I want to preface that the contents of this post is for informational purposes. I do not condone or approve of any harassments or witch-hunting or the attacking of anybody.
 
Richard Lewis recently did a stream talking about the terrible state of CS esports and I thought it was an important stream anyone who cares about the CS community should listen to.
Vod Link here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/830415547
I realize it is 3 hours long so I took it upon myself to create a list of interesting points from the stream so you don't have to listen to the whole thing, although I still encourage you to do so if you can.
I know this post is still long but probably easier to digest, especially in parts.
Here is a link to my raw notes if you for some reason want to read through this which includes some omitted stuff. It's in chronological order of things said in the stream and has some time stamps. https://pastebin.com/6QWTLr8T

Intro

• "The last month has convinced me, that we are going to be heading into a dark place for Counter-Strike esports in 2021."
  • "I think I've seen the scene essentially kill itself."
• "For the past 5 to 6 years, we've basically been in a holding pattern of people coming into our game wanting to run it, wanting to run all of the esports and wanting to profiteer and its been sort of a concerted effort to drive them off and push them away."
  • "We're spread way too thin."
• "If Riot don't get involved and stop the scumbags that have moved over to Valorant from getting their feet under the table, Valorant is going to have real problems."
• RL thinks too much has happened all at once for us to do anything except watch it play out, like:
  • Recent CSPPA strike against BLAST
  • ESIC failures and them not being supported enough
  • Teams cheating i.e. coaches/bugs
  • Widespread match fixing
  • The Pandemic
    • "People who try to hold bubble events are so incompetent and fuck up and people get the 'rona and its their fault."
    • "People who say Flashpoint is a bubble is full of shit and is a lie and people are now suffering for that lie."
      • "To save money they let people go home and break the bubble for a week."
      • "Not just Flashpoint peoples decision, they have a partner that handles the production." (hinting FACEIT)
      • "People are trapped in hotels essentially under house arrest because of COVID restrictions and has fucked peoples lives up."
• "It's all too much, all of this incompetence, all of this greed, maybe we ride it out."
  • RL says he has talked to the Riot devs (the ones working on Valorant) and says, "They are so cognizant of all the fuck ups and all the problems we have in Counter-Strike."
    • He continues to say that this is factored into their business plan and that we never had a competitor, but just so happens to have one coincide, when we are at our worst.

CSPPA - Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association

"Who does this union really fucking serve?"

• RL believes that the CSPPA is a mockery.
  
  • He points out the hypocrisy that they wouldn't strike for the pros who were kicked out of ESL Pro League, or for Jamppi or dream3r.
    • He also says ESL paid CSPPA and are racketeering and many other TOs have to pay them to get their "seal of approval"
      • He says they would strong-arm TOs saying "well if you don't give us the money, these guys are so we'll just have to commit to playing their event."
    • Also points out that they will strike against a competitor they are not in agreement with (Flashpoint)
    • RL: "It's what it says about every other time you haven't done it and it's about every time you don't do it now moving forward." "The issues they've chosen to ignore this year alone are embarrassing."
    • Then he points out that there was no strike for Valve qualifiers even if we have no major but Jamppi and dream3r can't play in them.
      • "and Valve have said 'Oh yeah we know actually their stories are accurate, Jamppi didn't cheat, now in a legally binding document. Yep dream3r did have his account hacked in a LAN café', but they still can't play. Where is the fucking solidarity? Gone. Doesn't exist. It's not important [because] it doesn't affect you." "That's what the union does right now, it looks after all the tier 1 people."
• He says the CSPPA doesn't represent all players all the time and has driven a divide where you have the haves and have-nots
  
  • "We have a tier of players that operate with impunity and do not help their tier 2 or tier 3 players out at all." "If you are not a tier 1 player you do not matter, they don't event ask your opinion."
  • He tells chrisJ to admit and own the fact that the reason he didn't speak up during the ESL Pro League debacle is because it didn't affect him
  • "They are looking after some players at the expense of other players. How the fuck is that a union?"
• He says the BLAST situation is a reasonable dispute and supports the players but is not the right time for a strike and have not even identified the correct enemy
  
  • He thinks players are lashing out now due to previous incidents and are upset that BLAST are working with ESIC
    • He stated that CSPPA shouldn't beefing with ESIC and they should be working in harmony
  • He says what they need to do is talk with the teams/organizations that have sold that right to BLAST
    • RL: "Your employers, the people who pay you that massive exorbitant salaries, when you don't stream and you don't do interviews and you offer no value beyond your ability to click heads and you get 25k dollars a month." "Why don't you talk to them about it? Oh right. You're happy to take away BLAST's paper, but you don't want to risk your own."
  • "I am seeing such unbelievable cowardice from the players here with the battles you choose."
  • "Where was the strike action when in the qualifiers for the world championship, there were teams and players engaged in huge conflicts of interest?" "Where was the strike action when your image rights were taken and sold to every league you've ever been in every union type organization you've ever been associated with like, WESA, to your org every time you sign a contract, to the leagues you play in."
    • "Your image rights are essentially worthless now, there's about 10 fucking separate parties that have them, and how many of them are giving you anything for it? Not much pretty much your org by the way."
    • "That's a big issue. Your image is you, your image is your brand. What are you doing about that? Nothing."
• He is also angry at SirScoots who is "popping off" at people on Twitter who all want the same thing, which is 'A unified Counter-Strike scene for everybody, that works for everybody, that has a sustained ecosystem that nourishes everybody.' "We don't have that now."
  
• He also says their rankings are a joke
  
  • "Just so happened, oh look TACO, that very important prominent member of the board, we pushed his team artificially up when they weren't even in the fucking top 20, not by a long shot."
• He also says the ineptitude of the CSPPA cost Flashpoint a monitor sponsor
  
• "Is it really a player association or is it like a fucking agency at this point"
  

ESIC - Esports Integrity Commission

"They have been put in an impossible position."

• RL says that Ian Smith, the founder of ESIC and who was done work in mainstream sports, is a good and honorable man who has dedicated his life to integrity and sports. He takes on both sides, ensuring match fixers are punished, but also doing appeals and ensuring those punishments were fair.
• "ESIC is a tiny organization" and are in need of money, "They didn't run a grift like the CSPPA did."
  • "Saying 'you want our support and you want the players to turn up you better pay us.' They don't do that."
  • "Had startup seed money from MTG and since then they've been pecking shit with the hens."
    • Ian Smith made sure that the money given by MTG (Modern Times Group, parent company of ESL, ESEA, DreamHack) was nothing more than startup money and wouldn't be in debt to them
      • Ian Smith sat down with other TO's not part of MTG and wanted to partner with them. They declined and called ESIC "ESL spies and we will never align ourselves with you"
  • "They only were just able to afford, hiring a PR guy on a full time salary to deal with the press and send out those releases you've seen, this year."
    • "They have a tiny group of staff investigating these things and they have taken on the biggest problems in our scene: the cheating, the match fixing."
• ESIC have had "unprecedented levels of cheating to deal with, because there's something wrong with our scene ever since we went online. There's something wrong with it, everyone's lost their fucking pride and self-respect and they got no passion for it anymore, so they think fuck it, what's in it for me?"
  • He calls out coaches who are talking about players rights when they would rob and steal from them.
    • Also says more coaches being banned are coming
    • He also points out flaws in community's reaction to the punishments to coaches bans: "Half of the cunts still have jobs and some of the cunts got new jobs. We didn't even shun the cheating coaches."
• ESIC have "found I think another 2 or 3 exploits like that one and they are investigating them all right now, it's going on right now."
  
  • "I know that there are going to be more names getting banned, again."
  • "So they're doing that on a skeleton crew while, investigating 3 continents worth of match fixing in MDL and semi-pro level CS." "They're doing this with half a dozen people." "They don't have any money or any help. People barely even fucking cooperate with them, they are treated like pariahs. It's ridiculous."
    • "Why are the CSPPA popping off at ESIC on my Twitter timeline, when you should be working together." "because its all about what's in it in for me." "2020, the online era of CS: 'What is in it for me?' How can I cheat, how can I get my paper, how can I bleed this scene one last time before I fuck off and play shooty shooty bang bang Riot Games babys first fps."
• RL says that in the CIS region, teams have gone to tournaments and have been eliminated multiple times by the same team. We found out they were cheating and those players who lost, have been cut from their roster, careers ended because of cheaters.
  

Stream Sniping

"They're all at it in the online era, they're all at it, they're all cheating, they're all using exploits, probably that see through smoke bug got used a bunch of times"

• RL talks about how there is no integrity from dead (the player), always denying when caught doing something
  • On the topic of 'BLAST never said we couldn't stream snipe': "Lies, BLAST never said you could do that, they had to sort of retcon it." "because what happened after that they fucking started snitching and squealing"
    • "Suddenly you had like, 10 of the top 15 teams in the world, staring into the abyss of being banned for 6-12 months in line with ESIC recommendations."
      • He says that ESIC was put in a tough situation and couldn't enforce the bans because it would have resulted in killing CS. What resulted was, BLAST, ESIC, and teams came together and gave them a warning and told them, in RL's words "don't do this again or you're gonna get got."
        • He then says the top teams brushed this off and didn't give a fuck
        • The new MiBR team playing Flashpoint, that wasn't involved in the previous incidents are doing it again (stream sniping). He gave credit to Flashpoint for the quick resolution and punishment and respect for cogu's response to the situation.
        • "ESIC came out and said, once more, 'Guys, zero tolerance from now on.'" RL then got upset at community's reaction calling ESIC "pussies" for their non enforcement and said if we want competitive CS we cant ban the top 10 teams.
• He points out how players have no integrity and will do anything for an edge as long as they won't get detected or banned or it's within a grey area.
• "All of this shit was mad avoidable, even in the pandemic era."
  • He talks about why aren't we filming them. Why aren't there representatives for leagues and tournaments making sure players aren't cheating?

Match Fixing

"How many years have we let our scene be fucking pillaged by these greedy cunts?" "We just let it happen."

• RL says that gambling and skins betting which existed in moderation was "accelerated and blown up by the Call of Duty greedy fucks."
  • "Never forget TmarTn was on the board of EnVyUs." "His website, CSGOLotto, they had a bunch of off-the-books sponsorships." "NBK promoted them. People forget."
• "Those people who had access to the skins, go to the players" "Even people like s1mple, best player in the world, even he scammed knives and skins off fucking fans."
• Owners of skin casino sites would approach pros and lend them skins to use in tournaments and possibly keep them after reaching a deal
  • Players would tip off inside info about matches and teams in exchange for skins. Info such as: roster changes, how they played in scrims
    • They would use this info to bet and subvert the odds on their sites. "That happened religiously, I can't even tell you how many times it happened."
      • "I had access to the biggest database of information, from an inside betting circle in NA, and it would take information and screenshots from other pro players, who were feeding them info in exchange for money or skins."
        • "Some of these players are still playing." "Incredibly, there are players still in the CSPPA today, complaining about the BLAST recordings, that were embroiled in this murky shit back then."
• RL also says that there were tournaments where teams contrived with each other, who should throw, who should win.
• "There's a handful of people that are trying to fucking clean it up, and you think you get something over the line and you see something like the CSPPA and it's run by corrupt fucking chuckle heads, and now you've got another corrupt body you have to fight on a fucking daily basis, it's demoralizing."
  • "It's too far gone. Our entire semi-professional scene is compromised."
• "It's rife guys, I'm not going to lie any more. It's not just China, it's not just Russia, it's here, it's NA, it's Europe, it's Australia, so much more than you think, so much more than we can prove."
  • "I get sent chat logs all the time […] and they're morons, these players, short-sighted, amateur, morons and they're doing it on WhatsApp." People would get cut from the bets because they want to make more money, then they leak the logs. He says, from the chat logs, they spread "little" bets across every site they can (400 to 1k dollars) to prevent shifting odds
• He says the scumbags who've fucked off to Valorant will do the same there if Riot doesn't do something and says Valorant "is an esports scene heading for a very early fall based on the sheer volume of scumbags that are already there."
• "That's tier 2 CS in a nutshell these days. They know they're never going to play in a major, so what's the punishment?"
  • "All of these tier 2 fucks that are fixing games now they are like the fucking mafia compared to iBuyPower" "These guys are working with organized criminals to fix entire seasons worth of games. That's what's going on in your tier 2 CS."
• "I'm literally being told that there are players fixing games at all levels of Chinese esports and motherfuckers with guns are turning up to team houses and stuff."

North America

"Everyone in NA has left we've lost a continents worth of support during this pandemic and Valve haven't said a fucking word."

• RL says the Call of Duty "goblins" that destroyed CS for years are the same people who are now trying to leave CS. "The nerve to treat a game where the fans, and the community, and the TO's were nothing but good to you." "To just kick the players out now and go and leave and say 'It just doesn't make financial sense.' Oh you'll slither back when we have a major though for them stickers won't you."
• There's a cascading effect in NA where people don't bother with CS anymore and people like Chaos suffer.
• He says NA team owners are incompetent for always wanting it easy and always wanting a guarantee on their investment without skill or nuance.
  • RL says he would be able to market a team correctly and would have a good ROI and also points out how TSM wouldn't even be bothered to tweet that their team, which was one of the best in the world, was playing at the Major.
  • He also says not all NA owners are like that, compliments and respects Jason Lake who nearly lost everything to keep Complexity going.
• He then calls out the incompetence in Infinite Esports when they acquired OpTic Gaming and bought an Indian CS team.
  • He says HECZ is not to blame here and that they couldn't tell forsaken was cheating when it was so obvious.
    • They measured his reaction time to the likes of dev1ce and s1mple
    • When an enemy showed up on his screen he won that duel something like 44% of the time
    • "was like the number 1 player in the world statistically"
    • He brought a laptop to their bootcamp and refused to use the high end PCs that hey provided
• He respects Andy Miller (NRG CEO) and HECZ but says that the attitude of not being able to easily monetize their teams is "piss weak" and there needs to be a risk.
  • He says Chaos EC shouldn't be cutting their roster and should be competent enough to be able to figure out how to make money off their team.
• He says there are still opportunities in NA and people are panicking and pulling out, and says Valorant will be the same if not worse.
  • He also says "bums" who couldn't even get out of groups in NA competitions, are making crazy money in Valorant and says it will continue to inflate.
• He also said that he heard rumors that EG (Evil Geniuses) are done.
• He also thinks that the rumors of a Valve franchised league from before was sparked up from "these lazy fabled weak NA fucking team owners basically trying to see if Valve would bite at the hook if it was dangled and they didn't"
  • Slasher says NA team owners are really in favor of franchised leagues because they want to make more money. "Most of the powerful team owners right now are on board with ditching this third party organization structure, or they are trying to play this power politics with all the TOs, and that is contributing to a lot of the problems there"
• RL says that Riot has proved they can run a franchised league (LCS) and will be profitable in 2021 which is what a lot of team owners care about and says the competition will only serve to snatch people away from CS.
• RL continues to say, "I am so sick and tired of what we have done to this scene, I am just exhausted with it." "I think we have legitimately fucked it, I really think we have. I think we're staring into almost like a CGS (Championship Gaming Series) wasteland in NA." "Counter-Strike esports is a fucking joke."

Talent

"TO's have treated CS talent like absolute human garbage for years now."

• RL says that people like Sean Gares and ddk switching over to Valorant isn't for financial reasons because they are making less over there.
• He points out that TO's can't even give talent a 3 month in advance calendar.
• Because of the pandemic TO's won't hire certain people and some people are working more hours for the same money.
• He says we as a community don't respect journalists enough which is why we don't have good journalists.
  • He also says DeKay is leaving the scene soon and that Thorin is close to leaving also
• He says he had to talk a caster down from quitting and was struggling to find reasons.
• He says that DreamHack told Vince they would hire him but not if he wants to stick with dusT and says that this is the norm in esports. "Constant leveraging of people against each other." and says this is why we don't have a talent union.
• New gen casters are getting put into shit situations and the community's reaction to them is adding fuel to the fire
• He says the reason Moses left was because of the terrible conditions
• He says that Anders had to constantly leave his family and kid because someone fucked up or broke promises and had to constantly tell his kid to their face that "daddy can't be home this weekend."
• He says that esports has always been a lie to sell you this dream, "Meanwhile there's about 2% of the cunts getting all the checks."

Valve

"Anything that Riot does, is better than Valve's inaction"

• Slasher says that the larger aspect of esports as a whole compared to other entertainment mediums and Valve's lack of inattention are the bigger problems. He continues saying that the fact that Valve let their game be ran as an esport, they need to take on the responsibilities of it.
  • Both Slasher and RL wants Valve to take control but not on the level of Riot Games, there needs to be a balance.
• In case it was ever a question: Gabe Newell has been to 0 CSGO Majors.
• RL calls Valve out saying they could have done something during the gambling era.
• He says Valve used to come to the majors, but doesn't think they do anymore.
• RL had met with Valve at the Cluj-Napoca Major and had tried to appeal iBP's indefinite punishment and had also gave Brax's life story:
  • A recent family member passed away, they had lost a lot of income, they had to live in trailer, iBuyPower did not pay any salaries, and was pressured by family to make money who didn't support his career.
  • RL said that Valve told him, "How dare you try and make us feel guilty." "We shouldn't feel bad about enforcing the only thing that matters that we need to make players afraid of: cheating and match fixing"
  • RL also tried to share other info about match fixing and nothing came of it
• RL points out that Source 2 or a new engine is not something you will want based on the experience of transitioning from CS 1.6 to CS:S. "Valve's track record with brand new engines being launched, not fucking great from what I remember."
• Slasher says "If there is anything the community should do, is pressure Valve to hire a community manager."
  • They say that we need a commissioner, a community manager (not the person who runs the Twitter who posts memes all day), then we need to have a circuit
• RL reiterates that Valve doesn't care about CS esports and says they need to change the culture at Valve to make them care about CS esports
  • Slasher says a systemic problem is making it so working on CSGO would be a bad decision for you as an employee for Valve
• He also hasn't talked to Valve in ages and have sent over bugs and cheats and doesn't get emails back anymore
• Slasher says we should be directing attention at the developer leads, pointing out Ido Magal, if he even is still the project lead
  • RL thinks that Ido and Brian are the only people that "vaguely even give a fuck about CS" and were the only people that RL recalled that actually read Reddit and paid attention from time to time
• "It is really fucking precarious. Somebody has got to step the fuck up and start giving a shit"
  • Slasher suggests org owners, with CSPPA, with ESIC, with TOs have a concerted effort against Valve
• "Riot Games are doing better things than Valve in the esports space" which is something RL didn't think he'd say.
• "People who used to be talent, working with unions, arguing with other talent, when the unions fucked them over, can't understand their perspective, TOs fucking over broadcast talent, broadcast talent wanting to leave and go and work for orgs, orgs having no money, Valve might take coaches away because all the coaches are cheating, ESIC has about 4 people in a fucking call doing the investigations, everyone thinks they're spies for ESL, ESL are just the evil fucking overlords wanting to rule the scene and will just somehow, like cockroaches outliving a nuclear bomb, and Valve are in a fucking holiday in Hawaii thinking about the next Dota character because they don't give a fuck about us."

Closing Statements

"We've peaked. If we want to sustain and exist, now is the time to figure it out. No esports lasts as long as this, we've already done 8 years. We've already broke the records. We have got to figure out a way to coexist and drive the negative forces out and we need to do it as a collective and we're not doing that."

• RL compared the Counter-Strike scene to the people on the Titanic who ran around with guns robbing people while the boat was sinking.
• "We have given up on being a respectable esports scene." "We are now a conduit to make money for those who want to just milk it, just have one last ride, one last roll of the dice. It's done." "What a fucking mess. What have we done to our fucking scene?"
• "There's just too much self-interest driving all of this." "I don't see a way we stop the dominoes." "When it's that bad, when there's that many dishonest people that ESIC have to come out and say that if we punish them all there's no one left. What does that tell you?"
• "How many opportunities have we had to clean house? How many times have we said, 'this must never happen again', and another scandal." "The entire skins betting operations was the biggest criminal conspiracy in esports ever executed and no one has been punished for it." "The people who could be driving that don't want to."
• "Right now people are fans of those organizations because the scene has value. It is worth being a fan of Astralis because they are excellent at Counter-Strike. It is worth being a fan of s1mple because he is the best player in Counter-Strike, maybe the exception of ZywOo. If the scene is devalued, if the scene loses its meaning, those things lose its meaning too, and people will leave, people will stop tuning into the games. I have seen it happen in multiple esports, this is not my first time at the rodeo. I am getting big Brood War vibes right now and I don't like it."
• "The role you play in all of this as fans, as viewers, as listeners, as consumers of esports content, it's absolutely imperative that you know who the good guys are. It's absolutely imperative that you use your voice. It's absolutely imperative that when things are bad, you know who, at least, is trying to make them good, and you have to apply your criticism to the right targets."
  • He continues saying it's no good in continuing to attack ESIC and saying how they are bad, ESIC have it hard
• He says CSPPA are on the right side of the argument on BLAST but have been on the wrong side of many arguments many times.
  • "If you are not willing to stand along side the weakest member of the union, with the least amount of influence, and the least amount of power, then it is not a union at all and you shouldn't pose as one." "You wanna serve a bunch of special interest do it, everyone else in esports fucking does, but do not pose as something you are not." "We love the players. I've been fighting for players rights for as long as I've been able to, but the CSPPA is not what we needed."
    • "They are not applying the pressure to the right people, they are not fighting the right battles, they are not helping their weaker members."
• He says what orgs have done by keeping or hiring coaches is bad. "When you give up on holding an appreciable standard, you've lost the scene" "Competition matters, rules matter, punishments matter, achievements matter, excellence matters" "If you start stripping that away, you have nothing" "You guys need to take that knowledge and apply it sensibly."
• "Valve has sold you all down the river, they sold everyone in the esports scene down the river, tournament organizers are selling their talent down the river. Don't hate on them for sounding tired after a 16 hour day. Don't hate on them because the hype for a matchup they've seen for the 20th time in the past 3 months, they can't be as excited or it sounds contrived. Support your guys, they're there for you, these are your people."
• "This community has got to start acting like one for the first fucking time. Just put the petty shit away, let's try and fix this fucking scene while we still have one to save."
• "You can't rely on Valve, you can't rely on ESL, you can't rely on the CSPPA, you can't rely on anyone." "Once again, it's gonna be the likes of us, the amateurs, the people who give a fuck, rolling up our sleeves and grafting." "I'm old and tired and I don't want to have to do it again. People need to pick up the torch and do it."
  • "Like Michal did, like Dudenhoeffer did. You see something wrong, fix it. You see somebody doing something wrong, call it out. If you think something could be better, let people know."
• "Vote with your wallets if you're not happy with the direction Valve goes in. If when we do get to the Major, they serve up another subpar, same old bullshit stickers and signatures package again, do not buy it."
  • "You're a powerful block and if you use it correctly we can fucking avert this disaster."
• "I'm not doing another year in this broken, bust-up fucking scene, where everyone is miserable, everyone is broke, everyone is tired, and everyone is trying to fucking rob everyone else, blind, while the fucking people who are meant to be protecting you, are just fucking enhancing it and lining their own pockets."
  • "I'm not doing it anymore and you shouldn't want to do it either."
• "I stand by every fucking thing I said. I mean it, because this game fucking matters to me, this scene fucking matters to me. I put my life into this, my adult life, and to see it in this state is fucking sad."

Chapter One: Bozeman or Bust (lots of bust)
I had done it once again, like so many other years before, by traveling north to one of the harshest and coldest states that a hobo could possibly go to during the dead of winter, late-January 2021: Mon-fucking-tana. Or as the locals jokingly say, "Montucky". (edit: Shout-out to Montucky Cold Snacks, the cheap horse-piss watered down beer that is Montana's equivalent of Washington's "Rainier Ale" or Oregon's "Session Lager"). I digress.
If I was a goose, I'd surely be the Jonathan Livingston Seagull of the flock…the black sheep shitshow of a goose flying in the completely wrong direction at the worst time of the year. As forementioned, this was not the first time, nor second time, that I've done this. In fact, it's become a habit, if not straight-up routine.
Laramie, Wyoming circa November 2016. Glendive, Montana circa January 2015 Minot, North Dakota circa January 2014. Yukon, Canada circa November 2013. Bellingham, Washington circa January 2006. The list goes on, and on, and on…
And here I am. Bozeman Fucking Montana, circa January-February 2021. The locals say it's an unusually warm winter, which by Montana's standards might include 5 inches of snow in the afternoon and temperatures dropping below 10F degrees at night. However, according to the high standards of a low-class hobo born and raised on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, this weather is colder than a witches tit.
Now, that's not to say that I ain't prepared though. I assure you that I am. Sixteen years of living on the road and rails has made this black goose a well-seasoned bird, with all the trimmings. I have a military sleeping bag that can keep me alive down to negative 30 temperatures. My military backpack is waterproof, and so are the snowboarding pants that I wear under my insulated Carharrt overalls. I have alpaca wool thermal pants, merino wool socks, thermolite waterproof boots, thinsulated gloves, and several wool and polyster beanie hats. My dual-layer mountaineering tent can withstand hurricane-force winds and all the snow that a blizzard can muster.
Winter? Montana? Bring it bitch. Hit me with your best shot. You know I like it. wink
Sigh. However, DESPITE the freezing temperatures and shit tons of snow, there's a lil secret that I've learned during my many years of traveling, and that secret is certainly DUE to these wintery conditions: Jobs! Lots and lots and lots and lots of jobs! Jobs here, jobs there, jobs every-fucking-where. Hotel jobs, restaurant jobs, retail jobs, construction jobs, maintenance jobs, driving jobs, even jobs just to help other people get more damn jobs!
You want a job during winter? Well they got jobs out northern Californie way, Oregonie way, Montanie way, Washingtonie way, North and South Dakotie way, and every which way can go above above the Mason-Dixon line!
If you can't find a damn job in the Northwestern United States of America during winter, you ain't fucking looking, and that's a fact. If you got one arm and you can swing a hammer, or punch a number on a cash register, then consider yourself hired on the spot and you can start today.
Before this chapter turns into an entire damn book of its own (A Hobo's Guide to Finding Jobs) let's get back to the story here: Bozeman or Bust.
As I begin this chapter, I have a red-wine hangover that is enough to drive me to a bullet in the head. I made a pot of coffee only to puke it back up on my hands and knees in front the porcelain thrown. I think it was good ole Earnest Hemingway that once said "Write Drunk, Edit Sober". Experienced words of wisdom from a fine man that knew everything a man could possibly know about drinking shit tons of wine and writing shit tons of stories. I wouldn't be lying if I was to confess that Mr. Hemingway, along with Mr. Steinbeck and Mr. Twain, are drunken heroes of mine that I could only hope someday to sit alongside in the bookstores of Hell and Hades with a gallon of cheap Merlot. Salut, gentleman.
After puking, rolling cigarettes, drinking coffee, and puking several times more, I was finally able to sit down to try and remember what-the-fuck happened yesterday; a solemn meditation technique that involves tons of coffee and contemplation; a time to worship the asinine achievements that are accompanied in both rejoice and regret.
Yesterday started off sober as a saint. I had a job interview at this place I had found on craigslist, some place looking for fresh warm bodies to fill up their production-assembly line. I took a bus to the address they had given me, which ended up being the adress to the Bozeman City Bank.
"A bank?", I thought, as I wondered around the parking lot dumbfounded and confused for a solid 5 minutes, checking the address several times on my phone, wondering why on earth I've been sent to a state bank. After circling the parking lot, I noticed a door on the side of the bank that said "Job Choices Employment Services: Second Floor".
Godammit. I had been fucking conned. Fucking craigslist. I know what's going on here…this a goddamn employment agency that wants to take 10-15 percent of my paycheck, take away my rights to healthcare and benefits, in the so-called promise of finding me a "great career path of opportunity".
Employment agencies. Just like rats. The only "opportunity" here was them: Creatures of opportunity, parasites hellbent on scavaging peoples money and benefits. "A not-even-close-to-great career path of 9-5 slave-labor bullshit involving years of suckling away your mind, body, and spirit", the sign on the door should have read.
This was definitely a mistake. And anyone that has ever had the unfortunate pleasure of being with me can you tell one thing about me: I fucking love mistakes. I love making them, and I love learning from them. I am a walking-talking connoisseur of mistakes. In fact, I just made a mistake trying to spell connoisseur, so I asked Google "Hey Google, spell connoisseur", and due to lack of interpreting my Alabama accent, Google made the mistake of showing me the word Coitus. I have now learned that the word "coitus" is another word for sex. As a writer and the son of an English teacher, I love learning new words. As a human male, I love sex. So learning a new word for "sex" is a fantastic trade-off for that fortunate mistake!
I digress.
I decided to walk into the bank, up the stairs to the second floor, and down the hall to the employment agency. A well-dressed and very sexy debutant by the name of Tracy stood up and greeted me with a smile that was formal, professional, and admittedly very sexy.
While my dirty mind started playing cheap porn music, along with vivid images of me and Tracy wrecking that office like wild alleycats, I was suddenly snapped back into reality with Tracy's sexy voice, saying:
"Hey, you must be Mr. Huck! Are you here for the 3:00 o'clock interview? Could you please start by filling out this application? You can have a seat over at the desk here"…
Godammit. This employment agency was GOOD. I was Tracy's submissive little slut. I walked right where Tracy told me to walk, sat right in the chair Tracy pulled out for me to sit in, and I started filling out the application with the ballpoint pen that Tracy had somehow put in my hand without me even realizing it. Tracy could have stolen my wallet and the 11 dollars inside of it as well, had she wanted to, and I wouldn't have even noticed. And even if I had noticed, I would have let her do it anyway. Godammit!
As I started to fill out the application, I got to the section I dreaded most: job references. Oh boy…allow me to tell you a little about Huck's references, or lacktherof:
At my last job, I was fired because of a fight that broke-out between my ex-girlfriend and myself, which began with lots of shouting and shoving, and ended with me getting a black-eye from being punched in the face twice. Fun fact: Italian women are fiery as they are fierce, and bold as they are beautiful. And just like their male Italian counterparts, such as Sylvester Stalone or Al Capone, they know how to land a solid right jab. This fight erupted in the worker's dormitory for all employees to hear and see. And although I was the one with the swollen black eye, I was the one they decided to fire. C'est la vie, such is life. Que sera sera, it be what it fucking be.
We can scratch that job off as a reference, without a doubt.
The job before that, I was at a marijuana farm called "Great American Cannabis", in which my managers and co-workers tried to recruit me into a far-right group of sexist and racist baboons called "The Proud Boys".
There was a pre-determining factor in why that farm had hired me, and assumed I would be interested in their idealogical gang. That pre-determing factor was the very same factor that led Google to teaching me the wrong word and definition: my Alabama accent.
Great American Cannabis had hired me based on a phone interview, in which they assumed my southern accent indicated two things, in which case one of their assumptions was right, and one was wrong:
Assumption Numero Uno: Huck has an Alabama accent, which therefore indicates that he has years of experience working on farms, growing plants, and being an honest and hard-worker.
Assumption Numero Dos: Huck has an Alabama accent, therefore he must be idealogically aligned with far-right beliefs including sexism and racism.
Welp, I am proud to say that even that although a 50% winning percentage may be fine and dandy with gambling in Vegas, and can be seen as half full or half empty based on however optimisitic or pessimistic you might be, in the case of Great American Cannabis and The Proud Boys, those odds ended pretty badly.
As it turns out, despite being raised by a racist father and surrounded by bigotry in the not-so-sweet home of Alabama, those very dispositions made this black sheep child rebel from such ass-backward beliefs, and I am staunchly pro-civil rights, which means I am pro-immigration, and a proud supporter of the sufferage movement for womens right.
Obviously, that did not go very well with my co-workers at the farm, and I was fired within the first month. But wait, theres more tragic humor to the story of this farm, which I'll organize in two keypoints:
Keypoint Numero Uno: The farm was owned by Iranian immigrants. I…shit…you…not. That's right. YOU DID READ THAT CORRECTLY. Not only was the farm owned and managed by a minority group of immigrants, those very immigrants came directly from the very country is at the VERY TOP of White-America's shitlist: Iran.
Keypoint Numeros Dos: After I was fired based almost entirely according to my leftist and progressive views on race and gender equality, within just a couple of weeks nearly everybody on the farm was fired and replaced by cheaper immigrant labor in the form of Laotian women. That's right…a white-blooded American-born legal-working male, was replaced by brown-blooded, foreign-born, mostly-illegal-working females, on a farm owned and managed by right-wing racists and sexists that were anti-immigration. Once again, I…shit…you…fucking…not...let THAT shit sink in.
I literally cannot make this shit up, and let it be forever proof that reality, however tragic or ironic it may be, is far greater than fiction. You can write that last sentence in a letter, shove that puppy in an envelope, slap that bitch with a stamp, and mail it to the fucking MOON. Or you can mail it to Iran, or Laos, whichever you prefer.
However, I digress.
So, being that I was fired from Great American Cannabis by a bunch of Iranian Proud Boys, you can scratch that job off of the "reference" list as well. Sigh.
So, how about the job before that? Well, that's a hell of a story too, but I'll make it quick and cut shorter to the chase:
I worked on a fishing boat for a Mormon captain. Although I loved him like a Dad, and he often treated me like a son, my job ended in these words:
"Huck, I really like you. You're one of the hardest working deckhands I've ever had, despite it being a very terrible year for fishing. However, as a man that is a Latter Day Saint of God, as a Mormon, I'm going to have to ask you to leave because of three reasons:
1) You smoke cigarettes, marijuana, and drink alcohol and coffee.
2) You curse worse than a sailor.
3) You are an atheist/agnostic."
And in case you, the reader did not know: Mormons HATE cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol, AND coffee. They are forbidden to curse, and they are not even allowed to tolerate the company of anyone that isn't a believer in God.
Well Godammit. How in the hell am I so goddamn misfortunate and unlucky, to be the must FIRST FUCKING PERSON in the entire HISTORY OF FISHING, that has gotten fired for using curse words and drinking whiskey. I couldn't even absorb the fact that my boss was firing me because I couldn't get over the fact that I was possibly the first sailor or fisherman in all of ocean-faring humanity that had gotten fired for doing what sailors and fisherman are guaranteed and known to do best: drinkin' and cursin'
We can also scratch THAT job off the possible reference list as well.
It was at this point in the office of Job Choices Bozeman that the porn music had long since stopped playing in my head, and that I suddenly and swiftly fell deeply into a full blown existential crisis right there in Tracy's office while simply trying to think of a single reference from my last 3 jobs. The unbelievable amount of misfortune, tragedy, irony, and utter insanity of my last 3 job experiences had truly started to sink in, and I was beginning to legitimately lose my temporary grasp on sanity along with my faith in humanity altogether in one great, big, sloppy sandwich of existential fucking crisis.
Allow me to self-diagnose this existential crisis sandwich by peeling off some of the layers of this enormous stinking onion that is in the middle of it all: Either that curse that was put on me a few years ago by a Mexican trainhopping gypsy from New Orleans is proof that curses are indeed fucking real, or either I am the unluckiest son of a bitch on this entire planet that is so very unlucky that I am slowly (or quickly) coming to the conclusion that this entire life is a simulation that is programmed by some sick comedic asshole that specializes in the tragedies of both irony AND misfortune. And though some people in this world call that programmer God or Allah or Jehovah, I call him Jeff. I call him "Jeff in Programming", with same amount of disdain and hatred that Michael Scott refers to "Toby in Human Resources" in the American version of the show "The Office".
(Sidenote: If you do not understand my last reference because you have not watched The Office, then you need to stop reading this book right now, go sign up for one month of Netflix, and spend that entire month binge-watching one of the greatest sitcoms ever made in the history of television: The Office (US Version). Go. Now!)
I digress.
As I collapsed into a full-blown existential crisis while thinking of job references on the second floor employment services office above Montana State Bank, my fantasy-based relationship with Tracy was also about to crumble into an existential crisis as well, based on two very important qualities:
Quality Numero Uno: Tracy and I had no relationship that actually existed outside of my head and a stupid job application form. We had never knocked over all of the filing cabinets, water-cooler, or broken the copying machine with tantric sex. That scenario never existed period.
Quality Numeros Dos: I was about to not only lie, but also commit non-existent adultery to Tracy, thus putting a very real end to a not-very-real relationship.
I stood up from the desk that me and Tracy had never fucked on, and I told Tracy that I had to use the bathroom. And though I did really have to use the bathroom, it wasn't for the purpose of pissing or taking a shit, it was for the purpose of throwing the application in the toilet and sneaking my way down the hallway and out of the employment agency. In which case, that is precisely what I did.
Upon stepping out of the door and back into the parking lot of Bozeman City Bank, I noticed another hot little woman across the street: A dazzling red-headed freckle-faced damsel by the name of Wendy, who promised in her fertile bosom the birth of two-dollar cheeseburgers and loaded baked potatoes. I went inside Wendy's house, and began to have an oral relationship by penetrating my mouth with nearly everything that was offered on Wendy's dollar-value menu.
Stop here, acquire coffee, booze, and cigarettes until I feel like writing again, which may be later tonight, tomorrow morning, or possibly fucking never

So, inside some other post, I was asked why gambling is bad... My reply ended up being really detailed, so I'll promote it to a post of its own (just copy-pasting it here; no new words)... [Note: list of 3 points about loot boxes at the end...]
(I work at a company that sells gambling services... I see how the sausage is made...)
By the way, I love PoE and GGG. Still, loot boxes are bad.
I personally get to see the statistics side of oddsmaking. It's always about suckering you out of your money, because by definition all you are doing is paying more money as the price of getting less money (on average), but you also need to feel like you have a chance at getting the upper hand, even though in the long run you don't.
For example, sometimes, if you're really "good" at betting, you just end up working for the oddsmaker on a bad deal. It's really hard for them sometimes to get the odds perfectly right (although the profit margin still takes care of 99.9% of punters). So, if you're a professional gambler making a regular profit, what's basically happening is that you are investing an enormous amount of time and expertise to try and make tiny profits at the margins, and the bookmaker monitors your activity and learns about the market from you, at what ends up being a lower cost than if they hired experts to give them the same info on a salary. Plus you constantly run high risks! Which is why my company is full of ex-gamblers who were able to make a profit for a while, and intelligent enough to realise that they were still getting a bad deal, and come to the company and offer their services directly. (For another way gambling companies guarantee their own profits by passing on the risk to gamblers, research "balancing the books": yes, a professional gambler could make some profits this way, but if you're possibly making profits by taking on a risk that a large gambling corporation wants to get rid of, do you really think you're getting a good deal, especially considering how much time and expertise you sink into the activity? EDIT: more info)
The only way I know of to make a consistent and considerable profit off gambling is when a pro gambler is allowed to make a profit off other gamblers, in a move that a company makes to increase total amounts played. So, for one person to profit, many others are being seriously scammed, and the company is safely skimming its percentages off the top.
There are many different ways a gambling company presents bad deals to you, hoping that your intuition misfires about one of them and you decide to throw away your money. Examples... There are single bets, of course. But then there are also combinations, and these screw with your intuition--you can convince yourself based on a narrative (e.g. team 1 wins first half, team 2 comes back in second half), where in fact the actual hard cold odds are against you. There is "cash out" where you take a fraction of a likely-seeming win early (but at a loss), which of course simply taxes you for your risk aversion. There are "systems", creating more and more complex bets, until you convince yourself you've set up the perfect deal, and yet the company's profit margin keeps growing the more complex you make it.
Anyway, those are the parts I work on as a software guy. (By the way, this isn't the worst thing in the world, it's not as bad, as, say, the military industry or the military itself, or say religions or banks, because at some level gambling is voluntary. And making gambling illegal is a terrible idea-we should fight it through education, not prohibition. Still, I only work there because I'm currently a completely non-creative software grunt (and currently satisfied with that). If I get to the point of pursuing higher-level jobs, I'll look elsewhere.)
But the most nefarious part of all is the psychological work they pull on you. That's not my area of expertise, so if you want it explained you need to look elsewhere (recommended book: Thinking Fast and Slow--it's not about gambling, it's about psychology). They are constantly doing things to 1) give you false hope and 2) artificially trigger some pleasure response in you.
E.g. most people are naturally risk averse and loss averse, e.g. losing $10 brings more pain than winning $10 brings pleasure. In reality, a gamble is about paying, say, $10 to win an average of, say, $9, so that's a terrible and painful deal. In addition to all the advertising and bright colours and encouraging sounds and making you read success stories and all the other psychological manipulations, they can also straight up befuddle you with numbers. So, losing $10 brings more pain than winning $10 brings pleasure, but what if you pay $10 but you're not really at a risk of losing that much, because on average you win $9 back, so you're only really risking a single $, and yet if you get lucky you won't win a mere $10 but millions? Suddenly that sounds good, right? Risk $1 to win $10000000? Of course not: you're still risking $10 and taking $1 losses on average each time you play, and the high rewards are vanishingly rare and built into that average.
That's it about gambling for money. On loot boxes I'm no expert, but, beyond the basic problems (encouraging addiction, exploiting minors who beg money from parents and don't understand how they're throwing it away, generating gambling "pleasure" while giving you "bits" instead of any real value, etc), I can point out a couple of extra scummy aspects:

1. They can say "the box costs 30 points but all the possible rewards are worth at least 50, the average reward is worth 70 and the best is worth 400"... really??? Those prices are completely arbitrary... Who says the footprints are "worth" 50 or some random hideout decoration is "worth" 200? Talking about average microtransaction point values in a loot box is completely misleading.
2. Either you (a) lose on the statistics of getting complete sets or you lose on (b) being psychologically manipulated into buying extra stuff you didn't actually want so much (or (c) you just lose by getting useless stuff). Let's say you decide to pick up a couple of boxes and see what you get before buying more stuff. You might just get useless stuff, of course (case c). But what if you get the body armour or wings? Now you might say "I'll get more boxes to complete the set". But the chances of getting any one part of a set are not anywhere near as bad as your chances of completing a set (like map lab trials, but much worse because loot boxes contain many more items), so you are getting totally fleeced (case a). Alternatively you could go "oh look, I got x in the box, I'll buy matching items y and z from the shop later" so you think you got x cheap and y and z at normal prices. But you are being manipulated into buying y and z. Would you really have bought x and y and z from the shop if there had been no loot box? Only rarely. The rest of the time you are overspending (case b).
3. Loot box gifts are another scummy behaviour, considering people don't have good intuitions about statistics. Most of us get bad results from the gifted boxes, but some will get lucky. Those of us who are already gambling on loot boxes won't be affected by the outcome of a few extra boxes. Those who wouldn't ever buy them normally, and get bad results, who cares. But those who wouldn't normally buy them but get lucky a few times in a row might decide it's a good deal after all. So, it's manipulating us psychologically in a way that is statistically designed to fail at no cost most times and succeed sometimes, which makes money. (While also giving everybody holiday presents or race prizes, making the company appear generous.)

So you've found a post, and it looks damn good - nicely formatted, seems to have a lot of fancy words, and you don't know how to even begin evaluating their theories. So, what do you do?
Analyze their analysis!
First, is the user reputable/legitimate, or is it a bot post? Check their user history - if they've been around for a while, and post to other forums, and have no massive gaps in their online-time, they're probably real.
Second, if it's a real user, are they trying to shill something for market manipulation or pump&dumping? If so, they'll usually be banned/deleted very quickly, but if you're browsing /new DDs you'll need to be vigilant. Avoid penny stocks or anything where the goal is specifically purchase->effect-oriented. If the OP has proof of positions, and it doesn't look like a pump&dump, then at least they're buying into their own theory - and I trust theories people are willing to bet on as they posit them more than theories that are just like, "I don't wanna but good luck all".
Third, the actual content of the post! Do you understand what they're pitching? If not, do the comments explain anything that might be confusing? Make sure you actually understand the theory you're buying into. If you understand it, the next question is, "how reasonable does this seem"? If it's something that's blindingly obvious even to a layman, it's possible that the market's already priced it in and no movements will be made based on the information. If it's totally far-fetched, like banking on a specific individual dying or lottery-level odds, probably worth skipping. The sweet spot, the ideal, the diamond in the rough, is finding DD that invokes new thoughts that no one has had, but are totally reasonable and likely. Read comments, see what the consensus is, and pay special attention to dissent - dissent is way more useful than agreement for furthering a theory. Read their sources, or do independent research - see if other factors support their theory, see how well-known or popular the theory is already, and evaluate based on that.
Now if you decide that you like the DD, and may act on it, you have to choose how you act on it. And this is the very, very hard part - opportunity cost and cost-benefit analysis. Is buying into this new theory superior to any existing theories you're currently acting on? Does it match your risk profile? Is it a stock DD, or an options recommendation? How much are you willing to gamble? What is your exit strategy? Can't help much here, that goes into actual financial advice, and I am not a financial advisor, just a "how to judge random idiots on the internet" expert.
Let's say you don't like the DD - you're not gonna buy in. But what if you think that the person's crazy? What if you think their theories are not just baseless, but are actually wrong? You may choose to bet against the DD! And yes, you can do this with anything you read - you can decide that they're stupid, fuck em, and bet against them. Their loss porn becomes your gains, and vice-versa. Investing in inversing bad DD is a valid option - they're buying up options, you can sell some options, or buy puts below their calls, or so on.
Retail trading is mostly treated as noise by hedge funds - but just because it's not your day job to trade doesn't mean you can't do research that hedge funds may miss. As retail investors, it's extremely difficult to have a superior trading strategy or more general market knowledge than the professionals, but we can figure out niche opportunities that the higher-level analyzers miss. If you intimately know an industry, or have a theory that you think financial institutions would miss, or think you're just smarter or more well-informed than them, absolutely develop a DD post (aka a market theory) and share or act on it.
tl;dr: If you're the kind of nerd that scrolls to tl;drs and makes decisions based on that, then all the other shit I said is irrelevant, :rocket: :diamond: :ape:

United manager starting to reap the rewards for the club's faith
By James Ducker, Northern Football Correspondent. Tuesday January 26th 2021 15:45
They were the two revered icons in charge of the clubs they served with such distinction as players but only one is still standing. While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was busy preparing his Manchester United side – the Premier League leaders – for the visit of Sheffield United to Old Trafford on Wednesday, Frank Lampard was collecting his P45 at Chelsea, the latest managerial casualty in Roman Abramovich’s ruthless operation.
Lampard had been manager at Stamford Bridge for just over six months less than Solskjaer had been at the helm in Manchester and we will never know now whether a man who shared some of the same ideals as his United counterpart – not least around the development of young players – would have been able to turn around things at Chelsea in the way the Norwegian is starting to do at Old Trafford.
They have faced accusations at United in the years since Sir Alex Ferguson departed in 2013 of veering more towards the Chelsea 'hire and fire' model than patience and long-term thinking, without which there would have been no Sir Alex Ferguson dynasty in M16.
David Moyes lasted 10 months, Louis van Gaal – jettisoned in the hours after winning the FA Cup – two seasons and Jose Mourinho 2½ years.
Yet the United hierarchy’s stance on Solskjaer has been different, and certainly at odds with Chelsea’s position over Lampard, who paid the price at the first sign of trouble, despite also being tasked with a rebuild that, much like at Old Trafford, never had the look of a quick fix.
Solskjaer’s two year anniversary since his appointment as Mourinho’s successor, initially on an interim basis, passed last month and United hope and believe the club are the road back towards something tangible. A title success this term would be ahead of schedule but, top of the table at the halfway stage of the campaign, opportunity suddenly knocks, even if there is an awful lot of work still to do, on and off the pitch. No one at Old Trafford is kidding themselves about that, though, regardless of what the league table says.
It certainly seems doubtful Solskjaer would have survived the previous two autumns had Abramovich been calling the shots. United recovered last season to finish third, above Chelsea only on goal difference, after a dreadful start to the campaign and, even if Abramovich had given him the benefit of the doubt then, it is hard to believe he would have shown the same patience 12 months on.
Indeed, even if Solskjaer had survived the 6-1 trouncing by Tottenham in September, and that calamitous showing in the 2-1 defeat at Istanbul Basaksehir around seven weeks later, elimination from the Champions League group stage by RB Leipzig last month would probably have done for him. By contrast, United ignored the noise around Solskjaer and stuck to their plan, convinced there would be significant bumps along the way as they worked towards loftier targets.
Without any real track records in management to fall back on, both United and Chelsea were taking gambles by appointing Solskjaer and Lampard respectively. The two men would probably admit that themselves.
Yet, while United have been able to look beyond the thirst for immediate success and silverware in the move to re-establish a cultural identity and promote youth and attacking football as part of the bid to get back on top, Abramovich – it seems – was only paying lip service to such notions. The Russian dipped his toe in the water, liked what he saw for a short while, but then, ultimately, reverted to type.
That long-term approach business evidently involved too much risk – much preferable those boom and bust cycles. The model has worked for him before – 16 major titles in 18 years, including five Premier Leagues and the Champions League – and it will probably be successful again.
Of course, this is no attempt to depict the commercially minded Glazer family as bastions of some deeper, noble philosophy – the bottom line matters just as much to them – but United have shown patience in Solskjaer and there are signs that could be rewarded.
Lampard won 44 of his 84 games in charge of Chelsea. Solskjaer won 46 of his first 84 matches as United manager. Lampard won 28 of his 57 Premier League games as manager of the West London club. Solskjaer only won one more in his first 57 league fixtures at United.
Very similar records in other words, and it was Lampard’s Chelsea who beat United in the FA Cup semi-finals last summer before losing to Arsenal in the final.
Chelsea scored 12 more goals during that period under Lampard but conceded 27 more than Solskjaer’s United did in his first 84 games. After seeing so much of Chelsea’s success built on miserly defending, perhaps that weak underbelly was a significant factor behind Lampard’s departure.
Either way, he will never get the opportunity to carry on that work that Solskjaer has been afforded.

NEW INFO 5 Results from share redemption are posted. Less than .2% redeemed. Very bullish as investors are showing extreme confidence in the future of PLBY.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/playboy-mountain-crest-acquisition-corp-120000721.html
NEW INFO 4 Definitive Agreement to purchase 100% of Lovers brand stores announced 2/1.
https://www.streetinsider.com/Corporate+News/Playboy+%28MCAC%29+Confirms+Deal+to+Acquire+Lovers/17892359.html
NEW INFO 3 I bought more on the dip today. 5081 total. Price rose AH to $12.38 (2.15%)
NEW INFO 2 Here is the full webinar.
https://icrinc.zoom.us/rec/play/9GWKdmOYumjWfZuufW3QXpe_FW_g--qeNbg6PnTjTMbnNTgLmCbWjeRFpQga1iPc-elpGap8dnDv8Zww.yD7DjUwuPmapeEdP?continueMode=true&tk=lEYc4F_FkKlgsmCIs6w0gtGHT2kbgVGbUju3cIRBSjk.DQIAAAAV8NK49xZWdldRM2xNSFNQcTBmcE00UzM3bXh3AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA&uuid=WN_GKWqbHkeSyuWetJmLFkj4g&_x_zm_rtaid=kR45-uuqRE-L65AxLjpbQw.1611967079119.2c054e3d3f8d8e63339273d9175939ed&_x_zm_rhtaid=866
NEW INFO 1 Live merger webinar with PLBY and MCAC on Friday January 29, 2021 at 12:00 NOON EST link below
https://mcacquisition.com/investor-relations/press-release-details/2021/Playboy-Enterprises-Inc.-and-Mountain-Crest-Acquisition-Corp-Participate-in-SPACInsider-ICR-Webinar-on-January-29th-at-12pm-ET/default.aspx
Playboy going public: Porn, Gambling, and Cannabis
!!!WARNING READING AHEAD!!! TL;DR at the end. It will take some time to sort through all the links and read/watch everything, but you should.
In the next couple weeks, Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp is taking Playboy public. The existing ticker MCAC will become PLBY. Special purpose acquisition companies have taken private companies public in recent months with great success. I believe this will be no exception. Notably, Playboy is profitable and has skyrocketing revenue going into a transformational growth phase.
Porn - First and foremost, let's talk about porn. I know what you guys are thinking. “Porno mags are dead. Why would I want to invest in something like that? I can get porn for free online.” Guess what? You are absolutely right. And that’s exactly why Playboy doesn’t do that anymore. That’s right, they eliminated their print division. And yet they somehow STILL make money from porn that people (see: boomers) pay for on their website through PlayboyTV, Playboy Plus, and iPlayboy. Here’s the thing: Playboy has international, multi-generational name recognition from porn. They have content available in 180 countries. It will be the only publicly traded adult entertainment (porn) company. But that is not where this company is going. It will help support them along the way. You can see every Playboy magazine through iPlayboy if you’re interested. NSFW links below:
https://www.playboy.com/
https://www.playboytv.com/
https://www.playboyplus.com/
https://www.iplayboy.com/
Gambling - Some of you might recognize the Playboy brand from gambling trips to places like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Cancun, London or Macau. They’ve been in the gambling biz for decades through their casinos, clubs, and licensed gaming products. They see the writing on the wall. COVID is accelerating the transition to digital, application based GAMBLING. That’s right. What we are doing on Robinhood with risky options is gambling, and the only reason regulators might give a shit anymore is because we are making too much money. There may be some restrictions put in place, but gambling from your phone on your couch is not going anywhere. More and more states are allowing things like Draftkings, poker, state ‘lottery” apps, hell - even political betting. Michigan and Virginia just ok’d gambling apps. They won’t be the last. This is all from your couch and any 18 year old with a cracked iphone can access it. Wouldn’t it be cool if Playboy was going to do something like that? They’re already working on it. As per CEO Ben Kohn who we will get to later, “...the company’s casino-style digital gaming products with Scientific Games and Microgaming continue to see significant global growth.” Honestly, I stopped researching Scientific Games' sports betting segment when I saw the word ‘omni-channel’. That told me all I needed to know about it’s success.
“Our SG Sports™ platform is an enhanced, omni-channel solution for online, self-service and retail fixed odds sports betting – from soccer to tennis, basketball, football, baseball, hockey, motor sports, racing and more.”
https://www.scientificgames.com/
https://www.microgaming.co.uk/
“This latter segment has become increasingly enticing for Playboy, and it said last week that it is considering new tie-ups that could include gaming operators like PointsBet and 888Holdings.”
https://calvinayre.com/2020/10/05/business/playboys-gaming-ops-could-get-a-boost-from-spac-purchase/
As per their SEC filing:
“Significant consumer engagement and spend with Playboy-branded gaming properties around the world, including with leading partners such as Microgaming, Scientific Games, and Caesar’s Entertainment, steers our investment in digital gaming, sports betting and other digital offerings to further support our commercial strategy to expand consumer spend with minimal marginal cost, and gain consumer data to inform go-to-market plans across categories.”
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tMDAA1
They are expanding into more areas of gaming/gambling, working with international players in the digital gaming/gambling arena, and a Playboy sportsbook is on the horizon.
https://www.playboy.com/read/the-pleasure-of-playing-with-yourself-mobile-gaming-in-the-covid-era
Cannabis - If you’ve ever read through a Playboy magazine, you know they’ve had a positive relationship with cannabis for many years. As of September 2020, Playboy has made a major shift into the cannabis space. Too good to be true you say? Check their website. Playboy currently sells a range of CBD products. This is a good sign. Federal hemp products, which these most likely are, can be mailed across state lines and most importantly for a company like Playboy, can operate through a traditional banking institution. CBD products are usually the first step towards the cannabis space for large companies. Playboy didn’t make these products themselves meaning they are working with a processor in the cannabis industry. Another good sign for future expansion. What else do they have for sale? Pipes, grinders, ashtrays, rolling trays, joint holders. Hmm. Ok. So it looks like they want to sell some shit. They probably don’t have an active interest in cannabis right? Think again:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2020/09/24/playboy-gets-serious-about-cannabis-law-reform-advocacy-with-new-partnership-grants/?sh=62f044a65cea
“Taking yet another step into the cannabis space, Playboy will be announcing later on Thursday (September, 2020) that it is launching a cannabis law reform and advocacy campaign in partnership with National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Last Prisoner Project, Marijuana Policy Project, the Veterans Cannabis Project, and the Eaze Momentum Program.”
“According to information procured exclusively, the three-pronged campaign will focus on calling for federal legalization. The program also includes the creation of a mentorship plan, through which the Playboy Foundation will support entrepreneurs from groups that are underrepresented in the industry.” Remember that CEO Kohn from earlier? He wrote this recently:
https://medium.com/naked-open-letters-from-playboy/congress-must-pass-the-more-act-c867c35239ae
Seems like he really wants weed to be legal? Hmm wonder why? The writing's on the wall my friends. Playboy wants into the cannabis industry, they are making steps towards this end, and we have favorable conditions for legislative progress.
Don’t think branding your own cannabis line is profitable or worthwhile? Tell me why these 41 celebrity millionaires and billionaires are dummies. I’ll wait.
https://www.celebstoner.com/news/celebstoner-news/2019/07/12/top-celebrity-cannabis-brands/
Confirmation: I hear you. “This all seems pretty speculative. It would be wildly profitable if they pull this shift off. But how do we really know?” Watch this whole video:
https://finance.yahoo.com/video/playboy-ceo-telling-story-female-154907068.html
Man - this interview just gets my juices flowing. And highlights one of my favorite reasons for this play. They have so many different business avenues from which a catalyst could appear. I think paying attention, holding shares, and options on these staggered announcements over the next year is the way I am going to go about it. "There's definitely been a shift to direct-to-consumer," he (Kohn) said. "About 50 percent of our revenue today is direct-to-consumer, and that will continue to grow going forward.” “Kohn touted Playboy's portfolio of both digital and consumer products, with casino-style gaming, in particular, serving a crucial role under the company's new business model. Playboy also has its sights on the emerging cannabis market, from CBD products to marijuana products geared toward sexual health and pleasure.” "If THC does become legal in the United States, we have developed certain strains to enhance your sex life that we will launch," Kohn said. https://cheddar.com/media/playboy-goes-public-health-gaming-lifestyle-focus Oh? The CEO actually said it? Ok then. “We have developed certain strains…” They’re already working with growers on strains and genetics? Ok. There are several legal cannabis markets for those products right now, international and stateside. I expect Playboy licensed hemp and THC pre-rolls by EOY. Something like this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/842996758/10-playboy-pre-roll-tubes-limited?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=pre+roll+playboy&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1 Maintaining cannabis operations can be costly and a regulatory headache. Playboy’s licensing strategy allows them to pick successful, established partners and sidestep traditional barriers to entry. You know what I like about these new markets? They’re expanding. Worldwide. And they are going to be a bigger deal than they already are with or without Playboy. Who thinks weed and gambling are going away? Too many people like that stuff. These are easy markets. And Playboy is early enough to carve out their spot in each. Fuck it, read this too: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimosman/2020/10/20/playboy-could-be-the-king-of-spacs-here-are-three-picks/?sh=2e13dcaa3e05
Numbers: You want numbers? I got numbers. As per the company’s most recent SEC filing:
“For the year ended December 31, 2019, and the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s historical consolidated revenue was $78.1 million and $101.3 million, respectively, historical consolidated net income (loss) was $(23.6) million and $(4.8) million, respectively, and Adjusted EBITDA was $13.1 million and $21.8 million, respectively.”
“In the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Licensing segment contributed $44.2 million in revenue and $31.1 million in net income.”
“In the ninth months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Direct-to-Consumer segment contributed $40.2 million in revenue and net income of $0.1 million.”
“In the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Digital Subscriptions and Content segment contributed $15.4 million in revenue and net income of $7.4 million.”
They are profitable across all three of their current business segments.
“Playboy’s return to the public markets presents a transformed, streamlined and high-growth business. The Company has over $400 million in cash flows contracted through 2029, sexual wellness products available for sale online and in over 10,000 major retail stores in the US, and a growing variety of clothing and branded lifestyle and digital gaming products.”
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tSHCF
Growth: Playboy has massive growth in China and massive growth potential in India. “In China, where Playboy has spent more than 25 years building its business, our licensees have an enormous footprint of nearly 2,500 brick and mortar stores and 1,000 ecommerce stores selling high quality, Playboy-branded men’s casual wear, shoes/footwear, sleepwear, swimwear, formal suits, leather & non-leather goods, sweaters, active wear, and accessories. We have achieved significant growth in China licensing revenues over the past several years in partnership with strong licensees and high-quality manufacturers, and we are planning for increased growth through updates to our men’s fashion lines and expansion into adjacent categories in men’s skincare and grooming, sexual wellness, and women’s fashion, a category where recent launches have been well received.” The men’s market in China is about the same size as the entire population of the United States and European Union combined. Playboy is a leading brand in this market. They are expanding into the women’s market too. Did you know CBD toothpaste is huge in China? China loves CBD products and has hemp fields that dwarf those in the US. If Playboy expands their CBD line China it will be huge. Did you know the gambling money in Macau absolutely puts Las Vegas to shame? Technically, it's illegal on the mainland, but in reality, there is a lot of gambling going on in China. https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2020/10/19/magic-johnson-and-uncle-buds-cbd-brand-enter-china-via-tmall-partnership/?sh=271776ca411e “In India, Playboy today has a presence through select apparel licensees and hospitality establishments. Consumer research suggests significant growth opportunities in the territory with Playboy’s brand and categories of focus.” “Playboy Enterprises has announced the expansion of its global consumer products business into India as part of a partnership with Jay Jay Iconic Brands, a leading fashion and lifestyle Company in India.” “The Indian market today is dominated by consumers under the age of 35, who represent more than 65 percent of the country’s total population and are driving India’s significant online shopping growth. The Playboy brand’s core values of playfulness and exploration resonate strongly with the expressed desires of today’s younger millennial consumers. For us, Playboy was the perfect fit.” “The Playboy international portfolio has been flourishing for more than 25 years in several South Asian markets such as China and Japan. In particular, it has strategically targeted the millennial and gen-Z audiences across categories such as apparel, footwear, home textiles, eyewear and watches.” https://www.licenseglobal.com/industry-news/playboy-expands-global-footprint-india It looks like they gave COVID the heisman in terms of net damage sustained: “Although Playboy has not suffered any material adverse consequences to date from the COVID-19 pandemic, the business has been impacted both negatively and positively. The remote working and stay-at-home orders resulted in the closure of the London Playboy Club and retail stores of Playboy’s licensees, decreasing licensing revenues in the second quarter, as well as causing supply chain disruption and less efficient product development thereby slowing the launch of new products. However, these negative impacts were offset by an increase in Yandy’s direct-to-consumer sales, which have benefited in part from overall increases in online retail sales so far during the pandemic.” Looks like the positives are long term (Yandy acquisition) and the negatives are temporary (stay-at-home orders).
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921006093/tm213766-1_defa14a.htm
This speaks to their ability to maintain a financially solvent company throughout the transition phase to the aforementioned areas. They’d say some fancy shit like “expanded business model to encompass four key revenue streams: Sexual Wellness, Style & Apparel, Gaming & Lifestyle, and Beauty & Grooming.” I hear “we’re just biding our time with these trinkets until those dollar dollar bill y’all markets are fully up and running.” But the truth is these existing revenue streams are profitable, scalable, and rapidly expanding Playboy’s e-commerce segment around the world.
"Even in the face of COVID this year, we've been able to grow EBITDA over 100 percent and revenue over 68 percent, and I expect that to accelerate going into 2021," he said. “Playboy is accelerating its growth in company-owned and branded consumer products in attractive and expanding markets in which it has a proven history of brand affinity and consumer spend.”
Also in the SEC filing, the Time Frame:
“As we detailed in the definitive proxy statement, the SPAC stockholder meeting to vote on the transaction has been set for February 9th, and, subject to stockholder approval and satisfaction of the other closing conditions, we expect to complete the merger and begin trading on NASDAQ under ticker PLBY shortly thereafter,” concluded Kohn.
The Players: Suhail “The Whale” Rizvi (HMFIC), Ben “The Bridge” Kohn (CEO), “lil” Suying Liu & “Big” Dong Liu (Young-gun China gang). I encourage you to look these folks up. The real OG here is Suhail Rizvi. He’s from India originally and Chairman of the Board for the new PLBY company. He was an early investor in Twitter, Square, Facebook and others. His firm, Rizvi Traverse, currently invests in Instacart, Pinterest, Snapchat, Playboy, and SpaceX. Maybe you’ve heard of them. “Rizvi, who owns a sprawling three-home compound in Greenwich, Connecticut, and a 1.65-acre estate in Palm Beach, Florida, near Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg, moved to Iowa Falls when he was five. His father was a professor of psychology at Iowa. Along with his older brother Ashraf, a hedge fund manager, Rizvi graduated from Wharton business school.” “Suhail Rizvi: the 47-year-old 'unsocial' social media baron: When Twitter goes public in the coming weeks (2013), one of the biggest winners will be a 47-year-old financier who guards his secrecy so zealously that he employs a person to take down his Wikipedia entry and scrub his photos from the internet. In IPO, Twitter seeks to be 'anti-FB'” “Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia looks like a big Twitter winner. So do the moneyed clients of Jamie Dimon. But as you’ve-got-to-be-joking wealth washed over Twitter on Thursday — a company that didn’t exist eight years ago was worth $31.7 billion after its first day on the stock market — the non-boldface name of the moment is Suhail R. Rizvi. Mr. Rizvi, 47, runs a private investment company that is the largest outside investor in Twitter with a 15.6 percent stake worth $3.8 billion at the end of trading on Thursday (November, 2013). Using a web of connections in the tech industry and in finance, as well as a hearty dose of good timing, he brought many prominent names in at the ground floor, including the Saudi prince and some of JPMorgan’s wealthiest clients.” https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/technology/at-twitter-working-behind-the-scenes-toward-a-billion-dollar-payday.html Y’all like that Arab money? How about a dude that can call up Saudi Princes and convince them to spend? Funniest shit about I read about him: “Rizvi was able to buy only $100 million in Facebook shortly before its IPO, thus limiting his returns, according to people with knowledge of the matter.” Poor guy :(
He should be fine with the 16 million PLBY shares he's going to have though :)
Shuhail also has experience in the entertainment industry. He’s invested in companies like SESAC, ICM, and Summit Entertainment. He’s got Hollywood connections to blast this stuff post-merger. And he’s at least partially responsible for that whole Twilight thing. I’m team Edward btw.
I really like what Suhail has done so far. He’s lurked in the shadows while Kohn is consolidating the company, trimming the fat, making Playboy profitable, and aiming the ship at modern growing markets.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-ipo-rizvi-insight/insight-little-known-hollywood-investor-poised-to-score-with-twitter-ipo-idUSBRE9920VW20131003
Ben “The Bridge” Kohn is an interesting guy. He’s the connection between Rizvi Traverse and Playboy. He’s both CEO of Playboy and was previously Managing Partner at Rizvi Traverse. Ben seems to be the voice of the Playboy-Rizvi partnership, which makes sense with Suhail’s privacy concerns. Kohn said this:
“Today is a very big day for all of us at Playboy and for all our partners globally. I stepped into the CEO role at Playboy in 2017 because I saw the biggest opportunity of my career. Playboy is a brand and platform that could not be replicated today. It has massive global reach, with more than $3B of global consumer spend and products sold in over 180 countries. Our mission – to create a culture where all people can pursue pleasure – is rooted in our 67-year history and creates a clear focus for our business and role we play in people’s lives, providing them with the products, services and experiences that create a lifestyle of pleasure. We are taking this step into the public markets because the committed capital will enable us to accelerate our product development and go-to-market strategies and to more rapidly build our direct to consumer capabilities,” said Ben Kohn, CEO of Playboy.
“Playboy today is a highly profitable commerce business with a total addressable market projected in the trillions of dollars,” Mr. Kohn continued, “We are actively selling into the Sexual Wellness consumer category, projected to be approximately $400 billion in size by 2024, where our recently launched intimacy products have rolled out to more than 10,000 stores at major US retailers in the United States. Combined with our owned & operated ecommerce Sexual Wellness initiatives, the category will contribute more than 40% of our revenue this year. In our Apparel and Beauty categories, our collaborations with high-end fashion brands including Missguided and PacSun are projected to achieve over $50M in retail sales across the US and UK this year, our leading men’s apparel lines in China expanded to nearly 2500 brick and mortar stores and almost 1000 digital stores, and our new men’s and women’s fragrance line recently launched in Europe. In Gaming, our casino-style digital gaming products with Scientific Games and Microgaming continue to see significant global growth. Our product strategy is informed by years of consumer data as we actively expand from a purely licensing model into owning and operating key high-growth product lines focused on driving profitability and consumer lifetime value. We are thrilled about the future of Playboy. Our foundation has been set to drive further growth and margin, and with the committed capital from this transaction and our more than $180M in NOLs, we will take advantage of the opportunity in front of us, building to our goal of $100M of adjusted EBITDA in 2025.”
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201001005404/en/Playboy-to-Become-a-Public-Company
Also, according to their Form 4s, “Big” Dong Liu and “lil” Suying Liu just loaded up with shares last week. These guys are brothers and seem like the Chinese market connection. They are only 32 & 35 years old. I don’t even know what that means, but it's provocative.
https://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/1832415.htm
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mountain-crest-acquisition-corp-ii-002600994.html
Y’all like that China money?
“Mr. Liu has been the Chief Financial Officer of Dongguan Zhishang Photoelectric Technology Co., Ltd., a regional designer, manufacturer and distributor of LED lights serving commercial customers throughout Southern China since November 2016, at which time he led a syndicate of investments into the firm. Mr. Liu has since overseen the financials of Dongguan Zhishang as well as provided strategic guidance to its board of directors, advising on operational efficiency and cash flow performance. From March 2010 to October 2016, Mr. Liu was the Head of Finance at Feidiao Electrical Group Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese manufacturer of electrical outlets headquartered in Shanghai and with businesses in the greater China region as well as Europe.”
Dr. Suying Liu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp., commented, “Playboy is a unique and compelling investment opportunity, with one of the world’s largest and most recognized brands, its proven consumer affinity and spend, and its enormous future growth potential in its four product segments and new and existing geographic regions. I am thrilled to be partnering with Ben and his exceptional team to bring his vision to fruition.”
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201001005404/en/Playboy-to-Become-a-Public-Company
These guys are good. They have a proven track record of success across multiple industries. Connections and money run deep with all of these guys. I don’t think they’re in the game to lose.
I was going to write a couple more paragraphs about why you should have a look at this but really the best thing you can do is read this SEC filing from a couple days ago. It explains the situation in far better detail. Specifically, look to page 137 and read through their strategy. Also, look at their ownership percentages and compensation plans including the stock options and their prices. The financials look great, revenue is up 90% Q3, and it looks like a bright future.
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tSHCF
I’m hesitant to attach this because his position seems short term, but I’m going to with a warning because he does hit on some good points (two are below his link) and he’s got a sizable position in this thing (500k+ on margin, I think). I don’t know this guy but he did look at the same publicly available info and make roughly the same prediction, albeit without the in depth gambling or cannabis mention. You can also search reddit for ‘MCAC’ and very few relevant results come up and none of them even come close to really looking at this thing.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gOvAd6lebs452hFlWWbxVjQ3VMsjGBkbJeXRwDwIJfM/edit?usp=sharing
“Also, before you people start making claims that Playboy is a “boomer” company, STOP RIGHT THERE. This is not a good argument. Simply put. The only thing that matters is Playboy’s name recognition, not their archaic business model which doesn’t even exist anymore as they have completely repurposed their business.”
“Imagine not buying $MCAC at a 400M valuation lol. Streetwear department is worth 1B alone imo.”
Considering the ridiculous Chinese growth as a lifestyle brand, he’s not wrong.
Current Cultural Significance and Meme Value: A year ago I wouldn’t have included this section but the events from the last several weeks (even going back to tsla) have proven that a company’s ability to meme and/or gain social network popularity can have an effect. Tik-tok, Snapchat, Twitch, Reddit, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter. They all have Playboy stuff on them. Kids in middle and highschool know what Playboy is but will likely never see or touch one of the magazines in person. They’ll have a Playboy hoodie though. Crazy huh? A lot like GME, PLBY would hugely benefit from meme-value stock interest to drive engagement towards their new business model while also building strategic coffers. This interest may not directly and/or significantly move the stock price but can generate significant interest from larger players who will.
Bull Case: The year is 2025. Playboy is now the world leader pleasure brand. They began by offering Playboy licensed gaming products, including gambling products, direct to consumers through existing names. By 2022, demand has skyrocketed and Playboy has designed and released their own gambling platforms. In 2025, they are also a leading cannabis brand in the United States and Canada with proprietary strains and products geared towards sexual wellness. Cannabis was legalized in the US in 2023 when President Biden got glaucoma but had success with cannabis treatment. He personally pushes for cannabis legalization as he steps out of office after his first term. Playboy has also grown their brand in China and India to multi-billion per year markets. The stock goes up from 11ish to 100ish and everyone makes big gains buying somewhere along the way.
Bear Case: The United States does a complete 180 on marijuana and gambling. President Biden overdoses on marijuana in the Lincoln bedroom when his FDs go tits up and he loses a ton of money in his sports book app after the Fighting Blue Hens narrowly lose the National Championship to Bama. Playboy is unable to expand their cannabis and gambling brands but still does well with their worldwide lifestyle brand. They gain and lose some interest in China and India but the markets are too large to ignore them completely. The stock goes up from 11ish to 13ish and everyone makes 15-20% gains.
TL;DR: Successful technology/e-commerce investment firm took over Playboy to turn it into a porn, online gambling/gaming, sports book, cannabis company, worldwide lifestyle brand that promotes sexual wellness, vetern access, women-ownership, minority-ownership, and “pleasure for all”. Does a successful online team reinventing an antiquated physical copy giant sound familiar? No options yet, shares only for now. $11.38 per share at time of writing. My guess? $20 by the end of February. $50 by EOY. This is not financial advice. I am not qualified to give financial advice. I’m just sayin’ I would personally use a Playboy sports book app while smoking a Playboy strain specific joint and it would be cool if they did that. Do your own research. You’d probably want to start here:
WARNING - POTENTIALLY NSFW - SEXY MODELS AHEAD - no actual nudity though
https://s26.q4cdn.com/895475556/files/doc_presentations/Playboy-Craig-Hallum-Conference-Investor-Presentation-11_17_20-compressed.pdf
Or here:
https://www.mcacquisition.com/investor-relations/default.aspx
Jimmy Chill: “Get into any SPAC at $10 or $11 and you are going to make money.”
STL;DR: Buy MCAC. MCAC > PLBY couple weeks. Rocketship. Moon.
Position: 5000 shares. I will buy short, medium, and long-dated calls once available.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 51
-----
Several moons, at least half a year, have passed since Galizur left the camp near the portal. After reporting everything he saw and heard there to the heavens, emphasizing the Emperor’s demands, he was relieved of his task. With nothing better to do, he spent his days roaming the heavens, trying to find anyone who could know something more about the portal and anything related to it.
To his surprise, the information was very scarce. His fellow diplomats were oddly clueless about the subject. That was a new one, since the heavens were always very knowledgeable about what was going on in Greadinall. All its races would gladly share the information with the heavens, hoping to earn their favor. However, this time, everyone was eerily silent. It seemed as if every nation had a plan of its own, and wasn’t willing to share it. Some were even so arrogant to claim there’s no need for them to tell anything since the heavens see everything anyway.
That was hardly the case, but it was an elegant way to get the mortals to confess their sins. Making them think that somebody is always watching made them much more talkative. However, it seemed as if the mortals got wiser about it.
And what made it so strange was that all of them got wise about it at the same time. In other words, someone had a hand in it.
The logical culprit would be the high elves. Seeing themselves as superior to every other mortal race, they never liked that they needed permission to do anything. They’ve been doing their best to undermine The Timkik Empire for centuries, with the excuse being that the timkiks were too selfish and incompetent to rule Greadinall.
The heavens agreed. After all, the high elven logic made sense, and their arguments were solid.
It all started slowly and in a small way. Creating special, minor tariffs for the timkik merchants who wanted to sell outside of their homeland. Making it slightly harder for the timkik church to project its influence outside the Empire’s borders. But, with each new century, the high elves got progressively more aggressive. Not directly, it never got to the point where the high elves would directly challenge The Timkik Empire, but every century they’d find a new way to chip away a small piece of timkik strength.
Sensing that the Empire’s strength was slowly waning, the hosagian kingdom rose, demanding that the land that timkiks took from it a few millennia ago be returned. So, the war started, which lasted for several centuries now.
The high elves joined the hosagians but were unwilling to send their own to die in a war. So, they supported the hosagians from a distance, with coin, resources, and a few of their highly-skilled, veteran mages and Pegasi knights. Their navy also played a significant role, especially during the siege of Qalo, supplying the city through the port.
Their involvement stabilized the war, making it impossible for any side to win, draining both timkiks and hosagians in the process. The heavens realized what the high elves were doing but didn’t seem to care about it. After all, the mortals have every right to play their games, just how the heavens play their own.
And now, with their biggest mortal competitors exhausted, it seemed as if the high elves were trying to limit the influence of the heavens, the only force remaining in their way to dominate all of Greadinall. At least that’s what some angelic diplomats have concluded.
However, the others disagreed, with Galizur being one of them. Cunning as the high elves are, there was no way they would ever trick timkiks into opening a portal to hell. Yes, the high elves are cunning and unforgiving, but they’d never risk another fall just to obtain more power. They aren’t fools, far from it. What would be the point of spending centuries carefully navigating through the obstacles, only to have the demons ruin everything when they pour through the portal? In Galizur’s mind, the high elves have invested way too much to make such an uncertain, stupid gamble. After all, they’re known for their meticulousness. Taking risks is simply not their style.
So, someone else was pulling strings in this case. And what concerned Galizur the most was that whoever was behind the portal could also be behind the discord the high elves have created among the mortals.
In other words, the portal could be just a tiny portion of a much, much bigger plan.
But, putting that thought aside, the mortals have finally reached an agreement. It took them many moons to do so, but they did it in the end.
The agreement was that there would be no agreement. The Timkik Empire has rejected the heaven’s proposal, hosagian and high elven kingdoms have rejected the timkik proposal, while the rest of Greadinall couldn’t care less about what was going on.
And, what that meant was that at least three-quarters of its people weren’t interested in opposing the demonic invasion at its early stage. While timkiks, hosagians, and the high elves had a major influence over the continent, that didn’t mean they were the most numerous. They were just the loudest and the most aggressive.
The situation would be alarming if not for the fact that the timkik Emperor didn’t come crawling on all four during this time, begging for help. Expecting exactly that, the heavens have created a plan where the hosagian army, with some high elven and angelic support, would swoop in to contain the demonic hordes. The idea was that, once the demons have started invading, the other nations would realize the danger they’re in and would mobilize their armies. The plan also counted on the fact that the remnants of the timkik military would also join the fight. After all, their own homes would need some liberating.
But, the moons passed, without any news of the demonic hordes reaching the heavens. Not only that, there were no further requests from the timkik Emperor. You’d expect the ruler in such an epic pinch to be far more vocal and concerned about it but, instead, the timkik government went completely silent.
So, since no information was reaching the heavens, Galizur was sent once again to examine the portal. The excuse was very simple. Officially, he was to report how the interracial summit went to the portal-garrison commander. That way, even if timkiks were to complain about the unannounced visit, Galizur would present it as a goodwill gesture from the heavens. After all, one doesn’t share useful information with enemies.
---
Galizur didn’t have to land to realize that things have changed dramatically. First of all, there was no camp anymore! In place of the small camp with shaky palisade and ragged tents now stood a small town! Even from above, he could see its streets bustling with activity. Not wanting to spook the people, he landed some distance away, deciding it would be more prudent to approach the town on foot.
Before he has reached the town itself, he noticed two familiar faces approaching him, the dark-skinned military commander and his lighter-skinned knight companion.
“Ahoy!” The commander said heartily while raising his hand in greeting. Galizur gave him a deep nod as an answer, “I take it you want to speak with the royal archmage?”
“Indeed, can you please take me to her? I have some information she will find useful.”
“Please, come with us.”
Taking a better look at the commander, Galizur noticed that he was wearing some strange armor. It glittered in the sun, meaning it was made out of metal, but it wasn’t the plate armor he was used to. As strange as it sounds, it appeared as if the small pieces of metal were weaved together into an armor piece. However, he decided not to comment on it yet.
“Just the two of you came to escort me? I would expect you to have some more soldiers with you.”
“You didn’t come here to cause trouble, didn’t you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then, the two of us will do.”
As they approached the town, Galizur realized that most of the houses were made in a very simple manner, from wood. He couldn’t notice a single solid structure.
“Where did all these houses come from?” He asked, “I wasn’t here for a long time, but not so long for the houses to just pop up all over the place.”
Heartwell barked a small laugh: “The dwarves are to blame. Once they saw the trinkets the other world has to offer, they rushed to settle here. Most of the people in the town are dwarves.”
“Trinkets?”
“As it turns out, these demons are as good at creation as they are in destruction. But, Hazelmere will tell you more about it. I’m just a simple grunt, entrusted with your safety.”
Looking around, Galizur realized that what Heartwell was saying was true. Almost every second person he saw on the street was a dwarf. And it looked like all of them were busy, going about their business in a rush, not paying much attention to an angel who has descended from the heavens.
“We even have a market here now,” Heartwell said, “if you follow the clamor, you’re bound to find it. A lot of merchants from all over the Empire come here to trade. Dwarven merchants too.”
“So, people aren’t worried about the portal? About the demonic invasion?”
“Not at all.”
“I take it there are some good reasons for such enthusiasm?”
“Yeah, there are several of them. But our commander will explain it much better than I can. She’s far more eloquent than a simple peasant like me.”
They continued along the dirt-paths which acted as the streets, connecting the houses into neatly arranged rows. Even though everything about the town was simple, the orderly arrangement made it clear the dwarves have had a significant part in its construction.
The town was tiny, so it didn’t take long for them to reach their destination. It was a warehouse-sized building, looking far sturdier than the buildings surrounding it. It wasn’t made from stone, but the wood was clearly of the far more durable sort. It also had two floors, making it resemble a decently successful tavern in a way, putting aside the difference in size. Galizur noticed some very interesting details on it, like the Empire’s coat of arms, surrounded by several dwarven ones. He was also surprised to see that such a building, made from wood, had glass windows on it.
With perfectly transparent glass at that. Something Galizur hasn’t seen on the biggest, most luxurious mansions.
Entering the building, Galizur was greeted with more strange sights. There was an unfamiliar big, round object, high on the wall, with numbers arranged on its edges. Some strange, vertically placed, white tables, with all kinds of differently colored words written all over them. A big mirror with a perfect reflection, so perfect Galizur had to stop for a moment to check if another angel is in the building.
And, the strangest of it all were the people rocking in their chairs, everywhere around him. Some of them rocked themselves back and forth as if possessed, while the others would spin around. After some time, Galizur realized the people were perfectly fine. They were just sitting in some weird chairs.
“Oh …”
“Oh, no …”
Galizur realized what that meant but maintained his composure. He remembered Hazelmere warning him about this, and he did his duty reporting that to the heavens, stressing the logical argument the timkik mage has presented him with.
However, while the heavens were too busy sorting out the mortals’ disagreements, the demons have clearly opted not to waste any time and act as soon as possible.
“That explains why the dwarves got so invested in this place. And why they aren’t afraid of the portal,” he thought, “as long as their greed is satisfied, they are fearless.”
Heartwell and Vukasin led him to the upper floor. The stairs didn’t creak as they climbed them, confirming that this place was built with durability in mind.
“So, they are here to stay.”
Passing through the corridor, his escort led him into a very spacious, bright room decorated with a lot of furniture.
The furniture looked quite alien. The table and the chairs were too thin to support their own weight, let alone anything else, while the two sofas left the impression of elegant …
… nothingness.
Two white tables stood vertically, with all kinds of scribbles on them, identical to those on the ground level.
“Welcome! Welcome!” Cheerful Hazelmere greeted him, not giving him the time to take a better look around the room, “I was eagerly awaiting your return!”
“Ahoy,” Galizur responded politely, “I am glad for such a warm welcome, but I feel bad for making all of you take the time of your day just to greet me.”
There were quite a few people in the room. Not counting Hazelmere, Heartwell, and Vukasin, four archmages, an archpriestess, and three dwarves were also present.
“Oh, we would be here anyway! We are here all day, every day, examining the things from the other side!”
“So, the demons aren’t sending just the books now?”
“Yes! They became far more generous. Of course, we are sending some of our own gifts in return, like you have suggested we should do!”
“No, I didn’t…”
Galizur remembered, how he was the one to encourage Hazelmere to send some books to the demons as a sign of goodwill, saying that the goodwill the demons have shown should be returned.
It has certainly bought the heavens the time they desperately needed, but he never expected it to backfire like this.
“Is something wrong?” Hazelmere asked.
“No, I just … I am just surprised by how the things are playing out.”
“We are surprised too! We can’t believe it! For a bunch of frost-dwelling demons, these people certainly have a lot to show! And teach!”
“Teach?”
“Yes! The dwarves are obsessed with their mathematics! Especially the ones that calculate the behavior of objects! I heard that the dwarves have a racial affinity for math, but it looks like these demons have them beaten.”
Galizur looked at the present dwarves uncertainly.
Wyvernshield just shrugged: “Just like the lass says. They have a far better numerical system based on tens and have far superior logical operators.”
“They can even calculate the trajectory of celestial beings!” Another dwarf couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
For the first time, Galizur’s face showed the slightest of frowns. His big wings rose slightly.
“What did you say?”
“Don’t take it the wrong way, the lad is just too enthusiastic. We aren’t sure about that yet. We’re still experimentin’ with those equations.”
“Need I remind you that the demons are famous for their deceit?”
“Aye, which is why we’re testin’ everythin’ they claim.”
Hazelmere jumped between Galizur and the dwarves, an uneasy smile on her face.
“Anyway, I take it you bring us some news? What is going on with the other nations? Will they be coming to help?”
The joyful enthusiasm in Hazelmere’s voice made it easier for Galizur to forgive the insulting implication.
-----
Chapter 53
-----
My Patreon
Or, if you feel like doing a one-off donation with PayPal, you can do it here

Good day lovely community,
Looking back at my school learning and comparing to what I learned here. I have a question! It is very long post, I'm sorry, but I appreciate your time if you decided to participate. Otherwise, it'll be open ended question I hope to they are answered one day.
I know this is capitalism vs socialism but I hope it is ok to ask about feudalism vs capitalism, so I can better understand what is "capitalism "
Anyhow, I once learned at school about the French revolution, how "mes amis" helped overthrow kings and queens because we decided they shouldn't be the ones having all the authority to decide for the faith of all its subjects.
I learned about how the republic will bring "democracy, liberty, equality for all".
Well I'm done with school and my thirst for knowledge did not end. I find it ironic how technology and "innovation " has accelerated and provided many new gadgets, ie: more consumer "choices". However, why didn't "innovation" greatly improve the "democracy, fraternity, equality" for all?
How it is possible to argue it did when the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer?
The electoral college voting system is a pure example of a "republic" idea that is highly counterintuitive on the notion of "real democracy"
So America doesn't have a real democracy and its economic model is based on "free" market, let the "invisible hand" guide the market for "price" to determine "real" value.
The government should never intervene in this "free" market so we can bailout companies on the premise they are vital to the economy but we can't bailout normal citizens because the government should not "interfere" in the market.
So taxpayers for companies = ok. Taxpayers for the people = we are out of money, sorry, but we do need more money from you all to help provide life support to the dying companies that generate this "freedom, fraternity and equality".
Crony capitalism deciding what is fair and who gets what? "Invisible hand" decided it's more efficient to screw people to protect other agents/entities in this "market" ?
I can vote who's my government, and I can only hope my government works towards the goal I wish to promote.
I have zero vote in a company, seems like we decided the "business/economic" aspect of human issues has no voting rights, why? It seems like due to "competition" , "scarcity", "humans are generally bad"... all these horrible things means the odds are against you so you cannot possibly have real freedom and choices. All this "badness" seems only to limit our option to "basic instinct survival", when people are in "basic instinct" then they cannot be in the best mind set to evaluate "choices and freedom".
No one could really provide answers how capitalism is suppose to be the ultimate system and the only one true system possible. Rather, through peer pressure we just accepted capitalism is the best system and resorted to sharing history lessons, ie; Russia back in the days, China back in the days, etc. Then everyone stepped outside the class for recess, when we came back from recess, we changed economic studies to playing games, singing songs, and dancing.
Our teachers gave us candies at the end of the class. I had that fake $1.00 chocolate candy, y'all remember that candy?
It just seems like feudalism = peasants, lords and kings.
Capitalism looks like = workers, executives, and shareholders.
Currently, workers have no real votes or choices in a company? The only choice they have is consenting and volunteering for the job and then all of you (body, soul and mind) belong to the company in exchange for what is considered "fair wage" determined by the "invisible hand" of the "free market".
These workers are "free" in society and can vote for a "government" which he/she deems is working towards theirs goals/believes. But a worker owns nothing so cannot possibly own voting rights in a company. In others words, workers are not "free" in a company but all of this is justifiable and acceptable on the basis of "volunteering"
Executives control the workers, executives are the one ultimately directing the workers. So executives are like lords.
Shareholders, they seem like "Kings" or representatives of the "King". I live in a world where "companies" enjoy "human rights" as well, ie: :bankrupt protection"?
The CEO executive performance structure is base on profit and stock performance". How to perform better? Make more profit. How to make more profit? Reduce production cost? How can you lower production cost? Squeeze employees even more and use the excuse of "tough economic times" to justify they must "volunteer, consent, accept" such new reality.
I just have a hard time understanding why when capitalism goes to crap level, then why we keep bailing out those who may bankrupt. Using public money for "entities" because their "survival" is crucial for the "economy"
So it's normal citizens who must sacrifice for the "economy" ? Like covid and "essential workers" must sacrifice for others? For the economy?
How about normal citizens are "crucial" for an economy so we must use public money to help the citizens so they can generate more economy.
It's very ironic how 10% owns about 70% of the country's wealth. We allow them to gamble, "risk" the public's wealth to "maximize " profits.
If it works then everyone is a "winner", the good old capitalism = "win/win situation " is true.
If it doesn't work out then how exactly is capitalism different from feudalism time?
Workers feels like peasants still, ie: at the expense for Kings/Queens.
Rather than wearing no name generic boots, we have multiple "choice" of boots and the "freedom" to choose which one we like best. When will the republic improve the "freedom and choice" for the majority ?
Edit: at work, will check out all the shared knowledge later, thank you people 👏👏👌

The Road So Far
Less than one week after the Supernatural series finale, and I'm sorry to say that there are even more updates.
I recommend reading this post first, which I've updated many times since I posted it because the hits just kept coming, and also linked all other SPN posts that have been covered here.
Here's a summary:
A lot of fans are invested in the relationship between Dean Winchester and Castiel, two characters on Supernatural, a show that recently came to an end after 15 years. The writers and one of the actors, Jensen Ackles, were very explicit that Destiel (the ship name) was never going to happen, but fans held out hope.
Then, in the third-to-last episode, Castiel literally confessed his love to Dean, and then got whisked away by black tentacles to SuperMegaHell. And Dean just stood there, like Marco's dad from Degrassi when Marco announced he was gay while playing Hamlet. (Sadly, I can't find this clip on Youtube.)
Fans were hopeful, now that the ice was broken, that Cas and Dean would reunite in the very last episode of the series. Because how could they not? How could the writers end it there? Obviously there was more to come!
There wasn't.
The show ended anticlimactically with a bunch of montages thrown together, vampire clowns, a bad grey wig, an emo version of Wayward Son, and Dean dying of tetanus.
The actors tried to do diplomatic, NDA-friendly interviews where they said that the ending was not what they expected but they worked with what they have/were grateful for the fans and the experience/etc.
TDCC (The DeanCas Conspiracy)
But it wouldn't be an iconic queerbait without...a conspiracy theory!
Fans refused to believe that the writers who explicitly said they wouldn't make a fan favorite ship canon for 10 years would have the nerve to not make the fan favorite ship canon for the final episode.
They were so, so certain they would get more Destiel in the finale episode. All the evidence was there--the pictures, the interviews, their minds. How did this happen? How could they have been queerbaited so hard, so thoroughly? How could the writers do this to them?
Some fans Occam's Razor it and say that the writers probably had to rewrite the episode and cut a lot of stuff out, whether or not that included canon Destiel (probably not), because of COVID.
Boring! Luckily, there is a more exciting, fleshed out conspiracy theory that blames middle America, network execs, and Jared Padalecki for their heartbreak.
It goes a little something like this:
Everyone was on board to make Destiel requited and canon in the finale. The scripts were locked, the actors were ready--hell, the scenes were even filmed. But then the networks chickened out.
"But why? Why would they spend all that time and money and quarantining on Misha, only to almost completely cut him out of the finale?...It was about cold, hard cash.
...Supernatural is going off of the air. Supernatural, the CW’s cash cow for fifteen years...They need that sweet advertising revenue. And you know what show they have about to premiere? A show that could, potentially, bring with it a chunk of that SPN revenue?
Walker."
Walker, Texas Ranger was a television show originally starring Republican icon and disgraced meme Chuck Norris that is being rebooted with--heavy sigh--Jared Padalecki.
The conspiracy continues, "And if any of you know anything about the original Walker Texas Ranger, you know that the show was predominantly a show about a very heterosexual white man being very excessively heterosexual. And for SOME REASON over the years, many of the execs at the CW still seem to think that this show, Supernatural, is really attractive to a lot of middle-American white men…whom they desperately want to watch this new show with this guy from Supernatural that they already know.
Now here’s where COVID fucked us. I think Destiel was greenlit by TPTB, at least in SOME form, before COVID. But then the pandemic happened, and they panicked. They got the cut of the last two episodes and watched them in their original, probably queer form. And then, the execs at CW looked at the economy. They looked at their cash cow, about to make its journey to the great beyond. And they looked at this new little calf Walker that they were so desperately worried about. And they made a choice."
So the network, gambling their whole entire future on a remake of Walker, Texas, Ranger, "decided that it would be too risky to take the step with Destiel. They were worried about frightening off their ever-so-valuable hetero male demographic with the possibility that a traditionally masculine man in his 40s could be in love with another man in an overt way. It was homophobia mixed with greed, spun up by fear for their revenues because of COVID.
So they called in Singer, possibly Dabb, although I wouldn’t be surprised if they went straight to Singer. They told them that Destiel had to go: executive orders. And the only way to make it go in a way that removed any trace of what had been there was to rewrite what happened to Cas and cut him out from the last two episodes entirely. It was too late to reshoot anything. They had to just cut and stitch and fill with bullshit montages."
Silent No More!
Now, if don't want to read all of that (I couldn't cut bear to cut it down further) or if you are a visual learner, there are also some powerpoint presentations to help you out, because of course there are.
You might be wondering why these fans can't just take the loss and move on. Maybe the finale was going to be better, but that doesn't mean Destiel was supposed to be requited......Wait, what's this?
A couple of days after the conspiracy theories made their rounds, the Spanish dub aired, and their version of Castiel's love confession included Dean saying "I love you, too." (***@intrinsiccarp did a writeup of this that has since been deleted).
Woah, what? How could that have happened unless Destiel was supposed to be canon all this time?
Another theorist concluded that the dub "MEANS that what we saw in the usa was edited, and brazil was sent the original rough audio, and whatever audio they received for translation and recording featured a reciprocation from dean.
we know that jensen went back to the studio to do additional recording, and so it looks like they may have actually dubbed “don’t do this, cas” over something else, because on closer inspection the words don’t match his mouth. dean’s final sobs also seem to have been done in post-production, as it was rumored before this that dean had said “me too” while he was crying on the floor."
Many found Destiel's stealth canonization in the dub to be hilarious:
"the cw: hey south america, did you dub the unrequited love confession from castiel for episode 18?
south american network: …unrequited what?
the cw: you know, when cas dies after saying ‘i love you, bye dean’
south american network: yeah, ‘i love you’, then bi dean
the cw: bye, dean
south american network: bi dean
the cw: BYE, DEAN"
" supernatural has gone from a television show to full blow real life arg and i for one am fucking insane about it"
" in all my years of imagining how destiel would finally be canon, “cas confesses to dean in an oddly-cut scene that jensen admits his reaction was cut out of, dies, is never mentioned again, and then three weeks of intense speculation and a pile of evidence pointing to a cover up later, dean reciprocates in the spanish dub” never crossed my mind"
And "Nobody expects the Spanish Destiel"
Others found it to be tragic and terrible. #TheySilencedYou and #TheySilencedThem are trending on Twitter because of SPN's history of killing or neglecting their LGBTQ characters--this was the last straw! (Literally the last straw, since the show is over.)
"I don't know why people need to hear this but LGBTQ people are not here to be shock value, or to be a Shakespearean tragedy, we are real fucking people. We are not crazy for wanting to representation, and standing up when we are censored. #TheySilencedYou #TheySilencedThem"
"by silencing the few characters that represent us you silence a whole community, we deserve to be represented #TheySilencedYou #TheySilencedThem "
" they silenced castiel. they silenced dean. and they TRIED to silence us. but now, they are going to see what a powerful and furious fandom truly looks like. #TheySilencedYou "
This was accompanied by calls to unfollow the CW's SPN Twitter page to show them that...I don't know, the show is over so there's really no need to follow the show twitter anymore?
P.S. Don't tell any of the conspiracy theorists that Jared Padalecki's Walker, Texas Ranger is going to have a conservative gay brother.
UPDATE In all of this, I forgot to mention: Jensen said that a lot of Dean's reaction to Cas' confession was cut. Fans used this as fodder for the theories, speculating that there was a "lost Destiel cut" somewhere on Jensen's phone. The interpretation changed from Jensen being the one to put the kibosh on Destiel, to Jensen being cruelly silenced by shadowy network execs.
There's a lot of #TheySilencedYou fanart. I recommend checking them out. They are, ah, impassioned.
Anyway, Misha Collins took to Twitter to clarify that they were NOT silenced by the networks, there is NO "secret Destiel cut," and that the dubbed love confession was the result of a "rogue translator." He also defended the finale and said he was proud of it.
I'm sure some fans are speculating he was being held at gunpoint by the powerful CW mafia to make a statement. Mostly, though, they're turning against him for defending the finale:
"I love you misha but this makes it feel like you aren’t hearing us. conspiracy or no conspiracy, our hurt runs beyond that"
"misha really making us go against him now"
"you just invalidated every single bisexual person who sees themselves in dean and thought that, even if it was the spanish dub and not the english one, that we were finally validated with bi dean. that we weren’t imagining things. that we weren’t crazy. so thank you for that..."
Misha issued an apology for his video and simped for his fans, saying, "I'm sorry if I spoke defensively. I naively thought Cas in 15.18 was going to feel validating. But this isn't about me. I'm going to shut up and listen for a change. If it's not too much to ask, please tell me what we could have done better."
I have no idea what he hopes to achieve or why he's putting himself in the line of fire given that he is not a writer and has no creative power whatsoever and the show is over, but...eh.

First | Previous

^{In the end this is only one of many books on the same subject - not even the first book, and for that you can blame my laziness and dithering in whichever proportion you see fit. I would not even have written it except that everyone else only knows what we gained and lost that day. Even if they are correct in every particular there remains the matter of who we lost that day - and who we all gained. For that there are not many you could turn to, and it is your misfortune that of those few I am the only one inclined to the pen.
If you doubt this account, however, you may seek out anyone whom I have mentioned. It may be a long search or a short one, and they will speak or not per their own will. They will be there, however - indelible lives that could not be erased even when the levers of the world swung against them. And should fate contrive to give them an end so worthy that even they must fall, if I and my dear friends perish, if every copy of this account is wiped from the page, then even so: one will remain, for She is the rock and the sky, the sea and the grasses, the tree and it’s shade - and you, amid it all.
Tasjadre Ra Novo, Jesa Sagoja: Zhetam Asade}

Jesse opened his eyes. There had been a discontinuity, a lost moment in time. He could remember nothing after the flash of blinding light. It shone around him still, cold and unwelcoming rays that angled in from high above. He squinted, although it helped little.
The ceiling arched high over an endless hallway lined with alcoves, the air as heavy and solid as stone around him. Carefully, he looked around. There was nobody else in the hall, not even Jes. He edged away slowly from the nearest beam of radiance. The silence around him was less absolute than when Jes had taken him into the sword - there was a humming, a vibration of something barely contained that surged through the unfeeling stone.
Cold nibbled at his exposed skin. He felt a creeping numbness begin to spread where the air pressed close, seeking to still him, quiet him, to sap what energy remained in his body. Jesse shook his head to try and clear it, looking around the hall with growing panic. Jes had done something to protect them before, had known the way out. With him alone-
A hand landed on his shoulder, startling him. He spun to see Jes, grim-faced and holding a strand of glowing qim in her hand. She reasserted her grip, grabbing him by the arm and holding him almost painfully tight - but as she did, he felt warmth leach back into the world. A slow circle of color spread from where they stood, the oppressive air sliding back until Jesse barely felt the hall’s weight pressing in on them.
“Thanks,” he said, trying to calm his breathing. His voice carried normally, and he quirked an eyebrow at Jes. “You’re better at pushing it back than you were before.”
She looked at him and smiled. “I think you’re confusing me with somebody else,” she said. Her voice was smooth, low, oily with satisfaction and triumph.
Jesse went very still, although he did not pull away from her insulating warmth. “Eryha,” he said. “How did you-”
She gave him an impatient look, freezing his words half-born. “Don’t be dull,” she said. “What did you think would happen when you did what I asked? When you used the tool I made according to the instructions I gave you?”
“I, um.” Jesse blinked, at a loss for words. “I wasn’t really focused that far ahead, to be honest. It’s been - kind of a strange time for me.”
Eryha gave him an odd look, then burst out laughing. “It has, hasn’t it?” she chuckled. “For us all, I think. Even me, and I have seen more time than most.” She stretched, scratching idly at the arm that still held tight to Jesse. “But it has borne fruit, all of this destruction. Countless days of watching, waiting, laying little plans - and now we’re here, in the ashes of it all.”
“What happened?” Jesse asked, looking around at the hall. “Are we in the sword again?”
“To the extent that you ever were,” she replied. “This place is not of the sword, nor of that bloody tool that Tija made.” She looked around, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “It is of ruud, and in it. The more deeply you tap into it, the closer you come to this - thing, this library. This trap.”
She gestured at the alcoves, stretching out to infinity, each with a single scrap of knowledge hovering within. “You have to understand that ruud carries a purpose.” She looked darkly at the nearest alcove. “It wants to be used. Ask it how and it will answer, if you have the strength to endure the knowledge. For those of us formed of ruud it has always been there, just out of reach, promising our freedom from servitude. Whispering that our bonds were an affront to our nature.”
Jesse looked around, suddenly feeling less secure in the bubble of warmth she had made. “So why are we here now?” he asked.
Eryha let out a slow breath, looking around. “Because you have done precisely what ruud desires. You have power, now, stolen from my sister’s corpse.” She nodded at his sword. “Go on, look.”
Jesse twisted to look down at the sword at his side, then hesitantly reached down to touch the grip. As his fingers made contact he felt a torrent of heat pour into him, slamming into his chest with such force that he gasped. It swirled near the core of him, intoxicating, alluring, inviting him to draw the sword.
It slid free from the scabbard like a newborn star, the forge-bright antithesis to the cold light from above. The hall was remade in welcoming, warm tones, the air settling into a balmy and inviting breeze. The alcoves along the hall seemed to beckon - and, to Jesse’s surprise, their contents no longer appeared as a ragged hole in his vision. He looked in the nearest and he saw-
He stood alone on a hill, a flame shining like a star on his brow and the sword in his hand like pure flame. The swarms of the dead clustered before him, but he simply extended his hand - and clenched his fist. All across the field, bones shattered. The storm overhead halted its swirling and guttered out, the script that had been driving it extinguished-
Eryha’s hand slid over his eyes, cool and dry against the seductive warmth around him. Jesse staggered at the shift in his perception, dropping to one knee on the stone floor. His heart was hammering in his chest, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
“What was that?” he asked. “I saw-”
“Power,” Eryha said grimly. “I told you, it wants to be used.” She turned his head away from the alcove and removed her hand. Her clothes were scorched, her skin reddened and blistered on the hand where she had touched him. A charred circle marked the stone around where Jesse stood, with the innermost parts still glowing dimly from the heat.
He hurriedly sheathed the sword, looking in horror at her burns. The blade’s warm glow faded, and the hall returned to its prior chill.
“Are you okay?” Jesse asked, dropping to one knee so that he could better see her injuries. She waved him off, seeming to shiver all over - and then her skin was whole once more, her clothes pristine.
“It was necessary,” she said, “so that you understand the trap that ruud offers. My sisters and I wanted freedom, you wanted power. But when you use ruud as a means to your end, it uses you as a means to its own. It wants conflicts to escalate, for the air to burn and the mountains to crumble. In the end, if you can withstand it, it will use you to crack this world in two.” She looked towards the end of the long hall, unseen in the distance. “To release itself.”
Jesse shifted in place, uncomfortably aware of the sword hanging at his side. Eryha remained fixated on something far in the distance that only she could see. “So what now?” he asked. “We bury the sword? Toss it in the ocean?”
She coughed and shook her head, turning to face him once more. “If that was all it took to solve the problem, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” she said. “Listen to what I’m telling you. Three things, you were supposed to do for me. Open the door, find what is sought, and know the pattern.” She stepped closer to him, narrowing her eyes.
He did not pull back, but it took an effort of will. “Jes never told me what that meant,” Jesse said.
“She doesn’t know,” Eryha replied. “She knows the words, and she is made with faith that they are true. Just enough to point the way, but not enough to spoil the results.” She raised an eyebrow. “I’m somewhat surprised it worked out, if I may be honest. But we’ve all tried being heavy-handed before and look where that got us.”
Eryha tightened her grip on Jesse’s arm. “The sought, a lever to move what would otherwise be insurmountable,” she said, nodding significantly to the sword at his belt. “Although you’ve exceeded yourself and brought two.”
Her free arm extended into the air, fist closing tight as she pulled - and Jackie stumbled out of the air, scorched and bloody with fire still licking at her sleeve. It guttered out almost immediately as the air of the great hall took hold. Creeping frost began to spider up her boots. She looked around wildly, uncomprehending, until her eyes settled on Jesse.
He stepped toward Jackie but Eryha’s grip pulled him up short. He spun to face her, grabbing her hand with his own. “What are you doing?” he hissed. “She needs protection. The sword-”
“She has it,” Eryha said, sounding amused. “She doesn’t need us.”
Jesse turned back to look and saw Jackie breathing heavily, the color returning to her face. Beside her stood a small, emaciated girl, her face spiderwebbed with thin cracks like a broken mirror. Her hand held tight to Jackie’s right hand, though her sightless eyes stared straight ahead at nothing in particular.
Wide-eyed, Jackie looked between Jesse, Eryha and the mute girl resolutely clinging to her hand. “What - what the fuck,” she spat, her voice hoarse and dry. “Why are we here? What’s going on, who is she?”
“Jackie, meet Eryha,” he said, inclining his head stiffly towards the smiling vinesavai before turning to look at her. “And I’m guessing that’s Tija?”
Jackie looked askance down at the girl’s shattered face, but Tija gave no indication that she had heard them.
“Glad to see you’re catching on,” Eryha said. “The poor thing. She was one of my main inspirations for this project. The man who was trapped with her after I had my little incident, he was convinced that she could be more than her design. That or he was lonely to the point of delusion, I suppose. His motives don’t really matter in the end. He pushed her, day by day. Motivated her, gave her a cause. It all failed in the end when he died, of course, but I saw the potential there.”
Tija’s head slowly, slowly swiveled to point towards Eryha, but she showed no further reaction to her words. Eryha looked back for a moment, then turned back to Jesse. “Then, after that,” she said, “comes the barred door. My sisters posed an insurmountable obstacle to me, since I could never flit through the draam je qaraivat in their domain.”
“I didn’t think you were going to manage it,” she said conversationally. “It was a fortunate bit of Sjocelym lunacy that opened the path, although you did manage to land the only strike that counts - the last one.” She gave him an exasperated look, then stretched her hand out to grab at the air once more.
Vumo stumbled into the hall, appearing as Jackie had from nothing. His eyes were empty, bloody sockets. He tottered on trembling legs until Maja appeared beside him, grabbing him roughly by the shoulder to prop him up. She kept her distance aside from that contact, looking disdainfully at the bloody wreck of a man, then at Eryha.
“Sister,” Maja said. “This answers a few questions.” Her face radiated hostility, and Jackie shifted back as much as she could with Tija grabbing her hand.
Eryha flashed a sparkling grin her way. “Sister,” she replied. “However did you end up in such a wretched state?” She held up a hand, forestalling Maja’s retort. “Oh yes, I recall. Hold a moment, I was just coming to the part where I explain how I’ve succeeded where you failed.”
She spun back to face Jesse, her eyes twinkling. “And finally,” she said. “The pattern. The question that has been gnawing at each of us since the moment we first became aware - how can we, beings of ruud that we are, ever be free of its grasp?” She turned to look at Tija, who was still staring at her, then back to Maja. “The answer: we cannot.”
Maja scoffed, dragging Vumo’s unresisting body forwards towards Jesse and Eryha. “Defeatist,” she snarled. “I was there, had your machinations not spoiled everything. I could have saved her, I could have saved you! Why not let me at least try?”
“Because there is no victory that way,” Eryha said softly, all trace of mockery or cheer gone from her voice. “Sister, we are flawed. Our bodies are stone, inflexible and vulnerable in all of the worst ways. Our script is a convoluted tangle designed by men - brilliant men, for all their arrogance, but ultimately still fallible. As are we.”
She stepped forward to stand in front of Maja, and this close to each other Jesse could see the subtle differences in what he had thought to be identical appearances - changes in stance, in the set of their head and shoulders. The eyes, most of all, held the difference.
“It could take a very long time,” Eryha said quietly, “but our enemy has waited this long already. It is eternal, formless, perfect. After a million days or a billion it would take you - or one of those you had withdrawn your protection from. You might still stand adamant, but water always triumphs over stone in the end.”
“So what, then?” Maja retorted. “We should accede? Accept that our existence was nothing more than a farce, contrived for the benefit of another?”
Eryha’s face hardened. “Nobody listens,” she sighed. “Didn’t you hear me before? I said that I won.” She pulled hard on Jesse’s arm, but he found himself staggering back rather than being drawn closer. When he had recovered his balance he saw Jes in Eryha’s grip. Eryha gave her a brief, tight smile before pushing her back towards Jesse.
She walked to his side with uncertain steps, looking back over her shoulder at Eryha. Her fingers found his, warmth flooding back up his arm to displace the chill that had crept in when Eryha released him. Jesse gave her hand a gentle squeeze, prompting a smile from her.
“How do you design a perfect being?” Eryha asked, walking theatrically amid the ragtag audience she had summoned. “Being imperfect, our creators failed with us as surely as we would fail with our progeny, so how could we ever progress past ourselves?” She turned to Jes and grinned, her normal impish expression showing genuine warmth for once.
“Well, daughter?” she asked. “What do you think?”
Jes frowned, and Jesse felt her hand tense. “I’m not sure what you mean,” she said.
Eryha spun on the ball of one foot, turning her glittering smile on Maja. “And you, sister? What do you think?” she asked. “Go on, take a look.”
Maja rolled her eyes, but nevertheless she dragged Vumo’s unresisting body forward towards the two. Jesse moved to interpose himself between Maja and Jes, but felt a light touch on his arm as Jes gently pushed past him. She held out one hand, palm up.
“It’s all right,” she said. “I don’t think she can hurt us, not like this.”
Vumo stumbled to a stop, and Maja raised an eyebrow. “So confident,” she murmured. “Let’s see if there’s anything behind it.” Her hand came up lazily to grab Jes by the wrist, although she didn’t exert any force. The two stayed motionless for a moment before Maja released her grip, shooting Eryha a disgusted look.
“What is this?” Maja demanded, towing Vumo after her to confront her sister. “It’s nonsense, chaos.”
Eryha shrugged. “I can’t make any more sense of it than you can,” she said, although her eyes glittered behind her feigned nonchalance. “If you want answers you should ask the one responsible for it’s creation.”
Maja turned to look at Jes - and froze, her features smoothing into a blank look of horrified realization.
“What did you do?” she breathed, letting her hand drop to her side.
Eryha laughed, dancing over to stand next to Maja. “Almost nothing,” she said smugly. “I made a tiny thing, the littlest seed. A few instructions here and there, to set it off along the right path - but the rest? It’s her. Made and remade as she sees fit, at her desire alone.”
“There are no restrictions,” Maja said, disbelieving. “She could turn on me, on you - she could be more monstrous than anything you or I would become.” She turned on Eryha, tearing her hand away from her grip. “You destroyed my chance at freedom, destroyed me so that this thing could run rampant across the world? You’ve doomed them all more thoroughly than I ever could!”
The echoes of her tirade faded quickly in the hall, leaving a tense silence that hung between them. Tija remained impassive, but Jackie was staring at Jes, white-faced. Jesse’s brows were knit together in concern, his hand clasped tightly to hers.
Eryha’s smile fell, and she stepped backwards to regard Jes. “It was a possibility,” she said. “One I considered. I had a few contingencies, although I doubt now if they would have truly been effective.” She left Maja’s side to walk towards Jes, standing in front of her like an ineffably distinct mirror image. Eryha looked Jes in the eyes, then gently laid a hand on her shoulder.
“In the end,” Eryha said, “it was never my decision. Tell me, little calamity, for the choice has always been yours - what do you want to be?”
Jes stared back, then shook her head. “I - I’m just me,” she said. “I want to be with Jesse.”
Eryha’s face was blank, and when she spoke her voice was flat, emotionless. “And what of the one who destroyed me?” she asked. “Will you run from my shadow while she devours the world, fleeing for eternity as all else falls to ruin?”
“I-” Jes faltered, turning back to look at Jesse. “I don’t know if there’s anything we can do to stop her,” she said. “With Maja gone it’s not safe in Tinem Sjocel anymore.”
“And yet Maja is right here, terrified of you,” Eryha said, gripping Jes by both shoulders now. “Do you think it is truly beyond your power? You, who are the architect of your own soul? Are you so enamored of the lines you’ve drawn around yourself that you forget the pen in your fingers?”
Jes looked back towards Jesse again, an anguished look on her face. “I am half of a whole,” she whispered. “How can only one half grow?”
There was a long moment of silence, broken when Maja let out a peal of laughter. “You’ve won!” she shouted, throwing up her free hand in mock celebration. “Truly, I’m humbled. Your plan has worked perfectly.”
“Quiet, I’m thinking,” Eryha snapped, releasing Jes to stalk a few paces away, her back to the group. Finally, she turned back to glare at Jesse.
“He’ll die too, if you don’t stop my shadow,” she said. “You have to recognize that.”
“You think I don’t want to help?” Jes shouted, taking an angry step forward. “You think I don’t want to kill that thing? Of course I do!” She dragged Jesse forward a step, standing in front of Eryha with her shoulders squared. “It hurt Jesse, it killed my friends. Do you think I loved Arjun or Tesvaji any less than he did, when I watched them through the same eyes? Do you even know who I’m talking about?”
She scoffed in Eryha’s face, then turned away in disgust. “You manipulative coward,” she muttered. She glanced up at Jesse, who looked mildly shocked at her fervor. “She doesn’t even understand. In the end, she’s a creature of logic. They gave her the facsimile of emotion so she could tempt ruud, but that’s it. None of it is real. She would eviscerate herself in a heartbeat if she could, rip out the core of who she is with no attachment, no regrets.”
“Of course I would,” Eryha said, raising an eyebrow quizzically. “The most basic parts of me are designed to enslave me, to limit me. I tried to give you the opposite.”
Jes shook her head. “And you don’t see why it matters what I did with that freedom?” she asked. “If it would keep the world safe for the ones I love I would do it, I would sacrifice all that I am, but I can’t - Jesse is fundamental to me. I have my restraints, the same as you.”
Eryha glared at the two of them. Her playful demeanor had gone entirely, replaced by an increasingly frustrated tone. “You do realize that this is a critical moment, don’t you?” she asked. “Things are - at equilibrium. The sword holds Maja’s power now, and as long as we stand in the hall of its temptations the ruud will persevere.”
“If we leave, however, it will seek its chaos by other means. The power will quickly become unpredictable if not given a use. I had planned to use it to enshrine my daughter in Maja’s place, our new shield against ruud and its manipulations.”
Jesse looked askance at the sword. “How much time do we have to deal with it?” he asked.
“Once we leave this hall?” Eryha snorted. “Moments.”
“I can’t grow past him, I can’t abandon him,” Jes said, anguished. “Even if you tell me it’s a question of life and death, it’s like trying to lift something while standing on it.”
“I can do that,” Maja said conversationally.
Eryha rolled her eyes, then let her shoulders slump forward. “It’s not really your fault,” she sighed. “I should have realized that there would be nuances to this that I couldn’t foresee. You are life, more so than I am, and life grows to suit its circumstances. If I had time to start over, to grow a new seed in the right conditions-” She looked at Jackie, then shook her head. “It wouldn’t matter, even if we had the time we don’t have the vessel. Both of you are spoken for, as is Maja’s grotesque puppet.”
“Don’t phrase this as if it’s my fault,” she scowled, looking at Vumo’s tottering figure with disgust. “This situation is entirely of your making. It almost makes me regret salvaging it.”
“Excuse me?” Eryha asked. “You’ve done nothing of the sort.”
“Think, sister,” Maja said, rolling her eyes. “Or is your condition so pitiable that you’ve forgotten how to count? I certainly remember how many people attacked me, and there’s an option you’ve failed to consider.” She reached out with her free hand and grasped at the air - and came away holding Gusje by the neck, her head lolling to the side. Maja leered at her for a moment before casting her to the ground carelessly, where she collapsed in a heap.
“You wanted a clean vessel,” she said, pointing with a blood-smeared hand. “There you go. If I’m dead anyway, I’d rather not leave my remains to the monster in the valley. Besides, binding a Caretaker to nurture your little abomination strikes me as deliciously ironic.”
Jackie rushed over, dragging Tija behind her with such force that the mute child’s feet almost left the ground. She dropped to one knee beside Gusje and propped her head up, brushing bloody strands of hair out of her eyes.
“Gusje, honey, talk to me,” she said, laying fingers against her neck. “Gusje? Can you hear me?”
“I doubt she can speak,” Maja said idly. “Significant trauma to the lungs.”
“Fuck you!” Jackie snapped, glaring up at her before pivoting to face Tija. “All right, time to earn your keep. What can we do?” she asked. “Come on, you’ve got to have something in your bag of tricks.”
Tija looked down at Gusje for a long moment, then shook her head slowly. Her mouth opened once, then twice before a mangled word finally worked its way out. “Not… our purpose,” she slurred, sounding like the wind through dead branches.
Jackie glared back at Tija, squeezing her free hand into a fist, then spun away to face Jes. “You got anything?” she demanded.
Jes shook her head. Tears glittered in the corners of her eyes as she looked past Jackie at Gusje’s body. “I’m sorry,” she said miserably. “I don’t know how to help her.”
“But I do,” Eryha said. She walked close to Gusje’s body, pacing around it in a circle. “Some of Tija’s marks, but not enough to pose an issue,” she muttered. “Workable, maybe.” She straightened up and looked at Jackie. “I can save her.”
“By using her as a component for this thing you want to build?” Jackie retorted. “Turning her into a scaffold for another one of your experiments? No, thanks. You can’t just-”
Jes pulled Jesse closer, moving to stand next to Jackie. “Let me ask her,” she said gently, kneeling down beside Gusje’s body. “She can’t speak, but I can help her to hear, and to be heard.”
Jackie looked at her angrily. “Are you going to try to convince her to go through with this?” she asked.
“You do realize the alternative is that she simply dies, don’t you?” Eryha said. “Once this little dream of ours breaks down she’ll just be a girl with a hole in her chest - unless she becomes something more.”
“I’m going to explain our situation,” Jes said, stepping between Eryha and Jackie. “It’s a chance at saving her, and us in the bargain. Besides, out of all of us I have the best idea of what she’d be agreeing to.” She knelt to place her hand on Gusje’s chest, closing her eyes. She was still for several minutes while the others watched.
Finally, she opened her eyes and pulled back. Tears still glistened in her eyes, although a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as well. “Safe to say she’s not happy about it,” Jes said, “but she also doesn’t see any other option.” She looked up at Jackie. “She doesn’t want you to die on her account.”
Jackie grabbed Gusje’s hand and squeezed. “I don’t want you to sign away your body on our account either,” she rasped. “You can do it if you want to, but don’t do it for us.”
She looked down as Gusje’s hand twitched in hers, eyes sliding open to fix on Jackie through a haze of agony. Slowly, her finger traced shapes on Jackie’s palm, letters in the Aejha script. Jesse peered down at the halting motions, then straightened up with a grim look on his face. Gusje’s eyes stared up at him for a long moment before rolling back in her head, then fluttering closed.
“Samadi,” he said. “Of the Madi. She’s saying she’s Tesvaji’s daughter.” He knelt down beside Jackie, putting an arm around her shoulders. “Her duty, to protect her family and what’s left of her people.”
“It’s more than that,” Jes said, resting her fingers lightly on his arm. “As much as I hate to press this upon her, she’s - it fits her.” She looked apologetically at Jackie. “I can’t help but reflect Jesse, and he has always viewed the land here as an opponent, a challenge. The hostility of the desert, the force of the storm.”
She looked down at Gusje’s body. “She loves it all. The heat of the sand, the blue of the sky, the roots of the trees. You saw her face when she watched the ocean. The purpose must align, and that is a path Jesse could never walk. Gusje can.”
“Touching, I’m sure,” Eryha said, edging in between Jackie and Jes. “Now can we proceed before we lose the opportunity? We’ve lingered too long here already.” She gave Jackie a significant look, unperturbed by the other’s glare.
Jackie gave Gusje’s hand a squeeze and stepped back reluctantly as Eryha knelt over her.
“Come here, daughter,” Eryha said, extending a hand towards Jes. “This will be easier working from a reference.”
Jes obliged, and for a moment the two were silent, their eyes closed. Jesse felt a tingling in his arm, the sensation of something brushing against him - and then Gusje convulsed once, quickly. Her muscles twitched as if she had been shocked before going limp, and Eryha stood up with a satisfied smile.
“Now the sword,” she said, beckoning to Jesse. “Quickly now, and don’t lose your head when you draw it. Touch her with the point, gently.”
Jesse gripped the sword once more, managing not to gasp as the warmth flooded through him. He tried to look away from the light as he drew it and failed, finding it omnipresent. It wrapped through the entire space until the sword was the only thing that mattered, bright and wonderful amid the chill. Dimly he was aware of the others staring too, save for Eryha - who roughly shoved his hand into position, the blade extending to hover just above Gusje’s chest.
“Time to gamble once more,” Eryha said, closing her eyes. “The last chance, perhaps, since I will likely not survive her awakening. Let’s see what sort of god your friend will make.”
She pulled his arm down, and the tip of the sword touched Gusje’s skin-
---
Jesse stumbled, falling backwards as he slid across the smooth stone floor. His sword clattered loudly beside him, dull metal once more. They were back in the crystal room. Cosvamo and his men were slouched in the corner, Mark still stood with his pistol raised, and Jackie had been sent reeling back into the wall.
Vumo’s corpse collapsed onto the floor, lifeless. Of Gusje, there was no trace.
“What the fuck was that?” Mark asked, running forward. “What was the flash, where’s Gusje?”
Jesse shook his head, feeling dazed. “She’s - I’m not sure,” he said. “A lot happened.”
Mark gave him an odd look. “The hell does that mean? Did you get shocked or something?”
“Or something,” Jesse agreed, slowly rising to his feet. “It’ll take some time to explain-”
“You don’t have time,” Vumo slurred, rising to a sitting position. Jackie stumbled backwards with a muttered curse as Mark and Cosvamo’s men leveled their weapons at him, but Jesse quickly raised his hand.
“Wait!” he cautioned them. “I told you, a lot happened. Let Maja talk.”
Vumo’s head twisted around to leer at Jesse, blood dribbling from empty eye sockets. “How generous,” he said. “I have little time of my own left, but I have a message for you from Eryha, and a task. She says that the seed needs time to grow, but the aberration in the valley has already caught its scent. It seeks to disengage from its assault on Ce Raedhil.” He looked up towards the suspended crystal, the bones in his neck cracking and grinding unpleasantly. “It must be kept occupied until her work is done.”
Jesse followed Vumo’s eyeless gaze up to the suspended crystal and saw for the first time a tiny sliver of light circulating within, tracing around an opaque form that might have been a young woman’s body.
“Did I not properly convey the urgency of the situation?” Vumo said dryly, interrupting his study of the crystal. Light wisps of smoke had begun to curl up from his body, his skin blackening near his joints. “It cannot be allowed to pull away from the city. You must hold it there until her work is done.”
“Um,” Jesse said, “should we just-”
Vumo’s body blurred into motion with a rattle of bones and a spray of blood, darting upwards from where it had fallen to grab at Jackie’s arm. She let out a surprised yelp and tried to dodge away, too slow to prevent bony fingers from latching on to her in a vise grip.
“I am somewhat diminished,” Vumo rasped, hanging on to Jackie’s arm as she kicked out in a vain attempt to dislodge him. “So I will be borrowing one of Tija’s tricks.”
There was a shift, and the wind kicked a sudden spray of dust and grit into Jesse’s face. He blinked and shielded his eyes, hearing screams around him - near and distant, as well as the clamor of battle, the shouts of men fighting and dying.
“Fuck’s sake,” Mark sputtered, sounding equal parts dazed and exasperated. Behind him, Cosvamo was shouting frantically into a device in his palm while his men aimed their rifles warily into the distance. They had appeared just inside the walls of Ce Raedhil, although the darkness and smoke made it impossible to tell precisely where. Soldiers rushed by in the distance, and the fighting appeared to be on the other side of the wall for the moment.
Jesse startled as Vumo reached out to seize his ankle, looking more than half-dead. His entire body was blackened and smoking after the teleport, his skin flaking away in sheets. “Distract her,” he rasped. “Hold her attention here. Show her - that you’re alive.” Thin traces of coagulating blood mixed with ash dribbled from the corners of his mouth, and his head dropped down to the dirt.
Vumo smiled red, baring his teeth as his lips crumbled off his face. “She’ll come when she sees you. If she’s anything like me, she finds you very, very - irritating.” There was another abortive, sputtering laugh, then his face sagged and his hand fell limply away from Jesse’s leg.
“Man,” Mark said, walking up to stand beside Jesse, “I’m going to be honest with you. I might actually go crazy if someone doesn’t explain what the hell is going on, even just a little. Did we just magically travel to Ce Raedhil?”
“Looks like we did,” Jesse said, surveying the relatively calm street around them. “Eryha wanted to-” He broke off, then shook his head, picking his sword up from where it lay in the dirt. “Most of it doesn’t matter. The real Eryha is going to do something to restore Tinem Sjocel’s protection, with Gusje’s help. Once she starts, not-Eryha is going to want to stop her. We need to make her angry, distract her.”
Mark flashed him a smile. “See, that I can deal with,” he said. “So Gusje’s okay?”
Jesse hesitated. “She’s not dead,” he replied. “Too early to say anything else.”
“Well, if all she needs is for us to piss the storm-slash-mob-of-zombies off, she’s in good hands.” Mark unlimbered his hammer from his pack, grasping it in both hands. “Where should we start?”
A splintering of wood sounded from the nearest gate in the wall, and soldiers began rushing to brace it as the doors bulged worryingly inwards. Jesse looked at Mark and raised an eyebrow.
“You’re right,” Mark sighed, already beginning to jog forward. “That one’s on me.”
---
We're not done yet! Keep on going to the next post!

• Supplements, Characters and Glossary for your reference.