#600 strike suffers the most from that

[polskasroka]

EPIC thoughts after The Vengeance Saga aka my problems with how logic gets shattered in this saga

600 Strike depicts Odysseus as Athena wanted him to be at the very start. She wanted him to kill the cyclops, and he didn't do it because of his hubris and alleged mercy. Now he has no mercy.

Thereby, Athena's character arc stops making sense in regards to what is presented in The Venegance Saga. She's found the power of friendship with Telemachus, abandoning the "I'm not looking for a friend" mentality that led her in her anger. She uses said power of friendship and, in fact, asks Zeus for mercy for Odysseus. To win his game, she used her own wit and wisdom, the Goddess of Wisdom she is. However, "you rely on wit" stops being applicable to Odysseus. The wit, the trait he's best-known for, his most trusted weapon, is no longer of use against Poseidon. It's ruthlessness. It's the lack of mercy towards the other that he uses when arguments fail him. Poseidon has literally taught Odysseus a more important lesson than Athena.

And put your whole brain in it Remember every trick in your domain for this Odysseus' domain is mind, his wit. While he uses that with avoiding Charybdis, he doesn't do so during the confrontation with Poseidon. You'll need a mindset change for this I suppose he did change his mindset, as he says, I'm gonna use ruthlessness Every trick, every skill put to use for this I plan to put an end to all the foolishness I have to get home, put it all on the line I'll be dangerous

The second wind bag ex machina. One with Poseidon's storm. One that he gets defeated with. What. Then, Odysseus uses his trident against him. What x2. Why doesn't he defend himself? Why won't he try to fight back? Why would an immortal beg a mortal for mercy?

Also, it's said that Odysseus opened the wind bag to beat Poseidon. And then it's 600 Strike. So like. Odysseus has beaten him with the storm or with the power of his lost comraders OR both? Or am I not getting something?

OOC Poseidon asking Odysseus how he's gonna sleep at night. I'd rather expect Poseidon to laugh and tell Odysseus that he's finally learnt his lesson.

You can't tell me that Poseidon, being the pettiest bitch out there (love him for that), would NOT drown Ithaca after what Odysseus did to him. He'd damn make him watch and get in that damn water. He would get his revenge.

I generally think that what killed the logic was abandoning the source material too much, a problem that many modern media have. See, Charybdis being in the Vengeance saga fits well, it's just in the different part of Odysseus' journey. But there's no Odysseus beating up Poseidon's ass in The Odyssey. The Phaecians would've worked so well instead of the ordeal with Poseidon in The Vengeance Saga.

Also some nitpicking: 'Cause no mortal can pass Poseidon's storm Does this mean that whenever there's a storm at the sea, literally no ships can pass? It's not that every storm is inpenetrable. And if those inpenetrable ones are caused by Poseidon, who causes the penetrable ones?

Thank you for coming to my TED talk

[imtotallgsaneyal]

OGORN REWRITE!!!

Age: unknown/forgotten

Gender: male

Sexuality: gay

Relationship status: dating

Relationships:

Gantlos- lover

Duman- adopted son

Anagan- follower

Weapon: (rarely) dagger,sword(formerly) crossbow (formerly)

Powers/Abilities: absorption, magic tracking, corruption, the black circle

Spell:

"fractus Terra's" (broken lands): forms a clump of black sandlike texture and once touches the surface will begin to spread like rust and black corrosion that can smell like bl00d or iron

Character: orgon is a sadistic, Manipulative, and deceitful man who isn't afraid to use other people's emotions or suffering to further benefit himself and his fellow wizards as the beholder of the black circle his power stems from the negativity of the people, and his own letting the black circle consume the negative feelings and emotions to make it Stronger he is the more quiet type and Afton functions more behind the scenes and in the shadows having grants, anagen, and duman be the ones to do most of the dirty work while ogorn quietly schemes and fuels the black circles power by terrorizing civilians in the dark

PRE SEASON 4:

Ogron over threw his father and took the black circle

Ogorn and his wizards caused the fairy massacre that became remembered in history as the most brutal event in all fairy history where 500-600 earth fairies were killed including queen Morgana who was killed by Ogorn himself

DURING SEASON 4:

During the 12 years (when Roxy was being raised by Klause after Morgana was killed) ogron and the wizards had adapted to Earth and Ogorn and Gantlos got engaged during all of this ogron was almost considering retirement since the Earth fairies were seemly gone for good Until Ogron began to sense the white circle's energy but couldn't find where but suspected that the remaining power of Morgana was still on earth for an unknown reason so he and the wizards began preparing and once again ogron would sit in the shadows to observe

As Gantlos, Duman, and Anagan were about to leave ogron for a while heard about a certain group of fairies who had saved the magical dimension from Valtor and ogron was interested in them and knew they would be a valuable asset in finding the last earth fairy

Ogron wouldn't reveal himself until the quarter of the season when Roxy had been found and the winx learned of the wizards actual plans

During the most of the season the winx are trying to over com all the obstacles and accusation ogron had been able to spread around the town pining fairies as evil devils in disguise who will lure away children

Around the ending where the black circle is becoming weaker and the fairies proved there innocence ogron was begining to get worried about the tires turning against them and unfortunately due time the winx releasing the earth fairies all hell broke loose when they were ambushed and anagan and duman were nearly killed

The wizards were forced to surrender to Roxy and the winx and ogron made a negotiation with the winx convincing them to help get rid of the fairies

Somewhere around the end where when ogron and gantlos are the earth fairies domain ogron and gantlos are fighting against some fairies until nebula was about to strike and kill ogron only for gantlos to take the blow and get impaled by the spear

The sacrifice gantlos made cause ogorn to be filled with grief loosing his lover and due to the constant negativity in his mind he tried to supress the black circle finally released it and from top to bottom turned ogron into a entity of complex sorrow and pain before the abyss was summoned and ogron fell down

Roxy was barely able to save him entering the abyss as the white circle with Morgana forgiving power convinced ogron to come back that he could still be redeemed and change and ogron seeing Roxy about to get consumed by the black circle in his remaining strength tossed himself and Roxy out of the abyss which was begining to die down

as the abyss was about yo consume ogron once more duman, anagan and gantlos came to saved him pulling away as the abyss began to close

After earth ogron will completely surrender the black circle and the wizards with Morganas blessing and Roxy's approval they would be sent to a far away planet away from everyone and they would be there under very strict super vision from the earth fairies until they served there sentence and could return to earth

FUNFACTS AND OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT OGRON:

The black circle us worn around his head like a halo

Ogron had raised duman when duman was still a baby changling

Prior to the fairy

(His full story is still incomplete as there is a lot of room for changes)

[eelhound]

"Overnight, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered one million Palestinians in the north of Gaza to immediately evacuate, announcing a policy of mass displacement and likely gearing up for a ground invasion that would inevitably massacre more civilians. Israeli forces continue to bombard Gaza with air strikes that have killed at least 1,800 (including almost 600 children), wounded more than 7,000, and displaced around half a million Palestinians amid widespread accusations of war crimes.

In what amounts to collective punishment against Palestinian civilians for the horrific October 7 attacks, Israel has imposed a total siege on Gaza, blocking humanitarian aid and starving the strip of food, water, energy, and medicine. For seven days, amid mounting fears of ethnic cleansing, Israel has bombarded civilian areas, massacring entire families and razing whole neighborhoods, including the relentless bombing of schools, hospitals, and mosques. Israel’s military experts boast that Israel has dropped more bombs in six days than the United States dropped in Afghanistan in a year.

Exterminationist rhetoric is pouring from the upper echelons of the Israeli government. IDF chief Herzi Halevi warned that 'Gaza will never look the same again.' Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said, 'We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.'

An Israeli lawmaker called for 'a second Nakba' (the first being the mass displacement of Palestinians following Israel’s founding) that would 'overshadow that of 1948.' Another Knesset member demanded that Israel attack Gaza with nuclear weapons. Both are from Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Gaza is not a state at war but the largest refugee camp on earth. Squeezed in a tiny sliver of land (1.3 percent of Palestine), the majority of its two million people live in cramped refugee camps, most of which have been in existence for over seven decades.

The tragic irony is that the refugees in Gaza now being bombed and displaced were created in the heat of war by Israel itself seventy-five years ago.

At Israel’s founding, 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes, becoming lifetime refugees. Nearly 250,000 of those uprooted flooded into Gaza, tripling its population overnight and rendering it a colossal refugee camp squashed between desert and sea. Providing shelter to the displaced inhabitants of 250 razed Palestinian towns and villages, Gaza became a Noah’s ark for Palestine after the Nakba.

Most of the refugees who arrived in Gaza came from towns and villages in central and southern Palestine and from northern parts as far as Galilee. But those from villages around Gaza had to endure the tragedy of being displaced within sight of their lost lands and homes.

Israel’s founders, including David Ben-Gurion, foresaw the risk of concentrating tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees in a coastal strip straddled between the Negev and Sinai deserts with no real way out and no hope for escape or dispersion. Fearing the spectacle of 'waves of refugees marching on Israel from Gaza,' Israel attempted to solve the crisis by wiping it out.

And it wasted no time. Israel conducted a series of massacres that the Red Cross would describe as 'scenes of horror.' In January 1949, with the bloody memory of the Nakba still fresh in Gaza, Israeli forces bombed food distribution centers in Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis at peak hours, killing over two hundred Palestinians. Those refugees who attempted to return to their homes, labeled by Israel as 'infiltrators,' were routinely shot on sight by Israeli soldiers.

Every year or so after the Nakba, Israeli forces would invade Gaza to remind its refugees that displacement was not the end of their suffering.

In August 1953, an Israeli military unit, led by Ariel Sharon, the future prime minister of Israel, invaded the Bureij refugee camp and killed some fifty people in their beds. According to UN officials, Israeli forces threw bombs through the windows of huts where Palestinian refugees were sleeping and shot at those who tried to flee. The massacre was described by a UN commission as an 'appalling case of deliberate mass murder' and part of a wider Israeli campaign against the refugee camps in Gaza.

In November 1956, beginning its first occupation of Gaza, Israel invaded the territory by launching military raids on its refugee camps. Israeli soldiers entered Khan Yunis and collected all adult males from their homes and shot them at their doorsteps and in the streets, killing 520 people. The loss of life was so appalling that the head of the UN observer mission in Gaza warned that Israel’s massacres there intended to get rid of the refugee population. That year, he told Israeli officials in Gaza: 'You have captured the strip and its population, including the refugees. Very well, keep the strip and its population, but you must also settle the refugees that you have taken with the strip, and whom you drove from their homes eight years ago.'

Even Israeli military leaders like Moshe Dayan were forced to admit that Israel was sowing the seeds of violence in Gaza. He confessed that year: 'What can we say against their terrible hatred of us? For eight years, they have sat in the refugee camps of Gaza and have watched how, before their very eyes, we have turned their lands and villages, where they and their forefathers dwelled, into our home.'

Over the next seven decades, Israel would subject Gaza to a violent series of military invasions and occupations, raids and offenses, military incursions and administrations, bombing campaigns and air strikes, repeated massacres and mass displacements, and a yearslong blockade that is still in place. Israeli leaders, notably Dayan and Levi Eshkol, even contemplated transferring Gaza refugees to the West Bank or Sinai, or Iraq, or an Arab country in North Africa (the Libyan Operation). They even hatched a secret plan, the 'Moshe Dayan plan,' to transfer Gaza refugees to Latin America by air.

Meanwhile, the refugees of Gaza had to suffer the horrifying fate of living under the yoke of the very forces that had uprooted them decades earlier. Bombarded, under siege, and trapped in an iron cage fashioned by Israel, the refugees of Gaza have come to fathom the depth of their tragedy: there is one thing worse than being displaced, and that is not being able to leave. Many still feared that leaving would amount to a second Nakba.

In this nightmarish environment, with democratic channels for resistance closed off, Gaza became a breeding ground for Palestinian militant groups. While many in the resistance movement still espoused nonviolent struggle, groups like the Islamic fundamentalist Hamas also emerged, founded by a handicapped Palestinian clerk from Gaza during the first intifada.

In 2005, during the second intifada, and after nearly four decades of protracted occupation (since 1967), Israel officially withdrew its forces from Gaza. Israel’s pullout made the refugee population an easy target for its military incursions, with entire sections of the camps declared no-go areas for the Israeli patrols. Israel continued to control Gaza by land, air, and sea, viewing the impoverished enclave as a security threat of 'existential' proportions that required disproportionate force, routinely subjecting Gaza to collective punishment.

In the five wars it has waged on Gaza since the blockade, Israel has killed thousands Palestinians while displacing hundreds of thousands of others. In summer 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, Israeli forces slaughtered over two thousand Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians.

And now Israel is preparing to escalate its already deadly assault to unprecedented proportions, an unconscionable, vicious attack on permanent refugees. As Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a Twitter message this morning, 'Humanity is at stake. Nearly half are children. We must halt this.'" - Seraj Assi, from "Israel’s War on Gaza Is a Murderous Attack on Palestinian Civilians." Jacobin, 13 October 2023.

[beardedmrbean]

Morning papers carry extensive coverage of the effects of strikes Thursday on public transport services as unions take industrial action to protest against the government's proposed labour reforms and social security cuts.

The business online daily Taloussanomat is among the papers reminding readers that the strikes will also impact a large number of other sectors.

Due to the industrial actions, snowplows will not be out as normal, at least in Espoo, Turku, Tampere, Oulu and Jyväskylä. The paper reports that in several cities, if snowplows are needed, they will work only on main thoroughfares.

Some union members will be on strike at Turku Airport, and the situation will reduce connections to Helsinki. A number of travel agencies are also affected.

At the nation's sea ports, employees of the cargo handling, forwarding and service companies will be out for the day.

Strikes at logistics and transport companies, distribution centres, and within the food industry, will likely be seen in reduced availability of some items at supermarkets, both on Thursday and Friday.

Mail will not be delivered on Thursday.

In numerous municipalities, employees in catering, cleaning, waste mangement, as well as sports and cultural services are on strike for the day.

Some power plants of energy utilities operating in Vantaa, Järvenpää, Tampere, the Turku region, Espoo and Pietarsaari are subject to strike. The companies have warned of a drop in power production.

Action by unions in the industrial, construction, foodstuffs, and power sector are on strike at nearly 600 workplaces, including bakeries, dairies and 85 construction sites across the country.

Border reopening

The Joensuu-based daily Karjalainen reports that the Southeastern Finland Border Guard said in the early hours of the morning that the situation was calm at the Vaalimaa crossing point on the border with Russia, after its reopening at midnight.

The Border Guard described traffic as "normal" in both directions. STT reported that a half-kilometer queue of cars heading towards Russia had already formed at Vaalimaa by 9pm on Wednesday, but moved forward smoothly once the crossing was reopened.

Earlier in the night, Jussi Pekkala, head of the Vaalimaa border inspection station, told the news agency that there was less traffic from the Russian side into Finland than from Finland into Russia. According to Pekkala, no asylum seekers had arrived at the crossing, at that time.

Cards and packages

Helsingin Sanomat reminds readers that there is still time to get Christmas cards and packages into the mail with assured delivery before the holidays.

However, there is a bit of a rush when it comes to cards. Finland's Posti postal service has announced that Christmas cards must be mailed on Sunday at the latest, in order reach domestic recipients before the holiday. Posti has also said that domestic mail packages will be delivered in time for Christmas if they are sent no later than Wednesday of next week.

Mail deliveries may suffer some short-term delays due to the political strikes taking place on Thursday. However, Posti estimates that the mail flow will quickly return to normal and that the work stoppages will not prevent the delivery of cards and packages by Christmas.

Snow here today, but...

Ilta-Sanomat reports that the maximum depth of snow cover in Finland is currently near Kittilä in Lapland, with a recorded 66 centimeters of snow on the ground. Readings of half a metre are widspread elsewhere in Lapland, and in the Kainuu region.

Finnish Meteorological Institute meteorologist Tuukka Keränen told the paper that these readings are exceptional, and pointed out that it is not every year that southern areas get as much snow cover as they have now.

Temperatures have also been colder than usual for the time of year. However, Saturday will bring a change in the recent winter weather.

Keränen said that temperatures in the south are forecast to hover around the freezing point by the start of next week, possibly melting some of the snow.

Temperatures reaching the plus side will melt some of the snow. It is still too early to say whether next week will bring rain and sleet, as well, and Keränen was unwilling to yet forecast if southern parts of the country will have snow or slush for Christmas.

[world-of-fire-and-flight]

Find the Word Game

Thanks for the tag, @blind-the-winds! My words were Grace, Glint, Grave, Ghost, and Give. I decided to use Fire & Flight to fill them (which was kind of hard because glint & give offered me so many great choices!) I'm going to leave an open for anyone who'd like to participate. Your words are: Water, Wind, Howl, and Food. Have fun!

Grace

Xander forced the line of thought from his mind. If he kept wondering about Fortune Falls, then his mind would obsess over the question he didn’t want to ask himself. His attempts didn’t wholly stop the voice in the shadowy reaches of his consciousness from asking how the Falls would judge him and all that he had done in his young life. It wasn’t much, he supposed, but it was enough that the mystical waterfall might deem him unworthy of their grace.

Glint

He lunged at her. The knife glinted in the moonlight. Nyla barely whirled out of the way before it could strike her chest.

Grave

“It was such a long time ago, over 600 years ago, give or take. It’s hard to tell time when you’ve been trapped for so long, but I can remember it like it was yesterday.” Dinora’s eyes misted over with shadows of the past. Her voice was hollow and yet weighed down by sadness.

“600 years ago, our country suffered from a grave uprising that evolved into an all-out war. Some, the Corvids from the east, rose up against the king and nobility because of a conflict that had happened years before…the Ten Years’ War.”

Ghost

The story started some six or seven, maybe even eight, centuries ago—no one truly knew when anymore. A great fire was said to have ravished the Shadow Forest. They said it was so hot that the heat of the flames was felt for miles in every direction. By the time it was weakened enough for people and rain alike to extinguish it, the flames had destroyed everything in their path. The fire left only ash and a charred tangle of remains. Some believed that the most remote parts of the Shadow Forest still burned to this day, which would explain the ghost trails of smoke that wove their way through the trees as some travelers claim to have seen.

Give

Whoever this was could handle themselves just fine without a map or compass. Xander was certain of it. If he’d learned anything growing up, it was that Casters with rare-colored hair or eyes usually possessed powerful magic and certainly didn’t need his help. Besides, even if he did help this woman, it would leave him without a map or some of his hard-earned money, and his map was too precious to give up. Any other day, he’d consider giving her a bit of money to buy her own map, but not today. Today, he needed to be selfish and stay out of other people’s business.

[a-captions-blog]

[Image description: Tweet by Erik Sperling @ErikSperling [verified] that says: ‘It’s official: Israel has now killed more civilians in Gaza in 30 days than Russia has in its entire war with Ukraine, which began over 600 days ago.’ Attached are two screenshots of news articles. Long descriptions follow.

1. An article from 31 October 2023. The text reads: ‘Unceasing Death, Destruction, Suffering’ of Russian Federation’s War on Ukraine Must End, Senior Humanitarion Affairs Official Tells Security Council. Many Delegates Express Concern Over Human Rights Violations, Strikes on Civilians. Detailing the death and destruction in the nearly two-year war in Ukraine, a senior UN official urged all parties to spare all civilians and civilian objects and facilitate the swift and unhindered provision of humanitarian relief during his briefing to the Security Council today, emphasizing that what Ukrainians need, above all, is an end to the devastating war. Ramesh Rajasingham, Director of the Coordination Division, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, reported at the latest count, [start highlight] more than 9,000 civilians have been killed since the start of the invasion. [end highlight] “People’s lives are dominated by the constant sound of air raid sirens, as unrelenting air strikes rain down and destroy civilian objects,” he said, adding that the daily routines of those near front lines now include picking their way around land contaminated by landmines. Voicing concerns about the approaching winter, he noted: “Significant damage and destruction of critical infrastructure continues to severely impact access of the civilian population to electricity, heating, water, and telecommunications.”

2. The text reads: The death toll in Gaza surpasses 10,000 as the conflict enters a second month. Updated November 6, 2023, 8:27 AM ET By Jaclyn Diaz, Lauren Miguel, Anas Baba, Lauren Frayer. [Photo captioned, ‘A Palestinian man reacts as others check the rubble of a building in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on Monday as battles continue between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.’] Tel Aviv, Israel – The conflict between Israel and Hamas has reached a gruesome milestone. More than 10,000 people have died in Gaza in the four weeks since the conflict began. On Monday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported more than 10,000 people killed – most of them women and children.

3. Screenshot from CBS news of an article titled, ‘Biden says Putin committing “genocide half a world away.”’ by Kathryn Watson, updated on April 12, 2022 at 7:01 PM EDT. The excerpt reads: President Biden on Tuesday declared Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions “genocide,” the first time he’s publicly invoked the phrase since Putin began his deadly assault on Ukraine. Mr. Biden has previously accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine. \End descriptions]

It's also worth pointing out that Ukraine has a population of 43 million, while Gaza's is only a little over 2 million

And yet...

[puhlobobr]

I'm thinking about next sagas already! What Im looking forward the most:

Vengeance Saga

Wasnt interested in Not Sorry for Loving You but Calypso came out so fascinating now I want her to expirience some growth and suffer slightly

Dangerous!!! Hermes great return!!!!

Just dont know what expect from Carybdys so dont waiting much buttt Jorge always can come with an interesting twist or two

Get in the water!!!! Poseidon!!! I will simply die!

600 strikes! Snippet is really cool, I want massacre!

Ithaca Saga! I love it already and believe it will be gorgeous!

Challenge!!! Penelope!!! Im waaaaaiting!!!

Hold Them Down!!!! Antinous!!! Its so creepy I love it!

King! All I want for Christmas is fine manslaughter!

I cant help but wander! I ll be crying my eyes out!

Would you fall in love with me again!!!!!!!!!!! Ughhhh I ll die and than resurrect and die!!!

So basically I wait eeeevry song very much!

[ahmedjemaiarchive]

Lebanon's Support Front: Hezbollah's Efficiency and the Fragility of the Israeli System

The north of occupied Palestine is home to nearly one and a half million residents, representing one-fifth of the total population of Israel. The north also represents one-fifth of the area of the Zionist entity, which underscores its strategic importance, especially on the demographic and geographical levels.

However, the current Israeli administration, by drowning in the quagmire of the Gaza flood, has marginalized its north, leaving it vulnerable to the Lebanese support front. More than 80,000 settlers are migrating from the north to the south, with the most significant evidence being the displacement of settlers from the Shebaa Farms and Matla towards internal areas that are not reached by resistance missiles.

It is worth noting that the internal migration flows combine to reach 200,000 displaced people between the north and the Gaza envelope settlements, costing the Israeli government 600 million dollars a week, especially since the displaced people are mostly living in hotels in Eilat. This creates a new demographic distribution within the entity that burdens it economically, especially since the displaced left behind vacant jobs in the north.

The vacancy crisis and its economic consequences extend beyond internal migration. With 360,000 reservists participating on all fronts, this means 360,000 vacant jobs. This increases the cost of the war, which has cost the occupation more than 16 billion dollars in just seven months. For example, the Israeli Ministry of Finance, led by Smotrich, predicted that the fiscal deficit would reach 6.6% in 2024, hitting 7% in the first quarter alone.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon continues to exceed the enemy's expectations, particularly on the contact lines, where the resistance uses missiles costing between $300 and $400, such as Katyusha and Burkan. Meanwhile, the Israeli army is suffering the consequences of the imposed equation, which paints two scenarios, both of which are bitter.

In the first scenario, if the Israeli air defense systems intercept these missiles, it will cost $50,000 per missile, creating an economic embarrassment as the resistance fires between 30 and 60 missiles at a time, according to its daily published data. This economically drains Israel, especially with the increasing frequency of daily resistance operations, amounting to six to eight operations per day.

The second scenario is that the resistance's missiles reach their targets, as seen in daily published videos. This drains Israel in terms of equipment, with guided and anti-armor missiles posing a real issue due to their destructive capacity, including the Merkava tank, which costs $6 million, thus putting Israeli equipment and soldiers at risk.

There is an absence of a comprehensive security and economic approach to stop the flood of the Lebanese Support Front, which is damaging the demographic system of Israeli society in the north, as well as the economic and military system of the Israeli state.

The resistance has also managed to extend its control over the intelligence system of the entity on the borders by striking spy devices daily, with the latest achievement being the downing of a balloon in the skies of southern Lebanon after a complex operation that struck deep into Israeli intelligence.

In summary, northern Israel is bearing heavy costs at both the societal and organizational levels of the state, due, according to Israeli experts, to the absence of a comprehensive approach by the state.

[hardynwa]

Sudan conflict: Army and RSF agree deal to protect civilians

After nearly a week of talks, Sudan's warring parties have signed a deal to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population, but have made little progress towards peace. This is a first step to providing relief for trapped civilians. They agreed to allow safe passage for people leaving battle zones, protect relief workers and not to use civilians as human shields. However, they did not agree to pause the fighting. There are reports of more air strikes and shelling in the capital, Khartoum on Friday. The talks have been mediated by the US and Saudi Arabia, the host country. US officials said they were cautiously hopeful there was momentum now for the safe delivery of relief supplies, as both sides committed to let in badly needed humanitarian assistance after looting and attacks that targeted aid. However, the conflicting parties are still quite far apart when it comes to brokering peace, the US said. They are still discussing a proposal for a truce and a mechanism to monitor it. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia said there is still more work to be done, according to Arab News: "Other steps will follow, and the most important thing is to adhere to what was agreed upon." Not everyone is happy about the new deal, with some Sudanese saying it falls short of what they expect: "I'm really incredibly disheartened," Professor Nisrin Elamin from Toronto University told the BBC's Newsday programme. "Ceasefires that they have agreed to in the past have not held. I don't understand why we would ever take them by their word. To me this is really just another closed door negotiations with no civilian actor," Professor Elamin added, saying that she still has family who are stuck in Khartoum surrounded by conflict. The BBC has heard several accounts of people trapped in Khartoum, who have been witness to loud explosions, gunshots and all-out violence. The conflict erupted in mid-April when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) refused to be integrated into Sudan's army under a planned transition to civilian rule. Since then, the death toll has risen to more than 600 according to the WHO, and thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. Read the full article

[strawberry-cowmilk]

the brothers and shoes

a/n: I have done shoe-related posts before but fashion/shoes is one of my biggest hobbies so here we go again. Also these are just my headcanons, you don't have to agree with what I say. And if I accidentally roast your favorite type of shoe, I'm so sorry in advance.

not proof read

content warnings: none

-----

Lucifer

this man owns at most 3 pairs

and all of them are those classic 'business man who secretly hates his job' type of shoes

like those classic dress shoes and loafers (not the chunky kind)

lucifer's shoes are probably made from some top quality leather too, making them cost around 600 grimm per pair

and he refuses to replace his shoes until they are basically falling apart

Mammon

he gets shoes from those expensive brands, whether they are the real product or not is up to debate (though he insists they are)

mammon's shoes are mostly sneakers, boots and the occasional slides, maybe he has one pair of oxfords for formal events but other than that, it's all casual wear

also mammon kind of strikes me to be the type to set alarms for those sneaker drops, even if they are at 4 in the morning

Leviathan

levi probably doesnt know what his shoe size is

like he'll buy shoes in two sizes too big and laces them up tight so the shoe doesn't fly off while walking and thinks that's how it's supposed to be

levi doesn't own many pairs, maybe two sneakers, one set of flip flops and one pair of crocs

he probably made custom ruri chan and tsl pins for those crocs too

Satan

I've said it before and I'll say it again: satan owns converse and timberlands

imagine satan wearing converse walking into the bookstore with a canvas tote bag

also satan probably owns dad sandals for when it's hot outside and wears them with socks that come halfway up his calves and shorts

yea this dude's style is either 'the mysterious guy reading a book in starbucks' or 'retired dad hosting a bbq party' there's no in-between

Asmodeus

he owns basics with a little twist, like platform dr martens oxfords, and straight up statement shoes

yea you won't catch him in shoes half of the devildom also owns

and asmo probably has not a shoe shelf, but a whole shoe wall in his closet

he owns all kinds of shoes, sneakers, boots, heels, you name it

if there's a particular pair he really likes, he will get it in multiple colors

Beelzebub

another example of a man who doesn't own many pairs

he has maybe one or two pairs of running shoes and for hot weather either dad sandals or flip flops he stole from the 3-pack levi bought from akuzon with his gift cards

no he doesn't own formal shoes, beel will wear a suit with ancient gym shoes without shame, if the event is really important or formal lucifer will force him to wear a pair of his shoes

Belphegor

most of his shoes are fluffy house slippers actually

but he wanted some boots that could last a solid few years so he got second hand 1460 dr martens

second hand because he knows breaking them in is basically torture (unless you are literally the chosen one) and belphie is in no mood to suffer for shoes

sometimes he steals shoes from either beel or satan though

[themedicalstate]

Immunizing most of humanity in short order is a monumental task

More than 600 million people worldwide have been at least partially vaccinated against Covid-19 — meaning that more than seven billion still have not. It is a striking achievement in the shadow of a staggering challenge.

Half of all the doses delivered so far have gone into the arms of people in countries with one-seventh of the world’s people, primarily the United States and European nations. Dozens of countries, particularly in Africa, have barely started their inoculation campaigns.

As wealthy countries envision the pandemic retreating within months — while poorer ones face the prospect of years of suffering — frustration has people around the world asking why more vaccine isn’t available.

Nationalism and government actions do much to help explain the stark inequity between the world's haves and have-nots. So, for that matter, does government inaction. And the power of the pharmaceutical companies, which at times seem to hold all the cards, cannot be ignored.

But much of it comes down to sheer logistics.

Immunizing most of humanity in short order is a monumental task, one never attempted before, and one that experts say the world wasn’t ready to confront. They note that things have already moved with unprecedented speed: A year and a half ago, the disease was unknown, and the first vaccine authorizations came less than six months ago.

By Richard Pérez-Peña (The New York Times). Updated data from May 3rd, 2021.

[lorddistancebarry]

Forest In Chains - Chapter 1

"500, 600, 700, 800, 900.." Garcello counts the cash in his hands after he was given the bag of money. After Tabi fell and didn’t get back up from the half-giant cutting loose and throwing him through the cage into the left most stands of the audience. After the red haze cleared. After basically running with fire and panicking the entire way. He still feels the burns and cuts on his arms, chest and face from Tabi's strikes. The bruising deciding to make itself known by the numbness hidden via his bangs on the left side of his face. The wounds just adding on in a pile especially when the reaper decided to stop fucking around and went all in... his body shivers as the pain compounds and the wind from the September season hits him while he sits on the bench waiting for the bus.

"You barely von that, child." a deep, voice spoke.

Garcello looks up and looks intrigued and surprised at who it belonged to.

"Ruv.." He noted looking up from his money and putting it away, quickly.

"You did not expect me?" He noted with a smirk,"Illegal fight, legal fight. I come to all, vatch them. Sarvente spoke of it being good move. I believe her."

The large Russian man walks over and sits down like a neighbor to Garcello on the bus stop. "But, I can go on many years speaking about her." Ruv noted,"Vhat about you, Young Smoke? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Garcello admits,"Just.. didn't expect to get cut and burned alive like I'm a fuckin piece of meat."

"Equalizers are not to be trifled vith. As gang or as fighters in vrestling circuit." Ruv chuckles,"Go to be undefeated, An equalizer gets sent, test you. It is cycle to see if you are actually good or you are veak bitch."

"Well, was i actually good?" Garcello laughs wryly,"Cause i feel like shit."

"No, you vere lucky, you use your strength. You are shit, but vorkable shit. Trainable." Ruv critiques as he takes out his vodka flask from his jacket. "So.. you're going to train me?" Garcello asked looking up as Ruv drinks. "Vin against Agoti or Vhitty." He directs looking to Garcello stoically,"Then I teach you. I vant to see if your are vorth time."Ruv takes another drink from his flask. Garcello takes out one of his cigarettes and lights it. A green light illuminates at the end as he inhales, steam and smoke coalesces and flares outward into a glowing green, mist smoke hybrid. "I see." He nods once,"And if I am worth your time?" "I train you.break you, see vhat you.. really are. Then ve progress from there."  Ruv stated looking to Garcello with his lone, glossy eye. Almost seeming to look through Garcello and into him.Garcello shivers looking back. Friend? Enemy? "I see." He gets up as the bus is rolling up."Well for now.. I'm gonna get dinner and go home. Thanks for checking up on me." "Anytime. I do not like promising student, be jumped by Equalizer scum." Ruv chuckles with a grin. Garcello pales a bit, "Uh... what?" Ruv looks to the fellow titan with an incredulous stare,"You scraped out vin, but you also humiliated Tabi. Young Reaper vill vant revenge..." The Russian raises an eyebrow,"You did not expect that?" "But you beat some of the Equalizer's asses and you didn't get  jumped!" Garcello points out as the whir of steam leaving the bus' brakes occurs and the door's open. "That is because of grace of God and grace of throwing truck across street." Ruv laughs wryly,"Now go, child. Before you are stuck here." Garcello waves Ruv off before getting on the bus and using his bus card. A satisfied beep of payment as he moves. Knowing the timer, he sits down quickly before the bus moves with a hiss of the breaks lifting from the ground and the bus hovers, flying down the roads and over ground locked travel.He looks out the window at the night sky and at the many lights below of Funk City. Advertisements, cars, city signs, street lights. Garcello lets his mind wander at the light pollution and the sound of hover cars flying by. Its mesmerizing. Watching everything just fly, zip, and zop by. Time could pass as the colors of the city and the energy takes him in. The concept when he was young had never gotten old or changed. The colors of the world, the lifeblood of the people moving, growing and just living. This is why he and his mother had migrated here. Such a decision had to be lived through not just decided on a whim. But this.. This wholesome peace and tranquility at this time. Away from the violence, the darkness and the weight of it all... Was a very big deciding factor. "One day... they will be able to feel this way.." Garcello resolves quietly as he looks down through the window to the city below. "Feel so.. free..." He coos starting to let the pain and tiredness get to him. Starting to fall asleep on the bus and get complacent in his space... until a growling, gurgling reminder makes itself painfully known in his core. The tender flesh of wounds on his abdomen only make it worse. His body went through hell.

It wants food, it needs it. He needs it. NOW. "First.... step... free myself." he grumbles softly as pain burns in his core and it forces him out of falling asleep and dragging on. Sitting up properly and starting to search for a close enough bus stop so he doesn't just add more suffering with a long as fuck walk that only lengthens the burning. Finding one, he pulls on the wire that signals the automated system to stop. The bus stops after a bit before landing with the soft 'woosh' of steam. Getting off the bus, he walks down the streets. Looking up to keep track of his own placement on the road, looking down to light a cigarette to ease some of the pain, looking back up now to search for those heavenly golden arches. After a minute, 6 cigarettes later.. the yellow and red light beams down upon his form. At this point, a soft, barely noticeable film of red covers everything and everyone that walks by and every sensation, smell and taste is heightened. Painfully so. "Finally..." he exhales, dry air hitting a watering, near drooling maw. He walks into the restaurant with a dragging motion of his feet. Garcello looms over to the counter with barely any real patience. People move away and those that don't, go quickly about their order then move. "Hi." he stated, "I would like.. the whole left menu. Twice. Add 6 McChicken meals. Super size it..." "I-is that-that all sir?" A timid female voice asked quietly. "Yes.." he confirms. Not really looking up. "It's going to be disc-discounted. Y-you don't mind right?" She asked.As she asks that, the red film sight as it was dies down a bit. Garcello looks up from the counter. There is only one person that ever asks about discounts in his mind. He looks at the attendant at the counter and sees the fuchsia and sky blue eyes looking up and right back at him from her gaunt, modest face and shivering, small frame. "Rebecca? What are you doin' here?!" He asked actually in shock. "Um.. well.." she shrugs,"I work here. Y/N got me the job, t-they're the manager." Garcello looks on in shock. He tilts his head back with an incredulous stare. Looking for you and seeing you wave a short, polite wave as you're working with the drive through attendants to ensure chaos is handled. Garcello looks back to Rebecca. "Don’t give me a discount girl just charge me normally. I'll treat ya." He says softly. "A-are you su-sure?" "Entirely." He nods handing over 80 dollars. "You were c-close but a bit over. Your price is 72 dollars and 12 cents." "I know." He nods,"Tips. Put the change in your pocket." Rebecca looks sheepish, looking down and shivering."B-but.." "Do it." He commands sternly. Rebecca takes the money, makes exact change and keeps it immediately. Every motion is fast and shaky like an unstable roller-coaster. "T-thanks..." she murmurs shyly poking her fingers together. "When are you two off?" He asked. "In.. 30 mins.." Rebecca looks up at Garcello. Her eyes narrow and she grimaces.."I'll get an ice baggy.. and. I'm going to be frank... I have questions. And if i have questions.. Y/N is going to want answers..." Garcello grinds his teeth,"Alright. I'll wait and we'll talk." Rebecca purses her lips then exhales,"Thank you." Garcello leaves from the counter and to one of the large benches at the furthest back of the restaurant and waits. Waiting, letting time pass as he patiently sits. His core burning with hunger and primal thoughts when the mental shock subsides. The herd is curious.. tell them. "I.. don’t want them in danger..." Lies are over... tell them something... they worry. They fear. "Garcello? Are you good?" You asked concerned, "Rebecca told me about.-" "The bruise on my face. I know." Garcello says as Rebecca comes over with the food trays. "Ice bag, 3 o clock?" Rebecca offers the baggie of ice. Garcello looks to it then takes the bag, wiggles up his cap and bangs, revealing the recently closed gashes, burns and cuts on his chin and face. Your eyes widen from the sight, brow furrowing in concern. "What h-happened?" Rebecca says before you do. You see Garcello is staring at the food, half listening. Mostly tired, dragging on fumes really. "No." You say then look to Garcello,"We talk. After you finish eating. Got it?" "Yes'm"  Garcello nods once then  finally let's his brain drop being alert.Rebecca looks to you with concern, she shakes more from anxiety. "Oh.. don't worry I know." Your reassure,"But overwhelming him is the last thing on my mind. I don't think this is a simple little 'fall' like last time anyway." "You want to h-hear it fro-from his mouth." You nod once and sit down before looking to Rebecca, she nods once with a small smile. "Both of us are signed out, we wont get in trouble with higher ups for over time."She confirms just before- CRUNCH! TEAAAR! SHHRRIIP! Garcello eats like they aren't there, there is no smacking noise. Just an absence of control from tiredness and physically going through hell. Hes going through hoops with food like a functioning sponge with water, trying to replenish what was forcefully squeezed out of him. Rebecca looks to you. "I.. haven't seen him like this.. or well this bad.. Do you think hes..." "I think so." you confirm," Maybe on drugs. But regardless of whatever it is... This cant be swept under the rug. Did you call Annie?" "I-I did." Rebecca nods,"She's coming as fast as possible. I warned her to not run red lights. I was promptly cursed out in German. I responded. She hung up knowing I was right." Garcello stops eating into his 6th McChicken. The man didn't unwrap the wrapper off, the whole ass sandwich is just getting murdered with his teeth. The devouring however stops short at the mention of Annie. With bloodshot eyes, he looks to Rebecca and you. "You.. are all going to be here?" he asked and you shake your head no. "No." You respond,"But. I'm happy you have a brain in there again. Because like it or not.. you're going to tell us what we need to know." Garcello pales in the face for a moment like he saw a ghost, his heart races in terror. His pupils contract as he knows hes cornered now. There is no wiggling out like before.

"We aren't g-going to hurt you, big guy." Rebecca coos softly. "I.. i know its jus'..." Garcello starts but its hard to put words together. "You know you can't bullshit us anymore." You finish looking at the man directly in his face. Garcello looks away looking down at the scraps of paper, unwrapped or just ripped apart making a mess on the table. "Yeah.. I cant." he confirms as Annie rampages in like a crashing tsunami and yells just as loud, scaring customers out of the restaurant. "NOW WHOMST THE FUCK JUMPED GARCELLO?! I'M ABOUT TO FUCKING BEAT THEIR SHIT IN!" Annie yells, her flesh is tinting blue from the glowing blue of her veins spidering from her skin. A sign of her stress before she drinks ‘the liquid’. "You bout to calm so i can explain." Garcello says strictly, unafraid as he’s been used to seeing the entity pour our from her veins and skin. He’s more than used to being attacked as he knows it doesn't like him. But for now it has no power here. Just like his other half. "Then talk." You egg on, as Annie takes a few breathes, grabs a chair and sits in it, the back of the chair acing the table."We're all listening." Garcello bites his lips. His S/O and his best friends, the core of the herd, his herd... now are looking at him like hes wounded. Doesn't help that he is on the outside and inside... ‘Now you gone and done it, Garcy.. but now.. what do you do now?’ He asks himself in his thoughts as he takes a deep breath in. Act as you are, You are alpha. Time to be a man.

[parttimereporter]

This article about Canada euthanizing the poor appeared in the Spectator:

Since last year, Canadian law, in all its majesty, has allowed both the rich as well as the poor to kill themselves if they are too poor to continue living with dignity. In fact, the ever-generous Canadian state will even pay for their deaths. What it will not do is spend money to allow them to live instead of killing themselves.

As with most slippery slopes, it all began with a strongly worded denial that it exists. In 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada reversed 22 years of its own jurisprudence by striking down the country’s ban on assisted suicide as unconstitutional, blithely dismissing fears that the ruling would ‘initiate a descent down a slippery slope into homicide’ against the vulnerable as founded on ‘anecdotal examples’. The next year, Parliament duly enacted legislation allowing euthanasia, but only for those who suffer from a terminal illness whose natural death was ‘reasonably foreseeable’.

And more from the article:

A woman in Ontario was forced into euthanasia because her housing benefits did not allow her to get better housing which didn’t aggravate her crippling allergies. Another disabled woman applied to die because she ‘simply cannot afford to keep on living’. Another sought euthanasia because Covid-related debt left her unable to pay for the treatment which kept her chronic pain bearable – under the present government, disabled Canadians got $600 in additional financial assistance during Covid; university students got $5,000.

When the family of a 35-year-old disabled man who resorted to euthanasia arrived at the care home where he lived, they encountered ‘urine on the floor… spots where there was feces on the floor… spots where your feet were just sticking. Like, if you stood at his bedside and when you went to walk away, your foot was literally stuck.’ According to the Canadian government, the assisted suicide law is about ‘prioritis[ing] the individual autonomy of Canadians’; one may wonder how much autonomy a disabled man lying in his own filth had in weighing death over life.

[wisteriafield]

The thing with “DRK’s identity is having oGCDs!” is both a bastardization from people who loved HW/3.x DRK (me), SqEx, and people who’ve taken hearsay from the former category but haven’t played it themselves.

First and foremost that should be stated is that you can have all the oGCDs you want but it needs to work in tandem with your GCD options as well, and this is where DRK has suffered the most since StB, in which half of its kit was removed for Role Actions (which were a necessary change from Cross Class nonsense)

PLD, WAR, DRK all lost their aggro combo in ShB tanking changes, but even ignoring that DRK still had other meaningful GCD options (Delirium was a higher dmg INT debuff than Souleater, as well as a 30s GCD DoT Scourge).

My issue largely remains that Bloodspiller is an unsatisfying function to Fell Cleave, there haven’t been any new GCD attacks since StB, and the new skills (Salt and Darkness, Shadowbringer) are oGCDs requiring even more skill weaving that feels like is unnecessary with an unfulfilling lack of engagement on GCD (despite GNB having its alternate combo only available every 30s, there’s still meaningful engagement with cartridge management and trying to finish your Renzokuken in time to return to your combo and managing Burst Strike)

Shadowbringer is a 2 charge 60s charge time line AoE for 600 (-50% for remaining enemies) potency, which is functionally similar to Gunbreaker’s lv90 Skill Double Down (1200 potency GCD), but the difference is that Double Down only has 20% dmg dropoff on other enemies and is a circle AoE rather than a line, and is a GCD that lines up perfectly with its damage buff No Mercy on a class that already has plentiful oGCDs to keep things fresh. Given that Shadowbringer is 2 charges and 60s, you’ll likely want to keep it on hand for use every 2min raid windows than just using it every minute, which essentially makes it a 2min cd, adding insult to injury that you now have 3 extra buttons to press and fuckall to do with GCDs making it a Tank’s Tech Step while they have to hit mitigation for mechanics (after doing Edens Promise Savage, I’ve gotten used to the fact that heavy downtime mechanics like E12S Diamond Dust happen when everyone’s raid buffs come back up).

Salted Earth is still a pitiful 250 potency DoT total, but can be pressed after activating it for a 500 potency pop with Salt and Darkness, but given that every 60s you have Blood Weapon and Delirium to be double weaving in, was it really necessary to make it a second activation? 500 Potency for an AoE IS powerful but the DoT itself is still pitiful for something that will not work on untargetable like targeted DoTs and is liable to lose potency ticks from mechanics moving the boss

[duhragonball]

Battle Tendency Liveblog: JJBA Ch. 77-82

Here’s a nice map that explains the current plot situation.   Lisa Lisa resides on “Air Suplena Island”, an ancient Ripple Clan training facility off the coast of Venice.   Apparently there’s a second, smaller island for fighting.   The boys were supposed to have their final tests here by fighting their instructors-- Joseph vs. Loggins and Caesar vs. Messina.   But...

Esidisi showed up first and killed Loggins just as Joseph arrived for his test.  Esidisi seems to have found some clue that the Red Stone of Aja is here, although for some reason he checked this “adjacent island” first instead of the main one.   Anyway, Joseph shows up and quickly puts it all together. 

This particular moment gets crapped on a bit in the fandom, because Joseph observes that Loggins’ lungs were ripped out, and the lungs are vital for Hamon users, but they’re kind of vital for anybody, so it feels like a silly thing for Joseph to say out loud.   I think the real point he’s trying to make here is that Esidisi killed Loggins with a single kick.   As formidable as Loggins is, Esidisi knew exactly where to strike for a one-hit-kill.   Like, Santana wouldn’t have known to do that, because he’s never fought Ripple Clan guys before.   He might have gone for another vital area, not realizing that a skilled Hamon-weilder like Loggins could defend it as long as he could breathe.  

Anyway, the stakes just got raised for Joseph’s final test.  Beating Loggins was going to be a challenge in itself, but now Joseph will have to defeat the guy who killed Loggins in one blow.   But Joseph was going to have to fight Esidisi eventually anyway, so we might as well get it out of the way now.

But it’s JJBA, so no climactic battle would be complete without some absurd shots of buff dudes striding towards each other.   Well, the early parts more than the later ones.  

I’m not sure why there’s a pit full of spikes on this island, but I assume Loggins planned to fight Joseph here, since Joseph easily uses Hamon to walk on the spikes without getting hurt.   As for Esidisi, he just impales his feet on the spikes, because he can regenerate his body anyway. 

You know, actually, that seems like a really bad move on Esidisi’s part.   If these spikes are made of metal, and attached to a metal plate on the bottom, then Joseph could send his Ripple through the whole structure and zap Esidisi right now.   At least, I’m pretty sure Hamon conducts through metal.

I just looked it up, and apparently metal can’t store Hamon, but it will pass through metal, so I think that would be good enough for a trick like this to work.  Or maybe these are just stone spikes and they’re not interconnected.   Also, I finally found out that “Hamon” is just the Japanese word for “Ripple”, so that explains why the terms are used interchangeably. 

This fight is pretty awesome, but it’s tricky, so I’ll try to summarize the action as best I can.   Initially, Esidisi doesn’t even want to fight Joseph, because he’s only here to search for the Stone of Aja, and he doesn’t think Joseph has improved enough to bother wasting time on him.    But Joseph insists.   He wants to avenge Loggins, and he has to stop Eisidisi from proceeding to Air Suplena Island, and he wants the antidote to that poison ring in his throat.   

Esidisi is surprised when Joseph’s Ripple is strong enough to force his finger through Esidisi’s hand, but he still thinks he’s strong enough and fast enough to kill Joseph before he can channel more Hamon through his finger.   But that was just a diversion.    The whole time, Joseph had been unspooling a string, the other end of which was tied to the hand of Loggins’ corpse.  Joseph loops it around Eisidisi’s other arm, and it’s been soaked with vegetable oil, so it’s perfect for charging with Hamon.   

I guess he only tied the string to Loggins’ body to provide a weight on the other end while Joseph sprang his trap.   Anyway, he lops off Eisidisi’s forearm, and dedicates the attack to his dead teacher.   You know, I have to think Joseph had a lot of these tricks ready in advance.   I mean, he came here to fight Loggins, so maybe he figured a string soaked in vegetable oil would give him an advantage.   

Joseph expects Esidisi to be furious, but instead the dude starts bawling like a baby.   Joseph is confused and unnerved by this...

... and he’s even more unnerved when Esidisi regains his composure.  He explains that a good cry helps him balance his mood.    Earlier, Joseph mentioned Sun Tzu, so Esidisi tops him by suggesting that he knew Sun Tzu during his travels in China.   I’m not sure why Esidisi would have bothered meeting or reading Sun Tzu, though, since the Pillar Men have been so dismissive of “primitive” humans up to this point.   This is the most any of them have spoken to a human, so far, and it seems pretty clear by now that they only bother talking to Joseph because he’s proven himself to be a mildly worthy adversary.   Unless Sun Tzu had super powers, I’m not sure why Esidisi would bother remembering the guys name.    Then again, maybe Sun Tzu had super powers in the JoJo-verse.

Esidisi’s point is that Joseph only thinks that he won this battle before it began.  The missing hand isn’t even a setback, as Esidisi just hops over to Loggins’ corpse and grafts Loggins’ forearm onto his own.   Then he melts Loggin’s body just to show off his ability.   Back in Part 1, Dio could freeze things by altering his bodily fluids, but the Pillar Men have even greater control over their bodies.   Esidisi, for example, can heat his own blood to 600 degrees Celsius, hot enough to burn stuff.    I’m not sure why his blood doesn’t burn, but whatever.   He calls this his “mode”, and compares it to Wammu’s talent for manipulating air currents.   Perhaps appropriately, Joseph prepares his steel balls to use Clacker Volley.   So you can see how we’re getting closer and closer to the introduction of Stands in Part 3.

But Esidisi can do more than just burn things with his blood.   He can also extend blood vessels from his body, and shoot hot blood at his opponents.   And it looks like he’s got a clear shot at Joseph’s face...

Meanwhile, Caesar just finished his battle with Messina, who concedes defeat and gives Caesar a passing score.   Caesar immediately checks in on the other island to see how Joseph is doing, and Messina finds that odd.   A couple things here.   First, Caesar remarks how Joseph has a “heart of gold”, which I’m pretty sure is what Joseph himself said of Josuke and his friends at the end of Part 4, so that’s pretty neat.    Second, Messina compares Caesar’s friendship with Joseph to falling for a girl, so clearly Messina ships it.  

Anyway, Caesar discovers that Joseph is fighting a Pillar Man instead of Loggins, but they’re too far away for him to help.   Luckily, Eisidisi’s hot blood attack only hit Joseph’s breathing mask, so he doesn’t suffer serious injury.    But Eisidisi sprouts blood vessels from his back, too, basically trapping Joseph from all sides.   

Ah, but Joseph has been unraveling his wool hat the whole time, creating a trap within the trap.    This is where it gets kind of confusing.  

See, Esidisi’s whole deal here is that he seems to be one step ahead of Joseph, and he even rips off Joseph’s thing where he tells the other guy what he’s about to say next.  

All Esidisi has to do is cut the lines Joseph set up, and he won’t be able to conduct any Hamon through them.  Whoops.

Except, no!   Because... Huh?    Joseph talks about how magic tricks and illusions became popular in the 19th and 20th centuries, something Esidisi wouldn’t have known about, but Joseph is all into.    He didn’t just make one string through these spikes.  He did two, and wove them together in such a way that the second string would still be in tact even when the first was cut.    But he made sure that one of these strings would be at Esidisi’s back, so that when he cut the first he wouldn’t notice the second.  

Long story short: If you were wondering why Joseph’s Stand is Hermit Purple in Part 3, it’s because he used strings and ropes for almost everything in Part 2.  He wraps the remaining string around Esidisi, fires up his Ripple, and Esidisi has no choice but to take it head on. 

Unlike Santana, who simply turned into a stone-like material, Esidisi friggin explodes.  And this is why I doubt Santana survived for long after Part 2.  Now, Joseph’s Ripple is strong enough to destroy Santana quite easily, and we never saw that happen because by the end of this story killing Santana was probably a formality.    Anyway, Joseph finds Esidisi’s nose ring and drinks the antidote inside.

Only thing is, Esidisi isn’t dead.   His brain and nervous system survived that last attack, and somehow he snuck onto Joseph’s back.   On his way inside, Joseph runs into Suzie Q, Lisa Lisa’s... butler?   I’m not really sure.  Anyway, she’s never seen him without his mask on and they flirt a little before he goes to report to Lisa Lisa.  

But she’s taking a bath, and Joseph decides to check her out before he goes in.  I gotta say, this shot is way more tasteful than what they did in the anime version.  

I’m kind of rushing through this part, but it comes down to this, Esidisi jumped off Joseph’s back, then infiltrated Suzie Q’s body.  Controlling her like a puppet, he then found the Red Stone of Aja and gave it to the mailman.   Then he reveals himself to the others, and declares his intention to hold them off so that they can’t get the Stone back.   

I assume Esidisi isn’t powerful enough to put up much of a fight now, because his strategy mostly boils down to using Suzie Q as a hostage.   He’s willing to attack Joseph and the others and to injure Suzie Q’s body, but he knows they can’t kill him without using a Ripple so powerful that it would put too much strain on Suzie’s heart.  

Really, I’m not sure I understand that.   Hamon is fatal to vampires and Pillar Men, sure, and it can be used to hurt humans, but we’ve also seen it heal people too.   You’d think a concentrated Ripple would purge Esidisi from her body without harming her at all.   But then I guess we’d have no tension here, so whatever.   Joseph tries to call Esidisi’s bluff, but it doesn’t work.

Instead, Joseph reminds Caesar of the trick he used to get out of the Hell Climb Pillar, and they both attack Suzie Q at the same time.   Joseph sends repelling Hamon through her body, while Caesar sends attracting Hamon into her heart, and that somehow cancels it out so that she doesn’t die from this.   I’m not sure why the diagram needed nipples.  Well, I know why, but you know what I mean.

And that finishes off Esidisi.    His brain grabs hold of Joseph as it gets forced off of Suzie Q, but there’s nowhere to go from here.   They’re out in the sun, and everyone else in the room has Ripple powers, so what else can he do but succumb to death?   Caesar is disgusted by Esidisi’s underhanded tactics, but Joseph respects Esidisi for fighting so doggedly to support his comrades and their cause.   This stunt with Suzie Q was pretty shameful, but it was all Esidisi could do, so he went for it.  

I dunno, I’m with Caesar on this one.    Esidisi’s a pretty awesome villain, and I respect the heel heat of using an innocent woman as a hostage, but I can’t respect him in a “noble warrior” kind of way.    Rest in piss, Esidisi.   

[tabloidtoc]

National Examiner, April 19

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

Cover: Tony Bennett's brave last days

Page 2: Stars with Mad Skills -- they became fast experts for plum roles -- Daniel Day-Lewis, Timothee Chalamet, Natalie Portman, Ryan Gosling, Jamie Foxx

Page 3: Adrien Brody, Margot Robbie, Bryan Cranston, Shia LaBeouf, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise

Page 4: Susan Sarandon's roles and costumes

Page 7: Be Prepared for the Worst -- know these lifesaving tips before a crisis happens

Page 8: Lonely Stefanie Powers never wants to date because she still has gotten over lover William Holden's sudden death, even though it'll be 40 years ago this November -- the former star of '80s TV classic Hart to Hart, who's now 78, considers Holden the one true love of her life, even though she's been married twice to others and had a long-term relationship after the Hollywood legend's tragic death and she can't imagine being with anyone else at this stage in her life when Bill's memory is so sacred in her mind and his death still haunts her to this day, and it will only get worse as the anniversary approaches -- Holden, then 63, died at home in Santa Monica on November 12, 1981, of massive bleeding after falling and striking his head on a piece of furniture while heavily intoxicated -- it rips her apart to this day thinking how he must have suffered all alone in his apartment, bleeding to death -- the pair had a decade-long, passionate affair that lasted until his demise, which led her to carry on their mutual passion for wildlife conservation and Stefanie founded the William Holden Wildlife Foundation and is still the director -- she's tried being in other relationships, but it's been more about companionship than anything else and she doesn't have the motivation to date when the best man has already come and gone

Page 9: Vax Hacks -- avoid scammers who prey on fears of COVID-19

Page 10: His first day on the job as an honorary cop, Jeremiah met the other guys in blue and was the proud guest of honor at a special swearing-in ceremony just for him, and he's only five years old

Page 11: Important minerals for your body -- why you need zinc and potassium and how to get them

Page 12: Rude Awakening -- stars who don't mind their manners -- Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Christian Bale, Rachael Ray

Page 13: Sean Penn, Ashton Kutcher, Robert Pattinson, Russell Crowe, Cameron Diaz, Bruce Willis

Page 14: Dear Tony -- America's Top Psychic Healer Tony Leggett -- useful lessons learned from the pandemic

Page 15: Get well soon wishes go out to Chevy Chase, who just came out of the hospital after a five-week stay for heart issues -- in 2018, the star was diagnosed with alcohol cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle caused by excessive drinking; he had dealt with his drinking back in 2016, when he entered the Hazelden Clinic to receive treatment for alcoholism

Page 16: Even though the century mark looms just around the corner, Betty White still radiates joy -- calling herself the luckiest broad on two feet, the 99-year-old Hollywood legend shares her advice for living a long and peaceful life -- she says her life is divided absolutely in half: half animals and half show business and you can't ask for better than two things you love the most

Page 18: When a California man won $145,000 on Wheel of Fortune, it turned out to be good fortune for a lot of people as he donated his entire winnings to the charity Uplift Family Services and Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, whose services support thousands of families

Page 19: These seniors are literally beating the coronavirus -- with 99 percent of them vaccinated, the 700 elderly residents of the Westminster-Canterbury on the Chesapeake Bay senior living community in Virginia Beach held a party and they had a lot to celebrate

Page 20: Cover Story -- Tony Bennett is facing his brave last days as he battles Alzheimer's disease at the age of 94 -- the singer was diagnosed in 2016, but kept the terrible illness secret until recently and has not yet experienced common Alzheimer's symptoms like episodes of terror, rage or depression but the disease has progressed -- for now, wife Susan Crow and the oldest of Tony's four kids, 67-year-old Danny from his first marriage, are caring for him while he lives in the couple's New York City apartment

Page 22: Recycle your baubles, bangles and beads -- bored with your beaded necklaces? Blase abut those old bangles? If your costume jewelry collection no longer inspires, there are many brilliant ways to give it new life or earn you some cash

Page 24: The internet's newest fitness star is 102-year-old Julia Fulkerson, who had a ball participating in her great-grandson Brody's virtual gym class

Page 25: Young Darius Brown has a mission in life: to make shelter dogs look as spiffy as he can so they'll get adopted and to do that, he provides the canines with slews of adorable bowties that he sews himself -- five years ago, when Darius was eight, his sister Dazhai taught him to sew and the passion was good for him because he'd been diagnosed with speech and fine-motor skills that the craft improved over time -- he says he saw how happy the people at the shelter were to get the bowties and how much the dogs liked them, and he decided to make more and he came up with a goal to give bowties to an animal shelter in every state -- so far, he's sewn a whopping 600 of the canine accessories himself, and helped dozens of pooches find forever homes and he especially likes to focus his attention on older animals and pets with disabilities, since they're the toughest to find homes for and the shelter directors say Darius' efforts have made a huge difference in the life of hundreds of pups

Page 26: Summer Horoscope 2021

Page 28: It's not just for the birds -- tips for watching our fine feathered friends

Page 32: Reverse Gear -- walking backward is good for you -- here's something new to try the next time you go out for a walk: do it backward -- it may sound silly, but health experts say there are mental and physical benefits to the practice, but go slowly at first to avoid injuries

* If you're always putting the needs of others before your own, you could be at risk for compassion fatigue, a condition that can physically and mentally drain you of time and energy -- compassion fatigue is a state of emotional overwhelm that is constant and persistent, once in this state of emotional exhaustion, it becomes difficult to empathize with those they help and essentially, it's empathy burnout

Page 34: Grandads Before 50! No rocking chairs for these grandpas -- take a look at these celebs who had their grandchildren before their first gray hair -- Jim Carrey, James Brolin, Donny Osmond, Mick Jagger, Pierce Brosnan, Charlie Sheen

Page 40: The Element of Earth -- earth is the second of the four elements: fire, earth, air and water

Page 42: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Drew Barrymore

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Dakota Johnson and her parents Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson (picture), Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in the film Spencer (picture), Tina Turner admits she instantly fell for husband Erwin Bach in 1986 when they first met at an airport in Germany, Bindi Irwin gave birth to daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, Michael Douglas is still going strong after 5 decades as an actor and loves what he does for a living, George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery, Jessica Walter died in her sleep

Page 45: Eddie Murphy is inducted into NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame (picture), Diana Ross performs at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in California (picture), Mario Lopez helps christen the tables at Mohegan Sun Casino in Las Vegas (picture), Ann-Margret and Julianne Hough attend the Family Film Awards where the redhead received a lifetime achievement award (picture), James Middleton who is the brother of Duchess Kate says he and fiancee Alizee Thevenet are done with city living, Justin Bieber's mom didn't like his newest tattoo saying Don't you have enough yet?, Zac Efron was spotted flying to Sydney with Aussie girlfriend Vanessa Valladares, Taraji P. Henson asked fans for prayers for her pet pooch that was suffering from post-surgery complications but he unfortunately died

Page 46: A lottery winner in Tennessee was feeling like a million bucks, until he realized he'd lost his precious ticket but he didn't give up: he retraced his steps until he found the ticket again