2️⃣068: No Blood Before 10am 📺

"They're trying to tell you what your children should and shouldn't be watching!"

The news anchor's voice echoed through the living room's high ceilings. It traveled up the stairs, down the hall, and into the bedroom, where she was trying to get Debryan ready for school.

"Not only that, they're trying to tell you when they should be watching whatever they decide you're children are allowed to watch. Does that sound like freedom to you?"

Honey! Are you hearing this? I still can't believe what's happening to this country!

Of course she heard it. It was impossible not to hear. Not only because he always played the TV at the loudest volume but because it was the same report they watched last night. Nothing new, the same angry host spewing the same angry nonsense. The family was forced to watch it every night and every morning and discuss it at every meal.

Like everything they talked about on TV was happening only to them.

Except, nothing they ever talked about on TV happened to them. Every incident was a friend of a friend or someone his buddy from work had heard about one county over. No first-person accounts. Just a story of a story. It didn't matter. That was enough to get him riled up. And once he got riled up he-

Here comes the best part!

"And that brings us to our main story tonight on Throwing Bricks. The latest war being waged against one of this country's most beloved heroes, The Deflector."

"DEFLECTOR!!!!," Debryan yelled, raising his hands triumphantly as she struggled to get a t-shirt over his head. His tiny fist moved so quickly that she didn't notice until it connected with her skin. He punched her straight on the chin, causing her teeth to snap shut on her tongue and slice it open. The metallic taste was immediate. She felt the dribble of drops coming out the side of her mouth as Debryan stared in wonder.

"COOL...🤩 Just like when The Deflector fights off his enemies trying to destroy our beloved way of life. DEFLECTORRR!!!!"

She tried to suck the blood back in and finish getting him dressed, but it was too late. He was already running down the hallway, shirt off, one sock on (half off), hair a mess, and with dwindling hope that they'd start a week by getting to school on time. She sighed in defeat and slumped to the bathroom to wipe the blood from her chin and assess the damage inside her mouth. At least sitting with his dad for a minute always managed to calm him down, sort of.

Hey, DB, come watch the news with me. This is the best part.

"We have our Washington DC correspondent Dana Young here with us. She was at the hearings on Capitol Hill today and has all the details about this latest attempt to stifle our freedom of speech. Dana, thank you for joining us."

"Thank you for having me, Mr. Brick."

"Please, call me Blayne. Mr. Brick was my father."

"Will do, Blayne. As you mentioned, I was at the hearings this morning with the FCC and representatives from the country's top animated show, The Deflector. To sum it up, it's a dark day for the 1st Amendment in this country, as our worst fears are coming true. In a stunning new piece of legislation passed hours ago, Washington has declared that any airing of The Deflector broadcast before 10 am, on any day of the week, will be banned from including any visual depictions of blood and gore. They are being censored. Now, the very same episode airing after 10 am will be allowed to have animated blood. You heard it here first; blood before 10 am, is not okay, but blood after 10 am is perfectly okay. It's a complicated ruling, so I hope my brief explanation made sense."

"Dana, does anything that side does ever make sense?"

Dana chuckled and nodded her head in disbelief.

"I'm with you, Blayne; I'm with you."

"And how have the people responded?"

"Blayne, they are not happy. There is palpable unrest from all the supporters of The Deflector who came out today to defend their favorite show's freedom of speech. There are already talks of rallies throughout the country in response to this unprecedented ruling. It feels like this is just the beginning. The repercussions this censorship decision will have on our nation will be felt for decades to come."

"As they should be! Because when they come for our freedoms, we'll fight back until our very last breath. Thank you for that excellent reporting, Dana. And thank you to every one of our loyal, patriotic, freedom-loving viewers. We're here for you, because of you, and to defend your rights. Because if they want to live in a glass house, they better be ready when we come Throwing Bricks. My name is Blayne Brickshaw, and I'll see you at the same time tomorrow."

Another great piece of reporting, don't you think, buddy?

As Bryan turned to look at Debryan, he could only catch a glimpse of his shaggy hair swaying from side to side, his shirtless torso, and one sock clinging for life around his little foot as he ran away. Weird, he thought to himself. They're going to be late for school, and she should've already had him dressed and eating breakfast. What is she doing up there that always makes them so late?

Looking down at his watch, Bryan realized he would be late himself if he didn't get a move on. He picked up his work bag, grabbed his lunch from the fridge, and headed for the front door.

By sweetie! Have a good day! I recorded the Throwing Bricks segment so you can watch it again by yourself! 📺

There was an incident at school yesterday between Debryan and one of the other students.

Bryan...Bryan! Are you even listening to me?

He wasn't. His eyes were glued to the phone as he scrolled through the timeline, trying to get the latest info on The Deflector rulings and the protest rallies.

Bryan! I'm trying to talk to you about our son!

Startled, he looked up. I’m sorry, honey. I just can't stop thinking about how crazy this world is getting.

Not only was his mind caught up on everything happening, but he was also a bit surprised. He couldn't remember the last time they had breakfast together. She always takes so long to get Debryan ready that there's never enough time to cook something. That's why he'd been buying breakfast on the way to work for the past few months. It was always a moment of peace for him between the craziness of being home and the chaos of the office.

Thirty minutes of peace and quiet 😌

Bryan!

There was no peace to be found here, he thought to himself.

…I'm listening, I'm listening..😒

But he was barely listening.

There was an incident at Debryan's school yesterday. He got into an argument with another student that led to a fight. The other student says Debryan started it, but Debryan says that the kid provoked him.

So what happened?

Let's just say the other student now has a broken lip and a black eye.

Maybe he deserved it.

Throughout the entire conversation, Debryan had his head hanging low, pushing his scrambled eggs back and forth across his plate. At the sound of his father's joy in hearing about the other student, he immediately sat up straight and lifted his gaze, beaming with pride 😀

No, he didn't 'deserve it,' Bryan. Do you understand what this means?

Yeah, some kid tried to bully him, and he fought back. We don't take shit from bullies or anyone else trying to tell us what to do. Isn't that right, buddy?

"DEFLECTORRR!!!! ✊"

No, Debryan, and, no, Bryan. That's not how this works. We can't just punch someone when we disagree with them. And I find it hard to believe this other student was bullying him when they've been best friends for the past four years! They were talking about something, and Debryan didn't like that the other kid disagreed with him, and that's why he punched him.

Who's story is this?

The entire school! We know his parents! We've been to their house for dinner, and Debryan went with us. Don't you remember? The kids were playing around, and something similar happened when Debryan didn't want to return the other kid's Deflector action figure.

Oh, yeah, I remember them. I don't know, honey, that other kid was a little...off. If you know what I mean. I think I'm on Debryan's side, and you should be too.

It's not about sides. It's about right and wrong. We can't just excuse any action because we want to feel good about our child. We have to teach him how to handle disagreements and adversity without violence.

But sometimes, violence might be the answer. Sometimes you have to throw a few bricks to make some change. Isn't that right, DB?

"DEFLECTORRR!!! 🦸‍♂️"

He raised fists in triumph again and ran off to the living room, leaving the plate of half-finished scrambled eggs in his wake.

Bryan, this is serious. I think something might be wrong. The guidance counselor asked us to come in to talk to them today. I convinced them to make it late in the afternoon so you don't have to leave work that early. We need to have this meeting.

Honey, you know I play pickleball on Tuesdays. It's the quarterfinals, and the guys need me there.

It's a six-team league, and you barely play. You only go in when someone's tired, and you spend the entire game screaming at the other team while the ref threatens to kick you out for unsportsmanlike conduct. Do you really think they're going to miss you that much?

I'm going to pretend like you didn't just say that. I work very hard every day for this family, and I only ask for one day a week to spend a couple of hours with my friends. Is that too much to ask for?

😔

I'd appreciate it if you call the school and tell them we need to meet another day. I'll see you tonight. Let me know how it goes. You know what? I'll even drop off DB at school today.

She didn't want to admit it, but she felt relieved he had offered to take Debryan to school. She couldn't stomach the embarrassment of driving up and seeing the look on all the teacher's and parent's faces knowing what her child had done. At least this gave her a bit more time to pull it together before the meeting with the guidance counselor.

Before heading to work, she quickly walked through the house to ensure everything was in order. She loved her son, but that boy had a unique talent for leaving a trail of disaster wherever he went. The playroom up the stairs was surprisingly clean except for two action figures lying in the middle of the rug. As she walked over to clean them up, she noticed one was Deflector with a pair of kitchen scissors tied to his arm.

How did he get his hands on these? She thought to herself.

There was another toy, Deflector's sidekick. Stuffing protruded from the side of his body where the arm was supposed to be. A few inches away, the stuffed arm lay on the ground.

It didn't seem like it had been ripped or torn off.

There was a clean cut on both ends ✂️

You got home pretty late last night. How’d the pickleball match go?

I don't want to talk about it.

Did you get kicked out again?

What's that supposed to mean? Do I shove it in your face every time one of your little business ideas doesn't work, or you decide to leave a job for no reason? So what if I got kicked out? I'm the only one out there with enough balls to stand up for what's right! And sometimes you have to pay the price when you fight for what's right!

She was shocked. They'd had disagreements before, but he'd never raised his voice like this. Something was wrong, but she didn't want to make it a thing in front of Debryan. She glanced over and noticed him staring attentively at his father. Instead of pushing it further, she decided to change the topic.

It's okay. We don't have to talk about it. Can you please make sure to arrive early at Debryan's school today? I'll be running a few minutes late and don't want them to think we're both late.

What's happening at the school? I thought only one of us has to go to the PTA meetings?

It's not a PTA meeting. It's the meeting with the guidance counselor over the incident with the other student. You asked me to get them to move the meeting because of your game last night, and I got them to do it for today.

Ughh...I didn't mean have the meeting this week. I thought it would be some other week.

Bryan, this is a serious incident. They need to talk to us immediately.

I can't do it. Tell them it has to be tomorrow.

What?!?! Why?!?! Didn't you just hear me say how hard it was to move this meeting?

I'm going to the Deflector rally downtown.

Since when???

Since today. They just announced the time and location this morning. Rallies are happening all over the country, and this is the one closest to us. We're lucky they even put one here. I was getting ready to drive over to Nashville.

That's a four-hour drive!

Exactly, which is why it's good that this rally is happening downtown. Just a 20-minute drive home. And I'm taking Debryan with me. Picking him up early for school.

Let me get this straight: You can't go to an important meeting at our son's school with the guidance counselor over a serious incident with another student, but you can leave work early and take your son early out of school to join a protest for a stupid cartoon show?!

At that moment, she realized Debryan had been listening to the entire conversation. He didn't understand what was going on, but he did know his mom had just called his favorite TV show, and by association, his favorite superhero, "stupid."

"Deflector's not stupid..." he mumbled under his breath 😢

She'd never heard him use that tone of voice before. It broke her heart.

You're right, sweetie. I'm so sorry. The Deflector isn't stupid, mommy and daddy are just talking about some important things, and mommy got excited. Can you go upstairs to your room to get your things for school and then meet me in the car? Mommy and daddy are going to finish talking.

Debryan got up and solemnly marched towards the stairs 😔

Bryan was getting up before she could even get a word out.

I'm going to the rally and taking my son with me. I'm fighting for something I believe in, something that matters. You may not think it's serious right now. But years from now, this moment will be taught in history books, and they'll talk about how we protected everything this country stands for. Tell the school I can do the meeting tomorrow afternoon.

And he walked away ☕️

"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Ohner. I'm happy we could finally have you come in to talk today."

We're so sorry about that, it's been a hectic few days with our commitments, and we wanted to ensure we gave you the time and attention this issue deserved. Thank you for letting us push the meeting back to today.

She was surprised at how cordial Bryan was, not that he was ever rude, but after the incident over breakfast Wednesday morning, she'd spent all day dreading having to talk to him again. He'd never reacted so strongly to something. That night, after the Deflector rally, it was like he was a different man. He came back, showered, and put Debryan to sleep (all without her asking). He came into their bedroom raving about what a great time they had and about how happy Debryan had been with so many others who loved the show like he did. How everyone there was in agreement about the freedoms they were protecting. Then they made love. They'd never had issues in the bedroom, but they weren't intimate as often as she'd like. That night, it was like their honeymoon all over again. Bryan had never been so generous, and she happily accepted.

Maybe this meeting would turn out much better than she anticipated.

That's an interesting last name you have. Mind if I ask you where it's from?

Or maybe it wouldn't.

"It's from here."

I'm sorry. I mean, where is your family from?

"Dekalb..."

Interesting. Is that where you grew up?

"Yes..."

Is that in Eastern Europe?

"It's in Georgia."

Fascinating country! I've always said we must visit, isn't that right, honey?

"Dekalb County, in the state of Georgia, where we are right now.."

Oh, I'm sorry...You grew up in a county? 🤨

"My family moved around a lot. Sir, if you wouldn't mind, we're here to talk about your son, Debryan."

Of course, of course. You know why we called him Debryan, right?

😐

My nanny growing up didn't speak English, so whenever I'd leave my toys lying around the house, she'd always say, “Thees iz de-Bryan, de Bryan!” Of Bryan's. Like the toy belonged to Bryan, to me. So we decided to name him 'Debryan' like 'Of Bryan' because he's my son.

"Sir..."

Wait a second. You told me it was a nickname she had for you growing up, and you missed her. You never told me that's what I meant.

Honey, of course, I did...

😡

"Mom. Dad. I'm sorry to interrupt this revealing moment, but I'd appreciate it if we could talk about the incident Debryan had with the other student. Debryan has always been an excellent student, and he does very well in the classroom, with a few behavioral issues. But nothing had been as bad as this."

I'm sorry, behavioral issues? Bryan responded doubtfully.

"Let's just say, Debryan doesn't like it when other students or teachers disagree with him. And he gets...defensive. He's talked back to students and teachers, sometimes saying he's going to get back at someone. But he's never followed through. During this week's incident, he and another student were talking about The Deflector. All the kids love the show. When one of the students mentioned he wasn't allowed to watch it because his mom didn't like it, Debryan said his mom was stupid. When the other student responded by telling him not to call his mom stupid, Debryan punched him in the face. We're worried because the attack was unprovoked."

Attack?!?! Who the hell do you think you are talking about my son like he's some thug? Maybe this wouldn't have happened if the other student respected others expressing their opinion. My son has every right to defend himself. I thought this was a free country?!

She had no idea what to say. She had never believed her son could be capable of something like that, and he'd never had issues with other kids she knew of.

Maybe it was just puberty?

At this point, Bryan wasn't thinking. He was reacting. His volume got higher with every sentence, and she worried they'd be able to hear him all the way in the parking lot before long. Luckily, the guidance counselor stepped in.

"Mr. Ohner, I understand it can be difficult to hear about something like this, especially when you hear about it from someone else. I don't think it's indicative of who your son is, but I do believe we need to address this before something else happens."

Her appeal worked. He sat back in his seat and made a face like he was ready to listen.

"Now, Debryan and the other student have always been friends, and friends have disagreements. They even have fights. It isn't the end of the world. But we do have to teach Debryan that this isn't how we solve disagreements. I believe spending time together outside of school, where they share common interests, would do them some good. Kids forget about these things in a matter of days, just show them how fun it is to play together, and they'll be back to best friends in no time."

Thank you for apologizing to me. 

"Mr. Ohner, I didn-"

We've decided we'll take your suggestion and have a play date with this other student. Honey, can you set it up for tomorrow? I'm out of work early. So I can get back home, and we can all have lunch together. 

As soon as he finished speaking, Bryan was up and walking out of the office.

"Mrs. Ohner, if you could stay back for one second."

She looked to the door and only saw the back of Bryan's head as he strolled out of the guidance counselor's office without a second thought.

I'm sorry about that. He gets a little passionate sometimes. Now you can see where Debryan gets it from. 

"No need to explain to me, ma'am. I've been working in this school district for 37 years. I've seen it all. I wanted to give you this contact and phone number in case you ever...felt like a different home situation was better for you."

She was taken aback.

Oh, no, you mean? From Bryan? God, no, he would never hurt me. He's not violent in any way. I mean, the most he does is get upset with the refs during his pickleball games. But he's never been a fighter or anything like that. He can't even lift weights.

"With all due respect, ma'am, I don't believe he's clever enough to be violent. This is the number for a divorce lawyer. Calling him 15 years ago was the best decision I ever made, and I wish I'd done it earlier. I want you to have the option to do the same."

Okay, Debryan, and Jackson, it's almost snack time. Why don't you and Jackson go upstairs to the play area for a little while I get the snacks ready.

Can I eat a string cheese before we have our healthy snacks??? 🥺

Fine, but only one. You know what it does to your appetite. Jackson, would you like some string cheese as well?

"Thank you, but I can't, Mrs. Ohner. I'm lactose intolerant."

I'm sorry about that, Jackson. Don't worry. We'll find something for you to have as well.

What's lac-tooaaad intoler antt??

It's when your body can't have any food that has milk. Jackson's body doesn't like how it makes him feel.

That sounds stupid. I love cheese.

Debryan! Everyone is different, and we must be respectful of those differences. Some things we're not able to choose, like Jackson not being able to have milk. Now, I want you to apologize and take him upstairs to show him your toys. 

Fiiiiineee......let me just get the string cheese first. 

As Debryan walked to the kitchen with a bounce in his step, she caught the look on Jackson's face. He was staring right up at her.

I'm sorry about that. That wasn't very nice of him. You know there's nothing wrong with you for not being able to have milk, right?

"Yeah, I know. My mom told me. It happens a lot in school. I just ignore them 😔"

There was a tinge of sadness on his face, along with something else she couldn't pinpoint.

Okay, let's go. I have so many Deflector action figures. You're going to love them!

Debryan! What do we say when we're mean to someone?

....I'm sorry, I'm sorry...😒

As they walked towards the stairs, Jackson turned around to give her another glance. Once again, it wasn't sadness that filled his eyes, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

She needed to focus on the task at hand. Snacks for the boys, then start prepping lunch for when Bryan gets home. Then make sure they were clean by the time Jackson's mom arrived to pick him up. She picked up the remote control for the living room TV that Bryan had left on the island in the kitchen and pressed "Power."

The television crackled on:

"This is Blayne Brickshaw, and I'm here to bring you the latest updates on the news you need to know, not what the powers that be want you to know."

She should've known what channel the TV was on. She couldn't stand that man. But there was no time to find something else. At least it would serve as background noise while she prepped.

In the kitchen, she got to work. There was no baby monitor or hidden camera in their playroom, but it didn't matter. Debryan was loud enough that you always knew what was happening up there. When there was silence, that's when you got worried.

She grabbed two fresh apples from the fridge, brought out a cutting tray, and got ready to slice them into smaller pieces. At an early age, Debryan would eat apples like it was the last piece of food on earth, without her ever having to slice them into smaller pieces. But one day, his father got wind of this and showed him how to cut them up, and there's been no going back. If the apple isn't sliced into a dozen thin pieces, he won't eat. It's gotten to the point where he tries to cut them himself when he's hungry. Always going for the cutting knives from the kitchen. Nothing had happened yet, but she was always worried he'd fall over while trying to reach the top of the counter.

Let me not think about that, she told herself.

Deflector to the rescue!!!!!

Okay, sounds from the second floor, everything is fine.

Two apples left? Perfect. One for Debryan, one for Jackson, she'd have to make do with something else. She should actually text Bryan to pick some up on the way home.

We’re out of apples. Can you please pick up some of the ones Debryan likes?

She turned back to prepare the apples when she realized the cutting knife was nowhere to be found. She didn't remember whether she took it from the dishwasher this morning. Did Bryan leave it in the sink again? 🙄

*buzz buzz*

It was Bryan responding to her text.

Too late, already passed the supermarket. Almost home.

These were the types of moments that...😣 Nevermind, persevere. You can get the apples later. Let's not turn this into a thing. We just need everything today to run smoothly. Bryan even took time off of work!

There's no way this could go wrong.

Where the hell is that knife?

"Ladies and gentlemen, I can still say that, right? Ladies and gentlemen, today is a historic day for our freedoms."

The TV was so loud it overwhelmed her thoughts. She knew Bryan would be getting home to watch this. Maybe if she got all the details before he did, they could have an actual conversation about it and not just 45 minutes of him talking at her.

"On Monday, we brought you the most important story of the decade. On Wednesday, we organized rallies all across the country to let our voices be heard. On Thursday, they went back to their meeting rooms, cloaked in secrecy, to discuss our voices. Your voices. The ones we worked tirelessly to make sure were heard. The voices of the real patriots of this country. And today, just four days after this story launched, we have the news everyone has been waiting for. Now, I don't want to...."

Her focus on the TV trailed off as she realized no sounds were coming from the second floor.

Debryan! Debryan?! Jackson!?!

Nothing.

Strange, neither of them has ever been one to keep quiet. She heard Bryan's car pull into the driveway as she made her way up the stairs. As soon as she got to the top of the stairs, her foot slipped on the top step. She stopped herself from falling face first by placing her right hand down, but now her wrist felt like it was sprained, and the sleeve from her favorite sweater was covered in juice 😫

Debryan! I told you to be careful when leaving your cups around because they spill! Mommy could've gotten hurt. You could've been hurt. Even Jackson could've be-

She turned the corner from the top of the stairs to the play area and spotted the missing kitchen knife. It was clutched tightly in Debryan's hand. A pool of blood was slowly hugging his feet. She looked at the hand that helped break her fall and realized it was also covered in blood. Same for the spot at the top of the stairs where she had slipped.

In front of Debryan, Jackson's body lay motionless on the floor. A blank stare with his eyes open, looking directly at the ceiling.

She tried to scream Debryan's name as she dropped to her knees over Jackson's body, but no sound could escape her mouth.

As she sobbed over Jackson's body, Debryan didn't flinch. He didn't even move. His gaze remained fixed on the lifeless body as he began to speak.

Jackson was a traitor, and The Deflector knows exactly how to deal with traitors.

She couldn't breathe. The room started to spin, her head got woozy, and she stumbled to the side, grasping desperately at the couch for a few seconds before falling over completely.

Downstairs, Bryan was walking into the living room.

Honey, I'm home. You're watching Throwing Bricks! I knew you'd come around one day! They're about to announce the verdict of the new Deflector decision!

She was hyperventilating. This couldn't be happening, not her son, not her home, not her life. This couldn't be real. Her vision was getting blurry. Her body felt like it was about to shut down for good when a shriek from the living room snapped her back into consciousness.

WE WON! WE DID IT! They're not going to censor The Deflector!!!! This is a win for freedom!!!!! Honey, come down! Where are the kids? It's time to celebrate. Let's open that vintage champagne your dad gave you for your 30th birthday. Now, this is a special occasion 🍾