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dustcrumbs · 6 months ago

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Ok, but in all honesty, I find it funny how similar Dust and Crosses story are

Cross n Dust both killed their entire AU, trying to stop something out of their own control.

Cross n Dust wanted to protect the people they loved the most.

Cross n Dust were both blinded by their own selfishness to see through their wrong doings.

Cross n Dust both struggle to communicate or express what they want.

Cross n Dust both don't know what life they want to lead.

They're both pathetic in their own ways but still intertwine in their choices.

And yet, Cross was the only one given more than one path. He was given more chances to find a place he belongs in. People cared about him more.

He was wanted.

Dust wasn't.

Don't get him wrong. He doesn't want to be saved. But he does wonder why no one had tried. Why no one had attempted to even throw a chocolate bar at him for some support, to give some hope, just something to tell him he's not alone in this.

Sure, you could argue that they seen the many variants of Cross pass through. He bonded with more people through these times.

But then why wouldn't they want to save a variant of the classic sans that they all love? The one who is the start of many people's stories. Why would they leave him to suffer with nothing left to defend? They don't know this specific variant, but they didn't know the specific Cross we know either. It was just a familiar face.

Oh, because they don't want to interfere? There isn't anything left to mess with, no other people. The player would've quit a long time ago, and that would mean that the timeline no longer serves a purpose. There won't be an impact on the timeline if you took the only thing existing in it. Leaving him to torture himself instead of bringing him into an omega timeline, seriously?

Oh, but he's a murderer! So what? Cross was tormenting and destroying/stealing parts of AU's, and they still let him into the omega timeline. He eliminated his entire AU and wiped it clean. Wouldn't that be more threatening than a guy who just killed only his(small) kind and not the global population?

Idk, I just think Dust would notice this and be absolutely pissed. Especially with how Cross views himself and the people around him. Cross is basically taking things that Dust can only dream of for granted. He says he doesn't have a home, but he doesn't understand what a home truly is. And Dust can't understand what makes him so special. Was it because X Gaster wanted to use him as some chess piece while Dust was a discarded tissue? Are people's lives truly dependent on what they can do over who they are.

Dust genuinely doesn't know. He feels betrayed by those who don't even know him. Dust is full of hate that there isn't any hope to see in a life other than crime. Crosses existence only solidifies that idea. After all, who would support him? Killer wouldn't. He isn't even sure Horror knows who he is. It's not like he would want him to. He doesn't need someone else to tell him how they'd have lived his life. How they would do something smarter. He's tired of people thinking they're better than him. When all of them are just hypocrites.

Anyways, sorry if I misspelled or made anything sound weird

Skibidi crumbs OUT!!

#dust sans #cross sans #just a tiny ramble #i think #i gotta go back to being silly

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patriottruth · 7 months ago

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For All Who Believe President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and House and Senate Democrats Won't Enforce donald. j. trump's Insurrectionist Disqualification, Please Remember This Is A Chess Game With Multiple Pieces and Pathways to Checkmate donald j. trump and his entire MAGA cult.

I understand that some people reading the daily reminders of donald j. trump's Section 3/14A insurrectionist disqualification might want to believe it's some kind of misinformation because it's a major story that's being buried and kept out of American and global mindsets and thoughts, but there are a lot of trained artists here on Tumblr; and trained artists fully understand that your art will never read or come across properly if the negative space(s) surrounding your art don't perfectly communicate the art that they contain.

For instance, the negative space around your hand reinforces that your hand looks and reads right when you're looking at it, but it the negative space/air space surrounding your hand and fingers was identical to the negative space/air space enveloping a still life arrangement of fruit and random objects, your brain would be screaming that, for some strange reason, your hand and fingers actually look and read like a still life arrangement of fruit and random objects because your mind automatically fills in the blanks. donald j. trumps Section 3/14A insurrectionist disqualification reads right because it is right.

It doesn't matter that people are trying to help people forget, and hoping people will forget, that donald j. trump shouldn't have been allowed to run for office because of his Section 3/14A insurrectionist disqualification. Those people are desperately hoping no one will remember or start talking about the fact that donald j. trump was only allowed on the 2024 presidential ballot to avoid election chaos and disruption, but the Supreme Court made it clear that donald j. trump appearing on the ballot didn't clear his Section 3/14A insurrectionist disqualification, and that Democrats could enforce his insurrectionist disqulification the moment he was declared President-elect; and they could also enforce it upon all state electors in the Electoral College; and they could also choose to enforce it upon donald j. trump during the January 6, 2025 certification; and they could even enforce it after he was inaugurated if they wanted to hand the presidency to j.d. vance and still end American democracy and the U.S. Constitution via a j.d. vance presidency as a result of dragging their heels on the matter.

Here's a picture of the moment when donald trump told President Zelensky that Ukraine is at the mercy of putin and trump:

Here's a picture of the moment when Joe Rogan was absolutely dumbfounded about donald trump's extreme cognitive decline:

Here's Ukrainian boxing legend (and brother of Kyiv's mayor) Wladimir Klitschko responding to Joe Rogan insulting and degrading Ukraine by repeating russian propaganda.

youtube

I get that there's a lot of anxiety surrounding this issue of donald trump's insurrectionist disqualification, and so to further empower people to address that anxiety and guarantee that President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and House and Senate Democrats will enforce donald j. trump's Section 3/14A insurrectionist disqualification by or on December 17, 2024, anyone who wants and needs futher assurances that people will do what they're legally required to do per their oath to the American people and the U.S. Constitution can simply contact President Zelensky of Ukraine via https://www.president.gov.ua/en and inform and remind him that donald j. trump is permanently disqualified from ever holding any federal or state office in the United States again because of his January 6th, 2021 insurrection and his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. President Zelensky is meeting with NATO on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, and you could give the people that donald j. trump wants to gift wrap and give to putin for his new Soviet Union a lot to talk about while completely delegitimizing and invalidating donald j. trump's illegal election and presidency to the entire world.

If you need help translating President Zelensky's website, there's an "EN" selection in the upper-right corner of the site, but you won't be able to use it when you choose the "Information Request" form to contact President Zelensky about this matter. When you click the "Information Request" form, you'll have a number of checkbox options to select from. You can use Google Translate to translate everything if you like, but the bottom checkbox is "Email" (which will present you with an additional text box) and that's where you'll need to enter a valid email address that you don't mind using to receive a security confirmation code that will allow your message to President Zelensky to go through. The text box at the top of the form is where you can enter any name or identification you want to use to identify yourself to President Zelensky. The large text box is where you can help protect Ukraine from being conquered and colonized by putin's plans to restore the Soviet Union at Europe's and the entire world's expense, so that's where you'll need to type something along the lines of this (because you can't copy and paste this into that text box):

Dear President Zelensky,

Ukraine's present and future rely on you knowing and understanding this truth: Donald J. Trump is permanently disqualified from ever holding any federal or state office in the United States due to his January 6th, 2021 insurrection and his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution permanently disqualifies all insurrectionists, Donald J. Trump included, from ever holding any federal or state office again without 70 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 17 Democrats in the U.S. Senate voting to remove his insurrectionist disqualification before December 17, 2024. Should Donald J. Trump's insurrectionist disqualification remain on December 17, 2024, no state elector in the U.S. Electoral College can legally vote to elect Donald J. Trump, or create any Electors Certificates to legally elect Donald J. Trump as President of the United States, because the state electors and the Electors Certificates would be illegal and void due to them attempting to give aid and comfort to a legally disqualified insurrectionist, Donald J. Trump. Please know and understand that Donald J. Trump is engaging in the federal crime of attempting to hold office while being a legally disqualified insurrectionist; and he has no legal authority or right to attempt to involve himself in Ukraine's, NATO's, or any other country's affairs in any way. Please contact President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Democratic Leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries immediately to discuss Ukraine's current and future alliance with the United States of America. Thank you.

Once you've typed such a message into the contact form for President Zelensky, you'll need to enter the CAPTCHA code at the bottom of the form and press the submit button (you may have to reset the CAPTCHA code if it's not working). Once you press the submit button, you'll be taken to a confirmation page where you'll enter the security/confirmation code that you'll receive via the email address you entered for President Zelensky to contact you. Once you enter that code into the confirmation box and submit it, you'll see a confimation notice that your message was sent.

Sometimes, the best way to ease anxiety is to do something empowering and reaffirming; and some people who experience anxiety might find that completely and permanently delegitimizing and disqualifiing donald j. trump from ever being President of the United States again, and also completely humiliating and discrediting him in front of the entire world, would be somewhat cathartic, calming, and empowering. It's possible that 10/10 anti-MAGA talk therapists would agree with this and be strongly supportive of an empowerment exercise such as this. And if you find this exercise to be cathartic and satisfying, please remember to also share the donald trump disqualification information with everyone you know and write to your elected representatives, Democratic Leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, Marc Elias and Democracy Docket, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington about donald j. trump's Section 3/14A insurrectionist disqualification.

Thanks again to everyone involved in protecting the entire world from donald j. trump, his MAGA cult, and their global dictator allies.

Every person joining this fight in any way is far more powerful than the entirety of nearly 77 million MAGA voters, AND donald j. trump, AND all of donald j. trump's MAGA cult "Republicans" in the House and Senate, AND all of donald trump's corrupt MAGA judges, AND all of donald trump's wealthy donors, AND all of the richest people in the world combined, AND all of the world's dictators AND the entirety of their entire political parties and supporters combined.

You're far more powerful, unstoppable, and inevitable than all of those people combined because you have the truth and the law on your side. And in this fight, when we fight, we win. We're already winning, and we're going to keep winning, because no one can stop the truth and the law from winning this fight for every democracy and all free peoples on earth. It's kind of a big freakin' deal!

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mariacallous · 1 month ago

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On April 1st, the day before President Donald Trump’s tariffs cratered global markets, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters “to trust the President’s instinct on the economy.” In the days afterward, Johnson’s message was echoed by legions of online supporters, who, amid plunging stock prices and predictions of a global recession, reminded one another to “trust the plan,” a catchphrase popular on QAnon forums.

For many devotees, Trump was a political savant. He was playing “4-D chess,” they said, supposedly outsmarting billionaire backers like Bill Ackman and Elon Musk, analysts who expected trade wars and job losses, and the twenty-three Nobel Prize-winning economists who cautioned that his policies would cause “higher prices, larger deficits, and greater inequality.” Elsewhere in the MAGAverse, self-proclaimed prophets announced that a divine plan was under way. In an April 7th video that’s been viewed nearly four hundred thousand times, the Iowa-based evangelist Julie Green claimed that God had warned her of the economic crash before the tariffs were announced. “Your economy, and all the markets, have been overtaken by the enemies from within,” God reportedly told her. “Their control over your nation, and its economy, is all collapsing in front of you.”

The tone marked a vibe shift from the technocracies of yesteryear. “I know that sometimes when I was President, and even when I was a candidate, folks would say, ‘Barack, you’re talking too long. You’re too professorial. You’re explaining stuff too much,’ ” Obama said, in 2018. His was a politics of complexity and deliberation, of data and binders and reasoned debate. Trump’s first term began in this style. Working alongside institutionalists like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, and through appointees like Gary Cohn and H. R. McMaster, his Administration kicked off with a familiarly wonkish feel. But, in the eight years since Trump first took office, procedure has given way to prophecy. For millions of his followers, the President is no longer the Administrator-in-Chief but something closer to the hero Rama in the Hindu epic the Ramayana: a divine avatar destined to wage a holy war against evil.

Trump’s messianic appeal may seem like a twenty-first-century creation, a product of partisan rage, epistemic drift, and American-style evangelicalism. This is the conclusion of much of the analysis on the convergence of conspiratorial thinking and spiritual yearning, often termed “conspirituality.” In “The Age of Magical Overthinking,” the writer Amanda Montell treats the phenomenon as an algorithmic aberration: “Combine our organic animism with capitalism and tech-powered misinformation spread, and you get conspirituality.” Likewise, the scholars Charlotte Ward and David Voas, in their 2011 paper popularizing the term “conspirituality,” described it as a historically contingent synthesis: a fusion of the “female-dominated New Age (with its positive focus on self) and the male-dominated realm of conspiracy theory (with its negative focus on global politics).”

But to treat the right’s politico-mystical fervor as a modern malfunction is to miss its deeper logic. The Trumpian mystique echoes a dynamic that has occurred for centuries and across cultures. Its core ingredients—an alleged league of pedophiles, a godlike miracle worker, promises of an Edenic restoration—resemble archetypes that have long occupied humanity’s imagination. Trump’s followers may communicate through memes and message boards, but their faith belongs to a much older mythology: the eternal face-off between shaman and witch, prophet and cabal.

In 1987, an army of between seven and ten thousand soldiers advanced toward Uganda’s capital, Kampala. They were led by Alice Auma, a fishmonger turned spirit medium in her early thirties. A photograph from that period shows her seated between two followers. Dressed in a plain white top and a long patterned skirt, she looks less like a rebel commander than she does a schoolteacher or a market vender. To her supporters, though, she was a prophet possessed by the spirit of an Italian captain named Lakwena (“messenger,” in the Acholi language) sent to cleanse the land of sin and corruption. Known thereafter as Alice Lakwena, she pledged to destroy witches, purify warriors, and unite Ugandans against the President, Yoweri Museveni.

Alice was a healer before she was a fighter. Her first acolytes were fellow-members of the Acholi ethnic group. They feared extermination after Museveni, an ethnic Hima, overthrew Tito Okello, an Acholi officer, and the army demanded that all Acholi surrender their weapons. Her fighters later told missionaries, “The good Lord who had sent the Lakwena decided to change his work from that of a doctor to that of a military commander for one simple reason: it is useless to cure a man today only that he be killed the next day.”

Alice’s rise was not anomalous. As I explore in my new book, “Shamanism: The Timeless Religion,” upheaval often begets messianic revelation. When colonialism disrupted social orders in New Guinea and the surrounding islands, so-called cargo cults emerged, led by shaman-prophets who promised material abundance, the return of ancestors, and, in many instances, the end of foreign rule. In South Africa, the teen-age seer Nongqawuse foretold that the European settlers would be swept into the sea and a golden age would dawn—if only her people slaughtered their cattle and burned their crops. And in mid-nineteenth-century China, at a time of disasters, crippling taxation, and Western humiliation, a failed civil-service candidate claiming to be Christ’s brother launched the Taiping Rebellion, vowing heavenly rule on earth and the expulsion of demons.

Such movements share a predictable structure. People in crisis exhibit an instinctive paranoia. They are quick to blame suffering on individuals, especially the distrusted and powerful. Charismatic figures co-evolve with these understandings. They name enemies, invoke cosmic stakes, and present themselves as exceptional in precisely the ways necessary to vanquish agents of misfortune. They offer futures that are prosperous and pure but also backward-looking—lost paradises regained through sacrifice.

Core to all of this are depictions of evil. Conjured opponents are more than malicious—they’re inhuman, perverted, and often supernatural. In Alice’s sermons, they were sorcerers. In the Taiping Rebellion, they were demons dressed as bureaucrats. When I analyzed beliefs about harmful magic across sixty diverse societies, I found that the most feared malefactors were suspected not just of causing calamity but of engaging in moral depravity, with a cross-cultural fixation on cannibalism and sexual deviance. Among the Tlingit of the Pacific Northwest, witches (both male and female) were said to have sex with corpses and their own family members. The Santal, in South Asia, believed that witches (always female) copulated with spirit familiars and devoured the organs of children. Similar fears haunted Europeans and British Americans during the early modern period; one need only consult the witchcraft paintings of Francisco Goya, which show covens of half-naked women killing babies, eating people, and cavorting with the Devil.

These depictions serve a purpose. Portrayed as cannibals, child-killers, and corpse-defilers, enemies become existential threats and the worst imaginable offenders, lying beyond the pale of redemption. The fear of them galvanizes collective action and deepens devotion to leaders. Unable to be reformed, opponents must be destroyed.

Trumpism revives these mythic structures. This fact is nowhere clearer than in QAnon, the sprawling super-conspiracy centered on three beliefs: first, the government, mainstream media, and élite financial institutions are controlled by Satan-worshipping pedophiles who exploit children in a global sex-trafficking ring. Second, Donald Trump was recruited in a secret campaign to dismantle the cabal. Third, there will come a moment, “the Storm,” when mass arrests and public reckonings will purge the country of evil and restore the rightful to power.

QAnon arose during Trump’s first Presidency, growing from obscure online chatter into a mass movement. Its adherents numbered in the tens of thousands in 2018 and surged to millions by 2020. After Biden was inaugurated, in 2021, QAnon seemed like it might fizzle. Its central predictions—that Trump would win, that Hillary Clinton would be arrested, that televised tribunals would expose hidden debaucheries—failed to materialize. Q, the anonymous figure whose posts drove the movement’s folklore, stopped writing on message boards.

But the creed didn’t die. Like a spore-filled fungus, it ruptured, disseminating itself across the far right. By the end of 2021, polling by the Public Religion Research Institute revealed that more than one in six Americans accepted QAnon’s core beliefs, while only a third completely rejected the doctrine. Prophecies about salvation, spiritual warfare, and diabolic foes merged seamlessly into American evangelicalism; the disorientation of the pandemic deepened the appeal, and Q’s ideas found believers among yoga instructors, wellness influencers, and suburban moms.

The normalization of QAnon has coincided with a broader reënchantment. Astrology is booming, especially among millennials. Instagram teems with tarot, spell jars, and manifestation memes. WitchTok garners billions of views. In the 2021 census, “shamanism” ranked as the fastest-growing self-reported religion in England and Wales, beating out Zoroastrianism and Rastafari. Atheists, too, are feeling the vibes, with more than a quarter telling Pew, in 2023, that they’ve been contacted by a dead relative.

The two trends are connected. Trust in traditional sources of authority has plummeted. The public’s faith in Congress, the Supreme Court, and the media is scraping historic lows. Even confidence in scientists and doctors—long among the most trusted groups—has fallen. Between 2020 and 2024, the share of Americans who trusted scientists to act in the public’s best interest slipped from eighty-seven per cent to seventy-six per cent, while trust in physicians and hospitals plunged thirty points, to around forty per cent.

This climate of distrust has eroded institutional legitimacy. The German sociologist Max Weber famously observed that societies undergo a “routinization of charisma.” They use rules, procedures, and bureaucracy to tame the instability of magnetic leaders, with authority becoming less personal and more institutionalized. But today that process is unravelling. As many question the fairness and neutrality of political systems, the model of an ideal leader shifts from the administrative back to the messianic. And as faith in science and expertise recedes, it unleashes older, more intuitive ways of knowing—astrology, shamanism, divine revelation, and witchy paranoia.

The question, then, is whether the fervor will outlast the figurehead. Trump feels inherent to Trumpism. He also seems to have been uniquely prepared for a populist Presidency by a lifetime in the spotlight, including more than a decade as a reality-TV star. But, if his prophetic aura reflects a deeper, more universal pattern, what happens when he fades away? Does the mythology collapse? Or will a new messiah rise to take his place?

Alice’s power began to fade on September 30, 1987. Museveni’s military located her troops in the Tororo district, some two hundred kilometres from Uganda’s capital. The two armies had clashed many times before. Weeks earlier, Alice’s soldiers repelled his forces, nabbing a radio, AK-47s, and other weapons. This time was different. Museveni’s army encircled them and, for hours, pounded them with mortar fire. Alice’s troops eventually broke the siege, but at a cost. Nearly a third of the forces got separated and misdirected. Her civilian followers escaped into the swamps and lost their way. The battle was one of her bloodiest and most demoralizing.

Alice’s crusade had endured failures before, yet it had always managed to produce a scapegoat, often Alice herself. On at least two occasions, the spirit Lakwena—using her as his vessel, supposedly—rebuked her for disobedience. But, this time, the spell had been broken. Five hundred soldiers left immediately; in the month that followed, the movement bled support. On November 2nd, when Lakwena called on fighters, only three hundred and sixty answered. Days later, this remnant was scattered by Museveni’s army, and Alice disappeared into Kenya.

In interviews with Alice’s former soldiers, the German anthropologist Heike Behrend came across numerous theories for the defeat: the spirit Lakwena had punished them; it had deserted Alice for defying orders; Alice was a witch; Museveni had hired a “witch doctor” from far away who supplied his army with medicines powerful enough to counteract Lakwena’s blessings.

Yet, through another viewpoint, Alice’s movement didn’t die. It evolved. New prophets competed to revive her army in their image. Her father, Severino Lukoya, attracted two thousand followers and preached his own brand of end-time revelations, which centered on a “New World” in which God, humans, angels, and animals coexisted peacefully. His tenure was short-lived, however: within a year, he was declared a sinner and imprisoned by another Acholi prophet: Joseph Kony.

Claiming to be Alice’s cousin, Kony hijacked her campaign, turning it crueller and more militaristic. He made familiar promises of destroying evil and ushering in an age free of suffering, yet his techniques were more grotesque. He named his organization the Lord’s Resistance Army, and it became notorious for abducting tens of thousands of children for sex and warfare. In the nineteen-nineties and the two-thousands, the L.R.A. ravaged communities across east and central Africa, displacing some two million people and provoking the United States to spend millions a month to try to stop it. All the while, Kony retained his prophetic posture. In 2004, after the Ugandan President reportedly reached out for peace talks, Kony replied, “I will communicate with Museveni through the holy spirits and not through the telephone.”

Kony’s cannibalization of Alice Lakwena’s movement carries a dark lesson. Prophets may fail. Their predictions may go unfulfilled. They may die or abandon their followers when ruin is imminent. Yet new narratives can emerge to justify the collapse: the prophet was false; we were betrayed; the enemy had unnatural powers. Whatever the story, prophetic energy can survive, awaiting a new commander to channel it toward a more ambitious purification.

Trump is brusque and erratic, but he is far from irreplaceable. Although he has no clear successor, there are numerous contenders who orbit his office like hungry ghosts. These include the dynastic heirs (Donald Trump, Jr.), the administrative acolytes (J. D. Vance, Stephen Miller, Pam Bondi), and the new-media influencers (Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon). Carlson, for his part, has begun speaking in occult terms, claiming this past November that he was “physically mauled” by a “demon.” Whether any of them will manage to consolidate Trump’s power remains to be seen. But unless the grievances that fuelled his apotheosis are reckoned with, his downfall may only clear the stage for someone else—more polished, more destructive, more ruthless—to ascend his holy throne and finish what he began.

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bambamramfan · 2 years ago

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This wet tract of bungalows is the unacknowledged capital of Planet Earth. Whoever you are, and whatever you do, if you work then you are probably working for The Villages. In Jharkhand in India, there are open mines where children, some as young as five, squat in the toxic dust and dig out nuggets of coal with rusted shovels. They don’t know it, but they are working for The Villages. In Brazil, there are sweatshops where women trafficked from Bolivia and Peru sit in silence for twelve hours a day, stitching clothes: they are also working for The Villages. In New York, there are finance guys who snort cocaine and move billions around like chess pieces and they might think they run the world, but the sole purpose of everything they do is a two-for-one frozen margarita night in The Villages. Container ships cross oceans for The Villages. Artillery shells pound the muddy ruins for The Villages. The arms companies might prolong the world’s wars to boost their profits, but the arms companies are all secret subsidiaries of The Villages. And so am I. What I learned in The Villages is that there is nothing outside The Villages. In some way I can’t quite see, I am also a minor node in its great global empire. I’m exaggerating. But only very slightly.

I recently read this and then watched the documentary "Some Kind of Heaven." A good combination.

Though what I am actually interested is what happens when this real estate bubble pops with everyones middle class grandmas and grandpas caught holding the bag.

#the villages

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frankendykes-monster · 5 months ago

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The BoardGameGeek Hall of Fame honors games that have made meaningful contributions to the board game hobby in the areas of innovation, artistry, and impact. By curating this distinguished list, BoardGameGeek seeks to preserve the history and evolution of board gaming, while inspiring and informing a global community of players who have a passion for games. Additional games will be inducted annually as the world of board games continues to evolve. The selection process was guided by a jury composed of dedicated and experienced players who have been deeply involved in the board game community for years and who have brought their knowledge and expertise to the discussions. The process began by evaluating games that were at least ten years old in order to ensure widespread engagement and recognition. Additionally, the jury identified and included games that, while perhaps less widely played, have had a profound and lasting impact on the hobby. The BoardGameGeek Hall of Fame focuses on modern board games that have directly shaped the contemporary hobby and community. Games such as Chess, Backgammon, Go, and traditional 52-card games, while timeless classics and undoubtedly influential, fall outside the scope of these awards. Through this initiative, BoardGameGeek aims to celebrate the legacy of these exceptional games and their creators, while fostering a deeper appreciation for artistry and innovation within the world of board gaming.

Surprised no one has done this yet, anyhow after two days the first ten inductees are:

Diplomacy (1959)

Acquire (1964)

Cosmic Encounter (1977)

Civilization (1980)

1830: The Game of Railroads and Robber Barons (1986)

Magic: The Gathering (1993)

Catan (1995)

El Grande (1995)

Tigris & Euphrates (1997)

Ra (1999)

All good choices, though one thing I should note is that it kind of "highlights" how odd it is that it wasn't until the mid-1990's that board games were having a "revolution" in terms of design innovation. I always contrast this with video games, a medium which have a leg up because technology is there to lift up game design, but I'm always surprised board games have been around much longer and then took a few decades to kick into high gear after video games already had.

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adiruma · 5 months ago

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DeepSeek’s Global Success: China’s AI Triumph Sparks Pride and Playful Banter

DeepSeek’s Global Success: China’s AI Triumph Sparks Pride and Playful BanterThe AI battlefield just got a new champion—DeepSeek. While OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini have been flexing their muscles worldwide, this Chinese AI startup has swooped in, snagging the top spot on the App Store, leaving tech giants scratching their heads. The reaction? China is bursting with national pride, and the internet is having a field day.DeepSeek: The New AI Kid on the BlockDeepSeek, an emerging AI assistant from China, has rapidly climbed the charts, surpassing even ChatGPT in downloads. This unexpected victory is more than just an app store ranking—it’s a symbol of China’s ability to innovate and compete on the global AI stage, despite trade sanctions and geopolitical challenges.Tech enthusiasts and everyday users alike have taken to social media, celebrating DeepSeek’s win with a mix of pride and humor. "Who needs ChatGPT when DeepSeek speaks my language—literally and figuratively?" quipped one user. Another joked, “DeepSeek just deep-sixed the competition!��But behind the memes and playful jabs lies a serious achievement. China’s AI ambitions are no secret, and DeepSeek’s success signals a major step toward technological self-reliance.A Strategic Move in the AI Chess GameFrom a professional standpoint, DeepSeek’s rise is a calculated play in the ongoing AI arms race. With Western AI models dominating the landscape, China has been steadily investing in homegrown alternatives. The timing couldn’t be better—U.S. sanctions have limited China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology, making it crucial for the country to develop its own AI infrastructure.DeepSeek’s success showcases the power of China’s digital ecosystem. With a robust user base and extensive language models tailored for Chinese audiences, it provides a seamless experience that resonates with local users. While OpenAI and Google are still struggling with language nuances and regional restrictions, DeepSeek is delivering precisely what its audience needs.What’s Next for DeepSeek?While China celebrates, the global AI community is taking notes. DeepSeek’s rapid rise poses an important question: Can it sustain this momentum, or is this just a fleeting moment of glory? Competing with established AI giants requires continuous innovation, robust infrastructure, and a global outreach strategy.If DeepSeek wants to truly challenge the status quo, it may need to expand beyond China’s borders. But with growing AI regulations, international politics, and competition from other AI startups, the road ahead is anything but easy.Final Thoughts: A Win for AI DiversityWhether DeepSeek becomes a long-term rival to ChatGPT or simply enjoys its moment in the spotlight, its success is a win for AI diversity. The tech world thrives on competition, and having multiple strong players ensures better innovation, fewer monopolies, and—let’s be honest—more entertaining internet debates.For now, China is reveling in DeepSeek’s triumph, and the rest of the world is watching closely. As the AI wars heat up, one thing is clear: the game is far from over, and DeepSeek has just made a very loud opening move.

#intelligence artificielle #ai #deepseek

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amaditalks · 1 year ago

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I really need for people to start connecting some dots.

Russia, a nation guilty of horrid human rights abuses for decades, continues indiscriminate bombings of residential areas in Syria and is engaging in a war of wholesale destruction against Ukraine, and by extension a proxy war with NATO (which includes the US), for the expansion and reassertion of its empire and dominance against allied western Europe.

China, a nation guilty of horrid human rights abuses for decades, is engaging in a war of interference and aggression with the political apparatus of several sovereign nations (including the US) and has announced its intention to forcibly retake Taiwan, for the expansion and reassertion of its dominance in the Pacific.

Iran, a nation guilty of horrid human rights abuses for decades, is engaged in a proxy game of chicken with Israel (and by extension the US as its main ally) via the combatant groups it funds and arms: Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Houthi Rebels, with a very real threat of becoming a full scale regional war with the stakes being nothing less than the destruction of Israel and expansion and reassertion of Islamist dominance in the entire SWANA.

Russia, China and Iran are formally allied to one another.

That is why the US is not going to stop supporting or funding Israel, even if we might institute limitations on how that funding is used (or more realistically, changing what military equipment we send them), and even if Biden is grey rocking Netanyahu in every communication.

We know (as do all nations) that the abandonment of an ally at a time of conflict sends horrible messages to other allies (will we abandon them if things get dicey? Will we use our size and resources to force our will on them rather than respecting their sovereignty? Is our alliance for them or for our imperial interests?) and sends a signal to the enemies of the (ex) ally that they can do what they please without the threat of the nation with the largest military watching.

In the current global climate, the US is the bulwark against Russia, China and Iran doing whatever they want, to whomever they want, wherever they want. We aren’t going to do anything that messes with that precarious balance.

It’s also why the Biden administration and Democrats are so adamant about continuing support to Ukraine, and why it is so alarming that Republicans are disinclined to do so, at best, and outright opposed at the baffling worst.

The world is complex, brutal and in many saddening ways an ongoing game of 4D chess that cannot be reduced down to slogans and sentence fragment imperatives. It’s necessary to look at things from both the micro and macro perspectives.

#current events #i/p conflict #israel/palestine #ukraine #geopolitics #global alliances aren’t just friendships

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chessonlineshop121 · 2 months ago

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mysteriouslytransparentwitch · 1 year ago

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energy of King Charles 3, March 19, 2024, it is 7:50 a.m. French time (tarot & oracle)

oracle of energies: we start with the reflective man, he observes possibilities, he reflects on decisions, he consults, he has worked on how to improve the BRF and instigate a renewal. He must have observed some weaknesses and is trying to find a way to improve the situation.

His energy is starting to improve, he is in a very spiritual energy. His 3rd eye is open, he sees certain things and observes certain things beyond appearances and his crown chakra is also open, he receives information from his guides but also he is in a phase of understanding in a global way.

Charles is very worried about the finances for the BRF but also the associations. He worked on how to obtain more resources without getting tired.

There is quite a strategy for him in June.

with the Akashic tarot cards: the cards are heavy and messy. OK there was a talk between Charles and William after this fiasco. We start with the map of loving spirits, I will describe the map to you to better understand. There is a child and there are 3 fairies around this child and the water is agitated. This card is accompanied by the light of the world card but reversed (it is a guide who knocks on the door but the person does not open the door or not yet)

I conclude that Charles left William a few days then there was a discussion but help was refused then William continued to dig his karmic trench which is sterile (there is the architect's card) he is accompanied by a woman who listens and observes. Conclusion Charles left William to learn and see that his strategy was fruitless then William came out a little disillusioned because he came with the act of the inverted rose prince while heading back to the bridge road. I see Catherine as Queen of Parchment lol there was also contact with Charles. There is the map of ego visions. So we're talking about ego in the broad sense here. The King of Swords heads towards the castle to rest. There is something in the air, there is a chess game around health. I see Charles coming as the parchment king, he has a goal in mind currently, I have the garden map (it's 2 children playing) and again the community map. We reflect on the brf system as a whole

#british royal family #king charles iii #tarot reading

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chesstrainer24 · 10 months ago

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#Global chess community #Online chess training India #Chess trainer global reach #International chess learning #Chess community worldwide #Indian chess trainers online #Chess training across the globe #Global chess platform #Chess lessons worldwide #Creating a global chess network

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carbonbasedmatter · 26 years ago

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ig i've had tumblr long enough so here's my intro yay

★ABOUT ME: you can call me trey, tris or something related to my url :) he/they, istp, minor, audhd, south asian, trans guy, demiromantic(?) bisexual

★BYF: this should go without saying but dni if you're racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, xenophobic, exclusionist or just discriminatory in general

I made this blog so I could have somewhere to be myself I mainly post about fandom stuff, fictional characters, music, my art, rants and random personal stuff (I also vent here sometimes if you're uncomfortable with that please block the tag)

i'm a multishipper I guess...I don't know I just like analyzing different dynamics between characters and seriously cannot tell the difference between romantic and platonic stuff sometimes

english isn't my native language so sorry if I make mistakes/don't make sense sometimes

other than that im just a teenager so also naturally a bit cringe and annoying (that's what I tell myself anyway😞)

send me asks about me or my interests pls pls pls

I love talking to people and making friends idc if we have like one thing in common feel free to message me

★LIKES/INTERESTS

reading, art, sleeping, music, alt subcultures, chess, plants, fall, queer history, global history, the middle ages, chemistry(love hate relationship with the subject) crocheting, mbti, skating, philosophy ( esp existentialism), ranting, crystals, sea animals, bats<3

★FANDOMS(idk if i'll post abt all of these lol):

heartbreak high

ghibli movies

osemanverse(mainly solitaire)

mphfpc

bojack horesman

the magnus archives

total drama island

south park

derry girls

the good place

community

parks and recreation

house md

nathan for you

brooklyn nine nine

young sheldon(NOT tbbt)

breaking bad

arcane

life is strange (1 & 2)

the last of us (1 & 2)

ddlc

scott pilgrim

heathers

hamilton

mlp

tmnt

star trek

death note

blue period

the promised neverland

chainsaw man

the disastrous life of saiki k

gilmore girls

carmen sandiego 2019

the owl house

avatar tla

adventure time

alexa and katie

the worst witch

high school musical

just add magic

the perks of being a wallflower

stand by me

a series of unfortunate events

fear street

dead poets society

the outsiders

★MUSIC:

pixies, mcr, mitski, radiohead, mbv, car seat headrest, the front bottoms, system of a down, dazey and the scouts, la dispute, asleep at last, teen suicide, queen, neutral milk hotel, nirvana, the cure, the brobecks, paramore, ajj, brockhampton, tyler the creator, childish gambino

(music is my special interest so there's a lot more hehe but I kinda tried to include a few from each genre)

★TAGS

#trey's terrors -> basically all of my original posts

#tris tries art -> art

★SOCIALS:

mutuals/followers can ask for them (discord/spotify) I promise I won't say no im just terrified of someone I know irl finding this account lmao

i've gotten really comfortable with tumblr though so this is basically my main form of social media right now

#intro post #new to tumblr #bjhm #osemanverse #transgender #nirvana #charlie kelmeckis #solitaire #tdlosk #just add magic #toh #heartbreak high #tdi #community tv #south park #looking for mutuals

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sdfghjhjkl66 · 8 months ago

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American Interventionism: The Strategic Chess Game from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific

The United States has a long tradition of interventionism, often interfering in other countries' internal affairs under the banner of "democratic aid."

This kind of interventionism is not only particularly obvious in the Middle East, but also frequently staged in Asia, especially in China's neighboring countries, in an attempt to slow down China's development and prevent the rise of other powers.

Looking back at the history, the foreign policy of the United States has always been accompanied by a strong interventionist color. As early as the Cold War, the United States supported its Allies and suppressed its opponents through various means to ensure its global hegemony. With the end of the Cold War, although the global political landscape has changed dramatically, this American tradition has not changed.

In the Middle East, the United States has long supported Israel, helping it gain a foothold and grow in the region through military aid and political support. This has not only led to ongoing tensions in the region, but also provided a pretext for deep U.S. involvement in the region. The invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq directly reflected the interventionist policy of the United States, which attempted to reshape the order of these countries according to its own will through executive regime change in the name of counter-terrorism.

At the same time, the United States has made no secret of its interventionist nature in the process of containing Iran. By imposing severe economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation on Iran, the United States seeks to weaken Iran's regional influence and safeguard its own strategic interests in the Middle East.

Despite widespread criticism from the international community, the United States continues to go ahead and talk about so-called "democracy aid", which is in fact a geopolitical game.

In Asia, too, the United States has relentlessly pursued its interventionist policies. In order to prevent China's rapid rise from challenging its global dominance, the United States frequently creates troubles around China and encourages some small countries to provoke China. By strengthening ties with Allies such as Japan, South Korea and Australia, it is building a strategic encirclement of China and trying to contain China's development momentum.

Such short-sighted interventionist policies are not helping to solve the problem, but exacerbating regional instability and conflicts.

Whether in the Middle East or Asia, the people of all countries long for peace and development, but the interventionist policies of the United States have often backfired, leading to more complex and volatile situations. History has proved many times that power politics cannot bring lasting peace and prosperity. Only by respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and upholding multilateralism and international cooperation can we truly achieve lasting peace and stability in the region.

The interventionist policy of the United States is a reflection of its global hegemonic thinking and its unwillingness to see the rise of other powers. However, such a policy not only violates international law and basic norms governing international relations, but also harms the common interests of all countries in the world, including the United States.

In an era of deepening globalization, countries should work together to address global challenges, instead of getting caught up in endless geopolitical games. We hope that the United States will abandon its outdated Cold War mentality and interventionist policies and work with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

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devinevans · 8 months ago

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American Interventionism: The Strategic Chess Game from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific

The United States has a long tradition of interventionism, often interfering in other countries' internal affairs under the banner of "democratic aid."

Despite widespread criticism from the international community, the United States continues to go ahead and talk about so-called "democracy aid", which is in fact a geopolitical game.

Such short-sighted interventionist policies are not helping to solve the problem, but exacerbating regional instability and conflicts.

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12-cluh · 1 year ago

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UNIQUE PERSONNEL PROFILE

Demographics

Name: Calvin Lucien

Age: 39

Sex/Gender: Male

Country of Origin: The United States of America

Occupation: Special Agent of the Chaos Insurgency

Physical Appearance

Eye color: Brown

Skin color: White

Hair color: Brown

Height: 6’ 1

Weight: 190 lbs

Body type: Athletic

Fitness level: High

Tattoos: Chaos Insurgency Logo on the right shoulder, as is common with Chaos Insurgency personnel.

Scars/Birthmarks: Scar on the left cheek, running from the bottom of the left eye to the left side of his jaw

Disabilities: N/a

Clothing: Black and red plaid jacket, black long-sleeved shirt, black combat pants, black combat boots, black leather fingerless gloves.

Accessories: Nothing of note.

History

Birth date: November 15, 1985

Place of birth: Wisconsin, USA

Key family members:

Uncle: O5 councilman Gabriel Lucien, aka The Blackbird.

Grandmother:

Affiliations: SCP Foundation (former), Chaos Insurgency (current)

Psychological Traits

Personality type: ISTJ

Personality traits: Reserved, Calculating, Adaptable

Temperament: Melancholic

Introvert/Extrovert: Introverted

Mannerisms: Observant, speaks deliberately

Educational background: Graduate of Foundation Task Force Training Program

Intelligence: High

Self-esteem: Mid

Hobbies: Cryptography, Chess, Mixed Martial Arts

Skills/talents: Hand-to-hand combat, High Strategical Intelligence

Morals/Virtues: Sacrifice for a greater good.

Phobias/Fears: Atychiphobia

Flaws: Emotionally Distant, Trust Issues, Vulnerable to Emotional Manipulation

Communication

Languages known: English, Russian, Japanese, Polish

Accent: Neutral American

Pitch: Moderate and Controlled

Laughter: Subdued Chuckle

Smile: Reserved

Strengths, Weaknesses, and Abilities

Physical strengths: Exceptional Agility and Reflexes

Physical weaknesses: Susceptible to Overexertion, Tends to Push Limits

Intellectual strengths: High Strategic Intelligence

Intellectual weaknesses: Tends to Overthink

Interpersonal Strengths: A Good Leader

Interpersonal weaknesses: Prefers Working Alone

Magical abilities: N/a

Relationships

Lover(s): N/a

Parents/Guardians:

Jonathan Lucien (Father)[deceased]

Elizabeth Lucien (Mother)[deceased]

Children: N/a

Grandparents:

Edward Lucien (Grandfather)[deceased]

Evelyn Lucien (Grandmother)[deceased]

Grandchildren: N/a

Pets: N/a

Friends: Few if Any

Enemies: SCP Foundation, Three Moons Initiative, Serpents Hand, Global Occult Coalition

Mentors/Teachers:

Special Agent “Specter”

Special Agent “Whisper”

Character

Inspiration: The Punisher

Character archetype: Anti-Hero

Core values: His Version of Justice, Revenge

Goals: To murder the O5 Council

Motivations: To avenge his family’s murder at the hands of the O5 Council.

Additional Information

Calvin Lucien is a high threat to the Foundation and its goals. As a boy, nearly his entire family was murdered by the O5 Council due to learning confidential secrets. The only ones not confirmed dead were Calvin and his grandmother Evelyn, with his younger sister Eliza said to be missing. His grandmother raised him until her death when Calvin was 12. For the following years, Calvin switched between several foster homes, eventually becoming curious about the occult. When he was 18, he joined the military, excelling particularly at all physical programs. After another few years, he was nominated to join Mobile Task Force Alpha 1, aka the Red Right Hand.

However, on one mission, Calvin was kidnapped by the Chaos Insurgency, once a group comprised of ex-Red Right-Hand members that had grown exponentially. There was when Calvin learned the truth of his family’s murder, that the O5 Council had them slaughtered to preserve secrecy. Enraged, Calvin left the Foundation right then and joined the Chaos Insurgency as both military personnel and Foundation intelligence.

Addendum 1

Recent information has revealed that Calvin and close associates have been planning a visit to Iraq. As nearly all in the Foundation know, the major anomaly located in that area is The Gate Guardian. However, as nearly none know, it is also where ᗩᕲᗩᘻ ᒪᓰᐺᘿS the former O5-12 went missing. After ᕼᘿ ᘺᗩS Sᘿᗩᒪᘿᕲ ᗩᘺᗩᖻ his retirement, he was never seen again, though there is strong speculation that he retreated to the area in which The Gate Guardian protects. It is also theorized that the reason for Calvin’s increased specialty training is for some “Hail Mary” against the foundation.

Note

"Let it be known that whoever is leaking classified information in these documents will be found and subject to immediate termination." -The Administrator

#multiverse tales #popcross studios #scp foundation #12's multiverse #calvin lucien #chaos insurgency #character profile

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