#nuclear tank my beloved

[elbiotipo]

my prediction on the future of the Succession characters, 5 years later:

Kendall: Relapses hard on his substance abuse, triggering several interventions by his siblings. Tries to become an hotshot investor on the vein of Stewy, but his lack of judgement plays against him. Ocassionally known for his public stunts, some in purpose.

Roman: Practically dissappears from the corporate sphere and the public eye. Uses his fortune to idly explore his identity, sexuality, gender, ideology, but never settling into anything. He doesn't become a *good* person, but he is more introspective.

Shiv: Mantains her extremely toxic marriage to Tom both because of their child and some lingering love. Tries to become a political donor and kingmaker, but finds her family history pressuring her at every turn. She is a rather absent mother, but claims at least she isn't as bad as her parents (debatable).

Connor: A wacky perennial candidate, his political ideology has become more "eclectic" thanks to Willa, who has settled in a rather comfy relationship with him. Has his own think-tank for his odd ideology mix and loves to get interviews. He is a bit of a meme, but not a very beloved one.

Tom: Replaced after a couple years on Matsson's orders by another empty suit, he struggles to find any job, wandering on Shiv's, Kendall's, even Connor's projects. Constantly trying to get closer to Shiv, only to fall apart and try to party it away. Very overprotective (not in a healthy way) of HIS child. Mattson took Greg on the divorce.

Greg: As the United States enters into revolutionary fervor on Mencken's second and increasingly authoritarian presidency, Greg manages to fall up into Mencken's White House as media manager and later reliable yes-man. After leaking the position of US forces on the Final Taiwan Crisis, in an attempt of intimidation on the orders of a hawk fascist secretary of state, his miscalculation triggers an nuclear war, extinguishing civilization on the Northern Hemisphere for the rest of the century.

[donniesexceptionalmind]

Ok I’ve always been curious about how in the fresh heck you got all of those different functions and mechanisms to fit in your tech bō. Like- I feel like the insides of that thing are like the freaking Tardis with how much it can do with the press of a button!-

(This is a not-so-subtle request for you to rant about your tech bō)

-A Curious Anon

Ahhhh, my beloved Tech-Bō!

Crafted of nothing minor than high-grade titanium, which I figuratively sold my soul for.

As you should know, it runs on battery, so if it has no energy, it doesn't work, and it's nothing more than a mere titanium stick.

But oh, the precious wonders it posseses when it has got energy!

Here is a list of my favourite functions:

Grappling Hook

Dual Rockets

Tranquilizer Dart Gun

Multidimensional Reflective Orb Neutralizer

Mystic Energy Reader

Holographic Map System

Turtle Tank Tracker

The precious Selfie Stick

How does it all work, you ask?

A genius shouldn't reveal all his secrets, should he? But I think I can let you in on some secrets since you asked so nicely. Feel honored.

It actually has something to do with Superstring Theory ! 👀

✨️GASP! SHOCK! DISBELIEF!✨️

FYI: Superstring theory is an attempt to explain all of the particles & fundamental forces of nature in one theory by defining them as vibrations of tiny supersymmetric strings.

These interacting strings explain the four fundamental forces of nature—the force of gravity, electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force as a unified theory of everything.

Which is utter perfection.

One central idea of String Theory is that there are additional spatial dimensions; at least six, which go undetected because they are tightly compactified into a complex folded shape called a Calabi-Yau Manifold.

FYI: Essentially, Calabi–Yau Manifolds are shapes that satisfy the requirement of space for the six "unseen" spatial dimensions, which may be smaller than our currently observable lengths as they have not yet been detected. Well, the humans haven't.

I will add a visual of it at the end of my essay.

Back to our cool dimensions - if you're smart enough, you already have made the connection:

Yes, I use these small-scaled dimensions to store my Tech-Bõ's superior qualities in them.

All I have to do is press the button & twist the weapon - et voilà!

Additional information, if you want:

What is this Manifold?

A manifold is a type of geometrical space where each small region looks like normal Euclidean space: an ant on the surface of the Earth sees its world as flat, rather than the curved surface of the sphere.

Calabi-Yau manifolds are complex manifolds; they can be disassembled into patches that look like flat complex space.

What makes them so special is that these patches can only be joined together by the complex analogue of a rotation. The only particularly nice (compact) solution to this condition in one complex dimension (=2 real dimensions) is a torus, but things get much more interesting in higher dimensions, as seen here:

There you have it. If you read so far - congrats! Have a...

Errr...

Cookie?

Mikey would reward Nardo with a cookie.

I enjoy answering these questions a lot. ( ☆∀☆)

[ibuprofen-exe]

WIP Introductions Part Two

Nuclear Fanfare

This is the second of several posts dedicated to introducing my dearly beloved original characters so that I may talk about the more in the future.

Part One

Warning: The post below the cut has mentions of car accidents and medical malpractice. There isn’t anything particularly graphic, but please stay safe.

Status: planning

Medium: script

In an America where creative expression is stifled and monopolized by self-serving corporations, breaking into the scene as an independent is no small task. Tank Kim O'neel, along with his band Nuclear Fanfare, must navigate the perils of the entertainment industry with only the music in their hearts.

Characters:

Tank Kim O’neel, demigender (he/him, zey/zem), bisexual, disabled (Deafness and autism), Korean Irish American, Buddhist (4033-40??)

She’s A Rebel by Green Day Tank held a steadfast dream of becoming a musician, even after being blacklisted from the industry for hosting an alien parasite. He founded Nuclear Fanfare with the intention of realizing his dream with like-minded individuals. Fact: Tank has had cystic acne on zeir face since zey were a teenager. He used to hate himself for it, but has come to terms with his appearance.

Siren Rosenberg, demigender (she/her, they/them), bisexual, disabled (mute), Black American, Jewish (4032-4???)

Art-I-Fical by X Ray Spex Siren had long been an independent visual artist, but after a corporation experimented on her comatose body without her consent, she vowed to cause as much trouble for them as possible. She joined Nuclear Fanafre after tagging Tank’s studio, thinking it was an abandoned building. Fact: In their youth, Siren was a part of a fairly infamous graffiti duo.

Muhammad Lestari, transgender (she/her), heteroace, disabled (type one diabetes), Indonesian American, Muslim (4033-4???)

Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me! Ever since Lestari was young, she understood that fast fashion had no intention of catering to people like her, so she sought to create her own fashion brand to express her style. She joined Nuclear Fanfare after Tank commissioned custom clothes from her. Fact: Lestari’s dream is to own her own boutique on the coast.

Yu Mi Lee, cisgender (she/her), lesbian, disabled (autism), Korean American, Agnostic (4032-4???)

Kiss Them for Me by Siouxsie and the Banshees Yu Mi was raised a Hollywood starlet, acting in films alongside her brother Howard, but a series of increasingly demanding projects wore down her health, forcing her into an early retirement. She joined Nuclear Fanfare after answering a call for a cinematographer for the band’s music videos. Fact: Yu Mi loves goth music and dances at goth nightclubs to unwind.

Howard Truman, transgender (he/him), biace, disabled (autism and ASPD), Korean American, Agnostic (4032-4???) 

Hollywood by Car Seat Headrest Howard was raised a Hollywood starlet but from a young age rejected the lifestyle, eventually culminating in him stabbing a director and being blacklisted for his attitude. He joined Nuclear Fanfare after Lestari convinced him to try music as an outlet for his frustrations with the entertainment industry. Fact: Howard legally changed his last name as a rejection of his parents, who he views as responsible for his childhood trauma.

Dalisay Fontana, butch (she/her), lesbian, disabled (surgical amputee), Filipino American, Catholic (4031-4???)

Cilantro by Patricia Taxxon After an accident stole her best friend and her dominant hand, Dalisay began to obsess over her artistic work as a way to cope, which earned her a fine arts scholarship and a gallery position. She learned of Nuclear Fanfare after a one night stand with Yu Mi. Fact: While pink is publicly her signature color, Dalisay actually prefers teal.

Settings:

Radio Valley

Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles A quiet town in the state of New Mexico that was once a hub for punk musicians. Vibes: long lines of telephone polls, tin barns, fine sand, fresh air, and towering mountains

Thank your for again for reading (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡

[xris05]

Geography, sustainability, etc etc

Despite popular demand to the contrary, I have returned, with a goal to achieve only the most utter of victories. Conquering this damn assignment whilst being passive aggressive to ideas I find unfeasible at the same time.

On todays schedule we first have up to the chopping block for prompt examination, Hydrogen Fuel Cells. For once, an idea that I have both initially heard of, and did not have a strongly negative opinion of from the onset.

A bit more of a deep dive is always scholarly (and required for me to feel like I've done my due diligence). Unusually, this didn't leave me immediately thinking it was the worst and most uniquely foolish invention conceived by a human mind.

Let's keep to that positive streak by thinking about the positives of hydrogen fuel cells. For one, they're not fossil fuel, gas guzzling nightmare apocalypse machines. This may be literally rock bottom in terms of bars to clear, but it's still a step up compared to 85% of vehicles sold last year.

Secondly, they produce zero air pollutants! Which is honestly quite good, as personally I don't like breathing in an unknown and potentially toxic soup of chemicals and letting it marinate in my ole respiratory system.

Thirdly, hydrogen is pretty damn efficient as a fuel source, pulling roughly 70 MPGe (that's miles per gasoline gallon equivalent)

However, this is where I'm going to pivot away from being positive and cheery because such relentless optimism has no place on my record, and thus, let's dive into the issues.

The first issue is some that the keen-eyed amongst you may have been able to note already. These are Hydrogen Fuel Cells. Now, for those unaware, hydrogen is the first element on the periodic table, and is also absurdly flammable. Quite famously so, in fact.

(Pictured above, the Hindenburg descending in flames, picture captured by Sam Shere, 1937)

So, understandably, there is some safety concerns about putting hydrogen into our little boxes which we cram ourselves into, and then hurdle down roads at 40mph. Especially because people have a habit of crashing said metal boxes quite spectacularly.

In the interest of fairness though, I will note that cars tend to be pretty hilariously dangerous anyway as gasoline tends to also be very damn flammable and explosive at the best of times anyway.

The next issue, is the question of my most beloved of subjects, infrastructure. Much like gasoline, one needs infrastructure to fill up their little mobile deathmachines with enough juice to keep it moving, and this requires a place for one to fill up the tanks, and the places and equipment to refine the hydrogen, which might be on sight, but equally so could be offsite and if it's offsite you need to transport it onsite and so on and so forth. But incentives and funding from whatever your local monopoly on violence is likely the response to this particular issue, even if most these days focus on electric cars

Now, one thing that is also pretty important to note is that all of this is expensive. Building and refitting production lines to make hydrogen fuel cell cars, and the fuel cells themselves, and to build the infrastructure and all that lovely stuff. I find this the least compelling argument personally, as money is last on the list of things that matters in the face of the climate crisis.

So, here we are, the conclusion. Are Hydrogen Fuel Cells the future? Are they economical? Are they going to violently explode? The answer to all of these is probably not, but make your own opinions, don't just trust me, do your reading, look into it, come back and call me an idiot who knows nothing, I encourage it

See yah later folks, and remember, if you think you're about to solve the energy crisis, ask yourself if your new power source is as efficient, safe and cool as nuclear power.

[marathedemonoverlord]

Decided to do my take on the Demon Bros Facial Features and Demonic Forms. Now I've played games where Demons are malevolent villains and are enemies you hunt and kill so I don't really like the take demons are these beautiful flawless things so for my take on the Demon Bros I decided to make them as ugly as their sins.

What I like to imagine is the brothers appear at the age and physical features most attractive to MC/humans in their average humanoid forms but when they go into their Demon forms they show their more malignant side and appear as beautiful as ever until they got their victims in their grasp- Then they show their true demon/human mixed form and the kicker?

The kicker is this side is truly ugly but only humans can see it- To other Demons they look gorgeous still but humans can see their ugliness when they're in that form but by then it's too late the demons got them.

Idk if that makes sense it probably doesn't but I like the idea that the demons look hideous

Anyways to go over the bros;

• For Lucifer the idea that he has blackened Veins and visible age in his Demon form just makes sense; The once most beautiful angel has become decrepit and insidious to those who look upon him. Ugliness to reflect the blackness in his heart is a very suitable punishment from Father dont you think?

• Mammon's design I like to think his teeth become much more narrow and sharp because he'd do anything for shiny even if it means sinking them into hands that feed him- I also imagine that his Greed leaves him looking filthy because Greed makes you do the most dirty things.

• Leviathan's form is interesting because in a way he's probably the most beautiful of demons but he just can't see that- I dabbled with the idea that in his Demon form his mouth stretches and he gets gills because he has a more aquatic theme. He's probably always gasping for relief since jealousy can be suffocating

• Satan's was a fun design as a pure Demon I imagine his skin is more worn since anger is a toxic thing so he's just spewing acid outside of his Veins and fangs and virtually everywhere because he's just poison to those affected by him. I can see MC not being able to touch him in this form because he can melt skin and bones being too close (Headcanon; Satan's nuclear)

• So Asmodeus' is my favorite design but I can see that when he fell his face took the brunt of it; Broken jagged teeth cracked face lust crazed eyes Asmo probably had the hardest time with the Fall because his beauty is gone and now hes an ugly Demon HOWEVER he's still considered gorgeous by other demons so his constant preening and narcissism could be based on the fact that he's trying to fix his face to be what it used to be as an Angel and his obsession with his fans could be because they're as close as he'll ever get to being beloved for who he was before. I bet he'd be caught with a holy spear in his throat before showing MC his true face because they mean everything to him and it'd destroy him if they saw how ugly he truly is.

• Beelzebub's was difficult cause I lowkey wanted to put insect pieces on him but I think I'll save that for if ever I do a different design. So Beel is a natural tank so I imagine in his Demon form his scars appear more and his "pupils" vanish because in his Demon form he's not running on logic he's running on instinct so he looks more animalistic cause of it. I feel realistically he'd be more damaged since he's a big brother always taking the hits for others so he's probably battered all over.

• Belphegor's form is kind of lacking but honestly I can see Belphegor coming out okay while Beel and Asmo took the brunt of the fall and as such his markings aren't too bad- I will say tho that Belphegor probably has the most dangerous eyes as looking in them probably makes people paralyzed/fall unconscious because he just instantly makes their body stop/lazy so in his form he probably used that to paralyze then kill MC during Lesson 16 (Spoilers; he never apologizes you're welcome for that)

Anyways if anyone wants to add anything feel free to I feel like I may dabble with this more.

Who's your fave? :>

[nikkeisimmer]

JAG fanfiction vs. Simsfic...

There is a distinct difference between my Simsfics (illustrated by pics) and my JAGfic (which are not) - and the writing is more detailed because what I can do with my mind in writing is much more comprehensive than what I could accomplish in the Sims. I would love to put my "love of JAG" into Sims form - illustrating my JAG fic, but unfortunately that would require a highly skilled ability to mesh and create poses that I don't have.

Can you imagine trying to mesh this scene of eight Tomcats parked on the tarmac (make note, I'm not satisfied with just eight Tomcats, each has to be different numbers on the nose and tails of each aircraft as well as incredibly detailed markings for up close shots)? Just for a scene where two naval aviators are walking down the line-up? I just can't do it with the non-skills that I have in Blender. I don't even know how to mesh a box let alone a highly detailed aircraft. And then I'd have to learn to create poses in order to show highly detailed military courtesies, such as salutes (not in parade formation) and aircrew discussing details before mounting the aircraft or walkarounds of the aircraft. Even if I had the skills, each chapter of my Sims JAG fics would take a full year to complete.

...and I don't have that many years left in me to go all out like this. (I'm 53).

So I content myself with writing big blocks of text such as this:

*************************************

Meg was promoted to Vice-Admiral in 2017 and took over as JAG and a potential CNO slot would be opening up in 2018 as his career wound up in 2020 unless the situation in the Baltics heated up again which it looked as though it might.

And this was the year that the damned ISIS group carried out a lot of attacks.

Middle of June and it was hot; yet the damned Naval Review Board had required blues. Meg looked over at her husband of twenty one years as he commented. "We've been through a lot, haven't we?" Luckily she had a spare summer whites uniform in her office. She also kept one of her husband's service whites uniforms in there as well.

"Yeah, we have..." Meg said quietly as she glanced at her beloved. He had streaks of white in his sixty year old hair. "Maybe we should change over into our service whites because these damned blues are way too hot for this weather." Animal nodded. As they quickly changed over Meg got a call on her phone. "Crap." She swore as she picked up. "Vice-Admiral Austin-Nakamura!" She paused, her eyes widened, "Are you kidding, sir? ISIS operatives detonated a bomb. Where. Islamabad? A vacuum bomb like our MOABs? Oh, my God. 15,000 casualties? Yes, sir, we'll be there." She hung up the phone turned to Animal as they finished changing and informed him, her voice tense."They want us both back at the Pentagon. The vacuum bomb; a fuel-air mixture bomb could be just about as powerful as detonating a tactical nuclear device. They're gaining in technology and dangerousness."

Isis had taken to politics in several different countries, Arabic speaking countries such as Turkey, Syria, Yemen, UAE, Libya, Morocco and Kuwait had managed to gain political control only now ISIS was no longer calling themselves ISIS. They were calling themselves the Arab Reunification Party - ARP. Their goal was to reunite the Arab world under the fundamentalist tenets of the Quran but in order to make their policies appealing they were moderating their message and that was dangerous because if they were more appealing to the masses, more Arab countries would fall under their sway and more would be swayed to radicalism and thus would start a full-scale war with the West once they got a hold of military weapons like fighter jets, naval ships and tanks. It would play into their dreams of glorious jihad.

Plus the fact that if they had the backing of Iran and Iraq they would end up on the road to weapons of mass destruction. Lord help the rest of the world if they got their hands on missile technology and the key to nuclear weapons technology. A key player in this would be Pakistan who had already achieved nuclear weapons as they were sitting right next door to the India who also had nuclear weapons and they were Muslim. In fact. Bin Laden had been eliminated in Pakistan so Pakistan was not in good odor with the United States. They were on a good behavior watch-list and were kept on a short leash before even thinking of supplying them with Western weapons.

Animal noted that his uniform was crisply maintained, by his wife and the Medal of Honor ribbon was always a nice crisp sky blue with five white stars and it hung with his wife's spare uniforms in her office clothes closet. The ribbons on some of his other uniforms were kind of a faded sky blue and he was certain that certain runs of that ribbon fabric were varied in color. Meg however managed to track down stores and get a few of the vivid sky blue ribbons for his dress uniforms and for the uniforms that she designated for use when he had to go to the Pentagon or during public appearances. Thanks to his wife's resourcefulness, Animal always looked presentable, considering his and her busy schedule. The fact that his beloved Meg took time out of her busy schedule to make sure he was kept in good uniforms made him love her more than he could already.

1930 ZULU; PENTAGON, E-RING, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, WASHINGTON, DC

The couple hurried through the Pentagon corridors, resplendent in their white service uniform, heading towards the SECNAV's office. The SECNAV was a four year politically appointed post so Republican Senator from the great state of Texas and former RADM Mike Metcalf, USN (ret.) callsign Viper.

The former Rear Admiral (upper half) nodded to Animal. "Good afternoon, Admiral, good to see you, Animal." RADM Mike Metcalf was Animal's Battlegroup Commander on his last cruise in 1996. RDML Mike Metcalf had coordinated the overseeing flights over the Bosnian regions and kept the battlegroup in the area when the Bosnians started firing on each other. The Black Aces couldn't shoot back unless they were fired upon but of course the then-Rear Admiral (lower half) had planned a deceptive enticement. Animal would run a TARPS mission at 7,000 AGL. through the Carpathian Mountains. And the Serbs had bit the bullet, they'd fired on Animal's TARPS bird and it was all-out war. His usual back-seater hadn't been trained on TARPS so he'd had to fly with Wrench who was qualified and Wrench managed to get clear crisp shots as Animal was jinking away from the Triple-A. Then they'd hit it with GBU-86s along with targeting the sites with LANTIRN on a following mission inside of five hours. Triangulated with a satellite image of the area, they could tell if there had been movement by the Triple-A platforms and hit the new location with ease.

"It's good to see you too, sir." Animal said acknowledging Sen. Metcalf's obvious position as Secretary of the Navy; an obvious appointment as he like Sen. John Lehman was a former Naval Officer and Naval Aviator instead of being completely oblivious as most civilian appointments were.

"Admiral, as you know, we have a very tenuous situation. Islamabad was hit with a vacuum bomb." The SECNAV indicated as he showed them a map on the projector. "This section along Abeyd-Asam Street and Khalid Wali Avenue. There was an explosion as the fuel-air bomb went off. There's structures flattened three-quarters of a mile wide and the casualties at last count were thirty-five thousand people and the number is rising. The scary part of it is that it is a weapon of mass destruction that these terrorists can cook up in their own back yard labs. Set off a few in the different neighborhoods across the city and there would be casualties in the hundreds of thousands. If you can't breathe because all the air has been sucked into a flammable mixture; you're dead. If you get injured by the blast wave, you're dead. It's a terror weapon."

"It's the same as the MOABs we drop out of our planes, only they put theirs on wheels and drive it into place incognito if that's what you're telling me they did."

"That's exactly what they did, Admiral Nakamura." Animal looked up to see a gray-haired man step in to the room; aquiline nose, and hard steel-blue eyes and a sharp angular jawline complemented his features.

"Gibbs, you ever think about retiring?"

"Not really." was his curt reply.

Meg saw her husband stiffen up in the presence of the senior NCIS agent. His friend and her former JAG investigative partner, Harmon Rabb, had nearly gotten railroaded into a murder charge by this very man. They had accused him of the murder of a JAG Lieutenant by the name of Lieutenant Loren Singer. Harm's first-degree murder charge but all was certain until Gibbs had an inkling that something wasn't right about the whole pattern of evidence they'd found up to that point and told the whole crew to look it over one more time. Animal still was wary of the NCIS senior special agent and thus both the NCIS agent and Animal were pretty frosty with each other - neither was sure about the other. Two alpha males circling each other each looking for a weak point they could utilize on the other.

"All the animosity between the Russians and us may end up having to be tabled..." NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs said, "the Russians just found out that the sub that launched a nuclear torpedo against our battle-group that failed to detonate, had a couple other crew on board. The bodies recovered showed three men of middle Eastern origin who weren't supposed to be there and and several Azerbaijani crew members who had somehow enlisted in the Russian Navy incognito. The Politburo didn't sanction this attack on Second Fleet and are backpedaling."

Meg narrowed her eyes,"So what does that have to do with the Judge Advocate General command, Gibbs?"

"JAG has always been a big help in the past with this sort of investigation. Vice-Admiral. Don't know if your predecessor told you but they've been quite helpful in ensuring we have cooperation. "

"Well the lead investigator on all those situations is flying F/A-18Fs off the deck of the USS Allegiance, Gibbs, under my chain of command as the COMSECONDFLEET." Animal set his jaw in a gritted, unpleased expression. "He's the XO of the boat and technically should be chained to a chair, but you ever try to tell Rabb to do something?"

SECNAV Metcalf snorted, "I heard about his exploits from Nelson and Sheffield. I hear he's a handful; much like Captain Mitchell. Maverick was a handful when I was CO at Topgun. Set the hard deck at Angels 10. Guy technically digs a hole going after Lieutenant Commander Hetherly. Guy was a cowboy. I hear he still flies hard but has tempered his style. He should have had four stars by now but I hear he got tagged with up or out. So he's just riding a chair at NSAWC serving out his time in uniform because NSAWC doesn't want to drop an asset like him. He can teach others and be mentoring other instructors."

"That's the way it should be done. The guys who have the balls to do what needs to be done technically should be the ones leading." Animal growled, "The rules may be the rules, but sometimes, the situation goes beyond the limits of the rules. Then you need the guys willing to break the rules to get the job done."

Animal looked over at the SECNAV and at Gibbs, "The ones that will still stay within the Geneva Convention of Rules of Warfare that is. I don't want Rabb being boots on the ground..." He said with some finality, "...when the damned Russians finally figure out which fucking country sent them on this stupid expedition of insanity. He's staying where I'm telling him to stay. Go find Mackenzie and Webb! Let them go down. Conmand Master Chief Yeoman Coates will probably be able to help me in that. She generally keeps track of who she served with, so, Gibbs, whatever happened to Gunnery Sergeant Galindez. I knew he worked a few field operations with you guys?"

"Went back to the Corps, after his in-country squeeze got blown away by Kabir, to become a Master Gunnery Sergeant. Admiral. He just didn't want to be boots-on-the-ground afterwards."

SECNAV said, "Admiral, the current CNO plans to vacate and we've just gone to the UN to form an Allied Command that will bring together every one to act against the ARP in the different countries affected. With this explosion, we've seen what they intend to do. The British have already reinstated their Fleet Admiral position from WWII. I think their aim is to gain control of the Allied Command. We suggested the idea to the UN Security Commission. I'd say we take control rather than the British; the President had asked me to find someone capable enough to take over full Allied Supreme Commander position and he's going to get the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to insist that we get control since we came up with the idea. This position has never been in use since WWII and neither has the rank. You'll be the first to wear it since Chester Nimitz and you are going to be Supreme Allied Commander for the Joint Task Force that will take the war to the enemy."

At this Meg's jaw dropped open as she looked at her husband.

"I presume that the Supreme Allied Commander is responsible for the Allied push against the Arab Reunification Party?" Her husband asked as he looked over at the SECNAV who had dropped this shocking bit of news.

The out-going Chief of Naval Operations Joanne Pruette stepped into the room, "Afternoon." She looked over at Animal, "Thanks for coming,"

"Well I wasn't expecting this."

"Ordinarily the President would in his role of administering his duties as Commander in Chief, however with the outbreak of hostilities between the Russians and us, understandably he's tied up." CNO Pruette said. "I couldn't think of a better officer to fill my shoes than you, Admiral Nakamura." She then turned to Meg, "Ordinarily, I'd be hesitant to put a JAG who is married to such on the command staff of the Supreme Allied Commander as it goes against the UCMJ, but you are aware that these are strange times and as such we need the most capable officers and matrimonial status no longer matters. We are fighting against an enemy that does not care about anyone other than furthering their own twisted idea of what family and relationships should be... Admiral Toshio Nakamura;" the CNO stated, "under the authorization conveyed upon me by the President of the United States to invoke his power as Commander-in-Chief under Congressional mandate, I am here to administer the oath of office. Step forward; Front and Center." Animal snapped to attention and marched over to Admiral Pruette; stopping in front of her. When he came to attention in front of her, she said, "Attention to Orders; raise your right hand. I..."

"I, Toshio Masahiro Nakamura, do solemnly swear that I will protect and defend the Consitution of the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic; that I bear true allegiance to the same, that I will truly, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, faithfully execute the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me, God." Meg noticed that his voice was firm, proud and she knew for a fact that he was staunchly loyal as an American citizen and a loyal officer in the Navy of the United States of America.

"Congratulations, Fleet Admiral Nakamura. You are the first to wear this rank since Chester Nimitz and since the office of the Chief of Naval Operations has gone to the most senior and high ranking officer in the United States Navy, I stand ready to be relieved, sir."

"I relieve you, Ma'am." Animal said, then leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Isn't it great? No more meetings with angry senators about budget overruns? Aren't you relieved?" He gave Admiral Pruette a wicked grin as he snapped back to attention as Admiral Pruette burst out laughing as SECNAV Metcalf looked over at the former CNO with raised inquisitive eyebrows expecting an explanation. He chuckled wryly when he got told what Animal had whispered in her ear.

Animal been handed a pair of Fleet Admiral Boards. He could order them directly from the Uniform Supplier as he was currently the only five-star fleet admiral in the US Navy. Meg and the SECNAV slipped off his Admiral's boards and put the Fleet Admiral's boards on. The five silver stars formed a pentagonal shape with the top-most point of the pentagon being the point of the fifth star. Each five-pointed star was linked to each other by one arm of another five-pointed star. The top most head of the apex five-pointed star ended up pointing towards the neck of the wearer of the shoulder-boards.

"Fleet Admiral Nakamura..." Admiral Pruette said to him when the boards were placed on his shoulders, "I believe two minutes allowed for a PDA."

Animal grinned at her then turned to Meg whose eyes were brimming with pride for him. He extended his arms and Vice-Admiral Megan Renee Austin-Nakamura, her own golden shoulder-boards with three stars, stepped into his embrace, with her lips meeting his in a tender kiss.

"Congratulations, my love." She whispered.

**************************************

Just this "large block of text" requires the use of multiple uniforms, poses and other things to illustrate it in Sims 3.

I have the uniforms set up, unfortunately, I need to get them off my hard-drive (of my old laptop)...or remake them (which is going to be a royal pain-in-the-ass). Because Adobe locked me out of my Photoshop Elements 14 which I paid for. They won't allow me to enter in my code to unlock it and customer service (all in India) are no help at all.

So frustrations aplenty.

[darling-valentine]

Okay dearies i told you I'd tell you how my lil trip went but i forgot!!! But i remembered now!!! So I'll try to tell you what i remember ahaha ^^ I'll probably ask my boyfie if i forgot to tell you anything important but i like writing here cause that way i have a lil timeline about me and my beloved!

Okay so the first day his aunts took us to the camping, we went to a cool restaurant with cool old school rock and it had a fish tank and i saw a cool dog and the food was cool!! We also went to a very pretty beach where u could walk among some rock formations when the tide was low and i had a lot of fun cause i love the sea and i love being with my boyfriend! We held hands all the time and he was scared I'd step on a sharp rock but I'm tough and I'm very good at walking through nature so he shouldn't be so worried but he just doesn't want me to get hurt ahaha ywy

Also i love going to the beach dressed with a shirt and tie! I think i look very pretty ^^

Then we went to the camping again and watched tv and fell asleep together, the first day i went to the women's bathroom instead of the men's cause well, I'm pretty femenine and his neighbor thought I was a girl and it made me really sad! I spent the rest of the trip avoiding him cause i think he's scary and it makes me so so sad to talk to him and see him refer to me as my boyfriend's "girlfriend", it's not my fault I'm a cute boy okay??? leave me alone and go away qwq, I also hate going to the women's bathroom and it was dark and scary at night and i started crying and had to hide under the bed's pillows as soon as I could because i got really scared,,, but when my darling saw me he comforted me and everything was fine! We talked a lot until i calmed down, i love talking to him! It's so so fun ^^, and then we fell asleep, it took me a bit more than him, but i feel safe when I sleep with him and everything was soft and fine ywy. The next day i went to the men's bathroom with him because he said I'm a man no matter what i look like and so i could go to the men's bathroom and it was a lot better because i like going with him and i don't like being alone qwq

That being said, one of the times i went to the bathroom a guy that works there told me like "hey the women's bathroom is the other way around" but my boyfie was like "dude he's a guy" and i was like "i know i don't look like it but I'm a dude" and he was like "oh god uh sorry go on" and that would've normally made me nervous and sad but since i was with my darling it was funny!

The next day we slept a bunch and ate cookies and we sat on the grass and painted together and i had a lot of fun!!! Then we went to the beach and it was cloudy and nice and there weren't many people and it was so pretty!! He took me to his favorite beach and when we laid on the ground together it felt so nice,,, his heartbeat and the waves and the wind make a pretty melody, and when I opened my eyes and saw the nuclear white of the covered sun in the sky and then saw his smile next to me i had a hard time deciding which one to look at more, i think heaven feels like that, the sand was the color of my skin and he told me it's very pretty that way.

He also taught me how to fly his kite!!! I'm not very good but it was fun ahaha^^ i also told him to throw a stick so i could fetch it but he stopped cause i was getting sand on my mouth qwq, then we laid down a bit more and then we played together because he wanted to make me fall to the sand but i didn't wanna!! And then he carried me around a bit and it was very fun!!! He's very strong and I'm pretty light so he can use me to lift weights ^^^^^

Then we walked back home and showered and then ate together and watched cartoons and movies and fell asleep together, i felt very dizzy cause i was tired and drank a bit of alcohol which i never do but it was fine!! I really like sleeping with him, he's so warm and comfy!!! And i love hugging and kissing him and he loves doing it to me too!!!

Then the last day, we watched cartoons in the morning and then we went to eat out, and after that we went for a looong walk through the cliffs near the beach and got into the sea a bit, the we went to an ice cream shop we really like and i found some bootleg sonic and shadow plushies and it was fun! I wanted to get one but he told me I'd better wait to find better looking one's to really honor them, so i left them be. Then we walked back home and laid on the grass for a while, i almost fall asleep!!! Then we showered, and tidied everything up and waited for his parents to take up to the bus to go back to our city, we listened to a book we like on the way back, and it all went cool!!!

Overall it was very fun! My dysphoria made me feel bad a lot of the time but my beloved was always there to cheer me up and remind me that I'm pretty and that he loves me, and i love him back smsmsm!!! waaaaaAaa i wanna sleep with him more ꒰/ฅ//ฅ//꒱ ♡︎

[pamfitts2167308]

Who Invented The Water Gun?

Help keep news free for everybody by giving us as little as $1. Your contribution will go a long way. HuffPost is your trusted supply to help you lead a greater life. Our reporters rely on analysis, skilled advice and lived experiences. So when you have received questions, you recognize you may trust our answers. We're decided to maintain HuffPost Life - and each different a part of HuffPost - 100% free. Help us try this by contributing as little as $1. HuffPost is your trusted supply for tales that enable you to lead a greater life. We've got you covered on all things health, wellness, food, fashion, parenting, relationships, work, journey and life-style. Our reporters rely on analysis, professional advice and lived experiences to deal with all of your issues, large and small. So when you have bought questions, you recognize you can belief our solutions. We're determined to keep HuffPost Life - and each other part of HuffPost - 100% free. Help us do that by contributing as little as $1. Do you might have information to share with HuffPost reporters? By entering your e mail and clicking Join, you are agreeing to allow us to send you custom-made marketing messages about us and our advertising companions. You might be also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Pump-action water guns are a comparatively recent addition to the water gun arsenal. Plastic squirt guns have lengthy been a staple summer season-time toy of American youngsters. These conventional toys eject a comparatively weak stream of water, requiring frequent breaks for refilling. The pump-action gun operates on a unique principal from its predecessors. The user pumps a handle on the gun, which pressurizes air in a reservoir. When the user then operates a piston-like trigger, the pressurized air ejects water from a separate water tank, leading to a powerful stream of water that can reach as far as 50 ft (15 m). The original pump-motion water gun was invented by an American engineer, Lonnie Johnson, and the toys are manufactured underneath the model-identify Super Soaker by the Larami Corporation of Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Despite the success of the Super Soaker, different companies have taken and expanded on the design. Inventor Lonnie Johnson had a Master's diploma in nuclear engineering and was working for the Air Force in 1982 when he came up with the idea of a pressurized squirt gun.

Zach said he didn’t think of Parkland before he posted the image, but the seriousness of school violence isn’t misplaced on him. Before strolling into his highschool that fateful day, he brushed off a pal who noted that his Snapchat post might be misconstrued. If he could do it over again, Zach said he’d delete the publish. But he also believes the school mustn't have intervened in something he did at house. "There was no risk, the picture was not taken during school hours, the image was not taken on faculty property, and the image was taken on my property, my telephone, and posted onto my social media," Zach said. In the nights after his arrest and leading as much as his appearance in juvenile court, Zach struggled to sleep on the mattress that’s plopped on the ground in his bedroom. He said he lost 20 pounds and a doctor advised him he needed to eat extra.

I’m Terrified That My Mom’s Beloved Conspiracy Theories Might be the tip of Her See Shipping Policy for details on shipping strategies, costs and supply times Gel Blaster GB1911 Battery Powered Water Gun Firearm-associated accidents are the primary trigger of demise for kids in the U.S BB device, Shipping time: round 10-14 business days. Local Stock transport time: 3-4 enterprise days Replica firearm, or Range: Approximately 32 ft

In the first test run, sufficient uncolored plastic is fed into the machines to make just two or three copies of every part. Engineers study these pieces, known as take a look at photographs, to make sure there aren't any issues. Then workers run a barely larger take a look at. This is known as the engineering pilot. Again using uncolored plastic, the molds are filled and a few dozen pieces of each half is made. These components are then absolutely assembled, to make two or three dozen model guns. This enables the manufacturing facility personnel to test the whole manufacturing process. They'll see how effectively the items are formed and the way they match together. Any problems in meeting are addressed at this point. The next test run is the color examine. The uncooked plastic used within the molds is naturally gentle brown, off-white, or grey. Pigments are added to the plastic, and the molds are crammed. The colors are checked to make sure they're what the design specified.

As a consequence of Larami's water gun expertise, it seemed a superb candidate to make Johnson's toy. Johnson was cautious of letting out the key of his water Orbi Gun's design, and on the toy conference he described his mannequin in obscure terms. He disclosed sufficient to get Larami's executives curious, and soon after, Johnson brought his prototype to the company's headquarters. His hand-constructed model was manufactured from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing, Plexiglas, and plastic soda bottles. To show the executives what the water gun might do, Johnson crammed it and shot an immense stream of water all the way across the board room. Larami's president was instantly impressed, and Johnson and the company signed an settlement. The toy was nearly immediately popular. Within two years of its introduction in 1990, Larami had offered over 10 million Super Soakers. With the bigger models price as much as $forty dollars, it was a major moneymaker.

[artikgato]

2022 retrospective final part

Well it's New Year's Eve and we're finally on to November and December!

November:

Blue checkmarks

Ah yes the second anniversary of November 5th

Puppet History!

"rent lowering gunshots"

Eli Lilly stock tanking because of a single tweet

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet launch!

Goncharov, my beloved

December:

I'm joining the war on Christmas on the side of the rail strike

AI art and writing *hisses violently*

Hades 2!

Nuclear fusion!!

Ash is retiring from the Pokémon anime...

It got cold. Like, really cold

And if anything happened between when I queued this post (12/26) and the day it actually posts (12/31), I have no idea!

Happy New Year, here's hoping 2023 is at least a smidge better than 2022!

[rocheftdvega]

Truss Went From Anti-Thatcher Protests to Become UK Tory Beloved

Liz Truss has undertaken a political reinvention to become the favored to prosper Boris Johnson as leader of the Traditional celebration as well as UK Head of state.

The Foreign Secretary advocated Britain to continue to be in the European Union before welcoming Brexit with the zeal of a transform after the vote went the various other way. And she's gone from screaming slogans as a kid versus Margaret Thatcher's 1980s Conservative government and leading Oxford College's Liberal Democrat society to become the beloved of the Tory Event.

" My parents were left-wing lobbyists, and also I have actually been on a political journey ever since," Truss said in an ITV argument of Tory management candidates on Sunday.

Currently, Truss stands six weeks-- and also one tally-- away from claiming the top work in UK politics, with just former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak standing in her way. British bookmakers have actually installed her as the favored, and ballot of party participants by YouGov suggests she'll soundly beat her challenger in the runoff ballot amongst the celebration grassroots.

Truss-- who'll transform 47 next week-- has actually interested the right wing of her party with her libertarianism, heralding the value of free markets, backing reduced taxation and also repeatedly railing against the "nanny state" conflicting in the lives of average Britons.

She's won admirers among ardent Brexiteers by testing the EU over the Brexit deal struck by Johnson's own federal government, presenting an expense bypassing the bulk of its stipulations on North Ireland.

Also while objecting commitment to Johnson, the international secretary has done little to camouflage her passions to assert the top job, schmoozing with coworkers in get-togethers referred to as "fizz with Liz" and running a carefully-curated instagram feed that rivaled the social networks procedure run by Sunak's team.

She's also unashamedly welcomed contrasts with Thatcher, the Tory symbol she when protested against. That includes posing in a tank in eastern Europe-- high as the former premier did on a browse through to British pressures in Germany in 1986.

Truss got to the final two after trailing Sunak and Trade Priest Penny Mordaunt in the initial four rounds of voting amongst Tory MPs; only taking care of to overhaul Mordaunt in a tight 5th vote. A political survivor, she's the longest-serving participant of the government, holding ministerial blog posts because 2012, as well as offering in the closet considering that 2014, under 3 prime ministers.

She was birthed in 1975 to left-wing parents, and in addition to attending anti-Thatcher protests, she's talked of joining them on demonstrations against nuclear weapons.

Truss matured in Scotland and afterwards Leeds, where she participated in an extensive school prior to going on to Oxford College to study Philosophy, National politics and Business economics. She then benefited Shell as an industrial economic expert prior to transferring to Cord & Wireless as well as the think-tank Reform .

The Truss 'Stare'. She offered for 4 years as a representative in southeast London, prior to going into Parliament as the MP standing for South West Norfolk in 2010. The after that head of state, David Cameron, offered her her first ministerial message at the Division for Education And Learning in September 2012, prior to advertising her to the cupboard as environment assistant in 2014.

Stints as justice assistant, principal secretary to the Treasury and trade assistant complied with, before her promo in 2014 to international secretary, among the 4 "excellent workplaces of state" in British national politics.

Despite her extensive period in the cupboard, Truss has at times struggled to be taken seriously by coworkers, journalism and public. She was mocked for a 2014 speech in which she proclaimed it a "disgrace" that the UK imports a lot of its cheese, a comment that featured in a compilation video clip of her "finest minutes" that distributed this week on Twitter.

Truss additionally has a credibility for clumsiness, according to conversations by Bloomberg with even more than a dozen people who understand her. Tories talked of her "gaze"-- a habit of looking straight into the eyes of the various other individual in a conversation as well as smiling, without speaking, for a number of seconds.

Tax Cuts. Others claimed she's renowned among civil servants for trying to dominate conferences by adding when authorities are speaking to candidly inform them that she completely differs.

Several people that have actually functioned closely with Truss claimed it's tough to recognize her real individual opinions on various political and plan problems. She failed to persuade EU officials that she comprehended the information in settlements with them, and they were left unimpressed with her attempts to show up challenging in meetings with Brussels equivalent Maros Sefcovic, one claimed.

Truss's representative really did not reply to an ask for remark. She herself acknowledged throughout Sunday's discussion that she "could not be the slickest presenter.".

But Truss's allies point to her relatability-- she's presented herself as originating from humble beginnings. When asked by Sunak throughout Sunday's televised discussion whether she regretted being a Lib Dem or remainer extra, Truss took a swipe at his education and learning at one of the most elite private schools in the country, contrasting it with her very own education and learning at a state college where she said youngsters obtained "let down.".

Her strategies to reduce taxes by about ₤ 34 billion ($ 41 billion) as well as criticisms of Sunak for choking growth rated by those on the right of the party, though her strategy to money this with greater loaning caused problem among others. She's likewise pledged reduced public spending-- popular among small-state conservatives-- as well as repetitively indicated deals she negotiated while profession assistant.

Those assurances assisted win the backing of enough Tory MPs-- consisting of Company Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, Brexit possibilities preacher Jacob Rees-Mogg and Society Assistant Nadine Dorries-- to see her right into the final vote among the party's 175,000 members. In the most recent one previously this month, based on a survey of celebration participants, she rated 3rd, with a rating of 49.

Truss additionally has a credibility for awkwardness, according to discussions by Bloomberg with more than a dozen individuals that understand her. Those pledges assisted win the support of enough Tory MPs-- consisting of Service Assistant Kwasi Kwarteng, Brexit chances priest Jacob Rees-Mogg as well as Society Assistant Nadine Dorries-- to see her into the final vote among the party's 175,000 members. She's long been prominent with those grassroots, covering the ConservativeHome organization table of cabinet preachers for a year until February. In the most recent one earlier this month, based on a study of celebration participants, she placed 3rd, with a rating of 49. Sunak's was minus 3-- defeating just Johnson.

[ohsalome]

I expect most people who used to follow me have abandoned this blog. For those who might remember who I am - about a year ago I tried to spread information about a war in my country, Ukraine. Most of my efforts were fruitless. I tried to warn people who didn't have access to russian media about their xenophobic nationalist propaganda. For all my attempts to bring attention to truth, I was accused to russophobia and nazism. People were more interested in powerless Azov batallion than Izolyatsia concentration camp - the "Donetsk Dauhau". Hunting fascists in the USA while spreading propaganda of russian fascists. For others, I was bringing annoying negativity, and they chose to pay attention to more exciting subjects. Let that be on their conscience.

On 24th of February, I woke up at 5:30 from the sound of bombs exploding over my city. My beloved Kyiv. The next week I spent in the bomb shelter.

I see many westerners worrying about WW3 and wanting to sacrifice us in order to avoid nuclear apocalypse. Let this little ukrainian girl share some war-born wisdom with you:

Russians are cavemen. They do not understand the language of diplomacy. What you see as a gesture of good will they perceive as a weakness. Letting Putin get away with war crimes is not going to prevent WW3, just like letting Hitler occupy Czechoslovakia did not prevent WW2. He won't stop until his greed runs out, and his greed is endless. Europe is next. Even if he doesn't send tanks your way, he can explode any of ukrainian atomic stations. If Chornobyl 2.0 happens, you will not be able to pay your way out, because radiation does not discriminate between west or east, rich or poor, right-wing or left-wing. You're already in this with us, like it or not.

Current situation is as much the fault of West as it is of russian elites. But not because of the "agressive NATO" bullshit. It is because West let Putin get away with Georgia. Because West let Putin get away with Syria. Because you let him get away with Crimea, and Afganistan, and Donbass, and Africa, and every-fucking-thing his wretched hole of the heart wanted. Because people in Europe and USA decided they were ready to sacrifice human lives - as long as they weren't western europeans! - to save a little of cash on gas. The very gas russian stole from the indigenous people of Syberia whose land they have occupied centuries ago, but somehow this never bothered western anti-imperialists who got their funding from Kremlin!

Your worries about nuclear bombs will never, ever, ever, ever, ever have the same value as the lives of my people who are dying from bombings right now. We are fighting and dying not only to protect our home, but to protect yours as well. We are the only thing stopping the world from darkness. The least you can do is help. Demand your representatives to close sky over Ukraine, so russians stop bombing our houses and hospitals. Demand NATO to send us guns and military airplanes. Demand companies to withdraw their business from Russia.

Over these days you will see many russians begging for pity. "Wah wah, it isn't us, it's all Putin's fault", "we are simple people, why must we suffer for our government's crimes", "we oppose Putin". I am here to tell you this is all fucking lies. There is no russian opposition, because their "opposition" shares the chauvinistic views. They aren't against the war because they don't want to see ukrainians die; they are against the war because they have started feeling the consequences. Save for few people I can count on one hand, noone spoke up against war before the sanctions. And this has been going on for a long, long time. These "simple russians" have been oppressing ukrainians for centuries. They are the ones who mocked our language and denied it existence. They are the ones who spread the fake history that we are a made-up nation and are a "failed state". They are the ones who stole our history, claimed to be the descendants of Kyivan Rus even though the only connection they may have to it is the genocide of Novgorod people. They are the ones who spread genocide denial of Holodomor, so rampant on this site. They are the ones who supported occupation of Crimea. They are the ones to volunteered to join their army, who wrote the invasion plans, who spread lies about Ukraine to justify this war. They are the ones who turned the blind eye every time we suffered. Up to 40-70% of russians today - depending on your source - support the literal genocide of my people. They will tell you they didn't know better because of propaganda - that is a fucking lie. We have been flooding their infospace through every avaliable path, and they still choose to believe their rotten tzar.

In the end, I am leaving you with some useful links:

Where to read about the war in Ukraine in English?

https://kyivindependent.com/

https://www.bellingcat.com/

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/

https://informnapalm.org

https://twitter.com/Ukraine?s=20&t=tj8carLC9Qr9c9AkK6lM6Q

https://twitter.com/DefenceU?s=20&t=agZGX_k8x3PDOhhBR7bSww

https://twitter.com/Ukrostap?s=20&t=cS4vqp3hJrC-lfr2DDiVIA

https://twitter.com/Podolyak_M?s=20&t=-KIVOpICHyjOty-3HY5DDA

Where can I donate as a foreigner? (Thread)

https://twitter.com/xenasolo/status/1497577333267615750?s=20&t=unXXboUdEJ-cdWML8RtBig

(you can also follow Xena on Tiktok for general info about our war)

А тепер два слова українцям. Ми завжди знали, що жити в Україні тяжко. Але за ці пекельних 11 днів ми також дізналися, що Україна - це єдине місце, в якому варто жити, в якому пам'ятають, що таке гідність, справедливість і братерство. Мене, як і всіх зараз, ковбасить від глибокого відчаю до ейфорійного патріотизму. Але я відмовляюсь втрачати віру. Я знаю, що наші вороженьки згинуть, як роса на сонці, і ми запануємо на своїй сторонці. Я вірю в ЗСУ, вірю в нас, і вірю, що в пеклі зараз панічно розширюють, щоб розмістити всіх цих сучих синів, що прийшли на нашу землю.

---------------------------------------------------

And if any fucking cunt tries to clown under this post, I will fucking DDOS you because apparently this is what I know how to do now.

[equinoxum]

CURAXU RATES GENSHIN LADIES

welcome to part two where i turn my attention to the women of genshin also reminder that I haven’t played since Xiao’s first banner so. have mercy.

rating of genshin men HERE

Aloy: i know NOOOOOOOOTHING about her. she’s cute tho.

Amber: petition for the community to stop shitting on Amber. i can’t play her because i’m bad at bow characters but she is so dear to me.

Barbara: has saved my ass more times than i can count. love her. 

Beidou: sexy pirate lady goddamn. carries my party. i think she could benchpress me and that’s incredibly hot you don’t even understand. she is what i want to be. i would kiss her.

Diona: funny little cat girl... beloved. also cannot play her because bow character but i would kiss her little head if she would permit it.

Eula: i have no idea what is happening over here and i am too scared to ask. pretty eyes though.

Fischl: can we get a no fear shakespeare edition just for what comes out of your mouth. i love you but what the FUCK are you saying to me. 

Ganyu: beloved... stunning... beautiful... absolute cutie. deserves the world and all the qixing flowers she wants.

Hu Tao: i like your funny shenanigans graveyard girl. calling Zhongli “peepaw” gets her like several bonus points its so fucking funny

Jean: i pulled her randomly at one point and went HOLY SHIT. someone please get this woman a nap and a pay raise.

Kamisato Ayaka: pretty ladyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. yeah. 

Keqing: first thing she did with her vision was try to break it. icon. i think that’s so funny. god gives you superpowers and you go “fuck you, actually.”

Klee: MY BELOVED... ABSOLUTE TANK. i think she should be given more bombs, actually. let her invent nuclear warfare, she’ll use it on the fish.

Kujou Sara: bird. i know nothing about her i’m sorry.

La Signora: bitch (affectionate) rest in piece girl 

Lisa: once was told that she calls herself your big sister in other translations and that lives in my head rent free. the death flags tho. girl. uh oh.

Mona: a PREPARED QUEEN. took one look at Scaramouche and went “absolutely not”. i like her hat. every Mona cosplay I’ve seen was stunning.

Ningguang: should be a five star i swear to god. literally my favorite catalyst user. the only geo user i can manage. if i put more obstacles on the battlefield i’m going to die. also she’s sexy as shit.

Noelle: promote her you fucking cowards. she deserves it. she could ALSO benchpress me.

Paimon: wish they didn’t change Paimon’s voice. they are dear to me. i like their funny little words.

Qiqi: i’m going to kiss you on your little head and give you the best day ever.

Raiden Shogun: i think if i looked at her wrong she would take me out back and shoot me. tiddy sword tho. she should’ve been a sword user. 

Rosaria: i swear to god they said she was a fucking vampire at one point. what happened to that. i have the same energy about my religion as she does ngl.

Sangonomiya Kokomi: PRETTY DESIGN... i know very little about her but i think she could probably kill me?

Sayu: baby... nap time.

Shenhe: SEXY..... LOVE the homicidal rage. best auntie probably.

Sucrose: tell me about your cool science experiments miss... you are very sweet and cute.

Xiangling: the original pyro polearm. the original polearm. the bestest <3 

Xinyan: YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH i think she and Itto would be besties. i want her to play music for me. 

Yae Miko: sexy. stunning. if she teased me i think i would explode.

Yanfei: cutie.... legally blonde energy. fuck it up girl.

Yoimiya: who are you. cute design.

Yun Jin: also know nothing about her. pretty tho.

[tacticalhimbo]

far cry 6 reveal thoughts below the cut because nobody asked for my little opinions

i typed this list up as i watched the trailers and such, so if things are crossed out they may have been explained afterward but i feel like sharing all my thoughts so—

pre-game thoughts

the setting is pretty and the music fucks. the general aesthetic(?) of the world and the elements in it are cool.

very weird for the stream to have started early as it did (i get prep work but an hour of nothing? felt kinda weird to do on IGN's part. they could have maybe trimmed the archive of it or... something.

still very confused on if this takes place before or after fc5 even if the conscription cards said 2021 because like... y'know... the nuclear ending for fc5 was canon (re: new dawn). does this mean that only the U.S. was affected?? if so that makes zero sense but 🤷 maybe i missed somethin' else along the way

i still stan the dog with two legs... i forgot his name but i love him. his name is chorizo. i love him.

i really cannot believe they just played two three(?) versions of the same thing for the story trailer that 16+ minute stretch like... there could have been ways to reveal the two sides interchangeably i feel. maybe it would have hit if they put something between them to show it was a different thing.

like i actually could hardly pick up on differences because i zoned out with it all being... the same thing but with different overlays.

but i'm still laughing at the dude bros mad you can (allegedly) pick between a male and female protagonist. grow up and quit your bitching, actually 😒

that being said a gender neutral or nonbinary protagonist would have been 👀, especially since they're both dani rojas.

if that's changed since early dev though i do like the idea of a female protagonist... we can always use more of those!

someone in the comments deadass said "another far cry game where you cant play as the government"... if you wanted a white savior story go play far cry 2 and pick the white protagonist option or play some other game. call of duty exists after all.

the story trailer tho...

the actual cinematic trailer tho... giancarlo esposito my beloved 😍

the cars 😍😍

female dani is so pretty what the fuck i want to draw her like... 3000 times.

HORSES????? HORSES!

GATOR COMPANION???? my florida man dreams are coming to life—

gameplay stuff

that teaser of antón raising the guy's head while saying "if a dog refuses to break"... i should not have felt things

liking that you can change your look as you evolve through the plot

juan cortez has my heart. the fact its him that owns the gator (fittingly named guapo, meaning handsome)... 😍 move aside heisenberg i'm abt to simp for juan cortez—

liking the checkpoint system and the different routes you can take

you can ride horses... and pet them 🥺

THE FUCKING CIGAR INTO THE WOUND OUCHHHH

the weapon creativity... wowowow i love it. the fucking cd launcher playing macarena sent me and the BACKPACKS??? WOW

"the shit my pants rush of an ambush" did i mention i love juan cortez??

the tanks.... planes... wow. flashy but i like the vibes

[tabloidtoc]

Globe, December 7

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Hillary Clinton health crisis 

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Larsa Pippen in a bikini in Fort Lauderdale, Olivia Culpo wrestles with recycling outside her L.A. office, Shia LaBeouf ditches his face covering for a phone call in an L.A. market 

Page 3: Pete Wentz plays tennis, Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe outside the Dancing with the Stars studio, Sean Penn hits the beach in Hawaii 

Page 4: Barbara Walters was sharp as a tack when she grilled the world’s biggest leaders but ravaging dementia has now tragically turned the 91-year-old into a prisoner in her own bed 

Page 5: Pistol-packing Elvis Presley was so gaga over guns that he’d even take a firearm to bed with him 

* Ringo Starr’s childhood bout with appendicitis at age six caused him to fall into a coma and spend a year in the hospital to recover then five years later he contracted tuberculosis and spent two years in a sanitarium where he discovered drums as part of the hospital band 

Page 6: If it’s true that Gentleman Prefer Blondes Marilyn Monroe was the perfect star for the flick because she dyed her carpet platinum to match the drapes -- beauty guru Kenneth Battelle suggested Marilyn change the color of her pubic hair after a jerk spilled champagne over her sheer dress at a party showing everything because she didn’t wear skivvies so the guru ran to the hotel drugstore and got some dye and told Marilyn to go in the bathroom and bleach 

Page 7: Celine Dion has turned into a frightening bag of bones leaving friends worried she’s headed for a catastrophic health crisis -- now down to a gaunt 96 pounds the star is driving herself to the brink of collapse with a diet and exercise plan to prepare for the relaunch of her hit world tour and she starves herself in her drive for perfection and to maintain the stick-thin look that helped turn her into a fashion icon

* Julianne Hough confesses feeling she didn’t deserve the A-list life she enjoyed while dating Ryan Seacrest where she was on private planes and yachts and living in a very well-off house and her life was pretty different from where she grew up -- she left Ryan in 2013 after three years because she wanted to create that for herself because she felt like she didn’t deserve it 

Page 8: Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson is searching for the Fountain of Youth by working out with Pierce Brosnan’s trainer -- the ex-wife of disgraced Prince Andrew is following a grueling exercise regimen in hopes of joining people who are said to be biologically younger than their true age 

Page 9: Disgraced Prince Andrew has been kicked from the royal family and now Prince Charles plans to boot his sister Princess Anne from his inner circle once he becomes king -- while the princess has carried her share of official engagements Charles plans to shrink the monarchy after his mother Queen Elizabeth passes and the phrase slimmed-down royal family constantly keeps coming up and the royal family will evolve with Charles coming to the throne -- Anne will be on the chopping block mostly because of ambitious Duchess Camilla who is Charles’ wife and who has carried out a ruthless dirty plan to be queen for decades and she wants no one else taking the limelight and that includes Charles’ sister

* Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle dissed his dad Prince Charles with a surprising public snub as the couple failed to publicly wish Charles a happy birthday when he turned 72 -- Queen Elizabeth and Prince William and Duchess Kate all sent birthday wishes to the future king on social media but Harry and Meghan took a pass even though Harry popped up on the British TV show Strictly Come Dancing that night to wish a pal good luck

Page 10: A nuclear-sized catfight has exploded in North Korea where dictator Kim Jong-un’s baby sister and his pop star lover are battling to claw their way to be top gal -- while sister Kim Yo-jong seemed to be running the nation after Kim vanished and was rumored dead he popped back up with old galpal Hyon Song-wol on his arm and his current wife Ri Sol-ju nowhere to be seen 

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Mario Lopez wearing a clear mask (picture), Lauren Simon of The Real Housewives of Cheshire in the U.K. claims to have had sex with an actual ghost, Kaley Cuoco has a theory about shooting those sexy big bangs with ex-boyfriend Johnny Galecki that the pair’s sneaky sitcom boss got a kick putting the real-life former lovers under the covers, Reese Witherspoon lost her beloved dog Pepper to cancer and returned to her ole Southern roots when picking a name for her brand-new puppy: Minnie Pearl, plagued by seemingly endless allegations of being mean and ignoring a toxic workplace Ellen DeGeneres is now plugging a Be Kind subscription box valued at $270

Page 13: Kristen Taekman tops of her gas tank in L.A. (picture), Jeff Goldblum feeding a parking meter in L.A. (picture), Hilary Duff gets primped and primed on the NYC set of Younger (picture) 

Page 14: Reclusive ailing widow Yoko Ono finally loosened the reins and is handing over her $800 million empire to Sean Lennon her only child with Beatles legend John Lennon but John’s eldest son Julian Lennon was left out of the hitmaker’s will but Julian managed to eke out a $25 million settlement okayed by Yoko after he dragged his famous dad’s estate to court, Kelsea Ballerini snapped at a nosy fan for rudely asking if her rounded tummy was a blossoming baby bump

* Fashion Verdict -- Lara Spencer 9/10, Laura Veltz 2/10, Lauren Akins 3/10, Lauren Alaina 4/10 

Page 16: Michael Jackson’s baby mama Debbie Rowe reveals getting pregnant was no thrill because she was artificially impregnated -- Debbie met ex-husband Michael when she was working for his dermatologist and she insists the couple never had sex and a sperm donor fathered the pop star’s two kids she carried in her womb -- son Prince Jackson is rumored to have been fathered by Debbie’s doctor boss Arnold Klein -- British actor Mark Lester claims her could be Paris Jackson’s father -- Debbie is unsure of the paternity of Michael’s youngest son Blanket who now goes by Bigi Jackson

Page 17: Fans gaga for Dr. McDreamy on Grey’s Anatomy got a super thrill on the season 17 premiere when Patrick Dempsey returned to the hit hospital drama after departing the show five years ago -- Dempsey whose character Dr. Derek Shepherd died in a car crash came back in a dream sequence reuniting with star Ellen Pompeo’s Dr. Meredith Grey on a beach -- Dempsey split from the show to spend more time with his family and pursue his auto racing hobby but he’ll return to the show several more times 

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Emma Corrin

* Reba McEntire reveals she turned down The Voice gig that went to Blake Shelton and now she regrets it big-time 

* Nip/tuck junkie Dolly Parton says she plans to keep freshening her face by going under the knife and crows she’s gonna look like a cartoon and she’ll look as young as her plastic surgeons will allow her 

Page 20: True Crime 

Page 21: Former soap stud Cody Longo was socked with a domestic abuse charge following a jealous booze-fueled attack on his dancer wife Stephanie Clark -- Cody played Nicholas Alamain on Days of Our Lives from 2011-2012 

Page 23: Meredith Baxter felt booby-trapped by her enormous breasts and confesses she welcomed breast-reduction surgery after getting cancer -- the Family Ties star reveals her former 42-inch bust was the plague of her life

* Weatherman Al Roker has a secret weapon in his stormy battle to recover from prostate cancer surgery which is the love and support of his wife Deborah Roberts who is keeping him happy and positive doting on him day and night plus they talk about everything and make medical decisions together so there’s no fear or anxiety entering their world 

* Jennifer Lopez kicked booty when a federal judge dismissed a $40 million lawsuit brought by a former stripper who claims she inspired the hit movie Hustlers -- Samantha Barbash claims she’s the real-life model for J.Lo’s pole-dancing swindler Ramona Vega and insisted the movie ruined her rep by implying she did drugs around her kids but the judge tossed the case because Barbash’s name or portrait or picture or voice wasn’t used in the film 

Page 24: Cover Story -- Hillary Clinton has tragically packed on nearly 100 pounds since she vanished from the spotlight four years ago and is struggling to breathe and walk and now a medical expert is warning the 73-year-old is facing a health crisis as she tips the scales at 247 pounds -- Hillary has a history of broken bones and shocking collapses 

Page 26: Health Report

Page 30: Country girl Carly Pearce’s divorce from Michael Ray has gone from bad to ugly and he’s now parading his romance with Travis Tritt’s daughter Tyler Reese Tritt -- Carly was all for taking the high road but now she’s taken off the gloves -- they’re bad-mouthing each other far and wide and Carly’s tossed everything that reminds her of Michael 

* Southern Charm belle Madison LeCroy has been flashing a pic of her newest charms which is a set of bigger boobs 

Page 36: Diva Mariah Carey’s demanding ways are driving her boyfriend Bryan Tanaka bonkers and the couple of four years may be headed for Splitsville unless she changes her ways -- Mariah treats Bryan like an assistant instead of a lover and it’s giving him fits and he’s been so patient with Mariah and he loves her but she’s wearing him out with her incessant orders like she has him drawing up her schedule for online greets plus she’s ordering him to do all her holiday shopping for friends and be in charge of everything from decorations to food prep 

* Emma Roberts confesses being pregnant makes her weepy and she’s hit the point where like halfway up the stairs she has to sit down sometimes and maybe tears roll down a couple times a week but despite that Emma says she feels grateful and lucky to be expecting her first child

Page 38: Real Life 

Page 40: Phil Collins’ embarrassing court battle with third ex Orianne Cevey is casting a pall over his daughter Lily Collins’ wedding plans -- Lily is desperate to tie the knot with Charlie MacDowell but the dirty charges flying back may force her to put the happy day on hold and it’s hard for Lily to concentrate on making wedding plans when her father is caught in an ugly public fight -- Orianne is battling over Phil’s $38 million Miami mansion where they lived after reuniting in 2018 

Page 44: Straight Talk -- NXIVM cult is warning to us all 

Page 45: Treasure hunters have launched a frantic search for a $150 million stash of gangster gold hidden by mobster Dutch Schultz in Upstate New York after two sleuths recently discovered coins they believe are linked to the stash -- following a long list of cryptic clues Canadian fortune seekers Steve Zazulyk and Ryan Fazekas uncovered gold coins dated 1903 a few miles from the Prohibition Era beer baron’s hangout in the Catskills town of Phoenicia and their find triggered a race against other prosecutors seeking a two-by-three-foot steel box filled with diamonds and gold coins and $1000 bills and $7 billion in World War I Liberty Bonds and the hoard has an estimated value of $150 million today 

[jshoulson]

Today’s Poem (published in 1997)

The Bombing of Baghdad --June Jordan

1 began and did not terminate for 42 days and 42 nights relentless minute after minute more than 110,000 times we bombed Iraq we bombed Baghdad we bombed Basra/we bombed military installations we bombed the National Museum we bombed schools we bombed air raid shelters we bombed water we bombed electricity we bombed hospitals we bombed streets we bombed highways we bombed everything that moved/we bombed everything that did not move we bombed Baghdad a city of 5.5 million human beings we bombed radio towers we bombed telephone poles we bombed mosques we bombed runways we bombed tanks we bombed trucks we bombed cars we bombed bridges we bombed the darkness we bombed the sunlight we bombed them and we bombed them and we cluster bombed the citizens of Iraq and we sulfur bombed the citizens of Iraq and we napalm bombed the citizens of Iraq and we complemented these bombings/these “sorties” with Tomahawk cruise missiles which we shot repeatedly by the thousands upon thousands into Iraq (you understand an Iraqi Scud missile is quote militarily insignificant unquote and we do not mess around with insignificant) so we used cruise missiles repeatedly we fired them into Iraq And I am not pleased I am not very pleased None of this fits into my notion of “things going very well”

2 The bombing of Baghdad did not obliterate the distance or the time between my body and the breath of my beloved

3 This was Custer’s Next-To-Last Stand I hear Crazy Horse singing as he dies I dedicate myself to learn that song I hear that music in the moaning of the Arab world

4 Custer got accustomed to just doing his job Pushing westward into glory Making promises Searching for the savages/their fragile temporary settlements for raising children/dancing down the rain/and praying for the mercy of a herd of buffalo Custer/he pursued these savages He attacked at dawn He murdered the men/murdered the boys He captured the women and converted them (I’m sure) to his religion Oh, how gently did he bid his darling fiancée farewell! How sweet the gaze her eyes bestowed upon her warrior! Loaded with guns and gunpowder he embraced the guts and gore of manifest white destiny He pushed westward to annihilate the savages (“Attack at dawn!”) and seize their territories seize their women seize their natural wealth

5 And I am cheering for the arrows and the braves

6 And all who believed some must die they were already dead And all who believe only they possess human being and therefore human rights they no longer stood among the possibly humane And all who believed that retaliation/revenge/defense derive from God-given prerogatives of white men And all who believed that waging war is anything besides terrorist activity in the first place and in the last And all who believed that F-15s/F-16s/ “Apache” helicopters/ B-52 bombers/smart bombs/dumb bombs/napalm/artillery/ battleships/nuclear warheads amount to anything other than terrorist tools of a terrorist undertaking And all who believed that holocaust means something that only happens to white people And all who believed that Desert Storm signified anything besides the delivery of an American holocaust against the peoples of the Middle East All who believed these things they were already dead They no longer stood among the possibly humane

And this is for Crazy Horse singing as he dies because I live inside his grave And this is for the victims of the bombing of Baghdad because the enemy traveled from my house to blast your homeland into pieces of children and pieces of sand

And in the aftermath of carnage perpetrated in my name how should I dare to offer you my hand how shall I negotiate the implications of my shame?

My heart cannot confront this death without relief My soul will not control this leaking of my grief

And this is for Crazy Horse singing as he dies And here is my song of the living who must sing against the dying sing to join the living with the dead

[theonion]

U.S. Military Announces Plan To Consolidate All Wars Into Final, Epic Battle

ARLINGTON, VA—In a historic decree proclaiming the time had come for blood to be shed upon every corner of the Earth and for each enemy to be pursued unto death, the Pentagon declared Thursday that it would consolidate all the nation’s wars, from now until the end of days, into one final, epic battle.

As they stood beneath a darkened sky and looked out over the windswept plain upon which they had amassed the full might of their armored vehicles, combat aircraft, drones, and 2 million service members, U.S. military commanders confirmed they were ready to mobilize every asset at their disposal for one last global campaign: an unceasing battle that will continue until every potential American adversary has been defeated.

“Soon, we will confront our enemies—every last one of them—in a single, glorious clash of arms through which we intend to settle America’s scores once and for all,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford shouted to the assembled ranks of all five branches of the military, ordering officers to deploy every troop under their command and every weapon in their arsenals to all seven continents. “This will be a total war waged on all fronts, in every conceivable theater of battle, with all those who oppose us given no quarter from our savage, unrelenting fury unleashed by land, sea, and air. If necessary, we will fire every bullet, drop every bomb, and launch every missile in our possession to ensure victory.”

“Mark my words, a fight is coming,” Dunford added. “Let our battle cry be heard in the farthest reaches of the world!”

Dunford noted that all options were on the table for wiping out the world’s hostile regimes, armed separatists, terror organizations, and drug cartels, and that the blood of American soldiers would be spilled in the hills, valleys, jungles, and streets of more than 70 nations, continuing without pause until the last few troops were left fighting hand to hand in the mountains of northwest Pakistan.

According to the Pentagon, U.S. forces plan to strike mortal fear into the hearts of every conceivable foe, present and future, as they engage in fierce urban assaults in downtown Pyongyang, close-quarter firefights in the foothills of eastern Africa, preemptive bombings of the barren Antarctic plains, and hundreds of planned clashes in Russia, Iran, China, Mexico, the Philippines, Venezuela, Syria, Libya, and Niger.

Military officials acknowledged a significant percentage of the planet would become a “blighted, crater-covered wasteland” given that their strategy has granted field commanders free rein to call in bombing raids from the nation’s 4,000-warhead nuclear arsenal and access to U.S. stockpiles of chemical weapons.

“By our estimates, this offensive will be unlike any humanity has ever known; hundreds of millions will perish in the fighting, as will countless others from the starvation and disease that will ravage what is left of world population centers—but fight on we must,” said Dunford, adding that soldiers on the battlefield had been ordered to refuse medical treatment unless their wounds were serious enough to prevent them from operating an M320 grenade launcher. “Indeed, for days and weeks, the chorus of ordnance exploding and bullets ripping into flesh will be deafening, with cities crumbling to their foundations and entire countries reduced to ash.”

“Yet we will continue marching forward across the corpse-clogged battlefield, wading through the waist-deep viscera that stretches to the horizon,” Dunford continued. “Though tanks may crush the skulls of our beloved comrades, we will keep our gazes fixed upon the triumphant fighter jets screeching by overhead. Just picture it: an end not only to all current conflicts, but all conflicts that ever were or ever will be.”

While Dunford admitted that U.S. forces were certain to take heavy casualties in such an expansive engagement, he said it was a price worth paying to bring about instantaneous and lasting world peace. The career Marine officer further suggested that when future citizens looked back on the battle, they would recognize the necessity of deploying the sum total of America’s military might simultaneously.

“Some in the political establishment might say that our wars are best fought one battle at a time, but I disagree,” said Dunford, who later explained that the final battle’s cost would not be covered by the Pentagon’s $700 billion annual budget, but would instead be financed by taking on additional debt and usurping the spoils of the vanquished. “If we have the resources to thoroughly lay waste to our enemies’ armies and capture their leaders in order to parade them through the streets of Washington in shackles, why not do it right now?”

“Why should we delay in administering swift and merciless justice upon our rivals?” added Dunford.

Dunford went on to state that while the military intended to exploit every available resource in its final battle, any leftover funds would be used to build a memorial that, when etched with the names of the fallen, would stretch across the entire length of the National Mall’s charred remains.