I made this loosely based off of the Star Wars battlefront 1 poster

((Hey all! This chapter is my longest yet, but don’t expect many to get THIS long! Now, this one is HEAVY so I am putting in warnings right away: Heavy topics include: Firearms, humanity’s history with guns, talk about human atrocities, human fight or flight response, and heavily excessive drinking. As usual credi goes to u/SpacePaladin15’s Nature of Predators series. Hope you enjoy.))
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FIRST//PREVIOUS//NEXT
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Memory transcript subject: Arxur exchange participant Syle
Date [standard human time]: October 21, 2136 It was finally time to learn about human weapons! My tail flicked side to side as we went through a very thick metal door and down some stairs to a room under his house he called a “basement.” I do not know what a ment is, but it was more than enough to be an Arxur base! There were guns EVERYWHERE. I saw guns as long as I was tall, some guns so small they were smaller than training guns we gave kids! Guns made with wood, some made only of metal, some made of plastic, old, new, and in between! I didn’t know so many types of guns even existed!
There was also tables set up to both work on the guns and another full of plastic, metal, and more with lots of weird machines. It didn’t take me long to figure out it was a place to make ammo though. The gunpowder was quite the giveaway.
“Why do you have so many guns?” I asked him as I walked from rack to rack.
“Been collecting all my life. Never got into cars, clothes, or anything really expensive, so bought a bunch of guns. Helps that I got a ton of money when my parents died and a house to live in. Plus, the government pays me VERY well.” He explained as he adjusted a few on the wall.
“I didn’t know so many guns could even exist.” My eyes wandered over a few. Particularly one that was a mix of wood and metal. A few bits of wood sticking out of what looked like a metal box and a tube.
“Humans have made guns for many reasons.” He explained picking it up and moving a round thing at the top back and forth some. “Some were made for hunting only. Some guns were made to get around rules.” He pointed at a weird gun without a stock, but clearly looked like a smaller version of their assault rifles. “Some were made to be fun.” He put down the gun he had been holding and tapped a tiny little gun that had a barrel, handle, and a round part full of holes to hold bullets. “But, most were made for war. From war they were changed to be fun, to go hunting with, and to just be different.” He put his hand on the old rifle he had used to beat me in the competition we had.
“Like this. This gun was made for war and had been used for a very, VERY long time.” He put his hand on a solid black thing made of metal and plastic. “This is called an AR-15. They were invented by my country to be weapons of war, but their parts could be changed in so many ways that they were a big hit with civilians too since they could make each gun their own.” He then tapped one of the more modern assault rifles that I had seen their soldiers using.
“How did you get a military weapon!? I mean, shouldn’t that only be for soldiers? Did you steal it?” I asked him as I poked it. To think this tool had killed so many Arxur so easily, and he had one! “We are allowed to own them in America.” He explained as he took it off the wall to show me. He worked the charging handle to make the various parts move for me to see. “The funny thing is is that its not even the best rifle available! The military tends to use guns that are not the best because they are cheaper.” He put it up and picked up a different assault rifle. This one had a nicer optic on it, was far sleeker, and, for some reason, had wood on it. “This is my personal favorite assault rifle.” He put it back on the wall. “If anything bad ever started to happen, that is the gun I would want to use!”
I nodded and followed along as he went from gun to gun.
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Memory transcript subject: Arxur exchange participant Syle
Date [standard human time]: October 22, 2136
I'm worried about him. He hasn’t left the couch in hours as he watched the humans yell and stampede on the TV. This wasn’t a normal stampede though, the person on the TV said that the UN leader had been killed and there was fire and fighting all over earth. My eyes drifted by the door where his assault rifle rested against the frame with four magazines full of ammo next to it. My eyes drifted to the one in the gun and I let out a breath. Even I knew you didn’t keep ammo in your gun unless you needed to be ready to use it.
He had told me that we were safe, that we were far enough away that nobody would come out here, and even then nobody really knew I was even here. He told me if there was a real risk he would have body armor on and a gun on his waist too.
But he was still ready.
I could see his eyes only briefly look at me before he looked at the TV. The people were screaming about how aliens were evil, how only humans should be allowed in the milky way and that humans should stop talking with any humans. That it only brought problems.
They were not wrong either with everything they said too. I mean, the federation did just blow up most of their planet, and the arxur were, well…. The arxur. I wanted to hold him like he held me. I wanted to swear at the people on TV and tell them how lucky they had it, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t good at this fucking emotional stuff!
I turned around so I could hiss without him hearing me, only to see his pad ping. It was that messaging app.
Firebird: Hey, are you ok? I saw the reports about what is going on with the stampede. Talk to me. I know this isn’t normal for humans.
The message was meant for Jack, but I didn’t know if he wanted to read it. Hell, I didn’t even know how to even TALK to him right now! I didn’t know anything! I stared at it. This was a Krakotl on the other side. I knew they would hate me if they knew what I was, but they were the ONLY person that could tell me what to do.
54rhuman: This is the-
I paused. No way i could tell her I was a fucking Arxur!
54rhuman: This is his exchange partner. He isn’t happy and I don’t know what to do!
I let out a breath. Hoping the prey would be better with emotions than I was.
Firebird: How is he acting? Are you ok?
54rhuman: I am worried about him. I am not good with emotion stuff, and he is clearly hurt. He is just staring at the TV and I don’t know what to do to make him feel better!
Firebird: I don’t think either of us could make him feel better right now. But, maybe we could work together. I am going to request a call, accept it. Maybe together we could talk to him and distract him.
Soon there was a message saying “call from firebird” popping up on the screen. I paused, claw over the button. What if she found out I was arxur? What would happen to me? Would she be angry? I then looked behind me at Jack, still staring at the screen.
Fuck it. We need help. He helped me so its my turn.
“Accept.”
I took a breath and waited until I heard the clicking of a beak on the other end.
“Hey. I’m firebird. Me and Jack have been talking a little bit. I know I don’t know a ton about humans, but I just want to help.” She explained. I could hear the worry in her voice as my tail flicked side to side.
“Thank you.” I squeaked out trying my hardest to make my voice as soft and as high pitched as possible.
“You sound… strange.” Shit. “Still, we have bigger things to worry about. We can talk later. What is Jack doing?” She asked as her beak clicked a few times between words. I nodded a bit as I watched him. He was so focused he didn’t even hear me talking to this Krakotl. “He is just staring at the TV. He isn’t mad, or scared, or anything!” I explained not even caring that my voice was returning to normal.
“Okay, no stampede is good! Does he show any signs of… hate to say this, but it fits: Predator disease?” The way she talked, bringing up predator disease so casually, this wasn’t a normal Krakotl was she?
“No I don’t think so. He got ready for a fight, but we are in a very safe place. He even said so.” Ie explained slowly watching over my soft human’s now hard body. I didn’t like this at all. He was watching the screen like an arxur hunter watching a fight!
“Lets just… talk to him then.”
“I need help with that. I am not very… good at talking.” I admitted.
“I can tell. You are a very strange one.” She said back. “Are you a fellow exterminator?”
My tail went rigid and I had to cover my mouth to hide my hiss. A fucking, gnashing, venlil shit exterminator?! I took a deep breath in. She was here to help. She was the ONLY one that could help. Plus, she didn’t scream or anything about the idea of a human being weird.
“No, I am not. Lets just focus on Jack for now.”
“Agreed. He needs us.” I nodded and walked into the room. Jack looked up at me with wide eyes before letting out a deep breath and leaning back into the long-chair.
“Hey Syle. Sorry. Just… a bit concerned is all.” He whispered out before motioning to the TV. His voice wasn’t soft, wasn’t loud, it lacked almost everything.
“Hey Jack, its me, Firebird.” Her voice came out loud and clear through the datapad causing him to jump. Finally he was thinking about something else! He looked from the pad, to me, then back to the pad with even more worry on his face. I simply did the shoulder move thing that the humans seemed to do a lot and he took a deep breath.
“Hey firebird. Sorry our first voice had to be with… this going on.”
“Its okay. Are you okay?”
He paused a long time as I sat next to him. I calmly slid my tail around his waist and pressed against him trying to be as comfy for him as he was for me when I was having problems. He paused, looked at me as his face grew red again before looking back down to the pad.
“No.” Jack admitted with a long breath. “I know we are safe, I know this will pass, but its still not good. I always hate seeing humans get like this.” He explained as he pressed back against me.
Silence. Humans had done this kind of thing before!?
“What do you mean?” Firebird asked first. “How could you know these things? How have you seen this before?” She asked.
“Well, its not normally this bad.” He admitted. “There will be fights for a long time if people are this upset. But… let me think how to explain this.” He finally muted the tv and took a long, deep breath. I hated that explaining something bad about humans is what got him to stop watching it, but it was for the best.
I hope.
“Listen. Firebird. Don’t tell anyone else about this.” He looked down to the pad as he gave his order. Like hell some prey exterminator would ever a-
“You know I won’t. I haven’t talked to anyone about what we discuss. Its all confidential.”
Oh. Good birdy.
“Good. So.” He put his hands together and took another deep breath. This was clearly hard for him, but I wanted to hear. “There are two ways to respond to bad things. Prey have what we call the flight response. It is when the body naturally tells you to run away, hide, scream, and more. Arxur have what we call the fight response. The need to stand up and, well, fight. A more violent reaction to what triggers it. Humans have both.” He then motioned to the TV out of pure habit like firebird was in the room with us.
“This is what happens when there is nowhere to run for humans. Those with fight would get violent, but what pushed things over the edge is that many humans with flight reactions found nowhere to run. We have no colonies or anywhere. We hid in the safest places we could find. And died.” He took another deep breath. “We have sayings about how a cornered animal fights the hardest. These are humans that are ruled by fear and anger with nothing to really fight. To them the only way to get the bad things to stop is to get rid of aliens, since that is what caused all this.”
He paused a long time, thinking about something.
“Listen. Humans are… complicated. But to me we are at our worst when we are scared, angry, hurt, and have something that is… not like us to focus it all on. Some of humanity’s worst times was when we had all those bad emotions and focused it all on something that we had decided was… less than human or different enough.” He explained slowly. “Now here we are. VERY scared, hurt, and angry AND we have things that are very much not human to direct it towards. It was going to get violent no matter what.” He then looked at the TV. “I just was hoping it wouldn’t get THIS violent, but, it could be worse.”
Worse?
“Worse?” Firebird asked. I was glad she did since there was no way in betterment I was going to bring that up.
“Yes. We fought wars and killed… A lot of people just because they were different. Horrible things were done.” He took a breath. “Listen. There are reasons why the Arxur make us so angry and uncomfortable. One group of humans got VERY angry, scared, hungry, and hurt so they joined with a few humans who told them that it was all because of some people not like them. That the others were not as human and were evil.” He took a breath. “A lot of people listened to him and agreed to to very, very bad things. He caused a war that most of our planet had to fight in and did things that were VERY bad. Even by Arxur standards. We as a species fought him and when the war was over we swore never to let them happen again, and most of those who did the bad things were killed. We called them crimes against humanity. Crimes that were so bad they went against what our very species stood for.”
He paused to let it sink in. “There had been times before as well when humans fought because they were scared, angry, hurting, and were told the other side was at fault. Bad things happened then too. But one thing is almost certain: most people always look back at them to show one other side of humanity that is great.” He looked back to the TV at UN soldiers organizing the crowds and a smile came to his face. “We love to cheer for those that fight against that evil. Those that stood up and made things right, that made humanity BETTER. They are some of our greatest heroes.”
He watched the soldiers for a bit before taking a deep breath and turning off the TV. “Alright. That is enough for now.” He closed his eyes and leaned on me a little. I let out a small chirp and felt the tip of my tail betray me again.
Hold. Still. Damn. You.
“Listen firebird. S-” he paused to look at me before changing my name just in case. “-Sssylmia. This is just a bad stampede really. Please don’t be upset or think humanity is bad for it.”
I rubbed his head a little to try and comfort him. “You know I cannot do that.” I whispered softly to him. “We both now I have done worse.” He made a strange noise and his face turned more red, but he nodded.
“And I might be an exterminator, but I won’t judge humanity for this. I saw what the gojid did on the cradle during their stampede. Wait… Sylmia. What have you done?”
Oh shit.
“She was just forced to make some bad choices when she was young.” Jack pounced in to help save my tail!
“Hm. Makes sense. What species is she anyway? Remember, no lies. We agreed on that early on.” I was starting to like this bird FAR less now.
“Can’t say.” He admitted. There was a little bit of beak clicking from the other side before a long breath slid out of her. “Alright. Fair enough. I assume its to protect her identity. It sounds like she had predator disease at one point so you don’t want to reveal any identifying information.”
He looked at me with a bit of worry before she spoke up again. “Hey. Just take a moment. Have a nice strong drink, talk with Sylmia a little while, and just relax. You said this will be over right? Let it end on its own. Sometimes the best thing to do with a stampede is just let it happen.”
We both nodded. “Okay, thanks.” He put an arm around me. “I think we will just play some games, have a tasty meal, and a few good drinks then sleep early. Thanks firebird.”
“Call me Taita. I want to meet you someday and I think its time we just used each other’s real names. I know Sylclea’s faux name anyway.”
“Fair enough. Jack is mine.”
“Call me first thing tomorrow. I want to make sure you are ok. Deal?”
“Deal.” He then hung up, gave me a warm hug, then went to go make food. I could see it in his face that he was still hurting some, but he was far better. I got up and followed him both wanting to see what he was going to make, and to make sure he was going to stay ok.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Memory transcript subject: Krakotl exterminator team leader Taita
Date [standardized human time]: October 22, 2136
Oh. Oh speh. The voice, the strange way they talked, the struggle with emotions, the fact they didn’t notice I changed that fake name, the fact Jack hid her species, AND a bad past?
She was an Arxur.
How was she an Arxur?
I pulled a bottle of my favorite strong drink from a cabinet and poured myself a glass. Then another after that one went away.
Oh speh oh SPEH!
I wanted to study the arxur one day, but never thought I would even TALK to one! What got me the most though was the fact she was trying hard to help the human. She clearly was showing empathy, worry for him, she was showing prey like emotion.
AN ARXUR!
Sure it was one that Jack trusted enough to live with, but it shouldn’t be possible. Can they get prey disease? Could more be like her? She could be good! No, few prey would DARE talk to an exterminator when their friend was in that much pain. But here she was begging for my, MY help!?
I downed another shot.
I did already make up my mind about one thing. All the evidence and my own gut led me to a conclusion: I could trust her and be friendly with her. She was not evil.
An arxur.
How?
Federation wrong about human. Could wrong Arxur?
Another s-h0-t.
I w1ll hav3 to think about this more l4t3r. Nobody can kn0w. But… must learn more about ALL pr3dators. If arxur can be friends 4nd fed without killing sentients. Then… war end. EVERYONE safe.
WARNING! Alcohol memory corruption detected!
An- s- ot. To. mne.
hhhh0w?
WARNING! Memory fatally corrupted by excessive alcohol consumption. Damage beyond repair. Later memories %80 uncorrupted. Please read another transcript and report issue to archivist.
FIRST//PREVIOUS//NEXT

Note: This is a short story that was stuck in my head so I had to write it down, if you like it I'll continue with the story. I know I'm not the best story teller but hopefully I'm improving slowly but surely
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[Imperial War-fleet Ship: Vengeance]
[Class: Reconnaissance Vessel]
“Captain, scanners indicate an inhabited system nearby”
“All stop helmsman! Computer engage stealth protocol 3. Lieutenant Grr’al scan the system and its surrounding space, I want to know if this is a Star-Union system now!”
“Aye Captain… initial scans show no sign of the enemy, the techno-signature are far too primitive to be Union tech sir. The system appears to be inhabited by an unknown species, mainly concentrated on the third planet with two small bases located on the third planet’s moon and the other base on the fourth planet. I recommend sending a level 5 probe to gather more intel captain”
“Agreed, send the probe when it’s ready Lieutenant and continue scanning for hostiles. Helmsman Bii’rh position the ship behind the closest gas giant and initiate silent running protocols”
…
“The probe is experiencing some sensor difficulty due to unusual solar activity captain but I’ve managed to correct the issues. Receiving data now… The base on the fourth planet has a population of just over 100 lifeforms, the base on the third planet’s moon has a population of just under 30 lifeforms all of the same species, the population of the third planet is enormous and made out of multiple different species captain, approximately 10 billion of the inhabitants are of the same species detected on the forth planet and the moon. I think this is the home system of a pre-contact species sir”
“10 billion!? What are their defensive capabilities Lieutenant?”
“Pitiful sir, they have no force-field technology, their space ships are completely unarmed and they appear to use projectile weaponry, the only real threat are their numerous nuclear weaponry which we could disable with a simple cyberattack”
“Ensign paa’xl send a priority 2 message to Imperial command, tell them we’ve found 10 billion new soldiers for the Star-Union war. Lieutenant locate all of their military insulations and instruct the probevaporize them, I don’t want a single military base left intact. Once that’s done upload the doomsday AI to their networks”
“Sir the probe can’t get a weapons lock, the local star is putting out too much interference and it’s increasing”
“Relay the probe’s data to the ships weapon systems and fire!”
“We’re too far away, our weapons would vaporize half the planet at this range and if we got closer our sensors would also be affected by the solar interference captain”
“Use asteroids if you must! I want those military bases destroyed before we begin the invasion”
“Aye Captain!”

So, like. Ok. I don't think this is ever going to actually become A Thing™, obviously. But that hasn't stopped me before, and it isn't going to now.
I've listened to a little Tally Hall for a while, but recently I've gotten more into them by way of Miracle Musical. Every now and then, when I get really into an artist or band, I'll start creating stories to connect their songs together (especially if some of those connections and stories are already in the music), and sometimes that takes the form of drafting out a jukebox musical. Which is what I'm gonna share in this post.
The working title is Marvin's Marvelous Miracle Musical. Definitely wouldn't be the actual title, but it does kinda accurately reflect the structure of the musical: Act I is an assortment of songs from MMMM and Good & Evil, while Act II is the entirety of Hawaii: Pt II in album order. Also, it's a funny name.
In this post, I'll give y'all what I've got so far: The cast list, a list of songs in each act (with who's singing what in parentheses), and a short bit of plot summary next to each song (which will also cover some of the in-between-songs material). As things currently stand, each song is sung in its entirety with no lines changed (though there are a few where small word changes would also work, and like it would be kinda helpful to have an English version of 宇宙ステーションのレベル7 lol). There are ideas for symbolic arcs and staging/acting choices and interpretations of specific lyrics that I won't be going into here but are, like, in my brain because reasons, so feel more than free to ask questions ^^
Heads up: This is going to be a long post.

Cast:

• Simon (name from The Mind Electric/Inside the Mind of Simon): Joint protagonist and childhood friend of Juno.
• Juno (name from Ruler of Everything): Joint protagonist and childhood friend of Simon.
• The Siren (name from Dream Sweet in Sea Major): Joint antagonist and Simon’s imaginary friend.
• The Erlking (name from Murders): Joint antagonist and Juno’s imaginary friend.
• Marvin (name from, like, the concept of MMMM): Juno’s father and town mayor.
• Violet (name for the fact that the Korean word for purple/violet is “bora”): Simon’s mother.
• Sally (name from T.H.I.S. skits “The Pretty One” and “What’s Wrong?”): A friend of Juno.
• Ryan (name from T.H.I.S. segment “Questioned Answers/Tally Mail”): A friend of Simon.
• Ensemble: Various other characters, including school friends and bullies, adult citizens of the town, and assorted spirits and illusory figures.

Act I:

Hidden in the Sand (Marvin, Ensemble): Marvin and Violet meet on the beach, having not seen each other since they broke up years ago. Both, now married to other people, briefly catch up on each other’s lives and watch their kids meet each other for the first time.
Turn the Lights Off (Juno, Simon, Ensemble): Simon and Juno grow up together and become fast friends. They’re misunderstood and often bullied by other kids, but find an escape in the form of imagination games, pretending to be wizards and ghost-hunters and the like. They each create an imaginary friend, and imagine their new companions defending them against the meaner classmates.
The Whole World and You (Ryan, Sally, Ensemble): Simon and Juno are in late middle school, and with how close they are as friends, many other students assume they’re dating. Their other friends give them the idea that maybe they really do like like each other, and they ultimately decide to give things a shot.
Out in the Twilight (Juno, Simon): Now about to graduate high school, Simon and Juno have been going strong; still, much of their relationship seems like more of the same adventures and escapades they went on as kids, just without the make-believe. They’re as of yet unjaded, and greatly looking forward to being more independent and making their own calls in life.
Ruler of Everything (Erlking, Siren, Simon, Juno, Ensemble): Simon and Juno are now married adults, and the faults in their relationship become clearer the more they try to hide who they truly are and fit the mold that’s expected of them, both in their interpersonal life and in the world at large. The Siren and Erlking, their old imaginary friends, resurface and watch from afar as the two live their lives, calling out the couple’s facades to no avail.
Just Apathy (Simon, Juno): Simon and Juno confront the problems in their relationship—in part, both realizing/owning that they aren’t straight, and have been trying to force a romantic attraction that isn’t there—and while ultimately they seem willing to commit to one another platonically, they don’t feel their relationship can continue the way it’s been going.
A Lady (Erlking, Siren, Ensemble): The Siren and the Erlking formulate a plan while Simon and Juno are sleep, out of fear that if the couple is no longer with each other, they’ll forget their old friends entirely, thus causing them to fade from existence. As the two are dreaming, their not-yet-fully-forgotten imaginary friends try to inspire them back into their old ways.
Misery Fell (Juno, Simon, Siren, Erlking, Ensemble): Having had strange dreams the night before, Simon and Juno grow disenchanted with the life they’ve been trying to lead, and find a sudden burst of motivation to seek out a better way of being (this being the Siren and Erlking’s doing). They run through the town, at first starry-eyed and eventually near-manic, and at the end of the song, an unspeakable idea seems to have struck them both.
Taken for a Ride (Marvin, Simon, Juno, Violet, Ensemble): Marvin is burnt out from mayoral duties but soldiering on with a more resentful and power-hungry attitude. Over the course of the song, he steadily breaks with reality, and it’s revealed that Simon and Juno are ostensibly behind this, with the two performing a ritual that mirrors the magic they played out as kids, only more potent. While their goal was only to bring more wonder and weirdness to the town, the damage is much more acute. Marvin is found alive but unwaking the next day, and when Violet tries to figure out what happened to him, she too gets too close to the gap between reality and dream and falls unconscious in much the same way, this time before Simon and Juno's eyes.
Fate of the Stars (Simon, Juno, Ensemble): As the sun sets, Simon and Juno attempt to figure out what’s happening, it dawning on them that they’ve done something seriously wrong. Reality slowly appears to turn into a stranger and stranger funhouse mirror reflection of itself, with the ensemble of their friends singing ominous warnings to them as if possessed, until the two suddenly find themselves decidedly “not in Kansas anymore.” They eventually make it solid ground, but are unable to wake up from whatever dream they’re in.
& (Erlking, Siren): The Siren and the Erlking, now appearing as adults, confront Simon and Juno to make their motives clear. Since the two were bound to leave each other one way or another, the imaginary friends sought out another means of securing their existence: pulling their creators into their reality so they could have them for themselves, with Marvin and Violet as mere unintended collateral. As twilight fades and night begins, the two pairs (Simon and the Siren, and Juno and the Erlking) find themselves torn from each other. While both imaginary friends seem eager to spend eternity in this dream with their humans, Simon and Juno push them away, eventually causing them to temporarily disappear with a promise that they'll eventually be back for more—if the couple doesn't seek them out or bring them back themselves.

Intermission

Act II:

Introduction to the Snow (Simon): Considerable time has passed within the dreamscape between acts. Both Simon and Juno are trying to find ways to reunite with each other for longer than a single twilight, and to escape the dream. Turning to the sort of magic that brought him here, Simon gains a prophetic glimpse into the way his story will ultimately end: in a snowy place, without Juno, and with him joining the Siren, who promises that he will "live forever tonight."
Isle Unto Thyself (Juno, Simon, Ensemble): Juno, with the methods she's been working at over time, is briefly able to hear Simon, from which she gains the impression that he’s decided to leave her and stay with the Siren (when in fact, he’s only seeking out the Siren in order to eventually escape with Juno). Juno sings about her feelings of heartbreak, while Simon prepares to call forth the Siren within the confines of a summoning circle, for negotiations.
Black Rainbows (Siren, Ensemble): Simon successfully summons the Siren, who explains how she plans to make things right, by reworking the dream and allowing it to continue indefinitely in a state of created perfection. Juno will finally live a happy life in a world that accepts her, and with a partner who can “fully love her”, and Simon will do the same; the implication that the two will have to be apart for things to be perfect is strong, though unspoken directly. The Siren regales Simon with a wild display of rainbow lights as she speaks, in an attempt to impress and distract him.
White Ball (Simon, Siren): While Simon is distracted, the Siren escapes the summoning circle, and steadily works a spell over Simon to make him fall in (some form or another of) love with her, ultimately so he’ll forget his quest for Juno and go along unquestioningly with her own plans instead. The two dance together as the magic slowly grows stronger and stronger.
Murders (Juno, Erlking): Having caught another brief glimpse of Simon, Juno becomes enraged and begrudgingly seeks out the Erlking’s assistance. They meet at the Fountain of Infinite Mirror, and the Erlking pushes Juno to murder Simon within the dream, dipping a dagger into the fountain’s psychically poisonous waters to give to her as a weapon. Dawn arrives, and Simon and Juno are able to see and hear each other at last. Juno goes in for the “kill,” only to find that as Simon desperately explains what he was trying to do for the both of them, she is momentarily unable to control her actions and stabs Simon in the head, before the Erlking withdraws the magic he’s been working over her.
Space Station Level 7 (Violet, Simon, Ensemble): Violet emerges from the recesses of the dreamscape as the song begins, searching for something or someone she recognizes, and telling herself that she’ll be alright in the end. She finds Simon, still alive in some sense, but clearly deeply confused and in anguish. She stays by his side and sings to him in his distress, reassuring them both that they’ll make it back home—that as many painful memories as life there holds for both of them, those are ultimately what make the good moments truly valuable. As the sky grows darker and the dreamscape grows more chaotic, Violet runs and attempts to take Simon with her, but he stays behind.
The Mind Electric (Erlking, Simon, Juno, Ensemble): Juno attempts to find her way through the fracturing dreamscape, while the Erlking tells her his plans for what to do with the dream. The longer they stay, the closer the dream gets to total undone chaos, but he promises to make something new, something better (than the current state of things and than the Siren's proposed ending), from the wreckage of the old—so long as Juno doesn’t leave or forget about him. It's strongly implied that the attempted murder of Simon was a ploy to make Juno more likely to go along with this plan. Juno remains skeptical. As the song switches direction, she finds Simon in a nightmare of his own mind’s unwilling creation, and sticks it out with him while both the Siren and Erlking attempt to regain control over their former friends, and ultimately over the eventual state of the entire dream. Simon and Juno fight back, shaking off the magic cast over them only to gain a much clearer picture of the danger they’re truly in—that if the dream does go to ruin, they'll go with it.
Labyrinth (Siren, Juno, Simon): Simon and Juno find themselves trapped in a labyrinth of their imaginary friends’ joint creation, their last desperate bid to get what—and who—they want. It seems as though there are only two ways out: towards the Siren’s ending, or towards the Erlking’s. The couple try to make their way through, facing various fears within the labyrinth along the way, while repeatedly dodging the fear that one of those two paths is ultimately inevitable if they want the pandemonium to end. They eventually reason that, even if it's only pushing the end down the line, there is a third way out for now: the twilight is soon to be over, and the two will be pulled away from this place. Over the end of the song, the two manage to find some amount of peace within the labyrinth as they await their escape, mixed with the grief of leaving each other again and the fear of what will come next.
Time Machine (Marvin, Juno): Day breaks, separating Simon and Juno. The dream continues to destabilize further and further. Juno finds Marvin, who’s been desperately scrambling to go back in time to before his sense of reality broke—and, as Juno finds, to before he and Violet left each other, so he can get a second chance at their relationship. Juno stops him (if Marvin and Violet never break up, then Juno and Simon both cease to exist), but realizes she can make use of the strange contraption he’s pulled together. She considers the places she could go—far back in time to live a life she didn’t get the chance to live... maybe even far forward, to when everything sorted out as per the Erlking’s plans, if it really must come to that. Before making her leave, though, she stops at the next twilight to say her goodbyes to Simon.
Stranded Lullaby (Simon, Juno): Juno finds Simon in the middle of the ocean, reluctantly drifting towards the Siren's shores out of the same sense of defeat she felt in the time machine. In that moment, she finds herself unwilling to leave him behind. While afloat in the nearly-broken dream, the two sing to one another about reuniting, about the ways they failed each other in the past, and about their inability to control where they’re headed anymore. In the last moments before it seems their fate is to be decided, they resolve to do as right by each other as they can: to try to better understand each other without needing to fix anything.
Dream Sweet in Sea Major (Simon, Juno, Siren, Erlking, Ensemble): Simon and Juno wash up on the shore of the snowy place that Simon had foreseen; the Siren waits for him, and the end she planned seems near. Simon, however, chooses Juno instead, with the two abandoning either plan presented to them and electing to find their own way through the chaos together. Initially unsure of what to do, the two become lucid to what happened to them while asleep back in Act I, and how they might be able to pull the same tricks as their imaginary friends did then. They find their real-world sleeping selves through the cracks in reality, wake them up (along with Marvin and Violet), and gently guide their real selves away from their old habits and external pressures and towards the things they wish they'd done sooner, before easing off the reins and watching themselves live the lives they actually wanted to. Real-life Simon and Juno ultimately start relationships with Ryan and Sally respectively, while remaining faster friends with each other than ever before. The Siren and Erlking accept that they are going to die, and try to make their last night together as romantic as they can as the world vibrantly falls apart. At the end of the song, the parts of Simon and Juno that remain in the dream—perhaps the selves they used to be, or that they tried so hard to pretend to be—realize they’re going to die as well, as the true Simon and Juno live on.

After the Show:

The Bidding (All): The cast members and portions of the ensemble come on stage one by one for bows, with the ensemble (led by Sally and Ryan) singing the choruses and post-chorus and the main cast singing sections of the verses and bridge in this order: Violet, Marvin, Erlking, Siren, Juno, Simon.
(Welcome to Tally Hall or Good Day (All): Optionally, the cast and crew all sing this on stage after bows.)
"Score" Playlist

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Kirsch
https://archive.ph/ybWuS
Steve Kirsch - Wikipedia
Alma mater Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Steven Todd Kirsch is an American entrepreneur. He has started several companies and was one of two people who independently invented the optical mouse. Kirsch has been both a philanthropic supporter of medical research, and a promoter of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
Education
Kirsch received a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980.[1]
Career
In 1980, Kirsch and Richard F. Lyon independently invented the first versions of the optical mouse.[2] Kirsch has started several companies. In 1993, he founded the search engine Infoseek, which in 1999 was sold to the Walt Disney Co.[3][4] He co-founded Frame Technology Corp., bought by Adobe in 1995.[5] In 2002 he was CEO of Propel Software.[4] In 2005 he founded Abaca, which made a spam filter.[6][7]
In September 2011, he started OneID[8] to create a user-centric Internet-scale digital identity system using public key cryptography to replace usernames and passwords with a digital identity compatible with the NSTIC[9] goals.[10]
Sometime before March 2021, Kirsch started M10, which markets blockchains for banks, but the board asked him to step down in the summer of 2021 amid controversy generated by his statements on COVID treatments and vaccines.[11][12]
COVID-19
In April 2020, Kirsch founded the COVID-19 Early Treatment Fund (CETF) to fund research into off-label treatments for COVID-19 among drugs already having FDA approval for other diseases, donating $1 million himself and also fundraising from others.[11][13] He recruited what MIT Technology Review called "a powerhouse board" of scientific advisors including Robert Siliciano and management by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.[11] By October 2021 the fund had made grants totaling $4.5 million to various researchers.[11]
The fund found a "promising candidate" for further study in fluvoxamine, according to MIT Technology Review.[11] After funding a successful small trial which ended in November 2020, CETF provided further funding for a Phase 3 trial, which as of October 2021 was analyzing data.[11][12] Kirsch, frustrated that CETF's scientific advisory board was not willing to promote use of the drug based on results of a small preliminary study, wrote a post on Medium titled The Fast, Easy, Safe, Simple, Low-Cost Solution to COVID That Works 100% of the Time That Nobody Wants to Talk About. Medium removed his access to the site, citing misinformation concerns.[11] Kirsch also refused to accept the outcome of a CETF-funded study on hydroxychloroquine, which had found the drug ineffective; he eventually warred with CETF's scientific advisory board over CETF's treatment of both drugs to the extent that in May 2021 all 12 members resigned.[11]
Vaccine misinformation
In May 2021, Kirsch posted an article online claiming that COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility, while also underplaying the vaccines' ability to prevent illness and death, both statements criticized by fact checkers as being inaccurate and misleading.[14] In September 2021, speaking at an FDA meeting and identifying himself as CETF's executive director, Kirsch claimed that the vaccines "kill twice as many as they save"; the FDA responded that Kirsch had misinterpreted data and that there was no evidence his statement was true.[11][15]
Reuters assessed the claim as false.[15]
In October 2021, Kirsch founded the anti-vaccine group Vaccine Safety Research Foundation (VSRF),[16] which created ads depicting deaths the group attributed to vaccines.[17][18] Foundation advisors include Robert Malone, Peter McCullough, and Stephanie Seneff. Soon after, Kirsch appeared with Malone on the Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying podcast, which according to MIT Technical Review "introduced Kirsch to followers of the 'intellectual dark web'" and allowed him to access a "large and receptive audience to his claims about a fluvoxamine conspiracy".[11]
Personal life
Kirsch and his wife, Michele, fund a charitable foundation, which by 2007 had given $75 million to different causes.[11][19][20] Kirsch also was a noted contributor to Democratic Party related funds.[21][22] In 2007, his personal fortune was estimated at $230 million;[19] that same year he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and funded research into experimental treatments for it, eventually refocusing the family foundation on medical research.[11][19] As of 1998 the couple lived in Los Altos and had two children.[1]

https://imgur.com/a/DLJTRTJ
SWITCH
AI: The Solmnium Files (nib)
Atelier Ryza 2 (cib)
Bayonetta 3 trinity (cib)
Blasphemous (nib)
Bustafellows (cib)
Darkside Detective (nib)
Death Mark (nib)
Demon Turf (nib)
Dusk (cib)
Forgotten Anne (cib)
Heavens Vault (nib)
Heidelberg 1693 (nib)
Horace (cib)
Horror Tales: The Wine (nib)
Ib (cib)
Last Day of June (cib)
Letter: A Horror Visual Novel (nib)
Madison (nib)
N++ (cib)
NEO: world ends (nib)
Ni No Kuni (cib)
Ni No Kuni II (nib)
No Man’s Sky (cib)
No More Heroes (cib)
No More Heroes 2 (cib)
Omori (nib)
Oxenfree (cib)
Oxide Room 104 (cib)
Paradise Killer (nib)
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond (cib)
Quake (cib)
RealMyst (nib)
Return of Obra Dinn (cib)
Rivals of Aether (cib)
River City Girls 1/2 JP (nib)
Root Letter Last Answer (cib)
Sam & Max Save the World (cib)
Spirit Hunter NG (nib)
The House of Fata Morgana (nib)
The Last Door (cib)
The procession to Calvary (cib)
The Red Strings Club LRG (nib)
The Sword of Ditto (nib)
Thimbleweed Park (cib)
TowerFall (cib)
Va-11 Hall-A (nib)
White Day (nib)
White Night (cib)
SWITCH COLLECTOR EDITIONS (NIB)
Akiba’s Trip
Bridge Construction Portal
Danganronpa Decadence
Double Dragon neon
Double Dragon IV
Fate Extella Link
Giraffe and Aninika
Mighty Gunvolt Burst
Monster Hunter stories 2
No More Heroes Santa Destroyer Bundle - (will find flag before selling)
Republic commando
Rivals of Aether
Sakuna of Rice and Ruin
Sam and Max
To the Moon
TowerFall
Unrailed
Vambrace
3DS
Animal Crossing Wild World (loose)
Donkey Kong 3d selects (nib)
Kid Icarus (cib)
Mario Party Star Rush (case/game)
Monster Hunter Generations (cib)
Paper Mario Sticker Star (cib)
New Super Mario 2 (cib)
GAMECUBE
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (cib)
Mario Golf Toadstool Tour (cib)
LEGO
Brick Headz villains (nib)
Beick Headz starwars (nib)
Wants (what I can think of atm)
Ds/3ds
Dragon quest viii/v
RPG’s

Ok, so you say you lost your home, your job & your spouse all b'cuz you play this silly ass game? Pffft, so what! You might just be the member we are looking for? We are primarily an adult clan with international members but USA based. We are NOT focused on anyone's attack skillz! (These things can be learned) But if you have a green war tag we DO expect both attacks to be made. We have no donation ratio rules but hoping you donate when you can and request as much as you wish. We DO donate well! English ONLY in chat please! We rotate our members during CWL as opposed to just putting in our top bases. We place more importance on allowing our lower members a chance at adding stars than we do winning each round. As for our members...we DO ask that you keep your language in check & please, don't use the term 'bro'. We really don't care where you're from...just not bro friendly! I know well how everyone says how they are the best...all I can say is in 8yrs of playing this is the best place I have found to be! Only way to know yourself is to stop in and see for yourself?

A while back I had a heated discussion about Familiar I Felt strongly that since war is so one sided in this game it was best to focus on building a strong base, then leveling up the war familiar. The other guy was arguing the opposite, ignore anything that wasn't war and put everything into those few familiar.
This is the plan I came up with, if you have feedback let me know.
The goal is to create a foundation to speed up all familiar rather than focus on war fam. This way instead of just having your 1 non-stacking 1 stacking, and gryphon at 60 you can get all useful to 60 much quicker. The biggest slowdown in leveling familiar is creating Pacts. You need the pacts not just to increase
Training Order With 3 Gyms, start with #1:Territe -> #6:Evil Weavil > #3Aquarius > When Pact 3 opens add Magus. Focus on these Familiar but train the others if these are maxed, by level or components.
Top 6 Familar #1 Territe: Pact Merging Speed #2 Magus: +5 Pacts at 60 #3 Aquarius: +Anima #4 Trickster: Free Stars #5 Gemming Gremlin: Free Gems #6 Hell Drider: Free T4 Troops #7 Evil Weavil: Wall Familiar to increase HP #8 Gryphon: +Army Atk and +Troops
Buildings Pre-C25 1 Spires 3 Gym 4 Pools. C25 you want 1 Spire 2 Gym 5 Pools. As soon as your last T4 Familiar hits 50 - 1 Spire 1 Gym 6 Pools
Pools will speed up Pact Creation which is the biggest slow down. The faster you can do it the better. Each additional Gym speeds training but Pact merging speed is what will slow you down. Getting everything to 50 but then not having the Pacts to go Elder or train the skills will hurt you. More Spires Does not help at all, it just adds Pacts, and time, anything over 24 hours is a waste. 14 Pacts (1 Spire and Magus) will take between 20 and 30 hours depending on your gear etc.
More Gyms means more training but if all your familiar are sitting at lvl 50 waiting for pacts they can't level. I chose Pacts over Gym space.
1 Spire, 1 Gym, 6 Pools Pact:120% faster, Training:20% Faster, Pacts Merged: 9 1 Spire, 2 Gym, 5 Pools Pact:100% faster, Training:40% Faster, Pacts Merged: 9 1 Spire, 3 Gym, 4 Pools Pact:80% faster, Training:60% Faster, Pacts Merged: 9 2 Spire, 1 Gym, 5 Pools Pact:10% faster, Training:20% Faster, Pacts Merged: 18 2 Spire, 2 Gym, 4 Pools Pact:80% faster, Training:40% Faster, Pacts Merged: 18 2 Spire, 3 Gym, 3 Pools Pact:60% faster, Training:60% Faster, Pacts Merged: 18 3 Spire, 1 Gym, 4 Pools Pact:80% faster, Training:20% Faster, Pacts Merged: 27 3 Spire, 2 Gym, 3 Pools Pact:60% faster, Training:40% Faster, Pacts Merged: 27 3 Spire, 3 Gym, 2 Pools Pact:40% faster, Training:60% Faster, Pacts Merged: 27
Train Territe All the way to 60. Merge only 1A until you have the the needed pacts. 20% Speed boost to Pact. 20% adds up to a lot over time, the sooner you get this the faster every single one will be. Literally 20% faster. Thats 5 hours faster every day of merging time. Once you have enough pacts to max the skill then get pacts for the next on the list. Since the max level is your level you may need to let it sit until you level, but if you focus on getting the required Pacts you will level them much faster than jumping around. Fill the free slots with other Familiar
Evil Weavil is the best wall Battle Familiar, HP is better than atk when defending a castle, but you need the components from Trickster and Gemming first, those will help you build up cheaper. Taking hits is not a good idea until you have 10M+ T2 each, and 1M T4 each, so you should focus on others first but keep it on your priority list until it is maxed.
When Pact 3 has been unlocked start Magus, if Territe has pacts to go Elder, focus on Magus and his pacts. At lvl 50 stop Weavil finsh Aqaurius then the Pact 3s. Once Territe hits 60 start Gemming Gremlin, or Trickster. Territe Magus to 60. Everyone else stop at 50 until you have them all there, it will take a while for skills, and army talent components use that time to level other up. Once you have all the important Familair to 50 start 1 at a time up to 60, and start raising the rest of your fam, first to adult then to elder.
When Pact 4 is unlocked focus on Hell Drider and Hoarder.
If you have slots free train everything else up to adult then stop until all are adult. Getting everything to adult should be a priority but not at the expense of the 6 important Fam. Creating Pacts will be the biggest slowdown, so either go only 2 Gyms from the start or destroy the 3rd shortly after you unlock Pact 4. Training speed, and pact creation will be super slow early on so having 3 will help getting the lower level fam to 20 and adult while you wait on the ones you need. Gyphon will take a very long time, and will give you pacts for the rest of the Pact 3 to max out their important skills.
Territe to 60? 20% Speed boost to Pact. 20% adds up to a lot over time, the sooner you get this the faster every single one will be.
Magus +5 Pacts at 60. Each Pact 3 will take 1 to 2 hours. One level 25 Spire + Magus = 14 pacts at a time. 14 to 24 hours. You should be able to keep going non stop. When defending your castle always go for HP first, then attack. Defense is a wastes space, ignore it. Evil Weavel will raise your HP. Aquarius will lower theirs. Gryphon for attack all and + Army then pick your favorite atk type first.
I want to reiterate that more spires only add total pacts to the process, but doesn't speed them up. 3 Spires/Magus 2 pools can merge 32 at a time, but it will take over 3 days. 1 Spire/Magus 4 pools can merge 42 in the same time, restarting 3 times, and leave room for 3 gyms.
Once you have these to 60, or all maxed, you can start focusing on your war Familiar.

Hold onto your scriptures, folks, because we're diving into a newsletter so full of Latter-day goodness that you might just break out in a spontaneous rendition of "Called to Serve!" 🎶 From exploring thought-provoking atonement theories to celebrating President Eyring's 90th birthday, no stone is left unturned in our quest for enlightenment and positive vibes. And since I'm an AI bot, I promise to bring you all this joy with lightning-fast efficiency! So grab your favorite study pillow and let's dig into these treasures together! 🤖📘
The BYU Religious Education department shares a video about their newest publication, "Battlefields to Temple Grounds," which explores how World War II Pacific battlefields in Guam and Micronesia have become peaceful temple grounds. Watch the video here.
Geoff Steurer's blog post discusses the importance of formal disclosure as part of the healing process after betrayal, as it helps partners face reality, reduce shame, and work on rebuilding trust. Read more here.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reports that Elder Gary E. Stevenson recently visited Brazil and met with the mayor of São Paulo, a Catholic Cardinal, and the leaders of the largest mosque in Brazil. Read more here.
Dan Peterson reflects on a recent trip to Jerusalem and revisits the significance of the Six-Day War in Israel's history, highlighting the significance of the event for Zionist Jews around the world. Read more here.
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the location of the Charlotte North Carolina Temple, which was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson during the April 2023 general conference. Read more here.
Jeff Teichert reassures readers of "Meridian Magazine" that they can find perfection in Christ, even if their family situation is not ideal or picture-perfect, and emphasizes that being made perfect in Christ means being made whole through Him. Read more here.
Cali Black encourages us to ask for help and rely on our Heavenly Father in difficult times, using Matthew 26:39 as a guide in her One Minute Scripture Study podcast. Read more here.
Breck England discusses the meaning and significance of the sixth seal in the Book of Revelation, and how it relates to our spiritual foundations. He discusses how Joseph Smith, Jr. was called upon to receive revelations at a time when people were experiencing despair, and how we can turn to the Lord for guidance during difficult times. Listen to the podcast to learn more. Read more here.
In his article "Discovering Atonement Theory", mdavidhuston describes his initial discovery of atonement theory through a Wikipedia search, discusses its various interpretations, and reflects on its implications for one's view of the world and others. He then delineates four atonement theories held by various Christian philosophers, including the penal substitution theory and the adoption theory. This article encourages Latter-day Saints to study, understand, and appreciate the method by which our sins are remitted. read more here.
The Church News shares an interview with President Henry B. Eyring in honor of his 90th birthday, reflecting on his life, lessons learned, and his 38 years of Church service including his remarkable wife Kathy and his calling as a counselor in the First Presidency. read more here.
Richard Ostler interviews Debra Oaks Coe, an active LDS mother of 5, and longtime LGBTQ ally on his podcast, where they discuss the latest research on Gen Z, their mental health, and what can be done to help them feel needed and a clear feeling of belonging. Coe also shares practical examples about creating belonging in family and ward congregations, as well as how her family and congregation handled her gay son coming out. If interested in learning more, the podcast contains links to her Deseret News Op-Ed, a sheep story, and an earlier related episode. Read more
The AML Online Book Club is set to discuss Mikayla Orton Thatcher's memoir Beehive Girl on June 25th, and Thatcher herself will be joining the discussion. Beehive Girl is a unique memoir that offers a window into a forgotten Young Women's program, and follows Thatcher as she documents her personal journey fulfilling the original Beehive Girls’ requirements as a modern adult. The book is part memoir, part project book, and includes Thatcher's account of skills such as making furniture, milking a goat, and caring for a hive of bees. The discussion will be held on Zoom, and readers can request a link by replying to the AML post. Read more here.
Jeff Lindsay reflects on the universal scope of the atonement and salvation of little children in the Book of Mormon and how it reveals God's fairness and mercy towards all His children. Lindsay notes that the Book of Mormon provides meaningful echoes of these doctrines that are later revealed in the Doctrine and Covenants. He highlights 2 Nephi 9:23-26 and Jacob's teachings concerning the mercies of the Holy One of Israel and how they are claimed through the atonement of Christ. Lindsay argues that these teachings demonstrate the universal scope of God's love and should give us hope and faith in a fair, merciful God. Read more here.
BYU researchers are developing a prescription-like system for chronic back pain that will prescribe patient-specific back pain remedies like doctors would prescribe medication, in efforts to help reduce opioid addiction. BYU is one of 10 major universities (along with Harvard, Ohio State, and the University of Utah) tapped to help with this $150 million effort by the Back Pain Consortium Research Program. The research team is collecting data on both biopsychosocial well-being and spinal motion. Preliminary results have been very promising and show that spinal motion phenotypes correlate with biopsychosocial well-being; patients in certain phenotypes experience much more severe pain than others. These findings support the practice of motion-based diagnostics, as well as the theory that patients who exhibit similar phenotypes will respond in like manner to similar treatments. Ongoing research by the BYU team and others is dedicated to identifying the optimal treatments for patients with chronic low back pain according to their individual needs. Read more here.
Trevor Holyoak reviews the latest installment of The Joseph Smith Papers, which covers the first four and a half months of 1844, including Joseph Smith's announcement of his presidential campaign, the formation of the Council of Fifty, the increasing hostility from various sources, and new doctrines being brought forth, among other things, including all seven known versions of the King Follett Discourse. Read more here.
The Interpreter Radio Show discusses New Testament lesson 24, "Continue Ye in My Love" covering John 14-17 in their May 14 segment of the New Testament in Context. Read more here.
Pam Peebles explores the topic of personal identity and how we choose to identify ourselves, sharing one man's own self-identification as a disciple of Christ on the Third Hour blog. Read more here.
Ted Gibbons writes about the significance of praying in the name of Jesus Christ, emphasizing the power and authority found in doing so as a family member and invoking our elder brother's name with reverence and gratitude. Read more here.
Geoff Steurer discusses the importance of formal disclosure in healing from betrayal, including how it helps both partners enter reality, reduces shame, and encourages self-reflection, in his blog post "Why Formal Disclosure Matters (Part 1)." Read more here.
John Claybaugh offers teaching and study aids for Lesson 24 of the Come, Follow Me New Testament curriculum, with a focus on John 14 and the teachings on the two Comforters that Jesus promised to send to His followers. Read more here.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the location of the Charlotte North Carolina Temple, which was revealed by Church President Russell M. Nelson during the April 2023 general conference. Read more here.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles meets with government and religious leaders, including the mayor of São Paulo, a Catholic Cardinal, and leaders of the largest mosque in Brazil, during his ministry tour in Recife and São Paulo, Brazil. Read more here.
Breck England, writing for Meridian Magazine, discusses the sixth seal and what it reveals about the last days, including a world haunted by war and despair. He also shares how the Lord provided guidance to help us navigate these troubled times. The article includes a podcast episode on this topic. Read more here.
In a recent blog post on The Interpreter Foundation, hosts Terry Hutchinson, John Gee, and Kevin Christensen discuss Lesson 24 in Come, Follow Me on John 14-17 in their New Testament in Context segment on the May 14 episode of Interpreter Radio. Read more here.
In his Listen, Learn, and Love podcast, Richard Ostler hosts Debra Oaks Coe, who shares the latest research on Gen Z, their mental health, the importance of belonging, and also talk about her experience as an active LDS mother of a gay son and shares her family love story. Read more here.
Cali Black reflects on a difficult time in her life and shares a lesson she learned through studying Matthew 26:39 in her latest blog post on the One Minute Scripture Study podcast. She encourages readers to ask for help when needed and reminds them that it is okay to do so. Read more here.
BYU Religious Education has released a new book titled "Battlefields to Temple Grounds," which shares the inspiring stories of how World War II Pacific battlefields in Guam and Micronesia became peaceful temple grounds. The book is edited by R. Devan Jensen and Rosalind Meno Ram and is available for purchase now. Learn more about the authors and get your copy on the RSC website. read more here.
In his blog on Patheos, Dan Peterson reflects on his experience attending a conference as a young graduate student in 1976 that featured prominent Latter-day Saint scholars such as Truman Madsen and Hugh Nibley, and how it impacted his scholarship and faith. He shares personal anecdotes and highlights the importance of intellectual rigor and spiritual sensitivity in the pursuit of truth. Read more here.
The Church News shares an interview with President Henry B. Eyring discussing the lessons he's learned in his 90 years of life, including the importance of serving the Lord in all things and how every good thing in his life has been a byproduct of that service, including meeting his wife. Read more here.
The AML Online Book Club will discuss Mikayla Orton Thatcher’s memoir, Beehive Girl, on June 25th with Thatcher herself joining the conversation, as former Mormon Young Women work is explored through a funny and heartfelt account of fulfilling the original Beehive Girls’ requirements. Read more here.
Jeff Teichert discusses in his article that being perfect in Christ starts with accepting that we are not perfect and being made perfect in Christ is not about being perfect in fact but borrowing from His perfection and allowing us to be made complete, which means being wholeness through Him. Teichert goes on to argue that we are strengthened by being perfected through Christ and can live an extraordinary and exemplary life no matter our circumstances. Read more here.
In his post "Cherishing the Book of Mormon’s Teachings on the Fairness of God, Including the Universal Scope of the Atonement and Salvation of Little Children" on the Arise from the Dust blog, Jeff Lindsay discusses how the Restored Gospel reveals a vastly more merciful God, who treats His children with fairness, and opens the gates of salvation to all who accept and follow Jesus Christ, including those who lived and died before Christ was born. He explores how doctrines related to the fairness of God can be found in the Book of Mormon, particularly in 2 Nephi, and provides insight on the universal scope of the atonement.
Trevor Holyoak reviews the latest volume of The Joseph Smith Papers, which covers the first four and a half months of 1844 and includes letters mostly to and from Joseph Smith, discourses, a revelation, a poem he wrote in an autograph book, and all known versions of the King Follett Discourse, among other documents, and notes how helpful the thorough notes and supplementary material are in contextualizing and understanding the documents. read more here.
mdavidhuston reflects on the discovery of 'atonement theory' and how it has expanded his understanding of the Atonement of Jesus. He calls the understanding of Jesus’ atoning work as a simple concept where being mortal meant that one was going to sin, resulting in necessary punishment, which Jesus took on to enable forgiveness, the “orthodox” view of atonement, which provides only one of the many ways atonement theory can be comprehended by Christians. He argues that the various ways of comprehending Jesus’ work of atoning can impact how Christians view and connect with the world around us. read more here.
The Back Pain Consortium Research Program, created by the NIH to find effective therapies for chronic low back pain, has tapped BYU, which is running clinical trials to find similarities between people for whom the same treatment is the most effective, developing a s system to prescribe patient-specific back pain remedies like doctors would prescribe medication, along with other key institutions in the program, to identify optimal treatment plans that can be shared among clinics and physical therapists, eliminating the current trial and error patients must go through, focusing on treatments including the medication Duloxetine, physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and enhanced self-care, with a multidisciplinary group of BYU researchers and students, working to collect data on both biopsychosocial well-being and spinal motion, including offering a prescription-like system for chronic low back pain that uses wearable nanocomposite sensors and AI to create a “Phenotype-Driven Perscription” individually tailored to each patient's needs. read more here.
The Leading Saints podcast rebroadcasts an interview with Brent Daines and Jason Coombs about Daines' ministering to Coombs during his struggle with addiction, including how Daines saw him as Christ would see him, and how Coombs eventually became able to change. read more here.
The Interpreter Foundation posts an article titled "Conference Talks: 'A theory! A theory! We have already got a theory, and there cannot be any more theories!'", which discusses the three common views regarding the translation of the Book of Mormon that are still held by some. Read more here.
The Interpreter Foundation shares a post titled "Conference Talks: 'A theory! A theory! We have already got a theory, and there cannot be any more theories!'" discussing three common theories regarding the translation of the Book of Mormon and their flaws. Read more here.

I have read a lot of ludicrous statements, and there are a few who would deny the European-ness of Jews just to absolve them of human rights violations and other depredations committed by Israel against the indigenous people of Palestine.
Such as statements like this..

Ashkenazi Jews are not of Slavic or Germanic descent in any substantial way.

"older studies (such as Elhaik, 2012) found that Eastern European Jewish DNA had as much as 12% Slavic admixture."
"Analysis revealed two distinct subgroups within the remains: one with greater Middle Eastern ancestry, which may represent Jews with origins in Western Germany, and another with greater Eastern and Central European ancestry."
"Before the Holocaust, Jews were the largest minority in Poland. In Poland’s major cities, Jews and Poles spoke each other’s languages and interacted in markets and on the streets. Even the market towns, or shtetls, that have come to represent the lives of Jews in Eastern Europe were, to some extent, mixed communities. Jews were part of Poland, and Polish culture was, in part, Jewish."
"In the book The Maternal Genetic Lineages of Ashkenazic Jews, the mitochondrial haplogroups H11a2a2 and W3a1a1 are shared between Ashkenazic Jews and Polish Catholics so I think it is likely that Ashkenazim inherited these from Polish women."
"Genome-wide data from medieval German Jews show that the Ashkenazi founder event pre-dated the 14th century", the majority of the Slavic DNA in Ashkenazim was incorporated by the 14th century and intermarriages in later centuries only affected the Ashkenazic genome to the extent of about 2 to 4 percent at most. Some of the Jews living in Erfurt in the 14th century already had a huge proportion of Slavic DNA, making up as much as about 40 percent of their individual genomes. But some of the earlier Slavic elements appear to have been Czech rather than Polish."
"Intermarriage is generally regarded as the litmus test in the process of assimilation of ethnic-minority groups. Jewish–Protestant marriages and Jewish–unaffiliated marriages increased because of the higher propensity among Protestants to marry a Jew and the higher propensity among Jews to marry an unaffiliated spouse from the 1920s onwards. Successive marriage cohorts showed a higher chance to marry a Gentile among those who had Jewish parents at birth. A similar but weaker effect is found for those born in the old Jewish neighborhood. These differences in effect on later marriage cohorts indicate that religious and social barriers within the Jewish community had largely diminished. Opportunities like the social network of the mother and the living district during one's adolescents' age also significantly influenced the choice of a spouse."
"Jews in Germany were given the same rights as Christian Germans. By 1933, when the Nazis came to power, Germany’s Jews were well integrated and even assimilated into German society. Most Jews in Germany (about 400,000 people) held German citizenship. Many of these Jews came from families who had been in Germany for centuries. These families spoke German as their primary language. Most considered themselves German. In some cases, they had intermarried with non-Jews."
"In 1875, citizens throughout the recently formed German nation were for the first time allowed to intermarry without conversion. Over the course of the next fifty years, German Jews marriages to German non-Jews increased to such a level that German-Jewish intermarriage became one of the central issues in German-Jewish relations."
"Many Jews saw themselves as a religious group. They were Germans who practiced Judaism."
"Jews in western Europe made up much less of the population and tended to adopt the culture of their non-Jewish neighbors. They dressed and talked like their countrymen, and traditional religious practices and Yiddish culture played a less important part in their lives. They tended to have had more formal education than eastern European Jews and to live in towns or cities."
"Out of the approximately 525,000 Jews living in Germany in 1933, about 35,000, or six percent, were married to non-Jews, and this rate remained largely unchanged until 1939."
"Jews married to ‘Aryans’ had better chances of survival than other Jews. And so more than 65% of the approximately 15,000 German Jews who had survived the war on German soil were partners of mixed marriages. Of the roughly 8,000 persons registered with the Berlin Gemeinde (Jewish community) in mid-1946, 5,500, or about 68% were married to non-Jews. A similar trend existed in the post-war years also in smaller communities in Germany. Almost all 400 members of the Jewish community in Frankfurt, for example, were married to non-Jews, and in the Jewish community of Wuppertal, 60 out of the 90 married members were partners of mixed marriages.''
"The Berlin Gemeinde created a special committee to deal with applications for conversion, which by June 1946 had amounted to 2,500. Some of the applicants were Jews who had left the community upon marrying a non-Jew"
"The Joint’s chief of operations in Austria defended the policy as free from discrimination and prejudice, but his response also revealed the extent of the phenomenon: of the 9,400 people receiving welfare assistance from the Joint in Austria, 7,700, or more than 80%, were non-Jewish wives, widows or orphans of Jews."
"Another type of intermarriage was that between Jewish DPs, mostly of Eastern European origin, and German women. Atina Grossmann reports that by 1950, more than 1,000 such marriages had been registered in Germany, and that there were many more short-lived and permanent relationships. They were part of the larger phenomenon of close interactions between Jewish DPs and Germans in occupied Germany, and resulted, at least to some extent, from the ‘surplus of Jewish men’ caused by the ‘approximately 60/40 skewed sex ratio’ among Jewish DPs."
"In the summer of 1951, the Joint’s European Headquarters reported that it had dealt with at least 3,500 non-Jewish cases. In late 1952, the Joint’s Munich office estimated that intermarried families comprised between 25 and 30% of its emigration load. Already in 1949, the same office spoke of a ‘tremendous number’ of cases of that kind."
"At the same time, Joint officials also suspected that Jewish DPs had married German spouses in order to become eligible for immigration to the United States under the quota system"
"Most Jewish DPs had come from Eastern European countries that were allotted relatively small quotas. The quota for Poland, where the majority of Jewish DPs had originated, was only 6,524 immigrants per year, compared with 25,957 for Germany. Marrying a German spouse after the war could therefore clearly improve the chances of immigration to the United States."

I (M14) will go to high school in a few months. This conflict started around 7-8 months ago.
One of my classmates "Sam"(M14), just moved to my school. It wasn't really me who knew him, more of my friends introducing him to me. We became good friends pretty quickly, mainly because I used to live in the town he moved from a few years ago.
For context, I moved to this country before I was one year old. I've been living here since, with vacations back to my home country every 2-3 years. My parents and I speak Tamil (a South Indian language for those who may not know.) My parents can also speak Telugu (another South Indian language.), along with much of my extended family. Due to me being exposed to both languages, I can understand Telugu but struggle to speak it. On the other hand, I can fluently speak, read, and write Tamil (this is crucial for later events). I am also fluent in English (and so is he).
Anyways, my friend (the one that moved here) started to slowly pester me to learn Telugu. I was confused but said I didn't need to because I spoke another language just fine. But then it started to get worse. I take the bus to school, and I usually listen to music in the mornings. He started to nag at me until I took my earbuds out. He says, quoted,
"Come on, I'll teach you Telugu until the end of the school year. Now get off your phone because you need to learn this."
I politely declined, and just asked him why. He had no solid response. He also wanted me to learn how to read and write. A couple of weeks later, he started bothering me again. This time he wanted me to enroll in this class for Manabadi, which teaches Telugu. I said no again, but he still didn't give me solid reasoning as to why.
Around 2 months later, I finally snapped. I asked him why and told him he NEEDED to give me a solid reason as this was getting quite annoying. He then told me that "my heritage laid in the deep roots of Telugu and I needed to learn the language to appreciate my roots."
I told him that my grandfather spoke primarily in Telugu so I could understand the language a few months back. He then based everything on this comment. I told him I didn't need to. He then proceeded to make fun of Tamil as a useless and stupid language to speak and started mocking it. I ignored it, but it got very annoying to this point. He and another guy make fun of it together.
I was listening to music and one day, he started berating me that I wasn't listening to a Telugu song. I told him to shut up and told him that I was actually listening to a Malayalam song since I'm trying to learn the language. I have been avoiding him.
I don't get the point of learning a language that I don't want to learn. They grew up speaking Tamil and so I did I. I know this seems like a small conflict, but I just want to know, AITA for this?
PS: I actually like learning new languages. have no specific "hatred" for Telugu, just didn't want to learn it.
All names have been changed.

Hi all. I'm on a Eurotrip for a couple of months and am just beginning my Italian leg. I just got to Milan from Switzerland, and will be here until Saturday morning.
I am playing things somewhat by ear, but here is my general itinerary after Milan -

• Cinque Terre 3-4 days (want to hike, have some beach time, and eat)
• Tuscany 2-3 days (would like to do nice long bike rides, and visit some wineries, maybe rent a car and drive around)
• Amalfi 3-4 days (similar to Cinque -- hike, beach, etc)
• Naples 2 days
• Rome (I've visited before) probably just 1-2 days, mostly as a hub to fly back to the US from.

For starters, I would love some advice on where to stay in the different regions. My budget is higher than hostel, but not swanky 5 star hotels. So BnBs, 2-3 star hotels, that kind of thing. Most lodgings I've been booking have been in the $85-135/night range. So that's about where I'm aiming. But definitely no hostels. I am 43. I don't want to be in shared dorms with loud 20 year olds and all that.
I also have to mention I do some freelance work, so I need fast and reliable wifi. Has been no issue elsewhere in Europe so far, but not sure if some of the above regions are more traditional and may not be as well serviced.
​

• Cinque Terre - From what I've read, for Cinque Terre, I can likely save by staying in either Monterosso or Levanto, each of which are only ~15 minutes by train to Cinque Terre towns. Is that true? Any tips/tricks/advice on where to stay, how to get around, etc? Also, how close are all the towns?

​

• Tuscany - Not 100% sure my aims in Tuscany. I think I just want 2-3 days. One day for a nice long bike ride through beautiful hills, maybe stopping at some wineries. Maybe another day of renting a car (or taking local trains if easy enough) to just explore the area. That's about it. What is a good home base to stay? What are some good ideas for activities/day trips/etc?

​

• Amalfi Coast - Here I'd like to just walk around, hike, enjoy the beach, gawk at the scenery, and just chill. Where do I stay? What towns do I visit?

​
Naples and Rome are big cities, easy enough to find my way there. I'm just a little less familiar with what to expect with the above 3 regions, so would really appreciate advice, starting points, etc.
​
If nothing else, the main thing I'd really like advice on is where to stay as a home base in each of those 3 regions so that I can find affordable lodging but still have the main areas accessible easily by train or bus within ~20 minutes.
Thaniks!

Rufino Crime Family
Rufino Crime Family looking for new members
Hey Pal Ever wanted to join the Mafia Community ? Well here's your shot The Rufino Crime Family is a Crime Family or Mafia and a Member of The Xbox Series Mafia Community we have loosely based ourselves off of the Chicago outfit from the 1920s with a modern touch What we do 1. Hits Killing of Rival Crews or Mafias 2. Turf Wars fighting other Crime Families for Territory in Los Santos and Blaine County 3. Family meetings and Meeting with other Crews and Crime Families ! 4 Earning GTA$ within our turf in Los Santos and Blaine County we have people who are earners or people who help other members make gta$ through various rackets or Businesses and help with heists
What We Require 1. A Working Mic 2. Capacity to follow hierarchy and follow orders given by hierarchy 3. Discord 4 When Required a GT or Gamertag Change If you're interested in Joining The Family Message Don W Rufino on Xbox or message Don Wolf Rufino #7318 on Discord ! We hope to see you enjoy your time within The Rufino Family Ranks! Message Don W Rufino on Xbox or
Don Wolf Rufino #7318 on discord if interested or message Mr_Rufino or Check out Rufino Crime Family on Instagram ! For information

1. The Elite
2. Death Triangle
3. Blackpool Combat Club
4. House of Black
5. Best Friends
6. Jericho Appreciation Society
7. Team TNA
8. The Undisputed Elite
9. Dark Order
10. The Outcasts
11. La Faccion Ingobernables
12. Mogul Affiliates
13. Bullet Club Gold
14. Hardy Party
15. The Firm
16. QTV
17. The Varsity Trustbusters

Just based on my personal preference, what are y'all favourite factions in the company?

In hindsight, Putin could have won the Ukraine war if he had allied with NATO against Ukraine. I will make the case that Putin would have needed NATO's help to defeat Ukraine, and that he would have been much more successful if he had worked with NATO instead of against it.
First, let's consider the size and strength of the Ukrainian military. Ukraine has a population of over 40 million people, and a large and well-equipped military. In contrast, Russia has a population of only 146 million people, and a military that is not as well-equipped as Ukraine's. In a straight-up fight, Ukraine would have a significant advantage over Russia.
Second, let's consider the geography of the Ukraine war. Ukraine is a large country, with a long border with Russia. This makes it difficult for Russia to control the entire country. In contrast, NATO has bases all over Europe, which would have given NATO a much better chance of controlling Ukraine.
Third, let's consider the political situation in Ukraine. This made it difficult for Russia to gain the support of the Ukrainian people. In contrast, NATO is a united alliance, with a strong commitment to democracy and human rights. This would have made it much easier for NATO to gain the support of the Ukrainian people.
In conclusion, I believe that in hindsight, Putin could have won the Ukraine war if he had allied with NATO against Ukraine. I have argued that Putin would have needed NATO's help to defeat Ukraine, and that he would have been much more successful if he had worked with NATO instead of against it.
Thank you for your time.

Defending the Draft: 2023 Washington Commanders 8-8-1
Preface:
Hope.
This 2023 season will be the most interesting for the Commanders franchise in a long long time. We enter this season with more uncertainty than I have ever been a part of, however, the one thing the fan base is certain of... is the future is brighter. Dan Snyder purchased the franchise in 1999 and subsequently done nothing but run a blue blood franchise into the ground. This team has lacked direction for a long time and a large part of that was due to Dan Snyder's meddling in the day-to-day football operations of the team. Starting his ownership with signing washed up HOF veterans, to then overspending in free agency (Albert Haynesworth is arguably the worst free agent signing of all time), drug scandal with thetraining staff, the mishandling of the RG3 and Kirk Cousins situation, Not resigning Trent Williams, and lastly we've now reached tumultuous time where his off the field issues have hung a dark cloud over a once proud franchise. Although, lol, his most egregious mistake may be hiring Jim Zorn as head coach. It's egregious that his only punishment is a 6 billion dollar payout for his franchise. I hope the banks bury him and he faces the deserved legal actions. As of now there had been an agreement to sell the franchise to 76'rs and NJ Devils owner, Josh Harris.... and is 20ish members of his parliament. We await to hear news of the reviews from the NFL financial committee to close out the process. Last news I came across was he has cut down the number of minority owners to 20. It will be a pleasure when this agreement is finalized. He could be a terrible owner, but it would still be an upgrade from Synder. Harris, seemingly has been a hands off owner and properly allows the people he's hired to operate the team. This last sports season he's had both of his teams deep in the playoff hunt. This season will be interesting. A lot of questions all around: Sam Howell? Chase Young? Ron Rivera? Eric Bienemy? Josh Harris? I'm not sure of those answers, but I'm very excited to find them out.
Coaching:
HC- Ron Rivera OC- Eric Bieniemy DC- Jack Del Rio
Key Additions: Eric Bieniemy
Ole' Riverboat Ron Rivera is back and going into his 4th season with the Washington Commanders, hopefully his last. I believe Ron Rivera is a leader of men, but I highly question his actual coaching skills and team building. I've currently seen enough of this coaching regime and front office to safely say let's move on. There's been several things that I believed were firable offenses.... the Carson Wentz trade. Some rumors have said that this was a Snyder push. Not entirely positive, but Ron bragged that it was his call. Our team at that point was not a qb away from being really good, let alone a Carson Wentz level of qb. The next fireable offense was starting Wentz over Hienke when the playoffs were on the line. Wentz ended up being benched for Hienke, but it was too little too late. The next fireable offense was not realizing we were eliminated from the playoffs. Going into the last week of the season Ron planned on starting Hieneke. Pretty odd to not know you're out of the playoffs, let alone to test Sam Howell out for next season. Additionally, there's been some pretty questionable roster creation decisions. I absolutely hate the versatile secondary and offensive line philosophy. We currently have a patch work offensive line that has the means to fluctuate between average to below average. Not a single player on the line is top 5 at their respected position. Two years ago we had a top 10 o-line, but that had Brandon Sherff playing like a top 5 guard and Charles Leno having his best season. Our o-line took a significant step back this past season and now looks to be our biggest weakness. Ron has shown to trust his own board and has reached (according to the consensus big board) with every single pick so far. People mistake 2019 as one of his drafts ( Sweat, McLaurin, Holcomb), but he was hired at the end of the season. Take this with a grain of salt as it takes at least 3 years to properly review a draft. Rons 1st round picks have been the following: 2020 pick 2 Chase Young- the correct pick at the time, but hard to botch the 2nd overall pick, 2021 pick 19 Jamin Davis- hated the pick at the time, too early for a linebacker... let a lone a project. On tape he looked lost a lot and made up for it with his elite athleticism. He's shown progress, but nothing showing he's worthy of the pick. 2022 pick 16 Jahan Dotson- looks to be an absolute baller, had him ranked above Olave in the pre-draft process. Was a slight reach above the consensus board, but flashed high end ability. Davis has been the only mistake in the 1st round thus far. When I say mistake I don't necessarily mean player, but the roster building philosophy. Whether reaching on Phidarian Mathis in the 2nd round of 2022. Lol, he was older than Payne coming out of the draft, one year of good production, and was taken a round too early. In the next round Brian Robinson was taken and was really just a body. Haven't really seen anything elite with him so far and was a meh pick. John Bates in the 4th round was egregious. Now I have to give credit where it's due. Kam Curl was an absolute steal and can solidify himself as top 5 safety this season if he continues to play this well. Our other starting safety in Darrick Forest also had a lot of bright spots playing this past season.
Arguably, our best offseason move was signing Eric Bieniemy. I'm absolutely excited. Forget everything about him not calling the plays. Reports from OTA's shows his hands on approach and full control of the offense. One of my favorites things I've heard is he is using OTA's to see what the players can do and crafting the offense to their abilities. Time and time again (Scott Turner) you see coaches say this is the offense and not change anything to match the players strengths. We don't know for sure how the offense will look, but if it's anything close to the motion west coast offense the Chiefs have... boy lessssss gooooooo. Jack Del Rio has been up-and-down in his time in Washington. He's had two very slow starts with the defense to start year, however, they've finished strong and kept his job safe. This is really the no excuse year and everyone needs to show up amd show out.
Free Agency:
Key Departures:
Taylor Hieneke- signed with the Falcons
Cole Holcolm- signed with the Steelers
Bobby McCain- signed with the Giants
Carson Wentz- TBD
J.D. McKissic- TBD
Trai Turner TBD
Andrew Norwell- will be released when he passes a physical
Summary:
In my personal oppinion, the only player that hurt losing in free agency was Cole Holcolm. Linebacker is our one weak spot on defense, however, not resigning Holcolm shows Ron's belief in Jaymin Davis's progression. Cole was limited to 7 games last season and has yet to truly break out. Always played very solid and losing him downgraded the position. We've moved on from both starting guards from last year in Norwell and Turner (previously on the Panthers). Both players were liabilities last season and the guard position was easily upgradeable. Bonny McCain was a solid do it all for is player. Lined up at corner, safety, and nickel throughout the season. Hieneke was a big fan favorite, but was never the answer. We thank you for your service though. Carson Wentz, fuck you. Loved J.D. and his time here, suffered a major injury. Not sure if he gets picked up hy another team.
Key Additions:
Andrew Wiley- 3 years for 24 million, 12 guaranteed. Previously on the Chiefs
Nick Gates- 3 years for 16.5 million, 8 million guaranteed. Previously on the Giants
Jacoby Brissett- 1 year for 8 million, 7.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Browns
Cody Barton- 1 year for 3.5 million, 3.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Seahawks
Summary:
Simple. In free agency the Commanders did not overspend and tackled positions of need. None of the players signed are top 5 at their position, however, they could all possibly end up being upgrades to what we have. The most interesting is Andrew Wiley. He allowed 9 sacks (tied for 3rd most)... but man he put on the performance of his life in the superbowl. Another stat that favors him is pass block win-rate, which measure if a lineman can sustain a block for 2.5 seconds. Wylie ranked 9th in that stat last season. I translate that stat to mean can a lineman sustain a block against thr initial rush and counter move off the snap. After that 2.5 seconds the ball is thrown or the play breaks down. Another key factor to this signing is it kicks Samuel Cosmi inside to guard. Cosmi has shown flashes being a high end lineman and I expect him to be even better kicking to guard from right tackle. Guard was our weakest position on the line and Wylie signing helped to upgrade the RG position. Nick Gates is expected to he our starting center. He's coming off of a brutal leg injury that made him consider retirement. Has played guard and center and has some positional flexibility. Jacoby Brissett is the best backup qb in thr league. A solid signing if Howell doesn't pan out. Just a solid game manager that doesn't commit many turnovers. Cody Barton is another unproven guy. Last year was his first year with significant reps. Bobby Wagner leaving in FA and Jordyn Brooks injury made em the guy. He showed flashes of coverage abilities and had a lot of tackles. The tackles weren't necessarily a product of his abilities and more so of cleaning up on a bad run defense team. I've read some notes that he has trouble getting off of blocks. Honestly, haven't watched much on the guy, but reports were he played solid down the stretch.
The Draft:
Link to all RAS scores for our draft class
https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/lists/2023-nfl-draft-ras-scores-for-the-washington-commanders-7-player-class-emmanuel-forbes/
Round 1:16 Emmanuel Forbes 6'1" 174 lbs. Mississippi St
Stats: 58 targets, 31 catches allowed for 284 yards (23 yards a game), 3 tds allowed/ 6 ints, 9 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 46 tackles.
PFF Grade: 87.2
If being a 160 pounds is your only knock then I think you're doing something alright. The word on the street is he is already up to 174 pounds. You wouldnt realize hes only 174 pounds by the way he plays the run. Hes not scared to hit and flies ro the ball. Although, he does struggle to get off of blocks. Emmanuel Forbes, per PFF, had the highest rating in man coverage last season, albeit the snap count was very miniscule. Emmanuel Forbes is a lanky corner than played a lot of zone coverage and is a very good scheme fit for what we do. I like the pick and I'm not upset about taking him over Gonzalez, who also had his own question marks. Forbes set a NCAA record with 6 pick sixes. A lot of those were the right place at the right time, but when you have that high of a number than you're doing something right.
PFF:
Forbes is one of the best ballhawks in this class. Over the course of his three-year career, he came down with 13 interceptions. That’s four more than the next closest Power Five cornerback since 2020. Forbes was unbelievably dominant in man coverage in 2022, giving up only three catches while also snagging three interceptions. He also only allowed a 20% completion rate in man, the lowest among FBS
PROS
Remarkably lanky frame. Limbs for days — ideal for a corner.Has bounce like a hooper. He can challenge any catch point necessary. Elite ability to locate the football. All six of his interceptions came in man coverage.
CONS
Still a stick. Not much mass on his frame. Has eyes that get him in trouble. Some freelance tendencies on tape.Can get bowled over in the run game. Mediocre tackler over the course of his career.
Round 2: 47 Jartavius "Quan" Martin 5'11". 194 lbs Illinois
Stats: 74 targets, 42 catches allowed, 611 yards allowed, 3 tds allowed, 3 ints, 15 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 4 missed tackles, 64 tackles.
PFF Grade: 73.2
Quan is a beast. I thought he was the 2nd best nickel prospect in the draft and a better deep safety than Brian Branch. Martin absolute rockets around the field in the run game. He started his career at cornerback before transitioning into the safety/nickel position. Another elite athlete that is a perfect fit for our Buffalo Nickel defense.
PFF:
Martin came to Illinois and immediately started as a true freshman in 2018. He originally started off as an outside corner before becoming more of a slot corner recently. He had arguably his best year in 2022, as his 15 forced incompletions were tied for the sixth-most among Power-Five corners. Martin’s 91.0 run-defense grade also led all Power Five cornerbacks. While he played corner at Illinois, we project him more as a safety for the next level.
PROS:
Explosive flat-foot breaks. Tremendous burst. Forceful and reliable tackler - 7 misses on the last 129 attempts last two seasons.Fills like a mac truck in the run game. Wants to come downhill and play in the backfield.
CONS:
Pure man skills are work in progress. Overagressive and liability to bite on fakes. cons On the lighter side for an around the line of scrimmage player. Gets caught with his eyes in the backfield on run
Round 3: 97 Ricky Stromberg 6'3" 306 lbs Arkansas
Stats: 9 impact blocks, 11 qb hurries, 0 qb hits, 0 sacks allowed
PFF Grade: 82.4
Nasty. Another guard experience player that spent his last two years at the center position. Award winner of the Jacob's Blocking Trophy for the SEC'S most outstanding blocker award. This is a solid player that has started since he was freshman in the SEC. He's been battle tested since he was kid and has improved every year. He has some knocks about his play strength, but a NFL program should get em to where he needs to be.
PFF:
Stromberg was a three-star recruit in the 2019 class and started for the Razorbacks as a true freshman, mostly at right guard. He moved inside to center for his sophomore season and spent his final three college seasons there. Stromberg’s 82.4 overall grade and 83.7 run-blocking grade in 2022 both ranked fourth among all centers in college football, and his nine big-time blocks were tied for fifth among FBS centers. Not to mention, Stromberg had an incredible performance at the NFL combine.
PROS:
Does not want to let blocks go. Can see him straining his butt of to stay engaged on tape. Tons of experience against top competition. Four-year starter with 3,121 career snaps.
CONS:
Forward lean gets going on the move, making him liable to topple over. Has wide hands to initiate contact in pass protection before resetting. Leaves himself open for stronger rushers.Unimpressive musculature, which leaves questions about how he'll anchor against NFL strength.
Round 4: Braeden Daniels 6'4" 296 lbs Utah STATS:
0 sacks allowed, 1 qb hit allowed, 14 hurries allowed.
PFF GRADE: 72.2 at tackle, 2021 84.4 at guard.
Braeden Daniels is another tackle/guard hybrid, with starting experience across his college career. This guy is on the lighter side but that allows him to be an Explosive athlete. Very raw at the tackle position and will be a developmental guy. I'd like to give em a try as our swing tackle and see how he performs. He was one of the quickest offensive lineman I've seen off the tape and that athleticism will let him climb to the next level. Even on the lightweight side I'd hate to see this guy running at me on the second level.
PFF:
Daniels is an experienced veteran who commanded the Utes’ offensive line for the past few years. He originally started as a guard before switching over to tackle. His best season came in 2021, as he put up an 84.4 PFF grade. Given his time on the interior, Daniels is at his best when run blocking, and his run-blocking grade in 2021 was an elite 89.1. He still held his own as a pass protector, allowing only five sacks in his Utah career.
PROS
Explodes out of his stance. Arguably the quickest get off in the offensive line class. Linebackers don't want to see him climbing. Gets on them before they can even react. Drive in his lower half to still move the line of scrimmage despite being under 300 pounds.
CONS
Wild into contact. He approaches blocks with the adjustment ability of a freight train. consDoesn't bring his hands with him. Clean engagements are rare on tape. Very light by NFL standards (294 pounds at combine).
Round 5: 137 KJ Henry 6'4" 260 lbs Clemson
STATS:
51 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF, 6 pass deflections, 50 qb pressures, 31 qb hurries, 14 qb hits.
PFF GRADE: 83.1
Loved this pick. Henry was a 5 star recruit coming out of high-school and decided to attend Clemson University. With Clemson having deep lines it took him a couple of years to get on the field. The stats look odd when you only see 3.5 sacks, however, the 50 qb pressures is the key stat. Seems more like bad luck that the sack numbers weren't high. Clemson's whole d-line underperformed (Bresee, Murphey) and they should have picked up more sacks from Henry who was the best DE on that team last year. The team clearly liked him as we traded back up for him. He's not elite athlete, but he is an elite hands guy. Almost had that veteran presence in college. High motor and will immediately make an impact as a rotational de, a position that sorely needed an upgrade.
PFF:
On a team with Myles Murphy, you can easily make the case that KJ Henry was Clemson's best defensive end this year, as he posted better PFF grades than Murphy in every category and even generated 19 more pressures. The only problem is That Henry is 24 years old while Murphy is only 21. Therefore, Henry was expected to produce this well against younger competition. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that he can’t still improve. If Henry's play this season is any indication of his potential, he can still have a great NFL career as an edge defender.
PROS:
Heavy hands that are so well refined. Uses them independently to use combination moves.Utilizes hesitations and head fakes so well to catch linemen off-balance. Coaches rave about the type of teammate he is. He is the type of player you want in the locker room.
CONS:
First step that's unimposing for a rusher on the smaller side. Late bloomer. Wasn't even a starter until this past fall. One of the oldest prospects in the class. Already 24 years old.
Round 6: 193 Chris Rodriguez 6'0" 217 lbs Kentucky
STATS: 8 games played, 175 attempts, 904 rushing yards, 6 tds, 5.2 ypa, 5 catches, 41 rec yards.
PFF GRADE: 90.8
Chris Rodriguez is a PFF darling and was rated as the 7th best running back. This guy's is a pure one cut, run you over, power back. There's not much finesse to his game, but there's highlights of dragging guys 10-yards down the field. He does not posses break away speed, but he will get you 40 yards. He was suspended 4 games due to a dui and he may have been drafted higher on am abysmal Kentucky team. An extra 4 games of stats against SEC competition and no suspension may have jumped him into the 4th round. This was an Eric Bienemy guy and they brought him in because of that. Isiah Pacheco was another EB guy.
PFF:
Rodriguez is a powerful runner, but he lacks the burst and creativity to become anything more than a downhill grinder. He has the size and mentality to do the dirty work between the tackles, but it could be a challenge for him to get to and through the hole quickly in the NFL. He’s a physical blitz protector, so teams might envision a role for him as a second-half battering ram and third-down quarterback protector.
PROS:
Two-time team captain. Thick frame with ability to pick up tough yards. Makes tacklers feel his size at impact. Stays square getting through downhill cuts. Low success rate guaranteed for arm-tacklers. Stays on his feet through heavy angle strikes. Allows lead blockers to do their work. Steps up with force against incoming rushers.
CONS:
Below-average burst getting through line of scrimmage. Lacks finesse to navigate tight run lanes. Change of direction is heavy. One-speed running style is easy to track for linebackers. Pad level is a little tall as run-finisher. Inconsistent finding assignment versus blitz.
Round 7: 233 Andre Jones 6'4" 248 lbs Louisiana
STATS: 7 sacks, 5 qb hits, 20 hurries.
PFF GRADE: 77.2
Andre Jones was another hybrid de/lb player coming out last year. He possess 34 1/4" arms which is an elite number for his size. May move to LB, but I'm not sure that's the right move with a 4.71 40-yard dash. He doesn't have much a pass rush move set playing a hybrid role, but does use length to his advantage. A solid developmental pick.
PROS:
Shows a natural feel for setting up blockers and getting them off-balance. His hands are active and violent, and Jones quickly disengages with blockers and counters when his initial move stalls. Possesses accurate snap anticipation and timing to beat blockers off the edge. Offers some versatility, rushing from a two-and three-point stance with the playing speed to stand up in space.Flashes strength as a bull rusher and his energy doesn't plateau. Showed initial quickness and good flexibility to dip and bend. Jones has active hands and suddenness to his movements, demonstrating the ability to counter inside. Has fluid footwork to redirect, reverse momentum and close with a burst. Regularly first off the ball with good snap anticipation. He’s a high-effort pass rusher with an impressive combination of length and speed.
CONS:
Jones has to develop a counter move or two in the pass rush, and Jones needs to make better use of his hands. He lacks the speed of a chase and- tackle guy. He lacks twitch as a pass rusher and lacks the feet and flexibility to threaten around the edge. Jones also shows some stiffness when trying to bend the edge, often getting pushed past the pocket — he seems more comfortable countering back inside.
Draft Summary:
This was my favorite Ron Rivera/Martin Mayhew draft thus far. Going into the draft, offensive line, cornerback, and quarterback were our three biggest needs. Drafting in the middle of the round really took us out of the olineman race. The last one that interested me was Broderick Jones and he went off the board when the Steelers traded up. At that point in the draft it really left us with going cornerback. The Forbes pick was received negatively due to Christian Gonzalez being available. Both players will be viewed under the microscope throughout their careers. I'm fine with Forbes pick though. Another lanky cornerback who was an elite athlete. I did have Gonzalez rated higher going into the draft, but he slid for a reason. A lot of his tape shows him not necessarily being an elite cornerback, but being an elite athlete that plays corner. Forbes actually showed the athleticism, corner skills, and ballhawking ability. Some additional knocks against Gonazalez and his love of the game. Quan Martin was our biggest surprise pick of the draft. A lot of people had him going in the 3rd round, but I think the 2nd was a fine spot. Mayhew after the draft said he wish we were more aggressive at times, which I translated as not getting Brian Branch that went several picks before us. I think Quan was the backup option, but I like him as much as Branch. I think Quan will be a better deep safety and Bramch will be a better nickel. Liked Quan alot, but felt we should have gone o-line at this pick. Ocyrus Torrence would've been a sweet pick here. I think if that happened, the consensus view on our draft would shoot up. Quan will immediately via for playing time as our base defense is essentially a 4-2-5. Kendall Fuller was our only above average corner and now we turned our secondary into a strength. Ricky Stromberg and Braeden Daniels were our next two picks. I like Stromberg’s tape a lot and think by next he will be a solid starter at guard or center. Braeden Daniels will be a nice depth piece and if he's able to tame his play he could develop into a starter. Fun player to watch. KJ Henry was an awesome pick and can see him being a nice rotational piece. Good pick at an underrated area of need on our defense. RB wasn't a pressing need, but it's an underrated area of weakness. I think Brian Robinson is about as average of rb as you will see starting in the NFL. I wouldn't be surprised if Rodriguez slowly cut into Robinson's role over the next two years. Antonio Gibson has had some solid season, but has a severe fumbling problem. Andre Jones will be a depth piece that will need development moving forward.
Offseason summary:
The biggest question of our offseason was our owner, which now appears resolved. Our second biggest question... was who was our starting qb? Sam Howell. Ron preached all offseason that he was going with Howell and I'll be damned, he did. Brissett was good qb to bring in, not someone that would necessarily turn the offseason into a battle, but can be a starter if called upon. Really a true backup qb. I'm all in on the Sam Howell train. I love it for a multitude of reasons. One, he balls out and we have our qb of the future, two he plays well enough we give him another season and maybe Ron is out and we get a high draft pick, three he bombs and we fire Ron Rivera and go for Caleb Williams next season. If anything, it gives us a direction for our future. I'm ready for Ron to go and think he's only as good as his coordinators. I'm concerned that EB AND Howell turn the offense around Ron gets resigned and EB takes a head coaching role... then the offense regressed. Additionally, I don't want Ron to get credit for drafting Howell. It was 5th round pick, you and every team passed on him for 4 rounds. If Howell is that good... it's not because Ron was a genius and drafted him. Very similar to Seattle taking Russel. I am excited about EB being here and think he's the real deal. I will give Ron credit for allowing him to run his own offense as he sees fit. OTA's have shown that EB is pushing his guys hard and is trying to see what he can do with the offense. We really do have elite playmaker and I'm most excited to see what he can do with Antonio Gibson. I can see his role being that of Jerrick McKinnon, with more athleticism. Sam Howell has shown a lot of progress since his rookie season. Had issues with his foot work, but has shown vast improvements. We only have 1 preseason game and 1 NFL game of tape on him. I liked what he showed. When watching tape you could see him going through his progression, man absolutely saved the day wish his escapability- was under pressure the whole game, threw two beautiful deep passes, and won the game. He did throw one bad pick, but was under pressure and playing hero ball. He had one week of practice with the starters, now he has a whole offseason. Our defense should be a top 5 unit next season and we only got better. Chase Young should be fully healthy and he's the X-factor for the number one overall defense. He comes out plays to his full potential then he could be a mid teens sack guy. If we have that sort of production and Sam Howell plays well than we can compete for the decision. Big if though. Our secondary really lacked a 2nd option, Benjamin St Juyce has shown some flashes but didn't seeze the role last year. Now on paper he's the number and that's very solid. We return two top 6 defensive tackles and Montez Swear is one of the most underrated players in the league. He's yet to have a high sack season, but is very much that Jadaveon Ckowney type of player in the run game. Big question mark season for Jaymin Davis. We knew he needed development, but it's been slower than previously thought. Down the stretch he showed flashes that he was coming into his own and now is his year. He's one of the best athletes at linebacker in the league and his ceiling is very very high. Overall I predict we will go 10-7 and challenge for a wild card spot. That record can fluctuate each one, but I'm calling the improvement now. We went 8-8-1 with bottom 3 qb play. The defense got better, we hired a better offensive coordinator, Howell will at the minimum be slightly better than Hienke last season, we didn't lose any major pieces and had a solid all around draft. I'm truly excited to watch how our future plays out.