Mission san antonio de padua pictures

Professional eSports in a Bar

2011.06.09 03:29 o_Oskar Professional eSports in a Bar

----- *"For fans, watching in bars fulfills their desire to share the love of a game that many watched at home alone before. Fans organize so-called Barcraft events, taking over pubs and bistros from Honolulu to Florida and switching big-screen TV sets to Internet broadcasts of professional game matches happening often thousands of miles away."* - [The Wall Street Journal](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904070604576516462736084234.html) ----
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2016.07.14 21:34 Testing R4R

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2023.06.03 20:41 nyko132435 Anyone remember the web adventure game from 1996?

Anyone remember the web adventure game from 1996?
So in my usual daily scrolling through the internet, I came across this old Mission: Impossible commercial that advertised the Apple PowerBook 5300 that was used in the first movie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAtQatagqbs&ab_channel=HikikomoriDev) and at the end of the video it showed the url "www.mission.apple.com" naturally the link was dead so I decided to throw it in the wayback machine and I was pleasantly surprised to find that on Nov 11 of 1996 there was a capture showing an old school web adventure game!
https://web.archive.org/web/19961111063127/http://www.mission.apple.com/
Unfortunately none of the linked urls were captured. The only other capture was on Dec 21st 1996 showing that the game had been taken down.
https://web.archive.org/web/19961221085003/http://www.mission.apple.com/
If any OG fans of the series remember playing this game, could you share your experience with us?
submitted by nyko132435 to Mission_Impossible [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 20:11 Tiny-Solomita4151 13 Things That Always Annoyed Me About This Show

  1. No Justice at all
Seriously. The bullies run the school, the sports coach protects them, and rapists go free. I understand the whole "Life is not fair" message they're trying to convey, but c'mon. Even in real life, things don't stack up that neatly into a well-sculpted middle finger towards victims. ...
  1. Season 2
We really didn't need a second season. They ruined season one's groundwork in ways that I'll elaborate on later. To sum it up, though, season 2 created some show-breaking plot-holes. ...
  1. Unnecessary suspense
They didn't have to drag out Tony's secret like that. It wasn't even that big a surprise. This could've been revealed in season one without all the unnecessary buildup. Alex losing his short-term memory was just pointless. Courtney's hangup didn't make sense, at all. Which brings me to.... ...
  1. Courtney
No remorse at all. If the goal was to make the audience hate her, then they did a good job with her. She was way over the top with calling a rape-victim that committed suicide a liar to protect a secret nobody cared about. There were many times when I wanted to reach through the screen and tear her lips off.
...
  1. Unrealistic
Clay's parents are unrealistically absent-minded (for a lawyer and a professor). The school is a bag of cliches. There might really be lawyers like Sonya, but that judge had a mission. He really slanted this case towards the defense in such an obvious fashion, I'm surprised it wasn't a set up for Dennis to ask him to recuse himself. ...
  1. Too many left turns
Pop quiz: Who was Hanna's first kiss?
Give up? Me, too. First she's this innocent shit-magnet, then she's a little misunderstood, then she's fallible, but still fragile. By the middle of season 2, her story did like a 180. I almost gave up on the show at the end of episode 10 when Clay finds a picture of her in the box wearing Bryce's jacket. Tony tells Clay "Yeah" in response to the question "Did I kill her?" because Clay, like any of us, wouldn't settle for that "We all did" wordplay bs. Then Hanna says in her own words that Clay doesn't belong on the tape (more on that later). And a rape victim is the one that stole the box of Polaroids? And she destroys them, too? Why again? HER story to tell? Okay then. ...
  1. Money shot? DENIED!
I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the most telegraphed school shooting that never happened. Now, I don't wanna see kids get hurt any more than the next guy, but you could't at least give us De La Cruz? Would that have been too much? I'll be clear: If some guys held me down in a bathroom and raped me with a broomstick, I'd have shown up at their houses armed to the teeth in a hoveround. ...
  1. Black representation
I appreciate the diversity in this show, but why is it that out of the 7 black males we do see in this show, 4 of them are try-hards. And I don't care what anyone says, Sheri looks better than Jessica (They are both grown women in IRL, relax). ...
  1. Hanna's Dad
He's a bitch. That is all. Jessica was also always a bitch for no other reason than to match Selena Gomez Song Lyrics. ...
  1. The 'weed' stunt
That pissed me off. They put a mark on Clay's record just to "show him who is in charge". The only real justice is this show is that Marcus now has a suspension on his. ...
  1. Where is she getting all her info from?
Remember Sonya? The lawyer representing the school? She was extremely well informed for someone who inherited the case from somebody else who didn't have a clue. I won't call this out on realism because there are unscrupulous ways she could've gotten her info. It just annoyed me when she knew exactly what questions to ask each person. ...
  1. The way Clay's character was handled
He was Hanna's friend. Then he was Hanna's confidant. Then he was Hanna's crush. Then he was the one Hanna wanted to give it up to. Then he was the only one she could count on. Then he was dragged into the tape fiasco, because reasons. Then he was haunted by the girl he took too long to fall in love with. Then he was a delusional sap clinging to his own ideas about Hanna and his unclear relationship with her. Then..... sigh ... whatever ...
  1. Hannah ...
Including Clay in the Tapes was uncalled for. Her relationships with Zach, the one on the tape and the one off the tape, were weird and one should've cancelled out the other. Freaking out on Alex was uncalled for. Keeping her parents in the dark was her choice, despite her openness with her mom. What annoys me about Hanna, overall, is that Sheri, Clay, and Zach did not belong on the tapes. They were pulled in out of what can only be called spite.
submitted by Tiny-Solomita4151 to 13ReasonsWhy [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 20:04 Aware_Machine_9838 (Selling) List of 4K and HD movies, TV Shows, Marvel, Disney

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2023.06.03 19:01 AutoModerator Watch >>Fast X>> (2023) Streaming Online Free FOr [Reddit] At Home

The end of the road begins. Fast X, the tenth film in the Fast and Furious Saga, launches the final chapters of one of cinema's most storied and popular global franchises, now in its third decade and still going strong with the same core cast and characters as when it began. Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path.
👉🎬DOWNLOAD Watch Now :Fast X streaming the full movie
👉🎬DOWNLOAD Watch Now : Fast X streaming the full movie
Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they've ever faced: A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who's fueled by blood revenge, and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything-and everyone-that Dom loves, forever. In 2011's Fast Five, Dom and his crew took out nefarious Brazilian drug kingpin Hernan Reyes and decapitated his empire on a bridge in Rio De Janeiro. What they didn't know was that Reyes' son, Dante (Aquaman's Jason Momoa), witnessed it all and has spent the last 12 years masterminding a plan to make Dom pay the ultimate price. Dante's plot will scatter Dom's family from Los Angeles to the catacombs of Rome, from Brazil to London and from Portugal to Antarctica. New allies will be forged and old enemies will resurface. But everything changes when Dom discovers that his own 8-year-old son (Leo Abelo Perry, Black-ish) is the ultimate target of Dante's vengeance. Directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans, The Incredible Hulk), Fast X stars returning cast members Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Jason Statham, John Cena and Scott Eastwood, with Oscar® winner Helen Mirren and Oscar® winner Charlize Theron. The film also features an extraordinary new cast including Oscar® winner Brie Larson as Tess, a rogue representative from the Agency; Alan Richtson (Reacher) as Aimes, the new head of the Agency who doesn't hold the same fondness for Dom's crew as his predecessor, Mr. Nobody; Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad) as a Brazilian street racer with a powerful tie to Dom's past; and legendary Oscar® winner Rita Moreno as Dom and Mia's Abuelita Toretto. Fast X is produced by Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Justin Lin, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Samantha Vincent. The executive producers are Joseph M. Caracciolo, Jr., David Cain, Chris Morgan, Amanda Lewis and Mark Bomback.
Plot summaryPlot synopsis
Taglines
The Last Ride
Genres
ActionAdventureCrimeMysteryThriller
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material
submitted by AutoModerator to FastXsk [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 18:42 AutoModerator Watch >>Fast X>> (2023) Streaming Online Free FOr [Reddit] At Home

The end of the road begins. Fast X, the tenth film in the Fast and Furious Saga, launches the final chapters of one of cinema's most storied and popular global franchises, now in its third decade and still going strong with the same core cast and characters as when it began. Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path.
👉🎬DOWNLOAD Watch Now :Fast X streaming the full movie
👉🎬DOWNLOAD Watch Now : Fast X streaming the full movie

Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they've ever faced: A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who's fueled by blood revenge, and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything-and everyone-that Dom loves, forever. In 2011's Fast Five, Dom and his crew took out nefarious Brazilian drug kingpin Hernan Reyes and decapitated his empire on a bridge in Rio De Janeiro. What they didn't know was that Reyes' son, Dante (Aquaman's Jason Momoa), witnessed it all and has spent the last 12 years masterminding a plan to make Dom pay the ultimate price. Dante's plot will scatter Dom's family from Los Angeles to the catacombs of Rome, from Brazil to London and from Portugal to Antarctica. New allies will be forged and old enemies will resurface. But everything changes when Dom discovers that his own 8-year-old son (Leo Abelo Perry, Black-ish) is the ultimate target of Dante's vengeance. Directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans, The Incredible Hulk), Fast X stars returning cast members Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Jason Statham, John Cena and Scott Eastwood, with Oscar® winner Helen Mirren and Oscar® winner Charlize Theron. The film also features an extraordinary new cast including Oscar® winner Brie Larson as Tess, a rogue representative from the Agency; Alan Richtson (Reacher) as Aimes, the new head of the Agency who doesn't hold the same fondness for Dom's crew as his predecessor, Mr. Nobody; Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad) as a Brazilian street racer with a powerful tie to Dom's past; and legendary Oscar® winner Rita Moreno as Dom and Mia's Abuelita Toretto. Fast X is produced by Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Justin Lin, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Samantha Vincent. The executive producers are Joseph M. Caracciolo, Jr., David Cain, Chris Morgan, Amanda Lewis and Mark Bomback.—www.thefastsaga.com
Plot summaryPlot synopsis
Taglines
The Last Ride
Genres
ActionAdventureCrimeMysteryThriller
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material
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2023.06.03 17:32 HeadOfSpectre The Soldier

"Think of this as a chance at revenge," Sweeney said.

Revenge.

What a moronically quaint idea.

This jumped up little shit had come into my home, interrupted my retirement and here he was talking to me about revenge, as if he knew the first thing about what I’d seen, what I’d been through, why I’d quit.

Looking into his eyes, I knew he didn’t understand. I knew he couldn’t.

I've been hunting vampires for most of my life. I've killed more of them than I can count. But Clementine Di Cesare was no ordinary vampire. Hell, none of the Di Cesares were ordinary vampires, but even among them Clementine was… unique. She was the one all the others quietly feared. The one who was even spoken of with reverence by the Di Cesares masters, those twin Immortals who could not be killed by any weapon of this world. Seeking revenge against her was like seeking revenge against death itself.

“Revenge?” I repeated, with a dismissive scoff.
“You’re really going to tell me that after what she put you through, you don’t want revenge?” Sweeney asked.
“If you knew what she did to me, you’d know why I don’t want revenge,” I replied.
“Really? Sorry Franklin, but I don’t buy that. Look, I get it if you’re reluctant to jump back into the fight. I do. You of all people know just how dangerous the Di Cesare’s are. Especially ‘La Morte’.”

I looked over at him as he said that name. It rolled off his tongue so irreverently. To him, it was just a name. An alias assigned to some vampire he’s only heard of stories. He didn’t utter it with the respect it deserved, and I almost couldn’t be bothered to correct him. Any words spent on this small minded glory hound were probably wasted.

“Yes, I do know.”
“Which is why I need you,” Sweeney said. He almost sounded as if he were pleading with me. “Think of this as an opportunity to set things right… to put that vampire bitch in the ground where she belongs, and save God only knows how many lives in the process!”
I sighed.
He just didn’t get it.

“Mark my words, Mr. Sweeney, if you chase after Clementine Di Cesare, you’ll end far more lives than you save. She didn’t get a name like ‘La Morte’ for nothing. She earned it. Purchased it with the blood of the tens of thousands she’s sent screaming into the maw of Hell. She is not something you chase, Sweeney.”
“She’s a vampire,” Sweeney said dismissively. “She’s another enemy to destroy.”
“That’s what George Bundy said,” I replied. “Then not too long after, he died.”
“I’m not George Bundy,” Sweeney said.
“No. You sure as hell ain’t,” I agreed, before looking the kid in the eye.

He thought he was an up and comer, climbing the ranks of the Brethren. He probably thought of himself as some sort of badass vampire hunter too, when in reality he could never have so much as dreamed of holding a candle to the likes of Bundy… or hell, any of the men who’d died in Brazil.
“You should watch your tone with me,” Sweeney warned.
“Or you’ll do what?” I asked, “You ain’t going to frighten me with vague threats, boy. I’ve walked through Hell, trying to kill the Devil. What have you done?”

Sweeney bit his lip but didn’t respond.
“There’s nothing you can say or do that will intimidate me,” I said, before lighting myself a cigarette. I stared at the road outside of my porch, old memories flooding back to me before looking over at Sweeney again. He sat in his chair beside me like a sulky child. This was the man who wanted to destroy the Di Cesare family? Pathetic.

“Exactly how much do you know about the Brazil Job?” I asked.
“I know it was a failure. Clementine Di Cesare killed most of the men the Brethren sent out… all except for you. You were the only one good enough to beat her.”
“Good enough…” I repeated with a huff, “Hardly… whatever picture you’ve got in your head of some glorified battle, throw it away. Trust me, the Brazil Job was anything but glorious. It was a two hour long trek through Hell. And I didn’t beat Di Cesare at the end of it. I survived her. They’re two different things entirely.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Sweeney said.
“You wouldn’t, would you?” I sighed and took another drag on my cigarette.

This kid wasn’t going to leave until I made him understand… so I told him my story. I told him everything even though I knew he’d learn nothing from it.

***

I’d joined up with the Brethren Knights of St. Fontaine back in the 1980s to hunt monsters. Back then, it seemed like the best use of my skills. I’d done my tours with the army, but even after I got out, I was still looking for an enemy to fight. So naturally, once I found out that vampires were real, I set my sights on them. It seemed like the most sensible thing to do at the time.

The Brethren Knights fancied themselves the descendants of the Knights Templar, and they insisted that their God given mission was to protect mankind from the things that lurked in the shadows. I didn’t really have much love for God at the time, but if the Bretheren were the ones fighting the monsters, then I was happy to tolerate the Jesus freaks in their ranks.

It was 1988 when we first heard whispers of the Imperium. A supposed cabal of vampires, trying to get them organized. At the time, it’d seemed too crazy to be true. Vampires generally went their own way, in my experience. At most, they might have a partner but other than they they didn’t really socialize with their own kind. But supposedly someone out there had the big fucking balls to keep them in line, and whoever they were, they scared the shit out of the Brethren.

They’d started targeting high profile vampires, trying to find someone who was involved in this ‘Imperium’, hoping that maybe they might get someone to talk. And it wasn’t long until they found someone who did.

From my understanding, the vampire they captured didn’t seem to know much about who was actually running the show. But they knew who their second in command was… and that was when I first head about the Di Cesare family.

The name was familiar to some of the higher ups in the Brethren, and I’d heard some stories. Not sure which were true, but the long and short of it was that the Di Cesare’s and the Brethren shared a bloody history, and didn’t particularly like each other too much.

George Bundy explained it to me like this at one point: ‘The Di Cesare’s are an old family. Most of them used to be witches, up until their Matriarch turned them into vampires. Now they’re a whole new kind of nasty. Far as I know, the only time anyone’s actually managed to kill one was about 200 years ago. Anyone who’s tried since has ended up dead, so most folks don’t even bother anymore.’

I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising they’d be involved in the Imperium, but the mere mention of their name ruffled some feathers higher up on the chain of command, and eventually they put out a kill order on them. Most of the Di Cesare’s were generally pretty hard to track down, but the top brass had a pretty good line on their matriarch, Bianca Di Cesare. Supposedly, she’d been spotted near the family’s private estate in Brazil and rumor had it that most of her daughters were there too.

Normally, the brass wouldn’t have sanctioned any kind of attack on them. The Di Cesare’s were already considered off limits, and attacking them at their private estate was considered damn near impossible. The estate was located in a small mining town outside of Manaus called Refugio de Julia, or just Julia for short. The town was fairly remote, being only accessible from a few backroads and most folks tended to avoid it, claiming they’d had various strange encounters in the area. Their accounts described unsettling pale figures with dark hair and large green eyes working in the mines, although some of the more disturbing stories we heard involved sightings of other creatures in the jungle surrounding the town. Massive spiders with humanoid faces, tending rotting corpses filled with stinging bees, giant howling beasts who tore through the forest, hunting prey, and beautiful women who would appear in the nearby towns, betwitching men into coming away with them only to reveal themselves as monsters who fed on the blood of their victims. Some had even claimed the Di Cesares themselves were such beasts… although those claims weren’t taken quite as seriously.

A skeptic might say the stories that surrounded Julia seemed like little more than just local superstition… but the Brethren had been dealing with the supernatural for long enough to recognize when something was probably real, and when it was probably fake and they knew damn well that most of the stories about Julia were probably true. None of them had ever dared set foot in Julia to find out for sure, since doing so would probably be suicide, but the theory was that the Di Cesares had created Julia as something of a refuge for other creatures. Other vampires, werewolves, arachne, karah and all sorts of other hellspawn. They offered them a home and safety in exchange for their labor in the mines. Hell, the name of the town more or less spelled it out.

Refugio de Julia

Julia’s Haven.

Julia had been the name of the only member of the Di Cesare family that the Brethren had ever killed, so I guess it was only fitting they named the town after her.

I honestly think using other creatures like them as a workforce was a bit inspired… since it made Julia damn near impenetrable. Reaching their estate at the far side of the town would have been impossible without being noticed by every creature of hell living in that town, and odds are they’d tear anyone apart long before they even reached the gates of the Di Cesare estate. And if one had the bright idea to approach the estate from another angle, they’d be trudging through miles and miles of rainforest to do so, only end up face to face with a massive stone wall that kept the rainforest out.

In effect - the Di Cesare estate was a fortress. Getting in would be no easy feat, to say nothing of confronting the vampires within. But with the fear of the Imperium gnawing at the back of their minds, the Brethren had finally set their minds to trying.

George Bundy had been the one in charge of planning the operation out.

I’d known Bundy before I’d joined up with the Brethren. Hell, Bundy was the whole reason I’d joined the Brethren. He’d been my CO a number of years back, and he’d earned his reputation as a hardass just about ten or twenty times over. Bundy was a gruff looking man with a bushy moustache and intense eyes. During the years I knew him, I don’t believe I ever once saw him so much as crack a smile. He only ever seemed to speak when he felt there was something he needed to say. Otherwise, he was usually dead silent.

He was somewhere in his late fifties back in 88. By all rights, he ought to have retired years ago. But he refused.
“I’m a soldier,” He said, when I asked him about it once. “That’s all I am. I don’t know what else to be.”

Bundy’s initial plan had been to hit the Di Cesare estate from the air. Come in fast and loud with a couple of helicopters and see how those vampires stood up to some good old American flak. The idea got shot down pretty quickly, so to speak. Apperantly, most if not all of the Di Cesares had cursed their own bodies, causing whatever wound one inflicted on them to appear on whoever it was who had wounded them. Going in guns blazing would have ended in a bloodbath… and not for them. There were also some concerns about drawing attention from Julia. With no conclusive data on just what they had living in that town, there was no guarantee we’d be safe in the air. A few eyewitnesses had described seeing giant nests in some of the trees in the jungle, supposedly consistent with the nests made by harpies.

Flying in guns blazing was out. So Bundy went back to the drawing board and what he came back with… well, it was ballsy, but it almost seemed like it just might work. During his reconnisance of the Di Cesare’s estate, he’d noticed a large but shallow tributary flowing into the amazon river that led right through the Di Cesare’s estate. Along the tributary was an abandoned water mill, that connected to the Di Cesare estate.

He’d suggested using the water mill to gain entry to the grounds, and from there, move on the Di Cesare’s. That plan had been approved, and Bundy had been allowed to handpick his team for the operation. He’d chosen fifteen men, all of them ex military, most of them having served under him before.

He’d told us we would be dividing into three teams of five men each. We would leave Manaus by boat, and land at three different areas near the tributary before making our way to the mill on foot, where we would regroup, before moving on the Di Cesares. The reason for the division was to ensure that if any of our teams ran into trouble upon making ground, the entire operation wouldn’t be compromised.

Team 1, led by Bundy himself would depart first and land to the west of the tributary. Team 2, led by a man named Ferdinand Hernandez would make land about fifteen minutes later near the mouth of the tributary and Team 3, to be led by me would land fifteen minutes later to the east.

On the day of the operation, I sat in my boat, watching as the other two left. It was twilight when we set out, and I remember that as my team and I carried out our final checks on our equipment, the only thing I felt was a familiar anticipation.

I’d hesitate to call it fear. Fear is what came later. Anticipation is the better word. I knew we could be walking into a tough situation… but I trusted Bundy. I trusted he’d run a smooth op. God knew, he’d done it a thousand times before.

The team assigned to me wasn’t anything particularly special. They were competent enough, but none of them would’ve been my first choices. Jack McMullen, for instance, who was about the same age as I was at the time. We’d both served under Bundy before, although while I respected Bundy, Jack was wholly devoted to him. I swear, if the man had told him to stuff a live grenade up his ass, Jack would’ve done it without a moments hesitation. I dunno if Jack simply saw him as the father he’d never had or what, but he damn near worshipped Bundy.

I can’t quite say the same for the other guys we had with us, though. One of them, some greenhorn by the name of Pearce Wilson struck me as an airheaded pretty boy who’d never actually had his boots on the ground before, while the other one, Scott Barber had left a bad taste in my mouth last time we’d worked together. Barber was capable… but he was violent. This was a kid with a hell of a chip on his shoulder, and it looked a hell of a lot like that Confederate flag patch he wore on his jacket. He wanted an excuse to shoot something, and I don’t think he cared what. Under most circumstances I’m not sure I would’ve fully trusted him with a gun.

The last one though, Joseph Feng… him I trusted. Feng was the one I knew the least about, and he didn’t seem much for conversation. But he handled himself competently enough and seemed to know when to sit down and shut up.

When Team 2’s boat was far enough away, we got the radio signal to follow. Barber was the one steering the boat, so I gave him the order to cast off and we ventured out into the twilight, unaware of just what was waiting for us out there.

***

We landed in our designated area fifteen minutes after Team 2 confirmed they’d touched down at theirs. Our landing was fairly uneventful. Feng, Barber, and I secured the boat before we radio’d Bundy to let him know we were in position. After that, it was just a matter of making it to the tributary.

As we ventured into the jungle, the world around us was quiet. There was wind, the whisper of the river behind us, and the sounds of animals. But little else. The river fell away behind us as we moved in single file toward the tributary, maintaining radio silence as we did.

It was about a half hour before we heard the gunshot.

Just one, echoing through the twilight. But it was enough to give us pause.

“The fuck was that?” I heard Barber ask. Immediately, the kid was on high alert, with his gun raised as if he were expecting every monster in Julia to come charging at us from all angles.
I just listened, waiting to hear if there was anything else. I half expected my radio to come to life, but it didn’t.
“Team 1, status?” I asked.
The radio crackled with static, but there was no response.

I tried it again, but still with no success. The radio was working, that much I was sure of. Something had to be blocking the signal.
“What’s going on?” Feng asked.
“Dunno,” I replied. “Comms are down.”
“Down?” Wilson asked, “So we’re flying blind out here, then?”
“More or less,” I replied.
“What do we do? Do we go back… if the comms are down…”
“Just because something’s jamming our signal doesn’t mean we’re made,” I said. “Relax. We keep moving for now. You keep your eyes wide open, and your head on a swivel. We’ll make it to the tributary and see if we can’t meet up with the other teams.”
I could tell Wilson wasn’t a fan of my answer, but I didn’t much care. We had a job to do, and I aimed to do it.

I pressed on without a further word and the others followed. Up ahead, I could hear the sound of running water and picked up the pace. I figured the tributary had to be close… and I was right.

I emerged from the brush into the stream, only to pause when I saw what was waiting for us in the water.

In the dying sunlight, it was impossible to mistake the bodies sprawled out on the rocks as anything else… and all I needed to do was look at their uniforms to know they were our people.
“Jesus…” I heard Wilson say under his breath. He froze up, lingering by the bank as I cautiously approached one of the bodies.

It belonged to a somewhat heavyset man with a thin mustache who I recognized as Hernandez. His eyes were still open, although lifeless and staring in different directions, and there was a clean hole in his forehead where a bullet had ended his life. The gunshot we’d heard earlier had likely been the sound of his death.

Looking at the bodies around him, I knew they had to be the rest of Team 2… although it was a little harder pinning down their cause of death. Some sort of bladed weapon, perhaps, judging by the state of them. I realized the odds were that they walked into some sort of ambush.
“What about Bundy and Team 1?” Jack asked, “Any sign of them?”
“No,” I said. “These bodies are all from Team 2… Bundy could still be ahead of us.”
“Then we need to keep going!”

Jack turned, heading up the stream and Barber was right behind him. Feng paused for a moment, thinking this over before following. Only Wilson remained.
“How do we know we’re not walking into a trap?” He asked.
“We’ll deal with that when we get to it,” I said before moving to follow the others.
“With all due respect, Sarge… that doesn’t sound like the best course of action!” Wilson argued, finally following me. “It sounds just like a good way to get killed!”
“Yeah?” I asked, “I’m gonna tell you an ugly truth, kid. That’s the job. Make your peace with it, and it’ll go a lot easier.”

Wilson didn’t like that answer either and trailed off behind me, watching as I continued upstream. For a moment, I half expected him to go back to the boat… but no. I dunno if he found his balls or just didn’t want to get left behind, but he started to follow us again.

I kept trying to raise Team 1 on the radio while we walked, although I still had no luck. The light above us slowly faded into darkness as we trudged through the water in silence, guns sitting comfortably in our hands and mosquitos biting at our necks.

It wasn’t until we lost Feng that I heard anybody so much as make a sound, and when we lost Feng… it happened almost instantaneously. One minute, he was at the head of the group, walking just ahead of Jack and I. The next, he was gone, only barely having the time to let out a scream as he fell into the river ahead of us.

The rest of us paused. Jack seemed to freeze and I pushed past him, calling out for Feng as I did. As punishment for my compassion, I almost went down after him. I only barely stopped myself from stepping on the slippery rocks that had helped send him to his demise.

I could see Feng’s body in the water, and I could see the blood pouring out of him. He twitched a few times, but I knew he was dead. The sharpened wooden spikes jutting out of him confirmed as much.
“What the hell…” Jack said under his breath, staring at Feng’s corpse in disbelief. “That’s a fucking spike trap!”

Yeah.

It was indeed a fucking spike trap.

I could see other spikes jutting out of the water ahead of us, just past a small dam of rocks that were just slippery enough to make it difficult to stop yourself from falling. Some of those spikes had other bodies on them… likely members of Team 1. I only counted two, although that still didn’t exactly bode well.

“They put a fucking spike trap in the goddamn stream…” Jack said, “Who the hell does that?”
“Somebody who’s expecting us to use the stream,” I replied.
“So they know we’re coming?” Barber asked.
“Clearly…” I replied. “And they’ve got a good idea on what our route is too.”

“Yeah, no shit!” Barber snapped. “Christ… let’s get the fuck out of here. There’s probably more fucking traps upstream!”
“Bundy’s orders were clear!” Jack argued.
“Bundy’s probably dead by now!” Barber replied, before looking at me. “Sarge, come on. You have to know this is suicide!”
“Suicide was part of the job description, was it not?” I asked.
“The job is to kill those fucking vampires, not to die in the goddamn process! We need to get out of the stream and into the woods!”

“Judging by the fate Team 2 met, I’m not sure the forest is someplace we want to be right now,” I replied.
“Excuse me?” Barber asked, “What the hell are you talking about, Sarge?”
“Five men dead, but only one gunshot. How did the rest die?”

Barber didn’t seem to be able to answer that.
“By now… yes. It’s clear we’ve walked into a trap. And yes, I understand that it makes sense to try and leave that trap… but I don’t know if we’ll be safer in the jungle. Something jumped Team 2. Cut them apart, and then shot Hernandez as a warning. They didn’t have to shoot him. They did it so we’d hear.”
“Your point being?” Barber asked.
“I don’t think this is just a trap, Barber. It’s a game. Stop playing, and you might just end up like our friends downstream.”
“A game?” Wilson asked, “Sarge, you can’t be serious!”

“From where I’m standing, we have a better chance of surviving in the stream,” I said. “Look, we’re at least halfway to the rendezvous point, and there have to be at least two members of Team 1 left. The safest thing to do right now is to follow them.”
“You’re off your fucking rocker, Sarge,” Barber spat, locking his eyes with mine. For a moment, I thought the boy was going to try and fight me. But no. He was wise enough to stand down.
“If you wanna get yourself killed, go right the fuck ahead. Just leave me out of it! Wilson, come on,” Barber said before trudging over to the edge of the stream. Wilson didn’t even hesitate, just looking back at Jack and I quietly before he disappeared into the forest with Barber.

“You’re not gonna stop them?” Jack asked.
“No,” I replied. “God willing, there’s a chance that pigheaded asshole is right… dunno how much of a chance, but a chance.”
“Then how come we’re not following him?” Jack asked.
“There’s also a chance he’s wrong.”
I turned, before making my way around the spike trap.
“Keep a slower pace,” I said. “Watch for traps.”

Jack hesitated for a moment, but he followed me without any further questions and we walked in silence for a little longer.

We heard nothing from the trees. Nothing that told us about the fate of Barber and Wilson. I wasn’t sure if that was good news or not.

In fact, I don’t think we heard a thing until about a half hour later, when we heard the explosion.

It came out of almost nowhere, but ahead of us I could see a flash of light and hear the screams of men. On instinct, I found myself picking up the pace and could hear Jack behind me. In the low light, I saw a shape float past me in the stream. It took me a moment to realize that it was a severed human arm.

In the water ahead of us, I could see a figure clinging to one of the rocks and trying to pick himself up. I recognized him as George Bundy.

Jack was at his side almost immediately, trying to help the old man to his feet.
“Sir! Are you alright?”
Bundy just wheezed, before his legs gave out from under him. I helped Jack drag him to the shore so he could sit and rest for a moment.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, looking back at the stream.
“Grenade trap… I think…” Bundy panted, “Fucking tripwire… Popkov tripped it, I think…”

Popkov… odds are he was one of the two mangled corpses lying in the river a few feet away from us. It seemed they’d taken the brunt of the explosion, although Bundy still had some shrapnel in his arm that Jack was tending to.
“Christ… whole fucking ops gone to shit…” Bundy spat. “Team 2 got taken out just about as soon as they landed. Someone killed them and dumped them in the goddamn river. Lost half my boys to the fucking spike trap and half to this…”

He looked up at us, before spitting onto the ground.
“Guess you two haven’t done much better.”
“Hard to say,” I replied. “Two of ours took off into the woods, trying to avoid the traps.”
“Then they’re dead,” Bundy replied. “I’ve seen her watching us… always just up ahead, always from a distance… she’s seeing how far we’ll go. How much we’ll take…”
“She?” I asked.
La Morte. Should’ve figured she’d be the one to greet us.”
“La Morte?” I asked.

“It’s Italian. Supposedly, she earned that name around the time the Di Cesares fled Venice. It’s funny, the Brethren like to act like the Di Cesares leaving Venice was some big victory of theirs, since before they did, they finally killed one of them… hard to call it a victory though, considering how many corpses they made before they fled. And most of them came from La Morte…”
Bundy winced in pain as Jack bandaged his arm before he continued talking.

“See… when the Di Cesare’s left Venice, one of them stayed behind. Clementine, the Scorpio sister. Guess she was unwilling to leave the fight unfinished… and according to the stories, the death toll she personally amassed in the years after the Di Cesare’s left Venice make the bodies they claimed during the Venetian Massacre a hundred and fifty years prior look like a pittance. The Brethren still occupying the city started to call her La Morte. Death. Cuz wherever she went, death followed in her wake… and it seems we’ve walked right into her open arms, haven’t we, boys?”

“You’re sure it’s her?” I asked.
“She’s a Di Cesare… and the shit we’ve seen out here… I don’t see any other Di Cesare setting those traps. It’s her. I’m sure of it. She’s watching us. Seeing how far we’ll go. Seeing if we’ll turn tail…”
“Should we?” Jack asked, and Bundy finally seemed to acknowledge him.
“Excuse me?” He asked.
“Should we? Look, sir… I’d follow you into the mouth of Hell, but right now, we’re down from fifteen men to three. Can’t say I’m optimistic about our chances right now. If this woman is half as bad as you’re saying she is, maybe it’s time we took a step back!”

Jack looked at me, hoping I might back him up, but I remained silent.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Bundy asked.
“What I’m hearing here, is that as of right now, the vampire out there could kill us at any time. She hasn’t. Far as I’m concerned, that’s mercy. Maybe we should be taking it while it’s offered.”
Bundy stared at him, before chuckling. I think it was the first time I’d ever seen him laugh.

“Just walk away, then?” He asked.
“Walk away, and come back better prepared!” Jack corrected.
“Walk away,” Bundy said again. “We walk away now, and there won’t be a chance to come back better prepared. We get one shot at this. One. Failure is not an option. We go in there and we kill them or we die. End of discussion.”
“And how exactly are we even supposed to kill them?” Jack asked, “That curse they have… bullets aren’t gonna do shit, sir!”
“Yours won’t, mine will…”
Bundy pulled his pistol from his holster. I noticed some sort of pattern crudely engraved on it.

“I’ve been doing some research… studied the curse they put on themselves… and I think I’ve found a way to break it. Not sure if it’ll work yet… but we get one chance to test it.”
Jack stared at the gun, then back at Bundy.
“Sir… do you hear yourself?” He asked quietly, “You can’t be serious… right now, even with that gun we don’t stand a chance in he-”

The gunshot echoed through the forest and made me jump. Jack’s voice died in his throat as he hit the ground.

Bundy stared at him for a moment, before huffing and holstering his pistol again. He draped his coat over his shoulders, before looking over at me.
“No room for failure, Frank,” He said calmly.
I didn’t know what to say to that. I stared down at Jack’s body, my mouth hanging open slightly. When I looked back at Bundy, he was already back in the stream.

There was a tense silence between Bundy and I as I followed him along the final stretch of the tributary. He trudged on ahead, covered in sweat and straining with every step, but I could sense the quiet determination he had to see this through. Looking at him, you could’ve told me that George Bundy could wipe out the Di Cesare’s all by himself and I would have believed it in a second.

The night around us was full of sound, and each one drew my attention. I watched the forest, expecting to see some sign of La Morte watching us. But I saw nothing, except for what she wanted me to see.
“Mill’s just up ahead,” I heard Bundy say as we pressed on, although I noticed his steps faltering as he seemed to notice something in the trees above us. I stopped behind him, looking up before seeing what he saw, and when I saw it I felt my stomach turn.

I’d seen death before.
But what Di Cesare had left out for us… that was something else.
Pearce Wilson and Scott Barber weren’t dead.
But if they could have spoke, I’ve got no doubt they would have begged us to kill them. Wilsons pretty face was covered in blood and his pouty lips were parted as more trickled out of him. His curly blond hair was matted and I could see crimson there. Tree branches portruded from his ribs, while the loops of his entrails dangled out of his opened stomach. And Barber was in just about the same state, only he seemed to at least have the ability to turn his head to look at us.

I think he might have tried to speak, but the only sound he seemed to be able to make was a pained whimper.
“Jesus Christ…” I said softly.
“He had nothing to do with this,” Bundy replied. He took one last look at the two dying men hanging from the trees, before moving on.
“We should put them out of their misery, sir,” I said.

Bundy paused, before looking back at me.
“Don’t waste the ammo, Frank,” He replied. “They’re already dead.”
“Not yet they’re not!”
“Give them time. They chose to go into the woods. They can live with the consequences… for however long that lasts.”

With that, he left them. If I were a more compassionate man, I would have put them out of their misery. But no. Bundy moved on and so did I.

He approached the water mill, before examining it. It was an old building, made of stone that had long since been overgrown by moss, and sat right on the wall that separated the Di Cesares estate from the amazon. It hardly looked secure, even if the only entrance hadn’t just been an old wooden door secured with a padlock, finding a way in wouldn’t have been difficult. And it didn’t take much for Bundy to break through that door. All he needed was a couple of well placed kicks and it swung right open.

Drawing his gun, Bundy strode inside and I followed him.
“The Di Cesare’s will be in the main house,” He said. “We should find a way in through the back, try and catch them off guard. Main target should be the matriarch, Bianca. Her we should prioritize keeping alive… the rest are expendable.”

“Much as you are, I’m sure.” A voice called from deeper in the mill, and both Bundy and I froze.
I noticed movement on the floor above us, and through the shadows, I saw a tall woman watching us. She was dressed all in black, with blond hair tied back in a ponytail and the intense eyes of a soldier.

This had to be Clementine Di Cesare.

Bundy aimed his pistol at her, although she only barely seemed to notice.
“Only two of you left… I’m not sure the odds are in your favor,” The woman said. Her voice was low, calm and quiet.
“Only one way to find out,” Bundy growled.
“And only one way to walk out of this place alive,” Di Cesare countered. “You can put the gun down, turn and walk away. I won’t stop you. There’s no shame in living.”

“All the bodies you’ve left in your wake… that’s rich,” Bundy said.
“I don’t relish what I’ve done. I simply don’t know how to do anything else,” She replied. “Think about this, Bundy. Over my lifetime, there have been countless thousands who have come to kill me. All of them are dead, but I am not. Even if you could kill me… you could not kill my sisters. Not all of them. Not before they came for you.”
“Just you, would be enough…” Bundy said, before pulling the trigger.

I knew he’d hit her. I knew the bullet pierced her shoulder. But that woman… she didn’t even flinch. She simply dove out of the way before he could shoot again, taking cover and avoiding his next shot.
“Frank, upstairs!” Bundy snapped, “Flush her out!”
I went, trudging up the old wooden steps with my rifle drawn. Only to see Di Cesare vaulting over the railing and back down to the ground floor as soon as I made it up there.

Bundy shot at her again, only to miss for a second time. I saw Di Cesare’s arm move, and heard him cry out in pain. In the low light, I could see a dagger protruding from his shoulder. He stumbled back a step, leaving himself open for only a split second.

That second was all it took for Di Cesare to raise her own gun and fire just one shot.

George Bundy hit the ground without so much as a final scream. There was just a simple hole in his skull where she had shot him.

I felt my heart start to race faster. My eyes settled on Bundy’s gun, and I ran for the railing, vaulting it and dropping to the ground below with a thud. Di Cesare shot at me, and I felt the bullet tear through my leg. I reached out for the fallen gun and grabbed it before turning it on Di Cesare, only to find myself staring down the barrel of her own pistol. My finger rested on the trigger, but I didn’t have the guts to pull it.

"Kill me, and you will not see the sun tomorrow." She said, her voice still cold and calm.
“Killing you is part of the job…” I replied, but my finger still couldn’t squeeze the trigger.
“And is it worth your life?” Di Cesare asked. “You fail your mission either way.”
“And die with some goddamn honor…”
“There’s no such thing as honor. There is alive and there is dead. Choose.”

I knew what I was supposed to choose.

But my hands were shaking, as I stared into the face of death. My finger couldn’t squeeze the trigger.

The gun collapsed to the floor and Di Cesare kicked it away from me, before huffing and lowering her gun.
“Do not return,” She said softly. “Or next time, I will unleash a hell upon you that will make you beg for simple traps.”

She picked Bundy’s gun up off the ground, and then she was gone. After I finally picked myself up off the ground, I was gone too.

As I walked back along the stream… I passed the corpses of the men we’d left behind. Barber and Wilson, Jack, Feng, Hernandez, and his team. The flies were already feasting on them. Animals had already torn at them. And as I looked down at their cold corpses, I knew I had made the right choice.

I filed my report with the Brethren. Told them that Di Cesare had wiped us out, and a few months later I quietly retired. I never looked back.

***

“You walked away from her?” Sweeney asked in disbelief, “You had her dead to rights and you walked away from her?”
“I chose to live,” I replied. “Can’t say I regret the decision either. Because of the choice I made, I met my wife and had my kids. I’ve lived the life I had because I chose not to throw it away on some vampire.”

Sweeney just shook his head.
“You could have gotten the first confirmed kill on a Di Cesare in two centuries, and you threw it away you fucking coward! I could execute you for that!” I noticed his hand hovering over the gun on his hip.
“You could.” I replied, before quietly unholstering the pistol I kept at my side. I aimed it at Sweeney’s head.

He stared at me like a slack jawed idiot.
“Would you like to give it a try?”
“W-what…?”
“Would you like to give it a try, Mr. Sweeney? Or would you like to see the sun tomorrow?”
He stared down the barrel of my gun, and I already knew what his choice would be.

Sweeney took a step back. I saw his hand move away from his holster, and I lowered the gun with a huff.
“Thought so,” I said.
Mr. Sweeney left me without another word.
I knew he would not return.
submitted by HeadOfSpectre to TheCrypticCompendium [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 17:26 HeadOfSpectre The Soldier

"Think of this as a chance at revenge," Sweeney said.

Revenge.

What a moronically quaint idea.

This jumped up little shit had come into my home, interrupted my retirement and here he was talking to me about revenge, as if he knew the first thing about what I’d seen, what I’d been through, why I’d quit.

Looking into his eyes, I knew he didn’t understand. I knew he couldn’t.

I've been hunting vampires for most of my life. I've killed more of them than I can count. But Clementine Di Cesare was no ordinary vampire. Hell, none of the Di Cesares were ordinary vampires, but even among them Clementine was… unique. She was the one all the others quietly feared. The one who was even spoken of with reverence by the Di Cesares masters, those twin Immortals who could not be killed by any weapon of this world. Seeking revenge against her was like seeking revenge against death itself.

“Revenge?” I repeated, with a dismissive scoff.
“You’re really going to tell me that after what she put you through, you don’t want revenge?” Sweeney asked.
“If you knew what she did to me, you’d know why I don’t want revenge,” I replied.
“Really? Sorry Franklin, but I don’t buy that. Look, I get it if you’re reluctant to jump back into the fight. I do. You of all people know just how dangerous the Di Cesare’s are. Especially ‘La Morte’.”

I looked over at him as he said that name. It rolled off his tongue so irreverently. To him, it was just a name. An alias assigned to some vampire he’s only heard of stories. He didn’t utter it with the respect it deserved, and I almost couldn’t be bothered to correct him. Any words spent on this small minded glory hound were probably wasted.

“Yes, I do know.”
“Which is why I need you,” Sweeney said. He almost sounded as if he were pleading with me. “Think of this as an opportunity to set things right… to put that vampire bitch in the ground where she belongs, and save God only knows how many lives in the process!”
I sighed.
He just didn’t get it.

“Mark my words, Mr. Sweeney, if you chase after Clementine Di Cesare, you’ll end far more lives than you save. She didn’t get a name like ‘La Morte’ for nothing. She earned it. Purchased it with the blood of the tens of thousands she’s sent screaming into the maw of Hell. She is not something you chase, Sweeney.”
“She’s a vampire,” Sweeney said dismissively. “She’s another enemy to destroy.”
“That’s what George Bundy said,” I replied. “Then not too long after, he died.”
“I’m not George Bundy,” Sweeney said.
“No. You sure as hell ain’t,” I agreed, before looking the kid in the eye.

He thought he was an up and comer, climbing the ranks of the Brethren. He probably thought of himself as some sort of badass vampire hunter too, when in reality he could never have so much as dreamed of holding a candle to the likes of Bundy… or hell, any of the men who’d died in Brazil.
“You should watch your tone with me,” Sweeney warned.
“Or you’ll do what?” I asked, “You ain’t going to frighten me with vague threats, boy. I’ve walked through Hell, trying to kill the Devil. What have you done?”

Sweeney bit his lip but didn’t respond.
“There’s nothing you can say or do that will intimidate me,” I said, before lighting myself a cigarette. I stared at the road outside of my porch, old memories flooding back to me before looking over at Sweeney again. He sat in his chair beside me like a sulky child. This was the man who wanted to destroy the Di Cesare family? Pathetic.

“Exactly how much do you know about the Brazil Job?” I asked.
“I know it was a failure. Clementine Di Cesare killed most of the men the Brethren sent out… all except for you. You were the only one good enough to beat her.”
“Good enough…” I repeated with a huff, “Hardly… whatever picture you’ve got in your head of some glorified battle, throw it away. Trust me, the Brazil Job was anything but glorious. It was a two hour long trek through Hell. And I didn’t beat Di Cesare at the end of it. I survived her. They’re two different things entirely.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Sweeney said.
“You wouldn’t, would you?” I sighed and took another drag on my cigarette.

This kid wasn’t going to leave until I made him understand… so I told him my story. I told him everything even though I knew he’d learn nothing from it.

***

I’d joined up with the Brethren Knights of St. Fontaine back in the 1980s to hunt monsters. Back then, it seemed like the best use of my skills. I’d done my tours with the army, but even after I got out, I was still looking for an enemy to fight. So naturally, once I found out that vampires were real, I set my sights on them. It seemed like the most sensible thing to do at the time.

The Brethren Knights fancied themselves the descendants of the Knights Templar, and they insisted that their God given mission was to protect mankind from the things that lurked in the shadows. I didn’t really have much love for God at the time, but if the Bretheren were the ones fighting the monsters, then I was happy to tolerate the Jesus freaks in their ranks.

It was 1988 when we first heard whispers of the Imperium. A supposed cabal of vampires, trying to get them organized. At the time, it’d seemed too crazy to be true. Vampires generally went their own way, in my experience. At most, they might have a partner but other than they they didn’t really socialize with their own kind. But supposedly someone out there had the big fucking balls to keep them in line, and whoever they were, they scared the shit out of the Brethren.

They’d started targeting high profile vampires, trying to find someone who was involved in this ‘Imperium’, hoping that maybe they might get someone to talk. And it wasn’t long until they found someone who did.

From my understanding, the vampire they captured didn’t seem to know much about who was actually running the show. But they knew who their second in command was… and that was when I first head about the Di Cesare family.

The name was familiar to some of the higher ups in the Brethren, and I’d heard some stories. Not sure which were true, but the long and short of it was that the Di Cesare’s and the Brethren shared a bloody history, and didn’t particularly like each other too much.

George Bundy explained it to me like this at one point: ‘The Di Cesare’s are an old family. Most of them used to be witches, up until their Matriarch turned them into vampires. Now they’re a whole new kind of nasty. Far as I know, the only time anyone’s actually managed to kill one was about 200 years ago. Anyone who’s tried since has ended up dead, so most folks don’t even bother anymore.’

I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising they’d be involved in the Imperium, but the mere mention of their name ruffled some feathers higher up on the chain of command, and eventually they put out a kill order on them. Most of the Di Cesare’s were generally pretty hard to track down, but the top brass had a pretty good line on their matriarch, Bianca Di Cesare. Supposedly, she’d been spotted near the family’s private estate in Brazil and rumor had it that most of her daughters were there too.

Normally, the brass wouldn’t have sanctioned any kind of attack on them. The Di Cesare’s were already considered off limits, and attacking them at their private estate was considered damn near impossible. The estate was located in a small mining town outside of Manaus called Refugio de Julia, or just Julia for short. The town was fairly remote, being only accessible from a few backroads and most folks tended to avoid it, claiming they’d had various strange encounters in the area. Their accounts described unsettling pale figures with dark hair and large green eyes working in the mines, although some of the more disturbing stories we heard involved sightings of other creatures in the jungle surrounding the town. Massive spiders with humanoid faces, tending rotting corpses filled with stinging bees, giant howling beasts who tore through the forest, hunting prey, and beautiful women who would appear in the nearby towns, betwitching men into coming away with them only to reveal themselves as monsters who fed on the blood of their victims. Some had even claimed the Di Cesares themselves were such beasts… although those claims weren’t taken quite as seriously.

A skeptic might say the stories that surrounded Julia seemed like little more than just local superstition… but the Brethren had been dealing with the supernatural for long enough to recognize when something was probably real, and when it was probably fake and they knew damn well that most of the stories about Julia were probably true. None of them had ever dared set foot in Julia to find out for sure, since doing so would probably be suicide, but the theory was that the Di Cesares had created Julia as something of a refuge for other creatures. Other vampires, werewolves, arachne, karah and all sorts of other hellspawn. They offered them a home and safety in exchange for their labor in the mines. Hell, the name of the town more or less spelled it out.

Refugio de Julia

Julia’s Haven.

Julia had been the name of the only member of the Di Cesare family that the Brethren had ever killed, so I guess it was only fitting they named the town after her.

I honestly think using other creatures like them as a workforce was a bit inspired… since it made Julia damn near impenetrable. Reaching their estate at the far side of the town would have been impossible without being noticed by every creature of hell living in that town, and odds are they’d tear anyone apart long before they even reached the gates of the Di Cesare estate. And if one had the bright idea to approach the estate from another angle, they’d be trudging through miles and miles of rainforest to do so, only end up face to face with a massive stone wall that kept the rainforest out.

In effect - the Di Cesare estate was a fortress. Getting in would be no easy feat, to say nothing of confronting the vampires within. But with the fear of the Imperium gnawing at the back of their minds, the Brethren had finally set their minds to trying.

George Bundy had been the one in charge of planning the operation out.

I’d known Bundy before I’d joined up with the Brethren. Hell, Bundy was the whole reason I’d joined the Brethren. He’d been my CO a number of years back, and he’d earned his reputation as a hardass just about ten or twenty times over. Bundy was a gruff looking man with a bushy moustache and intense eyes. During the years I knew him, I don’t believe I ever once saw him so much as crack a smile. He only ever seemed to speak when he felt there was something he needed to say. Otherwise, he was usually dead silent.

He was somewhere in his late fifties back in 88. By all rights, he ought to have retired years ago. But he refused.
“I’m a soldier,” He said, when I asked him about it once. “That’s all I am. I don’t know what else to be.”

Bundy’s initial plan had been to hit the Di Cesare estate from the air. Come in fast and loud with a couple of helicopters and see how those vampires stood up to some good old American flak. The idea got shot down pretty quickly, so to speak. Apperantly, most if not all of the Di Cesares had cursed their own bodies, causing whatever wound one inflicted on them to appear on whoever it was who had wounded them. Going in guns blazing would have ended in a bloodbath… and not for them. There were also some concerns about drawing attention from Julia. With no conclusive data on just what they had living in that town, there was no guarantee we’d be safe in the air. A few eyewitnesses had described seeing giant nests in some of the trees in the jungle, supposedly consistent with the nests made by harpies.

Flying in guns blazing was out. So Bundy went back to the drawing board and what he came back with… well, it was ballsy, but it almost seemed like it just might work. During his reconnisance of the Di Cesare’s estate, he’d noticed a large but shallow tributary flowing into the amazon river that led right through the Di Cesare’s estate. Along the tributary was an abandoned water mill, that connected to the Di Cesare estate.

He’d suggested using the water mill to gain entry to the grounds, and from there, move on the Di Cesare’s. That plan had been approved, and Bundy had been allowed to handpick his team for the operation. He’d chosen fifteen men, all of them ex military, most of them having served under him before.

He’d told us we would be dividing into three teams of five men each. We would leave Manaus by boat, and land at three different areas near the tributary before making our way to the mill on foot, where we would regroup, before moving on the Di Cesares. The reason for the division was to ensure that if any of our teams ran into trouble upon making ground, the entire operation wouldn’t be compromised.

Team 1, led by Bundy himself would depart first and land to the west of the tributary. Team 2, led by a man named Ferdinand Hernandez would make land about fifteen minutes later near the mouth of the tributary and Team 3, to be led by me would land fifteen minutes later to the east.

On the day of the operation, I sat in my boat, watching as the other two left. It was twilight when we set out, and I remember that as my team and I carried out our final checks on our equipment, the only thing I felt was a familiar anticipation.

I’d hesitate to call it fear. Fear is what came later. Anticipation is the better word. I knew we could be walking into a tough situation… but I trusted Bundy. I trusted he’d run a smooth op. God knew, he’d done it a thousand times before.

The team assigned to me wasn’t anything particularly special. They were competent enough, but none of them would’ve been my first choices. Jack McMullen, for instance, who was about the same age as I was at the time. We’d both served under Bundy before, although while I respected Bundy, Jack was wholly devoted to him. I swear, if the man had told him to stuff a live grenade up his ass, Jack would’ve done it without a moments hesitation. I dunno if Jack simply saw him as the father he’d never had or what, but he damn near worshipped Bundy.

I can’t quite say the same for the other guys we had with us, though. One of them, some greenhorn by the name of Pearce Wilson struck me as an airheaded pretty boy who’d never actually had his boots on the ground before, while the other one, Scott Barber had left a bad taste in my mouth last time we’d worked together. Barber was capable… but he was violent. This was a kid with a hell of a chip on his shoulder, and it looked a hell of a lot like that Confederate flag patch he wore on his jacket. He wanted an excuse to shoot something, and I don’t think he cared what. Under most circumstances I’m not sure I would’ve fully trusted him with a gun.

The last one though, Joseph Feng… him I trusted. Feng was the one I knew the least about, and he didn’t seem much for conversation. But he handled himself competently enough and seemed to know when to sit down and shut up.

When Team 2’s boat was far enough away, we got the radio signal to follow. Barber was the one steering the boat, so I gave him the order to cast off and we ventured out into the twilight, unaware of just what was waiting for us out there.

***

We landed in our designated area fifteen minutes after Team 2 confirmed they’d touched down at theirs. Our landing was fairly uneventful. Feng, Barber, and I secured the boat before we radio’d Bundy to let him know we were in position. After that, it was just a matter of making it to the tributary.

As we ventured into the jungle, the world around us was quiet. There was wind, the whisper of the river behind us, and the sounds of animals. But little else. The river fell away behind us as we moved in single file toward the tributary, maintaining radio silence as we did.

It was about a half hour before we heard the gunshot.

Just one, echoing through the twilight. But it was enough to give us pause.

“The fuck was that?” I heard Barber ask. Immediately, the kid was on high alert, with his gun raised as if he were expecting every monster in Julia to come charging at us from all angles.
I just listened, waiting to hear if there was anything else. I half expected my radio to come to life, but it didn’t.
“Team 1, status?” I asked.
The radio crackled with static, but there was no response.

I tried it again, but still with no success. The radio was working, that much I was sure of. Something had to be blocking the signal.
“What’s going on?” Feng asked.
“Dunno,” I replied. “Comms are down.”
“Down?” Wilson asked, “So we’re flying blind out here, then?”
“More or less,” I replied.
“What do we do? Do we go back… if the comms are down…”
“Just because something’s jamming our signal doesn’t mean we’re made,” I said. “Relax. We keep moving for now. You keep your eyes wide open, and your head on a swivel. We’ll make it to the tributary and see if we can’t meet up with the other teams.”
I could tell Wilson wasn’t a fan of my answer, but I didn’t much care. We had a job to do, and I aimed to do it.

I pressed on without a further word and the others followed. Up ahead, I could hear the sound of running water and picked up the pace. I figured the tributary had to be close… and I was right.

I emerged from the brush into the stream, only to pause when I saw what was waiting for us in the water.

In the dying sunlight, it was impossible to mistake the bodies sprawled out on the rocks as anything else… and all I needed to do was look at their uniforms to know they were our people.
“Jesus…” I heard Wilson say under his breath. He froze up, lingering by the bank as I cautiously approached one of the bodies.

It belonged to a somewhat heavyset man with a thin mustache who I recognized as Hernandez. His eyes were still open, although lifeless and staring in different directions, and there was a clean hole in his forehead where a bullet had ended his life. The gunshot we’d heard earlier had likely been the sound of his death.

Looking at the bodies around him, I knew they had to be the rest of Team 2… although it was a little harder pinning down their cause of death. Some sort of bladed weapon, perhaps, judging by the state of them. I realized the odds were that they walked into some sort of ambush.
“What about Bundy and Team 1?” Jack asked, “Any sign of them?”
“No,” I said. “These bodies are all from Team 2… Bundy could still be ahead of us.”
“Then we need to keep going!”

Jack turned, heading up the stream and Barber was right behind him. Feng paused for a moment, thinking this over before following. Only Wilson remained.
“How do we know we’re not walking into a trap?” He asked.
“We’ll deal with that when we get to it,” I said before moving to follow the others.
“With all due respect, Sarge… that doesn’t sound like the best course of action!” Wilson argued, finally following me. “It sounds just like a good way to get killed!”
“Yeah?” I asked, “I’m gonna tell you an ugly truth, kid. That’s the job. Make your peace with it, and it’ll go a lot easier.”

Wilson didn’t like that answer either and trailed off behind me, watching as I continued upstream. For a moment, I half expected him to go back to the boat… but no. I dunno if he found his balls or just didn’t want to get left behind, but he started to follow us again.

I kept trying to raise Team 1 on the radio while we walked, although I still had no luck. The light above us slowly faded into darkness as we trudged through the water in silence, guns sitting comfortably in our hands and mosquitos biting at our necks.

It wasn’t until we lost Feng that I heard anybody so much as make a sound, and when we lost Feng… it happened almost instantaneously. One minute, he was at the head of the group, walking just ahead of Jack and I. The next, he was gone, only barely having the time to let out a scream as he fell into the river ahead of us.

The rest of us paused. Jack seemed to freeze and I pushed past him, calling out for Feng as I did. As punishment for my compassion, I almost went down after him. I only barely stopped myself from stepping on the slippery rocks that had helped send him to his demise.

I could see Feng’s body in the water, and I could see the blood pouring out of him. He twitched a few times, but I knew he was dead. The sharpened wooden spikes jutting out of him confirmed as much.
“What the hell…” Jack said under his breath, staring at Feng’s corpse in disbelief. “That’s a fucking spike trap!”

Yeah.

It was indeed a fucking spike trap.

I could see other spikes jutting out of the water ahead of us, just past a small dam of rocks that were just slippery enough to make it difficult to stop yourself from falling. Some of those spikes had other bodies on them… likely members of Team 1. I only counted two, although that still didn’t exactly bode well.

“They put a fucking spike trap in the goddamn stream…” Jack said, “Who the hell does that?”
“Somebody who’s expecting us to use the stream,” I replied.
“So they know we’re coming?” Barber asked.
“Clearly…” I replied. “And they’ve got a good idea on what our route is too.”

“Yeah, no shit!” Barber snapped. “Christ… let’s get the fuck out of here. There’s probably more fucking traps upstream!”
“Bundy’s orders were clear!” Jack argued.
“Bundy’s probably dead by now!” Barber replied, before looking at me. “Sarge, come on. You have to know this is suicide!”
“Suicide was part of the job description, was it not?” I asked.
“The job is to kill those fucking vampires, not to die in the goddamn process! We need to get out of the stream and into the woods!”

“Judging by the fate Team 2 met, I’m not sure the forest is someplace we want to be right now,” I replied.
“Excuse me?” Barber asked, “What the hell are you talking about, Sarge?”
“Five men dead, but only one gunshot. How did the rest die?”

Barber didn’t seem to be able to answer that.
“By now… yes. It’s clear we’ve walked into a trap. And yes, I understand that it makes sense to try and leave that trap… but I don’t know if we’ll be safer in the jungle. Something jumped Team 2. Cut them apart, and then shot Hernandez as a warning. They didn’t have to shoot him. They did it so we’d hear.”
“Your point being?” Barber asked.
“I don’t think this is just a trap, Barber. It’s a game. Stop playing, and you might just end up like our friends downstream.”
“A game?” Wilson asked, “Sarge, you can’t be serious!”

“From where I’m standing, we have a better chance of surviving in the stream,” I said. “Look, we’re at least halfway to the rendezvous point, and there have to be at least two members of Team 1 left. The safest thing to do right now is to follow them.”
“You’re off your fucking rocker, Sarge,” Barber spat, locking his eyes with mine. For a moment, I thought the boy was going to try and fight me. But no. He was wise enough to stand down.
“If you wanna get yourself killed, go right the fuck ahead. Just leave me out of it! Wilson, come on,” Barber said before trudging over to the edge of the stream. Wilson didn’t even hesitate, just looking back at Jack and I quietly before he disappeared into the forest with Barber.

“You’re not gonna stop them?” Jack asked.
“No,” I replied. “God willing, there’s a chance that pigheaded asshole is right… dunno how much of a chance, but a chance.”
“Then how come we’re not following him?” Jack asked.
“There’s also a chance he’s wrong.”
I turned, before making my way around the spike trap.
“Keep a slower pace,” I said. “Watch for traps.”

Jack hesitated for a moment, but he followed me without any further questions and we walked in silence for a little longer.

We heard nothing from the trees. Nothing that told us about the fate of Barber and Wilson. I wasn’t sure if that was good news or not.

In fact, I don’t think we heard a thing until about a half hour later, when we heard the explosion.

It came out of almost nowhere, but ahead of us I could see a flash of light and hear the screams of men. On instinct, I found myself picking up the pace and could hear Jack behind me. In the low light, I saw a shape float past me in the stream. It took me a moment to realize that it was a severed human arm.

In the water ahead of us, I could see a figure clinging to one of the rocks and trying to pick himself up. I recognized him as George Bundy.

Jack was at his side almost immediately, trying to help the old man to his feet.
“Sir! Are you alright?”
Bundy just wheezed, before his legs gave out from under him. I helped Jack drag him to the shore so he could sit and rest for a moment.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, looking back at the stream.
“Grenade trap… I think…” Bundy panted, “Fucking tripwire… Popkov tripped it, I think…”

Popkov… odds are he was one of the two mangled corpses lying in the river a few feet away from us. It seemed they’d taken the brunt of the explosion, although Bundy still had some shrapnel in his arm that Jack was tending to.
“Christ… whole fucking ops gone to shit…” Bundy spat. “Team 2 got taken out just about as soon as they landed. Someone killed them and dumped them in the goddamn river. Lost half my boys to the fucking spike trap and half to this…”

He looked up at us, before spitting onto the ground.
“Guess you two haven’t done much better.”
“Hard to say,” I replied. “Two of ours took off into the woods, trying to avoid the traps.”
“Then they’re dead,” Bundy replied. “I’ve seen her watching us… always just up ahead, always from a distance… she’s seeing how far we’ll go. How much we’ll take…”
“She?” I asked.
La Morte. Should’ve figured she’d be the one to greet us.”
“La Morte?” I asked.

“It’s Italian. Supposedly, she earned that name around the time the Di Cesares fled Venice. It’s funny, the Brethren like to act like the Di Cesares leaving Venice was some big victory of theirs, since before they did, they finally killed one of them… hard to call it a victory though, considering how many corpses they made before they fled. And most of them came from La Morte…”
Bundy winced in pain as Jack bandaged his arm before he continued talking.

“See… when the Di Cesare’s left Venice, one of them stayed behind. Clementine, the Scorpio sister. Guess she was unwilling to leave the fight unfinished… and according to the stories, the death toll she personally amassed in the years after the Di Cesare’s left Venice make the bodies they claimed during the Venetian Massacre a hundred and fifty years prior look like a pittance. The Brethren still occupying the city started to call her La Morte. Death. Cuz wherever she went, death followed in her wake… and it seems we’ve walked right into her open arms, haven’t we, boys?”

“You’re sure it’s her?” I asked.
“She’s a Di Cesare… and the shit we’ve seen out here… I don’t see any other Di Cesare setting those traps. It’s her. I’m sure of it. She’s watching us. Seeing how far we’ll go. Seeing if we’ll turn tail…”
“Should we?” Jack asked, and Bundy finally seemed to acknowledge him.
“Excuse me?” He asked.
“Should we? Look, sir… I’d follow you into the mouth of Hell, but right now, we’re down from fifteen men to three. Can’t say I’m optimistic about our chances right now. If this woman is half as bad as you’re saying she is, maybe it’s time we took a step back!”

Jack looked at me, hoping I might back him up, but I remained silent.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Bundy asked.
“What I’m hearing here, is that as of right now, the vampire out there could kill us at any time. She hasn’t. Far as I’m concerned, that’s mercy. Maybe we should be taking it while it’s offered.”
Bundy stared at him, before chuckling. I think it was the first time I’d ever seen him laugh.

“Just walk away, then?” He asked.
“Walk away, and come back better prepared!” Jack corrected.
“Walk away,” Bundy said again. “We walk away now, and there won’t be a chance to come back better prepared. We get one shot at this. One. Failure is not an option. We go in there and we kill them or we die. End of discussion.”
“And how exactly are we even supposed to kill them?” Jack asked, “That curse they have… bullets aren’t gonna do shit, sir!”
“Yours won’t, mine will…”
Bundy pulled his pistol from his holster. I noticed some sort of pattern crudely engraved on it.

“I’ve been doing some research… studied the curse they put on themselves… and I think I’ve found a way to break it. Not sure if it’ll work yet… but we get one chance to test it.”
Jack stared at the gun, then back at Bundy.
“Sir… do you hear yourself?” He asked quietly, “You can’t be serious… right now, even with that gun we don’t stand a chance in he-”

The gunshot echoed through the forest and made me jump. Jack’s voice died in his throat as he hit the ground.

Bundy stared at him for a moment, before huffing and holstering his pistol again. He draped his coat over his shoulders, before looking over at me.
“No room for failure, Frank,” He said calmly.
I didn’t know what to say to that. I stared down at Jack’s body, my mouth hanging open slightly. When I looked back at Bundy, he was already back in the stream.

There was a tense silence between Bundy and I as I followed him along the final stretch of the tributary. He trudged on ahead, covered in sweat and straining with every step, but I could sense the quiet determination he had to see this through. Looking at him, you could’ve told me that George Bundy could wipe out the Di Cesare’s all by himself and I would have believed it in a second.

The night around us was full of sound, and each one drew my attention. I watched the forest, expecting to see some sign of La Morte watching us. But I saw nothing, except for what she wanted me to see.
“Mill’s just up ahead,” I heard Bundy say as we pressed on, although I noticed his steps faltering as he seemed to notice something in the trees above us. I stopped behind him, looking up before seeing what he saw, and when I saw it I felt my stomach turn.

I’d seen death before.
But what Di Cesare had left out for us… that was something else.
Pearce Wilson and Scott Barber weren’t dead.
But if they could have spoke, I’ve got no doubt they would have begged us to kill them. Wilsons pretty face was covered in blood and his pouty lips were parted as more trickled out of him. His curly blond hair was matted and I could see crimson there. Tree branches portruded from his ribs, while the loops of his entrails dangled out of his opened stomach. And Barber was in just about the same state, only he seemed to at least have the ability to turn his head to look at us.

I think he might have tried to speak, but the only sound he seemed to be able to make was a pained whimper.
“Jesus Christ…” I said softly.
“He had nothing to do with this,” Bundy replied. He took one last look at the two dying men hanging from the trees, before moving on.
“We should put them out of their misery, sir,” I said.

Bundy paused, before looking back at me.
“Don’t waste the ammo, Frank,” He replied. “They’re already dead.”
“Not yet they’re not!”
“Give them time. They chose to go into the woods. They can live with the consequences… for however long that lasts.”

With that, he left them. If I were a more compassionate man, I would have put them out of their misery. But no. Bundy moved on and so did I.

He approached the water mill, before examining it. It was an old building, made of stone that had long since been overgrown by moss, and sat right on the wall that separated the Di Cesares estate from the amazon. It hardly looked secure, even if the only entrance hadn’t just been an old wooden door secured with a padlock, finding a way in wouldn’t have been difficult. And it didn’t take much for Bundy to break through that door. All he needed was a couple of well placed kicks and it swung right open.

Drawing his gun, Bundy strode inside and I followed him.
“The Di Cesare’s will be in the main house,” He said. “We should find a way in through the back, try and catch them off guard. Main target should be the matriarch, Bianca. Her we should prioritize keeping alive… the rest are expendable.”

“Much as you are, I’m sure.” A voice called from deeper in the mill, and both Bundy and I froze.
I noticed movement on the floor above us, and through the shadows, I saw a tall woman watching us. She was dressed all in black, with blond hair tied back in a ponytail and the intense eyes of a soldier.

This had to be Clementine Di Cesare.

Bundy aimed his pistol at her, although she only barely seemed to notice.
“Only two of you left… I’m not sure the odds are in your favor,” The woman said. Her voice was low, calm and quiet.
“Only one way to find out,” Bundy growled.
“And only one way to walk out of this place alive,” Di Cesare countered. “You can put the gun down, turn and walk away. I won’t stop you. There’s no shame in living.”

“All the bodies you’ve left in your wake… that’s rich,” Bundy said.
“I don’t relish what I’ve done. I simply don’t know how to do anything else,” She replied. “Think about this, Bundy. Over my lifetime, there have been countless thousands who have come to kill me. All of them are dead, but I am not. Even if you could kill me… you could not kill my sisters. Not all of them. Not before they came for you.”
“Just you, would be enough…” Bundy said, before pulling the trigger.

I knew he’d hit her. I knew the bullet pierced her shoulder. But that woman… she didn’t even flinch. She simply dove out of the way before he could shoot again, taking cover and avoiding his next shot.
“Frank, upstairs!” Bundy snapped, “Flush her out!”
I went, trudging up the old wooden steps with my rifle drawn. Only to see Di Cesare vaulting over the railing and back down to the ground floor as soon as I made it up there.

Bundy shot at her again, only to miss for a second time. I saw Di Cesare’s arm move, and heard him cry out in pain. In the low light, I could see a dagger protruding from his shoulder. He stumbled back a step, leaving himself open for only a split second.

That second was all it took for Di Cesare to raise her own gun and fire just one shot.

George Bundy hit the ground without so much as a final scream. There was just a simple hole in his skull where she had shot him.

I felt my heart start to race faster. My eyes settled on Bundy’s gun, and I ran for the railing, vaulting it and dropping to the ground below with a thud. Di Cesare shot at me, and I felt the bullet tear through my leg. I reached out for the fallen gun and grabbed it before turning it on Di Cesare, only to find myself staring down the barrel of her own pistol. My finger rested on the trigger, but I didn’t have the guts to pull it.

"Kill me, and you will not see the sun tomorrow." She said, her voice still cold and calm.
“Killing you is part of the job…” I replied, but my finger still couldn’t squeeze the trigger.
“And is it worth your life?” Di Cesare asked. “You fail your mission either way.”
“And die with some goddamn honor…”
“There’s no such thing as honor. There is alive and there is dead. Choose.”

I knew what I was supposed to choose.

But my hands were shaking, as I stared into the face of death. My finger couldn’t squeeze the trigger.

The gun collapsed to the floor and Di Cesare kicked it away from me, before huffing and lowering her gun.
“Do not return,” She said softly. “Or next time, I will unleash a hell upon you that will make you beg for simple traps.”

She picked Bundy’s gun up off the ground, and then she was gone. After I finally picked myself up off the ground, I was gone too.

As I walked back along the stream… I passed the corpses of the men we’d left behind. Barber and Wilson, Jack, Feng, Hernandez, and his team. The flies were already feasting on them. Animals had already torn at them. And as I looked down at their cold corpses, I knew I had made the right choice.

I filed my report with the Brethren. Told them that Di Cesare had wiped us out, and a few months later I quietly retired. I never looked back.

***

“You walked away from her?” Sweeney asked in disbelief, “You had her dead to rights and you walked away from her?”
“I chose to live,” I replied. “Can’t say I regret the decision either. Because of the choice I made, I met my wife and had my kids. I’ve lived the life I had because I chose not to throw it away on some vampire.”

Sweeney just shook his head.
“You could have gotten the first confirmed kill on a Di Cesare in two centuries, and you threw it away you fucking coward! I could execute you for that!” I noticed his hand hovering over the gun on his hip.
“You could.” I replied, before quietly unholstering the pistol I kept at my side. I aimed it at Sweeney’s head.

He stared at me like a slack jawed idiot.
“Would you like to give it a try?”
“W-what…?”
“Would you like to give it a try, Mr. Sweeney? Or would you like to see the sun tomorrow?”
He stared down the barrel of my gun, and I already knew what his choice would be.

Sweeney took a step back. I saw his hand move away from his holster, and I lowered the gun with a huff.
“Thought so,” I said.
Mr. Sweeney left me without another word.
I knew he would not return.
submitted by HeadOfSpectre to HeadOfSpectre [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 16:26 westside1931 The Gambino Crime Family - 1963

Me and fellow reddit user Nasabeak have, for the past 7 months, been working on crewing up as many soldiers in the Gambino family during 1963.

We have received the FOIAs of almost all the family captains, and presented is what we have so far. There may be additions added later, but likely no major progress.

Administration
Boss: Carlo ‘Don Carlo’ Gambino (61y)
Underboss: Joseph ‘Joe Bandi’ Biondo (66y)
Consigliere: Joseph ‘Staten Island Joe’ Riccobono (69y)
Acting Consigliere: Offered to Joseph Zingaro (51y)

Capidecina
  1. David ‘Papa Dave’ Amodeo (70y) (Crew totaling ~15 - 20 men) (The Bronx)
Soldiers

  1. Anthony ‘Tough Tony’ Anastasio (57y) (Crew totaling ~35 men) (Brooklyn)
Soldiers

  1. Domenico ‘Mike’ Arcuri (77y) (Crew totaling ~20 men) (Manhattan / CT)
Connecticut Crew reported to Arcuri
Soldiers

  1. Paul Castellano (48y) (Crew totaling ~30 - 35 men) (Brooklyn)
Soldiers

  1. Joseph ‘Gus’ Colozzo (58y) (Crew totaling ~30 - 35 men) (Brooklyn)
Soldiers

  1. Pasquale ‘Patsy’ Conte (38y) (Queens)
Soldiers

  1. Aniello ‘Neil’ Dellacroce (49y) (Crew Totaling ~18 men) (Manhattan / Queens)
Soldiers

  1. Charles Dongarra (67y) (Crew totaling ~35 men) (Manhattan)
Acting Capodecina: Joseph Gallo (51y)
Soldiers

  1. Alfred ‘Freddy’ Eppolito (44y) (Crew totaling ~30 men) (Brooklyn)
Soldiers

  1. Peter ‘Little Pete’ Ferrara (52y) (Crew totaling ~40 men) (Brooklyn / NJ)
Soldiers

  1. Joseph Gambino (55y) (Brooklyn)

  1. Olympio ‘Lilo’ Garofalo (59y) (Crew totaling ~10 old men) (Manhattan)
Soldiers

  1. Arthur Leo (39y) (Crew totaling ~30 men) (East Harlem / Queens)
Soldiers

  1. Carmine Lombardozzi (50y) (Crew totaling ~40 men) (Brooklyn / Manhattan)
Acting Capodecina: Michael Scandifia (44y)
Acting Capodecina? Joseph Gennaro (55y)
Soldiers

  1. Angelo Mascia (54y) (Crew totaling ~20 men) (The Bronx)
Soldiers

  1. Rocco ‘Rogie’ Mazzie (47y) (Crew totaling ~30 men) (The Bronx)
Soldiers

  1. Luigi ‘Don Luigi’ Morici (67y) (Baltimore)
Soldiers

  1. Joseph Paterno (40y) (Crew totaling ~35 men) (NJ)
Soldiers

  1. Frank Perrone (54y) (NJ)
Soldiers

  1. Gaetano Russo (72y) (Crew totaling ~9 men) (Brooklyn)
Soldiers

  1. Joseph ‘Joe Rivers’ Silesi (67y) (FL)
Soldiers

  1. Peter Stincone (66y) (Crew totaling ~10 old men) (Manhattan / Queens)
Soldiers

  1. Giuseppe Traina (80y) (Crew totaling ~40 men) (Brooklyn / Staten Island)
Soldiers

  1. Ettore 'Terry’ Zappi (59y) (Crew totaling ~25 men) (Brooklyn)
Soldiers

  1. Joseph Zingaro (51y) (Crew totaling ~20 men) (The Bronx / Westchester)
Soldiers

Notes:
Note 1: Mascia identified by Santantonio as Capodecina in January 1963. Later that year identified as soldier under Joseph Zingaro. Probable that Mascia stepped down and was replaced by Sedotto sometime later in 1963.
Soldiers (Crew Unknown)

Estimated total membership ~400

Possible Members

Bonanno (1979) and Lucchese (1983) next
submitted by westside1931 to Mafia [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 13:57 Gatopelirrojo I was searching in Google toaster wallpapers and suddenly this appeared:

I was searching in Google toaster wallpapers and suddenly this appeared: submitted by Gatopelirrojo to traaaaaaannnnnnnnnns [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 07:53 Big-Marsupial-3743 Personal thoughts about Costa Rica

Let me preface this by saying two things: I think Costa Rica is a beautiful country full of amazing nature and that Ticos are generally awesome people. However, I believe that despite this it is a bit overhyped and overpriced.
I understand that we all travel for different reasons and for some people seeing nature or hiking are their go to activities and that's great. I like those things too, but personally prefer more cultural or historic sites or museums or getting to know local culture better. Costa Rica is a perfect place for the prior not the later as for all they have done in preserving all their natural spaces they've done a poor job preserving their historic or cultural sites. In downtown San José you would see abandoned old cinema buildings/houses next to concrete masses. I acknowledge if I had valued ecotourism more, I might have enjoyed the country more and part of my opinion might be that it just didn't fit me.
That being said, I often felt that I was paying American level prices for inferior quality of services (such as food, lodging, transport, etc). Likewise in a lot of the tourist sites I went to such as Manuel Antonio, La Fortuna, Rincon de La Vieja were so packed with tourist to the point where you heard more English,German, French than Spanish. Many of the Ticos I met say they feel like foreigners when they go to those places. The one good thing about this is that they have such low language expectations for outsiders that sometimes because I speak Spanish I would get the residents price (even though I have a more Caribbean accent than Central American).
It felt like everywhere was packed with thousands of American and British tourists who claim they've seen all of Latinamerica because they zip-lined (joke from Joanna Haussman)
On the flight back to Miami I sat next to a Tica and we both about how more English is spoken in these places in Costa Rica than in Miami and how odd it was. She also stated she didn't understand why every single gringo did my trip instead of checking out the Caribbean which is more worth it. If I will ever go back it will be for that part of the country.
I personally believe that the main reason gringos like CR so much (besides obviously the nature and ppl) and are willing to pay more for it is because of convenience. More people speak English than other parts of Latam, many chains from the US are there (CR is probs the only country out of the US where I've seen a taco bell), culturally more similar to the US, infrastructure looks like the US, a lot of travelers and US immigrants, etc.
Overall preferred my time in Nicaragua because I was able to get to see similar nature as well as history and culture for a significantly lower price. Also even in the most crowded attractions, nothing was close to the level of CR.
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2023.06.03 06:08 T-NNguyen Thăng trầm chữ Việt

Thăng trầm chữ Việt
Trần Nhật Vy
Ngày 1-1-1882, chính quyền thực dân Pháp đã buộc người Việt ở Nam kỳ “phải dùng chữ quốc ngữ”. Nội dung quan trọng này nằm trong nghị định ra ngày 6-4-1878 “về việc dùng tiếng An Nam bằng mẫu tự Latin” do thống đốc Nam kỳ Lafont ký.
Nghị định trên ra đời sau 20 năm Pháp xâm chiếm nước ta và sau thế kỷ ra đời và phát triển của chữ Việt.

https://preview.redd.it/nb9omaxf9q3b1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=314d518ba4b61b3b1a8398a3923e8b9eb0dc3d87
Vì sao người Pháp ra nghị định 6-4-1878?
Điều này được nói rõ trong nội dung nghị định. Nguyên văn như sau:
“Xét rằng chữ viết của tiếng An Nam bằng mẫu tự Latin ngày nay đã khá phổ thông trong các tỉnh Nam kỳ, là thứ chữ dễ học hơn chữ Nho và tiện lợi nhiều so với chữ Nho trong việc làm cho những giao dịch giữa các quan cai trị với dân bản xứ được trực tiếp hơn. Xét rằng việc dùng hợp pháp thứ chữ đó chỉ làm cho dân chúng dễ đồng hóa với chính quyền ta, và vì thế thật là một đường lối chính trị tốt nếu bắt buộc dùng nó trong các giao dịch chính thức. Tuy nhiên, xét rằng một cải cách quan trọng như thế không thể thực hiện được ngay tức khắc, và để thực hiện nó cần có sự cộng tác của những tầng lớp lãnh đạo trong dân chúng. Chiếu đề nghị của quyền giám đốc nội vụ, sau khi hội đồng tư vấn đã được hội ý kiến, nay ra nghị định:
  • Điều 1: kể từ ngày 1-1-1882 tất cả những văn kiện chính thức, nghị định, quyết định, sắc lệnh, phán quyết, chỉ thị… sẽ được viết, ký và công bố bằng chữ mẫu tự Latin.
  • Điều 2: kể từ ngày trên, không một tuyển dụng nào được thi hành, không một thăng trật nào được cho phép, trong ngạch phủ, huyện, tổng đối với bất cứ ai không ở trong tình trạng viết được chữ quốc ngữ. (Nguyễn Văn Trung – Chữ, văn quốc ngữ thời kỳ đầu Pháp thuộc).
Đến đầu năm 1881, thống đốc Nam kỳ lúc đó là Le Myre de Vilers đã ký quyết định “nhắc lại” việc dùng chữ quốc ngữ trong hệ thống hành chính. “Vì lời nghị ngày mồng 6 tháng 4-1878, từ ngày mồng 1 janvier 1882, về các tờ giấy làm việc quan buộc phải viết ra bằng quốc âm chữ Langsa; Xét vì lời nghị nầy phải thi hành lần lần, vì trong lúc người ta biết chữ quốc âm Langsa đủ dùng trong các tổng” (Gia Định Báo ngày 21-2-1881). Và ngày 24-10-1881 cũng trên tờ Gia Định Báo phần tạp vụ, văn phòng Nha nội vụ đã đăng thông báo “nhắc lại”. “Ông directeur de l’interieur (giám đốc Nha nội vụ, người đương thời gọi là quan lại bộ thượng thơ), làm lời rao cho ai nấy đặng hay, lời nghị ngày mồng 6 avril 1878, buộc từ ngày mồng 1 janvier 1882 trong những giấy lá việc quan mà viết theo tiếng An Nam đều phải dùng chữ Langsa mà thôi”.
Và ngày 30-1-1882, thống đốc Nam kỳ Le Myre de Vilers ra nghị định nhắc lại lần cuối cùng: “kể từ ngày hôm nay, việc chỉ dùng những mẫu tự Pháp trở thành bắt buộc trên toàn cõi Nam kỳ thuộc Pháp, trong những giấy tờ chính thức viết bằng tiếng An Nam”. (Nguyễn Văn Trung – Chữ, văn quốc ngữ thời kỳ đầu Pháp thuộc).
Có thể nói, kể từ ngày 1-1-1882, người Việt bắt đầu chính thức sử dụng thứ chữ viết từng được gọi là “chữ quốc ngữ, quốc ngữ hay tiếng An Nam dùng chữ Langsa”, thứ chữ viết hôm nay người Việt dù sống ở đâu, trên đất nước VN hay nơi nào đó trên thế giới đều xem là văn tự chính thống của người Việt.
Để có được điều đó, chữ Việt đã trải qua nhiều thăng trầm.
Ngược dòng chữ Việt
Chúng ta đều biết chữ Việt do những giáo sĩ phương Tây tới Việt Nam truyền đạo sáng tạo vào thế kỷ 17. Và người được vinh danh nhiều nhất chính là giáo sĩ Alexandre de Rhodes.
Ngoài bức tượng nhỏ của ông dựng trong khuôn viên 161 Lý Chính Thắng (Quận 3), ông còn có tên đường ở ngay trung tâm TP.HCM. Thực tế có phải Alexandre de Rhodes là người duy nhất sáng tạo chữ Việt? Không hoàn toàn như vậy.
Sáng tạo ra chữ Việt là công trình của nhiều người với mục đích ban đầu chỉ để truyền đạo. Theo Giáo sĩ Đắc Lộ và tác phẩm quốc ngữ đầu tiên của Nguyễn Khắc Xuyên, chữ Việt manh nha xuất hiện từ năm 1625-1626 trong một bức thư của giáo sĩ F. Buzomi, người Ý. Năm 1627, giáo sĩ Baldinotti đã xuất bản một bản Điều trần về xứ Đàng Ngoài có ghi một vài chữ quốc ngữ. Năm 1631, trong quyển Điều trần về xứ Đàng Trong của giáo sĩ Cristoforo Borri, người Ý, đã xuất hiện nhiều câu quốc ngữ như Scin (xin), Ciàm (chẳng), Gnoo (nhỏ), Chiam (chăng), Tlom (trong), Bua (vua)…
Tuy nhiên, công lớn lại thuộc về các giáo sĩ Bồ Đào Nha. Giáo sĩ được đương thời coi là “thầy tiếng Việt” là Francesco de Pina. Hai “học trò” của Pina được thừa nhận có công lớn là giáo sĩ Gaspar d’Amaral và Antonio Barbosa. Hai giáo sĩ này là người đầu tiên viết từ điển Việt – Bồ và Bồ – Việt. Hai ông sau khi rời Hội An, định cư ở Macau gần 10 năm. Không may Gaspar d’Amaral tử nạn trên biển Macau vào tháng 2-1646 khi trên đường đến Việt Nam. Antonio Barbosa cũng mất một năm sau đó.
Trước khi mất họ để lại trong nhà thờ San Pauli ở Macau những quyển từ điển Việt – Bồ – Latin mà họ đã sáng tạo. Và giáo sĩ Alexandre de Rhodes là người mang từ điển đó về châu Âu (Phạm Văn Hường – Đi tìm nguồn gốc chữ quốc ngữ). Đến năm 1651, quyển Từ điển Việt – Bồ – La ra đời dưới cái tên tác giả Alexandre de Rhodes. Và đây là cuốn từ điển tiếng Việt đầu tiên xuất hiện trên thế giới và ông Đắc Lộ (tên tiếng Việt của Alexandre de Rhodes) được công nhận là người có công trong việc sáng tạo chữ Việt.
Những sáng tạo của các giáo sĩ phương Tây không thể không có sự góp phần của người bản xứ. Nhiều tài liệu đã nhắc tới “những người thầy không tên” của các giáo sĩ. Theo xơ Jean Berchmans Minh Nguyệt trong tập san MISS của Vatican, giáo sĩ Đắc Lộ đã học tiếng Việt với “một người thầy trạc 10-12 tuổi”, người sau này trở thành thầy giảng đạo giúp việc cho các giáo sĩ.
Giáo sĩ Đắc Lộ đã nói về “thầy” của mình: “Chỉ trong vòng ba tuần lễ, chú bé đã dạy tôi học biết tất cả các cung giọng khác nhau của tiếng Việt và cách thức phát âm của từng chữ”.
Những tài liệu khác cũng cho biết “thầy” của các giáo sĩ Amaral và Barbosa có tới 14 người. Những cái tên như Trâm, Văn Triều, Sang, Văn Tang, Cai, Văn Nhất… xuất hiện trong một tài liệu của Dòng Tên mang tên “Chung quanh mô thức rửa tội bằng thổ ngữ An Nam” (Huỳnh Ái Tông – Nguồn gốc chữ quốc ngữ).
Chữ Việt thời kỳ đầu khác xa với chữ Việt hôm nay, thậm chí hôm qua. Những từ “oũ” (ông), “kẻ hằii” (kẻ hầu), “bên đoũ đa” (bên Đống Đa)… vẫn còn nhiều âm hưởng nước ngoài đối với người Việt. Tới khi xuất hiện trong Từ điển Việt – Bồ – La năm 1651 cũng còn những khoảng cách xa với chữ Việt mà chúng ta đang dùng: “bao nheo” (bao nhiêu), “tôi blả bấy nheo” (tôi trả bấy nhiêu), “muấn” (muốn), “đức chúa Blời” (đức Chúa Trời), “iêo” (yêu), “khoăn đã nao” (khoan đã nào), “nếo” (nếu)…
Không chỉ có Từ điển Việt – Bồ – La, giáo sĩ Đắc Lộ còn được ghi nhận là có công đầu trong việc sáng tạo chữ Việt từ quyển Phép giảng tám ngày (1651) và phần “tiểu lược về tiếng An Nam hay tiếng Bắc kỳ” còn gọi là cuốn văn phạm VN đầu tiên (in chung với cuốn từ điển). Nếu Phép giảng tám ngày là cuốn sách chuyên về đạo đầu tiên của quốc ngữ thì cuốn văn phạm là sự sáng tạo không còn nghi ngờ gì nữa và là của riêng ông.
“Tất cả tinh thần của tiếng nói là ở các dấu lên xuống” – giáo sĩ Đắc Lộ nhận xét. Có thể chính nhờ cuốn văn phạm này mà các giáo sĩ, người học chữ Việt đời sau cảm thấy dễ dàng hơn.
Sau Filiphé Bỉnh là những ai đã học chữ Việt? Ít nhất chúng ta biết được một người, đó là linh mục Phillipe Phan Văn Minh, người đã góp sức cùng giáo sĩ Taberd viết cuốn Tư vị Taberd tại Ấn Độ và cũng là người mang cuốn sách này về Việt Nam.
Hiện có rất ít tài liệu chứng minh ai là người đầu tiên theo học chữ Việt sau Đắc Lộ…
Những người Việt trong nhà thờ
Theo Đỗ Quang Chính ghi nhận trong văn khố Dòng Tên ở Roma có “một bức thư của thầy Igesco Văn Tín gửi cho linh mục Marini, viết ngày 12-9-1659” và “một tập lược sử nước Annam và một lá thư viết ngày 25-10-1659 của thầy Bento Thiện gửi linh mục Marini” hoàn toàn bằng chữ Việt (tập Lịch sử nước Annam).
Những chữ Việt trong các tài liệu này tuy khác xa với chữ viết hôm nay nhưng tiếng Việt thời này đã thành một hệ thống đủ để thông tin và ghi chép. Thầy Văn Tín viết “ơn Thài xưa dạy dõ tôy nhèu đàng cho nên thàn mà ráp cậi thày cho nen chãng hai bai giờ vứang thày tôy càng buồn hơn nữa mà ướoc au cho được thai mạt Thài như con tlon mẹ vè cho được bú bại…” (ơn thầy xưa dạy dỗ tôi nhiều đàng cho nên thánh mà ráp cậy thầy cho nên chẳng hay bây giờ vắng thầy tôi càng buồn hơn nữa mà ước ao cho được thấy mặt thầy như con trông mẹ về cho được bú vậy).
Thứ hai là bức thư của thầy giảng Biển Đức Thiện (Bento Thiện) viết tại Đàng Ngoài (ở Thăng Long) ngày 25-10-1659 cũng gửi cho linh mục G.F.de Marini cùng một thời gian với thư của thầy Văn Tín nên chữ viết tương tự. Đáng chú ý là tập Lịch sử Annam bằng tiếng Việt. Chỉ dài có 12 trang chữ nhỏ li ti khổ 19×28 (trang cuối khổ 12×6 và chỉ có chín dòng chữ) nhưng chứa đựng khá nhiều thông tin về lịch sử nước Việt ở các lĩnh vực chính trị, xã hội, thi cử, hành chính từ thời Lạc Long Quân cho đến thời Trịnh Nguyễn. Có thể coi đây là bản sơ thảo về lịch sử Việt Nam đầu tiên viết bằng chữ Việt sau khi quyển từ điển tiếng Việt đầu tiên ra đời năm 1651.
Còn Thanh Lãng trong Biểu nhất lãm văn học cận đại phát hiện Filiphé Bỉnh (1759-1832), một linh mục Dòng Tên người Việt, là người viết chữ Việt, hơn 100 năm sau đó. Filiphé Bỉnh có thể rời Việt Nam năm 1794 và cư ngụ tại Bồ Đào Nha 30 năm. Thanh Lãng chưa tìm thấy tiểu sử của Filiphé Bỉnh nhưng tìm thấy khá nhiều tài liệu bằng chữ Việt của ông lưu trữ tại Lisbon, Bồ Đào Nha.
Tới thành Macao thơ có lẽ là bài thơ bằng tiếng Việt đầu tiên do Filiphé Bỉnh sáng tác vào ngày 4 tháng chạp năm 1794. “Tôi đang gưỡi gắp (gửi gắm) chốn Ma cao. Hai chữ thanh nhàn xiết kễ bao. Hôm sớm phần hồn dầu mặc sức. Tháng ngày việc chác chẳng tơ hào. Xây dần (xoay vần) ám tiết hằng no ấm. Đáp đổi tứ mùa khỏi khát khao. Gần chợ gần soũ (sông) gần núi bể. Trăm mùi khôn chút vẻ tanh tao”.
Vào thế kỷ 18 mà chữ nghĩa của Filiphé Bỉnh đã tiến gần với chữ Việt ngày nay cho thấy sự phát triển của chữ Việt khá mạnh mẽ trong suốt 100 năm trước đó.
Sau Filiphé Bỉnh là những ai đã học chữ Việt? Ít nhất chúng ta biết được một người, đó là linh mục Phillipe Phan Văn Minh, người đã góp sức cùng giáo sĩ Taberd viết cuốn Tư vị Taberd tại Ấn Độ và cũng là người mang cuốn sách này về Việt Nam. Linh mục Phan Văn Minh (1815-1853) đồng hương với Trương Vĩnh Ký ở Cái Mơn, xã Vĩnh Thành, huyện Tân Minh, tỉnh Vĩnh Long (nay là Bến Tre).
Linh mục đã góp phần viết Khái luận về tiểu từ và đại từ (Tractatus de variis particulus et pronominibus), Cách đếm (Nomina numeralia, 10 trang), Thực vật chí Đàng Trong (Hortus Floridus Cocincinœ), Lược bày niêm luật làm văn làm thơ (Compendium versificationis anamiticœ)… Ông còn để lại một số tác phẩm bằng quốc ngữ như Nước trời ca, Phi năng thi tập…
Sau linh mục Phan Văn Minh là ai nữa? Chưa biết. Nhưng chúng ta biết chắc rằng chữ Việt đã được gieo, nảy mầm và lớn lên trong lòng người Việt.
Theo bước Đắc Lộ
Hơn 100 năm sau, giám mục D’Adran tức giáo sĩ người Pháp Pierre Pigneaux de Béhaine còn được gọi là Bá Đa Lộc hay đức Cha cả (sinh năm 1741 tại Pháp, mất năm 1799 tại Sài Gòn), người từng giúp Nguyễn Ánh chống lại Tây Sơn, là người phương Tây học chữ Việt tiếp theo mà chúng ta biết. Ông đã biên soạn bộ tự vị Việt – La tại Sài Gòn từ tháng 9-1772 đến tháng 6-1773, với sự giúp đỡ của một số giáo sĩ người Việt và Pháp. Phần chính văn 662 trang là từ điển song ngữ, tiếng Việt được ghi theo hai lối viết (Nôm và quốc ngữ) xếp theo vần a, b, c, được giải nghĩa bằng tiếng Latin.
Điểm đáng lưu ý là chữ quốc ngữ trong bộ tự vị này gần như hoàn toàn giống với chữ quốc ngữ hôm nay, các phụ âm đôi như bl, ml… của tiếng Việt thế kỷ 17 đã biến mất hẳn. “Điều thú vị là tuy biên soạn cách đây hơn 200 năm nhưng khi lật lại cuốn từ điển này, chúng ta không chỉ thấy được diện mạo của tiếng Việt thế kỷ 18, không chỉ phần nào hiểu được bối cảnh lịch sử, văn hóa, xã hội, chính trị nước ta vào thời kỳ đó mà còn thấy được từ ngữ cơ bản trong tiếng Việt hiện đại” (Võ Thị Minh Hà – tạp chí Ngôn Ngữ và Đời Sống số 7/2006).
“Cái mới của tự vị Bá Đa Lộc là loại hẳn cách viết của Đắc Lộ và không còn thấy những nhóm phụ âm đầu mnhầm, mlầm. Nhóm bl như trong blái cũng không còn. Nhóm tl chỉ còn một từ tla. Sách có “lầm” mà không có “nhầm”, có “lanh” mà không có “nhanh”, có “lời” mà không có “nhời”. Có “nhơn” mà không có “nhân”; có “ơn” mà không có “ân”; nhưng vừa có “mần” vừa có “làm”…(Mien Ngoc – sachxưa.net).
Sau Bá Đa Lộc, “học trò chữ Việt” là giáo sĩ Taberd. Ông này đã soạn bộ Nam Việt dương hiệp tự vị, thường được gọi là Tự điển Taberd, in năm 1838 tại Ấn Độ. Từ điển Taberd gồm ba phần:
  • Phần mở đầu có 46 trang văn phạm, nghiên cứu âm vị tiếng Việt, mô tả tiếng Việt, nghiên cứu ngữ pháp tiếng Việt, mô tả cấu trúc lời nói, câu văn tiếng Việt và chỉ dẫn cách làm thơ.
  • Phần thứ hai: chính văn gồm 620 trang, mỗi trang hai cột, thu thập 4.959 mục tự theo vần a, b, c, mỗi mục xếp theo trật tự Nôm – quốc ngữ và dịch nghĩa bằng tiếng Latin, tiếp theo là dẫn ra các từ ghép có chứa từ mục tự (từ đơn) nêu trên, ví dụ: mục tự “dương” được dẫn ra các từ ghép như: “thới dương, khí dương, dương gian, dương thế…”.
  • Phần ba: có 39 trang phụ lục về tên gọi các loại cây cỏ, hoa trái miền Nam và công dụng của nó trong y thuật và 135 trang phụ lục ghi các từ Hán Việt thông dụng. “Một lần nữa người làm từ điển muốn điển chế hóa tiếng nói và chữ viết Việt Nam (ở phía Nam, ở Sài Gòn).
Mọi từ tiếng Việt trong từ điển đều ghi bằng hai thứ chữ Nôm và quốc ngữ, được phân bố theo thứ tự a, b, c và được dịch nghĩa tương đương sang tiếng Latin… Chữ Nôm của Taberd cũng như của De Béhaine vẫn được phân bố lệ thuộc theo âm quốc ngữ chứ không được phân bố theo số nét và các bộ chữ Hán” (Trần Văn Giàu, Thanh Lãng, Hoàng Xuân Việt – Địa chí văn hóa thành phố Hồ Chí Minh tập II, NXB Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh 1988).
Nét đặc biệt của Tự vị Taberd là “dạy làm thơ, hò vè, phú…” điều mà hầu như chưa có từ điển nào làm.
Thế nhưng suốt 200 năm, kể từ 1651-1861, do chính quyền cấm đạo, do giới trí thức nho học bỏ qua hoặc không để ý tới, do bị nghi kỵ thứ “chữ của người nước ngoài”, chữ Việt vẫn chìm trong “bí mật” và chỉ phát triển quanh quẩn trong các nhà thờ, các xứ đạo Thiên Chúa giáo. Trong thời gian này, chữ Việt dần hoàn thiện. Những học trò chữ Việt sau đó như Trương Vĩnh Ký, Huỳnh Tịnh Của, Trương Minh Ký đã góp phần làm cho chữ Việt hoàn chỉnh một bước nữa. Và đến khi chữ Việt được xuất hiện công khai trên tờ Gia Định báo năm 1865 thì đã tiến gần sát với chữ Việt ngày nay.
Không chỉ thúc ép đội quân viễn chinh Pháp trong việc bắt buộc triều đình nhà Nguyễn chấp nhận điều khoản mà cả triều đình lẫn giới sĩ phu lúc bấy giờ không chịu chấp nhận là “tự do truyền đạo”, mà các thừa sai còn thúc ép Pháp phải buộc người Việt “sử dụng chữ quốc ngữ”.
Thế nhưng đâu là nguyên nhân chính? Bởi đã là người chiến thắng, Pháp có nhiều hơn một trong việc lựa chọn ngôn ngữ để cai trị, ngoài chữ nho. Trong đó tiếng Pháp cũng là một lựa chọn.
Thế nhưng người Pháp đã chọn chữ quốc ngữ.

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Vì sao người Pháp chọn quốc ngữ?
Đây là phần “tối” nhất trong nhiều nghiên cứu về quốc ngữ trong văn học sử của nước ta. Có không nhiều nghiên cứu nêu rõ nguyên nhân, lý do thực dân Pháp “quyết liệt” ép người Nam kỳ học quốc ngữ thay vì tiếng Pháp. Chúng tôi tìm thấy trong nghiên cứu của Nguyễn Văn Trung vấn đề này.
“Ở đây cần để ý một điều là trước khi người Pháp xâm chiếm nước ta, các nhà truyền giáo thuộc nhiều quốc tịch châu Âu đã theo đường lối “tôn trọng thích nghi văn hóa, phong tục những nước bị truyền giáo (nhất là các nhà truyền giáo thuộc Dòng Tên)”. Chính trong tinh thần đó mà họ sáng chế ra chữ quốc ngữ. Đến thời Pháp xâm lược, các nhà truyền giáo Dòng Tên phải nhường chỗ cho Hội thừa sai Paris và những người này đều là người Pháp, theo một đường lối truyền giáo cứng rắn chủ trương xóa bỏ, tiêu diệt tất cả những gì là phong tục, văn hóa, tư tưởng của các nước bị truyền giáo không hợp với giáo lý Thiên Chúa. Hơn nữa, họ còn đồng hóa quyền lợi nước Pháp với quyền lợi của đạo nên họ đã tích cực góp phần vào việc thiết lập chế độ thực dân”. (Nguyễn Văn Trung – Chữ, văn quốc ngữ thời đầu Pháp thuộc).
Với tinh thần đó, các giáo sĩ đã thúc ép chính quyền Pháp chọn chữ quốc ngữ thay vì chữ Pháp.
Không chỉ thúc ép đội quân viễn chinh Pháp trong việc bắt buộc triều đình nhà Nguyễn chấp nhận điều khoản mà cả triều đình lẫn giới sĩ phu lúc bấy giờ không chịu chấp nhận là “tự do truyền đạo”, mà các thừa sai còn thúc ép Pháp phải buộc người Việt “sử dụng chữ quốc ngữ”.
Theo Nguyễn Văn Trung, Lanessan đã ghi: “Tôi còn giữ trong tay một thư của giám mục Puginier, trong đó ngài trình bày mục đích việc phiên âm bằng chữ Latin một cách thật rõ rệt. Ngài nói khi thay thế chữ nho bằng chữ quốc ngữ, Hội thừa sai nhằm mục đích cô lập các giáo hữu. Những người này sẽ không còn có thể đọc được những tác phẩm dễ đọc nhất của Trung Hoa và sẽ không thể thư từ gì được với bất cứ một sĩ phu Tàu hay ta nào”.
Đó là nhận định của người Việt và giới giáo sĩ. Còn quan điểm của chính quyền Pháp? Có không nhiều tài liệu để thẩm tra vấn đề này. Có lẽ thông tư ngày 10-4-1878 của giám đốc Nha nội vụ Béliard thể hiện rõ nhất quan điểm của Pháp: “Chúng ta sẽ rất lợi cả về mặt chính trị lẫn thực tế, nếu làm tiêu tan dần dần chữ nho mà việc dùng thứ chữ đó chỉ có thể có một ảnh hưởng tai hại đối với công trình đồng hóa mà chính phủ đang dồn mọi nỗ lực thực hiện”.
Tháng 9-1864, đô đốc Lagrandière đã báo cáo: “Tôi có mọi lý do để hi vọng, nếu việc theo học các trường của chúng ta tiếp tục, chúng ta sẽ có ít nhất, trong chưa đầy một năm, một nghìn thanh niên An Nam biết đọc và biết viết ngôn ngữ của họ bằng mẫu tự Latin; nhờ đó chúng ta sẽ tống một cú đánh chết người vào chế độ quan lại, và chúng ta sẽ tự mình gỡ bỏ được lớp văn thân là các kẻ luôn luôn có khuynh hướng gây xáo trộn” (Milton E Osborne – Giáo dục và chữ quốc ngữ – sự phát triển một trật tự mới 1859-1905 do Ngô Bắc dịch).
Chính vì vậy, ngay sau khi Hòa ước Nhâm Tuất ký chưa ráo mực, khi ba tỉnh miền Tây còn nằm trong tầm ngắm và đang lăm le đánh chiếm thì Pháp đã cho ra đời tờ báo tiếng Việt ở Sài Gòn. Đó là tờ Gia Định báo. Tờ báo này do E. Potteaux, thông ngôn tiếng Việt hạng nhất của đô đốc, làm “tổng tài” (tổng biên tập).
Sự phản kháng
Song việc “quốc ngữ hóa” Nam kỳ diễn ra không hoàn toàn thuận buồm xuôi gió. Phía những người theo Pháp và những người được coi là giàu có không phải ai cũng dễ dàng cho con em đi học chữ quốc ngữ.
Có thể do những lời đồn thổi về việc “người Công giáo không thờ cúng ông bà” xuất phát từ chuyện Đông cung Cảnh, học trò của Bá Đa Lộc, sau khi từ Pháp về theo đạo Công giáo và “từ chối đến tông miếu” (thực lục nhà Nguyễn) nên nhiều người Nam kỳ sợ con cháu mất gốc mà trốn tránh việc đi học chữ quốc ngữ, còn vì đó là chữ của đạo Công giáo, những người đi theo Pháp ngay khi Pháp tới Nam kỳ.
Chưa kể người có liêm sỉ thì khó thể chấp nhận bất cứ điều gì của quân cướp nước đề ra ngay trong lúc nhục mất nước còn nóng hôi hổi!
Do vậy, việc đi học rất ư là hành chính. Thực dân ra lệnh tận làng xã “bắt trẻ con đi học chữ quốc ngữ như bắt lính”. Còn hương chức hội tề thì “khuyến dụ, cưỡng ép trẻ con đi học” để được thăng thưởng. Rất nhiều người đã mướn hoặc bắt đầy tớ trong nhà đi học thay con em mình. Câu ca dao chống việc học chữ quốc ngữ phổ biến khá rộng ở miền Nam có thể xuất phát từ thời bấy giờ: Đèn Sài Gòn ngọn xanh ngọn đỏ. Đèn Mỹ Tho ngọn tỏ ngọn lu. Anh về đi học chữ nhu. Chín trăng em đợi mười thu em chờ. Phải học chữ nhu (chữ nho) thì em mới chờ còn không thì sẽ…
Eliacin Luro, thanh tra bản xứ vụ trong chính quyền Pháp mới đặt ở Nam kỳ, tác giả giáo trình về hành chính Việt Nam dùng cho trường các viên chức tập sự Pháp, đã thừa nhận trong bài giáo dục số 38 về Giáo dục quốc dân viết năm 1873: “Rồi chúng ta bắt mỗi làng phải gửi một số học sinh quy định đến trường…
Hậu quả là các làng mộ học sinh cho các trường quốc ngữ của chúng ta kiểu như họ mộ lính, bằng cách trả tiền cho gia đình của học sinh và công cuộc bắt buộc giáo dục của chúng ta tính như một thứ thuế đánh thêm vào dân” (Nguyễn Phú Phong – tranh luận về việc áp dụng chữ quốc ngữ). Gia Định báo số ra ngày 8-3-1874 ghi “các ông ấy cũng biết nhà trường lập ra đây để cho các học trò Annam học thì có nhiều điều ngăn trở kể chẳng xiết”.
Phía các sĩ phu, sự chống đối diễn ra dữ dội hơn. Năm 1885, một số thân hào nhân sĩ đã gửi thư thỉnh nguyện đến Hội đồng quản hạt Nam kỳ “đề nghị bãi bỏ chữ quốc ngữ”. “…Theo thiển ý chúng tôi, hiện nay chỉ có hai thứ tiếng có thể được ở Nam kỳ, tiếng Pháp mà chúng tôi muốn học và tiếng Annam nôm na mà chúng tôi đều biết viết bằng chữ Nôm… Quý vị hãy đoán xem chúng tôi lúng túng thế nào mỗi khi chúng tôi nhận được những lệnh viết bằng thứ chữ (quốc ngữ) trên, chúng tôi phải chạy kiếm hàng chục người thông ngôn mà chúng tôi phải trả tiền, để rồi rốt cục họ đã làm chúng tôi hiểu hoàn toàn ngược lại với những gì người ta muốn truyền lệnh cho chúng tôi”.
Nổi bật trong thời kỳ này là nhà thơ Phan Văn Trị với cuộc bút chiến giữa ông và Tôn Thọ Tường, một trí thức Hán học đi theo thực dân Pháp. Cuộc bút chiến diễn ra khá gay gắt của hai phe trở thành giai thoại trong làng văn ở Nam kỳ.
Với Phan Văn Trị và các đồng chí của ông như Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt, Lê Quang Chiểu, Bùi Hữu Nghĩa…việc theo Pháp của người trí thức là không thể chấp nhận được.
Chính quyền Pháp đã chuẩn bị đến 20 năm (1862-1882) trước khi thực hiện nghị định cưỡng bách dùng quốc ngữ. Ngoài việc cho phổ biến chữ Việt bằng báo chí, họ đã cho mở các trường học dạy tiếng Việt và tiếng Pháp, từ đó hình thành một nền giáo dục Việt – Pháp ở nước ta.
D’ Adran và trường học giáo hội
“Ngày 17-2-1859, ngay khi đổ bộ lên Sài Gòn, đô đốc R. de Genouilly đã thấy có mặt tại đây một chủng viện và một trường học gọi là Trường D’Adran do hội truyền giáo nước ngoài thiết lập. Học sinh trường này học đọc và học viết chữ quốc ngữ. Họ cũng được học tiếng Latin, đôi khi vài chữ tiếng Pháp” (Nguyễn Phú Phong – Chữ quốc ngữ bành trướng từ Nam ra Bắc). Trong “Khảo luận về nền học chính tại Nam kỳ” đọc tại buổi họp của Hội nghiên cứu Đông Dương ngày 23-10-1899 của E. Roucoules, nguyên hiệu trưởng Trường Chasseloup Laubat (Lại Như Bằng dịch), cũng xác định D’Adran là trường học dành “cho dân bản xứ theo đạo Gia Tô học đọc và viết tiếng nói Annam bằng chữ mẫu tự Latin”.
Như vậy, D’Adran là trường học đầu tiên dạy chữ Việt ở Sài Gòn cũng như Việt Nam. Để có người làm thông ngôn trong giai đoạn đầu tiên, ngay trong năm 1861 sau khi chiếm Sài Gòn, Bonard đã quyết định “tài trợ” một phần chi phí và sau đó “nâng cấp trường (D’Adran) thành một trường cao đẳng với tên đầy đủ là Collège Annamite-Français de Monseigneur l’Évêque d’Adran” (ngày 8-5-1862) với nhiệm vụ dạy chữ Việt cho “các thông ngôn gốc Âu xuất thân từ quân đội hay hải quân” và nhiệm vụ này Trường D’Adran làm đến năm 1871 mới chấm dứt. Chương trình học đơn giản và kéo dài chín tháng. Các học viên phải trải qua một kỳ thi, nếu không đậu thì bị trả về quân ngũ. Ngày 1-2-1866, đô đốc Lagrandière quyết định “thành lập một trường Pháp tại Sài Gòn, giao cho các tu sĩ điều hành, được tổ chức ngay trong Trường D’Adran” (Khảo luận về nền học chính Nam kỳ – E. Roucoules).
Không rõ cái tên D’Adran tồn tại cho tới năm nào, nhưng trên nền trường này sau đó mọc lên hai ngôi trường trung học khá nổi tiếng ở Sài Gòn, đó là Trường Võ Trường Toản và Trường Trưng Vương.
Ngày 18-7-1864, đô đốc Lagrandière quyết định “mở ra tại các trung tâm tỉnh lỵ chính, các trường tiểu học dùng chữ mẫu Âu Tây và giao cho các thông ngôn, thư ký đảm nhiệm dạy học hai giờ mỗi ngày”. Quyết định này cũng quy định những người dạy “được lãnh lương phụ trội thêm một franc một ngày dạy” và học sinh thì “được thưởng thêm một franc nếu biết đọc biết viết” và “nửa franc nếu chỉ biết đọc”. Quyết định cũng “miễn phí tiền học, sách vở dụng cụ thông thường do nhà nước cấp”. Cũng trong năm này, Trường La Saint Enfent (trong khuôn viên tu viện Saint Paul) được xác định là trường nữ duy nhất. Trường sau này trở thành Trường nữ Saint Paul nằm trên đường Tôn Đức Thắng.
Trong năm 1864, với sự tài trợ của Pháp, giáo hội đã mở hàng loạt trường học ở các tỉnh quan trọng như Mỹ Tho, Chợ Lớn, Vĩnh Long. Và sau đó ở Cần Giuộc, Cần Thơ, Sóc Trăng, Gò Công, Tân An, Rạch Giá, Ích Thạnh (Thủ Đức), Long Hưng (địa phương thuộc Bến Tre), Mỹ Thuận, cù lao Mây (cù lao ở khoảng giữa Cần Thơ và Kế Sách), Bò Hút (nay là Thốt Nốt, TP Cần Thơ)… Tháng 9-1864, đô đốc Lagrandière báo cáo đã có “20 trường học được mở và có 300 học sinh đã biết đọc biết viết” chữ quốc ngữ. Còn “vào tháng 3-1869, đô đốc Ohier báo cáo có 104 trường tại thuộc địa, được theo học bởi 3.200 học trò. Sáu trong các trường này, chủ yếu những trường tại Sài Gòn, được dạy bằng tiếng Pháp cũng như quốc ngữ. Sau đó trong cùng năm này, sĩ số theo học các trường tổ chức bởi chính quyền Pháp được báo cáo là 4.481 học trò tại 120 trường”. (Milton E Osborne – Giáo dục và chữ quốc ngữ 1859-1905 – Ngô Bắc dịch).
Trở thành thứ chữ của người Việt
Năm 1868, đô đốc Lagrandière ký nghị định thành lập một trường trung học tỉnh, ngoại trú, đặt dưới sự kiểm tra của Nha nội vụ. Đây là trường đầu tiên không liên can tới giáo hội.
Đến cuối năm 1870, chính quyền địa phương không muốn lệ thuộc vào giáo hội nữa, muốn tự tuyển chọn và đào tạo giáo viên hệ thống giáo dục phi tôn giáo được triển khai. Ngày 10-7-1871, Dupré ra ba quyết định quan trọng. Đó là thành lập trường sư phạm thuộc địa, một trường tiểu học và thành lập một ủy ban có nhiệm vụ soạn chương trình học và sách cho giáo viên. Đồng thời nâng lương cho các giáo viên cùng nhiều biện pháp tài chính đối với học sinh. Trường tiểu học có quy định “hiệu trưởng và ba giáo sư phải có bằng cấp đại học hay chức vụ thông ngôn”. “Hạn tuổi để thâu nhận vào trường là 16 tuổi tối thiểu, 25 tuổi tối đa. 60 học sinh của trường theo quy chế nội trú và hoàn toàn được chính quyền thuộc địa chu cấp nuôi dưỡng ăn mặc. Chùa Barbet được giao cho trường làm cơ sở, mỗi thí sinh được nhận vào trường lãnh 25 franc làm chi phí nhập trường” (Roucoules – Nền học chánh Nam kỳ). Cũng theo Roucoules, “chùa Barbet được giao cho trường làm cơ sở” chính là đất của chùa Khải Tường. Có lẽ vì vậy mà trường được gọi là Trường Khải Tường.
Gia Định báo ngày 15-12-1874 có đăng danh sách 84 học sinh của Trường Khải Tường tốt nghiệp và được bổ làm thông ngôn các nơi. Khải Tường là tên một ngôi chùa nằm ven thành Gia Định. Đây là nơi ngày xưa Nguyễn Ánh từng đóng quân và vua Minh Mạng sau này được sinh ra tại đây. Sau khi lên ngôi, Minh Mạng đã ban cho chùa tên “Quốc Ân Khải Tường”. Nhiều nhà nghiên cứu cho rằng khuôn viên chùa ngày nay là Bảo tàng Chứng tích chiến tranh, số 28 Võ Văn Tần. Theo chúng tôi, khuôn viên chùa ngày xưa có lẽ phải lớn hơn nhiều. Và Trường Khải Tường có thể đặt ở một góc của chùa, nền của trường này từ năm 1874-1877 đã xây dựng thành ngôi trường đầu tiên của Sài Gòn: Trường Lê Quý Đôn hiện nay.
Cuối năm 1874, các trường chữ nho bị bãi bỏ biến thành các trường dạy chữ quốc ngữ và gom về các trung tâm tỉnh lỵ lớn là Sài Gòn, Chợ Lớn, Vĩnh Long, Mỹ Tho, Sóc Trăng và Bến Tre. Nhân viên của các trường này gồm một hiệu trưởng người Pháp biết nói tiếng Việt và các giáo viên bản xứ biết nói tiếng Pháp.
Năm 1879, thống đốc Nam kỳ Lafont quyết định thành lập nền học chánh Pháp – Việt với ba cấp học là sơ đẳng, tiểu học và cao đẳng tiểu học. Ở cấp thứ nhất, học sinh sau ba năm chỉ cần nghe, viết được vài câu đơn giản, đọc một trang sách sơ đẳng và biết bốn phép tính. Cấp thứ hai chủ yếu là tiếng Pháp và số học, hình học. Cấp thứ ba nới rộng chương trình tiếng Pháp, khái niệm các môn vật lý, toán, khoa học tự nhiên…
Như vậy, đến năm 1879, thực dân Pháp căn bản đã hoàn thành “đại chúng hóa” việc giáo dục toàn Nam kỳ và chữ quốc ngữ căn bản đã trở thành thứ chữ “được học và phải học” của bất cứ ai muốn đi học. Nói một cách khác, với nền học chính bằng tiếng Việt viết theo mẫu tự Latinh, chữ Việt đã lấn át gần như hoàn toàn chữ nho. Và thế hệ thanh niên cắp sách đến trường kể từ năm 1862 trở đi ở Nam kỳ, chữ Việt đã trở thành thứ chữ của người Việt, chứ không còn là chữ của đạo Thiên Chúa nữa.
Ở miền Bắc, việc mở mang trường học đi chậm hơn gần 10 năm. Đến tháng 4-1886, cả miền Bắc chỉ có ba trường Pháp. Nhưng qua năm 1887 đã có một trường thông ngôn, chín trường tiểu học nam, bốn trường tiểu học nữ, một trường tư dạy vẽ và 117 trường tư dạy chữ quốc ngữ.
Khác với nhiều nước phương Tây, nền văn học chữ Việt nước ta, đặc biệt là ở Nam kỳ, được nhiều nhà nghiên cứu khẳng định “xuất phát từ báo chí”.
Để khơi gợi lòng yêu nước, đồng thời mở mang dân trí, kêu gọi mọi người đều được đi học, đều biết chữ, giới sĩ phu VN đã cho ra đời Đông Kinh nghĩa thục.
Đây cũng là một trong những chủ đích của phong trào Duy Tân mà Nguyễn Lộ Trạch và Phan Chu Trinh trước đó đã nhắm tới, nên có thể coi Đông Kinh nghĩa thục là một phần của phong trào Duy Tân vậy.
Mở trường khai trí cho dân
Ðông Kinh nghĩa thục là tên một trường học miễn phí, sau trở thành tên một phong trào. “Trường nghĩa thục đứng đầu dạy dỗ, khắp ba mươi sáu phố Hà thành, gái trai nô nức học hành. Giáo sư tám lớp học sinh non ngàn”. Và “Trước hết phải học ngay quốc ngữ, Khỏi đôi đường tiếng, chữ khác nhau. Chữ ta, ta đã thuộc làu. Nói ra nên tiếng,viết câu nên bài. Sẵn cơ sở để khai tâm trí”. Các câu ca này xác định hoạt động của Ðông Kinh nghĩa thục và tiêu chí của phong trào.
Theo Nguyễn Hiến Lê, Ðông Kinh nghĩa thục thành lập năm 1906 theo gợi ý của Phan Chu Trinh tại nhà riêng của Lương Văn Can ở phố Hàng Ðào (Hà Nội). Lương Văn Can làm thục trưởng, Nguyễn Quyền làm giám học. Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh, Phạm Duy Tốn chịu trách nhiệm xin giấy phép. Mục đích của Ðông Kinh nghĩa thục là “mở trường khai trí cho dân”, “dạy học không lấy tiền”. “Trường sẽ dạy cả Việt văn, Hán văn, Pháp văn”, “bỏ lối học từ chương khoa cử mà chú trọng vào thường thức và thực nghiệp”, “thầy dạy không lấy tiền công”.
Trong khi chờ giấy phép, hai lớp học một nam, một nữ với sáu, bảy chục học sinh được thành lập tại nhà số 4 Hàng Ðào, Hà Nội. Sau vài tháng xin phép, tháng 5-1907 trường mới có giấy phép và số lớp cũng tăng lên độ “20 lớp với khoảng hơn 500 học sinh” (theo Nguyễn Thìn Xuân trong bài 100 năm Ðông Kinh nghĩa thục thì trường thành lập vào tháng 3-1907). Chương trình tiểu học dạy những người mới biết chữ quốc ngữ, trung học và đại học dạy những người đã thông chữ Hán hoặc muốn học chữ Pháp. Các môn học có sử ký, địa lý nước nhà, toán, vẽ, một chút khoa học.
Ðể có sách mà dạy, trường thành lập một ban tu thư để soạn sách do Phạm Tư Trực, Dương Bá Trạc, Lương Trúc Ðàm, Phương Sơn (phần soạn sách) và Nguyễn Hữu Tiến, Nguyễn Ðôn Phục, ông cử làng Ðông Tác, Hoàng Tích Phụng (phần dịch sách). Soạn và dịch xong lại giao cho một ban khắc in và in ra hàng trăm bản để phát cho học sinh và đồng chí các nơi.
Các loại sách được dịch chủ yếu là “tân thư” như Ðại đồng thư của Khang Hữu Vi, nhất là bộ sách Ẩm Băng Thất tùng thư của Lương Khải Siêu, Mậu Tuất chính biến ký, còn có một số sách có tính cách là những tập vịnh sử, ký sự về tình hình hiện đại của Nhật Bản như Nhật Bản duy tân tam thập niên sử (bản dịch chữ Hán của La Hiếu Cao).
Nhiều tập sách nêu những tấm gương chiến đấu của các chí sĩ, các nhà hoạt động chính trị, hoạt động cách mạng của toàn thế giới cũng được các nhà nho đón đọc một cách say sưa. Có tập như Cận thế chi quái kiệt, đề cập đủ loại anh hùng, đều là những người anh hùng có công đổi mới đất nước của họ, dù đó là vua chúa hay tổng thống, giám quốc: Vua Bỉ Ðắc (Pierre le Giand) ở Nga, Hoa Thịnh Ðốn (Washington) ở Mỹ, Nã Phá Luân (Napoléon) ở Pháp, Tỉ Sĩ Mạch(Bismarck) ở Ðức…
Bộ phận soạn, viết rất nhiều các bài thơ cổ động, dùng vần điệu lục bát, nhắc nhở quần chúng về từng nhiệm vụ duy tân cụ thể. Họ có sáng kiến tìm những đầu đề hấp dẫn, khêu gợi, rất hợp với tâm lý quần chúng. Bài thơ ngắn này là Kêu hồn nước, bài ca trù gọn nhẹ kia là để hú hồn thanh niên. Ðây là bản Cáo hủ lậu văn, kia là bản Giác thế tân thanh, rồi đến những bài Khuyên học quốc ngữ, học chuyên môn, học công nghệ, học buôn bán. Kia là những bài khuyên đoàn kết, khuyên hợp quần. Tất cả những gì cần thiết cho sự đổi mới, Ðông Kinh nghĩa thục đều đề cập một cách gọn gàng, thiết thực (Chương Thâu – Phong trào Duy Tân đầu thế kỷ 20). Những bài Gọi lính tập, Tiếng gọi thanh niên thức tỉnh trước thời cuộc, hùng hồn mà súc tích.

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“Làm lòng dân náo động”
Bên cạnh việc đẩy mạnh học chữ quốc ngữ, Ðông Kinh nghĩa thục thường tổ chức sinh hoạt, học tập tuyên truyền về lịch sử nước nhà, về địa lý, toán học, cách trí, vệ sinh… Ðặc biệt ban cổ động, tuyên truyền của trường lại hô hào mọi người dân Việt Nam phải có lòng yêu nước, nhớ đến cội nguồn con Rồng cháu Tiên, phải biết đoàn kết, yêu thương, đùm bọc lấy nhau, đào tạo những con người có ích cho đất nước, dùng hàng nội hóa, bài trừ mọi hủ tục mê tín dị đoan. Ngoài việc chống tư tưởng lạc hậu, Ðông Kinh nghĩa thục còn mạnh dạn kêu gọi noi gương Nhật Bản và nền văn minh Âu Tây. Ðể truyền bá tư tưởng học thuật mới, Ðông Kinh nghĩa thục rất chú trọng tới việc học chữ quốc ngữ và làm cho chữ quốc ngữ được phát triển, dần dần thay thế chữ Nho, chữ Nôm khó học (Nguyễn Thìn Xuân – 100 năm Ðông Kinh nghĩa thục), “chê cái tục để búi tóc củ hành, móng tay lá lan, liên tưởng tới những hủ tục khác như nhuộm răng, chọn ngày tốt để tắm…” (Nguyễn Hiến Lê – Ðông Kinh nghĩa thục).
Đông Kinh nghĩa thục còn tổ chức diễn thuyết thường xuyên ở Hà Nội và các vùng xung quanh. Các buổi diễn thuyết chủ yếu là kêu gọi lòng yêu nước, đả phá hủ tục, cổ động học chữ quốc ngữ… và lời kêu gọi được hưởng ứng chính là “cắt bỏ búi tóc” lan mạnh ở Hà thành.
Thấy hoạt động của Đông Kinh nghĩa thục sau hơn một năm mỗi ngày mỗi hăng, ảnh hưởng lớn dần, chính quyền thực dân cho mở Trường Tân Quy để cạnh tranh. Trường này do Nguyễn Tái Tích, anh ruột nhà thơ Tản Đà, làm hiệu trưởng, khai giảng ngày 11-11-1907 nhưng chỉ có 50 sinh viên đăng ký học (Chương Thâu). Không cạnh tranh được, chính quyền thực dân liền đàn áp. Tháng chạp năm Đinh Mùi 1908, giấy phép của Đông Kinh nghĩa thục bị thu hồi với cái cớ “có thể làm lòng dân náo động” và nhân có nhiều cuộc nổi dậy ở nhiều nơi trong nước, thực dân bắt hầu hết những người liên quan và có quan hệ với Đông Kinh nghĩa thục đày ra Côn Đảo.
Ở miền Nam, những người đầu tiên tiếp xúc và hưởng ứng Đông Kinh nghĩa thục là Nguyễn An Khương (Khang), Nguyễn An Cư và Trần Chánh Chiếu. Các ông biết phong trào qua những bài ca yêu nước và tiếp xúc với những liên lạc viên của phong trào Đông Du từ Nhật, Thái Lan và Trung Quốc đi về trong nước. Còn Trần Chánh Chiếu biết phong trào qua con trai là Trần Văn Tuyết, từng học ở Hương Cảng (Hong Kong), mang những bản hiệu triệu bằng Hán văn của Phan Bội Châu về nước. Nhờ đó mà những bài ca ái quốc của Đông Kinh nghĩa thục được truyền bá và thu hút một số thanh niên như Trương Duy Toản, Nguyễn Háo Vĩnh, Đỗ Văn Y… Những người này sau tham gia phong trào Đông Du và được đưa qua Nhật học tập. Những vị bị đày ra Côn Đảo khoảng năm 1910 thì bị đưa đi an trí các nơi, chủ yếu là ở miền Nam. Dương Bá Trạc, Lương Văn Can bị an trí ở Nam Vang (Campuchia), Lê Đại ở Long Xuyên, Võ Hoành ở Sa Đéc…
Tuy tồn tại không lâu, hơn một năm, nhưng ảnh hưởng của Đông Kinh nghĩa thục khá lớn. Tác động của phong trào đã kích thích nhiều hoạt động khác về sau trong việc chấn hưng đất nước, đặc biệt là chấn hưng quốc ngữ.
Có thể coi truyền bá quốc ngữ là một phong trào nối tiếp Đông Kinh nghĩa thục nhưng rộng hơn và do Đảng Cộng sản chỉ đạo. Buổi họp ở nhà anh Phan Thanh, trong đó có các anh Phan Thanh, Đặng Thai Mai, Võ Nguyên Giáp và tôi cùng mấy nhân sĩ là Bùi Kỷ, Nguyễn Văn Tố… Hội nghị đi tới việc xin phép thành lập một hội”.
Trong “Hồi ký” về thời kỳ “Mặt trận Dân chủ Đông Dương”, Trần Huy Liệu viết: “Theo quyết nghị của Đảng, để tiến tới một tổ chức chống nạn thất học, chúng tôi, một số đồng chí đã họp với một số nhân sĩ để bàn về việc này. Buổi họp ở nhà anh Phan Thanh, trong đó có các anh Phan Thanh, Đặng Thai Mai, Võ Nguyên Giáp và tôi cùng mấy nhân sĩ là Bùi Kỷ, Nguyễn Văn Tố… Hội nghị đi tới việc xin phép thành lập một hội”.

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Ra đời và lan rộng
Hội Truyền bá quốc ngữ ra đời ngày 25-5-1938 tại hội quán thể thao An Nam (CSA) trên phố Khúc Hạo, Hà Nội, do Nguyễn Văn Tố làm hội trưởng, Bùi Kỷ – phó hội trưởng, Phan Thanh – thư ký, Quản Xuân Nam – phó thư ký, Đặng Thai Mai – thủ quỹ, Võ Nguyên Giáp – phó thủ quỹ. Cố vấn: Hoàng Xuân Hãn, Nguyễn Văn Huyên, Lê Thước.
Tại buổi thành lập, ngoài đông đảo quần chúng còn có Hoàng Xuân Hãn, Võ Nguyên Giáp, Nguyễn Văn Huyên, Phan Thanh, Hằng Phương (vợ nhà văn Vũ Ngọc Phan)… Mục đích của hội là “Dạy cho đồng bào Việt Nam biết đọc, biết viết tiếng của mình để dễ đọc được những điều thường thức cần dùng cho sự sinh hoạt hằng ngày. Cốt cho mọi người viết chữ quốc ngữ giống nhau”.
Với chương trình là mở lớp học gồm bậc sơ đẳng dạy vỡ lòng cho học viên đọc, viết chữ quốc ngữ và làm được hai phép tính cộng, trừ. Bậc cao đẳng luyện cho học viên đọc, viết thông chữ quốc ngữ và dạy thêm ít điều thường thức và bốn phép tính.
Để việc truyền bá chữ quốc ngữ nhanh chóng, hội yêu cầu những người đã được hội dạy cho biết chữ phải cố gắng dạy lại cho một số người thất học khác xung quanh mình. Hội tổ chức các cuộc diễn thuyết nhằm giảng dạy, phổ biến những điều thường thức cho đồng bào. Xuất bản sách nhằm bổ khuyết việc học ở lớp, hội chủ trương biên soạn và xuất bản loại sách thường thức phổ thông về sử ký, địa lý, vệ sinh, khoa học… phổ biến rộng rãi trong nhân dân.
Giáo sư Hoàng Xuân Hãn lúc ấy đang giảng dạy tại Trường Bưởi, đã được hội mời làm cố vấn tham gia ban tu thư. Ông chính là người soạn quyển sách học vần nổi tiếng cho hội. Những câu “I tờ hai móc cả hai. I ngắn có chấm, tờ dài có ngang. O tròn như quả trứng gà. Ô thời đội mũ, ơ là thêm râu” và “huyền ngang, sắc dọc, nặng tròn; hỏi lom khom đứng, ngã buồn… nằm ngang” (Hoàng Xuân Hãn – Nhớ lại Hội Truyền bá quốc ngữ nhân kỷ niệm 50 năm, đăng trên báo Đoàn Kết năm 1988) cho tới nay vẫn còn có người thuộc. Những câu học vần đơn giản, dễ nhớ này chỉ nghe qua đôi lần là thuộc.
Quyển học vần này cũng được tiếp tục sử dụng trong phong trào Bình dân học vụ năm 1945. Sách được hội in và phát không cho giáo viên. “Để có tiền in sách, mua giấy bút cho giáo viên và người học, ban tài chính rải khắp Hà Nội, lạc quyên những người hằng sản hằng tâm, hoặc tiền, hoặc đồ vật. Nhiều thanh niên thanh nữ tình nguyện dạy những lớp tối cho trẻ em nghèo, những lao động nam nữ thất học”. (Hoàng Xuân Hãn).
Hoạt động của hội thời kỳ đầu cũng bị thực dân theo dõi song được nhân dân ủng hộ nên phát triển lan dần từ thành thị tới nông thôn. Ngày 5-1-1939, thành lập hội ở Huế, tới năm 1943, cả Trung kỳ có hội. Và ngày 5-11-1944, Nam kỳ mới có hội do Nguyễn Văn Vĩ làm trưởng ban.
“Chữ Việt còn thì nước ta còn”
“Hội Truyền bá quốc ngữ là một trường đào tạo, giáo dục thanh niên ngoài xã hội. Một mặt nó luyện cho thanh niên những đức tính cần thiết trong cuộc sống (tinh thần đoàn thể, óc tổ chức, kỷ luật, kiên quyết hi sanh…). Mặt khác, nó giúp thanh niên tránh được những cuộc vui chơi không lành mạnh (cờ bạc, trai gái, rượu chè…).
Đến nay, đã 130 năm đi qua tính từ ngày 1-1-1882, chữ quốc ngữ trải qua bao sóng gió để trở thành thứ chữ của người Việt Nam. Dù bạn sống ở đâu trên địa cầu thì chữ quốc ngữ, chữ Việt vẫn là phần không thể thiếu trong đời sống.
Và nói như Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh đã nói “chữ Việt còn thì nước ta còn”.
Nguồn bài đăng
submitted by T-NNguyen to T_NNguyen [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 03:32 AncapGamingAddict The AEW World Cup (Firestorm Booking)

The AEW World Cup (Firestorm Booking)
Tony Khan announces The AEW World Cup, a 16 man tournament with each man representing a country. The final will take place at All In in Wembley Stadium with the winner becoming #1 Contender to the AEW International Championship. All In will also feature Orange Cassidy defending the AEW International Championship against Swerve Strickland (Strickland kept tweeting on social media about how a title match on TV is below a mogul like him, and challenges Cassidy for the International Title at All In, to which Cassidy replies with a thumbs up emoji, thus making it official).
A series of qualifying matches for the World Cup take place to determine certain competitors from countries.
Qualification Highlights:-
  • The Land of Opportunity Battle Royale - Won by Hangman Page by last eliminating Bryan Danielson to officially represent the USA.
  • 6-3-1 Match to decide Mexico's representative. Trios Match: Rush, Andrade, Vikingo VS Bandido and the Lucha Brothers. Winning team faces each other in a 3-Way to determine the official representative. Penta pins Rush with a Fear Factor to win the Trios Match. Bandido rolls up Penta and Fenix at the same time in the 3 Way to win and officially be Mexico's representative.
  • JAS member Angelo Parker scores an upset victory over Chris Jericho in one of the Canadian qualifiers.
  • Konosuke Takeshita cuts an excited promo after defeating Michael Nakazawa, and assumes that he has qualified considering they are the only 2 Japanese wrestlers on AEW's official roster. He says it's an honour to represent Japan when all of a sudden, he is surrounded by Kota Ibushi, Katsuyori Shibata and Kenta.
  • After losing out on qualification, Christian Cage announced that a close friend of his will still be in the tournament. Someone he considers a brother. Someone who debuted as a tall, athletically gifted creepy guy in a 3 man stable, .... Luchasaurus, by virtue of him being from "the Amazon forest".
  • David Finlay is announced as Germany's representative by virtue of birth.
The final list of participants is as follows:-
  1. Hangman Page (USA)
  2. Kenny Omega (Canada)
  3. Bandido (Mexico)
  4. Kota Ibushi (Japan)
  5. PAC (England)
  6. Malakai Black (The Netherlands)
  7. Claudio Castagnoli (Switzerland)
  8. Jay White (New Zealand)
  9. Buddy Matthews (Australia)
  10. Angelico (South Africa)
  11. Miro (Bulgaria)
  12. Francesco Akira (Italy)
  13. David Finlay (Germany)
  14. Hiku Leo (Tonga)
  15. Satnam Singh (India)
  16. Luchasaurus (Brazil)
https://preview.redd.it/bls5h156hp3b1.png?width=927&format=png&auto=webp&s=d2ce793ab52e4a27c81d1d74537a071d59922070
R-O-16 Matches will be contested in a 15 Minute Time Limit
Quarter-Final Matches will be contested in a 30 Minute Time Limit
Semi-Final Matches will be contested in a 45 Minute Time Limit
The Final will have a 1 Hour Time Limit
In the event of a draw, neither competitor will qualify to the next round. Whoever qualifies will either get a bye, or win the tournament if they are the only one to qualify. If all matches in a round end up in a draw, then the winners will be determined by 3 judges.
  • Jim Cornette
  • Dave Meltzer
  • Vince Russo

Round of 16

PAC (England) VS Bandido (Mexico) - AEW Dynamite - San Antonio, Texas
PAC enters wearing a mask as well as "Lucha Brothers" written on his trunks and their masks printed on either side. It looks like he's giving a tribute to his trio-mates who failed to qualify to represent Mexico. We are in San Antonio, a city with a large Mexican population and an excited crowd who cheer for both men like crazy before the bell even rings. PAC takes off his mask and an action packed 10 minute match ensues full of high spots and flips, PAC hits Bandido with a Black Arrow, followed by a Fear Factor to secure the victory for England and qualify to the Quarter Final.
PAC d. Bandido via pinfall after a Fear Factor (10:00)
-
Hiku Leo (Tonga) VS Luchasaurus (Brazil) - AEW Dynamite - Los Angeles, California
Both men have a connection to the city. Hiku Leo, a prominent feature of NJPW Strong which is based in LA, and the man behind the Luchasaurus mask actually being born in LA (the commentators play up Hiku Leo's connection to the city as a sort of hometown hero but obviously don't mention Luchasaurus' real life connection to Los Angeles). An all out war between a monster and a warrior full of intense strikes, eventually Luchasaurus overpowers Hiku Leo but he still shows fighting spirit despite taking huge amounts of damage. The match hits the 14 minute mark and Luchasaurus hits Hiku Leo with the Land Before Time. 1, 2, kick out! Luchasaurus immediately puts Hiku Leo in an Arm Triangle Choke. The timer hits 14:59 as Hiku Leo passes out and Luchasaurus secures the victory.
Luchasaurus d. Hiku Leo via technical submission with an Arm Triangle Choke (14:59)
-
Claudio Castagnoli (Switzerland) VS Satnam Singh (India) - AEW Dynamite - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Swiss Superman VS The Indian Giant is quite a one sided bout as Castagnoli wrestles circles around Singh for the first 5 minutes. Eventually, Castagnoli gets hit with a giant chop, to which he responds with an European Uppercut! Both men exchange chops and uppercuts until Castagnoli has has enough and lifts Singh up for the UFO for 30 seconds followed by a Giant Swing for 2 MINUTES STRAIGHT! Castagnoli sets Singh down, rolls him backwards, lifts him up for The Neutralizer for the 1-2-3.
Claudio Castagnoli d. Satnam Singh via pinfall after a Neutralizer (8:10)
After the match, Singh's stablemate Jay Lethal shows up to take him to the back as Claudio celebrates with the ROH World Title. Lethal sets Singh on the apron and enters the ring and stares down Claudio and his title as the ROH-loving Philly crowd go wild!
-
Miro (Bulgaria) VS Angelico (South Africa) - AEW Collision - Chicago, Illinois
You call yourself an angel? I will send you to God.
The last time Miro competed for the AEW International Championship was right here, in Chicago, where he lost. The match is an incredibly fan action packed bout involving the high flying babyface Angelico against the athletic monster Miro. Angelico manages to hold his own for 14 minutes as he avoids any major damage from Miro. As Angelico realizes that time is running out, he attempts to lift Miro for a Fall of Angels but Miro lifts him up and hits him with a Front Rolling Fireman's Carry Slam followed by a running somersault senton. He then puts Angelico in the Camel Clutch as Angelico passes out in 14:59.
Miro d. Angelico via technical submission with a Camel Clutch (14:59)
-
Buddy Matthews (Australia) VS Francesco Akira (Italy) - AEW Collision - Boston, Massachussetts
A city synonymous with America's fight for independence sees Buddy Matthews from the Commonwealth nation of Australia fight Francesco Akira, representing The United Empire.
Pure, fun, action.
THIS IS AWESOME and FIGHT FOREVER chants gallore!
Highlights:-
  • Both men hit each other with a double Boston Knee Party in tribute to Eddie Edwards.
  • Matthews hits an Attitude Adjustment to Akira and proceeds to lock him in an STF in tribute to John Cena.
In the end, all good things must come to an end as Matthews hits Akira with a Whale Hunt (Murphy's Law) for the win!
Buddy Matthews d. Francesco Akira via pinfall with a Whale Hunt (14:30)
-
Jay White (New Zealand) VS Hangman Page (USA) - AEW Collision - Montreal, Quebec
This match takes place in the French speaking part of Canada as we need to stray out of the US for neutral ground (even though we still technically are in North America). A fun clearcut hero VS villain story.
Highlights:-
  • Jay White locks in the Sharpshooter with a cheeky smirk on his face for that cheap cheap heat.
  • Hangman Page hits a Helluva Kick for that cheap cheap pop.
Page immediately follows up the Helluva Kick with a Blue Thunderbomb for the win.
Hangman Page d. Jay White via pinfall with a Blue Thunderbomb (9:00)
-
Kenny Omega (Canada) VS David Finlay (Germany) - AEW Dynamite - Atlanta, Georgia
A former Bullet Club leader VS the current Bullet Club leader, in the hometown of a phenomenal Bullet Club leader (Fun fact: David Finlay lives in Atlanta according to Wikipedia but this isn't mentioned).
A match full of fun Bullet Club references which the crowd eats up!
Highlights:-
  • Finlay hits Omega with a Coup De Grace.
  • Omega locks Finlay in the Calf Crusher.
  • Omega hits Finlay with the Phenomenal Forearm.
In the end, Omega puts Finlay away with a Styles Clash!
Kenny Omega d. David Finlay via pinfall with a Styles Clash (9:00)
-
Kota Ibushi (Japan) VS Malakai Black (The Netherlands) - AEW Dynamite - Winnipeg, Manitoba
We are in the hometown of Kota Ibushi's lover, Kenny Omega. If Ibushi wins, we will see a clash of the Golden Lovers in the quarter final but Malakai Black wants to crush that dream. An epic clash filled with kicks and moonsaults. In the end, Malakai Black hits Ibushi with a Black Mass. He then has a cheeky smile on his face as he hits Ibushi with a V Trigger, followed by another Black Mass for the win.
Malakai Black d. Kota Ibushi via pinfall with a Black Mass (12:00)
Ibushi is bleeding from the mouth as Omega comes to his aid, to cheers for the hometown hero. Malakai lets out a sinister condescending laugh as Omega looks at Black with an enraged stare.
With that, we conclude the Round of 16.
https://preview.redd.it/ac1znx53hp3b1.png?width=1053&format=png&auto=webp&s=9eb32b53fd52dfd7813ea5b9a60c4bc0e28d0726

Quarter Finals

2 shows.
-
Collision - Toronto, ON.
We need neutral ground yet again as the American Hero Hangman Page fights the Swiss Cyborg Claudio Castagnoli in the main event!
Miro VS Buddy Matthews
Hangman Page VS Claudio Castagnoli
-
Dynamite - Jacksonville, FL.
We return to the home ground of AEW where Kenny Omega won the AEW World Title. Will he be able to avenge his lover, Kota Ibushi ?
PAC VS Luchasaurus
Kenny Omega VS Malakai Black
-
Miro (Bulgaria) VS Buddy Matthews (Australia)
OOOHHH BOY! The Redeemer HATES this display of Satanism and he makes it known...physically. However, Matthews isn't one to let anyone toy around with him. A crazy, painful and speedy strikefest ensues. In the end, Matthews tries to lift Miro for a Whale Hunt but Miro pushes Matthews away and hits a Savate Kick. Matthews rebounds off the rope and hits Miro with a BLACK MASS and falls on Miro for the pinfall victory!
Buddy Matthews d. Miro via pinfall with a Black Mass (15:54)
-
Hangman Page (USA) VS Claudio Castagnoli (Switzerland)
OOOHHH BOY AGAIN! PURE ACTION! FLIPS, POWER, TECHNICAL WRESTLING! WHAT DOES THIS MATCH NOT HAVE? BOTH MEN GIVE IT THEIR ALL TO THE VERY LAST SECOND!
Page manages to counter a Neutralizer attempt with a Dead Eye but he's too exhausted to reach Claudio for the pin!
In the end, Page goes for a Buckshot but Claudio bends, grabs Page's legs and puts him in a Sharpshooter. As Page edges for the ropes, Claudio floats over into a Crossface. Time is about to run out as Hangman attempts to escape but alas, he passes out in the Crossface!
Claudio Castagnoli d. Hangman Page via technical submission with a Crossface (29:59)
-
PAC (England) VS Luchasaurus (Brazil)
An enjoyable endeavour, a mix of hard hits, power moves and of course, everyone's favourite, good high flying "lucha things" as Kalisto would say. Both men go the distance and just in the nick of time, PAC manages to get Luchasaurus to pass out in The Brutalizer
PAC d. Luchasaurus via technical submission with a Brutalizer (29:59)
-
Kenny Omega (Canada) VS Malakai Black (The Netherlands)
Hard hits, moonsaults, technical sequences. The Ironman Kenny Omega does not back down as a smirky, condescending Malakai gets increasingly frustrated. Both men unleash all their wrath, everything they have. At one point, Omega goes for a Golden Star Press which Malakai counters into a Triangle Choke. Omega struggles but manages to lift Black up for a Golden Star Bomb which Black kicks out of. In the end, Omega hits Black with a V Trigger, Black rebounds off the rope and hits Omega with a Black Mass and falls onto Omega. 1. 2. 3.
Malakai Black d. Kenny Omega via pinfall with The Black Mass (29:59)
-
With that, we conclude the Quarter Finals.
https://preview.redd.it/jkkvlty1hp3b1.png?width=1087&format=png&auto=webp&s=92020d456fb8e2eb56b9d804b36f3af457f532e5

Semi Finals - AEW Dynamite - Manchester, England

Buddy Matthews (Australia) VS Claudio Castagnoli (Switzerland)
A pure back-and-forth endeavour, these men pour out everything they've got! Claudio with his suplexes, power moves and submissions, Matthews with his high risk dives and hard strikes, but that's not all! Claudio goes crazy with European Uppercuts including a Springboard Corkscrew variation! Claudio hits a diving crossbody and a somersault senton on Matthews as well! Matthews is also able to hold his own against Claudio technically, with his own creative submissions and escapes.
At one point Matthews attempts to lift Claudio for a Whale Hunt, Claudio attempts a reversal into a Neutralizer, which Matthews flips out of and hits a Pedigree!
In the end, Matthews pins Claudio after a Black Mass!
Buddy Matthews d. Claudio Castagnoli via pinfall after a Black Mass (15:01)
-
PAC (England) VS Malakai Black (The Netherlands)
The match begins with an intense staredown as the hometown hero PAC is adored with cheers. Both men then perform an intricate chain wrestling sequence ending in a Death Ritual which PAC lifts into a Fireman's Carry Position, which Black slips out of and applies a waistlock on PAC. He goes for a German Suplex but PAC rolls him up. Black rolls PAC up, PAC kicks out, rebounds off the rope, Black attempts to trip PAC but PAC performs a cartwheel and a backflip as Black sits in a crosslegged position. PAC joins him in sitting crosslegged, mocking him. Black begins to laugh. PAC crawls closer, laughs and slaps Black. Black laughs more. PAC laughs again and slaps Black again. This eventually turns into a slapfest, followed by both men getting up and the slapfest turning into a strikefest. The strikefest ends with a double clothesline. The referee begins a 10-count. Both men kip up at 9 and stare each other down again. The crowd is mental. Both men now forearm the everloving crap out of each other. Black grabs PAC in a side headlock, PAC pushes Black off the ropes and Black performs a Springboard Moonsault onto PAC!
Strikes, submissions and acrobatics gallore in this match! Both men are putting in everything to ensure that they are one step closer to attaining the AEW World Cup!
In the finishing sequence, PAC goes for a Black Arrow which Malakai catches into a Triangle Choke! PAC is about to fade but he lifts Malakai up in a powerbomb position. Black gets out but PAC carries him in a Fireman's Carry when all of a sudden, Black counters and locks in The Death Ritual, which PAC ends up passing out in!
Malakai Black d. PAC via technical submission after a Death Ritual (44:59)
Post match, the lights go out and we see Buddy Matthews and Brody King appear in the middle of the ring. Malakai and Matthews stare each other down intensely. Malakai takes a mic and says: "Whoever it may be, The House Always Wins". All 3 men start laughing and hug each other in a warm embrace.
https://preview.redd.it/p0xei7bghp3b1.png?width=1132&format=png&auto=webp&s=ca0e6b109593e35197c92916f6b87839f7392097

The Final - AEW All In - London, UK

Malakai Black (The Netherlands) VS Buddy Matthews (Australia)
The match begins with a handshake and a hug, followed by a clinic, a spectacle to be witnessed at least once in everyone's life. Both men know each other upside down, inside out, and counter each other's moves, including Matthews dodging each and every one of Malakai's Black Mass attempts, each time Malakai looking at Matthews with a sense of anger mixed with pride.
In the end, Black goes for a Black Mass, Matthews catches Black's foot, and performs a Whale Hunt on Black for the win!
Buddy Matthews d. Malakai Black via pinfall after a Whale Hunt (59:59)
After the match, Buddy celebrates with his newly won AEW World Cup, alongside his House of Black brothers.
submitted by AncapGamingAddict to FantasyBookingElite [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 01:59 TringlePringle If NBA teams had a Jackie Robinson Day

After the conversation we've been having today regarding number retirements, especially after u/NotJuniorBridgeman's question reminded me of Chuck Cooper's status as the only player in the Hall of Fame to have never either made an all-star game or had their jersey retired, I started to think about how the MLB has every team wear Jackie Robinson's #42 on the anniversary of his debut. Since the NBA doesn't exactly have a singular Jackie Robinson-esque figure, I thought I'd make a list of which player each team would be most likely to honor if they did something similar. Let me know of any alternate suggestions you have, there are five or so where I feel like there should be a better answer but there just isn't that I'm aware of.
Atlanta Hawks: Pop Gates (first post-war Black NBL player, sparked pro ball's integration movement)
Boston Celtics: Chuck Cooper (integrated the NBA as a Celtic)
Brooklyn Nets: Dolly King (integrated the NBL along with Gates, first gained fame at LIU)
Charlotte Hornets: Tex Harrison (first HBCU player to be an All-American, played 18 years with the Globetrotters)
Chicago Bulls: Sonny Boswell (1940s star for the Rens and Globetrotters, one of the seven Black players the Chicago Studebakers integrated the wartime NBL with)
Cleveland Cavaliers: Willie Smith (At one point the best player in the world while on the Rens, Cleveland native who integrated the NBL's Cleveland Chase Brass and played for the Dayton Rens)
Dallas Mavericks: Harry Rusan (nine years with the Globetrotters after a college career at Paul Quinn)
Denver Nuggets: Ziggy Marcell (eight years with the Globetrotters, briefly integrated the NPBL Denver Refiners in 1950-51)
Detroit Pistons: Willie King (integrated the NBL's Detroit Gems)
Golden State Warriors: Don Barksdale (first Black All-Star and a whole bunch of other firsts)
Houston Rockets: Woody Sauldsberry (first player from an HBCU (Texas Southern) to make an All-Star Game)
Indiana Pacers: Dave DeJernett (first Black man to lead an integrated HS basketball team to a state championship, later played for Rens and other barnstorming teams)
Los Angeles Clippers: Ermer Robinson (from San Diego, but I'm letting them have him since they used to be there, SDSU and Globetrotters star famous for making the game-winner in a win over the Lakers)
Los Angeles Lakers: Jackie Robinson (UCLA All-American, star of the Los Angeles Red Devils)
Memphis Grizzlies: Harold Hunter (technically the first Black NBA player since he signed his training camp contract seconds before Earl Lloyd, college coach beginning as McLendon's successor at Tennessee State)
Miami Heat: Will Allen (integrated University of Miami basketball)
Milwaukee Bucks: Jack Mann (integrated the Sheboygan Redskins years before joining the NBL)
Minnesota Timberwolves: Bob Williams (integrated the Minneapolis Lakers)
New Orleans Pelicans: Bill Russell (he's Bill Russell)
New York Knicks: Nathaniel Clifton (integrated the NBA as a Knick)
Oklahoma City Thunder: Marques Haynes (six years with the Globetrotters, starred HS and college in Oklahoma)
Orlando Magic: John Chaney (starred for Bethune-Cookman in the 1950s, played 11 years of minor league ball, 24 years coaching Temple)
Philadelphia 76ers: Tarzan Cooper (Commonly regarded as the greatest pre-NBA black player while with the Rens, always lived in Philadelphia aside from during the basketball season)
Phoenix Suns: T.C. Dean (high school legend, averaged 18/17 for an undefeated Grand Canyon team while being the university's only Black student)
Portland Trail Blazers: Chuck Patterson (Portland native, played for various 1940s AAU teams in Oregon and integrated the PCL as a member of the Bellingham Fircrests)
Sacramento Kings: Wilmeth Sidat-Singh (integrated the team years before they even joined the NBL)
San Antonio Spurs: Bobby Joe Hill (star for 1965-66 Texas Western)
Toronto Raptors: Fred Thomas (Canadian barnstorming star, didn't make 1952 Canada national team because of his race)
Utah Jazz: Zelmo Beaty (went from refusing to report to the Utah Stars to owning a house in SLC the rest of his life)
Washington Wizards: Earl Lloyd (integrated the NBA as a member of the Washington Capitols)
submitted by TringlePringle to VintageNBA [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 22:36 Last_Canary_6622 Travels Throughout the US: Breakdown of Notable Places Part 1

















submitted by Last_Canary_6622 to usa [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 22:00 SanDiegoLibreBot HEADS UP! The R&R Marathon is this weekend, plan accordingly if you have to go anywhere near it!

HEADS UP! The R&R Marathon is this weekend, plan accordingly if you have to go anywhere near it! submitted by SanDiegoLibreBot to SanDiegoLibre [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 21:54 ready2work4it 35 [M4F] Texas - Will exchange puppy pics for a chat with a pretty girl!

Howdy!
My name is CJ, it is super nice of you to take time out of your afternoon to read this post. I promise I will deliver on the puppy pics but first I thought I may add a little about myself.
Type: I’m 6’ tall, so if you get on my shoulders you have the best seat at the show. I have more of the thicc dad bod type that all the girls go crazy for now a days. I have brown hair, green eyes with 20/20 vision, a well kempt beard and a shy calm very Texan voice.
As stated earlier I have two daughters whom I split custody with. They are my everything, they will always come first. Apologies in advance if that is not for you but they are numero-uno. I also have two cats, a puppy dog and two bunnies. I am very pet friendly and love to play and give them pats.
I love to be outside the most, I understand Texas can be brutal when it comes to this but I try to go on walks and light hikes as much as I can. I like to play disc golf/ frolf, I can pick up a basketball game against you but you’re probably going to lose, sorry. Despite my build I’m surprisingly athletic and limber. Not clumsy, overly cautious, and a kind hearted, funny and ruggedly handsome guy.
I would prefer greatly if you lived in Texas as I live in San Antonio and I would love nothing more to take you out on a date night. If not I’m possibly open to online conversations just to see where things go. Not opposed to any fun or spice there either. I really like solid commitment to a conversation and good bits to loop back to. Also, feel free to talk to me about sports, music, art, books if you like. I’m a fan of em all.
Send me a message or IM. Let’s get this thing off on the right foot. I’m happy to trade pictures, messengers or whatever forms of communication you’d like to use. Mostly I’m super excited to put myself out there and get to meet you! See ya on the other side! ❤️
-CJ
submitted by ready2work4it to R4R30Plus [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 21:45 ready2work4it 35 [M4F] Texas - Will exchange puppy pics for a chat with a pretty girl!

Howdy!
My name is CJ, it is super nice of you to take time out of your afternoon to read this post. I promise I will deliver on the puppy pics but first I thought I may add a little about myself.
Type: I’m 6’ tall, so if you get on my shoulders you have the best seat at the show. I have more of the thicc dad bod type that all the girls go crazy for now a days. I have brown hair, green eyes with 20/20 vision, a well kempt beard and a shy calm very Texan voice.
As stated earlier I have two daughters whom I split custody with. They are my everything, they will always come first. Apologies in advance if that is not for you but they are numero-uno. I also have two cats, a puppy dog and two bunnies. I am very pet friendly and love to play and give them pats.
I love to be outside the most, I understand Texas can be brutal when it comes to this but I try to go on walks and light hikes as much as I can. I like to play disc golf/ frolf, I can pick up a basketball game against you but you’re probably going to lose, sorry. Despite my build I’m surprisingly athletic and limber. Not clumsy, overly cautious, and a kind hearted, funny and ruggedly handsome guy.
I would prefer greatly if you lived in Texas as I live in San Antonio and I would love nothing more to take you out on a date night. If not I’m possibly open to online conversations just to see where things go. Not opposed to any fun or spice there either. I really like solid commitment to a conversation and good bits to loop back to. Also, feel free to talk to me about sports, music, art, books if you like. I’m a fan of em all.
Send me a message or IM. Let’s get this thing off on the right foot. I’m happy to trade pictures, messengers or whatever forms of communication you’d like to use. Mostly I’m super excited to put myself out there and get to meet you! See ya on the other side! ❤️
-CJ
submitted by ready2work4it to atx4atx [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 21:45 ready2work4it 35 [M4F] Texas - Will exchange puppy pics for a chat with a pretty girl!

Howdy!
My name is CJ, it is super nice of you to take time out of your afternoon to read this post. I promise I will deliver on the puppy pics but first I thought I may add a little about myself.
Type: I’m 6’ tall, so if you get on my shoulders you have the best seat at the show. I have more of the thicc dad bod type that all the girls go crazy for now a days. I have brown hair, green eyes with 20/20 vision, a well kempt beard and a shy calm very Texan voice.
As stated earlier I have two daughters whom I split custody with. They are my everything, they will always come first. Apologies in advance if that is not for you but they are numero-uno. I also have two cats, a puppy dog and two bunnies. I am very pet friendly and love to play and give them pats.
I love to be outside the most, I understand Texas can be brutal when it comes to this but I try to go on walks and light hikes as much as I can. I like to play disc golf/ frolf, I can pick up a basketball game against you but you’re probably going to lose, sorry. Despite my build I’m surprisingly athletic and limber. Not clumsy, overly cautious, and a kind hearted, funny and ruggedly handsome guy.
I would prefer greatly if you lived in Texas as I live in San Antonio and I would love nothing more to take you out on a date night. If not I’m possibly open to online conversations just to see where things go. Not opposed to any fun or spice there either. I really like solid commitment to a conversation and good bits to loop back to. Also, feel free to talk to me about sports, music, art, books if you like. I’m a fan of em all.
Send me a message or IM. Let’s get this thing off on the right foot. I’m happy to trade pictures, messengers or whatever forms of communication you’d like to use. Mostly I’m super excited to put myself out there and get to meet you! See ya on the other side! ❤️
-CJ
submitted by ready2work4it to r4r [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 21:41 ready2work4it 35 [M4F] Texas - Will exchange puppy pics for a chat with a pretty girl!

Howdy!
My name is CJ, it is super nice of you to take time out of your afternoon to read this post. I promise I will deliver on the puppy pics but first I thought I may add a little about myself.
Type: I’m 6’ tall, so if you get on my shoulders you have the best seat at the show. I have more of the thicc dad bod type that all the girls go crazy for now a days. I have brown hair, green eyes with 20/20 vision, a well kempt beard and a shy calm very Texan voice.
As stated earlier I have two daughters whom I split custody with. They are my everything, they will always come first. Apologies in advance if that is not for you but they are numero-uno. I also have two cats, a puppy dog and two bunnies. I am very pet friendly and love to play and give them pats.
I love to be outside the most, I understand Texas can be brutal when it comes to this but I try to go on walks and light hikes as much as I can. I like to play disc golf/ frolf, I can pick up a basketball game against you but you’re probably going to lose, sorry. Despite my build I’m surprisingly athletic and limber. Not clumsy, overly cautious, and a kind hearted, funny and ruggedly handsome guy.
I would prefer greatly if you lived in Texas as I live in San Antonio and I would love nothing more to take you out on a date night. If not I’m possibly open to online conversations just to see where things go. Not opposed to any fun or spice there either. I really like solid commitment to a conversation and good bits to loop back to. Also, feel free to talk to me about sports, music, art, books if you like. I’m a fan of em all.
Send me a message or IM. Let’s get this thing off on the right foot. I’m happy to trade pictures, messengers or whatever forms of communication you’d like to use. Mostly I’m super excited to put myself out there and get to meet you! See ya on the other side! ❤️
-CJ
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2023.06.02 21:19 Alpinia_KR Kaiserreich Beta 0.25.1

As pleased as we are with our Ukraine rework and the great reception it received, no large rework like this would be complete without some last-minute bugs that crept in on the final stages of testing. To remedy this, this hotfix should get rid of the most game-breaking bugs, and keep things running more smoothly. Enjoy!
Changes
New Decisions
GFX
Music Mod
Mapping
Other Changes
Fixes
Notable Fixes
Other Fixes
We hope you enjoy playing Kaiserreich as much as we did making it!
- The KR4 Team: 84F8D8, Alpinia, Arvidus, Augenis, Blackfalcon501, Carmain, Chazem, Chiang Kai-shrek, Chiron29, Cody, Conchobhar, DuoDex, El Daddy, Fedex, Flamefang, Gaboemi, Gideones, Hamfast, hildagrim, Ido, Igor050301, JazzyHugh, Jeankedezeehond, Jonny BL, Juliet Wehrwolf, Kano, katieluka, Kennedy, kergely, KFateweaver, Klyntar King, Krčo, Luwofe, Matoro, McOmghall, ~mw~ // miwaco, NukeGaming, Owenomaly, PPsyrius, Pelmen, RagnoStrangeros, Rnk, Shiroe, Sonny O’Cad, SuperGreenBeans, suzuha, The Alpha Dog, The Irredentista, The Italian Jojo, Vidyaország, and Zimbabwe Salt Co.
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2023.06.02 20:55 Figmania Fig Varieties by their Taste Groupings

Note: This comes from my old fig blog.........called "Dan's Cajun Figs"
(see ...........cajunfig.blogspot.com for pictures and more information).

Initially posted on SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Choosing Fig Varieties......by their taste (flavor)

By Dan
Semper Fi-cus
📷Hmmmmm!! Which one should I choose?? Figs come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. There are large ones and small ones. Round ones and flat ones. Some have long necks while some have no neck at all. Some are pear shaped and others are very elongated in shape. Colors can be green, yellow, brown, red, purple, and black. Some even will have two colors and these colors can exist as color vertical bands or stripes. The Panachee is a beautiful yellow fig which has vertical striped bands of green. The fig's pulp color can range from clear, cream, amber, gold, pink, red, and purple. Taste too can vary quite a bit from cultivar to cultivar. So how does one go about choosing a fig based on flavor??
Well, my taste buds tell me that there are a just a few broad groupings that are based on their "TASTE" or their flavor alone. Keep in mind that any taste rating is very subjective and a personal thing. Given that qualifier, here is what my tongue tells me are similar tasting fig varieties. The better figs in each group will have a richer and more complex flavor. A rich flavor will linger on your tongue for several minutes after you eat it and provide maximum taste sensation. A complex flavor will remind you of several different flavors all playing in concert with each other....and teasing your taste buds. Not all figs will have both a rich and complex flavor. Some will have only a single flavor note....like most honey figs. The sugar to acid ratio of the fig pulp too plays a very big role in its overall taste sensation.
I have some of my figs listed in similar flavor groupings. They are in no particular order:
1) The Celeste types .....Celeste, LSU Improved Celeste, O'Rourke, Southern Brown Turkey, English Brown Turkey, Blue Bingo, Blue Celeste, Celestine, Texas Everbearing.
2) The Mission types.......Black Mission, Violette De Bordeaux, Native Black, LSU Scott's Black, Black Beauty 10, Negronne, Petite Aubique, Beer's Black, Maltese Falcon (GM#5), Rond de Bourdeaux, Hardy Chicago New, 2 Fat Lady Black
3) The Honey types......LSU Golden Celeste, Italian Honey, LSU Gold, Jack Lily, White Triana, Atreano, Florentine, Cajun Honey, Cajun Gold, China White, Flanders, Vernino/Pasquale Not, UCD 143-36, LSU Everbearing, Latarula
4) The Blackberry types.......Hardy Chicago, Sals, Sicilian Black, LSU Purple, Black Triana, Black Italian, Marseilles VS, Dark Portuguese, Gino's Black, Black Beauty 10, Dark Sicilian #11, St. Jerome, Quantico, Maltese Falcon (GM#5), Pastillier
5) The Adriatic types.......Smith, Dalmatie, Battaglia Green, Adriatic, JH Adriatc, Green Greek, Strawberry, Monstreuse, Late Green, Verte, Ischia White, Conadria, Lattarola ---------------------------------------------- IMO Everyone should have one from each taste grouping.
Black Beauty 10....is hands down the best tasting fig in my collection. It's taste is very complex and fits into multiple groupings. It will produce two crops in a zone 9 climate. It is a Persian fig which originated from the northern part of Iran. It is NOT the same fig as Kathleen Black. Persian figs are reputed to have better flavor than European or Mediterranean figs because of their different gene pool. I have two other Persian figs which are yellow in color. The yellow one from Northern Iran (not written about yet) is truly outstanding in flavor which leads me to believe that Persian figs are indeed better flavored than those cultivars that originated from Europe. Time will tell..........
Col de Dame is my second best tasting. Its taste is complex and fits into multiple groupings. My climate is long enough to ripen this fig to perfection. It needs a long hot climate. It can produce a light breba crop. Main crop figs ripen late in the season.
Bourjosotte Gris is third best based on taste alone.....it has a very strong and intense strawberry flavor. This fig tastes more Strawberry than a real strawberry. However, its productivity is still in question. Its taste is complex and fits into multiple groupings. It too is a late season fig producing only one crop.
Smith is often to die for good. It is a very well flavored, balanced, and rain tolerant fig. As more and more fig enthusiast around the country get to taste this truly outstanding fig....you will hear them raving about its flavor. It produces two crops in a zone 9 climate.
IMO....Violette De Bordeaux is a MUST HAVE fig as it tastes so good and does real well in most climates. It can produce two crops in a zone 9 climate.
-----------------------------
IMO, there are other factors that should go into cultivar selection besides "TASTE" (flavor) alone. Ripening times, number of crops, persistence, speed of ripening, productivity, rain tolerance, bug resistance, skin quality, sweetness, pulp consistency, heat tolerance, fruit drop, size of tree, cold hardiness, pot culture vs. in-ground culture, cooking qualities, etc. should also be taken into consideration when choosing a fig variety.
For taste and overall performance in the rainy areas in the South.....it is still hard to beat the Louisiana heirloom Celeste fig that I found several summers ago. I was in fig heaven for over an hour as I ate a ton of figs from that particular mother tree. That fig can be seen in the above picture and listed as Celeste LF. Celeste figs can be to die for good. That is why Celeste still remains the Queen Fig of the South....even though it is usually a one crop fig. -------------------------------------------------
Added the following on June 27, 2012
Here are a few current pictures of my old time Celeste LF stain. This one is not an LSU hybrid fig like the LSU Improved Celeste. IMO, this is THE BEST regular Celeste fig strain to be found in Louisiana and likely the nation.......no, let's make that the best in the world!! lol...... This is the one that I have been searching to find for years. My conclusion is based on lots of research on lots of Celeste fig trees. Its taste is absolutely superb (a perfect 10), does not drop its figs, and does not split. This one will dry on the tree into a raisin if you let it. Its taste gets rather complex as the interior pulp turns into a very rich and jam-like sweet treat. I am exceedingly happy to have found this particular strain. I put a lot of miles on my truck during my hunts to find this fig. You can read more about it in another future post on my Fig Blog..............
📷Celeste LF figs A Superior strain of regular Celeste fig June 2012
📷Celeste LF figs A Superior strain of regular Celeste fig June 2012
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2023.06.02 18:28 Stripperthrowwie23 MORE UPDATES: TPR Interview, Site Updates, Socials!

Hello everyone ! I’m back with updates ☀️💕 !
The site now has a “view updates” section where I’ll be posting updates as I can. Sorry that took so long! There’s also buttons for easy access to my socials. I finally got around to it this morning.
I did a small interview with David, the host of “The Source” on Texas public radio today! I was very nervous and my cat made sure he interrupted 🥴 but I did my best. You can check the site for a countdown! It’s being aired at 12:30 (I believe) today ! 89.1 if you wanna use the radio or you can check online I think.
Also! I was contacted by someone local in San Antonio who would be willing to make and sell shirts and other merchandise. I wanted to know if anyone would be okay with that/want that? The last thing I want is for a business to have product they can’t sell. They did mention I could have a separate site where I’d earn royalties, however, if I received royalties I would most likely use it to donate to others. I did tell them I’m interested and would love to see what they come up with- and I told them I want to be transparent. ๐·°(⋟﹏⋞)°·๐
If you do have anything like that, that you’d like to see, please feel free to comment. All ideas are welcome here.
As for socials: I made a Twitter ! It’s @ stripthrowwie ! Feel free to follow me there, I tend to ramble a bit and joke around more there. Yes, the profile picture is an anime girl!
I’ve made contact with a city official but there’s no updates I can give you there.
WEBSITE LINK HERE
Thank you everyone for the endless support I’ve been receiving. I’ll be making a post to address some of my goals for some peoples concerns soon.
I live, so I love!
Also I get a lot of questions about lap dances, clubs etc: please just support your girls ! Whatever club you feel fits you best is fine :)
Yet another update! Check SASTRIPPERS :) for more updates etc
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