#tesla breaks ground

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Nico Robin!Reader with Loki, Buddha, Tesla, Beelzebub, Jack, Ares, Hermes, Rudra, Hades, Hercules and Platonic Zerofuku

She fights against Athena or some brutish god that doesn’t care about destroying Human History, which angers her and she smiles as she reveals her ‘Devilish Side’ (Using Demonio Fleur, which horrifies her opponent and they’re begging for mercy, only for Reader to break their spine) when some random god says her win doesn’t count because she ‘Cheated’ she uses her power and… crushes his balls (I love Robin she’s my queen 💖)

she calls (Love) a Squirrel when he eats with his cheeks stuffed with food (She calls Loki adorable when he messes up with his transformations) and her dark sense of humor keeps people on their toes

-As you walked out, following Athena’s over the top entrance, many were a little disappointed, as you didn’t seem anything special, you weren’t dancing or doing any fancy moves, you weren’t even holding a weapon! How are you going to fight Athena of all goddesses with no weapons?!

-Athena smirked down at you, but she was a little surprised, seeing that you didn’t look at all bothered, as the humans cheered for you. It was a little odd, as you remembered, for most of your life, humans were hunting you, wanting the bounty on your head, believing the government that you were a demon and needed to be destroyed.

- As the fight started, you crossed your arms in front of you, “Mil Fleur: Gigantesco Mano!!” hands started to surround you, forming into something bigger and bigger, before two massive hands appeared and you controlled them, swinging out to open-hand strike at Athena who only barely blocked the first one, but was sent flying with the second one.

-Many were stunned, seeing your abilities, several were shouting that this ability was illegal- but Zeus did relent, as it was a part of you when you had died, it was legal, but that still didn’t please everyone.

-You and Athena traded blows back and forth and you were panting heavily, injured and you needed to wrap this battle up soon. Athena then smirked and changed her own form, to be one that towered over you, the same size of her statue in Athens as she smirked down at you, “How will you handle this?!”

-You just smirked, stunning her as you closed your eyes for a moment, gathering what strength you had left, “Demonio Fleur~” eyes went wide as your own body seemed to grow and grow, your skin turning to almost pitch black with a red tint, horns and wings sprouting from your body, making you look like an actual demon.

-Many were terrified to see this form, but so many were also stunned, seeing that you could transform into a demon, despite being a human.

-Athena was terrified of you, demanding you to get back, shocking so many, as she was regarded as one of the bravest gods, and many were shouting for you to let her go as you managed to grab her. She was still trying to insult you, trying to break free as you both started screaming, you from overexerting yourself, and her from pain as well as trying to get out.

-You then shouted out, “Gran Jacuzzi Clutch!!” and a sickening snap echoed through the arena, as you broke Athena’s back and she went limp in your arms, dying.

-Your demonic form faded as she fell to the ground and you were gasping for air, exhausted from the battle, but you couldn’t help but smile, hearing the cheers for you as you had won the whole tournament.

-Zues approached you as you stood, as he had promised, if humanity won this final match, he would grant your wish, and you stunned everyone by smiling, “Bring everyone back.” Zeus was surprised, hearing your wish, but he couldn’t help but chuckle, “Perhaps you’re not a demon at all, Y/N.”

-You just turned, walking away from him as everyone was reforming, as you needed to get to the infirmary, “No- others were the ones who made me like this. But I will wear the crown if it fits.”

-Another god, who couldn’t believe that you defeated Athena, shouted at you, “You cheated- that power of yours isn’t fair!!” you looked up at him and he froze as two hands appeared and everyone around him froze as you grabbed his balls, crushing them, making all men around fear you, or at least fear insulting you- you were quite cruel when you wanted to be.

-Your words stunned many, hearing that you weren’t a cruel person, but others deemed you one, claiming you were evil, and you remember a time in your life when you were, doing vile things , but after you met your captain- no… your family, you only did bad things to protect them and yourself. They had given you a second chance when nobody else would, and you wouldn’t let anyone who didn’t earn it take it from you.

-You were resting in the infirmary when one of the nurses said you had a guest and you opened your eyes, curious as to who was coming and when Zerofuku walked in, you couldn’t help but smile softly, welcoming him.

-Immediately he was across the room, lunging into your arms, which made you giggle softly, hugging him close as he sniffled softly, “I’m so glad you’re okay!” when he pulled back, tears streaming down his face, you couldn’t help but smile softly, brushing the tears from his cheeks, “I’m okay now, Zerofuku.”

-He sniffled again, “Pinkie promise?” you just smiled, knowing the truth behind pinkie promises, showing your more morbid sense of humor as you showed him both of your pinkies, “Which one do you want if I’m lying?”

-He froze, realizing what you had just said before he started wailing loudly, hugging you around his neck as you giggled softly before you heard another knock at the door.

-(Love) walked in, giving you a slightly exasperated look, “Really Y/N- you know you shouldn’t joke about things like that.” Your hand hid your lips as you giggled softly, Zerofuku pulling back to rub at his eyes as (Love) came over, sitting on the opposite side before he wrapped his arms around you, sagging into your embrace, “I’m so glad you’re okay.” You smiled softly, lifting a hand to stroke at the back of his neck, “I decided long ago that nobody was going to kill me unless if they earned it the hard way.” (Love) couldn’t help but chuckle- he knew that you were strong, you wouldn’t go down easily as your two boys, your lover and your adopted son, both doted on you as you were still recovering.

            -Beelzebub, Hades, Hermes, Rudra, and Jack

-Immediately ran in and joined Zerofuku, hugging the both of you, crying loudly, “You’re okay!!” you couldn’t help but giggle, as he knew you were okay if you were making dark jokes like this, like normal. Seeing both of them crying crocodile tears, which did make you think of your old boss, Crocodile, crying, which was rather amusing to think about, you did try to calm them down, “You’re going to give yourself puffy eyes and cheeks- you’ll look just a like a couple of squirrels.” They both sniffled in unison, which you did think was adorable, a giggle rising out of you as you hugged them to you, happy that you won- you had them both in your arms again.

            -Loki, Buddha, Nikola, Ares, and Hercules

[itsbansheebitch]

More thoughts

I get both sides, but I feel a little confused they couldn't find four people in their +25 employees

Data analyst (Are you seriously telling me you couldn't personally email or even just HIRE matpat's team who do data analytics as part of Theorist Media to help??? The man would be overjoyed to help???)

Editor (Put the first $6 towards a can of coffee grounds, dude)

PR Team (Even, like, a single person, please, for the love of god)

Business Major (Or literally anyone that has taken a home ec/budgeting/personal finance class)

First, the Dish Granted series was started when gold leaf burgers were novel, now it's seen as tone deaf (for obvious reasons) it should have shifted to something like interviews with people who make that kind of food or local businesses (like parmesan cheese shops in Parma, Italy) or the history of food (like talking about the history of modern Native American slavery on Californian wine vinyards). Not to mention the untapped potential of Food Fraud topics. Either shift it, or scrap it. Any data analyst or chronically online person could tell you that.

Second, why did you keep "anyone can afford $6 a month" in? Are the editors asleep at the wheel? Are they overworked? What is going on? You know damn well to not make generalizations about what people can afford. That's NEVER a good idea, especially when you KNOW (because YT gives you analytics) that most of your viewers are young (16/18-30/35 range, I'd guess) who probably, either 1, are still in school and either arent paid well/dont have jobs OR 2, arent paid well and tired of people's shit, like people who own businesses talking about "tough financial decisions." To them, Watcher isn't going to look different from the other people talking like that, because this was so sudden, with no input from fans, and in the video you hear shit like "anyone can afford [X]." To be frank, it wouldn't really matter what the amount is, because that generalization goes against the message they have stood by for years. THAT is a slap in the face.

Third, what are yall doing with the budgeting? Every artist has a right to make art that they are proud of. Every artist deserves to have their work seen if they so choose. Every artist deserves to make a living. HOWEVER, there are MANY options online when it comes to making money, especially on YT. You could get into marketing, data analysis, expanding your demographic, looking at what people are interested in right now VS what will stand the test of time (not gold leaf burgers), etc.

You have to either have these skills, develop these skills, or hire someone to do it for you. It's understandable that you would want a team behind the production, but I find +25 employees to be WAY too many people, especially in LA. Bailey Sarian has a Dark History section on her YT (and Spotify podcast) where she has hired historians to help make sure her episodes are as accurate as possible. You've caught heat before from Puppet History's missing & incorrect info, you should do the same. She has about three (3) "intermissions" per episode for ad breaks. I never see anyone complain. People WOULD listen to yall talk for that long (+1 hour videos), tbh, though that's not necessary.

Why are yall out here with Teslas, expensive food, new gear, scripts (where there weren't scripts before, PH is different, that makes sense), and "better than TV" level sets??? I need to put your accountant in this week's church prayer list what the actual hell??? Ya'll, this video is literally the meme:

Guys help me budget:

LA Rent: 2K per month

Videos: 100K per vid

+25 Employees: God only knows

New stuff for videos: Don't get me started

Like, are you serious?

You have a right to do whatever you want with your art. You have a right to charge whatever you'd like for that art. You have a right to make a living from your art and you have a right to ask your fans for money.

Your fans have a right to be angry when they've been supporting yall for, what, almost 10 years? They have a right to choose when and where to spend their money even when you've made an impact. They have a right to feel betrayed, especially when there are better options (like Nebula or consulting with Theorist Media).

Fans DO NOT have a right to be racist to any members of Watcher, now that they have made a decision they do not agree with.

I personally, think this is a really silly decision and could have been solved (haha solved) with a simple YT poll, but apparently we had to get... this. I respect their decision, I just don't think it was a smart one. I wish them the best, and I hope they find a better solution. Any further comment from me will depend on what steps they take next.

[film-in-my-soul]

Cannon divergence- Buck/Eddie??

I hope you liked this one!

.⋆｡°✩ Eddie becomes a paramedic instead of a firefighter but his and Buck's paths still cross. ✩°｡⋆.

The worst part, Buck thinks, laying on the sidewalk struggling to breathe, is that he's not even on the clock. At least when the universe decides to hand him his ass on a silver platter, he's getting paid for it (if he ignores Abby, and Taylor, and Ali...). Still, it could be worse; Bobby can't get mad at him for getting sideswiped by a car pulling a kid out of the road.

Side on fire and wind still knocked out of him, Buck makes the choice to stay on his back. It's a decision based upon years of training and the fact he thinks he'll lose his breakfast if he tires getting upright. The people in his periphery are making a scene, calling for help, but none of them are actively checking on him, and he's too focused on breathing to hear what they're saying or care. 

Just when Buck thinks of closing his eyes and passing out until an ambulance arrives, a small hand lands clumsily on his non-screaming shoulder, and his attention is forced to shift, eyes sliding unbidden to the side.

A tear-stained face, messy honey-brown curls, skewed glasses. It's the kid Buck had seen tipping sideways into the busy street, his crutches catching in a half-hidden crack in the pavement, sending him topping over. Buck does his best to smile around his grimace.

"Hey buddy," he hopes there's no blood on his teeth. He hopes he's not bleeding at all.

"I'm sorry," the kid says, light eyes wet and redrimmed, his bottom lip trembling hard. He's patting Buck like a cat that needs to be soothed. It twists up Buck's heart, and he wishes he could sit up to comfort him, show that, really, this isn't the worst he's been put through the wringer, but he can't. Buck does try to shrug, though, and bolstered by the need to not be the reason the boy cries even harder, he manages a better grin.

"Hey, don't be. It's not your fault-"

"Chris!" Much louder than the crowd still hanging around the edges, a voice breaks over the murmurs, and Buck feels the kid's (Chris's, he's sure) hand squeeze him hard.

"Daddy!" Chris calls back, and Buck watches from his position on the ground as, at first, a shadow falls over both him and the boy, and then a man comes into view, kneeling over Buck, but whose every bit of focus is on Chris.

"Christ, Mijo, what the hel- what happened?"

"Dad, you gotta help him. He got hurt pulling me away from the car. You gotta-"

They're talking over each other, and Buck feels as in the middle as he is, but the awkwardness is quickly swiped away when Chris's father tips his head down, blocking out the midday sun, and Buck is hit full force by how beautiful the man is. Soft brown eyes edged with the tease of crow's feet and smile lines, thick dark brows to match his swept-back hair, and the promise of stubble at the edge of his jaw. Buck is struck with an immediate attraction so powerful it rivals the impact from the Tesla that he's pretty sure sped away from the scene.

"-ir, sir, can you hear me?"

Buck blinks back into the moment, nods, and immediately regrets it.

"Oh shit, don't do that, okay, you need to keep yourself still until the paramedics arrive."

"No, I-" Buck swallows, trying to clear his suddenly tight through, "I know. Firefighter." He'd point to himself, but Chris is still clinging to his undamaged arm, and the idea of shifting just to make it clear he's not delirious is both daunting and directly in opposition to his claim of knowing better.

The man smiles, and it's devastating how it brightens every corner of his face.

"Good to know. Someone's called 9-1-1, so I'm going to make sure you're alright until the ambulance gets here. I'm a paramedic." He tacks on the last bit like an afterthought, like he should make it clear that the gently probing hand suddenly on Buck's flank isn't for nefarious purposes.

"You sure you're not an angel?" It slips out, easy like breathing still isn't, and Buck can't find it in himself to be cowed at having said it.

The man, whose gaze had slid down to watch as his fingers worked, snaps his eyes back to Buck's face, expression wide with surprise, and Buck hears a soft giggle from Chris.

"Uh, no," he says, a satisfying splash of color coming onto his cheeks, "Just Eddie the paramedic."

Eddie. It fits. Buck likes it. He also likes how Eddie's clearly trying to tuck his bashful smile away and get back to the task of ensuring that Buck isn't bleeding internally.

"Coulda fooled me," Buck can't help himself, rewarded again by Chris's laughter, finally done with crying, it seems, and Eddie's soft chuckle and headshake. He flusters easily, and Buck can't help imagining pushing his luck just to see how much he can get the rosy color to spread over his tan complexion.

He doesn't get the chance, and before Eddie can reply, the sound of the ambulance is there, and then two paramedics descend upon them, one going to squat beside Eddie.

"Diaz, thought you were off duty today."

Eddie rolls his eyes, and Buck wants to comment that, really, are civil servants ever off duty? But then the other paramedic waves a penlight in his eyes and starts asking him questions, carefully dislodging Chris from his place by Buck's shoulder so she can get a collar around Buck's neck.

When they leave and return with the stretcher, Eddie helps load Buck on, and Chris fists his hand in Buck's shirt when they try to wheel him toward the flashing vehicle.

"Chris, we have to let them take Buck to the hospital," Eddie says, coming around to his son's side. Buck smiles, something twinging in his chest that has nothing to do with being jostled forward. He opens his mouth to assure Chris he'll be okay, that as long as Chris is fine, it's all good, but Chris beats him to it as he turns his face up to his father and asks, "But can't we go with him?"

The request floors Buck, and it seems to leave Eddie equally stumped. Chris uses the opportunity to continue.

"It's my fault he's hurt. I want to make sure he gets to the hospital okay."

Something flashes in Eddie's eyes, something that implies a story underlining Chris's words. If he could, Buck would wheel himself into the ambulance and away from what probably needs to be a private conversation. He can't, though, so he sits silent, trying to communicate to Eddie with his eyes that, really, they've already done enough, Chris with his getting Buck's help and Eddie putting up Buck's brazen flirting.

The female paramedic at the head of the stretcher, amused and unhelpfully, adds, "We've got the room."

Between that and Chris's blatantly pleading pout, Buck watches Eddie sigh and momentarily hang his head before he looks back to Buck, smiling small and crooked.

"Only if you don't mind the company. It would... it would mean a lot to him."

Buck wonders if he plays his cards right; he might be able to get that 'him' to become 'us.' He smiles.

"The more the merrier."

Ficlet Bingo! (Still Squares Left!)

[girlactionfigure]

🔘 Wednesday - ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

▪️HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT - HAMAS COMMITTED A SYSTEMATIC ASSAULT AGAINST CIVILIANS.. The report condemned what the rights organization said were various war crimes and crimes against humanity, including “deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilians,” the use of civilians as human shields, and cruel and inhumane treatment, finding Hamas complicit with Oct. 7 war crimes. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/17/october-7-crimes-against-humanity-war-crimes-hamas-led-groups

.. HAMAS - NO WE DIDN’T.. “We reject the lies contained in the Human Rights Watch report, the blatant bias for Israel and the lack of professionalism and credibility, and demand they withdraw it and apologize for it.​​​​“

▪️HEZBOLLAH THREATENS.. “The first step will be the launch of about 10,000 thousand missiles to military targets as far as south Israel. The second stage the Air Force is disabled. The third stage is a ground invasion towards settlements near the fence, killing and taking hostages.”

▪️HEZBOLLAH LEADER SAYS.. “fighting is a custom and honor (for us) martyrdom (is) from god."

▪️SMUGGLING TUNNELS.. The IDF believes it will take many more months to complete the search for Hamas's cross-border smuggling tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border. So far, around 25 tunnels have been located. Combat engineers are currently meticulously sweeping the entire Gaza-Egypt border area in Rafah, while expanding the Philadelphi border corridor by demolishing structures within about 800 meters of the border.

▪️SICK CRIME & RUMORS.. a mother killed her young son yesterday in some kind of mental break. Rumors immediately swirled that the mother was a survivor of the Oct. 7 massacre. Bituach Leumi: this is untrue.

▪️SOCIETAL CONFLICT.. Last night a bus of soldiers returning from Gaza was, weirdly, diverted through Meah Shearim, the most ultra of ultra-orthodox neighborhoods in Israel. On seeing a bus of soldiers, the locals began to harass and pelt the bus - perhaps assuming they are coming to haul them away to the army.

▪️PROTEST - ANTI-ATTORNEY GENERAL.. Activists of the "If You Want" movement came this morning to demonstrate in front of the home of the Legal Adviser to the Government, Gali Beharev-Mara, in protest of the normalization of violations of public order.

▪️WHY NOT MORE ULTRA-ORTHODOX CONSCRIPTIONS? Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Knesset members ask why the IDF doesn’t issue conscription orders to all yeshivas students of age? The IDF replies: "The conscription bureau doesn't know how to take in more." (( The IDF for years avoiding creating programs for this segment of society. ))

▪️NO CYBERTRUCKS FOR ISRAEL? The Ministry of Transport forbids Tesla's Cybertruck, to be tested or driven on Israeli roads. The amazing reason - the vehicle is (lightly) bulletproof. In Israel, a special permit is required to import a bulletproof vehicle, and the Cybertruck did not receive such a permit.

⭕ OVER 80 ROCKETS FIRED BY HEZBOLLAH towards Mt. Meron and surrounding areas last night, another 15+ FIRED AT NAHARIYA area.

♦️COUNTER-TERROR OPS - JENIN.. Arab channels show apparent special forces operating in Jenin with firefights.

♦️COUNTER-TERROR OPS - KALKILYA.. Firefight.

♦️SIGNIFICANT TARGETED AIRSTRIKES in CENTRAL GAZA overnight.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Credit: pixiv.net/artworks/70581957

Motherfucker.

Hajime is Dr. Romani. This is going to connect with Izuru later. But still, of course Hajime is one of the dealy beloved human characters of Fgo.

Chiaki is Frankenstein's Monster (call her Fran). She looks great and all but besides the love of electricity and childlike mannerisms, not sure Chiaki fits Fran's animal like berserkness and tragic need for love.

Mahiru is Boudica. I can say for certainty this is solely due to Red hair and mother like qualities. Pretty sure we shouldn't compare Mahiru to someone whose entire purpose in Fgo is being that meme person who really hates the Roman Empire (ironically the founder of Rome is her best partner in battle), has big boobs, has a terrible skillset in battle, and is defined by her backstory of losing the war against the Roman Empire and had to watch her daughters be relentlessly raped by them before most likely being forced to join them which lead to her falling into despair and killing herself.

Ibuki is Nobunaga. This is solely cuz of the amount of fourth wall breaking chibi style comedic relief and crazy hijinks. (Nobu Nobu Nobu? Nobu Nobu Nobu Nobu Nobu! Nobu? Nobu Nobu! Nobu...)

Mikan is Skadi. I have no idea why. What does shy and clumsy as fuck Mikan have in common with a wise nordic giantess with insecurities about being single and unmarried?

Hiyoko is BB. BB and Hiyoko might both be detestable trollish pieces of shit who keep fucking people over and getting away with it, but comparing Hiyoko to essentially AI Junko Enoshima on crack is a bit too far.

Kazuichi is Nikola Tesla. Electricity. Master Inventor. Eccentric mofo. I approve.

Sonia is Marie Antoinette. Princess/Queen like character. I can see that. (Tho we should also try to look out for Marie Alter cuz that bitch is crazy as fuck and wants everyone to experience how it felt when the guillotine beheaded her). Tho Sonia wishes she was as much a cinnamon roll as Marie.

Gundham is Ozymandias/Rameses II. Boisterous mofos collide. I approve. (Sidenote: Ozy is voiced by Dio. KONO OZY DA!!!)

Izuru is of course Dr. Roman's true identity as King Solomon, King and Progenitor of All Magic. All magic apparently stems from him, motherfuckers. All hail the character we will never get and wish he would come back.

Nagito is Edmund Dantes. Only cuz of Memes based on similar looks. Nagito has nothing on Dantes's year long pursuit for revenge. Tho I guess they both were "saved" by the woman they loved most in the world.

Twogami is Julius Caesar. Only cuz they are chubby charismatic likeable people.

Peko is Tomoe. FUCK YEAH I APPROVE. Peko would totally be Tomoe. Why do you think I made Tomoe her Persona in my headcanon. It fits her SO MUCH TO A T.

Fuyuhiko is Rama. Why? What does Fuyu have in common with a guy who kills demon kings with an army of monkeys cuz they stole his wife yet was also cursed to die whenever him and his wife would ever meet? (Poor Rama in fgo, all he wants is to be with his wife again but destiny keeps screwing him over by killing him seconds before his wife reaches where he is).

Nekomaru is Iskandar/Alexander the Great. Solely due to being super muscular likeable badass motivators of living a great life. Nekomaru clearly doesn't want to conquer lands and rule the world.

Akane is Francis Drake. Only cuz of giant cleavage window alone. Akane ain't no pirate queen with literal flying sea ships with giant laser cannons.

And Teruteru is Fergus. Only because both of them are a super perverts with mindsets primarily filled only about banging women and having sex. Teru is no ripped Chad with a drill sword that shoots rainbow lasers from the ground. (Sidenote: Fergus's drill sword, Caladbolg, translates to "Hard Blade". Yes it's a dick joke.")

//I mean they look good?

-Mod

[tomorrowusa]

Corporations pay their CEOs extravagantly while trying to cheat on taxes.

It would be one thing if, alongside the exorbitant executive pay, the quality of American CEO-ing was going up. But these executives are making off with bigger bags of boodle despite their persistent incompetence: Media executives keep running their businesses into the ground, tech firms are laying people off because of vibes, the planes keep nearly crashing, and examples of insane eye-popping greed—like Rite-Aid’s decision to claw back severance paid out to laid-off workers on the same day they handed their CEO a $20 million bonus—keep on coming. So it may come as no surprise that there’s a robust connection between the overindulged CEOs and the firms that are most flagrantly dodging their fair share of taxes. For a report released Wednesday, the Institute for Policy Studies teamed up with Americans for Tax Fairness to spelunk into the balance sheets at some of America’s best-known tax scofflaws between 2018 and 2022. What they found was pretty consistent: The firms took home high profits and lavished their top executives with exorbitant pay, all while stiffing Uncle Sam. The excess is stunning. “For over half (35) of these corporations,” the study reports, “their payouts to top corporate brass over that entire span exceeded their net tax payments.” An additional 29 firms managed this feat for “at least two of the five years in the study period.” Eighteen firms paid a grand total of zero dollars during that five-year span, 17 of which were given tax refunds. All in all, the 64 companies in the report “posted cumulative pre-tax domestic profits of $657 billion” during the study period, but “paid an average effective federal tax rate of just 2.8 percent (the statutory rate is 21 percent) while paying their executives over $15 billion.” Which firms are the worst of the worst? You can probably guess the company that tops the list because it’s the one run by The New Republic’s 2023 Scoundrel of the Year. During the five years of the study, Tesla took home $4.4 billion in profits as CEO Elon Musk carted off $2.28 billion in stock options, which, since his 2018 payday, have ballooned to nearly $56 billion—a compensation plan so outlandish that the Delaware Court of Chancery canceled it. Tesla has, during that same period of time, paid an effective tax rate of zero percent through a combination of carrying forward losses from unprofitable years and good old-fashioned offshore tax dodging.

Elon Musk is either the world's richest or second richest person. But he still wants more. Give him credit for pathological greed.

In all fairness, Musk is not alone when it comes to enriching himself while screwing workers.

What sort of innovations have these CEOs wrought from this well-remunerated period? T-Mobile’s Mike Sievert presided over the Sprint merger that led to $23.6 million in stock buybacks and 5,000 layoffs. Netflix’s Reed Hastings poured $15 billion in profit into jacking up subscription rates. Nextera Energy has devoted $10 million in dark money in a “ghost candidate scheme” to thwart climate change candidates. Darden Restaurants has been fighting efforts to raise the minimum wage. Metlife has been diverting government money meant to fund low-cost housing into other, unrelated buckraking ventures. And some First Energy executives from the study period are embroiled in a corruption scandal that’s so massive that even Musk might find it to be beyond the pale.

These oligarchs are going to spend lavishly to elect Republicans who would give them even bigger tax breaks.

Fortunately, they can't literally buy votes. If we return to old school grassroots precinct work then we can thwart the MAGA Republican puppets of billionaire oligarchs.

One to one contact is a more important factor than TV or online ads in convincing people to vote your way. It takes more effort, but democracy was not built by slacktivism in the first place.

[trucetale]

And here you have the Tragic Comedy twin Sunrise. Like Sunset, Sunrise is Gaster coded but not him. Sunrise is another special case of don’t believe his facial expressions. He isn’t sad or pitying you, he’s actually happy. He can get so happy he starts to cry tears of joy.

Sunrise is very dedicated to the Church of Mages but he isn’t as adamant about the laws set for the Kingdom and its inhabitants as he believes that everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance. He has a little special ability that he shares with his twin where they can predict an outcome of a path someone chooses but he himself will state the positive of said path all while sounding sad and heartbroken, hence the tragic comedy title given to him. He can be brought to tears at your good fortune and how blessed you are, to the point he breaks down sobbing for even for finding change on the ground.

When Sunrise actually get angry his frown turns into a smile. At this point he too is also extremely dangerous to be around as he emits energy similar to his brother, both of which if you were to get near it would be like getting near a Tesla coil.

Sunset and Sunrise are known throughout the entire Cursed Eclipse Path as the true rulers, even by the kings who rule the different districts. They are known to be the longest living demon class monsters that lived alongside the last original cursed monster who told them the story of how their lives were forever changed. Sunset saw this change as a cleanse the mages did and praised them for getting rid of the filth that were the humans. Sunrise saw these changes as an opportunity to better the humans thinking that they could be more than their weak and pitiful selves.

Both Sunrise and Sunset studied the curse the mages used and created a new curse. A curse that requires the sacrifice of a soul. It is said that the children in their family’s care are the lost children that wondered into the cursed eclipse path, while Sunrise and Sunset both had pity on them it was for two different reasons.

[drnikolatesla]

Nikola Tesla Produced Ball Lightning In His Experiments At Colorado Springs

After describing some photographs of his laboratory in his Colorado Springs Notes, Nikola Tesla gave commentary on certain photographs explaining some transformations of the streamers. He mentions the splitting of streamers near the floor, splitting and reuniting, the phenomenon of luminous parts on the streamers (which he then refers to as sparks, or even arcs), and the breaking up of sparks into streamers and, what he called "fireballs." Today these fireballs are called "Ball Lightning." His remarks concerning the genesis of ball lightning are incredibly interesting. This phenomenon has been a source of interest since ancient times. Researching the topic, one can find references that can be found on Etrurian monuments, in the works of Aristotle, Lucretius and other old sources. Ball lightning is considered to be a form of electrical discharge generated during thunderstorms. They are rare in nature, and are still an unexplained phenomenon even today. Some hypotheses hold that ball lightning is an optical illusion similar to when one gets hit on the head and sees stars (an opinion shared by Tesla until he produced them himself), and with others that they are the traces of meteors. The first genuine scientific approach to the problem was Francois Arago's analysis of some twenty reports of ball lightning in 1838. After the publication of his work they became a legitimate subject of scientific interest, but to this day have remained something of an enigma.

A ball lightning is a luminous sphere occurring during a thunderstorm. According to witnesses, they are usually red, but other colors have also been observed: yellow, green, white and blue. Their dimensions vary, and unlike ordinary lightning, they move slowly, almost parallel to the ground. They sometimes stop and change their direction of motion, and can last for up to 5 seconds. Apparently, their properties vary greatly from different observations so it is believed that there are various types. As of today, no single theory has been able to explain the occurrence of ball lightning in nature, and despite numerous attempts, only a few types of ball lightning have been created, and not entirely successfully, in laboratories around the world.

Tesla's hypothesis on the origin and maintenance of ball lightning includes some points which can also be found in the most recent theories, but it also bears the stamp of the time. For instance, in his Colorado Springs Notes while noting some of his experiments, Tesla considers that the initial energy of the nucleus is not sufficient to maintain the ball, but that there must be an external source of energy. According to Tesla, this energy comes from other lightnings passing through the nucleus, and the concentration of energy occurs because of the resistance of the nucleus, i.e. the greater energy-absorbing capacity of the rarefied gas than the surrounding gas through which the discharge passes. In nature the probability of other discharges passing through the nucleus of a ball lightning is small, so according to other researchers, Pyotr Kapista's (a soviet physicist) hypothesis that they act via electromagnetic standing waves is most logical. It is possible that in Tesla’s experiments the "passage" of a number of later discharges through the same nucleus was more frequent.

All in all, Tesla's work is a revolutionary one and should be studied. His laboratory experiments and his creation of the ball lightning on numerous occasions is far beyond time. Most definitely a scientist ahead of his time.

[slifarianhawk]

Chapter 30: shots fired

I walked into Gales's training room clapping, "Not bad for the first spar in years between my best student and my greatest treasure."

I walked over proceeding to lift Albert off of Gale. He seemed lighter than normal, maybe the angelis virus was still active. Albert looked quite sternly at me and sighed.

"You should be resting my dearheart," Albert said leaning against me, holding my hand, and caressing my cheek.

"Get a room you two," Gale said walking out into the vehicle bay.

That was when the comms alert went off, "Nighthawk to Galeforce and Phoenix, agent Archer is down shot fired from tree line of the quarantine area." I snarled and my eyes flared bright freezing blue.

Gale looked back at me with a worried expression, "You OK, T?"

"Gods, why can I not catch a FUCKING BREAK TODAY?!?!?" I shouted sprinting up to my office, grabbing my bow, arrows, and black wakizashi. With my samurai edge on my side, I raced back down to the vehicle bay.

"Come on we're running it'll be quieter than the ATVs or bikes," Gale said exiting the vehicle bay to the outside.

"I will come with as much as Tabitha's assistant has grown on me I feel I should be there. " Albert said following Gale grabbing his trench coat from the training room and rushing to catch up with Gale. I was right behind him popping a viral activator pill. I felt my body's energy surge.

"Let's go." I took off towards the quarantine zone. I was screaming in my mind for being so careless. I activated my comm collar and called up Lupo.

"What do you need Tabitha?" Karena asked worried, "I heard the earlier transmission. We can mobilize if needed."

"No I need you to bring the medical transport to the quarantine zone," I said speeding ahead of Albert. There was electricity in my step and worry as well.

Shortly we saw Nighthawk and Arjuna lying on the ground.

"G....get down" Nighthawk coughed holding Archer up against his chest. Archer was shot in his lower abdomen. A tampon was haphazardly shoved into the wound.

I got low and pulled out my bow. The eighty-five draw weight was difficult but worth it. Notching my arrow I noticed the smell of gunpowder and a slight flash in the corner of my eye, "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" I ordered as a bullet whizzing past me struck Gale in the shoulder.

"FUCK!" Gale shouted falling to his knees.

I quickly let my arrow fly striking the tree where the shot came from.

I quickly switched from my bow to my wakizashi and quickly charged the tesla coil so I could have a stunning blade. Albert grabbed my hand but with a quick jolt, I dashed towards the tree line.

"TABITHA! GET BACK!!" Albert yelled and I jumped back as a bullet lodged itself in the ground.

"Phoenix Corps. more like special needs Corps." A voice said over the comm link.

I picked up the bullet and fear pooled in my stomach, the way it was shattered indicated it was a hollow-tipped round. Another shot rang out this one grazed Gale's cheek the bullet shattering on contact barely missing his eye. He fell back

"Damn, I missed again." The voice coming through the comms said.

"Come out you coward!" I shouted.

The next thing I knew an explosion ripped through the trees and I saw a cloaked figure running back toward the old Umbrella base.

I'm going to find this bastard and make him pay dearly for harming Arjuna and Gale. I stopped in my tracks, Juna! I didn't hear a mag change he must have been shot with the hollow-tipped rounds as well.

"ARJUNA! GALE!" I ran back to them, Nighthawk clutching Archer in his arms crying.

"No please No, not my Juna," I said falling next to Archer his breathing was ragged, and blood was pouring from the tampon that Nighthawk used to plug the wound. I unattached my med kit and grabbed a few cans of first aid spray. I tossed one to Gale while I removed the object that was plugging Archer's wound.

"I'm sorry June. I'll be faster next time." I sprayed his wound and watched as it slowly closed.

"Ugh, Tabitha? What happened?" Archer said waking up.

"You rest Juna. Lupo is en route with the medical transport. You were shot with a hollow point in your lower abdomen I don't think it's fatal. It's still a serious injury though." I said worried as Lupo arrived.

"You get going boss I'll get these two into medical quickly." She said pulling out a stretcher.

"Gale, load up with Archer you both need to be seen and have those bullet fragments dislodged from ya'lls bodies, " I ordered.

"Got it, boss lady," Gale said hopping in the transport.

I walked over to Nighthawk and handed him my bow and arrows. I would barely be able to see in the forest or even worse the umbrella facility.

"Someone who dares harm my assets before I even have a chance to test them," Albert growled.

"Let's go, I have a bad feeling about this," I said holstering my Beretta and sprinting toward where the figure ran off.

"Tabitha wait!" Wesker shouted taking after me.

I slid down the hill and I was right. Just what I was afraid of, the umbrella facility was in my sights. I slid and stopped right *in front of the base. Albert ran up behind me and stood in front of me.

"What has gotten into you dearheart? You have never been the one to charge in not thinking of the outcome. That is more of your brother's thing."

"I'm scared, my love. Gale and Arjuna are my closest friends. I feel like this is my fault in some way." I sighed and slid through the broken-down doorway.

"That man was certainly after Chambers. We will track him down and get some answers for you." Albert said kicking down the broken-apart rubble.

"Then let's proceed with caution this place is," I got cut off by cement falling from the ceiling," falling apart..."

"Just be careful my lotus," Albert said

"I will Wesk," I said stepping forward, and like clockwork, I fell through a hole in the floor.

Hi there sorry for the short chapter but it will be worth it for the chapters that are coming up happy Halloween my name is Silfarianhawk and I'm not so far away

[spectral-coyote]

EVERY EDISON MENTION EVER

In RIP (Tesla) entries. any mention of Edison coming directly from Tesla as a ghost is of dubious quality of character.

However there is no reason to assume the flashback scenes are not accurate.

intended as a dialogue / characterization, reference / catalogue

================================================

First mentioned in Entry 2 while Tesla is breaking light bulbs in the mansion

( Page 4 Lower right )

T: "YOU HEAR THAT EDISON?!?! PEOPLE THINK I'M SMART AND COOL AND I DID AMOUNT TO SOMETHING!!!"

================================================

First appears in Entry 4 on a technicality

( Page 17 Lower left ) Appears in thought bubble flashback,

playing keep away with Tesla's Glasses.

================================================

Debuts in Entry 5 in flashbacks.

( Page 1 Top left )

T: "Father, I am still unsure of this place... I don't know if studying here is what's best for my future." F: "Nonsense. You're fortunate to attend such a university. That Edison boy goes here, remember? He's turning out to be a well mannered young man!" T: "Yes, yes... I know you're very proud of him, Father"

( Page 5 All )

E: "Fell asleep in anatomy again, eh old friend? I can't believe you still think you're cut out for the sciences." T: "I'd be able to stay awake if I didn't have to work on all this law stuff too."

E: "Oh yes, the whole "double life" you lead to keep your old man in the dark. What do you even hope to accomplish?" T: "Well... maybe he'll change his mind if he sees what I can do with it." E: "And you'll tell him about all this... when exactly?" T: "I dunno, I'll figure it out"

E: "Well, look at the bright side (hehe), instead of being good at one thing, you can be mediocre at two things"

(bink)

E: "STOP IT!!!" (pff)

( Page 6 All ) no speaking lines, does pay attention to this interaction. ( transcript )

T: "Whats going on over there..."

T: "Is... everything alright, sir?" 1: "OI! Lad! Stay the fuck back, ya hear? Don't need ya bloody students ruinin my investagation!"

T: "Is... is that the groundskeeper?" 1: "Aye. The scoundrel fell from the roof. Drunken, if ya ask me"

T: "Did anyone see what happened? Was he pushed off?" 1: "Nobody fokin saw anything! Now let us professionals handl it, capiche?" 2: "Stay out of trouble, young man Don't want ta join him in the ground, do ya?"

( Page 7 Top left ) E: "Well, What a waste, I suppose." "Cmon Tesla" "Tesla" "Teslaaaaaa"

================================================

Is mentioned negatively by Tesla in Entry 7

( Page 9 Top left and right )

T: "And the next day in zoology, that TERROR Edison dropped a wet rat kidney down the back of my shirt!!!" R: "You don't wear a shirt-" T: "That FIEND had me scrambling around like a maniac! Made a FOOL out of me in front of my whole class!"

T: "AND DID ANYONE BELIEVE ME?! NOOOOOOO" T:"Our beloved little Edison is a SAINT. He's a PRODIGY. He'd never do anything wrong! Edison's set to be the next ARCHIMEDES, YA HEAR ME?! I CAN!!! I CAN DR BELL!!!!"

================================================

Entry 10 Appears in flashbacks and mentions

( Page 1 All )

E: "Coppers still out there?" E: "Can't believe some chump would steal a whole body. What's to gain from that anyway?"

E: "Planck saw them this morning. Says it was ol' Rag." E: "Yknow, the groundskeeper?" E: "I'M thinks it's whoever shoved him" E: "Maybe covering their tracks?" E: "What say you, Tez?"

E: "TESLA." T: "'UWAHGHHG"

( Page 2 All )

E: "Hmm, just looks kinda scuffed." E: "Nothing too serious. You're lucky you didn't crack."

T: "This is stupid, I didn't fall that hard." E: "What can I say? Clumsiness and glass bodies don't mix. Just ask my 1000 older brothers. Don't think a single one of them avoided a flaw." T: "Except you." E: "Except me~"

E: "Some people just have to work harder in life. To take care of themself. To succeed To be recognized." T: "You don't seem to be working hard."

E: "Oh? Have you forgotten the effort I put into putting up with you?" T: "Knock it off"

( Page 3 Top left )

T: "AGGGgfHGGGH-GHHJSGSH" T: "ED-ED-ED-ED-"

( Page 10 All )

( Page 11 All )

( Page 17 Bottom right )

F: "UGH You really are so flippant and undisciplined!" F: "You should be more like that Edison boy!" F: "He's diligent! Working towards a useful career in science like his father! Not just shocking rats for the hell of it." F: "Stick to your proper studies, boy."

( Page 25 All )

E: "Ohhh Tesla~" E: "Guess who was picked up for mentoring my Dr. Bell~" E: "Me." E: "Obviously"

E: "I was expec-"

E: "Things... will get better someday..."

( Page 28 All )

EDISON 1880 - 1962 inventor, innovator, bringer of light in a dark world

T: "Oh..." T: "He's dead now" R: "Who's this pikmin looking fuck?"

R: "Edison. That's the big tech company, isn't it?" T: "I suppose I always assumed would be by now but." T: "Huh."

( Page 29 All )

T: "GWAAAHHAAHAGAHAG" T: "WHO'S SO PERFECT NOW HUH?!?!?!" (CRACK)

T: "ALL THAT TIME BEIN LAZY IN THE GROUND HUH???? SLACKING OFF?!?! WELL I'VE BEEN WORKING!!!! I'VE DONE SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU EVER COULD !!!!"

T: "WHEN I'M BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE, I'M GONNA REVIVE YOU FIRST!!!!!" T: "THAT WAY YOU'LL SEE HOW MUCH IVE SURPASSED YOU!!!!!!"

R: (Hot damn...) T: "Gehhehhh,,, ehhhehhh,,,"

================================================

Entry 11 Google search Edison speech + Offhanded Tesla mention

( Page 1 All )

Conspircy Google: [tesla scientist] [search] [dont search]

INTERVIEW WITH RENOWNED SCIENTIST EDISON ABOUT MISTAKES AND FAILURES WILL INSPIRE YOU "Failure is not an end. It never should be seen as a finality. By failing, you learn what doesn't work. You must keep that mindset, for no inventor succeeds without learning first the wrong way to do so. Without this mindset, you only fail yourself. You'll always do wrong in your eyes. I've personally witnessed how it destroys someone. I've seen good friends become their own worst enemy. A colleague of mine... [LINK]

C: "Goddammit"

C: "Yeah yeah, biased filtered search engine company. your founder really is an amazing fantastic guy." C: "But I need to know about TESLA. Yknow? The mad scientist ghost that's beat the shit out of me twice?"

C: All readings I've gotten indicate they're a proper post mortem manifestation. C: If i can find out who they were when they were alive, I might know how to stop them!"

Conspircy Google: [tesla 1900s -edison] [search] []

C: "That's them! They were a student at the university before the science department shut down!"

C: "They must've been involved with it... This lack of info may be a coverup of some kind!"

( Page 15 Lower left )

T: GodAMMIT That richy pants stuck up snob just has to keep doing things better than me like having money!!!! ( fuck you, Tezzy~ )

================================================

Alluded to in Entry 13

( Page 11 Top left ( Part 1 ) ) RESTRICTED EDISON CORP

================================================

Entry 14 mentioned

( Page 19 Lower right )

PNC: "HEY TESLA, THAT EDISON GUY WAS BETTER THAN YOU"

================================================

Entry 15 Appears in Tesla's memory

( Page 8 All )

T: "See, I really think there's potential here! I don't know why I can't reproduce these results with just any old electricity, but there's been physical responses!"

DDS: "YO TESLA WAKE THE FUCK UP," E: "Oh Tesla, ANYONE can stimulate muscles with electricity" T: It's not like that! I really think it's life! Even for brief moments there seems to be... recollection!"

Rain: "They're stuck in the memory" Parade: "Silly boy"

E: "These are just rats Tesla, It's not like you could bring back the complexity of a PERSON'S brain" T: "AHAH, well we wouldn't know without testing on a person! Which we can't do and hasn't happened at all"

( Page 9 Top ) T: "Maybe Edison is right... after all, there's NO way I could test on people long term! Surely people would notice more bodies disappearing from the morgue But there's no way I could get permission to work with cadavers"

================================================

Entry 16 Mentioned and shown in Tesla story time "flashbacks"

( Page 9 Lower right )

P: "Awww you never celebrated your birthday???? We can celebrate all of them now!! But we would need many candles. Many many many many-" T: "No! It just wasn't something my family did! Except for my older brother's birthday. but I barely knew him. And I think my father sent Edison money for his, but-"

( Page 12 Top left )

E: "Tesla! Your old man is here!"

( Page 14 Lower two )

================================================

Entry 16 (Secret) Flashback. vaguely implied to be a missing memory from Tesla, however this one is reliable.

Panel limit killed me but read this one its the Edison one he is in ALL OF THE PANELS

( Transcribed for fun/ref)

( Page 1 )

(CREAKKK) E: "Tesla?"

E: "Tesla. This lab is off limits" E: "Why are you up here so..." ( Page 2 )

E: "..." E: "What have you done?"

T: "Hey! Hey hey!" T: "It's alright! Really! They- they're going to be okay!"

E: "They're DEAD Tesla... Oh my god, all these people are dead..." T: "JUST FOR NOW!!! Once my research is complete they'll all be brought back!"

E: "Do you think this is a game or something?! You KILLED these people!" T: "Only some of them!" E: "And for what? A wild dream? You can't bring people back from the dead!"

( Page 3 )

T: "But I WILL bring them back!!! Do you HONESTLY think I would do something like this if I wasn't SURE it would work?!?! How irresponsible do you think I am?!"

T: "I admit!!! I was on the wrong track before!" T: "Working with RATS, what a waste of time!" T: "I ALREADY KNEW attempting to revive people got some sort of results!" T: "I just needed more subjects! To rule out time of death as a factor!" T: "I just need to find the PRECISE voltage!"

T: "Here! Here1 I'll prove it to you! Watch this! I can bring them back, even just partially!" E: "TESLA!"

E: "You're not WELL, Tesla" E: "We need to get you help"

( Page 4 )

T: "You think I'm crazy?!" E: "No! I think you're under a lot of pressure!" E: "Whatever you're feeling, it doesn't make THIS worth it" E: "Just calm down and come with me"

T: "Y... you just have to be BETTER than me, huh?!?!" T: "You can't STAND the idea that I might be on the verge of something GREAT!" T: "Suddenly our little prodigy the light of our future..." T: "Suddenly HE'S playing second fiddle to someone who can REVERSE DEATH ITSELF!!!"

E: "THIS ISN'T ABOUT PRIDE, TESLA!!!" T: "IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN WITH YOU!!!" T: "SOME LIGHT YOU ARE!!! YOU'VE DONE NOTHING BUT CAST A CONSTANT SHADOW OVER MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS"

T: "And the worst part of it all!!!! You ALWAYS pretended to be my friend!!!!! It feels great, doesn't it?!?! Showing the failure you grind under your own heel PITY!!!"

( Page 5 )

E: "TESLA! GET OFF OF ME" T: "YOU CAN'T TELL ANYONE OF THIS!!!! YOU CAN'T RUIN MY RESEARCH!!!!!"

E: "YOU NEED HELP, TESLA!!!" E: "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU KEEP DOING THIS!!!"

E: "YOURE GOING TO RUIN YOUR LIFE!!!"

( Page 6)

T: "IT'S MY LIFE TO RUIN!!!!!!!!"

(CRACK)

(other panels wordless)

================================================

Entry 17

( Page 1 Top left ) ( & Laptop logo )

( Page 2 Top left )

================================================

Entry 18

( Panel 6 Part 1 All ) ( Classified dialogue omitted for clarity, not important to Edison)

T: "Gentlemen, I am pleased to announce the legal work regarding our renovations is dealt with, and we'll be beginning construction here rather soon!"

T: "Our majority shareholder for the last century, Edison Corp, has staunchly refused the reopening of these facilities on account of their late founder discovering these labs were being used for ""an absolutely frightful purpose.""

T: "Said purpose he claimed was making a makeshift tango dance studio. Supposedly he was really against it for some reason I guess."

T: "But this year the company has finally sold their shares, giving us complete agency over the use of the building"

================================================

[sims4cars-breezemotors]

“EV or more…”

2020 Byton M-Byte Concept 🇨🇳

Designed in Germany, engineered in Silicon Valley, and manufactured in China, Byton's first model—the M-Byte SUV—is a truly global effort that the upstart automaker hopes will make a splash in the premium EV marketplace. Similar in size to compact luxury SUVs such as the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-class, the M-Byte adds a competitive all-electric driving range and ground-breaking interior technology in the form of an absolutely massive 48-inch curved infotainment display that stretches nearly the entirety of the SUV's dashboard. As with key EV rival Tesla, Byton's sales pitch includes heavy mentions of self-driving features.

Available exclusively for “No Limits” and “All Inclusive” tiers this September. Since November 1’st. Available for All Inclusive tier only.

Model with HQ interior, open/close doors and functional light.

Go and join my Patreon!

[rhetoricandlogic]

THE LOST FUTURE OF PEPPERHARROW by Natasha Pulley

RELEASE DATE: Feb. 18, 2020

M ore steampunk adventures of a samurai prognosticator, his clockwork octopus, and his human lovers.

Five years after her charming debut novel, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street (2015), Pulley brings back the main characters for another scramble through the dangers and consequences of clairvoyance. Readers of the first book already know the big reveal: that Keita Mori—the eponymous London watchmaker—has an unusual memory that works both backward and forward. (Readers new to the series should put this book down and start with Watchmaker.) This time Pulley sets the action principally in Japan, where Mori; Thaniel Steepleton, a British translator and diplomat; Grace Carrow Matsumoto, a physicist; and Takiko Pepperharrow, a Kabuki actress and baroness, are working together to foil a samurai’s power grab and turn away a Russian invasion. At least, that’s what Mori’s doing; the others are rushing blindly down paths he’s laid out for them, which may or may not get them where he wants them to go. But if Mori knows what’s coming and what steps they can take to change the future, why doesn’t he just tell them what to do? The answer is half satisfying (because, as in any complicated relationship, communication isn’t always easy; because the characters have wills of their own and might not obey) and half irritating (because if he did, there wouldn’t be much of a story). Pulley’s witty writing and enthusiastically deployed steampunk motifs—clockwork, owls, a mechanical pet, Tesla-inspired electrical drama—enliven a plot that drags in the middle before rushing toward its explosive end. Perhaps more interesting than the plot are the relationships. The characters revolve through a complex pattern of marriages of passion and convenience, sometimes across and sometimes within genders and cultures, punctuated by jealousy and interesting questions about trust.

Although this sequel doesn’t break new ground, it will appeal strongly to fans of the first book.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me TOMORROW in ANAHEIM at WONDERCON: YA Fantasy, Room 207, 10 a.m.; Signing, 11 a.m.; Teaching Writing, 2 p.m., Room 213CD.

#20yrsago "Homeless Hacker" Adrian Lamo profile in Wired https://www.wired.com/2004/04/hacker-5/

#20yrsago Disney asks Gizmodo to clarify that jewel box is not intended for pot stashing https://web.archive.org/web/20040402032317/http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/disney_princess_cd_jewelrystash_box.php

#15yrsago To Market, To Market: The Re-Branding of Billy Bailey – my sf story read aloud https://archive.org/details/ToMarketToMarket

#15yrsago Electronic Arts releases DRM-removal tool https://games.slashdot.org/story/09/03/31/1917254/ea-releases-drm-license-deactivation-tool

#15yrsago Adventures in Cartooning: wit and instruction for kids who want to learn cartooning https://memex.craphound.com/2009/03/31/adventures-in-cartooning-wit-and-instruction-for-kids-who-want-to-learn-cartooning/

#10yrsago Podcast: Collective Action – the Magnificent Seven anti-troll business-model https://ia902808.us.archive.org/10/items/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_270/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_270_Collective_Action.mp3

#10yrsago Google Maps’ spam problem presents genuine security issues https://web.archive.org/web/20140331101332/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-03-28/how-scammers-turn-google-maps-into-fantasy-land

#10yrsago NSA wiretapped 122 world leaders; GCHQ penetrated German satellite companies for mass surveillance potential https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/gchq-and-nsa-targeted-private-german-companies-a-961444.html

#10yrsago Playground removes “safety” rules; fun, development and injuries ensue https://nationalpost.com/news/when-one-new-zealand-school-tossed-its-playground-rules-and-let-students-risk-injury-the-results-surprised

#5yrsago Small stickers on the ground trick Tesla autopilot into steering into opposing traffic lane https://keenlab.tencent.com/en/whitepapers/Experimental_Security_Research_of_Tesla_Autopilot.pdf

#5yrsago Banksy’s art authentication system displays top-notch cryptographic nous https://reprage.com/posts/2019-03-25-how-banksy-authenticates-his-work/

#5yrsago The Boston Globe on breaking up Big Tech falls into the trap of tech exceptionalism https://memex.craphound.com/2019/03/31/the-boston-globe-on-breaking-up-big-tech-falls-into-the-trap-of-tech-exceptionalism/

[vilvermin-sqwirl]

Woah.. ok erm, this is Ground breaking! I feel like the Matrix and Black Mirror right now! A I technology has truly baffled me Again! These Cartoon Characters have been brogght to the Real World using all new Real Artificial Intellegence Techonlogy #RegAI #AIart

This is oing to change the world......

Thank you @foxyfrennetic and @heavenhotline for COmmissioning #RegAI for mindblowing AI cartoon real art, may the Apes be with you! #ElongMusk

Characters Featured :

Peytong

Mikeal B. Teeth

pIerceon

Dr Jebidiah Worm

#tesla

(dont mind the effect on #Peyton's Photo... that might be a pibby glitch... uncanny...)

[nameless-brand]

Meta-humans ::

The new world's version of Exotics, I suppose. There's quite a number of them, though they are far less in number compared to the Exotics of the past world which probably amounted to 0.1% to 1% of the population - which equals 10-100 million people being Exotics.

According to LexCorp research [ see A compilation of case reports and extrapolations on extraordinary humans [2]], the number of metahumans that exist ranges in the low millions and maybe down to hundreds of thousands. Furthermore, not all meta-humans are created equal. It is estimated 60% of meta-humans are what people call "spoon benders (derogatory)" and "candle lighters (affectionate)", essentially their powers are very weak and don't really amount to much. Sometimes, being a meta-human manifests in physical changes such as development of a canine head and physiology.

There are meta-humans who derive their powers from magic or divinity supposedly, but they are in the vast minority.

It is unclear if any meta-humans utilize the Impose / Idea method for affecting Reality. Their powers appear to be purely biological and grounded in physical law for the most part. It is said that meta-humans can be detected through epigenetic changes in their DNA, which would explain why powers are not inherited.

Batman ::

A masked vigilante whose main area of activity is Gotham City; he is the most iconic vigilante of the city. It is difficult to pinpoint when Batman started becoming active as eyewitness accounts are unreliable, but the earliest accounts of the "Caped Crusader" are over a decade ago.

He is not the first person to take up the moniker of "Batman." There is an earlier vigilante who was a Bat meta-human back when Gotham City was known as Gotham Town. However, he is certainly the most successful one.

It is unclear what sort of meta-human Batman is. References to many of his adventures - and saving the city of Gotham - all have a common characteristic - that he is a one man army, and he has survived and beat impossible odds. Some say his meta-human ability revolves around luck, others say he has limited precognition given his uncanny ability to show up the right time. Whatever ability he has does not express itself visibly.

A notable characteristic of Batman is that he does not kill. Ever. Not even by accident. Most of his blows to incapacitate enemies involve breaking and dislocating limbs cleanly if he can. Headblows are rare, and looking at the rare video caught of his fights, he avoids blows to the side of the temple if he could help it and will go for jaw blows for knockouts. Other takedowns will usually involve tranquilizers. With that sole exception, he has not been seen using a firearm. Though there have been lawsuits made against Batman for accidental manslaughter, video evidence - usually by the many fans of Batman - usually gets that thrown out.

Static ::

A masked vigilante of special interest, given his ability to wield lightning as a weapon. His operation range includes the area beyond the Gotham River and into continental New York proper. Unlike Batman, Static's entrance into the superhero world is less shrouded in secrecy. Part of a superhero cadre known as Titans, he and the rest of the group as well as additional heroes from outside were responsible for beating a machine overlord-style attack involving many of the Smart Devices in NYC [[ see Tesla Stocks Down After Entrapping and Driving Cars into Buildings at 130 mph / 200 kmh [2] and Remote Temperature Control Raising Temperatures to 110 degrees F / 43 degrees C [4]]]. Though the perpetrator was never found, the Titans were able to stop the broadcasting device causing the Smart Devices to malfunction.

Static is of special interest because his electric attacks only seem to incapacitate, even when blasting someone point black with his powers. This is in contrast to Sasha, whose powers only seem to have only one setting which is lethal. Is this because Static has a finer control over his power, which allows him to prevent frying people or is there something else going on?

What seems to contradict this is that while Sasha can fly omnidirectionally with her own power, Static seems to require some sort of disc underneath his feet which his power acts on. Then again, Static has only been active for a few months on the East Coast. He may reveal other powers, given that Static's operation range sometimes intersects with Batman's [ see Static seen flying into Gotham City, diverts explosive-containing truck from civilians [3]].

[macdenlover]

thoughts on glenn howerton forced to abandon his tesla in a secure parking garage for two days because the computer in it stopped working?

good. i hope it breaks down again <3

but fr i hate elon musk so bad i’m glad the rich people who worship the ground he walks on are gonna start facing the consequences of wasting their money on a glorified golf cart