in order to make money because we didn’t want to work since we came to California to become successful and “live the dream.” We were headed on a crash course with complete disaster. I don’t know what it was that caused all of this craziness to manifest itself in my brain and in my life. Maybe it was because I never had cable TV growing up, so instead of mindlessly sitting in front of the television for hours on end, I had to come up with things to do to entertain myself. In the 1990s there was no high-speed Internet yet, there were only dial-up modems that took hours to download even small files. Maybe it was because I lived in Wisconsin, and for six months out of the year the weather was too bad to go outside and I was stuck indoors for months on end, so we had to do something for fun. Maybe it’s genetic, because from what I understand one of my grandfathers was a trouble maker when he was young. Or maybe it’s because my mom wouldn’t let me take karate class. I’m not really sure. My trouble making crew mainly consisted of Fred, Diego, Ken, Rick, as well as Marty and Brent. Fred and Diego are my two best friends and we

have all known each other since the first grade and lived on the same block growing up. Ken and I became good friends in the fifth grade after he moved to the area with his mom and brother, and I met Rick, Marty, and Brent freshman year of high school. This book is 100% true. Everything that is written about here in this book happened just the way it is described and nothing is exaggerated or fabricated. Everyone who knows me and grew up with me is familiar with a lot of these stories since they witnessed them first hand. The names of some of the people involved have been changed to maintain their privacy, since you’ll find a lot of craziness occurred that I’m sure they don’t want to be connected to, even though the statute of limitations is probably passed and nobody can be prosecuted. If anyone has the same name that is used in this book, it is merely a coincidence, and is in no way referring to them. And keeping in line with the typical cliché to avoid any legal problems (both for myself and for you) from people attempting to copy anything that my friends and I did, I insist that you please do not try any of this stuff at home…or anywhere…ever. You’ll have enough fun living vicariously through me just from reading about what we did, so there’s no need for you or your friends to do it too. And before you get all judgmental and think that I’m a completely terrible human being for some of things I’ve done, please read through the entire book before coming to judgment, and remember that it’s tough being a kid.

High

School Fake Pregnancy Test Results Rumors started going around that two particular teachers at our school were having an affair. Mr. Bell and Mrs. Hartnett. One of them was divorced, but the other one we thought was apparently still married (as far as we knew). They also somehow convinced the school board to let them “team teach” a course combining art class and geography in what they called “global

studies.” It was the dumbest class ever, and we didn’t really learn anything and pretty much just drew a bunch of pictures and did childish arts and crafts. I hated Mr. Bell and his dumb class that was probably just an excuse for him to spend more time with Mrs. Hartnett. He was an obese man with a fairly normal looking upper body, and then around his stomach and waist, his body just inflated into a massive blob, making him look like an oversized bowling pin or pear. Anyway, a lot of us students believed that they were having an affair, so I sent an envelope to the school addressed to Mrs. Hartnett with large letters printed on the outside that read, “PREGNANCY TEST RESULTS ENCLOSED. PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL.” As you may know, most teachers have their own little mail slots in the school office and whoever receives the mail has to go through it all and put it in the appropriate slot. The words “PREGNANCY TEST RESULTS ENCLOSED” were so large and noticeable that whoever was separating the mail in the office couldn’t miss it, and I’m sure they couldn’t help but gossip about this strange piece of mail that came in addressed to Mrs. Hartnett, and that was exactly what I wanted. Inside the envelope I put a piece of paper that said “Fuck You” written across it. Not as creative as the outside of the envelope, but hey. Of course, neither she nor Mr. Bell ever mentioned anything about this envelope after she had received it, but it wasn’t the last I would hear about it. Probably six months later, maybe even a year later, my mom—who usually never approved of my antics—came home from grocery shopping one afternoon and told me that she bumped into Mrs. So & So, who worked in the office at the high school, and my mom started smiling excitedly like she had heard some incredibly funny news and went on to tell me that this woman told her about the pregnancy test results letter that Mrs. Hartnett had received and figured it was my doing. She also told my mom that she thought it was hilarious. My mom and I started laughing, and she went on to say that the office lady had figured that it was my handiwork (and she was right). Oh yeah, at some point, Mrs. Hartnett had divorced her husband and that summer married Mr. Bell, and became Mrs. Bell. We were right. They had

been in a relationship, and this was certainly not the end of me tormenting them.

Magazine Subscriptions to Teacher You know how when you pick up a magazine, about 20 subscription cards fall out every time you flip through the pages? You know those little postcards that you put your name and address on and send in to subscribe to the magazine? Well, I noticed that you didn’t have to send any money in with your subscription and you could just check the “bill me later” box and they would start sending you the magazines without having to pay for them right away because they would send you a bill later. It was very generous of them, so I figured Mr. Bell could use some of that generosity. I drove to the mall a few days later and went to the magazine section of the bookstore and started collecting the subscription cards for every magazine on the shelves. Since each magazine has about 5 of these little cards fall out every time you open one, sometimes I collected two or three of the subscription cards for the same magazine. My stack of subscription cards kept growing and growing. I had cards for magazines I never even knew existed. I figured Mr. Bell could use some of this interesting reading material, so I spent an hour or so filling out his name and the school’s address on the cards and marked “bill me later” and dropped them off in the mail and started laughing out loud. I didn’t even have to put stamps on them because the postage was all prepaid by the magazines! It was great! It must have been around 200 different cards. I subscribed him to Good Housekeeping magazine, Time, Newsweek, Cosmo , all the fashion magazines, arts and craft magazines, fitness magazines, celebrity gossip rags, and even Penthouse and Playboy . The stack of cards was over an inch tall by the time I was done collecting them. I could already see what was going to happen. In just a week or two, Mr. Bell’s mailbox at school would be flooded with new magazines, probably 10 or more a day, every day, every week, for who knows how long, all with his name on them. Not only this, but a few weeks later he would also be sent the bill for them all. Even though I wasn’t able to see this with my own

eyes, I knew this would happen and that was satisfaction enough. He would know it was me. Only I would come up with such a devious, yet creative, idea and actually put it in motion. I figured he would never mention that this had happened to him out of embarrassment, and he wouldn’t want to encourage more subscriptions or have it happen to other teachers, but this wasn’t the last I would hear about the magazines. Months later, my mom had to come to the school to have a conference with Mr. Bell, the school principal, the vice principal, the guidance counselor, and myself, because of some other trouble I was causing Mr. Bell which involved me drawing a picture of someone holding a gun and shooting a fat man shaped like a bowling pin that resembled him. (Oh, I popped a bunch of inflatable globes he had hanging from his ceiling, too.) The school was not happy about my drawing (or the globes). The picture didn’t have his name on it, so I didn’t see what the big deal was. During the meeting I said, “Do you think this resembles you, Mr. Bell? What makes you think that?” I was trying to get him to say he was basically a fat blob like the guy in my drawing. He looked like a moron, and instead of my mom being mad at me for her having to come to the school for our big meeting, she was mad at him and thought it was a waste of her time. He wouldn’t even admit that the picture was of him, and he insisted he was just concerned because it was “violent” and even asked if I had any issues with the local bowling alley because the guy in my drawing was a human bowling pin because that was one of our nicknames for him since that was basically the shape of his body. It was during this meeting that Mr. Bell mentioned that he had been getting countless magazines sent to him that he didn’t subscribe to, and he said he had to send a letter to every single one explaining that he had not subscribed to them and asked for his subscriptions to be canceled and the bills voided. The coalition seated across from me asked if I knew anything about it. I’m sure from the look on my face they had their answer, but of course I denied it. They couldn’t prove anything and they knew it. The meeting was a complete waste of my time, and my mom’s, so I had to pay Mr. Bell back.

A few days later I started taking up a collection to enroll Mr. Bell in the “Assholes of America Club” which was something I had found in a magazine somewhere. You could pay something like $30 and enroll someone and the company would send them a T-shirt that says “Official Member of the Assholes of America Club,” along with a membership card with that person’s name printed on it, and a nice letter explaining that someone had enrolled them in the club because they are an asshole. This time, instead of just sending his membership kit to the school where I would not see the look on his face when he opened it, I decided to send it to my parents’ house so I could then place it on his desk before class. When the package came, I brought it to class the next day, and before he arrived, I set the T-shirt, letter, and his membership card on top of his podium where he would be standing in just a few minutes. Some of my friends knew exactly what I was doing and anxiously awaited Mr. Bell’s reaction. I have to give the man a little credit, because instead of flipping out and asking who did this and making a scene, he simply removed it from the podium and put it on the shelf underneath it without saying a word. It was still funny. My plan was almost ruined because my mom usually got the mail every day, so she received the package addressed to Mr. Bell, and opened it up to see what was going on. She hid the shirt and things, and left the empty package sitting on the kitchen table and confronted me about it when I came back from school. She almost wouldn’t give me the stuff because she pretty much knew what I was going to do with it, but I somehow convinced her to turn it over to me so I could bring it to school the next day. I basically threatened to do something even worse to Mr. Bell if she didn’t turn over the goods, so she reluctantly returned them to me. Sometimes I was me who deserved to be in the Assholes of America Club, I know.

The Underwear Check Because I kept messing up the computers at school and causing them to display pictures of girls in bikinis and then freeze up, a policy was implemented where the school made all of us sign an agreement that we

would pay $25 an hour for a computer technician (really just the computer teacher) to repair any damage we caused, or else we couldn’t use the computers anymore. One day instead of doing my usual thing of installing new files on the computers to mess them up or formatting the hard drives, I simply reversed the mouse and the keyboard cables to two different computers—that’s it—and the teacher charged me twenty-five dollars to switch them back! I couldn’t believe it. This was during a computer programming class, and there’s not much I could do just sitting there, so I had to pay the money so I could use the computers again. At first I sat through class for a few days in protest doing nothing, telling the teacher I’m not going to pay, but I soon realized he didn’t care and wasn’t going to budge. At first I thought about bringing in a large box of twenty-five hundred pennies all dumped loose inside, but I came up with an even better idea. I had learned somewhere that a check didn’t need to be written on any official paper like money did, and that you could technically write a check on anything as long is it had your name and account number on it and you signed it, so I decided to write the school a check using my Fruit of the Loom tighty-whities underwear. I stretched the underwear over a square piece of cardboard and used a black magic marker to write in the checking account number and all the details, and the next day I put them in an envelope and handed it to the vice principal and told her it was payment for my “damages” to the computers. A few years later I was trying my hand at some stand-up comedy and a local paper wrote up an article about me that mentioned I would be performing at a certain comedy club one Saturday night, and who did I see in the audience, but Mr. Marvin, the computer teacher whose life I made miserable. I thought it was a coincidence but after my routine he came up to me and handed me a pair of underwear that had “To Mark, from Mr. Marvin” written on them with black magic marker! I couldn’t believe it. He had seen the article in the paper saying I would be performing there and thought he would be funny and try to get me back for the underwear check I gave the school for the trouble I caused in his computer class. I didn’t really think his check was funny, I thought it was creepy, and I left the underwear

laying on one of the tables. We always thought he was gay and this kind of reinforced that idea for me. There was a small office in the back of Mr. Marvin’s classroom that was shared with the science room right next door and we noticed occasionally Mr. Marvin and other teachers would hear the phone ringing and tell the class they would be back in a moment and go into the office to take the call. Well, we got a hold of the phone number, which was written on the side of the phone, and we would occasionally call it from a payphone in the hallway and when another teacher answered it we would say, in the gayest voice possible, something like, “Hey, is Mr. Marvin available? This is his boyfriend and I’m sorry to interrupt him, but I really needed to speak with him for a moment.” Sometimes Mr. Marvin would answer the phone himself and we would make some rude comment and hang up, usually something along the lines of him being gay. He was actually married to a woman and had a son, but we still thought he was a closet homo and he certainly acted like one.

Food Coloring in the Snow You might be familiar with the large weed sprayers that consist of a two or three gallon plastic jug that people fill with weed killer and pump up and carry around their yard to spray weeds with. Well, it was winter time, and there were no weeds, but one night I still came up with a use for the weed sprayer that ultimately led to giant obscenities being painted in the snow on the football field behind the school and on the tennis courts that everyone would see the next morning when they arrived. I bought some food coloring at the local grocery store and filled the weed sprayer up with water and made a late-night visit to the school after it had just snowed. Using my boots I dragged my feet on the ground and drew huge 30-foot-tall letters in the snow, spelling out the word “Fuck” on a large slope facing the school on the edge of the football field. I then took the bright blue water I had mixed up in the weed sprayer using the food coloring and filled in the letters by spraying all around them, turning the snow blue. I wanted to spell out “Fuck You Mr. Mueller” (the name of the

principal) but I soon realized there wasn’t enough water for this, although the effect would still be the same. A simple “Fuck” would still do. The lines making up the word were probably three feet wide and about 30 feet tall. The next morning as I walked from the parking lot to the school entrance, there in the distance, on the side of the pure white, snow-covered football field was a huge “Fuck” in bright blue letters. You couldn’t miss it. It was enormous. The slope it was on was so steep that you could see it as clear as day from the school. The janitors were out there with shovels and rakes trying to move the snow around to cover it up, but the letters were so large that it wasn’t really doing any good. Everyone saw it. There was a large staircase inside the school that almost everyone would walk down to get from the upper level to the lower level, and there in clear view through the windows was a gigantic blue “Fuck” starring you in the face. The principal’s office overlooked the tennis courts on another side of the building, where a slightly smaller “Shit” was spelled out that couldn’t be missed. I didn’t even get called to the principal’s office because Mr. Mueller knew I would just deny I had anything to do with it. A lot of people figured it was me, and when the other students asked me if I did it, my face would light up with a huge grin giving them their answer.

Sidewalk Chalk Sidewalk chalk, if you don’t know, consists of huge sticks of colored chalk that kids use to draw on sidewalks and driveways. The chalk sticks are about the size of a large carrot and come in a variety of colors. While a lot of people use cans of spray paint to put graffiti on buildings, this is vandalism and was crossing the line I had thought, but somehow the idea popped into my head that I should buy some sidewalk chalk and then write a bunch of obscenities all over the outside of the high school. I mean all over the outside. I bought a literal bucket of jumbo sidewalk chalk at Toys “R” Us that contained 20 or 30 different sticks and I rounded up some of my crew and late one night we chalked practically every square foot of the outside of the school on every wall around the entire building. It took more than an hour

to finish and we had a bunch of us out there that night. We drew large pot leaves using the green chalk, we wrote “Fuck You,” “School Sucks,” “Smoke Weed” and just about every other offensive thing we could think of. There were also ten-foot-long penises and derogatory statements about the principal and several of our least favorite teachers written in three-foottall letters. While none of us were artists, we sure did put a lot of detail into our drawings. Let me be clear that this was not on the sidewalks around the school. We did this on the outer walls and it was so noticeable that even people driving by could see our handiwork when we were done. There were no 24 hour security guards, or even any surveillance cameras. This was in the 1990s, remember, in a small town in the middle of nowhere. The next morning, the janitors were out there with sponges and buckets of water washing it all off. It must have taken them hours to clean off our masterpiece, possibly even all day. As clever as this was, the one thing I overlooked was the fact that this was a Friday night and there was no school in the morning so hardly anyone got to see our work. There was a track meet that Saturday, so the track team saw some of it, but it would have been much better if we had done it on a different night so everyone would have seen it in the morning before school. Nobody’s perfect, you know.

Shoes on the Telephone Wires I’m sure you’ve occasionally seen a pair of shoes hanging on some telephone wires above the street, a scene that looks very odd and always makes people wonder why someone would toss them up there and whose shoes they were. I always had to do things a little extreme, so instead of just throwing up an old pair of shoes over some telephone wires, I put the word out at school for people to bring me their old pairs of shoes because I was going to do something cool with them, and everyone knew that meant I was going to do something crazy. Over the next few days people brought me dozens of shoes and I gathered them up in a trash bag at the end of the day and brought them home and tied

the laces together for each pair. A few days later, on a Friday night, my friends and I drove through the town and would pull over on the side of Main Street every few blocks and throw the pairs of Shoes up on the wires right in the middle of the road so they would catch and just dangle there. We did this on almost every single wire that crossed Main Street. I’m talking about 15 pairs in the span of just a few blocks and we were just getting started. After a while we were laughing so hard, as we tried to throw the shoes up to get them to catch on the wires, we were too weak to toss them high enough. It wasn’t even that late at night when we did this, and a lot of times there were cars in the distance approaching as we stood in the middle of the street trying to toss them up. We didn’t care. If a cop saw us, we would have taken off on foot and enjoyed the chase. After we were done filling up the wires on Main Street, we drove over to the other major road that went through town and flung shoes on all those wires, too. These were the only two roads that came into town, and no matter which way people came in or out, they saw the shoes. A lot of shoes. Shoe after shoe after shoe. One pair hanging on practically every single wire that crossed the street. It looked very weird and the entire town couldn’t miss them the next morning. A few days later the shoes were all taken down, a task that must have taken a cherry picker and the entire day. I still had a bunch of shoes that we hadn’t used, so my friends and I went out that same night and put them all back up again! One pair we tossed up was a pair of boots that a girl gave me, and since they didn’t have any laces to tie together, I took a piece of rope and punched a hole in each boot and tied them together so we could still hang them. For some reason someone gave me a large doll when I was collecting the shoes and so I tied a rope around it and tied the other end to a block of wood and we even tossed that up and got it to hang from the wires. We were laughing so hard we could hardly muster the strength to throw some of the pairs high enough to get them to catch and wrap around the wires. It was the middle of winter and absolutely freezing outside and that didn’t make it any easier. This time we would park the car over on a side street and each grab a few pairs of shoes and then walk over to Main Street and spread out and do our thing. We did it again. Both major streets coming

into the town were full of shoes right in the middle of the road. When we were done we couldn’t help but think of the poor city worker who was told to take the shoes down earlier that day, and we envisioned him getting yelled at by his boss because they were still up. “Bob, I thought I told you to take down all of those damn shoes yesterday!” “I did boss.” “Then why are there still 20 pairs hanging over Main Street?” Just imagine their bewilderment. It wasn’t a few days later, or a week later that the shoes went back up. It was later that same day . They must have been pissed . The local paper covered the story and said it was a mystery as to why it was happening and claimed the hanging shoes were dangerous because they distracted drivers and could cause an accident or fall onto a vehicle and break their windshield. Of course, we never really thought about that possibility, because, well, you know, we were dumb kids. I was able to call in and get on the air of a local rock station and told the audience that we were a group called the “Instigators” and that the shoes signified our desire to legalize marijuana. They really had no meaning, but I thought we could encourage others around the area to start tossing up shoes too. We then traveled to the radio station later that night and threw a bunch of shoes on the telephone wires in front of their building. Since our small little town was covered with shoes (again), we decided to branch out and expand the operation to the neighboring cities. I specifically wanted to get shoes in the middle of every major intersection so they would be seen by the most people. This was extremely difficult since there was rarely a time when no cars were stopped at the light at the intersections, so we would just toss them up right in front of the cars stopped at the red light. We didn’t care. Who would have thought that shoes could be so fun?

Donating Pornos to the Library

One of my friends found a large collection of her dad’s pornos from the 1970s in her basement, and she just knew I could put them to good use so she asked me if I wanted them. Of course I did, so she brought them to school the next day so I could donate them to the school library. Pornos from the 1970s, as you can imagine, are very different from today’s pornos. The girls were not exactly the most attractive women, and let’s just say there was plenty of hair down there. Nevertheless, I thought the school library could benefit from having a better selection of magazines, especially some vintage 1970s porn. Most of the current magazines were placed in protective plastic covers which were labeled accordingly, so one afternoon during study hall I went to the library and switched a bunch of that month’s magazines with the pornos and placed them back on the shelves to give people a pleasant surprise (or perhaps unpleasant, because the women were not exactly what I would call attractive according to today’s standards, but you get the picture). I also tore out several pages of some nasty looking pictures and slid them into the trophy cases that adorned the hallways around the school. The trophies were in locked glass cases, but there was a small opening where the two glass panels would overlap each other when they were slid open. I stuck the pages inside the cases through these tiny slits, knowing they would stay there until some janitor was called to unlock the case and take them down. While I was usually very careful when scheming, I made a terrible mistake this time. I had accidentally left one of the pornos in my locker. Within a few hours I was summoned to the principal’s office just as I expected. When I arrived and sat down, I saw a half a dozen of the pornos sitting on Mr. Mueller’s desk. I commented that it looked like he had some good reading material there. He asked me if I knew where the magazines came from, and I told him I thought they were his. He was not amused. He then informed me that he searched my locker and found one of the pornos there. “How do you explain that?” he asked. I had already told him that I didn’t know anything about any old pornos and that I had never seen them before,

so I was caught in a lie. I was busted and he knew it. I was suspended immediately and sent home. Before I was allowed to return to school I had to have a conference with him and my mom. It was very embarrassing. When we went in for the meeting, he had the pornos sitting on his desk and he held one of them up and started flipping through the pages showing my mom exactly what was inside. She was disgusted and so was I because the people were pretty gross. I told Mr. Mueller he had to admit that it was funny, not only that, but it was harmless. He still didn’t find the humor in it and said he was really getting sick of my antics. As my mom and I left his office I told him to enjoy the magazines. I just didn’t know when to stop.

The Disappearing Furniture Most schools and office buildings have a dropped ceiling which consists of the white panels that are about 2 feet wide and 4 feet long that can be lifted up so you can access the lights and plumbing pipes and other things that these panels cover up. A lot of times the actual ceiling is 10 or 20 feet above these panels, and dropped ceilings are a staple of modern buildings. One afternoon in literature class a few of us got to go across the hallway into another room to work as a group on a class project. This room was barely ever used and was pretty much only for student council meetings and test taking. It was full of desks and some small tables and extra books from other classrooms, and somehow we got the idea to remove one of the panels from the dropped ceiling and started putting desks up on top of them. Since I’m tall, I stood on top of a table in the back of the room and Fred would hand me one desk at a time, which I then set on top of the ceiling panels and put the missing panel back in place. When we filled that area of the ceiling, we moved to another part of the room and did the same thing over and over again. Someone was standing watch at the door to make sure that the teacher didn’t pop in to check on us, and for the entire period we put as many desks up in the ceiling as we could. We also put the podium up there; we put the small tables up there; we even took all the books off the shelves and threw them up there too.

Like magic, most everything in the room seemed to disappear, including the garbage can. If you looked carefully you could see many of the ceiling panels were drooping from the weight of the desks and the other furniture pushing down on them. One table was fairly large and heavy, and we worried it would break through the panels while we were still there, but fortunately it held. I can’t imagine what the teachers must have thought the next time they used that room, because almost all of the desks were missing along with the books, the podium, and just about everything else! The stuff was up there for the rest of the year and nobody found out. In another class someone had thrown a desk out the window which landed on a section of the roof below, but in this case, dozens of desks just seemed to disappear into thin air.

A Billboard of Me on the School After the principal realized that detentions didn’t bother me, after a while, he found a punishment that did. He started banning me from attending the school sporting events on Friday nights. This sucked. This was my social life he was messing with here. He had finally found my weakness. Detentions didn’t matter. Not allowing me to use the computers during study hall didn’t deter me from scheming. Even throwing me out of the weight room after school didn’t discourage me, but not allowing me to go to the basketball games on Friday night was like a kick in the balls. I tried to think of a way to convince him that the school needed me at the games because I was the loudest person in the audience and I encouraged school spirit. Me just being there really helped our team. I scanned a picture of myself from the school yearbook and using a computer graphics program I enlarged it to about 5 feet wide and 5 feet tall, and printed it out in sections. It probably took about 50 different pieces of paper, and I taped them all together to make a huge billboard of myself. I then typed up a banner that said, “Let Mark attend the basketball game on Friday night,” and I called Fred and asked him to bring a ladder to school in the back of his truck the next morning so we could put them up. We arrived early and hung my picture over a sign that was above the student entrance that had our school name on it. It was probably fifteen feet up in

the air, and instead of showing the name of the school and our mascot, it was now a gigantic picture of me with a banner below urging people to demand I be allowed to attend the game on Friday. Everyone in the entire school saw it when they arrived that morning since it was above the main entrance in the parking lot. In a perfect moment of synchronicity, I happened to be walking behind the principal in the hallway on my way to first period when the strangest thing happened. Another teacher approached him and said, “Mr. Mueller, there is a gigantic picture of Mark Dice on the side of the school above the entrance that I think you should know about.” I sped up my walk and patted him on the shoulder when I got next to him and said, “Good morning, Mr. Mueller, such a beautiful day, isn’t it?” and gave him the biggest smile. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. I’m sure he didn’t know if I had done it, or if one of my friends did, all he knew was there was a huge picture of me on the side of the school above the entrance. Later on that morning I got called to his office. I pretended I was surprised by the picture and had just found out about it that morning when I got to school. I told him it was clear evidence that the student body wanted me at the game and it was important I go. I pleaded with him to let me attend and he actually changed his mind! I came to the game that Friday wearing a red cape and a sign taped on my chest that said “Spirit Man” (as in school spirit), and I riled up the crowd more than any other game I had been to and everybody had the best time. I even think Mr. Mueller was actually glad that he changed his mind and let me come.

Running for Class President Senior year I decided to run for class president and a few of my friends joined me in the campaign and ran for other positions like vice president, secretary, treasurer, and other offices. We decided to call our group the “Dream Team,” which was named after O.J. Simpson’s team of lawyers who got him off for murder. This struck fear in the heart of the principal and the teachers because the possibility of me being the class president was probably one of the worst things that they could think of for the image of

the school. I would be a complete disgrace to the office, which is exactly why I wanted to win. The only contender running against me who was remotely capable of beating me was the school’s beautiful tennis star who was very popular, but I was sure I could gain more support than her and win. The Dream Team put up posters around the school promoting ourselves, while our opponents did little or no campaigning at all. We were sure victory was ours, but when the election results came in, I did not win. The tennis star beat me. I was shocked. There was no way I could’ve lost. Everyone wanted me, the class clown, to also become the class president just for the fun of it. When the results were announced, the principal said it was a close race, but the tennis star had won senior class president by two votes. Two! I demanded to see evidence of this loss and wanted to witness a recount. Mr. Mueller, the principal, told me that the voting ballots were thrown out! This was ridiculous. That meant there was no real proof that she won. I demanded a new election. He said no, so I typed up a petition the next day and got probably 70% of the senior class to sign it saying that they voted for me and believed there was election fraud and wanted a new one. I presented the petition to the principal and told him that he can’t steal the election from me and deny me my rightful place as class president. He said there would be no revote and I threatened to call the local television station and alert the newspapers of this fraud. He didn’t care, and I let it go. I really should have made a bigger deal out of this. I probably really did win the election and the school screwed me. This just pissed me off and made me want to cause more trouble, and that’s exactly what I did.

The Food Locker There was a locker near mine that didn’t have a number on it, which was weird, and we noticed nobody ever used it. The mysterious unmarked locker was unlocked and when I opened it up one day I realized there was a plumbing pipe going through the middle of it from the floor to the ceiling. For some reason it must have been a design flaw in the building and the pipe wasn’t built inside a wall so they had to cut a hole through the top and

bottom of the locker so it could go through. Instead of having this poor locker sit there all lonely and not get used, I decided to turn it into a trashcan. But not just any trashcan. I put out the word to my friends that they should bring their leftover food from the lunch room and dump it in the locker for fun. After just a few days it started filling up with food scraps and garbage, and you could smell it when you got close to it. I had to put a cardboard retaining wall inside it a few days later to hold the garbage in and prevent it from falling out all over the floor when we opened it to add more because it was stacking up so high. Even though the locker smelled like a dumpster, I thought it would smell worse than it actually did. I thought the stench of rotting food would fill the entire hallway but it was only noticeable when you were close to it. I don’t remember whose lockers were right next to it but I feel really sorry for them. I thought about what I could put in there that would really smell since the rotting food scraps just weren’t stinking enough, and I figured the best thing to do was to pour some beer in there, so one morning I brought a can of beer to school and cracked it open and dumped it in. The beer poured out and filled the bottom of the locker and spilled down below through the cracks underneath and I’m sure spread out underneath the surrounding lockers. It smelled immediately. That whole area of the hallway reeked of beer. When you’re at a party and everybody’s drinking beer, you don’t really notice the smell that much, but apparently when you’re in a nice clean school, the stench of spilled beer can practically fill an entire hallway. The food locker was quickly cleaned out after that and a lock was put on it so we couldn’t put anything else inside.

Going out for Lunch We didn’t have an open campus in high school, which meant we couldn’t leave for lunch. Well, it wasn’t that we couldn’t leave, it was we weren’t supposed to leave. My friends and I had a habit of ditching lunch and smoking weed and then sneaking back into the school, but after a while they realized this was happening and thought they could stop us. They

started locking all the school’s doors from the outside, except for the one right next to the principal’s office, so they could only be opened from the inside once school had started. They thought they were really smart, but I was smarter. What they didn’t realize was that if you folded up a sheet of paper like you were passing a note, you could prop the doors open with it so they wouldn’t latch. All you had to do was set the folded up paper on the ground in such a way that the door would close on it, but it would keep it propped open just enough so it wouldn’t latch and nobody could tell. So once the school started locking the doors, every time we skipped lunch I would just jam one of the doors with a folded up piece of paper and we could easily get back into the school without anybody usually noticing. I say usually , because after a while they did notice because from a few classrooms certain teachers could see us walking back to the school from the parking lot every day through their windows and they realized what we were doing so the vice principal would keep an eye out every day during lunch period trying to bust us. I was too good to be outsmarted by some vice principal and have her ruin my fun and kill my buzz, so I started thinking of a plan. I remembered there were a set of doors in the locker room that led out to the football field which was in the back of the school, and there were no windows back there so no spying teacher or vice principal would be able to see us, so we started parking across the street from the school and then walked along the side of the football field to the locker room doors and then would sneak back inside the building that way, and the fun continued for the rest of the year and we never got caught once. Sometimes if we lost track of time and were running a little late getting back to the school we wouldn’t have the time to park the car a block away and walk across the side of the football field to sneak in through the back door, so we would just park in the teachers’ parking lot and boldly walk in the door right by the principal’s office since it was the only one unlocked from the outside. No teachers or office workers would imagine that any student would have the balls to ditch class and come back in through that door. Sometimes the best place to hide something is right under someone’s nose. We would each walk in the door at about ten second intervals so we

didn’t all walk in at the same time, and occasionally a teacher or someone in the office saw one of us walk in the door, but they never said anything because they always assumed that we must have been coming back from a dentist appointment and had some legitimate reason for coming in late. It’s an interesting phenomenon that if you act like you belong somewhere, you won’t raise any suspicion. If someone less skilled in the art of fighting the system were to attempt returning to school through this door and were spotted, a look of guilt would have flashed upon their face giving them away, but when I walked in the door I just acted like there was nothing unusual happening. One afternoon, a teacher was walking right past the door in the hallway when I came back inside the school and he looked at me and shook his head. He knew exactly who I was and what I was doing and made some comment about how I was just getting back from skipping lunch, but he didn’t get me in trouble. He probably figured it was no use.

Perfect Attendance and the Disappearing Detentions In one of my favorite movies, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , the main character uses a modem to hack into the school’s computer system to change his attendance record in order to reduce the number of unexcused absences he had accumulated. Even though that film was from the 1980s and things still weren’t very high tech then, my school’s attendance system was even less high tech in the 1990s, which actually worked to our advantage. If a student was absent from class, the teacher would just simply use a pencil to fill in the bubble next to their name on the attendance sheet which would be taken to the office every day. There was a slot on the outside of the classroom doors where the attendance sheets would be put at the end of class or at the end of the day, and someone would come around and gather them all and take them to the office where they would be processed. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that you could just have one of your friends use a hall pass to come by and take the attendance sheet out of the slots and erase the bubble next to your name when you decided to skip class so your absence wouldn’t be recorded.

The same attendance sheet was used all week so if you did this on Tuesday, the teacher might actually notice the following day when the bubble was mysteriously not filled in anymore, so it was to our advantage to only do this on Fridays, which would be the last day they would receive that same sheet, because on Monday they would have a completely new one. This little scheme worked particularly well when there was a substitute teacher because the following day, when the regular teacher came back, they wouldn’t notice that the attendance bubble had been erased because they were not there and wouldn’t know that the student was gone the day before. Little did the high school know, but we had several Good Samaritans who worked in the office who could occasionally prevent us from having to serve detentions that teachers had written us. These Good Samaritans were students who worked part time for the school as office assistants. When a teacher wrote a detention for a student, they were set in the top tray on the vice principal’s desk at the end of the day where she would see them the next morning when she got a chance. She would then compile the detention list for that day, and put the detentions in the students’ files. Our Good Samaritan students would keep an eye on this tray and whenever a detention with my name on it or any other friends of theirs found its way into that tray, they would simply take them and crumple them up and throw them in the trash before the vice principal had seen them. The teacher who wrote them had no way of knowing that the detentions weren’t actually filed, because they confidently assumed that once the detention was on the vice principal’s desk, it would be taken care of. Well, they were wrong. Our Good Samaritans would always find us at some point throughout the day to let us know that our detention had been thrown away so we could enjoy ourselves after school with everyone else instead of sitting in detention hall. Those of us who knew about this detention tray would always keep a close eye on it whenever we were in the vice principal’s office. Occasionally myself or one of my friends would be sitting in her office after getting in trouble when she would get called out for a moment and we would take that opportunity to look through the tray and could steal the detentions or throw them in her trash can so it was like they never existed at all.

Science Class Every once in a while something will happen in a class that’s so hilarious or outrageous that word about the incident is passed down from one grade to the next year, after year, sort of like ancient folklore that was told to every new generation around campfires thousands of years ago. One of these legendary stories in our school had to do with the science teacher, Mr. Powell, who was locked in a closet by a student a few years earlier. The closet was located at the front of the classroom and had a paddle lock on the outside to prevent students from stealing the toxic chemicals and expensive science equipment kept inside. As you can imagine, one day when Mr. Powell went in the closet to retrieve something, a student ran up, closed the door, and locked it shut. Immediately after that, Mr. Powell took a leave of absence for the rest of the semester. He was said to have never been the same since. While we didn’t lock him in the closet again despite the same paddle lock and latch being used, we did make him cry once and had fun using the Bunsen Burners to melt pens and light things on fire, but nothing too crazy ever happened. Probably the funniest thing I did in Mr. Powell’s class— other than contribute to his emotional breakdown once in a while—was when I scooped a couple of goldfish out of the fish tank in the back of the room and slipped them in the jacket pockets of another student. I don’t know how long it took him to discover them, but it could have been days, and by that time I’m sure the jacket had the stench of rotting fish emanating from it. Surprise! Just for fun sometimes I would set my science book on the table standing on its end with it propped open at a 90° angle so it acted as a barrier blocking Mr. Powell’s view of me, and I would roll joints behind it while he was giving a lecture at the front of the room. A guy who sat behind me, who will remain anonymous, went through a stage when he was snorting coke for a few months and thought he would one-up my joint rolling, so he set up his book as a barricade and cut a line of coke on the table and snorted it right in the middle of class. A few students who were seated in the row behind him saw him cutting up the line and ducking behind his book to snort it, but he didn’t care. Neither did they. That’s high school.

Literature Class For a project in literature class one year, Fred and I made a video depicting the 1955 play Inherit the Wind which we had to read for an assignment. The play is about a man being put on trial for teaching Darwinism in a school in Tennessee when it was against the law to do so because only creationism could be taught. Everyone else in our class were doing serious projects and presentations, but Fred and I decided to use some of my old Legos that had been stored away in my closet to make a video depicting the play. We teamed up with a straight edge kid and before we started filming I met a pot dealer in the parking lot of a local park to score some weed and Fred slammed a six pack of Zima in a matter of minutes. Then we went back to my house to make our video. Fred was so drunk when we got started that he was slurring his lines horribly, and I was so stoned that I couldn’t recite my lines without laughing. Our other group partner thought we were insane. When the time came to show it to our class we were worried that the teacher was going to fail us for doing such a pathetic and childish project, but when we played it she absolutely loved it. Everyone in the class could tell we were wasted by the way we sounded in the video, but Mrs. Boswell didn’t have a clue and loved it. For some reason she thought it was brilliant. She also didn’t catch the F-word being used in the soundtrack playing in the background, although a few students who were fans of Pantera heard it loud and clear. At the end of the video we had set the Legos on fire with a blow torch and Fred started spitting on them with the massive saliva his chewing tobacco was generating. Even though making our video was fun, I hated literature class because of all the dumb old books we had to read, so I wrote a large “Fuck Mrs. Boswell” in one of the books, and after we turned them back in she flipped through the pages and inspected them all and found my graffiti. She literally cried in class and told everyone how upset she was and it ruined her entire week. It wasn’t really Mrs. Boswell that I didn’t like, it was having to read all those dumb books, so I felt kind of bad since she took it personally. She was obviously emotionally unstable.

Underage Drinking In Wisconsin, people like to drink. They drink a lot . The state’s baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers, refers to beer breweries. That’s right. The baseball team is named after people who brew beer, that’s how much people there love beer. If you drive through downtown Milwaukee, you’ll notice tons of different breweries; Miller, Pabst, Schlitz, Leinenkugels, and more. They’re practically the largest buildings in the city. Milwaukee’s nickname is “Brew City” because of all the breweries. Drinking beer is as much a part of the culture in Wisconsin as sunny weather is in Southern California. This is part of the reason everyone in Wisconsin is so fat. Not just fat, but grossly obese…man are they huge. Some of the most disgustingly fat people in the world live in Wisconsin. It’s so cold there for half of the year, there’s really nothing to do but sit inside and drink, and that’s what everyone does, and that’s what we did growing up. Freshman year of high school I made my first fake ID, and it wasn’t long after that I got my first underage drinking ticket (what a coincidence), which was the first of many to come in the following years. This fake ID was not a fake driver’s license. It was not a fake passport or student ID from a local college either. No, this fake ID was a “boating instructor’s license.” Yeah, a “boating instructor’s license.” Most clerks wouldn’t accept it, but one lady at one particular liquor store apparently thought it was perfectly legitimate (or just appreciated my efforts) and so that’s where we got all our alcohol from, at least for a while. I made the ID from an actual boating license I had, since in order to legally drive a Jet Ski or other boat if you didn’t have your driver’s license, you had to take a class and pass a test to get your boating safety permit. I did this because Fred’s dad lived on a lake and had a couple of Jet Skis he let us use. Anyway, using my computer I modified my boating safety permit, and changed the birth date and added the title of “boating instructor permit.” I told the lady at the liquor store that I taught boating safety classes and I had forgotten my driver’s license at home, but somehow, I had my boating safety instructor permit in my wallet. She probably just admired my creativity so she sold me the beer.

I had only used the ID a few times before getting busted and having it taken away by the cops, but it was fun while it lasted, and it would not be my last fake ID. Basically, a car I was in got pulled over and we had a bunch of booze in the back seat because we were slamming beers and hard liquor on the way to the school football game, and we were all ticketed for underage drinking. For me, since the cops discovered my fake ID because I wasn’t smart enough to stash it under the floor mat after we were pulled over, I got a ticket for not only underage drinking, but also for having a fake ID, and a separate charge for using the fake ID to buy the alcohol (called underage procurement), and then I was given a fourth ticket for possession of alcohol by a minor. I was 15 years old and it was hundreds of dollars in fines. I was pissed! So were my parents when they had to pick me up from the police station. Since I didn’t have my fake ID anymore, I had to come up with a new way to get alcohol, so I just started trying to buy it from everywhere I could at every gas station around town, hoping to find someone who wouldn’t card me. Sometimes I would just stop people outside the gas station and ask them if they would buy us beer if I gave them the money. Surprisingly, a lot of people did (this was Wisconsin, remember). One night in a gas station parking lot some guy sitting in the passenger side of a car started talking to me as I walked past him like he knew who I was. I soon realized that he was confusing me with some friend of his named Gary. The guy was extremely drunk. I immediately noticed a bracelet on his wrist that said “Dennis” so I pretended to be surprised and said, “Dennis! How have you been man, I haven’t seen you in so long!” and continued to talk with him for a minute, all the while he was thinking I was someone else. I was able to fool him pretty well (he was wasted like I said), and a few minutes later I told him I forgot my ID at home and asked him if he could go buy me some beer, and he did. My friends and I luckily found one particular gas station where the Indian who worked there never carded anybody. Word quickly got out about this, and Fridays immediately after school got out we’d drive over there to get our beer for the night and I would often see three or four other people from our school pulling up to the gas station at the same time doing the same thing.

There is a stereotype that Indians and Arabs always own gas stations and “Kwiki Marts” in the Midwest, and it’s kind of true. This particular Arab, or Indian, or whatever he was, had an extra thumb on his right hand and was known as “the guy with the extra thumb who didn’t card anyone.” When he would give me my change, I didn’t want to get touched by his extra thumb so I always had to keep lowering my hand, hoping he would just drop my change into it instead of setting it there, where I would have to feel his extra thumb touching my hand. After a few months of taking advantage of “the guy with the extra thumb who didn’t card anyone” (also known as Habib), we got pulled over with beer in the car, and we threw him under the bus and told the cops he sold it to us without carding us. We were so stupid. We should have just said we got some random stranger to buy the beer for us, but our dumb asses told them the truth. The cops actually let us go because they were friends with one of the kid’s dads who was with us. (Hey, it’s who you know, right?) It was a close call, but they must have warned the guy about selling to underage kids because he started carding everyone from that point on. We knew it wouldn’t last. We didn’t know what to do at first now that our source was dried up and he was asking for ID. We needed beer, so one night I pulled a case out of the refrigerator, slapped the money down on the counter, and when he asked for my driver’s license I said “that’s okay don’t worry about it,” and started heading for the door with the beer tucked under my arm. I knew how much the case of beer cost, including tax, and I had left enough money on the counter to cover it, so it wasn’t like I was stealing the beer. As I continued making my way to the door, the guy ran around the counter and tried wrestling the beer away from me yelling that he was going to call the cops. I didn’t know what his problem was. The money was sitting there on the counter, but he really didn’t want me to have that beer. I broke loose from his grip and ran out of the gas station and jumped in my parents’ minivan where Fred was sitting in the driver’s seat with it still running, and we sped off with the beer. We had anticipated the guy may flip out and try to get our license plate number and call the police, so before I went in we taped a fake license plate on the back of the minivan. It was a novelty plate from the

Back to the Future movie that Fred had gotten at Universal Studios which read “OUTA TIME,” so even if the guy wrote it down, it wasn’t going to do him any good if he gave it to the police. The guy remembered me the next time I went to the station to get some gas, and he started saying something about calling the police and me stealing beer. (I actually paid for it, remember, I left the right amount of money on the counter, so I didn’t “steal” the beer.) I told him I was sorry and that I was just in a big hurry that day and I must not have been able to understand him with his thick foreign accent. I needed a new fake ID, and fast! Drinking and driving in Wisconsin when I was a teenager meant drinking while driving, not just drinking and then later getting into your car and driving home. We called it road tripping. A lot of weekends, if we didn’t have anywhere we could go to drink because no one’s parents were gone that night, we would just get some beer and drive around all night drinking and smoking pot. Looking back, this is extremely stupid, but one night our drinking and driving helped save a man’s car and all of his tools from going up in flames. Not that it justifies our stupidity, but at least something good came out of it! We were driving around out in the country—in the middle of nowhere— when we came across a car on the side of the road with its engine on fire, so we drove to the nearest house about a half mile down the road and got a fire extinguisher and some buckets and we rushed back and put the fire out with the help of water from the drainage ditch on the side of the road. The guy, who was a mechanic, was very thankful since we stopped the fire from spreading to the rest of the car and he said we saved all his tools from being destroyed which were in the trunk. We never imagined our drinking and driving could have helped save a guy’s car from going up in flames which would have ruined his career, but we did. One night we were driving around while drinking in my friend Toby’s truck when it was absolutely freezing outside, which is common in Wisconsin since the weather sucks for most of the year, when a girl got sick from drinking too much and puked inside the truck as we drove down the freeway. I was sitting in the passenger seat, and she was sitting between Toby and I, and she leaned over me and mumbled “open the door” as she

started puking in that direction. I cracked the door open a little bit and at least she was puking in that direction, but she had gotten it all over the door panel, the window, and my leg. We pulled off at the next exit and went to a gas station so we could clean her up and remove the puke splattered on the inside of the truck (and on my jeans). It was disgusting . As if this wasn’t bad enough, it was so cold outside that her puke froze almost instantly on the inside of the window, and we had to use an ice scraper to get it off! One Friday night when we couldn’t find a place to party, a big group of us all met up in an abandoned house and hung out there all night. The house was in great shape, it just happened to be on a plot of land that was going to get turned into some commercial real estate, so they were going to tear it down. The electricity still worked and everything! It was awesome! We had the whole house to ourselves and didn’t even have to clean up the mess! After Ken narrowly avoided an open intoxicant ticket by stashing his open beer in the center console between the two bucket seats in my dad’s car when we got pulled over one night, I had an idea. (The cop found my open beer when he searched me, which I hid in my inside jacket pocket, so I did get an open intoxicant ticket that night, but the cop didn’t give me an underage drinking ticket for some reason. You can’t argue with that at least!) Anyway, the summer after high school graduation I bought my first car, a hideously ugly 1981 AMC Concord, but it did the job, and it was all mine. I bought it with my own money, all $900 dollars’ worth. The car had bucket seats in the front and didn’t have a center console between them, so I went to the junkyard and bought one from an old abandoned junker and installed it in my car and added a special false bottom so I could stash beers and my bag of weed under it, so if my car got searched by the cops after getting pulled over, they wouldn’t find anything. This was a great insurance policy that paid off one night when I got pulled over for speeding and the cop happened to search my car. Just a few minutes earlier we were smoking weed from a small portable water pipe that was now stashed under the false bottom in the console along with a small bag of weed. There was also an empty beer bottle in there from several nights earlier that I forgot to throw away, so I was at risk of getting another open intoxicant ticket, and arrested for possession of marijuana and

drug paraphernalia. Fortunately, the console had served its purpose. The cop searched the car probably because he smelled marijuana, but he never found anything. I was always very proud of my false-bottom console, and knew it would work just fine if bad luck ever fell upon me. In order to reduce any suspicion my car may arouse, I went to the local police station and got a D.A.R.E. To Keep Kids Off Drugs bumper sticker and another one that read Back The Badge which showed support for local police officers and I stuck them prominently on my rear bumper. That way if a cop was behind me when I had a carload of people late on a Friday or Saturday night, they would be less likely to think that we were up to no good. It didn’t look like a teenager’s car with a Bob Marley bumper sticker on the back, it looked like a nice innocent family car that must be coming home from a late dinner at grandma’s. It was also a great inside joke among people who knew me since I was a big pothead, yet I had a D.A.R.E . sticker on my car. I’m pretty sure my stickers prevented me from getting pulled over numerous times, when most likely we were drinking beers or smoking pot. Sometimes when we went to the mall on a Saturday afternoon to mess around we would go to the Taco Bell drive through and order a couple extra-large waters that they gave us for twenty-five cents or something, and we would dump out the water and fill the cups full of beer so we could walk around the mall and still drink. One time we bumped into our friends’ mom and had to talk with her for a minute while we were holding our undercover beers and we tried to keep our distance from her so she wouldn’t smell our breath. We thought about making fake labels to wrap around beer cans to make them look like cans of Pepsi or Mountain Dew so we could drink them in public or when we were driving around so we wouldn’t have to worry about anyone noticing. Did I ever mention that our creativity was usually focused in the wrong direction? You probably figured that out by now. I narrowly escaped another underage drinking ticket when Diego and I turned the power off to a large billboard overlooking the freeway one night. I know this sounds weird, so let me try to explain. We noticed a house had been moved which is a pretty complicated task that involves literally

putting a house on the back of a semi-trailer and driving it to another location. (They really do this sometimes.) We were very curious to see where exactly this house went since we had seen it jacked up a few days earlier as they were preparing to move it. The house was so heavy that we could see the tire tracks pressed in the blacktop from the trailer carrying it. We followed these tracks for several miles down a long winding country road that led us to a new subdivision being built right next to the freeway. We were drinking, of course, and when we got to the subdivision we couldn’t help but notice a billboard off to the side of the road overlooking the freeway. I usually carried a Swiss Army Knife with me and so I pulled it out and used it to unscrew the cover of an electrical panel on the back of the billboard that revealed a simple switch inside. Well, what would you do when confronted with this situation? I would flip the switch to see what would happen, which is exactly what I did, and the lights illuminating the billboard suddenly turned off. It was the difference between night and day. The whole area was now pitch black and you couldn’t even read the sign. Diego and I laughed all the way back to the car and started to drive off when we were faced with the red and blue flashing lights of a squad car. The cop must have happened to been driving down the street and noticed the billboard mysteriously turn off and saw us running away from it back to the car. When I stopped the car and pulled over, the cop turned his spotlight on and yelled for us to put our hands on top of our heads. He walked up to my window with his hand on his gun and asked us what the hell we were doing, so we told him we were just trying to see where the house went when we saw the billboard standing there and just decided to turn it off for fun. He thought we were insane or on drugs, because we were talking about following a house, which didn’t make any sense to him at first. “You wanted to see where the house went?” he asked in a patronizing tone. We tried to explain to him that some workers had moved a house so they could expand the road a few miles back, and we were trying to figure out where they took it. It’s understandable how this would sound insane, since houses don’t usually move.

The cop made me pop the trunk and found nearly a full case of beer sitting back there that we intended to drink that night. He then told me to dump it all out, which was almost a full 24 pack since we had just started drinking. I took a beer out of the case and cracked it open and started pouring out it on the side of the road until it was empty. Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug, glug, glug, glug. I then grabbed another one and did the same thing. I cracked it open and started pouring it out. Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug, glug…it takes probably 10 or 15 seconds to empty a beer just from pouring it out, and the cop got mad at me and started cracking a bunch of them open himself and setting them upside down on the ground one by one so they would all empty out. “Do it like this!” he yelled, as he cracked a few more open doing the same thing. We would’ve been there all night if I had done it my way, pouring out one beer at a time. I didn’t know how he wanted me to pour them out. There were probably around 20 beers still in the case, so I poured the rest of them out like he had shown me. I told him it was alcohol abuse and he should be ashamed of himself for wasting beer and making me do this. Diego and I both got disorderly conduct tickets for turning off the billboard, but the cop surprisingly looked the other way about the beer. The worst part was that the cop didn’t even know we had turned the billboard off until we told him! He had pulled us over because we were leaving the construction site for the new subdivision and apparently there had been some problems with people stealing the workers’ tools a few nights ago so he wanted to see what we were doing there. He said, “What the hell are you doing,” so how were we supposed to know that he didn’t just notice the billboard turning off a few seconds earlier and the whole area going dark? He just wanted to make sure we didn’t steal anything from the construction site, which is why he made me pop the trunk. I’m very embarrassed to admit this, but one of my underage drinking tickets came from two police officers who were riding mountain bikes! It’s pathetic, I know. Fred and I were standing in a parking lot next to my car slamming beers before going into a local festival, when out of nowhere two police officers pulled up on mountain bikes right next to us. We were screwed. We were both holding open beers and were caught red handed.

They gave us both underage drinking tickets, and instead of going home discouraged, Fred and I went into the festival as planned and continued drinking. We figured, since we already got tickets for underage drinking, it would be double jeopardy if they ticketed us again, so we figured there was nothing they could do to us if we got caught a second time. We were stupid of course. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin the biggest party of the summer is called Summerfest, which is a beer and music festival downtown, with the emphasis on beer rather than music. People drink so much at Summerfest that halfway through the night, practically every step you take anywhere on the grounds, you crunch or kick a discarded plastic beer cup. They are littered all over the ground, everywhere. Beer at Summerfest, just like most baseball games and other outdoor festivals, is ridiculously expensive, so we would always get drunk before arriving so we could save money on beer once we got there. We were all under 21, but I had a new fake ID so I could just buy four or five beers at a time and hand them off to my friends and nobody would really notice or care. This is Wisconsin, after all. The ride to Summerfest was often just as fun as the festival itself. We would always leave our car at a Park and Ride and take a shuttle to the fairgrounds, and we would always smuggle beer onto it and slam them on our way. We were the loudest, most intoxicated people on the shuttle. Sometimes we would just throw our empty beer cans out the window right on the freeway. We didn’t care. One time we even smoked a joint when sitting near the back, assuming the smoke would blow out the windows, but the driver smelled it and pulled over on the side of the road and started yelling and screaming at everyone. Oops. As everyone knows, when someone’s parents go away for the weekend and leave the kids home by themselves, the parents are morons, because their kids will probably have dozens of people over drinking large amounts of beer, hard liquor and smoking weed, and doing who knows what else in the house while they’re gone. Any parent with teenagers who leaves them home alone for the weekend and thinks that their kid isn’t going to do anything crazy is completely naïve. This includes my parents. They never left for a vacation that my brother Stew and I weren’t forced to go with

them on, but one summer they left us the whole house all to ourselves. Since it was summer time and there was no school, I threw a party three days in a row, each day getting bigger and bigger, culminating in the sheriff and several deputies showing up on the third night, issuing underage drinking tickets, and giving the town sheriff a personal first-hand look at the inside of my bedroom. The most interesting part about this was that I had went to my neighbor’s house with her to grab some of her parents’ wine coolers, and as we were walking back to my house I couldn’t help but notice several police officers standing in my kitchen! This was not good. I could clearly see them through the kitchen windows from the backyard. They were cops. Tyra and I crouched down behind some bushes and watched. There were about three or four different police officers walking around inside my house. Everyone who didn’t get out and run was screwed, I had thought. As you probably know, when the cops come to an underage drinking party, people run, and most people get away, so I was hoping that most people were able to get out of there and not get busted. I certainly wasn’t going to go walking back in there because I had been drinking and there was a keg of beer in my garage, so Tyra and I just hung out in the backyard and watched. It was very surreal. The weirdest part was actually seeing the sheriff standing in my bedroom. My curtains were open, and I could see him standing there as the other officers searched the house. It wasn’t just an ordinary police officer in my room. It was the head of the police department, Sheriff McDonald. Hanging on my walls were various street signs that I had stolen, including the sign from High Street and Eighth Avenue, along with 69th Drive and a student crossing sign that I painted over to make it look like the student figure was crawling on all fours holding a bottle of booze like the popular poster. After a while, the cops all left and the coast was clear so we went back to the house. Practically everyone had gotten away and the only people busted were my friend Toby and the girl he was making out with in the basement. Obviously there was no place for them to run, and imagine their surprise when they were getting busy on the sofa downstairs, and in walk the cops! Everyone else had gotten away. It was a miracle.

The craziest thing about it was when it was all over, even though the party was at my house and several police officers and the sheriff were able to walk right in through the garage door, and the sheriff found his way to my bedroom , I had gotten off scot-free . It was amazing. They never came back to the house later that night, or even a few days later when my parents were back in town. They never called the house telling my parents what had happened either. They seemed to have forgotten all about it. There was, however, a little blurb in the local paper in the police report section explaining that the police were called to my address because of a report of a noise violation and an underage drinking party. It even said that several people had gotten underage drinking tickets. I hoped my parents didn’t notice this, and I don’t think they did, but the one thing they did notice was that we had vacuumed the house. My brother and I never vacuumed the house. Ever. As far as my mom knew, we didn’t even know how to work the vacuum cleaner, yet she realized that the carpeting had been freshly vacuumed and knew that something was wrong. My parents weren’t really mad. They kind of joked about it and said that we must have been so bored while they were gone that we decided to clean the house for something to do. They were probably just glad that nothing was broken and that I didn’t get thrown in jail while they were gone. They probably just thought it was me and a few friends laying low and couldn’t have imagined what actually happened. When it grew to more than a small group of people, I contained it mainly in the garage and basement because I didn’t want people running all over my parents’ house because I didn’t want any dumb drunk people to accidentally break anything or spill beer all over. I wasn’t stupid. I had been to plenty of parties where the house had been completely trashed because the host let it get out of control. The summer after graduation a friend of mine named Khloe was a passenger in a car that got into an accident on the way home from a party at (name withheld)’s and she was in a coma for several days. We learned of the accident when the police arrived and walked right in the house because the door was unlocked and they claimed they had probable cause to enter the residence because they saw us drinking alcohol through the window. They told us that someone who had left the party got into an accident and

was seriously injured and it didn’t look good. We could tell by the looks on their faces that they were serious. They didn’t tell us who it was, which added to our concern, but they made it clear that the person might not live. It wasn’t until the next day that we learned it was Khloe, who remained in a coma. To make things worse, my older brother Stew had bought the keg for us that night, and if Khloe would have died, then surely there would have been a massive investigation into who bought the beer, and that could have resulted in my brother Stew being charged in connection with manslaughter. (Name withheld)’s parents could have gotten sued too since the party was at their house, even though they were out of town and didn’t know anything about it. Luckily Khloe woke up from her coma after a few days and was okay. The night of the party a lot of people slept over at the house, sleeping on couches and wherever, because they were too freaked out to drive home drunk after learning about what happened. That next morning on my way home was the first time that I had ever worn my seatbelt in my car. I lived out in the country, remember, and there wasn’t a lot of traffic, so I didn’t think it was a big deal. I had gotten my own car that summer finally, (the 1981 AMC Concord) but I didn’t even know if it had seatbelts because they were stuffed under the seat and I was never concerned with wearing one. From that night on, I would always wear my seatbelt whenever I got into a car.

Juicy Lucy’s One of the only fast food restaurants open after midnight near our small little town was one named Juicy Lucy’s, which we made a habit of stopping at when we had the munchies on our way home from a night of partying. One of the things we really liked about Juicy Lucy’s was that there was a seating area in the back of the restaurant where no one could see us so we could screw around, throw food, and openly drink beers at our table that we would bring inside. We also made it a tradition to decorate the windows with ketchup, barbecue sauce, and our leftover chocolate shakes. Practically the entire set of

windows in the back would be splattered with something before we left. Half the time we couldn’t contain our laughter as we walked past the cash registers on our way back out to the car. Sometimes we were so stoned when we first arrived, that we could barely even order our food because we were laughing so hard in anticipation of what was about to occur. One night Rick ordered an extra-large chocolate shake, not to drink, but specifically to throw on the windows. He ordered a Coke or something else to actually drink. As we were getting ready to leave, he took the lid off his cup and flung the ice cream at the window, leaving a chocolate shake trail spanning across multiple different windowpanes that must have been tenfeet-long. One time the manager headed to the back of the restaurant as we left, probably because he recognized us from the last several months and knew we were up to no good back there, and as we were getting into the car, he came running out of the place chasing after us with a mop. We all hopped in the car as fast as we could and took off, and he continued chasing us half-way down the block with that mop still in his hand, probably hoping to beat us with it if he caught up to us. Aside from throwing chocolate shakes on the windows at Juicy Lucy’s, sometimes we liked to throw our half drank sodas at parked cars as we drove by. These were not cans of soda, so they wouldn’t do any real damage to the car like putting a dent in the side of them; we just thought it was funny to see the paper cup smash into the side of the cars and have soda splatter all over them. One summer evening when Fred threw his extra-large soda at the side of a parked car as we drove past it, the cup went right inside the car and splattered on the dashboard because the driver’s side window was rolled down. This wasn’t just an empty soda cup. This was a half full, extra-large cup that probably soaked the entire front seat of the car. We didn’t intend for this to happen, but at the time we couldn’t stop laughing. There was one instance when my friend Toby threw a Gatorade bottle at someone riding their bike on the side of the road and hit them in the back. A few days later we heard from one of our friends that someone they knew was talking about how they were riding their bike down whatever road that was, when some car threw something at them and hit them. What a small world.

You’re Never Too Old to Go Trick-or-Treating Since I could be extremely juvenile and immature, I never really thought I was ever too old to go trick-or-treating. I’m sure most kids stopped when they were in sixth or seventh grade, but senior year Fred and I decided it would be fun to be kids again and go trick-or-treating. I was 6-foot-three inches tall, and certainly didn’t look like a kid who should be trick-ortreating, but I thought it would be fun anyway. I put some black makeup all over my face, got some black leather gloves and a fake knife and went as O.J. Simpson, and since we didn’t have too much time to put costumes together, Fred painted his face black too and decided to go as Johnny Cochran, O.J.’s lawyer. After we put our costumes on we drove around in his truck waiting until trick-or-treating started and tipped back a few beers and smoked some weed, and I can’t tell you how many strange looks we got from people. When trick-or-treating began, we went all over town collecting candy doorto-door, and happened to bump into several honor students who were dressed up too. We were surprised, not only because we weren’t the only immature ones to go out trick-or-treating senior year of high school, but these were honor students, and we never would have imagined that they would be so immature too. When we stopped to talk to them, we realized that they weren’t trick-ortreating for candy, they were part of a program that was trick-or-treating for canned goods to then donate to the Salvation Army or some other charity. Wow did we feel dumb! Of course they weren’t so immature that they would go trick-or-treating like us! There we were, being complete jackasses, drunk, dressed up in blackface, collecting candy from all the houses, and there they were helping the needy. It really highlighted how messed up we were in the head. We were a little embarrassed. They didn’t even think it was funny what we were doing. They looked at us like we were insane. They smelled the beer on our breath too. They were the only people we knew that we had bumped into that night, and I’m sure that they couldn’t help but tell others that they

found us trick-or-treating when we were drunk and dressed up as O.J. Simpson and Johnnie Cochran.

Marijuana Use As you may have gathered, I was a big pothead in high school. I always looked at it as a spiritual experience, not like I was doing drugs. I wasn’t a burn out, I pretty much was considered a prep, but I hung out with everyone. I was friends with the preps, the jocks, the burnouts, the nerds, and the loners. I liked everyone, I just happen to like to smoke a lot of pot, and so did Fred and Rick. Rick had his own car, and he was often the driver for our weekend partying, and since it was his car and not his parents, we didn’t have to worry about it smelling like smoke the next day like I did with my parents’ car. By the time senior year came around the seats in Rick’s car were absolutely covered with countless little burn marks from when the cherry fell off the joints we were passing around and landed on the seat, singeing the fabric. We called them potholes as a play on words, because that’s what they were from. Get it? Duh. We were so clever. If you’ve ever smoked a joint before, you know that sometimes the burning weed can fall off the tip of the joint onto the ground. This is called the cherry, and if you’ve smoked joints in a car, you know that it’s bad news when the cherry falls off because it will most likely burn a small hole in the fabric of the seat (or through your pants). Rick’s car didn’t just have a small hole burned in the seat, it had dozens of them. Actually more than dozens. Seriously, probably more than 100 of them from our years of road tripping and pot smoking. The first day of class senior year I arrived at school a few minutes early and Rick pulled in and parked in the spot next to me and hopped into my parents’ minivan, where we then smoked a bowl before heading into class and beginning our senior year. A few hours later in study hall, the teacher, Mr. Michaels was taking attendance and when he called my name I raised my hand and said “here,” to which he answered, “better be careful what

you’re doing in the parking lot before school,” and then went on to call the next name on his list. I immediately knew what happened, because there was a window just outside his classroom in the hallway that overlooked the school parking lot. He must have been standing there watching in the morning, and saw Rick pull up next to me, hop into the passenger side of my parents’ minivan, and moments later saw plumes of smoke wafting out of the windows. Mr. Michaels was pretty cool, and most teachers would have told the principal, or perhaps even called the police to have me or my vehicle searched to find the weed, but I think Mr. Michaels just wanted me to know that he wasn’t stupid. He lived just four houses away from me too, just around the corner. I did a lot of dumb things involving weed (go figure) but I never got caught with it. While I had tremendous bad luck with underage drinking tickets and other alcohol related charges, I only had two close calls with marijuana, but never got busted. One time I was in a car with a bunch of people at a park smoking a bowl when a cop pulled up. It was late at night and the park was closed, and a car full of four teenagers on a Saturday night is obviously something that should be looked into. I had what I called a “dope bag,” which was a small black bag made of a thick fabric with a zipper on it that I carried my pipe in, rolling papers, and of course, the baggie of weed. I carried all contraband in the dope bag for a good reason. As the cop pulled up and flicked on his lights, I had whoever was holding the pipe at the time pass it back to me and I put it out by wetting my thumb and capping the top of the bowl for a moment, and then put it in the dope bag and then crotched it. If you don’t know what “crotching it” means, I slid the bag down inside of my underwear near my balls and it was held there by my tighty-whitey underwear so if the cop searched us, he would most likely not find it since my pockets would be empty. It’s a good thing I did this, because he searched all of us (he obviously smelled the marijuana smoke that was still lingering in the air), and if the contraband was in my pocket, he would have found it and I would have been arrested for possession of marijuana. The one thing in my pocket,

however, that I forgot about, was a small cap for the pipe that we were smoking. This cap screwed on the top of the bowl and had resin (pot residue) on the threads, and the cop found it when he searched my pockets and asked me what it was. I told him it was a part for my lawnmower which I was fixing earlier that day (a complete lie), and he didn’t think anything of it. It was a close call, but the dope bag worked. You know, I learned in Boy Scouts to “be prepared,” although I’m sure this was not what they had in mind. I remember one time, a friend of mine named Benjamin and I actually smoked a joint inside the school. There was a place underneath a staircase where there was a soda machine, and if you were standing in front of this machine, you couldn’t be seen from anyone in the hallway. We really wanted to get high, but we couldn’t skip class that day without getting an unexcused absence, so we each got a hall pass to go to the bathroom and met by the soda machine and quickly smoked a joint there. There was a door leading to the tennis courts right there that we cracked open and tried to blow the smoke outside so it wouldn’t stink up the hallway, but the breeze really just blew the smoke inside the school, instead of sucking it out the door. The whole hallway quickly smelled like weed, and we later heard that one of the teachers was searching the hallways trying to find out the source of this strange stench. Luckily we sucked down our joint and got out of there pretty quickly. An idea we got from the movie Dazed and Confused involved smoking a joint on the 50-yard-line on the football field, which we did late one night after we carried a five-gallon gas can on the field and poured out “Fuck You” in the grass, killing it in that area, so for the rest of the year there was a huge ten-foot-tall brown Fuck You in the football field. Hey, at least we didn’t light the “Fuck You” on fire, so you gotta cut us some slack! I mean, we thought about it, but came to our senses realizing it might burn more than just some letters in the grass. I remember one day after school I was hanging out with a stoner from the grade ahead of me because I didn’t have any weed so I went to his house with him to smoke a bowl on my way home. There were a couple other people who came with us, and as we were passing it around his mom

walked into the living room! I don’t remember who was holding the bowl at that time, but Gavin didn’t seem to care and neither did his mom. We just kept passing it around and smoking it while he introduced us all to her. As if smoking weed in front of some kid’s mom in her living room wasn’t weird enough, she somehow knew my mom and had worked with her on some community project at one point. “So how’s your mom doing?” she asked. “Oh she’s great,” I responded as I took a hit off the pipe. We continued chatting for a minute about whatever project my mom was doing at the time. This was weird. I was talking with one of my mom’s friends, or at least an acquaintance, while I was smoking weed with her son and a few other guys in her living room. I guess it could’ve been worse, like if she actually cared and busted us, because then she could tell my mom what we were doing, but she was totally cool with it. I was a sophomore or a junior in high school at the time. After I was thrown out of school senior year (a story I’ll get into later), the gym class I was in had a bike riding session where everyone would bring their bike to school and the class would go out riding around town for an hour with the teacher. Since I only lived a mile or so away from the school, they rode past my house one afternoon yelling my name and I heard them through the window, so I hopped on my bike and joined them. I also brought a joint with me, and a few of us smoked it as we were driving around the town, passing it to each other from bike to bike. The gym teacher was at the head of the pack, and all the smoke was blowing behind us, so he didn’t notice. I don’t think he would have cared even if he knew. One time at a basketball game I was talking to him at the concession stand, and he said, “You smell like alcohol, get away from me.” He didn’t tell the cops, which were always there, he didn’t tell the principal, he just wanted me to get away from him. Everybody always liked Mr. Birch. He liked to call people boneheads when they were being stupid. “You bonehead!” he would always yell, and then it would usually echo bouncing off the walls or the ceiling. Gym teachers are always the coolest.

Posting New Traffic Signs Around Town

A lot of kids steal street signs and hang them in their rooms, which of course I did with the Main Street sign, 69th Drive, Eighth Avenue, High Street, and a student crossing sign, but one night we thought it would be funny to move some signs around, instead of just stealing them, so we unbolted a stop sign and decided to put it up somewhere else where there wasn’t even an intersection. We took the stop sign from a small four-way stop in the middle of nowhere on a road that no one used so nobody would blow through the intersection and get into an accident (safety first, you know), and we took it over to Main Street right where it entered the town. We unbolted a speed limit sign, and then put up the stop sign in its place and hid in the corn field along the side of the road to see if cars would stop, and they actually did! There was absolutely no logical reason why a stop sign would be in this spot, and there wasn’t even an intersection or a cross street for another mile, but most cars still obeyed the sign and stopped right there in the middle of the road. The next day some city workers removed the sign. A few weeks later on another night when we were bored, we took down a dead end sign and put it up in the same spot we had put the stop sign. We figured it was fitting, since we hated our small town and thought it was a dead end to life, so the new sign seemed very appropriate. Another time we changed the name of Main Street at the central intersection in the town. We scaled the telephone poll that the street name was posted on, and switched it with another sign. That one was up for weeks before anyone switched it back. I also used a black magic marker to add a bottle of booze to all the student crossing signs around town so they looked like the figures crossing the road were carrying large bottles of alcohol. We also unbolted a handicapped parking sign from the school parking lot that was right by the entrance and moved it to the very back of the parking lot. Of course, it didn’t make any sense for a handicapped spot to be so far away from the door, which is why we moved it, and it stayed there for months before it was moved back. The funniest part was that nobody would ever park there because it was a “handicapped zone” and nobody wanted to get a ticket so that parking spot stayed empty every day.

Climbing the Radio Towers Probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever done (aside from drinking and driving) was when Diego and I decided to climb up a radio tower one night even though we were drinking and it was almost freezing outside. I’m sure you’ve seen these types of towers. They’re usually in clusters of five or more, and they have a series of red flashing lights on them so that airplanes won’t crash into them at night. They’re several hundred feet tall, and out by us, they were often in the middle of a clearing in a farmer’s field somewhere. These towers look pretty tall when you’re driving past them off in the distance, but when you’re standing directly underneath them, they seem to go on forever. We noticed the towers had ladders built into the scaffolding on the outside that led as far up as the eye could see, so we somehow got the idea to climb one. The built-in ladder had a special railing on the side of it that was used to attach a safety harness for workers who would climb them so if they lost their grip they would only fall about 10 feet until the harness would catch and save them. Of course, we didn’t have any safety harness, but we didn’t care. We weren’t drunk, but we had been drinking a little, as usual for a Friday or Saturday night, and it was winter time and so cold outside that we were wearing jackets, hats and gloves. Climbing a ladder while wearing gloves is probably not the smartest thing to do since you’re not as dexterous, and gloves can probably slip off the rung easier than your bare hand would, and climbing a ladder that’s located in the middle of a farmer’s field attached to the side of a radio tower extending hundreds of feet into the air after you’ve been drinking is even dumber. I went up first, and Diego began climbing just a few feet below me. These towers had about four or five different red flashing lights spaced out at equal distances, and when we got to the first light we were so high that we could see for miles. It felt like we were 20 or 30 stories up, but we wanted to get to the very top of the tower, so we kept climbing. After a while, we made it to the second light and stopped for a moment to rest. As we looked down below, the first light was so far beneath us it was just a tiny speck. It

felt like we could see half way across the state we were so high. The landscape was filled with countless tiny illuminated dots from street lights, porch lights, lighted signs on businesses, and headlights from cars on the freeway off in the distance. We couldn’t believe how high up we were, and we actually started to get a little freaked out. We were getting pretty tired from the constant climbing, and we worried that if we went much higher we might not have the strength to get back down, so we rested for a few minutes by the second light and then slowly began our descent. When we reached the ground we breathed a sigh of relief and tipped our heads up, gazing at the sky in awe of the amazing height of the structure we had just climbed. Our forearms were tight and we had a slightly hard time opening and closing our hands from the climb. After we got back in the car and started driving off down the country road that led us to the towers, we looked back at them marveling at their awesomeness and realized that we had only made it up about 2/5 of the way, because there were another three lights above the point where we had reached. We also reflected on how risky that just was, and realized how dumb we were.

Cliff Jumping There was a huge rock quarry in a neighboring city that was filled up with close to 100 feet of water after workers unexpectedly struck an underground spring, so it was turned into a local swimming spot since it obviously couldn’t be mined anymore. There was also a secluded area at “the quarry” where people would go cliff jumping at night, which was very illegal, but during the hot summer nights in Wisconsin this was always a good time. One night when we were out there cliff jumping, a bunch of cops showed up and we all scattered into the surrounding woods to escape. Instead of being satisfied that they stopped us from cliff jumping, the police searched the woods for several hours looking for us in the darkness. There weren’t just one or two cops; there were a half dozen or more who made it their mission to find us that night. They had flashlights of course which gave

away their position, so we could usually tell where they were and we snuck off in the opposite direction. There was an urban legend that if you got busted for cliff jumping you would get a ticket for attempted suicide or reckless endangerment or something, and none of us certainly wanted that. At the very least we would probably get ticketed for trespassing since the quarry was closed and we had snuck in by hopping a fence. If you’ve ever seen the first Rambo movie when Sylvester Stallone is on the run from the police in the middle of a forest somewhere, that’s how we felt. Wisconsin is a very wooded area full of trees, bushes, and weeds, which we were able to disappear into once we saw the cops. It was as if we were escaped inmates from a prison and the police had to find us. They just wouldn’t give up. The police chase was a lot of fun, and I never got caught, but a few of my friends did and were charged with trespassing. The cops left a note on my brother’s car, which was parked at a restaurant across the street, where all cliff jumpers left their cars when they snuck into the quarry late at night. The note said something about how they knew who he was and that he would be hearing from them shortly, but he never did. They were just trying to scare us in order to prevent us from coming back. It didn’t work, and the police chase only made cliff jumping more exciting knowing that at any moment we could be on the run again. That night was also the latest I had ever come home because we were stuck in the woods for several hours evading the police. I didn’t really have a set curfew, but I usually made it home by around 1:00AM, and that night I don’t think my brother and I got home until about 3:00 o’clock in the morning. Our mom was not happy, but at least we didn’t get tickets like some of the others. And since we actually did come home, and weren’t dead or in jail, my mom forgot about it after briefly scolding us the next morning about being out so late.

The Spud Gun No kid with a garage full of tools and any sort of engineering abilities should grow up without building a spud gun, I had thought, so one evening

some friends and I all went to Home Depot and bought the necessary PVC pipes and fittings, along with the lantern flints to fire them. We got enough parts to make three or four different guns and even decorated them with paint so they looked really cool. I painted “Mr. Potato Gun” on the side of mine. After our guns were assembled we went out and bought some Aqua Net hairspray, which is used as the fuel, and got a sack of potatoes and headed out to a clearing in the middle of a farmer’s field to test them out. They worked great! We would just shove a potato down the barrel with an old broom handle and spray some Aqua Net hairspray in the chamber and with one flick of the lantern flint—boom! The potato would shoot out like a cannon ball. There was nothing really to shoot at in the middle of a farmer’s field, so a few days later after school we took mine out in my parents’ minivan to test it in a more urban environment. We didn’t wear any eye protection in case the PVC pipe blew up in our face. No, we just figured it would hold, and thankfully it did. I was driving, Fred was in the passenger seat, and Ken was in the back seat with Mr. Potato Gun as we headed into the neighboring town to have some fun. Ken would load up the gun in the back seat and just like a scene out of The A-Team , he would pull open the sliding door, take aim at a road sign, and fire away. He would then slam the door shut as we drove off laughing. Potato guns are not exactly quiet, and it wouldn’t have been that difficult for someone to get my license plate number after they heard a loud boom and saw what looked like the barrel of a cannon sticking out from the side of the minivan. We didn’t think of this at the time, because, well, you know why. We were dumb kids. We did this for perhaps fifteen minutes or so, and when shooting road signs lost its novelty, we started shooting at parked cars and houses until we broke someone’s window and then figured we should quit and get the heck out of there. The window was from someone’s house that Ken shot and we all heard it shatter. I can’t imagine what the people must have thought, especially if they were home at the time, when all of a sudden one of their windows shattered and when they looked to see what had happened they would find a splattered potato lying in their living room. They probably

thought one of the neighbor kids did it. I don’t think anyone could have imagined it was drive-by shooting with a spud gun. A few nights later we took some of the extra potatoes and shoved them up tailpipes on people’s parked cars because we heard that if you did this, the car wouldn’t start. I’m not sure if this is true or not, but we thought we would give it a try. Instead of just shooting potatoes, I discovered that my spud gun could also be turned into a deadly dart gun. By taking a large 3 or 4 inch nail and wrapping a cardboard cone around the head and hot gluing it in place, the darts could be slid down the barrel of the potato gun and would shoot across the entire distance of my parents’ basement and still stick into a piece of wood or lodge themselves into the wall. I shot one dart almost straight up into the air in my backyard to see how high it would go, and when the dart came down it stuck into the neighbor’s roof. Better than landing on someone’s windshield, which it would have smashed, and certainly better than landing on someone’s head which would have probably killed them instantly. I neglected to think about these dangers at the time. We had occasionally talked about creating a semi-automatic spud gun that could shoot 8 or 10 potatoes, one right after the other, but we never got around to it. I did, however, make a blowgun out of a small PVC pipe and the mouth of a two liter soda bottle that was a lot of fun to shoot at rabbits in my mom’s garden. I also made a miniature dart gun that worked pretty well by attaching a small blowgun to a CO2 powered BB gun. I can thank The A-Team for inspiring those creations. Who says television doesn’t give kids bad ideas? It certainly gave me plenty.

Swiss Army Knife Fun I always liked to carry a Swiss Army Knife with me wherever I went, not as a weapon, but because the knife and other tools came in handy to fix things, open things, and to try all kinds of things I saw on MacGyver . When using the toilet in the bathroom stall at school, I happened to notice that the door and wall panels were connected using brackets fastened with large screws, so after I was done doing my business, I whipped out the handy screwdriver

gadget and I unscrewed the hinges from the door, and was able to prop the door back in place so when the very next person who used the stall would walk up to it and give the door a shove to swing it open, instead of opening, it would completely fall off! As I’m sure you know, bathroom stall doors are very heavy, and are often made of large steel panels and sometimes when I was only 20 or 30 feet away from the bathroom, as I walked back to class, I could hear the door come crashing down to the floor, hitting the toilet on its way down because somebody had went to use the stall. I can’t tell you how loud a bathroom stall door is as it crashes on the floor and bashes against the panels in the stall on its way down. Sometimes using my handy Swiss Army Knife I would remove almost the entire stall itself and set the panels up against the wall. After a while, the school janitor started using one-way tamperproof screws to put them together so once they were tightened, they couldn’t be removed. These screws only had an edge that would catch the screwdriver if you turned them to the right to tighten them, but if you turned the screwdriver left to loosen them, the screwdriver wouldn’t catch, so you couldn’t remove them. It was a good idea on their part. I also liked to turn the water off to all the sinks and unscrew the nozzle and take the screens out of them to use in my marijuana pipes. You have to admit that to your average teenage boy, the idea of people finishing taking a crap and then when they try to turn on the sink, nothing comes out, it is pretty funny. It is disgusting, but it is a little funny. Some of the bathrooms had small plastic trash cans, so occasionally I would cut the bottom out with my knife so when the janitor would pick it up to dump it out, all the discarded paper towels and trash would fall out on the floor. I was an asshole, I know.

Jamming Drinking Fountains A fun and extremely childish (and dangerous) thing that I would occasionally do involved tampering with the drinking fountains so they would spray on the floor, filling half the hallway with water. Most of the

drinking fountains shot out two streams of water that joined together into one, and I noticed that one of the streams was a lot larger than the other, so I would clog it with a spit-ball and then jam a folded up piece of paper into the panel that you would push to turn it on, which would leave it running. Once the large hole was clogged, all the water was forced out the small one which caused it to shoot over the edge of the fountain and onto the floor because of the increased water pressure. I would do this sometimes when I had gotten a hall pass to use the bathroom in the middle of class and on my way back I would jam the fountains and they would go on spraying for 20 minutes or so without anybody noticing, and by that time the hallway was completely full of water. There was really no way to prevent me from doing this and every time I did, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I walked back to class and I could hardly keep the smile off of my face when I sat back down in my desk. People sitting around me often knew that I had done something by the look on my face, but they weren’t sure what. After a while the school changed all the fountain heads to ones that only had one stream of water, so my little trick wouldn’t work anymore. Looking back on this, I realize how dangerous it really was because someone could have easily slipped on the thin layer of water on the floor and thrown their back out or broke their arm or even their head. That certainly was not my intention, and thankfully this never happened. Thinking about the negative consequences of my actions was not exactly one of my strong points back then.

A “Kidnapping” Fred, Brent, and I were out shopping one Saturday or Sunday afternoon when we got the idea to pretend to abduct Brent in the parking lot of a store right in front of a bunch of people. He left the store a minute before Fred and I did and as we walked out of the door I yelled “there he is” and we ran over to him, pretended to assault him by throwing fake punches and then threw him in the trunk of my dad’s car and sped off. There were several people about 10 or 15 feet from us when we had done this and nobody said a thing. We had hoped someone would try to stop us, but they just stood

there frozen. Nobody ever yelled at us or yelled for help as it was happening. We didn’t think about it at the time, but someone could have easily written down the license plate number and the cops could have put out an APB for the car, or the police could have shown up to my parents’ house shortly afterwards investigating a reported kidnapping. Thankfully this never happened. Years later I saw an episode of MTV’s Jackass where they staged a kidnapping of Brad Pitt, who was playing along, where a black van pulled up and snatched him in front of a crowd of people, so we weren’t the only jackasses to think of this kind of stunt.

Smashing Mailboxes I think every kid in a small town knows what smashing mailboxes is. I’m sure that kids have been smashing mailboxes for decades, but I think the film Dazed and Confused probably multiplied the instances of this practice immeasurably—at least for my generation. Basically, for fun on occasion we would drive past people’s mailboxes and throw things at them like beer bottles, large rocks, garbage cans or construction barricades, and knock the mailboxes off their stands. In some instances we would just stop the car and get out and kick the mailboxes over when we didn’t have anything to throw at them. We just didn’t do this to one or two mailboxes. We did it to dozens of them, and one night we must have smashed every mailbox on every street in a several mile radius out in the country. It made the newspaper a few days later. This is what kids did before they had the Internet and Facebook to waste all their time on. Our usual method for smashing mailboxes involved the driver pulling the car over near the edge of the road and the person in the passenger seat would sit on the window sill and grab a garbage can that was set out for collection, and then the driver would speed up and pull over close enough to a mailbox so the passenger could hit it with the garbage can (or whatever we were using as projectiles). One night, Fred almost broke his arm and Ken’s passenger door got a large hole poked through it because the construction barricade Fred threw at a

mailbox flipped around after hitting it and smashed into the side of the car and smacked Fred’s arm. Of course Ken’s mom wondered what the heck happened to his car so he made up some story I’m sure she didn’t believe. That put an end to our mailbox smashing spree and we found other things to keep us entertained.

Pouring Salt Water in Vending Machine We heard an urban legend somewhere that if you pour saltwater into the coin slot of a vending machine, it will short out and start dumping free sodas and quarters out of the coin return. The theory was, that since the saltwater is electrically conductive, as it’s flowing inside the machine, once it hit the electrical components it would cause all sorts of problems and short it out, dumping its contents. It seemed like a logical idea, and what kid doesn’t want free sodas and handfuls of free quarters to play arcade games with? We sure did, so one night we thought we would test this theory. We took a cup of water and mixed in several tablespoons of salt and brought it to a soda machine outside the local car wash and poured it into the coin slot. We were ready to run because we feared that the machine would start sparking or blow up, but nothing happened. We thought maybe there wasn’t enough salt in the water, or maybe we didn’t use enough water, so we went back to the house and got a huge pitcher and mixed in a bunch of salt and went back to the machine and tried it again. This time, we even used a paper funnel to make sure as much water as possible went into the coin slot, but still, nothing happened. It looks like we would have to continue paying for our sodas after all. We didn’t think about it at the time, but we probably ran the risk of getting electrocuted just by trying this stupid stunt. Apparently an episode of MacGyver in the early 1990s showed this trick being done, and from doing a little research on the Internet after I wrote the first draft of this story, it looks like the salt water trick actually worked in some machines in the 1980s and early 90s, but eventually the manufacturers changed their designs to prevent this from happening.

Creating an “Earthquake”

We knew one of the neighbor girls was home alone and her parents were out of town for the night, so we thought it would be fun to climb on her roof and start jumping up and down to scare the crap out of her. I knew from when my dad was walking around on our roof cleaning out the gutters, I could hear his every step and it would rattle the house, so I figured jumping up and down would create quite a disturbance—and it did. It shook the whole house and we could hear her and her sister screaming from inside. She said she thought it was an earthquake. I’m surprised the plaster on the ceiling inside the house didn’t crack. That would have been hard to explain to her parents, not to mention hard for me to pay to fix it! We tried the earthquake thing again to a different girl in the neighborhood one other night, and her neighbor saw us climb onto the roof and once we were up there he started screaming at us thinking we were Peeping Toms. “You perverts!” he kept yelling as he ran over carrying a broom. “What do you think you’re doing!” We jumped off the roof and took off running into the corn field behind her house. He ran right after us, just repeating himself over and over again. “You perverts! You perverts!” At least he didn’t think we were trying to break into the house. We lost him in the cornfield, so thankfully we didn’t get beaten by his broom.

Tapping Telephones Another idea I got from watching The A-Team involved opening up the telephone boxes located in the back yards of various neighborhoods, and using an old telephone with alligator clips attached on the wires I was able to clip them onto the telephone terminals inside the box, essentially tapping the telephone of that home. There was approximately one telephone box per 10 or 15 houses, and they were always located in people’s back yards where the property lines met. Inside these boxes were two columns of terminals with each pair connecting to the phone line of a different home. Late one night I brought my make-shift telephone tap and opened up one of the boxes and attached my device to a pair of terminals. To my surprise, I heard a dial tone, and my phone actually worked! It was just like I had seen on TV! In order for me to hear anyone’s conversation, they had to actually be on the phone at that time, but this wasn’t the only cool thing I could do. I

was also able to make long distance telephone calls that would then show up on that person’s bill. We thought it would be funny to call a few 1-900 psychic lines that charge your phone bill a few dollars a minute and mess with the psychics for a while since we didn’t have to pay for it because whoever’s phone line we were tapping into would get the charges on their next bill. We sat in the grass next to the box and laughed thinking how strange it would be when whoever’s phone line we were using got their next bill and there would be a $30 charge to a 1-900 psychic hotline. We also made various prank phone calls, not worrying if the recipients had caller ID, because it wasn’t our parents’ phone number that would appear on the display; it would be the person whose phone we were tapping into. I downloaded instructions one time on how to make a blue box and a black box, which are phone phreaking tools (phone phreaking is a slang term for basically hacking telephones). Back in the day, a black box enabled people to call you from long-distance and have nothing show up on their phone bill, and a blue box enabled you to make long-distance phone calls to anywhere you wanted for free. The blue box was too complicated for us to build at the time, but we did toy around and make the black box, but we’re not sure if it worked because we didn’t know anyone that could call from long distance to test it out. These devices probably wouldn’t have worked anyway because by the 1990s the phone companies were well aware of phone phreaking and had implemented safeguards to prevent people from messing with their system and getting free phone calls. Apple Computer founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built blue boxes that actually worked back when they were in college in the late 1960’s, something I didn’t learn about until years later when I saw the film Pirates of Silicon Valley .

Video Game Crimes Like most kids, I enjoyed playing video games quite a bit. I had an Atari, then a Nintendo Entertainment System, and later bought the Sega Genesis. My junior year of high school the Sega Saturn came out, which was the

most advanced video game system at the time and instead of using cartridges, the games were on CDs since they could hold more information. The Sega Saturn was a videogame player’s dream come true. It was also $400, which I didn’t have, but I really needed a new video game system because the Genesis was becoming a thing of the past, so I came up with a plan. It was sort of luck at first, which I then turned into a full-blown enterprise. While looking around at a Best Buy electronics store, I just happened to notice that the UPC barcode on the box for the Sega Menacer light gun (for shooting games) was just a sticker. The Menacer was selling for $99.99 at this time, so I peeled the UPC off the box and stuck it over the UPC on the Sega Saturn and carried it up to the counter and bought it. I just saved myself $300. I was amazed. It didn’t feel like I really stole anything since I technically bought it. I just bought it at a discount. A 75% discount. Hey, $100 bucks to a teenager in the 1990s was a lot of money! The cashier didn’t notice anything. They just scanned the barcode and took my money and let me bring my brand new Sega Saturn home with no questions asked. I suddenly saw a whole new world of possibilities. A few days later I went back to the store with Fred and did the same thing and he bought a Sega Saturn for $99.99. The video games themselves were $49.99, and I thought that was too much, so I found some other products that sold for around $10, which also had barcodes that were stickers and I peeled them off and stuck them on the video games I wanted and bought them at a discount too. A few other friends of mine wanted Sega Saturns too but didn’t want to pay $400, so I went back and bought a few more over the next week or two, and then sold them for $200, which was half price from the cost at the store, so I made $100 from each one, and my friends got brand new Sega Saturns for half price. Few products had barcodes that were made of stickers that I could just peel off and put on something else. Most products have the UPC code printed on the package, but I did notice that the information tag for each product that was stuck on the shelf not only listed the price and product information for each item, but they also had the UPC code printed right on them as well. I slid some of these information sheets out of their clear plastic sleeves and

stuck them in my pocket and took them to Office Depot and photocopied them and glued the new UPC onto a mailing label sticker so all I had to do was walk into Best Buy and use my own homemade UPC code to stick on whatever product I wanted. Equally shameful was the fact that we took the scissors, glue, and mailing label stickers off the shelf from Office Depot and used them to make the fake UPCs, and then put everything back on the shelves and only paid for a few 10-cent photocopies. The first thing I bought was a brand new $2000 computer for $75. That’s about a 96% discount. It was a pretty good deal. Since my parents’ bought my first computer, they knew how expensive they were, so I couldn’t just walk into the house carrying a brand new one, so I went to my room, opened the window and pulled out the screen, and Fred came around back with it and handed it to me from outside. Just in case my dad realized the brand was different than the one he had bought me a few years earlier, I cut out the logo from the old computer’s user manual and glued it over the name of the new one. The following week I went to a different Best Buy with one of my homemade UPC stickers and purchased a $1000 scanner for another $75 bucks. I also bought a few more video games and a copy of the Windows 95 operating system, which I paid $10 for. I figured Bill Gates had enough money already. If I didn’t like a video game after getting it home and trying it out, I would shrink wrap it and return it as if it were new. I would tell the store I lost the receipt, and they would give me in-store credit and then I would just trade it for another video game to see if I liked that one. For a while I was taking the old video games to a local hobby store that had a shrink wrapping machine and they would charge me a few dollars to shrink wrap each game. Most of the guys there didn’t care and probably knew what I was doing, but after a while they implemented a new policy, and they wouldn’t shrink wrap my games anymore, so I came up with a way to do it myself by using window insulator kits and a heat gun. A window insulator is a sheet of thin plastic that you put over the windows in your house during the winter that helps to prevent cold air from coming in and saves you money on your heating bill. Once the plastic is in place and

taped around the window frame, you use a hair dryer to heat it and it shrinks tightly around the window so it doesn’t obstruct the view. Just as I figured, it also worked as shrink-wrapping material as well. What clerk is going to imagine that a 17-year-old kid played a video game for a month and then had the thing shrink wrapped in order to return it for a different game? You have to admit, it was a genius idea. The insulator kits had enough plastic to shrink wrap several games and only cost a few dollars. After a while, I started returning empty boxes to the stores and would keep the game. They never opened the box to check to see if it was in there because it looked like it was still factory sealed, so how were they going to know it was missing? They didn’t, well, that is until I returned too many empty video game boxes to one particular Toys “R” Us location and then they must have implemented a new policy to check all video games to make sure that they were actually in the box when someone brought them back. Imagine my surprise when I was returning another game and the clerk opened up the box and found there was no disk inside! There I was, in the middle of Toys “R” Us standing at the customer service counter clearly caught red handed. I could have stayed there and pretended like I was just as surprised as the lady at the counter, but they could have easily called the cops and I didn’t want to deal with that, so I said, “I’ll be right back,” and I walked away and headed for the exit. As soon as I got outside I started running to my car, jumped in and took off. I had just gotten the car a few weeks before and hadn’t received my license plates yet, so I was relieved that even if they had followed me out to the parking lot, they couldn’t have gotten my license plate number since there were no plates on the car! While I was glad that I had gotten away, I was disappointed that I still didn’t have any new video games since I was bored with the ones I had. It’s interesting that while Fred and I were driving around smoking weed and “pulling scams” as we called it, we were usually listening to Eazy-E rap about pretty much the same thing: partying, hustling, screwing the system, and in the words of Eazy-E, just not giving a fuck. It was like we were living the kind of life he was rapping about. We felt like untouchable rock star gangsters.

I continued to push the envelope with my homemade UPCs and traveled to different Best Buy stores in the area because I wanted more computer equipment. I really wanted a laser printer but they were very expensive, so I made another UPC and went to buy one at a discount. This time, the clerk actually realized it was an expensive laser printer but the cash register showed it was only $50. She knew something was wrong and called a manager for a price check. I knew this would turn into a problem so I told her I left my wallet in the car and I would be back in just a second, and I calmly walked out of the store and got in the car and took off. The car wouldn’t start right away and took a few tries before the engine started firing so I could get out of there, which wasn’t very fun. All I needed was a laser printer, and I felt my computer collection would be complete. Imagine the possibilities. The best scanner on the market, a brand new top-of-the-line computer, the newest software, and a laser printer. The possibilities were endless and I really had my heart set on that laser printer so I went to a different Best Buy and tried it again. You have to understand that in the 1990s this type of equipment was not common place in every household. In fact, back when I was a kid, only businesses and schools had laser printers and scanners because they were so expensive. This time the cashier didn’t notice the price was suspiciously low. She didn’t even really look to see what product it was. She just mindlessly scanned the barcode and asked for the amount the cash register showed. I paid $50 cash, and she thanked me for my purchase. “No, thank you,” I said, grinning as I picked up my brand-new laser printer and headed for the door. To my unpleasant surprise, the security system started beeping as soon as I passed the checkpoint on my way out. Apparently one of the security tags had not been neutralized at the cash register. The guy at the security desk asked to see the receipt and I nervously handed it to him, but when he compared the item number on the receipt to the item number on the box, they didn’t match up. The printer had two UPCs printed on the box, one on the front and one on the back, and I had only stuck my fake UPC over one of them which I strategically placed in view of the cashier when I set it on the counter so that would be the one she scanned.

The security guy was confused at first, and the cashier, who was just a few feet away, acknowledged that I had just purchased it 10 seconds earlier. I could see this was not going to go well so I said quietly to Fred, who was standing right there with me, “Go. Just go,” and I darted my eyes at the door. He wasn’t sure what I meant so I took off running, leaving the printer on the guy’s counter and my $50 in cash register and Fred ran out the door right after me. It was too close of a call. It was the second time that trying to get the printer caused a problem, and this time the guy followed us out to the parking lot so we couldn’t go to Fred’s truck because he’d get the license plate number, so we just kept running down the block and had to come back later to get it. We waited about a half hour and then Fred went back to the parking lot to retrieve his truck while I waited down the block. As he was backing out of the parking space he saw the security guy standing right behind the truck and he was writing down the license plate number on a pad of paper! Fred stepped on the gas and almost backed right into the guy, causing him to jump out of the way and then took off and came down the block to pick me up and we got out of there. I then retired from creating my own UPCs. It wasn’t long after this that Best Buy started sticking the security tags over the top of the UPC codes, and they started putting the video games in security cases that had to be unlocked at the register using a special key. So even though we had gotten a bunch of discounted computer hardware, software, and video games from them, I figured we actually helped Best Buy by showing them a major flaw in their operation and prevented other people like us from taking advantage of them on an even larger scale. Thankfully the cops never did show up at Fred’s house. It was a stressful few weeks after that close call. The security guy at Best Buy must not have been able to get the entire license plate number, or the cops didn’t have the resources to investigate a possible theft of a computer printer. Whatever reason it was, we were extremely lucky and it was too close of a call for us to continue our operation. We quit while we were ahead.

Fun at the County Fair In every small hick town around the country, the county fair is one of the highlights of the summer. It’s the place where farmers show off their livestock, kids enjoy rides assembled with duct tape that can fall apart and kill anyone at any time, and people seem to enjoy whatever kind of fried food will get them one step closer to a heart attack—like deep fried Snickers bars or chocolate covered bacon. The county fair is always fun, but when you’re a teenager working for minimum wage, the tickets can be very expensive, especially if you end up going there five different times. Today most county fairs have sophisticated ticketing systems complete with barcode scanners and individually numbered tickets to make sure no one can print up their own counterfeit ones and get in for free. But not our county fair, at least not when I was a kid. The ticket booths sold different color bracelets each day that could easily be faked. Once we found out what color was being used each day, I would simply take colored construction paper, cut it into thin strips, and using a leather punch I poked holes in it around the entire bracelet just like the originals. Then my friends and I taped them on our wrists and would walk past the ticket counter like it was no big deal, flashing them to the ticket taker. It saved us each about $30 in entrance fees over the course of the week and nobody ever noticed. I’m sure in larger cities we wouldn’t have been able to pull this off because the bracelets had barcodes on them that would have to get scanned, but in our small little town in the 1990s, nobody could have imagined that a couple of teenagers would’ve been making fake bracelets so they could get into the fair for free. One year I was able to get access to the microphone for the announcement system that covered the entire fairgrounds and told everyone to “smoke marijuana.” Over the course of that evening, several people I knew asked me if I was the one who said something about smoking marijuana over the loudspeaker. I couldn’t help it. The microphone was sitting right there on the desk at the fair office and no one was around, so how could I pass up

this amazing opportunity to say something stupid to every fairgoer that night?

Making a Fake Report Card One of my older brother’s friends went to a local technical college, but he wasn’t doing so well. He had some deal with his dad where if his grades were to fall below a C then he would have to pay rent, or his dad might even throw him out of the house or something. Since his grades sucked one semester and things weren’t looking good for him, he asked me to make him a fake report card so he could show his dad and not get thrown out of the house. I was honored that he would ask me if I could do such a thing. It was very easy, as you can imagine, but remember this was in 1996 when the only people who new how to use computers were businesses and computer geeks. I just took his original report card to Kinko’s and photocopied the school’s logo onto a blank piece of colored paper and then using a simple word processor, I typed up a fake one and gave him all A’s and B’s. He was very thankful, and I made a quick hundred bucks.

T-shirts My Mom Wouldn’t Wash I always liked to have funny T-shirts, but some of my best ones I could only wear a few times because my mom wouldn’t wash them, and if I threw them in the laundry hamper, they would just stay there laying at the bottom indefinitely. I had a great shirt that was a parody of Wheel of Fortune that showed Vanna White standing by a bunch of letters that spelled out, “G_F_ck Y__rs_lf” and the caption below it said, “Want to buy a vowel?” I thought it was great since I could wear it to school and the teachers and principal couldn’t do anything about it, because technically, it didn’t have any obscenities on it. I had another shirt that showed George Washington with bloodshot eyes, smoking a joint on the front, and on the back had a quote attributed to him that said, “Make the most of the hemp seed, sow it everywhere.” I figured if George Washington wanted people to grow cannabis, then there was really

nothing wrong with it. I had another shirt showing President Bill Clinton smoking a joint which read “Bill doesn’t inhale. He just sucks.” Another one had a mushroom cloud from an atomic bomb printed on the front and read “Made in America. Tested in Japan.” I didn’t know how to do laundry since my mom always took care of this. I would just drop my dirty clothes in the hamper and they would magically appear clean in my closet a few days later, so it took me a while to realize that my favorite shirts were disappearing every time I put them in the hamper because she refused to wash them and she would just leave them sitting in there.

Prom Night My prom date was a very cute, sweet and innocent girl, who didn’t really party, and didn’t smoke weed, but I still liked her because she seemed to be very entertained by all of my antics and trouble making. The teachers knew we would all get drunk before prom, so they spread the rumor that they were going to give us breathalyzers at the door when we arrived. We couldn’t go to prom sober, what fun would that be, we thought, so a bunch of us went out and bought flasks so we could enter the event sober, and then go in the bathroom and slam a few shots and catch a buzz since we would have already made it past the checkpoint. The school had organized a bunch of limos to pick us all up and take us to and from prom, hoping to eliminate people from drinking and driving, but the strange thing was, some of the limo drivers went out and got smashed after they dropped us off at the prom! Our driver could barely stand as he opened the door when we got back in the limo to head home at the end of the event, and he was so drunk that he got lost on the way back to the school and we had to tell him where to go. He was blowing stop signs and swerving all over the road the whole way. It would have been safer if one of us had driven. Another limo carrying some friends of mine actually drove off the road and got stuck in a ditch because the driver was so drunk, and the five or six couples in the back had to all cram into other limos. It made for an exciting ride back to the school.

After the drunk limo drivers dropped us off at our cars in the school parking lot, we all headed to someone’s house for an after party until the early morning hours of the next day. The summer after graduation I started dating an extremely attractive girl who also happened to be very intelligent as well. We were certainly the odd couple no one could have imagined would have hooked up. Me, the class clown who got thrown out of school (a story I’ll get to later), with one of the smartest, most mild mannered girls in our entire class. It was great. She must have liked the excitement of being with a “bad boy.” The best part was, that she didn’t even try to change me! I think she liked my trouble making. One night we snuck into the Sheraton Hotel to use their hot tub and I stopped at a Seven Eleven on the way to buy some dish soap which I dumped in the hot tub to turn it into a bubble bath. The whole thing started overflowing with four feet of soap suds rising from the top, so we got out of there. Not long after this she got an underage drinking ticket because of me since we were at a party when the cops came. I felt really bad at first, but she didn’t seem to care too much. I thought about offering to pay for it, but she came from a successful family, so I figured she could afford it. Besides, I had already paid way too much money in underage drinking tickets as it was.

Decorating the School with Beer Cans Every kid goes toilet papering when they’re young, and it’s a lot of fun and pretty much harmless. Sure it’s annoying for the homeowner to clean up the mess the next day, but you can pretty much spray the hose in the trees and it will fall down and the toilet paper doesn’t cause any real damage. It was because of this easy cleanup that I thought we should decorate the trees at school with something else that would last a little longer. This “something else” was beer cans. A lot of beer cans. For several weeks I saved the beer cans from our parties and late-night drinking binges, and I spent a considerable amount of time in my basement cutting sections of three foot string, and tying one beer can to each end in pairs. I would then feed this string inside one of the empty beer cans and

place the two tops of the cans against each other and I wrapped a piece of tape around them, taping them together so the strings wouldn’t get tangled up with each other. I then put each of these contraptions into two large black plastic garbage bags. The idea was to get on top of the school roof, crack the tape and pull the pairs of cans apart, and then fling them into the large tree in front of the school so they would get caught in the branches. When I say it was a large tree, I mean enormous. The upper level roof of the school was about three stories tall and was just about the same height as the tree. Sometime earlier I had noticed one area of the school that had a poll holding up an awning that I could climb up and access almost any part of the school’s roof. This opened up a whole new world of possibilities, so on the eve of April 1st, we headed up to the school with the bags of beer cans and backpacks full of toilet paper for an April Fools prank that everyone would be talking about. When we got to the school that night, Rick and I scaled the poll and hopped on the roof and another friend of ours stayed on the ground to throw toilet paper rolls into the smaller trees and to get the bushes. Once on the roof we made our way to the upper level and headed for the front of the school by the tree and started flinging the beer cans into it. My invention worked perfectly. The strings would get caught on the branches and tangle up, and the cans would hang there, blowing in the wind. We also threw rolls of toilet paper over the top of the tree and the guy on the ground would pick up the remaining roll and throw it back up into the tree finishing it off. Occasionally a car would drive by and we’d all hit the deck, ducking down on the roof so nobody would see any shadowy figures lurking around up there. The next morning I brought a camera to school so I could get a picture of our handiwork in the daylight. It looked great. Of course, the janitors had been out there since first thing in the morning trying clean it up, but the tree was so large that the hose wouldn’t reach most of the toilet paper dangling from the top and certainly wasn’t going to do anything for the dozens of beer cans tangled in the branches. It looked like the tensile from a Christmas tree and each can sparkled in the sun. You couldn’t drive by without noticing it.

The funniest thing was that there were a bunch of classrooms upstairs that had windows looking out over the front of the school and the tree was directly in front of these windows, so when you were sitting in class—there just 20 feet away outside—you could clearly see dozens of beer cans of Miller Lite, MGD, Icehouse, and others dangling in front of the windows. The school had to get a cherry picker from the city and hoist a worker up to cut down the cans one by one. It took them all day. Of course there was no evidence that I had anything to do with this, even though my proverbial signature was written boldly across it and sparkled in the sun. Well, no evidence yet .

Getting Kicked Out of High School I should have quit while I was ahead, but I always had to push the envelope. The April Fool’s Day prank of filling the school’s tree with beer cans was historic. Every car that drove by the school that day couldn’t help but practically be blinded by the sparkling cans shining in the sun. Most of the toilet paper was dangling from so high up that the hose wouldn’t spray far enough to reach it in order to knock it down. It was awesome. So awesome, in fact, that one week later we decided to toilet paper the tree again. It was Tuesday night April 9, 1996, when my friend Bobby’s parents were out of town, so he threw a huge party because we were on spring break and didn’t have school for the next few days. Ken, Rick, myself and brothers Brendon and Byron, took every roll of toilet paper from Bobby’s house and we ventured off to the school to give an encore performance. It felt like I was having déjà vu, although this time the evening would turn out very differently. As we were doing our decorating, someone from a house across the street had seen us tossing the toilet paper up into the trees and called the police. Two or three cop cars tried to sneak up on us by approaching without their lights or sirens on but we noticed them and scattered. The guys on the roof were able to make it to the ground and four out of the five of us met at the back of the school and continued running east across the football field. Byron was missing because he ran in the opposite direction of everyone else when the cops came. We didn’t know this at the time, but as he was

running away, he was tackled by the guy who lived across the street—the same guy who happened to see us and called the cops. Byron was a starathlete and we were confident that he could outrun any cop so we weren’t worried about him getting caught. More police were arriving and got out of their cars and headed on foot shining their flashlights around looking for us as they came running across the football field in our direction. Immediately behind the football field to the east were countless acres of farmers’ fields that went on for miles, so we took off running. We could see four or five cops off in the distance with the beams of their flashlights bouncing up and down as they ran after us. We had a pretty good head start, and there was no doubt in my mind that we would be able to evade them, but they still kept following us into the middle of nowhere. I was very familiar with these fields because Fred, Diego and I had a childhood fort nearby and I knew how we could get back to town through the fields, so we started heading south and crossed through a small creek by our old fort and continued on into the next farmer’s field. That field led to the edge of town and the house where the party was at was just one block from where this field ended and the neighborhood began. We couldn’t see the cops’ flashlights anymore, and we figured they gave up chasing us because there was no way they could have caught up to us. We were too fast and had way too much of a head start. We all made it back to Bobby’s party in one piece, all except one of us, that is, but we still figured Byron had gotten away and was on his way back to the house and we were home free. There is no adrenaline rush like running from the cops. We weren’t scared. We loved it. The police chase had made my night and it certainly wasn’t the first time I had police chasing after me on foot. Just as we started cracking our celebratory beers back at the party because we successfully evaded the police, several squad cars pulled up to the house. “Cops!” someone yelled. “Lock the doors!” We had dealt with this before and knew that if all the doors were locked then the cops would go away eventually. We weren’t sure if it was a coincidence that they had arrived at the house, or what was going on. We were 100% sure we had lost them in the fields, and there was no way they had followed us back to the

house. No way. I could outrun and outsmart any cop, even if I had been drinking. Perhaps one of the neighbors called them because of the party, we thought, which was a common thing we faced. Whatever they were doing there, we were pretty sure we were safe. After all, they couldn’t come in without a search warrant so we figured they would just leave after a while, and we would be okay like we always were in the past. A few minutes later there were cops storming the house. Somehow they had gotten in. My shoes were covered with mud from running through the fields, so I took them off and hid them in a cabinet under a bathroom sink because I didn’t want to draw any attention to myself and have them figure out I was one of the kids leading them on the chase a few minutes earlier through the muddy fields. I hoped there was no connection between their presence at the party and our stunt at the high school, but I was wrong. Byron had been caught and told them everything. He told them who else was there at the school, and he even told them we were at a party at Bobby’s house right before. It was despicable. He broke the cardinal rule we learned from Good Fellas: Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut. Byron wasn’t one of my crew. He was an acquaintance, not a friend. If it was one of my crew who got busted, they wouldn’t have told the cops a word, but this pretty boy sung like a canary. He probably told them it was all my idea too. The cops were able to get into the house because one of the emergency contacts listed for the alarm company was Bobby’s uncle, who also had a key to house and gave that key, and full authorization to the police to enter the house. The uncle lived just a few blocks away so it only took the police a few minutes to get the key. Once inside, the cops immediately asked which one was Mark, and I knew I was screwed. They placed me in handcuffs with my hands behind my back and sat me down in the kitchen. “How am I supposed to finish my beer with my hands behind my back?” I asked the one guarding me. He wasn’t amused.

Over a dozen people got underage drinking tickets, and everyone who went up to the high school that night ended up getting charged with felony vandalism because some of the guys on the roof kicked over a few ventilation ducts. I would not be allowed on school property ever again, including graduation. The school board made me sign a contract agreeing never to step foot on school property again, and in return, my homework for the remaining two months of school would be sent home with my friends and I would still be allowed to technically graduate, although I certainly wasn’t allowed to come for the ceremony. They just simply wanted me to go away. I pushed them too far, but this time it wasn’t really my fault. I know what you’re thinking, but it wasn’t. It was the guys who broke the ventilation ducts, which I had no part of. This went against my prankster code of conduct. I was a prankster, not a vandal. I was completely against vandalism (with the exception of smashing mailboxes, which at the time I didn’t really consider vandalism because they could be easily put back up, and who cares if their mailbox has a dent in it? Of course it is vandalism, but when you’re seventeen-years-old you don’t see things too clearly sometimes). I was pretty pissed that the guys had gotten out of control and broke the ventilation ducts. Not only were we all charged with felony vandalism, or in my case, party to felony vandalism, since I wasn’t on the roof at night, but we had to pay $3000 in restitution for the broken ventilation systems. We also had to pay for the city workers to clean up the tree again. I’m 100% convinced that the “estimate” the school had gotten for the ventilation systems was fake. Complete bull. After talking with the guys and finding out what they did on the roof, all they did was kick over three or four of the ventilation duct covers that prevent rain and leaves from getting down into the ventilation ducts. These covers must have cost about $30 each, if that. The school had screwed us. A few days later on the front page of the town paper was the headline “Students suspended for vandalizing school.” It gave all our names and told all about the whole deal. I was the only one who was not allowed back to school since I was the ringleader, and this was the last straw in a long, long list of problems that I

had been causing. I still felt this was extremely unfair, especially since I wasn’t even on the roof that night and I didn’t participate in any of the vandalism, not to mention there was no way the ventilation covers cost almost $3000! The actual “vandals” were back in school, yet I was thrown out. The school board didn’t care. They had it with me and this was their opportunity to cleanse themselves of my perpetual problem causing…or so they thought.

My Final Revenge Against the School Me getting thrown out of school was such BS that I couldn’t just sit by and accept it, so my mind started racing and I came up with an idea to piss off the school even more. One of my favorite films was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , as I’m sure you can see why, and the movie gave me an idea. I remembered a campaign from the film which resulted in the words, “Save Ferris” being painted on a water tower because the school thought Ferris was deathly ill, when in reality he was playing hooky and having the time of his life. I printed up a bunch of “Save Mark Dice” flyers that explained my unfair punishment from the April 9 incident, and then I listed the school’s phone number and the home phone numbers of all of the school board members. “Call any time and voice your opinion,” the flyers read. I gave them to Fred to bring to school the next day so the students could pass them around and that night we went out and stuck a bunch of them in people’s mailboxes all around town. This was just the beginning of the Save Mark campaign, and the humiliation I would cause the principal and the school, even though I wasn’t even there anymore. They say that there are 5 to 7 major turning points in someone’s life. These are major events that alter the course of the rest of your life from then on. These are things like graduating college, getting married, the unexpected death of someone close to you, things like this. They are events that change your life forever, and without even realizing it, I was on the verge of one of those events. The Save Mark campaign was about to go supernova. All it took was one phone call to a local television station and me telling the news director

about what was happening to me and how I was unfairly kicked out of school. The next day a news crew came to my parents’ house and interviewed me about it. Not only did they interview me, but they tracked down one of the school board members and got her on camera too. I had given the reporter the names and addresses of all the school board members to help them with their story. Imagine this woman’s surprise when she answered the door and it was a news crew asking her about why she threw me out of school! They also interviewed several students right in front of the school to get their take on it. Some of the students had Save Mark flyers taped in the windows of their cars and were posting them around school. This made for great footage for the story, which aired later that evening. It was awesome! There I was on the evening news broadcasting to hundreds of thousands of people in the surrounding cities and towns telling everyone about how the evil school board and principal had it out for me and were denying me the memory of a high school graduation. The segment also mentioned that students were posting flyers around town, in the school, and on their cars showing their support for me. Mrs. Vandyke, the school board member who was interviewed for the segment said that instead of having a large disciplinary file, she insisted that a large box was needed to hold all of my detentions and the evidence of my past pranks and everything I was suspected of participating in over the last four years. I’m sure the pornos I put in the library were in the box, along with Mr. Bell’s Asshole of America shirt, and who knows what else. I was very proud. They didn’t just have a file on me, they had a box . The news segment still didn’t change the school board’s mind, and I still didn’t get to come back to school or attend graduation, but this skyrocketed me to a whole new level of popularity that I could have never even imagined. I must say, and very honestly and humbly, that I was already one of the most infamous students in the school, but now I was on the evening news and this took it to a whole new level. It also taught me the power of the mass media, and how easily someone could get on the news. All television stations, newspapers, and even some magazines have tip lines and ask people to phone in news items that they think are interesting, and

that’s what I did. Years later, I would polish my skill of getting into the news, as you may be familiar with, but this is how it all began. This was how I learned that simply calling the news and pitching a story idea could quite often get them to cover it. This was an amazing revelation that shaped the course of the rest of my life and if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Aftermath My entire locker was cleaned out and everything in it was sent to my parents’ house. Fred and Diego would bring my homework assignments to and from school for me. The principal, Mr. Mueller, along with the entire school board pleaded with Fred to convince me not to do anything else to retaliate or get even with the school for what they had done to me. The school really worried that their decision to throw me out might put me over the edge and cause me to do something even more dramatic and destructive. They just couldn’t wait for the end of the year fast enough. My appearance on the evening news was somewhat favorable to me, and I’m sure it blew the principal’s mind that it happened. Under our signed agreement I was allowed to technically graduate, so that wasn’t so bad, but it did get pretty boring sitting in my room all day by myself while my friends were at school. Even though I didn’t have to actually go to school anymore, my mom would still wake me up and not let me sleep too late since she said this was supposed to be a punishment, not an excuse for sleeping in, and she wouldn’t let me play video games until after 3:00 when school got out. Most of my homework was pretty easy, but I did pay a girl to write book reports for me for English class to save me the trouble of having to read the dumb books. I would then rewrite them in my handwriting and turn them in. I had applied, and was accepted to a local technical college in the fall, but I didn’t really have any serious plans about the future. I was just looking forward to the summer. I happened to be taking a drafting class when I was thrown out of school, and while doing most of my school work at home was fairly easy,

producing drafting drawings without the help of the teacher was very difficult. This was not a computer aided drafting (CAD) class, this was old school pencil and paper drafting where you would draw three-dimensional objects using only pencils, squares, compasses, and rulers. I didn’t even have any of the proper equipment at home, so how was I supposed to produce the last few drawings required of me for the class? I did have the drafting book, which showed a thumbnail image of the items I was supposed to draw, so using my high resolution computer scanner that I scammed from Best Buy, I scanned the tiny images and enlarged them by 1000% and then taped the printouts onto my window, and then traced them onto the drafting paper. It worked fantastic. There was just enough sunlight shining through the window and I could see each and every line in the diagrams, so I would just trace them onto my paper. A drawing that normally took several hours now only took me ten minutes. Later that summer I was told by a friend of mine in the class that the teacher held up one of my drawings as an example of the kind of work the students should strive for! If you’ve ever taken a drafting class, you know that it’s fairly difficult, and you sometimes draw lines in the wrong place or at the wrong angle and set the point of your compass off-center, and most drawings have a fair amount of erasing that has to be done on them before they are complete. Well, not my drawings. They were practically perfect, and even the teacher took notice of my handiwork, never even imagining how I had done it. He thought I was very gifted. I guess I was gifted, just not in drawing. My gift involved “beating the system,” as they say.

The Dildo Present Since I wasn’t allowed at the graduation ceremony and I couldn’t pull off one last jackass move to humiliate the principal, I decided to have one of my friends do it for me. This final prank would take balls, quite literally. I got a large black dildo and put a sticker on it reading “To Mr. Mueller, from Mark Dice,” and called my friend Brent and asked him if he would give it to Mr. Mueller at the graduation ceremony. He was cool, and thought it was a great idea, so he came on over to pick it up on his way there.

He put the dildo in his back pocket, hiding it under his gown, and when his name was called to walk up and shake the principal’s hand and get his diploma, he reached out like he was going to shake hands and placed the dildo in Mr. Mueller’s right-hand and then snatched the diploma from him and walked off the stage, leaving him holding it in front of the entire audience. Mr. Mueller quickly turned around and set the dildo down on a chair and laid a clipboard on top of it trying to hide it from view. One of my friends’ parents were videotaping the ceremony, and they got this on tape so I was able to watch it later which was pretty cool. I had also given my graduation hat to Rick to throw onstage for me at the end of the ceremony since I couldn’t be there. I had written “Fuck You!” in large letters with black magic marker on the red hat and underneath it wrote, “From Mark Dice.” The school had told the students not to throw their hats in the air, which has been a graduation tradition for who knows how long, and anyone missing their hat at the end of the ceremony would get in trouble they claimed. So my hat would be the only one being thrown that night, and Rick snuck it in under his gown and threw it on stage as one final “up yours” gesture from me to the school. Even though I was not there in person, I wanted them to know I was there in spirit. They just couldn’t escape me. I had also done one other thing trying to throw a wrench in the ceremony that night. A small number of honor students were given a gold rope (called an honor chord) to wear around their neck, signifying they were the smart ones. It had something to do with an extremely high grade point average or something, so the afternoon before graduation I went to the local craft store and bought an entire roll of gold rope that looked practically identical to ones the honor students would be wearing, and cut it into small three-foot sections, the same length as the authentic honor chords, and I gave them to Rick to pass out to everyone before the ceremony, so instead of just a handful of people wearing the honor chords, there were dozens. Certainly not as cool as the dildo or my hat, but it was something.

Fake College Rejection Letter

I was very mad that Byron had gotten caught the night we decorated the school’s tree again, especially since he ratted us all out and got me kicked out of school, so I had to get him back. Instead of doing something criminal like slashing his tires or keying his car, I decided to type up a fake letter from the college that he was going to attend in the fall, informing him that due to a recent evaluation of his criminal record they had decided to revoke his acceptance. This was in 1996, and I didn’t have a color printer at the time so I couldn’t just copy the logo off the school’s website and put it in a Word document and print it out to make an official looking letterhead, so I called the school asking for a packet of information which they sent to me. Once the brochures came, I cut out the school’s logo and brought it to Kinko’s and photocopied it onto a blank piece of paper so it looked like official school letterhead. I also made an envelope with the logo in the upper left corner so it looked nice and official too. I then typed up a professional sounding letter explaining the school’s decision to change its mind about his acceptance. I explained that the school had certain standards for their students and that he had failed to live up to those standards due to the recent vandalism charge from that infamous night at the high school. I knew that when he received the letter it would absolutely crush him. It was already too late to apply to other schools, so what would he do? I included a sentence at the bottom of the letter that said if he wished to appeal the decision, he could call and schedule an appointment to plead his case. The phone number that I listed was a 1-800 number to a phone sex line that I got out of the back of a porno magazine where they advertise such numbers. This particular 1-800 phone sex number was advertised to specialize in anal sex talk and it was a 1-800 number (and not a 1-900 number) because you had to call in and give your credit card number so they could charge you per minute to talk dirty to the girls on the other end of the line. There was a very nasty recording that played before you were asked to enter your credit card number. I will never forget this recording, at least the first sentence, which said “Hey baby. You’ve reached the Back Door Entry, the

hottest anal sex line in the world.” It then went on to say some very nasty things about what you could expect for your $3.99 a minute, or however much it cost to talk to one of the girls. I made up some fake name who I said was the college administrator and then signed a signature in pen at the bottom of the letter and folded it up and put it in the official-looking envelope, put a stamp on it, and dropped it in the mail. Later that summer I bumped into Byron’s brother Brendon at a party and I asked him how his brother liked getting thrown out of college before he even started, and then I laughed. He acknowledged his brother and his parents were freaked out when they first got the letter and then were confused when they called to schedule their appeal and got a recording talking about anal sex. They probably thought they dialed the number wrong at first. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when this happened would have been awesome. One of my very best prank phone calls would also include Byron, and interestingly enough didn’t result from me calling someone, it resulted from someone calling me who had a wrong number. I received a call one afternoon from a woman who thought she had called a bank to see if her loan was approved. Seeing a fun opportunity when she asked if this was Wells Fargo (or whatever bank it was), I said, “Yes it is. This is Bill speaking, how may I help you?” She went on to tell me that she wanted to know the status of her loan application. She sounded like an AfricanAmerican woman, and I told her I was sorry, but the loan officer in charge of her account turned her down because she was black. “Excuse me?” she said. “That’s right, I’m very sorry ma’am, and I’m going to do everything I can to correct this,” I assured her. “But Mrs. Wilson who was in charge of processing your loan doesn’t like black people.” I went on to tell her that of course this was against company policy and said I was going to do everything I could to get that loan approved. I also told her that Mrs. Wilson was under investigation for racism and that we were going to be firing her soon. Mrs. Wilson was Byron’s mom of course, and none of this was true. I told the poor woman on the phone that I was going to give her Mrs. Wilson’s home phone number and I wanted her to call and tell her how

disappointed she was that she would turn down a customer’s loan just because they were black. I assured her that the bank would call her back in a few days with the new results of her loan application, but I stressed that she really should call Mrs. Wilson right now and tell her what a piece of garbage she was, and then I gave her Mrs. Wilson’s home phone number. Just imagine how confused Byron’s mom must have been because not only did this woman have her phone number, but also knew her name! I’m sure Mrs. Wilson tried to say that she didn’t work at the bank and she didn’t have anything to do with loans, but the woman on the phone probably said that she just got off the phone with the bank, and they were the ones that gave her Mrs. Wilson’s phone number! I wish I could have been there to witness this conversation, but it was fun enough just coming up with this story off the top of my head and talking with the woman.

The Weed Cutter The summer after high school graduation (I was allowed to technically graduate, remember) Fred and I got a job on a weed cutter, and I’m sure you don’t have any idea what this is, so I’ll try to explain it to you. In the Midwest, a lot of lakes have problems with weeds growing up from the bottom and tangling in the propellers of boats, so it’s fairly common to have a huge weed cutting boat drive around the lake and cut the weeds. It looks like a floating combine like the ones used for harvesting corn. Fred lived on the lake, and his dad had gotten us the job as the two weed cutters which turned out to be one of the greatest jobs ever. One of us would ride around the lake on the boat cutting the weeds, often for several hours at a stretch, while the other one would sit in a dump truck on the shore just waiting for the weed cutter to fill up and unload. When the weed cutter was full of seaweed, we would drive it ashore and using a series of conveyor belts we would unload the weeds into the back of the dump truck. It was then the truck driver’s job to take the weeds to a nearby dump site and dump them. It was very often several hours between loads, and we would switch off every other load so one of us would drive the dump truck for half the day, while the other one would operate the boat.

Our first day on the job we were out test driving the dump truck when Fred put it in the ditch when making a u-turn. This was an omen of what was going to happen for the rest of the summer. The truck was stuck and wouldn’t move but luckily some guy drove by in a pickup truck and had a tow rope and was able to pull us out and our boss didn’t find out about it. This happened on a country road in the middle of nowhere, so we flagged the guy down for help as he approached us. He was drinking a can of Old Style beer (right in his truck while he was driving) and had the rest of the twelve-pack sitting in the truck bed. This is what happens out in the country in Wisconsin. Our supervisor for the weed cutting project was a retired senile old man named Barney. He was a scatterbrained man probably suffering from the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, and every single time he would address Fred or I, he would call us by the wrong name and then correct himself. If he was addressing me, he would say “Fred, ahh, Mark.” He could never get our names right. Ever! A lot of older grandparents do this. They just keep rattling off the names of the grandkids when talking to one until the right name pops into their head. Barney was no different. Even if he called us by the right name, his brain would still have a glitch and he wasn’t sure if he had used the correct name or not, and he would say something like, “Mark, umm, Fred, ahhh, Mark,” every single time. Nobody in their right mind should have let either of us drive a dump truck. We were 18-years-old and smoked weed constantly. The dump truck was just under a certain weight limit so we didn’t need a special driver’s license to run it. It was a stick shift, and I had never driven a stick shift before, so imagine how fun it was to learn using a dump truck! I’m surprised we didn’t destroy the transmission in the first two weeks. We beat the crap out of that truck. I did get the hang of it pretty quickly though, and soon was able to fly down the road steering with my knee while holding a hamburger in my left hand and a soda in my right. I would set my drink down on top of the shifter to shift and would take bites of my hamburger and puff on joints as I drove down the road like a maniac, never once worrying about getting pulled over.

Little did I realize when I first started that job, that it would be a changing point in my life. I could only smoke so many joints sitting in the dump truck waiting for the boat to come ashore to unload, so I had to do something to keep me busy. I soon learned the amazing power of books. I went to Barnes & Noble and bought a book called the Psychology of Persuasion , and it was amazing. It opened up a whole new world for me. When it was Fred’s turn to sit in the dump truck and wait for the boat, he read the book too, and we would discuss what we had learned after work every night. The second book I bought was Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins, which changed the course of my life forever, and remains one of my favorite books of all time. Here I was, 18-years-old, in a small little town in Wisconsin, and I had found Anthony Robbins, the biggest self-help and motivational guru in history, and his book began to open my mind up to the true power of my potential. Fred and I felt like Jedis in training. It wasn’t long after reading this book that I began dating a hot new girl who was super smart too, and I also started looking ahead in my life, and began coming up with goals and milestones along my desired path. I had never thought too much about the future. I pretty much just lived for the moment and never really looked ahead in my life more than a week. This was my first coming of age moment. Working on the weed cutter did offer other perks too, other than ample reading time in the dump truck. Since Fred lived on the lake at his dad’s house, after work we could go jet skiing whenever we wanted and his dad would let us take out his speed boat by ourselves. We would fill a cooler full of beer and go out waterskiing until sunset with some girls from the neighborhood and smoke joints on the boat, and felt like we owned the lake. There was a water patrol police officer stationed on the lake, but we never worried about getting pulled over for speeding or reckless driving since we worked on the lake and we became friendly with the officer. His name was Malcolm, and we would drive by him with beers in our hands and wave to him and he would wave back, and he was never suspicious or perhaps never cared about what we were drinking.

One time when we were drinking and waterskiing officer Malcolm approached us and waved us down and we thought he was going to bust us for reckless driving or something. We all had open beers, of course, and there was a bag of weed in the boat, and probably not the legal number of life jackets either. We thought we were screwed, but officer Malcolm just wanted to thank us for doing a good job keeping the lake clean and asked us if we would be sure to keep the area around his dock free of weeds! When we were cutting the weeds by people’s piers, sometimes the homeowner would run out and flag us down and toss us a beer or two trying to bribe us to make sure we really cleaned up the lake in front of their house. They probably never assumed that a couple of 18-year-old kids would be operating the $150,000 weed cutter, and since almost everyone in Wisconsin loves beer, they figured this was a good incentive for us. We weren’t getting drunk on weed cutter, it was just a beer or two once in a while, and usually a Miller Lite or something we’d sweat out after a few minutes working in the sun. At one point during the summer, Fred and I had a contest to see who could go longer without showering. It started one day when Fred happened to mention that he hadn’t showered for a few days since he figured waterskiing in the lake after work kept him clean enough. I remarked that it had been a few days since I had showed too, to which Fred responded, “and I’m not going to shower today either,” as he laughed out loud at his blatant violation of social norms. “I’m not showering today either,” I said chuckling. The next day when we arrived at work I proudly announced, “I didn’t take a shower this morning.” “Me either,” Fred responded. We both grinned and went to work, repeating this same smelly game of chicken, day after day to see who would finally flinch first and give up. I went a week or maybe ten days without showering, and then I gave up after I did some work on my car and got all covered in grease. I also smelled like seaweed and there were pieces of it stuck in my hair and it was getting nasty so I figured it was time.

The lake we worked on was part of a park, and the park ranger was an extremely obese woman who drove around in an electric golf cart that we joked was her heavy duty electric wheel chair because we thought she was too fat to walk. We called her “tons of fun.” She was off on Mondays and Tuesdays and on those days we would always see a county vehicle pull into the parking lot and sit for several hours and nobody would ever get out. We realized the city worker would park there and sleep. People always joke about how county and city workers slack off all the time, and this seemed to be true. One of my friends worked for the county that summer and confirmed this, but his job still wasn’t as fun as ours. Our supervisor, Barney, the senile old man who always wore a hat like Gilligan on Gillian’s Island and always had a look of confusion on his face, would always complain that we never wore our life jackets when operating the weed cutter. I didn’t wear a life jacket because it was going to ruin my tan. He complained about it all the time and would occasionally threaten to fire us if we weren’t wearing them. Barney lived on the lake and would watch us with binoculars, and taking care of the lake was his life’s mission in his retirement. We thought about “accidentally” driving the weed cutter into his boat to poke a hole in it and make it sink, or running into his dock to smash it just for fun. One of the dump sites for the weeds was on a guy’s land who lived on the edge of a farmer’s field, and he let us dump the weeds there so the farmer could use them as mulch in the field. We met this man several times and thought he was extremely bizarre. One afternoon we saw him pulling out of his driveway with a black woman in the passenger seat who we assumed was probably his wife. I don’t mean to sound racist or anything, but a white guy with a black woman is extremely rare, especially in Hickville, Wisconsin, and we were pretty surprised by this. Fred started joking that she was his slave who he kept locked up in the basement, and somehow this idea started becoming something we considered may be true. The guy looked like a complete psycho, and we wondered how in the world he was able to even attract a wife at all, and it was even more strange that he had somehow hooked up with a black woman.

We never saw his wife again, so one day we decided we should sneak into his house and investigate to see if Fred’s delusions had any basis in reality. This was out in the country where most people don’t even lock their doors, so after we dumped a load of weeds we parked the dump truck in his driveway and walked up to his front porch to see if he was home. We came up with some dumb question to ask him about where he wanted us to dump that week’s loads, just in case he was home. We rang the doorbell, and when no one answered we thought this was the perfect opportunity to sneak inside his house and look around. I slowly opened the door, and Fred stood on the porch looking out to see if his car would pull into the driveway. I made it just a few steps into the house, and I just couldn’t do it. This was too weird. We were in insane. What the heck were we doing? We were snooping around some stranger’s house because Fred was delusional and thought he kept a black woman locked up as his prisoner. I turned back and ran out the door and we got in the dump truck and left. The weed cutter was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. We would show up late, cheat on our timecards, smoke joints and occasionally drink a beer right on the boat. I did the same job the following summer, but Fred decided to work for his dad doing construction so I got Barney to hire my friend Marty as Fred’s replacement but we screwed around so bad that Barney told us he wasn’t going to hire us back again the next year. He really meant it too, so I ended up working at a gas station instead. I blamed Marty because he was horrible at operating the weed cutter and even fell asleep one time while he was driving it and hit a buoy and almost crashed into someone’s dock. Barney our boss had a sign hanging off his mailbox that said, “Barney’s Golden Pond,” a reference to the movie On Golden Pond about some senile old man who lives on a lake or something, so it was very fitting of him. To get our “revenge” against him we later ripped the sign off his mailbox a few nights before I moved to California and brought it with me in the car, and later threw it off the edge of the Hoover Dam.

Ideas Not Carried Out

Chicago 69 Sign While I was able to pull off most of the crazy schemes I had come up with, there were still a few that I just didn’t get around to or logistically were too difficult. People had always talked about stealing the “Chicago 69” sign, which is a large sign on the freeway signifying that Chicago is 69 miles away. While I did steal a 69th Drive street sign, stealing the Chicago 69 sign would have been truly historic since people had talked about it for years, and there was only one. Since most people only talk about doing crazy things, my friends and I decided to go out and actually steal it. We brought a battery powered saw so we could just cut down the posts in a matter of seconds and throw the sign in the back of Fred’s truck. It would have taken too much time to climb the posts and actually unbolt it, since hundreds of cars would have seen us and possibly a cop, so simply cutting the sign down seemed like a much better idea. We parked on a frontage road parallel with the freeway and then walked down the embankment to retrieve our sign. As we approached it we came to realize that the sign was three times larger than we had thought. When you’re driving by on the freeway, it doesn’t look all that big, but when you’re standing directly underneath it, it was huge. It was probably 25 feet long and 8 feet tall, and there was no way it would have even fit in the back of Fred’s truck. We had to abort the mission. At least we had tried.

The 7 Day Plan I had an idea for what we called the seven-day plan, which was a series of seven pranks, one every day of the week right after the other, with some of them being spin-offs of the previous one. For example, we were going to list the principal’s house for sale in the local newspaper saying that it had an in-ground swimming pool and a new roof, and then the next day we were going to have Diggers Hotline come to his house and spray paint all over his yard showing where all the utility lines were buried, and then the following day we were going to have a pool company stop by his house to schedule an estimate for a new swimming pool to be put in his backyard.

We were then going to schedule a roofer to come to his house the next day to give him an estimate for some new shingles. For some reason we were going to put a dead squirrel in a box and leave it on his front door because in the listing for his house we were going to put in the real estate section, we planned on mentioning that there were a lot of squirrels and other wild life on the property. The plan would culminate by taking a mannequin dressed in a school letter jacket and hanging it from its neck by a noose from the school so it looked like a student had killed themselves on the upper level of the school roof. We were hoping this would cause school to be canceled before the police realized it wasn’t really a person. The dummy was also going to be holding a copy of the real estate listing for the principal’s house in its hand. I was thrown out of school before we could put the seven-day plan in motion.

Cementing the School Gate Shut If we would have had a little more money, we would have cemented the gates shut to prevent anyone from having access to the school parking lot just to cause chaos when everyone arrived in the morning for school. We were going to go in the middle of the night and chain them shut and mix a few bags of concrete on the ground around them so by morning it would have hardened enough so the gates couldn’t open and the school would have to make a decision to cancel classes that day or have everyone park in the surrounding neighborhoods. Whatever they decide we thought it would have been hilarious but we never got around to it because nobody wanted to spend the money on the concrete.

Coveting An Arcade Game There was a small outlet mall near us that had a few arcade games in the hallway for people to play and both Fred and I had always wanted an arcade game at home, so we thought about stealing one from the mall. We figured since no one would really have the balls to steal one in the middle of the day, we could probably actually do it quite easily. We discussed making

fake T-shirts with the name of the video game company printed on them and then we were going to use a dolly and just load up the arcade game and roll it out to Fred’s truck. Who would suspect we were stealing it? We would have looked like a couple of repair men. We were also going to print up fake lettering for the side of the truck that spelled out the name of the video game company. That way if anyone saw us wheeling it out of the mall and loading it onto the truck, the door would read “Video Games Unlimited” in large letters (or whatever the company’s name was) so nobody would think anything of it. We were even going to print fake license plates for the truck just in case there were security cameras that got us on tape. The reason we never did this was because of the close call we had scamming video games and computer equipment from Best Buy using our homemade UPCs. Aren’t videogames supposed to keep kids out of trouble ? Not us.

Trying to Tap into the Announcement System at School We really wanted to tap into the announcement system of the school with our own microphone so we could say offensive things like telling the principal to go screw himself and voice our opinions about our least favorite teachers, while the whole school was listening, but we just couldn’t figure out how to do this. We did realize that there was a microphone on the principal’s desk with a large button on it that we figured could accomplish this task, but there was no way that this could be done without getting caught since his secretary or someone else would definitely see us running out of there and it was such a small school that they would probably know who it was or at least be able to identify them the next time they saw that person in the hall. Unfortunately there was no way of tapping into the system without having access to the central unit, which was located in the school office. We also thought about taping into the loudspeakers on the football field, but this also proved too difficult. It seems that sometimes dreams don’t come true.

Dumping Dead Fish in the Ventilation System

We wanted to put stink bombs in the ventilation system of the high school to stink up the entire building so they would have to close it for the day. It was something the Joker in the Batman movies would do so it seemed like a pretty good idea at the time. After thinking about this for a while, instead of just throwing a stink bomb in the intake, we decided it would be much better if we would dump a bucket of dead fish in it instead, because they would provide a continuous supply of stench instead of just one burst of it. We found an unmarked door in the school that had a ladder leading up to a room where all the ventilation ducts came from, but we couldn’t find the intake so we resorted to dropping stink bombs in the hallways instead but it didn’t have the same effect. Years earlier Ken threw a lit smoke bomb into the middle school on the last day of class and dropped another one into a ventilation duct somewhere hoping it would get sucked into the school. Kids and their smoke bombs, I’ll tell ya.

Stealing Dead Cats from Biology Class After the Advanced Biology class got done dissecting a bunch of cats for a project, we thought about going in the school dumpster and taking the bodies and then throwing them all in a teacher’s front yard. We knew from our friends in Advanced Bio that the cats had just gotten thrown out after their dissection experiments were completed, and about a dozen of them with their guts cut open were lying in the dumpster behind the school. We would have actually done this, except nobody wanted to put the dead cats in the trunk of their car so we could drive them over to a teacher’s house because we thought the blood and guts would leak out of the trash bags. We realized how bad these cats must smell, and nobody was willing to risk having the trunk of their car smell like a dead body after we were done.

Hanging a Pot Flag on the Flagpole I took a large piece of white fabric and painted a green pot leaf on it and I was going to hoist it up on the school flagpole one night, but I ended up getting kicked out of school before I could do it. I was planning on going in

the middle of the night and would lower the American flag and replace it with the large pot leaf and hoist it back up to the top and then climb the flagpole and cut the rope so the flag could not be taken down. This was one of the pranks next on my list. I had the pot flag already made and ready to go, but my early departure from school caused me to abort this mission.

Building Our Own Float Senior year we came up with the idea to make our own float for the homecoming parade that would have consisted of a trailer covered in beer cans and a large pot leaf displayed on the top, but we didn’t have enough time to build it. We talked about how it could be done and we found someone with a truck who was willing to pull the float, but the parade was a day or two away when we had come up with the idea. We were going to park the float a block away from the school and then in the middle of the parade just pull up from an adjacent street and join the procession. It was a great idea but unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to build it since homecoming was only a day or two away and we were seniors, so we couldn’t do it the following year. A few people did, however, bring eggs and stink bombs to the homecoming pep rally in the gym and raised a little hell that way. We even discussed setting off a bunch of stink bombs in the gym and then chaining all the doors shut from the outside to lock everyone in there so they couldn’t get out. We were terrible kids.

The Shit Box I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I wanted to own my own business, invent a new product, or do something on my own so I didn’t have to work for anybody, and of course I dreamed of making millions and retiring at the age of 30. One of the first ideas I came up with was to sell boxes of shit. Literally, boxes of cow manure that I called the Shit Box. Of course, you wouldn’t buy one of these for yourself. The idea was that people would call me and give me the name and address of someone they hate, and I would

send them a box of cow manure along with a nasty letter explaining why someone decided to do this to them. This wasn’t just a wild idea I had, I actually purchased the phone number 1888 Shit Box (744-2269). (I had to get the 888 number because the 1-800 number was already taken, but the 888 number was still toll free.) I then looked into having a 24-hour answering service take the orders and researched what it would take to get a merchant account setup so I could accept credit cards. I even spoke with a sales rep from the local rock station I was planning on advertising the Shit Box on. I also wrote up a thirty second commercial I planned on using. Obviously, you can’t say shit on the radio, so the sales rep said they could just bleep it out, and people would get the idea. My commercial went something like, “Do you hate your boss, a teacher, your principal, or ex-lover? Send them a box of (bleep) in the mail. Call 1888 (bleep) box, and we’ll ship them a box of cow manure anonymously along with a letter telling them that they’re receiving a box of (bleep) because they are a piece of (bleep). That’s 1-888 (bleep) box. 1-888-7442269. Call today.” We even painted up some huge cardboard signs that said, “Send your boss a box of shit. Call 1-888 Shit Box.” We had planned to put them up all over town on telephone poles and on the side of the highway to advertise our new service. I would have done it all to, except I decided to save my money and move to California at the end of the summer. The radio advertising was very expensive and I wasn’t sure if the idea was going to take off or not. You have to admit, in a weird sort of way, it seems like a good idea, and years later I found several other websites that were doing exactly the same thing, so I wasn’t the only crazy one with the idea! Of course it wasn’t the most respectable business model, and sending people boxes of cow manure in the mail certainly wouldn’t get me any awards from the Better Business Bureau, but it still could be considered a legitimate business, and there are certainly worse businesses to be involved in.

College

Craziness

Let the Higher Education Begin Freshman year of college I lived at home with my parents and commuted to school, and the year was rather uneventful because most of my friends had all moved away to different schools and lived in the dorms. Since this was a rather boring time, sophomore year I moved into a three story, fourbedroom house with a group of guys (John, Nick, Bobby and I) and we partied at least three nights a week like there was no tomorrow. Bobby would bring home a bottle of tequila every single Friday night after work for months on end, and within several hours the bottle would be empty and then placed on a narrow 4-inch wide shelf that went around our entire living room half way up the wall. I don’t remember how many bottles of tequila were stacked up there by the end of the year, but I think there were dozens. This was in Wisconsin after all, where everybody drinks like a fish. Throughout the course of that year, we probably had the police come to our house at least a half-dozen times, and every time this happened we would lock the door, turn off the stereo, and they would just leave after a while. We did have one problem, however, that wouldn’t go away…our landlord. Our landlord lived in the house literally right behind us. Our backyard was their front yard, and they were probably less than 75 feet away from us. We knew this would be a problem when we moved in, but we had waited too long to rent a house and the school year was just around the corner, and there were hardly any available houses near campus by this time, so we had to take what we found. When we signed the lease we assured them that we were a bunch of studious young men who didn’t party and got good grades. They soon realized how big of a lie that was.

The Picnic Table My house mates and I were able to scrounge up most of the furniture we needed from our parents’ basements, but there was still one thing missing. We got a couple of old couches from Nick’s parents, John had a nice stereo system and Bobby had a decent sized TV that he brought to the house, and

by the time school started we had just about everything we needed except a kitchen table. None of our parents had an old kitchen table lying around, and we certainly didn’t want to go and buy one, so I came up with a plan. The public park that Fred and I worked at operating the weed cutter was full of picnic benches so we went there in the middle of the night and loaded one in the back of his truck and brought it to my new house. It fit perfectly in our kitchen. Of course this qualified as having stolen property in our house and there was a huge stamp that looked like it was burnt into the wood on the top of it that said “Property of the County Park System,” but we figured since it was a public park paid for by our tax dollars, the table was, in a sense, ours. We didn’t think the park would miss one table since there were plenty of them around and we even thought about bringing it back at the end of the year when we were done with it. We were just borrowing it, we weren’t stealing it. The picnic table was a nice touch in our house. Not only did we use it to eat on, but it also served as entertainment during our parties, which happened practically every week. It became common for people to take pens and magic markers, and draw funny pictures on the tabletop and on the benches where people sat. Sometimes people would take knives out of the drawer and carve things into the table as well. We encouraged this. After just a few months, practically every surface on the thing was covered with graffiti, little cartoon images, and a lot of penises for some reason. People really liked to draw penises on the table. At the end of the school year when we all moved out and went our separate ways, we carried the picnic table across the street and set it in a grassy area next to the apartment complex there and within just an hour or so, we saw some people sitting down at it and enjoying it. I’m sure they were also enjoying the two semester’s worth of artwork that was on it too. I thought about returning it to the park I had taken it from, but that would have been too much work, so abandoning it across the street was good enough.

Don’t Puke in the Flowers On St. Patrick’s Day, Bobby bought a bottle of Everclear which is 90% alcohol (190 proof), and contains a warning on the label specifically stating

not to drink it straight, and insisting that it be highly diluted with a nonalcoholic beverage. We didn’t care about this warning, and poured a couple shots. We all clanged our shot glasses together above our heads, said cheers, and downed the shots. Within seconds John and Nick ran out the front door, leaned over the railing surrounding the front porch, and started puking. I felt a little queasy too, but was able to hold mine down along with Bobby, who outweighed me by 70 or 80 pounds. The only bathroom in the house was upstairs, and there was no way anyone would have been able to hold it down until they ran up there, so luckily the front door was only a few feet away. A little while later as our party began to get in full gear, some other people wanted to take shots to see if they could hold it down, so I took another one with them, my second, their first, and one of them ran out the front door and puked immediately after taking it. The stuff tasted terrible, kind of like gasoline in my mouth, but I still was able to keep my second shot down. Then a little while later, Bobby and I took another shot, my third, and his second, and this time it was my turn to run out the front door and start puking over the railing. Bobby followed right behind me. The ground was covered with several inches of snow, and I could see where the others had puked because their chunky and colored vomit was splattered on the clean white snow that covered the grass and flowers on the ground right next to the porch. It looked nasty. Like someone had spilled rotten fruit salad all over the front of the house. The next day, the four of us sat in the living room on the sofas like a bunch of zombies watching movies. We were practically brain-dead. We realized why the bottle of Everclear said not to drink it straight, after all, just one shot made almost everyone puke immediately. I was very proud that I was able to hold two of them down, and only puked after my third. Our heads were throbbing as we watched movies trying to recover from the night before, when all of a sudden we heard pounding on the front door. This was angry pounding, not pounding like one of our friends was seeing if we were home. Everyone was too dead to even want to get up, but I managed to stagger my way to the door to answer it and realized it was the landlord. This couldn’t

have been good. As soon as I opened the door she started yelling at me saying something about puke and ruining her flowers. I had no idea what she was talking about. She started pointing at the puke stains in the snow from people throwing up on the front porch over the railing and was freaking out that the acid in the puke was going to kill her hibernating flowers and they weren’t going to bloom again in the Spring. There were five or six different enormous puke stains at different points around the front porch where people had thrown up the night before, and it just so happened that her flowers were lying dormant underneath the snow right in that area. I apologized to her and came back inside the house and sat down on the couch with my roommates looking bewildered because they overheard someone all pissed off about flowers after I opened the door and didn’t know who I was talking to or what the heck was going on. I reminded them what happened the night before and where we had all puked, and we all went out to have a look at the puke splatter. There must have been gallons of puke splattered all over the front of the house. It was epic, and just one more reason for the landlord to hate us.

Attack of the Lesbians I’m the kind of guy who likes to be the center of attention, and there’s no better way to get attention than to have a microphone in front of a large crowd of people. There was a stage set up one afternoon in the quad at my college, complete with a set of drums, a keyboard, a bunch of speakers, and of course, the microphone which looked lonely sitting in its stand with nobody using it. The band hadn’t taken the stage yet, and the quad was full of people so I jumped on stage to see if the microphone worked so I could speak to the crowd. I started rapping a parody of an Eminem song that I had written, since I was trying my hand at some comedy at the time which I performed on open mic nights at the Comedy Store, but me hijacking the microphone didn’t really go over that well with the band members, who happened to be a group of butch-looking lesbians.

A couple of them ran up on stage as I was performing my song, and one grabbed me by the arm and the other grabbed the microphone and yanked it out of my hand. I walked off stage not thinking anything of it, when all of a sudden a few more lesbians came up for reinforcements and they all surrounded me, yelling and complaining. Whatever. I turned and started walking away when one of them grabbed onto my forearm with both hands and wouldn’t let go. I peeled her hands loose and continued walking away and she followed me and grabbed me again and wouldn’t let go. She was a manly lesbian, and for some reason thought she would act like a bouncer at a bar or something and detain me. It was very weird. She just wouldn’t let go of my arm. What could I do? I couldn’t give her a shove with my other hand, because even though she was a manly lesbian, she was still a girl. I couldn’t push a girl, even if she did look like a man. I kept walking away and wiggling my arm back and forth trying to break her grip as the other lesbians approached me again. I was able to break free but my watch band broke and it fell to the ground. I didn’t care. I took off speed walking in the other direction before more lesbian reinforcements came and the wannabe bouncer lesbian picked up my watch as I left. While I did lose my watch, I avoided getting further assaulted by the lesbian gang which was quite an awkward situation. A few days later I was approached by a security guard at school and asked to come with him. I wasn’t quite sure what he wanted until I saw some of the lesbians off in the distance talking with a second security guard. I couldn’t believe it. Now they were trying to get me in trouble with campus security for some reason. What was the school going to do for me jumping on stage? It wasn’t like the band was playing and I interrupted their show, they weren’t even up there yet. I went with the security guard to one of the offices, where he then introduced me to the dean. Apparently the crazed lesbian band members thought that the reason I jumped on stage and took over the microphone was because they were lesbians! I don’t know how they could have come to this mentally ill conclusion, especially since I had no idea what band was playing or that they were lesbians, and I certainly didn’t say anything about gay people on the microphone, but somehow in their dysfunctional brains they felt so

persecuted by society for being lesbians, that they saw my jackass stunt as an attack on their sexuality. The dean realized they were insane, and I explained to him how they assaulted me and broke my watch, and then he opened up a drawer and pulled it out and set it on the desk in front of me. He made it clear that he had to “investigate” the possible “hate crime” that was supposedly committed against the lesbian band members so they wouldn’t accuse him of discriminating against them for being gay or something. I picked up my broken watch and went on my way. It’s not every day that you get attacked by an angry gang of lesbians.

Crashing the Wrong Party There was some random Friday night my sophomore year of college where I didn’t really have anything to do, so two friends of mine and I decided to walk around our neighborhood and crash someone’s party. As you probably know, in college towns on practically every block on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night, some house is having a huge party with dozens of people, and the hosts certainly only know a fraction of them and don’t really care who’s there since it’s not a small intimate gathering of just a few friends. At a lot of large college parties almost anyone is welcome, and friends always invite friends who invite friends, and it’s not uncommon to have 50 or 80 random people partying at someone’s house. We didn’t know of any particular parties going on that night so we went to take a walk in order to find one. Just a block away from my house we saw a bunch of people standing on a balcony holding red plastic party cups in their hands, so we headed up there to join them. Nobody knew that we didn’t know anyone there, and nobody cared. We hung out for a while, drank a few beers from their keg, and since there weren’t any hot girls there, we ventured off down the block to find another party. It wasn’t long before we found a huge three-story house that we could see through the windows was full of people so we headed up the stairs to the porch, opened the front door and walked right in. I knew immediately that this wasn’t just some random party. This was a jock party. All the guys were

pretty huge, and all the girls looked very tough as well. It turns out this was a rugby party, and everyone there was a member of the guys or girls rugby team and knew everyone else. Most people just thought that we were friends with someone at the party, since they knew we weren’t on the rugby team, and whenever anyone asked who I knew there, I would just drop the name of the person that I had been talking to a few minutes earlier. “Oh, I know Sara over there,” I would say, pointing in the direction of the girl I was just chatting with who I had just met. It was a little awkward at first, but we managed, and thankfully nobody really called our bluff. After a while we thought we should get out of there in case they realized that none of us knew anyone there, so we slowly made our way to the door and took off. Directly across the street were a couple girls standing on the second story balcony and I hollered out to them and chatted them up for a minute, and one of them invited us up and we ended up hanging out there for the rest of the night. It wasn’t even really a party. It was just four or five girls all by themselves. I got one of the girl’s phone numbers, whose name was Sheila, but there was only a week left of school and I was going to be moving back home with my parents for the summer so I could save up some money for my move to California in a few months, so I never ended up calling her, but this night revealed to me that if you make yourself feel like you belong somewhere, and you actually believe that you belong there, then people will react in a way that confirms your beliefs. It’s like a selffulfilling prophecy. The night was an interesting social experiment that went much better than any of us had expected. If you put your mind to it, you can probably party anywhere.

Applause is Contagious You expect people to applaud at the end of a play or a live concert, but it’s not something that usually happens in a movie theater. That is, unless I’m in the audience. It was during the digitally re-mastered re-release of the Star Wars films in 1997 that I learned a powerful lesson about how large crowds of people can easily be manipulated. It was a Friday night and the theater was packed since it was the opening for the re-release.

Rick, Marty and I had been partying on the way to the theater and as many Star Wars fans do, we often joked about “the Force” and using “Jedi mind tricks.” I told Marty that I would show him how the Force worked, and as the curtain opened for the film to begin, I started applauding and cheering in excitement. Practically everyone in the entire theater joined me. I felt a tremendous sense of power surging through my body at that very moment. I had just caused the entire theater to start applauding for the movie. I had accidentally stumbled upon the power of applause a year earlier during the film Independence Day because when the aliens blew up the White House in the movie, I started cheering and applauding and half the theater joined me. Every time we went to see a movie we were usually stoned and drunk, and a lot of the times we would fill our jackets full of as many beers as they would hold and sneak them into the theater so we could drink during the movie. If we brought in bottles of beer, you would often hear the empty ones accidentally get kicked over and clang into the other empty ones that we had set on the ground, and you could hear them rolling down the sloped concrete floor of the theater as they banged into the chairs below. Everybody in the theater knew what was happening. The sound of clanging beer bottles is a very distinct sound. Anyway, when we were seated in the theater to see the re-release of Star Wars I recalled the incident during Independence Day when I caused the theater to erupt in applause when the White House was blown up by the aliens, and I decided to test this power again. Aside from getting people to applaud when the curtains opened, at multiple times throughout the movie I would shout out things like, “You can do it Luke!” and “You’re going down Darth Vader!” and other people in the theater would yell in agreement. It was fascinating. I felt like the entire theater was under my control. At the end of the movie, once again, I started applauding and cheering and the rest of the theater followed suit. As we walked out of the theater that night we could see the look of joy on everyone’s face. None of them had ever been to a movie so exciting and with such a great crowd. Little did they know, but I had caused it all. For

years after that night, Marty and I would reference “the Force,” and talk about how we were becoming Jedi masters.

No Final Exam Please I can’t help but say smart ass comments when they pop into my head, and I especially loved to say things out loud in class that nobody else would have the guts to say because I thrived off getting giggles from my fellow students, but I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone on the last day of class when my smart ass comment took on a literal meaning just seconds later. This was a Group Communication class, and in the beginning of the semester we were divided into small groups which we worked with on various projects for the rest of the semester since the entire class was focused on group dynamics and communication among group members. When our groups were first formed, we each had to name our group and draw a picture that represented us. My group consisted of myself, a guy named Chaz, and three girls. Chaz and I were both alpha males and would later have races to see who could finish our tests first in the classes we had together, and we became friends in a competitive sort of way. Our group name had to reflect our dominating type-A personalities, so we decided to call ourselves the Alpha Bitches. Since there were girls in the group, we couldn’t call ourselves the Alpha Males, so the Alpha Bitches worked just fine. There’s nothing like hearing a college professor say something like “it’s time for the Alpha Bitches to give their presentation.” It was hilarious. We dominated the class for the entire semester. We even gave our final presentation on leadership, and we arrogantly explained to the rest of the class that we chose to teach them about leadership because we were the class leaders. It was a great semester. Getting back to my strange smartass comment eerily becoming true…it was the last day of class and we had all arrived to take the final exam after several days of cramming. The previous week we were given a study guide of possible material that would be included on this exam, which is pretty standard for a final. After everyone got seated that morning and just before

the professor started handing out the tests and wrapping up the semester, I raised my hand and said in a condescending tone of voice, “Dr. Moffitt, instead of taking a typical final exam, I think we should draw another picture of our group to show how we’ve changed and grown over the course of the semester.” The group picture we had drawn earlier that year had been a laughing stock for us. This was a junior level college course, and we were drawing pictures like we were in a middle school art class. We couldn’t believe it. Our group picture assignment at the beginning of the year represented how easy this class was, and what a joke it was to us. My patronizing comment about not taking a final exam and drawing a new picture instead was a thinly veiled insult to the professor indicating the lack of challenge her class provided us. Instead of laughing off my comment, or even being mildly offended by it, she replied saying, “It’s very interesting that you would say that, because that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” The class gasped in surprise. “What?” everyone said in unison. Dr. Moffitt went on to tell us to get into our groups and she handed out a blank sheet of paper to each one and had us draw a new picture of our group. That was our final exam! Nobody could believe it. It felt like I pulled a Jedi mind trick on her. It’s one of the strangest things that has ever happened to me.

How to Crash a College Class Everyone who goes to college is familiar with crashing classes, and many people have tried to crash a class, some successfully, others not so successful. Crashing a class means that you are not able to register for the class because it was filled up, but you still show up there on the first day hoping that if a few people who were registered for the class didn’t show up that day, the professor will drop them and you can take their place on the roster. It’s not uncommon for ten people to try to crash the same class on the first day, but usually there is only room for a few, so the teacher will tell the remaining crashers they’re sorry but there just isn’t any room and they should go try to add another class somewhere else. The remaining would-be crashers then frantically leave the room scrambling to crash another class,

hoping to find a spot somewhere else. I have successfully crashed numerous classes, but for one particular class I was not so lucky and wasn’t one of the handful who got their names pulled out of a hat to be added that day. (That’s seriously how some teachers choose who gets to crash when there aren’t enough open spots.) The other unlucky students whose names weren’t chosen left the classroom, but I stayed sitting at my desk and pretended like I belonged there. I took notes, participated in the discussion, and kept coming the next several weeks as if nothing was wrong. I did the homework, and when the time came for the first quiz, I took that too. I was a model student. The only problem was, my name was not on the roster, and the teacher realized this when he tried to mark my grade for the quiz in his grade book but couldn’t find my name. The next day at class he asked which one was me and I raised my hand and he came over and said that I wasn’t on the roster. “That’s weird,” I said, pretending to be surprised. He then told me to go down to the office and get a late registration form and fill it out so he could sign it and add my name to the official roster. My plan worked perfectly. You know what they say, where there’s a will there’s a way, and all the other crashers from a few weeks earlier just didn’t want to be in that class bad enough, but I did. I had to have that class. My whole schedule would have been messed up if I didn’t have it, and I would have been stuck there an extra semester to get the credits that I needed to transfer to another school. A year or so later I realized that if I couldn’t get added to the roster by crashing the first day of class, then instead of leaving like all the other crashers, I would just stay in my seat anyway and log onto the school’s website every night trying to add the class while there was still open registration, which usually went on for the first two weeks of the semester, because I knew the odds were that someone would hate the class or would have a work conflict and would drop it, and so there would be a spot open in the computer, and I would get it. This worked for me several times and I always got the classes I wanted. Where all of the other crashers lost hope and left when the teacher told them there were no openings, I knew

otherwise, and knew that after the first few days of class someone was going to drop it, and I could get their spot, and that’s exactly what I did.

Most Likely To Succeed? One of my favorite college professors once told me that I was going to be the most famous and successful person to ever graduate from my college. She told me this during a conversation we had in her office my senior year when I showed her a compilation of years’ worth of notes and journals about my adventures in dating and my philosophy on meeting and dating girls. (This would later turn into THE Book on Dating which I published and is available on Amazon.com in paperback or in e-book on Kindle) She thought I was a genius. This was in 2004, before Neil Strauss’ book, The Game was published, and before Mystery (Erik von Markovik) had gotten his Pick-up Artist show on VH1 and when professional dating coaches for men were pretty much nonexistent in the mainstream. Dr. Downey saw the potential, not only in my idea to write a book and become a dating coach, but she saw that I had the personality and drive to actually do something with it. Her endorsement and her assessment of me meant a lot, but a strange turn of events that I can’t really be blamed for would later result in her asking me to please never contact her again. About six months after I graduated I began writing a book about how secret societies pulled the strings in our world and hold the true power in politics, banking and business and how many of these secret societies have occult beliefs and rituals. I’m talking about The Resistance Manifesto , my first book of several on this topic. I won’t get into it here, you can check out my other books for yourself on Amazon.com , Kindle or Nook and I hope you do because it’s a very important subject, but this is what led to Dr. Downey’s complete 180 turn on her views of me. I returned unannounced to her office to consult with her on my new project since my entire world view had changed after learning about the New World Order and the Illuminati. Instead of being excited about my new project and life’s mission, and giving me the guidance and wisdom I had expected, a look of horror immediately came to her face. She informed me

that her father was crazy and thought the government was watching everything he did and had hidden microphones in their house in order to listen to him, and that he blew his brains out when she was a little girl. What can you say to that? She then told me that I was bringing back all kinds of horrific memories for her from her childhood and her father’s suicide, and she asked me to leave and never contact her again. I was devastated. It wasn’t like I had done something wrong, it just so happened that this subject matter touched a nerve with her. I felt really bad for how I had made her feel, and how she had changed her feelings towards me from just a few months earlier. She once thought I would be the most successful student she ever had, but now I was the one that she wished she never met.

The Gas Station You may have noticed that the people who work at gas stations are usually the scum of the earth. They look like they just got out of prison, have done way too many drugs, or are homeless. If the gas station is owned by an Indian or an Arab, that’s a whole other story. I’m talking about the white trash that always seems to work at gas stations. One of the most pathetic jobs I ever had in my life was actually working at a gas station during the summer since I wasn’t allowed to work on the weed cutter anymore. The gas station was located in the heart of Main Street, and it actually turned out to be a pretty cool job because it was a party every single night. It seemed like I was living in the film Clerks . The manager was never there, and I never met the owner, and every night I would come into work about four o’clock in the afternoon and work until closing time at 11pm all by myself. All my friends could see when I was working because my car was parked out front, and everybody would stop in and say hi or hang out for a while. I had an endless supply of beer from the cooler and we would drink right there in the store and even get stoned. We didn’t even bother to go outside to smoke pot, we smoked it right there behind the counter.

I brought in my own stereo so I could listen to CDs, and I would just blast it all night and my friends and I would smoke cigars we had taken off the shelves and pretended like we owned the place. One night I forgot to lock the front door when I left because I was so buzzed, and the manager also informed me that she found empty beer cans strewn around the station and asked me if my friends and I were drinking there the night before, and asked if that was why I had forgotten to lock the door. “Of course not,” I said, “I must’ve just been tired.” I felt really dumb. Any normal person would have fired me immediately, but she soon forgot that it happened, and my partying continued. The layout of this particular gas station was very strange. There was a gigantic pole right next to the cash register that helped support the roof, and I can’t tell you how many times people would turn away from the counter after paying and then smack their head right into it. It was the weirdest place for a poll and every few nights someone would turn around full speed from the counter and smack right into it. The manager realized this was a major liability so she wrapped a foam pad around it to try and prevent anyone from getting seriously injured. Every time someone would turn around and smack their head into the poll I couldn’t help but bust out laughing. Often, I would have a friend or two hanging out with me and we would all bust out laughing at the person and they would just duck their head in shame and walk out. As a joke I printed up a sign that said, “Warning: Pole. May cause serious injury,” and I taped it up over the foam pad. I only worked at the gas station for one summer, but that sign stayed up for probably ten years. I realized this when I happened to pull in there to get some gas when I was visiting my parents and when I went up to the cash register to pay, I saw the sign still attached! Apparently the manager thought it was a good idea to keep it up. The thing I learned about life while working at the gas station was that there are a lot of losers who come to gas stations, not to buy gas, but to buy cigarettes. These same people come to buy one pack of cigarettes at a time, day after day after day. These people could buy a carton of cigarettes from a grocery store for a heck of a lot less than they did if they bought individual packs, but they chose to come to the gas station practically every day and

buy one pack at a time. They probably felt like they were saving money since they were only spending $4 or $5 dollars at a time, instead of dropping $50 bucks or however much a carton cost. The other losers that came to the gas station every day were people who buy lottery tickets. Most of the people who bought scratch-off lottery tickets look like complete bums who had run out of hope in life. Most normal people don’t buy scratch-off lottery tickets, or maybe they’ll buy one or two a year, but the people who buy them every day are some of the dumbest and ugliest people I’ve ever seen in my life. The only thing they had to look forward to in life was winning the lottery. Night after night, they would spend $5 or $20, and almost always lost. Most of them would come back a few days later to do it again, hoping to one day win the jackpot. Half of these people couldn’t even wait to get home to scratch them off, and would do it right there at the counter. Some of them would occasionally win $5 or $10 dollars and then immediately spend it all on more scratch-offs, which were all losers. One of my coworkers worked at two different gas stations. He worked part time at the one I worked at, and he worked part time at another one in the next town. His wife also worked at a gas station just down the street from ours. Rusty was pure white trash and a felon who hung out with the Hells Angels. When he laughed you could hear the air wheezing from his lungs through the tar built up in them from decades of smoking. I bought an ounce of weed from him once, which was OK, but other than that I kept my distance from him.

Middle School Sleeping in the Tent Whenever kids come up with the idea to set up a tent in the backyard and have a bunch of friends over to sleep out there, it’s really just a cover story for being able to sneak out that night and go cause trouble in some form or

another. Sure it’s kind of fun to pretend like you’re camping out in your own backyard when you’re a kid, but what’s more fun is being able to sneak out of the tent and go wreak havoc around town after your parents go to bed. After all, you just can’t sneak out of the house most of the time without your parents noticing, even after they go to bed, because it’s still likely that they will hear the front door of the house opening or closing as you sneak out or return. Some kids, if their room is on the first story of their house, can pull the screen out of their window and sneak out that way (which I did a few times as well), but it’s much less noticeable to simply unzip the tent door and disappear into the night. Every time my friends and I slept in the tent in my backyard, houses around the neighborhood would mysteriously get toilet papered, and dozens of people would have their doorbells rung ten times in a row in the middle of the night. Doorbell ditch, as it is called, is the most fun very late at night when everyone is sleeping and you can stand on their front porch and ring the doorbell repeatedly a dozen times to make sure you wake up the resident, and then run off and duck behind some bushes at the neighbor’s house to watch them answer the door and look around to see what happened. Doorbell ditch is extremely fun when you return to the same house a few minutes later and do it again after the person has gotten back in bed after having been woken up from a good night’s sleep. When we slept in the tent, most of the time I would run an extension cord from my parents’ house out to the tent and I would bring a small television from my room out there so we could play video games all night until my parents went to bed and then we would sneak out. Sometimes in the morning we continued playing video games when we woke up, and I remember one time I was playing Double Dragon II for Nintendo, and I had never been able to win the game, but that morning I systematically beat one level after the other, making it to the final fight, and I delivered the death blow to the boss with a hurricane kick and as he flew back in slow motion, the television suddenly turned off! The picture instantly shrunk down and disappeared into a white dot in the center of the screen as the old picture tube televisions did when you turned them off. I frantically grabbed the power button and clicked it on and off repeatedly, but the television was dead. Even the Nintendo had no power. I had no idea what happened.

Then at that very moment, I heard my mom yelling from the back door that lunch was ready. We had stayed in the tent all morning, and it was approaching noon. She had yelled out earlier to come in for lunch, but I was busy trying to win Double Dragon II . I unzipped the tent and started heading to the house and saw the extension cord that had been plugged in to an external outlet on the side of the house was laying there on the sidewalk unplugged. I picked it up in bewilderment and asked my mom through the screen in the kitchen window if she unplugged it. “I told you lunch was ready,” she answered. “You stupid bitch!” I responded. “Why the hell did you unplug that, I just won Double Dragon II for the first time and I didn’t even get to see the final scene!” I had never called my mom a bitch before. Ever. I was just so angry. The timing had been so horrible. At the very second I killed the final boss, she unplugged the TV. I worked so hard to win that game, and I was so mad. Video games mean the world to teenagers (and even some adults). She didn’t take too kindly to being called a bitch. I was twelve-years-old, and that’s not the kind of language anyone should use with their mother. She was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. I was a terrible kid.

Other Video Game Trouble Since I spent so much money at the arcade playing video games, I tried the old “string on a quarter trick” to see if it would fool the machines so I could play them for free. I drilled a tiny hole into a quarter and tied a thread on to it that I got from my mom’s sewing cabinet, and lowered it slowly into the coin slot waiting for a credit to register on the machine so I could then just pull the quarter back up through the slot or just dangle it at that point and bob it up and down repeatedly so it would continue to add credits to the game so I could play for hours, but this didn’t work. Maybe a few years earlier this little trick worked, but when I was a kid in the 1980s and 90s, the video game companies had apparently figured this out and designed some device that the coin would pass through before the machine would register it, and once it got past this point, there was some lever or something that sprung into place to prevent it from being able to come back up through the slot. Did this stop me from thinking of other tricks to try hoping to play free video games at the arcade? No.

I went through my dad’s shop drawers and found some washers that were the same size and thickness of quarters and brought them to the arcade to see if they would work, but they didn’t. I figured it was because they were made of steel and were magnetic and there must be a sensor that gets tripped whenever a steel coin gets dropped into the slot, so I found some aluminum washers that were the same size as quarters, but they didn’t work either. Perhaps they were not the same weight as a quarter. I’m not sure why they didn’t work, but looking back on it now, I’m sure that the video game companies are a lot smarter than a 14-year-old kid, and I certainly wasn’t the only one who tried to trick the machines like this, so of course there are safeguards built into them to prevent it. You have to give me some credit for trying though. Kids go crazy over video games. My friend Rocky’s older brother would threaten to beat him up if he lost certain video games because he wanted to see what the final levels looked like, or he would have Rocky get to those levels so he could then play them because he wasn’t good enough to get there himself. One time, Rocky’s brother locked us out of the game room while he was playing a certain game because he didn’t want us to see what the final level looked like. We tried to see what was happening through a vent in the wall, and when his brother realized this he came out of the room and went berserk. Rocky grabbed a hammer and threatened to hit him with it in self-defense. Rocky’s mom thought that the Nintendo video game system was bad for the television and wouldn’t let him or his brother play it on the large TV in the family room and made them play it on a smaller one downstairs. For a few hours after school they would play the Nintendo on the big TV upstairs until just before their mom got home from work, and they would put it back downstairs. After all, playing video games on a small TV isn’t as fun. One afternoon his brother was playing Metal Gear on the big TV upstairs and wouldn’t let Rocky or I play, so he went and got his mom’s camera and started taking pictures of his brother sitting in front of the television holding the controller so he had proof he was using the big TV. “I got pictures! I’m telling mom you were using the big TV!” I’m sure they got into a fight after

this. They were always fighting over something, but usually it was video games. Rocky was a tough kid and one time he challenged our principal to a fight saying “I can take you,” when we were in seventh grade. We were both called into Mr. Vought’s office for various reasons and I remember he thought Rocky was my “bodyguard” and believed that the two of us ruled the middle school. Apparently he could see our budding leadership qualities back then. Fred had purchased a console copier out of the back of an electronics magazine which allowed him to copy Sega Genesis games onto 3 ½ inch floppy disks and play them that way. The copier plugged into the slot where you would insert the videogame cartridge and had another slot on top of it were you would then plug the game into, and using a built-in 3 ½ inch floppy disk drive it would copy the games from any cartridge you wanted. Once you copied a game onto a disc, you didn’t need the cartridge anymore because you could play it off the disk from then on. This was a kid’s dream come true! You could borrow any video game from any one of your friends and then copy it and play at whenever you wanted! This was practically unheard of in the early 1990s, and of course this was illegal, but we didn’t care. There was a video store downtown that we could ride our bikes to and we would frequently rent a video game and ride back to Fred’s house, copy it onto a disc and then return to the store 15 minutes later telling the guy that we had accidentally rented the wrong game and he would let us exchange it for a different one. This way we could copy two games for the price of one. The console copier was a lot of fun, but as video games got more sophisticated, the Sega Genesis soon became a relic whose graphics and games didn’t compare to the newer systems, but we definitely got our use out of it, and it paid for itself many times over.

Making Crop Circles People often think it’s a big mystery about where crop circles come from, but I can answer that question with firsthand knowledge. They come from

people like me, because my friends and I made them for fun. They weren’t the most complex crop circles, but they were crop circles, nonetheless. To accomplish this mysterious task, we just brought a rope and a wooden stake out into the middle of a corn field on the edge of our block and pushed the stake in the ground with the rope tied around it and straightened it out as far as it would go and flattened all the corn in the radius of the circle it made. One crop circle just wasn’t good enough, we thought. We really wanted this to get in the news so we decided to make two other ones so the three of them would form a triangle in the middle of the cornfield. We didn’t do this during the middle of the night under the cover of darkness like one may assume. We didn’t really see a reason for this, so we just did it when it was still light out in the early evening. What we didn’t expect was that an airplane flying overhead would happen to see us right in the middle of making our masterpiece. It was a small airplane like a Cessna and it immediately started circling the corn field obviously checking out the bizarre formation in the field. We all ducked down underneath the corn to hide so the pilot hopefully wouldn’t see us. I’m not sure why we thought we should hide, because it’s not like he could really identify us from up there; it must have just been our instincts to hit the deck when someone spotted us when we were doing something wrong. I guess it was because we were worried that he could radio into the police that there were some kids making crop circles and they could be waiting for us when we made our way back to the street. The plane kept circling the field and we figured the pilot had spotted us so we all just took off running. We left our bikes on the edge of the field near the street and as soon as we got to them we hopped on and started to ride off. We never would have imagined that the airplane would start following us all across town. It’s tough to lose an airplane when you’re riding on a street since they can pretty much see everything. We didn’t know what to do. Was he in communication with the police and keeping track of where we were so they could come and surround us? I guess technically we ruined some of the farmer’s crops, so we could get in trouble for that and we were also trespassing on the land. We just kept riding and riding all over town, but the plane kept following us and circling around wherever we went, keeping his eye on us the entire time.

Luckily it was near sunset and about a half hour later it was getting dark so it finally left. What the heck had just happened, we thought. We just got chased by an airplane on our bikes for making crop circles! This corn field was right next to a fort we had built that we would spend a lot of time at in the summer afternoons, and after we made those crop circles, I can’t tell you how many airplanes would fly by that field and circle around for a few minutes taking a second look at our handiwork before going on their way. Our crop circles could have made the evening news for all we knew, or been in the local paper, but our parents must have missed it if they had, because they certainly would have mentioned to us that crop circles had appeared in our small little town if they saw something about it on the news. They probably would have realized who was behind them too. Only a handful of people would even consider doing such a thing, and of course it was us.

Fun with the Paper Towel Dispenser Since I liked to build things when I was growing up, I made a key that would open the paper towel dispenser in the school bathroom. I also made one that would unlock the toilet paper dispensers too and I would regularly steal the rolls of toilet paper so we could go toilet paper people’s houses because we didn’t want to spend money buying the toilet paper ourselves since that money could be spent on candy or video games at the arcade. The paper towel machine held other fun possibilities though. I would pull the lever and dispense ten feet of paper towel and then using a black magic marker I would write obscenities on the towel, and then open the machine up and roll it back inside so that the next few people who would come into the bathroom and pull the lever to get their paper towel to dry their hands would be surprised with a nice “Fuck You” written on it. I also liked to write mean things about the principal, Mr. Vought, like the standard middle school insult, “Mr. Vought Sucks” or “Fuck Mr. Vought.” One day after I got done writing a bunch of trash about Mr. Vought and rolling the paper towel back up into the machine, Mr. Vought himself came walking into the bathroom as I left! I can only imagine the look on his face when he went to dry his hands and as he pulled the lever to dispense the

paper towel, out came a piece that said, “Fuck Mr. Vought.” I laughed all the way back to class just thinking about it. The next time I opened up that paper towel dispenser there was a note taped inside that said the mirror to the left was a two-way mirror and behind it was a video camera and that “you will be hearing from us shortly.” How dumb did they think I was? A two-way mirror and a hidden camera in the bathroom? Yeah right. I wrote “Fuck You” across the entire note with a magic marker and closed up the machine. I thought about taking the roll of paper towel home and feeding it in my printer and printing all sorts of crazy things on the entire roll and then putting it back in the machine so that everyone who dispensed a piece of paper towel would be pleasantly surprised by having their paper towel come out with something like “Fuck Mr. Vought” printed on it, but I soon lost interest in the paper towel machine and made a key that would shut off the lights in the hallways, and had fun with that for a while. I also took an old electrical cord with a plug on the end of it and tied the wires together and brought it to school and would plug it into the wall to short circuit the system which would flip the circuit breaker and knock the power out to the room. Yes, I was an evil genius in the making.

Free Cable TV I never had cable TV growing up, but Fred did for a period of time, and back when we were kids it was very easy to steal cable television. There was no digital cable, digital tuners, or video On Demand, or anything like that. If you ordered cable TV, then the cable guy would go out to the cable box in the back of your neighborhood and then just simply connect the coaxial cable leading to your house into the main feed. There was a special screw on these boxes to keep them locked, but Fred’s older brother made the key in shop class and after Fred’s mom stopped paying for cable TV, we simply opened up the box and re-connected the coaxial cable labeled with his address back into the main feed, and bam, he got free cable. There were also several channel blockers on the coaxial cables that ran to the different houses that subscribed to cable TV, which would filter out channels like HBO and Showtime, unless someone paid for them, so we

removed the channel blockers and Fred got those channels for free as well. Years later at his own apartment, Fred would climb a telephone pole out front and do the same thing and got free cable TV for about ten years. Yeah, ten years! A decade of free cable TV!

Our Own TV Station It was dumb luck and a complete surprise to discover that (old analog) camcorders actually broadcast a weak signal like a miniature television station that could be picked up by a television set. Let me try to explain. Old analog camcorders from the 1980s and 90s used coaxial cables to connect to the television, and not RCA or USB cables like future models, and one time when I reached behind the television to screw in the coaxial cable leading from Fred’s camcorder so we could watch what was on the tape, the picture showed up and we started hearing the audio before it was even connected to the TV. This was weird. I hadn’t even touched the coaxial cable onto the receptacle on the TV, but the tape was already playing on it. It turns out that the camcorder was actually broadcasting a signal and if you placed the male end of the coaxial cable near the female receptacle sticking out of the back of the TV, then the signal would transmit through the air and the camcorder’s tape could be seen playing on the TV. To a couple of fifteen-year-old kids who loved electronics, this was amazing. We then had an idea. There is a device (or at least there was years ago before digital television when all signals were analog) called an antenna booster that people used to increase the strength of the antenna on their television sets for picking up the analogue broadcast channels if they didn’t have cable TV or a satellite dish. These antenna boosters have two coaxial connections on them where you plug one end into the back of the television set and the other end into the antenna itself. It then magnifies whatever signal the antenna picks up, so the channels would show up more clearly on your television set. Fred and I went out and bought an antenna booster and took the coaxial cable coming from the camcorder and screwed it into the booster, and then screwed the output cable into the antenna on the top of Fred’s roof. When

we pressed play on the camcorder, to our amazement, the tape showed up on the television. The antenna booster amplified the output from the camcorder so the signal would shoot through the air so the camcorder didn’t even need to be physically wired into the television set for the tape to play on it. We were basically broadcasting the signal from the camcorder through the airwaves to the television! This worked from the antenna on the top of the house to the TV in the basement, but we wondered just how far the signal was going. Fred had a small portable television, so we set it on channel 3, the channel that televisions needed to be on in order for a camcorder or VCR to play on them, and we went outside and started walking down the block to see how far it would pick up the signal from. It slowly faded out as we got halfway down the block, but we were still amazed. We went out and bought two more antenna boosters and daisy chained them one right into the other to boost the broadcasting power even more. Using the antenna on top of Fred’s roof as a transmitter, we broadcast a signal strong enough to be picked up by all of the neighboring houses on the block. From a little experimentation we realized that our TV broadcast was showing up on numerous stations, not just channel 3 because it was so strong. Our little discovery wouldn’t only broadcast the tape from the camcorder, but if you turned the camera on, our system would broadcast whatever the camera was seeing live! We basically had our own television broadcasting station. We called it, WMAD, since we were as mad as hatters. We set the camera up in the basement with it broadcasting using the large antenna on the roof, and Fred, Diego and I started putting on our own skits and acted crazy like we were on Saturday Night Live . We knew that if any one of the neighbors were channel surfing, they would inevitably come across our station and see us. Sometimes we videotaped our “shows” and played the tape back over and over, hoping that some of the neighbors would see it. I then started calling the neighbors pretending to be someone working at “WMAD” and told them I was wondering if they were picking up our signal since we were measuring the signal strength in their area, and I would ask them to turn on

their TV to whatever channels were airing our show. Yep. They were getting it all right. WMAD was broadcasting to the entire block. One of Fred’s neighbors was a year older than us and he happened to find our show when he was channel surfing, and didn’t quite know what to think. After all, how could you possibly explain that we were on TV? He mentioned this to us the next time he saw us and was very confused about how this was happening. Even though we were having fun with our own new television station, we weren’t satisfied with a potential audience of just several surrounding homes around the block near Fred’s house. We wanted the entire town to get our station. A friend of Fred’s dad was an electrical engineer, and one Saturday afternoon Fred’s dad took us over to the cell phone store he owned so we could talk with him about our project (i.e. WMAD). When we told him what we were doing and said we were interested in building a super powerful antenna booster so the whole town would get our show, he pretty much freaked out. This was the first time I ever heard about the FCC (the Federal Communications Commission), the government agency that is in charge of overseeing all television and radio stations, as well as products that broadcast electrical waves through the air such as walkie-talkies and CB radios. The FCC sells and regulates the licenses that broadcasting stations and other companies have to get in order to ensure that their broadcasts or devices don’t interfere with each other. Fred’s dad’s friend went on to tell us that messing with the FCC was like messing with the FBI, and that broadcasting illegally, which is clearly what we were doing, could result in us getting fines of several hundred thousand dollars for each incident. We had been broadcasting WMAD several times a week for close to a month, and sometimes for hours on end. The man then went on to tell us that if people called the local television stations to complain that the signal wasn’t coming in clearly and said that they were picking up images of a bunch of kids acting stupid instead, then the FCC would surely be investigating this with sophisticated equipment, possibly in vans that would drive around the town in order to detect the source of this interference. Whoops!

This kind of spooked us. Fines of several hundred thousand dollars? Wow. The FCC sounded too much like the FBI. Did this discourage us from wanting to build our amplifier? Not at all. We thought about tapping into one of the neighbors’ antennas and broadcasting from theirs instead of the one on top of Fred’s roof to throw the FCC off so they couldn’t track it back to us. We even thought about building an amplifier and then putting it in a car and driving around town so the FCC wouldn’t know where the signal was coming from. We also talked about how funny it would be to broadcast a porno to the entire town since if we were on the move, the FCC couldn’t track the signal back to Fred’s mom’s house, but we were too young and didn’t quite have the engineering capabilities to build a strong enough antenna booster. We soon pulled the plug on WMAD.

Trying to Kill the Neighbor’s Trees One of my neighbors clearly had an advanced case of obsessive-compulsive disorder which caused him to mow his lawn every few days, whether it needed it or not, and he would sweep the floor in his garage practically every night for what seemed like an hour. We thought he was completely insane. His garage was as clean and sanitary as an operating room in a hospital. Practically every garage I’ve ever seen has tools hanging on the walls, shelves that hold a variety of automobile fluids, cleaning supplies, yard tools and other junk, but Mr. Steven’s garage walls had nothing hanging on them at all accept one weed wacker which he also used compulsively. The only things in his garage were the two family cars, and the lawnmower. It was very strange. He was a nice guy, we just didn’t like him because his constant lawn mowing disturbed our peace and quiet during our lazy summer days. One night my brother had a container full of waste oil after changing the oil in his car, and instead of taking it to the recycling site downtown to properly dispose of it, he walked across the street and dumped it around the base of a tree in Mr. Steven’s front yard. That summer, Mr. Steven’s trees became the disposal site of all waste oil, radiator fluid, transmission fluid, and even some stale gasoline. Stew likes to work on engines, so there was no shortage of toxic waste. Those trees were strong but after a while some of the leaves started to lose their color and wilt long before fall. We thought

for sure all those chemicals getting absorbed by the roots would have killed them all, but Mother Nature is surprisingly resilient and the trees still lived.

Prank Phone Calls Every kid who is normal makes prank phone calls. Some kids are better at them than others, and I was one of the best. I had polished my pranking skills from getting calls from telemarketers at my parents’ house. Instead of just hanging up on them or telling them to remove our number from their calling list like most people did, I would keep them on the phone as long as possible and come up with the craziest stories I could think of. If a telemarketer called and my mom or dad answered the phone, they knew I loved to mess with them, so they would call me over and hand the phone to me and we would all sit around and listen to whatever story I would fabricate at the time. As I’m sure you’re aware, telemarketers usually start their call by saying “How are you doing today Mr. Dice?” and instead of just saying I was fine, sometimes I would pretend to be really sad and tell them I’m not doing very well because my dog had just died. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. The reason I’m calling tonight is because…” (I would cut them off) “I really loved that dog. I had him for 15 years. The smartest dog in the world.” “I understand sir. I love animals too. We’re having a special on long distance calling plans this week…” (I’d cut them off again) (Pretending to sniffle) “That dog just loved to steal people’s shoes and run around the house so you’d chase after him, and sometimes he’d even take the Dr. Scholl’s padding out from inside the shoe and start chewing on them. He was such a silly dog.”

“I’m sure he was. Sir, we’re offering a special long distance plan where you can call family and friends for a low price any time after 5pm Monday through Friday…” (cutting them off again) “That’s interesting, because the dog used to like to talk on the phone with grandma and grandpa and we’d hold the phone up to his ear and they’d say things, and he’d bark through the phone back at them. That dog was so smart, I bet we could have taught him how to use the phone himself, and I’ll bet he would have.” It was about at this time that they would hang up, but sometimes they’d stay on the line for five minutes because they didn’t want to be rude. It was great. If a telemarketer called trying to sell newspapers, I told them there was nothing but bad news in there anyway and it wasn’t worth reading, and then I’d start giving them story suggestions about what kinds of things I would like to see in the newspaper instead. If they were calling trying to sell long distance service, I told them that I was going to cancel my phone service soon and become Amish, so I wouldn’t need a phone anymore. Since they were always trying to sell me something, sometimes I tried selling them things and would tell them I was having a rummage sale that coming weekend and started telling them all the nice things they could find. It wasn’t just telemarketers I loved to mess with, of course I would make prank phone calls to my friends’ houses and even random phone numbers around the area. When I couldn’t think of anyone to prank call, I would resort to calling the Hooked on Phonics company which sold reading programs for children whose phone number was 1-800-ABCDEFG. I would often call them and pretend to be a parent inquiring about their reading programs for my child, and would make up crazy stories saying something about how my two-year-old was already reading at an eighth-grade level and had just finished books like Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer , and I was wondering if Hooked on Phonics had any programs to help him advance any further. They were always amazed that my child was so intelligent. Sometimes I would tell them that I was interested in getting a program for my unborn child so I could teach it to them while they were still in the womb under the assumption that they would be able to understand it and

would then have a higher IQ once they were born. The operator never seemed to think it would work, but I insisted that I had read some studies that proved unborn children in the womb could understand people if they spoke to them, and could even start learning to spell. One night I was able to get through to Larry King Live on CNN when the guest was Ron Popeil, the infomercial guy who used to sell the Chicken Rotisserie Grill, the Ronco food dehydrator, and a whole list of other infomercial products, including Hair in a Can which is that weird spraypaint for balding people that enabled them to cover up their bald spot with washable paint. I have always been fascinated by infomercials, and I thought of a great question for Ron Popeil. I gave the phone screener a bogus question asking what kind of advice Ron had for young inventors, and then as soon as my call was live on the air I said that I heard his food dehydrator was good for drying marijuana buds so you could smoke them. The screener hung up on me immediately, but my call made it on air. Instead of realizing it was a prank call and going on to the next caller, Larry King asked him, “Is that true?” to which Popeil answered, “It is true. Yes.” Larry King responded, “It is? Well marijuana may be legal someday, [and] may be able to help people.” The phone call is shown on the official transcript for the show which aired live on April 13, 2001, and if you Google “Ron Popeil Larry King Live Marijuana” you can find it. I had videotaped the broadcast on the VCR and my friends and I watched it over and over again laughing our butts off. The funniest part was this would not be the last I would hear about this phone call. About nine years later, Ron Popeil was being interviewed on CNBC about his infomercial empire and the host mentioned my phone call! My jaw dropped. The host said something about one of the most interesting questions Ron had ever been asked about his products was when he was on Larry King Live in 2001 and a caller asked if the food dehydrator could be used to dry marijuana buds from pot plants! I had never guessed that my one phone call would have been so memorable. Looking back, sales for the food dehydrator probably skyrocketed since people who grew their own marijuana would want one to dry the buds. While I was able to find the

official transcript for my call on CNN’s website, at this time I have not been able to find the video clip on YouTube and the VHS copy I made got taped over eventually.

Soda Guns Every kid in America, and perhaps the world, may know how to make a soda gun, I’m not sure. It’s interesting how kids figure these things out. Somehow we found out if you take a ballpoint pen and position it on the top of a soda can in the small round piece of metal that connects the opening tab to the can itself, you could poke a hole through it by pounding your fist on top of the pen and then if you held the soda in your hand and plugged the hole with your index finger and shook it up, when you let your finger off of the hole, soda shoots out in a stream about 15 feet like a squirt gun. A soda gun is only good for about three or four blasts and wastes half of your soda, but it sure was fun, and we must have covered the floor in study hall with sticky soda on numerous occasions, not to mention leaving people smelling like Pepsi or orange soda. And we wondered why they stopped allowing us to drink soda during study hall!

The Jelly Donut Incident Industrial Arts (shop class) has got to be every guy’s favorite class in school because we get to build things and play with power tools, but Industrial Arts at our school was extremely special because the teacher, Mr. Norton, had a short fuse and just a little screwing around would get him to absolutely flip his lid and start yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs. It was very common for students in the surrounding classrooms to be able to hear him yelling at students, but what do you expect when you take a bunch of seventh and eighth graders and give them access to power tools? Several years earlier a student ground up some Ex-Lax pills and put them in Mr. Norton’s jelly donuts that he had in his desk drawer, and after he ate them you can imagine what happened. This wasn’t just an urban legend, it was something that actually happened, and so ever since that day if you

mentioned anything about jelly donuts in Mr. Norton’s class, you were in big trouble. I happened to know this because one of my older brother’s friends was the guy who put the Ex-Lax in his jelly donuts, but not everyone was familiar with the jelly donut story. The very first day of class we all came in and sat down around the shop tables while Mr. Norton was still standing in the hallway chatting with other teachers, and I thought it would be funny to get someone to ask him if he would like some jelly donuts. The kid’s name was Nolan, and he just happened to be sitting at my table, so he was the one I convinced that if he wanted to get on Mr. Norton’s good side, he should ask him if he wants Nolan to bring in any jelly donuts tomorrow for class because he lets students bring in food once in a while for snack day and he really liked jelly donuts. (There was no such thing as snack day in shop class, of course, but it sounded good.) It wasn’t more than five seconds after the teacher walked into the classroom that Nolan turned around and said, “Hey Mr. Norton, how would you like some jelly donuts?” “Get the hell out of here right now!” Mr. Norton shouted as he grabbed Nolan by the arm and dragged him out of the room and down the hall to the principal’s office. Poor Nolan didn’t know what he did wrong, but my friends and I knew the story, and we knew the one thing you should never, ever mention in shop class, were jelly donuts. This sort of set the pace for the chaos to come the rest of the year. While we were supposed to be building things like lamps, clocks, pen holders, etc, we spent almost as much time destroying things. We especially liked to drill holes in everything, like the cabinets, tables, and people’s text books from other classes. I had to leave to get stitches in my hand once, not from a power tool accident, but because I went to punch Ken in the stomach when we were screwing around and he blocked it while holding a tape measure and it sliced my knuckle open pretty bad. We told the teacher he was just handing it to me and it accidentally cut me. I dripped a trail of blood all the way to the bathroom and my mom had to pick me up and take me to the doctor to get it stitched up. A lot of handheld power tools can be set to stay on so you don’t have to keep the trigger pulled the whole time you’re using them, and so we often

liked to lock the trigger for the belt sander so when Mr. Norton would set it on the table and plug it in, the thing would drive right off the table and crash onto the ground. He would catch on to this little trick and tried to make sure he would check the switch before he plugged it in, but every once in a while he would forget and it would go flying off the table as soon as he plugged it in. Mr. Norton had a bad case of dandruff, which we like to add to by sprinkling saw dust in his hair every chance we got. Poor Mr. Norton. We really put him through a lot. It’s really amazing that he didn’t stab one of us with a screw driver or something for all the trouble we caused him. He was a nice guy and we were all complete punks.

The Crossing Guard We would occasionally torment a poor crossing guard on our way to middle school who was probably volunteering his spare time to help make sure the kids would cross a busy highway safely on their way to and from school. He was an older gentleman, who most likely retired from his job and just wanted to help look out for the students’ safety. It’s a very noble thing to do, but at the time we were not very appreciative of him and occasionally when we were riding our bikes to school, instead of waiting for him to stop the traffic, we would just cross the highway anyway and he would start yelling and screaming at us as we drove off laughing. Yes, this is extremely childish, but when you’re 13-years-old, disobeying a crossing guard and having him yell and scream at you was the highlight of your morning. One afternoon on the way home from school Ken pretended to have an accident on his bike and tipped over in the middle of the highway and just laid there pretending to be unconscious. There was no traffic coming because this was when the crossing guard stood in the middle of the highway with his hand-held stop sign, so there was no danger of any cars driving by and hitting him (we weren’t that dumb). Instead of the crossing guard getting concerned thinking that he had been hurt, the old man grabbed Ken by the jacket with one hand and hit him in the head with his hand-held stop sign that he carried in his other hand. Ken

was able to get away from him but he had an enormous bump on his head from getting hit and he was pissed . He wanted to bring water balloons to school the next day and pelt him as he drove by, and even considered throwing a large rock at him, he was so mad. The bump on his head was the size of a large grape and looked horrible, so you can probably understand his desire for revenge. During the wintertime it was very common for us to hit the crossing guard with snowballs as we drove by. Kids are so dumb.

My Friend’s Mom was our Substitute Teacher The one day I realized that I can accomplish almost anything if I actually applied myself was the day that Diego’s mom was our substitute teacher at our school. Ordinarily I facilitated the personal hell of every substitute teacher that ever came to our school and there were a handful of other students who eagerly joined in. Having a substitute teacher was almost better than going on a field trip. We were truly out of control and there was little that they could do to keep us on task. Most of the subs would never return, probably because we made their lives miserable, but one day our sub was one of my best friends’ moms. Not only was she Diego’s mom, but she was actually pretty cool, and everyone liked her. This was a history class and we had an in-class reading assignment that day and we all had to read through a bunch of crap and then answer questions about it. This sucked. I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing, because not only was the teacher Diego’s mom, but she was also good friends with my mom, and I couldn’t have her tell my mom that I was a screwball, so I actually read through the assignment and answered the questions. Not only did I actually sit there quietly and do the assignment, but I was the first one done! It was really the first time I had ever applied myself in history class, since I really hated it at the time and didn’t see the point of it until many years later, and ironically the History Channel would become my favorite channel to watch on television, but I’ll never forget the day that Diego’s mom was our substitute teacher because that was the day I was the first one to finish the assignment in class, and I got a pretty good grade on it too. It was

amazing. If only I cared this much when our regular teacher was there, I would have got straight A’s.

Joyriding Every teenager dreams of taking their parents’ car out joyriding, especially if it’s a cool car with balls. Diego’s dad’s car was a blue Firebird that looked pretty cool, and one afternoon his parents were gone and had taken their minivan somewhere, so Diego decided to take the Firebird out for a joyride. Of course, Fred and I were there and thought it was a great idea. Not only did we take the car without his dad’s permission, but none of us even had a driver’s license at the time, making it that much more fun. We lived kind of out in the sticks, and so we took the car out onto the country roads to see how fast it could go. Diego spun the tires repeatedly, did brake torques, and would drive in reverse going 15 miles an hour and then slam the car into drive and step on the gas. We even caught air when we used a sharp incline over a particular set of railroad tracks as a ramp. Going probably 80 miles an hour we hit the ramp and our heads all smacked into the ceiling and sparks flew out from the back of the car from the muffler or something scraping on the ground. It’s amazing we didn’t cause the transmission to dropout, blow a tire, or put the car in the ditch from Diego’s insane driving. We actually made it all the way back to the house with ourselves and the car in one piece. Then, as we were pulling back into the garage, Diego’s foot slipped off the brake and onto the gas pedal. The car launched forward after squealing the tires and crashed into a table against the back wall, causing it and everything on it to fall onto the hood of the car. This was bad. Surprisingly, there was only a small dent in the hood, and some slight impressions in the wall from the back legs of the table, so we set everything back up and just hoped his parents wouldn’t notice. Aside from the small dent in the hood and the damage to the wall, we had another problem. The engine was so hot from us speeding around that the fan kept running trying to cool it down. We knew Diego’s parents would arrive back home at any moment, and not only was the fan spinning, but

there was a loud ticking noise coming from the engine too. The neighbors had also seen us pull back into the garage and heard the tires squeal and must have heard the table crashing. They were standing right in their driveway 30 feet away. Just as we had feared, Diego’s dad figured out what happened, but we weren’t sure if it was because the neighbor said that he saw us take the car out (he knew we were all too young to have a driver’s license) or if he noticed the dent in the hood, or the dents in the wall, or if his dad heard the engine’s fan when he got back, or a combination of these factors. However he did it, he figured out what Diego had done. This time it wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t even my idea! I just went along for the ride.

Family Vacations I don’t know of any kid who can sit in the back seat of a car for hour after hour on a family vacation without acting up and pissing off their parents. Maybe today kids can since they have their video games, iPads and wireless Internet, but when I was a kid we pretty much had to just sit there and stare out the window or listen to our Walkman portable cassette tape player. This got boring after a while, but one thing my brother and I found that always entertained us were whoopee cushions. We couldn’t set inflated whoopee cushions on people’s chairs since we were in the car most of the time, so we came up with what we called “drive by farting.” To be effective, drive by farting could only be done in cities or towns where there are people walking on the sidewalks next to the roads. Whenever we passed through these areas, we would roll down the windows and “fart” at people who were walking on the sidewalks. Even my mom and dad couldn’t help laughing sometimes. Some people would literally jump and look over at our car as we drove past them, and some people would start cracking up themselves laughing at what had just happened. Sometimes during long drives when there was no one to fart at with the whoopee cushion, we would raise hell from the backseat and my dad would occasionally threaten to turn the car around and go home. What were they

going to do? Ground us? Maybe when we got home, but not at that moment. Whenever we stayed at the hotels, Stew and I would hang the paintings upside down before we left and we would occasionally dump buckets of ice onto people from our second or third story balcony. When we found someone’s door that had a “do not disturb” sign put out, we would flip it over so it read “needs housekeeping” so they would get woken up first thing in the morning by a maid. We were punks. When we stopped at fast food restaurants for lunch, by the time we left, several chairs would have ketchup packets set under their legs so when someone would sit down they would burst and shoot ketchup all over the floor (and their shoes). Of course we enjoyed pulling the old salt and pepper shaker trick where you would spin a quarter on the table and slam down a salt or pepper shaker on top of it so the quarter would break through the plastic bottom so the next time someone picked it up, all the salt or pepper would fall out of the bottom onto the table. I also had a habit of scratching “Mark Was Here” in the bathroom stalls with my Swiss Army Knife before we left. Little did our parents know, but we left a trail of destruction pretty much everywhere we went.

Grandma and Grandpa’s My grandparents on my dad’s side lived an entire day’s drive away from us, and every summer we would go to visit them for a week or so and this was always the highlight of my summer. Just because I was on vacation didn’t mean I took a break from causing trouble. This was a whole new town (and state) where nobody knew who I was, so they couldn’t call my parents to rat me out for something I had done. One of my dad’s friends had a stepson my age named Noah and while our dads were hanging out and catching up, Noah, my brother and I would go out and do what we did best. Noah lived on a highway, and every summer when we hung out we would tie a bunch of empty aluminum cans onto the two ends of a long piece of fishing line and then string it up across the road so when a car would drive by, the fishing line would get caught on it and the cans would all be dragged behind it as it continued down the road. Just

like a car carrying newlyweds leaving a wedding in the movies, the cans would immediately start clanging and make a bunch of noise as they were drug down the road going forty miles an hour behind the cars. We would hide in the bushes on the side of the road and watch, and most of the time the cars would stop at some point down the road to see what all the noise was. We called it “canning.” The local college in my grandparents’ town opened up their swimming pool to the public during the summer, so we enjoyed going there a few times a week to not only go swimming, but to cause trouble around the college. My grandpa would drop us off for a few hours and leave us, so we were completely unsupervised. Sometimes Noah would come with my brother and I to the pool and we liked to bring our leftovers from lunch and throw it on the steamer in the steam room so it would stink up the place. When we were done swimming and waiting for my grandpa to pick us back up, we liked to take a bunch of metal folding chairs and stack them in the elevator leaning towards the door and press the button to send the elevator to another floor, so when the door opened, all the chairs would fall out. We would stand outside of the elevator and lean all the chairs towards the door and hold them there, and just before the elevator door would close we would quickly pull our arm away so the chairs would all lean up against the door as it closed. That way when the elevator stopped on the next floor and the door opened, there would be nothing supporting the chairs and they would all fall over onto the ground. Imagine if you were the person waiting for the elevator and when the door opened up, a pile of five or six different chairs all fell out and crashed onto the ground. OK, so it might not seem that funny to you, but to us when we were thirteen-years-old it was a great time. We usually went to visit grandma and grandpa around the Fourth of July, and grandpa always bought us bags of fireworks and we enjoyed shooting bottle rockets at passing cars and lighting smoke bombs off in the middle of the road around the neighborhood. Grandma and grandpa’s neighbor was a massively obese woman we called “fatso” and we often enjoyed harassing her with our whoopee cushions from our bedroom window when she would come home from work late at night as she walked from her car to her house.

We could hear her pull up since it was summer time and the windows were open, and from the upstairs bedroom where we slept we would hide behind the curtains and “fart” at her with the whoopee cushions practically every night. Sometimes she would sit outside on her porch with her skinny boyfriend and smoke cigarettes late at night, and we would “fart” at them repeatedly with the whoopee cushions. One night fatso yelled up to my window that she was going to tell my grandpa what I was doing, but I was leaving early the next morning to go back home, so even if she did tell on me, it wouldn’t have mattered. My grandpa would have thought it was hilarious anyway. When we weren’t causing trouble, my brother and I got to enjoy watching cable television. We never had cable TV growing up, but grandma and grandpa had it at their house, so we enjoyed watching as much MTV as we could while we were there. Whenever grandma would see some scantily clad women dancing in the videos she would ask us in a disturbed tone, “What are you’s guys watching?” and I would always answer that we were watching the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon. That’s not a type-o in the last sentence. She would always say “you’s guys” when she meant “you guys.” We always got a kick out of it, and I think she believed me that it was the Disney Channel we were watching. Grandpa Dice was quite a troublemaker himself when he was young and I believe he caused a train to be derailed by setting something on the tracks or messing with the switching station when he was a kid, so he understood our need to cause trouble. He also made sure there was an endless supply of ice cream bars in the freezer that we could eat whenever we wanted. He knew what kids wanted. He was kind of like a kid himself. He was still quite a jokester too, and when we got back from an afternoon of “bumming around” as we called it, and my grandma asked what we did all day, he would say something ridiculous like telling her that he taught me how to drive his car or that we went gambling at the local Indian casino. (I was probably thirteen years old.) Grandma’s response was always the same. “My God!” I think she actually believed him most of the time, or perhaps she just didn’t know what to believe anymore after the decades of his antics.

When my dad was a kid he wanted a BB gun for Christmas one year and my grandma wouldn’t allow it, but my grandpa thought it would be fun to mess with her a little bit so he cut a piece of wood in the shape of a rifle and covered it in wrapping paper and put it under the Christmas tree to make grandma think he had gotten my dad the gun. He sure knew how to have a good time.

Miscellaneous Middle School Madness A few other miscellaneous or minor things we did in middle school include folding ourselves up inside a hide-a-bed (three people at a time was the record with some girls from the neighborhood and it almost broke the sofa), putting a metal plate on Fred’s chest and taping a firecracker to it and putting a sandwich bag full of ketchup over it and lighting the firecracker to make our own blood bag like in the movies so it looked like he got shot. We videotaped this of course. My brother bought some new tires for his car and before he put them on, he spun the old tires right in front of our parents’ house, causing a plume of smoke stinking like burnt rubber to fill our entire block. The smoke was so thick it just lingered in the air and didn’t really disperse for several minutes. This was in the middle of summer when everyone had all of their windows open, so I’m sure a lot of people smelled it from inside their homes (and probably almost choked to death). My brother did a break torque and the car didn’t even move, but the tires kept spinning and spinning, all the while emitting the burnt rubber smoke cloud until eventually one of the tires burst and practically disintegrated. I’m sure the neighbors really loved us. My brother really likes engines and mechanical stuff, and one time he took an old lawn mower and drained the oil out of it and replaced it with water and filled the gas tank with racing fuel and let the lawnmower run until the engine seized up because he wanted to see how long it would take. Growing up, my brother was not as crazy as I was, but he certainly had his moments. One time his jacket got snagged on the mailbox and ripped a huge hole in it as he walked by, so he went up to the house and got a baseball bat and smashed the mailbox repeatedly to teach it a lesson. “The mailbox ripped my jacket” he insisted.

Diego and I spray painted some obscenities on a local bridge one summer afternoon for something to do. It seemed like a good idea, and it wasn’t like we were going to ruin it or anything since it was already covered with graffiti anyway. It was a fun thing to do until we found out that his mom or dad had somehow overheard us talking about it afterwards. They weren’t too happy about that. Usually we were pretty careful about not letting our parents overhear us plot our schemes so this was a surprise to us. Diego just denied it, and said we were talking about spray painting the bridge, but claimed that we never actually did it. Since it was already filled with graffiti, they couldn’t really tell if we had added anything to the artwork or not, but I’m sure they knew we were lying. Before we had starting drinking and partying (which was freshman year in high school), we found a stash of beer at my brother’s friends’ fort nearby that was out in the woods where they would party, and instead of drinking the beer ourselves and getting drunk, we brought the cans back to my house and shook them up and smashed them on the street so they would explode and spray beer all over. It was a lot of fun. Just a few years later if we had found a stash of beer in the woods, we certainly wouldn’t have wasted it like that; we would have gotten drunk. Fred, Diego, and I had our own fort that we frequented during the summers and it was in a fantastic location in the woods along the side of a cornfield that had a small river running beside it. The first time we discovered the location we had to wade through the river in order to get to the other side and our shoes got all wet and covered in mud. There were a bunch of large rocks making up the riverbed, so we started picking them up and throwing them in the middle of the river piling them up so we could walk on them and get to our fort without ruining our shoes. The water wasn’t very deep and before long we had a few stable piles of rocks that we could walk on to get to the other side of the river. Somehow we got the idea that it would be cool to completely dam up the river, so every time we went to the fort we would pile up more stones, slowing the water flow little by little. After a while our dam worked pretty well. It didn’t completely stop the river, but it certainly slowed it down a ton and caused it to rise considerably higher in the area on the backside of our dam.

Later that summer we realized that a local sewage plant relied on the water from the river, and when the water flow was dramatically reduced because of our dam, they must have sent someone out to see what was happening. When we returned to our fort one afternoon we realized that someone had driven a backhoe out there and dug up our entire dam and cleared the river! Fred got a water balloon launcher one summer and we had fun with it but ended up denting the aluminum siding on my neighbor’s house because the water balloons shot out so fast. They were not very happy about it. After we used the launcher to hit an annoying neighbor girl, her dad freaked out because she had a large bruise over her entire back from getting hit so hard by the water balloon. Who would have thought that a seemingly harmless water balloon could cause so much damage? We also liked to shoot golf balls out of the launcher, but we knew better than to shoot them at people so we just shot them up in the air over a corn field down the street to see how high they would go. You’d be surprised how powerful (and dangerous) a water balloon launcher is. In the lunchroom at our middle school there was always someone selling half pint cartons of milk and there was a small metal tray sitting on a table where you would set your 35 cents and then you would grab your own carton out of a crate sitting right next to it. We realized that you could pretend to set your money in the tray and by just tapping the other coins sitting in there it would sound like you dropped yours in there, and then you could just take your milk for free. The person attending the milk counter would even let us pick out our own change from the tray, so if we put in fifty cents and needed to take out a dime and a nickel for the change, we would just do it our self. After a while we would walk up to the counter, tap the tray so it looked like we put in our fifty cents, and would then take out a dime and a nickel for our change, so not only did we get a free milk, but we would make fifteen cents. (Hey, fifteen cents back then could get you a decent sized piece of candy from the store.) We stole the milk really just for the thrill of it rather than not being able to afford it. Our parents could certainly afford the extra 35 cents for a carton of milk, we just liked “beating the system.”

Occasionally we would bring four or five empty milk cartons into the bathroom immediately after lunch before the next period began, and we would stomp on them one right after the other, popping them all. Boom, boom, boom, bam! We’d then calmly walk out of the bathroom and off to class as if nothing happened. We were obviously trying to make people think there were gunshots from inside the school. This was way before the Columbine High School shootings in 1998 and the trend of school shootings had infected America. You know, the good old days. There was a massive food fight in the lunch room one afternoon when for some reason all the teachers had left for a few minutes which turned out to be one of their biggest mistakes. This was not just a food fight between a few different people, this was an epic battle among the several hundred kids in the lunch room. The interesting thing about a food fight is that the more people there are involved makes even more people want to join in and start throwing things. Monkey see, monkey do. Within just a few seconds there was so much food being thrown that no matter where you looked, there were countless pieces of something flying through the air. Probably 80% of the students had thrown something, and most of us kept scooping food up off the table that was thrown our way and tossed it somewhere else in the lunchroom. It was better than any food fight I had seen in the movies. After the teachers returned they absolutely flipped out and told us that an “ice cream social” they were planning the following week would be canceled because of our misbehavior. Whatever. We had more fun having the food fight than we would have had eating ice cream. My mom always packed a Granny Smith apple in my lunch since I really liked them, and on another occasion I convinced a kid to throw it at someone across the room, hoping to start a food fight. Granny Smith apples are extremely dense and heavy for their size, and the apple hit a girl in the head and probably caused a lump it was flying so fast. Unfortunately the incident did not start a food fight. The principal did interrupt me and others at my table, suspecting I had something to do with it, but of course we didn’t know anything about it. During study hall we were able to get a pass to go to the weight room in order to work out, and the greatest part was that we were unsupervised the

entire time because the gym teacher always had a class to teach right next door. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that since we weren’t allowed to talk in study hall we would all get passes to go to the weight room and just hang out there. It was like our own social club. We wouldn’t even change our clothes or put on workout gear, we would just go hang out there so we could get out of study hall. There was a staircase in the weight room that went upstairs to another room filled with all kinds of ventilation ducts, so we couldn’t help but go up there and explore. Some of the vents were absolutely huge and had small access panels on them, so for a period of time we had fun climbing inside of them hoping they would lead throughout the entire school, but we couldn’t get very far because there were duct covers that blocked us. Periodically Mr. Jenson, the math teacher, would come into the weight room and go upstairs for a few minutes, which we thought was strange. Why would the math teacher need to go up there every day? One afternoon, we found out why. Diego happened to be up there exploring when Mr. Jenson walked in and headed up there and when Diego saw him coming up the stairs he was able to duck down and hide behind some ventilation ducts where he witnessed Mr. Jenson light up a cigarette and have a smoke break. Smoking on school grounds was illegal, and apparently Mr. Jenson couldn’t make it through the day without his nicotine fix, so every afternoon he would go up there to have a smoke. From that day on every once in a while in math class we would make loud comments about how the weight room smelled like smoke, or as Mr. Jenson would walk by our tables we would ask the person next to us in a loud voice, “who smokes in the weight room?” Poor guy was probably just trying to relax for a few minutes from all the stress of having to deal with punks like us, and here we were making it worse.

Moving

To

California

The Ultimate Road Trip My 1981 AMC Concord was packed and ready to go. It was early in the morning in the middle of August 1998, and for the entire summer my dad helped make sure my old car was road worthy for my long trip to California. The original plan was for Fred, Diego, and I to move out west together at the end of the summer, but Diego hung back for a few months and would later join Fred and I in January. We all hated cold weather and after my Spring Break trip to Miami sophomore year of college, I put out the word to my friends that I wanted to leave the cold, miserable state of Wisconsin and head back down south to Florida. Diego’s college roommate Curt was originally from San Diego and both Fred and Diego had stayed with Curt at his parents’ house for a vacation the previous year, so they suggested we move to San Diego instead of Miami since there was no humidity or bugs, so that’s what we decided to do at the end of the summer. We were 20-years-old. We didn’t have any jobs lined up; we didn’t have an apartment rented; we just had a road atlas that I got from the gas station I worked at that summer, along with a bunch of beef jerky and cheese sticks for food along the way. We also had two ounces of weed and a cooler full of beer. That was all we needed to start our new lives as we headed out west California dreaming. Of course our parents strongly advised we not move, but we didn’t care. We had to get out of Wisconsin. Everyone always complained about how much it sucked, so we were going to do something about it and leave. Even all our friends thought we were crazy, but they didn’t have the balls that we had to break free from our small little town and see what else the world had to offer. By the end of the first day on the road we made it to Omaha, Nebraska and decided we would stay there for the night and head on to Denver the next day. We didn’t want to spend any money on a hotel room, so we were going to just sleep in the car somewhere, possibly at a campground. We located a campsite on the map in Omaha, but instead of turning in early and resting up for the long journey ahead, we decided to go drinking in the bars downtown. (We both had fake IDs.)

Fred and I went bar hopping until almost closing time and just before we headed to the campground, we decided to steal the beer mugs we had been drinking out of as souvenirs. We finished our beers and walked out the door, hiding them by our sides from the bartender. A little while later we arrived at the campground but there was no attendant in the office because it was closed, so we stopped the car in the parking lot and decided to sleep there. Fred passed out in the passenger seat, but I couldn’t get comfortable enough to sleep sitting up in the car and I couldn’t recline my seat because the entire backseat was filled with stuff, so I got out and laid on the blacktop right next to the driver’s side door and fell asleep there. The next thing I knew it was six or seven in the morning and a police officer was standing over me asking what the heck we were doing there. I told him we were moving to California and we got there too late to get a camp site because the park was closed so we decided to sleep there. He seemed very understanding and left us alone. A little while later we smoked some weed for breakfast and continued on our journey. That evening we made it to Denver and again went bar hopping downtown. Instead of looking for a campground again, we decided we would hook up with a couple girls at one of the bars and sleep at their place, and that’s exactly what we did. We met two girls at one of the bars and at the end of the night we all went back to one of their places. I slept in one of the girl’s beds with her and we messed around a little bit, but she wouldn’t have sex with me. Contrary to popular belief, not every girl who goes home with a guy from the bar has sex with him that night. I didn’t care, I was just happy to be sleeping in a bed instead of in the car or on the ground. Fred got lucky though, and my girl and I heard him having sex with her friend on the futon out in the living room. The next morning we all went to Denny’s for breakfast and later said goodbye to our new friends and headed for Las Vegas. Since we got a late start getting on the road that morning because we slept late in the comfort of the girls’ beds, we stopped at a campsite in Utah to sleep there. We didn’t even have a tent, so Fred just slept in the car and I slept on the ground again, and we headed for Vegas the next day.

It was the middle of the afternoon when we arrived in Las Vegas extremely excited (and high from all the weed we had been smoking the entire trip). We had some 40-ounce bottles of beer left over in the cooler from the night before, so we poured ourselves some beers into the mugs we had stolen from the bar in Omaha a few nights earlier. We were driving down the famous Las Vegas strip smoking a joint and drinking beer out of our mugs like we owned the place. We even took pictures of each other with the mugs up to our mouths inside the car since we figured no one would believe that we were slamming beers on the Vegas strip, out of beer mugs nonetheless. What kind of a person drinks beer from a glass mug in a car while they’re driving on the strip in downtown Las Vegas? Us, that’s who. We had no fear. Using our fake IDs we went to a club and had a few drinks and then explored the casinos and played a few slots hoping to win some gas money to help pay for our trip. Normal people would have gotten a cheap hotel somewhere at the end of the night to sleep in, but we were far from normal. I only had $3000 to my name, which was all the money I had saved that summer, so spending $50 or $100 on a hotel room was just not in the budget, so at the end of the night we went back to the car which was parked in the lot behind the Pioneer Casino, and we crashed there. The backseat was still full of stuff and my seat wouldn’t recline, and I still couldn’t sleep sitting up, so I took a blanket and a pillow and walked over to a small plot of grass where some trees were growing and slept there. Yes, I slept outside on the grass in the middle of the parking lot of the Pioneer Casino right behind the strip in Las Vegas like a homeless person. Actually, homeless people probably knew better than to sleep right out in the open like that, but I didn’t care. I was wasted and exhausted from being on the road for days. I woke up when the sun rose early in the morning and got back in the car and we took off for the final stretch to California. Just as we were leaving the city of Las Vegas, the brakes on my car failed! The pedal dropped to the floor and lost almost all pressure and to get the car to stop I had to slam on the pedal as hard as I could and hold it down. Driving in the mountainous terrain of Colorado the day before had put so much stress on the brakes that we blew a brake line. We didn’t know this at

the time, so we stopped off at a mechanic shop in the city of Baker, California which is an hour and a half outside of Las Vegas. A strange looking man, perhaps the owner, jacked up the car, pulled off the rear tire and inspected the brakes telling us it would be several days until he could get the parts that we needed to fix them. I told him we didn’t want to wait and that we would take our chances on the road, and then he reached inside the brake drum and purposefully pulled loose the brake pads, the springs and all the other parts holding the brake pads in place, flinging them to the ground. “Oops,” he said. “Don’t think you’re going to be able to drive it like that.” Fred and I looked at each other petrified. This man just sabotaged my car, stranding us literally in the middle of nowhere in the desert. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. This man knew we were a couple of kids with a piece of crap car filled with our entire belongings with out-of-state plates 2000 miles from home. With the rear passenger side of the car still jacked up in the parking lot, the man went inside his office to order the parts he claimed we needed. This was too creepy. This psycho was trying to screw us, or kill us, or who knows what. We had to get out of there. We picked up the miscellaneous parts from the ground, put the tire back on, lowered the jack, and sped off while he was still inside. While the brakes had basically failed (and one of the rear tires didn’t even have any brake pads anymore), there was still enough pressure to stop the car if I pushed the pedal really hard and gave myself enough breaking distance. There was no way we were going to stay stranded there in the desert for days leaving my car in this psycho’s garage in the middle of nowhere. We called my dad and he told us to cut the break line for that tire and crimp it to minimize the leak so the pressure would be enough to depress the other brake pads. We did this and continued our journey completely spooked from the creepy psycho at the garage who tried to strand us. We arrived in San Diego pretty late at night because the brake problem held us up, and we had planned on sleeping at our friend Curt’s parents’ house and staying there for a few days until we found an apartment, but it was too late in the evening and we didn’t want to wake them up so we drove to Pacific Beach just north of downtown San Diego and Fred slept in the car

again on the side of the road, while I took a blanket out and slept on the beach. I didn’t realize how strange this was until I was awoken in the morning by the lifeguards asking me if I was alright. “Of course I’m all right. I’m in California!” I answered. They informed me that it was illegal to sleep on the beach, but they didn’t give me a ticket. I wouldn’t have cared if they did. We had made it. We were in California and at the very edge of the continent. The dream was coming true. After five days of madness and living off beef jerky and cheese sticks, and smoking probably half an ounce of weed and drinking every night and sleeping in parking lots and some random girl’s apartment, and even with the brakes failing and almost getting stranded in the desert, we had done it. We were ecstatic.

The Unexpected Guests We spent our first morning in California driving around checking out the beach for a little while, and later ventured off to find Curt’s parents’ house. Fred insisted that Curt said we could stay there for as long as we needed until we found an apartment. He and Diego had stayed there a year earlier when visiting him, and Fred said Curt’s parents were totally cool…and rich. Their house was a beautiful multi-million-dollar pad on top of a huge bluff overlooking the ocean. Their backyard literally led to the edge of the bluff with the ocean below. This wasn’t just a house with an ocean view. This house was right on the ocean . It was the most amazing house I had ever seen. We knocked on their huge twelve-foot-tall front door and when Curt’s mom answered she immediately recognized Fred from his previous visit and was extremely surprised to see him again. Fred introduced me and she asked what we were doing in California. “We just moved here,” he said. “Oh, where are you living?” she asked. This is where things started to get uncomfortable. Curt had never told his parents that we were moving to California, so of course he never asked them if we could stay there until we found an apartment. You can imagine the look on his mom’s face when Fred answered, “Curt said we could stay with you.” She probably thought he was joking, but of course he wasn’t. She invited us in and told her husband that

we would be staying with them until we found an apartment. He looked just as puzzled as she did. Talk about imposing on someone! They were really nice about it, and even cooked us dinner that night and we ate it out on the patio overlooking the ocean in their back yard. After they went to bed we kept drinking their beer and wine and enjoyed watching their 60 inch flat screen plasma TV while sitting on their white leather furniture feeling like we owned the place . A 60 inch plasma TV in 1998 was practically unheard of and probably cost about $5,000 dollars. Curt’s parents let me sleep in the guest room upstairs which had an ocean view and its own balcony, and Fred slept downstairs in Curt’s sister’s room because she was off at college. When I got up the next morning Curt’s mom and dad were off to work and we had the whole house to ourselves. Sure we looked for an apartment for a few hours, but then came back to the house to hang out and enjoy the amenities. When Curt’s mom came home from work she found us drinking their beer and watching their big-screen TV like a couple of low lifes. “Did you find an apartment today?” she asked. “Nope, not yet. Nothing we could afford at least.” We hadn’t realized how expensive rent was in California, especially near the beach. Most of the apartments were about twice as expensive as we had thought. After freeloading off Curt’s parents for another five days, we actually did find an apartment, and I had to trade in my ocean view bedroom, the big-screen TV, and a house fully stocked with expensive wine for a completely empty apartment about seven miles away from the beach. It wasn’t what we had planned, but we were in California, so we were still pretty happy. Curt’s parents were glad to get rid of us and wished us well, but little did any of us know at the time, us entering their lives would be one of the worst things that had ever happened to them. More about this later.

Our New Apartment You don’t know how much you take for granted in life until you have nothing. We did have a roof over our head, our clothes, and my old car, but

that’s about it. That, and a computer and the scanner we had scammed from Best Buy several years earlier, and a box of dishes that Fred’s mom bought for us before we left. That’s pretty much it. That’s all we had. No furniture, no mattresses, no TV, no lamps, no decorations, no nothing. Our apartment was nice and had a lot of potential though. It was a spacious two-bedroom place with lofted ceilings and also had a community hot tub and pool. The day we moved in we went to Wal-Mart and each bought an inflatable air mattress to sleep on and two plastic patio chairs so we at least had somewhere to sit. After sunset, we grabbed a 12-pack of beer and went to hang out by the pool. We were immediately approached by a security guard who was sitting at one of the tables asking us who we were. We told him we just moved in and arrived from Wisconsin, and he informed us there was no alcohol allowed at the pool. We offered him a beer and sat down at the table with him and he immediately forgot about this rule and we all tipped back a few cold ones as we told him about our crazy adventures on our trip there. When we got to the part about the brakes failing, as luck would have it, he turned out to be a full time mechanic, only doing the security job part time at night. His name was Jax, and he offered to help me fix them the next day. Everything seemed to be falling right into place. It’s very strange living in a completely empty apartment with only two plastic chairs, and we desperately needed furniture but we hardly had any money so it would have to wait. Lucky for us, just as the universe provided us with a nice place to stay in Colorado with the girls we met at the bar and united us with Jax the security guard/mechanic at our apartment complex our first night there, the universe also began providing us with the furniture we desperately needed, and it was all free. Every few nights when we carried out our bags of empty beer cans to the recycling bins, we would notice sitting right next to the dumpster was some old discarded furniture that people had thrown away after moving out. It was incredible. We first found an old desk so we carried it upstairs and set up the computer on it, and seemingly every time we went to throw away our beer cans we would find something else. We called it the magic dumpster, and it provided almost everything that we needed. Aside from the desk, we

got a kitchen table and chairs, a laundry bin, an oscillating fan, shelves made of cardboard that were designed to hold cartons of cigarettes as a store display, and we even found some old picture frames with artwork in them that we hung on our bare walls. Just when everything seemed to be going our way and our California dreams were beginning to come true, our lives would take a quick detour leading us into a downward spiral to depths we had never imagined.

Getting a DUI About two weeks after I arrived in California to start my new life and pursue my hopes and dreams, my plans hit a large speed bump in the form of a DUI. It was Labor Day weekend and the police were out looking for drunk drivers as they often do on holiday weekends, and my piece of crap 1981 AMC Concord with out-of-state plates probably looked suspicious driving down the road at 1:30 in the morning as Fred and I were coming home from the bar. You can probably guess what happened next. After getting pulled over for “swerving” and failing a breathalyzer I was handcuffed and put in the back of the cop car and taken to the police station. A different cop took Fred to the drunk tank. When I arrived at the police station, the arresting officer emptied my pockets and found my fake ID stuck in my money clip. He was confused at first, because when he had pulled me over and checked my ID, he realized I was only 20-years-old, but the ID he found when he emptied my pockets said I was over 21. When he realized what it was, I told him I really needed it, and asked him if he would let me keep it instead of confiscating it. I told him to please stick it in the bushes next to the front door of the police station and when I got out of jail I would come back and find it. “I just moved here,” I told him. “And I don’t know anybody, and I need that to get into the bars in order to meet some girls,” I explained. I continued to tell him that drinking in Wisconsin is a way of life, and that if he confiscated my fake ID it would be devastating to my social life. “Everybody in Wisconsin drinks,” I said. “I really need that fake ID.” The

cop seemed rather sympathetic and told me he would set it on the top of the rear driver’s side tire on my car which was left abandoned on the side of the road where I had been pulled over. He then gave me a plastic cup and asked me to pee in it for a urine analysis. I had already failed a breathalyzer, but I didn’t want to give them any more evidence against me, so I told him I didn’t have to pee at the moment. He put me in an office with a water cooler and told me to drink a bunch of water so I could pee in a little while. The cop left me there all alone for a few minutes to gulp down some water, when I noticed a sink in the room. This was not a bathroom, and there was no toilet, but there was a sink for whatever reason, and since I really did have to pee (I just told him I didn’t have to go and held it so I wouldn’t have to give him a pee sample), I decided to pee in the sink so I wouldn’t have to give him the sample. Once I relieved myself, I knew it would be hours before I had to pee again, and my blood alcohol level would have dropped significantly by that time, and he probably would just give up on wanting his pee sample after a while. Luckily he didn’t walk in and see me peeing in his sink or I probably would’ve gotten charged with something else, like indecent exposure or something. Just as I thought, not long after this, he gave up on me peeing and a police officer drove me to the county jail. It was probably about 3 AM by now and I was placed in a jail cell with about 15 or 20 other guys, most of which looked like hard-core drug addicts or criminals. I certainly did not belong there, I thought. One guy was lying on the bench having withdrawals from heroin, and some of the other guys were passed out on the concrete floor. I felt like I was in hell. To make things even worse, the toilet was clogged and filled almost to the top with urine and feces, and stunk up the whole jail cell. The guards didn’t seem to care, and I’m sure they thought this was funny. It smelled like we were locked up in a sewer. The prisoners all realized that if anyone flushed the toilet, the rushing water coming in would cause it to overflow, spilling out onto the jailhouse floor, so every time someone was using the toilet people would remind them not to flush it or it would overflow. These suggestions worked for a few hours,

until someone out of habit flushed the toilet when they were done using it. The water started flowing into the toilet bowl, and then the urine and feces soup that had been stewing began overflowing onto the floor. This jail cell was fairly small, probably only 20’ x 20’, and the sewage spilled out half way across the floor. Everyone jumped out of the way and huddled up against the wall on the opposite side of the cell and we all put our shirts over our noses trying to cover up the smell. There on the floor was an enormous puddle of poop, probably five feet wide and ten 10 feet long. We started clamoring for the guards, telling them what happened and they came over and looked, but didn’t care. Hours went by with the sewage still on the floor, and we were still huddled up against one side of the jail cell, and we still had to breathe through our shirts to filter out some of the stench. There were no clocks in this holding cell, and of course my watch was confiscated when I was booked, so I had no idea what time it was. It seemed like time was standing still. Eventually, my turn came to be released late the next morning and I got a ride home from one of my cellmates’ girlfriends, who came to pick him up after he was released. He had also been arrested for drunk driving the night before. When they dropped me off at my apartment, I saw my car in the parking lot and I figured Fred was let go and drove it home using the spare key. A feeling of great disappointment then came over me because I remembered what the police officer had said the night before, when he promised he would put my fake ID on top of the tire where we had abandoned the car. It was great that Fred was not in jail, and it turns out the cops just took him to the drunk tank and released him in the morning without even giving him an underage drinking ticket, and he got a ride from someone back to my car and drove it back to our apartment using the spare key. I explained to him that the cop promised me he was going to put my fake ID on the tire, so we drove back to the road where we had gotten pulled over and parked on the shoulder in the approximate spot. We then started walking up the street with our eyes locked on the ground, hoping to find my fake ID, which would have fallen off the tire as Fred drove away if the officer stuck to his word. This was certainly a long shot. First of all, what are the odds that the same police officer who arrested me for a DUI would actually give me my fake

ID back? This was of course the very fake ID that had led to my arrest, allowing me access to alcohol, so what kind of a cop would actually give that back to a 20-year-old kid so he could drink some more? I had to hope for the best. I had to hope that the cop had actually done this insane, illogical, and illegal thing like he had promised. Without my fake ID our lives would be completely ruined. As we continued walking down the gravel shoulder on the highway with our eyes fixed on the ground, there it was! My fake ID! The police officer actually did what he said! I couldn’t believe it. I bent over and picked it up and let out a shout of joy with my prized possession back in my hand, but my problems were certainly not over. Getting a DUI sucks. Of course it’s dangerous drinking and driving, and a stupid thing to do, so the punishment fits the crime. While the cop did give me my fake ID back, he kept my real one because my license was immediately suspended. Right before moving to California I went to the DMV in Wisconsin and got a duplicate driver’s license just in case I lost my wallet. A few days before my DUI arrest I had applied for a California driver’s license, and when I did, the DMV took my (duplicate) Wisconsin ID and said they would mail me my California one a few days later. So, while the arresting officer had taken my remaining Wisconsin driver’s license, I had a brand-new California driver’s license in the mail on its way to me and I received it a few days later. I still had a driver’s license! Ha ha! I didn’t know if the computer systems from California and Wisconsin communicated with each other, but I had a suspicion that my Wisconsin driver’s license would be suspended in the Wisconsin computers, but the California computers would show that I had a valid California license, so I just kept driving. Most people who get a DUI are supposed to get an occupational permit, which allows you to drive only to and from school or work during specific hours, but I didn’t want to pay for this so I just kept driving like there was nothing wrong and luckily never got pulled over until several years later when my license was valid again. My California license probably was suspended, but I didn’t care, so I still drove as if nothing happened.

I did have another problem, though, because after a few months my Wisconsin license plates expired, and there’s nothing like driving an old beat-up car with expired out-of-state plates to raise suspicion when a cop sees it. Since I was most likely driving with a suspended license (along with my now expired registration), I used Photoshop to make a fake registration tag with the current year on it and glued it on my license plate. As if driving with a suspended license after getting a DUI wasn’t bad enough, I was now driving a car with fake registration stickers on it. I thought it was pretty creative, and luckily I never got pulled over, and the following year I was able to get valid California plates and could drive without getting nervous every time a cop was behind me. Getting the DUI really spooked me, especially being thrown in a jail cell with an overflowing bowl of feces that night. I also had to pay expensive fines, take alcohol education classes once or twice a week for several months, and attend a couple Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. I was not an alcoholic, but this was all part of my punishment by the court. This whole experience actually helped me realize the dangers of drinking and driving. Where I was from, the odds were the only thing you would really hit if you were drunk driving was a cornfield, but in California, there is so much traffic and so many lanes going in different directions and crazy intersections with curvy winding roads that it is very dangerous to drink and drive. Of course it’s dangerous to drink and drive anywhere, even surrounded by a bunch of cornfields, because you could hit an oncoming car or a tree, but we were too dumb to think about this at the time. After this experience I was fairly careful to not drink too much and then drive, and alcohol lost a little bit of its fun for me. Marijuana, on the other hand, had not. I still enjoyed smoking weed on a daily basis.

Where Can I Buy Some Weed Around Here? Our marijuana supply was rapidly dwindling after we arrived in California and we desperately needed to find a regular hookup so we could get more. We figured weed can’t be that hard to find in California, especially the dumpy area where we were living, so we walked around the streets by the beach asking random people if they knew where we could buy some pot.

You may be thinking this is a completely ridiculous thing to do, but we were desperate. It didn’t take long before we found a group of kids our age who said they could help. This was before medical marijuana was legal in California so we couldn’t just go and get a prescription for it and pick some up from the local dispensary. These were certainly not the most clean-cut group of kids, and one of them was carrying a cordless telephone that he was hoping to sell to someone so he would have money for his own weed, and even though these weren’t exactly our type of people, they know a guy who lived just a few blocks away who was the local pot dealer for the neighborhood so they introduced us to him. He seemed like a friendly guy at first and sold us a bag of some pretty decent weed and gave me his number for all of our future transactions. Over the next few months this dude was the most reliable pot dispenser I had ever found. He was always home after five o’clock in the evening and he always had some good weed available for sale. One thing I did notice about the guy was that he and his friends liked to play video games, particularly shoot ‘em up games. I would never hang out at his place for more than ten minutes, and it was always a quick and simple transaction, but it seemed that every night Fred and I stopped over there to score some weed, he and his friends were playing these games. “Shoot them in the fucking head!” he would always yell at the person playing the game. He seemed to have a real obsession with shooting people in the head. I didn’t think anything of it really until one morning before school I was watching the morning news and saw a report that showed his picture and mentioned that he was arrested the night before during a party at his apartment for shooting his girlfriend in the head and killing her. It was very surreal. I didn’t usually watch the news, it just happened to be on that morning. Not only did he just shoot his girlfriend and kill her, but he shot her in the head, just like he was always telling people to do when they were playing video games. It was quite disturbing. I shook off the weirdness and soon found another pot hookup at my community college who wasn’t a psycho.

Stalking Tony Robbins “Stalking” may not be the right word, because we didn’t mean Tony Robbins any harm, we just wanted to meet him and get his autograph in our copies of Unlimited Power . Anthony Robbins, of course, is the worldfamous motivational speaker and self-help guru, and his book, which Fred and I read in the dump truck while working for the weed cutter the summer after high school graduation, changed the course of our lives and opened us up to the world of self-improvement. In Unlimited Power , Tony said that he lived in a castle in Del Mar, California, a beautiful and wealthy beach community in San Diego County. Since we largely credited Tony with giving us the confidence to move to California to pursue our dreams, we wanted to meet him and have him autograph our books, so we set out to Del Mar to find the castle. We just asked random people walking on the street where Tony Robbins’ castle was, and to our surprise, somebody knew and pointed us in the right direction! We parked the car outside and walked up to the front door and both Fred and I had our copies of Unlimited Power in our hands as we anxiously awaited to meet our idol. A construction worker opened the door, and we asked him if Tony was home. He informed us that Tony had sold the castle and now lived in La Jolla, the next city south, so that’s where we went. While finding the “Del Mar Castle” was fairly simple, we wondered how in the world we would find Tony’s house in La Jolla. All we knew was that he lives somewhere in the city. We stopped at a local gas station and asked some people if they knew where Tony Robbins lived. It seems like a crazy thing to do, after all, what were the odds that some random stranger is going to happen to know where he lived? La Jolla is not exactly a small town. Someone told us he probably lived on La Jolla Farms Road, because that’s where all the richest of the rich live. The homes on this street are absolutely incredible. It feels like you’re in Beverly Hills. Most of them are gigantic and have beautiful and immaculate landscaping, and some of them you can’t even see because they’re hidden behind massive gates. Just driving down the street, truly is an incredible experience, especially for two

Midwestern boys who had no money and lived in a dumpy part of San Diego. This was definitely where the richest of the rich lived. We randomly pulled over and parked on the side of the road in front of one of the houses, and walked up to the front door to pretend that we had confused their house with Tony’s house, and acted like we were friends of his. When someone answered the door, I said nonchalantly, “Is Tony around?” “Tony?” the man responded. “Yeah. Tony and Becky” (his wife at the time). “Oh, you have the wrong house,” the man told us. “They live across the street.” “Across the street?” we thought to ourselves. “Thanks,” I said, as we turned in astonishment. What were the odds, we thought. Out of all the houses on this long and winding road, the one that we randomly chose to approach was the one directly across the street from his very house! Things soon got weirder. As we walked over to the house, which was hidden behind a large brown gate, a dark colored Porsche drove up and pulled into the driveway, stopping for a moment as the gate opened. We hurried over and approached the driver’s side and there he was, our hero, Anthony Robbins! I don’t know how he fit into that tiny car, but he did. “Tony!” I said, as we approached, holding our copies of his book. “Hey guys,” he said. “What’s going on?” “We just moved here to follow our dreams thanks to you and your book, and we wanted to meet you and say thanks,” I told him. He extended his hand to shake mine, and when they met, mine practically disappeared as he wrapped his gigantic fingers around it. People often joke that Tony has big teeth, but he also has a big head. The guy’s head was enormous, and so are his hands. He really is a giant.

We talked with him for a minute and then he autographed both of our books and drove off down his driveway, disappearing behind the closing gate. We walked back to my car stunned. We had done it. We just met Tony Robbins. Not only that, but we had somehow telepathically honed in on his exact location. What were the odds? Of all the houses on the street, we randomly chose the one directly across the street from him, and not only that, but as we were walking up to his driveway, he pulled up in his car! Tony’s teachings don’t get too much into the metaphysical, the mystical, or the spiritual, it’s mainly about strategies for creating habits that will ultimately lead you closer to your goals, but he does touch on some esoteric spiritual principles, and Fred and I drove back to our empty apartment with no furniture but two plastic Wal-Mart chairs astonished by what had just occurred. Different spiritual teachers, and even Jesus himself, spoke about the power of belief and said that if you simply believe enough, you can metaphorically move mountains, and that’s what we had done. We wanted to meet Tony Robbins so bad, and were so amped up on our new life in California after having just drove over 2000 miles with no apartment ready, no job lined up, no nothing, just our hopes and dreams of what lies ahead, and our focus was so sharp that we somehow metaphysically altered the course of our own reality causing our paths to cross with our inspiration, Tony Robbins. While I still look back on this in amazement, I must advise you that you should never just show up at the home of your favorite celebrity, ever . This is extremely creepy and if you feel that you “have” to meet them to thank them or to talk to them, then you have some mental problems. You might be saying, “but you did it, Mark.” Yeah, I did, and I was high as hell and out of my mind, and as you’ve figured out by now, I was completely insane.

Using Dish Soap in a Dishwasher How was I supposed to know that you’re not supposed to use dish soap in a dishwasher? This didn’t make any sense. I found this out the hard way after moving to California. My mom always did the dishes when I was growing up, and nobody ever told me the difference between dish soap and dishwasher detergent, and unfortunately I had to find this out on my own.

When I first moved out with John, Nick, and Bobby, in our house in Wisconsin this was never an issue, because we didn’t have a dishwashing machine in the house, but our apartment in California luckily had one, even though I didn’t really know how to use it. One morning I loaded up the dishwasher and turned it on right before leaving for the afternoon because it was loud and I didn’t want to be home when the thing was running. A few hours later I returned home to a flooded kitchen with a foot of soap suds everywhere. Later that afternoon, the maintenance guy came over to see what had happened because the neighbor below had reported a leak was coming through their ceiling. I told him my dishwasher must have broke and it overflowed. He rolled his eyes and immediately knew what happened. He asked if I used dish soap, and I said of course I used soap, how are the dishes going to get clean without any soap? He then informed me that you’re not supposed to use dish soap in the dishwasher, and you’re only supposed to use dishwasher detergent . Seriously, how was I supposed to know about this? Dish soap, dishwasher soap, how am I supposed to know there’s a difference? Luckily I didn’t have to pay for any of the damages. I felt like a complete idiot.

Ruining Thanksgiving Dinner Three months after we moved to California, Thanksgiving came around, the time when friends and families all sit around the dinner table and enjoy a good meal together. It’s the one night of the year when nobody likes to eat dinner at home all alone, and if a person doesn’t have any family in the area, then someone is bound to invite them over to their place. Since we didn’t have any family in the area, Curt’s parents generously invited Fred and I to join them and their friends at their house for Thanksgiving dinner. They would soon regret this. To our surprise, they apparently had forgiven us for showing up on their doorstep unannounced when we first arrived in California and shamefully imposed on them, essentially forcing them to let us stay at their house until we got an apartment. We showed up for Thanksgiving dinner high as hell

after having smoked a bunch of marijuana on the way there, and I’m sure Fred was drunk, and we were in no shape to be socializing with sophisticated adults. Early on at the dinner, Curt’s parents asked us what we thought of California. I spoke up and told them San Diego was fantastic, and I was glad that I moved here, but I really hated Los Angeles and thought it was a complete dump and everyone who lived there were fake, shallow, materialistic, scumbags—especially people in Hollywood who worked in the entertainment industry. I also said that I hoped God would wipe Los Angeles off the face of the earth in a massive earthquake. One of my favorite songs at the time was Aenima by Tool, which is basically about this kind of event and the singer’s hatred of Hollywood. An uncomfortable look crept onto their faces as Curt’s dad then informed me that their friends who were joining us that night, seated just across the table from me, lived in Los Angeles! I could feel the embarrassment rising up from the pit of my stomach. I tried to recover from this historic foot-in-mouth moment by asking them what they did for a living, assuming it was not something in the entertainment industry so I could then say that people in their industry are okay, it’s just the people in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles who I hated, but as it turned out both of them happened to work for Paramount, a major motion picture company. There was no recovering from what I just said. I basically just said they were scum and I hated them and hoped they died. I had pretty much ruined Thanksgiving dinner. There were a few moments of extreme uncomfortableness at the table, and I was so stoned I wasn’t sure if my anxiety was from the weed I was smoking earlier, or from insulting Curt’s parents’ guests, or both. I just started drinking more wine and forgot all about it until as Fred and I were leaving walking back out to the car, Fred started laughing uncontrollably. “You basically said you hoped the Langdon’s friends would die in an earthquake, at Thanksgiving dinner!” he cackled. He said it took all his strength and concentration not to bust out laughing uncontrollably at the table after I said it. We still laugh about it to this day. As bad as this was, it would pale in comparison to what we would later put the Langdon’s

through. Ruining Thanksgiving dinner one year is fairly easy to forgive and forget. What happened to them later because of us is not.

The Wrong Max Just a few weeks after my DUI, Fred was driving my car home from the bar one night and put it in the ditch, ruining the radiator. I had gotten a ride home from a girl I was trying to hook up with that night and left my car with Fred, but he was so drunk he crashed it on his way home. The car had been towed and impounded for being abandoned in the ditch, and we needed a ride to the impound lot on the other side of town to get it. Since we didn’t have any friends, this was extremely difficult. My one beginning friendship was with the kid named Max N, who was in my philosophy class at the local community college, but I didn’t have his phone number. I did know his full name, however, so we looked him up in the phone book, but realized there were pages of listings of people with his name because it was so common. What did we do? We started calling the listings in the phone book one by one. This was in 1998 and most people still had home phones (land lines) back then because cell phones were just starting to take off. Each time someone would answer I said, “Hey, it’s Mark from philosophy class.” The first dozen people I called had no idea what I was talking about, because obviously it was the wrong number, but after a while the person on the other end of the phone acknowledged that he was Max N from philosophy class, but when I said it was me, he didn’t know who I was. Not only did this Max N have the same name as my friend, but he was taking a philosophy class at the same college too! When I realized it wasn’t the same Max N that I knew, I told him why I was calling and explained that Max N was the only person we knew and that we had to go get my car from the tow yard. He was very sympathetic to our situation and offered to give us a ride! I gave him our address and twenty minutes later he came over and picked us up and drove us to the tow yard to get my car. This was amazing. This kid was a complete stranger, but he still offered to help us out. He didn’t even seem like a complete weirdo. He was a normal college kid who felt sorry for our situation and decided to help.

It was over $100 bucks to get the car out of the impound lot and Fred had left his keys in the ignition, but I had my set with me so we unlocked the car, got inside, and sped off. Hey, it was my car, so it wasn’t like I was stealing it or anything. It was still registered in Wisconsin, so how were they going to find us? As we drove home, the radiator leaked completely dry and the car almost overheated. The release valve on the bottom was ripped off, and in order to get the radiator to hold any water, we had to jam a towel inside the hole. Water still leaked out really bad, even with our make-shift plug put in the hole, and the car looked like it was going to overheat and ruin the engine, so we had to stop on the way home to add more water. We pulled into a parking lot somewhere and found an old cup on the ground and used it to scoop up water from a puddle and poured it into the radiator. It needed to be replaced anyway, so we figured how much more damage could some muddy puddle water do to it?

Going to The Late Late Show Fred, Max N, and I got tickets to be in the studio audience at The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn when he hosted it in 1998, so we drove up to Los Angeles where it was filmed and smoked a big fat blunt on the way and anxiously awaited seeing one of our idols in person. Before we got to the studio we decided that we would do two things during the show. First, when Craig was introduced and the show began, we would applaud and holler like every audience did, but we wouldn’t stop because we wanted to see how long the crowd would go along with us; and second, we decided to start laughing and applaud after the setup for one of his jokes during the monologue, before he even got to the punch line. When the announcer said “Here’s your host…Craig Kilborn,” the audience erupted with applause and whoops and hollers, but just when everyone was starting to quiet down, all three of us would get even louder and kept yelling “yeah, Craig! Whooo!” and we kept applauding, and the audience would all join back in and we were able to keep this going for an abnormally long period of time, leaving a confused look on Craig’s face as he wondered why this was the most excited audience he had ever seen.

After he did a few jokes in his monologue, we all agreed now was the time to laugh at the setup, and so as soon as he finished the setup for his next joke and paused for a second before delivering the punch line, all three of us started laughing and applauding, and others in the audience followed like lemmings. The setup wasn’t even funny because the joke wasn’t finished, but most people still applauded with us! Morons! Like most late night comedy shows, the show was taped in the late afternoon or early evening and then aired later that night, so we were able to watch the show after we got back home. When it got to the part when we applauded at the setup, we realized that because so many people started applauding with us and because of our yelling, you couldn’t even hear the punch line for the joke at all! It was the weirdest thing to watch and Craig looked baffled as he continued on to the next joke, no doubt wondering why people were applauding when his joke wasn’t even finished.

Free Food from Complaining Sometimes I’m very attuned to details, and I noticed that practically every food product you buy at the grocery store has a quality guarantee that says if you are not completely satisfied with the product, you can return it for a full refund or a replacement and they list an 800-number for you to call if you want to complain. I didn’t have much money and what little I had I was spending on weed and beer, so I didn’t really have much left over to buy food—especially good food. Fred and I pretty much ate peanut butter and jelly, romen noodles, and spaghetti with no sauce because the sauce cost too much. We needed to eat, but more importantly, we needed beer and weed, so one afternoon I called the phone number listed on a pizza box and complained to the company about it hoping they would give me a refund. I told them it didn’t look like the picture, which it didn’t, and I was very disappointed. On the box, the pizza looked fantastic with all kinds of cheese and pepperoni spread all over the top, but the actual pizza didn’t look anything like that. The robotic customer service person on the other end of the line read a scripted response off their computer screen telling me, “I’m sorry sir for your dissatisfaction. We are committed to providing a quality product to our customers and you are important to us,” and they told me that they

would like to send me some free coupons for a replacement. I gave them my address and a fake name and they sent me some coupons for free pizzas! Who doesn’t like pizza, especially when it’s free? My plan worked just as I expected. I then went through our kitchen cabinet (what little food we had) and I called all the 800 numbers on every package and complained about them all. I would just tell them I didn’t like it or that it looked better on the package and I was very disappointed. Their response was the same every time. “I’m sorry sir, we are committed to providing a quality product to our customers. We would like to send you some free coupons for reimbursement, bla bla bla.” The only thing we had to eat in the apartment was pretty much peanut butter and pizza, so I took a notepad and pen to the grocery store and started writing down the 1-800 numbers from every different kind of product I had an appetite for. The customer service person always asked for the specific lot number or item number that’s stamped on the particular product when I called to complain, so along with the 800 number I would write down the product name, the size, and the specific item number. I did this for just about everything you can imagine. Bread, meat, cookies, peanut butter, jelly, frozen dinners, milk, cereal, soda, spaghetti sauce, I even started calling and complaining about the beer that we drank, telling the company it tasted stale and they would send me free coupons for beer! That’s right, free. One beer company even sent me a check for seven or eight dollars to compensate me for the six-pack that I said I didn’t like! They certainly didn’t want me switching my brand of beer and lose me as a customer for life, so they sent me some money to keep me happy. The cashiers at the grocery store would always look at me funny when they rang up $250 worth of groceries, including beer, steaks, juice, cereal, and just about everything else in the store, and then I would hand them a large stack of coupons they would have to scan one by one, and the balance would be reduced to zero dollars. They had never seen anything like it and were always surprised. I felt a little weird sometimes, but we were eating like kings without paying a dime. I even got Levi’s to send me a few pairs of free jeans because I called them and complained that mine had worn out.

People always complain that companies have terrible customer service, but I can’t praise the food industry enough. They were more than generous and kept me from starving to death.

Custom Compilations While burning your own CDs filled with your favorite music became commonplace in the 2000’s, in the late 1990s, CD burners were very expensive and few people even knew about MP3s back then; but we did. We were on the cutting edge of technology and were downloading MP3s before anyone heard of Napster, and three years before Apple had released the iPod or iTunes. Fred and I came up with the idea to start a “company” we called Custom Compilations where we would burn people compilation CDs of their favorite songs for only $9.99 — less than the cost of a new CD itself. While the idea of Custom Compilations was genius and ahead of its time, our business practices were a bit unorthodox. We didn’t have the money or the resources to acquire the proper licensing to buy the rights to popular songs (we were only twenty-years-old) so that we could legally make copies by burning them onto CDs, so we decided to download the songs from the Internet for free and then just use them anyway. I made up some nice fliers that explained our service and had a section where people could write in the songs in the order that they wanted them to appear on their CD, and we made a large color sign and brought a table out to the quad at my college and set up a booth trying to promote our idea. We figured people could fill in their desired songs on the order form and then we would go home and download them and burn them onto a CD, and the very next day we would meet them in the quad and they could pay us when we gave them their CD. This idea really was ahead of its time because hardly anyone had CD burners or knew that you could download mp3s of practically any song you wanted, but our “business” was slow to take off and we needed money fast, so we quickly abandoned the idea of Custom Compilations and launched another operation that would become immediately profitable.

Selling Fake IDs Every college kid wants a fake ID so they can buy beer and get into clubs and bars, so we decided to tap this enormous market to help pay for rent and fund our weed habit. I went out and bought the best color printer on the market at the time and a Polaroid camera, and using Photoshop we went to work. (Digital cameras were very expensive back in 1998, so we had to use a Polaroid.) We found a template on the Internet of the driver’s license from Georgia, the only state whose license didn’t have a hologram on it, so we could easily replicate it. Fred and I already had fake IDs, but we needed a sample of our work, so we took my picture with the Polaroid camera and scanned it into the computer and shortly after printed out my new Georgia driver’s license. We bought a laminating machine and small lamination cards from Office Depot, and we assembled my new ID with the precision of a surgeon. It looked pretty good, so I brought it with me to school the next day and in between my classes I would approach random groups of students and ask them if they wanted fake IDs. I would show them the one that we had just made and take a picture of whoever wanted one with the Polaroid camera and wrote down whatever name and birth date they wanted on their ID and scheduled a time for them to meet me the next day where I would exchange their new fake ID for $100 cash. We were very proud of our fake ID business. After all, where could you possibly get a fake ID within 24 hours? The best part was that the students wouldn’t even have to pay us until after we gave them their ID so they knew it wasn’t a scam just to take their money. Business was good. Some days we made $400 or $500 dollars a day. We did this only for about a month or two before we had marijuana-fuelled paranoia that the FBI was going to bust down our door early one morning and raid our apartment. We still had absolutely no furniture at all, except for the two plastic Wal-Mart chairs and a few odds and ends we had found out by the dumpster. We looked like spies, or terrorists. We had a large map of California taped on the wall because we didn’t have the money for decorations, and we each slept on inflatable camping mattresses. Our apartment didn’t look like a

home, it looked like a temporary command center for some kind of illegal operation. Because we were so short on money, when we abandoned the ID operation, we boxed up the expensive color printer and returned it to Circuit City as if it was brand new for what I expected would be a full refund, but what I didn’t realize was that the store had a policy that if you waited more than 14 days to return certain electronics, they would only give you in-store credit. I didn’t want in-store credit, I wanted the money, so I hung out in the store parking lot approaching people who were walking in, and told them that I would buy what they were looking for with my in-store credit slip, if they would then give me the cash. It was embarrassing. We also returned the laminator machine and the Polaroid camera to Office Depot and were able to get a cash refund for them. We had opened each package very carefully and sealed them all back up as if they were brand new. It was reminiscent of the days a few years back when I would return used video games by re-shrink wrapping them. Part of the reason we abandoned the fake ID operation was because if the authorities found out about us and raided our apartment, they would discover something else we would rather keep to ourselves.

Growing Weed Since our biggest monthly expense next to rent was our weed habit, and we didn’t have jobs and our savings were rapidly depleting, we did what any economically fiscal pothead would do, and decided to start growing our own. We didn’t want to sell the weed and be drug dealers; we just didn’t want to spend any more money on it since we smoked it every day. Fred spent an afternoon researching on the Internet how to start an indoor grow room, but we were disappointed to find out that you needed special light bulbs in order to give off enough light for the plants to grow properly. These lights were fairly expensive, at least to us they were, but we thought we would try growing weed anyway, and instead of using the proper lights

we just bought a few three-foot-long florescent fixtures from Home Depot and thought we would try them instead of using the recommended lighting. While I was actually enrolled in college and gone for half the day, Fred had nothing to do and didn’t even have a car since we shared mine, so he spent his afternoons transforming his closet into the grow room. Fred is a genius when it comes to engineering, and if he actually applied himself, he could have put his skills to work in college, but Fred didn’t like college. He did like the idea of unlimited free marijuana though, so he figured out how to mix up the soil and built an adjustable lighting system and meticulously constructed his masterpiece. We saved the seeds from the pot that we were smoking and Fred nursed them like they were his babies until they started sprouting. Within just a few weeks the plants were growing up out of the soil and looked beautiful. There were probably a dozen or more, filling the entire inside of Fred’s closet. He wore the same blue T-shirt every day anyway, so he didn’t really need the closet for his clothes. We anxiously awaited our garden’s maturity so we could sample our homegrown weed and start reducing our expenses. Christmas time was just around the corner and we had gotten plane tickets to fly back to Wisconsin for a week and a half, so we wouldn’t be at our apartment to water the plants or raise the lights, so we gave our only friend Max N the key to our apartment and trusted him with the task. Max liked to smoke a lot of pot too, so we had something in common. Since I wanted to have pot to smoke when I was back in Wisconsin, I brought some with me on the airplane because I didn’t know if I was going to be able to score some once I got back there. Carrying drugs onto an airplane is pretty stupid, especially when this was the first time I had ever flown in my entire life and I didn’t know if they used drug dogs to look for people smuggling drugs or what kind of security measures were in place, so I taped the bag of weed inside my pants just in case any drug dogs smelled it and security made me empty my pockets or searched my carry-on bag. Luckily it was no problem, and I got on the plane just fine carrying about a quarter ounce of pot.

Our original plan when we moved to California was to have myself, Fred, and Diego all move out together at the end of the summer, but Diego decided he would join us a few months later at the end of the year so he could finish the fall semester at college. After Christmas, we all flew back to California for some more adventures, now involving the three of us. Diego didn’t smoke pot, and even though he knew Fred and I had been potheads for years, he was a little uncomfortable with the fact that we were growing it in our apartment. It didn’t really surprise him, he just shook his head at our stupidity. The pot plants grew for the next few months, but because we weren’t using the proper lighting, the buds (the part you smoke) were very thin and practically useless. Our operation had failed. We couldn’t really throw a dozen 5-foot-tall pot plants out in the dumpster because that would be a little difficult to explain to the neighbors, so we cut down the plants one by one and stuck them down the garbage disposal. It ground them up pretty well at first, but the stems on some of the plants were so thick that after a few minutes the garbage disposal got jammed up. We couldn’t call maintenance to come over and fix it, because once the guy took it apart he would realize that it was full of pot leaves, so luckily we were able to fix it ourselves and finished disposing of the evidence. I continued being a pothead for several years after this, and smoked so much over the years that I had a chronic smoker’s cough because of it. I didn’t smoke cigarettes at all, only weed, which is probably 10 times worse for your lungs if it’s not filtered with a water bong, especially if it’s the old, rotten, moldy “Mex” weed shipped in from Mexico in bricks, as opposed to the home grown hydroponics that has become the California standard and widely available at medical marijuana dispensaries and grown in closets by hobbyists. When I finally did quit smoking weed every day a few years later, I joined 24 Hour Fitness and started working out five days a week to get in shape. Every morning in the shower I would cough up some tar and spit on the white shower wall to see how nasty it was. Within several months the tar balls were much smaller, but I could still see black residue in my spit.

For over a year I would still cough up black tar in the morning. A year! And this was with me working out five days a week. I started worrying that I had a tumor or something in my lung that was producing the black stuff I was coughing up because it just kept coming. Finally after a year or so my lungs were clean. I’m not saying I won’t take a bong hit or eat a brownie ever again, but the wake and baking and 24/7 pot smoking had to come to an end.

Working as a Telemarketer One of the first real jobs I got in California was at a shady telemarketing company that promoted timeshares. Fred and I and my new friend Max, who I met at school in a philosophy class, all got hired at the same time. There was a group interview and the company hired a bunch of people, and their lack of standards caused them to hire us. You can probably imagine what a telemarketing company is like, it’s mainly just a huge room full of desks and phones and people making unsolicited phone calls all day to promote whatever crap it is they’re selling. The job was a weekend job only on Saturdays and Sundays for about six hours each day, and the first day on the job we smoked a huge blunt (a cigar filled with marijuana) on the way to work and arrived nice and high. We were all given phone lists of people to call to try and rope in to buy a timeshare, but nobody really seemed to be interested. 99% of the people would hang up on us or yelled at us for calling them. This just wasn’t going to work, so we started making prank phone calls to random people and enjoying ourselves. It was much better than pitching timeshares. The three of us just sat around laughing all day, and it was clear that we were not doing our job. On our break we would go out back and smoke more weed by the dumpster and would come back in reeking of marijuana and just screw around for the rest of our shift. One time the manager came in and started yelling at us, and we all just started laughing uncontrollably at him because we were so high we couldn’t contain ourselves. Right to his face! We all got fired. What a surprise.

Telling My Boss Off Over the Loudspeakers Once I recorded an audio CD of me telling a story about how messed up the furniture store was that I worked at and how incompetent most of my coworkers were. I laid my audio track on top of the creepy theme song for Unsolved Mysteries and burned it onto a CD and brought it to work the next day and put it in the company’s stereo system and set it on repeat. After turning the volume up all the way, I closed down the building and went home for the night while the CD was blasting on repeat inside throughout the entire building—my several minute rant, repeating, over and over again. I was yelling pretty loud in the recording since I was venting months of frustration. It was awesome. The next morning the manager came to work and unlocked the door only to be greeted by my voice yelling over the loudspeakers how pathetic he was and how pathetic the company was. It was a good three minute rant detailing the failures of the company in a shocking and vicious attack set to music which multiplied its effect. They didn’t fire me because they needed me since I was a great salesman, and like I said, pretty much everyone else there was incompetent. The company went bankrupt a few months later. I saw the writing on the wall as clear as day and my CD was an omen for everyone else to hear.

Turning Twenty-One A funny thing happened when I finally did turn twenty-one, after six years of hardcore drinking and partying since freshman year of high school. Fred, Diego and I went to our favorite grocery store to stock up on plenty of beer to celebrate, and the girl at the cash register made a comment about how we must be having a big party because of all the beer we were buying. “Yeah it’s my birthday,” I told her. “How old are you?” she asked. “Twenty-one,” I responded. “Twenty-one?” she said with a puzzled look. I had been buying beer from her regularly for the last four months ever since I moved to California. I was such a frequent customer that we were on a first name basis and she didn’t even bother to card me anymore because she knew who I was. She

looked at me with a strange face after I told her it was my twenty-first birthday. “I was using a fake ID all of this time,” I told her as a grinned. “But I’m twenty-one now.” She just shook her head and rang up my beer. I think she just wanted to sleep with me.

Miscellaneous California Craziness A friend of Diego’s from work named Demetrios invited us over for a party one night that he and his roommates were having and it was a good time until I offended one of his roommates by saying that Mexico was a complete dump. (I think I called it a complete shit hole to be exact.) Have you ever been to Tijuana? It is a complete dump, and when I happened to mention this fact, before I knew it, Demetrios’ roommate was holding a knife to my throat. He was a Mexican and took great offense to me saying that Mexico was a shit hole. I told him I was new to California and that I was a hick from Wisconsin and I didn’t mean anything by it and thankfully he put the knife away and told me I better not say anything bad about Mexico again. The truth hurts sometimes, you know. We didn’t know it at first but Demetrios was a complete scumbag and liked to snort crystal meth and hang out with strippers who also enjoyed doing drugs. One night when Diego was hanging out at his place a couple guys walked in and pulled guns on them and started yelling about the money Demetrios owed them. That was pretty much the end of our friendship with Demetrios. My 1981 AMC Concord was having some problems since it was getting old. The power steering pump was leaking pretty bad, and since power steering fluid was fairly expensive, I just started pouring motor oil in it and the pump would start working again for a week or so and then I would have to add more oil, but after a while even that got too expensive, so I just starting filling the power steering pump with water. It actually worked. (If you don’t know anything about cars, this is a completely asinine thing to do.) If there was no power steering fluid in the unit (or in this case, it was now water) then I could barely turn the steering wheel. I could still drive the car, but it was very difficult to turn, especially when getting into (or backing out of) a parking space. Conventional wisdom would say that doing such a

dumb thing as pouring water into a power steering pump would cause it to rust and seize, but it actually worked fine and I was able to sell the car a few months later before things really started going wrong with it. Diego came running back up to our apartment after taking out the trash one day frantically saying that the dumpster was on fire, and he grabbed a bucket and filled it up with water from the kitchen sink and ran out there and dumped it on the flames, and I grabbed a pitcher from the cabinet and filled it up with water and followed right behind him. We called 911 to tell them what was happening because the flames were getting pretty high. As we waited for a fire truck to arrive, we continued running back and forth from our apartment to the dumpster with buckets of water throwing them on the flames. Luckily we were able to put the fire out. If Diego hadn’t went out there to throw something away and saw the flames, then it would have only taken a few more minutes before they spread, lighting the car port on fire, and then who knows what else. Just as we breathed a sigh of relief we noticed that another dumpster across the parking lot was on fire too! We frantically put the flames out with more buckets of water from our kitchen sink. The fire department didn’t arrive until after we had put the second dumpster fire out. Some idiot in our complex had deliberately set them on fire! I don’t know if they ever found out who did it, but when they tried to raise our rent a few months later I sent the rental agency a nasty letter telling them how we had saved the complex from burning down and they decided to keep our rent the same. Somehow despite my constant pot smoking, my lack of money for the first few years after I moved to California, and living in a crappy apartment in a dumpy part of town seven miles from the beach, I was able to hook up with two out of the three hottest girls at my college. I made only slight progress with my number one choice who was the most beautiful girl on campus, but she had a boyfriend who she had met on vacation in Cancun or the Bahamas or somewhere, and she planned on moving to Tennessee to be with him. She was crazy, and her roommate thought she was crazy, and since she barely knew the guy, I figured I could convince her not to make the foolish move to Tennessee to be with him.

After making it clear I was perusing her, she invited me to come and work out with her at 24 Hour Fitness one afternoon, so I worked out with her and her two friends, but I didn’t get anywhere with her. She was actually the reason I joined 24 Hour Fitness so I could go and workout with her, so at least something good came out of me perusing her, and landing two out of the three hottest girls on campus still isn’t bad.

The Fun Couldn’t Last After Diego moved in with Fred and I in January, he was the voice of reason we had been missing. He had always been the most responsible of the three of us. Where Fred and I fed off each other’s insanity, Diego could see we were out of control. He had gotten a real job at a business nearby, and I was going to a community college looking to transfer to a university in a few semesters, but Fred still held onto the hope that we could come up with some business opportunity so we would not have to get real jobs. While all three of us drank frequently, Fred’s drinking was getting out of control. Since he didn’t go to school or have a car or job, he would just surf the Internet all day at our apartment and drink and smoke weed. When I would arrive home from class in the afternoon, he was already pretty wasted. Even though I was smoking weed every day and wasn’t the most responsible person in the world, I could see that Fred was spiraling out of control. He would pass out on the floor every night at about 6 or 7pm after drinking all day and was just a mess. Since we were all running out of money, we were drinking boxes of Franzia wine since it was so cheap. Franzia is that bargain box wine that everyone makes fun of. We would buy three or four boxes at a time because beer was getting too expensive. I ended up getting a job at a bookstore at the mall, and after a few more months Fred moved back to Wisconsin. His dad offered him a job with his construction company and wanted him to take over the business in a few years when he retired. It seemed like a good gig, and Fred didn’t want to turn it down. Diego and I were both relieved that we did not have Fred in our lives anymore. Even though I had been a large part of the madness and Fred was one of my best friends, even I realized that he and I were going down the wrong path. Even though I still liked to party, I was beginning to

learn how to balance it with being a responsible student and started thinking about my future career. Shortly after Fred moved out, Diego moved in with his girlfriend who he would later marry and I got my own studio apartment and transferred from the community college to a university to get my bachelor’s degree in communication. The most insane chapter of my life was finally over. I would not entirely leave the madness of the past behind me, however. In the coming years it reared its ugly head a few times like the ghost of Christmas past reminding me that I still had some work to do to straighten myself up.

New Year’s Eve 1999 By the end of 1999 Fred had been living back in Wisconsin and working for his dad but came back to San Diego for the historic New Years Eve of 1999 as we left the twentieth century behind us and entered the year 2000. Curt, Diego’s old roommate from freshman year of college, was also in San Diego for winter break and all of us decided to go to downtown San Diego for New Years. Diego had bought a small Ford Ranger truck by this time, and I was too messed up to drive by the time we left for downtown, so Diego decided to drive his truck that night because he was worried if he drove my beat up old car with the out-of-state license plates on it that it may draw suspicion causing him to get pulled over by the cops. I told you he was the smartest out of the three of us. Diego and Curt rode in the cab of the truck, and Fred and I ducked down in the back as we headed downtown since all four of us couldn’t fit up in the front. There’s nothing like laying down in the bed of a truck looking up at the night sky when you’re wasted as you’re flying down the freeway to reinforce the idea that you’re not normal. We ended up going to a bar and grill called Dick’s Last Resort to celebrate the big event. Fred got thrown out within an hour or so for saying something insulting to a bartender because she was too slow in getting him a drink, but he was able to sneak back in without notice. I brought a few pre-rolled joints which we would occasionally smoke outside in the courtyard and we did this a few times without notice, but our luck later ran out.

The four of us were standing around out there smoking a joint (except Diego who didn’t smoke weed) when the bouncer who threw Fred out spotted him and grabbed him, pushing him towards the exit. Another bouncer who came over for backup noticed Curt was holding a lit joint and so he grabbed Curt and threw him out too. Curt had a drink in his hand which spilled on Diego as the bouncer grabbed him, so Diego started swearing at him and so he signaled to another bouncer and he grabbed Diego and literally pushed him out the door too. Three out of four us had just gotten thrown out in a span of about 15 seconds. I then followed after the bouncers as they shoved everyone outside and we decided to call it a night and go home. At least it was after midnight and we had made it to the New Year.

Almost Missing College Graduation Since I didn’t have a high school graduation technically, since I was not allowed at the ceremony, my college graduation was extremely special to both me and my parents. After all, I had never worn a cap and gown before so this was a big occasion. My parents had flown to California from Wisconsin for the ceremony and before I arrived, a bunch of friends and I met at a local bar to tip back some beers and get a nice buzz on to celebrate. An hour later I led the procession to the ceremony, and just as I was pulling into the parking lot, I rear-ended the car ahead of me and both of my airbags blew out. I wasn’t going that fast, but it was still fast enough to trigger the airbags. The plastic flap covering the airbag on my steering wheel practically sliced into the side of my arm as it flew open and I immediately had what looked like road rash covering part of my forearm from it scraping me. The airbags also stunk really bad and were very loud when they deployed. The car I hit had been pulling into the parking lot too, and so I followed it in and parked alongside of them. As we got out of our vehicles and inspected the damage, which was barely noticeable, I was in my cap and gown so they knew I was graduating, but I doubt they had any idea that I had been drinking. I’m sure I was over the legal limit, and I started worrying that the cops were going to come over to investigate and realize I was drunk.

I started to have visions of my parents sitting in the audience waiting for that proud moment when their son finally walked across the stage and got his diploma, but when my name was called, I was nowhere to be seen. I had to get out of there and get into the ceremony before I got arrested. Ever since my DUI years earlier, I had been very careful not to drink and drive, but this was graduation, and the ceremony was only a mile or so away from the bar, so I didn’t think it would matter. I had a few hundred dollars on me and I offered to give it to the driver of the car if they just forgot that this happened, and I told them I had to get going for the ceremony. The guy driving the car wanted to take it in to get an estimate for the stupid little scratch I left on his bumper, so we exchanged information and I told him that I would just pay for it out right if they sent me the bill because I didn’t want my insurance company to get involved. Word spread at the ceremony that night to everyone in my department about the accident, and everyone kept asking me if I was ok. Aside from the scratch on my arm from the airbag, I was fine, but I was a little shaken up and started having flashbacks of my DUI arrest several years earlier. I really had been careful not to drink and drive since my DUI, but like I said, this was graduation, and I was only driving a mile down the road so I didn’t think it would matter. This was almost the last straw that scared me straight once and for all. What would happen two weeks later would make sure I never returned to my reckless and irresponsible ways.

The Bachelor Party We Would Never Forget Diego, who had been living with his girlfriend for some time, was getting married. His relationship with her had helped save him from wasting his life away like Fred and I had been doing when we were all roommates. By this time, Fred had moved back to Wisconsin several years earlier and had a steady girlfriend and a job, and I just graduated college two weeks before the wedding, so it felt like we were all finally growing up. Almost all of the craziness we were involved in was a thing of the past. Normal life awaited us. Family and friends of the bride and groom all flew out to California for the beautiful outdoor wedding. Two days before the big day we had Diego’s

bachelor party, and since he was the first one of us to get married, it had to be epic. Our crew was finally reunited for the first time in years. It was Diego, Fred, John (my college roommate from sophomore year who was involved in the puking in the flowers incident with me), Carl (the guy who wanted to steal the dead cats from the dumpster at school and throw them in a teacher’s yard), Ken (whose car door got a hole punched in it when Fred threw a construction barricade at someone’s mailbox as we drove by), Curt (Diego’s roommate from freshman year, whose parents let Fred and I stay with them when we first arrived in California), Diego’s younger brother (who didn’t really cause any trouble), and myself. We decided to go to downtown San Diego and hit up a club, and we got a stretched Ford Excursion limo for the ride. We would be getting extremely drunk this night, so we wanted to make sure nobody would get a DUI, and who doesn’t like to party in the back of a limo? Before we arrived downtown, we stopped off at a strip club first. On the drive downtown there was a porno playing on the television located at the front of the limo, and we were drinking and batting around a blow up doll that Ken had bought for the party. When we got out of the limo at the strip club we could see the porno playing on the TV through the tinted window. Because the TV was fairly bright and right next to the window, the picture clearly shined through since it was dark outside. We all started laughing, wondering what the cars had thought that were driving next to us on the freeway since they all could see the porno playing though the window. It was turning out to be a great night. We did the strip club thing, and almost got thrown out after Diego did a back flip on stage after the strippers pulled him up there when they learned it was his bachelor party. Fred then commented that, “This is the kind of night that could end up like some fucked up movie.” Little did we know at the time, but he was right. What would transpire later in the evening was even more fucked up than anything we could imagine. After the strip club, we had a good time at On Broadway, a club downtown, and on the way home we enjoyed sticking the blow up doll out the window and yelling at people walking along the streets. The limo dropped Diego off back at his apartment, and a few other guys at their hotels, and Curt, Ken

and I crashed at Curt’s parents’ house since they were out of town. This was the beautiful multimillion dollar place on top of a huge bluff right next to the ocean where Fred and I stayed (freeloaded) for a few days when we first arrived in California. Curt went to bed and Ken and I sat out on the patio furniture near the edge of the bluff admiring the view. It was pretty late and we were wasted from a great party. Ken had his feet sitting on top of the table and was slouched back in his chair, looking like he was about to pass out soon. After a little while I got up to go to bed and told him not to fall asleep out there because it was pretty chilly. I crashed in Curt’s sister’s room since she was out of town with the parents and the next thing I knew the door bell was ringing and it was morning. Early in the morning. Nobody was answering the door and it kept ringing so I got up to see who it was. To my surprise there stood a police officer. “Was there a party here last night?” he asked. “No,” I answered. “We had a bachelor party, but we just took a limo downtown, we didn’t party here,” I added. It was only the three of us, Ken, Curt and myself who came back to Curt’s parents’ house, and we weren’t loud at all, so I didn’t know why the cop had come over. “Somebody fell off the bluff last night,” he said, “and we think it was from a party at one of the houses up here.” I still didn’t know what he was talking about and wondered why he was telling me this. He then went on to tell me that the person who fell off the cliff had died. I was still pretty much drunk, and this was real early in the morning so I wasn’t thinking clearly. I didn’t understand what he was getting at. The cop then asked me to make sure everyone in the house was accounted for, so I opened the guest room door to see if Ken was sleeping in there, but the room was empty. I found Curt upstairs sleeping in another bedroom, and I looked around the house to see where Ken had crashed but I couldn’t find him. I thought maybe some of the other guys had picked him up and went out to breakfast, so I tried calling his cell phone but he didn’t answer. The police officer then started describing what the guy looked like who had fallen off the cliff. It sounded like Ken. “I’m really sorry,” said the police officer, “but I’m pretty sure it was your friend.”

My eyes started welling up with tears as I remembered him sitting out there at the table, which was only 10 or 15 feet from the edge of the cliff. There was no railing at all, just a huge drop-off to the ocean below. I started having flashes of images pop into my mind imagining Ken getting up out of his chair to come inside and stumbling and falling over the cliff. I then had a wave of images flood my mind of the wedding that was scheduled for the very next day. Curt was in such a stupor from the previous night, he wouldn’t wake up. I would shake him and he would just mumble incoherently and groan. I called Fred on his cell who was with his girlfriend at their hotel room and I told him to get back to Curt’s house immediately. Of course he asked why, and I told him I would tell him once he got there, but that he needed to get there ASAP. He could tell by my tone that something was very wrong. What was I going to tell Diego? Ken was one of the groomsmen, and one of our best friends. How could we explain this to Ken’s mom? How could we tell everyone who came for the wedding? Would there still be a wedding? It didn’t even make any sense to us. We were in shock and weren’t sure what happened. Fred cracked a beer and started drinking to relieve the stress. It was probably 7:30am. A bunch more police and firefighters came to the house along with forensics people, and they were able to determine that Ken decided to walk down the bluff to go to the beach and fell to his death at the point where the cliff drops off in a concave cutout from the crashing waves below. With no railing to deter anyone from walking down the back yard toward the beach, and in the fog and in the dark in of night, nobody could see where the hill suddenly drops off. The coroner said alcohol was not a factor and that visual conditions on the horizon where the water meets the sky causes an optical illusion making it difficult for a person to get their bearings straight in the dark because there are no points of reference. As he made his way down the moderately sloped back yard in the fog, he was unable to determine where the cliff dropped off until he already stepped off with one foot, losing his balance, and falling to his death on the hard sand below. The homeowners were really negligent for not having any kind of railing to discourage people from walking down towards the beach there. Pretty much every other house on that bluff had railings. This one had nothing. The

backyard just led to a slope which later dropped off. It was very deceptive and it’s hard for me to describe if you haven’t seen it for yourself. The bottom line is, if there was a fucking railing like there should have been, then this would have never happened. Those dumb fuck negligent homeowners! I decided to call Ken’s brother instead of his mom, since it would be easier to break the news to him. He was a few years older than us and was in my brother’s class. How do you call one of your best friend’s moms and tell her that her son, who just flew out to California for a wedding, died at the bachelor party? Calling Ken’s brother was the most difficult thing I had to do in my life. Shortly after I told Ken’s brother what had happened, Ken’s mom called me to try and piece things together. We weren’t even sure what had happened at this point, so it was very difficult for her to make sense of it. It was hard for all of us to wrap our minds around what had just happened. The next most difficult thing was calling Diego to tell him what happened. After I told him he asked me if I was serious, and when I said I wasn’t joking, he smashed the phone against the wall and rushed over to Curt’s house. After all the forensics investigators were done tracing Ken’s steps down the bluff, they all left and we stood in the back yard dumbfounded. Ken had already picked up his tuxedo from the rental shop, so on my way back to my apartment I brought it with me, unused, still in its plastic to return it. “Why didn’t you need it?” the guy at the store asked. “He’s dead,” I answered. What else could I say. He must have seen the dazed look on my face and knew I was serious. The wedding went on as planned, and surprisingly we had a good time. Ken was always the life of the party, and he certainly wouldn’t want us to get all depressed and have a bad time at the wedding, so we partied it up to celebrate Diego’s wedding and to remember all the good times and trouble we had gotten into with Ken when we were younger. I ended up hooking up with Diego’s cousin, who was single and extremely beautiful, so that really helped me get through the night too. She was a hot blonde who flew in from the Midwest for the wedding and didn’t have a date.

A week or so later we all gathered back in Wisconsin for Ken’s funeral. It was like a class reunion. Almost everyone from our school was there. Ken was pretty popular and everybody loved him, and our whole town was in shock at what had happened. Everyone felt bad for us too, and especially Diego and his wife. The whole thing was so surreal, and it was so messed up, I just didn’t know how to deal with it. I couldn’t get it out of my head. The bachelor party, the bluff, the police, Ken, the funeral, it all just kept swirling around in my brain. This happened around the end of May, and for that entire summer I just smoked as much pot as I could to try and get my mind off it. I didn’t even go to the beach that summer, since Ken had died on the beach; just being there made me think of his dead body lying in the sand. I had loved the beach and went there at least once a week for years, but that summer I didn’t go at all and I was as white as a ghost from not getting any sun. We had done everything we could to be safe that night. None of us drank and drove like in the past. That’s why we got the limo to make sure everyone was safe, but somehow, the night still ended in tragedy. I wondered for a long time what the message was in this tragedy. What was the lesson to be learned? Why would God allow this to happen? I realized that you never know when you’re gonna die, or when the ones you love are going to die. Despite every precaution, when you least expect it, and in the most unanticipated way, someone’s life can be lost. You know they say that shooting stars burn out bright, and Ken certainly was a shooting star. He was the life of the party, a ladies man, everyone’s friend, and an all-around great guy. I was very lucky to be friends with him. He really knew how to get the most out of life and after I was able to shake off my depression, that’s what I started doing.

Looking

Back

On It All

Of course it was extremely juvenile, immature, reckless, disrespectful, dangerous, stupid, rude, foolish, moronic, idiotic and illegal to do some of the things I did growing up, and one may even argue that writing this book is almost just as bad. Regardless of how bad some of the more questionable activities were that I was involved in, you gotta admit that a lot of them were pretty cool, and if they entertained you by just reading about them, just imagine how cool it was for my friends and I to actually do them! Writing this book was really just a trip down memory lane for myself. As I would write down the stories and review them and edit them, they were so clear in my mind it was like they just happened yesterday. And who wouldn’t like to relive their childhood, a time when you had no responsibilities and you didn’t have to worry about things like your job, bills, retirement, scumbag politicians, insurance, your health, and the dozens of other things that can bring you down when you get older. When I was working on this book some people asked me what the point of it was. The point is, it was fun for me. The point is also to entertain you; to bring you back to your own childhood for a few hours; to show how creativity that is not properly channeled can be dangerous and illegal, and also to let parents know that if their kids seem to be crazy and out of control, there is hope for them that they can find a way to use that energy to better themselves, make a decent living, or even change the world in a positive way. In movies and comic books, super heroes and villains could almost always be the same person, but one of them took the wrong path at some point in their life. If Batman took just a slightly different road in life, he could have been a very dangerous criminal mastermind. If the TV serial killer Dexter had a different moral code, he would have ended up killing innocent people instead of killing murderers who slipped through the justice system and had gotten away with their crimes. Great men throughout history like Martin Luther who initiated the Protestant Reformation, the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, founding father Benjamin Franklin, and countless other men and women we see as heroes today, were actually trouble makers who caused trouble for

the right reasons. Trouble making is a talent and a skill that can be used for either good things or bad. I’ll never forget an old guy named Laurence who was a pharmacist at a local pharmacy that I worked at when I was in high school who years later told me, “I always thought one day you’d be famous or in jail.” He said this when I had bumped into him ten years after we worked together. Laurence saw that I had a lot of potential when I was young, but he wasn’t sure how I would use it. You may think that because I worked at a pharmacy when I was in high school, that I would steal all kinds of pain killers because I liked to party, but honestly I never stole a single pill ever. I respected the owner, and I would never do anything to cheat him or steal from him. I did have a conscience and a code of conduct, believe it or not. Popping pain pills never really appealed to me either. I was also a late bloomer. I wasted a lot of time, money, and energy before finally shaping up, and could have gotten into much more trouble than I did if I hadn’t been so lucky not to get busted for the numerous stupid things I had done. In the hilarious film National Lampoon’s Van Wilder , the main character, Van, (played by Ryan Reynolds) has been in college for seven years and still hasn’t graduated yet. Seven. He’s not a loser, in fact, he’s the furthest thing from it, and everyone at his school loves him. At one point he is asked by an adult, “Surely you have a career in mind,” to which he answers, “Not really. I’m still looking for that dare-to-be-great situation.” Later on, Van Wilder loses faith in himself for not finishing college after so long and says he hasn’t accomplished anything and almost drops out before realizing his true potential and his purpose in life which was to inspire others and bring the best out of them. While Van Wilder took seven years to graduate and figure out his purpose, which he had been doing all along without realizing it, I took 8 years (and a summer school session) before the big day came for me. I didn’t finish with a master’s degree or a doctorate, but with a simple bachelors in communication. In my defense, I did attend four different colleges in five years and changed majors twice so a lot of credits didn’t transfer from one school to the next. I had attended three different schools in three years, and then two years later I transferred again

to my fourth and final school. My point is, I was like Van Wilder, and I almost lost hope for myself as he did as the years went on. In the past there was no message behind my madness, but as I grew older and wiser and through the tragedy of Ken’s death, my legal troubles from my DUI and underage drinking, my personal failures and my quest for spiritual understanding and inner peace, I was able to find a new direction in my life. As I started to finally grow up and calm down, all of the trouble in my past began to feel like it wasn’t even me. While some of the things I’m proud of, some of them I’m completely ashamed of too. My only defense is that I was young (under 21 for most of the madness) and I was stoned for probably 80% of it. Luckily I found an outlet for my creative energy in the form of writing books and making YouTube videos about politics and pop culture. I certainly never “grew up” and stopped causing trouble. I just found a worthwhile cause that I could put my creative energy into. A lot of the things I studied in college about mass media and communication were exactly what I needed to understand the world around me and provided fuel for my fire. Your “cause” doesn’t necessarily have to be exposing political corruption or pulling back the curtain of the mainstream media propaganda machine that shapes our culture like I have been doing. You could channel your energy into a skill, a career, a hobby, a relationship, art, education, or any number of other positive things that could be very beneficial for you and others. Just think about how big of trouble makers actor Jim Carey or Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs must have been before they fully developed the ability to channel their energy into something productive or were provided the proper outlet for their creativity and energy. After I grew up and finally started to get my life on the right track, I also realized how smart my dad really was. My brother and I always thought he was old fashioned and out of touch when we were kids, but the older I got, the more I realized how wise he was. He was able to provide a nice house in a good neighborhood in our small little town, my mom was a stay at home mom for our entire lives after leaving her career as a teacher to raise us, and we took a family vacation pretty much every year to somewhere different

around the United States. Don’t think we were some first class jetsetters or something. The family car was a Chrysler K car with vinyl seats and no air conditioning, so some summer vacations were not exactly pleasant at times when the temperature was in the 80s or 90s! We didn’t have that much money and were only average middle class, but the wisdom and frugal decisions allowed my dad to provide for us, and enabled him to retire in his 60s, which not everyone can do. I could only hope to accomplish what he did in life, and create and manage a family like he and my mom did. My mom is equally fantastic and loving. She’s done a lot of volunteer work around the community with various gardening projects and events, and is just a great person. My mom and dad are also fantastic moral examples of what good people are like. None of my trouble making should be blamed on them or their parenting. It was all my fault. Sometimes there’s nothing a parent can do to prevent their kids from doing crazy things no matter how loving, intelligent, or harsh disciplinarians they are. Boys will be boys. Most of the time parents don’t even have a clue what their kids are actually doing and couldn’t stop them anyway if they tried. My parents are the nicest, most loving parents anyone could ever ask for, so maybe I just couldn’t contain myself from the normalcy at home when I had so much energy and so many ideas bouncing around my brain I just wanted to scream. I feel really bad for putting them through everything that I did— from them having to pick me up at the police station, having to come in for conferences with the school principal, not to mention my countless detentions and having to worry what the heck I was up to when I didn’t come home until 2 o’clock in the morning on the weekends. I have since apologized to them and they accepted it and actually said they were glad the way I finally turned out! Looking back on it all, there’s not much that I would actually do differently, believe it or not. I had a lot of fun. I wouldn’t have been so careless with certain things like drinking and driving, and I would have kept the pot smoking under a little more moderation. I certainly spent too much money on marijuana, but perhaps like many others, I needed the self-medicating because of my over-active mind that raced with the possibilities of my future, yet I was stuck in a small town in the middle of nowhere. If I was

more focused on school I could have earned a master’s degree in less time than it took me to get my bachelors, but then again I did attend four different colleges as I tried to figure out what I wanted to study and where. Who attends four different colleges? Well, I did. I know you shouldn’t dwell on the past, and I certainly had a lot of fun, I just wish I was able to bridle my energy sooner than I did. So if you are young and on the same path I was, I warn you. It seems those older than you always try to tell you some great bits of wisdom so you don’t make the same mistakes that they did when they were young, but it seems that the ears of the young never listen to this wisdom and only realize how right their elders were when many years later, they are the elder and having missed the boat they then try to impart that same wisdom onto the youth in their life, which also tends to fall on deaf ears as it did on their ears when they were told so long ago by someone trying to help them in this mysterious cycle of life. Despite most teachers hating me, or just hoping for the day when they wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore after graduation, there was one high school teacher who saw the potential in me and did what he could to help me find an outlet for my chaotic energy. He was my homeroom teacher, Mr. Garett. For whatever reason, he treated me with respect and seemed to take special notice of me by delegating minor tasks to me during homeroom sessions. Instead of feeling like he was poking his nose in my business or trying to keep an eye on me, he was always cool. When I was in a study hall during final period, oftentimes he would write me a pass so I could get out and go use the weight room which helped keep me out of trouble, not to mention, in shape. I couldn’t sit quietly for the final hour of the school day in study hall! I would have gotten a detention every few weeks, so Mr. Garett really saved me some extra aggravation I didn’t need, and I really enjoyed working out, so it was a win/win situation. It’s teachers like Mr. Garett who go the extra mile for the “troubled” or “at risk” kids that most other teachers have written off as bad apples with no future who help kids like me realize that we are not worthless trouble makers destined for jail or a lifetime plagued with problems, we’re often

just kids who need an outlet for the abundant energy surging through our minds and bodies. Well, I hope that you were entertained by my stories, and I hope that you learned something from them too. They say you learn more from others’ mistakes than you do from your own, and if that’s true, then you just got an incredible education! There’s almost 250 pages of mistakes right in your hand, one right after the other! Anyway, may your own trouble making be balanced with a conscience, respectable boundaries, and style! And make sure your trouble is designed to be creative, funny, and thought provoking; never dumb, dangerous, or destructive. Now put this book down and get out there and start Causing Trouble!

Also by Mark Dice: -The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction -The New World Order: Facts & Fiction -The Resistance Manifesto -Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True

Connect with Mark on: Facebook.com/MarkDice Twitter.com / MarkDice.com YouTube.com/MarkDice MarkDice.com

Connect with Mark on:

Facebook.com/MarkDice Twitter.com / MarkDice.com YouTube.com/MarkDice MarkDice.com

Introduction

The Illuminati is either called a “conspiracy theory” or a “conspiracy fact,” depending on who you talk to. Those familiar with the Illuminati secret society may tell you that it is a criminal and diabolical network of some of the world’s most wealthy, educated, and elite bankers, businessmen, and politicians, who work behind the scenes to gain and maintain high levels of power, enormous wealth, and wield control over the world. The list of claims that come along with this monstrous conspiracy are vast, and range from the Illuminati being an elite good-old-boy network looking out for their own interests (often at the expense of others and in unscrupulous ways), to claims that they are actually alien beings from another galaxy who masquerade as humans, drink people’s blood to survive, and are working to prepare planet earth for the arrival of the Antichrist who will rule the New World Order as a god, offering those who worship him “eternal life” through transhumanist technology merging man with machine.

In this book I will help you get to the core of the conspiracy by providing you with some of the original evidence proving the existence and activities of this infamous group, dating back to the late 1700s in the state of Bavaria, Germany, and as more and more evidence is piled up, we will slowly move into the present day, proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the Illuminati is still fully operational, and many of the “conspiracy theories” are actually true.

This analysis is a supplement for my previous book, The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction and will continue to investigate and examine the many allegations and conspiracy theories associated with the Illuminati. Since the subject matter is so vast, this second volume was required to continue my analysis of the wide-ranging claims and evidence connected to the “Illuminati conspiracy.” I am dedicated to separating the facts from the fiction, since buried within the mountain of “conspiracy theories” circulated

on this subject, there is a considerable amount of irrefutable evidence that there is indeed a powerful “Illuminati” secret society that is operating today in America and around the world.

There is also a large amount of wild speculation, half-truths, and outright lies about what the Illuminati is doing, who is involved with them, and what evidence is available. Some people dismiss the idea that there is a “conspiracy” at all, and do not even believe such a thing exists, because when an educated and rational person comes across some of the more outrageous (and clearly false) allegations stemming from the Illuminati conspiracy, they just shake their head in disbelief and get the impression that all the allegations and “conspiracy theories” must be false as well; thinking such claims must have come from equally mentally deranged people who purport some of the more far-fetched and fabricated information as “evidence” and “proof.”

In this book I will present to you a rational approach to the idea of an “Illuminati conspiracy” and I will discuss the historical evidence of the original, admittedly real, Bavarian Illuminati and the roots of this secret society that has spawned countless tales of its power and reach. I will also cover many of the affiliated secret societies that were not examined in my previous book and will continue to investigate various people who claim to be actual former members. We will also look at some political elite insiders and see what they have to say about the Illuminati and the idea that a secret society of powerful men is posing a danger to the world and to our freedoms. Skeptics of an Illuminati conspiracy will be very surprised to learn the names of some prominent people throughout history who have made startling statements clearly revealing their conviction that the Illuminati is real and poses a danger to us all.

I don’t like to use the word “conspiracy” because it has a negative connotation that this material is just a “conspiracy theory,” when in fact, I do very little theorizing at all. The terms “conspiracy theory” and “conspiracy theorist” have become a pejorative, which means they have a negative connotation and are used to insult people and shut down the discussion, similar to someone screaming “racist” at someone in attempts to

bypass critical thinking and cause a knee jerk reaction to paint them as such, when in reality they simply have an opposing political ideology on a particular issue. Much to some people’s surprise, many “conspiracies” are actually real, and the dictionary definition of a conspiracy is simply, “an agreement by two or more persons to commit a crime, fraud, or other wrongful act.” People are actually charged with “conspiracy” in criminal courts every day for simply “conspiring” or planning to commit a crime.

Conspiracies happen on a small scale such as when two people conspire to rob a bank, and on a large scale when the leadership of a powerful country fabricates a reason to go to war. Conspiracies are a fact of life. When researchers such as myself point out real, solid, irrefutable evidence that reveals a conspiracy, we are often attacked as “crazy tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorists,” because the term causes people to immediately dismiss the claims as a paranoid delusion imagined by someone on the Internet who lives in their mother’s basement. The reality is that actual conspiracy theorists can be found in high positions of power and conspiracy theories are put forth by well-educated people. Let’s not forget that Hillary Clinton publicly claimed that a “vast right wing conspiracy” was fabricating allegations that President Bill Clinton had sexual relations with intern Monica Lewinski.1 Hillary Clinton was being a conspiracy theorist, when in reality her husband Bill was having sexual relations with the intern, and there was no conspiracy trying to bring him down—it was only people reporting on the facts.

The Bush administration put forth a conspiracy theory that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and were planning to use them on America and our allies, strong-arming the public into invading the country based on this conspiracy theory which was later proven to be 100% false.2 Not only was it false, but to be more accurate, it was actually a lie concocted to justify the invasion and war. As everyone now knows, there were no weapons of mass destruction at all, and Americans had been duped into going to war based on a conspiracy theory constructed by the US government.



Until the twenty-first century, most Americans had never heard of the Illuminati. Dan Brown’s novel Angels & Demons introduced millions of people to the group in 2003 (although his version was far from the truth and more like a purposeful disinformation campaign). And with the rise of the information age and social media, YouTube videos a click away, and countless websites popping up dedicated to the subject, more and more people became interested in this mysterious subject.

The 2004 presidential election in America brought John Kerry and George W. Bush together to face off for the presidency, both of whom are members of the Skull & Bones secret society headquartered at Yale University, which added fuel to this growing fire. I say that they are members, not were members, because Skull & Bones is not just a fraternity like they would have you believe, but is instead a post-graduate organization that gives its members access to one of the most powerful social networks in the world. This is how two Skull & Bones members were able to secure the nominations for both the Republican and Democrat party in the same election, so no matter which one of them won (George W. Bush or John Kerry), it would be a victory for Skull & Bones.

It was around this same time that “9/11 conspiracy theories” were growing, and the cover story for the War in Iraq continued to fall apart. The official story of the September 11th attacks and the expanding “war on terror” just wasn’t adding up. For the first several years after the World Trade Center was destroyed, so-called “9/11 conspiracy theories” were contained to the Internet, but around 2005 and 2006 they boiled over into the mainstream and found many high-profile supporters whose comments about 9/11 being an “inside job” couldn’t be ignored by the mainstream media.3

When people interested in investigating the massive inconsistencies in the official story tried piecing together what really happened that day, it inevitably took many “down the rabbit hole” to discover the various secret societies that all led back to the Illuminati. 9/11 would lead to Skull & Bones, which would lead to the Bilderberg Group, which would lead to the Bohemian Grove, which would lead to the Illuminati and a whole can of

worms that raised many more questions about what the shadowy elite of our world are doing behind the scenes was opened.

When one quiets their mind from the buzz of pop culture and mainstream media and steps back from their self-absorbed lifestyle and looks deeper into world events and the power structure directing society, they begin to see the world very differently. Once someone begins to understand that there is more than meets the eye in our world, and they discover the different branches of elite ruling class networks that all converge under one umbrella, their life is often never the same. People describe it as their awakening to what’s really happening in the world or “going down the rabbit hole,” or having their eyes finally opened.

If one truly wishes to learn about the history of the world, and about the driving force behind major world events, the economy, and even our very culture, then one must look into the Illuminati. At one point in history, in the late 1700s, when the Illuminati was first exposed, most people knew about them and the dangers they posed but as time went on and generations have passed, most people had forgotten about them. Sports entertainment and celebrity news had come to dominate most people’s minds and many had fallen asleep at the wheel thinking everything was just fine.

Just as many people used to doubt and deny that the Italian Mafia even existed, the same is true of the modern Illuminati. Ancient secret societies are admitted by mainstream historians to have existed and were not just social clubs for men looking to keep themselves entertained after work. They had a powerful function, even back then. Manly P. Hall, a very well respected secret society insider, explains, “The esoteric organizations of ancient times were for the most part religious and philosophical. In the medieval world they were philosophical and political. In the modern world, political and social.”4

He goes on to say plainly, “It is beyond question that the secret societies of all ages have exercised a considerable degree of political influence,” and that “a second purpose for secret societies was to create a

mechanism for the perpetuation from generation to generation of policies, principles, or systems of learning, confined to a limited group of selected and initiated persons.”5

For years, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover denied that the La Cosa Nostra or Italian Mafia even existed. Some believe the mob was actually blackmailing Hoover with compromising photos of him and his boyfriend Clyde Tolson, but for whatever reason, even the head of the FBI publicly denied there was any such thing as an organized criminal business network that had police, judges, lawyers, and other public officials on their payroll. All the denials changed in 1957 after a major mafia meeting on a farm in Apalachin, New York (about 200 miles northwest of New York City) was discovered, now known as the Apalachin Meeting.

The property was owned by gangster Joseph Barbara and the suspicious gathering of fancy cars and men in suits got the attention of a state trooper. Police surrounded the property and ended up detaining fiftyeight men, and for the first time there was indisputable evidence that the Italian Mafia did, in fact, exist. Many of the men were suspected or wanted criminals who claimed they were just meeting for a weekend barbecue. Of course police had a decent idea of what was really going on and the Mafia began to be unmasked. Some of the men tried to flee into the nearby woods, but most were apprehended. “Don Vito” Genovese, the leader of the Genovese crime family, had organized the meeting to delegate various gambling, loansharking, and drug trafficking operations.

More shocking revelations were to come a few years later in 1963 when a mobster named Joe Valachi, who worked for Lucky Luciano and the Genovese Crime Family for 30 years, testified before the McClellan Congressional Committee on Organized Crime and revealed in detail many of the Mafia’s operations. Valachi had hoped his testimony would help him avoid a death sentence for murder. His testimony shocked most people who could have never imagined how far-reaching the Mafia was, and how they regularly paid police and judges to look the other way. Joe Valachi’s congressional testimony also introduced the world to the term La Cosa Nostra.



Many people wonder if the Illuminati Mafia actually call themselves “the Illuminati.” I highly doubt it, although perhaps occasionally in jest. The Italian Mafia referred to themselves as La Cosa Nostra, which means “this thing of ours,” or “our thing,” so the Italian Mafia literally had no name. They didn’t call each other up and say “hey we’re having a Mafia meeting tonight, why don’t you stop by?” No. They just said, “we have to do our thing” and they knew what each other meant. While you will learn, the Illuminati did at one time call themselves “the Illuminati,” they have most likely abandoned this term long ago, and have expanded into various front groups to further their aims, and—like the Italian Mafia—speak in a language that is understood by each other, but doesn’t betray its true meaning to outsiders.

Many scholars, reporters, and government officials say that conspiracies “never work” because “it’s too difficult to keep a secret” and point to events like Watergate to justify their claims, but it’s foolish to believe that every major conspiracy which is attempted is botched, or that word of it would leak out somehow. It’s preposterous to assume that every group of conspirators are so foolish that they haven’t planned plausible deniability for their actions to convolute any investigation to the point of confusion if any suspicion is aroused or if any outsiders were to take a closer look into their activities.

The Manhattan Project (the atomic bomb program) began in 1939 and was kept secret for six years until the world witnessed the mushroom cloud rising up from what was the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945. The project cost $2 billion dollars (adjusted for inflation, that’s $26 billion in 2014 dollars) and 130,000 people worked on it in several different states,6 making it the largest project in American history, but it was still completed in secret. Lieutenant Leslie Groves of the Army Corps of Engineers who directed the project would later reveal in his book Now It Can Be Told: The True Story of the Manhattan Project, that, “compartmentalization of knowledge, to me, was the very heart of security. My rule was simple and not capable of misinterpretation—each man should know everything he needed to know and do his job and nothing else.”7



By giving different groups of scientists and engineers separate tasks and fabricating cover stories for what they were actually working on, those in the know were able to pull off their plan without any outsiders seeing the big picture. President Harry Truman, who was the Vice President under FDR, only became aware of the program after President Roosevelt’s death in April of 1945, when Truman was then sworn in as his replacement— that’s how well kept the secret was! Not even the vice president knew of this enormous and expensive life-altering plan! Four months after Truman was sworn in as president and let in on the secret, the bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and then three days later, the second one destroyed Nagasaki.

While enormous secrets can be kept by the political elite, they also sometimes leak out. The political elite often become arrogant because of their power and think they can get away with anything. How else could you explain John Edwards running for president in 2008, when he knew he had a newborn illegitimate child from an affair with his campaign’s photographer while his wife Elizabeth was dying of cancer? The Illuminati see themselves as the Gods of Mount Olympus, as literally having evolved into gods thanks to their occult knowledge, which often leads to arrogance and carelessness, causing some of their secrets to be revealed.

How did this “Illuminati” start, and how did they operate in the past, and more importantly, what are they doing right now? In short, the “priest class”—or what is considered to be the ancient Illuminati—dates back thousands of years to ancient Egypt and Greece, where Man’s unfolding intellect was kept hidden from the general public and reserved for “the elect” or the “sages” in what were called Mystery Schools. These fraternities taught the various sciences and philosophies to the intellectual elite who benefitted tremendously from this knowledge. Many believe that at one time in the ancient past, the Mystery Schools had the best of intentions but were hijacked and taken over by selfish and wicked men who used their superior intellect, not to help mankind, but to take advantage of people, morphing the once noble fraternities into a Gnostic mafia of sorts, keeping the majority of humans in the dark about the true nature of reality.



33rd degree Freemason Manly P. Hall claims, “With the decline of virtue, which has preceded the destruction of every nation of history, the Mysteries became perverted. Sorcery took the place of the divine magic.”8 There is a belief in esoteric circles that God or Gods, or extra-terrestrials, or even Satan, gave an ancient human (or small group of humans) some kind of secret knowledge, allowing him (or them) the ability to activate incredible powers latent in the mind, enabling them to become the first priests and kings. Many occultists believe this power can be traced back to the Atlanteans, the supposed demigods, who—according to the theory—are believed to have literally inhabited the Lost City of Atlantis.

These ideas, fraternities, and philosophies will be examined throughout this book. We’ll look into dozens of interconnecting esoteric circles from the ancient Mystery Schools of the Eleusians and Dionysians to the Gnostics, the Knights Templar, Jesuits, Freemasons, Skull & Bones, Bilderberg Group, Bohemian Grove, the Federal Reserve, and many lesserknown, but critically important, pieces of the puzzle as well.

What are the facts and what is fiction? How did it all start? What is the evidence for the Illuminati’s existence? What are their goals? Are they in communication with alien beings from another galaxy that secretly work with them and guide them in their evil ways? Are they themselves alien beings disguised as humans? You are about to find out as you dive head first Inside the Illuminati.







Early Evidence

When we talk about the Bavarian Illuminati, we’re talking about the group that a man named Adam Weishaupt founded in Bavaria, a southern state in Germany, back in 1776. Specifically he founded it on May 1st 1776, which is called May Day or Walpurgis Night, a date celebrating an old meeting of witches and sorcerers. May Day is also a major Communist holiday that celebrates the “workers of the world.” Almost 200 years after Adam Weishaupt ceremoniously founded the Illuminati on this day, Anton LaVey ritualistically shaved his head and founded the Church of Satan on May 1st 1966 as his way of celebrating this occult holiday.9

The Bavarian Illuminati was basically a reorganization and modernization of the corrupted ancient Mystery Schools. Weishaupt was a lawyer like so many corrupt politicians today, and in 1772 when he was twenty-four-years-old, he became a law professor at Ingolstadt University in Bavaria, Germany. A few years later he became the dean of the law department and began formulating his plan to launch the Illuminati.

He received his inspiration for forming his secret society from both the Rosicrucian manifestos and from the Jesuits (the zealous elite Catholic Society of Jesus founded in 1540). The Rosicrucian manifestos were books that first appeared in 1614 in Germany, and described an “invisible brotherhood” dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and Hermetic and alchemical magic. No such secret society actually existed, but the Rosicrucian manifestos planted the seeds for such a thing in men’s minds, which was the author’s purpose (although not the tyrannical kind of organization that Adam Weishaupt conceived).

Weishaupt used his position at the university to begin recruiting students and others to join him in his quest to overthrow the ruling monarchs of his day and install a global communist system with him and his inner circle of associates as the new rulers. Originally he called his

group the Perfectabilists, meaning they aimed to “perfect” man by facilitating his “evolution,” but the name Perfectabilists was quickly changed to the Illuminati to fit in with the “enlightenment” theme of the era, since Illuminati is Latin for “the enlightened ones.” While he was growing increasingly successful at expanding his network and influence, it was only a matter of time before his secrets began to slowly leak out.



Original Writings Found

It’s indisputable that original copies of Adam Weishaupt’s writings were discovered and published for all to read. This is fully admitted in mainstream history books and encyclopedias, although few people care to take the time and actually look. Today, well over one hundred original documents are kept at the State Museum in Ingolstadt, Germany, where they are on public display.

Founder, Adam Weishaupt, wrote under the pseudonym “Spartacus” and all other members used pseudonyms as well, although many were identified after their letters were found and some defectors came forward. In 1784, eight years after the Illuminati were formed, a defector named Joseph Utzchneider gave a bunch of documents to Duchess Dowager Maria Anna, warning her of the organization and their goals of overthrowing the government and destroying religion. The Duchess, who was the sister-inlaw of the Duke, handed them over to her brother-in-law Duke Karl Theodore, the leader of Bavaria.

A seemingly farfetched tale regarding the discovery of more original writings involves a story about how an Illuminati member was struck by lightning and killed, and when his body was examined the coroner discovered some documents that had been stuffed in a hidden pocket sewn into his clothes. Adam Weishaupt fled Bavaria in 1785 and headed to a neighboring province when he saw the writing on the wall that authorities were closing in on him. He and his friend Jakob Lanz were riding on horseback on their way to Regensburg when Lanz was struck by lightning and killed.10

While this story is so bizarre, it’s understandable for people to dismiss it as a myth, but multiple historical sources report that this is exactly what

happened.11 But regardless, a treasure trove of documents were also discovered by other means as well.

On October 11th 1786 police searched the home of Xavier von Zwack, located in the city of Landshut (45 miles from Ingolstadt), where they found over two hundred letters including membership lists, symbols, carvings used to fake various wax seals used by princes, nobles, clergymen, and merchants; instructions on counterfeiting, committing suicide, recipes for poison, an abortion tea, invisible ink, and instructions for building an explosive strongbox that would blow up and destroy everything inside if it was opened by someone who didn’t know how to disarm it. One paper listed a method for filling a room full of a deadly gas in case they wanted to kill someone without getting their hands dirty.12 These documents were soon published by the government in a report titled Some Original Works of the Order of the Illuminati [Einige Originalschriften Des Illuminaten Ordens in German].

The following year in 1787 police searched the castle of Baron de Bassus and discovered more papers which were then published as a Supplement of Further Original Works.13 The next year in 1788 Johann Faber published The Genuine Illuminati [Der ächte Illuminati] which revealed the rituals for the Preparation, Novitiate Degree, Minerval Degree, the Minor and Major Illuminati Degrees.

In 1789 a French journalist named Jean-Pierre-Louis de Luchet published a book titled Essay on the Sect of the Illuminists [Essai sur la Secte des Illuminés] which denounced the Illuminati and said they controlled Masonic lodges throughout Europe.

In 1794 Illuminati whistleblower Ludwig Adolf Christian von Grolmann published The Latest Work Of Spartacus and Philo (Weishaupt’s and Baron von Knigge’s code names) [Die Neuesten Arbeiten Des Spartacus Und Philo], exposing the secrets of the Illuminati Dirigens degree (Scottish Knight degree) which appointed men to run Masonic lodges so they could recruit new members from within Freemasonry.



In 1797 a French Jesuit priest named Abbe Barruel published a series of books on the French Revolution because he believed it was the result of the Illuminati, saying, “The third conspiracy, which I am now about to investigate, is that of the atheistical Illuminati, which at my outfit I denominated the conspiracy of the Sophisters of Impiety and anarchy against every religion natural or revealed, not only against kings, but against every government, against all civil society, even against all property whatsoever.”14

Barruel pondered, as others still do today, as to whether Weishaupt was the mastermind behind the conspiracy, or whether he was working with or for someone else. “It is not known, and it would be difficult to discover, whether Weishaupt ever had a master, or whether he is himself the great original of those monstrous doctrines on which he founded his school,” he wrote.15

A man named John Robison, a science professor (called natural philosophy back then), living in Scotland published a lengthy book about the Illuminati in 1798 titled Proofs of a Conspiracy, which was one of the first books written in English about the organization. Before writing his book, he was actually asked to join them, but after looking into the group he realized he didn’t want to have anything to do with them and then decided to write his book hoping to expose them. In Proofs of a Conspiracy, he also included English translations of many of the confiscated Illuminati papers.

Robison wrote that, “A collection of original papers and correspondence was found by searching the house of one Zwack (a member) in 1786. The following year a much larger collection was found at the house of Baron Bassus; and since that time Baron Knigge, the most active member next to Weishaupt, published an account of some of the higher degrees, which had been formed by himself.”16

He warned, “An association has been formed for the express purpose of rooting out all the religious establishments and overturning all the

existing governments of Europe. I have seen this association exerting itself zealously and systematically, till it has become almost irresistible.” He continued, “I have seen that this association still exists, still works in secret, and that not only several appearances among ourselves show that its emissaries are endeavoring to propagate their detestable doctrines among us, but that the association has Lodges in Britain corresponding with the mother Lodge at Munich ever since 1784.”17



Original 5 Members

Adam Weishaupt (codename: Spartacus)

Andreas Sutor

(Erasmus Rotero-damus)

Bauhof or Baubof (Agathon)

Franz Anton von Massenhause (Ajax)

Max Elder von Merz (Tiberius)



Primary Goals

The original top five goals of the Illuminati were: 1) Abolish the Monarchy and replace all governments. 2) Abolish private property and inheritance. 3) Abolish patriotism along with people’s national identity and national pride. 4) Abolish the family, marriage, morality, and then have the government raise and indoctrinate the children. 5) Abolish all religion. These are basically the same goals that would be outlined around seventy years later in the Communist Manifesto (1848) and make up the foundation of communism since Weishaupt no doubt inspired Karl Marx. More on this later.

More modern goals include a universal one world digital currency; a Big Brother Orwellian surveillance state; the elimination of the second Amendment and ending citizens’ gun ownership (leaving only police and military to be armed); implementing an all-powerful nanny state socialist government; all leading up to the unveiling of a “messiah” who will claim to be God and offer people eternal life here on earth, saying he has “restored mankind” to our “pre-fallen” state so we can live forever through the use of cybernetic Transhuman technology on the new “Heaven on earth” he has created.18



Deposition for the Court

In 1785 three former members, Joseph Utzschneider, George Grunberger, and Johann Cosandey wrote out a joint deposition for the court where they provided information about some of the Illuminati’s goals and philosophies that men in the first few degrees were taught. First of all, “The Illuminee who wishes to rise to the highest degree must be free from all religion; for a religionist (as they call every man who has any religion) will never be admitted to the highest degrees.”19

The second principle revealed to the initiates was that the ends justify the means. “The welfare of the Order will be a justification for calumnies [defamatory statements], poisonings, assassinations, perjuries, treasons, rebellions—in short, for all that the prejudices of men lead them to call crimes. One must be more submissive to the Superiors of the Illuminati, than to the sovereigns or magistrates who govern the people; and he that gives the preference to sovereigns or governors of the people is useless to us. Honor, life, and fortune, all are to be sacrificed to the Superiors. The governors of nations are despots when they are not directed by us. They can have no authority over us, who are free men.”20

What they called the Patet Exitus, or the “doctrine of suicide,” was also taught as an honorable way anyone who was caught could escape prosecution and prevent themselves from revealing the Order’s secrets.

Thirdly, the deposition revealed, “The Superiors of the Illuminati are to be looked upon as the most perfect and the most enlightened of men; no doubts are to be entertained even of their infallibility.”21

“It is in these moral and political principles that the Illuminati are educated in the lower degrees; and it is according to the manner in which

they imbibe [assimilate] them and show their devotion to the Order, or are able to second its views, that they are earlier or later admitted to the higher degrees.”22

“In consequence of our acquaintance with this doctrine of the Illuminati, with their conduct, their manners, and their incitements to treason, and being fully convinced of the dangers of the Sect, we the Aulic Counsellor Utzschneider and the Priest Dillis left the Order. The Professor Grünberger, the Priest Cosandey, Renner, and Zaupfer, did the same a week after.”

Their testimony continues, “It [the Illuminati] spread through almost every province under the cloak of Freemasonry; because it sows division and discord between parents and their children, between Princes and their subjects, and among the most sincere friends; because on all important occasions it would install partiality on the seats of justice and in the councils, as it always prefers the welfare of the Order to that of the state, and the interests of its adepts to those of the profane.”23

“Experience had convinced us, that they would soon succeed in perverting all the Bavarian youth. The leading feature in the generality of their adepts were irreligion, depravity of morals, disobedience to their Prince and to their parents, and the neglect of all useful studies. We saw that the fatal consequence of Illuminism would be, to create a general distrust between the prince and his subjects, the father and his children, the minister and his secretaries, and between the different tribunals and councils.”24

“We abandoned, one after the other, this Sect [the Illuminati], which under different names, as we have been informed by several of our former Brethren, has already spread itself in Italy, and particularly at Venice, in Austria, in Holland, in Saxony, on the Rhine, particularly at Frankfort, and even as far as America. The Illuminati meddle as much as possible in state affairs, and excite troubles wherever their Order can be benefited by them.”25



“After we had retired from the Order, the Illuminati calumniated us on all sides in the most infamous manner. Their cabal made us fail in every request we presented; succeeding in rendering us hateful and odious to our superiors, they even carried their calumnies [defamatory statements] so far as to pretend that one of us had committed murder.”26

 





Original Illuminati Structure

The Nursery (Entry Level)

 

Preparatory Literary Essay

Novitiate (Novice)

Minerval (Brethren of Minerva, Academy of Illuminism)

Illuminatus Minor

 

Symbolic Freemasonry

Apprentice

Fellow Craft

Master

Scots Major Illuminatus



Scots Illuminatus Dirigens (Directory)

 

The Mysteries (Higher Level)

Lesser

Presbyter, Priest

Prince or Regent

 

Greater

Magus

Rex or King





The 1st Edict Against the Illuminati

An edict is an act of law issued by a monarchy, (much like an executive order issued by a president today) and on June 22, 1784, Duke Karl Theodore, the Elector of Bavaria [the ruler of the state], issued the first edict against the Illuminati after his sister-in-law Duchess Dowagar Maria Anna was given some documents by an early defector named Joseph Utzschneider, and then passed them onto the Duke.27

The edict reads, in part, “Whereas all communities, societies and associations without approval from a public authority and the confirmation of the Monarch are illegal, prohibited by law, suspect and dangerous things in [and] of themselves. His Electoral Highness [the Duke] has decided not to tolerate them in his State, whatever their designation and interior constitutions, ordering categorically…one and all subjects to withdraw from any association or secret assembly of this kind…those societies [have] drawn the attention of the public and awakened its fears…”28



The 2nd Edict Against the Illuminati

The following year in 1785, Duke Karl Theodore issued a second edict, which was much more threatening and specifically named the Illuminati and Freemasonry as the perpetrators of a conspiracy against the government. In this edict the Duke also announced that if anyone were to come forward and reveal who was involved or specifically which masonic lodges had been infiltrated and were being used in this conspiracy—that informant could remain anonymous and even keep half the money that was confiscated as a result of their confession. The other half [of the money], the edict said, would be given to the poor.

It reads in part, “We [the government]…have been deeply affected and displeased to learn that the various Lodges of so-called Freemasons and Illuminati, who are still in our States, have taken so little heed of our General Prohibition issued on June 22nd of last year against all fraternal societies clandestine and unapproved, as to not only continue to hold meetings in secret, but to raise funds, and to recruit new members, seeking to further increase the already large numbers of adepts.”29

It continues, “We had deemed this society, very much degenerated and of primitive institution, too suspect, both as regards to religious concerns and from a social and political point of view, so that we could no longer tolerate it in our States…we command that all authorities must execute our orders exactly and secretly inform us of any disobedience. We declare that all money and any funds collected illegally [by the lodges] shall be confiscated [and] half will be given to the poor, while the other half will go to the denunciator [informant], even if he is a member of one of those societies, with a promise to keep his name confidential.”30

The edict concludes, “We hope that each of our subjects value enough of our favor and his own honor and happiness so that everywhere we can

count on due obedience to our orders and be excused from having to take more severe measures.”31



The 3rd Edict Against the Illuminati

On August 16, 1787, not long after the castle of Baron de Bassus was searched, where more papers were discovered, the third edict against the Illuminati was issued by the Duke of Bavaria saying the penalty would be death for any Illuminati members discovered meeting or recruiting anyone to join them. “Any so charged and found guilty are to be deprived of their lives by the sword; while those thus recruited are to have their goods confiscated and themselves to be condemned to perpetual banishment from the territories of the Duke. Under the same penalties of confiscation and banishment, the members of the order, no matter under what name or circumstances, regular or irregular, they should gather, are forbidden to assemble as lodges.”32

“As more time passes it is further realized how harmful and dangerous the Order of the Illuminati will be for the State and religion if allowed to flourish here and beyond. It is impossible to predict the deplorable effects that would result for posterity if we stand back, if not handled very seriously while there is still time to forcefully eradicate a disease which is far more daunting than the plague itself.”33

“…for the recruiter he is to be deprived of life by the sword, and for the recruited he will be sentenced to have his property confiscated and banished for life from all States of His Electoral Highness, with a promise of never being allowed to return. Under the same penalties of forfeiture and expulsion, the prohibited Lodges of the Illuminati, under whatever name they may hide and carefully present themselves, in all places, must be subject to rigorous surveillance. Those in lodge attire will be held and treated as if they had attended meetings in secret, in suspect places such as hotels or particular houses, and we will not allow the futile excuse usually given—an honest society of good friends—especially when those present have already been suspected of impiety and Illuminism.”34



The 4th Edict Against the Illuminati

Most mainstream sources (including the often inaccurate and completely unreliable Wikipedia) claim that shortly after the third edict was issued in 1787, the Illuminati were completely irradiated and weren’t much of a concern after that. The problem is—the Duke of Bavaria actually issued a fourth edict a few years later in 1790 saying that the Illuminati was not only still active but were continuing to recruit new members!

On November 15, 1790, the following announcement against the Illuminati was issued by the Duke, saying, “The Elector has learned, partly by the spontaneous confession of some members, party by sound intelligence, that despite the Edicts of July 14, 1784 and August 16th 1785 (and in the same month in 1787), the Illuminati still hold, albeit in smaller numbers, secret meetings through the Electorate, but especially in Munich and the surrounding area; they continue to attract young men to the cause and have maintained a correspondence with [secret] societies and with members in other countries.”35

It goes on, “They continue to attack the State and especially religion, either verbally or through pamphlets…Every speech, every printed book or manuscript against religion and the state must be reported to the authorities or the Elector [Duke] himself, as well as any secret meetings. Those who have remained silent on these issues, having indeed been proven to have possessed information, will be severely punished. The denunciator, even if he was an accessory to the crime, will receive a cash reward along with the other, and his identity will be kept confidential.”36

The fourth edict clearly warns, “Any member who has assisted in a secret meeting, has recruited new members or corresponded with [secret] societies or brothers in other countries, will be mercilessly punished by death. Any civil servant or [those in the] military, any holder of a beneficial

office, a parish priest, etc., must swear that he has not and will never form a part of the sect or they’ll be convicted of perjury and shall be punished accordingly.”37



Taking Over the Government

One of the original Illuminati defectors named Joseph von Utzschneider, who gave a deposition to the court about the Illuminati plans, warned that they planned to “introduce a worldwide moral regime which would be under their control in every country. This council would decide on all matters concerning pardons, appointments and promotions, as well as rejections…This would give it the unlimited right to pronounce final judgment over the honesty and usefulness of an individual.”38

The confiscated correspondence between members confirms this allegation. One of the letters reads, “The Order must possess the power of life and death in consequence of our oath; and with propriety, for the same reason, and by the same right, that any government in the world possesses it —for the Order comes in their place, making them unnecessary. When things cannot be otherwise, and ruin would ensue if the association did not employ this mean, the Order must, as well as public rulers, employ it for the good of mankind; therefore for its own preservation.”39

Many letters clearly revealed their intent to deceive people in order to “insure their happiness.”40 Weishaupt’s megalomaniacal goals of world domination become clear with such statements as, “the Order will, for its own sake, and therefore certainly, place every man in that situation in which he can be most effective. The pupils are convinced that the Order will rule the world. Every member therefore becomes a ruler.”41

“The great strength of our Order lies in its concealment; let it never appear in any place in its own name, but always covered by another name, and another occupation.”42 This has effectively happened with private organizations like the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bilderberg Group, and the Federal Reserve—basically taking over the key power centers in society. It must be pointed out that the Founding Fathers of America wrote

down their grievances with the Monarch in the Declaration of Independence and 56 men signed their names to it and sent it off to the king of England. They didn’t hide their intentions or deceive people hoping to further their aims. They were open and honest about their beliefs, tactics, and goals— unlike Weishaupt and the Illuminati—who used deception and fraud as a standard practice.

Similarly, when theologian Martin Luther opposed the tyrannical control of the Catholic Church over 250 years before Weishaupt, he wrote down his grievances and nailed them on the front door of his local church in 1517. He didn’t lie or deceive anyone about his hopes of breaking the Catholic Church’s stranglehold on society, but fellow German, Adam Weishaupt, was power-hungry himself, and instead of wanting to free society from the tyranny of the Jesuits and the Catholic Church, he wanted to be the tyrant himself.



Inducting New Members

Various venues were used for recruiting new members. Once someone expressed interest to a current member about his desire to overthrow the monarch, that person was “carefully observed in silence,” and if, after consideration by the council, “the Novice” as they were called, were thought to be a possible asset, he would be appointed a mentor and invited to a conference.43

One correspondence between members reads, “I shall therefore press the cultivation of science, especially such sciences as may have an influence on our reception in the world; and may serve to remove obstacles out of the way…Only those who are assuredly proper subjects shall be picked out from among the inferior classes for the higher mysteries…And in particular, every person shall be made a spy on another and on all around him.”44

Once given initial approval by the council, the Novice would be shown “certain portions” of the goals and rules of the Order and was instructed to give a weekly account in writing of his progress in carrying out his directives. At this point he was not allowed to take physical possession of any material and had to read it in the Mentor’s house just to make sure they wouldn’t turn it over to authorities, giving them concrete evidence of the conspiracy.45

High level member Baron Von Knigge would later admit, “As a rule, under the veil of secrecy, dangerous plans and harmful teachings can be accepted just as well as noble intentions and profound knowledge; because not all members themselves are informed of such depraved intentions, which sometimes tend to lie hidden beneath the beautiful facade…because for the most part, unknown superiors lie in ambush and it is unworthy of an intelligence man to work according to a plan, which he does not fully see.”46



Another original correspondence brags, “Nothing can escape our sight; by these means we shall readily discover who are contented, and receive with relish the peculiar state-doctrines and religious opinions that are laid before them; and, at last, the trustworthy alone will be admitted to a participation of the whole maxims and political constitution of the Order… In a council composed of such members we shall labor at the creation of means to drive by degrees the enemies of reason and of humanity out of the world, and to establish a peculiar morality and religion fitted for the great society of mankind.”47

In perhaps the most sinister initiation to the higher levels, a prospect was told they had to show their loyalty to the Illuminati by killing someone who betrayed the Order. The candidate was taken before a man bound and gagged who was said to have betrayed their oaths and then handed a knife and blindfolded before being positioned in front of the supposed traitor who they were then ordered to stab. Once the prospect stabbed the “person” in front of them, the blindfold was removed to reveal that the “traitor” had been swapped with a sheep, and the entire charade was a test of their loyalty.48

If the candidate refused to carry out the “murder” of the supposed “traitor,” then they were told they passed the test anyway but were then never allowed to proceed to a higher level and never trusted with any deeper secrets because they had shown they wouldn’t kill for the Order.



Contingency Plans if Discovered

A lot of people claim that because some Illuminati members were discovered and many of their writings published, that they simply gave up and ceased to exist from that point on, but common sense, the Duke of Bavaria’s 4th Edict, and the Illuminati’s own writings suggests otherwise. Weishaupt wrote, “By this plan we shall direct all mankind. In this manner, and by the simplest means, we shall set all in motion and in flames. The occupations must be so allotted and contrived, that we may, in secret, influence all political transactions…I have considered everything, and so prepared it, that if the Order should this day go to ruin, I shall in a year reestablish it more brilliant than ever.”49

“There must not be a single purpose that ever comes in sight that is ambiguous, and that may betray our aims against religion and the State. One must speak sometimes one way and sometimes another, but so as never to contradict ourselves, and so that, with respect to our true way of thinking, we may be impenetrable.”50

“This can be done in no other way but by secret associations, which will by degrees, and in silence, possess themselves of the government of the States, and make use of those means for this purpose.”51

Shortly after the Illuminati were discovered, and believed by many to have been destroyed, Joseph Willard, President of Harvard University, warned, “There is sufficient evidence that a number of societies of the Illuminati have been established in this land of Gospel light and civil liberty, which were first organized from the grand society, in France. They are doubtless secretly striving to undermine all our ancient institutions, civil and sacred. These societies are closely leagued with those of the same Order in Europe; they have all the same object in view. The enemies of all order are seeking our ruin. Should infidelity generally prevail, our

independence would fall of course. Our republican government would be annihilated.”52

Willard was just one of many Americans, including George Washington, who believed the Illuminati survived the intended purge and continued to work under the cover of Freemasonry and other organizations.



The Eradication of Christianity

Unlike theologian Martin Luther who famously nailed his ninety-five grievances on the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg, Germany in 1517, thus starting the Protestant Reformation with the hopes of ending the Catholic Church’s hold on power and their corrupt un-Christian practices and perversion of Jesus’ message—Adam Weishaupt didn’t appreciate Christianity at all, and instead wanted it completely destroyed. Despite his strong differences with the Church, Martin Luther still respected Jesus and his teachings and simply wanted to reform the Church, but Weishaupt wanted the Church and Christianity entirely eradicated.

John Robison wrote, “It surely needs little argument now to prove that the Order of Illuminati had for its immediate object the abolishing of Christianity (at least this was the intention of the Founder) with the sole view of overturning the civil government, by introducing universal dissoluteness and profligacy [reckless] manners, and then getting the assistance of the corrupted subjects to oversee the throne. The whole conduct in the preparation and instruction of the Presbyter and Regens [degrees] is directed to this point.”53

Another letter written by Baron von Knigge said, “I have been at unwearied pains to remove the fears of some who imagine that our Superiors want to abolish Christianity; but by and by their prejudices will wear off, and they will be more at their ease.” He goes on to write that he made sure not to let them know that “our General [Weishaupt] holds all Religion to be a lie, and uses even Deism, only to lead men by the nose.”54

Weishaupt explains, “But I assure you this is no small affair; a new religion, and a new state-government, which so happily explain one and all of these symbols, and combines them in one degree, you may think that this

is my chief work; but I have three other degrees, all different, for my class of higher mysteries; in comparison with which this is but child’s play.”55

Weishaupt even boasts, “Who would imagine that I was to be the founder of a new religion,”56 and continues, “We must, first gradually explain away all our preparatory pious frauds. And when persons of discernment find fault, we must desire them to consider the end of all our labor…Second, we must unfold, from history and other writings, the origin and fabrication of all religious lies; and then, third; we give a critical history of the Order.”57

The plan to destroy Christianity can clearly be seen today with the liberal media and the gay mafia pushing homosexuality in everyone’s face and then accusing Christians of “hate speech” and “bigotry” if they simply disagree with gay marriage or homosexual couples adopting children. There is clearly a double standard in the mainstream media in terms of what is considered “hate speech” because when popular musicians or liberal political commentators spew hateful anti-Christian rhetoric on a continuous basis, such vicious attacks are touted as “justifiable payback” for the Inquisition hundreds of years ago. Imagine if major media figures were to make the same vicious statements about Jews as they do Christians. Their careers would be over before the end of the day and they would be forever branded an “anti-Semite” and never work again.

A popular reverend named Jedediah Morse preached a series of sermons between 1798 and 1799 in New England where he warned about the Illuminati’s assault on Christianity in Boston and the surrounding area, saying, “Practically all of the civil and ecclesiastical establishments of Europe have already been shaken to their foundations by this terrible organization; the French Revolution itself is doubtless to be traced to its machinations; the successes of the French armies are to be explained on the same ground. The Jacobins are nothing more nor less than the open manifestation of the hidden system of the Illuminati. The Order has its branches established and its emissaries at work in America. The affiliated Jacobin Societies in America have doubtless had as the object of their establishment the propagation of the principles of the illuminated mother

club in France...I hold it a duty, my brethren, which I owe to God, to the cause of religion, to my country and to you, at this time, to declare to you, thus honestly and faithfully, these truths. My only aim is to awaken you and myself a due attention, at this alarming period, to our dearest interests. As a faithful watchman I would give you warning of your present danger.”58

Regardless of your personal religious beliefs, you must admit that Christians have been (and continue to be) the primary opposition to the Illuminati and the New World Order, (not to mention the coming Mark of the Beast), and are the final obstacle standing between the Illuminati and their remaining goals. Christians have long warned about the “satanic conspiracy” being perpetuated by the Illuminati and have been on the front lines of the culture war being waged by Hollywood, which aims to destroy what little morality remains in society.



Using Feminism to Breakdown Families

Since one of the Illuminati’s original goals was to break up the traditional family unit so children would be raised and indoctrinated by the government, they planned on manipulating women through what would later be known as feminism, encouraging them to rebel against their duties of domestic management and motherhood.

“There is no way of influencing men so powerfully as by means of the women,” the original writings read. “These should therefore be our chief study; we should insinuate ourselves into their good opinion, give them hints of emancipation from the tyranny of public opinion, and of standing up for themselves; it will be an immense relief to their enslaved minds to be freed from any one bond of restraint, and it will fire them the more, and cause them to work for us with zeal, without knowing that they do so; for they will only be indulging their own desire of personal admiration.”59

What this means is they planned on transforming women into selfcentered, narcissistic, pleasure seeking sluts, and promote this behavior under the banner of “freedom,” so instead of raising their children and keeping their families in balance, they would have the government raise their kids while turning against their husbands and disrupt the family unit in hopes of redirecting people’s loyalty and love to the State instead of each other.

In more modern times this same method has been applied to promote the feminist movement in the 1970s through the creation of Ms. Magazine and the push to demonize stay-at-home moms. Kim Kardashian and other skilless skanks are promoted as role models even though they have no real value, and are worthless and talentless false idols advertised by the mainstream media as modern day royalty. The hypocrisy of feminism is astounding. For example, feminists who cry about sexism and the

“culturally programed gender roles” only want to give up the roles society expects of them, while still demanding men to continue following theirs.

Women who whine about “equal rights” still expect men to always pay for dates and buy them expensive gifts. Women who don’t feel it’s their duty to know how to cook still feel men should fix things around the house and diagnose their car problems. And of course, feminist women who proclaim they want to end the gender roles still expect their man to cough up thousands of dollars on a diamond engagement ring when the courtship is on the road to marriage. Feminism is a one-way hypocritical double standard street that not only targets men, but also other women who resist giving in to this cultural Marxism.

Mothers who choose to be stay-at-home moms and raise their own children or who enjoy cooking for their family are labeled “victims” of a “male-dominated ideology.” Feminism pressures women to turn their children over to daycare centers and trade in working around the home for being stuck in a cubicle sitting in front of a computer all day. Feminism has led to an entire generation being raised in single parent homes with many mothers turning to government assistance, costing the taxpayers countless dollars—not to mention tens of millions of children growing up without the guidance and supervision of two parents.

Adam Weishaupt himself was an unfaithful husband who actually impregnated his wife’s sister, which he revealed in one of his correspondences. In hopes of killing the baby to hide his adulterous behavior he gave his sister-in-law an “abortion tea,” and it appears from his letter about the issue that he also repeatedly punched his mistress in the stomach hoping to abort the child.

“I am now in the most embarrassing situation; it robs me of all rest, and makes me unfit for everything. I am in danger of losing at once my honor and my reputation, by which I have long had such influence. What think you—my sister-in-law is with child,” he wrote.



He continues, “We have tried every method in our power to destroy the child; and I hope she is determined on everything—even d –– [believed to mean death]. But alas! Euriphon is, I fear, too timid. Alas! poor woman, thou art now under the disciplina arcani [the Discipline of the Secret] and I see no other expedient [convenient yet immoral way].”60



Using Schools to Indoctrinate the Youth

Tyrants throughout history have known that if they are to effectively maintain their power they must indoctrinate the youth with their brand of propaganda to ensure as the children come of age, they will blindly support the leader and his ideologies. Adolf Hitler used the Nazi Youth program to brainwash children beginning at a young age; the Taliban in Afghanistan banned girls from going to school at all to keep them ignorant; and North Korea’s strict control of their education system are just a few examples of this in our modern era.

“We must win the common people in every corner,” the original Illuminati writings read. “This will be obtained chiefly by means of the schools, and by open, hearty behavior, show, condescension, popularity, and toleration of their prejudices, which we shall at leisure root out and dispel.”61

The indoctrination of students by the public school system is clear today with programs like Common Core and the promotion of the Big Government nanny state and the gay lifestyle while demonizing the second Amendment right to bear arms and belief in God. Being a Christian in public schools is not only frowned upon, but out right ridiculed, and favorably mentioning the word “God” or “Jesus” has basically been banned.62

Charlotte Iserbyt who was the head of policy at the Department of Education during the Reagan administration discovered how tax-exempt foundations were shaping the American education system to eliminate critical thinking and innovation by turning students into zombies who only regurgitate what they’re told. She published her findings in her book The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America. Iserbyt and others assert that Skull & Bones runs the Department of Education, which dictates what is taught to

the kids. Skull & Bones also controls the American Historical Association which dictates the “official” version of American history by carefully crafting an often one-sided and biased view of what really happened.

While the vast majority of students who attend public schools are primarily concerned with the latest teen idol, their favorite professional sports teams, or simply getting drunk and high, children of the elite are taught team building, networking skills, and other tools to prepare them to rapidly advance up the social hierarchy once they enter the “real world.”

Philips Exeter Academy is just one example of a private boarding school which was set up for the children of the elite to prepare them for life in the upper class. The Illuminati has largely funded this school and used it to educate their children and prepare them for their duties later in life. In 1930 Edward Harkness (a member of Skull & Bones’ sister organization Wolf’s Head) donated $5.8 million dollars to the school under the condition that their method of teaching students would change to what he called the Aristotelian method of antiquity.63 Harkness was the second largest shareholder in Rockefeller’s Standard Oil in the early 1900s and was in John D. Rockefeller’s inner circle.

The Rockefeller family has been one of the most powerful Illuminati families for generations and the “Aristotelean method of antiquity” that Edward Harkness paid to implement at Philips Exeter Academy was based on the ideology of the Greek philosopher Aristotle (a student of Plato) who believed that most people were too stupid to govern themselves, and that society should be structured in a way that “philosopher kings” should rule and decide what was best for the people.



Controlling the Media

Weishaupt knew the power of information, and back in his time there was obviously no television, radios or Internet, but there were books, libraries, and reading clubs, and he knew how important it was to control them if he wanted to manage what information reached the minds of the public. In one correspondence he wrote, “By establishing reading societies, and subscription libraries, and taking these under our direction, and supplying them through our labors, we may turn the public mind which way we will.”64 [Which way we will, meaning the direction they desired.]

He goes on to write, “In like manner we must try to obtain an influence in the military academies (this may be of mighty consequence); the printing-houses, booksellers shops, chapters, and in short in all offices which have any effect, either in forming, or in managing, or even in directing the mind of man.”65

Another letter written by a different member identified as Cato [real name Xaver von Zwack] points out, “We get all the literary journals. We take care, by well-timed pieces [articles], to make the citizens and the Princes a little more noticed for certain little slips.”66 What this means is they planned to use the newspapers to attack their enemies. “A little more noticed for certain little slips” means to highlight and reinforce anything officials have said or done that can be used against them.

Author Terry Melanson explains in his excellent book, Pefectibilists, that, “Without having to ascend a series of initiations and meaningless rituals—such as those of Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism—like-minded individuals could gather in reading societies, form an intellectual social circle, and discuss the literature of the Enlightenment and the politics of the day. Those who directed these societies had control of the material being

read and discussed. It became a perfect vehicle to instill radical or subversive views.”67

Today, much of the American mainstream media and other outlets in countries around the world are under the control of the government. In some countries the State-controlled television is clearly evident, but in places like America such control is done more covertly, leading many to believe that it is a “free and independent” press. In 1975 a congressional investigation discovered the CIA had virtually every editor from the major news outlets in their pocket.68 The Church Hearings, as they were called, uncovered the government was spending a billion dollars a year (in 2014 dollars) to secretly pay editors and reporters to work as gatekeepers and propagandists for the establishment.69 The program was dubbed Operation Mockingbird.

Of course, after it was exposed, the CIA claimed to have ended their media manipulation, which is a laughable lie. Even the former President of CBS, Sig Mickeson, admitted that CIA continued to maintain relationships with top media figures, “…but because of all the revelations of the period of the 1970s, it seems to me a reporter has to be a lot more circumspect when doing it now or he runs the risk of at least being looked at with considerable disfavor by the public. I think you’ve got to be much more careful about it.”70 In more recent times, the Operation Mockingbird program has been adapted to social media as well.

President Obama appointed a Harvard Law professor named Cass Sunstein to a cabinet level position in order to set up countless fake social media accounts and “troll” the comments section of news articles, YouTube videos, and Facebook pages in attempts to discredit news stories the White House thought were damaging to the establishment.71 One of Edward Snowden’s leaks revealed that the NSA took things even further by having paid trolls harass and defame people online who the establishment thought were causing too much trouble for the government’s well-controlled narrative in attempts to erode their credibility and fan base.72



The NSA also developed technology to spoof e-mails, SMS messages, inflate or deflate the view count on YouTube videos, adjust the ranking of websites, manipulate the outcome of online polls, or simply shut down someone’s social media presence all together for phony “terms of service” violations.73

For decades both the Pentagon and the CIA have had entire divisions dedicated to working with Hollywood in order to literally help produce major television shows and movies. When studios want access to expensive military equipment like aircraft and tanks or actual Army bases, they approach these government television and film liaisons and if the storyline is seen as portraying a current war or a particular military branch or government agency in a favorable light, then the projects are approved and producers are given access to consultants, equipment, uniforms, military bases, and even given active duty servicemen and women to work as extras.

As Fortune magazine once pointed out in article titled Hollywood’s Military Complex, “Even in an age of special effects, it’s exponentially cheaper to film on actual military ships with real military advisers…The fulcrum of Hollywood’s unlikely partnership is Phil Strub, a former film school student and Navy videographer, now the entertainment liaison at the Department of Defense.”74 Strub is just one of several such men who work full-time with the television and film studios on behalf of the government.

In the 1990s the CIA assigned Chase Brandon to be their liaison to Hollywood in order to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between the entertainment industry and the CIA.75 These government entertainment liaisons maintain script approval and have been known to make dramatic changes to screenplays before they are approved in order to achieve the government’s propaganda goals. The Recruit (2003), The Sum of All Fears (2002), Argo (2012), Lone Survivor (2013), and many, many other popular films and television shows have all been produced with the consent, oversight, and input of the CIA or the Pentagon.76



Infiltration of Freemasonry

Illuminati frontman Adam Weishaupt loved the idea of using existing secret societies to help grow his organization, saying, “Nothing can bring this about but hidden societies. Hidden schools of wisdom are the means which will one day free men from their bonds. These have in all ages been the archives of nature, and of the rights of men; and by them shall human nature be raised from her fallen state.”77

One of the primary vehicles used to conceal and further their agenda was (and still is) Freemasonry. Already an established occult organization in his time, Weishaupt had goals of using the fraternity for his own means, and in July 1782 he infiltrated Freemasonry and introduced what he called Illuminated Freemasonry.78 Using the existing structure of Freemasonry he created factions which were dedicated to his cause and with their ruthlessness and obsession, his supporters quickly took control of the highest levels within lodges across Europe.

In his own words Weishaupt explains the importance of using this preexisting fraternity as the ideal cover, saying, “None is fitter than the three lower degrees of Freemasonry; the public is accustomed to it, expect little from it, and therefore takes little notice of it.”79 “I declare and I challenge all mankind to contradict my declaration, that no man can give any account of the order of Freemasonry, of its origin, of its history, of its object, nor any explanation of its mysteries and symbols, which does not leave the mind in total uncertainty on all these points. Every man is entitled therefore, to give any explanation of the symbols and a system of the doctrine that he can render palatable.”80

Knowing the power of claiming to have possession of a great secret, he knew how men could be manipulated into doing his bidding, hoping to have the great secret someday revealed to them. “Of all the means I know to lead

men, the most effectual is a concealed mystery. The hankering of the mind is irresistible; and if once a man has taken it into his head that there is a mystery in a thing, it is impossible to get it out, either by argument or experience. And then, we can so change notions by merely changing a word.”81

A certificate from an Illuminati infiltrated Freemason lodge in Munich contains a pyramid with the sun over the capstone and the seal on the certificate shows the Owl of Minerva, a symbol of wisdom to the Illuminati, and the mascot of the Bohemian Grove.82

One of the most popular books on the definitions of Freemasonry’s symbols also confirms that Weishaupt successfully infiltrated the fraternity and introduced his plot to the inner circle. The Lexicon of Freemasonry was first published in 1845 by Albert G. Mackey, a 33rd degree Freemason, who was one of the most prominent scholars on the subject of Freemasonry in his day. The book contains an alphabetized list of most Masonic symbols accompanied by a detailed explanation of their esoteric meaning.

In the entry on the Illuminati, Mackey admits, “Weishaupt was a radical in politics, and an infidel in religion; and he organized this association, not more for purposes of aggrandizing himself, than overturning Christianity and the institutions of society. With the view of carrying his objects more completely into effect, he united himself with a lodge of Freemasons in Munich, and attempted to graft his system of Illuminism upon the stock of Freemasonry…Many Freemasons, misled by the construction of his first degrees, were enticed into the order.”83

Popular 20th century occult writer Alice Bailey, who claimed her books were dictated to her by a supernatural entity, wrote that, “There is no dissociation between the One Universal Church, the sacred inner Lodge of all true Masons, and the innermost circles of the esoteric societies…It must not be forgotten that only those souls who are on the Probationary Path or the Path of Discipleship will form the nucleus of the coming new world religion.”84



The role of Freemasonry in the Illuminati will be expanded on later in this book, along with a history of this fascinating fraternity and their transformation from a stonemason trade union to the spiritual secret society it is today.



Connections to Yale’s Skull & Bones

Skull & Bones, the secret society at Yale University, is often said to be simply a fraternity, but it’s far from it. It is actually not only a secret society, but its what’s called a senior society, meaning students aren’t full-fledged members until their senior year. It was the first senior society at the university and the first secret society as well. Students don’t just pledge to join hoping to get chosen like they do at fraternities—instead they are recruited if they are seen as possible valuable servants.

Skull & Bones members are responsible for creating the CIA, the Federal Reserve, the Department of Education, the American Historical Society, and various media monopolies. Skull & Bones doesn’t just have identical symbols, ideologies and goals in common with the Illuminati, there are some other very specific pieces of evidence that show a direct link between the two groups.

William Huntington Russell, one of the two founders of Skull & Bones, was studying abroad in Germany just before he returned to America and founded the organization in 1832 using the same symbols, riddles, initiation practices, and having essentially the same goals as the Bavarian Illuminati.

Of course the very emblem of Skull & Bones or the “Brotherhood of Death,” as they are often called, is a sinister skull and cross bones, identical to the Death’s Dead (totenkopf) pin that Nazis operating the death camps wore during World War II. The skull and cross bones (Jolly Rodger) emblem was also used by the Knights Templar, and was the symbol of pirates due to its intimidating look and was meant to convey that they hold the power over life and death. Many Freemasons have a human skull (real or a replica) on their desk in their office or in the “chamber of reflection” in the Lodge.



In 1876 a group of Yale students broke into the Skull & Bones headquarters to investigate this shady organization and then published a detailed newsletter titled The Fall of Skull and Bones about what they discovered inside. The burglars called themselves “File & Claw,” partly to mock Skull & Bones, but also because they used a file and crow bar to remove several security bars that covered the boarded up windows in the group’s headquarters, a building that looks like, and is called, “the Tomb.” One of the more interesting things they found once inside was a framed card on the wall that read, “From the German Chapter, Presented by Patriarch D.C. Gilman of D. 50.”

I’ll point out again that founder William Huntington Russell was in Germany, the hotbed of Illuminati revolutionaries, and the File & Claw intruders reported an open burial vault inside that contained four human skulls and a plaque written in German reading, “Wer war der Thor, wer Weiser, Bettler oder Kaiser? Ob Arm, ob Reich, im Tode gleich,” which in English says, “Who was the fool, who was the wise man, beggar or king? Whether poor or rich, all is the same in death.” This is extremely interesting when you learn this same cryptic riddle is virtually identical to the one given at the initiation ritual of the Bavarian Illuminati.

In his 1798 book Proofs of a Conspiracy, one of the first books to contain English translation of the confiscated Illuminati writings, John Robison describes the initiation ceremony into the “Regent Degree” of Illuminism, in which the initiate would be placed in front of a skeleton that had a crown and a sword at its feet, and the men were asked whether it was the skeleton of a king, nobleman, or a beggar. No matter their answer, the lodge president would explain, “The character of being a man is the only one that is of importance.”85

This means they don’t believe in an afterlife or a divine judgment by God and is used to instill a Social Darwinistic might is right world view. More on this philosophy and the history of Skull & Bones later.



What Ever Happened to Adam Weishaupt?

Adam Weishaupt’s fate is often forgotten in the wake of the Illuminati since the man himself was overshadowed by the monstrous conspiracy he gave birth to. In 1785 he was fired from his job at Ingolstadt University where he was the head of the law department.86 At this time authorities didn’t know he was involved with the Illuminati (let alone the leader and founder) but soon the Bavarian government began to learn about the Illuminati and tighten the noose in their quest to eliminate them, so Weishaupt later fled Bavaria dressed as a craftsman to avoid detection since authorities were now on the lookout for him. He was given exile in Gotha (a city in the German state of Thuringia, located just north of Bavaria) which was under control of Illuminati sympathizer Duke Ernest II. There he worked as a legal advisor for the Duke’s court until he died in 1830 at the age of 82.

After Weishaupt fled Bavaria to avoid capture, a book printer named J.J.C. Bode would take the lead as the head of the Illuminati, and used his printing shop to continue to spread Enlightenment philosophies throughout Europe. Bode traveled from Germany to France and imported the Illuminati into French masonic lodges which later became instrumental in the French Revolution. After J.J.C. Bode, the leader was Karl Leonard Reinhold, a Freemason who believed Moses incorporated secrets from the Egyptian priesthood into the fraternity.

After Weishaupt’s first wife died, he married her sister (the one who he impregnated while his wife was still alive and tried to kill the baby). He and his new wife had their first son Wilhelm the following year in 1784, who died at the age of eighteen in 1802.

Adam himself died when he was eighty-two and was survived by his second wife, Anna Maria, and six children, two daughters (Nanette and

Charlotte), and his four sons Ernst, Karl, Eduard, and Alfred, who all went on to serve as officers in the military.



French Revolution Connections

There are still whispers that the French Revolution was the work of the Illuminati, specifically the work of “Illuminated Masonic lodges” that were infected with Adam Weishaupt’s revolutionary goals. While many historians argue that the French Revolution was the result of a random and organic uprising of the French people against the oppressive Monarchy, others saw the strings being pulled from behind the scenes by the Illuminati.

While head of the Illuminati, J.J.C. Bode took two trips to Paris not long before the French Revolution, where he introduced the Illuminati to French Freemason lodges under the new name of the Philadelphes. Revolutionary and radical Enlightenment ideologies grew under the cover of various French Masonic lodges, reading societies, and Jacobin clubs, all of which were influential in organizing the French Revolution.

Bode wrote in his journal on June 30, 1787 that he met with French Freemason Charles-Pierre-Paul, marquis de Langes Savalette who would soon be involved with the revolution, and on July 3rd he made an entry about meeting with French Revolution National Assembly member Francois-Antoine Lemoyne Daubermesnil to specifically discuss the Illuminati!87

Historian Charles Porset of the National Scientific Research Center in France confirmed that Bode’s journal was authentic, saying, “the Journal has now been published by a German scholar, Hermann Schuttler, and it confirms in all respects the idea put forward by Rossberg of collusion between the Illuminati and the Philadelphes. Moreover, a ‘secret lodge is then created’—the Lodge of the Philadelphes…The unedited correspondences found in the Kloss archives housed in the Library of Grand Orient of the Netherlands, between Bode, von Busch and the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, which I’ve published, prove it. ‘We agreed,’ wrote Bode,

‘that for France, we would adopt the name Philadelphes instead of Illuminati.’”88

Another clear piece of evidence linking masonic lodges to the French Revolution is a letter from Duke Philip of Orleans that was sent out to all French Masonic lodges which reads, “all the Lodges are summoned to confederate together, to unite their efforts to maintain the revolution; to gain over it, in all parts, friends, partisans, and protectors; to propagate the flame, to vivify the spirit, to excite zeal and ardor for it, in every state, and by every means in their power.”89

In 1791 a book titled The Veil Withdrawn was published which was one of the first books to connect Freemasonry to the French Revolution. In 1792 a booklet titled The Tomb of Jacues Molay was released by Cadet de Gassicourt that linked the revolution to the Knights Templar. A few years later in 1803 a German man named Johann Starck published Triumph of Philosophy where he too claimed the Illuminati used Masonic lodges as a cover for organizing the French Revolution.





The Thirteen Bloodlines Theory

People sometimes refer to the “Illuminati bloodlines” or the “top thirteen bloodlines of the Illuminati” as the ruling elite within the pyramid of power that controls our world. A dozen or two names are thrown around and said to be Illuminati families who interbreed with each other to retain their wealth and power among the small group of ruling elite. The most common alleged thirteen bloodlines are: Astor, Bundy, Collins, DuPont, Freeman, Kennedy, Li, Onassis, Rockefeller, Rothschild, Russell, Van Duyn, and the Merovingian bloodline.

One of the more popular promoters of this theory is Fritz Springmeier, who in 1999 published Bloodlines of the Illuminati, where he wrote, “The goal of this book is to lay out the historical facts about these elite bloodlines…once one understands these bloodlines, wars between kings no longer appear as wars between elite factions, but often can be recognized as contrived wars created to control the masses of both sides by their greedy Machiavellian masters.”90

Springmeier continues, “The Illuminati themselves decided to elevate 13 bloodlines. The number 13 is extremely important magically, and these 13 occult tribes mock the 13 tribes of Israel (remember the 13th tribe, the Tribe of Joseph was split into Ephraim & Manasseh). This does not mean that only 13 Illuminati bloodlines are powerful. There are other families that have risen to prominence. Further, worldwide there are other families of great oligarchical power who have allied themselves to the Illuminati in the political and economic realms without having to intermarry into the Illuminati.”91

While Fritz’s book appears on the surface to be an impressive analysis of the supposed thirteen bloodlines, it is clear that he bought into several known hoaxes and reprinted them as fact, such as the widely debunked claims of John Todd, a man who in the 1970s claimed to be an Illuminati

“defector” belonging to one of the “Illuminati bloodlines.”92 Springmeier also claims that the Illuminati have been operating a space station on Mars, which he says they began colonizing in the late 1990s.93

A much more credible researcher, Antony Sutton, who was given a Skull & Bones membership list in the early 1980s by the daughter of a member, has a much more accurate and rational approach. In his excellent analysis, America’s Secret Establishment, Sutton has stated that twenty to thirty families have dominated the Skull & Bones society since its creation in 1832 and his book provides a scholarly overview of their activities.

The thirteen bloodlines theory is essentially a more modern version of the ancient “divine right of kings” theory, which was perpetuated for thousands of years, claiming that God ordained families of monarchs and kings to rule. In many cases, as with Egyptian Pharaohs, the Caesars of Rome, and the Chinese Dynasties, kings believed (or at least claimed to believe) that they themselves were Gods or literal descendants of the Gods, which in turn, they thought, gave them the divine right to rule. This is not just an ancient idea. The Nazi’s actually believed that white people were the descendants from the (supposed) God-like inhabitants of the Lost City of Atlantis.

Adolf Hitler and his inner circle of Nazi officers, including Heinrich Himmler, Rudolph Hess, and Joseph Georbels, literally believed that white people (the Aryan race, as they liked to call them) were descendants of Gods that once inhabited the Earth, who supposedly lived in the City of Atlantis. The Nazis thought the myth of the “Lost City” was literal history and when the city allegedly sunk into the sea, according to their beliefs, several of the demigods fled to the Himalayas of Tibet where they were said to have started the Nordic and Aryan races.

According to Nazi philosophy, the Jews, claiming to be “God’s chosen people,” were preventing the Aryans from their “divine right” to rule the earth, and race-mixing was weakening the magical power of the Aryan race. Hitler was largely inspired by Helena Blavatsky’s 1888 book, The Secret

Doctrine, which claims that Satan helped free Man in the Garden of Eden, thus allowing humans to “evolve” into gods ourselves. “Satan will now be shown, in the teaching of the Secret Doctrine, allegorized as Good, and Sacrifice, a God of Wisdom,” the book reads.94 “Blessed and sanctified is the name of the Angel of Havas—Satan,” Blavatsky wrote.95

Mainstream historians focus on the racial aspects of the Nazis quest for power, but often ignore the root of their ideology which was a twisted occult doctrine and literally based on Satanism and the belief that they had divine blood in their veins and were descendants of gods. A German secret society called the Thule Society gave birth to the Nazi party and operated much like the Skull & Bones society does in America, working to groom the country’s future leaders. The Thule Society’s logo was a swastika with a dagger in front of it.

The “most royal candidate” theory is the belief that every presidential election in the United States has been won by the candidate with the most royal blood, thus having the closest ties to the kingship bloodline of Europe.96 Proponents of the theory claim that every U.S. president since George Washington can have their bloodline traced back to European royals, and say at least thirty-three presidents are descendants of Alfred the Great and Charlemagne.97

But this begs the question of why a small group of families would consider themselves to have “royal blood.” What exactly does “royal blood” mean? Well, it means that they believe they are direct descendants of the Gods. People who subscribe to this theory often point to a passage in the Book of Genesis in the Bible as evidence. Genesis 6:1-2 reads, “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” Genesis 6:4 continues, “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.”



Some Christians and Biblical scholars believe that the “Sons of God” which came and took the daughters of men and had children with them, were an alien race called the Annunaki. Some versions of the Bible clearly say that the Sons of God were “supernatural beings” and clearly refers to some kind of alien creatures who came to earth and mated with human females, creating some kind of alien/human hybrid called the Nephilim.

Some believe that God caused the great flood hoping to destroy these Nephilim creatures and then have Noah, his sons and their wives, later repopulate the earth after they emerged safely from the Ark. According to some beliefs, those supposed hybrid creatures survived and went on to become the first kings and queens, and later evolved into what we refer to as the Illuminati today.

The myth that Jesus Christ secretly had a child with Mary Magdalene was brought into the mainstream through Dan Brown’s 2003 book The Da Vinci Code, which was inspired by the widely debunked Holy Blood, Holy Grail (1982). Dan Brown’s novel was made into a film in 2006 starring Tom Hanks, which carried the idea to a much larger audience who wholeheartedly believed the hoax of the “Jesus bloodline.”

According to the myth, the Knights Templar and Freemasons are the guardians of the Holy Grail, which according to this theory, the Grail refers to the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, thus the “Holy Grail” is the divine bloodline whose supposed members have to live in secret to protect themselves from being killed by the Catholic Church, which allegedly will do anything to prevent this “secret truth” from being known, because it would undermine their power.

This Jesus bloodline myth may very well be unveiled at some point in time as “evidence” of the Illuminati’s supposed “divine right to rule” by claiming they are the literal descendants of Jesus. It may very well culminate with the appearance of the antichrist who will claim to be the

long awaited messiah of the world and cite his alleged genetic connection to Jesus as evidence that he is the return of Christ.

When looking into the supposed “bloodlines of the Illuminati” you will often come across people talking about “the Reptilians” who believe the Illuminati are literally a group of “shape shifting extraterrestrials” or demonic inter-dimensional entities masquerading as humans in order to work towards enslaving the human race. The “Reptilian” theory is widely ridiculed, although a sizable portion of the population has no doubt that famous politicians and celebrities are “impostors,” only pretending to be human.98 Many of the Reptilian claims are something straight out of the XFiles, the popular paranormal thriller from the 1990s, and are virtually identical to the plot of a 1980s mini series titled V (for visitors).

A British conspiracy theorist named David Icke is largely responsible for spreading this theory, and claims these “Reptillian Illuminati” have to drink human blood, “because they are drinking the person’s life-force and because they need it to exist in this dimension in a human form.”99 More recently Icke seems to have distanced himself from “Reptlillians” and began focusing on the Archons, which refer to supernatural agents of the evil Gnostic creator God, the Demiurge. Icke is also a big proponent that these “Reptillian Illuminati” families have interbred with each other throughout history to maintain their unique bloodline and hide their secret from outsiders.

In ancient times it was fairly easy to control who would marry whom, and keep royal families breeding with other royal families. Most people marry others in the same socioeconomic level because they run in the same circles, attend the same prestigious universities, and grow up in the same wealthy neighborhoods. While the ancient alien/nephilim bloodline theory is interesting on its surface, there is little to no evidence that people from these supposed royal or divine/alien/reptillian families have any significant difference in their DNA from “regular” people, or “commoners” as we are called. In more modern times the regulation of who marries whom through arranged marriages has become nearly impossible to control, so if this

theory were true, then the “alien” DNA would be so widely spread that we would be seeing it pop up in medical reports around the world.

One likely reason for a small number of families rising to power in the ancient past is that they just so happened to be living on fertile land, allowing them to have healthy and strong offspring due to an abundance of food and easily accessible water. As they say in real estate—location, location, location. These issues are explored in detail in the Pulitzer Prize winning book Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (1997), written by Jared Diamond. His research presents the case that a variety of environmental factors, not any genetic or intellectual superiority, has been the reason certain cultures have dominated most others around the world.

I certainly wouldn’t rule out the possibility that some kind of extraterrestrial (or demonic) race is secretly working with the Illuminati leadership and directing them in their affairs, but the subject of aliens is beyond the scope of this book and in most cases the “evidence” of such beings is impossible to verify (at least at this point) or limited to interpretations of ancient art or “video evidence” of unidentified flying objects—most of which are top secret experimental aircraft or hoaxes. Aliens (or demons) working with the Illuminati is one thing—a handful of families interbreeding with each other to keep their “alien family tree” a secret amongst themselves is something totally different.







Affiliated Secret Societies

Secret societies entered popular culture in the 21st century, thanks in part to Dan Brown’s novels and Hollywood films like The Skulls (2000) and National Treasure (2004). As the 2004 United States presidential election approached, it was reported in mainstream news that both George W. Bush and his opponent John Kerry were members of Skull & Bones, the now somewhat well-known secret society based at Yale University. The correct terminology is actually that they “are” members, not that they “were” members, since it’s a lifetime membership starting their senior year of college.

While many people have now heard of Skull & Bones, most falsely believe it’s just an elite fraternity for rich kids, but Skull & Bones differs from a fraternity in several key ways. First of all, nobody “pledges to join” the club hoping to get accepted. Instead they recruit people who are seen as worthy to be members. The club doesn’t do any charity work, which is common with most fraternities, and their entire focus is geared for members’ postgraduate life which is why someone doesn’t become an official member until their senior year, as opposed to rushing a fraternity freshman year like most other college clubs.

While there are countless secret societies on college campuses around the world, Skull & Bones is in a league of their own in terms of their power and influence. While they are perhaps one of the more well-known secret societies (thanks to the Internet), there are certainly other powerful (and dangerous) ones that are lesser known.

There are secret societies of businessmen, politicians, and media moguls, (like the Bilderberg Group and the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference); there is a secret society of scientists (the Jasons); there’s even a secret society of secretaries (the Seraphic Society), who cater to men in other secret societies. Few people know that there is a secret society of

women modeled after the Bohemian Grove who call themselves the Belizean Grove. Many of these mysterious groups have overlapping members, and at the higher levels work in concert with each other in one giant compartmentalized pyramid-shaped power structure. In this chapter I’ll take you back to the beginning, thousands of years ago, and we’ll slowly move forward in time tracking the evolution of this invisible empire.



Mystery Schools

The first secret societies were called the Mystery Schools, which meant they taught the Ancient Mysteries of life and death. The word “mystic” means one who studied the mysteries, and ancient inquisitive men formed groups or “schools” to study and ponder life’s biggest questions. Certain supposed answers were discovered or myths developed which aimed to help man make sense of his existence here on this planet.

Some see the secret occult knowledge stemming from these Mystery Schools not as evil, but as a tool that can be used for either good or evil, similar to “the Force” in Star Wars. Just as men gather into associations based on common interests like car meets, model airplane clubs and countless other kinds of clubs, men in ancient times who found they had a common interesting pondering the mysteries of life found themselves coming together in these Mystery Schools.

Various Mystery Schools popped up in the ancient world, claiming to, or seeking to, discover the powerful secrets of life, and looking to get in harmony with the divine in order to fully receive the blessings the Universe offers or explain the human condition. While these groups appear to have at one time had the best intensions, many believe they were eventually corrupted and taken over by sinister men who turned the once noble schools into a mafia of madmen who used their superior intellect and social networks to enslave society. Illuminati insider Manly P. Hall explains, "The masses, deprived of their birthright of understanding and groveling in ignorance, eventually became the abject slaves of the spiritual impostors. Superstition universally prevailed and the black magicians completely dominated national affairs, with the result that humanity still suffers from the sophistries [fallacious arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving] of the priestcrafts of Atlantis and Egypt.”100



The esoteric tradition, as it is sometimes called, appears to have begun in Mesopotamia, the oldest human civilization and the first to develop a written language. From there it can be traced to ancient Egypt and the Isis cults (3100 B.C.) and then over to Greece in the Eleusinian Mysteries (1500 BC) involving the Demeter and Persephone cults. During this time the Dionysian Mysteries were practiced in ancient Greece and Rome and included the use of intoxicants and other trance-inducing techniques in attempts to come into a greater understanding of the Mysteries. The Dionysian mysteries were based on Dionysus, one of the Twelve Olympians in Greek mythology, who was the God of wine and ecstasy.

If you keep following the chain, you progress to the Pythagoreans (5 B.C.) and onto other Greek mystery cults like Mithrasim (100 A.D.), then to the Gnostics (1-300 A.D.), to the Knights Templar (1118) and on to the Cathars in the 13th Century, and then to the Jesuits (founded in 1540), continuing to the Rosicrucians (1614), then to Freemasonry (1717) and continuing to the Illuminati (1776); and if you keep moving ahead—when you get to more modern times you’ll see organizations like Skull & Bones (1832), Bohemian Grove (1872), the Federal Reserve Bank (1913), the Council on Foreign Relations (1921), the Bilderberg Group (1954), and so on.

While you may be familiar with some of these major Illuminati organizations, each piece of the puzzle contains countless details and when meticulously assembled, creates a mosaic that reveals a clear and common theme. They are all hierarchical fraternities who use various rituals and pageants to instill in their members that they are a special elite group of masters who know “the truth” that will enable them to become gods among men. In order to preserve their secrets to a select few, initiates often swear blood oaths to never reveal their knowledge to outsiders or those in the lower levels of the hierarchy.



The Knights Templar

At this point in time, many people have heard about the Knights Templar and may be familiar with a little bit of the story surrounding them and the accusations levied against them by the Catholic Church, but few people have taken an extended look into the organization and their activities. While most people believe the accusations of devil worshiping and blasphemous rituals were fabricated by the Catholic Church as an excuse to seize the Templar’s wealth and put them out of commission, you may be very surprised to discover who admits the accusations were actually true.

The Knights Templar name basically means they were the knights of Solomon’s Temple, and were a group of (supposed) Christian knights who volunteered to protect Jerusalem from the Muslims who were trying to seize the land. The Templars were founded in 1118 in France by a man named Hugues de Payens who recruited around nine others, mostly members of his own family, who then offered to protect pilgrims traveling from the coast of the Mediterranean to the Holy Land.

While they were supposedly dedicated “warrior monks” who wanted to supposedly protect the Holy Land, it appears the founders had an ulterior motive, and while the majority of the growing Templar organization may have been wholly dedicated to protecting the Holy Land, the inner circle were busy secretly excavating the site of Solomon’s Temple for treasure and rare artifacts.

Among the most damning allegations made against the Templars was that their inner circle performed satanic homosexual rituals involving a demonic idol called Baphomet. While most people believe these allegations were fabricated by the Catholic Church to demonize the Templars, others have a different view. Eliphas Levi, a popular occultist in the 19th century,

explains, “Did the Templars really adore Baphomet? Did they offer a shameful salutation to the buttocks of the goat of Mendes? What was actually this secret and potent association which imperiled Church and State, and was thus destroyed unheard? Judge nothing lightly; they are guilty of a great crime; they have exposed to profane eyes the sanctuary of antique initiation. They have gathered again and have shared the fruits of the tree of knowledge, so they might become masters of the world.”101

He continues to say, “Yes, in our profane conviction, the Grand Masters of the Order of the Templars worshipped the Baphomet, and caused it to be worshipped by their initiates.”102 In the infamous Satanic Bible, published in 1966 by Anton LaVey (real name Howard Levy), Baphomet is listed as the demon the Knights Templar worshiped.103 So even the Church of Satan’s founder accepts the allegations made against the Templars as true.

Manly P. Hall, a 33rd degree mason best known for his revealing book The Secret Teachings of All Ages, wrote, “The famous hermaphroditic Goat of Mendes was a composite creature formulated to symbolize this astral light. It is identical with Baphomet, the mystic pantheos of those disciples of ceremonial magic, the Templars, who probably obtained it from the Arabians.”104

So, according to Hall and others, it is believed the Templars not only found physical treasure like gold and silver in their executions, but also informational treasure as well, in the form of ancient scrolls where they learned their strange secret doctrine.

Researchers Knight and Lomus, who are certainly not considered “conspiracy theorists,” explained that according to their findings, “Hence it follows that the mysteries of the craft are in reality the mysteries of religion. The Knights were, however, careful not to entrust this important secret to any whose fidelity and discretion had not been fully proved. They therefore invented different degrees to test their candidates, and gave them only symbolical secrets without explanation, to prevent treachery and solely to

enable them to make themselves known to each other. For this purpose it was resolved to use different signs, words and tokens in each degree, by which they would be secured against the Saracens, cowans or intruders.”105

In The History of Magic (published in 1860), Eliphas Levi reveals, “The Templars had two doctrines; one was concealed and reserved to the leaders, being that of Johannism [Gnosticism]; the other was public, being Roman Catholic doctrine. They deceived in this manner the enemies that they hoped to supplant. The Johannism of the adepts was the Kabalah of the Gnostics, but it degenerated speedily into a mystic pantheism carried even to idolatry of Nature and hatred of all revealed dogma…They went even so far as to recognize the pantheistic symbolism of the grand masters of Black Magic, and the better to isolate themselves from obedience to a religion by which they were condemned before, they rendered divine honors to the monstrous idol Baphomet.”106

Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince also confirm the secret doctrine accusations in their book The Templar Revelation, writing, “It is likely that the majority of the Knights Templar were no more than simple Christian solders they appeared to be, but the inner circle was different. The inner circle of the Templars appears to have existed in order to further active research into esoteric and religious matters. Perhaps one of the reasons for their secrecy was the fact that they dealt with the arcane aspects of the Jewish and Islamic worlds. They sought, literally, the secrets of the universe wherever they suspected they might be found, and in the course of their geographic and intellectual wanderings came to tolerate—perhaps even to embrace—some very unorthodox beliefs.”107

These “unorthodox beliefs” appear to have involved what’s called sex magic (often spelled sex magick with a “k” on the end), which is the practice of incorporating various sex acts into secret rituals in the belief that the sexual energy produced is transformed into spiritual power, allegedly enabling participants to activate dormant supernatural abilities. Theodore Reuss [co-founder of the Ordo Templi Orientis] revealed that sex magic was the greatest secret of occult fraternities, saying, “Our order possesses the key which opens up all Masonic and Hermetic secrets, namely, the

teachings of sexual magic, and this teaching explains, without exception, all the secrets of Freemasonry and all systems of religion.”108 He also said that sex magic was the big secret of the Knights Templar.109

In his companion book to The Secret Teachings of All Ages, titled Lectures on Ancient Philosophy, Manly P. Hall again reveals some amazing occult secrets that few people have discovered about the Templars. He wrote, “It was not the physical power of the Templars, but the knowledge which they had brought with them from the East, that the church feared. The Templars had discovered part of the great Arcanum; they had become wise in those mysteries which had been celebrated in Mecca thousands of years before the advent of Mohammed; they had read a few pages from the dread book of the Anthropos, and for this knowledge they were doomed to die.”110

Eliphas Levi writes in agreement, “It was the memory of this scientific and religious absolute, of this doctrine summarized in a word, of this word alternately lost and recovered, which was transmitted to the elect of all antique initiations…it was this same memory handed on to secret associations of Rosicrucians, Illuminati and Freemasons which gave a meaning to their strange rites, to their less or more conventional signs, and a justification above all to their devotion in common, as well as a clue to their power.”111

This “occult power” wasn’t the only thing that led to their downfall. The Templars, with the help of other secrets they likely learned from the rare scrolls they acquired, ultimately became wealthy bankers who issued loans, not only to people, but to governments and monarchs. The Catholic Church wouldn’t allow people to charge interest on money they lent to someone else because it was considered a sin (called usury), but the church looked the other way when the Templars did it, likely because they needed their protective services in the Holy Land.

Through lending money with interest, the Templars had exploited one of the most powerful and mysterious concepts in the world today. The same

tactic is used by the Illuminati banking cartel through their front groups like the Federal Reserve, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. More on the magic of making money and collecting interest on loans later.



The Jesuits

Fast forward a few hundred years and we can see the Catholic Church following the same pattern of the Templars hoarding knowledge, power, and wealth, so insiders can live like kings by taking advantage of the ignorant masses. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus (aka the Jesuits) in 1540, whose members are also known as the “Pope’s Marines” because of their militant support of the Catholic Church. The Jesuits were founded to fight against the Protestant Reformation with hopes of keeping the Catholic Church in power by any means necessary. While supposedly being a Christian group, the Jesuits’ activities have been anything but.

Some believe that Illuminati founder Adam Weishaupt was covertly working for the Jesuits, but his correspondences reveal he deeply despised the Jesuits, although he did adopt their “ends justifies the means” tactics in hopes of replacing them with his own similar kind of tyranny.

A document titled The Secret Instructions of the Jesuits, was published in the early 1600s, allegedly written by a general in the society, and revealed the supposed tactics and “ends justifies the means” code of the Jesuits. The Church claims the documents are a forgery designed to defame the Jesuits, of course, but when one becomes aware of the ruthless and criminal activities Church insiders have engaged in to gain and maintain their power, it doesn’t really matter if they’re a forgery or not, because the tactics of the Jesuits and the Vatican have become widely known.

The Catholic Church’s crimes are legendary, from imprisoning Galileo for (correctly) declaring the earth revolved around the sun, to the Spanish Inquisition where officials tortured and killed anyone who dared disagree with them. And everyone is familiar with their institutional pedophile problem and the generations of cover-ups they have engaged in to protect the perpetrators.



These actions continue to give Christians a bad name with most antiChristian bigots apparently unaware (or willfully ignoring) the millions of non-Catholic Christians (like Protestants, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, non-denominational groups, etc.) which were (and still are) appalled by the actions of the Catholic Church who, for centuries, held a monopoly on Christianity, albeit their twisted and un-Biblical brand of it.

Jesuits were responsible for the 1605 Gunpowder Plot in England, which was an assassination attempt where the perpetrators, including Guy Fawkes, tried to blow up the House of Parliament to kill King James and the Protestant aristocracy. Every November 5th, bonfires and fireworks are used to commemorate the failure of the plot, an event that has come to be known as Guy Fawkes Night.

Vatican City in Rome is not just a city, but a completely sovereign country owned and operated by the Catholic Church that was established in 1929 by the Lateran treaty. It is only 110 acres and has a population under a thousand people and has over $8 billion dollars in assets.112 The Pope, of course, is the head, and is protected by his own personal army, the Swiss Guard.

The Popes, Bishops and Priests of the Catholic Church are basically the same as the Pharisees who Jesus denounced over 2000 years ago for their hypocrisy and pride due to their spiritual knowledge. One needs to look no further than the Inquisition or the massive institutional cover-up of countless pedophile priests to see the Catholic Church is corrupt to the core. The Catholic Church also diverts and perverts the teachings of Jesus in numerous ways, such as having people confess their sins to a priest instead of to God himself, as well as having sold indulgences, which, if you don’t know, means that people used to pay money to the church and in return a priest would forgive that person’s sins and tell them they could then get into Heaven. Some indulgences were even sold for sins people would commit in the future. Such a practice was clearly a shameful abuse of power and completely contradictory to the teachings of Jesus.



The Catholic Church basically took the freeing messages of Jesus and packaged them up and then sold them to the public, when Jesus had intended them to be accessible to all for free. This is the same thing the Jewish Pharisees did with Judaism causing Jesus to publicly denounce them. It is for these reasons and more that the Vatican, and specifically the Pope is looked at with suspicion regarding the New World Order and is believed by some to one day be the false prophet spoken about in the Bible.

According to Biblical prophecy, the counterfeit Christ (the Antichrist) will be a political figure and the leader of the world, who will be accompanied by the false prophet, a global religious leader that will (wrongfully) confirm to the world that the messiah has arrived when the Antichrist announces he is God. Since the Catholic Church is trying to reinstate itself as the only Christian authority in the world, many see the Pope as a prime candidate for this false prophet.

In 2007 Pope Benedict proclaimed that the Catholic Church was the only place that can offer salvation and held the only key to Heaven.113 He didn’t mean Christianity is the only path to salvation, which is a primary tenant of the faith. He meant specifically that the Catholic Church was the only way to God and that all other Christian denominations were basically leading people astray and were not “true” churches.114

This is the same Pope who, when he was still a Cardinal (then named Cardinal Ratzinger), was in charge of covering up the extensive pedophile priest network which has been operating within (or perhaps in charge of) the Catholic Church for generations.115 A 69-page document typed in Latin and taken from the Vatican’s Secret Archives bearing the seal of Pope John XXIII, was sent to every Bishop in the world in 1962 and contained detailed instructions and policies regarding keeping allegations of sexual abuse a secret.

The title of the documents in Latin, Crimine solicitationies, translates to “Instruction on proceeding in cases of solicitation” and was basically

identical to an earlier set of instructions issued in 1922.116 The documents were confirmed authentic by the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.117

Bishops were instructed to deal with child abuse allegations “in the most secretive way” and were reminded of their commitment to “perpetual silence” for what the documents called the “secret of the Holy Office.”118 They go on to say, “The oath of keeping the secret must be given in these cases also by the accusers or those denouncing the priest and the witnesses.”119 Anyone who speaks of the “secret of the Holy Office” or who admits publicly that any victims have come forward were threatened with excommunication.

All complaints about sexual abuse were stored in the Secret Archives of the Vatican. Daniel Shea, a lawyer for abused children said, “It proves there was an international conspiracy by the Church to hush up sexual abuse issues. It is a devious attempt to conceal criminal conduct and is a blueprint for deception and concealment.”120

Another attorney for abused children, Richard Scorer, said, “We always suspected that the Catholic Church systematically covered up abuse and tried to silence victims. This document appears to prove it. Threatening excommunication to anybody who speaks out shows the lengths the most senior figures in the Vatican were prepared to go to prevent the information getting out to the public domain.”121

This leads to the dark road of what is called sex magic, which is the most sinister secret of Satanism and is covered in the chapter titled Spiritual Beliefs. The leader of the Jesuits is officially called the “Superior General,” often nicknamed the “Black Pope,” and is believed by many to be the actual leader of the Catholic Church who wields his power from behind the scenes.



The Rosicrucians

The Rosicrucians are an interesting secret society-type of group, because the “group” started off as a hoax, really, which then inspired people to actually form such a group (or factions) based on the teachings of the mysterious Rosicrucian Manifestos, the first of which was published in Germany in 1614. Two other manifestos later appeared, one the following year in 1615, and another the year after that, said to have come from a secret brotherhood that made up an Invisible College which was preparing to reveal themselves to the world.

There are various theories as to who the author or authors of these mysterious books were. Many believe they were written by Johann Valentin Andrea, a German Lutheran theologian who was allegedly hoping they would help break the Catholic Church’s stranglehold on power.

Whoever wrote the manifestos chose to release them under the pseudonym Christian Rosencreutz as a symbol for the work because the name translates to Rosy Cross—a rose having been an alchemical symbol of heavenly perfection and paradise. The first manifesto tells a story of how “Christian Rosencreutz” went on a journey to the Middle East to study the occult and the ancient mysteries. The books are said to contain hidden meanings and esoteric knowledge which could only be revealed to a select few.

In the texts, “Christian Rosencreutz” wrote about a future utopia where people of different religions would all worship the same God in their own style while having tolerance for all other views. Of course, the Catholic Church condemned the manifestos and anyone who supported them.



The books also forecasted a coming age of enlightenment resulting from the revelation of ancient Hermetic secrets. Some believe surviving Knights Templars were behind the mysterious manifestos, and some also credit Rosicrucianism for changing stone mason guilds into the philosophical Freemasonry we are familiar with today.

Rosicrucian researcher Christopher McIntosh wrote, “It has often been suggested that the Hiramic legend in Masonry might be linked with the legend of Christian Rosenkreuz and his tomb…It is not impossible, therefore, that an impulse of a Rosicrucian nature (using the word “Rosicrucian” in its widest sense) was responsible for the transformation of operative into speculative Masonry.”122 The transformation from “operative” masonry to “speculative masonry” means changing from a mere stone mason trade union to the philosophical and spiritual form of Freemasonry that exists today. The 18th degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry is called the Knight of the Rose-Croix (Rose Cross), clearly showing a connection between the two groups.

The Mormon Church, or the Church of Latter Day Saints, as they prefer to be called, contains several parallels with Rosicrucianism. First, both stem from books said to have been “discovered” or mysteriously appeared, which cleverly mix occult myths and rituals with Christian philosophy. Mormonism founder Joseph Smith Jr. most likely knew of the Christian Rosencreutz legend (which was two hundred years old in his time) when he concocted his tale of “finding” a supposed ancient text himself. Since Joseph Smith was a Freemason, he certainly would have been familiar with the Legend of Enoch, which claims that the true name of God was carved into a golden delta (triangle), and hidden before the great flood so that it would be preserved (and discovered) by a future generation.

These myths of ancient “lost and found” divine texts speaking of past cultures and mystical secrets were the inspiration for The Book of Mormon which Joseph Smith claimed to have “found” written on a stack of Golden Plates in the 1820s, which of course aren’t in a museum somewhere because he said an angel took them back to heaven for safe keeping! Smith was a Freemason who mixed Masonic mythology with Christianity to create

Mormonism which he claimed “restored” the lost secrets from the ancient past with his “discovery” (fabrication) of the Book of Mormon, again, which he magically “translated” from “Golden Plates” that are nowhere to be found.

The name “R. C. Christian” appeared in 1980 surrounding the creation of an enormous and mysterious occult monument in the small town of Elberton, Georgia—a structure known as the Georgia Guidestones. The name was chosen as a pseudonym by the individual who designed and paid for this bizarre monument. “R.C. Christian,” obviously standing for Rose Cross Christian, and the Brotherhood of the Rose Cross, which was a popular calling card of early Rosicrucians. The Georgia Guidestones monument stands nineteen feet tall and displays ten different commandments in eight different languages as the New World Order’s ten commandments. The first of which is to maintain the human population under 500 million people. The monument is said to be the “Guidestones to an age of reason” and has several astrological markings in the design, including a hole in line with the North Star.

It wasn’t just Mormonism founder Joseph Smith and the man behind the Georgia Guidestones who received inspiration from the Rosicrucians, but also the early founders of Freemasonry and even the father of the Illuminati, Adam Weishaupt. Many Rosicrucians in his time actually denounced Weishaupt and the Illuminati for taking what they considered to be a noble concept of an enlightened brotherhood, and turned it into a mechanism to exercise his own tyrannical goals.



Freemasonry

Often said to be just a men’s club of old guys who want to get away from their wives much like the Moose Lodge or Knights of Columbus— Freemasonry is quite a bit different from most men’s clubs and is actually often included when talking about the grand “Illuminati conspiracy.” What most people don’t know, and what high level masons have openly admitted, is that there is a secret society within this secret society.

Manly P. Hall, considered one of Freemasonry’s greatest philosophers, openly admitted that, “Freemasonry is a fraternity within a fraternity—an outer organization concealing an inner brotherhood of the elect…the visible society is a splendid camaraderie of ‘free and accepted’ men enjoined to devote themselves to ethical, educational, fraternal, patriotic, and humanitarian concerns. The invisible society is a secret most august [respected and impressive] fraternity whose members are dedicated to the service of a mysterious arcanum arcanorum [secret of secrets.]”123

You’ll sometimes hear people say that their grandfather was a “master mason” and dismiss any talk of a “conspiracy” because all grandpa did was engage in cheesy rituals and attend boring meetings. A “master mason” sounds quite impressive if you don’t know much about masonry. George Washington was a master mason and a considerable number of the Founding Fathers of America were masons, so they can’t be that bad, right? Out of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence, eight of them were confirmed to be Freemasons and at least sixteen U.S. presidents have also been masons, including James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Gerald Ford.

While sounding like an impressive title, a master mason is only the 3rd level (or degree) of a 33 level hierarchy. The first degree is called entered

apprentice, the second is fellow craft, and the third is a master mason; but there are thirty-three degrees in the Scottish Rite. A rite is “a formal or ceremonial act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious or other solemn use.”124

The Scottish Rite is the most popular brand of Masonry and within the higher levels each degree is given a mysterious sounding name like Secret Master (4th Degree), Knight of the Rose-Croix (18th degree) and Grand Pontiff (19th degree). In the 32nd degree (the second highest level), the initiate is called a Sublime Knight Commander of the Royal Secret or Master of the Royal Secret.

The “Scottish Rite” actually started in France and was based on legends that originated from Scotland that were told by Scotts who fled to France in the late 1700s when the British Isles were having problems. Regardless of where the name originated, Scottish Rite Freemasonry is the most popular esoteric hierarchy of the fraternity.

The 33rd degree of the Scottish Rite is the highest level and is awarded by invitation only. Each of the degrees represents the different vertebrate in the human spine and symbolize the member’s ascent in their quest for Enlightenment within the fraternity. On top of the 33rd vertebrate of the spine sits the skull, which holds the brain, so the 33rd degree signifies that the initiate has become fully enlightened with the secret gnosis (knowledge) of the ancient mysteries.

Freemasonry evolved out of stone masonry, whose ancient tradesmen used a series of secret handshakes and code words to identify each other and their level of skill. Over time, various philosophies started arising out of those trade unions and used popular stone mason tools as symbols to represented various aspects of their philosophy. As their theology grew, the stonemasons morphed from what was called operative masonry (meaning men who worked with stones) to speculative masonry, which refers to the philosophical and spiritual Freemasons today.



While the operative (or stone masons) built cathedrals out of stone, the speculative (or Freemasons) built their intellect. The term “Freemason” likely comes from freestone masonry. Freestone is a softer stone used for cathedral faces that is intricately carved by higher skilled masons and is used as a metaphor to describe the development of a man’s character and abilities. Some say that “free” means they are free from ignorance or free from the chains of darkness that once enslaved them.

Evidence indicates that the Knights Templar either assimilated with Freemasonry or directly created it. Most American’s came to hear about Freemasonry as a result of Dan Brown’s 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code, and then in the following few years the History Channel, Discovery, National Geographic and other networks produced shows looking into this fascinating group. The 2004 film National Treasure starring Nicholas Cage capitalized on the hype, and portrayed them as the secret guardians of America.

It officially came into its modern form in 1717 with the creation of the Grand Lodge of England and has been shrouded in mystery ever since. Much of the controversy surrounding Masonry stems from allegations that the higher-level members worship satan and that they deceive lower level members about its purpose. “Anti-Masons” don’t just come up with these allegations out of thin air though; they often point to Masonic texts written by highly revered Masons as their evidence.

The “Bible of Freemasonry,” a book titled Morals and Dogma, written by Albert Pike in 1871 explains Masonic philosophy and is read primarily only by dedicated Freemasons. Part of this philosophy, Pike explains, is, “Masonry, like all the Religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals [emphasis in original] its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it [the Mason] calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it.”125



He reaffirms this deception later in the book, saying, ”The Blue Degrees are but the court or portico (porch) of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them; but it is intended that he shall imagine that he understands them…their true explication [explanation and understanding] is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry [those of the 32nd and 33rd Degrees].”126

Pike even makes several statements appearing to support the Devil, saying, “Satan is not a black god, but negation of God ... this is not a Person, but a Force, created for good, but which may represent evil. It is the instrument of Liberty or Free Will. They [Freemasons] represent this Force...under the mythological and horned form of the God Pan; thence came the he-goat of the Sabbat, brother of the Ancient Serpent, and the Light-bearer.”127

Later in the book he wrote, “Lucifer, the Light-bearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable, blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish souls? Doubt it not!”128

I have personally spoken with a 32nd degree Mason who is a friend of a friend, and at first he dodged my insinuations that he worshiped Lucifer, but I pressed him and he started praising Lucifer and criticizing Christians saying they were morbid for worshiping a dead man hanging on a cross, and that they were judgmental and intolerant of other religions.

Satanist Aleister Crowley seems to agree that there is some great mystical secret held by the inner circle when he said, “Although I was admitted to the thirty-third and last degree of Freemasonry so long ago as 1900, it was not until the summer of 1912 that my suspicion was confirmed. I speak of my belief that behind the frivolities and convivialities of our greatest institution [Freemasonry] lay in truth a secret.”129



In his book autobiography The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, he wrote, “…for Freemasonry asserts that every man is himself the living, slain and re-arisen Christ in his own person. It is true that not one mason in ten thousand in England is aware of this fact; but he has only to remember his ‘raising’ to realize the fundamental truth of the statement.”130

Albert Pike was a lawyer who became a Confederate General in the Army, fighting against the northern colonies during the Civil War trying to ensure slavery was kept in place. He is believed to have been the leader of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secret society of Confederates that included notorious outlaw Jesse James and John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated President Lincoln. The Lincoln assassination was not the action of a lone gunman, but was part of a larger plot hatched by the Knights of the Golden Circle with hopes of securing a victory for the south. John Wilkes Booth and other Knights of the Golden Circle planned to assassinate the vice president and the secretary of state that same night, thus eliminating three of the top officials in the United States government, hoping that would ensure the Confederates could take over.

Aside from being a key member of the KGC, it is rumored that Albert Pike founded the KKK as well, which isn’t far-fetched at all, considering it’s obvious he was a racist who saw black people as slaves. When African Americans first wanted to become part of the Masonic fraternity, Pike wrote, “I took my obligations to white men, not to Negroes. When I have to accept Negroes as brothers or leave Masonry, I shall leave it.”131

Pike owned the Daily Appeal, a newspaper in Tennessee, where on April 16, 1868 he published an editorial saying, “The disenfranchised people of the South...can find no protection for property, liberty or life, except in secret association...We would unite every white man in the South, who is opposed to negro suffrage [the right to vote], into one great Order of Southern Brotherhood, with an organization complete, active, vigorous, in which a few should execute the concentrated will of all, and whose very existence should be concealed from all but its members.”132



A larger than life statue of Albert Pike stands in Judiciary Square in Washington D.C. alongside Abraham Lincoln, and Pike’s body is kept in a tomb inside the Masonic headquarters in Washington D.C., a building called the House of the Temple, which is the home of the “Supreme Council” of Freemasonry.

Theosophist teacher and occult writer Alice Bailey, who claimed her books were dictated to her telepathically by an entity she called the Master of Wisdom, wrote that, “The Masonic Movement when it can be divorced from politics and social ends and from its present paralyzing condition of inertia, will meet the need of those who can, and should wield power. It is the custodian of the law; it is the home of the Mysteries and the seat of initiation. It holds its symbolism the ritual of Deity, and the way of salvation is pictorially preserved in its work. The methods of Deity are demonstrated in its temples, and under the All-seeing Eye the work can go forward. It is a far more occult organization than can be realized, and is intended to be the training school for the coming advanced occultists. In its ceremonials lies hid the wielding of the forces connected with the growth and life of the kingdoms of nature and the unfoldment of the divine aspects in man.”133

Many Muslims are against Freemasonry partly because one of Freemasonry’s ultimate goals is to rebuild the Temple of Solomon on its original site in Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque currently stands. This spot is claimed by both Muslims and Jews as their religion’s holy place, and a primary aim of both Palestinians and Jews is to once and for all claim this spot as their own.

Muslims are also critical of Freemasonry’s secretive nature. Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a prominent Muslim scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, explains, “As far as I know, Freemasonry is a secret organization whose beliefs and practices are totally kept confidential except from those who are initiated into it. They have levels of secrets which are not divulged to those who are at lower levels. A Muslim should never fall prey or give allegiance to something which cannot be scrutinized by the firm criteria of the Quran and the Sunnah. Whoever joins Freemasonry is like a person who

writes a blank check; by doing so he agrees to give allegiance blindly to an authority to comply with their wishes no matter what they are.”134

In 1998 a law was enacted in Britain ordering police, judges, and other government employees in the UK to reveal whether they were Freemasons after it was believed a Masonic Mafia was operating within the government.135 Ten years later the law was reversed but the controversy continued. A secret Metropolitan Police report written in 2002 and leaked to the press in 2014 reveals that an internal investigation by Scotland Yard, the police agency of London, discovered that an organized criminal network of Freemasons largely controlled the police department.136 The investigation, called Operation Tiberius, found that the Metropolitan Police were infested with corrupt Freemasons who used their position within the department to engage in organized crime, destroy evidence, and recruit other corrupt officers.137

While Freemasonry is primarily a men’s organization, there is a woman’s branch called the Eastern Star, whose logo is literally an upside down pentagram. There is even a branch for young girls called Job’s Daughters (or Rainbow Girls) and one for boys called the DeMolays— named after Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. President Bill Clinton was a DeMolay as a child, which many believe served as a prep school to groom him to later take his place as an Illuminati insider.

As noted earlier, it’s important to highlight that in 1782 Adam Weishaupt successfully infiltrated Freemasonry at the Congress of Wilhelmsbad, Germany, which was the largest, most important Masonic gathering of the eighteenth century.138 There he assigned men to oversee the implementation of “Illuminated Masonry” and recruit new supporters from Masonic lodges throughout Europe who would work on behalf of the Illuminati.



Skull & Bones Society

Even if you’re familiar with Skull & Bones and some of the allegations about them (many of which are true, by the way), the deeper you look into this group, the more apparent it becomes that they are anything but an ordinary college fraternity. Since it has already been touched upon earlier in this book, I won’t repeat most of what has already been covered, but I will add a few more pieces to the puzzle that most people are not familiar with so you can get a more complete picture of them.

Skull & Bones was the FIRST secret society at Yale and the first senior society—meaning someone doesn’t become a member until their senior year at Yale. There were fraternities at Yale, but Skull & Bones started a new chapter in the school’s history in 1832 when they created the first secret society, soon to be followed by Scroll & Key and then later Wolf’s Head, which are the top three senior (and secret) societies. The three clubs even hold regular “inter-council meetings” several times a year to coordinate their activities.

Each year fifteen new members are recruited (or “tapped,” as they say) to join. They are chosen during the last few weeks of the semester their Junior year in order to prepare them to replace the outgoing seniors who lead them through the elaborate and satanic initiation ceremony where they are given a new name (Long Devil, Machiavelli, Baal, Beelzebub are just a few examples).139 During part of the initiation, they lay in a coffin and give a detailed history of their sexual experiences up to that point in a ritual called Connubial Bliss.

Members consider the world “their realm” and call outsiders “Barbarians.” Once initiated the men (and now some women) are considered “bonesmen” or Knights of Eulogia, which is Greek for “Knights of the Blessing.” They even hold a special Skull & Bones wedding

ceremony when one of their members gets married to initiate the new wife into the “Bones Family.” Behind every corrupt man, there’s usually a woman willing to look the other way. They also own a 40-acre island located on the St. Lawrence River in Alexandria Bay, called Dear Island, which is used as a private vacation spot for “bonesmen” and their families.

After the summer, when the new school year begins, and the new initiates are then seniors, they meet every Thursday and Sunday night for a fancy dinner (often steak and lobster) that is followed up with what are called “sessions” which include various lectures and debates. It is believed that they eat using Adolf Hitler’s silverware that a “bonesmen” somehow obtained. Skull & Bones has its own collection of books in its library located in the Tomb [headquarters] to help new members learn the ways of the world. There is even a “Bones Bible” and other black books kept in the clubhouse library. They operate as a 5013c organization under the Russell Trust Association (or RTA Incorporated) and their 2012 filings with the IRS (which must be available for “public review” if you know just where to look and how to get them) shows they spent $469,000 dollars that year on “personal development” for their members.140

No alcohol is allowed inside the Skull & Bones Tomb clubhouse, that’s how serious they are. This is not a party. Taking over the world is serious business. Another difference between Skull & Bones and ordinary fraternities is that frats usually do community service and help with local fundraisers, but this strange group only looks out for themselves. In fact, the men (and now women) who are recruited into Skull & Bones are never engineers or mathematicians, because these careers hold little power compared to those in business, banking, media, politics, and law, which are the dominant careers of the members.

By now I’m sure you’re familiar that the most famous member is President George W. Bush, but what most people don’t know is that his family has a long history with the group. Aside from his father George Herbert Walker Bush being a member, Prescott Bush, George W.’s grandfather was a member, as well as his uncles Jonathan Bush, John

Walker, and his other uncle George Herbert Walker III. So was his greatuncle George Herbert Walker Junior, and his cousin Ray Walker.141

After George W. Bush became president in January 2001, he appointed several of his fellow bonesmen to various high level positions within the government. For example, he nominated William H. Donaldson (Bones 1953) as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Edward McNally (Bones 1979) was given a position in the Department of Homeland Security.142 Robert D. McCallum was appointed to Assistant Attorney General; Roy Austin was made the ambassadorship to Trinidad and Tobago; Victor Ashe was given a spot on the board of directors of Fannie Mae (the Federal National Mortgage Association), America’s biggest home mortgage financier, and so on.143

The list of Skull & Bones members who have risen to the pinnacles of power is long. Co-founder Alfonzo Taft became the head of the Department of War, which was the name of the Department of Defense until the government changed the name in true Orwellian double-speak fashion. Alfonzo Taft’s son, William Taft became President of the United States. Pierre Jay was the first chairman of the New York Federal Reserve Bank; Winston Lord became chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations. Percy Rockefeller was on the board of Brown Brothers Harriman & Company, which was had its assets seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act after it was discovered the firm was helping fund Adolf Hitler.144 John Kerry, who ran for president against George W. Bush in the 2004 election, later became Secretary of State under President Obama.

The list of key power players in government just goes on and on. Raymond Price (1951) was a speechwriter for Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Bush. Christopher Taylor Buckley (1975) was the chief speechwriter for George H. W. Bush when he was the Vice President. Austan Goolsbee (1991) became President Barack Obama’s chief economic advisor, etc., etc. It’s interesting to also point out that the father of American football, Walter Camp, was a boneseman. Football, as you may know, serves as a modern day bread and circus distraction for the majority of Americans, channeling their energy and aggression into watching a bunch of men chasing after a

ball instead of paying attention to important social issues. This is all part of the plan because it keeps most people out of the way so the elite can carry out their agenda.

Skull & Bones members created the American Historical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Chemical Society; and the American Economic Association. The atomic bomb was basically a Skull & Bones project involving William Averell Harriman, Governor of New York (class of 1913), Henry Stimson, Secretary of War (class of 1888), Robert Lovett, Secretary of Defense (class of 1918), McGeorge Bundy, U.S. Intelligence Officer (class of 1940) and George L. Harrison, advisor to the Secretary of War and President of the New York Federal Reserve Bank (class of 1909).

I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that an organization whose symbols and themes revolve around death would ultimately be responsible for creating the most deadly weapon in the history of mankind. The group’s obsession with death is extremely disturbing and all the death symbolism is meant to serve as a continuous reminder of their own mortality, and since they don’t believe in an afterlife, they are urged to become gods on earth during their short time here by any means necessary.

We often think of the society “ruling the world” in terms of politicians and business, but they have also dominated the faculty of Yale University as well. Some reports claim that four out of five faculty members between 1865 and 1916 were bonesmen.145 In 1873, a student newspaper called The Iconoclast, published an article denouncing Skull & Bones control of Yale. “Out of every class Skull and Bones takes its men...They have obtained control of Yale. It’s business is performed by them. Money paid to the college must pass into their hands, and be subject to their will....It is Yale College against Skull and Bones!”146

Aside from being accused of dominating the faculty at Yale and power positions in politics and business, they are often accused of worshiping Satan and conducting extraordinary disturbing rituals. The group’s favorite

number, 322, possibly holds a secret satanic meaning. Many people believe the number 322 is a reference to the Book of Genesis chapter 3 verse 22 which talks about Adam and Eve eating the Forbidden Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and employing this number is seen as a reference to the Luciferian doctrine or the satanic secret.

In 2001, a reporter named Ron Rosenbaum from the New York Observer used a night vision camera to videotape the initiation ritual from the ledge of an adjacent building that overlooked the courtyard of the Skull & Bones clubhouse. The footage shows initiates kneeling down and kissing a skull, and then appearing to take a knife and slit the throat of a naked woman who was being held down by other members.147

People were also heard chanting a strange mantra, “The hangman equals death, the Devil equals death, death equals death!” The hangman likely refers to Jesus hanging on the cross and the mantra appears to convey the same meaning as the riddle of the four human skulls when they are asked which one is the wise man, the beggar, the king, and the fool. The answer given is that it doesn’t matter to them because “all is the same in death.”

Rosenbaum was not sure what to make of this behavior and asked, “Is that the secret they’ve been covering up ever since the society was founded in 1832, the offshoot of a German secret society: devil worship? A fulfillment of the paranoid fantasies of the fundamentalist right, who believe the Eastern establishment is a front for satanic conspiracy.”148



Scroll and Key Society

The Scroll & Key society is a another secret society at Yale University, created in 1842, ten years after Skull & Bones, and was the second secret society at the school composed of seniors. Just like Skull & Bones, Scroll & Key recruits fifteen new students at the end of their junior year who they see as having the potential and willingness to further the organization’s goals. Scroll & Key is considered one of the “Big Three” senior societies at Yale—the other two being, of course, Skull & Bones, along with Wolf’s Head.

Fareed Zakaria, a CNN commentator on foreign affairs, was initiated as a member of Scroll & Key when he attended the university in 1986. Fareed went onto to attend Bilderberg meetings (in 1993 and 2009), and became a member of the Council on Foreign Relations as well. He didn’t just join the CFR, he actually was the managing editor of their publication Foreign Affairs which serves up their political propaganda on a platter for the members.

Fareed once argued that the Constitution is outdated and should be “fixed” to remove the Second Amendment in order to “modernize the Constitution for the 21st Century.”149

Other notable members include Ari Shapiro (class of 2000) who became the White House Correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR); James Stillman Rockefeller (class of 1924) who was the President and Chairman of the First National City Bank of New York; Cornelius Vanderbilt III of the wealthy Vanderbilt dynasty (class of 1895); and Huntington D. Sheldon (class of 1925) worked for the CIA as the Director of the Office of Current Intelligence.



The Scroll & Key society operate under the legal entity called the Kingsley Trust Association which creates a shield of privacy to protect them from people searching for information using the name “Scroll & Key” and according to their 2012 IRS filings, which must be made available for public inspection, they have over $9 million dollars in assets and spent $650,000 dollars that year.150



Wolfs Head

Wolf’s Head is the third of the “Big Three” senior secret societies at Yale and was founded in 1884, partly to counter the dominance of Skull & Bones over student affairs. They too recruit fifteen new upcoming seniors for membership and are now part of the larger network consisting of Skull & Bones and Scroll & Key.

The club’s logo is a wolf’s head on an inverted Egyptian hieroglyph called an ankh, which is often called the Egyptian Cross and said to symbolize “the key of life.” Wolf’s Head built its own Egyptian themed “tomb” headquarters in 1924 thanks to a donation from one of their members, Edward Harkness, who went on to become John D. Rockefeller’s right hand man. Harkness himself was listed by Forbes magazine as the 6th richest man in the world during his life.

The club holds meetings every Thursday and Sunday night where the men (and since 1992 some women) prepare themselves for life after college, when their real work begins.

One of their most well-known members was Erastus Corning, who went on to become the Mayor of Albany, New York for more than 40 years! Another prominent members was Paul Moore Jr. who later became a bishop of the New York Episcopal Church and one of the best known clergy. After his death his daughter revealed that Moore was bisexual and had a history of homosexual affairs.151 She detailed her father’s double life in her book The Bishop’s Daughter: A Memoir. While the Bush crime family has been active in Skull & Bones for generations, they also have a hand in Wolf’s Head. President George H. W. Bush’s younger brother William Henry Trotter “Bucky” Bush (born July 14, 1938) was inducted in 1960.



The business name of Wolf’s Head is the Phelps Association, and according to their 2013 IRS filings, which must be made public since they are registered as a 501c3 tax exempt foundation, the organization holds over $6 million dollars in assets and spent over $373,000 dollars on their members that year alone.152 Wolf’s Head members were responsible for the formation of the Yale Political Union which is the center for politically minded students at the University.



Communism

Communism is most often promoted as a political philosophy to allegedly help the average worker (proletariat) fight against the “oppressive” business owners (bourgeoisie), but it’s actually a conspiracy controlled by the elite who have used Communism as a mechanism to encourage the creation of an all-powerful super state that they themselves are in control of.

As Gary Allen puts it, author of None Dare Call it Conspiracy, “Communism is not a movement of the downtrodden masses but is a movement created, manipulated and used by power-seeking billionaires in order to gain control over the world…first by establishing socialist governments in the various nations and then consolidating them all through a ‘Great Merger,’ into an all-powerful world, socialist super-state probably under the auspices of the United Nations.”153

The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and his often overlooked coauthor Frederich Engles, was first published in 1848, and is widely believed to have sparked the Communist Revolution in Russia in 1917 and spreading to other countries such as North Korea in 1948, China in 1949, and a few years later moving to Cuba in 1953—but what most people overlook is that Karl Marx was really just a secretary who wrote the book outlining the Communist philosophy for a secret society called the Communist League.

The manifesto itself reads, “The Communist League (formerly called the League of Just Men)…which could of course only be a secret one… commissioned the undersigned [Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels], at the Congress held in London in November 1847, to draw up for publication a detailed theoretical and practical program of the Party. Such was the origin

of the following Manifesto, the manuscript of which traveled to London to be printed, a few weeks before the February Revolution.”154

The California Senate Investigating Committee on Education in 1953 stated, “So-called modern Communism is apparently the same hypocritical and deadly world conspiracy to destroy civilization that was founded by the secret order of the Illuminati in Bavaria on May 1, 1776, and that raised its hoary head in our colonies here at critical periods before the adoption of our Federal Constitution.”155

The report goes on to say, “The recognition of May 1, 1776, as the founding date of this world revolution conspiracy is not difficult to understand, when it is realized that May Day is frequently celebrated, even in recent times, by rioting and bloodshed on a world-wide scale.”156

“It was not until 1847 or 1848, that the Communist conspirators, who had theretofore operated in secret, came out in the open with the Manifesto of the Communist Party, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, boldly proclaiming against practically everything upon which civilization is based —God, religion, the family, individual liberty, and so forth—the concluding paragraph of the manifesto reading: ‘Communists scorn to hide their views and aims. They openly declare that their purpose can only be achieved by the forcible overthrow of the whole extant social order. Let the ruling classes tremble at the prospect of a Communist revolution. Proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.’”157

“In issuing this manifesto the Communist conspirators evidently believe the time had arrived when, with the aid of ignorant victims, a worldwide take-over could be accomplished; but there were not enough ignorant victims then, and the expected coup failed.”158

“The Communist conspirators thereupon conceived the plan, for the future, of supplementing the long-established secret conspiracy, in existence since May 1, 1776, with an unremitting publish campaign for victims among the ignorant of all nations. And, in an attempt to hide from view the

underlying hypocritical conspiracy existing since May 1, 1776, it was decided that, in such public campaign, the manifesto of 1848 should be heralded as the founding date of communism, and Karl Marx falsely proclaimed as its author.”159

New Age guru Benjamin Crème, who is looking forward to the arrival of the Antichrist, thinking he will turn earth into a heavenly paradise, admitted, “Marx was indeed a member of the Hierarchy, of a certain degree. Looking at the effect of his work over the years—that could only have been the work of a disciple of some degree, an initiate of some level—first to have the vision, and secondly to have the capacity to embody that vision so that the work could spread.”160

While Christians are often said to have killed the most number of people in the name of God, the reality is that Communists have been responsible for the greatest genocides in the world, killing in the name of the State (their government), in countries like China and North Korea. Over 30 million were killed in the Chinese Communist Revolution lead by Mao Zedong, and Joseph Stalin killed over 3 million in Russia in the name of Communism.161 Massive numbers have also been killed in Vietnam and North Korea by Communist revolutionaries. Belief in any God other than the government is forbidden, because it reduces people’s allegiance to the State. The government is God in Communist countries.

At the heart of Communism is an enormous all-powerful government that controls every aspect of people’s lives—from the schools, to their jobs, to healthcare and banking; with a small group of elite bureaucrats living lives of luxury at the express of the working class. This is, of course, one of the primary goals of the Illuminati, who are promoting the idea as a utopian paradise.



Bohemian Grove

Because the Bohemian Grove has become fairly well-known in terms of the Illuminati conspiracy, many people may think they know all about it, but in most cases their knowledge is limited to only a few basic facts. Because of its extraordinarily bizarre rituals and elite membership list causing widespread rumors, most people who have done a brief investigation into the Illuminati are probably familiar with the basics of the Bohemian Grove, but for those who wish to scratch beyond the surface of this subject, there is certainly a lot to be learned.

As you may have heard, it’s a 2700 acre privately owned redwood forest in Northern California located about an hour north of San Francisco in a small town named Monte Rio and serves as a vacation spot for elite men every summer in mid-July, where around 1000 of the world’s most powerful men gather for a “men’s retreat” inside the Grove which is kicked off by the infamous Cremation of Care ritual, the human sacrifice-depicting ceremony, where a life-size effigy of a person is burned on an altar at the base of a 40-foot tall demon-looking statue. It’s sort of the Camp David of California (with some Satanism mixed in) and was created back in 1872.

The term Bohemian refers to people who live non-traditional lifestyles and people who are adventurers, or vagabonds. The club’s annual midsummer encampment is called the “greatest men’s party on earth” by members, who include many former presidents, military leaders, famous journalists, and top businessmen.

The Bohemian Grove’s mascot (and logo) is the Owl of Minerva, the same symbol that Adam Weishaupt used as his emblem.162 Within the original Illuminati there was a level in the hierarchy called the Minerals and the owl symbolizes wisdom because it can “see in the dark” which is analogous to being enlightened.



Out of curiosity, in the past, occasionally a reporter would try to sneak inside the now highly guarded compound, and some have been successful, yet little has been reported in major publications. Membership lists and program guides have sometimes been stolen and published by employees, and in the 1980s a group called the Bohemian Grove Action Network dedicated themselves to doing just that.

The “patron saint” of the Bohemian Grove is Saint John of Nepomuk and a large statue of him stands inside the grounds with him holding his index finger over his mouth, signifying secrecy and reminding members to keep their mouths shut. A patron saint is someone who embodies a group’s philosophies or goals. John of Nepomuk received the confessionals of the queen of Bohemia in the 1300s and when pressured by the king to reveal her confessions after he suspected her of cheating on him, Saint John refused and was killed by the king. Paralleling Robert De Niro’s gangster gospel in Goodfellas that you “never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut,” the Illuminati cherish the power of secrecy and remind all Bohos (the name members are often referred to) of this with the statue of John of Nepomuk standing prominently in their forest.

A presidential advisor to Presidents Ford, Nixon, Regan, and Clinton, named David Gergen, who also worked as a CNN contributor, was confronted on camera by Alex Jones from Infowars.com on the streets of New York during the 2004 Republican National Convention when Jones stuck a microphone in his face and asked if he’d ever seen the Cremation of Care ritual.

Gergen, looking visibly uncomfortable, responded, “Frankly I don’t think that’s something I need to talk to you about.”163 When Jones asked him again about the ritual, Gergen snapped, “That’s none of your damn business!” and walked away.164 The clip can be seen on YouTube.

One of their popular sayings is that “weaving spiders come not here,” which is said to mean that the Grove is not a place for conducting business

or working, hence “weaving,” but this explanation is just a cover story for the saying’s true meaning. It actually means “don’t dare challenge the members,” (or really, the “Gods,” as they see themselves) and comes from the ancient story in Greek mythology of Arachne, a woman weaver who disrespected Athena, the Goddess of weaving, by failing to acknowledge that the woman’s skills came from the Goddess and not from her own power. Athena then turned her into a spider as punishment, dooming her and her descendants to weave webs forever, since out of her own ignorance she thought she was better than the “Gods.”

The club is divided into about 124 different camps inside the grounds, each one having anywhere from a dozen to 125 men. Each individual camp has its own sleeping quarters, kitchen and bar, and each one has a captain who is responsible for managing their territory.165 Each camp has a different name and tends to contain members who work in the same field. For example, the Hill Billies camp is comprised of mainly men in big business, bankers, politicians, and media moguls from Texas. The sign for Hill Billies’ camp, which the Bush family belongs to, consists of a cloven hoofed horned Devil figure.

The Mandalay camp is made of mainly political figures such as former presidents and defense contractors. Owls Nest is another elite camp of former presidents, high ranking military personnel and defense contractors. Other camp names include the Lost Angels (banking and media), Stowaway (Rockefeller family members and other big oil men), and Hillside (military men including Joint Chiefs of Staff members), just to name a few. No seated president ever attends because his schedule and location is so closely monitored that his visitation would bring too much unwanted attention to the club, but once they are out of office (and before they are even elected) many are fixtures at the encampment.

Sociologist Peter Phillips, who earned his Ph. D. by writing his doctoral dissertation on the Grove in 1994, wrote, “Sharing a camp together at the Grove gives Bohemian directors of major U.S. policy councils ample opportunity to discuss current affairs and socio-economic policy issues. Watching and listening to reactions to Lakeside Chats by various other

Bohemians also gives policy directors an opportunity to evaluate policy concerns from the broad sampling of the American corporate business community encamped at the Grove. In this sense, the Grove serves as an informal evaluatory feedback process to the top socio-economic domestic and foreign policy councils in the United States.”166

The midsummer encampment, as their annual gathering is called, lasts for two weeks from mid-July to the end of the month, with some members and guests coming for a weekend, and others staying for several days or even an entire week or longer. Every afternoon during the two weeks a “Lakeside Chat” is given at 12:30pm, just after lunch, where a political insider or industry leader gives a 30-minute talk on his area of expertise.

It has been rumored that Alan Greenspan was chosen to be nominated as Chairman of the Federal Reserve after a meeting in the Grove, and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful bid for governor of California was allegedly given the green light by insiders at the Grove as well. There’s even a famous picture taken in 1967 showing Ronald Reagan (then Governor of California) and Richard Nixon, who would be elected president the following year, sitting next to each other, where they are said to have been coordinating their political careers.167

Despite claiming the Grove is just a vacation spot and no work is conducted during the encampment, the Manhattan Project (the plan for the atomic bomb) was actually hatched inside the club.168 Aside from the atomic bomb being born in the Bohemian Grove, the United Nations was hatched from the club as well.169 Peter Phillips reveals, “One of the foremost political events in which the Bohemian political network played a significant role was the United Nations Conference of International Organization (UNCIO), April 25th to June 26, 1945, in San Francisco. This was the original formation meeting for the United Nations, with delegates from fifty nations. Receptions for UNCIO delegates and key dignitaries were held at the Bohemian Club on May 17, May 29, June 4, and June 5. Towards the end of the U.N. conference the Club invited all delegates to a program at the Grove.”170



The club has limited number of rare yearbooks that are occasionally printed for members, called the Annals of the Bohemian Grove, that contain photos of attendees dressed in drag, along with pictures of the Cremation of Care ritual so men can reminisce about their time there. I have been able to obtain several copies of these books since every once in a while they’ll find their way into the public after older members die and their book collections are sold at estate sales or donated to charity. In one Annal there is a photo of George Bush Senior and George W. Bush standing at the podium giving a Lakeside talk in 1995 where Bush Senior reportedly told the audience that his son would make a great president one day.171

The first book dedicated to exposing the Bohemian Grove was published in 1974 titled The Bohemian Grove and other Retreats, written by William Domhoff, a sociologist and professor who taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The preface to his book explains that upper-class retreats are of a major sociological relevance, because “they increase the social cohesiveness of America’s rulers and provide private settings in which business and political problems can be discussed informally and off the record.”172

The book continues on page one saying, “You are one of fifteen hundred men gathered together from all over the country for the annual encampment of the rich and famous at the Bohemian Grove. And you are about to take part in a strange ceremony that has marked every Bohemian Grove gathering since 1880.”173 He goes on to include a transcript and detailed description of the Cremation of Care, which was a historic revelation, especially considering this was back in the 1970s before the Information Age.

Twenty-five years later, in the year 2000, Alex Jones from Infowars would sneak inside and capture the first ever video footage of the ritual. While it’s one thing to read about the ceremony, actually seeing it leaves you with your head shaking and confirms many of the supposed “rumors”

are true. Jones’ footage is authentic, and after his infiltration they beefed up security and began using thermal imaging scanners and K-9 police tracker dogs to identify anyone lurking around the grounds who doesn’t belong there.

The most disturbing allegations about the Bohemian Grove don’t just lurk in the dark depths of the Internet, but actually come largely from a former U.S. Senator named John DeCamp. The allegations are so horrific and graphic, I don’t even like to talk about them because they involve claims of sadistic child abuse, human sacrifice, and snuff films, said to have occurred there in the 1980s. If you are interested in learning about John DeCamp’s allegations, you can check out his book The Franklin Cover-up, but I warn you, it is extremely disturbing and you may wish you had never heard of them.



Belizean Grove

When talking about secret societies or the Illuminati, most people often think of a group of men, since they have been the dominant sex throughout history, but powerful female secret societies, although rare, do exist. The Belizean Grove is a group of around 100 influential women from politics, media, and high ranking women in the military, that was created as a female version of the Bohemian Grove! It was founded on Super Bowl Weekend in 2001 by Susan Stautberg while her husband and most men were preoccupied with football, since she obviously had something else in mind.

The Belizean Grove, while inspired by the Bohemian Grove, is named after the country of Belize in Central America where the women meet every year for three days of private off-the-record talks, which is said to be “a balance of fun, substantive programs and bonding.”174 It certainly is strange that some of the world’s most powerful women would fly down to Central America for a weekend when they could simply meet locally at one of their lavish private residences. Perhaps this is so they can go out to the bars without the risk of being recognized by the locals so they can engage in extramarital affairs with younger men willing to bed a cougar. Since such behavior would run them the risk of getting caught or recognized if they did it in a major American city, perhaps the long distance ladies night was designed to facilitate such activities.

While high level female executives from major banks, public relations firms, and even the U.S. Military, all belong to the Belezian Grove, perhaps the group’s most famous member is Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was nominated by Barack Obama to sit as a justice on the court. During the vetting process it was uncovered that she was a member of this strange girls group, causing her to resign since the American Bar Association forbids a judge to be a member of any organization that

“discriminates” against anyone based on sex, race, religion or national origin.

If it had not been for Republicans digging for dirt on Sonia Sotomayer hoping to derail her appointment to the Supreme Court, we likely would still be unaware of the Belizean Grove’s existence. Founder Susan Stautberg was not happy about the new publicity, and said, “we like to be under the radar screen.”

The group says they are “a constellation of influential women who are key decision makers in the profit, nonprofit and social sectors; who build long-term, mutually beneficial relationships in order to both take charge of their own destinies and help others to do the same.”

One member, Mary Pearl, dean of New York’s Stony Brook University, said, “It’s hard if you’re someone who’s a type ‘A’ personality, who’s achieved a lot and who may be in the public eye—it’s hard to make friends, so it’s just a mutually supportive wonderful experience. We get together just for socializing and also just for intelligent conversation.”175

In order to join, a member must recommend a woman to the Belizean Grove “advisory board” that then decide whether or not to admit them to the club. A few known members are Army General Ann E. Dunwoody, former Goldman Sachs executive Ann Kaplan, and General Services Administration Director Lurita Doan. Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg is a likely member as well.

A New York Times article written in 2011 said, “Belizean Grove has connected the top women in technology to the top women in finance, to the top women in media, to the top women in law, to the top women in retail, and so on.”176 It is currently unknown if the group conducts any bizarre rituals like their male counterpart at the Bohemian Grove, and at the time of this writing little else is known about the Belizean Grove.



Seraphic Society

Would you believe there’s a secret society of elite secretaries? I’m not kidding. Known as the Seraphic Society, this strange group was founded in 1940 in New York to supply, “leaders in industry, and social, civic, philanthropic, professional and other important enterprises” with trustworthy secretaries.”177 The most powerful CEOs in America get their secretaries from the Seraphic Society, which is named after the Seraphim, the highest order of angels in Heaven, because the society considers their secretaries angels who protect Gods.

David Rockefeller, Steve Forbes, CEOs from Meryl Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Chase Manhattan Bank, Sony, and many other Fortune 500 companies all use the Seraphic Society to provide them with “trustworthy” secretaries. A Fortune magazine article in 2009 even admitted that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Council on Foreign Relations use this “secretarial Skull and Bones” society.178

When journalist John Glassie of the New York Times was working on an article about the group in 1998, he was told by the Saraphic president at the time, who asked not to be identified, that “We’re very quiet, very lowkey,” and “It’s very touchy.”179

One “Angel” who was willing to speak with the reporter on the condition of anonymity told him, “Some people would love to be members but they just don’t fit the qualifications, and that’s what keeps this organization so special…You can’t just say you want to join.”180

With many high-powered CEOs of international banks being essentially organized crime bosses, they can’t just hire any secretary to deal with their shady affairs. The Seraphic Society can provide them with

women they know will not have any second thoughts or misgivings about the kind of work their boss is involved in, and who will be compensated very well for their cooperation. The saying goes that behind every great man is a great woman, and the same is true that behind every corrupt man, is a woman who’s willing to look the other way.

Secretaries for rich and powerful, or “administrative assistants,” as they are often called, don’t just deal with their boss’s work schedule, but are also closely intertwined with their personal lives as well. Personal assistants often get to know the intimate details of their boss’s lives and are trusted to manage what are called P & C’s or personal and confidentials, which may range from doing their personal shopping, to even arranging the delivery of drugs or hookers.



The Ordo Templi Orientis

Ordo Templi Orientis (Latin for Order of the Temple of the East or Order of Oriental Templars, often abbreviated to O.T.O.) is a secret society (or “fraternal order” as they say) founded between 1895 and 1906 in Germany or Austria (their exact original is unverified) whose spiritual teachings are based on the philosophy of Aleister Crowley and uses his Book of the Law as it’s Bible. The O.T.O. was inspired by Freemasonry and its founders concocted nine different levels (or degrees) for initiates that each supposedly reveal new spiritual teachings. These degrees were later expanded to thirteen.

Aleister Crowley claimed a demon who possessed his wife while they were in Egypt dictated his Book of the Law to him in 1904, commanding him to obey the entity’s ruthless social darwinistic rules such as, “Compassion is the vice of kings: stamp down the wretched and the weak: this is the law of the strong, this is our law and the joy of the world.”181 The demon, whose words Crowley wrote down in what would later be published as The Book of the Law, also commands readers to “Worship me with fire & blood; worship me with swords and with spears, is the command…let blood flow to my name. Trample down the Heathen; be upon them, o warrior, I will give you of their flesh to eat! Sacrifice cattle, little and big, after a child.”182

It continues, “Damn them who pity! Kill and torture; spare not; be upon them! The best blood is of the moon, monthly, then the fresh blood of a child.”183 The demonic entity voicing its instructions finally said, “I am in a secret fourfold word, the blasphemy against all gods of men. Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! With my Hawk’s head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross.”184



While anyone can pick up a copy of Crowley’s book and read his teachings which make up the core of the O.T.O., many believe the organization’s best kept secrets are only communicated orally, and involve what is called sex magic (often spelled sex magick, with a “k” on the end), which is the belief that through certain sexual practices, one can reach a level of enlightenment that is unattainable by any other means.

“Dr. Israel Regardie [Crowley’s personal secretary] believed that certain sex magick techniques could be used by advanced students to incarnate ‘spiritual’ energies on the physical place, as well as making important shifts in the orientation of the Psyche and the Universe. In other words, if these methods were used properly, couples could bring into the world ‘divine’ forces in the children they generated, who could influence the future of the race.”185

“The realization that man’s emotional, physical and sexual energies are food for the ‘gods’ can create great personal turmoil at first, however when one begins to joyously participate in the spiritual feeding frenzy, one is ‘elevated perpendicularly to infinity.’”186

Crowley revealed in his autobiography that, “the O.T.O. is in possession of one supreme secret. The whole of its system at the time when I became an initiate of the Sanctuary of the Gnosis was directed towards communicating to its members, by progressively plain hints, this allimportant instruction. I personally believe that if this secret, which is a scientific secret, were perfectly understood, as it is not even by me after more than twelve years’ [of] almost constant study and experiment, there would be nothing which the human imagination can conceive that could not be realized in practice…I make these remarks with absolute confidence, for even the insignificant approaches that I have been able to make towards the sanctuaries of this secret have shown me that the relations between phenomena are infinitely more complex than the wildest philosophers have ever imagined, and that the old proverb ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’ needs no caveat.”187



What he’s talking about is his belief that through various sexual practices, heterosexual and homosexual, he believed one could “super charge” in a sense, his ability to “manifest” things into his life that he wanted. Crowley was a bisexual, heroin addict, who ate human feces and reportedly had sex with animals in his quest for enlightenment, yet he is still seen as an idol by rebellious teenagers and many mainstream musicians have paid homage to him.

The fact that the Ordo Templi Orientis bases its teachings on such a perverted and wicked man casts a dark cloud of suspicion over the entire organization. Little is known about the membership and current activities of the OTO but many suspect their secret sex magic rituals have attracted some very powerful men from Hollywood’s elite. Others believe that high level Illuminati members engage in homosexual Enochian sex magic rituals inside the Bohemian Grove every summer in attempts to activate latent metaphysical power allegedly hidden deep inside the brain.



Jekyll Island Meeting

The infamous Federal Reserve, the privately owned banking cartel that is in control of America’s currency and financial system, was born out of a secret meeting held by a handful of banking elite on a secluded island off the coast of Georgia in 1910. Under the cover story of going on a hunting trip, a small group of men met on Jekyll Island for a week and a half to draft what would later be passed into law through a clever and sneaky tactic of voting on their plan on December 23rd 1913, the eve of Christmas Eve, while almost every congressman was at home with their families for Christmas, thus slipping the Federal Reserve Act into law.

While the Federal Reserve sounds like a department of the United States government, it is actually a conglomerate of privately owned banks who dictate America’s monetary policy, and as the saying goes, “those with the gold make the rules.” Just as the elite Illuminati have secretly maneuvered themselves to control both major political parties in the American government, along with the world’s resources, infrastructure, and media though their business monopolies; of course they planned (and successfully accomplished) to take over the financial system as well, and are now in charge of printing the money.

The Jekyll Island meeting included executives from the major banks, such as Rockefeller family associate Frank A. Vanderlip, who was president of the National City Bank of New York; Henry Davison of J.P. Morgan Company; Charles D. Norton, president of the First National Bank of New York; Paul Warburg of Kuhn, Loeb, & Co; and Colonel Edward House, one of the founding members of the Council on Foreign Relations. The plan they put together would then be presented to Senator Nelson Aldrich, whose daughter was married to John D. Rockefeller Jr., who then presented it to Congress where it became known as the Aldrich Plan.



Paul Warburg later admitted, “The matter of a uniform discount rate [interest rate] was discussed and settled at Jekyll Island.”188 Frank Vanderlip, who worked for the Rockefellers and attended the Jekyll Island meeting, would later admit in his autobiography that, “Discovery, we knew, simply must not happen, or else all our time and effort would be wasted. If it were to be exposed publicly that our particular group had gotten together and written a banking bill, that bill would have no chance whatever of passage by Congress.”189

Congressman Ron Paul wrote in his book End the Fed, “A secret meeting was convened at the coastal Georgia resort called the Jekyll Island Club, co-owned by J. P. Morgan himself. The press said it was a duckhunting expedition. Those who attended took elaborate steps to preserve their secrecy, but history recorded precisely who was there: John D. Rockefeller’s man in the senate, Nelson Aldrich, Morgan senior partner Henry Davison, German émigré and central banking advocate Paul Warburg, National City Bank vice president Frank Vanderlip, and NMC staffer A. Piatt Andrew, who was also Assistant Secretary of the Treasury to President Taft.”190

William Greider, author of the New York Times bestseller Secrets of the Temple: How the Federal Reserve Runs the Country, mostly dismisses what he calls “conspiracy-minded” accusations, but does admit that, “their suspicions were poetically accurate—the bankers met secretly because they knew that any proposal identified as Wall Street’s bill would be doomed in the Democratic House of Representatives.”191

Those who own the banking system have a tremendous amount of power in their hands because those who control the issuance of currency have the ability to create money out of nothing, declare it’s legal tender, and then loan it out to people (or the government) and then collect interest on the money they lend out. It’s the perfect scam because instead of earning their money by building something, delivering packages, raising livestock, or any number of other ways people earn a living, the banksters have cleverly positioned themselves into the place where they take in a massive amount of money for basically doing nothing other than acting as the self-

proclaimed sole authority on money itself. Once you can wrap your mind around what it means to “create money out of nothing and loan it out at interest,” you can realize just how monumental their scam is.

The President of the Bank of England and the second richest man in Britain in the 1920s, Sir Josiah Stamp, is reported to have revealed that, “The modern banking system manufactures money out of nothing. The process is perhaps the most astounding piece of sleight of hand that was every invented. Banking was conceived in inequity and born in sin… Bankers own the Earth. Take it away from them but leave them the power to create money, and with a flick of a pen, they will create enough money to buy it back again…Take this great power away from them and all great fortunes like mine will disappear, for then this would be a better and happier world to live in….But if you want to continue to be the slaves of bankers and pay the cost of your own slavery, then let bankers continue to create money and control credit.”192

In 1816 Thomas Jefferson wrote to his longtime friend John Taylor thanking him for sending copy of his book An Inquiry into the Principles and Policy of the Government of the United States (1814). Jefferson concluded his letter saying, “And I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity [future generations], under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity [the future] on a large scale.”193

Abraham Lincoln reported believed that instead of private banks having this power, “The government should create, issue and circulate all the currency and credit needed to satisfy the spending power of the government and the buying power of consumers.....The privilege of creating and issuing money is not only the supreme prerogative of Government, but it is the Government’s greatest creative opportunity.”194

He goes on to say, “By the adoption of these principles, the long-felt want for a uniform medium will be satisfied. The taxpayers will be saved

immense sums of interest, discounts and exchanges. The financing of all public enterprises, the maintenance of stable government and ordered progress, and the conduct of the Treasury will become matters of practical administration. The people can and will be furnished with a currency as safe as their own government. Money will cease to be the master and become the servant of humanity.”

The Federal Reserve Bank is working with other central banks around the world to incrementally introduce regional currencies in different areas of the world by merging several currencies into one. Taking America off the gold standard in 1972, and continuing to run up the national debt is the bankers plan to inflate the United States Dollar to the point of worthlessness, forcing it to be replaced with a new regional currency or even bypassing that step and moving right to a global currency. The saying goes that the love of money is the root of all evil, and that root leads directly to the Federal Reserve banksters and the global financial mafia.

World-renowned economist John Maynard Keynes (whose philosophies are known as Keynesian economics) wrote in his book The Economic Consequences of the Peace, that, “Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the capitalist system was to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of wealth of their citizens. There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose.”195

In the Bible it is written in John 2:15 that Jesus not only denounced the money changers at the Temple, but he actually tipped over their tables and used a whip to chase them away. “So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.”



In the 2000 years since then, the corrupt money changers and tax collectors have only grown more powerful through their sneaky tactics, and have continued to systematically turn most people into peasants or debt slaves. “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender,” reads Proverbs 22:7.



The Zodiac Club

J.P. Morgan Jr., the infamous Illuminati money master (and one of the men instrumental in the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank which was conceived during the secret meeting on Jekyll Island), was also a major figure in another financial secret society called the Zodiac Club.196 Not much is known about this intimate secret society, but a few details were uncovered in the archives of the Morgan library in New York.197

What is known about the Zodiac Club is that it was created in 1868 and is made up of twelve men, no more and no less, who each represent one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac and meet about a half dozen times every year for dinner to discuss their financial interests and cultural issues.

Their dinners are black tie events that are held in New York City on the last Saturday of every month between November and May at homes of the members. Dinner is provided by a fancy catering service and unlike the enormous undertaking to organize the Bilderberg Group meeting or the annual Bohemian Grove retreat; the Zodiac Club’s small gathering has largely stayed under the radar and has received little press attention.

One interesting factoid reported is that during prohibition, when alcohol was illegal to produce or consume, the Zodiac Club continued to enjoy drinking by either brewing their own alcohol or using their connections to obtain it. Of course, when do the elite ever follow the law anyway?

A member usually only leaves the club when they die or resign due to old age or health problems. Once someone steps down then a replacement is chosen only after they are unanimously approved by rest of the current group.



What little information that’s known about the Zodiac Club was only discovered in 2013 after a reporter for The Gathamist, a blog focusing on events and culture in New York City, took a tour of the Morgan Library where she noticed a strange arrangement of astrological signs painted on the ceiling. After asking about them, the curator admitted that he thought it was some kind of “Morgan Code” and then searched the library for any books or documents containing the word “Zodiac.”198 It was only then that the Zodiac Club’s minutes and several menus from some of their past dinners were discovered.

“I made an appointment to see the material myself. Expecting to find handwritten notes, I was instead handed a striking seafoam green book with an intricate monogram embossed in gold,” wrote art historian Danielle Oteri on The Gathamist blog.199

Oteri’s article explains, “The volumes were richly illustrated with photographs of the members and the special menus from their dinners. Only a hundred copies were printed (by Charles Scribner & Sons, the letters designed by Tiffany & Co.) and they were distributed among Zodiac Club members and their heirs for a sum of $4,800 (the equivalent of around $100,000 today). The two volumes cover the club from its genesis in 1868 up until 1928.”200

Of the few who have heard of the Zodiac Club, some believe that J.P. Morgan founded it, but apparently it was created by Edward Elmer Potter, a Major General for the Union Army during the Civil War. A book titled America’s Secret Aristocracy was published in 1987 by historian Stephen Birmingham that discussed the group and even mentioned the names of several men who he reported as being members, including real estate mogul Robert G. Goelet, who’s related to Astors and Vanderbilts; Robert S. Pirie, who was president of Rothschild Inc.; and Pittsburgh steel magnet Howard Phipps Jr. were among those identified.



Other than this little known book, and Danielle Oteri’s article in The Gathamist, virtually nothing has been printed about this intimate group of the Eastern Establishment.



Council on Foreign Relations

While not exactly a secret society, the Council on Foreign Relations is a society with secrets, and while sounding like an ordinary committee in Congress, the CFR is actually a private organization whose foreign policy recommendations are practically marching orders for the many elite politicians who belong to it. The “council” was founded in 1921 in Manhattan by Colonel Edward Mandell House, who was Woodrow Wilson’s chief advisor, along with Paul Warburg, who was at the Jekyll Island meeting held to create the Federal Reserve Bank, Elihu Root, who was the Secretary of War under both President McKinley and Roosevelt, and a handful of other insiders who then received funding for their venture from the Rockefeller family.

The Council on Foreign Relations was a major force behind the push to launch the War in Iraq which was based on the fraud (a conspiracy theory really) that Saddam Hussein was close to building nuclear weapons so he could supposedly attack the United States and our allies—claims that the world would come to learn were completely false.

At a press conference celebrating their newly opened Washington D.C. office, Hillary Clinton said, “I am delighted to be here in these new headquarters. I have been often to, I guess, the ‘mother ship’ in New York City, but it’s good to have an outpost of the Council right here down the street from the State Department. We get a lot of advice from the Council, so this will mean I won’t have as far to go to be told what we should be doing."201

Aside from most high-powered politicians being members of the council, many mainstream journalists are members as well, and use their positions to promote the agenda of the CFR. Antony Sutton, author of America’s Secret Establishment points out, “Most CFR members are not

involved in a conspiracy and have no knowledge of any conspiracy… however, there is a group within the Council of Foreign Relations which belongs to a secret society, sworn to secrecy, and which more or less controls the CFR. CFR meetings are used for their own purposes, ie., to push out their own ideas, to weigh up people who might be useful, to use meetings as a forum for discussion.”202

The CFR has been the driving force and inspiration behind much of America’s foreign policy and operates as a consensus building and lobbying firm to persuade politicians to carry out their directives. The prominent politicians and journalists then pass the propaganda they are fed into the mainstream.

Richard Haas, who has been the president of the CFR for over ten years, appeared on Bill Maher’s HBO show Real Time in 2010 to promote his book, War of Necessity, War of Choice, and as soon as the interview began Maher started off by joking, “OK, as we discussed last time, you are the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, which secretly controls the world I believe.”203 Haas sat there grinning ear to ear and nodded his head in agreement as the audience laughed.

Robert Pastor, who was once the Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote a book in 2001 titled Toward a North American Community, where he said, “In the long term, the amero is in the best interests of all three countries,”204 referring to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, which the Illuminati want to merge into a regional union modeled after the European Union that they plan to call the American Union. The “amero” he mentioned is the proposed new regional currency the Illuminati would like the North American Union to Implement.

The Illuminati’s ultimate plan regarding currency is to first establish regional unions and currencies around the world and then merge all of them into one unified global currency (potentially called the Phoenix) which will be a digital electronic currency. Once physical currency like cash and coins have been eliminated or made nearly impossible to use, the unified

electronic currency will be the global standard controlled by the World Bank and its affiliates.

This is the fulfillment of the mysterious “Mark of the Beast” prophecy written about over 2000 years ago in the Bible’s Book of Revelation, which warned “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name...and his number is Six hundred & sixtysix.” (Revelation 13:15-18)

As I’m sure you are aware, cash is slowly being phased out and even using it is now seen as suspicious because it can’t be easily traced, and keeps one’s purchasing history private. The “convenience” of a cashless society is one of the top goals of the Illuminati, and the Council on Foreign Relations is one of the front groups working to make that happen.



The Jasons

We think of most secret societies as political or spiritual associations, but one founded in 1960 is comprised of elite scientists. They are called The Jasons, a name that refers to Jason and the Argonauts from Greek mythology who ventured out to obtain the “golden fleece” (a piece of fabric woven from golden hair) which is symbolic of authority and kingship.

The Jasons, or sometimes referred to as JASON, is a small group of 30 to 60 of the world’s top physicists, biologists, mathematicians, and computer scientists who advise the U.S. Government in their area of expertise. These men are from academia and private business who do not work directly for the government, but instead serve as advisors who are reportedly paid $850 a day from a budget of $3.5 million a year.205 Many members are university professors who work a full time job during the school year, but in the summer months spend their time working on classified projects for the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and other government agencies.

The Jasons were responsible for a 1982 report that served as the foundation for the growing barrage of global warming propaganda titled The Long Term Impact of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide on Climate. They are believed to have been involved with various missile defense programs (Star Wars or HAARP), and gave their analysis contemplating America’s possible use of tactical nuclear weapons against the Vietcong during the Vietnam war.206

The JASONS are technically a 501C3 tax exempt nonprofit organization run through the MITRE Corporation in McLean, Virginia, and were only discovered when the Pentagon Papers were published by Daniel Elsberg in 1971 after Elsberg, a military analyst working for the RAND Corporation, photocopied seven thousand pages of government documents

and leaked them to the press after discovering the extent that the Johnson administration lied to Congress and the public about the Vietnam War. Very little has been reported on them, and at the time I’m writing this there is currently only one book published dedicated to the group—The Jasons: The Secret History of Science’s Postwar Elite (2006) by Ann Finkbeiner.

When researching her book, Finkbeiner reached out to members asking for interviews, including the director, who responded with an e-mail saying, “Frankly, we could not identify an up-side for our organization, but could identify potential downsides to such a book.”207

The reason they are paid as part time contractors and kept outside the bureaucracy of the Department of Defense is because the government feels if they were actual full time employees, their advice would be biased because they would have a vested interest in pushing for certain programs or for advising against others. After all, what government employee is going to actually report to their boss that their own job is unnecessary?

Ann Finkbeiner explains in her book, “A government wanting scientists’ advice on, say the feasibility of a particular system of missile defense could ask scientists who are nearest—that is, who are in the defense industry or on the Defense Department’s various advisory committees. But those scientists like the national lab scientists, would have something political or financial to gain or lose and might hedge their advice accordingly. Disinterested advice comes best from independent scientists, like those on PSAC, outside the government and outside industry—that is from scientists employed in academia whose livelihoods will not depend on the advice they give.”208

The original JASONS were former Manhattan Project physicists who just so happened to hold a major meeting in the Bohemian Grove! Peter Philips, who earned his Ph.D. in sociology after writing his dissertation on the Bohemian Grove, had this to say about the subject: “The atom bomb made this particular meeting at the Grove world famous, but it was not an isolated case of business and government planning through Bohemian club

facilities. This was but one in a long series of historical business-related activities done in the context of a Bohemian corporate family network. The Club takes pride in this event, and members often tell new guests this story while at the Grove.”209

“[Ernest] Lawrence’s use of the Grove’s river clubhouse for a Manhattan Project planning meeting in September of 1942 is well documented.”210 Lawrence would later join the board of directors of Monsanto and worked as a consultant to General Electric.211 The JASONS continue to receive funding from the Department of Defense through DARPA [the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] as well as money from other agencies who sometimes attempt to hide the paper trail through various means.

DARPA is responsible for building neural interface systems they plan to wire directly into people’s brains, and they’re behind a whole list of some of the creepiest high tech Orwellian cybernetic devices you could imagine.



The Bilderberg Group

Every Spring since 1954 a group of around one hundred of the world’s most powerful politicians, businessmen, bankers, media executives, and international royalty have been holding a secret three-day long meeting in an evacuated hotel that’s surrounded by armed guards. Once inside the members and invited guests engage in intense off-the-record talks about the top issues facing the world. It’s called the Bilderberg Group, or the Bilderberg meeting, named after the Bilderberg Hotel in Oosterbeck, Holland, the site of their first gathering organized by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. Attendees agree not to discuss publicly who was in attendance or what specifically was discussed, and most of them have denied any knowledge of the Bilderberg Group at all.

For over sixty years there has been an almost complete blackout in the mainstream media about the meetings, yielding to the Bilderberg Group’s wishes that they keep them out of the press. For decades, news of the infamous Bilderberg Group spread in Patriot circles, in underground newsletters and websites, until the advent of YouTube and social media finally forced some major mainstream media outlets to admit that Bilderberg is real and some very powerful people attend. Here’s a brief history of how the meetings were first discovered and how news of the group began to spread.

In 1957 a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist named Westbrook Pegler who wrote for Scripps Howard News Service, the Chicago Tribune, and other papers, published the first article on the Bilderberg Group—although he did not know their name at the time—his report marked the beginning of the unraveling of one of the most interesting conspiracies of all time.

In his 1957 article, Westbrook Pegler wrote, “Something very mysterious is going on when a strange assortment of 67 self-qualified,

polyglot designers and arbiters of the economic and political fate of our western world go into a secret huddle on an island of Brunswick, GA and not a word gets into the popular press beyond a little routine AP story. These gumshoe super state architects and monetary schemers were drawn from all NATO countries. The fact of this weird conclave as spooky as any midnight meeting of the Klux in a piney wood, was bound to get known to the world eventually.”212

He continues to explain how he first learned of this meeting, saying, “I got my first word of it from a reader who happened onto St. Simon Island, Brunswick, [Georgia] on her way to West Palm Beach. She wrote that the hotel on St. Simon was almost deserted, but that when she commented on this, the clerk said the place had been alive with mysterious characters a few days earlier and with Secret Service and FBI too.”

While not yet having the group’s name, Westbrook did connect them with the same gang who met on Jekyll Island to formulate the plans for the Federal Reserve. He said, “Senator Aldrich of Rhode Island, called this one into being. He was the father of Winthrop Aldrich. There have been many excited versions of that ancient hoe-down on Jekyll Island, but relatively few have ever heard of it at all.”

After Westbrook Pegler began criticizing executives of the powerful Hearst Corporation that owned and controlled almost 30 different newspapers in America, he was fired. Hearst newspapers literally created “yellow journalism” which refers to sensationalistic headlines and careless reporting with a disregard for the facts in order to sell more newspapers.

A man named Willis Carto read Westbrook Pegler’s article and it motivated him to begin investigating and tracking the Bilderberg Group himself. In June of 1958 Willis Carto founded Liberty Lobby that published a newsletter titled Liberty Lowdown that included articles exposing the Bilderberg Group. He would later begin publishing a newspaper called The Spotlight.



Over two decades later, Jim Tucker learned of this elusive group from Carto and would become the world’s foremost expert on them. Tucker explained, “Had it not been for Willis A. Carto, who hired me as editor of The Spotlight and then put me on the tack of Bilderberg, I would probablyalmost assuredly-never heard of the word ‘Bilderberg.’ Having had the opportunity, through Carto’s good offices as founder of Liberty Lobby, publisher of The Spotlight, to begin what ultimately proved to be a generation of world-wide Bilderberg-hunting, I was able to bring news about Bilderberg to literally millions of folks who would like myself have otherwise remained in the dark about these globalist schemers.”213

Tucker tracked the Bilderberg Group from 1975 until his death in 2013 at the age of 78. His book, titled Jim Tucker’s Bilderberg Diary contains decades of information about where the Bilderbergers met, who was in attendance and what was discussed. Tucker had somehow gained the support of an insider who would leak information to him every year about the location and date of the meeting, as well as attendee lists and other information.

It’s foolish to claim there hasn’t been a secret arrangement between the Bilderberg Group and the American mainstream media to keep them out of the press. When over 100 of the world’s most influential politicians, media owners, banking executives, and business elite fly half way around the world to meet for three days in a closed down five star hotel that’s surrounded by armed guards, you can’t say it’s not newsworthy. And you certainly can’t say it’s not interesting. For years, if anyone called into any of the major talk shows like Rush Limbauh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and others, and told the call screener they wanted to ask about the Bilderberg Group, the call would never be put through. “We’re not taking calls on that right now, sorry. Click.” If the person calling gave the call screener a bogus question and happened to be put on air and then asked about the Bilderbergers, they would be ridiculed and the call would be dropped immediately (something that’s happened to me many times).

After decades of news blackouts, more recently because social media has helped expose Bilderberg, some outlets have reluctantly (and briefly)

mentioned the event in attempts to avoid looking like they were covering it up.

In 1991 an Arkansas newspaper published an article reporting that Bill Clinton was attending the Bilderberg meeting. This of course was before people were using the Internet to spread news and at a time when one local newspaper’s report would rarely be seen by anyone outside its limited circulation area. The article stated, “Private sponsors picked up the tab for Gov. Bill Clinton’s recent trips to Germany and the Soviet Union—a journey he made without staff aids, spokesman said Thursday. Mike Gauldin, the governor’s spokesman, said the Bilderberg Conference paid for Clinton’s trip to Germany and a Washington DC philanthropist paid for the Soviet Union visit.”214

In the 1970s a Democratic U.S. representative from Louisiana named John R. Rarick caught wind of the meetings and became suspicious and wanted to know if taxpayers were paying for American officials to attend the secret meeting. Rarick typed up a ten-page statement and actually entered it into the official Congressional Record. “Mr. Speaker, on several occasions during recent months, I called the attention of our colleagues to activities of the Bilderbergers—an elite international group comprised of high government officials, international financiers, businessmen, and opinion-makers…” the statement begins.

“This exclusive international aristocracy holds highly secret meetings annually or more often in various countries. The limited information available about what transpires at these meetings reveals that they discuss matters of vital importance which affect the lives of all citizens. Presidential Advisor Henry Kissinger, who made a secret visit to Peking from July 9 to July 11, 1971, and arranged for a presidential visit to Red China, was reported to be in attendance at the most recent Bilderberg meeting held in Woodstock, Vermont, April 23 to April 25, 1971. The two points reportedly discussed at the Woodstock meeting were, ‘the contribution of business in dealing with current problems of social instability’ and ‘the possibility of a change of the American role in the world and its consequences.’”



“Following these secret discussions, which are certainly not in keeping with the Western political tradition of ‘open covenants openly arrived at,’ the participants returned to their respective countries with the general public left uninformed, notwithstanding the attendance of some news media representatives, of any of the recommendations and plans agreed upon as a result of the discussions—or for that matter even the occurrence of the meeting itself.”215

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, best known for warning the world about the Military Industrial Complex in his 1961 farewell address, wrote a memo to his assistant in 1955 about that year’s Bilderberg meeting which took place in Barbizon, France. While Eisenhower didn’t mention them by name, it’s pretty obvious who he’s talking about in the memo when he says, “I understand next week Prince Bernhard is having a meeting at Barbizon, continuing his exploration looking toward improving European and American relations. If personally you can fit such a trip into your schedule, I suggest you find the money and go to France.”216

I have been able to obtain several recent years of Bilderberg’s IRS filings since they are registered as a 501c3 “charitable foundation,” certain financial information must be made available for public inspection, if you know where to look.217 I discovered they operate under the business entity “American Friends of Bilderberg” and the documents show that in 2008 they received $645,000 in contributions to fund their annual meeting, with money coming from Goldman Sachs ($25,000), Microsoft ($75,000), Henry Kissinger ($20,000), David Rockefeller ($50,000) and others. The 2009 returns show the Washington Post newspaper donated $25,000.218

Under the “Summary of Direct Charitable Activities,” the forms list the organization’s goals as “Organizing & sponsoring conferences which study & discuss significant problems of the western alliance [and] collaborating on the Bilderberg meetings held in Europe & North America.”



The expenses on the 2008 and 2012 documents are listed as approximately $900,000 per year, which covers renting out the entire hotel for three days, paying the private security forces and compensating local police for the extra man-hours, and for paying the travel expenses of members and attendees.

The documents list James Johnson as the treasurer, who is also the chairman of Perseus LLC, a merchant bank and private equity fund management company based in Washington D.C. with offices in New York and an associated advisory firm in Munich, Germany. Perseus is a leading figure in Greek Mythology and is the one who beheaded Medusa.

Johnson was once the Chairman of the Executive Committee at Fannie Mae; and before that he was a managing director at Lehman Brothers. He’s also on the Board of Directors for Goldman Sachs and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

I have personally been to the offices of Perseus in Washington D.C. seeking a comment on the documents, and as soon as I mentioned “Bilderberg,” James Johnson’s secretary said they have no comment and slammed the door. The person listed on the forms as the accountant is Robert T. Foldes of Leon D. Alpern & Company and when I called them, the secretary confirmed they handle the taxes for American Friends of Bilderberg but declined to give me any further information.

Documents leaked from the 1955 Bilderberg meeting show they were planning the European Union and a central currency back in the 1950s, decades before the EU was formed and their new Euro currency introduced. The documents are marked “Personal and strictly confidential,” and “Not for publication either in whole or in part.” Two years later, in 1957, the European Union started to take shape with the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC), which merged the markets of six European countries: France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. This later grew into the European Union in 1993 containing 28 nation states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Most of their plan has been accomplished, and while they will continue to play themselves off as just an ordinary business conference, the decades of denials and media blackouts prove the Bilderberg Group has been deceptive from their inception and the inside sources who have leaked their plans over the years prove the power they wield. Most often, what’s talked about or agreed upon inside Bilderberg soon mysteriously finds its way into becoming law. It clearly appears that wars, economic booms and busts, and controversial new legislation are often traced back to this small group of around 100 men.

While politicians love to point the finger at their rivals and place all the country’s ills on the opposing party, most politicians (at least at the time I’m writing this) haven’t even uttered the word Bilderberg. Congressman Ron Paul, one of the rare honest politicians, was once asked about the Bilderberg Group by a fan at a book signing who videotaped the interaction and posted it on YouTube. “Did you hear about that recent Bilderberg Group meeting in Chantilly, Virginia?” the person asked. Ron Paul responded, “Yeah, recently there was one and there were some reports on it—I didn’t read a whole lot about it but they certainly were there.”219

The cameraman then asked what he thought they were doing there, and Paul responded, “Well, they probably get together and talk about how they’re going to control the banking systems of the world and natural resources—and we get together and talk about how we’re going to get our freedom back. So we have our own things to talk about too.”

Ron Paul didn’t play dumb and didn’t ridicule the man’s question— instead he answered it quite frankly, which is surprising for a politician, particularly when it comes to talking about the Bilderberg Group. Ron Paul was (and still may be, depending on what happens after this book is

published) the only politician (at the time) to have ever even uttered the word “Bilderberg.”

When Hillary Clinton was campaigning for president hoping to secure the election in 2008, someone asked her about the Bilderberg Group at an event in New Hampshire and posted the video on YouTube. “What’s going on at the Bilderberg meeting and what are you guys talking about up there?” She cackled, “Ha ha ha, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The man responded, “Why are they such top secret meetings?” To which she answered (looking like a kid with their hand caught in the cookie jar), “Sir, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”220

She has no idea what he’s talking about? How could one of the most powerful and politically connected women in the world possibly not know about them? It’s ridiculous to claim that she isn’t intimately aware of the Bilderberg Group and obviously she was playing dumb to uphold their secrecy policy. Hilary wrote her college thesis on Saul Alinsky, the leftist extremist who dedicated his book Rules for Radicals to Lucifer, and adored his subversive tactics to further the Big Government agenda.

Because of social media and independent blogs and YouTube channels gaining so much popularity in the early 2000’s, Bilderberg’s secrecy has been blown, and they, (along with their accessories to the cover-up in the mainstream media) have been forced to break their silence on the group and finally, beginning in around the year 2012, some mainstream outlets began to briefly touch on the meeting to try to give the impression they weren’t obviously blacking them out in a desperate attempt to maintain their fading facade of credibility.

Almost every article or brief TV news segment mentions how “conspiracy theorists” think the group is up to no good, while glossing over the fact that for over a half century they conveniently ignored the meetings or how the top radio hosts like Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and others actually ridiculed any caller who even brought it up.



When hosting his popular show on the Fox News Channel, Glenn Beck once claimed that talking about the Bilderberg Group was going down a “tin foil hat road,” and said he didn’t care about the Bilderberg Group, and then compared them to a toy company. “The Bilderbergers had their meeting, I don’t really know much about these people, and I don’t really care. I know probably more about the Build a Bear people in the malls, and I know those people are brainwashing our kids with teddy bears. I don’t know what kind of secret meetings they have to get our kids into the bear industry, but I don’t like it. If the Bilderberg’s are half as evil as the teddy bear people, look out.”221

Beck then went on to say that those inside the Bilderberg meeting were probably talking about how to help the world.







Spiritual Beliefs

It is often said that the Illuminati are “satanic” or Luciferian, which seems unbelievable to someone new to this material because it’s so far outside of most people’s realm of understanding that such claims are often met with skepticism, disbelief, or outright ridicule. But when one takes a closer look and understands just what Satanism and Luciferianism is, such claims not only seem reasonable, but they are undeniable. First we must look at the story of Adam and Eve to begin to understand this.

While Christians, Jews, and many others believe that the first humans disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden by following the advice of Satan, the Illuminati (and every occult association, fraternity, or secret society) believes that Satan actually saved Adam and Eve from enslavement to God, who they say was holding back Mankind’s true potential and keeping Adam and Eve imprisoned in ignorance.

Many religions have an esoteric and an exoteric doctrine, one interpretation for the masses, and another doctrine with deeper or different interpretations for the scholars or religious insiders, often called “adepts” or “the elect.” In Judaism this “second” doctrine is called the Midrash, which goes “beyond” the “simple” and “legal” interpretations of the Torah (the Old Testament) and gives an “expanded view” of the Bible’s stories.

Remember that Albert Pike said, “Masonry, like all the Religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals [emphasis in original] its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it [the Mason] calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it.”222



In his book, The Wisdom of the Knowing Ones, Manly P. Hall explains, “all of these religions had been divided into two sections, one of which was for the public and the other essentially an esoteric or mystical tradition for a few who were willing to consecrate their lives through a process of internal enlightenment. For the many there was obedience to the forms and letters of religious law. For the few there was an insight into the deeper meanings of these things by means of which orthodoxies were transformed into great spiritual systems.”223



Lucifer and Satan

The biggest secret of the Illuminati is that they believe Satan is good, because in their view he is the “superior God,” and this secret has endowed them with tremendous power. Helena Blavatsky in her 1888 book The Secret Doctrine, explains, “Thus Lucifer—the spirit of Intellectual Enlightenment and Freedom of Thought—is metaphorically the guiding beacon, which helps man to find his way through the rocks and sand banks of Life, for Lucifer is the Logos in his highest.”224

She continues, “Lucifer is divine and terrestrial light, the ‘Holy Ghost’ and ‘Satan,’ at one and the same time, visible space being truly filled with differentiated breath invisibly; and the Astral Light, the manifested efforts of two who are one, guided and attracted by ourselves, is the karma of humanity, both a personal and impersonal entity…The Fall was the result of man’s knowledge, for his ‘eyes were opened.’ Indeed, he was taught wisdom and the hidden knowledge by the ‘Fallen Angel’…And now it stand proven that Satan, or the Red Fiery Dragon, the “lord of Phosphorus” (brimstone was a theological improvement), and Lucifer, or ‘Light-Bearer,’ is in us: it is our Mind—our tempter and Redeemer, our intelligent liberator and Savior from pure animalism…Without this quickening spirit, or human Mind or soul, there would be no difference between man and beast.”225

Satanist Aleister Crowley said, “This serpent, Satan, is not the enemy of Man, be He who made Gods of our race, knowing Good and Evil; He bade ‘Know Thyself’ and taught initiation. He is ‘the Devil’ of the book of Thoth, and His emblem is Baphomet, and Androgyne who is the hieroglyph of arcane perfection.”226

The Secret Doctrine states, “For no one, not even the greatest living adept, would be permitted to, or could—even if he would—give out

promiscuously, to a mocking, unbelieving world, that which has been so effectually concealed from it for long aeons and ages.”227

Such views can also be considered Gnosticism, which is a philosophical belief that a lower level evil god called the Demiurge created humans as slaves and in order to be free from the enslavement they must be given the secret knowledge (gnosis) from a higher level God (Satan). Manly P. Hall explains, “Gnostics never looked to salvation from sin (original or other), but rather they desired release from unconsciousness and incomprehension, whereby they meant primarily ignorance of spiritual realities. Salvation, (or liberation) is a potential present in every man and woman, and it is not vicarious but individual. The great Messengers of the Light come to stimulate this potential and they do not by their death but by their lives.”228

Those who believe they have discovered this “secret to life” often keep it contained within occult fraternities, hoping to keep the vast majority of people ignorant of their supposed “truth” so they can keep others from becoming “enlightened” so they can more easily take advantage of them. This sort of spiritual supremacism often leads to Social Darwinism, which is the philosophy of the survival of the fittest. These people have no concern for their fellow man, but are narcissistic, megalomaniacs who view themselves as Gods as a result of Satan’s secret. This superiority complex is conveyed by the “do what thou wilt” philosophy that Aleister Crowley and Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey preached, which means “do whatever you want” because you are your own God.

In his authorized biography The Secret Life of a Satanist, it was revealed that Anton LaVey wasn’t concerned if Satanism inspired people to commit mass murder. It reads, “Anton LaVey maintains that he isn’t really concerned about accusations of people killing other people in the name of Satan. He swears that each time he reads of a new killing spree, his only reaction is, ‘What, 22 people? Is that all?...There will undoubtedly be more Satanically-motivated murders and crimes in the sense that The Satanic Bible tells you ‘You don’t have to take any more shit.’”229



LaVey also admired a homosexual serial killer from the early 1900s named Carl Panzram, who killed at least twenty-two people, and who claimed to have raped one thousand men. “The only way I would like to ‘help’ the great majority of people is the same way Carl Panzram ‘reformed’ people who tried to reform him. It would be most merciful to help them by relieving them of the life they seem to hate so much. People should be happy I’m not a humanitarian—or I’d probably be the most diabolical mass murderer the world has ever known,” LaVey said.230

Richard Ramirez, the “Night Stalker” serial killer from Los Angeles, and Charles Manson were both interested in Satanism. Ramirez famously drew a satanic pentagram on the palm of his hand during his trial and would shout “Hail Satan!” to television cameras and reporters.

Because Satanists do not believe in an afterlife or an all-knowing, allpowerful God, they are not concerned with any kind of divine retribution for their actions, and are thus motivated even more to ruthlessly take advantage of others since they believe in the “survival of the fittest” and that “might is right” and that they themselves are Gods.

This “royal secret” of Satanism will likely one day soon be revealed to the world after having been practiced in secret for thousands of years. The Illuminati and the counterfeit (anti)Christ will likely openly reveal Satanism as the new World Religion and claim it had to be kept a secret all these years until the New World Order was complete. Anyone who denounces this antichrist or the new World Religion will be targeted for termination and will be blamed for trying to stop the completion of “heaven on earth.”



Double Speak

The Illuminati often use “double speak” to conceal their real agenda and present powerful propaganda to the masses who often blindly accept it as the truth without a second thought. The general public have been so dumbed down, they will believe anything their favorite political party tells them and are easily mislead by language and rhetoric that is meant to disguise the speaker’s true intentions. For example, the Department of Defense is really the Department of War, and that’s what it used to be called until the government changed its name in 1949.

The Patriot Act, the bill signed into law shortly after the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, was actually an assault on the Bill of Rights and anything but patriotic, but the term Patriot Act was designed to make the new laws sound as American as the Fourth of July. President Bush declared a “War on Terror” when really it was a “War of Terror.” President Obama said that raising the debt ceiling wouldn’t increase our country’s debt, when that’s clearly exactly what it does, but because the masses have become zombies who react to keywords or neuro linguistic programming language patterns, most people accept statements from presidents as truth without thinking twice.

In some of my viral YouTube videos I’ve asked people to sign petitions supporting legislation that nobody in their right mind would even consider agreeing to, but because I prefaced the question with “would you support Obama…” countless people signed the fake petitions because their blind support for the president caused them to shut off their brain and not even listen to what I was actually asking them to support.



The Hegelian Dialectic

Because the elite Illuminati are social Darwinist Satanists, they often employ what’s called the Hegelian Dialectic, which allows them to roll out their diabolical plans with little opposition. What this entails is creating a problem on purpose through covert means so the government can then present their solution, which is a plan they had waiting in the wings but were unable to implement without the proper crisis which was needed to justify their desired actions.

The Hegelian Dialectic consists of a thesis, an antithesis, and a synthesis, or a problem, a reaction, and a solution. This is the basic structure of a false flag operation which is a military strategy where a government commits a terrorist act while making it appear as if it came from their political enemy—or they allow a terrorist attack to occur when they could have easily stopped it—because the success of the event serves as a pretext (a reason) to carry out actions that previously would have been widely unacceptable by the public, but after the attack occurs, much of the public actually demands that a reaction occur, all the while unaware that behind the scenes the entire operation was planned to get that exact support which was lacking before the attack occurred.

Just three days after the 9/11 attacks, the co-chair of the Council on Foreign Relations stated, “There is a chance for the President of the United States to use the disaster to carry out what his father—a phrase his father used I think only once, and it hasn’t been used since— and that is a New World Order.”231

This attack was precisely the “New Pearl Harbor” event discussed in the Project for the New American Century think tank’s own Rebuilding America’s Defenses report published in September of 2000. From this Illuminati front group came the very plan explaining their need for a

“catalyzing event—a new Pearl Harbor”232 which would be used to set the stage for America to carry out the Illuminati’s agenda by invading the Middle East to complete the New World Order.

In 1962, a false flag attack plan was drawn up by top U.S. military officials who wanted to commit various acts of terror in Washington D.C. and in Miami that would be made to appear as if Cuba had done them, in order to generate public support for an invasion of Cuba. Operation Northwoods, as it was called, plainly stated, “We could develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities, and even in Washington…The terror campaign could be pointed at Cuban refugees seeking haven in the United States…Hijacking attempts against civil aircraft surface craft should appear to continue as harassing measures condoned by the government of Cuba.”

When confronted with such damning evidence, most people immediately dismiss it as a “conspiracy theory” but the Operation Northwoods documents have been declassified and are 100% authentic. The plan was even reported on ABC News in 2001 on their website where the article reads, “In the early 1960s, America’s top military leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Cuba.”233

For people still skeptical about the September 11th inside job, all they need to do is read the Northwoods documents and understand that plans like this have actually been put on paper, and approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the heads of all U.S. military branches). Similar attacks have been carried out in the past by governments throughout history such as Operation Gladio throughout Europe, the Gleiwitz incident and the Reichstag fire in Germany, the Gulf of Tonkin incident in Vietnam, and others.

Henry Kissinger has been intimately involved with nearly every major organization or front group that is behind the push for a New World Order and was originally named the Chairman of the 9/11 Commission by President Bush, which was set up to (pretend to) investigate the terrorist

attacks on September 11th 2001. Kissinger resigned from the commission after family members of 9/11 victims discovered his business ties with the Bin Ladens.234 In an interview on CNBC in February 2009, Kissinger was asked about the problems the Obama administration was facing regarding the ongoing “War on Terror” and the economic meltdown, where he responded that Obama, “can give new impetus to American foreign policy partly because the reception of him is so extraordinary around the world. His task will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period when, really, a New World Order can be created. It’s a great opportunity, it isn’t just a crisis.”

President Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanual made a startling statement after the economic crash of 2008, when he said, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”235

Since we’re talking about power-mad megalomaniac Satanists here, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that these men would orchestrate terror attacks in order to gain more power and further their political agendas. And it’s certainly not a surprise that most of these men have ties to occult cabals like Skull & Bones, Freemasonry, or the Bohemian Grove—all of which are incubators for corruption and keepers of the great “secret of secrets.”



Sex Magic

As I mentioned in a previous section of this book, sex magic (sometimes stylized sex magick with a “k” on the end) is the belief that through secret sexual intercourse rituals one can achieve altered states of consciousness which activate dormant metaphysical powers locked inside the mind, supposedly enabling the practitioners to harness God-like manifestation abilities in what has been described as a conscious, living lucid dream. As strange as this idea may be, it isn’t necessarily a crime for two consenting adults to engage in bizarre sex acts, but unfortunately there are some very disgusting and horrific types of sex magic that are beyond evil, and I caution you—what you are about to read is extremely disturbing.

In parts of Africa many men believe if they rape an albino woman it will give them magical power.236 “There is a belief that if you have [sexual] relations with a girl with albinism, you will cure AIDS. So there are many girls with albinism who are being raped in [Africa] because of this belief,” warned Peter Ash, founder of human rights group Under The Same Sun.237

The London Telegraph reported in 2001 that some South African men rape babies believing it is a ‘cure’ for AIDS.238 More than 67,000 cases of rape and sexual assault against children were reported in the year 2000 in South Africa alone.239

In 2013 the singer of a popular heavy metal band in the United Kingdom called Lost Prophets was sentenced to thirty-five years in prison for thirteen child sex offenses including sexually abusing babies in black magic rituals.240 Several women were also sent to prison for willingly giving him their small children so he could use them for this exact purpose.



The singer, Ian Watkins, was apparently a fan of Aleister Crowley, as many musicians are—who wrote in his book Magick: In Theory and Practice that people can obtain satanic power by murdering children. In the chapter on blood sacrifices Crowley wrote, “For the highest spiritual working one must accordingly choose that victim which contains the greatest and purest force. A male child of perfect innocence and high intelligence is the most satisfactory and suitable victim.”241

In 2014 it was revealed that a group of Aleister Crowley fans were abusing children in an England suburb by doing Satanic sex rituals.242 A woman named Jacqueline Marling even turned her daughter over to the cult and forced her to participate in sex magic rituals beginning when she was just seven years old.243

Such insane and evil sex magic practices aren’t just contained to primitive tribes in Africa or twisted rock stars or Aleister Crowley fans. It appears to be one of the deepest and darkest secrets of the Illuminati as well. Apparently in some sects within the Illuminati, initiates believe this kind of child abuse can “super charge” their “metaphysical powers” enabling them to conjure into their life whatever they wish, in a perverted version of the “Law of Attraction,” the philosophy popularized by the DVD The Secret in 2006.

In the 1990s a Republican Nebraska State Senator named John DeCamp published a book titled The Franklin Cover-Up where he alleged children were taken into the Bohemian Grove and ritualistically raped and murdered in black magic rituals at the hands of some of the members in the 1980s.244 DeCamp, who was an attorney, said he personally interviewed several children from orphanages who allegedly identified the Bohemian Grove as the location of this supposed abuse.245

Former CIA director Bill Colby is said to have warned DeCamp that he was looking into something so dark he should walk away and “Get as far away from this thing as you can. Forget you ever saw it or know it, heard it or anything else.”246 Colby later died in what was called a canoeing

accident, but many suspect he was murdered because of the strange circumstances surrounding his death and his conversations with DeCamp about sex magic. There were no witnesses to his death and he drown after mysteriously going canoeing by himself.

In 1989 the Washington Times printed a front-page headline reading, “Homosexual Prostitution Inquiry Ensnares VIPs with Reagan and Bush,” after it was discovered that a high-powered lobbyist named Craig Spence was operating a pedophile prostitution ring in the Washington D.C. area that catered to elite clients.247 Spence turned up dead a few months after the article was published from an alleged suicide. Whispers of elite pedophile rings have alleged for decades that high-powered politicians and businessmen engage in child abuse for fun or part of secret society rituals. This same dark cloud has hung over the heads of Catholic priests for many decades.

A major star at the BBC in England [the British Broadcasting Corporation] named Jimmy Savile reportedly abused hundreds of children, some as young as two-years-old, and even had sex with dead bodies, according the Washington Post and other mainstream media outlets.248 Such news leads many to believe this kind of activity is part of an organized network of powerful perpetrators, not just separate incidences.

It’s unknown how common these kinds of sex magic rituals are within the Illuminati or other Aleister Crowley-inspired groups, and when one tries to understand why anyone would even consider doing such a thing it challenges the mind to come up with an answer. These perpetrators obviously aren’t just sick psychopaths living in an abandoned cabin in the woods. These are successful men (and possibly women) who are addicted to power and wealth and fuel their ego with all of the finest pleasures of this world, often becoming so jaded and desensitized they are eventually unable to find excitement or pleasure in anything normal.

Since these acts of sexual abuse are the worst thing anyone could possibly do to another human being, these acts of ultimate evil are believed

to cause some kind of hormones to be released into the blood which give the perpetrators a kind of satanic adrenaline rush that magnifies their supposed ability to alter reality metaphysically by their thoughts, thus being the most potent “supernatural steroid” in the world. There is no doubt why sex magic is considered the deepest and darkest secret of the Illuminati, and any human being with a soul can agree that sex offenders of all kinds must be eradicated from the earth.



Transhumanism

One of the ultimate goals of the Illuminati is to become Gods themselves in what they believe is the final stage of their evolution or “transcendence.” This branch of science is called Transhumanism— meaning supporters hope to transition from a human into a totally new species or transcend into a “God.”249 This isn’t just a lofty science fiction pipe dream of a few megalomaniacs with God complexes, this is a very real plan being pursued by some very wealthy and powerful people. Billionaire Peter Thiel, the cofounder of PayPal and early investor in Facebook, believes scientists will soon “cure death” enabling him and other billionaires to live forever. “You can accept [death], you can deny it or you can fight it. I think our society is dominated by people who are into denial or acceptance, and I prefer to fight it.”250

The most popular “guru” of Transhumanism (sometimes symbolized as H+) is Google engineer Ray Kurzweil who believes by the year 2045 he and other elite will achieve immortality through cybernetic enhancements that transform them into literal supercomputing cyborgs who are physically wired into the Internet at all times—or even replacing their biological brains and bodies entirely with “more efficient” silicone computers and mechanical bodies in order to “transcend.” Kurzweil predicts, “As you go out to the 2040s, now the bulk of our thinking is out in the cloud. The biological portion of our brain didn’t go away but the nonbiological portion will be much more powerful. And it will be uploaded automatically the way we back up everything now that’s digital.”251

In 2013 Google created Calico, a life extension and anti-aging biotech company to help them pursue Kurzweil’s dream of beating death, and many other companies are pouring billions of dollars into transhumanist technology and working non-stop hoping to soon unlock immortality.



Transhumanist philosopher Zoltan Istvan, who believes that teaching children about the Bible should be banned and that the government should regulate who is allowed to have children, writes, “The transhumanist age— where radical science and technology will revolutionize the human being and experience—will eventually bring us indefinite lifespans, cyborgization, cloning, and even ectogenesis, where people use artificial wombs outside of their bodies to raise fetuses…Breeding controls and measures make more sense when you consider that some leading life extensionist scientists believe we will conquer human mortality in the next 20 years.”252

These “breeding controls” also seem to align with the Georgia Guidestones, the 19-foot-tall granite monument calling for a world population reduction down to 500 million people in order to preserve the earth’s natural resources. The idea is, if the life extension technology will extend people’s lives by hundreds of years or more, the elite feel they need to save the planet’s resources for themselves, because as CNN founder Ted Turner says, “There’s too many people…too many people are using too much stuff, if there were less people, they’d be using less stuff.”253

The mysterious man behind the strange structure made a reference to transhumanism in a little known book he published shortly after the stones were erected in 1980. “We suggest that scholars throughout the world begin now to establish new bases upon which later generations can develop a totally new universal language for men and machines. It will be adapted to our speech mechanism and to the language faculties and patterns impressed in our nervous systems. Its spoken and printed forms will be capable of accurate interchange by electromechanical means,” wrote R.C. Christian, an admitted pseudonym.254

On the inside cover of the book, titled Common Sense Renewed, it says the first two printings were sent to several thousand political leaders and “shapers of public opinion” around the world. Aside from admitting he represented the unnamed group responsible for the creation of the Georgia Guidestones, the author says part of their purpose is that, “The hearts of our

human family must be touched and warmed to welcome a global rule by reason.”255

May I remind you that several of the “guides,” or commandments as many people call them, aside from reducing to human population down to 500 million (which is more than a 90% reduction from 2014 levels) suggest creating a global government, a global universal language, and the last of the ten “guides,” engraved in eight different languages on the faces of the stones, warns people to not be a “cancer on the earth.”

The elite’s insane dreams of becoming God get even more horrifying the closer you look into them. Richard Seed, a leading geneticist and Transhumanist promoter, said, “God made man in his own image. God intended for man to become one with God. We are going to become one with God. We are going to have almost as much knowledge and almost as much power as God. Cloning and the reprogramming of DNA is the first serious step in becoming one with God.”256

Regarding the resistance to such plans, he ominously responded, “We are going to become Gods, period. If you don’t like it, get off. You don’t have to contribute, you don’t have to participate, but if you are going to interfere with me becoming a God, you’re going to have trouble. There’ll be warfare.”257

Illuminati Transhumanists believe what Satan told Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden will soon come to pass—that they will become allknowing, all-powerful, immortal Gods who will rule planet earth forever and ever. This New Age philosophy falls in line with their Social Darwinist “survival of the fittest” mentally, and while history is filled with a long list of men who have believed they themselves were Gods—from the ancient pharaohs in Ancient Egypt to Adolf Hitler—today the elite, and much of the general public, anxiously await the Singularity and believe they will soon achieve their Luciferian transition into a God, just as Satan promised mankind so long ago.





Symbolism

A picture is worth a thousand words, as the cliché goes, because pictures contain so much information someone could speak for hours trying to describe every detail but still couldn’t convey everything one encapsulated. Symbols reach deep into the psyche and the soul, and consciously and unconsciously convey meanings and evoke emotional responses. We live in a world full of symbols. A red light at an intersection means stop; a wedding ring symbolizes a man and woman’s commitment to each other. The American flag represents the values, principles, and hard work that built America. The true power of symbols comes from their ability to evoke certain thoughts and feelings.

A souvenir you bought on a trip reminds you of all the fun you had there and just the sight of the object stimulates memories and feelings about the trip. A framed photo of your favorite car hanging on the wall in your office subconsciously reminds you of the freedom you feel on the weekends driving down a country road, briefly leaving your worries behind. Family photos invoke feelings of joy and fond memories just from glancing at them for a moment as they sit on our desk or hang on our refrigerator.

While we can all agree and articulate what many symbols mean, what makes them so mysterious is that the same symbol may have completely different meanings to different people. Let us now decode some popular Illuminati symbols and uncover their occult “hidden” meanings and see why they are used and what they mean to insiders. Most of these symbols themselves aren’t “evil” in and of themselves, they’ve just been adopted by groups or people who are evil, so various symbols have taken on a negative connotation. The swastika was a popular Hindu symbol of health and wellbeing before the Nazis incorporated it as the logo of the Nazi party, and so now we have a negative association to what was originally a positive symbol. The symbol itself is certainly not evil, but we have come to associate it with evil, when in reality it was hijacked and perverted, so for

most people its meaning has been tainted from what it originally meant to convey.



The Sun

To the ancient Mystery Schools in the past, as well as numerous modern mystical or enlightenment groups, (including the Illuminati), the sun is their primary symbol and is often incorporated into their logos and artwork. The sun represents power and light. The word Illuminati means enlightened ones, and the word enlighten contains the word light, which comes from the sun. Someone is said to be bright if they are intelligent and are also called brilliant, which, if you look that word up in the dictionary, you will also find that it means “shining brightly.”

The sun rises and brings life to the world by chasing away the cold and scary darkness of the night. It is an awesome, enormous, and mysterious power that affects all life on planet earth. We tell time based on the sun, it affects the seasons, and it even has an immense effect on our psyche and our health. The 28th degree in Freemasonry is called the Knight of the Sun, and is just one example of how Masons pay homage to this massive star at the center of our solar system.



The Pyramid

The pyramid represents the social hierarchy of society, symbolically depicting a small enlightened few at the top, and the masses of ignorant “worker bees” on the bottom. A sun on top of a pyramid symbolically represents the small number of Illuminati “enlightened leaders” at the top of the social hierarchy ruling over the masses of ignorant slaves below who make up the base of the pyramid.

The Dictionary of Symbols explains, “The base is square and represents the earth. The apex is the starting-point and the finishing-point of all things —the mystic ‘center.’ Joining the apex to the base are the triangular-shaped faces of the pyramid, symbolizing fire, divine revelation and the threefold principle of creation. In consequence the pyramid is seen as a symbol expressing the whole of the work of creation in its three essential aspects.”258

The ancient Egyptian pyramids, built over four thousand years ago, are still one of the seven wonders of the world and have been an endless source of mystery still to this day. While mainstream historians believe the pyramids were built as tombs for the Pharaohs, the belief in the Illuminati is that they were actually temples where the Mystery Schools taught their secrets.

33rd degree Freemason Manly P. Hall explains, “The Great Pyramid was not a lighthouse, an observatory, or a tomb, but the first temple of the Mysteries, the first structure erected as a repository for those secret truths which are the certain foundation of all the arts and sciences…Through the mystic passageways and chambers of the Great Pyramid passed the illumined of antiquity. They entered its portals as men; they came forth as gods. It was the place of the ‘second birth,’ the womb of the Mysteries, and wisdom dwelt in it as God dwells in the hearts of men.”259



As I’m sure you are aware, a pyramid with an all-seeing eye can be found on the back of the one-dollar bill, which many people believe is basically a stamp of ownership by the Illuminati. The man who designed this Great Seal was a Freemason named Charles Thomson, confirming many peoples’ suspicions that a hidden hand strategically placed the symbol on the currency as a secret sign of their power.

The phrase Novus Ordo Seclorum (Latin for New Order for the Ages) has appeared on the bottom of the pyramid on the back of the one dollar bill since 1935. At the opening of the 110th Congress on January 4th 2007, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made a cryptic reference to the Great Seal, announcing, “Our Founders envisioned a new America driven by optimism, opportunity, and courage. So confident were they in the new America they were advancing, they put on the Great Seal of the United States, ‘Novus ordo seclorum’—a new order for the ages…This vision has sustained us for more than 200 years, and it accounts for what is best in our great nation: liberty, opportunity, and justice. Now it is our responsibility to carry forth that vision of a new America.”



The All-Seeing Eye

The symbol of one eye, often with rays of light emanating from it, represents God’s omniscient power and dates back to ancient Egypt where it represented the sun God Horus who could see all. It’s sometimes called the Eye of Providence, and as you know, sits on top of the pyramid on the back of the one dollar bill. This all-seeing eye symbol also represents Big Brother and the Orwellian power of the intelligence agencies watching what everyone does, what they buy, and cataloging their online activities.

Not only are there all-seeing eyes watching people in shopping malls and walking down the streets of major cities, but most people have willingly installed an all-seeing eye in their living rooms—and even their bedrooms—and with the click of a few keys these eyes can be activated by crafty hackers or government agencies. Of course I’m talking about webcams that are built into tablets, laptops, and televisions, not to mention, perhaps even more disturbing, listening to people as well through the microphones that accompany them.

Check out my previous book, Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True to learn about actual high-tech spy gadgets, mind-reading machines, government projects, and emerging artificial intelligence systems that seem as if they came right out of George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and how our own world is unfortunately eerily paralleling the dystopia in his classic book.

While much of this has become fairly well known by now, one interesting point few people ponder is that the all-seeing eye—aside from representing the Illuminati—may actually become a symbol of the Antichrist himself. One Bible prophecy about the Antichrist is that an attempt will be made on his life that will take out or damage one of his eyes.260 Since the symbol often represents a “God,” it’s possible that the

coming counterfeit Christ may literally embody this symbol as a tactic to convince the masses that he himself is God. In Islam, Muslims have a prophecy almost identical saying that the Antichrist, who they call the Dejjal, will be symbolized by one eye.



Snakes and Serpents

The symbol of the serpent is perhaps best known as the creature in the Garden of Eden who tempted Adam and Eve into disobeying God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The very word snake has negative connotations, meaning someone is a liar or deceptive. While the typical connotation of a snake is negative, and the Biblical story of Adam and Eve depicts Satan as the enemy of God and mankind, the occult interpretation is quite different. Occultists and Satanists praise the serpent and believe it brought wisdom to Mankind, enabling humans to become gods.

Again we look to the revelations of 33rd degree Freemason Manly P. Hall who explains, “The serpent is true to the principle of wisdom, for it tempts man to the knowledge of himself. Therefore the knowledge of self resulted from man’s disobedience to the Demiurges, Jehovah [God].”261 Hall continues, saying “The serpent is the symbol and prototype of the Universal savior, who redeems the worlds by giving creation the knowledge of itself and the realization of good and evil.”262

The Secret Doctrine says, “The Serpent of Eternity and all Knowledge, that Manasic spirit [the rational faculty of the mind], which made him learn the secret of creation on the Kriyasaktic, and of procreation on the earthly planes—led him as naturally to discover his way to immortality, notwithstanding the jealously of the Gods.”263

The evil scumbag Aleister Crowley had this to say: “This serpent, Satan, is not the enemy of Man, [because it is he] who made Gods of our race, knowing Good and Evil.”264



Like Satanists and occultists, Freemasons adore the serpent as a savior and worship its wisdom. Here is a quote from Albert Pike’s Morals and Dogma about the serpent, reading, “It is the body of the Holy Spirit, the Universal Agent, the Serpent devouring its own tail.”265

Complicating the meaning of the serpent symbol are several cryptic statements in the Bible, the first of which is when Jesus advised people to be as wise as serpents yet as gentle as doves in Mathew 10:16. This statement seems to acknowledge that serpents contain wisdom or represent a power that may be used for either good or evil. Another interesting and hard to reconcile story about serpents is when Moses made a brazen (brass) serpent and attached it to the top of his staff in order to heal the Israelites who had been bitten by snakes in the desert. The American Medical Association’s logo is a snake coiled around on a staff and the same symbol is often found on ambulances as a symbol of health and healing. When someone reaches the 25th degree of Freemasonry, they are called a Knight of the Brazen Serpent.

One of the reasons serpents have come to symbolize wisdom and enlightenment is because their eyes are always open since they don’t have any eyelids. Snakes are very unique creatures because they have no legs yet move around shooting across the ground like a bolt of lightning. To early Man, they may have seemed magical because they can appear out of nowhere and then disappear into the grass or into the earth itself. The shedding of their skin has come to symbolize a rebirth or immortality, possibly because primitive man thought that snakes were immortal and would give birth to a new self, when a snake “died” it would rise again leaving behind its old “carcass” in the form of its shed skin and continue to live on.

It’s possible that the serpent does not necessarily represent evil in and of itself, but may represent a force that may be used for either good or evil.



The Phoenix

A phoenix is a large mythical bird that symbolizes cyclical renewal, immortality, or resurrection. The creature is depicted similar to an eagle and is often associated with the sun, and many myths talk about the phoenix dying, decomposing, and then rising again out of its own ashes. Some believe that many of the eagle symbols we see today are actually secretly symbols of a phoenix, including the double-headed “eagle” that is a symbol of the 33rd degree of Freemasonry.

The eagle that has come to be a popular symbol of America, and found on the back of the one dollar bill, is also believed by some to occultly signify a phoenix. The Secret Teachings of All Ages states that “The hand of the mysteries controlled in the establishment of the new government for the signature of the mysteries may still be seen on the Great Seal of the United states of America. Careful analysis of the seal discloses a mass of occult and masonic symbols chief among them, the so-called American Eagle...only the student of symbolism can see through the subterfuge and realize that the American eagle upon the Great Seal is but a conventionalized phoenix.”266

The book, published in 1928, also states that, “Not only were many of the founders of the United States government Masons, but they received aid from a secret and august body existing in Europe which helped them to establish this country for a peculiar and particular purpose known only to the initiated few. The Great Seal is the signature of this exalted body— unseen and for the most part unknown—and the unfinished pyramid upon its reverse side is a teeterboard setting forth symbolically the task to the accomplishment of which the United States Government was dedicated from the day of its in conception.”267



The phoenix has been proposed to be the name of the new unified global currency that international banksters have long awaited. The cover of the January 1988 edition of The Economist magazine read “Are you ready for a world currency” and contained an article that explained, “Thirty years from now, Americans, Japanese, Europeans, and people in many other rich countries, and some relatively poor ones will probably be paying for their shopping with the same currency. Prices will be quoted not in dollars, yen or D-marks but in, let’s say, the phoenix. The phoenix will be favored by companies and shoppers because it will be more convenient than today’s national currencies.”268

The metaphor of “rising from the ashes like a phoenix” refers to a rebirth, or something being killed or destroyed in order to give birth to something new, and so by killing off the U.S. Dollar and other currencies around the world through inflation, the banksters are symbolically giving birth to their new currency, which many plan to call the “phoenix.”



The Owl

When discussing Illuminati symbolism, the owl is most known for its connections to the Bohemian Grove, the Illuminati’s summer retreat in northern California. Esoterically, the owl represents wisdom because it sees in the dark, and the Owl of Athena was chosen by Adam Weishaupt as one of the symbols of the Bavarian Illuminati. Early civilizations saw the owl as mysterious because it is only seen at night since they are nocturnal animals.

The Dictionary of Symbols explains, “In the Egyptian system of hieroglyphs, the owl symbolizes death, night, cold and passivity. It also pertains to the realm of the dead sun, that is, it is of the sun which has set below the horizon and which is crossing the lake or sea of darkness.”269

A tiny owl can also be found hidden on the one dollar bill, perched on the upper left corner of the frame that surrounds the “1” located in the upper right hand corner of the bill. Many people see an owl designed into the street layout of Washington D.C., right on top of the U.S. Capitol building when viewing the location from overheard or looking at it on a map.

Pictures of owls are often seen in classrooms standing on a small stack of books in order to symbolize knowledge. The National Press Club’s logo also contains an owl standing on a book. Owls are also seen as guardians and often owl statues are put on the top of buildings to scare away other birds.



The Skull and Crossbones

The skull and crossbones symbol has a sinister look to it, which is why it has been used by nefarious groups for centuries—from pirates and biker gangs, to the Nazis. It represents death, or the power over life and death, which is why it appeals to megalomaniacs and psychopaths. The Nazi SS officers in charge of concentration camps where over six million people were exterminated wore a skull and crossbones symbol on their uniforms, the same emblem used by the Skull & Bones secret society as their logo. The Nazis called it the Totenkopf (German for skull or dead man’s head) and it was a blatant statement of their intention and purpose. Hitler personally handed out a Death’s Head ring to elite SS soldiers.

The Knights Templar incorporated the symbol into their lives because they were dedicated to fight to the death and vowed never to be taken alive as a prisoner. Many Freemasons have a human skull (or a replica) sitting on their desk to remind them of their own mortality and that their life is quickly ticking away. It is meant to urge them to work towards the achievement of their goals before it’s too late.

As you may recall from earlier, both the Bavarian Illuminati and Skull & Bones society at Yale use the object in their induction ceremony with their four different skulls and the question about which one is the fool, the wise man, the beggar or the king. The answer to this induction riddle, “Whether poor or rich, all’s the same in death,” is meant to reinforce their mortality to them and remind them that the clock of life is ticking so they had better do all they can to become kings here in this life because when you’re dead—to them—nothing matters. The riddle is obviously meant to convey that they don’t believe in an afterlife or a final judgment from God.



Baphomet

Baphomet is an occult idol that is depicted as an androgynous man with female breasts that has the head of a goat. The torch of Prometheus is often sticking out of its head and intertwining serpents are rising from its crotch. It’s a mysterious and hideous looking figure that dates back to the 1300s when the inner circle of Knights Templar allegedly incorporated it into their rituals and secret doctrine.

An early depiction of the figure comes from an 1854 book titled Transcendental Magic that was written by a French occultist Eliphas Levi.270 Accompanying his illustration, Eliphas Levi wrote, “According to some, the Baphomet was a monstrous head, but according to others, a demon in the form of a goat. A sculptured coffer [chest] was disinterred [dug up] recently in the ruins of an old Commandery of the Temple, and antiquaries observed upon it a Baphometic figure, corresponding by its attributes to the goat of Mendes and the androgyne of Khunrath.”271

Many Satanists have proudly incorporated the Baphomet figure into their symbols and rituals. Aleister Crowley wrote that the serpent or the “devil’s emblem” was Baphomet, who he also called the “hieroglyph of arcane perfection.”272

One version of the figure is the Church of Satan’s logo, which is printed on the cover of The Satanic Bible. While many people claim that the Catholic Church fabricated the claims that the Knights Templar were using it in secret rituals as an excuse to arrest them and confiscate their wealth during the Inquisition, most Satanists and occults hold the belief that the Catholic Church’s claims were actually true.273



Again, Eliphas Levi boldly proclaimed in his book Transcendental Magic, “Yes, in our profane conviction, the Grand Masters of the Order of the Templars worshipped the Baphomet, and caused it to be worshipped by their initiates.”274



The Pentagram

An upside down pentagram drawn inside of a circle is one of the most obvious and familiar satanic symbols that is used by occult organizations, rebellious teenagers, and rock stars today. It is a lower level occult symbol often used to represent dark powers or sinister forces. Because it’s so widely known, it’s never really used by high-level occultist or the Illuminati, who instead use much less familiar symbols like pyramids, allseeing eyes, owls, black and white checkerboards, and other, less polarizing images.

A pentagram differs from an ordinary five-pointed star in a few ways. First, a pentagram is drawn using five straight lines making up the points and also forming a pentagon in the center. The Satanic pentagram is drawn upside down, and often encompassed by a circle. The reason Satanists use it is because Christians originally used the five points of a (right-side up) pentagram (called the pentalpha) to symbolize the five wounds of Jesus (the two spikes through his hands, two through his feet, and the spear that pierced his side). Satanists like to pervert things and flip Christian symbols upside down or backwards to signify their opposing views and beliefs, and this is how their use of upside down pentagrams came into being.

The Dictionary of Symbols entry on the star reads, “As far back as in the days of Egyptian hieroglyphics a star pointing upwards signified ‘rising upwards towards the point of origin’ and formed part of such words as ‘to bring up,’ ‘to educate,’ and ‘the teacher.’ The inverted five-pointed star is a symbol of the infernal and used in black magic.”275

In Freemasonry, the pentagram is called the Blazing Star and represents the sun, Lucifer, carnal knowledge and power. To Wiccans and Pagans, the five points of the star represent air, fire, water, Earth, and spirit.

The female branch of Freemasonry, called Eastern Star, actually uses an upside down pentagram as their emblem.



Square and Compass

A square (the tool used by carpenters to lay out a right angle or a “square” angle) overlaid on top of a compass (the tool used for drawing circles and arches—not the navigation tool for identifying direction) is a popular symbol in Freemasonry and is often seen with the letter G in the center. The square and compass signify the alchemical doctrine of “as above, so below” or the joining of heaven and earth by forming two opposite facing pyramids with one pointing up and the other one pointing downward. The letter G in the center stands for God or Gnosis [the Greek word for knowledge.] It is also often said to stand for the “Great Architect of the Universe,” a term many masons use to refer to God.



The Statue of Liberty

If you asked the average American what the Statue of Liberty represented, they’ll probably tell you it has to do with “America,” “freedom,” or “democracy.” Some may know that it was given to America by the French, but few know its very design and creation was orchestrated by Freemasons, the secret society, not the government of France, who then gave it to America as a “gift” and placed it in New York Harbor.

Frederic Bartholdi, the designer of the Statue of Liberty, was, of course, a Freemason, and very familiar with occult and Illuminati symbolism and philosophies. In fact, the three major figures involved with the Statue—Frederic Bartholdi, who designed the statue itself; Gustave Eiffel, who designed the inner support structure; and Richard Hunt, who designed the pedestal—were all Freemasons.

Bartholdi’s original plan for a giant statue of this type was actually that it be placed in a harbor in Egypt. After his proposal was turned down by the Egyptian government, he changed his design a little bit and approached America to see if he could erect his newly designed statue in the United States. The point is, he originally wanted to build a bizarre “God-like” statue and have it stand somewhere other than America. Bartholdi’s first choice for his mystical statue was Egypt, not the United States.

The original name of the statue was “Liberty Enlightening the World,” not the “Statue of Liberty.” Again, the word Enlightening fits in with the Illuminati theme—Enlightening, enlightenment, light, the sun, intelligence, bright, brilliance, Lucifer. You get the picture by now.

A near mirror image of the Statue of Liberty stands in France, also on an island, in the Seine River in Paris, that was set up in 1889, just three

years after the one in America was completed. If it’s an “American” symbol then why is there an almost identical one in France? There are actually hundreds of nearly identical “Statue of Liberty” figures all around the world, including Leicester, England; Lviv, Ukraine; Carinthia, Austria; Cenicero, Spain; Arraba in Israel, and many, many other places.

The Statue of Liberty is essentially a modern version of the Colossus of Rhodes, which was a 100-foot-tall statue depicting the Greek sun god Helios (Helios being Greek for sun) that once stood in ancient Greece. The Colossus was created in the 3rd century B.C. and depicted Helios (the Sun God) holding a torch high in one hand and stood on the island of Rhodes facing the water. “This gigantic gilded figure, with its crown of solar rays and its upraised torch, signified occultly the glorious Sun Man of the Mysteries, the Universal Savior,” says The Secret Teachings of All Ages.276

There is a poem printed on a plaque that sits prominently near the base of the Statue of Liberty titled The New Colossus, clearly signaling that it was modeled after the Greek sun god. There was a Masonic cornerstone ceremony conducted when construction began, and a Masonic plaque was placed on the site as well. The statue also symbolizes a composite of a variety of ancient goddesses who represent the feminine principle.

The torch that the Statue of Liberty is holding represents the torch of Prometheus, who occultly signifies Lucifer. The Greek mythological story of Prometheus is the same allegory of stealing fire (i.e. knowledge) from God or the Gods, and giving it to humans, thus angering God.

Here is Manly P. Hall again, one of Freemasonry’s greatest philosophers, explaining in Lectures on Ancient Philosophy, that, “Man wandered hopelessly in the gloom of mortality, living and dying without light or understanding in his servitude to the Demiurgus [the creator God] and his host of spirits. At last the spirit of rebellion entered the creation in the form of Lucifer, who in the guise of a serpent tempted man to revolt against the mandates of Jehovah (the Demiurgus). In Greece this character was known as Prometheus, who brought from the gods the impregnating

flame that would release the life latent in this multitude of germlike potentialities.”277

The seven horn-looking spikes coming out of the Statue of Liberty’s head represent rays of the sun, and symbolically represents the spirit radiating from the mind as knowledge or “enlightenment.” There are seven of them because the rays represent the seven liberal arts and sciences, thus comprising an essential knowledge base. The statue is also holding a book, obviously, symbolic of knowledge and information—again fitting in with the theme of knowledge and enlightenment, because knowledge is power, and that is what the Illuminati has.



Rockefeller Center’s Prometheus

Rockefeller Center in New York City is a huge 22-acre complex made up of nineteen different buildings and the home of Bank of America, NBC, General Electric and other major international Illuminati-controlled corporations. Standing prominently within the property is a huge gold colored statue of Prometheus holding a ball of fire in one hand as he flies through the air. The mythological Greek story of Prometheus stealing fire from the Gods and giving it to mankind despite the punishment he will face is seen by occultists as identical to the story of Lucifer giving mankind the knowledge of good and evil that God had forbid us to have.

So essentially this statue that stands outside of Rockefeller Center is a tribute to Lucifer, which goes unnoticed by the average person not familiar with Illuminati symbolism. Most people are probably not even familiar with the Prometheus myth, or have long since forgotten about it since studying Greek mythology in high school and simply think the statue is just another random piece of art with little to no significance.

Helena Blavatsky explains in her classic occult work, The Secret Doctrine, that, “The allegory of Prometheus, who steals the divine fire as to allow men to proceed consciously on the path of spiritual evolution, thus transforming the most perfect of animals on Earth into a potential god, and making him free to take the kingdom of heaven by violence. Hence also, the curse pronounced by Zeus against Prometheus, and by Jehovah [God] against his ‘rebellious son,’ Satan.”278

So as you can see, it’s not just me making the connection between Prometheus and Lucifer—It’s occultist insiders themselves, and of course it’s no coincidence this stands on a Rockefeller property, a family with generational ties to the Illuminati establishment.



The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument, which is located directly west of the United States Capitol building in Washington DC, standing approximately 555 feet high, dominates the sky throughout the city and can be seen from miles around, especially at night with the red light shining from the top looking like the evil Eye of Sauron in the Lord of the Rings movies. The monument is an Egyptian obelisk with a pyramid capstone on the top and was completed in 1884.

The structure is one of the most important symbols in America to the Illuminati, although most people are clearly unaware of it having any hidden meaning. Occultists see the monument as an enormous phallic symbol—a big penis—representing masculine energy and dominance. One would expect the “Washington” Monument to be a statue of George Washington himself, much like the Lincoln Memorial houses a huge statue of Abraham Lincoln, but instead it’s a giant erect penis of the Egyptian god Baal. Of course, it too was designed and built by Freemasons, who even had a ceremony to lay the cornerstone when construction began.

Fritz Springmeier, author of Bloodlines of the Illuminati, wrote, “Every morning when the United States President wakes up he can look out the window, see the Masonic obelisk and be reminded of who controls America. If the president has any training in the Mystery Religion of Egypt, he will also know what body part is symbolically erected in the Washington Memorial.”279 Springmeier goes so far as to say, “If the U.S. were ever to return to serving God, that monument would be a good one to destroy. God asked the Israelites not just simply to avoid worshiping such abominations, He asked His people to destroy them, for their very creation was an abomination.”280



Cleopatra’s Needle

While the Washington Monument may be the most well-known Egyptian obelisk in America, it isn’t the only one. Another one stands in Central Park in New York City—called Cleopatra’s Needle, and this one is actually an authentic Egyptian obelisk that dates back to around 1500 B.C. and was transported to New York in 1881.

Similar “Cleopatra’s Needles” actually stand in London and Paris, signifying the Illuminati’s rule in those countries as well. Not surprising, there is also one in Vatican City as well. The one in New York’s Central Park stands 70-feet tall and weighs 220 tons. Why and how it was brought to America all the way from Egypt is an interesting story.

For some reason Henry G. Stebbins, who was the Commissioner of the Department of Public Parks in New York in the 1880s, announced he was looking for help financing a plan to bring the statue to America. William H. Vanderbilt, who was one of the wealthiest men in the world, was asked to help make it happen and donated over $100,000 (over $2 million in 2014 dollars) to help. Interestingly, the shipping costs for the one sent to London were paid for by Dr. Erasmus Wilson, a Freemason.

Once the obelisk arrived in America, thousands of Freemasons took part in a parade as it was rolled up Fifth Avenue from 14th Street to 82nd Street. When it was erected at its final destination in the park, the Grand Master of Masons in New York performed a cornerstone laying ritual as a celebration. When it first arrived in New York in 1881, Cleopatra’s Needle was covered with clearly visible hieroglyphics about the sun god Horus, but most of the carvings have since been warn away from acid rain. While they survived 3000 years in Egypt, it seems the ancient relic was no match for the pollution of New York City.



Movies and Music

For hundreds of years, knowledge of the Illuminati and their symbols was largely contained within the Mystery Schools that taught the esoteric tradition. Outsiders didn’t even think twice about most occult symbols because they were seen as ordinary art and few people paid much attention to them. But with the birth of the information age, things started to change. In the 1990s and early 2000s, a growing number of websites and forums were dedicated to investigating secret societies, and began to expose these once little known issues to a larger number of people.

For decades, those interested in such material were considered a fringe minority of patriots and “conspiracy theorists,” but with the emergence of social media becoming a standard feature in most people’s lives, and with video sharing websites like YouTube changing the nature of media and information exchange, an interesting phenomenon began to occur early in the twenty-first century. Illuminati and occult symbolism spilled over from what was once primarily the topic of fringe websites, and “computer geeks” on Internet forums, to became part of pop culture finding its way into various mainstream music videos and blockbuster movies.

While a sizable portion of the population has become familiar with the use of Illuminati symbolism in rap videos and supposed “Illuminati hand signs” being flashed by celebrities, most people who pay attention to this aspect of the symbolism barely have a basic understanding of the history of the symbols or their meanings. Many people who have heard the oftentimes farfetched claims about “Illuminati celebrities” have dismissed the existence of the Illuminati all together as a conspiracy theory or believe it’s simply a secret society in Hollywood that top celebrities are part of.

Checkout my previous book Illuminati in the Music Industry to read about this fascinating history since it is a very lengthy analysis in and of

itself. While there certainly have been countless allegations made against a variety of celebrities like Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Kanye West and others, when you take a critical analysis of celebrity as a whole and the power their music and personas have over the culture, it becomes very clear that music is not always “just entertainment.”

As the Illuminati prepare to announce the “royal secret,” as they call it, by declaring that Satan is the King of the Earth and the “savior of mankind,” hoping to finally overthrow the “inferior” and “evil” Creator God to complete the New World Order “utopia,” celebrities have recently played a major part in paving the path to the apocalypse.

The vast majority of the public literally worship celebrities who function as modern day Gods that shape our cultural attitudes and beliefs since their every action is mimicked, and every opinion they voice is seen as profound.

The general public is growing to see the Illuminati—not as a threat to their freedoms or a corrupt mafia of politicians, bankers and businessmen— but as a “cool” group of powerful men they wish they could be a part of. The moral decay and erosion of the work ethic have resulted in the average person willing to do almost anything for just a taste of the Illuminati’s “success.” Pop culture has begun portraying the Illuminati as holding the secret to success or a secret society of the rich and famous.

Occasionally films have portrayed the Illuminati or an affiliated group as the antagonist in a plot to convey a warning to the audience, and some celebrities have publicly denounced them as the shadowy puppet masters pulling the strings in global affairs, but the overwhelming majority of mainstream media content and celebrity idols paint the Illuminati as holding the master key to success and as a result countless people would practically kill their own mother to join them in order to have a bigger piece of the pie.







Insiders’ Hints

If you want to truly understand what the Illuminati is, what they are doing, what they are planning, and what they believe, there’s no better place to go than to elite insiders themselves who can’t always keep their mouths shut, and occasionally can’t help but brag about their “great work.” While there’s a long list of people who claim to be Illuminati defectors that speak about their alleged activities while supposedly being a “member of the Illuminati,” most of these people are hoaxers and fraudsters with no credibility who are just trying to make a few bucks from selling books, or just looking for attention, and many of them have been easily debunked.

Of course if you do an Internet search for “the Illuminati,” you’ll find countless websites making claims about what they are, what they do, who’s supposedly involved, etc. There’s even a Wikipedia page giving a few details about them, although it’s largely incomplete and inaccurate. While it’s not difficult at all to find Illuminati conspiracy theories online, what is difficult; however, is finding accurate and reliable information that is properly sourced and verified, and this is my primary goal with this book.

While everyone seems to have an opinion about the Illuminati these days, most people think “research” consists of watching a few YouTube videos or glancing over a Wikipedia article. There are, however, some very well connected and powerful men who have either dropped hints about the Illuminati and their secret agenda, or those who have gotten close enough to the power structure to see for themselves that a powerful secret society does exist and has tremendous influence over the world.



David Rockefeller

The Rockefeller family is often mentioned as one of the families that has been involved with the Illuminati for generations and have accumulated a vast amount of wealth and influence because of this. The Rockefeller family made most of their money in oil and banking, and using their wealth they have wrapped their tentacles around some of the most infamous groups and conspiracies connected to the Illuminati.

For example, Rockefeller money was instrumental in the early growth of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, and the Bilderberg Group. They were a major funder of Eugenics and the CIA’s MK-ULTRA mind control experiments at over 30 American Universities, hospitals, and government facilities. The Rockefellers bought seventeen acres of land for the United Nations headquarters to be built in Manhattan; and even financed the development of facial recognition systems through their Rockefeller University that recruited and funded a man named Joseph Atick in the early 1990s who was given use of the Computational Neuroscience Laboratory where he developed his facial recognition systems.

In his 2002 book, Memoirs, Illuminati kingpin David Rockefeller arrogantly admitted, “For more than a century ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents such as my encounter with Castro to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as “internationalists” and conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure—one world, if you will. If that’s the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it.”281



In a 1980 PBS documentary titled The World of David Rockefeller, host Bill Moyer said that “David Rockefeller is the most conspicuous representative today of the ruling class, a multinational fraternity of men who shape the global economy and manage the flow of its capital. Rockefeller was born to it, and he has made the most of it. But what some critics see as a vast international conspiracy, he considers a circumstance of life and just another day’s work... In the world of David Rockefeller it’s hard to tell where business ends and politics begins.”282



Carroll Quigley

In 1966 an Establishment insider and mentor of President Bill Clinton published a book for fellow Establishment insiders titled Tragedy & Hope to help them understand how the Illuminati empire works. Carroll Quigley, a professor at Georgetown University, knew that most of the public doesn’t read books or newspapers and are more interested in sports entertainment and celebrity news than business or politics.

Quigley openly revealed, “There does exist, and has existed for a generation, an international Anglophile network which operates, to some extent, in the way the radical Right believes the Communists act. In fact, this network, which we may identify as the Round Table Groups, has no aversion to cooperating with the Communists, or any other groups, and frequently does so. I know of the operations of this network because I have studied it for twenty years and was permitted for two years, in the early 1960’s, to examine its papers and secret records. I have no aversion to it or to most of its aims and have, for much of my life, been close to it and to many of its instruments. I have objected, both in the past and recently, to a few of its policies (notably to its belief that England was an Atlantic rather than a European Power and must be allied, or even federated, with the United States and must remain isolated from Europe), but in general my chief difference of opinion is that it wishes to remain unknown, and I believe its role in history is significant enough to be known.”283

He described how the financial elite created front groups to influence governments around the world, writing, “…in New York it was known as the Council on Foreign Relations, and was a front for J. P. Morgan and Company in association with the very small American Round Table Group. The American organizers were dominated by the large number of Morgan ‘experts’… The Round Table for years (until 1961) was edited from the

back door of Chatham House grounds in Ormond Yard, and its telephone came through the Chatham House switchboard.”284

Quigley also explained how it was to the elite’s advantage to have only two political parties for people to choose from. The reason being, “The two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can ‘throw the rascals out’ at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy.”285

Regarding the Federal Reserve and the financial takeover of governments by private banks he said, “The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent meetings and conferences. The apex of the systems was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, a private bank owned and controlled by the world’s central banks which were themselves private corporations. Each central bank...sought to dominate its government by its ability to control Treasury loans, to manipulate foreign exchanges, to influence the level of economic activity in the country, and to influence cooperative politicians by subsequent economic rewards in the business world.”286

Basically in his lengthy and dry book, Tragedy & Hope, he quietly confirmed what many “conspiracy theorists” had been saying for decades, but unlike most outsiders, he was in a position learn directly from the perpetrators.



Cecil Rhodes

The most notorious diamond monopoly man in history, and the person behind the elite Rhodes Scholarships, which awards young men and women who the Establishment feel will be willing and useful servants with a free ride to Oxford University and basically an invitation to the Illuminati, was a man named Cecil Rhodes, who didn’t just talk about his plans to further the Invisible Empire, he actually wrote in his will that after he died his fortune would go to finance this.

Rhodes is the man behind the DeBeers diamond cartel who became extremely wealthy by monopolizing diamond mines in Africa and then launching a brilliant propaganda campaign with the help of Edward Bernays designed to brainwash women around the world into thinking that when a man proposes marriage he must do so with a diamond ring.

Rhodes, who died in 1902, wrote in his will that his fortune was to be used, “To and for the establishment, promotion and development of a Secret Society, the true aim and object whereof shall be for the extension of British rule throughout the world, the perfecting of a system of emigration from the United Kingdom, and of colonization by British subjects of all lands where the means of livelihood are attainable by energy, labor and enterprise, and especially the occupation by British settlers of the entire Continent of Africa, the Holy Land, the Valley of the Euphrates, the Islands of Cyprus and Candia, the whole of South America, the Islands of the Pacific not heretofore possessed by Great Britain, the whole of the Malay Archipelago, the seaboard of China and Japan, the ultimate recovery of the United States of America as an integral part of the British Empire, the inauguration of a system of Colonial representation in the Imperial Parliament which may tend to weld together the disjointed members of the Empire and, finally, the foundation of so great a Power as to render wars impossible, and promote the best interests of humanity.”287



To help carry out his plan, certain money from his estate is designated to what’s called the Rhodes Scholarship, which is a student fund that awards carefully chosen individuals who don’t necessarily come from wealthy families but who are seen as likely assets of the Illuminati with a free ride post graduate education at England’s Oxford University, where they are groomed to later become pawns of the global elite. President Bill Clinton was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to bring him into the fold, as was the liberal lesbian Rachel Maddow of MSNBC who uses her national mainstream media platform to promote bigger government and the radical liberal agenda on a continual basis.



Edward Bernays

In 1928 Edward Bernays, the man considered to be the father of public relations, revealed in his book Propaganda that, “Those who manipulate the unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of...in almost every act of our lives whether in the sphere of politics or business in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world.”288

He went on to admit, “Whatever of social importance is done today, whether in politics, finance, manufacture, agriculture, charity, education, or other fields, must be done with the help of propaganda. Propaganda is the executive arm of the invisible government.”289

Bernays also stated plainly that, “The invisible government tends to be concentrated in the hands of the few because of the expense of manipulating the social machinery which controls the opinions and habits of the masses.”290

The Department of Defense (previously called the Department of War) actually hired Bernays to help influence public opinion to support America’s involvement in World War I. The tobacco industry also paid him to use his methods to encourage women to smoke cigarettes since at the time it was seen as unattractive.291 Bernays is also the person all men can thank for having to cough up thousands of dollars for a diamond ring when we propose marriage since that tradition was started as a clever marketing ploy he crafted for the DeBeers diamond monopoly.



Woodrow Wilson

The 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, was the man responsible for signing the Federal Reserve Act into law and handing America’s banking system over to the money manipulating mafia in 1913. Wilson later admitted, “Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men’s views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the United States, in the field of commerce and manufacturing, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.”292

After he was out of office, Woodrow Wilson allegedly voiced regret for cooperating with the banking cartel’s plan for the Federal Reserve Banking system, reportedly saying, “I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is now controlled by its system of credit. We are no longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.”293



John F. Kennedy

When speaking to the American Newspaper Publishers Association in 1961, President Kennedy actually condemned secret societies, saying, “The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings.”294

He continued, “We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it…For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covered means for expanding its sphere of influence, on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations, its preparations concealed, not published, its mistakes are buried not headlined, it’s dissenters are silenced not praised, no expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed.”

Kennedy issued an interesting Executive Order (number 11110) in 1963 that many interpret as directing the Secretary of the Treasury to start once again issuing silver certificates (which looked similar to dollar bills) that would be redeemable for their face value in silver coins or bullion, in what many saw as an attempt to remove power from the Federal Reserve Bank and give it back to the Treasury department.

Silver certificates [called United States Notes] were originally put in circulation in 1878 by the Treasury department and used as money, but

Federal Reserve Notes (commonly known as U.S. dollars) replaced them after the creation of the Federal Reserve banking system in 1913.

Kennedy’s Executive Order 11110 was soon reversed by President Lyndon B. Johnson after he was sworn in as JFK’s replacement after his assassination. Many people cite Kennedy’s supposed opposition to the Federal Reserve cartel as a major factor in the reason he was assassinated, believing the CIA orchestrated the event and blamed “patsy” Lee Harvey Oswald. Others believe Kennedy planned to pull out of the Vietnam War, in opposition to secret Establishment, which was another motive for wanting him dead.

A Gallup poll was published in 2013 as the 50th anniversary of his death approached showed that 61% of Americans believed someone other than Lee Harvey Oswald was involved in the assassination.295 The poll notes that at one time 81% of Americans thought there was more than one person involved in the shooting, despite the official story of Oswald acting alone, and the “JFK conspiracy” is one of the most popular conspiracy theories in history.



President Dwight Eisenhower

President Dwight Eisenhower, who was a five-star general during World War II, gave his Farewell Address to the Nation on January 17, 1961 where he popularized the term “Military Industrial Complex” after he warned about the dangers of weapon manufacturers influencing the government to go to war primarily for profit.

“This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence— economic, political, even spiritual—is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.”296

One part of the speech that still resonates today is when he said, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military– industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together.”

This Military Industrial Complex can be seen functioning today when major defense companies receive no-bid contracts handed to them by their politician friends to hire ex-soldiers as private security guards in war torn countries, or when the Bilderberg Group meeting includes CEOs from

private defense companies who meet with current U.S. military heads to come to a consensus about a current or future military action.



President George Bush Senior

Two hours after bombing in Iraq and Kuwait began in 1991 (Operation Desert Storm) kicking off the first Gulf War, President Bush addressed the nation from the Oval Office explaining his goal, saying, “We have before us the opportunity to forge for ourselves and for future generations a New World Order, a world where the rule of law, not the law of the jungle, governs the conduct of nations. When we are successful, and we will be, we have a real chance at this new world order, an order in which a credible United Nations can use its peacekeeping role to fulfill the promise and vision of the U.N.’s founders.”297

A few weeks later at his State of the Union Address in 1991, President Bush was talking about America’s military action in the Gulf when he doubled down, saying, “What is at stake is more than one small country, it is a big idea—a New World Order.”298

Before becoming Ronald Reagan’s vice president, and then president himself after that, George Bush Senior was the head of the Central Intelligence Agency in the late 1970s, not to mention a member of Skull & Bones and the Bohemian Grove, where he and his son George W. Bush were photographed giving a Lakeside talk in 1995 where Bush Senior reportedly told the audience his son would make a fine president one day.299



President George W. Bush

Shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001, sparking the never-ending “War on Terror,” President George W. Bush addressed the growing “conspiracy theories” from people thinking the U.S. government was behind the attacks —or at the bare minimum—allowed them to happen on purpose as a pretext to launch the pre-planned wars in the Middle East. While speaking at a United Nations conference Bush announced, “Let us never tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of September the 11th; malicious lies that attempt to shift the blame away from the terrorists themselves, away from the guilty.”300

The fact that the president even addressed the “conspiracy theories” shows just how far they were spreading, and what would come to be known as the 9/11 Truth Movement started making headlines in the years to come and gained a sizable number of supporters who were suspicious of the “official story” of 9/11.301

A leaked memo from a 2003 meeting between President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair later revealed that Bush once proposed luring Saddam Hussein into the War on Terror by flying an unmanned drone disguised as a United Nations airplane into Iraqi airspace hoping it would get shot down so the United States could then use the event as a justification for expanding the War on Terror into Iraq.302 As we all know, he later did invade Iraq after fabricating “evidence” claiming Saddam Hussein was working with Al Qaeda to soon nuke the United States. Many people still weren’t convinced there was any proof of this, but the administration’s mantra was, “We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.”

In 2004 when Bush was campaigning for reelection he appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press where host Tim Russert surprisingly asked him about

being a Bonesman. “You were both in Skull & Bones, the secret society,” Russert stated, referring to both Bush and his Democrat opponent John Kerry.

“It’s so secret we can’t talk about it,” Bush responded.

“What does that mean for America? The conspiracy theorists are going to go wild,” Russert pressed.

“I’m sure they are. I don’t know. I haven’t seen the web pages yet.” (Laughs)303

Of course, George W. Bush was not the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks or the War on Terror, but rather a willing servant and asset of the Illuminati whose strings were being pulled by the powers that be from behind the scenes. Having sworn allegiance to Skull & Bones and being part of a Bones family, he undoubtedly felt obligated to carry out the Order’s directives.



Vice President Dick Cheney

When giving a speech at a Council on Foreign Relations meeting in 2002, Vice President Dick Cheney cracked an inside joke about his affiliation with the organization, saying, “I want to thank you all for the warm welcome today. I see a lot of old friends in the room. And it’s good to be back at the Council on Foreign Relations. As Pete mentioned, I’ve been a member for a long time, and was actually a director for some period of time. I never mentioned that when I was campaigning for reelection back home in Wyoming (laughter) but it stood me in good stead. I value very much my experience, exposure to the tremendous people involved and the involvement and the ideas and the debates on the great policy issues of the day.”304

The reason everyone laughed when he said he never mentioned he was a member when he was campaigning is because they all know the sinister reputation their group has. Anyone unfamiliar with the history and activities of the CFR would have no idea why everyone laughed, but those “in the know” surely “got” what he said.

A Pulitzer Prize winning journalist for The New Yorker named Seymour Hersh reported that his sources revealed to him that Cheney once proposed creating a false flag “Gulf of Tonkin” type of scenario in the Middle East to expand the War on Terror into Iran by having some U.S. Navy SEALS attack American ships in the Straits of Hormuz in order to make it appear as if Iranian PT boats had done it.305 Cheney is seen by many as one of the evil Neocon architects behind the 9/11 attacks and the ensuing War on Terror. Of course, he publicly advocated torture and refused to testify under oath at the 9/11 Commission hearings.306



Smedley Butler

A United States Marine Corps Major General, the highest rank at that time, came forward in 1934 revealing a conspiracy that was organized by Wall Street bankers who wanted to overthrow President Roosevelt and replace him with a fascist dictator to serve the will of the financial elite. A congressional committee named the McCormick Dickstein Committee was formed to investigate General Butler’s allegations.

Butler testified that a Wall Street insider named Gerald P. MacGuire approached him on behalf of a secret organization hoping he would lead a coup against the United States government that was to be backed by three million dollars (over 35 million in 2014 dollars) coming from the Wall Street elite. The conspiracy was dubbed the Business Plot.

While no one was indicted, the congressional committee concluded that some of Butler’s claims were true, and that such a plan was discussed and contemplated, but the committee questioned whether an actual coup by the group was actually an immediate threat or just some wild scheme the bankers had fanaticized about.

The Congressional committee’s final report stated, “In the last few weeks of the committee’s official life it received evidence showing that certain persons had made an attempt to establish a fascist organization in this country...There is no question that these attempts were discussed, were planned, and might have been placed in execution when and if the financial backers deemed it expedient.”307

Butler would later go on to write his famous book War is a Racket that denounced most major wars and military actions as money-making schemes hatched by corrupt politicians intertwined with the weapons industry.



Zbigniew Brzezinski

The national security adviser for President Jimmy Carter, founding member of the Trilateral Commission, and protégé of David Rockefeller, Zbigniew Brzezinski has made some startling admissions about the secret establishment. Brzezinski was in charge of covertly funding Osama Bin Laden and the Mujahedeen army in Afghanistan in the 1980s so they could fight off the Soviet Union who were trying to move into that area. This radical group of Muslims who America funded with several billion dollars, coordinated by Brzezinski, would later morph into Al Qaeda.

Back in 1970 he published a book called Between Two Ages: America’s Role in the Technetronic Era, where he wrote, “The technocratic era involves the gradual appearance of a more controlled society. Such a society would be dominated by an elite, unrestrained by traditional values...The capacity to assert social and political control over the individual will vastly increase. It will soon be possible to assert almost continuous surveillance over every citizen and to maintain up-to-date, complete files, containing even most personal information about the health or personal behavior of the citizen in addition to more customary data. These files will be subject to instantaneous retrieval by the authorities.”308

In his 1997 book, The Grand Chessboard, he lamented, “…as America becomes an increasingly multicultural society, it may find it more difficult to fashion a consensus on foreign policy issues, except in the circumstances of a truly massive and widely perceived direct external threat.”309

He seems to suggest a false flag attack as a pretext to carry out his plans, saying, “The public supported America’s engagement in World War II largely because of the shock effect of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.”310



In a speech which can be seen on You Tube, he openly admitted, “I am deeply troubled that a very vague emotionally stated semi-theologically defined diagnosis of the central global menace is obscuring our national ability to comprehend the historically unprecedented challenge which is being posed in our time by a massive global political awakening and thus is obstructing our ability to deal effectively with the global political turmoil that this awakening is generating.”311

At a Council on Foreign Relations meeting in Montreal, Canada, Brzezinski again lamented to his fellow elitists that a “global political awakening,” was occurring and that the world had become more difficult to manage because it was “lacking internal unity with many of its members in bilateral antagonisms” and that “For the first time in all of human history mankind is politically awakened—that’s a total new reality—it has not been so for most of human history…[and the] “politically awakened masses makes it a much more difficult context for any major power, including, currently, the leading world power, the United States.”312



John Hylan

A former mayor of New York City made a detailed denouncement against “the interests” in 1922, in a speech that is often incorrectly attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt. John Hylan, who was major from 1918 to 1925, revealed, “The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government, which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy legs over our cities, states and nation. To depart from mere generalizations, let me say that at the head of this octopus are the Rockefeller–Standard Oil interests and a small group of powerful banking houses generally referred to as the international bankers. The little coterie of powerful international bankers virtually run the United States government for their own selfish purposes.”313

He continued, “They practically control both parties, write political platforms, make cats paws of party leaders, use the leading men of private organizations, and resort to every device to place in nomination for high public office only such candidates as will be amenable to the dictates of corrupt big business.”314

“These international bankers and Rockefeller–Standard Oil interests control the majority of the newspapers and magazines in this country. They use the columns of these papers to club into submission or drive out of office public officials who refuse to do the bidding of the powerful corrupt cliques which compose the invisible government. It operates under cover of a self-created screen [and] seizes our executive officers, legislative bodies, schools, courts, newspapers and every agency created for the public protection.”315



Winston Churchill

One of the most well-known prime ministers of England, Winston Churchill, once made a statement warning about what he called a “world conspiracy” and even named Illuminati founder Adam Weishaupt as the perpetrator.

“From the days of ‘Sparticus’ Adam Weishaupt, Karl Marx, Trotski, Belacoon, Rosa Luxenberg and Ema Goldman, this world conspiracy has been steadily growing. This conspiracy played a definite recognizable role in the French Revolution. It has been the mainspring of every subversive movement during the 19th century. And now at last, this band of extraordinary personalities from the under-world of the great cities of Europe and America have gripped the Russian people by the hair of their head and have become the undisputed masters of that enormous empire.”316



The Rothschilds

The patriarch of the Rothschild international banking dynasty was Mayer Amschel Rothschild, whose family fortune would become the largest fortune in the history of the world in the 1760s. He is seen as the “founding father of international finance,” and Forbes magazine listed him as one of the “Twenty Most Influential Businessmen of All Time.”317 Mayer arranged marriages for his five sons so they married their first or second cousins in order to keep his massive wealth within the family. He also assigned each of his sons to different countries to each run those regions’ economy.

A quote often attributed to Mayer Rothschild, although unverified, alleges that he once stated, “Let me issue and control a nation’s money and I care not who writes the laws.” Whether he actually said this or not is uncertain, but what is certain, however, is that one of his sons, Nathan, made an almost identical statement that has been confirmed by the wellrespected historian Niall Ferguson, whose book The House of Rothschild reports that in 1815 Nathan stated, “I care not what puppet is placed upon the throne of England to rule the Empire on which the sun never sets. The man who controls the British money supply controls the British Empire, and I control the British money supply.”318

Nathan multiplied the family fortune many fold partly due to his advanced knowledge of the British victory at the Battle of Waterloo over the French in 1815, which enabled him to rake in a fortune on the London Stock Exchange. A Rothschild courier was able to get word of Duke Wellington’s victory over Napoleon’s French Army to Nathan hours before anyone else in London learned of the outcome which gave him an enormous advantage over other investors whose financial future largely hinged on the outcome of this event. Rothschild also allegedly put out the false rumor that Duke Wellington and the British had lost, thus enabling him to further capitalize on the market since he knew the opposite was true.



The Rothschild family downplays the significance of this event and the amount of money they made from it, but historians do agree that a courier did in fact reach Rothschild informing him about the outcome of the battle before anyone else.319 Sometimes people are accused of “anti-Semitism” for pointing out the Rothschild influence in the world of international banking, a claim that is often thrown at people who are critical of someone who happens to be Jewish.

Heir Nathaniel Rothschild lost a libel lawsuit he filed against London’s Daily Mail after the paper claimed he was the billionaire “puppet master” behind convincing the European Union Trade Commissioner Lord Mandelson to lift some trade barriers involving importing aluminum from Russia.320 So in a sense, by losing the libel suite, the court confirmed that he was indeed a “puppet master” pulling the strings of back-room big business and political dealings.

Many people point the finger at the Rothschild family as being one of the primary sources of the Illuminati’s finances, and the family helped fund the initial Jewish occupation of Israel and have been a major financial supporter of Zionism.



James Paul Warburg

James Paul Warburg (August 18, 1896 – June 3, 1969) was the son of Paul Warburg, the “father” of the Federal Reserve Bank, and the man who organized the secret Jekyll Island meeting to formulate their plan. The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree in this case, because his son James went on to become the financial adviser for President Roosevelt, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations—of which he was a founding member. At an appearance before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations he once flatly stated, “We shall have world government, whether or not we like it. The question is only whether world government will be achieved by consent or by conquest.”321



Henry Kissinger

One of the most infamous political figures in American history is Henry Kissinger, a man who is seen by many as a treacherous war criminal for helping the CIA organize various covert operations designed to overthrow democratically elected leaders in several countries (Chili, and Argentina, for example) in order to install a leader who was more in tune with American foreign policy.322 Award winning journalist Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the guys who blew open the Watergate scandal, revealed that Kissinger once referred to our military men and women as “dumb, stupid animals” to be used as pawns for America’s foreign policy.323

Kissinger once remarked that power was the greatest aphrodisiac. Back in 2001 President George W. Bush chose him to be the Chairman of the 9/11 Commission to investigate the September 11th attacks, but shortly after it was revealed he was Bush’s choice outraged victims’ family members who had learned of his financial ties to the Bin Laden family forced the commission to drop him. His sole purpose as head commissioner would have been, of course, to prevent the truth about what really happened from seeing the light of day. The 9/11 attacks are seen by many as another false flag attack, or an incident that was purposefully allowed to happen in order to spark the endless War on Terror and justify the reduction of American liberties.

David Rothkopf, the managing director of Kissinger and Associates, an international advising firm founded by the infamous Henry Kissinger, wrote a very interesting book in 2009 titled Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making, where he openly discussed the ruling elite and the various organizations that largely influence the political and economic landscape of the world. While not revealing any earth-shattering insider secrets, his book serves to confirm many of the allegations made against the ruling elite by so called “conspiracy theorists.”



Rothkopf wrote that, “A global elite has emerged over the past several decades that has vastly more power than any other group on the planet. Each of the members of the superclass has the ability to regularly influence the lives of millions of people in multiple countries worldwide. Each actively exercises this power, and they often amplify it through the development of relationships with others in this class.”324

He goes on to say, “That such a group exists is indisputable. Heads of state, CEOs of the world’s largest companies, media barons, billionaires who are actively involved in their investments, technology, entrepreneur, oil potentates, hedge fund managers, private equity investors, top military commanders, a select few religious leaders, a handful of renowned writers, scientists, and artists, even terrorist leaders and master criminals, meet the above criteria for membership.”325

He proposes that this ruling elite, or “superclass” as he calls them, consists of roughly 6,000 people.326 The Occupy Wall Street protesters often spoke out against what they called the “1%” who they saw as being the ruling elite, but this equates to approximately 70 million people. (1% of the earth’s 7 billion people is 70 million.) Of course Occupy’s assessment of who is the problem is wildly inaccurate. Using Rothkopf’s figure, it wouldn’t be the 1%, but more like the .0001%. In reality, it’s probably more like the .00001% which is around 700 people who are the Illuminati or their associates.

Another interesting admission is when Rothkopf says, “From behind the scenes, it was clear that these individuals influenced everything from the way currencies were priced worldwide to which political candidates would have sufficient funding for their presidential campaigns.”327

Perhaps Rothkopf started to grow a conscience after being so close to the superclass and seeing exactly what they’re doing to the planet. He even admitted that in the post-9/11 era and with the War on Terror being waged to fight al Qaeda, that much of the information coming from the

government was basically fear mongering to achieve a political goal. “While the United states was in a real struggle with Communist Russia, the assertion that Communists were everywhere and intent on undermining the United States was vastly exaggerated in much the same way that the terror threat is exaggerated today.”328

He even said the Bilderberger Group meetings reveal the “informal mechanisms of power” that shape the world329 and was well aware of the allegations made about the Bohemian Grove, writing, “Critics on the left worry about political conspiracy and global policies plotted at the Grove, while critics on the right cite stories of homosexual rituals, devil worship, and child sacrifice.”330



President Richard Nixon

In his memoirs, published in 1978, President Richard Nixon wrote, “If I were to choose the speech that gave me the most pleasure and satisfaction in my political career, it would be my Lakeside Speech at the Bohemian Grove in July 1967. Because this speech traditionally was off the record it received no publicity at the time. But in many important ways it marked the first milestone on my road to the presidency.”331

The University of California, Berkeley, located on the San Francisco Bay, has a photograph in their archives of Nixon sitting at a table with Ronald Reagan inside the Bohemian Grove during this same visit. The two were said to have sat down to “work a political deal wherein Reagan was to run only if Nixon faltered.”332

While Nixon publicly praised the Bohemian Grove to the small group of politically minded people who would read his memoirs, privately he had something quite different to say. In one of the now publicly available Watergate tapes released by the National Archives, Nixon can clearly be heard expressing disgust for the Grove when speaking in the Oval Office with his Chief of Statt H. R. Haldeman and aid John D. Ehrlichman. “The Bohemian Grove—which I attend, from time to time—it is the most faggy goddamned thing you could ever imagine, with that San Francisco crowd. I can’t shake hands with anybody from San Francisco.”333

The Bohemian Grove yearbooks show members dressed in drag and rumors of homosexual activities by members have persisted for decades.



George Washington

President George Washington acknowledged the Illuminati’s presence in America in his personal correspondence in one particular letter dated October 24th 1798, that’s been preserved at the Library of Congress. This was thirteen years after the Illuminati was discovered and eleven years after they were banned and allegedly stamped out according to “sources” like Wikipedia.

Washington acknowledged, “It was not my intention to doubt that the Doctrines of the Illuminati and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more truly satisfied of this fact than I am.”334

In the letter George Washington clarifies that he did not believe that Freemasonry as a whole was involved in the conspiracy, but that certain individuals within certain lodges did in fact have these aims. If you look up the letter on the Library of Congress website, it can be difficult to read his handwriting, but it is accompanied by an official transcript.

Part of the letter reads, “The idea that I meant to convey, was, that I did not believe that the Lodges of Freemasons in this country had, as Societies, endeavored to propagate the diabolical tenets of the first, or pernicious principles of the latter (if they are susceptible of separation). That individuals of them may have done it, or that the founder, or instrument employed to found, the Democratic Societies in the United States, may have had these objects; and actually had a separation of the people from their government in view, is too evident to be questioned.”

So there you have it—George Washington was concerned that the “doctrines of the Illuminati” had spread to the United States and were using

certain Masonic lodges to “separate people from their government.” In fact, it was “too evident to be questioned,” he said.



Dick Morris

One of President Bill Clinton’s former advisors, Dick Morris, made a startling admission on the Fox News Channel in 2009 when talking to Sean Hannity about the New World Order and a global currency.

Morris began: “There is a big thing that’s going to happen in London at this G-20, and they’re hiding it, they’re camouflaging it, they’re not talking about it. The coordination of international regulation. What they are going to do is to put our Fed and our SEC under the control, in effect, of the IMF.”335

Hannity: “Oh, come on. You believe they’ll do this?”

Morris: “That’s what was in the draft agenda. They call it ‘coordination of regulation.’ What it really is, is putting the American economy under international regulation. And those people who have been yelling, ‘oh the U.N. is going to take over—global government…”

Hannity: “Conspiracy theorists.”

Morris: “Conspiracy theorists…they’ve been crazy, but now…they’re right! It’s happening!”

Hannity: When Geithner said he would be open to the idea of a Global Currency last year, those conspiracy people had said and suggested that for years. You're not wrong.”

Morris: “What they always do at these conferences is they have the center show here, and the side show they don’t want you to pay attention to.

The center show is the size of the stimulus package, but the real show is international regulation of the financial institutions which is going to happen under the IMF control.

A few years earlier Morris had revealed why, despite being a personal friend of the Clintons and working as Bill’s advisor, he cut all ties with them, saying, “I finally parted company with Hillary Clinton when I saw how she was using private detectives to investigate the women who were linked to her husband to cow [intimidate] the women into silence so that he could get elected president.”336



Cass Sunstien

President Obama appointed a Harvard law professor named Cass Sunstein to head up the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs which is an executive office of the president responsible for issuing policies regarding information technology, privacy, and information regulation. Sunstien’s Orwellian philosophy of how the government should handle information technology was detailed in a white paper published in 2008 titled Conspiracy Theories, where he argued that the government should ban “conspiracy theories” or “impose some kind of tax, financial or otherwise, on those who disseminate such theories.”337

He took things further than the typical political rhetoric by actually proposing that government trolls inundate the comment sections on “conspiracy” websites, videos, and social media accounts with outlandish comments in order to derail the discussion and introduce issues into the conversation in hopes of tarnishing the image of such websites, videos, or social media pages.338 He even suggested government operatives should attend meetings and events organized by “conspiracy theorists” saying, “We suggest a distinctive tactic for breaking up the hard core of extremists who supply conspiracy theories…whereby government agents or their allies (acting either virtually or in real space, and either openly or anonymously) will undermine the crippled epistemology of believers by planting doubts about the theories and stylized facts that circulate within such groups, thereby introducing beneficial cognitive diversity.”339

Aside from going after “conspiracy theorists” (translation: prominent independent media outlets who have successfully bypassed the editorial control of the mainstream media), Sunstein also set his sights on the Second Amendment and with a straight face lied to a group of students at the University of Chicago Law School saying that “The Supreme Court has

never suggested that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to have guns.”340

Of course his claim about the Second Amendment couldn’t be further from the truth, because its sole purpose is to authorize individual citizens to have guns. In his lecture he went on to predict that in the future the Second Amendment would be repealed and the right of citizens to own guns would be eliminated.

In 2014 Sunstein published a book titled Conspiracy Theories and Other Dangerous Ideas, where he warned that conspiracy theorists were dangerous anti-government terrorists. Of course what he means by “conspiracy theorists” are people who report on the real reasons for the War in Iraq, or who think the September 11th attacks were a false flag, and anyone who sees the Bilderberg Group as suspicious.



Edward Snowden

In June of 2013, word spread like wild fire around the world that a former NSA contractor with a high level security clearance had stolen thousands of classified documents detailing the technical capabilities of the National Security Agency. 30-year-old Edward Snowden fled the country to avoid imprisonment and was giving asylum in Russia, and the cache of classified documents he obtained revealed the shocking details of how powerful Big Brother had become.

As the Illuminati have been setting up an all-powerful global government, they have also been focused on building an Orwellian society where all citizens are tracked, traced, and databased. While many people reasonably assumed such a system was being built, Snowden’s leaks provided irrefutable proof that Big Brother had been born and was more powerful than most people had ever imagined.

The Snowden leaks also proved that the NSA was not just illegally conducting mass surveillance of Americans (and virtually everyone around the world) without warrants, and clearly violating the Fourth Amendment— but they also proved the government’s protocols extended far beyond ordinary eavesdropping.

Laptop computers were routinely intercepted from UPS during shipment after being purchased from online retailers like Amazon and then fitted with special hardware, including micro cellular modems so their hard drives could be accessed even if the computers weren’t connected to WiFi or an Ethernet cable. (This operation is called INTERDICTION.)341 We also learned that the government has the ability to manipulate online polls on websites (UNDERPASS); they restrict YouTube videos from going viral or have them removed for phony “terms of service violations”

(SILVERLORD); or, if they want, make certain videos receive massive views to make it appear as if they’ve gone viral (SLIPSTREAM).342

They’ve intercepted millions of webcam feeds and scanned the people chatting over them with facial recognition systems to identify them (OPTIC NERVE);343 they collect naked and compromising photos of people so they can be blackmailed or publicly humiliated by releasing them (LOVEINT);344 and they even have the ability to record and store every single phone call in the entire world. Not just the record of who called who and when, but the actual audio of all calls (MYSTIC).345 They can also spoof anyone’s email address and send emails under any identity (CHANGELING), not to mention spoof any phone number. This is just a sample of their capabilities, and of course this is all done under the umbrella of “National Security.”

This technology allows the government to have “turn key tyranny” power and with the flip of a switch they can target anyone, anywhere in the world. Not only can they physically locate you and bug you through cell phones or webcams in the area, but the NSA operatives can find out everything about a target, from your most intimate communications sent though text messages or emails, to obtaining personal photos, to uncovering health problems, shopping habits, eating habits, political views, friends, family, acquaintances, personal finances, gun ownership, etc., etc.

This power is so incredible that no man can resist abusing it, and in the final phase of the New World Order, the Illuminati and their inner circle of government agents will come down on dissenters with a digital iron fist and make them disappear down the memory hole like something right out of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Orwell ominously wrote, “The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plate commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you

were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. but at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You have to live —did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.”346

Checkout my previous book Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True if you’d like to read my analysis of Orwell’s novel and how it eerily parallels our world today. Orwell didn’t just accurately forecast the invasive Big Brother surveillance system, but also ominously warned about our current dumbed down and heartless society; endless wars perpetuated to justify reducing civil liberties; and the erosion of the language and the breakdown of families and relationships in order to shift people’s obedience and reliance to the State.







“Ex-Illuminati Members”

Similar to government whistleblowers or career criminals turned into informants who reveal the closely kept secrets of their organization, a handful of people have come forward over the years claiming to have been involved with the Illuminati in one way or another, and offer up what they claim to be insider information about the activities and goals of the network. Most of these people are complete frauds and are simply con artists trying to sell books and lectures, or just enjoying the attention from the conspiracy community since many people believe their stories—hook, line, and sinker.

In my previous book, The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, there is a detailed analysis of John Todd and William Schnoebelen, who are two of the most popular men who have made such claims, but there are also others whose stories have spread far and wide on the Internet like urban legends, so in this book we’ll take a close look and determine whether or not there is any legitimacy to them.

So far none of the alleged “defectors” have offered up any kind of evidence to back up their claims, but instead have only told tales based on the publicly known information about the history, beliefs, and activities of the Illuminati. None of the “former members” have ever revealed any new information that wasn’t already published in literature widely available in the conspiracy culture. But if you read through some of the comments on any of the YouTube videos featuring their claims, you will see that a very sizable percentage of the audience wholeheartedly believes these individuals and see them as heroic whistle blowers who “escaped” their dark past and are now on a mission to “expose” the Illuminati.

For an astute student dedicated to the truth and who doesn’t approach these people’s stories with confirmation bias—and if one has diligently done their own research—the inaccuracies and fabrications stick out like

sore thumbs. For those who are new to investigating the Illuminati, or to those who are quite gullible, these “former Illuminati members” only serve to confirm their greatest fears. Most of these “defectors” are simply gifted storytellers presenting publicly known information from a first-person perspective as if they themselves actually witnessed it or participated in it. Some of these people are perhaps mentally ill and may actually believe what they are saying, but the evidence proves one after the other to be fake.

Let’s take a close look at some of these individuals’ stories so we can prevent them and future hoaxers from deceiving people who are trying to find answers and accurate information regarding the Illuminati and the New World Order.



Doc Marquis

Joseph “Doc” Marquis (born on October 26th 1956) is allegedly a former U.S. Army medic which is how he says he got his nickname “Doc,” and is one of several self-proclaimed “former Illuminati members” who says he was born into an Illuminati family but now is dedicated to “exposing” them.

“Doc,” who claims to have been raised as a seventh generation witch, says when he was three-years-old his family brought him to a special ceremony and dedicated him to Lucifer in a satanic baptism.347 For the next ten years, he says, he was in the “outer court” of the Illuminati which he described as a satanic seminary school where he supposedly learned about the philosophies and secret symbols, and what he claims are the “eight nights of human sacrifice” that Illuminati members allegedly celebrate.

According to his story, when he was thirteen-years-old he was “fully initiated as a member of the Illuminati”348 after signing his name in his own blood in a book made of lamb skin which he called the Book of the Dead, which just so happens to be the name of an ancient Egyptian scroll containing information on how to navigate through the afterlife in order to enter into Heaven.

Four years later, when he was seventeen, “Doc” says he underwent another initiation ceremony and became what he called a Master Witch, or a High Druid Priest, which granted him “automatic authority over a region of the United States” where he was in charge of over 1000 other Illuminati members.349 This, all before he even graduated high school! His superiors, he says, then ordered him to join the United States Army in order to help the Illuminati infiltrate the armed forces. Within two weeks of being stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington he says he had twenty people recruited for the Illuminati, and just a couple months later says he had more

than a hundred more!350 In reality, the actual Illuminati most likely consists of no more than a few hundred men, but when “Doc” Marquis was just seventeen-years-old, he says he was “in charge” of over 1000 of them!

During an online lecture produced by Prophecy Club, he says he practiced human sacrifices eight times a year and had “constant communication with Demons.”351 Marquis claims to have personally witnessed dozens of human sacrifices before he “got out,” but no law enforcement agency has ever expressed any interest in him and have never considered him to be a suspect or a witness to any murders whatsoever. Trash television, on the other hand, gave him a platform to spread his nonsense in the late 1980s. He was once a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show where he was talking about all these supposed murders and said, “The thing is, we didn’t body bag these people afterwards. We’d just take them [and], throw them in the woods, on the side of the road on a highway. Somebody’s going to find them.”352 Of course, no one ever has because these “victims” don’t exist.

The “eight nights of human sacrifice” that Marquis claims to have celebrated was concocted from the eight festivals that Pagans celebrate (or Sabbats as Wiccans call them) which are commemorated throughout the year on solstices, equinoxes, and the four mid-points in between—none of which involve human sacrifices. I’m certainly not saying that Satanists don’t commit human sacrifices still to this day, because such occurrences have been well documented,353 but the closest Marquis has come to one was watching a horror movie.

Local authorities would have taken him into custody for questioning if there was even a shred of evidence to back up his claims and no one involved with such crimes would dare speak about them out of fear of being arrested. Obviously in the 1980s, before the Internet, the average person could not easily confirm or disprove most claims made about the Illuminati and the occult, and very few people knew much about the subject at all. This is what led to the “satanic panic” in the 1980s when stories like Marquis’ were spread through tabloids and trash TV talk shows causing

people who didn’t know any better to think Satanists were abusing children and sacrificing people in communities across the country.

“Doc” says that in between committing his evil deeds, he was repeatedly asked by Christians if he wanted to go to church or if he knew Jesus, and for whatever reason—despite being a “high level Illuminati master,” he decided to go to church on Easter Sunday in 1979, where he realized he was a “sold out slave of Satan,” became a Christian, and “left the Illuminati.”354

In one of his video lectures titled Arrival of the Antichrist he can be seen giving the usual history lesson about Adam Weishaupt and the formation of the Bavarian Illuminati, their structure and goals, and shows the all-seeing eye on the back of the one dollar bill while telling the audience to pull out their wallets to look at the dollar themselves as if this was some major revelation.355 The eye on the back of the one dollar bill has become so elementary and Illuminati 101 that most middle school students are now aware of it, but back in the 1980s and 90s when Marquis began giving his lectures, things were quite different.

After his discussion on the one dollar bill symbology, he goes on to cover the well-known quotes from Pike’s book, Morals and Dogma, and then shows the interesting designs in the street layout of Washington D.C. and then complains about the government, the dumbing down of America, the Constitution, the demonization of Christians, etc., etc… Of course he concludes that the Illuminati is going to declare martial law and is setting up a New World Order for the reception of the antichrist.

When conducting my research into the Illuminati and coming across Doc Marquis’ claims of being a former Illuminati member, I painfully listened to his lectures online, which, like nearly every other selfproclaimed “former Illuminati member” didn’t reveal a single shred of information that wasn’t already widely known. Not only that, but many of his claims are clearly ridiculous to anyone who has basic knowledge about the Illuminati conspiracy.



For example, he says that they place a $10,000 bounty on anyone’s head who tries to leave.356 After he “left the Illuminati” he says they tried and failed to kill him at least six times!357 The Illuminati can assassinate world leaders and other heads of state, but they’ve failed over twenty times to kill this guy? Absurd.

Of course there are no police reports or news stories about any of these alleged murder attempts against him and since the Illuminati is the most powerful secret society in the world, they would have no problem killing anyone, especially no-name loser like “Doc” Marquis.

He sells a DVD called Frontmen of the Illuminati which consists of nothing more than a poorly produced home video of him sitting at a table showing different photos of symbols and people while talking about the Illuminati. The information on a website selling his DVDs reads, “Doc Marquis is a former Satanist who was trained in the Illuminati Plan before he came out of the coven to become a Christian. In 1992, Doc was hired by the Boston Police Department to train their homicide detectives how to spot evidence in a crime scene that the perpetrator was a practicing occultist. Doc also has appeared on the following TV shows: Oprah Winfrey; Geraldo Rivera; Hard Copy; and Inside Edition. He is the author of numerous books, video tapes and audio cassette series and has appeared as an expert witness in a number of documentaries.”

His claim of having worked with the Boston Police department has not been verified and to think that this man would be hired to “train” homicide detectives is laughable, particularly after having claimed to have murdered a bunch of people in satanic rituals! I guess the police just decided to forgive him of all those supposed murders!

Marquis has also claimed to have degrees in sociology, and history, and once claimed he would soon be getting his doctorate in psychiatry from Baptist Christian University in Shreveport, Louisiana, but it was later revealed he wasn’t even attending the school. He then said the school would

be accepting a book he was writing on the occult as his doctoral dissertation!

Marquis wrote several books (as does every supposed “Illuminati defector”) hoping to make a few bucks off the conspiracy community. Marquis and other “Christians” who claim to be “former Illuminati” members like Bill Schnoebelen and John Todd—while being complete phonies—may, in their own mind, actually believe that they are helping people learn about the Illuminati conspiracy. There is, after all, a massive conspiracy, and these individuals do actually expose some of it, but their fabricated pasts and long lists of lies about being personally involved with the Illuminati—when they clearly don’t even have some of their basic facts straight—shows that men like Doc Marquis are not only frauds, but quite pathetic and shameful as well.



Leo Zagami

Another man claiming to be an Illuminati defector who went on to give interviews and lectures about the nefarious plans he learned while supposedly “inside” the secret society is Leo Zagami (born in Rome on March 5th 1970). While other alleged defectors claim to have become born again Christians after “leaving the Illuminati” and say that Jesus helped them realize they were on the wrong path and found support from Christian audiences, Leo Zagami instead has taken the New Age angle. He insists the Illuminati hold “the truth” but are a corrupt group of enlightened ones who have hijacked the Mystery School teachings so he decided to leave the Illuminati in order to preach their secret philosophy to the masses.

To help spread the “enlightening truth” kept suppressed by the Illuminati, Leo Zagami claims to have started a new “religion” called Matrixism that’s based on the popular Matrix movies! He says he started this new “religion” in 2004 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the “deliverance” of Aleister Crowley’s Book of the Law, the short blood thirsty book Crowley claimed was dictated to him by a demon while he was visiting Egypt in 1904. Yes, Zagami is a fan of dirt bag Aleister Crowley, whose philosophies he considers “the truth.”

His website described his new “religion” as, literally having been inspired by the Matrix movies, but insists it was “conceived by an anonymous group in the summer of 2004 [and] has attracted over 16,000 adherents.”358

The explanation goes on to say, “The Matrix trilogy, along with related mass media products such as video games, is generally considered to be the ‘sacred text’ of the movement.”359 He literally says The Matrix movies and video games are “sacred texts” of his “religion.” He also says the “faith” can be traced back to a book called The Promulgation of Universal Peace,

published in 1922 that consist of a series of speeches given by Abdu’lBaha, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. All of this information, he says, comes from his knowledge of being an “Illuminati Grand Master” himself.

Zagami’s website claims that he is, “a high-ranking Illuminati Grand Master, who gained considerable attention in the conspiracy research community between 2006 and 2008 as a defector and whistle-blower.”360 He once went by the name Khaled Saifullah Khan after having supposedly converted to Islam, but later changed his name back to Leo. He claims that his goal is to now organize “the Knights Templars of the Apocalypse” to fight the Illuminati, and says this “group” has recruited 12,000 troops from the U.S. Military, CIA, FBI, etc., who are going to stop the “Dark Illuminati plans.”361

In Leo’s mind, the main enemies of humanity are: The Jesuits, which he calls “the head of the serpent”; Zionists, who he says are “the economic arms of the Vatican New World Order”; the United Nations which is “a corrupt organization in the hands of the Jesuits and their Zionist allies dedicated to enslave mankind”; and “all religious fundamentalist because organized religion in all shapes and forms is a legal mafia manipulated by the Vatican and Jerusalem in the hands of corrupt individuals who work for the elite families and their intelligence services to keep our race in ignorance and superstition in the end of times.”

Despite Leo’s strange and rambling history and his new “religion” that he created based on The Matrix movies, and his claiming to still be involved with the “good” Illuminati and the “Knights Templars of the Apocalypse” and other undercover “Illuminati Resistance” members in the CIA, FBI, military, and police; and despite revealing no new information about the workings of the Illuminati—some completely gullible fools actually believe that he actually was, or still is involved with the secret society.

Leo Zigami’s claims never gained anywhere close to the traction of other supposed “defectors” before him such as John Todd or Bill Schnoebelen, because he’s not a gifted storyteller like some other hoaxers.

And we were well into the information age by the time Leo decided to step on the scene (in 2006), whereas John Todd started his talks in the 1970s, and Bill Schnoebelen in the early 1990s before the Internet was fully utilized by most people who can now quickly fact check claims online. Even with this resource at people’s fingertips, however, a shocking number of people still believe the stories from “ex-members” like “Doc” Marquis, Leo Zagami, John Todd, and others.

Many people enjoy conspiracy entertainment or conspiratainment as I call it, and have little to no concern about actual facts or the truth. They simply love the sometimes cleverly concocted tales by people who are inspired by actual events or conspiracies and then manufacture a sometimes entertaining conspiracy mythology based on grains of truth. It’s sort of like a good science fiction story that’s based in part on actual technology and then extrapolates into a fantasy designed to entertain the audience.



Supriem Rockefeller

A man calling himself “Supriem Rockefeller” and claiming to be a member of the famous Rockefeller family created a bit of a stir on the Internet in 2010 after announcing that the Rockefellers were launching a plan to fund the building of the Third Temple in Jerusalem, in what was called the “Temple Now Project.” The Third Temple refers to the rebuilding (again) of Solomon’s Temple in Israel, which was originally destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians, and later rebuilt only to be destroyed again by the Romans in 70 AD. Christians believe that when the temple is rebuilt for the third time, it will signify the fulfillment of one of the final prophecies concerning the rise of the Antichrist and the return of Jesus.

Currently, a Muslim mosque called the Dome of the Rock stands on the ruins of the temple, and the only way Solomon’s Temple can be rebuilt on that spot is if Israel destroys the mosque and occupies that part of the land. This is why the “Rockefeller” announcement of supposed plans to build the Third Temple caught so many people’s attention.

A few official sounding websites published a press release about the “Supriem Rockefeller” plan without attempting to verify his identity or the supposed plan’s legitimacy. With sites like CNNMoney.com and MarketWatch having the press released posted, that was all the evidence many conspiracy blogs needed to run with the story that one of the final Biblical prophecies was about to be fulfilled thanks to the Rockefellers.362

None of this was true, however, and “Supriem Rockefeller” didn’t exist. The man behind the hoax was identified as a high school dropout named Kris from Louisiana, who was born in 1975. While living with his mother he worked as a cashier at a fast food restaurant and tried to make money by gambling and selling ringtones on various websites.



After he was fired from his job for allegedly stealing, the thirty-fouryear-old then started going by “Supriem Rockefeller” online and saying he was the secret son of David Rockefeller Jr. “Supriem” posted online about how he was authorized to finalize the New World Order and “revealed” that the Rockefeller family had descended from the Annunaki, the supposed ancient race of aliens, who are believed by some to be responsible for the creation of humans.

It appears his “Temple Now Project” hoax was an attempt to receive donations from people who wanted to support the plan, hoping to fulfill Bible prophecy. One press release claimed he would be “raising funds to go towards building the Third Temple in Jerusalem in strict coordinance with The Temple Institute, Rabbi Hiam Richman and The Palestinian National Interest Committee (PNIC),” and his mission was to “build the Temple and to create a One Israel-Palestine state.”

What made this hoax believable for some, aside from the Christian prophecy of the Third Temple, was the very real Jewish plan to one day accomplish this very task. Ever since 1987 a non-profit Jewish group called the Temple Institute has been working to do just this. In fact, in 2008 they announced they had the High Priest’s garments already made along with dozens of other items they plan on using in “sacred rituals” once it is rebuilt. Of course the Temple Institute had nothing to do with “Supreium Rockefeller,” but he cleverly included their name in his press release to add an aura of credibility to his claims, since they are a real group working to accomplish this very goal.

This hoax didn’t last too long and his Facebook page was soon deleted, but many Jews and Christians continue to await the actual rebuilding of the Temple, an event that will be seen by Christians as one of the Bible’s final prophecies being fulfilled because in this Temple it is believed the Antichrist will announce himself to be “God” and order the people of earth to worship him as such.



In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, Illuminati phonies were able to pull off their scams with a remarkable amount of success, and while the Internet can put an end to most of these scams rather quickly today, countless people are simply lost in the sea of information available on the web and continue to spread Illuminati hoaxes far and wide, believing every word. These are the same kinds of people who believe that every time a famous celebrity dies from a drug overdose, car accident, or health problem—they think they were actually “murdered” by the Illuminati or faked their own death. If you search YouTube for keywords like “Paul Walker Illuminati Sacrifice,” “Michael Jackson Murdered by Illuminati,” or “Tupac killed by Illuminati,” you will find literally hundreds of videos with millions of views and countless comments from people who are 100% convinced the Illuminati is behind every celebrity death.

The “Supriem Rockefeller” Third Temple hoax is not the first time that someone has posed as a member of the famous Rockefeller family. A man who called himself Clark Rockefeller (real name Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter) was sentenced to 27 years in prison for murdering his landlord’s son which put an immediate end to his elaborate scam.363 Gerhartsreiter even fooled his own wife into thinking he was a Rockefeller for years by taking extreme measures to hide his real identity. To accomplish this he had his wife file her income taxes as an individual instead of jointly as most married couples do, so his real name wouldn’t have to be on the couple’s tax returns, which she most likely would have noticed.364 He even forged their marriage license to avoid having her see his actual name.365

Another man calling himself Christian Rockefeller (real name Christopher Rocancourt) actually swindled tens of millions of dollars from rich people in New York in the 1990s through fake investment scams after they thought he could increase their wealth because they believed he was a Rockefeller.366



Svali

The list of people who have come forward claiming to be former members of the Illuminati are mainly men, but in 2006 a woman calling herself “Svali” popped up on the Internet claiming to come from an Illuminati family in Germany who then relocated to America when she was very young. “Svali” said when she was a kid she was told that she was “special” and that the Illuminati had big plans for her. At 12-years-old she underwent her “initiation” at the Vatican, as she claimed all the leadership in the Illuminati do, and by the time she was twenty-two, she was the youngest person in the “Illuminati leadership council” in Southern California.

“Svali” said that secret Illuminati meetings were held three times a week in Escondido, California, which is a lower income area inland where no wealthy or powerful members of the Illuminati would ever go, let alone choose to live. I have personally lived near this area for over 15 years and have friends who have lived in Escondido and I’ve seen the city with my own eyes many times. It’s primarily a Mexican ghetto and would be the last place in the world the Illuminati would ever think about going.

The security for these “Illuminati” meetings, she said, was a “spy” who had climbed up into a tree with a walkie talkie to spot unwanted visitors and would then radio ahead to the group so they could “leave within five minutes.” I guess the group would just run off into the woods if the person in the tree saw anyone unexpected rolling up to the house! You’d think the Illuminati’s security detail would be a bit more sophisticated than someone climbing into a tree with a walkie talkie! Her claims get dumber by the second the more she tells her story.

The source of the information coming from Svali appears to lead back to a man named Greg Szymanski who wrote (or may continue to write) for

a little known website called ArcticBacon.com, one of countless amateur websites that contains posts about the Illuminati, the Jesuits, and other conspiracy issues. “Svali” allegedly reached out and contacted him with her claims, so he then interviewed her in January of 2006 on his virtually unknown Internet radio show. Audio of the interview can found on YouTube if you can force yourself to listen to more than 30 seconds of her incoherent rambling.

In the interview she said her adult co-conspirators would, “get up in the middle of the night to attend meetings,” and while the adults were doing their thing, the kids were “learning how to march and shoot guns and were being trained in martial arts.” She claims her initiation at the Vatican included a child sacrifice and throughout the interview she was very scatterbrained and had a hard time explaining her story, which isn’t even remotely convincing. Greg the interviewer ate it up though, and seemed to believe every word she was saying, as did a measurable number of people on the Internet who happened to come across her story.

When she was allegedly hanging out with the Illuminati, she claimed to be a “head programmer” involved in mind control programs but never offered up any details about what her supposed responsibilities were and couldn’t even articulate the basic concepts or history of mind control.

Svali isn’t even a clever hoaxer like some others before her, and appears to be a mentally deranged person just looking for someone to pay attention to her. It’s also possible that Greg Szymanski, the man who first interviewed her, actually crafted the Svali hoax himself by working with a female friend to concoct the entire story so he could be the person to have the “exclusive” interview and forever be linked to her as the person who first “broke her story.”

His website is just one of countless virtually unknown sites in the sea of conspiracy theories online so it makes no sense why a “former Illuminati member” would reach out to him since there are a large number of fairly prominent conspiracy websites that cover such topics. She did try selling an

e-book titled Breaking the Chain: Breaking Free of Cult Programming, but it’s not even listed in any of the major e-book stores and seems like a failed attempt to try to make a few bucks by selling a PDF file from a website.

I can attest to the fact that I have received multiple e-mails from different people making extremely bizarre claims such as being stalked or harassed by cults and the rambling and incoherent nature of their emails clearly show that they are from mentally disturbed and insane people sounding very much like this woman.

Actual Illuminati members are educated, intelligent, and well-spoken people. They are very persuasive and convincing—none of which can be attributed to Svali, whose stories are so convoluted they’re hard to follow as she jumps from thought to thought. How did she eventually “escape” the clutches of the Illuminati? Well, she said she left the organization because she started to realize, “what I was doing was wrong.” Now that she is a “former member” she is a born again Christian and has repented of the activities she claims to have participated in. Today, the woman says she’s a “diabetic educator” living in Texas with her husband and two children.

The bio on the website of the man responsible for conducting the interview reads, “Greg is first and foremost a satirist, a writer and a reporter,” so he was likely just playing a role and trying to have fun with conspiracy theories by producing a new Internet urban legend of conspiracy theory fiction about the “woman who left the Illuminati.”



Brice Taylor

A woman calling herself Brice Taylor (a pseudonym) published a book in 1999 titled Thanks For The Memories: The Truth Has Set Me Free! The Memoirs of Bob Hope’s and Henry Kissinger’s Mind-Controlled Slave where she details what she says is her account of being a CIA mind control victim who was used as a sex slave by the Illuminati.

David Icke, a popular conspiracy writer best known for his theories that the Illuminati are an alien race of shape-shifting reptilians, is listed as an endorsement on Amazon.com’s listing of the book, as well as Ted Gunderson, a former FBI Agent from Los Angeles who said, the book “confirms facts furnished by many other witnesses.”

With endorsements by such heavy hitters in the conspiracy world as David Icke and Ted Gunderson, many people are inclined to believe her claims, but upon even a brief analysis of the book, the woman’s story quickly goes from being hard to believe, to being completely ludicrous and impossible by any stretch of the imagination.

The first wobbly leg of this story comes when we learn Brice Taylor is just a pseudonym and the authors’ real name is Susan Lynne Eckhart Ford who admits that from a young age she suffered from multiple personality disorder. “But as I began to heal and remember more of my hidden past, I realized that ritual abuse was merely the mind control trauma base my ritually abused, programmed pedophile father, Calvin Charles Eckhart, and others used to condition me for participation in the still active top secret Project Monarch, the Central Intelligence Agency’s white slavery operation that is related to MKULTRA and its numerous sub-projects,” she writes.367



“The result of many years of trauma, intentionally inflicted on me by my father and others to create within me multiple personalities, was that I was transformed into a programmed, totally robotical slave that could not remember to think or tell what happened to me, due to the mind control and sophisticated programming I was under. I was used frequently in child and adolescent prostitution and pornography. By my pre-teen years, I had many personalities specifically programmed to be the perfect sex slave—a ‘presidential mode’ with government mind files and a photographic memory equipped to deliver (most often through sexual encounters) messages, some cryptic, to top government officials, entertainers, and other world figures.”368

She writes that when her memories started coming back to her at the age of thirty-five she, “began having vivid, detailed memories of being used both as a sex slave and human mind file computer to some of our nation’s highest level government officials in and out of the White House.”369 She then goes on to list Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Jimmy Carter, as well as Henry Kissinger, Nelson Rockefeller, Bob Hope (the popular entertainer), and many others as men she says all abused her.

Taylor says that while meditating she began to remember things all the way back to when she was four months old! (Not four years old, four months old.) She says her father worked as a welder who owned a welding shop in Los Angeles, but was somehow also secretly working for the CIA as a mind control programmer. “My father began the rigorous training and intentional torture required to shatter my base personality with the goal of creating many separate individual personalities for training and use by others as I grew older.”370

Her mom too, she says, was under mind control and “was listening to music she was told to listen to in order to keep her memory of our actual life locked deeply within her subconscious mind, while the programmed reality of herself and our ‘perfect happy family’ was kept alive through programmed phrases in the music.”371



Most of the book consists of lengthy and rambling tales of alleged abuse by such a long list of people, both famous, and ordinary people in her community, that it reads like a parody of a poorly written horror story. The people involved in the conspiracy include her ballet teacher, her doctor, her dentist, her choir teacher, her next door neighbor, the people at her local church (who she says all had tunnels under their homes connecting them to each other and also leading to the church); the owners of the local bowling alley were also in on it, and of course the Freemason Shriners, and even the owners of a local gas station! They were all sacrificing children and shooting snuff films or involved with the “CIA’s mind control program” she says.372

The list of her alleged abusers and human-sacrificing CIA Satanists she was involved with just goes on and on. Prince Philip, Prince Charles, and even Sylvester Stallone are on her seemingly endless list of abusers. Sylvester Stallone, she claims, directed several bestiality films where she says she had sex with dolphins and other sea creatures! Other celebrities such as Jane Fonda and Barbara Streisand were also under mind control she says, and Elton John was aware of such things and tried to help the victims with the lyrics in his music.

Aside from listing half the people in her community as being “in on it,” and a dozen presidents and celebrities, she also names some very odd places where she says everyone sexually abused her or “programmed” her with mind control. One of these supposed places was Disneyland where she says her father introduced her to Walt Disney himself when she was fiveyears-old, who then made her look into a View-Master box containing dead cats and dead people.

“Brice Taylor” said she would also meet Henry Kissinger there at Disneyland where he would “program” her using CIA mind control techniques. One of these “programming sessions,” she said, needed to be done in front of a carrousel for some unknown reason. “I also continued to be taken to Disneyland for base programming for my new government mind

file system,” she wrote.373 Who would have thought the CIA was using Disneyland as a secret mind control center? Like I said, her book reads like a bad parody of a horror story written by a teenager.

She goes on to claim she was also taken to various McDonald’s around the country and “programmed there too.” And of course she says she was also taken inside the National Archives, the State Department, NASA, the Pentagon, the Federal Reserve, the World Health Organization, and other military bases around the country—and insists she was “programmed” at every one. Why her handlers would need to take her to the Federal Reserve Bank to “program” her using mind control techniques isn’t said, and these claims are clearly ridiculous and the result of another over-active imagination of a clearly insane person, or by a horrible storyteller fabricating such tales hoping to sell a ton of books to the conspiracy community.

She wrote that she was even told that in a few years she would be killed and her services wouldn’t be needed any longer. Why would her handlers inform her that they would kill her at some point in the future? Wouldn’t they keep this to themselves and lead her on? After all, if she knew she was going to be killed soon, wouldn’t this give her even more reason to betray them and escape before this happened? The more of Brice Taylor’s story you read, the more absurd it gets, well beyond the point of nonsense.

The book is self-published because I’m sure that not even a small fringe conspiracy publisher would invest their money in such a worthless piece of garbage filled with fictional delusions. Near the end of the book , as expected, she starts talking about the elite’s plan for a New World Order. Then there is a “suggested reading” list which includes the staple books of New World Order and Illuminati literature such as None Dare Call it Conspiracy by Gary Allen (published in 1972), Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley (published in 1966), as well as books by conspiracy authors like David Icke, Texe Marrs, Fritz Springmeier, and other titles about mind control, the CIA, and brainwashing.



The question remains…why would this woman make up all these horrific things that she says happened to her? What would compel a woman to write such a book? I speculate that the only truthful part of the book is that perhaps she was sexually abused as a child, but not by any of the political figures or celebrities she mentioned, but at the hands of a relative or perhaps even her own father. She may feel justified and achieve some degree of healing by venting her anger and betrayal in a fictionalized book where she has projected that the perpetrators of her abuse are men in high positions of power within society. It’s also likely that she wrote the book purely as “conspiracy fiction” hoping to pass it off as factual to the often gullible conspiracy community.

The reason some people believe her claims is because there are grains of truth (albeit tiny miniscule grains) since the CIA did do horrific mind control experiments in their MK Ultra program, and they did drug, hypnotize, and torture people in those experiments trying to create mind controlled slaves. In 1994 the US government awarded 77 people $100,000 each in financial compensation for experimenting on them,374 but Brice Taylor (whose real name is possibly Sue Ford) never even went to court over her allegations and was not one of the recipients.

A few years before Brice Taylor’s book was published, another woman named Cathy O’Brien released a book titled The Transformation of America where she had claimed to be a test subject for the CIA’s MK Ultra program, and a “sex slave” of the Illuminati’s top politicians. O’Brien even claims to have been taken inside Bohemian Grove. It’s most likely Brice Taylor was inspired by Cathy O’Brien’s book and hoped she could cash in by making similar claims. While Brice Taylor is clearly a fraud, Cathy O’Brien’s claims are a bit more believable (but also possibly fabricated), and are analyzed in detail in my previous book The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction if you are interested in reading about them.



“Jess LaVey”

A man calling himself “Jess LaVey” saying he was the son of Anton LaVey, the infamous founder of the Church of Satan and the author of The Satanic Bible, threw his hat into the conspiracy entertainment ring around the year 2000 and got himself a small amount of attention on a few Internet radio shows who eagerly took the bait and gave him a platform to spread his nonsense.

“Jess LaVey” not only claimed to have been the son of Anton LaVey (whose real name was Howard Levey by the way), but also said he climbed the ranks of Satanism all the way up to the Illuminati. In one interview “Jess” claims, “I never could forget the counsel of thirteen, they were very wicked looking men. When I reached the age of twelve, my father told me I had to go before them…They warned me of what could happen to me if I did not do as they suggested. George H.W. Bush Senior was one of these men. I stood before them and told them I was not going to follow their ways and I was not going to take my dad’s place, and that there was nothing they could do to me….I told them I believe in a higher power and that higher power said in His Word that no harm can come to me.”375

After he refused this “invitation” to the Illuminati, he says they castrated him as his punishment. He also talked about the KimballCherokee Castle in Sedalia, Colorado, a 1450s style castle built in the 1950s on a 3,100-acre ranch in Colorado where, he claimed the Illuminati meet every year to do human sacrifices. “Satanists come together and do unspeakable things…To think that Bush and his whole family is a part of this kind of thing is hard for some people to believe. The whole Bush family is Satanists…I have met Bush Jr. once when he came to a ritual at the castle once with his father….He is a very cold man for Satan. Like a lethal weapon.”376



Other “insider” satanic “leaders” have come forward over the years, mainly in the 1980s and 90s such as Mike Warnke and Stephen Dollins, trying to use their supposed “satanic credentials” to boost their new career as Christian evangelists, but most were never involved in any organized cults or groups and wildly exaggerated the supposed activities they claimed to have participated in.377

In 2002 John W. Morehead of the Watchman Fellowship, a group that monitors the activities of cults, was given a copy of what “Jess LaVey” claimed to be his social security card which was clearly fake and when the number was run for a background check it was proven to be invalid.

“Sadly, many have claimed to be LaVey’s child in order to gain financial support from churches and to give credibility to their ministries allegedly addressing Satanism and the occult,” Morehead told Charisma Magazine in 2002.378

Anton LeVay, Aleister Crowley, Helena Blavatsky, Manly P. Hall, and other real occult insiders have revealed plenty of details to see exactly what is going on in various Satanic groups and secret societies, but conspiracy con men seem to keep coming up with the idea that they can make some money by claiming to have been an “insider” who is offering a “first-hand account” of what they have allegedly seen and done.

The interviews “Jess LaVey” did can be found on YouTube and after listening to one for about five seconds, any sane adult should obviously be able to tell he is making up his story pretty much as he goes along and doesn’t even have the faintest hint of legitimacy. Anton LaVey (again whose real name was Howard Levey) had two daughters and only one son; a boy named Satan Xerxes who was born in 1993.



George Green

A supposed former investment banker named George Green claims to have once sat in on secret Illuminati meetings where men were making “god-like decisions as to who lives and who dies” and contemplated “dropping neutron bombs” on major American cities to reduce the population in accordance with the Georgia Guidestones. “I actually sat in on the meetings. I was in the game big time. In fact, I was making such a mess, they decided rather than kill me, which they could, they invited me in to the inner group and asked me to be the finance chairman, and at that point, I probably would have been secretary of the treasury or whatever they wanted to do with me.”379 The financial chairman of the Illuminati, huh? This I gotta hear about!

In his interview, which can be seen on YouTube, Green talks about the World War Three looming in the Middle East, a coming one world currency, FEMA concentration camps, the coming economic collapse of America, the planned extermination of the majority of the world’s population to save the earth’s natural resources for the elite, and rattles off a list of well-known plans of the Illuminati. Green doesn’t reveal an ounce of new information whatsoever and like many others, just talks about the same old widely available claims while presenting them from the perspective of a supposed insider who says he literally sat in on the meetings. Of course he too is trying to sell a book titled Chaos in America, which never gained much traction.

If George Green actually did attend any of the Illuminati meetings, he would be able to at least reveal some previously unknown details about their plans, but instead he just recycles the same old material that has been floating around the Internet and patriot circles for many years. An interesting phenomenon in the information age is that if you claim to have

some kind of Illuminati “scoop” and throw the video online, people are going to find it and people will believe it.

Aside from the typical Illuminati talking points about the Georgia Guidestones, FEMA camps and the collapse of America, George Green goes straight into crazy town and says the Illuminati have been making “synthetic people.” He’s not talking about secret cloning programs, which most likely exist—he claims that most presidents have been “replaced” by these synthetic clones! That’s right. He says our major world leaders are all grown in an Illuminati lab and are just pretending to be real people.

To “prove” this is happening he points to the movie Boys from Brazil, a 1978 film about Nazi scientists creating clones of Hitler to rebuild the Third Reich. This cloning technology, he says, was given to us by the “greys” (aliens), and he says he knows this because while working in the Air Force he claimed to have “top secret” clearance which gave him access to some dead Nordic-type aliens called the Pleiadians who came to earth from the Pleiades star cluster.

While aliens may actually be directing the Illuminati, and top secret human cloning programs most likely do exist, George Green’s presentation is so poorly executed and unconvincing, it reeks of a hoax from the very moment he opens his mouth. And again, he hasn’t provided a single piece of new “evidence” that wasn’t already widely known by most conspiracy researchers.

Not to mention nobody has been able to verify any part of his supposed background as an “investment banker” or having any kind of “top secret” security clearance in the military. But then again, we’re living in a world where countless people believe Tupac faked his death which just goes to show that some people will believe just about anything, no matter how crazy it is, despite zero evidence, and defying all logic and common sense.



Kevin Trudeau

Kevin Trudeau is a man that almost everyone in America has seen on TV (whether they know his name or not) over the course of twenty years pitching various products on infomercials such as health supplements, antiaging cream, and methods to get “free money.” He is an extraordinary salesman who could sell ice to Eskimos, as the cliché goes, and has been labeled the “infomercial king” due to the massive hours of airtime and the large number of different products he has pitched over the years.380

As a follow up to his bestselling book Natural Cures ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About (2005), he published More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed (2006) where he claimed to have been a member of a powerful secret society, hinting it was the Illuminati—and through his supposed membership in this society, he learned how the world really worked, including how drug companies were suppressing natural cures for diseases in order to allow them to sell more drugs instead of helping people to be cured.

Trudeau alleges that because of his drive for wealth and his knowledge of the human mind, he was approached by members of “the Brotherhood” secret society and recruited by them to join. Trudeau wrote, “As a member of this secret society I have sat in private meetings with heads of state from countries around the world. I have attended secret international business meetings where business leaders, politicians, and media moguls coerce together to create the new world order with global control over individual people everywhere.”381

Sounds a lot like the Bilderberg Group, doesn’t it? During an interview on the Alex Jones Show in 2009, a very convincing Trudeau discussed his knowledge of the Bohemian Grove and other secret societies, and stated that he had friends who attended the Bilderberg meeting that year in Greece

and that he had personally “sat in on meetings” where the elite talked about reducing the world’s population by killing off “the dumb people.”382 Later in the interview he mentioned “what we talked about at Bilderberg” prompting Jones to interrupt him for clarification asking, “Did I hear you correctly, were you at Bilderberg?” to which Trudeau answered, “Yeah, I was in Greece, because I have friends who were there…All I can say is that I was in the area, and many of the people that were there and who are members are in fact people I converse with on a regular basis.”383 Of course Trudeau’s name has never appeared on a Bilderberg attendee list and all this was building up to his latest money making scheme, the Global Information Network, which I’ll get into in a few moments.

A member of this “elite Brotherhood,” Trudeau says he worked covertly for the wealthiest families on earth and during his alleged involvement, he says he made hundreds of millions of dollars and lived a life many could only dream of. “Members of this society includes politicians, captains of industry, news journalists, celebrities, musicians, writers, scientists, law enforcement officials, movie stars, and more,” he says.384

In his book More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed, he goes on to write that after he became a member of this “elite secret society,” he discovered they had two groups, and that one was evil, and the other good, and both were using the organization’s advanced knowledge and power to influence the world. “I was on the dark side doing evil; now I have repented, changed my ways, and turned my life around…Now I am going against the masters that I once served. I am telling people the truth about Big Pharma, the food industry, the oil industry, governments, and the media.”385

Trudeau has an extremely checkered past, including a conviction for fraud and larceny which resulted in him serving two years in prison in the 1990s.386 He was also banned by the Federal Trade Commission from selling products like health supplements and beauty creams on TV and fined $37 million dollars for making false claims in infomercials about his book The Weight-Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You To Know About.387 He found a major loophole however, and continued selling books and audio

recordings because these items weren’t seen as “products,” but were considered information, thus protected by the First Amendment right to free speech.

In More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed, he claimed that his prison sentence in the 1990s wasn’t really because he was a criminal, but instead, “The society needed me to go to prison for a very specific mission.”388 So what he means apparently, is that this all-powerful “Brotherhood” wanted him to commit credit card fraud and larceny because they “needed” him to go to prison for a “mission.” He goes on to write that during his sentence he spend most of his time not in a prison cell, but hanging out at the Officer’s Club at Edwards Air Force base eating “the finest food in the club,” all because he was a member of this Illuminati-type secret society!389

As if Trudeau’s claims weren’t already hard enough to believe, they get much, much stranger. He also wrote, “I have been to Area 51 in Nevada. This is where much of our technology has been developed. Area 51 houses most extraterrestrial artifacts, including a working spacecraft and dead alien bodies. I have seen these things with my own eyes.”390 He actually says he has been inside Area 51 and saw the aliens with his own eyes! I guess they have a family and friends night and even give tours to infomercial pitchmen!

Trudeau keeps his discussion on his alleged involvement with the Brotherhood and aliens brief in his More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed book, but states that unless he is the victim of an “unforeseen accident,” he will discuss this “secret society” in detail in a future book he planned to write.

At the end of 2009, Trudeau launched a new infomercial for an audio series titled Your Wish is Your Command where he claimed to teach magical methods of the “law of attraction” found in The Secret, the popular DVD produced by Rhonda Byrne, released a few years earlier which discusses mystical ideas about how your own thoughts and beliefs can metaphysically alter your physical reality.



The new infomercial was designed to look like an ordinary talk show with Trudeau as the guest and can be viewed in its entirety on YouTube. He starts of by saying that when he was 15-years-old, he was exposed to “the Brotherhood” secret society which he says took him in and taught him how to use The Secret and enabled him to make millions of dollars before his eighteenth birthday. In high school, he was actually voted most likely to succeed when he graduated in the class of 1981 from Saint Mary’s High School in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Instead of simply regurgitating The Secret’s “law of attraction” philosophy, Trudeau cleverly mixed secret societies in with his sales pitch, since he likely knew a growing segment of the population were highly interested in researching them.

In the infomercial he says, “Quite frankly, these are the same techniques that members of Skull & Bones have learned from Yale University; the Bilderberg Group—some people may be familiar with some of these organizations—the power elite. When you get to the highest level in Freemasonry, the 33rd degree level of Freemasonry—these are secrets of these various associations and societies on how to—we call it manipulating energy—it’s really just how to beam the frequency in your brain of what you want so it will come into your life.”391

He went on to say that all the popular self-help books, such as Napoleon Hill’s classic, Think and Grow Rich, and Norman Vincent Peale’s Power of Positive Thinking, were missing the “key ingredient” which makes these mystical ideas work, and only his audio program would reveal them. During part of his sales pitch he even says, “If a guy is watching this right now and doesn’t get the Your Wish is Your Command program, they’ll always be a loser.”

The host asks him why the wealthy people in the past didn’t want others to know this information (a scripted and preplanned question, of course) to which he answered, “When you’re in Skull & Bones, the secret society, or the highest levels of Freemasonry, or the Bilderberg Group or the

Trilateral Commission or the Council on Foreign Relations, or the Brotherhood—like I was a member of—you’re basically a part of a group that believes ‘we want to keep this information to ourselves, we don’t want competition.’”

He later claims he left “the Brotherhood” in 1999 because he didn’t believe that the information should be kept from everyone else and tells the audience that if they “call today” they’ll get his 14 CD program at 70% off the “regular price” of $1,000. “I would just really encourage people to take advantage of this secret knowledge on how to have, be, or do whatever they want.” He also says he has received death threats from “the Brotherhood” for revealing these “secrets,” but apparently they have enough power to rule the world but couldn’t successfully assassinate a TV pitchman!

Trudeau then started offering people a membership to “a very elite society” which he called the Global Information Network, a supposed network of former Illuminati members, Skull & Bones members, Bilderberg Group insiders, 33rd degree Freemasons, Bohemian Grove members, etc., who all left those organizations to start GIN with him to help reveal their insider secrets to the world! Trudeau’s Global Information Network is not to be confused with Global Information Network, Ltd., a non-profit news agency started in 1986 in New York City which specializes in news from Africa.

While Trudeau is an extraordinary salesman, he is a terrible teacher and a pathetic motivational speaker. As part of my research on Trudeau I have actually listened to all 14 CDs, approximately one hour each, as I sat painfully waiting for something of any value to be said, but there was nothing. For most of the 14 hours I was extremely bored and had to force myself to keep listening, and occasionally I sat in awe at Trudeau’s marvelous ability to sound like he was about to reveal something of incredible importance but never actually getting to the point. Through the entire program he just kept regurgitating a wide variety of popular analogies that have been used by self-help gurus for decades.



The website, GlobalInformationNetwork.com described his organization as being, “conceived by a group of individuals from around the world who are the highest ranking members of several private societies, associations, clubs, and groups whose membership has been exclusive to the privileged elite class of the world,”392 including supposed members from just about every Illuminati connected secret society and organization you can think of. The website originally actually listed the Illuminati, Bohemian Grove, the Bilderberg Group, Skull & Bones, Freemasons, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission and more, saying that members from all these groups had defected and were now part of the Global Information Network’s secret council.

The website went on to claim that, “For the first time in human history, the highest ranking members of these secret societies have encouraged the formation of a new, private, member only group that allows people who do not qualify to become members of the above listed societies to join together and be exposed to the same secrets revealed and taught to members of those societies and clubs.”393

The site went on to say that a New World Order is forming that “is designed to increase the gap between the wealthy and the average working man” and that “GIN does not agree with this movement” and they believe “EVERY person has the right to know the secrets of creating the life they want and enjoying freedom, pursuing happiness, and achieving all their dreams and desires.”

“Members” of GIN apparently got several CDs and books shipped to them each month to further their education on the “law of attraction” and other Illuminati secrets. What did you have to do to “join” this secret society of Illuminati defectors who were ready to reveal their insider secrets to the world? All you had to do was pay $1000.00 down and $150 a month, each and every month after that! Once you were a “member” you could get a $200 commission for every one of your friends you suckered into signing up as well. Each new member was given an affiliate code that was used as a “secret invitation” to the Global Information Network, which they gave out to others who they hoped would then sign up, earning them $200 bucks.



When I first began investigating GIN, there was a section on their website to “join” their “society” that asked for the “invitation affiliate code,” so I simply typed in Kevin as the code which was accepted because I was then taken to the payment page asking for my credit card number to pay the $1,000 initiation fee, which of course I didn’t pay. I also tried Trudeau as the affiliate code, and it worked as well. GIN was so “exclusive” that I guessed two of their secret passwords in two seconds!

Buying “Illuminati secrets” didn’t end there though. After paying a $1000.00 down payment and a $150 each month, new “members” were only given access to the first of twelve different levels within the “society.” To rise to the next level and learn more “Illuminati secrets” to success, each person had to pay more and more money with payments exceeding $10,000.00 dollars!

When I first began looking into the website, there was a section for a description and “member benefits” for each level but all the details, including the costs, were marked “classified information,” except for the $1,000 initiation fee to join the first level.

The site claimed, “Members must qualify for each membership level by meeting specific requirements and being approved by the Global Information Network membership acceptance committee. Each higher membership level in GIN gives the member additional classified benefits, substantial cash bonuses, and other financial and monetary rewards.”394 I had a sneaking suspicion that in order to “qualify” for the next level, all you needed to do was pay a large amount of money without your credit card being declined.

The site said that the “requirements” for the next level would be revealed in the previous level, but insisted that although the “benefits” were “classified and confidential,” they, “may include cash bonuses of over 1 million dollars, all-expense paid exotic vacations, one-on-one mentoring

with high level GIN members, monthly residual payments of over $100,000, luxury automobiles, private jets, and more.”395

A YouTube video advertising the Global Information Network had the following description, “For the first time in the history of mankind, the Illuminati is opening their doors to qualified people.” This video was created by someone who signed up as an affiliate and was trying to lure people to join so they could get their $200 commission through the website’s affiliate program designed to pull in new “members.” As absurd as this all sounds, as P.T. Barnum said, there’s a sucker born every minute.

The GIN website boasted, “Affiliates could potentially earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions,” but included a disclaimer saying, “Individual results will vary. There are no guarantees that you will make any sales or make any money as an affiliate.”

If this didn’t sound like a good enough reason to pay the $1,000 initiation fee, they claimed that, “members could be given hundreds of thousands of dollars in surprise bonuses” as they qualify for various levels within the GIN membership organization and could get, “All expense paid trips to exotic locations around the world, luxury automobiles, private jet trips, and more,” a claim which was immediately followed by another disclaimer saying, “Legally we are required to say that there are no guarantees that you will earn money as an affiliate or a member of the Global Information Network.”

And if this still didn’t sound good enough to get someone to join, they insisted, “This is just the tip of the iceberg. Surprising as it seems, the majority of member benefits are not discussed here. The most significant members benefits are confidential and only revealed to members.”

The site claimed that members would have access to, “experts, the powerful and affluent, celebrities, professional athletes, authors, scientists, politicians, successful business people, doctors and medical experts, leaders in various fields, plus many others.”



Basically, Trudeau was trying to sell a ridiculously expensive membership [$1,000 down—later reduced to $500—and $150 a month] to join his own “secret society” that he made to appear was comprised of former Illuminati members. Trudeau carefully crafted an image of being an insider affiliated with groups like the Illuminati who was “leaking” the secrets to the average Joe who also dreams of being rich and powerful or who wanted to be a part of the Illuminati themselves.

He even advertised a special pay-per-view video “seminar” mid-2012 where he claimed he would reveal the secrets of December 21st 2012, which, you may recall, was supposedly the date that the Mayan Calendar indicated would be the end of the world. In a video posted on his YouTube channel promoting his pay-per-view “special,” Trudeau said, “There is something coming, significant, December 21st 2012...We now have the data. I now have the data authenticated. I now have the data verified through multiple sources. Something significant that you need to know is going to happen on December 21st 2012.”396

He went on to say, “I’m going to be revealing in a two hour webinar, exactly what is going to happen December 21st 2012. This is information you and your family need to know. It is information that you categorically 100% need to know. You need to know this. It is vital.” Gullible fools thought he got this “data” from his Freemasonry, Bilderberg, Bohemian Grove buddies who supposedly made up the “GIN Council.”

Trudeau is, in my opinion, an extraordinary liar and con artist and has fabricated his alleged connections with the Illuminati and the Bilderberg Group just like so many others, but added his own ingenious twist by creating his own “secret society” and selling “memberships” to suckers who thought they were going to get rich quick. If only Trudeau would have moved to Hollywood decades ago, he could have perhaps earned hundreds of millions of dollars as an Oscar winning actor and may have avoided his many legal troubles.



I’m sure that some of the information in Trudeau’s Natural ‘Cures’ books, and “getting out of debt books,” is legitimate and useful, and perhaps has helped a fair number of people get healthier and manage their finances better. But the extraordinary claims of seeing alien bodies in the Area 51 hanger, and being recruited for an elite secret society when he was 15-years-old and having to go to prison for a mission to help them are truly ridiculous.

And anyone who was dumb enough to buy into his $1,000 (or later reduced to $500) “initiation” fee to join his “elite society” which he claimed had members of the Illuminati and Bohemian Grove as a part of it, then those people are truly gullible fools who were blinded by their own desperate hopes of becoming rich without having to work hard.

Trudeau’s claims of being affiliated with an elite secret society and his carefully crafted Global Information Network scheme clearly, in my opinion, shows him to be concerned more with fooling gullible people out of large amounts of money than helping anyone get cured from any disease.

While he may discuss various useful home remedies in his “Natural Cures” books, and tout them as ‘cures’ for diseases, many health professionals have expressed concerned that people with real illnesses may have taken his advice while abandoning traditional medical treatment for what may be very serious diseases. The fact that Trudeau has been a pitchman for a wide variety of products, almost all of which play off people’s basic desires to be healthy, look beautiful, or to get out of debt, shows that he has a knack for presenting supposed easy solutions to difficult problems.

Finally, I should point out that in his More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed book where he first claims he was a member of an elite secret society and offers cures for all kinds of diseases, on the page immediately following the Table of Contents, is a disclaimer with a paragraph reading in part, “This book is considered by some a work of fiction, yet inspired by a true story. The truth is sprinkled in to spice things up. On occasion, names, dates, and

events have been changed or made up for fun.” It goes on to say the book is, “for entertainment purposes only.”397 How clever of Trudeau for including this legal disclaimer which hardly anyone even noticed, which attempts to protect him from the legal ramifications of the claims he is making. Since when is a book containing “cures” for diseases “entertainment?” It’s shameful.

So basically if you believe Trudeau’s wild tales of attending Bilderberg meetings and being connected to the Illuminati, may I remind you that in his own words he admits that it is all for “entertainment purposes only.”

After I posted several videos on YouTube exposing Kevin Trudeau beginning in 2009, some of his supporters posted angry comments on the video and on my Facebook page saying things like, “Maybe you're the one working with the Illuminati to try and discredit him for leaving them in the first place and exposing the truth.”

Another of the countless crazy comments by the gullible GIN members said, “Kevin Trudeau and his friends have dossiers of the crimes of the Illuminati all over the world and if anything happens to the GIN council it will be released to every news agency.”

In March of 2014, Trudeau was sentenced to ten years in prison for violating his court order not to make deceptive claims on infomercials.398 Court documents revealed that his Global Information Network took in over $100 million dollars in just a few years,399 all the while Trudeau claimed to be broke and didn’t pay a single penny towards his $37 million dollar fine the Federal Trade Commission levied against him.400 One court document states, “Trudeau denies having any personal property other than $2000 worth of clothing, but spent more than $15,000 in one trip to a high-end men’s clothier in Zurich [Switzerland] only months before he filed the ‘sworn’ statement.401

In court it was revealed that GIN technically listed in his wife’s name, a Ukrainian girl, twenty-three years younger than him (who some speculate

was possibly a “mail order bride”) as the named officer and director.402 During court proceedings she “took the fifth” when asked how she met Trudeau.403 Court documents reveal Trudeau was accused of hiding assets in a variety of ways including a convoluted ownership structure of various companies, off-shore trusts, and even using casino chips.404

A major key to Trudeau’s book sales were his infomercials which appealed to a sizable segment of society who weren’t very tech savvy, like many baby boomers and senior citizens—many of whom were facing declining health and desperate to try something hoping for a cure for their ailments. If, instead of ordering his books using the 1-800 number from the infomercial, they would have looked up the books on Amazon.com, then they would have seen many of the reviews were one star, and many of them ripping Trudeau for his outlandish claims and criminal past.

It is for these many reasons that, in my opinion, Kevin Trudeau is the biggest Illuminati hoaxer in history and is virtually unmatched by anyone in his ability to deceive people and put a fresh new spin on the ancient art of selling snake oil. At his sentencing, Trudeau told the judge—who called him deceitful to the core, “If I ever write a book again, if I ever do another infomercial again, I promise no embellishment, no puffery and absolutely no lies.”405 And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you!



Mark Cleminson

Mark Cleminson is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian who says he was born into an Illuminati family and at the age of twelve was able to bend spoons, move objects, and even levitate himself through telekinesis! Cleminson claims to be a descendent of Pope Clement, and says he once worked for IBM allegedly making “hundreds of thousands of dollars a year” but left that job in 2001 for whatever reason to apparently “expose” the Illuminati. His parents attended a Roman Catholic Church as a cover for their occult “Illuminism” he says, and his father and grandfather were supposedly raised by Jesuits in the “Himalayan Mystery Schools.”

A few of his interviews can be found on YouTube where he duped a couple small Christian groups into talking with him. In the videos he looks presentable, wearing a suit and tie, appearing to be in his mid-forties, although his delivery is extremely dry and boring and consists of the typical “my life was threatened when I left” claims. First of all, the Illuminati doesn’t “attempt” to kill someone. If they want you dead, there’s any number of ways to do it, from the CIA’s frozen poison dart guns, to swabbing poison on the door handle of your car that will be absorbed into the skin and cause an undetectable heart attack, to walking next to a target and spraying them with hydrogen cyanide (HCN) or cyanogen chloride (ClCN) gas or other poison that will induce a timely death and be attributed to a heart attack, stroke, or other natural causes.

Cleminson says that shortly after “leaving the Illuminati” he was at a secluded property his family owned in upstate New York when “twenty or so” men in “full regalia masonic gear” gathered at the property next door in order to “intimidate him” and “threaten him for leaving.” He says as he walked over to confront the men, who he said he recognized as his former associates, all of a sudden the Egyptian god of the underworld Anubis appeared to him standing twenty feet tall in the woods. “You can have my

body, but you can’t have my soul,” he says he told the demon, which caused it to vanish.

His story lacks details and is so vague and unconvincing it appears at times that he’s making it up off the top of his head as he’s telling it. But, like agent Fox Mulder in the popular 1990s TV series The X-Files, so many people “want to believe” that they turn off their critical thinking and absorb every word he and other “former Illuminati members” say because it reinforces their current world view and makes them feel as if they are special for discovering these “little known truths.”

Regarding his supposed ability to “bend spoons,” with his “telekinesis” Illuminati power, this is one of the oldest parlor tricks in the book which is accomplished by using one pre-bent spoon and a second spoon handle that’s been cut off from a different spoon by removing the head, and then by holding both pieces in one’s hand and making it look like they’re only holding one spoon, magicians make it appear as if the spoon is bending.

Cleminson may have dabbled in New Age philosophy and witchcraft on a personal level, unaffiliated with any organization, and then later found interest in Christianity, but his claims of coming out of an “Illuminati family” trained by the Jesuits and “Himalayan Mystery Schools” is preposterous and purely an attempt to tap into the anti-Illuminati sentiment by portraying himself as another supposed insider who is revealing their plot. Of course in the hand full of interviews gullible suckers conducted with him, he never once revealed a single detail that wasn’t already widely known in conspiracy circles, and what little information he did offer up consisted of little more than claiming “the Rothschild’s control the banking industry.”

Maybe he did work at IBM, and was possibly fired for any number of reasons—in my opinion, probably for incompetence—but as far as having any affiliation whatsoever with the Illuminati, or having anything more than a basic understanding of them, Mark Cleminson completely misses the mark.



In August of 2014 I received an e-mail from someone who said they graduated high school with Cleminson twenty-five years earlier and was in the same circle of “jock friends” growing up. This person, whose name I won’t mention, happened to see my YouTube video about Cleminson and reached out to me to let me know what a “liar and a fraud” he was, but that’s pretty obvious to anyone with any common sense.





Conclusion

Even skeptics and debunkers have to admit that oftentimes no matter how “crazy” many so-called “conspiracy theories” sound, there are often undeniable truths at their foundation. It’s a full time job to separate the facts from the fiction when talking about conspiracy theories or the Illuminati since there is so much disinformation, misinformation, half-truths and hoaxes out there. I hope this book has helped you in your quest for the truth and shown you solid, verifiable information and helped you see through much of the B.S. that’s floating around out there.

For over ten years I’ve been tirelessly researching this material and carefully assembling the pieces of the puzzle to create an accurate picture of this monumental mystery. Even the most adamant “debunkers” have to admit that at the core of this massive conspiracy are many disturbing truths that cannot be ignored.

A writer for the New York Times who aimed to “debunk” Illuminati conspiracies in his 1983 book Architects of Fear, had to admit, “Elitism has always been the dark side of illuminism; the revolutionary vanguard that seizes control because it knows what’s good for the people, the philosopherking who knows the truth, the technocrat who knows how to run societies and wars—all try to hoard the light at the top of the pyramid. Reason, which can be used to rescue man from churches and kings, can also be used to enslave him with dogmas of its own. Knowledge is power that can be abused.”406

Elitists and Big Government New World Order promoters want people to believe that rights come from the government, instead of from God. The United States Declaration of Independence says “All men are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” which means our rights can’t be taken away, and are permanent from the moment we are born. No society can vote to eliminate them—no government can charge you money in

exchange for granting them—they are inherent, irrevocable, and unchangeable. The State (the government) is God in the New World Order, and that’s why most bureaucrats and the mainstream media portray presidents as modern day Pharaohs who they want you to believe are the only God you need. The Illuminati want the government to be the ultimate authority, not God. They want your loyalty to be to them, not to your family, community, or religious dogma. The law is considered the Gospel. The government is your protector, provider, and teacher. It knows what’s best for you.

Because of the 24-hour cable news and satellite networks, the Internet, and social media—many people are inclined to think that we are able to quickly resolve all the world’s problems since we are instantly informed about them, but this information age seems to be a double edged sword. On one level, this technology informs us about major events or problems, but at the same time, it usually prevents people from taking action to actually resolve them. The term narcotizing dysfunction refers to the theory that because of modern media, when people are informed about a particular issue they substitute taking action to resolve it, for simply knowing about it.407

Most people feel that by posting information about a particular issue on social media that they have “done something” to help by “getting the word out” but this “slactivism” as it has been called, often has little to no actual effect. People can post all day long about earthquake victims needing help, but if nobody gets off their computer or puts away their mobile device to actually do anything to help them, then all of their talk is futile.

This is similar to the bystander effect which explains the phenomena where almost everybody assumes that someone else is taking action to resolve a problem, resulting in nobody taking action because everyone thinks someone else will do it or is already working on it.408

Terrible tragedies like airline disasters, terrorist attacks, or other high profile crimes get constant news coverage for a short news cycle often

lasting no more than a few days and then the next big scandal or tragedy is put on the front pages and runs its brief cycle, and then that too disappears from people’s minds as they are occupied by the next “top story” and the cycle endlessly repeats itself, with people’s focus quickly jumping from one tragedy to the next with the vast majority of people never actually doing anything about it. This endless barrage of sensationalist stories keeps most people in a virtual hypnotic trance, preventing them from ever looking beyond the tip of the iceberg in terms of what’s really going on in the world.

Cultural Marxism creates an invisible pressure that prevents most people from breaking away from the crowd and keeps almost everyone following the herd and subscribing to the norms of society and afraid to question the deeply engrained patterns of their peers.

Since esoteric information is hard to contain these days, and bits and pieces of it occasionally leak out, sometimes the mainstream media has to do some damage control to prevent the masses from waking up to the magnitude of the reality we are experiencing. Sometimes scholars and college professors are rolled out by mainstream media in an attempt to discredit “conspiracy theories” and hoping to keep people from peeking behind the curtain.

One such “debunker” named Michael Burkun wrote a book titled, A Culture of Conspiracy, where he ridicules “conspiracy theories” that he says almost always include “ridiculous” claims such as the [supposed] “systematic subversion of republican institutions by a federal government utilizing emergency powers; the gradual subordination of the United States to a world government operating through the United Nations; the creation of sinister new military and paramilitary forces, including governmental mobilization of urban youth gangs; the permanent stationing of foreign troops on U.S. soil; the widespread use of black helicopters to transport the tyranny’s operatives; the confiscation of privately owned guns; the incarceration of so-called patriots in concentration camps run by FEMA; the implantation of microchips and other advanced technology for surveillance and mind control; the replacement of Christianity with a New Age world

religion; and, finally, the manipulation of the entire apparatus by a hidden hierarchy of conspirators operating through secret societies.”409

He actually lists these events as “ridiculous conspiracy theories” when a brief examination of current events reveals that they’re basically all obviously true. Burkun also tries to associate “conspiracy theorists” with “anti-government right-wing extremists” like Timothy McVeigh.410

Another popular “debunker” is Daniel Pipes, who just so happens to be a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the founder of Campus Watch, an organization that some say was set up to harass scholars who are critical of Israel.411 Pipes, who is the author of Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From, says “I have yet to see a clandestine effort by these so-called secret societies to gain power and to harm other people, or to fulfill their own ambitions to gain power.”412 In his book, there isn’t a single mention of the Bilderberg Group or Bohemian Grove, not a single word, not even once.

Pipes even ridicules people for being concerned about implantable microchips saying that some people fear one day, “tiny microchips will be inserted into American’s buttocks to keep track of each person’s whereabouts and activities.”413 He actually said conspiracy theorists are worried about the government implanting tracking devices in their butts! I guess he never heard of the Verichip or other implantable RFIDs or bioelectric tattoos, or wearable WiFi enabled devices or NFCs that are growing in popularity. Implantable and wearable tracking devices are very real, but Pipes attempt to trivialize the legitimate concerns about such technology is clearly ridiculous.

Furthermore, Pipes states that only conservatives and Republicans are conspiracy theorists and says Democrats and liberals are all simply too smart for such nonsense. Pipes writes, “With uncommon exceptions, the conspiracy theorists on the Right consist of skinheads, neo-Nazis, and other yahoos who express vicious ideas about Jews and batty ones about secret societies. Most of them suffer from a lack of qualifications; many have little

education and work at menial occupations…In all earnestness, right-wing authors cite as sources the National Enquirer, a grocery store tabloid, and other publications with no pretentions to accuracy.”414

Regarding liberals and Democrats, however, Pipes claims, “The Left offers densely reasoned economic analysis and presents an idealistic vision. The one presents a face contorted with malice; the second offers a smile and a hope.”415

Pipes also tries to paint “rightwing” conspiracy theorists as mostly anti-Semites. He quotes a supposed “study” on the American Militia movement, saying “leaders are careful to talk about ‘international bankers’ or the ‘Federal Reserve’ or the ‘Trilateral Commission’ or ‘eastern elites.’ But these are code phrases, carefully picked by the leadership to pull people into their movement without greeting them with overt anti-Semitism and that militias even if they call it something else and never mention Jews, they are referring to Jews.”416

He even says that the Illuminati is good! “The Order of the Illuminati represented his [Adam Weishaupt’s] effort to build a just community within a corrupt society and to modernize Germany through the discipline of a secret society.”417

In a History Channel special titled Secret Societies, Pipes concludes, “Basically all the conspiracy theories about secret societies wanting to take over the world are wrong.”418

Many people who criticize “conspiracy theorists” claim that we all have a “confirmation bias” which is the tendency for people to favor information that supports their current worldview or hypothesis—which in many cases is an accurate assessment of conspiracy theorists, but this certainly isn’t the case for me. For several years after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, I fully believed the official account of what happened and I believed the conspiracy theory about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction that they were prepared to use against us at any moment. It was

only when faced with growing evidence to the contrary that the American government’s lies started to slowly unravel, allowing me to see things differently.

Since searching for the truth is difficult and painful, not to mention time consuming, most people never even start out on the journey. Instead they turn their mind, body, and soul over to the mesmerizing mainstream media, or to celebrity news or sports entertainment, so I congratulate you on your determination to be different and for taking the road less traveled. I hope I’ve been able to provide you some of the answers that you’ve been seeking, because I too have a burning desire to know the truth and we are on the same path.

In this book we’ve covered a variety of evidence, ranging from the original writings of the Illuminati, to how they were discovered, what their plans are, and tracking them to their Skull & Bones, Bohemian Grove and the Bilderberg Group offspring. We’ve seen some little-known insider revelations, looked into their philosophies, symbols, and more—which when carefully assembled form an undeniable picture proving the Illuminati is still alive.

I wish you well on your journey wherever it may take you from this point forward. If you found this book valuable in your quest please review it on Amazon.com or whatever e-book store you got it from to help support my work, and I encourage you to check out some of my other books which I’m sure you will find interesting as well. I doubt you’ll ever look at the world the same way now that you’ve peeked behind the curtain and seen Inside the Illuminati.





Further Reading

The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction

Secret societies have both fascinated and frightened people for hundreds of years. Often the infamous Illuminati is mentioned as the core of conspiracies which span the globe. The Illuminati is actually a historical secret society which had goals of revolutions and world domination dating back to the 1770s.

Since then, rumors and conspiracy theories involving the Illuminati continue to spread, sometimes finding their way into popular novels like Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons and Hollywood movies like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Some men have even come forward claiming to be former members, offering details of what they allege are the inner workings of the organization. When you sift through all of the information available on the subject, you may be surprised that the truth is stranger than fiction.

In The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, conspiracy and occult expert Mark Dice separates history from Hollywood and shows why tales of the secret society won't die.



The New World Order: Facts & Fiction

What is the New World Order? Proponents say that it’s an anticipated new era of global cooperation between diverse nations and cultures aimed at ushering in a utopia providing all the earth's citizens with everything they need.

Detractors claim it’s the systematic take-over by secret societies, quasigovernment entities and corporations who are covertly organizing a global socialist all-powerful government which aims to regulate every aspect of citizens lives, rendering them a perpetual working-class while the elite leadership lives in luxury.

Conspiracy theory expert Mark Dice looks at the evidence, claims, and conspiracy theories as he takes you down the rabbit hole to The New World Order.



Illuminati in the Music Industry

Famous pop stars and rappers from Jay-Z and Rick Ross to Rihanna and Christina Aguilera are believed by many to be a part of the infamous Illuminati secret society. These stars allegedly use Illuminati and satanic symbolism in their music videos and on their clothes that goes unnoticed by those not “in the know.”

Since these stars appear in our livings rooms on family friendly mainstream shows like Good Morning America, Ellen, and dozens of others —and are loved by virtually all the kids—they couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the infamous Illuminati or anything “satanic,” could they? Some famous musicians have even publicly denounced the Illuminati in interviews or songs.

Illuminati in the Music Industry takes a close look at some of today’s hottest stars and decodes the secret symbols, song lyrics, and separates the facts from the fiction in this fascinating topic. You may never see your favorite musicians the same way ever again.



Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True

In Big Brother, Mark Dice details actual high-tech spy gadgets, mindreading machines, government projects, and emerging artificial intelligence systems that seem as if they came right out of George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Orwell’s famous book was first published in 1949, and tells the story of a nightmarish future where citizens have lost all privacy and are continuously monitored by the omniscient Big Brother surveillance system which keeps them obedient to a totalitarian government.

The novel is eerily prophetic as many of the fictional systems of surveillance described have now become a reality. Mark Dice shows you the scary documentation that Big Brother is watching you, and is more powerful than you could imagine.



The Resistance Manifesto

The Resistance Manifesto by Mark Dice contains 450 pages of extensively researched and documented information drawing from declassified documents, mainstream news articles, religious texts, and personal interviews. A dark web of evil is exposed like never before, making Bible Prophecy and the New World Order crystal clear.

Learn the most powerful information about the Illuminati, plans for the rise of the Antichrist, the institutions, people, and powers involved, and how you can fight them.





About the Author

Mark Dice is a media analyst, author, and political activist who, in an entertaining and educational way, gets people to question our celebrity obsessed culture and the role the mainstream media and elite secret societies play in shaping our lives.

Mark’s YouTube channel has received over 85 million views and his viral videos have been mentioned on ABC’s The View, the Fox News Channel, CNN, the Drudge Report, TMZ, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, and other media outlets around the world.

He has been featured on various television shows including the History Channel’s Decoded and America’s Book of Secrets, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, Secret Societies of Hollywood on E! Channel, America Declassified on the Travel Channel, and is a frequent guest on Coast to Coast AM, The Alex Jones Show, and more.

Mark Dice is the author of several popular books on secret societies and conspiracies, including The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True, The New World Order, Facts & Fiction, The Resistance Manifesto, Illuminati in the Music Industry, and Inside the Illuminati, which are all available in paperback on Amazon.com or e-book on Kindle, iBooks, Nook or Google Play.

While much of Mark’s work confirms the existence and continued operation of the Illuminati today, he is also dedicated to debunking conspiracy theories and hoaxes and separating the facts from the fiction; hence the “Facts & Fiction” subtitle for several of his books.



While having respect for all authentic religions and belief systems, Mark Dice is a Christian and holds a bachelors degree in communication from California State University. He lives in San Diego, California.

He enjoys causing trouble for the New World Order, exposing corrupt scumbag politicians, and pointing out Big Brother’s prying eyes. The term “fighting the New World Order” is used by Mark to describe some of his activities, and refers to his and others’ resistance and opposition (The Resistance) to the overall system of political corruption, illegal wars, elite secret societies, mainstream media, Big Brother and privacy issues; as well as various economic and social issues. This Resistance involves selfimprovement, self-sufficiency, personal responsibility and spiritual growth.

 



Connect with Mark on:

Facebook.com/MarkDice

Twitter.com/MarkDice.com

YouTube.com/MarkDice

MarkDice.com





Copyright Info

 

Inside The Illuminati © 2014 by Mark Dice All Rights Reserved Published by The Resistance Manifesto San Diego, CA

 

No part of the text within this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form and by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the author.

 

Visit www.MarkDice.com

E-book ISBN: 978-0-9887268-5-7



1

Washington Post “First Lady Launches Counterattack” by David Maraniss (January 28, 1998)

2

CBS News “White House Admits WMD Error” by Lauren Johnston (July 9th 2003)

3

New York Times “500 Conspiracy Buffs Meet to Seek the Truth of 9/11” by Feuer, Alan (June 5, 2006)

4

Hall, Manly P. - The Secret Destiny of America page 53-54

5

Hall, Manly P. - The Secret Destiny of America page 54

6

http://energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/history/manhattanproject

7

Groves, Lesley - Now it Can Be Told: The Story of the Manhattan Project (1962) page 140

8

Hall, Manly P. – The Secret Teachings of All Ages page 40

9

Baddeley, Gavin - Lucifer Rising page 71

10

July 20th, 1785

11

http://www.bavarian-illuminati.info/2008/11/lang-or-lanz-myths-about-the-myths/

12

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 79

13

Full name: Thomas Maria Baron de Bassus

14

Barruel, Abbe – Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism Volume III page v

15

Barruel, Abbe – Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism Volume III page 5



16

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 76

17

Robison, John - Proofs of a Conspiracy page 7.

18

See my previous book, The New World Order: Facts & Fiction

19

Barruel, Abbe -Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism page 685

20

Ibid

21

Barruel, Abbe - Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism page 687

22

Ibid.

23

Ibid

24

Ibid.

25

Barruel, Abbe - Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism page 687-688

26

Barruel, Abbe - Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism page 688

27

Stauffer, Vernon - New England and the Bavarian Illuminati page 176

28

Rene, Le Forestier - Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande page 453 [Paris: 1914], Arche reprint, 2001. (Quote translated in English in Perfectabilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson page 27)

29

Rene, Le Forestier - Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande page 468-469 [Paris: 1914], Arche reprint, 2001. (Translated in English in Perfectabilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson page 29)



30

Rene, Le Forestier - Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande page 468-469 [Paris: 1914], Arche reprint, 2001. (Translated to English in Perfectabilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson page 29)

31

Rene, Le Forestier - Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande page 468-469 [Paris: 1914], Arche reprint, 2001. (Translated to English in Perfectabilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson page 29)

32

Rene, Le Forestier - Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande page 507-508 [Paris: 1914], Arche reprint, 2001. (Translated to English in Perfectabilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson page 40)

33

Rene, Le Forestier - Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande page 507-508 [Paris: 1914], Arche reprint, 2001,pp 507-508. (Translated to English in Perfectabilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson page 40)

34

Rene, Le Forestier - Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande page 507-508 [Paris: 1914], Arche reprint, 2001 pp 507-508. (Translated to English in Perfectabilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson page 40)

35

Rene, Le Forestier - Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande page 614-615 [Paris: 1914], Arche reprint, 2001. (Translated to English in Perfectabilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson page 56)

36

Rene, Le Forestier - Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande page 614-615 [Paris: 1914], Arche reprint, 2001. (Translated to English in Perfectabilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson page 56)

37

Rene, Le Forestier - Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande page 614-615 [Paris: 1914], Arche reprint, 2001. (Translated to English in Perfectabilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson page 56)

38

Koselleck, Reinhart - Critique and Crisis: Enlightenment and the Pathogenesis of Modern Society Cambridge, Mass MIT Press (1988) page 92-32

39

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 124-125



40

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 134

41

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 123

42

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 112

43

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 66

44

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 77

45

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 67

46

Quoted in Steven Luckert, Jesuits, Freemasons, Illuminati and Jacobins: Conspiracy theories, secret societies and politics in late eighteenth-century Germany, Ph.D dissertation, State University of New York at Binghamton, pages 285-286.

47

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 77

48

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy page 224

49

Robison, John - Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 84

50

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 85

51

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 106

52

A Sermon Preached in Lancaster … on the Anniversary of Our National Independence … Before the Washington Benevolent Societies of Lancaster and Guildhall (Windsor, Vermont: Thomas M. Pomroy, 1812), pp. 14–15 (July 4, 1812)

53

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 124



54

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 124

55

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 85

56

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 86

57

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 89

58

Morse, Jedediah, A Sermon Exhibiting the Present Dangers, and Consequent Duties of the Citizens of the United States of America Delivered in Charlestown, 1799

59

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 111

60

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 94

61

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 111

62

Fox News “School: We Have a Right To Ban God” by Todd Starnes (July 11th 2014)

63

http://www.exeter.edu/admissions/109_1220_11688.aspx

64

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 112

65

Ibid.

66

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 113

67



Melanson, Terry - Perfectibilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Illuminati page 60

68

Final Report of the Select Committee to Study Government Operations With Respect to Intelligence Activities. April 1976. pp. 191–201

69

Final Report of the Select Committee to Study Government Operations With Respect to Intelligence Activities. April 1976. pp. 191–201

70

YouTube “CIA Admits Using News To Manipulate the USA” (1975)

71

Sunstein, Cass R & Vermeule, Adrian “Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures” 17 Journal of Political Philshophy 202 (2008) page 22

72

TechDirt.com “New Snowden Doc Reveals How GCHQ/NSA Use The Internet To 'Manipulate, Deceive And Destroy Reputations’ by Mike Masnick (February 25th 2014)

73

The Guardian “GCHQ has tools to manipulate online information, leaked documents show” by James Ball (July 14th 2014)

74

Fortune Magazine “Hollywood’s Military Complex” by Soo Youn (December 19, 2013)

75

The Guardian "Hollywood reporter: The caring, sharing CIA: Central Intelligence gets a makeover” by John Patterson (October 5th 2001)

76

Cinema Review Magazine "The Recruit: About the Production” (2003)

77

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 91

78

Ridley, Jasper – The Freemasons p. 181

79

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p.112

80

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 63

81

Robison, John – Proofs of a Conspiracy p. 129



82

Lodge of Saint Theodore vom guten Rat in Munich from 1780

83

Macky, Albert – The Lexicon of Freemasonry page 201

84

Bailey, Alice - Externalization of the Hierarchy page 513

85

Robison, John - Proofs of a Conspiracy page 110

86

http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/illuminati.html

87

Schüttler, Hermann - Die Mitglieder des Illuminatenordens [Members of the Illuminati 1776– 1787/93. Ars Una, München 1991

88

Melanson, Terry - The Perfectabilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of Illuminati page 72

89

Barruel, Abbe - Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism page 780

90

Springmeier, Fritz – Bloodlines of the Illuminati page 1

91

Springmeier, Fritz – Bloodlines of the Illuminati page 1

92

See my previous book, The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction to read my complete analysis of John Todd.

93

Lecture The Top 13 Illuminati Bloodlines produced by Prophecy Club, available on YouTube

94

Blavatsky, H.P. - The Secret Doctrine v. II p. 237)

95



Blavatsky, H.P. - The Secret Doctrine v. II p. 235)

96

New York Times “Chronicle” by Nadine Brozan (October 28th 1996)

97

The Daily Mail “Is ruling in the genes? All presidents bar one are directly descended from a medieval English king” (August 4th 2012)

98

The Wire “12 Million Americans Believe Lizard People Run Our Country” by Philip Bump (April 2nd 2013)

99

Icke, David - The Biggest Secret page 295

100

Hall, Manly P. - The Secret Teachings of All Ages page 316

101

Levi, Eliphas – Transcendental Magic p. 7-8

102

Levi, Eliphas – Transcendental Magic p. 307

103

LaVey, Anton - The Satanic Bible page 136

104

Hall, Manly P. – The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 316

105

Night & Lomas – The Book of Hiram p. 434

106

Levi, Eliphas – History of Magic p. 211

107

Picknett & Prince - The Templar Revelation page 106

108

King, Francis - The Magical World of Aleister Crowley page 78

109

Picknett & Prince - Templar Revelation page 176

110

Hall, Manly P. - Lectures on Ancient Philosophy page 439



111

Levi, Eliphas - History of Magic page 31-32

112

NBC News “Inside the Vatican: The $8 billion global institution where nuns answer the phones” (Feb 14, 2013)

113

Associated Press “Pope affirms Catholicism as only way to salvation” By Nicole Winfield (July 11, 2007)

114

NBC News “Pope: Other denominations not true churches” (July 10, 2007) .

115

BBC Documentary“Sex Crimes and the Vatican” (October 2006)

116

Thomas Doyle, The 1922 instruction and the 1962 instruction “Crimen sollicitationis” promulgated by the Vatican

117

The Guardian “Vatican told bishops to cover up sex abuse: expulsion threat in secret documents” by Antony Barnett (August 17, 2003)

118

Crimine solicitations documents “Instruction on proceeding in cases of solicitation” page 3 paragraph 11.

119

Crimine solicitations documents “Instruction on proceeding in cases of solicitation” page 4paragraph 13

120

The Guardian “Vatican told bishops to cover up sex abuse: expulsion threat in secret documents” by Antony Barnett (August 17, 2003)

121

Ibid.

122

McIntosh, Christopher – The Rosicrucians p. 43

123



Hall, Manly P. - Lectures on Ancient Philosophy page 433

124

dictionary.com

125

Pike, Albert - Morals and Dogma p. 104-105

126

Pike, Albert - Morals and Dogma page 819

127

Pike, Albert - Morals and Dogma page 102

128

Pike, Albert - Morals and Dogma p. 321

129

Grant, Kenneth – Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God page 174

130

Crowley, Aleister - Confessions of Aleister Crowley page 669

131

William H. Upton - Negro Masonry, New York: AMS Press, 1975

132

Brown, Walter Lee - A Life of Albert Pike page 439-440

133

Bailey, Alice - Externalization of the Hierarchy page 511

134

http://askthescholar.com/AskTheScholar2.aspx?q=1098

135

The Independent “Anger at 'cloak of secrecy' for Freemason judges” (November 10th 2009)

136

The Independent “Revealed: How gangs used the Freemasons to corrupt police” (January 13th 2014)

137

Ibid.

138



Macky, Albert - The Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Entry on Illuminati of Bavaria

139

Robbins, Alexandria - Secrets of the Tomb page 127

140

IRS Form 990 RTA Incorporated OMB no 1545-0047 line 18

141

Robbins, Alexandria - Secrets of the Tomb page 164

142

Yale Daily News “Yalie joins Homeland Security” By Michelle Rosenthal (January 29, 2002)

143

Robbins, Alexandria - Secrets of the Tomb pages 181-182

144

The Guardian “How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power” by Ben Aris and Duncan Campbell (September 25, 2004)

145

Robbins, Alexandria - Secrets of the Tomb pp. 48, 50, 127

146

The Iconoclast (1873)

147

New York Observer “At Skull and Bones, Bush’s Secret Club Initiates Ream Gore” by Ron Rosenbaum (April 23rd 2001)

148

Ibid.

149

CNN “Fareed Zakaria GPS: Is it Time To Correct the Constitution?” (June 20th 2011)

150

IRS Form 990 2012 EIN: 06-0706508 Kingsley Trust Association, Line 18: Total Expenses and Line 22: Net Assets

151

The New Yorker “The Bishop’s Daughter” by Honor Moore (March 3, 2008 Issue)

152

IRS Form 990 2012 EIN: 06-6069051 Phelps Association, Line 18: Total Expenses and Line 20: Net Assets



153

Allan, Gary – None Dare Call It Conspiracy page 35

154

The Communist Manifesto - Preface to the German Edition of 1872

155

Eleventh Report Senate Investigating Committee On Education published by the Senate of California page 169

156

Eleventh Report Senate Investigating Committee On Education published by the Senate of California page 170

157

Eleventh Report Senate Investigating Committee On Education published by the Senate of California page 170

158

Eleventh Report Senate Investigating Committee On Education published by the Senate of California page 170

159

Ibid.

160

Crème, Benjamin – The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom p. 190-191

161Stephen

G. Wheatcroft, "Victims of Stalinism and the Soviet Secret Police: The Comparability and Reliability of the Archival Data. Not the Last Word", Source: Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 51, No. 2 (Mar. 1999), pp. 315–345

162

Barruel, Abbe- Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism page 582

163

Jones, Alex - The Order of Death (2005)

164

Ibid.

165

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) Page 67



166

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 127

167

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 95

168

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 92

169

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 93

170

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 111

171

Rothkopf, David - Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making page 284

172

Domhoff, William - The Bohemian Grove and Other Retreats: A Study in Ruing-Class Cohesiveness Preface

173

Domhoff, William - The Bohemian Grove and Other Retreats: A Study in Ruing-Class Cohesiveness Page 1

174

New York Times “Sotomayor Defends Ties to Association” by Savage, Charlie and Kirkpatrick, David D (June 15th 2009)

175

Politico “Sonia Sotomayor found friends in elite group” by Keneth Vogel (June 4th 2009)

176

The New York Times “A Club for the Women Atop the Ladder” by Pamela Rychman (April 2, 2011)

177

New York Times “Status is ... for C.E.O.'s; Having a Networked Secretary” by John Glassie (November 15th 1998)



178

Fortune Magazine “Corner Office Confidential” by Jennifer Reingold (August 31st 2009)

179

New York Times “Status is ... for C.E.O.'s; Having a Networked Secretary” by John Glassie (November 15th 1998)

180

New York Times “Status is ... for C.E.O.'s; Having a Networked Secretary” By John Glassie (November 15, 1998)

181

Crowley, Aleister – The Book of The Law page 31

182

Crowley, Aleister – The Book of The Law page 40

183

Crowley, Aleister – The Book of The Law page 41

184

Crowley, Aleister – The Book of The Law page 47

185

Crowley, Duquette, & Hyatt - Enochian Sex Magick page 116

186

Crowley, Duquette, & Hyatt - Enockian Sex Magick page 117

187

Crowley, Aleister - Confessions of Aleister Crowley page 702

188

Stephenson, Nathaniel Wright - Nelson W. Aldrich: A Leader in American Politics (1930) page 485

189

Vanderlip, James - From Farmboy to Financier, autobiography (1935)

190

Paul, Ron – End the Fed page 22

191



Greider, William - Secrets of the Temple page 276

192

Reportedly from a speech at the University of Texas in the 1920s but the source of this quote is unverified.

193

Memoirs, Correspondence, and Private Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 4, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, ed., 1829, pp. 285-288.

194

McGeer, Gerald Grattan - The Conquest of Poverty Chapter 5 - Lincoln, Practical Economist page 186 (Gardenvale, Quebec: Garden City Press 1935)

195

Keynes, John Maynard - The Economic Consequence of the Peace page 235-236

196

No relation to the Zodiac Club music venue in Oxford, England

197J.

P. Morgan Jr Papers “Archives of The Pierpont Morgan Library” New York 401 The Zodiac Club Dinners 1913–41

198

The Gathamist “Inside The Zodiac Club: NYC's 145 Year Old Secret Dinner Society” by Danielle Oteri (May 16, 2013)

199

Ibid.

200

Ibid.

201

YouTube “Hillary Clinton addresses the Council on Foreign Relations, admits CFR runs the government”

202

Sutton, Antony – America’s Secret Establishment p. 3-4

203

HBO “Realtime with Bill Maher” - Richard Hass Interview (April 29th 2010)

204

Pastor, Robert - Toward a North American Community: Lessons from the Old World for the New page 115

205

Finkbeiner, Ann - The Jasons: The Secret History of Science's Postwar Elite (2006) page (xxiv)



206

The Nautilus Institute “Tactical Nuclear Weapons in 1966”

207

Finkbeiner, Ann - The Jasons: The Secret History of Science's Postwar Elite (2006) page xxvi.

208

Finkbeiner, Ann - The Jasons: The Secret History of Science's Postwar Elite (2006) page 33

209

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 93

210

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 92

211

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 91

212

Tucker, Jim – Jim Tucker’s Bilderberg Diary page 231

213

Tucker, Jim – Jim Tucker’s Bilderberg Diary page 218

214

“Governor’s Visits abroad Paid with Private Money” by Rachel O’neal and Larry Rhodes

215

John R. Rarick, Congressional Record, 92nd Congress, 1st Session, Wednesday, Volume 117, No. 133, 15 September 1971, pp. E9615-E9624

216

Eisenhower memo from March 11th 1955

217

2008 IRS Form 990-PF OMD No 1545-0052

218



2009 IRS Form 990-PF OMD No 1545-0052

219

YouTube: “Ron Paul talks about the Bilderberg Group” (posted August 16th 2008)

220

YouTube: “Did Hillary Clinton Attend the 2006 Bilderberg Conference?”

221

Fox News Channel “Glenn Beck Program” (June 2010)

222

Pike, Albert - Morals and Dogma p. 104-105

223

Hall, Manly P. - The Wisdom of the Knowing Ones page 127-128

224

Blavatsky, H.P. - The Secret Doctrine v. II p. 162

225

Blavatsky, H.P. - The Secret Doctrine v. II page 513

226

Crowley, Aleister - Magick: In Theory and Practice p. 193

227

Blavatsky, Helena - The Secret Doctrine v. I page xvii

228

Hall, Manly P. - The Wisdom of the Knowing Ones page 19

229

Barton, Blanche - The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey page 218-219

230

Barton, Blanche – The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey page 133

231

C-Span - September 14th 2001

232

The Project for the New American Century “Rebuilding America’s Defenses” page 51

233

ABC News “US Military wanted to provoke war with Cuba” by David Ruppe (5-01-2001)

234

CNN “Kissinger Resigns as Head of 9/11 Commission” (December 13, 2002)



235

Wall Street Journal “In Crisis, Opportunity for Obama” by Gerald Seib (November 21 2008)

236

Reuters “Albinos in Tanzania murdered or raped as AIDS ‘cure’ by Fumbuka Ng’Wanakilala (May 5th 2011)

237

Ibid.

238

Telegraph “South African men rape babies as 'cure' for Aids” by Jane Flanagan (November 11th 2001)

239

Ibid.

240

BBC “Lostprophets' Ian Watkins sentenced to 35 years over child sex offences”

241

Crowley, Aleister - Magick: In Theory and Practice page 95

242

Daily Mail “House of horrors: Daughter tells how she was forced to sleep with 1,800 men by the time she was 18 as part of Satanic sex cult” by Jennifer Smith (September 21, 2014)

243

Ibid

244

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up page 326-327

245

DeCamp, John - The Franklin Cover-Up page 326-327

246

The Alex Jones Show - Alex Jones Interviews John DeCamp, Author of The Franklin Cover-up (July 21, 2004)

247

Washington Times “Homosexual Prostitution Inquiry Ensnares VIPs with Reagan, Bush” by Paul Rodriguez and George Archibald (June 29th 1989)

248

Washington Post “How BBC star Jimmy Savile got away with allegedly abusing 500 children and sex with dead bodies” by Terrence McCoy (June 27th 2014)



249

Daily Mail “Are we evolving into a NEW type of human? 'Different' species will have evolved by 2050, scientist claims” by Ellie Zolfagharifard (September 11th 2014)

250

Telegraph “Peter Thiel: the billionaire tech entrepreneur on a mission to cheat death” by Mick Brown (September 19th 2014)

251

The Wall Street Journal “Will Google's Ray Kurzweil Live Forever?” by Holman W. Jenkins Jr. (April 12th 2013)

252

Wired “It’s Time To Consider Restricting Human Breeding” by Zoltan Istvan (August 14th 2014)

253

PBS “Charlie Rose” - Guest Ted Turner (April 1st 2008)

254

Christian, Robert – Common Sense Renewed p. 14-15

255

Christian, Robert – Common Sense Renewed page 6

256

National Public Radio NPR (July 1st 1998)

257

TechnoCalyps - Part II - Preparing for the Singularity (2008) Documentary by Frank Theys

258

Cirlot, J.E - Dictionary of symbols page 255.

259

Hall, Manly P. - Secret Teachings of All Ages page 118

260

Zechariah 11:17

261

Hall, Manly P. - The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 272

262

Hall, Manly P – The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. Ixxxviii

263



Blavatsky, H.P. – The Secret Doctrine v. II p. 283

264

Crowley, Aleister - Magick: In Theory and Practice p. 193

265

Pike, Albert – Morals and Dogma p. 734

266

Hall, Manly P. - The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 282

267

Hall, Manly P. - The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 283

268

The Economist “Get Ready for the Phoenix” (01/9/88) Vol. 306, pp 9-10

269

Cirlot, J.E.– Dictionary of Symbol 235-236

270

Levi, Eliphas - Transcendental Magic

271

Levi, Eliphas - Transcendental Magic page 316

272

Crowley, Aleister – Magick: In Theory and Practice page 193

273

Levi, Eliphas - Transcendental Magic p. 7-8

274

Levi, Eliphas – Transcendental Magic p. 307

275

Cerlot, J. E - The Dictionary of Symbols page 295

276

Hall, Manly P. – The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 189

277

Hall, Manly P. - Lectures on Ancient Philosophy page 163

278

Blavatsky, H.P. – The Secret Doctrine v. II p. 244

279

Springmeier, Fritz – Bloodlines of the Illuminati page 191



280

Ibid

281

Rockefeller, David - Memoirs page 405.

282

PBS The World of David Rockefeller (1980) hosted by Bill Moyers

283

Quigley, Carroll – Tragedy and Hope page 950

284

Quigley, Carroll – Tragedy and Hope pages 951-952

285

Quigley, Carroll – Tragedy and Hope pages 1247-1248

286

Quigley, Carroll – Tragedy and Hope page 324

287

Rotberg, Robert - The Founder: Cecil Rhodes and the Pursuit of Power (1988) page 101-102

288

Bernays, Edward – Propaganda page 37-38

289

Bernays, Edward – Propaganda page 47-48

290

Bernays, Edward – Propaganda page 63

291

New York Times - “Group of Girls Puff at Cigarettes as a Gesture of Freedom” (April 1st 1929)

292

Wilson, Woodrow -The New Freedom, Chapter I: The Old Order Changeth

293

This quote is disputed and various sources purporting to be its origin are debated.

294

President Kennedy’s address before the American Newspaper Publishers Association (April 27th 1961)



295

Gallup “Majority in U.S. Still Believe JFK Killed in a Conspiracy” by Art Swift (November 15, 2013)

296

President Dwight Eisenhower’s Farewell Address to the Nation (January 17, 1961)

297The

New York Times “NYT transcript of Bush speech from the Oval office January 16, 1991” (January 17, 1991)

298

George H. W. Bush State of the Union Speech (January 29th 1991)

299

Rothkopf, David - Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making page 284

300

White House Press Release “President Bush Speaks to United Nations” (11/10/2001)

301

The Washington Post “The Disbelievers” by Michael Powell (September 8th 2006)

302

The Independent “Bush plotted to lure Saddam into war with fake UN plane” By Andy McSmith (February 3rd 2006)

303

NBC “Meet the Press” (2/08/2004)

304

CFR.org “Launch of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies with Vice President Dick Cheney” (February 15th 2002)

305

Think Progress “To Provoke War, Cheney Considered Proposal To Dress Up Navy Seals As Iranians And Shoot At Them” by Faiz Shakir (July 31, 2008)

306

New York Times “Bush-Cheney 9/11 Interview Won't Be Formally Recorded” by Elizabeth Bumiller and Philip Shenon (April 28 2004)

307

74th Congress House of Representatives Report, pursuant to House Resolution No. 198, 73d Congress, February 15, 1935. Quoted in: George Seldes, 1000 Americans (1947), pp. 290–292. See also Schmidt, p. 245



308

Brzenzinski, Zbigniew - Between Two Ages: America's Role in the Technetronic Era (1970 Viking Press)

309

Brzenzinski, Zbigniew The Grand Chessboard page 211

310

Brzenzinski, Zbigniew - The Grand Chessboard page 25

311

YouTube: Zbigniew Brzenzinzki Deeply Troubled

312

YouTube: CFR Meeting - Zbigniew Brzenzski Fears Global Awakening

313

New York Times “Hylan Adds Pinchot to Presidency List; Foresees a Revolt” (December 10, 1922)

314

Ibid

315

Ibid

316

The London Press (1922)

317

Forbes “The Twenty Most Influential Business Men of All Time” by Michael Noel (7-29-2005)

318

Ferguson, Niall - The House of Rothschild (vol. 2) : The World's Banker: 1849-1999 Diane Publishing Co. (1999)

319

Ferguson, Niall - The House of Rothschild (vol.1): Money’s Prophets, 1798-1848 Penguin Publishing (1999)

320

The Independent “Rothschild loses libel case, and reveals secret world of money and politics” (April 29th 2014)



321

Senate Report (Senate Foreign Relations Committee) (February 17th 1950). Revision of the United Nations Charter: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Eighty-First Congress. United States Government Printing Office. p. 494.

322

SMH.com.au “Why the law wants a word with Kissinger” by Christopher Hitchens (April 30th 2002)

323

Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein The Final Days second Touchstone paperback edition (1994) Chapter 14, pp. 194-195

324

Rothkopf, David - Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making Preface page xiv

325

Rothkopf, David - Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making Preface page xiv

326

Rothkopf, David - Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making Preface page xiv

327

Rothkopf, David- Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making Preface page xviii

328

Rothkopf, David - Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making page 257

329

Rothkopf, David- Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making Page 265

330

Rothkopf, David- Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making Page 283

331

Nixon, Richard - Memoirs (1978)

332

Phillips, Peter - A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club. A Doctoral Dissertation (1994) page 95 citing Domhoff 1974 p.42



333

President Richard M. Nixon on the Watergate tapes in 1971 conversation with John D. Ehrlichman, and H. R. Haldeman made public in 1999 by the National Archives

334

The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799. John C. Fitzpatrick, Editor. Mount Vernon, October 24, 1798.

335

Fox News Channel “Hannity” (March 30th 2009)

336

Hillary: The Movie (2008) produced by Citizens United

337

Sunstein, Cass R. “Conspiracy Theories” Harvard University - Harvard Law School (January 15, 2008) page 14

338

Sunstein, Cass R. & Vermeule, Adrian “Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures,” 17 Journal of Political Philosophy 202 (2008)

339

Sunstein, Cass R. & Vermeule, Adrian “Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures,” 17 Journal of Political Philosophy 202 (2008) page 15

340

YouTube “Cass Sunstein Predicts Repealing Right To Bear Arms”

341

USA Today “NSA Intercepts Computer Deliveries” by Raphael Satter, Associated Press (December 29, 2013)

342

TechDirt “Latest Snowden Revelations Suggest GCHQ Is Just Like 4Chan Trolls, But With More Firepower” by Mike Masnick (July 14th 2014)

343

TIME Magazine “U.K. Spy Agency Stored Millions of Webcam Images” by Denver Nicks (February 27th 2014)

344

ABC News “LoveINT: Given Immense Powers, NSA Employees Super Cyber-Stalked Their Crushes” by Lee Ferran (September 27th 2013)



345

Washington Times “NSA program MYSTIC culls 100 percent of phone records from foreign country” by Douglas Ernst (March 18th 2014)

346

Orwell, George — Nineteen Eighty-Four page 2

347

Prophecy Club: The Arrival of the Antichrist presentation by Doc Marquis (YouTube video at 1:52 mark)

348

Prophecy Club: The Arrival of the Antichrist presentation by Doc Marquis (YouTube video at 2:46 mark)

349

Prophecy Club: The Arrival of the Antichrist presentation by Doc Marquis (YouTube 4:13 mark in video)

350

Prophecy Club: The Arrival of the Antichrist presentation by Doc Marquis (YouTube 5:33 mark in video)

351

Prophecy Club: The Arrival of the Antichrist presentation by Doc Marquis (YouTube 6:21 mark in video)

352

The Oprah Winfrey Show (June 24th 1987) WLS-TV Transcript #W203

353

Daily Mail “Sickening smile of teen accused of kidnapping, raping and murdering 15-year-old girl in 'satanic ritual’” by Michael Zennie (February 11th 2014)

354

Prophecy Club: America’s Occult Holidays, presentation by Doc Marquis

355

Prophecy Club: The Arrival of the Antichrist presentation by Doc Marquis (YouTube)

356

The Oprah Winfrey Show (June 24th 1987) WLS-TV Transcript #W203

357

The Oprah Winfrey Show (June 24th 1987) WLS-TV Transcript #W203

358

LeoZagami.com



359

http://www.leozagami.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=55

360

Ibid.

361Ibid.

362

World Net Daily “Will Rockefeller build 3rd Temple? Internet abuzz with report of biblical proportions” (02/03/2010)

363

ABC News “Fresh Details on Mystery Man Clark Rockefeller as Trial Opens” by Michele McPhee (May 26th 2009)

364

Boston Globe “‘Rockefeller’ Seeks Dismissal of False Name Charge” (March 13th 2009)

365

Vanity Fair “The Man in the Rockefeller Suit” (January 2009)

366

CBS 60 Minutes “The Counterfeit Rockefeller” (April 18th 2003)

367

Taylor, Brice - Thanks for the Memories page 1

368

Taylor, Brice - Thanks for the Memories page 1

369

Taylor, Brice - Thanks for the Memories page 2

370

Taylor, Brice - Thanks for the Memories page 4

371

Taylor, Brice - Thanks for the Memories page 6

372



Taylor, Brice - Thanks for the Memories page 9

373

Taylor, Brice - Thanks for the Memories page 30

374

Canada.com “Woman sues Ottawa over CIA brainwashing at Montreal hospital” (January 11, 2007)

375

YouTube: Interview with “Jess LaVey”

376

Ibid.

377

Cornerstone Magazine Issue 98 “Selling Satan” (1992)

378

Charisma Magazine “Alleged son of Anton LaVey fails to prove identity” (7/31/2002)

379

YouTube “This is how they plan to KILL us - Elite Insider George Green”

380

ABC News “Infomercial King Kevin Trudeau Loses On $38 Million Appeal” by Alan Farnham (December 20th 2011)

381

Trudeau, Kevin - More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed (2006) page 11

382

The Alex Jones Show (May 26, 2009) Guest Kevin Trudeau

383

Ibid.

384

Trudeau, Kevin - More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed (2006) page 13

385

Trudeau, Kevin - More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed (2006) page 13

386

ABC News “Infomercial King Kevin Trudeau Ordered to Jail” by James Hill (September 18th 2013)



387

FTC.gov “Judge Orders Kevin Trudeau to Pay More Than $37 Million for False Claims About Weight-Loss Book” (January 15, 2009)

388

Trudeau, Kevin - More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed (2006) page 12

389

Trudeau, Kevin - More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed (2006) page 12

390

Trudeau, Kevin - More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed (2006) page 11

391

Your Wish is Your Command Infomercial with “host” Skip Linderman on “A Closer Look” (11:52 mark of interview)

392

Original explanation from www.GlobalInformationNetwork.com

393

Ibid.

394

Ibid

395

Ibid.

396

YouTube.com “Kevin Trudeau reveals 2012 Mayan Calendar TEOTWAWKI, Planet X” (posted April 2nd 2012 on Official Kevin Trudeau YouTube Channel)

397

Trudeau, Kevin - More Natural ‘Cures’ Revealed (2006) page vii

398

USA Today “TV Pitchman Kevin Trudeau Gets 10-Year Sentence” (March 18th 2014)

399

KSHB Kansas City “As infomercial king Kevin Trudeau heads to jail, his secret global club faces uncertain future” by Ryan Kath (October 17, 2013)

400

Chicago Tribune “TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison” by Jason Meisner (March 17th 2014)



401

Trudeau Civil Case Document 713 07-15-13 (DX25 at 6; FTCX 90 at 103)

402Case:

1:03-cv-03904 Document #: 481-1 Filed: 07/13/12 Page 8 of 22 PageID #:6777

403

Case: 1:03-cv-03904 Document #: 713 Filed: 07/15/13 Page 3 of 35 PageID #:11594 (FTCX 14, Babenko Dep. 96:16-97:3, 100:3-24.)

404Case:

1:03-cv-03904 Document #: 481-1 Filed: 07/13/12 Page 14 of 22 PageID #:6783

405

Chicago Tribune “TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau sentenced to 10 years in prison” by Jason Meisner (March 17th 2014)

406

Johnson, George – Architects of Fear Page 222

407

The term was first identified in the article Mass Communication, Popular Taste and Organized Social Action, by Paul F. Lazarsfeld, and Robert K. Merton.

408

Psychology Today “What Is the Bystander Effect?”

409

Barkun, Michael - A Culture of Conspiracy page 39-40

410

Barkun, Michael - A Culture of Conspiracy Preface page ix

411

San Francisco Chronicle “Professors Want Own Names Put on Middle East Blacklist by Tanya Schevitz (September 8th 2002)

412

History Channel “History’s Mysteries: Secret Societies” (2001)

413



Pipes, Daniel - Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where it Comes From page 8

414

Pipes, Daniel - Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where it Comes From page 159.

415

Pipes, Daniel - Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where it Comes From page 161-162

416

Pipes, Daniel - Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where it Comes From page 142

417

Pipes, Daniel - Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where it Comes From page

62

418



History Channel “History’s Mysteries: Secret Societies” (2001)

The

New World Order Facts & Fiction

Mark Dice The Resistance San Diego, CA

The New World Order: Facts & Fiction © 2