#now he needs to guest star in campaign 3

[todaysdocument]

This edition of the Marshall Star from 1973, a newsletter of the George C. Marshall Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama, features an article titled “Anita, Job Done, Dies Aboard Skylab.” 

The article goes on to explain that Anita was the back-up spider in the Web Formation Experiment.  The primary spider, Arabella, was still alive at the time of the newsletter. Arabella’s current whereabouts are unknown.

Record Group 255: Records of the National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationSeries: Marshall StarFile Unit: Marshall Star Volume 14

Marshall Star Vol. 14, No. 2 . NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center -- Huntsville, Ala. 35812 . September, 1973 Final EVA Saturday Skylab 3 Crew Prepares For Next Week's 'Splash' Skylab's second manned crew, prvoding a bonanza of scientific data to investigators on Earth. has begun preparations for splashdown and recovery scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 25. As they head into the home stretch, Astronauts Alan Bean, Owen Garriott and Jack Lousma are operating ahead of experiment timelines. Flight directors estimate they will exceed 100 percent of their planned activity in all scientific disciplines. The crew is scheduled to conduct its third and final EVA Saturday. Exposed film cannisters will be removed from the Apollo Telescope Mount's instruments for stowage inside the Command and Service Module and return to Earth. For the EVA, the crew is to awaken at 2 a.m. Hatch opening is expected about four hours later. Monday the crew becan changing the rhythm of their sleep-work cycle by arising at 4 a.m. after goint to bed two hours early. This schedule was to be followed Tuesday. Today the crew planned to arise at 2 a.m. after beginning their sleep period at 6 p.m. last night. Purpose of the new sleep-work cycle is to prepare the astronauts for splashdown day when they will be required to arise early for a full day's activity. The crew was given the go- ahead last week for continuation to the end of the 59-day mission. This approval for a fourth incremental extension beyond 28 days followed review of the inflight medical data and the recommendation of the NASA director for life sciences, Dr. Charles A. Berry. The crew's health and spirits are excellent. The body weight of each has been relatively constant (See SKYLAB on Page 4) SOLAR ERUPTION -- A mammoth solar eruption is seen in this photo taken by the White Light Coronagraph about Sklyab. The eruption expanded into space at a speed of about one million miles per hour. When photographed it was approximately 220 times the diameter of Earth. Solar eruptions are a result of the interaction between solar material and magnetic fields around the Sun. Combined Federal Campaign 'Kickoff' Scheduled Monday MSFC's 1974 Combined Federal Campaign gets underway Monday with a "kickoff" in Morris Auditorium. The annual campaign combines the monetary needs of many health, welfare and recreational agencies into one drive. Rober G. Sheppard, executive chairman, stated the drive officially begins with the 10:45 a.m. kickoff and will end November 2. He explained that the 1974 goal is to do as well as in 1973 when MSFC employees contributed $194,712. Monday's kickoff ceremonies will feature and address by Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, director. He will be joined by several distinguished guests, including Mrs. Ruth Ferrari, International Services Agencies; Tom Horton, Jr., National Health Agencies; and Mrs. Jerri McLain, Huntsville/ Madison County United Way. MSFC lab and office directors, campaign mangers and solicitors are expected to attend the opening ceremonies. Music will be provided by the 55th U.S. Army Band. The Rev. Hugh Chambliss, presi- (See 'KICKOFF' on Page 4) 

Anita, Job Done, Dies Aboard Skylab One of Skylab's two "spider astronauts" --who never were intended to be brought back to Earth--has now finished her job in space and is dead. Anita, the backup spider for the Web Formation Experiment, ED52, apparently died sometime over the weekend. The report of Anita's death came from science pilot Owen Garriott early Monday. Although NASA had no plans to bring back the spiders, it was announced several weeks ago that they would be returned if they could be kept alive. Arabella, the prime spider for the experiment, is still doing fine. Garriott explained from the (See ANITA on Page 4)

#archivesgov #1970s #September 17 #1973 #Skylab

[collected-sports-bra]

Sorry for the long post but I wanna talk about Critical Role okay? Okay thank you.

I’ve finally finished Critical Role Campaign 1 and all the specials, and here are my honest thoughts and feelings, as a long time The Adventure Zone fan.

1. I love the cast! Love all the guest stars they bring in! Amazing!

2. Matt is a great DM! There is a reason he is one of the big names in DnD, and he deserves all the praise!

3. The beginning was rough, I barely made it through, but it got much better later on!

4. I mostly liked the characters of Vox Machina. Didn’t like some of their choices, but that’s part of the game. That said, I like Bells Hells much more ;)

5. Great acting! (With TAZ, the McElroys needed some time to get really comfortable, it was refreshing that this was not the case for CR). The CritRole cast absolutely nailed it!

6. The Twitch Chat and the Youtube Comments are absolutely vile (like, Gamergate days vile). It got a bit better as Campaign 1 progressed, but it was still pretty bad, and I applaud the team for powering through it. Especially Marisha!

6. The first arc, not a good choice to start the stream with I think. Neither the characters nor the viewers seemed invested or connected to the storyline (in the end, the characters cared so little that they left poor Kima as a stone statue to go on a pub crawl).

7. The Vasselheim stuff was better, and there were great guest stars, but still pretty forgettable, I was about to give up at this point.

8. The Briarwood Arc came with some of the most memorable villains in Delilah and Sylas, and finally some plot that the characters felt truly invested in - because of the connection via Percy, and then the tree (that fucking tree scene still haunts me).

9. Chroma Conclave - some of my favourite story telling there. The destruction of Emon was amazing, NPCs dying, beloved NPCs nearly dying, yes, thank you! Then collecting all their allies in Whitestone, travelling around to find the Vestiges, facing the dragons, it was awesome! It also felt like the world was “moving” outside of Vox Machina, always in motion and conflicts developing, with NPCs doing stuff in the background, and then the big finale! Amazing!

10. Vecna? Not as interesting to me personally. Great lore and all, but getting the blessings felt a bit like the Hunt for the Vestiges 2.0. Still amazing story and lore, but I liked the Chroma Conclave more.

11. CR is long like super super long there are SO many episodes and they are SO long even if you skip the chatting before and after the game DEAR LORD is it long. Some might say too long. And I am some. I am saying it is too long. For me at least.

12. Exandria as a world is not that interesting to me in Campaign 1, especially Tal’Dorei felt a bit generic, but with every additional CR content I have seen I love it more and they have expanded and I am a big fan now!

13. Random fact: I love how Liam connected his C3 character to the one-off character he played in the last Special.

14. Just putting it out there: with all the overlap now, with guests appearing on both CR and TAZ, can they just give us some big crossover thing already?! Like, is it too much to ask? It would be a glorious disaster, with the McElroys refusing to use any rules they don’t care about, and the CR cast confused by the random cat-named shopkeepers...

There is probably a lot more to say, but overall I enjoyed Campaign 1. I am glad my friends who are CR fans helped me through the beginning, and I am thankful it exists as podcast so I could listen while doing something else like shopping. I am also thankful for the skip function on both my podcatcher and youtube.

I get why people love the show, I do. And I am very invested in Campaign 3 already. The setting is great, the developing story lines around the moon are interesting, and I love all the characters (my favourite is everyone but especially Laudna and Fearn and Chetney and FCG and Imogen and Orym and Ashton).

I think with TAZ: Ethersea currently on break I might get started with Campaign 2 sometime soon.

#just some ramblings about Critical Role #critical role campaign 1 #critical role campaign 1 spoilers #taz balance #critical role campaign 3

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Chinese Speakers Appeal for Help," Regina Leader-Post. August 9, 1943. Page 3. --- Three service clubs in the city learned something about the Chinese from the Chinese on Monday at luncheon meetings.

David Yee addressed the Rotarians, Regis Bing-Woo was guest of the Kiwanis club, while the Lions club heard Miss Isobel Bing-Woo.

All three speakers stressed the need for aid to China, and touched briefly on conditions to their own knowledge in various parts of their native land. They also thanked Canadians, on behalf of their countrymen, for past and future aid.

Scouts Help The Boy Scouts lent a hand Friday and Saturday in distributing 250 posters throughout the business section of the city. A. T. Hunter has taken on the job of supplying the postmasters, merchants and branches of the Canadian Legion in the rural sections of the unit with the same posters and promotion material.

Tuesday night CKCK will feature a half-hour transcription program dedicated to the Chinese War Relief fund. The program is to commence at 7 p.m. There will be similar shorter programs every Friday, from Aug. 13 to the end of the campaign month of 15-minute duration, from 6:30 to 6:45. Scripts have a definite Chinese appeal and come from the authoritative pens of such notables as Pearl Buck, Horace Brown and Charles Martin. Screen and stage stars will enact the poignant themes and Lynne Fontanne and John Garfield are only two of the many stars featured.

H. G. L. Strange, director of the research department of the Searle Grain Co. in Winnipeg and well known in this city, recently commented on the worthiness of the fund.

Said Mr. Strange: "Our gallant allies, the Chinese people, badly need help. For six long years China has been holding in check the greater part of the military strength of Japan. China has lost more men in killed and wounded in this war than all the other Allied nations, including Russia, put together. The Chinese, by fighting Janan, are defending Canada today just as truly as though they were fighting in Canada with us, but our gallant, patient and courageous friends now need help.

Pitiful "Their condition is pitiful. They need medical supplies and comforts. They need food for the millions of refugees who have escaped from Japanese-occupied territory into Free China, and, to add to their plight, China is now suffering over a large area from a severe drought, which is bringing famine and untold miseries in its wake.

"It takes money to buy the things the Chinese people so urgently need, so they are appealing to the Canadian people for help through the Chinese War Relief fund. It is one of the worthiest appeals ever made to Canadian people. The smallest sum will be gratefully accepted. Let each of us, therefore, give as generously to this fund as he can afford to. As little as one dollar will help to save a life."

The public are reminded that all donations will be accepted by any chartered bank in Regina, or may be addressed to the Chinese War Relief fund, Regina. All donations over $10 will be acknowledged by The Leader-Post.

#regina #public address #china war relief fund #sino-japanese war #pacific war #press publicity #relief aid #war relief #charitable philanthropy #fundraising campaign #chinese canadians #overseas chinese #chinese immigration to canada #republican china #world war ii #canada during world war 2

[laresearchette]

Sunday, November 13, 2022 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: THE DOG GAMES: WORLD PUP 2022 (discovery +) TULSA KING (Paramount +) YELLOWSTONE (Paramount +) MTV EMAs 2022 (MTV Canada) 3:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT: MICHELLE OBAMA: THE LIGHT WE CARRY, A CONVERSATION WITH ROBIN ROBERTS (ABC Feed) CHRISTMAS AT THE GOLDEN DRAGON (Premiering on November 20 on W Network at 6:00pm) SIX DEGREES OF SANTA (Premiering on November 23 on City TV at 8:00pm)

NBA BASKETBALL (SN1) 12:00pm: Thunder vs. Knicks (SN Now) 8:00pm: Nuggets vs. Bulls (SN/SN1) 9:30pm: Nets vs. Lakers

CFL FOOTBALL (TSN/TSN3/TSN4) 1:00pm: Eastern Final - Alouettes vs. Argos (TSN/TSN3/TSN4/TSN5) 4:30pm: Western Final - Lions vs. Blue Bombers

NFL FOOTBALL (TSN2) 1:00pm: Jaguars vs. Chiefs (TSN2) 4:00pm: Cardinals vs. Rams (TSN/TSN4/TSN5) 8:15pm: Chargers vs. 49ers

NHL HOCKEY (SN) 1:00pm: Stars vs. Flyers (SN) 6:00pm: Canucks vs. Bruins (TSN3) 8:00pm: Jets vs. Kraken

FIBA BASKETBALL (SN1) 7:00pm:  Canadian Men's Basketball: Canada vs. Panama

ALL SAINTS CHRISTMAS ALWAYS (W Network) 6:00pm: Lisette is a popular R&B singer who's getting ready to travel home to New Orleans for Christmas. When the media mistakes a photo of her with her ex as an engagement announcement, her family insists that he join her on the trip.

CANDY CANE CANDIDATE (CTV Life) 6:00pm: Julia returns to her hometown after a stunning defeat in her campaign for city council. While trying to drown her sorrows, she finds herself facing off with an old rival when the town holds an emergency election.

HEARTLAND (CBC) 7:00pm: A storm leads to a sad goodbye and the return of some old friends. Amy thinks her worst fears about Finn have come true until she learns about his past. Lou reads Katie’s journal without permission...Don’t tell the HORSIES!

BEARS' LAIR (APTN) 7:00pm (SEASON FINALE): In the grand finale of Bears' Lair, our four finalists bring their A-game with new and improved pitches for the Bears and four special guest judges. Then, one lucky entrepreneur walks away with the grand prize of $100,000!

FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER (APTN) 7:30pm: Matt gets into some trouble in the feature race and two wheels come off the track.

THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW (CBC) 8:00pm:  Four remaining bakers dress things up for Fancy Dessert Week. The bakers start with the trendsetting Japanese treat, Mochi Donuts. Then the Technical Bake provides their take on the Sans Rival. For the Show Stopper, the bakers must wow the judges with a jaw-dropping Jelly Art Cake, topped with a mesmerizing spectacle encased in jelly. The judges will select the three fanciest bakers to compete in next week��s finale.

HUDSON & REX (City TV) 8:00pm: When Supt. Donovan´s journalism student daughter investigates the story behinda murder on her university campus, the team races to find the killer before someone else becomes the next victim.

THE BIG BAKE (Food Network Canada) 8:00pm: The baking teams practice their pirouettes because host Brad Smith and judges Ron Ben-Israel, Eddie Jackson and Danni Rose want to see choreography that's en pointe as the bakers create ovation-worthy cakes capturing Tchaikovsky's iconic ballet.

MERRY SWISSMAS (CTV Life) 8:00pm: While spending Christmastime with her mother in Switzerland, an architect meets a single father who shows her how to open herself up to love and forgiveness during the holiday season.

REVENGE BEST SERVED CHILLED (Lifetime Canada) 8:00pm:  An aspiring sommelier enters a training program hoping to save her family's failing restaurant. When several people in the program mysteriously turn up dead, she finds herself not only framed for their murders but also in mortal danger.

WILDLIFE RESCUE AUSTRALIA (Animal Planet Canada) 8:00pm: Jack the python has had a run in with a tractor and needs surgery to repair his throat; Prickles the echidna has been hit by a car and Dr Bree works to pop his dislocated leg back into place.

CRYSTAL PITE: ANGELS' ATLAS (Documentary) 8:00pm:   Acclaimed choreographer Crystal Pite works with National Ballet of Canada to remount the heartstopping Angels' Atlas.

RISING WOLF (Super Channel Fuse) 8:00pm:  Trapped in an elevator, a young environmentalist with mysterious powers finds herself at the mercy of her tormentors.

MOONSHINE (CBC) 9:00pm: As Lidia’s plans to break up with Gale implode, a shell-shocked Sammy meets his birth parents, and Bea and Ken air their relationship issues on-stage -- it's opening night of Call of the Kraken!

CAMPFIRE ROMANCE (City TV) 9:00pm: Romance rekindles for Peyton and her closest friends when her parents decide to host a holiday-themed reunion before selling their family-owned summer camp.

A COZY CHRISTMAS INN (CTV Life) 9:00pm: A real estate executive travels to Alaska during the holidays to acquire a bed-and-breakfast, only to discover it's owned by her ex. She's soon falling in love with the town and quite possibly him all over again.

AUSSIE GOLD HUNTERS (Discovery Canada) 9:00pm: Jacqui and Andrew feel the pressure as they battle hard rock ground that could ruin their latest deal; Shane and Russell search an ancient mine.

ISLAND OF BRYAN (HGTV Canada) 10:00pm: The Baeumlers welcome visitors to Florida during construction. The kitchen and principal bedroom suite take shape.

OUTBACK OPAL HUNTERS (Discovery Canada) 10:00pm:  The Young Guns spend all of their savings on a hydraulic digger that only causes problems; the Blacklights run out of opal.

THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND (History Canada) 10:00pm: Matty Blake reveals Rick, Marty and the team's most compelling finds unearthed in the mysterious Oak Island swamp.

A CHRISTMAS STAR (CTV Life) 10:00pm: An astronomer predicts that a new meteor shower will appear over a tiny town, but she must convince the locals to help with her discovery at the expense of a Christmas tradition.

GOT IDENTITY (APTN) 11:30pm:  Nelson meets with Anishinaabe physician Dr. Lisa Monkman to talk about how she integrates Indigenous values into her medical practice.

#cdntv #cancon #canadian tv #canadian tv listings #heartland #bears' lair #friday night thunder #the great canadian baking show #hudson & rex #the big bake #moonshine #aussie gold hunters #island of bryan #outback opal hunters #the curse of oak island #got identity #nba basketball #nhl hockey #cfl football #nfl football #fiba basketball world cup

[batnsons]

I would also like to thank sam riegel and critical role for once again reigniting my decade-long obsession with david tennant

#this man��� #OOF #been in love with him for nearly ten years #and it just keeps going #he just gets better and better #cannot believe we got him in cr #now he needs to guest star in campaign 3 #i need it #tlovm spoilers #tlovm #david tennant #cr #critical role #cr cast #sam riegel #rey rambles #rey's endless list of old guy crushes

[kujakumai]

Sometimes I want to write a fic that’s just “Here’s Bakura running a proper dnd campaign for everyone” but the problem (besides the fact that there has to be 200 fanfics with this exact premise already) is that no amount of antics I personally can think up on my own will ever reach the chaos that occurs naturally in a dnd campaign. You really do need 3-5 different people with no common sense arguing over each other in a single room. 

anyway I still thought about it too much:

Yugi is a ranger (beastmaster) with a level or two of druid. Why isn’t he a mage, you ask? Because they had too many mages already and Yugi is good at every class and this way he gets a cute little friend! :) He will roll animal handling to pet everything and you can’t stop him. Pays so much attention to roleplay. Rolls a frankly statistically improbable number of natural 20s but that’s protagonists for you.

Atem and Yugi can’t really play at the same time but sometimes he guests with a wizard. He’s not very good at coming up with backstories and will just stare in blank confusion but Bakura figures out if you give him a mostly-premade character with a few key traits already outlined he will roleplay them with the skill and enthusiasm of a shakespearian lead. Some people just need a little push, y’know.

Anzu is a sorcerer (divine soul). It takes her 20 minutes to go from sweet innocent just-here-to-help healer to salty i-swear-to-god-stop-standing-in-the-aoe i-will-kill-you-myself healer.

Jonouchi is a Fighter (champion) (with critical hit feats) (lady luck don’t fail him now). Really into the game but new to this. Tries to do a fun character voice but forgets half the time. Bakura loves running for him because he will think of weird outside-the-box solutions and earnestly get into arguments with NPCs they have so much fun together.

Honda is a gunwizard (flavored and slightly homebrewed mostly-rogue with a magic item. he and Bakura worked it out. don’t worry about it.) 

Kaiba as previously discussed is a hyper-optimized combat sorlock who doesn’t want to be here and doesn’t understand how Yugi dragged him into this and is getting increasingly unnerved by Bakura.

Guest stars for one-shots and side campaigns:

Marik is just himself but a tiefling mage with maxed out charisma. His elaborate backstory about being a very talented and tragic exiled prince is almost as overwrought as the description of his outfit. Is he working through some things with this? It’s fine. He will cast Charm Person on every enemy and you can’t stop him.

Mokuba plays a tiny goblin rogue whose inventory consists entirely of bugs and knives

Shizuka guests is a light cleric that everyone expects to be all cute buffs-and-heals until she bashes a monster’s head in with a mace while Jonouchi cheers

#dug this out of my drafts in honor of bakura day #yes i know monster world isn't dnd. but monster world isn't real. and *I* know a lot about dnd #sometimes Rishid is Marik's very elegant retainer who doesn't speak common #they roleplay this by having side convos in tombkeeper arabic which Marik translates in-character in deliberate obtuse and silly ways #they are having fun #long post

[flurry-of-beaus-pop-pop]

Campaign 3 Episode 7 Thoughts:

1. Ashley Johnson as Fearne Calloway is just *chefs kiss*. She’s just so fascinated by everything and so on board with everything, but in a completely innocent way and it’s great. Absolutely love her tendency to just take things and her insistence on making things up and then never being able to follow it up with a good roll 😂

2. Laudna is my second favorite. She’s just as much into chaos as Fearne, but like... in a different way? I don’t know how to explain it. But she also just wants to know everything about anything and her fascination for interior design is odd, but adorable. 

3. Imogen is growing on me... she’s definitely missing some of that Laura chaos, which I miss, but she’s intriguing. She’s also starting to spread her wings a little bit. In the beginning, her and Laudna were very much a pair, which makes sense because Laudna made her feel safe, but now she has this new group of people that also are starting to make her feel safe and she doesn’t necessarily need to be by Laudna at all times. It’ll be interesting to see how she grows as a character the more comfortable she feels around these new people. 

4. Dorian is... intriguing. Like there’s something more there than just a “rich kid trying to make his own way in the world”, but I’m not sure what and I want to know. It’ll be interesting to see how long he sticks around... whether it’s for the entire campaign or less. I know he’s been introduced as a “guest star” and so people think he won’t be around for the entire campaign, but it’s also entirely possible they just meant a guest star for this season. 

5. Orym and Fresh Cut Grass are okay. There’s definitely so much more backstory to both of them and I think they’ll be far more interesting once we learn more of the backstory, but as of right now, they’re just middle of the road for me. 

6. I don’t necessarily like Ashton, I don’t really like any of Talisen’s characters (don’t know anything about his C1 character), they all kind of have that “lonerish, don’t care about much, bit of an attitude” personality and it’s offputting. I don’t know, maybe he’ll grow on me more if we learn more about him. 

7. I am absolutely dying at Travis’s new character. Travis always seemed so serious last campaign (minus some moments) so it’s going to be hilarious to see him play a fun, trollish, chaotic character. 

I’m still very much on the Fearne x Laudna train (because of both of their fascinations with creepy, chaotic things as well as their love for just finding out everything about anything) and the Imogen x Dorian train. I don’t think there’s been anything mentioned in the campaign so far for any possible pairing that makes me think ships/relationships are on anyone’s minds, but it’s just my personal favs. 

#critical role #campaign 3 #fearne calloway #laudna #imogen tamolt #orym of the air ashari #dorian grey #chetney poc-o-pea #fresh cut grass #ashton #campaign 3 thoughts

[selkiesbittybonanza]

500 Followers Appreciation Bitty Profiles! (+ Bonus bitty!) (ALL FREE TO ADOPT)

Fellswap Gold Lamia Bittys

Merlot

Snake: Taipan

Venomous?: Yes

Size (Bitty): Length - 0.5-1m (1.6-3.3 ft.), Standing - 0.25-0.5m (0.8-1.6 ft)

Size (Full Sized): Length - 1.5-2m (5-6 ft), Standing 1-1.25m (3-5 ft)

Merlots are very calm and soothing bittys, they always seem to have it together. It can be easy to let them take control of things – you always feel like they have your best interests at heart. Merlots are very distinguished, they don’t appreciate looking disheveled, it gives them an almost “old man” quality. A Merlot’s nest is impeccably clean – you may even find a doily or two! And they somehow have a bowl of no-name candy to offer guests like a strange satire on how seniors live everywhere. However he had an eye for quality and doesn’t accept poor quality furnishings. While a Merlot doesn’t mind taking charge, he appreciates an adopter who takes initiative. A Merlot isn’t above using intimidation to get his way, but he’s so smooth about it you have a hard time noticing! He prides himself in being unflappable, to demand respect without screaming for it. He certainly has a devious side – he didn’t get this far without knowing how to “play the game” and isn’t above a few white lies for the sake of it. He can be quite paternal as well, he enjoys taking younger bittys under his “wing” and helping raising them. While he can seem rather stiff he’s actually a warm-hearted bitty who enjoys cuddles and being needed.

Espresso

Snake: Black-tailed Criibo

Venomous?: No

Size (Bitty): Length - 0.75-1m (2.4-3.3 ft), Standing - 0.25-0.5m (0.8-1.6 ft)

Size (Full Sized): Length - 2-2.5m (7-8.5 ft), Standing - 1-1.5m (3-5 ft)

Despite the name: Espressos aren’t very active bittys. They mostly prefer the quiet – gaming and drawing are their favourite hobbies. They tend to be shy and soft spoken – loud people can startle them into muteness and a lot of the time they prefer to communicate in non-verbal ways. If you want a gaming companion an Espresso is your perfect bitty match: but be warned – gaming is a fixation for them. If you ask them to not continue a game until you can play it together later it’s almost unfair to them, they’ll become obsessed with what’s next. Games with both single player and co-op content is more ideal – he can work on the single player campaign while he waits for you to come back to the co-op campaign. His shyness makes multi-player gaming a bit hit or miss – he doesn’t like gaming where a lot of communication and strategy is necessary – he prefers staying quiet and working towards objective without any instruction given or taken. His exception is co-op, he loves playing games together with you and feels his most accomplished when you both complete a challenging level together. He isn’t super competitive but takes pride in his skills so be careful setting up play-dates with bittys that may not appreciate losing to a quiet, seemingly submissive bitty. Despite his quiet and gentle nature he isn’t one to allow people to take advantage of him  or disrespect him – he will stand up for himself, usually by exiting the situation instead of getting into an argument, and when pushed, he WILL fight back. He is surprisingly skilled and controls his magic well.

G!Siblings Ampitheres 

So I decided to give my ampitheres the same human-like intelligence of all my other lamia bittys, but restrict them to a one-size bitty like my Harpys. Honestly a full size ampithere’s wingspan would make them pretty tough to house indoors… 

Suave

Snake: Bolen’s Python

Venomous?: No

Size: 1-1.5m long (3-5ft), 0.5m (2ft) standing

Suaves pride themselves on being, well, suave and flirtatious – it helps them stay in control of the conversation and relationship so you don’t discover how much of a dork they really are. Suaves inherited Gaster’s love or building important monuments – like the Core. He’s interested in work that will stand the test of time, with the added benefit of being practical. He’s not interested in building, say: the Pyramids for vainglory. But, if that Pyramid was covered in solar panels that provided electricity for the nearby citizens – that’s up his alley. He also has an interest in motorized vehicles like cars, trucks and motorcycles – but he admits he’d have a difficult time using one without a lot of modifications. Which could be fun. Suaves love flashy experiments and inventions that leave an impact on his audience: however, when he’s working on his next big thing he ends up working at all hours of the night in his pajamas. His inspirations are flashes of brilliance and a flurry of work, after which, he collapses into a deep sleep for up to 36 hours. Despite appearances Suaves are huge nerds who love to share their work with interested listeners and isn’t above goofy shenanigans. They share a Sans’ sense of humour and laid back attitude – but it’s a mask to cover the whirling chaos of the mind within. Suaves can be surprisingly immature and will get a kick out of pranks and childish humour. A Suave can summon up to four disembodied “hands” to help him work on projects that require dexterity but doesn’t often use constructs in offensive magic. He’s more of a behind-the-scenes guy – but he can certainly manage bone attacks.

Savvy

Snake: Amazon Tree Boa

Venomous?: No

Size: 1.25-1.75m long (4-6ft), 0.75m (2.5ft) standing

While Suaves are the rock star scientists, the Savvys end up being in the babysitter role more times than they’d like. Savvys inherited Gaster’s interest in the soul and physical health of monsters and humans; since Savvys are on the autistic spectrum it helps them understand others better because, although they have trouble empathizing with others, it does not mean they don’t CARE. I head-cannon that smoking is a Gaster-trait and a Savvy’s Papyrus half REFUSES to participate in such a disgusting habit! Therefore Savvy’s tend to have an oral fixation to make up for the lack of smoking: chewing on the end of pencils, pens, their own tails… and rely far too much on caffeine. A Savvy works hard, but on a schedule and his experiments are always tightly controlled as opposed to a Suave’s scientific method. Savvys are polite, distinguished and a bit absent minded when it comes to personal relationships. If you’re looking for a bitty that will faun over you – look elsewhere. While Savvy’s certainly care about their adopters and family they are independent and self sufficient. They can seem humourless but the right touch can send them into giggles, they are very passionate about their interests and appreciate an interested audience (or at least captive). Savvys enjoy being needed and do well in situations where they can work as doctor’s, biologists or psychologists. They’re not judgmental and they like to look at the world with endless curiosity and enthusiasm! Savvys can summon up to four disembodied “hands” to help him work on projects that require dexterity but prefers to use his magical energies in his studies and use of healing magic. His offensive magic abilities are rather stunted because of this.

Bonus Lamia Bitty - Blueberror

Blue Ribbon

Snake: Blue striped Ribbon Snake

Venomous?: No

Size (Bitty): 0.5-1m (1.6-3ft), 0.3m standing

Size (Full Sized):1-1.5m (3-5ft) 0.5m standing

Ribbons are afraid of being alone (autophobic), they know that being alone in the anti-void is what caused their transformations from Blueberries to Blueberrors. They thrive in large families and want to be seen as a friend and protector by the group. Do not adopt one of these guys if you spend a lot of time out of the home and can’t provide them attention. A bitty family is a good stop-gap but they really need validation and one-on-one time with their adopters. Ribbons retain most of their personality traits from their Blueberry days but they’re a little… off. A little, too intense. Ribbons can get caught up in an emotion or situation and can spiral out of control whether the emotion is: joy, anger, frustration, or fear. They need a patient friend who can help them “reset” their emotional clock. Of course, being an Error, it sometimes causes a hard crash that they need to restart from. Depending on the situation they can forget completely what had set them off and will continue along like nothing happened. Other times, they remember what happened but the restart gave them enough time to reprocess so they can move on and get past what set them off. They can get depressed easily especially is someone is afraid or intimidated by him – he knows he’s different now, but he’s still a good guy at heart! A Ribbons magic is star-based – they create star-shaped attacks and can even summon a star to ride around on like Kirby.

Creators

Blueberror created by @loverofpiggies​

Fellswap Gold AU created by @blackggggum​

G!Sans created by @bouru​

Art

Fellswap Gold Sans & Papyrus + Blueberror Lamias commissioned from @calmchapsart​

G!Siblings Ampitheres commissioned from @me-and-my-gaster​

all art commissioned by me: @sealpointselkie​ / @selkiesbittybonanza​

#adoptable #adoptables #adoptable bittys #lamiatale #500+ follower appreciation #fellswap gold #fellswap gold sans #fellswap gold papyrus #fellswap gold lamia #fellswap gold lamia bittys #lamia bitty #lamia bittys #g!sans #g!papyrus #g!siblings #g!siblings bitty #g!siblings lamia bitty #g!sans lamia bitty #g!papyrus lamia bitty #blueberror lamia bitty #blueberror #merlot lamia bitty #full size merlot #merlot bitty #espresso lamia bitty #full size espresso #espresso bitty #savvy ampithere bitty #suave ampithere bitty #ampithere

[slade-neko]

Saw this video game tag thing pop up on my dash a few days ago. Wanted to do it.

1. First game you played obsessively? Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I believe I was 5yo. Still waiting on that FF7 Remake treatment.

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc. Well if I play a game and like it, then I'll create sims of it. Does that count?

3. Who did you play with as a kid? My brother from the day I was born.

4. Who do you play with now? My brother FROM THE DAY I WAS BORN.

5. Ever use cheat codes? I wasn't lying when I made this post. {link}

6. Ever buy strategy guides? Yes! Mainly to look at the artwork though. (Don't need no guide!)

7. Any games you have multiple copies of? Lots of games, most being Left 4 Dead with 6 copies (3 Xbox 360, 1 PC case, 2 PC digitally.) What can I say, its a GOOD GAME!

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection? Gold cartridge Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (maybe that's rare?)

9. Most regrettable purchase? I don't regret my purchases, but I have received games I have never played like Cubix (PS2) no clue where that game came from, but I have it somehow. Madagascar (Xbox 360) came with my Xbox 360, never opened it from its case. And Monsters Inc. Scream Arena (Gamecube) or something... it was a gift.

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games? I'm only friends with people BECAUSE of video games, so yes.

12. Ever get picked on for liking games? No, that'd be ridiculous.

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has? Probably a lot, I'd say Call of Duty, but I technically played CoD 1, 2, and 4. The campaign mode was alright, but I don't really care for CoD games at ALL.

14. Favorite game music? Koji Kondo and Grant Kirkhope are two BIG ones.

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick? Triforce is the most basic option, but I'd rather not get a tattoo.

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL? Super Smash Bros. Brawl with hacks, but that was over a decade ago.

17. Ever lose a friend over a game? No, that'd be ridiculous.

18. Would you date someone that hates gaming? No, that'd be RIDICULOUS.

19. Favorite handheld console? PSP. 3DS is great, but PSP Monster Hunter has ALL of my portable gaming memories. Like playing in school after End of Grade tests with my friend.

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand? Sims 4 I like to think I know everything about Left 4 Dead. Quite a bit about Monster Hunter, more so of a series though than a specific game.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now? I'd say Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. I loved it as a kid, but had a lot of complex pen & paper RPG mechanics that I never understood. I understand a lot more of it now, but its still complex as all heck. I just know you hit things, they die.

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories? That's the only thing I wear.

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into? Not sure so I'll list a few. Sims 4, Smash Bros. Brawl, Monster Hunter (its a series though), or Left 4 Dead

24. First Pokemon game? Leaf Green

25. Were you ever an arcade game player? No, don't like paying to play.

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries? No.

27. Game that makes you rage? I don't get mad at games, but I had a custom modded Hard Eight mutation in Left 4 Dead that is absolute bullsh*t!

28. Ever play in a tournament? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

29. What is your gaming set up? A giant wall of video game consoles spanning from NES to Switch, 4 TVs, but I sit at a desk with a PC.

30. How many consoles do you own? "I own every console that's ever existed." - I Don't Play Games When I Play Games (My STRENTH) original song by Smooth McGroove BUT no seriously I own 32 consoles including handhelds.

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches? Yes. 3DS gave me headaches though I only really played with the 3D feature in Ocarina of Time 3D. I think my eyes broke because I couldn't get my 3D to work very well after.

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic? Sure I play games based on a lot of things. Literally any anime game. If I had to pick Dragon Ball Xenoverse is kinda like a dream Dragon Ball game. Oh, Attack on Titan 2 is pretty neat too!

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games? Some SEGA plug-n-play thing once. Played it like once and now its lost to time (or my closet.)

34. Do either of your parents play video games? Yes. Mom and Dad played NES Super Mario Bros. My Dad went HARD at that game until he saved the Princess. Then he quit forever.

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop? "Hi. Welcome to Gamestop!"I never want to hear that again, but it was my main store until I went full digital/ online orders.

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game? No, I don't tend to get upset or emotional, but Bill dying in Left 4 Dead made me pretty pissed.

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination? Never played it. I don't really play "bad" games, but maybe Sims 4.

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like? The Sims 4

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make? Dragon's Dogma 2 WHICH I think is actually in development, so I'd have to say Fallout New Vegas 2. C'mon Bethesda you cowards, hand the keys back over to Obsidian so they can make another good Fallout game!

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls? Two part question, two answers. VR Headset to immerse in world, yes. Motion Controls, no.

41. A genre that you just can’t get into? MOBAs and MMOs. I don't like paying to keep playing.

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness? Nintendo 64 opened me up to what video games could be as a kid. Sad to say my parents' NES didn't really do that for me. And years later Fallout 3 was a big game changer for me too.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else? Every day of my LIFE.

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters? None. I'd rather emulate.

45. How are you at Mario Kart? Pretty dang good. 3-STARS MARIO KART WII, BABY!

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon? Yes, both of those. I preferred when Animal Crossing had more character to it. New Horizons looks so pretty, but feels so bland compared to classic AC.

47. Do you like competitive games? No. Not really. Usually amongst friends or if I can get competitive against AI Bots. I love my machine bot friends cause they don't cry like 10 year olds when they lose.

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character? Too long. I've seriously restarted games because I wasn't happy with my character's appearance.

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character? Yes, I am always the magic man, my brother is always brute warrior, and my friend is the ranger.

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create? I don't really know. Honestly, I'd rather mod already good games to make them better than create something completely new.

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep? No, that'd be ridiculous. But I've had a friend fall asleep playing games at my house 3 different times and currently dozes off during our Minecraft sessions. So, maybe that's not a completely ridiculous thing after all.

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid? Kirby 64 apparently. My brother tells me we had to count out pennies to buy it. I must've been too young with no recollection, but I believe it.

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days? It's good if its not in the game's files from the beginning and is actually developed AFTER launch... and pre-order bonuses should be standard DLC a month or two later. Some games have content lost to time because of that pre-order bullsh*t.

54. Do you give in to Steam sales? Of course. If you want a game and its on sale then why not? I typically wait just for Steam sales to get games.

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them? No? I typically make people and characters I like in Sims. I've made villains like Dio, but he's an anime villain and I don't really HATE him despite the horrible things he's done.

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests? No. Never played that game.

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements? I try to for all the games I really like.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick? The Sims 4, Skyrim, & Fallout: New Vegas. Mods make them live forever. Left 4 Dead and Monster Hunter are good choices too.

59. Do you play any cell phone games? Those aren't games.

60. Do you know the Konami Code? No? But I'll take a guess. Is it make an IP and forget it exists?

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever? Keep forever... even the bad ones.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game? PS4 Pro for Monster Hunter World. It was basically for early access since the PC version was being developed and releasing after PS4, but I don't like waiting.

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? Sort of. Been to anime cons and walked into the gaming tournament rooms only to walk out less than 10 minutes later.

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming? No, but I'm going to be doing that soon, hopefully.

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file? GameShark for N64, PS2, Gameboy, and Action Replay for Gamecube, DS, 3DS. And no not really, I would cheat responsibly... but there was this one time at school my friend and I borrowed another friend's Gameboy game, loaded it up with my Gameshark, tried playing, it crashed, loaded it back up, save file corrupted... we just stared at each other jaws dropped, "Here's your game back, dude. Make sure you don't play it til you get back home!"

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it? No, but I remember seeing them on billboards in the game DRIV3R on PS2.

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share? Every game I play is filled with happy memories (mostly.)

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool? These tiger plushes. My brother got white and I got orange. They were the coolest. Got a butt load of tickets from some jackpot spinning light game thing as I was good at the timing with repeated jackpot hits.

69. In your opinion, best game ever made? I've played quite a few masterpiece games, but to pick one, I'd say Fallout: New Vegas

70. Very first game you ever beat? Super Mario 64. I was a mere child on a Sunday morning and ate celebratory pancakes made by my Dad.

Wow, that was long... I get the feeling this was supposed to be a "send me ask with numbers" thing, but answering all at once is more fun.

#personal #video games

[tanoraqui]

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] Epilogue 

[now all on AO3!]

The real tragedy is that, while Nie Huaisang got to attend Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan’s wedding, and of course it was lovely and everything it could have been, he had to miss the subsequent banquet, which was the event of the century. A week later he’s already heard a song about it; two weeks and he’s heard four, and more rumors than usually circulate in a year, and even they mostly pale to the reality as reported from the horse’s mouth

“ - I was just going to run around dodging until some ghosts got through, but then Lan Zhan leapt to my defense, catching Sandu with Bichen!” Wei Wuxian grinned at Lan Wangji and Nie Huaisang with equal glee, though his smile for the former was much softer. “Jiang Cheng struck back, of course, and they were off - two of the greatest cultivators of our generation, leaping from table to table right there in Glamour Hall, fighting blade to blade - and whip to guqin!”

He gestured dramatically, recreating the moment and nearly smacking Lan Wangji, seated beside him, in the face. Lan Wangji simply ducked, expressionless except maybe for the faintest crinkle of his eyes. Nie Huaisang sipped his wine and watched in delight

they’d come under cover of darkness, sneaking up old side-stairs they’d all used during the Sunshot Campaign. Perhaps excessive, but a little caution never hurt anyone

drinking together in Nie Huaisang’s bedroom when everyone was supposed to be asleep felt ridiculously nostalgic, though

“But Jiang Cheng - don’t tell him I said this - is just the tiniest bit much less impressive than Lan Zhan, so I had to leap in in turn - Lan Zhan didn’t realize we were just play-acting, nobody had thought to bring him in on it, he just defended me because it was the honorable thing to do.”

The stars in his eyes put the clear night sky to shame.

“I will not allow harm to come to Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said calmly

holy shit. Holy shit. How had Nie Huaisang missed this one, when he prided himself on keeping up with all the juiciest gossip about his friends.

He refilled Wei Wuxian’s cup. “And that’s when you started the food fight? I heard there was a food fight.”

“Yes!” Wei Wuxian clapped. “I couldn’t exactly use my sword - I’d already boasted that I didn’t need it! But Lan Zhan was going to kick my shidi’s ass, and I had to step in - so I tipped a bowl of soup right in his face!” He ran a hand down Lan Wangji’s chest and frowned dramatically. “It ruined all his beautiful robes - I’m so sorry, Lan Zhan.” 

“Mn. It was no trouble.” 

Now that Nie Huaisang was looking for it, he recognized the slight stiffening of a man absolutely desperate to grab that hand and pull its bearer into his lap and then some. Holy fucking shit.

Wei Wuxian cackled. “It wasn’t! You just kept fighting with Jiang Cheng - so I kept throwing food! At both of you, because sometimes Jiang Cheng kept trying to hit me, too - until not just ghosts arrived but some corpses, too, coming up from the dungeons.” That broken-glass edge to his smile again. “It seems Jin Guangshan had been quite a bad boy, or at least one of his guest disciples had - a man named Xue Yang got called out, I heard? But he disappeared?” He turned to Lan Wangji. “We heard people talking on the road.”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji confirmed

“I heard the same,” Nie Huaisang said. “Creepy weirdo. Jin Guangshan is saying the corpses were yours, of course, but it’s a little hard since Zewu-jun found all those notes on demonic cultivation in Xue Yang’s room - and some of them with Jin Guangyao’s handwriting on them.” 

“We heard about that - kind of,” said Wei Wuxian. “Is he really in the dungeon himself now?”

“Yes.” Nie Huaisang smiled, and topped off his own glass. “Between that and having reason to believe he’d just given all the Wen prisoners to Nie Sect on a whim,  Jin Guangshan is quite displeased with Lianfang-zun.”

he felt a little bad for Lan Xichen, but the man would get over it. He still had one respectable, far superior sworn brother

Wei Wuxian raised his glass in toast and Nie Huaisang met it gladly, and leaned forward again. “So what happened next?”

“Oh, you know.” Wei Wuxian leaned back and waved one hand. “Lots of shouting. The peacock got shijie out of there, so I guess maybe he’s okay for her. A lot more fighting - Jiang Cheng kept doing a really good impression of trying to kill me, Lan Zhan kept stopping him, and I kept stopping Lan Zhan from hitting Jiang Cheng too hard. Jiang Cheng shouted again about how I’d better destroy the Tiger Seal or leave YunmengJiang forever, just like we’d planned, so I threw half of it in the air and broke it with Suibian - and good thing I wasn’t holding it, because even just half of it exploded so hard it blew up half of Glamour Hall! I was nearly knocked out - Lan Zhan had to carry me out on Bichen!”

he spoke airily, except for the last part which he spoke with hearts in his eyes, but there was a weight like a brick to it. Nie Huaisang wondered how much of the supposedly pre-planned drama had come down to split-second decisions about what mattered most

though it was also hilarious to think that anyone believed it wasn’t choreographed, on the part of Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng at least. For one thing, Qinghe had strength; Lanling, appearance and secrets; and the spirit of Yunmeng, true to its motto, was sheer bloody-minded perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds, preferably with as much drama as possible. If Sandu Sengshou and the Yiling Patriarch truly fought to the death, even Huangang-jun wouldn’t be able to stop it, and a mere wedding banquet couldn’t contain the battle - it would be on the edge of a cliff before the entire cultivation world, possibly with the earth on fire around them

it was even more hilarious to think that even if emotions ran that furiously high, either of them would do a single thing to ruin their beloved sister’s wedding day, without her explicit permission and encouragement

“I can’t believe you destroyed a major sect hall without me” Nie Huaisang shook his head mournfully. “Remember when we set off firecrackers in the Cloud Recesses?”

“Yes,” Lan Wangji said firmly, while Wei Wuxian burst into laughter.

“Ah, Huaisang-gongzi,” he said, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. “I promise I’ll invite you next time.”

"You’d better!” Nie Huaisang cried. “I mean, you still have half the Tiger Seal to destroy...”

Wei Wuxian shot him a wink that said, that’s true, and you’re my friend, but I’m not biting that hook you’re using to fish for information. Nie Huaisang shrugged, can you blame me? and lifted the wine jug again

“More? You know, you’re welcome to stay more than one night. This is so fun, just catching up - and I know A-Yuan will be delighted to see you again!”

“He really is a cute kid, isn’t he?” Wei Wuxian smiled wistfully, then shook his head. “But no - maybe we’ll say hi to Wen Qing and Wen Ning, but we’ve given Jin Guangshan about four different things to worry about, when he used to have just one or two, but it’s still probably better not to consolidate them.”

Nie Huaisang had to nod to the wisdom of that. (It was a pity the whole tower hadn’t come down on the man’s head, really.) He savored the last few sips of his own glass. “So you’ll be gone in the morning - do you know where?”

“I’ve heard that there’s a shidi of my mother’s starting to make a name for himself as a rogue cultivator - another disciple of Baoshan Sanren. I thought I might find him and, you know, say hello at least.”

His smile was touched with mournful longing, but his eyes held the particular glint that said someone was about to be befriended, or possibly adopted into YunmengJiang on authority of the Head Disciple, whether they liked it or not. It was a very Wei Wuxian expression, and Nie Huaisang didn’t think he’d seen it since they were all young and stupid at the Cloud Recesses

“I am going with him,” stated Lan Wangji, Victim Example #1 of that expression

“Aw, Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian, for lack of a better word, snuggled up against him, before turning back to Nie Huaisang and saying with exaggerated disappointment. “He’s finally accepted that I’m not going to go back to Gusu to be cleansed within an inch of my life, so he’s following me around and keeping me out of trouble day by day instead. So righteous! So boring!”

good god, did he not know...?

Nie Huaisang met Lan Wangji’s eyes and found there a well a patience deeper than the sea, and affection just a great Well, he had to toast to that

He raised his last mouthful of wine, to clink against Wei Wuxian’s glass and the cup of tea Lan Wangji had been politely nursing. “Well, good luck to both of you!”

That’s all, folks! Thanks for reading!

#mdzs #the untamed #my fic #nie huaisang #wei wuxian #lan wangji #i think this au may have come to like...16k or so total #that was. unintentional. #i mean this last bit is really just an entire scene that i happened to format with bullet points as i wrote out all the dialogue and stuff #...his bodes ill for the efficiency of my fierce corpse jiang yanli canon rewrite #anyway i'll probably put some minimal polish on all this and slap it into ao3 bc by god i wrote like 16K #IN LIKE 8 DAYS NO LESS #LOOK UPON ME YE MIGHTY AND encourage me to go get some sleep

[popolitiko]

Why Did The Georgia GOP Team Up With a Riot Instigator?

Greg Palast  January 09,2021

Ali Alexander a Trump supporter---and an obviously psychologically confused man with Black skin--is seen above in a weird surreal visual with right-wing racists.

This star of the GOP’s get-out-the-vote door-knocking program in the Georgia Senate run-off, also stood next to Alex Jones, who was blasting his threat through a megaphone in front of the Governor’s home.

“We’ll light the whole sh*t on fire!” This was Ali Alexander’s threat in December which would become all too real when he repeated his performance on January 6 in Washington, DC.

In the US Capitol that day, looking over the scene of screams, teargas, and mayhem, Alexander said, “I warned you this would happen.”

Yes, he did. Nevertheless, the Georgia Republican Party’s Metro Atlanta Field Director Kevin Mason was more than happy to team up with Alexander. With his huge reach within the Alt-Right, Alexander could bring in a swarm of volunteers for the door-knocking campaign they desperately needed to hold back the looming Democratic victory in the US Senate run-offs.

The far-right celebrity was the magnet to draw scores of young enthusiasts to a January 3 training session at the DoubleTree Hotel in Roswell, an Atlanta suburb. The Palast Investigative Fund’s photojournalist, Zach D. Roberts, a specialist in white fringe violence who’d been tracking Alexander’s pitch for mayhem across the nation, signed up.

Roberts, who joined up through Alexander’s website, StopTheSteal.US, was quite surprised to receive instructions, not from the right-wing group, but from Daniel George of the National Republican Senate Committee.

Why would the GOP team up with Alexander, a leader of the Stop the Steal extremists, especially after his well-broadcast warning of violence? The threat was not out of character. There are widely circulated films of Alexander with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes. And there is a video chat with Alexander yucking it up with a right-wing jokester holding up a giant flag with a Nazi Swastika flag.

That is, if “Alexander” is his real name. He adopted it after his reported conviction for a felony crime under the name “Ali Akbar.”

Alexander is a shapeshifter, sometimes the eye-swiveling crazy, sometimes the dapper guest for Alt-Right podcasts. We cannot link to his most incendiary outlets such as WildProtest.com because they’ve been taken down for inciting violence.

Yet, you can see him in this photo at a door-knocking training seminar run by the Georgia Republican Party surrounded by grinning young Georgia volunteers.

Curious, I called both the Georgia Republican Party’s Field Director, who worked with Alexander, as well as the National Republican Senate Committee to ask why they’d join forces with a known Neo-Fascist instigator of violence. So far, my calls have gone un-returned.

In Georgia, with Alex Jones and Nick Fuentes, a known white nationalist, Alexander hid nothing of his hopes for Washington on January 6. “Either they take Trump, prove that they won or they’re not going to hand them back the country again. We’ll light the whole sh*t on fire!”

Looking down on the Capitol, as the mayhem unfolded, he told his Twitter audience, “I don’t disavow this,” but later insisted, without evidence, that the Capitol violence was committed by slyly disguised Antifa rioters.

To fire up its base, the GOP is apparently willing to cavort with the violence-threatening fringe. The Grand Old Party dismissed Alexander’s warnings. And they also forgot John Kennedy’s warning that “Those who ride the tail of the tiger soon end up inside.”

Greg Palast, Zach D. Roberts and Palast Investigative Fund Team have reported from Georgia for Truthout, Rolling Stone and Democracy Now. The Palast Investigative Fund is a project of the non-partisan not-for-profit 501c3 Sustainable Markets Foundation.

https://www.blackstarnews.com/us-politics/news/why-did-the-georgia-gop-team-up-with-a-riot-instigator.html

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

Jack Dorsey Is In Bed With Extremists

Twitter’s CEO has touted the anti-Semitic GOP political operative behind 2020's “Stop The Steal” protests Geoff Golberg  ·9 min read

https://geoffgolberg.medium.com/jack-dorsey-is-in-bed-with-extremists-27abbf168ae6

#Capitol Insurrection

[newagesispage]

                                                                        MAY                 2021

The Rib Page

*****

George Takei is sweatin’ with the oldies. He stars in a fitness app for gay seniors, Bar Belles. It was his April Fool’s day joke.

*****

Fox will bring us Crime Scene Kitchen on May 26 with host Joel McHale.

*****

Joel Hodgson has launched a new kick starter to create a new independent season of MTS3K, The goal is $2mil.

*****

Bob Odenkirk will release: Comedy, comedy, comedy, drama: A Memoir on Jan. 18 2022

*****

Leslie Jones will host the 2021 MTV Awards.

*****

$3 mil was raised for Next for Autism with help from Conan, Kimmel, Charlize, Chris Rock, Jack Black and Sarah Silverman.

*****

Have ya noticed that Gayle King looks great in yellow.

*****

Some people are not too happy that Elon Musk will host SNL on May 8. Miley Cyrus is the musical guest.** Musk tweeted: Let’s find out just how live SNL really is. Cast member Bowen Yang tweeted back, : What the Fuck does this even mean?

*****

Oh Seth Meyers: Every time I see the sea captain on your show, I miss him so much!!

*****

There is a spotlight on Foxconn which made a big splash for Trump at the start of his presidency. The company has done a lot of nothing but still gets tax cuts. Homes were demolished, roads were widened to nowhere and money was spent. Wisconsinites are upset that this big business is just folly and a big glass orb.

*****

Mike Lindell is a kook but he did try to appear to be a good sport on Kimmel.

*****

When will weed be legal on a federal level? When will drug testing for employment be illegal? We hear so much about personal rights with the gun laws and vaccines and masks. What about the right to do what we want with our bodies when we are not at work. Think of the administrative costs that could be saved if we just removed drug testing. Our experience and work ethic should mean more that what we do with our free time. This is not a problem at all companies. There are places in this country where it is near impossible anywhere in your area to get hired without a drug screening. One joint on a random Saturday night could keep someone from a great opportunity. A person in pain who reaches for an edible might miss out on the job that saves their lives.

*****

NASA sent the first flight to another planet. The Mars flight made history with the 30 sec feat.

*****

What? The Menendez brothers are popular again? From the Ramsey case to the Manson murders or Bundy, it all comes back around again.

*****

The Lizzie Borden house just sold for $2mil to Lance Zaal of U. S. Ghost Adventures.

*****

Quarantine and so much television et al proves one thing, the pharmaceutical and insurance companies have way too much $.

*****

Trump told everyone to boycott Coke and is later seen drinking diet Coke.** Trump sent out a statement about how bad the Oscars are. They threw it right back in his face. ** Federal agents have searched Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment. It stems from the 2 year investigation into activities in Ukraine.

*****

X-VP Pence is said to have pressured the Navy to reinstate former Mo. Gov. Eric Greitens. Greitens was accused of tying up, blindfolding, taking explicit photos of and blackmailing a woman.

*****

There is a crisis in schools with the lack of civics and history being taught.

*****

Hulk Hogan was hit with a chorus of Boo’s at his latest event.

*****

The latest sexual harassment news: Matt Gaetz  is being looked into for sex with a minor and sex trafficking.  Bill Barr opened the investigation.** Tom Reed has been accused of sexual misconduct by former lobbyist, Nicolette Davis.** Marilyn Manson has been sued by Game of Thrones, Esme Bianco for sexual abuse.

*****

What is going on with Bank of America? I am hearing from multiple people that often they do not get their statement in the mail. Is this a bad Postal service? Is this bad business practice? How many late fees had to be paid because of this? Not everybody wants to pay their bills online.

*****

Jack Hanna has revealed that he has dementia.

*****

Tiny Tim : King for a day is a new doc I must see. The film contains footage shot from Warhol’s Factory. There are excerpts from Tim’s diary read by Weird Al Yankovic and the story of how Tiny’s friend, Bob Dylan wanted to make a film with him.

*****

Lindsay Lohan’s Father, Michael has been charged with 5 counts patient brokering and 1 count of attempted patient brokering. This is an apparent scam of steering addicts into rehab for cash.

*****

Aaron Sorkin and Paulina Porizkova are dating. Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor are dating.

*****

JB Smoove has a new podcast brought to you by TeamCoco.

*****

Hey.. People working on the new Law and Order: Organized Crime….. TOO MUCH MELONI!!

*****

*****

Zach Avery, actor, was arrested for his participation in a $690 mil Ponzi scheme.

*****

President Biden has restored aid to the Palestinians.

*****

MLB put up a wall in Georgia but the Masters stayed.

*****

Hank Azaria has brought Brockmire to a new podcast.

*****

Tommy Chong isn’t allowed on FB because of his weed posts but they allow an imposter to use his name to sell weed.

Pennsylvania is trying to push thru 14 voter suppression bills.

*****

Joe Manchin. Ugh!!** Marjorie Taylor- Greene has let go of her America First caucus.** Ted Cruz has allegedly used $154, 000 of his campaign funds to buy up copies of his book to boost sales. This is an old trick but still illegal.

*****

For the first time, The Carter Center became involved in a U.S. election. They published videos and live webcasts as well as deploying observers across Georgia.

*****

Most health programs in Uganda, Nigeria and Ethiopia have resumed after Covid.** Tom Vilsack from the Dept. of Agriculture has announced the USDA will provide assistance to 30 million kids.** It is sad to me that we have to entice people to vaccinate. Football games, Church’s and shot for shot in bars?? Really? Saving the lives of others should be enough. WTF?

*****

Alec Baldwin, Alec Mapa and Kelsey Grammer are shopping around a new comedy that ABC decided to pass on.

*****

Chauvin was found guilty.

*****

Days alert: C’mon Ben, calm the fuck down! Don’t prove how out of control you are like everybody thinks. ** Xander is so funny right now.** How many people will Kristen be and how many times can one person melt down?? **Bring Carrie back!! **Jackee’ seemed a bit nervous in the beginning but she is fitting right in. More!

*****

The SAG awards came and went. With the Trial of the Chicago 7 winning best ensemble, Michael Keaton is the first person to be in 3 best casts for SAG’s.** Other winners include Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Daniel Kaluuta, Youn Yuh-Jung, Mark Ruffalo, Anya Taylor- Joy, Jason Bateman, Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek and The Crown.

*****

The Oscars were held on April 25. It was a bit of a yawner and why would a show set themselves up for an awkward end?? There was a commercial from P&G right before the broadcast that stated, “ Widen the screen so we can widen our view.” Nice sentiment.  Mank had so many noms and only 2 wins. People looking their best to me were Leslie Odom Jr., Glenn Close, Riz Ahmed, LaKeith Stanfield, Colman Domingo, John Batiste, Mia Neal, Questlove (gold crocs and a mask!), Desmond Roe, Travon Free, Trish Summerville, Marlee Matlin, The Lucas Brothers, Andra Day, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried, Nicolette Robinson, Regina King and Margot Robbie. Laura Dern looked like Big Bird, there were just too many feathers. Tiara Thomas had feathers but they looked great.  Angela Bassett had some power sleeves and Tyer Perry looked like a little boy.  Hooray for Emerald Fennell for her win for original screenplay but not sure about the dress. And Viola Davis?? Dana Murray?? Ashley Fox?? Hmm?? Winners seemed to have trouble getting to the stage. They often refused the steps or the walkway and sort of climbed up the side. I did love the intimate setting and it did remind me of the old clips of years before. Sound of metal and Ma Rainey both won. Tyler Perry and for the first time, an organization, the motion picture and television fund, took home the humanitarian award. I was thrilled to see My Octopus Teacher win for Doc. I loved Crip Camp too, that was a hard category.  The acting winners went in all directions.  Many critics complained that the films were real downers . Nomadland won best picture. Michael Moore put it best I think. Of the films this year, he said, “They force you to look backward with 2021 eyes.”

*****

Why the Fuck do we need a militarized police force?

*****

R.I.P. victims of the multiple mass shootings, victims of police shootings, the crush in Israel, Cosette Brown, Midwin Charles, DMX, Paul Ritter, Ethel Gabriel, G. Gordon Liddy, Buddy Peppenschmidt,  Prince Philip, Anne Beatts, Diane Adler, Vartan Gregorian, Monte Hellman, Jim Steinman, Michael Collins, Michael wolf Snyder, Johnny Crawford, Eli Broad and Walter Mondale.

[loquaciousquark]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E82 (Oct. 29, 2019)

Good evening! There’s a lot to talk about tonight, so let’s hop right to it. Pre-roll: a couple of mini-figs of Taliesin & Sam.

Plus, tonight Dani Cam is replaced by Jerry Cam, who responds with an eloquent “I don’t know” when asked if we’re on the internet tonight. These goofballs. Tonight’s guests: Taliesin & Sam, as anticipated.

We open with a cold argument over which side of the couch Sam has ever sat on before. Eventually, we make our way around to tonight’s announcements: the new show Mini Primetime, hosted by Will Friedle, premieres on the YT channel tomorrow at 7:30 PST with Sam as the first guest. PubDraw will air with Marisha & Matt tomorrow at 5pm PST. Undeadwood episode 3 airs this week; Sam didn’t realize it was airing and Taliesin hasn’t seen it. These kids.

Finally, we get to Episode 82: The Beat of the Permaheart

CR Stats: again, briefly derailed by Sam’s heckling. BWF: “A lot of hard work goes into this show.” Sam: “It does not look like it.” This episode set an all time record of natural 20s with 15. Taliesin felt like they were making “so many bad decisions that hardly mattered.” There was a four-episode tie of 14 before, including episode 26. BWF asks Jerry what happened in episode 26. Jerry does not know. Poor Jerry. Cad has given out over 2400 points of healing, which is five times Laura’s healing as Jester, even though he’s only been on the show a quarter of the time. Sam is asked if he understands what a Battle Mercy is. He does not. Jerry does not know this either. Taliesin explains it to us all, including that the pistol does a surprising amount of damage. (Well, he calls it a pop gun. It works. It’s fine.) Nott keeps the lead with the most HDYWTDT’s with 14. “Nott does a lot of damage. She’s a powerful little lady.”

Clay doesn’t understand any of the unnatural life things in the HFB - clones, soul jars - it’s all beyond him. He understands lichdom, but the rest is beyond him aside from the idea of cloning - like, cloning a tree by planting a new branch or grafting trees together. He has not absorbed the science of anything beyond that. “Percy’s sitting in the back of my head in so many of these fights going ‘nope, nope, nope, nope.’“ Caduceus’s very excited about the giant mouth.

Sam is not upset that he wasn’t asked to be in Undeadwood. He understands if he were on it he would be the unmitigated star and the most handsome, instead of part of an ensemble. BWF explains it was mostly about the fact that “Sam was born with a black hole inside him that sucks the joy and community around him inside of him.” Sam: “You know, it’s fine! You don’t need ratings, so it’s fine.”

Jerry, softly: “Brian, we’re thirty minutes in.” I abruptly admire and love Jerry.

Sam really enjoyed playing a large character during the ape polymorph; in the moment, Nott wasn’t giving it a lot of thought, but it was something she’s very interested in exploring and it definitely left a bit of a mark.

Caduceus thought the dreadnought was a shortcut, and he liked the metaphorical aspect of gently surrendering to the “big giant death metaphor” that felt appropriately symbolic, until they actually did it and discovered the very real monster inside.

We are, again, derailed by a primetime TV-esque popup of Will Friedle’s face in the bottom right with a text rollout advertising Mini Primetime tomorrow. BWF is genuinely appalled & speechless and fires everyone.

As regards time flying, both of them feel certain Travelercon will not be allowed to happen without Jester. (That makes one of us...)

Neither of them know what Oban’s final plan is, which is part of why they’re so worried. Is he trying to overthrow something, attack something, is he just causing chaos? They just don’t know. Taliesin likes getting as much information as possible before the confrontation. Sam gives Matt credit: as frustrating as it can be not to have all the answers in this campaign, it’s also a little addictive.

Cosplay of the Week: @baneb1ade on twitter with a genderbent Keyleth. It looks heckin’ AWESOME and his beard is amazing.

Caduceus has noticed Caleb’s hunger for magical power but is treating him like a recovering addict: he’s giving him space and trying to give him some respect & room.

Nott would not have gone into the dreadnought if not pulled in. “I, Sam Riegel, did not want to go in there!” Nott does not walk into a place unless she knows she can get out of it.

Caduceus is a non-aggressive Luddite. He feels it’s aggressive & a bit silly, but not really a threat. You need resources to make technology, so why would technology usurp nature. He does occasionally get a little worried about Nott’s final goals in some of these things. Sam: Nott has two purposes, keeping herself alive and keeping Caleb alive.

A lot of Nott’s violence is goblin instinct; Sam notes that while the lines between Veth & Nott are blurring now, he doesn’t know how much of Veth is really left.

Fanart of the Week: @riquezadilla on twitter with an adorable Beau & Little Willy portrait.

Ha! Arsequeef facetimes in because his tiny picture has moved off the skull for Halloween. He also gives a quick reminder that Mini Primetime with Will Friedle airs tomorrow at 7:30 & it’s hilarious. BWF places the facetiming phone against the skull in replacement. How cute.

Caduceus liked the idea of Jester communing; it’s a weird god, but they can use all the help they can get.

Nott understands how many messages Jester has to message (”she has 12 GB a month”) and doesn’t feel the need to see her family again right now since they saw them so recently.

Caduceus is occasionally irked when Jester puts down the Wildmother, but mostly he’s pretty fine with everything she does.

If Nott could understand something Caleb couldn’t, it’s only because he passed on his knowledge to her as a good teacher & he was having an off night.

Taliesin has two backup characters ready to go in case something happens to Caduceus. However, they’re at the point where unless something disastrous happens, they should be good to go. His main thought was that they were about to waste a very expensive diamond.

Marisha comes to take a nap on their laps. It’s unbelievably heartwarming.

We are again derailed about a very excitingly told story about a puppy placed on top of the fine imported easily-scratched bar top over the weekend. Sam had to leave pilates class because his phone was blowing up & he thought the studio was on fire.

Sam was expecting a world of horrors & a portal inside the dreadnought. Taliesin thought it would be a big metal ship. Marisha thought it would be an interdimensional submarine.

BWF breaks character for a moment to really compliment Jerry on him painstakingly putting together every mini house seen on Undeadwood. It took him two weeks of solid work.

And we out. Have a lovely week, and is it Thursday yet?

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long post for ts

[newstfionline]

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Student loan debts (WSJ) U.S. taxpayers could ultimately be on the hook for roughly a third of the $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio. This could amount to more than $500 billion, exceeding what taxpayers lost on the saving-and-loan crisis 30 years ago. While defaulted student loans can’t cause the federal government to go bankrupt the way bad mortgage lending upended banks during the financial crisis, they expose a similar problem: Billions of dollars lent based on flawed assumptions about whether the money can be repaid.

Costa Rica to close non-essential businesses next week over COVID-19 (Reuters) Costa Rica will for the next week close non-essential businesses, including restaurants and bars, across the center of the country due to a sharp increase in new cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations, the government said on Thursday. From May 3-9, restaurants, bars, department stores, beauty salons, gyms and churches must close in 45 municipalities in central Costa Rica, where almost half the population lives and over two-thirds of new cases have been registered. The government will also impose travel restrictions during the week.

After a Year of Loss, South America Suffers Worst Death Tolls Yet (NYT) In the capital of Colombia, Bogotá, the mayor is warning residents to brace for “the worst two weeks of our lives.” Uruguay, once lauded as a model for keeping the coronavirus under control, now has one of the highest death rates in the world, while the grim daily tallies of the dead have hit records in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Peru in recent days. Even Venezuela, where the authoritarian government is notorious for hiding health statistics and any suggestion of disarray, says that coronavirus deaths are up 86 percent since January. As vaccinations mount in some of the world’s wealthiest countries and people cautiously envision life after the pandemic, the crisis in Latin America—and in South America in particular—is taking an alarming turn for the worse, potentially threatening the progress made well beyond its borders. Last week, Latin America accounted for 35 percent of all coronavirus deaths in the world, despite having just 8 percent of the global population, according to data compiled by The New York Times.

France Proposes More Surveillance to Hunt for Potential Terrorists (NYT) The French government, responding to several attacks over the past seven months, presented a new anti-terrorism bill on Wednesday that would allow intense algorithmic surveillance of phone and internet communications and tighten restrictions on convicted terrorists emerging from prison. “There have been nine attacks in a row that we could not detect through current means,” Gérald Darmanin, the interior minister, told France Inter radio. “We continue to be blind, doing surveillance on normal phone lines that nobody uses any longer.” The draft bill, prepared by Mr. Darmanin, came in a political and social climate envenomed by Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader, who applauded a letter published this month by 20 retired generals that described France as being in a state of “disintegration” and warned of a possible coup in thinly veiled terms. Published in a right-wing magazine, Valeurs Actuelles, the generals’ letter portrayed a country ravaged by violence, swept by hatred and prey to subversive ideologies bent on stirring a racial war. “If nothing is done,” they said, “laxity will spread inexorably across society, provoking in the end an explosion and the intervention of our active-service comrades in the perilous protection of our civilization’s values.”

Toll of Afghan ‘forever war’ (AP) After 20 years, America is ending its “forever war” in Afghanistan. Announcing a firm withdrawal deadline, President Joe Biden cut through the long debate, even within the U.S. military, over whether the time was right. Starting Saturday, the last remaining 2,500 to 3,500 American troops will begin leaving, to be fully out by Sept. 11 at the latest. Another debate will likely go on far longer: Was it worth it? Since 2001, tens of thousands of Afghans and 2,442 American soldiers have been killed, millions of Afghans driven from their homes, and billions of dollars spent on war and reconstruction. The U.S. and NATO leave behind an Afghanistan that is at least half run directly or indirectly by the Taliban—despite billions poured into training and arming Afghan forces to fight them. Riddled with corruption and tied to regional warlords, the U.S.-backed government is widely distrusted by many Afghans.

In India’s devastating coronavirus surge, anger at Modi grows (Washington Post) As he surveyed the thousands of people gathered at an election rally in eastern India on April 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared jubilant. “Everywhere I look, as far as I can see, there are crowds,” he said, his arms spread wide. “You have done an extraordinary thing.” At the time, India was recording more than 200,000 coronavirus cases a day. In the western state of Maharashtra, oxygen was running short, and people were dying at home because of a shortage of hospital beds. In Modi’s home state of Gujarat, crematoriums were being overwhelmed by the dead. For Modi, the most powerful Indian prime minister in five decades, it is a moment of reckoning. He is facing what appears to be the country’s biggest crisis since independence. Modi’s own lapses and missteps are an increasing source of anger. As coronavirus cases skyrocketed, Modi continued to hold huge election rallies and declined to cancel a Hindu religious festival that drew millions to the banks of the Ganges River. Modi swept to a landslide reelection victory in 2019, offering Indians a muscular brand of nationalism that views India as a fundamentally Hindu country rather than the secular republic envisioned by its founders. He has cultivated an image as a singular leader capable of bold decisions to protect and transform the country. Now that image is “in tatters,” said Vinay Sitapati, a political scientist at Ashoka University in the northern Indian state of Haryana. Modi and his governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) built a formidable machine for winning elections, Sitapati said, but their mind-set of continuous campaigning has come “at the cost of governance.”

Iran and Saudi Arabia Edge Toward Détente (Foreign Policy) Iran’s relationship with Saudi Arabia could be entering “a new chapter of interaction and cooperation,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Thursday, as the two countries signal a rapid mending of diplomatic ties. Khatibzadeh’s comments came in response to an interview Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave to state television this week, when he said that problems between the regional rivals could be overcome and “good relations” could soon prevail. His recent comments offer a stark contrast with ones he made in 2018 when he compared Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Adolf Hitler and described Iran as part of a “triangle of evil.” Behind the scenes, the two countries have also been busy. Earlier this month, the Financial Times broke news of direct talks, held in Baghdad, with a primary focus on ending the war in Yemen.

Chloe Zhao's challenge to Chinese Beauty standards (Quartz) Although Chloé Zhao’s Oscars win has largely been censored in China, her chill, no-makeup look at the awards ceremony has become a hit among many Chinese women, who say Zhao made them feel they can also ditch cosmetics and stop appealing to mainstream beauty standards in the country. China has a set of rigid standards for women’s appearance, prompting online slimming challenges that encourage young girls to pursue body shapes that allow them to wear children’s clothes, or have waists with a width similar to the shorter side of a piece of A4 paper (around 21 cm). As such, Zhao’s no-makeup look is a much-needed endorsement for women in China, where few public figures dare to break away from traditional beauty requirements.

Hong Kong’s latest star TV host? City leader Carrie Lam. (Washington Post) In a city known for producing action-packed martial arts movies, there’s a gripping new TV show on the block. The title promises to captivate viewers: “Get to Know the Election Committee Subsectors.” The star? Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, not as a guest but as the host. The show, which premiered Wednesday on public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong, gives Lam a platform to promote electoral changes introduced by Beijing that further tilt the system against pro-democracy voices, add weight to industry-sector representatives and ensure only “patriots” loyal to the Communist Party can govern Hong Kong. People in mainland China have long been accustomed to state propaganda broadcasts. Hong Kong, however, traditionally had a freewheeling media environment. But almost a year after China imposed a security law that curtailed freedom of speech there, the public broadcaster has become a vital instrument of Beijing’s efforts to control the narrative. Wednesday night’s double-episode premiere featured furious agreement on the merit of Beijing’s electoral changes. The episodes scored only a few thousand views and mostly “thumbs-down” responses on YouTube. One user drew comparisons to George Orwell’s “1984.” If you missed the show, there’s plenty of opportunity to catch it again; episodes will air four times a day, every day.

Cambodians complain of lockdown hunger as outbreak takes toll on poor (Reuters) Residents in Cambodia’s capital gathered on Friday to demand food from the government, outraged at what they called inadequate aid distribution during a tough COVID-19 lockdown that bars people from leaving their homes. Authorities put Phnom Penh and a nearby town under a hard lockdown on April 19 to quell a surge in coronavirus infections that has seen Cambodia’s case total balloon from about 500 to 12,641 since late February, including all 91 of its deaths. Though private food deliveries are operating, markets and street food services are closed, making it difficult for poorer families to get supplies, with many without income because of the stay-home order. Amnesty International on Friday called Cambodia’s lockdown an emerging humanitarian and human rights crisis, with nearly 294,000 people in Phnom Penh at risk of going hungry.

Palestinian election delay (Reuters) It could have marked a political turning point. Palestinians were slated to go to the polls starting next month for the first time in 15 years—but on Thursday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced he will indefinitely postpone the elections. He blamed Israel, accusing authorities of stonewalling efforts to let Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem cast their ballots. But Israeli officials suggested Abbas was using Israel as a pretext to cancel a vote his faction might lose. Hamas, his party’s rival, has rejected the move, and some Palestinians took to the streets to protest.

The real threat to Chad’s military rulers: unemployed youth (Reuters) When Neldjibaye Madjissem graduated with a mathematics degree in 2015, he began searching for work as a school teacher. Six years on, he is still looking—and is angry. The 31-year-old blames Chad's government for lack of work, mismanagement of oil revenues and corruption. No wonder people are protesting on the streets in their thousands, he says. The battlefield death of President Idriss Deby last week, after 30 years of autocratic rule, sent the Central African country into a tailspin. But perhaps the greater threat for Chad’s rulers comes from the mass of unemployed young people tired of the Deby family and its international allies, particularly former colonial ruler France. At least six people died in violent protests this week. "The lack of jobs risks creating a great problem. The people are angry," said Madjissem, as he prepared a private lesson to a high school student in the living room of a tiny house in N'Djamena. His infrequent wage: $3 an hour.

Famine looms in southern Madagascar, U.N.’s food agency says (Reuters) Famine is looming in southern Madagascar, where children are “starving” after drought and sandstorms ruined harvests, the U.N.’s World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday. Amer Daoudi, senior director of WFP operations globally, speaking from Antananarivo, Madagascar, said he had visited villages where people had resorted to eating locusts and leaves. “I witnessed horrific images of starving children, malnourished, and not only the children—mothers, parents and the populations in villages we visited,” Daoudi told a United Nations briefing in Geneva. Malnutrition has almost doubled to 16% from 9% in March 2020 following five consecutive years of drought, exacerbated this year by sandstorms and late rains, he said.

#headlines #news

[jacscorner]

The Shiitake Hills and Drake Lands - D&D Super Mario: Races and Setting Notes

So after the Mario and Luigi posts I did before, I wanted to sort of expand on this loose concept of ‘Super Mario as a D&D Setting’ that I’ve had kicking around while I was suffering from chronic online college. :P

Now, this isn’t a coherent post, this is just a bunch of notes of how I’d convert the general concept of Super Mario games and some races. This would probably need full on World Anvil in order to turn these loose ideas and concepts into a proper campaign setting. And this is under the premise that my would-be players would be outsiders coming into this setting either by plane walking or by travel.

But, hey, if this can be used as a springboard for others to use for their own campaign, then be my guest! I wouldn’t put it here if I so badly wanted to keep this private! But this’ll be a long post, so continue at your own risk.

The Shiitake Hills are the stand in for the mushroom kingdom. These long rows of Hills are home to various farm lands and small villages. There’s very few cities. Mushrooms are mostly cultivated for the consumption and export-you’d be surprised how many recipes there are for cooked toadstools. But rest assured, mushrooms aren’t the only foodstuff you’ll find, but their cultivation for food and magical components is so common that even the most ignorant of school child or even someone who’s never even seen a mushroom would know how to cultivate enough edible fungus to never miss lunch.

The capital of this kingdom is Toadstool City, a glorious city. It’s not perfect, but magic is practiced in the open-it’s regulated, but not too restrictive and controlling. So long as your not raising the dead or raising a stink, you can practice most forms of magic in relative peace.

The Shiitake Hills were founded originally by Elven Druids, who had left their original home in order to escape prosecution from another clan of Druids. On their sailing across oceans, they’d come across a community of Halflings, whom were under the rule of a tyrannical wizard. The Head of these Elven Druids would take on these Halflings as fellow refugees.

This trip lasted 1000 years, with 800 of them spent with the Halfling survivors. Their culture would meld together, to the point where there was no way of knowing what custom originated from which group, but it mattered not. Both sides had developed a mutual relationship.

When The Shiitake Hills were founded the family of the Head Druid would lead colonization of the land. They would also introduce the various Elven Gods that the Druids worshiped.

Avus, God of Fatherhood, Life, and Light. A father should be a guiding light for the family. To be strong and nurturing. A father who is not in their child’s life is often struck by Avus.

Mater Goddess of Fertility, Birth, and Motherhood. Avus’s wife and the reason he gained the ‘Fatherhood’ title. Preying to her is often done when an Elf is about to give birth.

Natus God of Knowledge, Teaching, and Fire. His legends speak of him being the original cultivator of fire, and gifting his spark of knowledge down to the Elves who worship him and spread it. Knowledge is never to be hoarded, it’s to be spread and shared.

Frater God of Strength, War, and Courage. When thunder booms, it means he’s fighting and he wants his followers to also be prepared for the heat of battle. Never fear death, for only glory waits for those who races into battle! 

Soror Goddess of Sisterhood, Art, and Battle. The sister to Frater, she gives strength to her female followers to follow their dreams and passions, but to always have a knife at the ready to defend what’s yours.

Puer God of Tricksters, Brotherhood, and Nature. He teaches his followers to use nature to their advantage, to use ingenuity and wits to defeat larger foes, but to never use your trickery to back stab your brothers-in-arms.

Avanculus God of Wisdom, Harvest, and Water. Knowledge is knowing the best way to farm with new techniques. Wisdom is understand the old ways still work when they fail.

And the Matriarch of their Pantheon, Astrum, Goddess of the Sun, Moon, and Stars. 

But over the boarder of the hills is The Drake Lands. The land was originally a beautiful Dwarven Kingdom of glorious mountains. But then, two dragons razed the lands, a Red Dragon and a Green Dragon, who used the mountains as a battle field! Fire and Poisonous gas drove out the Dwarves underneath. The mountains burned and the poison killed almost all other life that didn’t escape. Nobody knows quite who won this fight, but whatever the result was, the two dragons eventually mated and had a child that would make the ruined lands their domain.

This Dragon is known as Oghoid, A Lawful Evil God of Conquest, Battle, and Gold. His descendants would be known as the Royal Clan who would turn these barren lands into a somewhat liveable place.

The Dwarves would’ve raced to the Shiitake Lands as refugees. The Elves and Halflings welcomed the Dwarves. They integrated into society, but their culture is still regularly practiced. Dwarves keep many Gods, but they had no trouble also incorporating the Elf’s-what’s 1 or 8 more to the pile? The Dwarves also brought expert stone cutting and construction. Many constructions are built mostly or even entirely by Dwarven hands.

Boy, that was a lot, but time to get into the Races. And please not that I’ll label them as ‘Good, Neutral, and Evil’ races for the sake of convenience. You can take a Good Race and play them evil and vice versa.

Good Races - The typical Good Guys and regular residents of the Shiitake Hills.

The Humans of the Super Mario series are split into 3 Types for the setting: Normal-Types, Mario-Types, and Princess-Types.

Normal-Types are the New Donk City citizens we see in Super Mario Odyssey. These are Humans, no doubt having come from various traders from outside of the kingdom and might’ve stayed and become full citizens.

Mario-Types are Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi-oddly proportioned humanoids. For this setting, they’re Dwarves-yes, even Waluigi. He’s just an oddly tall Dwarf. It happens. Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi are plumbers and have no trouble going underground and fixing things. 

And finally, Princess-Types. Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, and Pauline-oddly tall, and still have odd proportions, but look less like Mickey Mouse and more like Jessica Rabbit. They’re represented by Elves. Elves are usually in the upper class of Shiitake society.

Yes, they could all just be variant humans of some kind, but shush. :P This is suppose to be a big mass of races living on one continent and want to mix them all together.

Toads, if you couldn’t guess, are represented as Halflings. Why? Well, not only are they short, but what do we usually see Toads doing? We see them mostly in domestic roles, with only a few outliers. Halflings are mostly homely folk who want to be left in their homes and just enjoy their quaint lives.

Neutral Race - Not inherently Good Nor Bad, Just Folk

Yoshis in this setting will be played by Lizardfolk. I know that this is a pretty big stretch-Yoshis are cute and colorful and Lizardfolk are written as cold, calculating ‘survival of the fittest’ types. But I take the official text of WoTC as more like suggestions.

Evil Race - Typical Bad Guys and residents of The Drake Lands

So naturally, this sections will have Koopas, but how do we divide them? Well, I think there are 2 Types of Koopas. Regular Koopas and Koopa Rexes.

I percieve ‘Koopa Rex’ as essentially Bowser, his son, and the Koopalings-and maybe Boom-Boom and Pom-Pom, depending on how you see it. They would be Dragonborn.

Regular Koopas are essentially the rest. Koopa Troopas, Hammer Bros, Magikoopas, so on and so forth. They’re Tortles.

Okay, this is where I start to REALLY stretch the limits of what can be what...

Goombas will be classified as Kobolds. Why Kobolds? Well, honestly, I guess no real reason, but I think it makes sense for Bowser’s army to have the ‘Minion Races’ in the ranks.

Speaking of , Shy Guys are Kenkus in this setting.

And Boos, Goblins. Okay, this one, a bit of a stretch, but what do Boos do? They sneak up on you, right? Well, Goblins can use that tactic too!

Well, yeah, they could just be Ghosts. But, like, I hate using Ghosts in D&D. They’re too much of a pain in the ass to deal with. And, if you can’t tell, this isn’t meant to be a 1-to-1 thing. 

And finally, the Bob-Ombs are Warforged-possibly one that you could give the ability to ‘selfdestruct’ upon defeat or something.

And that’s about the end of my notes. This took, like, two hours to write but I wanted to put this all down somewhere and here it is. Nothing here is final and if you wanna use any of it for any reason, go right ahead~

#Super Mario #Nintendo #Dungeons and Dragons #dungeons & dragons #DnD #D&D #Super Mario Campaign Setting