Written By: Connor Upton In the mountain of three million pages recently released by the Department of Justice, one of the most damning pieces of evidence of Jeffrey Epstein’s survival in high society is not a flight log or a bank transfer, but a simple unredacted spreadsheet titled “Movie Log 2013”, or EFTA00585883 . The document serves as the central hub for the story of how Epstein and his employees rehabilitated the image of the disgraced financier and sex criminal in the public eye, and how his presence was normalized among elite individuals. On the surface, the document seems trivial....

Written By: Connor Upton This article originally appeared in the InTheAtticZine Newsletter . More writing like this, plus fiction, games coverage, and the full zine, is available to download free over there. When we think of a sprawling Expanded Universe, our minds usually drift to longboxes stuffed with crossover comic events, or a shared sci-fi galaxy where every character gets a name and home planet just to flesh out the spaces between blockbuster movies....

The Heartstone Crystal By Connor | InTheAtticDev Grand King Requinnic stood amidst the ruins of the divine order, the air thick with the dust of shattered gods. He had brought them down, one by one, culminating in slaying the entire council where they stood. Darkness, he knew, would forever rule the land. But it would be a pure darkness. An absence of magic was necessary for the lower races to achieve their full potential. Unburdened by divine interference, Requinnic could mold the world in the way he desired. He loomed over the defeated shell that was Mreska, Goddess of Magic....

The Rogue of Turtle Lake By Connor | InTheAtticDev The moon was a traitor in the night. It hung fat and white in the sky, shining light through the wilting fall leaves of giant oak trees. For a creature of shadow with fur the color of moss, the environment felt like a death sentence. Marla dodged between the trees as she ran. Her large ears moved independently, one tracking distant bird calls while the other listened for the clomping of incoming horses. The air carried the smell of a salty tang from the nearby saline lake. Turtle Lake was the destination. Her only hope....

Written By: Connor Upton This last year has been like watching a train barrel full-steam towards a collapsed bridge while you sit helpless, waiting for it to crash into the canyon below. When Theodore Roosevelt cemented the image of the American 'cowboy diplomat' on the world stage, he did so with a specific philosophy: "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Roosevelt, an East Coast aristocrat who deliberately adopted a rugged Badlands persona, understood that true power didn't require constant explosions or boastful rhetoric....

The Rogue of Turtle Lake II By Connor | InTheAtticDev The Story So Far… Marla the Catperson, once servant to the Elordian Knight Commander, has turned traitor. After uncovering a ruthless plot to annihilate entire communities for resources, she fled Castle Elordia and the iron grip of the Red Knights. In hiding near Turtle Lake, she crossed paths with a mysterious crystal hero who retrieved for Marla stolen documents revealing the Knights' war plans. Now, weeks later, Marla is on the run once more....

Written By: Connor Upton On Monday, March 2, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in United States v. Hemani. The case centers on a Texas man, Ali Danial Hemani, who was indicted under § 922(g)(3) when the FBI searched his house and found a Glock 9mm handgun, 60 grams of marijuana, and 4.7 grams of cocaine. He wasn't intoxicated when the gun was found nor was he accused of a violent crime. The government's entire case rests on the fact he owned a gun, was found to have these two controlled substances in his possession, and admitted to smoking the marijuana....