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nugnthopkns · 3 years

Text

eyes full of stars

word count: 3.1k

warnings: insinuated!fem reader, cursing, alcohol consumption, slight sexual innuendo (kind sorta maybe, minors please be aware)

recommended listening: cowboy like me | taylor swift

a/n: it’s cold and snowy. to combat the winter blues i wrote about a sunny minnesota summer with brock :))

You can’t remember the last time you’ve seen Brock this carefree.

The season was hard on him. There were large periods where he didn’t put up any points, and trade rumors started to circulate. Halfway through, before the playoff push even started, the negative social media comments came rolling in. You frequently saw fans request a trade or say that the organization should regret drafting him. Brock did his best to brush everything off, but it was beginning to waer on his mental health. You’re devastated when they fail to make it to the postseason, but you know it’s for the best. The injured team will spend the offseason recuperating and be ready for the next one. Besides, it means you and Brock will get to spend more time on the lake.

So here you are, packing the car for the twenty-seven hour drive to Minnesota. Brock insists on driving, says it’s relaxing, but you aren’t sure you agree. Prone to car-sickness so fierce you can barely look out the window, you’d much rather fly. Everything is exasperated by the fact you’re a nervous traveller to begin with, afraid of taking a wrong turn or missing an exit. You’re a terrible road trip partner but at least Brock could talk to the dogs. Coolie and Milo loved car rides, and you can typically hear your boyfriend having full on conversations with them as you fade in and out of consciousness.

“Ready to go babe?” Brock asks as he closes the trunk. The question is delivered with a bright grin, and despite your anxiety you return it with ease.

“I don’t really have much of a choice do I?”

He shakes his head, chuckling as he moves towards you. Sliding his hands into the back pockets of your jeans he kisses you lazily. It’s comforting and all-consuming at the same time; doing a great job of occupying your mind with thoughts of him instead of the journey ahead. “I suppose not,” he says, planting a final kiss on your forehead. “It’ll be fine. You can take a Gravol right before we cross the border and you’ll be asleep before we hit Seattle.”

It’s the best plan of attack, so you agree immediately. After taking one last run into your shared apartment to use the bathroom and make sure everything is in order, you make yourself comfortable in the passenger seat of Brock’s jeep. Music filters through the speakers at a low volume, and you focus on the retreating skyline of Vancouver. You’re excited to get back to Minnesota, to relax and see your boyfriend in his natural habitat. Countless days are about to be spent lounging lakeside enjoying each other’s company. It will also be nice to spend time with Brock’s family: they’ve been incredibly welcoming over the years and you can’t wait to catch up with them. You know Brock’s itching to spend time with his nephew, and just to be at home.

Just as Brock said, you’re asleep before Bellingham. It’s fitful, and you’re frequently woken up by the dogs barking a little too excitedly in response to something Brock said. However, it does a good job of keeping you from emptying the contents of your stomach onto the floor. Somewhere in Idaho, a good seven hours after you left Canada, you awake for the final time.

“Look boys, Mom’s finally awake!”

You laugh at the comment and lean over the center console to ruffle his hair. It’s still long from the season, and curls slightly around your fingertips.

“You’re hilarious.”

Brock takes his right hand off the steering wheel, unravelling yours from its resting place and entwining your fingers together. He places a kiss to the back of your palm. “You know I’m just teasing,” he whispers. “I know these drives are hard on you. Thank you for doing it twice a year.”

Instead of answering verbally, you squeeze his hand tighter. Though it’s true you hate driving through five states, you’d do it twice a week if it would make Brock happy. It seems a bit much to convey with a single gesture, but you can tell from the smile that graces his features that Brock understands. The two of you sit in silence, enjoying the scenery and trying to scout for a rest stop. Coolie and Milo are getting antsy and you’re also due to stretch your legs.

After letting the dogs run around to release some energy and using the bathroom, you start the final leg of the day. Missoula, Montana, is the destination. Not quite the halfway point, but close enough that you could tackle the rest of the miles tomorrow, the city has a wide variety of pet-friendly lodging. You insist you drive the rest of the way, giving Brock a well deserved rest. Looking at the interstate for hours can cause serious highway hypnosis. Not even twenty minutes after getting back on the road he’s asleep, snoring softly as he rests his head on the window.

You take a moment to admire your boyfriend. He looks so relaxed and peaceful, and the forehead creases that are starting to develop from over analyzing hours of tape disappear. Brock looks years younger, and you know the youthfulness will creep back into him the longer you’re in Minnesota. You can’t wait to see him without any cares again.

Less than two hours later, the hotel creeps up on your left. Pulling into the first available parking space, you turn the car off before waking Brock.

“Brock, we’re at the hotel,” you say softly, jostling his shoulder. “Let’s get checked in and then we shower.”

The mention of washing off a day’s worth of travel has him letting the door fly open. You had made sure to pack your overnight bags in an easily accessible spot, and work at getting them out while Brock wrangles the dogs. For being cooped up all day, they’re extremely well behaved. Once cleaned up you imagine you’ll take them on a long walk and grab some food.

“Hey, give that back. Milo!” you hear Brock yelp, and peek around to see what’s happening. The younger pup has Brock’s bucket hat between his teeth and is in the process of tearing across the parking lot.

With a giggle you call him back. “Milo, come here baby,” you say. Without a second thought, the dog bolts towards you, knocking against your shins when he fails to stop in time. You lean down to scratch Milo’s ear, and as soon as you ask him to drop the object he places it in your open palm. “Good boy,” you coo, letting him lick the side of your face.

“He’s your dog alright,” Brock huffs from where he’s standing, Coolie running circles around his ankles.

You toss the hat over the roof of the car as you laugh at him. “You’re just jealous he listens to me.”

“I sure fucking am. He’d be an absolute nuisance if it wasn’t for you.”

The rest of the night is spent unwinding from the long day. Dinner consists of the greasiest burgers you can find, and you roam around the city hand in hand, the dogs leading you. By the time you get back to the hotel you’re spent. Sleep takes over rather quickly, and you’re dozing off before Brock gets back from brushing his teeth. Once ready for bed, he slides his body against yours. The pair of you fit together like a puzzle, and after a quick kiss you let sleep consume you.

The second day of travel is much the same, except you do a better job of staying awake. You take a different anti-nausea medication and frequently switch with Brock. Conversation flows easily, ideas for summer excursions and repairs that need to be done around the house. The Boeser’s are kind enough to lend you their lake house during the off season, but the property can be a lot to manage. Brock takes it all in stride, and somehow actually enjoys spending hours mowing the grass. He says it’s relaxing, mind numbing work, so you let him handle it. Country music flows from the car speakers, and eventually talking turns into a full on concert. Milo and Coolie do their best to harmonize with Brock, and it’s too cute not to post somewhere. You sneak your phone from your pocket and manage to catch some of it on video, posting to Instagram immediately. Those from the Canucks organization you have on social media will love it; Brock’s teammates will most definitely chirp him for being tone deaf.

It’s late by the time you pull into the driveway of your temporary home, almost eleven. Grabbing only the essentials and leaving the rest to be unpacked tomorrow, you unlock the door before flopping on the couch. The dogs follow suit, laying on top of you. When Brock walks in he shakes his head, but still leans over to kiss you.

“Make sure you text your mom and let her know we made it,” you call to his retreating figure. “And let her know we’ll be over in the afternoon once we get situated.”

You swear he flips you off, no doubt poking fun at your maternal instincts. “Yes ma’am,” he replies.

“Ma’am?” you shriek. “I am not fifty. You’re so gonna get it Boeser.”

After gently nudging the dogs off your legs you’re chasing after him, laughing all the way. Brock’s a lot faster than you, being the athlete he is, but you don’t give up hope. In a last ditch attempt to get him back, you launch yourself forward, square into the middle of his back. The change in weight distribution has him falling to the floor, sprawling the width of the hallway. Both of you are giggling messes, delirious from lack of sleep and the knowledge you get to spend four months of uninterrupted time together.

“I love you, you know that right,” Brock murmurs into the crook of your neck. He dots chaste pecks along the skin and you sigh at the feeling.

Pulling him closer, you make sure to properly enunciate your words as you respond. “Yes sir.”

Brock eyes darken visibly, and he shifts his body so he’s resting on top of you. “You’re in for it now,” he groans, dragging himself to his feet. You quickly follow, meeting his lips in an eager kiss. The pair of you stumble the rest of the way to the bedroom, bodies intertwining like ivy vines, and Brock makes sure to kick the door shut to ensure your pets don’t interrupt the salacious activities he has planned.

☼☼☼☼

You settle into a routine fairly quickly. Mornings are spent alone while Brock works out, and afternoons are for lounging in the sun. The hours after the sun fades away are spent huddling around a bonfire with friends, and midnights are for just the two of you. Sometimes Brock lets himself rest and spends the day in the middle of the lake doing his best to fish, leaving you to spend time with his mom and sister. They’re lovely; warm and welcoming, making sure you’re never too lonely or bored. You and Brock also spend a lot of time with his nephew, doting over the toddler. Seeing your boyfriend with him makes you want kids, but that’s a conversation that is yet to be had in any serious light.

Sometimes you join Brock when he does typical professional hockey player in the summer things. It turns out you're quite the golfer, and have put him to shame many times. Countless days are spent helping him fix the roof of the lake house because he insists on doing it himself even though he knows nothing about roofing. At least seven phone calls to his father and a desperate run to the hardware store later, it’s completed; sealed and free of cracks. Though you’re a terrible fisher, Brock tries his best to teach you. Truth be told, you don’t have any interest in the sport, but his tongue pokes out slightly when he’s thinking about how to explain a concept and you think it’s adorable.

Coolie and Milo are loving being able to roam free, and you both spend a lot of time outside with them. You’re only ever really in the house at night, reading or playing games on the patio furniture Brock’s mom picked out. It’s peaceful; existing like this. You swear you could do it forever.

Being home allows an invisible weight to be lifted off Brock’s shoulders. There’s a pep in his step, and he’s always smiling. Even the intense at-home workouts can’t seem to bring him down. You’re delighted, how could you not be? It’s as if the only things that matter to him are enjoying a few beers lakeside and coaxing you out of shorts in the dark. You suppose that’s the truth.

☼☼☼☼

It’s incredibly warm out. The sun beats down on your back as you turn the pages of your novel, half listening to the conversation Brock is having with his friends. A group of you are on the boat, enjoying one of the last full days of summer. Later in the week you and Brock will pack up the car again, making the long trek back to Vancouver. You’re sad time has passed so fast, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t excited to be back in the city. It’s your home, and the boys seem to be really fired up for the new season. You have a feeling some really good hockey is going to come out of Rogers Arena.

“Yo Y/N, who’s the better driver. Me or Boes?”

The question pulls you from the fantasy taking place on the pages, and you look to see who’s speaking to you. It’s Brock’s dearest childhood friend, someone you consider family at this point. “It’s absolutely not Brock,” you shrug. The comment earns a loud laugh from everyone and you find yourself joining in.

“Ouch babe, that hurts,” Brock says as he slides into the free space next to you. Casually wrapping a strong arm around your shoulder, he leans down to whisper into your ear. “Looks like you need to be taught a lesson.”

His words have a vaguely sexual connotation, and you look around nervously. Your swimsuit won’t cover the flush that will be sure to rise on your skin if Brock tries anything. Everyone seems to be engaged in their own conversations, but you still feel queasy about getting caught. Though Brock’s friends are the type to laugh it off, you’d be absolutely mortified.

Before your brain can overthink anything else, you’re being lifted from your seat. It only takes two seconds for Brock to hoist you over the side of the boat and throw you into the cool water. You land with a glorious splash, but take your time coming to the surface. Partly to bring your temperature down, partly to make your lover squirm.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” you yell to him from below, but the bright smile you flash him lets Brock know you don’t mean it.

He sets his hat on top of your book before climbing over the edge. “Shut up,” he fires back, diving gracefully to join you in the water.

A small splashing match breaks out, and soon everyone else is in the water, picking sides. You swim until your skin is wrinkled beyond recognition, pruned and puckered something akin to a raisin. Only once the sky begins to redden do you head for home. Brock keeps the boat at cruising speed, and you sit comfortably in his lap. Once back on land, dinner is quickly thrown together. A mish-mash of what’s left in your fridge and what others have brought, but it works. The boys huddle around the grill and everyone else swoons over the dogs, who are on their best behaviour.

Later in the night, once the dishes are cleaned up and some guests with day jobs have left, you settle into Brock’s side at the fire. Not caring if you get chirped for the PDA, you hold his face in both your hands and rest your forehead against his. The scruff that’s grown in since the last time Brock shaved tickles slightly, but you’re too in love with him to care. It’s been so refreshing to see him relaxed, acting without a care in the world. Hopefully the attitude he currently has will stick and not disappear once you hit the Vancouver city limits.

Brock takes a sip of his beer before offering the bottle to you. You gingerly place it to your lips, making a face at the taste. He laughs at your reaction, pushing a few loose strands of hair behind your ear.

“Still tastes disgusting,” you mutter, reaching for your own drink to wash away the taste.

The fire crackles gently behind you but you barely register the sound, in your own little world where everything is perfect. It’s you, Brock, and the dogs living in a house similar to the one you’re currently residing in, living life to the fullest.

“You gonna come back to me, space cadet?” Brock chuckles, tracing the outline of your nose.

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry,” you apologize. “Was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Us. The future. Living in a lake house just like this one and spending all our time being so in love with each other that our friends constantly make fun of us. Maybe having kids in a couple of years. How I love seeing you like this; so at peace and full of life.”

In lieu of a response, Brock kisses you passionately. It’s a soft kind of passion: one that holds you tenderly and whispers sweet nothings in your ear. He tastes like the Coors Light he’s been drinking, but somehow the idea of beer is much more appealing when mixed with Brock. You lose yourself in him for a while, relishing in the gentleness of his hands resting on your waist. Eventually you return some of your attention to the others, but even then you can’t find it in yourself to focus. Your mind is filled with nothing but love for Brock.

It’s seems that he’s feeling the same way, because he continually leaves kisses across your shoulder blade. “I really, really love you,” Brock confesses, and you feel him smile through the thin material of your worn hoodie.

You intertwine your pinky with his and let them sit comfortably in your lap. “I love too. So much that it’s all consuming.”

Brock often leaves you breathless in more ways than one, but sweet sentiments like this will always take the cake. Especially when they happen on summer nights where he’s free to be his authentic self.

☼☼☼☼

taglist: @jamiedrysdales @kiedhara @tortito if you want to be added shoot me an ask :)

#why tf did i spend so much time detailing the car ride lmao #brock boeser imagine #brock boeser x reader #brock boeser fic #vancouver canucks imagine #hockey imagine #hockey fic #nhl imagine #nhl fic #cwrites

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mommymooze · 3 years

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Premonition

Since you were young you’ve dreamed of your death. You watch yourself being stabbed in your stomach. Your eyes follow the dagger coming for you. At first it is from your point of view. As you get older, you watch from the views of others watching your death. You don’t see your whole self nor your clothes. Just your skin, you know its your skin, your stomach, and the knife. Everything else is misty.

You sign up for the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach to learn how to defend yourself and fight bandits, useful as you come from a family of merchants in Conand territory. You are welcomed into the Blue Lions, becoming good friends with everyone in the house. You love having professor Byleth as your teacher. Then the war begins, and everyone goes home. You reunite briefly with your parents. They are too old to fight, so they leave for Morfis or Almyra, somewhere not in the middle of a war. You take what they cannot sell, returning to the ruins of Garreg Mach, and descend into Abyss.

The Ashen Wolves are happy to have you. Yuri sells and trades the goods from your parents for essentials to keep Abyss fed and healthy. The Wolves are still fighting alongside the kingdom, having joined their house once they were discovered. Their war is underground and in the shadows. You frequently are out with one if not all of them running a covert operation to disrupt Imperial forces, stealing enemy supplies and generally make things difficult for Edelgard.

Several times a month you dream of the dagger slicing into your stomach. The vision has changed since you were younger. You watch skin being sliced, the blood quickly flowing like a waterfall down your abdomen. You stand in the grass outside on an overcast day. You can identify the angle of the dagger. You think the wielder is right handed and aiming straight for your heart.

Yuri is contacted by a small band of fighters from Duscur. You assist sneaking them through the kingdom, helping to get them into the dungeons of Fhirdiad before the enemy can execute Dimitri. You escort them until they are out of the city. Dedue is hurt in the mission, you must leave before you know how serious his injuries were. Dimitri is in the worst shape of any of them, but his injuries aren’t all physical.

Yuri then sends you and Balthus out to Riegan territory to work with Claude on a mission. It is good to see the Deer’s leader and even better to hear that he feels he owes something to the kingdom.

You are sent on fighting missions, spying missions, covert missions, trading and food recovery operations. The imperials killed the local chicken farmer. You think it’s a terrible shame to leave all of those chickens to starve. Trying to hide from the Empire’s army in a heavily wooded forest with bags of noisy chickens is one of the more challenging recent jobs. It’s worth it. Abyss now has a chicken coop well below the cathedral, under the long high bridge. Bandits don’t make it down there frequently, so they have a good steady supply of eggs for feeding the residents.

Five years is a long time when you look back at it. This war seems to never end. There is always fighting, fires, thefts, murders. The borders of the countries on maps are blurred, constantly moving, yet not moving at all.

Yuri has the wolves +1 head topside. Today is the day of the Millennium festival. You run up a hill and are thrilled to see a mop of red hair coming into view as you maneuver over the rise. You run to stand alongside Felix and Sylvain just as they are being attacked by bandits. Everyone’s showing off their new skills, taking down enemies with ease. Quickly Annette and Mercedes join the group, Hapi bringing them into view. In a matter of minutes bandits are dead and the group is reunited. The most surprising detail is that Byleth is back! There are tears of joy and grateful sighs. Dimitri is there, but he’s doing worse than the last time you had seen him. He stomps off to the remains of the Cathedral. There is a huge presence missing as you all are still standing in the grass and weeds of the fields. Dedue has not returned.

The Blue Lions make the monastery their base. They clean up and begin to rebuild Garreg Mach. As soon as the training grounds are functional, Felix is after you to spar with him. You always had a great time fighting with him. He was always serious, so intense. You had laughed at him then, always telling him to loosen up. Now honing your skills is absolutely necessary. There are no requests to go easy. Only to fight, to learn, to get better and be better than the next enemy that could stand before you.

Both of you have changed greatly over the time spent apart. You are both stronger, faster than you were so long ago. He looks more muscular than he was in the past. He’s also taller. As the fight continues his strikes are still strong, straight and true. Your strikes become more ruthless, fighting more with your survival instincts than beauty and finesse, just like your enemies have been fighting you for all these years.

Felix forces you backwards and you suddenly find yourself against a wall. His sword is at your throat.

“Hah.” You smirk, glancing to your left.

“Yield.” The master swordsman nearly spits, shoving the point of the sword into your chin.

You smack him on the shoulder with a ball of fire in your hand, flames flashing out in every direction, breaking his concentration. You then cast lightning at him, the shock of the electricity forcing him to let go of his sword. You hit him with mire just as he hits you with lightning, the force of the spells crashing and sending you both flying backwards a few feet, landing flat on your asses.

He looks angry enough to spit nails. You start to giggle then give a full hearty laugh. You smile because you haven’t laughed like that in a long time.

Begrudgingly he walks over and offers a hand to help you off the ground.

Just as you pick up your sword you hear the word that makes your heart leap.

“Again!”

The day is overcast when the Empire attacks the monastery again. It is a difficult fight, so many are injured, however Byleth & Dimitri’s army is successful in defending the academy. Byleth’s presence makes a huge difference for everyone.

Your dreams are every 2 or 3 days now. They have transitioned again, becoming longer and more detailed. You can tell that there are two larger shapes around you. You see your hands reaching for your stomach, your fingers are already bruised and bloodied. It hurts, starting with a sting then feeling the blade go deeper and pain is completely washing over you. The pain is what wakes you. You cannot go back to sleep with this going on inside your head.

Dimitri is a mess holed up in the Cathedral, you decide go to visit him after your premonition.

“Have you come to stare and mock the beast?” The Prince growls.

“No. But quite often you refer to yourself as a dead man. I understand that. I will be dead soon too. I’ve always dreamed of my death. The older I get, the more frequently I dream of it. I’m getting close. Figured the dead should hang out together.”

“I need no others to die for me.” The giant man mumbles.

“I believe in what we are fighting for. I believed in your father. I wont haunt you Dimitri. If I get a choice to haunt anyone, I’ll go to Enbarr and torment Hubert and Edelgard.”

Dimitri doesn’t laugh. He only stands before you quietly as you get up to leave him. You recognize him as one of the figures in your dreams. Silently you remove yourself, walking aimlessly around the grounds.

As per the orders of the War Council, everyone marches to Ailell to gain more troops. They are attacked by Gwendal, the Gray lion. Fighting in battles is hard enough, but when the ground is hot enough to cook a steak, it’s nearly impossible. Your sword feels like it is red hot through your gloves. Still you hold on to your weapon tightly, bringing the enemies to their knees. Rodrigue arrives just in time to assist in taking down Gwendal. The old knight looks relieved at finally finding death. The Duke and his additional troops are sorely needed and join Dimitri’s army. It takes days to get the smell of burnt flesh out of your nostrils.

Everyone heads back to the monastery. You are walking among the wagons when Rodrigue rides by on his horse. You glance his way and nod. Then you stop. Looking at the Duke of Fraldarius, seeing his shadow revealed by the light of the setting sun, you recognize another shape from your dreams.

You are up early every day now. Felix spars with you all morning. Sometimes you spar with him in the afternoon, or head to Abyss to work out with the Wolves. You become more restless with each passing day. If you can’t train with your sword you run, run until your lungs are on fire. Anything to keep yourself moving. You eat, you sleep, or at least try to. Sometimes you fall asleep while eating. Nobody really notices, it seems to be a common occurrence. The joys of war.

The next battle is for the great bridge at Myrrdin over the Aramid river. Ladislava holds control of the bridge and taunts the Blue Lions. Dimitri is screaming for her head in addition to Edelgard’s. The fight has barely begun, you are in the back sending magic after enemy forces when the sound of heavy knights came from behind. You turn to see…Dedue!!! He runs up to Dimtiri, ready to fight for his side. The Blue Lions are extremely energized, they decimate the enemy troops on the bridge. Ladislava is defeated in record time. Everyone is overjoyed that they have cut off the Empire from obtaining any further supplies from the north. Most importantly, they are whole and happily celebrate Dedue’s return.

Every night. Every freaking night the dreams are tormenting you. You dream of an overcast day. They are there, standing on the grass-- Dimitri, Rodrigue, and one other person in front of you. You are out of breath. The dagger appears, you reach for your stomach, a gash in your shirt, pulling at the dagger with your bruised and bloody hands, blood flowing out of you like a river. You scream…and wake up.

You head to the training grounds to practice with Felix. He notices. Your swings are careless, ruthless, the look in your eyes is wild.

“Hey!” He grabs you by your collar, choking you slightly. “Don’t go full boar on me. We need you.”

You spit and stare at the ground. Taking a deep breath you finally answer, “Okay.”

You spar with him but hold yourself back. You need to keep yourself in control. It’s so difficult when the end is so near.

You join Annette and Mercedes in the kitchens baking cookies. You pay way too much for spices for cookies, but it’s not like you need the money much longer. You leave a small box of the not too sweet, heavily spiced cookies at Felix’s door. You hand out a few cookies to each of the Blue Lions that you meet. You can’t forget your friends in Abyss and send a box of cookies their way as well.

Running to the Cathedral you see Dimitri standing at his pile of rubble. He even acknowledges your presence. You are grateful that Dedue and Rodrigue are here for him. You thank him for his leadership and for everything he has done for you and the Lions. You leave as suddenly as you appeared. He looks a bit confused.

Heading to the marketplace, you stop by the armorer and pick up your custom chainmail shirt. It is heavy and goes past your hips. You wear it under your tunic everywhere you go. You even start running with it on, it becomes your second skin.

The army is on the march. They are prepared for the encounter with the Empire’s forces. They have good intel that the Alliance may be sending their army to meet with them as well. You hope that Dimitri and Claude can talk before so that they can work together to take down Edelgard, however the Alliance Lord has not responded to any of Byleth’s requests. You think that there is a spy that must have intercepted them. Claude would have joined you, you know that.

The army stops for a break. There is a large stream nearby and you bathe quickly to get some of the dirt and dust of the road removed. The call to resume marching is much too quick, you grab your clothes and struggle into them as you take your place in the procession.

The three armies converge on a single point. How appropriate that it should be Gronder Field. Just as you are heading to take your position, you realize something is missing. Your vest is hanging on a branch back at the stream. You remind yourself to pick it up on the way back.

The horns of battle sound and you are running towards the enemy, teeth gritted and sword at the ready. The Empire’s soldiers are getting closer by the second. The battle is a blur. You take out enemy soldiers left and right with the flash of your blade. If you can’t cut through their armor, you cook them inside it with fire or electrocute them with lightning. You are part of the main surge of fighters, creeping closer and closer to Edelgard. You hear Dimitri screaming for his revenge. To help him you fire spells at Hubert while stabbing Empire fighters, hoping that your spells can break his concentration away from defending the Emperor.

Dimitri screams as Edelgard retreats, Hubert warping the pair of them away. There are still a few Empire soldiers and you strike them with lightning. Rodrigue rides up to the Prince, dismounting so he can check his wounds. Just as Rodrigue stands next to Dimitri, you look to the right and a young girl is screaming and breaking free from a kingdom knight. She runs towards the two men, screaming about getting even and revenge. Your feet are moving before your mind can catch up, you can’t let her get to them. She sounds insane with rage, demanding revenge for her brother’s death. You drop your weapons to help you gain more speed, she is pulling out a dagger. You’re not sure if she is targeting the prince or the duke. She takes a swing at Rodrigue, slicing into his coat, then pulling her weapon back again to thrust it into his side. You are there, putting yourself between the dark haired man and the ruthless girl. You are grabbing at the weapon, however her deathgrip on the dagger doesn’t loosen, she’s going to kill someone, anyone and she thrusts the dagger into you. Dimitri quickly reacts, bringing Ahredbahr down upon the enraged girl, ending her life.

You reach for the blade with your already bloody hands having fought all day in the battle, you are trying to remove the knif, your fingers slick with your own blood flowing out from your side like a river. You suddenly feel too weak to pull it out. Your legs are giving out underneath you. You feel your body falling. Dimitri and Rodrigue are yelling. There is so much noise, then the buzzing in your ears takes over, the darkness begins to cloud your vision, you recall only a little light in the center showing Rodrigue’s pleading face before everything is black.

You open your eyes but they do not want to focus. You lift your head and it falls back to the pillow, being overcome with dizzyness. There are a multitude of voices, some are shouting, all of them speaking all at once. You want to cover your head and make it all go away, its too much. You lift your hands but they are so weak you drop them. You welcome the darkness as it takes you in.

Things are quieter now. A woman’s voice softly speaks. “Are you awake dear. Nod for yes.”

You pull your chin down, you can’t lift your head much, you feel so incredibly weak. You want to open your eyes but that feels impossibly difficult.

The voice says we’re going to prop you up so you can drink something. It will make you feel better.

Hands from both sides lift your shoulders to tuck a pillow beneath you and then under your head. You grimace at the pain but it stops quickly. You feel a small bottle brought to your lips. You take a little sip, your mouth is so dry it feels cool and wet.

She is telling you to swallow. Ohh, cool on your throat. You open your mouth for more. They let you have a few more sips.

You fall back into a deep sleep.

You waken the next morning hearing the deep voice of Rodrigue advising the healers that you are awake.

“It is good to see that you are still with us.” The Duke smiles.

“How.. how am I not dead?” You gasp, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Since she was prevented from killing me, I was able to heal you. I am a Holy Knight of the Kingdom you know. I was able to heal you, stopping your bleeding as quickly as I could. We then brought you back here. I will notify Dimitri of your recovery, he will be most pleased.

“Thank you for saving me.” You whisper.

“It is I who must thank you. If it wasn’t for your quick intervention, I would not be here.” Duke Fraldarius smiles widely at you.

The clerics check you over, allowing you to sit up. Eventually you feel well enough to clean up and even have visitors.

One by one the lions come to visit. A pile of gifts and flowers begins to accumulate on the table next to the bed.

Felix arrives and shoos everyone away bringing you dinner, which is thin oatmeal. Bestest oatmeal you have had in a long time. While you eat Felix stays to keep you company.

“Oh. I talked to my old man.” Felix says as he fiddles with a piece of loose leather on a belt. “We’re going to try to talk to each other more. That’s a start right?” He asks as he looks at you.

“That’s great. I think you guys are lucky to get a second chance. Not that things will be perfect, but better.” You say as you finish your dinner.

“Have you had that weird dream any more?” The swordsman wonders out loud.

You think, “No. It was every single day and now nothing. I thought for sure it was my death.” Your voice trails off.

“Maybe you get a second chance too.” Felix almost smiles as he takes your empty bowl away.

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euhande · 4 years

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⟨ SIMAY BARLAS. CIS FEMALE. SHE/HER. ⟩ though the mist might prevent some from seeing it, HANDE DEMIR is actually a descendent of A R E S. it’s still a question of whether or not the TWENTY-TWO year old PRE-LAW MAJOR from ÜBERLINGEN, GERMANY has taken after their godly parent completely, but the demigod is still known to be quite AMBITIOUS & ABRASIVE.

BACKGROUND

hande’s mother is a highly accomplished aerospace engineering graduate from one of berlin’s premiere universities, having worked for various defense companies as a missile specialist since graduating with her master’s degree. she may basically be a rocket scientist, but it’s not rocket science to figure out why ares was attracted to her 😉

they began a tumultuous, on-and-off again relationship that would last for 5 years, and it was only when hande was born that ares dropped the bomb on her mother that monsters were going to try and eat their baby, so she better buckle the fuck up and get ready to raise a demigod

that was the essentially the ending of their relationship — ares became an absent father the way most greek gods are, intermittently sending birthday cards every few years but often getting the dates wrong. she can count on one hand the amount of times she’s met him in-person outside of being a baby, while her mother has been a constant (if sometimes suffocating) presence in her life. she wouldn’t say much about hande’s father when prompted by baby hande, just that he was an asshole and didn’t deserve to meet her, which, fair

from the time she entered kindergarten, it was obvious that she was highly intelligent but had, to put it mildly, explosive behavior problems that would routinely disrupt class time. students were constantly picking fights with her for reasons beyond the teachers’ comprehension, often times materializing from thin air or being an extreme overreaction for typical kid teasing and shenanigans.

schools didn’t know what to do with her. they tried claiming she had emotional problems, they tried moving classrooms, moving schools, and nothing worked. it wasn’t until she was eleven that she was found by a satyr and encouraged into joining a demigod camp over the summer, so that she would be able to control what was undoubtedly emerging odikinesis

that same year, her mother found a higher-paying work opportunity and relocated them to a small city near the swiss border called überlingen, which is home to a prominent defense company that manufactures, you guessed it, missiles. it was a shit ton of change coming from both mortal and demigod sides at hande, and she was resentful of her mother for years for hiding such a crucial fact from her... nevertheless, she was grateful she had a chance to start fresh in a new place and was able to explore the demigod side of herself at the demigod camp in athens

it was pretty obvious she was a child of ares, but she wasn’t claimed until she punched a boy in the teeth for harassing her and knocked out a couple of his teeth. iconic queen.

an elite german boarding school nearby was where she attended mortal school, admitted fully on her merits (the discipline record was conveniently covered up by the mist), but it’s not like she could magically wish away her powers and function as a normal mortal in school. she had a shaky control of her odikinesis up until she was a teenager, and would often provoke other people in her grade, both accidentally and on purpose. she gained a reputation among her school as one of the more... well-known residents, and while she graduated without getting into a fist fight (on school grounds, that is), she also graduated with no friends.

eonia university was the logical place for her to attend college, elite and rigorous enough to satiate her ego while still being a haven for demigods, and she’s currently majoring in pre-law with the intent to go to law school and become a lawyer!

PERSONALITY

she’s an acquired taste for sure

someone’s first impression of hande is typically negative 95% of the time, and she’s not even remotely insulted by that. she knows she’s brash, she knows she’s outspoken, she knows she can be mean, and she’s unapologetic about it because why should she have to adapt her personality to be palatable to people who are probably weaker and stupider than her??? (her thoughts not mine)

i really have to stress she’s not a dick just because she likes to be a dick to people... like she’s not gonna go to up to anyone’s muses and start bullying them in person for NO REASON.... she is an ADULT WOMAN.... but you provoke her, and there will be a reason

she’s extremely passionate about causes she believes in and sees her opinions about everything from food to weather to politics as the complete truth, so what she might see as playful banter when someone holds a different opinion actually comes across as extremely rude and bitchy to the person getting brutally attacked by her unwarranted point of view. but when she’s actually trying to argue with you, you’ll know

she’s kind of unique for a daughter of ares in that she really doesn’t engage in much physical violence since she entered college, preferring instead to start what could be considered “warfare” over the internet and academically with similarly high achieving peers. but she DOES know how to fight, she just would rather die than have another child of ares intervention by the demigod authorities ASDKSKDFSDMF

so ambitious and academically competitive. it’ll cause her to have an aneurysm at age 22 at the rate she’s going. you didn’t hear it from me but she isn’t ABOVE sabotage if someone tries stealing her #1 spot... tonya harding anyone?? hande is definitely someone who would sacrifice you to a monster or shove you into the lake if it meant she looked better in the end... so that’s something she probably needs to work on

BUT with all that being said, if you aren’t being beaten down by her insane argumentative skills, and hande actually takes a genuine liking to you, you’ll find that she’s... a pretty normal person for the most part. she’s pretty witty, fiercely loyal to the few friends she does have, super smart, and generally pretty enjoyable company. very generous with her money (loves paying for her friends’ food) and cares deeply about everything she argues so intensely about. a lot of people never give her enough of a chance to get to know her (and understandably so), but if you did you really wouldn’t find the image of a shallow bitch that’s often projected onto her

there’s this facebook meme that goes “Need to find new haters... my old ones starting to like me 😂” and that’s it that’s her entire life

if you want to know more just read her app!!

MISCELLANEOUS

fluent in german, greek, english, and turkish (in order of how often she uses them, though greek is arguably used more than german at this point, she’d just rather die than admit it)

she starts twitter wars and trolls people online in all 4 languages. it’s her primary pastime and she’s been permanently suspended from twitter a whopping 4 times, but every time she just re-spawns and comes back stronger. absolutely notorious for saying out of pocket shit what she thinks about any given european country and the people who live there and getting ganged up on by said people SASDSDASD her favorite people to cyberbully are british people and french people... rip

captain of the debate team, and part of model un and mock trial. her ruthless captaincy of the debate team has caused multiple freshman interested in joining to flee in tears, but eonia routinely kicks ass in debate in tournaments across greece and europe as a whole, so it’s not all bad. she is unbelievably skilled in debate and honestly pretty friendly to the people who actually manage to stick around on the team

kicked out of the feminist club for being overtly confrontational... if your muse is in the feminist alliance, hmu for plots

when she started attending athens’ demigod camp, it got in the way of her going to istanbul with her mother every summer to visit family. she's only started routinely going again since attending university, so most of her time is spent between istanbul and athens and hasn’t been back to germany in a hot second

i just feel like she has the type of energy to own a chihuahua and carry it around in her purse. no allowed pets at eonia but STILL.... that’s the vibe lads

her sexuality is ambiguous and she likes to keep it that way because it’s no one’s business but any and all romantic plots are open to all genders :~)

aside from her odikinesis, she’s able to put minor curses on weapons and will usually do so to make somebody else look like a fool during training

#euintro #waltzing into my own party late... wow #i could definitely add more but. this NEEDS to be posted

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quil12 · 4 years

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Here’s what I don’t think people understand. America is a 2-party system, and however shitty that is, that’s what it is. Voting for someone who is not either a Republican or a Democrat is essentially taking votes away from someone who shares some similar ideas to whatever party you’re voting for and just solidifying a win for the person who’s ideologies are completely opposite to what you want.

While I don’t like Biden, and really really wanted Bernie to be the nominee, it looks like that isn’t going to happen. It’s important to look at the big picture here. Whatever you may say, Biden is better than Trump. Yes, it’s a situation of a “lesser of two evils”, but this is really our only choice. America isn’t going to survive another 4 years of Trump. RBG is probably going to die within these next 4 years, and if Trump is elected (which he will be if people don’t vote for Biden), he will put an extremely conservative judge onto the Supreme Court, something which will undo a lot of progress we’ve made toward liberal laws and also make it near impossible to get any liberal rulings passed in the future. At least with Biden, we’d probably get a judge who would be more liberal than conservative, something that is extremely vital right now.

You may scoff and say “what’s really going to happen with 4 more years of Trump. He can’t do that much damage.” This is something I heard my friends say in 2016 when he initially got elected, but look around you now. Look at how bad the country is. This isn’t okay, and it will only get worse if Trump is reelected.

Now isn’t the time to cast a vote to “stick it to the system” or as a showing of defiance. While I understand the want to say “Bernie or Bust” or the trending hashtag on Twitter right now “NeverBidenNeverTrump”, that’s going to be detrimental in the long run. Right now isn’t the time to be divided. We won’t survive another term of Trump in office, but with Biden, we’d have somewhat of a start toward a brighter future.

There aren’t enough people right now who are willing to vote for an independent party to make it worthwhile. Trump doesn’t care if there’s a showing of support to the left. His policies and ideas aren’t going to change because a small portion of people decided to vote independent. Maybe in the future we can push to have a multi-party system in America, but now is not the time. There are lives on the line here and if you can’t hold your nose and vote for Biden because you feel the need to be defiant to the system, you’re being complicit in the fact that there are children in cages on the Mexican-American border. You’re being complicit in the fact that the United States government doesn’t recognize Climate Change as a real thing. You’re being complicit in a government that hides numbers and tries to pretend everything is okay in the face of a pandemic which is claiming hundreds of lives every day. You’re being complicit in a government which wants to give big businesses money over the people who are dying and going into debt because they can’t afford food or a place to live.

If you haven’t had your primary yet, vote for Bernie. That’s what I’m going to be doing. Giving him more delegates will show Biden that the people want more liberal and socialist ideas. Vote for Bernie in the primary, but recognize that when it comes time for the general election, Biden is not as bad as Trump and we really need that right now.

I just word vomited onto the page because I’m fired up right now, so if there’s something that doesn’t make sense or is worded weirdly, that’s why lol.

#politics #america #usa #bernie #bernie sanders #biden #joe biden #trump #democratic primary #democrats #bernie or bust #neverbidennevertrump #presidential primary #presidential election #long post

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pvccream8 · 3 years

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Building Contractors Certificate.

Metricon Australia'S Largest Home Builder For Second Year Running.

Content

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The top 10 residential construction companies for 2020 1. D.R. Horton. 2019 revenue: $17.4 billion. 2. Lennar Corp. 2019 revenue: $20.6 billion. 3. PulteGroup. 2019 revenue: $9.9 billion. 4. NVR. 2019 revenue: $7.2 billion. 5. KB Home. 2019 revenue: $4.5 billion. 6. https://trustedtraders.which.co.uk/articles/how-to-hire-guide-builders : $4.6 billion. 7. Meritage Homes Corp. 2019 revenue: $3.6 billion. 8. Toll Brothers. 2019 revenue: $7.2 billion. More items•

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laurendormanblog · 4 years

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Blog #8: Coronavirus Updates - March

This comes from a post from simplepolitics on Instagram, released throughout the month of March.

3 March: Boris Johnson has set out a 4 point plan to contain the spread of the virus - contain, delay, research and mitigate (make (something bad) less severe, serious, or painful.) It detailed measures that the government aren’t taking right now, but could take ‘at the right time and on the basis of scientific advice’. These could include:

Encouraging home working and discouraging unnecessary travel.

Consideration of school closures and reducing large-scale gatherings.

Using the Ministry of Defence for support.

Government departments having a coronavirus lead.

Helping businesses with short-term cash-flow problems.

Using more volunteers in hospitals and recalling recently retired staff.

“Our ability to test and treat is going to get us through the coronavirus and get through it in good shape.”

4 March: NHS and Coronavirus.

‘I’ve heard the NHS declared a level 4 incident?’ It’s been level 4 since January. All that means is that we’re co-ordinating nationally.

‘So, what’s happening right now?’ Worst case scenario planning. Reviewing hospital beds, use of video consultations and setting up 24/7 incident teams.

‘And if it gets worse?’ If cases rise, action plans come into play. Extra staff might come from NHS leavers and retirees. Using volunteers like St John’s ambulance has also been raised. Some non-urgent care could be delayed.

‘Will the NHS get more funding to cope?’ Jeremy Corbyn asked in Parliament today. The PM said he’d ‘give them everything they need’ to cope, but wasn’t more specific.

5 March: Plans to fight Coronavirus may limit personal rights (travel, gathering, education etc.) To what extent is that justified?

10 March: Fighting the virus. Individual events may be cancelled, but the UK is resisting ‘lockdowns’ or bans on public gatherings. We’re at stage one - contain - of the government’s 4 point plan to tackle Coronavirus. Is it the right policy?

YES - STAY AT CONTAIN

Those with any symptoms have already been asked to self-isolate. A leading expert said, “Many outdoor events, particularly, are relatively safe.”If measures are introduced too early, they may not be as effective in the long run. There’s the huge practical and economic disruption of closing schools/offices.

NO - MOVE TO DELAY

On average, people take 5 days to show symptoms - they might not self-isolate even though they are carrying the virus. We haven’t yet reached our ‘peak’ so we still have time to act preventatively. We need to protect the most vulnerable. The markets are already volatile - we shouldn’t delay to avoid economic impact.

11 March: As we get deeper into this virus thing, people will become poorly. Some of them you will like. Some you will love. Others might be people with whom you disagree. Maybe disagree a whole lot. Let’s find a way to treat everyone with respect and humanity, whatever their ideology. Abusing people for being ill is as nonsensical as it is ugly.

11 March:

The World Health Organisation has changed the state of Coronavirus to a pandemic. A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease. The virus is now in 114 countries. This change of language may change how countries choose to deal with it. WHO Director Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was keen to give reassurance. He said, “There’s been so much attention on one word. But these words matter much more:

Prevention

Preparedness

Public health

Political leadership

People.”

13 March: Boris Johnson didn’t announce closures to schools yesterday. Schools will only close if specifically told to - if a student or staff member contracts the virus.

WOO

Children won’t be missing out on education.

Different countries are at different stages - we shouldn’t feel pressure to follow measures.

Children who are off school could spend more time with vulnerable grandparents.

NHS staff may also not have childcare - and therefore be unavailable for work.

BOO

Online learning is a viable alternative.

Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Denmark have all announced the temporary closure of schools.

We don’t fully understand the role children play in spreading the virus.

While children may seem to have mild symptoms, teachers and support staff could be at risk.

14 March: Updated virus advice - symptoms. A new continuous cough and/or a high temperature. Sneezing and a runny nose are NOT symptoms. What to do:

Stay at home for seven days.

Sleep alone (if possible).

Ask friends to go to the shops (and leave things on doorstep).

You do NOT need to tell the authorities.

Do NOT call 111 (unless symptoms are getting worse or aren’t better after 7 days).

For now, people you live with don’t need to stay home, but you should stay 2 meters away from them.

16 March: New UK measures to tackle the virus include:

Avoid unnecessary social contact - that means pubs, clubs, theatres and other social venues.

Avoid non-essential travel.

‘Whole household’ 14 day isolation if anyone you live with shows symptoms.

Work from home if you can.

Starting tomorrow, emergency services will no longer support mass gatherings. Schools to stay open. This will be reviewed.

17 March: Health and Social Care Committee. Commons Committees are cross party. Made up of MPs who are passionate about health, they examine policy, spending and legislation to hold the government to account.

The Health Committee meets later to hear from a selection of experts. They want to know how prepared the UK is to deal with coronavirus - it’s called an inquiry.

They’ll examine areas such as rises in cases, preventative measures, further options and NHS plans. Jeremy Hunt (Conservative) is in the chair. They’ll hear from:

Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser.

Sir Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England.

Professor Keith Willett, Director for Acute Care at NHS England and other colleagues.

Results of inquiries are public and many require a government response.

17 March: Travel advice - advice now against ‘all but essential travel’ outside the UK for 30 days. From Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

17 March: Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, has given MPs his expert opinion. He expects the number of new cases to start coming down in two to three weeks. He keeps thinking overall UK deaths under 20,000 would be a good outcome. (Although obviously a horrible one.) He thinks we need a big increase in testing. Without people going to hospital. A community based test.

17 March:

Financial measures:

Businesses to have access to government backed loans (totalling £330bn) available from next week.

Extending 12 month business rate ‘holiday’ to all businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure.

Retail, hospitality and leisure sector - for small businesses who may not have insurance - cash grants of up to £25k/business.

Mortgage lenders will offer three month mortgage holiday to those who need it.

Other announcements:

NHS will postpone all non-urgent operations from 15 April for 3 months.

Foreign Office advise no non-essential foreign travel for 30 days.

18 March: Emergency Coronavirus Bill.

‘What’s the issue?’

Changes to the law are needed to give public bodies necessary powers to respond to the crisis. The legislation lasts 2 years. The four UK governments can switch the new powers on and off when needed.

‘What will this Bill do?’

Measures are wide-ranging but include:

Recently retired NHS staff will be able to return to work without pension penalties.

Volunteers will be helped to take Emergency Volunteer Leave.

Use of video and audio links in court proceedings will increase.

Port and airport operators could be asked to temporarily close if Border Force staff shortages result in a threat to security.

Police and immigration officers will have strengthened quarantine powers - including power to detain people to protect public health.

Statutory sick pay will be paid to those self-isolating from day one.

‘What’s next?’ The Bill will be labeled in Parliament tomorrow.

18 March: Wales and Scotland confirm schools to shut on Friday.

18 March: Schools in England, Scotland and Wales will close on Friday afternoon. Schools in Northern Ireland are already closed.

18 March:

Schools update:

Schools in England to close on Friday to all but children of key workers (e.g. NHS staff, delivery drivers) and vulnerable children.

Nurseries and private schools will be asked to do the same.

Exams will not take place in May/June.

Schools in Northern Ireland will close to pupils from tonight.

Scotland and Wales had already announced closures.

Other points:

Everyone encouraged to follow previously given advice on self-isolation and social distancing.

Testing being ‘scaled up’ - moving to 25,000 a day.

19 March:

PM gave June as an optimistic time frame.

He said we can ‘turn the tide’ within the next 12 weeks - if we take the steps already outlined.

Government in negotiations to buy an antibody test - to assess whether people have had Coronavirus.

First patient has entered a clinical drugs trial.

Ask businesses to ‘stand by their workers’ - ‘as we will stand by you’.

20 March: Kids questions.

1. What does Coronavirus do? It can cause fever, a cough and difficulty breathing. Medical experts say 99% of people will make a full recovery.

2. I’ve heard about social distancing - what is it? It means making sure there’s enough space between people who are well and those who might not be well. It helps stop the disease spreading.

3. Can I help? Yes, by regularly washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. When you could or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue (not your hand!)

4. What’s happening to stop it? Doctors around the world are working hard to find a vaccine that will protect people.

20 March: Boris Johnson ‘tells’ pubs, restaurants, clubs, theatres, cafes, etc. to close tonight and not reopen tomorrow.

20 March: The ‘Coronavirus job retention scheme’ means employers will be able to access a grant to cover 80% of retained workers salaries up to £2,500/month. VAT payments deferred until the end of June. Universal Credit standard allowance increased for 12 months by £1000. Working Tax Credit will be raised by the same amount. Self employed with zero income can access Universal Credit at rate equivalent to Statutory Sick Pay. Next self-assessment income payments also deferred until 2021. Local Housing Allowance will be changed so it covers at least 30% of market rents in a claimant’s area. Cafes, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, clubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms, leisure centres to close as of this evening. Takeouts unaffected.

21 March: Updated virus advice. In general: Stay home. All the time (except key workers who can’t bring their ‘A’ game from home). Only shop for essentials and keep distance from others. Buy only what you need (and leave stuff for others). Symptoms: A new continuous cough and/or a high temperature. What to do if you have the symptoms: Everyone in your home needs to stay home for 14 days. Sleep alone (if possible). Ask friends to go to the shops (and leave things on doorstep). Try to keep distance from others around the home. Visit 111.NHS.UK if you need help.

21 March: Government urge people to be responsible when they shop and think of others. It will be left to retailers to limit items and that the government shouldn’t be involved. There is more than enough food to go round and the food supply chain can expand. Curfew on deliveries to stores and delivery driver hours relaxed. Competition rules suspended to allow collaboration between supermarkets. Plastic bag charge suspended.

22 March: Government explicitly confirm ‘you can go for walks. You can go to the playground.’ Exercise is ‘probably the right thing to do’. Obviously don’t get into contact with other people, though.

22 March: Now taking special steps to shield the most clinically vulnerable. The NHS has identified up to 1.5 million people who will be contacted and urged to stay at home for at least 12 weeks. They have been identified as high risk. Others in the same household will not be required to stay at home - but should still follow social distancing. Care will continue. Carers can still visit - as long as they follow guidelines. Support networks will be created for those without help. Advised people to look out for neighbours. Reiterated staying 2m apart - even in outdoor spaces.

23 March: All McDonald’s restaurants in the UK will close by 7pm tonight.

23 March: If Boris Johnson falls ill with the virus, Dominic Raab (Foreign Secretary) will stand in. If Raab is also ill, another minister will step up.

23 March: The PM is ‘making a statement to the country’ at 8.30 this evening. It’s post COBRA, prime time TV, at a time when the Coronavirus Bill is in Parliament so can easily be added to, while many people are calling for the government to go further. Expect a big announcement.

23 March: The PM tells the nation ‘you must stay at home’. You may leave the home to shop for necessities. 1 form of exercise a day. A medical need. Traveling to and from work, if absolutely necessary. If you don’t follow instructions, the police will have powers to stop you.

23 March: Very clear message is “You must stay at home.” Only go out for:

Shopping for essentials

One form of exercise a day

Medical need/caring for a vulnerable person

Travelling to/from work - where this is absolutely necessary and you can’t work from home.

Do not meet up with friends or family members you don’t live with.

Closure of all shops selling non-essential goods.

Closure of libraries, outdoor gyms, places of worship.

No gatherings of more than 2 people in public, apart from those you live with.

The police will have the power to enforce rules - this includes fines and dispersing gatherings.

No social gatherings including weddings. Funerals are not included in these measures.

Measures will be reviewed in three weeks.

24 March: One clarification from last night - the government has confirmed that children whose parents live apart are allowed to travel between their houses.

24 March: Coronavirus - help for the self-employed? ‘What’s the issue?’ On Friday, the government announced it’s financial package to protect workers. It was a huge intervention, but concentrated on the 85% of people in the employment using the PAYE system. There was no wage guarantee for the self-employed. Since then, MPs on both sides of the House have raised the issue.

‘What’s the latest?’ Today, the Treasury Committee urged the Chancellor to take more action - following an ‘unprecedented response’ to their call for evidence. Help has been promised - but Rishi Sunak was keen to stress how complex it is. He said, “The issue is one of finding a way to target help… rather than having something that provides blanket cash subsidies to 5 million people.”

The message is help is coming - but nothing firmer for now.

24 March:

The government is seeking 250,000 NHS volunteers to help during the crisis, through a new volunteer scheme.

5,500 final year medical students and 1,800 final year student nurses will be going into work early.

A new NHS ‘Nightingale’ hospital is opening in the ExCel centre in London. It can hold 4,000 patients.

Hancock paid tribute to NHS staff.On overcrowded tubes, said Transport for London should run enough carriages so that people can obey 2 metre rule.

Journalists were not in the room, but submitted questions via Zoom.

25 March: Beware! Fake news - the self employed amendment. People are sharing, a lot, an amendment that would offer self-employed people up to £2,500 per month. An amendment is a change that is suggested to any new bill (new law). At specific times in the process, MPs/Members of the HoL can vote to include/refuse them. This amendment does exist. However, MPs didn’t accept the text. It was so one sided, there wasn’t even a vote. Having been through the Commons, it is in the Lords today. Supporters of the amendment will try again. They will fail. Those looking for self-employed help need to wait for the announcement this week, probably on Friday.

25 March: Parliament will finish for its Easter Break today - a return on 21 April will be under review.

25 March: In 24 hours 405,000 people have responded to the call to be NHS volunteers. Care message - stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives. Confirmed we will hear from the Chancellor tomorrow on additional help for the self-employed. An antibody test, which would test if you have already had the virus - is being evaluated - reiterated accuracy of testing is key. Rollout would be staged. In other news, the Coronavirus Bill has passed the House of Lords without amendment.

26 March: Off-licences have been added to the list of essential shops. They can now stay open for the duration of whatever this is. Other essential shops include supermarkets, pharmacies, petrol stations, laundrettes and more.

26 March: New Self Employed Income Support scheme will be worth up to £2,500 per month. This will cover 80% of wages, against average profit over the past three years.

26 March: To the self-employed - ‘You have not been forgotten.’ Launching a new self-employed income support scheme. Offering a taxable grant worth 80% of average profits over the last three years, up to a maximum of £2,500. Open to those that make the majority of their earnings from self-employment - with trading profits up to £50,000. Open for three months but it will be extended for longer if necessary. Only those with a tax return for 2019 are eligible. Anyone who missed the deadline for submission has an extra four weeks. It will be up and running by the beginning of June. Reiterated other support available, such as Universal Credit.

27 March: The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has tested positive for the Coronavirus. He is currently experiencing minor symptoms, but Dominic Raab is set to take over if needed.

27 March: The rate of infection has been doubling every 3-4 days. Figures are a powerful reminder to act. Confirmed that the Prime Minister has tested positive for Coronavirus. PM is continuing to lead the UK’s response via video conferencing. PM has brought together businesses, universities and research institutes to boost testing capacity to the front line. Hundreds of tests to take place by the end of the weekend. Confirmed approval for two new temporary hospitals in Birmingham and Manchester. Matt Hancock, Health Secretary has also tested positive. Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, is self-isolating after having symptoms.

28 March: Frontline NHS staff will begin to receive tests this weekend. Critical care doctors and nurses with symptoms, or who have people at home with symptoms, will be tested. If they’re negative, they can go back to work. Loads more tests coming next week. It won’t apparently, be long until ambulance crews, paramedics and GPs also get tested. Social workers are on the list too.

28 March: Grants will be with over a million businesses as soon as possible. Administrative barriers to be removed on manufacturing and supplying of face masks and hand sanitiser. Employers - where work can’t be done from home - should follow safety guidelines. If that’s not happening, authorities should be informed. Hospitals in London are not at capacity. Capacity is being expanded. 500 beds will be available at Nightingale/Excel Centre next week.

29 March: Letter issued to the public from the Prime Minister.

29 March: All parts of the country are on an emergency footing. Merging police, fire, ambulance, NHS etc. Groups are creating coordinated local responses. National Supply Distribution, supported by the military are delivering Personal Protective Equipment to NHS Trusts and Healthcare settings. A new web-page and phone number launched to support the most vulnerable. Once registered, prescriptions and food can be delivered. After reviews in the next few weeks, over 3-6+ months, social restrictions are expected to gradually lift.

30 March: We’ve got a new thing to help us breathe. Problem? We struggled to supply enough ventilators. Also, the patient needs sedation and is almost always in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Solution? A new form of a machine (CPAP) is easier to produce and could keep 50-60% of CPAP using patients out of ICU. What next? The CPAP has been given the nod by the first set of regulators and is in testing. It could be in our hospitals in ten days or so. Mercedes F1 can, apparently, knock out hundreds of these a day. There are concerns that the seal around the mouth can be a little leaky. This could create an infection problem. Manufacturers say that if Personal Protective Equipment is used, the risk to carers is minimal.

30 March:

So far today…

Morrisons has committed £10m of food and other bits to foodbanks.

EasyJet have grounded their fleet for at least two months.

Dominic Cummings - the PM’s advisors - is self isolating with virus symptoms.

While we, apparently, have the capacity to test up to 10,000 people a day, yesterday we tested only 7,000.

30 March: Just under 200 prisoners are expected to be released temporarily from Northern Ireland’s jails. It’s due to staff shortages due to the crisis. They will be subject to conditions and release will be under constant review.

30 March:

Unprecedented numbers of UK residents trying to get home. Government are working with other countries to get Britons home.

They have a new arrangement worth £75 million with a list of ‘partner’ airlines - to target flights from priority countries where commercial flights are not running.

Reductions in traffic/footfall show that people are following advice.

Priority is trying to keep the number of severe cases below intensive care capacity.

Chief Scientific Adviser, Patrick Vallance said it was “premature to put an absolute time on how long this goes on for.”

31 March:

Yesterday saw the highest single daily increase in the number of deaths from COVID-19.

Government are sourcing more ventilators from a group of businesses such as Rolls Royce and Dyson. The first of 1000s of new ventilators will be produced this weekend.

Conducting rapid trials on drugs, including anti-malarials, which may be able to reduce impact.

Social contact has been reducing. There is a ‘bit of a plateau’ in the number of new UK cases.

Despite these ‘green shoots’ - warned against complacency and taking ‘our foot off the pedal.’

Home Office confirm they will extend NHS visas, free of charge, for about 2,800 NHS staff whose visas are due to expire before 1 October.

That’s it for March! I will upload updates for April (so far) soon!

All credit goes to simplepolitics on Instagram.

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bryonysimcox · 4 years

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Life in Lockdown: Week 8, Spain

It’s been seven of the weirdest days of our life: where the freedom of vanlife turned into quarantine in a 4m2 space. I look back on our documentary progress and life in València under lockdown.

The week started with the announcement that the biggest event in the Valèncian calendar, Las Fallas, was cancelled. This came as a real shock to us (just as I was wrapping up last week’s blog post) and at the time, almost felt like a bit of an over-reaction. Of course, those closely following the development of Coronavirus around the world, and particularly in nearby Italy, would understand the motivation behind such a big decision.

On Tuesday morning I attended a free event about Innovation and Design in cities, hosted by a group called ‘Designscapes’ who are conducting research on the topic in the hope of developing public policy. I’d been invited by Ramon Marrades who we’ve been working with at La Marina, and I quite enjoyed attending an academic event after being outside of the urban design industry for a while. I wrote an overview of some of the key takeaways from the event here, which included speakers from the International Centre for Design and Research, Aalborg University and The Tavistock Institute. Unfortunately, the event was considerably impacted by Coronavirus, and not only was attendance greatly reduced but many of the speakers were also unavailable to be present.

Attending the Designscapes Policy Forum was certainly a wake-up call about how seriously Covid-19 might begin to affect public gatherings, but I would still not believe the situation we’d be in just one week later!

While the cancellation of Las Fallas had affected some of our commercial work, the next few days felt as though most other things were unaffected. Plans for the documentary that our channel Broaden are making about La Marina charged ahead.

On Tuesday afternoon, we met up with Ramon to discuss people we’d like to interview about La Marina, València’s seriously impressive waterfront precinct. He took us inside ‘La Base’, the old headquarters for the Swiss Alinghi sailing team, a relic from when València hosted the America’s Cup back in 2007. La Marina now uses the building for events and offices, and while it’s not yet used as often as it could, it has so much potential and is one of many cool assets in the marina.

(images, left to right) Attending the Designscapes forum on innovation in cities, enjoying the sunset on the marina blissfully unaware of the lockdown that would soon be in place, and moody scenes from inside ‘La Base’, a building full of potential.

Filming for the documentary began on Wednesday morning, when we interviewed Manoel, a charming guy who has worked at La Marina for over a decade. Starting out as a deck hand, Manoel is now a senior staff member managing the nautical side of the marina, with its hundreds of moorings and associated facilities. It was fascinating to learn more about the operational side of running a place like this, and we were even treated to a guided boat ride around the marina which offered such a different perspective on this place we’ve both been documenting and staying in for over a week.

The following afternoon, we filmed our second interview, this time with with Julia Pineda, a socially-oriented architect from the co-operative practice ‘Crearqcio’ who has worked closely with La Marina. I was especially interested in the community engagement she had done, and the participatory processes with local residents and other stakeholders to explore names for new streets and decide on future uses for buildings there.

As George and I continue to work together as a videography duo, we’re refining the process of interviewing people, arranging shoots, preparing equipment and getting the perfect footage.

(images, left to right) Taking a boat ride around La Marina, speaking to Julia in Crearqcio’s office, and interviewing Manoel on a gloriously sunny day for the documentary.

Friday the 13th did indeed turn out to be pretty unlucky, as that’s when the situation in Spain relating to Coronavirus really escalated. We managed to squeeze in another interview with a member of La Marina’s team, the third of five interviews we had planned. Barbara was really accommodating and positive on camera, but even just the general vibe in the office while we were filming communicated that things were about to dramatically change.

By early evening, we were informed that some of our other commercial work would have to be completely cancelled, as all operations in Spain were starting to completely shut down.

It was Friday evening when warning came of the state of alarm which Spain was about to enter.

The declaration was made on Saturday: to ameliorate the spread of coronavirus, everyone in Spain is to stay at home, leaving the house only to buy groceries or medicine. All bars, restaurants, museums, cafes, and any other establishments that carry out public activity are to be closed and no one is to use public spaces. As the week continued, further measures have been put in place, such as the closure of the country’s land borders.

And that is pretty much when the predictability of my and George’s lives ended. Just like that: an extreme measure is brought into place which affects every aspect of your life - your income, your freedom to move, your travel plans, your activities and your family. Of course, that extreme measure has been brought into place because of an extreme situation, but if only I could warn Bryony from a week ago, perhaps I would have told her to prepare in some way. What might I have said? To stock up on food essentials, to buy a couple more books, to have more money saved up and most critically, to brace herself for the physical and emotional challenge of being confined to living exclusively inside Suzi the Van.

(images, left to right) Powering through confinement in a van by writing letters and eating icecream, George going a teeny tiny bit crazy in our mini house, and sitting just outside the van on my virtual ‘balcony’.

We have left the van once since Friday, to go out and buy some food. I’m someone who likes to get out and about, so this level of confinement is pretty intense.

Aside from the supermarket run (to Lidl, which was surprisingly well-stocked), George and I have ‘stayed at home’, here in Suzi at La Marina. I’ve been really keen to go and find a camping spot out in the countryside, where there might be more possibility of getting some fresh air and a walk, but we’re conscious that where we are right now has all the amenities we could need: flushing toilets, hot showers, a laundry, rubbish bins, water, drain, and even electricity (which we’ve resorted to using today amid stormy overcast weather). Plus, if the last week has taught us anything, it’s that you can’t be sure of how the next week may play out. The safest option is likely to stay put.

As people have reiterated online, a period of isolation is a pretty unique opportunity for many of us to indulge in activities we don’t get around to. Whilst I’m privileged to have already incorporated diary and blog writing as well as a lot of book-reading into my routine in the van, these last few days have seen me do that more than ever. I also made another collage, and even got around to editing together a collection of images I took back when I was working in Sydney. This short stop-motion animation (below) had me thinking about seeing something inspirational in the same repetitive scene.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bryony Simcox (@bryonysimcox) on Mar 16, 2020 at 9:42am PDT

Might isolation do wonders for society’s increasingly short attention span and need for variety?

The current situation is a bizarre mix of feeling very isolated and very connected all at the same time. George and I use our phones a lot, and get constant updates both from formal news outlets and from friends and family. Anecdotes from Sydney and the UK, where measures aren’t quite as extreme yet, contrast with the sobering sentiments of scientists on podcasts or videos of Italians and Chinese who have been dealing with a total lockdown far longer than we have.

At times, I’ve even turned my phone off to try and tune out of the noise. Now that George and I are in lockdown, we aren’t able to contract Covid-19 nor spread it. So to a certain extent I feel as though keeping up-to-date as the crisis unfolds only makes me feel increasingly miserable and helpless.

(images, left to right) The deserted walkway next to our van, empty offices at La Marina, and the beach as viewed from the closed gate which confines the part of the marina that we’re parked in.

If you let your mind project the implications of this virus in the future, it’s not too hard to find yourself in a dark place. Already, I see the failings of an economic system addicted to growth, the selfish panic-buying and disregard of facts by large swathes of people and the unfair advantage of exploitative multinational corporations. Take for example the fact that the aviation industry (led by millionaires, might I add) have banded together to ask for government payouts while young people, creatives, self-employed and zero-hour contract employees face a future of complete financial uncertainty.

I’m left asking questions like “how will people pay their rent?”, “where will this leave already vulnerable members of our society?” and “how will we even begin to rebuild life if and when this virus is tackled?”.

Of course, there are so many positive sides to be seen during this time too, and some of which offer answers to that last question. Already, we are seeing signs of generosity and kindness from health workers, neighbours, friends and strangers. We are seeing the emergence of an informal economy built on reciprocity and trust, where not just economic capital has value. We are seeing innovation on a massive scale, as people seek new ways of keeping their businesses alive, of cooking food with what’s left in their cupboards, of keeping the virus at bay and managing its spread, of boosting morale and of pooling resources.

(images) I’m trying to see beauty in things and keep positive-minded, even if that means snapping these colourful scenes from the desolate streets on our walk to the supermarket.

In some ways, perhaps we needed an event of this magnitude to shake up the entire way in which we exist, and to rethink our systems of living.

The irony is that we already have another event which threatens humanity in this way, but which we have been largely ignoring. This is, of course, climate change and the terrifying rate at which the earth is warming up. Mother Nature has been shouting about the catastrophe we are charging towards for some time now, and yet it has taken direct deaths on home soil and a tangible ‘thing’ like Covid-19 for us to react in a collective and decisive way. It also goes without saying, that my heart breaks for all of the victims of this terrible virus to date, and I would never wish that it would take fatalities to call us to action.

This blog is usually a very personal reflection on a very personal journey: where my partner George and I attempt to cross the world in an old Japanese campervan, making videos along the way. But the arrival of this virus and its direct impact on our journey has triggered a different type of reflection. Perhaps in the coming weeks, during which I presume we will remain in lockdown, I will continue to write and reflect on what I think it is to be human in a difficult time, and to assess the situation which we are now all in, together as humanity.

I hope that my writing brings us together in some way, across oceans, balconies and phone screens. Whilst I’m pretty sure that George and I will still be parked up in a marina on the Spanish coast this time next week, who knows where we’ll be, collectively?

#traveldiaries #SuziTheVan #toyotahiace #overlandadventures #digitalnomads #BryonyandGeorge #vanlife #coronavirus #covid19 #stateofalarm #estadodealarma #vanliving

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megatotolefu-blog · 4 years

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Things You Won't Like About Nigeria Evisa and Things You Will

iVisa

Please be aware that forged or fake documentations are prohibited. Charge card use ought to be considered carefully. It will not accept visa applications and documentation where the online form has not been completed and the online payment has not been made.

Please be aware that minors aren't permitted to submit applications by themselves, they have to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. When you have filled the suitable forms, there are specific fees to be paid.

If you're submitting a permanent residence program, you'll need to give biometrics whenever you apply. Incomplete and rejected application procedure is likely as a result of absence of payment. You do not have to enter Turkey on the specific date specified in your application.

As soon as you have confirmed that you want a visa, you can finish your application on our on-line portal. Based on your geographical area, you might want to find an ETA.

Most travelers require a visitor visa to go to Canada But you might not require a visitor visa is the question What you would like to do is ensure you want a visitor visa before applying. The DS-160 form number is going to be needed to secure visa appointment.

You should be aware that a visa application can be rejected for many factors. Keep in mind a visa isn't the identical thing as a worldwide passport. Before going on to apply you ought to first know whether you desire a visa or not.

| If you are in need of a visa to enter Nigeria, then you'll also require a letter of invitation to pay a visit to Nigeria. Its normal that Nigerian citizens will like to go to the UK for many factors. There are particular conditions that have to be met before any Nigerian is permitted to go to Canada.

For immigrants that have a strategy to remain in the United Kingdom for a long duration of time, it's advised they apply for a Long Term Visa. No, US citizens do not demand ETAs or visas to go to Canada. They are able to apply for multiple entry visas valid for one year.

Nigeria Evisa - Is it a Scam? If you're asking for a normal visitor's visa on a brief term basis, the conventional application fee is $141. The visa fees change very frequently, it's not actually a constant thing. So you don't need to pay any extra fees.

Otherwise, the visa application form can be finished by the applicant. The operators will allow you to proceed through the practice of getting a visa and for that they will charge a fee.

Visa is going to be granted upon arrival. Keep in mind a visa isn't the identical thing as a worldwide passport. To begin with, use Visa wizard to check, dependent on your situation, whether you are in need of a visa and if this is so, what type.

The interview post you select at the start of the Form DS-160 has to be the exact post in which you schedule your interview appointment. As soon as your passport was returned to the TLS, they will get in touch with the applicant by email and they're going to update your individual account page on the site. The URL to download your e-visa is going to be e-mailed to you.

Understanding Nigeria Evisa Don't forget that it's compulsory to get a travel insurance before visiting any of the Schengen nations, in reality it is among the significant criteria at the embassy. You have to offer proof of travel arrangements for the length of your journey. The trip takes about a few hours.

Currently, tourist visas aren't being issued. The UAE is also among the safest places on earth to go to. Some business travellers may be eligible to submit an application for a visa on arrival.

Using Nigeria Evisa Please be aware that forged or fake documentations are prohibited. Charge card use ought to be considered carefully. It will not accept visa applications and documentation where the online form has not been completed and the online payment has not been made.

Visa application is going to be made after the essential documents are provided. Documentation requirements regarding visa application will stay same. Migration itself was considered a cross-border issue, mainly when it comes to its security implications.

Note you have to scan all the documents as you'd be requested to upload them during your visa on arrival application approach. Regardless of the mode of application you select, you'll be asked to fill in an assessment form at first to access a paid visa application guide for the specific type of visa you will need. You'll be provided a receipt.

| If you're asking for a normal visitor's visa on a brief term basis, the conventional application fee is $141. So now you know more about the Nigerian visa on arrival and all the requirements you must go up ahead and apply for it, within the next section I will explain how to apply for your Nigerian visa on arrival. The united kingdom visa fees vary depend on the class of visa you're applying for.

If no particular explanation is stated, then the applicant is going to have to reapply. The entire visa application procedure is therefore quite simple, with no demand for additional formalities as such. The next thing to do is to finish your visa application form.

If you are in need of a visa to enter Nigeria, then you'll also require a letter of invitation to pay a visit to Nigeria. Its normal that Nigerian citizens will like to go to the UK for many factors. Some countries would ask that you appear for an interview or maybe a medical examination before you try to apply for the visa.

All you have to know on how best to apply for UK Visa in Nigeria. You're going to be instructed on how best to create the payment. There's a limit at which you can create your on-line payment on.

Don't forget that it's compulsory to get a travel insurance before visiting any of the Schengen nations, in reality it is among the significant criteria at the embassy. You have to offer proof of travel arrangements for the length of your journey. It is most appropriate for travellers who intend to stay for a period of less than 4 days in the nation.

Currently, tourist visas aren't being issued. Then you must stamp out of Thailand, very effortless. Make sure you have a confirmed hotel booking in the UAE prior to your travel.

Nigeria Evisa and Nigeria Evisa - The Perfect Combination It is crucial to remember that they'll demand for your biometrics at the visa application center so guarantee it is completed. The Consulate won't accept visa applications and documentation where the on-line form has not yet been completed online. It will not accept visa applications and documentation where the online form has not been completed and the online payment has not been made.

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game-plague-inc-blog · 5 years

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Plague Inc Evoled Review

Plague Inc. Evolved may be a game wherever you are taking over a doubtless deadly illness to extinguish humanity. the sport relies on a series of games referred to as Pandemic that became widespread during a flash game from 2008. but Plague Iraqi National Congress. Evolved took the novel plan from there and developed a rather attention-grabbing and deeper game.

When you begin a game of Plague Iraqi National Congress. Evolved you initially need to opt for a illness sort, these vary from bacterium, viruses, all the high to nano-viruses and bio-weapons. every one has slightly totally different rules and talents. every form of illness is given a novel special ability, and a few (four out of the eleven, that I’ll decision the special types) act radically totally different.

You then name your virus. I found a number of clever selections, my personal favorite was “Twilight Fan Fictions.” however something is used, it’s simply a reputation for the sport to use to consult with it. From there the sport really starts transferral you to the most map.

Unsurprisingly, the most map is that the customary form of the globe. you have got six out of the seven continents (no Antarctica) and varied countries. Some countries ar obvious, like North America that is Canada, us, and Mexico. However, alternative countries ar mixed in or forgotten regarding altogether. Central Europe may be a single place, Portugal is a component of Espana and continent that is fifty four countries within the world is regarding ten within the game. These ar clearly selections to feature to the gameplay (imagine Risk with all 195 countries), however it’s a shame that such a large amount of countries ar forgotten here.

However, every country’s borders ar thus sharp that there’s a transparent border wherever the countries ar. It’s odd to examine the us fully overrun by a illness next to Canada that features a few spots on that. the rationale is that the countries ar delineated on the map however the placement of “sick people” isn't on a grid thus spreading of the illness is additional supported hidden arithmetic instead of a logical progression. The sharpness of the borders feels rather awkward now and then, particularly once a country’s borders ar open and no infected individuals appear to be going into fully healthy countries.

Once the player reaches the most map, they're allowed to pick a beginning country, and also the illness starts to unfold there. The gameplay invariably starts slowly, typically taking a number of days to urge going, tho' the sport permits 3 speeds for progression, I found myself selecting the quickest speed and pausing after I wished to try to to one thing, as there’s a great deal of time period in between events that need action.

One piece the sport will modification from the initial construct is whereas watching for the infection to unfold, bubbles can seem which will be popped for deoxyribonucleic acid points. These occur once a replacement country is appropriated or once enough time has passed, the player is given one thing to try to to whereas they wait and honestly, it unbroken Pine Tree State engaged within the game rather than pondering alternative games I might be enjoying.

These deoxyribonucleic acid points additionally are available in overtime because the world gets infected (or killed) and that they ar a part of the core of the sport. There’s not Associate in Nursing infinite range of them, and there ar very little items which will increase the amount that are available in, however the sport isn’t terribly clear the way to boost them. It looks the additional severe a illness is that the additional points you may gain.

DNA points is used for one in all 3 things. you'll be able to pay them on transmission enhancements, that makes the illness unfold higher, faster, or in several ways that. you'll be able to use them to urge new symptoms for your illness, which might facilitate unfold however will increase the severity of the illness, that causes it to urge noticed . Finally, you'll be able to additionally purchase resistances, that is crucial as a result of the cold or medicine in made countries can stop the illness.

The upgrades ar the key to the sport, however sadly the upgrades are one in all the constraints of the sport. A bacterium and {a virus|an epidemic|a plague|an outbreak|an endemic|a scourge|a pandemic|a deadly illness|a virulent disease|a pestilence} ar differing kinds of disease. rather than being distinctive dieseases, they need a similar upgrades. a similar ways that of spreading, and also the same resistance. they are doing have one distinctive ability, the bacterium will gain a far better resistance and also the virus will change quicker, however, this doesn’t transform the sport. virtually each virus has a similar sorts of transmissions, same symptoms and same resistances with one special ability. i discussed four special sorts of illness on top of, and 2 of the four operate in similar ways that with a special list of symptoms, and 2 of the four ar distinctive experiences that I’ll bit on later.

There are genes you'll be able to opt for once you discovered your illness. These genes ar unfastened by beating the most game multiple times. they permit you to realize bonuses, like additional deoxyribonucleic acid once sound specific bubbles, or ability to unfold higher in wet countries, or additional ship based mostly transmissions. {you will|you'll|you'll be able to} grind these genes out otherwise you can collect them as you play the sport.

There’s a great deal of those genes, and that i was solely able to collect thirty % of them in fifteen hours of gameplay, however overall they appear to alter the sport a touch.

That is one in all the large problems I even have with the sport. Genes appear to alter the sport a touch however I don’t acumen abundant as expected. the very fact is that whereas the upgrades and genes tend to be a similar, there are not any stats. I’m unable to understand specifically what proportion of a gain the cold resistance or the bacteria’s special resistance can provide. the sport solely provides alittle bar chart of Infectiousness, Severity, and morbidity every of those ar valuable stats, however there ar such a large amount of alternative stats that ar hinted at. “Difficulty to cure”, “Resistances”, even “Infectiousness level to the precise form of countries” ar all vital stats and also the game doesn’t provides a stat screen or any info on what proportion more durable it'll be to cure a illness, for example.

Maybe this was done to avoid the concept of “Min-Maxing” the sport, however this is often a technique game. Players ought to apprehend specifically however each bit can have an effect on the top result. If they wished to avoid metagaming, they selected the incorrect genre, in my opinion, to try to to that in.

The other chance is that the developers were afraid the numbers would mean nothing that may be a valid concern. Associate in Nursing eight in cold resistance is just getting to confuse individuals, but obtaining Associate in Nursing eight in cold resistance versus a nine in cold resistance is a very important distinction and it might facilitate to differentiate items, still as get a far better understanding what every alternative will.

I’m unsure why the stats aren’t clearly expressed for the kind of individuals WHO would use them, however it’s one thing that bothers Pine Tree State. It can also build the sport more durable to win as you don’t apprehend what you’re shopping for or the way to quantify 2 selections. The community appear to suppose creating the illness “hard to cure” isn’t an honest alternative, however it’s a guess, not a measurement of that upgrade.

Ultimately there ar extremely 2 sorts of winning the sport. There’s the hiding form of winning, wherever the illness stays hidden till it infects everybody then at that time becomes super devastating typically killing the globe before the cure will extremely be started. there's additionally a quicker burn, wherever the illness can gain symptoms to extend its infectiousness however avoids major analysis and outpaces the cure.

There’s another issue here, and it’s that the tutorial teaches you the second path. However, the primary illness you get extremely has to use a hiding vogue. the sport doesn’t appear to show you hiding, and a replacement player WHO doesn’t search something can doubtless fail variety of times till he’s forced to seem it up.

The hiding plan is absolutely attention-grabbing for the diseases, however the very fact that the sport doesn’t provide the player the tools to essentially perceive what’s happening, and offers the player such a tough form of illness 1st makes it a frustrating learning method.

Once the player has learned these tools the sport is best, however it’s a painful method that the sport ought to have tried to avoid, or a minimum of hinted at the way to properly play the sport, instead of dropping the player within the deep finish and creating the belief that he’ll swim.

However learning hiding on the primary illness, the player is forced to be told the incorrect vogue. hiding is simpler to win for a few diseases, however it’s slow and dangerous, particularly if you overspend in transmission. hiding loses effectiveness as you go up the difficulties, each in getting to additional advanced sorts and actual issue levels within the game. therefore the lessons that the player should learn ultimately additionally should be unlearned shortly subsequently.

The game itself is additionally annoyingly tough. The goal is to eradicate all the humans. the difficulty is there ar a number of moves that the humans will use to win. the primary is there’s a cure being engineered and if it’s completed, the sport is over. this is often Associate in Nursing annoying loss and also the solely actual thanks to lose, the others solely build it not possible to win till the cure is finished. The minute the cure reaches 100%, it starts being distributed, and you have got a number of moments left within the game. the difficulty is that the distribution is quick and also the person to urge cured has created you lose the sport as a result of if somehow the cure doesn’t get distributed on the far side him, one living person causes you to unable to kill all the humans on the world.

Another issue is that you simply additionally won't be able to reach Kalaallit Nunaat, or New island, if they closed down the port. If this happens you’re out of luck. There’s a renowned acculturation regarding the initial game Pandemic and Madagascar closing down the ports. In Plague Iraqi National Congress. Evolved, it’s Kalaallit Nunaat. The acculturation isn’t as guaranteed (as it’s easier to hiding round the globe) but you continue to ar forced to use the boats to succeed in Kalaallit Nunaat, and make sure you reach there before you get too dangerous, otherwise you have got lost.

You also may break a population. If you don’t have enough infected individuals otherwise you kill them too quick, or if the country discovered them, they could be killed before they infect enough people, and once more you’ve lost. the sport doesn’t finish directly however unless you're enjoying a state of affairs which will counter that (There could be only 1 or 2 and they’re special cases) the sport is over at that time, you only need to play it bent are aware of it unless you’ve seen it before.

Now, I’ve lost a number of games wherever I killed over fifty % of the population. I lost one wherever I killed ninety nine % of the globe. The remaining individuals wouldn’t be able to repair the harm I did, nevertheless I got a “Loss”.

The additional I vie, the additional i spotted that there extremely ought to be a wage scale of ending. something over 65-75 % death ought to be a “win’ whereas the ninety nine and 100% wins might be the next worth (an A versus a D). you'll even limit the unlocking of stuff to 100% if you need to, however winning as a result of you’ve done wonderful against the humans would are welcome.

Instead, you have got a primary or worst state of affairs. If you kill everybody, you win, congratulations. If you permit even one person alive, you didn’t and you suck. It’s a shame as a result of i favor the construct of the kill everybody plan, I simply hate being told I didn’t kill everybody. that hate isn’t as a result of I unloved losing, I’ve vie enough Dark Souls and alternative games to understand I’m lacking some talent.

The issue with Plague Iraqi National Congress. Evolved is that i might fail and it doesn’t invariably want my fault. I’m certain it's my fault however extremely it’s a foul feeling of failure while not a sense of what went wrong.

#plague game plague inc eloved gamer games site link sites linksite gamer best

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patriotnewsdaily · 3 years

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New Post has been published on PatriotNewsDaily.com

New Post has been published on https://patriotnewsdaily.com/dana-white-and-joe-rogan-destroy-propaganda/

Dana White and Joe Rogan destroy propaganda

As mandatory vaccinations spread throughout the business world of the United States, some leaders are standing up to speak out against the health requirement trend that has been infecting free market capitalism here. This week, President of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Dana White and fellow UFC and top podcast host Joe Rogan both took the time to give their thoughts on vaccine mandates and the effects that they have on our personal freedoms in America.

In a recent interview, Dana White spoke with MMANews.com about the pressure being placed on athletes and viewers alike to get themselves vaccinated to either perform or attend any public sporting events. He shared his view on vaccine mandates, saying that his organization will never place health mandates on anyone associated with or looking to come to any of his UFC shows.

Dana White said, “I would never tell another human being what to do with their body. If you want to get vaccinated, that’s up to you. That’s your choice. You’re never gonna hear me say I’m gonna force people to get vaccinated. Never gonna happen.”

If only the rest of the business world would share this same view. This statement comes as major corporations from big tech to big business to the music, television and film industries all have decided to force employees to become vaccinated, regardless of their health history, personal concerns or religious beliefs. This statement also comes as New York City has become the first city to implement a mandatory vaccine health passport for all citizens wishing to participate in human life there.

Speaking on the news, Dana White continued to say that, “They’re telling you in New York you can’t go into a restaurant or a gym unless you’re vaccinated and can prove it and things like that. Some people are getting fired if they don’t get vaccinated. Yeah, that’s not gonna happen here. You wanna get vaccinated? Get vaccinated. If you don’t, that’s your decision, your body.”

In a few months, scheduled for November 6th of this year, the UFC is planning to have an event in New York City at Madison Square Garden. With the news of the vaccine passport mandate, Dana White is open to changing the venue if complications arise and freedom isn’t allowed in the city.

On the scheduled event, Dana White said, “I don’t know. We’ll see. As this stuff starts to play out, I told you guys a million times, I’m going to go where I can run a normal event. I said that I would be first and I would do the first indoor sold out arena with no social distancing and no masks and none of that stuff. We did it. We did it in Florida. We did it in Texas. We did it in Arizona. We did it in Vegas. We’re going to sell out again this weekend in Texas.”

White concluded that, “I don’t know what the future holds or what’s going to happen as this stuff continues to play. I wasn’t ready 1.5 years ago. I’m ready for anything now. I don’t care what happens, how it goes, how these different states run their stuff, I don’t care anymore. I’m ready to roll. I have plans now.”

The sound of a truly free American who lives and breathes free market capitalism. Why can’t more business leaders in this country be like Dana White? It sure would be great to see, but so far it seems that many of our companies care less and less about freedom or even free market capitalism choosing to support socialist ideals and communist nations over the Constitution, American business and the American people. They say that woke is broke, and I’m personally hoping a business reckoning is in store for the future as more and more consumers grow tired of all the nonsense of modern times. Only time will tell.

Joe Rogan, host of the number 1 Spotify streaming podcast, recently chimed in with his thoughts on vaccine mandates during an interview with Black Rifle Coffee’s Evan Hafer. This video is essential viewing for everyone who shares any concern with anything that has been happening over the past year between the pandemic, the vaccine and the push by government and business for health mandates.

To share a part of the conversation, when Hafer initially asked Rogan why people are supporting vaccine mandates, Joe said, “Because they are dumb. They don’t understand history. They don’t understand human beings. They don’t understand human nature. They don’t understand the history of every single country that’s ever existed other than the United States up until 1776, every fucking country that had ever existed was run by dictators. All of them. This is the first one where you had elected officials. This is the first experiment in self government that actually worked and it created the greatest superpower the world has ever known. It created the greatest cultural machine, the greatest machine of art, creativity and innovation – right fucking here. And how did it do that? It did it through freedom. Because when you give people freedom, let people do whatever the fuck they want to do, they actually find ways to succeed and grow and thrive.”

“But as soon as you put the boots to them, as soon as you tell them ‘you have to do this or you can’t do that’ – now you have a mini dictator. You have one step away from a king. One step closer. You’re moving one step closer to a dictatorship. That’s what the fuck is happening. That’s what’s going to happen with the vaccine passport. That’s what’s going to happen if they close borders. You can’t enter New York City unless you have your papers. You can’t go here unless you have that. You can’t get on a plane unless you do what I say. And people say ‘Well it’s all about protecting people’ – No it’s not! Because we’ve shown, this is a fact, just a couple of months ago, the idea of a breakthrough case was unheard of. Nobody heard of anyone catching covid that had a vaccine. That was the whole idea. You get a vaccine, you don’t have to worry about it. Now we know, not only do you get it, but you can spread it, and some people have died. Apparently it is a small number, I don’t know what the numbers are, but I know that most people get vaccinated, when they do have the disease, they have a better time with it than the people who are unvaccinated”

“But where are the people out there calling for people to get healthy? Where are the people out there calling for people to lose weight? 78% of the people in the ICU for covid are obese. 78%. Where’s that information being shared? Where’s someone who’s a leader who gets on T.V. and says ‘ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got to decrease our body mass, we’ve got to decrease our fat, we’ve got to make sure that people aren’t overweight. We’ve got to make sure that people are healthy. Walk around your block. You don’t have to do something complicated. Start drinking more water. Stop eating sugar. Start taking vitamins. You can increase the strength of your immune system. We can fight things off better. We can be a healthier civilization.’ Better for everybody. Right? You don’t hear a peep. All you hear is ‘take this vaccine that doesn’t even prevent you from getting the disease or you can’t go to the sauna, or wherever the fuck you want to go. You can’t go to the Broadway show.’ It’s madness.”

Amen to that.

Joe Rogan also shared a document of a scientific study from 2015 called “Imperfect Vaccination Can Enhance the Transmission of Highly Virulent Pathogens”. Rogan read from the article that, “Vaccines that keep the host alive, but still allow transmission, can thus allow virulent strains to circulate in a population”. This is the same situation we’re dealing with having ‘breakthrough cases’ of vaccinated catching and spreading mutations of the virus. Vaccination can quite possibly lead to stronger viruses.

Now that’s a real kicker.

You can read the full article here

https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002198

You can watch the full interview here

youtube

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smokeybrand · 3 years

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Critical Fragility

Critical Race Theory is an honest look at the way Whiteness has impacted everyone else in the United States. Spoiler alert, it was bad. It's still bad. It's getting better. mostly because of conversations like Critical Race Theory, but we still have a long way to go. The White people who are upset about these types of conversations, are upset because they internalize the critique and observation as attack. They misconstrue an honest, intellectual, understanding on why Whiteness has been so toxic to world history, not just US history, even though the focus, here, is the Union, and they lash out. Imagine being told facts, sh*t that was documented and photographed, but denying anything while taking the presentation personally. It's like someone telling you one plus one is two and you getting incandescently offended because you refuse to recognize addition as valid. That's what these assholes sounds like. The wild thing about that is the fact that they're lashing out so violently, is the exact reason we need Critical Race Theory. No one is attacking you for being White. What this discussion is about, is how Whiteness as a whole, has crippled everyone with color in this country. In most countries, actually.

White people aren't the devil. I love White folks. I got a kid sister who i adore that's White. I'd take a bullet for that chick, no questions. The only person i'd even recognize as an Aunt is White. I love my Aunty Teresa. My mom's best friend is White and she considers her a proper sister. She's her version of Bryan and that connection is dummy rare. That said, I also have a Desi kid sister and it would be ridiculous of me not to acknowledge how the Crown f*cked over her entire country for some f*cking Paprika. White people aren't the problem, White Imperialism is. White Supremacy is. White Inferiority is. White Privilege is. White people are fine, it's when they put that Whiteness ahead of the People, the humanity, where sh*t goes sideways. Because we are all people. Once you remove that from the equation, then all you see is color and miss out on the humanity. It's in those gaps that cruelty festers. Critical Race Theory looks at that then traces those insidious, infectious, tendrils throughout history and society and government, exposing them to the light for all to see. It's ugly and disgusting but let's be honest, that's the real history of the world. Crying foul because the tea is too strong after the fact, is just another reason to hold these talks, to pry deeper into the nuance, in the first place. We gotta wade through that muck to clean it up, bud, so stop complaining about getting muddy.

That toxic whiteness is so deeply entrenched in this country, even Mount Rushmore is testament to it. Before that f*cker was carved with the faces of White men who shaped this racist ass nation, it was revered by the Lacota tribe as Tunkasila Sakpe Paha or Six Grandfathers Mountain. It was a place of spirituality and respite until a bunch of White dude's faces desecrated it with no regard for it's autonomy and sovereignty; The same faces that had been systematically annihilating their families, friends, and loved ones for generations as they moved westward, stealing their land and erasing their culture. Every time a Lakotan looks up to their once awe inspiring mountain, they see the men who slaughtered their ancestor. Today. They see that sh*t today. Hell, Rushmore was completed in 1941. Someone's Grandpap out on a Reservation in South Dakota could have seen Tunkasila Sakpe Paha with their own eyes, watched in horror as they grew up witnessing their once beautiful mountain, twisted and corrupted with the visages of the men who systematically forced them into near extinction. Also, Rushmore was carved by a Klansman so, you know, intent. Now imagine the National curriculum never once broaching that subject, never once even entertaining the thought that there was relevance to Rushmore outside of it's patriotic narrative, that there are people who would legislate your ancestral pain, the real history of that mountain, away because they don't want to accept the reality of US atrocity. The truth is too bitter for the children so we'll just make it illegal to teach. That's what is happening right now across this nation.

No one wants you White folks to feel bad or inferior or upset about your heritage. That's not the point of these discussions. No one is trying to assault White fragility however that's all we are seeing in response. It's the whole "I didn't own slaves so I'm not at fault" mentality. No one said you did and we are a couple of centuries removed from that. What we are not so far removed from is redlining, segregation, Jim Crow, voter suppression, gerrymandering, a broken police system, and institutional racism as a whole; All of which have ties to that racist Slave Owner mentality from so long ago. Redlining was a way to segregate blacks and encourage White Flight to the suburbs during the Fifties and Sixties. Gerrymandering is notorious for stealing voter power from Minority heavy States, relegating mitigating them through redistricting specifically designed to disenfranchised melanted voters. Hell, the Police system we have throughout the nation, started as a Runaway Slave Capturing Posse. Critical Race Theory shows you those ties. It points out where the White Privilege, White Supremacy, and Racist Exclusion converge. It's meant to inform and educate so you, as a White person, can reassess then help bring real change to a country you proudly champion as a “melting pot” and purport to love so much. If you see that and still buy into the disingenuous, culture war, dog whistles being blown all over not-so-credible media sources, just admit you're racist and move on. Or you can be better than that, compartmentalize your knee-jerk defensiveness and actually listen. Critical Race Theory is the road map to fixing these wrongs laid by White forefathers. It literally gives you notes on how to fix this mess.

The Tulsa Massacre happened. Concentration Camps for Japanese-Americans during WWII happened. The Trail of Tears happened. Rosewood happened. Those are events in history. Those are events of this country's history. We can't just ignore that because it hurts some White kid's feelings. We can't just sugarcoat that sh*t because the knowledge that White people have essentially committed atrocities in the name of their Whiteness, might be too hard a reality for some White kid to accept. We can't afford to continue ignoring the very real social and racial issues that have been built in to the foundations of the Union, just because some White kid might feel some kind of way about having this country exposed. The Transatlantic Slave Trade was not a cultural exchange, it was a holocaust. The Trail of Tears was not some Indigenous Peoples Re-homing Initiative, it was a genocide. The United States of America committed a f*cking genocide and White people are just like, "Nah. Don't talk about that." That sh*t is why brown kids were put in cages on the border last year. That sh*t is why half the country has reconstituted Jim Crow era Voter Suppression laws. That sh*t is why we still have no police reform or anything even resembling an honestly drawn voter district. All of this sh*t has already happened. You can point to it in your history books. Critical Race Theory does exactly that with brutal efficiency. If every one understood the past, understood exactly how something so vile as abject hate got so entangled in the very core of the American ideal, then we could start working toward a better future. We can't just write this sh*t off as “Offensive” or “Racist against White people” because, in those statements, you prove the absolute necessity of Critical Race Theory.

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scrawnyflannelman · 6 years

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Gun Control Arguments: For and Against (and against those for it)

Gun control has long been the number one topic of discussion for me on this blog. As an American, it’s a uniquely important subject for me, and one that I, as a gun owner, take very personally. In the time it’s taken me to finish writing this, multiple “mass shootings” have occurred. Some might argue that’s reason enough to propose gun control, but that would be a rather short sighted view.

Let me start off with an additional piece of context for where I stand on the subject personally. While I enjoy the protections of the 2nd Amendment as a US citizen, I do not believe that gun rights are uniquely American. Rather, I believe that gun rights and the right to self defense are one and the same. I believe that the right to self defense includes protection against tyranny, as much as it includes protection from individual threats to ones life, family, livelihood, and property. As such, I see gun rights as universally human rights, and detest the gun control laws already employed by multiple countries violating those rights.

The first of these arguments aren’t my own, but they are ones that I am very familiar with, as I have argued against them on multiple occasions. You’ll note they all end in asterisks, as there are multiple ways to complete them, and I’ve seen plenty of variations on them. I will represent them as earnestly as I’m able, but please accept that I am not attempting to represent any arguments made by a specific person, but rather the common themes they share in aggregate.

The rest after that are either common arguments I have seen being made in support of gun rights, or being used as rebuttals against gun control. I’ve made several of these arguments myself, so the pattern of for/against/personal doesn’t bear repeating there, but be aware that I’m not the only one you’ll see making these arguments, and you should be familiar with them, if you aren’t already, from having involved yourself in the debate surrounding gun control.

“Gun control works in ******”

There are a number of different countries that could fill those asterisks, but some popular ones are the UK, Australia, and Japan. *Note these are islands*

The common argument for gun control, using them as an example, states that gun violence has dramatically lowered, since the introduction of gun control in those countries. Statistics may be provided, but the notable focus is that the violence which decreased is specifically violence committed with firearms. This is often portrayed as a ‘common sense’ argument, as gun violence goes down.

The common rebuttal to this argument is that it ignores violent crime as a whole, which is shown to increase, once guns are no longer available. Whenever comparison of gun crime between countries is used, it’s also important to investigate how they are reported. Japan is also notorious for inaccurately reporting crime statistics, which makes them a poor example.

For my part, I like to focus on a direct comparison of the US and the UK, when it comes to the topic of gun control. Partially because the UK is often held up as the prime example of its success, but also because the citizens of both countries have a habit of telling the other how to run their country, and have a very difficult time understanding one another, and how they could possibly have arrived at their current political climate. We’re a rather dysfunctional family.

When the UK banned guns, knife violence increased. To some, this would be a horrifying statistic. To others, a predictable outcome. To a disturbing number of people, however, it was seemingly a comfort, because at least gun violence went down. Now we’ve seen the UK go on to ban knives as well. Self defense has essentially become illegal in that country, and the strangest part of that to me is that a great deal of their citizens don’t seem to want their rights back.

Statistics have shown that in the US, as gun ownership has increased, gun violence has steadily dropped. Even accidental/negligent deaths have been decreasing over time, as guns becoming more commonplace has increased the degree to which people are educated on them. It’s long been my stance that education and responsibility are far superior to ignorance and prohibition. On the topic of firearms especially, I believe that education and responsibility are tied together. Responsible gun owners are ones that are informed about their rights, the laws of their state and city, and the safe handling of their firearms.

In the conversation of gun violence, however, or indeed violent crime in general, I think it’s important to include the full context behind those statistics.

A large amount of the gun violence in the US is due to gangs, many of which (at least in California) are supported or sourced from beyond our southern border. While the UK may have less gang violence, they also have the benefit of being an island, and having a much easier time controlling their borders. Something which we’ve had fluctuating interest in, as politics shift, and something we’ve so far had fairly little success in achieving. Hopefully the future sees that change, because it is a combination of gang violence and a lack of border control which contributes to the majority of gun violence in our country. As the case in the UK illustrates, gun control can only control guns, and criminals have many other tools available to them for committing violence against us. Part of why we cling so tightly to guns in the US, is that we recognize how far our politicians would go, as they have in the UK, were they allowed to disarm us of our firearms.

The UK, on the other hand, like many European countries, has an issue with islamic migrants flooding their country. When people point to gun violence in the US, they often gloss over the fact that it’s primarily committed by gangs. When people point to the lack of gun violence in the UK, they’re often ignoring the amount of violence committed by islamists, using any and everything else.

Should it occur that they DO use guns, then UK citizens are even less equipped to defend themselves than they would be otherwise. That’s not to say that other violent criminals aren’t an issue there as well, but they deal with far greater numbers of violent islamists than we do in the US. At any rate, we’ve seen what happens when citizens surrender their right to self defense. Most of them simultaneously surrender their responsibility to self defense. When violent action is the sole responsibility of the state, you can only hope that help arrives quickly, whenever violence becomes necessary. An unacceptable system, to myself, and to a great deal of Americans. I should hope, also, to a growing number of UK residents, though the demographic shift might outweigh that.

The takeaway here is that violent crime is much more complex than the assumed dichotomy of “with or without a gun”, and whether you support gun control or not, you should be aware of the effects of a disarmed populace on the patterns of violent crime, and what changes after guns are taken away. No two nations will make a perfect example of how policy can be duplicated for an identical effect. Even if you assume gun control measures of other nations to be ultimately successful in their goals, that doesn’t mean they would work here.

“Nobody really needs a ******”

Machine gun, assault rifle, semi-automatic, pistol, “assault weapon”, “high capacity” magazine, the list goes on, but one of the more common gun control arguments is arguing that people don’t need access to a particular type of gun, or a particular attachment, accessory, or feature of their firearm.

The argument for gun control, in this case, is focusing on a specific type or feature of firearms which are determined to make them more dangerous. In the case of machine guns (which includes assault rifles), and pistols, there is some measure of legitimacy to that. Machine guns have the capacity to fire a good deal faster than other types of firearms, and pistols have the history of being the most commonly used for criminal violence. Machine guns are already regulated in the US, and though legal in civilian hands, are not very common. Pistols often receive a fair amount of regulation as well, but that varies by state.

The rebuttal to this argument often addresses ignorance of firearms, such as when either of the phrases I placed in quotations are used, or even more often, ignorance of current firearm regulations. As I stated a moment ago, machine guns (and by extension, assault rifles) are already regulated in the US, and have been used in an extremely small number of gun crimes since they were first regulated, back in the 1930s. Similarly, the US has already tried an “assault weapons” ban, which had no measurable effect on gun violence, and was allowed to expire, with gun violence continuing its downward trend despite that.

My personal argument, when the subject of need is brought up, is fairly simple. Not everyone’s needs are the same, and your needs cannot dictate the needs of anyone else. Beside that, a lot of the guns people own are for recreational reasons, as much as they are for practical ones. Sometimes it’s not an issue of need in the first place. Sometimes people just want to have some harmless fun at the range. There’s a reason why we call some of our guns “range toys”.

To get further into that issue of need however, I need to address a particularly American perspective on it. One of the things that people tend to forget, even people who live here, is that a great deal of the US population lives outside of a major metropolitan area. Rural population in the US is quite significant, owing to the fact that our country is so damn big. Even when you do live in a major city, you have to recognize that if your life is ever put in danger, the police will not be able to arrive immediately to help you. One of the reasons for supporting defensive carry is that you can draw and fire a pistol a lot faster than you can even dial 911. Count in response times, and it should be obvious how little help the police would be in an emergency where you are under immediate threat. Now imagine that you live outside of a condensed urban area, so the police response is even slower, and you also have wild animals to worry about.

Trying to disarm people based on an argument of need seems rather insidious to me, honestly. Not only is it ignorant of the fact that people do need firearms, for defense, if nothing else, but it smacks of a “we know what’s best for you” attitude. That never sits right with me, when brought up in discussions of law.

I’m also keenly aware of the ignorance displayed by a lot of the proponents of gun control. Not only on the topic of guns themselves (which is understandable, if they’re so scared of them), but more importantly, on the subject of current law, which I would expect one to be familiar with, before demanding change.

“The 2nd amendment is ******”

Another common argument for gun control in the US, is that the 2nd amendment is somehow flawed. That it is poorly written, or “out of date”. I’m strongly against these arguments, personally, but I’ll go into that after I’ve laid out where I’ve seen most of the debate focused around this argument.

The argument for gun control here, is that the wording of the 2nd amendment is such that it does not protect our rights in the way that we understand it to, or that the amendment itself should simply be repealed and its protections removed. Typical rhetoric includes the suggestion that it only applies to the firearms of the period for which it was written, or that it only applies to members of the militia, and that the “well regulated” line require it be overseen by the government itself. Arguments that it could be altered, in order to address what some claim is unclear language, or repealed and removed entirely, aren’t as far off base as they might seem at first blush. Certainly, the constitution itself can be altered, and amendments can be repealed, whether they should or not.

The argument against gun control in response to this is usually fairly simple. The structure of the 2nd amendment itself is not really confusing, so long as your English reading skills are up to snuff, and you understand how clauses function. The particular line about the militia being “well regulated” isn’t that confusing either, if you do a little research into the definition and common or contemporary usage at the time. Claiming that it only guarantees the militia’s access to firearms is just a failure of reading comprehension, and even if we assume it to be true, still guarantees that right to citizens outside of government employ. The argument around it being “out of date” or only applying to firearms of the period is the weakest of all, because it chooses to only target the 2nd amendment, where it could be equally applied to every amendment of the original bill of rights, and beside that, we’d still have the right to own cannon under that interpretation, whether you’re focusing on a period or force specific argument. If we were allowed equal means of defense as the military THEN, the understanding should be that equal means to the military NOW means that we have access to a lot more than cannon, volley guns, and pepperbox pistols.

This one in particular is an argument I’ve spoken out against on multiple occasions, because it frustrates me to no end that people seem to gain a sort of selective ignorance around the 2nd amendment, when it comes to reading. I don’t see this argument being applied to any other part of the bill of rights, that it’s poorly constructed, or only counts for technology that existed at the time. The amount of nonsense being inferred from literally nothing is just intolerable.

A lot of folks trying to argue for gun control don’t even like to address this topic, because they think that Americans use it as a hand wave to deny that any sort of restriction on the ownership of firearms should be in place. Now I personally, and the sort of folks that consider themselves constitutionalists on this topic, would say that yes the wording is such that no type of firearm is prohibited, and thus, any act to prohibit access to firearms, even if only select types, goes against the wording of the amendment. The NFA is unconstitutional, by definition. When the second amendment acts as such a strong and full-stop defense, some prefer not to bring it up at all, or would rather dismiss it offhand, preemptively, so it can’t be used as a counter-argument to shut them down.

The topic itself is certainly contentious, but I don’t agree that it’s rightly so. My stance is that the wording is clear, and what gun control we have in place already is in defiance of the constitution. The sort of mind games at play in arguments around the 2nd amendment though irk me, because they require you to accept faulty reasoning, while trying to take the stance that they’re arguing rationally. It’s not a whole lot better than “common sense” as an argument for gun control, implying ignorance or a lack of empathy and an unwillingness to compromise. It’s that implied compromise that I hate most.

Compromise requires that both sides gain from the arrangement, but those in support of gun rights have gained little to nothing from any form of gun control.

“Gun Control serves only to disarm the law-abiding.”

This is just a nicer way of phrasing the old standby “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.”, but it bears repeating, because I think so many people are so used to hearing it that they don’t even investigate the meaning of those words. Things go a little deeper than you might think, if you’re the sort who usually tunes that particular phrase out, before ignoring it and moving on.

What’s being said is not that current criminals will be the only ones with guns. Obviously, the state will maintain whatever firearms it currently uses to protect government interests, and the military isn’t going to disarm itself any time soon.

What it seeks to remind you of is that there are an enormous number of firearms, and firearms owners in this country, which have never fired at another human, or have only done so in the defense of their life and liberty. Banning firearms, or even a particular type of firearm which they currently own, would make them criminals overnight. Nothing of their behavior or intent will have changed. They will have done nothing to indicate a risk of or predilection for criminal or violent acts making them a danger to you. They will simply become criminals, and be forced to decide between protecting their rights with the violence they would have never practiced without that ban, or to surrender their right to self defense, and accept being disarmed, rather than risking rebellion.

This is a horrifying circumstance to gun owners, and that phrase, though often repeated, has greater implications than you might first believe. A great many of those law abiding citizens, harmless to that point, would choose to become the rebels necessary to protect their freedoms. They would become the outlaws that they’re talking about. Not because of a desire to commit crime, but through their refusal to accept that a fundamental human right can be stolen from them.

There’s also another way that I like to phrase this.

“Gun Control mandates the centralization of lethal force.”

If only agents of the government are allowed access to firearms, the most effective tool for projecting lethal force, then they have effectively centralized it.

In that case, only criminals will remain armed, many employed by the state. Any threat faced by lawful citizens will require the state to protect them, and should they need protection from the state itself, they will have no protection at all.

Those who place their trust in the government, to run their education, health care, and housing, might not give a second thought to the government also being responsible for their personal safety. That the government and its many agents are incredibly inefficient at this task, like so many others, should be of immediate concern, however. One additional reason to doubt the effectiveness of law enforcement as the guardians of our personal safety in the United States is that the police are not held legally responsible for our safety in the first place.

I don’t know if there’s a distinction to that effect elsewhere in the world, but in this country, in order to protect law enforcement agents from liability, they are not responsible for our safety, under the law. What the police are effective at is combating organized crime, and tracking repeat offenders. They are next to useless, when it comes to stopping individual criminal acts, because they simply can’t be everywhere at the same time. Not unless you’re living in a police state.

If the alternative to a police state is personal responsibility for our safety, then most Americans would much rather carry a gun, than rely on the police.

“Gun control does not make anyone safer, but criminals”

Despite ready-made claims to the contrary, nations with especially strong gun control do not possess lower rates of crime by virtue of their disarmed citizens. What evidence is usually shown to support their claims of success and safety ignore many important statistics. Gun violence itself is often the lone focus, in complete ignorance to changes in other forms of violence resulting from a ban. I already addressed this earlier, but it’s a worthy point to expand upon, because the worst part of those statistics being ignored is in how crime has grown worse.

There are greater numbers of victims of crime, be it from theft, murder, or rape, once you’ve taken away the deterrent of an armed populace. Whether or not a gun was used in those crimes is immaterial, if your citizens are left defenseless. When the only risk of lethal force that a criminal faces is from the police, who will remain minutes away, unable to help you (unless you live in a police state), they will find more victims to prey upon, because they are no longer at risk of encountering firearms in the hands of their intended victims. Guns that need not even be fired in most situations, as the threat they present is often enough.

That we have seen violent criminals prioritized over their victims, in the word of law, as the right to self defense is challenged and stripped away elsewhere, is a telltale sign of what would happen here, should we accept the same priorities.

Violent criminals do not deserve protection from their victims, and when the law seeks to protect them, it only serves to further disarm the law-abiding citizen.

“Guns are meant to be deadly. That is their purpose.”

So often we see arguments talking about how some type of firearm is especially good at killing people. How people should not be allowed to own a tool so especially effective in its role as a lethal weapon. How it is impossible to find any common ground with those who believe they should have the right to decide when somebody dies, without invoking a court of law to determine that.

Similarly, after a defensive shooting, whether it be by a citizen or a police officer, many will remark that the survivor should have used less drastic means to defend themselves. That they should have “shot to wound”, or maybe stopped shooting after the first bullet, to give their attacker a chance to save themselves from the rest of the magazine. These are impossible expectations.

Those who choose a firearm for defense do so with the knowledge that the ability to project lethal force is precisely the reason they chose that tool. This is something that nobody should be surprised to learn, yet the well-rehearsed shock and consternation at the sudden realization of this truth is a common enough tool used to imply gun owners premeditate violence, or are immoral.

When you make the decision to use a gun in defense of your own life, you are making the decision to employ lethal force. Were that not your intention, you would be using a different tool. Were you using a different tool, you would be poorly armed in comparison. The fastest and most consistent way to STOP a threat, which is the goal of any defensive shooting, is to point a gun at them, and if that proves to be insufficient, to start pulling the trigger, only stopping once they are no longer a threat. Knowing how little strength it takes to operate a firearm, which is part of what makes them exceptional as self defense tools for the small, weak, elderly, or disabled, you must acknowledge that very little is required from your attacker to remain a threat. Not only seconds matter in this instance, but individual moments, and hesitation means death, if you risk it.

So yes, guns are exceptionally good at killing people. This is not a surprise.

Some guns can kill a great many people, and we own them in awareness of the fact that violent criminals like to travel in groups, and aren’t interested in being fair. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, and assuming that they’ll only ever threaten us one or two attackers at a time, or that a taser or pepper spray will be enough to deter multiple attackers, themselves armed with lethal weapons, is a suicidal notion. Things like riots can turn entire mobs against you. Good luck defending your home from one with your government approved musket.

When proponents of gun control act as if law abiding people should have no reason to possess these weapons, they should be reminded that we need them specifically for when the worst shit hits the fan, because if it does, and we aren’t armed and prepared for it, we will be at the mercy of their unforeseen disaster.

“Yes, THEY are trying to take our guns, even if YOU aren’t.”

Quite often you’ll see the statement that those who support gun control aren’t coming for our guns. The idea being that it’s an irrational fear which leads us to be so defensive of our rights. The mistake being made here is the assumption that gun control legislation has not been nor would become so aggressive that it resulted in confiscation. History has proven otherwise, and multiple attempts at legislation, even open admissions from legislators, make it clear that the people actually responsible for proposing gun control would in fact take our guns away, if they were able. Whether or not pro gun people without their own congressional seat would do so is irrelevant, because they lack the power to do so in the first place. We do not share their lack of concern, because we have been paying close attention to the politicians that they so blindly support.

As with so many gun control arguments, this one seeks to paint those who support gun rights as illogical, paranoid, or violent. It doesn’t serve as an effective call for reason, so much as an admission of ignorance, on the part of those making the claim that our rights aren’t truly at risk. Calling for reason would assume that our concerns weren’t valid, and there’s far too much evidence to the contrary to write off these concerns as mere paranoia.

“Most of you don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

This one is more often repeated to ourselves than anything, but it’s important to bring up here, because ignorance on the side of those seeking legislation is legitimately dangerous, and is all too often employed as a weapon against us.

The majority of those who support gun control don’t understand guns, or the laws around them. They will use terms we recognize to be useless as anything other than propaganda tools. They will quote statistics from debunked studies, and shout mantras at us in REPEATED BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS, in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, THIS TIME, they’ll get through to us. There is a truly disturbing mix of ignorance and appeal to emotion coming from the other side, which should be of equal concern to those who propose gun control without representing either of those failures, though I imagine their numbers are few.

When every publicly televised shooting is used as a platform to disarm us, it becomes very difficult for us to express any sort of empathy for the victims, without being involved in an argument with people that hold us personally responsible for actions outside of our control. “How many more children have to die?” you might ask, not really caring what our answer might be. If only in jest, it might become “All of them.”, just to silence your ridiculous attempts at revealing us to be callous to the suffering of others. In truth, the reason why we continue to defend our rights is to prevent those acts of violence from occurring even more frequently. Despite what the 24 hour news cycle would suggest, there is no “mass shooting epidemic” in this country, and gun violence has been steadily decreasing for several years now, despite your constant alarmist screeching. When your education on firearms, gun violence, and gun law, comes entirely from a mix of entertainment media and mainstream news outlets, it’s no surprise that you’ve been misinformed several times over, before you could even start to form a worthwhile argument on the subject. Most of us would be happy to educate you, so long as you can resist the temptation to adopt the “holier than thou” attitude so common to the loudest criers of this particular wolf. All of us would expect you be educated, before you start trying to debate.

A final thought, in closing

If you’re going to propose gun control of any sort, you need to be aware of a few things, and that means that you can’t just ignore it when they’re repeated.

1. Gun control is unconstitutional, under the second amendment

2. An assault weapons ban has already been tried, and proved unsuccessful.

3. The majority of mass shootings occur in areas where guns are banned.

4. The majority of gun violence is committed by gangs, involving illegal drugs.

5. The United States has tried prohibition twice now. First on alcohol, and currently on “drugs” in general, and in both cases, criminal violence increased. This should serve as a warning to what gun prohibition would result in.

6. The parts of the country with the highest levels of gun violence also have the strictest forms of gun control. Look at Chicago as a perfect example of this. This should serve as an example of how those laws are counter-productive.

Lastly, if you are not familiar with the form and function of firearms, or the laws currently on the books which regulate them, you need to dedicate some time to personal study on those subjects, because you WILL be challenged on your knowledge of them, and ignorance will only serve to discredit your arguments.

Finally, thank you for reading through this, if you’ve made it this far. I’ll likely be revising this post several times in the future, but this is an important topic to me, and not just as an American. Hopefully, no matter which side of the debate you’re on, acknowledging some of the common arguments, and what’s being said will prevent you from spinning your wheels treading over well worn ground.

#serious business #important #gun control #gun rights #every 2nd matters #megapost

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mirceakitsune · 3 years

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Trump and the events that transpired today

It's AM as I start writing this journal, likely past 5 AM once I finish it. I'm tired after today and don't know to what extent I can be fully coherent, politically and socially correct, or whatever else I'm supposed to about what happened. But after the events that took place today I need to speak up. I am sick, feeling I have had it... but for once it's on a matter I can discuss with others in this world, shared by millions of people. Even though I'm nervous to even talk about it as the divide keeps growing; I don't know on which of those websites even journals discussing politics will still be allowed by the administration, I already have a hard time keeping track of the different rules on each of the +8 websites I post anything on... as far as I'm aware we're still allowed to discuss for now.

I don't know exactly who the people that invaded the Capitol building today were. Many say it was Antifa protesters disguised as Trump supporters; I find it hard to understand why they'd interrupt the crowning ceremony of their lover Biden if they were already winning, but who knows at this rate. The people who initially walked in there were likely Trump supporters, with Antifa coming later to start violence so they could say Trump did it. A woman was shot in the neck and unfortunately died soon after, no footage showing who did it yet... scary stuff but it's to be expected given the times we're living in, RIP.

I will start by saying the following thing: I was NEVER a real Trump supporter, and I likely never will be. I'll share a little secret: In 2016 when I first heard he won, I fell in a depression for the entirety of the next day, fearing that he was going to bring about the end of the free and modern world that seemed to be going well till then. And in some ways I was right: Bullshit like SESTA / FOSTA and the repeal of Net Neutrality and other garbage happened under his leadership. But things have changed SO much since that day. The true liberals and progressives I once knew and was proud of being among no longer exists: The left's tolerance has been replaced with hate and fascism, their love for freedom with "freedom as long as we aren't offended or our narratives challenged", even the free internet they once praised is now seen as a tool of "spreading hate and misinformation" unless guided by their censorship regime. No matter how difficult this was for me, I had to accept that only Trump and some of the people around him are still fighting for REAL freedom... putting aside some religious or "think of the children" bullshit the Republicans can't let go of; Freedom to think and say what you want, to live your life as who you are, to go outside without having to wear a god damn mask and breathe like a fucking sapient being that still has any right to live! I don't care that much about either left of right doctrine... all I truly wanted was to be free, to live in a world where everyone minds their own business without using fear and prejudice to control others. I'm also not a patriot as one way or another I believe in a world where people are just citizens of the planet and countries are mainly different legal / cultural zones... I do however believe in a movement to support the people of the world, even if that's currently dressed under patriotism.

Today I watched Trump's speech before the Capitol was stormed. I literally saw and felt a different man from that fool I too once hated and demonized. And I hated him for good reason: He still hasn't denounced his wall of hate (the Mexico border wall bullshit), never had the will or bravery to openly defend the LGBTQ community and distance himself from those supporters that oppose them, attacked Section 230 which is unacceptable despite his justified war against big tech and the corrupt media... I am and will remain outraged at those things about him, he was no ideal example. But you know what? He's not the demon the media makes him out to be either. And as much as I HATE to say this... he is a hero in his own way: For having the courage to fight the biggest organized crime network in the history of humanity... one known as globalism. THAT is why some people turn to him while others want him to look like the devil: Not because they're fascists but because he stood up against a problem everyone else is one way or another a part of, a problem you can't even talk about without being called a conspiracy theorist and raving nut, a frustration many of us feel yet is only deepened by this denial instead of anyone ever addressing it.

Let me be very clear on an essential thing: I'm well aware there are real neo-Nazis, xenophobes, racists, misogynists, transphobes, puritans, psychopaths, etc. in Trump's circles. Yes they are pests, and I too will smite those fools if they try to use Trump (or any other means) to impose their own bullshit on this world! The vast majority of Trump supporters I've seen have nothing to do with this hate: I've watched livestreams from dozens of Trump rallies by now, have only seen decent and peaceful and creative people dancing and having fun... unlike some Antifa and BLM rallies which are far more aggressive by comparison. It's always the media transmitting from those protests, journalists putting up theatrical scenes about how they're surrounded by dangerous extremists on their crusade to find the Proud Boys hiding in the crowd. There were at least 1 MILLION people supporting Trump in Washington DC today, kilometers of street filled with people. Including countless black people who were allegedly discriminated by him, who will also tooootally die from COVID tomorrow because they didn't respect social distancing... did I forget to mention the pro-LGBT flags being waved at those rallies? Really: Is anyone trying to tell me those are all evil intolerant whatever-phobic lunatics? Because I'm not going lie to myself because the media decided what we have to believe: The traitorous brainwashing media can go to hell, together with big tech and especially big pharma after what they did to the world with COVID.

I also watched dozens of livestreams from courts, of proof being presented regarding the massive election fraud that put Biden in office. There is no such thing as "there was no fraud", there were hundreds of testimonies under oath some with footage and documents; Courts simply refused to see the evidence or decided to ignore it citing procedural grounds... because like everything else, the globalist octopus (mafia reference) owns the justice system and every part of society. Dominion voting machines were programmed to default to Biden votes, they were designed with the mindset "here's a big button to vote for Biden... because you don't really want to vote for Trump do you, though if you really want to I guess you can click here". And other forms of manipulation that ultimately caused Biden to get MILLIONS OF VOTES OVERNIGHT, which is so normal and definitely not suspicious at all.

Now that the brave and mighty police secured the Capitol building and drove those pesky citizens away, senators led by lowlife-by-profession Mike Pence resumed their session of shoving Biden down our throats at any cost (sadly not in a fun vore way). I watched their vomit inducing speeches as they went on about how they're sticking to their duties in such difficult times, and how those thugs who entered the building tried to stop them but failed. This will only add to the frustration, which they don't even realize or care about: They know all too well what their duty is... to sell the world to those who are desperate to have UNLIMITED POWER AT ANY COST. Their decision was fueled by sheer stupidity and ambition, and will only ensure that if Biden is allowed to become president he'll only be even more illegitimate than he already was. After such a shock there was no way any valid session could continue, no one is in the capacity to count electoral votes and certify a fucking president right now after today... they haven't even cleaned up the fucking blood from the staircase! An absolute disgrace.

But fear not: There are people who will stop this, people who won't allow this hell to come true. They aren't racists, homophobes, psychopaths... the media will no doubt paint them as such, and many will believe the lie, but with the same force others are seeing the truth now more than ever. They think China's authoritarian domination can be forced on us, just as their Covidist masks, or their censorship in the name of stopping hate, and everything else the globalists decided must be forced upon the planet. They have no idea how badly they're furthering this divide: The hate and sickness on both sides has reached a point where riots and tragedies are going to be unavoidable. Of course they tell themselves "we're gods on this Earth so we'll be able to control it", they're used to thinking they can hold unlimited power and nothing they do ever has any consequences. The truth will strike, the more you keep the pot on the kettle the harder it will explode once it blows off: All they did today was ensuring it will strike even harder. Save this journal if you wish, so you can remember those things for future reference, to know that some fool out there and in this community saw this and wasn't afraid to say it.

Whatever you think of me, believe me when I say this: I truly am sorry that it had to come to this... on multiple scales. I don't know if many friends that I do care for will ever understand me... such as a certain purple furred vixen, or a kind albeit sometimes rough unicorn who is one of my soul parents, not to mention a very close fox working on building a lab and bringing genetic transformation to life; They all more or less believe some of the official narratives, and I feel barely tolerate me for not doing the same. If there was another way to see the world and live this life, I would have taken it. If something would have been different in the past and led to a different outcome, I could be living a life of standing with the majority instead of against it... something I wish I knew what was like, I never did, I can only presume it must be peaceful and relaxing to live in such a world, but I'll likely never experience it as I don't have the naivety for such a leap. I'm sorry it's like this. And my only wish is that all of you will get to see who truly made it like this once all the lies are exposed! Whatever happens, whether it will be Biden or Trump in the end... please let what they did be exposed.

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