#Battle nations game cheats

[repulsiveliquidation]

Thorn in My Side || Jessie Fleming

warnings : mentions of injury and surgeries. insinuations of cheating and false accusations. angst. happy ending and smut will be in part two.

summary : you get injured, its Jessie's fault. or so you thought.

a/n : as i type this, i think i've figured out how to incorporate the smut! i'll get to writing as soon as this is posted! i'm not sure if it makes much sense, here's to hoping. enjoy.

“for your UCLA Bruins, number 21, Jessie Fleming!”

Jessie steps forward and smiles, waving to the flood of Bruins fans in the stands cheering them on. You clap with a scowl on your face, watching as the girls in the stands ogle and fawn over her. You’re admittedly jealous of her for reasons unbeknownst to you, but seeing the 5’5’ Canadian made your blood boil.

She was good on the football pitch and was smart to go along with it. Jessie had it all. Being called up for most of her time in school and playing for her national team made her well-known in the soccer world from the moment she was here in America.

She was ferocious on the grass, a fearless midfielder who put everything out there.

The game was a close one, tied at the half 2-2. There were lots of contact, tackles, and battles that made it clear to anyone watching that there was tension between you and Jessie. One always found the other; if one had the ball, the other wanted it.

You had possession, running towards goal. There was a flash of blue and you were on the ground yelling in pain, hands clutching at your ankle. There was a loud pop and your ankle began to swell. The trainers came over and were hauling you off on a stretcher almost immediately, the ref showing Jessie a yellow for the unsafe tackle. It wasn’t a red card because really you fell a little weird and her studs were nowhere near your ankle.

She looked genuinely sorry, taking your hand in hers as you were stretchered off. You were in too much pain to care, shoving her hand out of yours and your teammates pulling her away from you.

A broken ankle was what they said. It was a clean break but you needed surgery and that meant no more soccer for the season.

Just great.

They put you in a wheelchair before you head to the hospital, your parents are already at the stadium to take you. You hear the final whistle blow and your teammate rolls you in, the girls all feeling sad when you tell them the news. There’s a little Bruins blue in the sea of Trojans in front of you and there’s a Canadian standing there digging her cleat into the grass, wanting to apologize.

Megan and Kasey stand beside you just in case things get a little heated. Jessie steps forward and looks more sorry for you when she sees the bandages and you in a wheelchair.

“Is it broken?” she asks genuinely, looking at your leg and then at you.

“No thanks to you,” you snide, rolling your eyes at her. “What do you want now, Fleming?”

“I wanted to apologize, I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she says sincerely but you’re too bitter to hear her take ownership of her actions.

“You knew what you were doing, Fleming. You’ve always been out to get me our entire college career and now in our final year you finally get what you want!”

You don’t know the tears were starting until they did, pouring down your face hot and fast. She looked a little mortified and pale, backing away and saying she was sorry over and over before a sea of Bruins pulled her away to celebrate their win.

The whole car ride to the hospital you spent weeping, thinking about how you’re not going to be able to play your senior year out like you had hoped. But more so of the look of pure horror on Jessie’s face when you accused her of hating you so much that she would purposely hurt you.

She looked on the verge of tears. Like hurting you scared her.  

You scared her.

||

“The break is clean, but rehab will take a while if you’re not careful,” said Dr. Jeff, the attending podiatrist.

“How long?”

“You’re looking at 14 to 16 weeks, kiddo. Two years if you’re stubborn like most of my patients are.”

“16 weeks sounds great.”

“Smart kid you got here,” the doctor tells your parents with a smile, “I’ll schedule you in for surgery today, you should be out of here by the end of the week.”

The doctor leaves and your mother begins to fuss, propping up pillows and getting your nurse to bring you more jello. Your father, on the other hand, has a look of all-knowing on his face.

“I’m sorry Dad,” you begin, head hanging low the moment your mother leaves the room.

“Don’t be sorry, peanut. These things happen. Better now than when you’re on a professional team, yeah?”

“She didn’t really make me break my ankle did she?” you ask, looking up at your dad who was rubbing your back as the tears filled your eyes again.

“It was the perfect tackle, kiddo. You just fell a little funny is all.”

“She looked so horrified when I said she did it on purpose,” you sob, leaning into your father’s stomach. He held you tight and cradled your head, your heart hurting more than your broken ankle, the face Jessie made when the words left your mouth etched behind your eyelids.

||

There are plenty of flowers in your room the moment you wake from surgery. Lots of cards and get well soon balloons hung from the ceiling. You were still groggy when your teammates visited, Megan was sure to bring lots of Sharpies to sign your cast with, all the girls leaving a nice note for you on it.

There was an hour left for visitations and your parents just left to wash up at home. You were mindlessly scrolling through the terrible TV channel selections while finishing your 5th Jello cup when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in!” you yell, thinking it was a nurse coming to check your vitals again. What you didn’t expect was to see a brunette Canadian poking her head through the door.

“Hi,” she said sheepishly, standing by the door unsure if you really would want her to come in.

“What are you doing here?” you ask as kindly as possible, eyes flickering towards the clock above the door, “it’s late, why aren’t you back at school?”

“Spring Break, my parents are down from Canada so I asked to see you before we drove back,” she says quietly, stepping in a little more. “Can I come in?”

You nod, unsure if your mouth would be polite enough. Anger still seethed in your bones but the look of sheer horror on her face was still fresh in your mind.

“How bad was it?” she begins, still standing near the now-closed door.

“Clean break, should take 16 weeks if I’m careful.”

“That’s good. The doctors here are great.”

“They are quite convincing, they know how to get a patient to stay on their medical plan.”

“Did you get Dr. Jeff?”

“He accused me of being stubborn.”

Jessie laughs and you smile, a light blush creeping up your cheeks. It’s an adorable sound and her face of laughter replaces the one of fear you had burned into your mind.

“I’m really sorry for all this,” she begins but you cut her off.

“It wasn’t your fault, my dad said it was a clean tackle. I just fell funny.”

You looked up at her and saw the relief on her face and she stepped forward, taking your hand in hers. You took a deep breath and reciprocated her ownership of her mistakes, feeling the weight lift off your shoulders the moment you looked her in the eyes.

“I shouldn’t have said what I said the other day Jessie, that was not fair to you.”

“Heat of the moment love, don’t worry about it.”

Your heart clenches hard when the pet name slips out of her lips and you smile, hoping she didn’t see your eyes dilate and feel your skin warm up. She nods and bids goodbye just as her phone rings which tells you her parents are waiting outside.

You sit there giddy and a little starstruck as she disappears out of view. Your hand is warm from her touch and you can still feel her hand holding yours. You thump your head back and curse loudly, before grabbing your leg in pain temporarily forgetting that you were actually hurt.

You giggle and bite your lip, shaking your head when your phone dings.

Maybe: Jessie Fleming.

“You look cute when you’re flustered.”

You clap a hand to your mouth and smile, face heating up with a dark blush.

“You did this, you better fix it.”

“I think we can make that happen, love.”

You don’t think you slept much that night, texting till the sun came up. Your parents came in to check on you in the morning and found you with your phone still on call with Jessie but you two were asleep. You woke up to your doctors talking to your parents and discussing your rehab plan. There was another text from Jessie, making your heart skip a beat.

“You’re also very cute when you’re sleeping.”

Over the next few weeks, you two talked constantly. Jessie kept you company when you were bored at rehab and you kept her company while she was training on her own. You called her every night before bed, giggling and laughing well into the night most nights.

“How is rehab coming along?” Jessie asked as you were lying back on the examination table to relax your ankle. She was in her bed, looking as stunning as you had been denying yourself the chance to admit.

“Good, looks like I can put pressure on it by next week if Tiff lets me,” you say, side-eyeing your trainer Tiffany who was doing cupping on another teammate’s back.  

“Girl, I will hold your papers hostage, don’t test me,” Tiffany jokes, waving the lit fire stick at you.

“Yes ma’am I’ll be super-duper extra careful!” you answer with a salute, making Jessie laugh so loud it rings through the room. Most of your teammates know the thing you’ve got going with her and think it’s cute.

All but one.  

Megan.

She stood at the door listening to you ramble on about Jessie this and Jessie that, her blood boiling at the thought of you being buddy-buddy with the girl she believed to be the one who hurt you.

Megan was a freshman who was from Florida. She was a great pick from her high school team, and the best defender on the East Coast. She made the team here at USC and to say the least, she fit right in.

There was homogeny that wasn’t there before she joined and the linkup between you and her helped you take her under your wing. She looked up to you and was so ecstatic to play with you after watching you on TV.

She felt that Jessie took away her only chance to play with you before you graduated.

Jessie needed to pay.

“Hey, weird question,” Jessie starts, one night while you two were tucked in bed and on the phone with each other.

“Yeah?” you ask, turning over onto your side. Jessie looked a little concerned but you shrugged it off, the girl was known to constantly look worried.

“Someone sent me this photo but it’s from an unknown number, I thought it was weird.”

Sent.

You looked at it in shock.

It was you. Kissing a girl on the basketball team.

“Jess this isn’t me.”

“I’m not blind you know, that’s you.”

“Jessie, I swear this was doctored! I’ve never talked to this girl, let alone fucking kissed her!”

“Then why did the fucking photo come with a text that said, “She’s not who you think she is,”?”

“I don’t know! No one else but the girls know about you and me! I promise Jessie please!”

“I need some time to think. Leave me alone.”

She hangs up.

The tears fill your eyes as you stare at this photo. You don’t even think you’ve crossed paths with this girl, having not been the biggest fan of basketball. But your face was clearly there and hers was too. Her lips were on yours and you looked like you were enjoying yourself.

You think and you think hard. You didn’t go to any parties lately with your leg and you haven’t been to any games of theirs. You stared at the photo for hours, wracking your brain for some kind of explanation.

An explanation as to why Jessie looked so hurt at the thought of you with someone else.

[charlie-lec-stories]

Better // CL16 & MV1

Pairing: Charles Leclerc / Original Female Character / Max Verstappen

Summary: You can cure the enmity between Max and Charles, but never their competitive drive.

Warnings: A tiny little bit of angst, but not much. Charles and Max taking things too far (like always).

Author’s Note: A story that explores the power battles inside a poly-relationship where there are three dominant people. A little story time: I wrote this while living in Argentina -something about me, I'm Spaniard but been living in Argentina for like, forever- and since my characters were inspired by friends of mine, the characters were originally Argentinian. I'm actually too lazy to think of another nationality for the female character and also it'd take too long to change it all the time to do something more culturally neutral, so I will leave it like that, sometimes you may find some things about her being latina, but not too much, so if you'd rather ignore it, knock yourself out! Rate: +16 (inappropriate language)

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

She loved them. She really did, with her whole heart, but she had never felt so tempted to throw them both out the window as right now. It started as a harmless breakfast, just the three of them, and what was just a simple comment of how much she loved the perfume Max brought for her, became the spark that ignited Charles' competitive side. He just couldn't help it, he had to say that the Channel one he brought was better on her. She never said anything about Max's being better, she just said that she loved it, because she did. Of course, Max took that personal, and five minutes later they were spraying her wrists with both perfumes and pressuring her to choose which one was better. Because that was the word that always meant trouble around them. They had fought their whole lives to settle which one of them was better and they just needed to bring that into the relationship too. Who wore the best outfit, who was a better driver, who was better at video games, who played football better, who was smarter, who read more books, who could name more capital cities, who had more points on Grill the Grid, you could make her moan first, who could unclasp her bra faster, who lasted more, who got less tired, who brought the best gifts... It was constant. At first, they would argue about it, random accusations of cheating at every game or challenge they faced, convinced that the other one simply couldn't be better. Mean comments thrown in the middle of situations that should be about love and pleasure. After a few times of Y/N simply grabbing her clothes and getting dressed again, leaving them alone in the room, they stopped arguing, but never competing.

"C'mon, mon amour. I know that you love this one". Charles insisted, caressing her hand and smiling at her.

"I do-"

"I told you". Charles cut her off to show Max who won.

"She loves mine more, that's why she wears it all the time. Right, Schat?". She just wanted to be swallowed by the earth.

"Of course I love yours-".

"More, you love it more". Max finished the sentence for her. She was not going to say 'more', she was planning on saying 'too', but it was pointless to argue. It was true, she wore Max's often, but she also kept Charles' for important occasions, it was just that both perfumes were for different types of situations. Charles' was too elegant and expensive to use it everyday, and Max's has perfect to wear on her daily basis. But they didn't want to hear about that.

"She didn't wear it for the gala last year. I don't think she likes it that much, Max". Charles was definitely looking for an argument.

"She just said it, are you deaf?". Things were escalating quickly.

She barely got out of that alive.

The next week it was race week, and they were already on edge with the competitiveness. The first free practice session went alright, Charles was the fastest, 0.011 faster than Max, and the Dutch just couldn't take it. He wanted to do better than Charles in practice two, but he just simply couldn't. When it came to speed, Charles was an expert and Max had a hard time accepting that. He complained the whole drive back to the hotel. She had agreed to go to and back from the paddock with him because they were staying at the same hotel. He talked about Charles and his powerful Ferrari engine like they were Netherlands' number one enemies, stating the he was kicking Charles' ass the next day at practice three. She just let him talk, take things off his chest. It was just Friday and they were already racing. She was competitive, you can't thrive in Formula One without competitiveness, but she did the best she could to leave that out of the relationship. Even if she wanted to win and do better than them on the sport, she was aware that love celebrates each other victories and supports through the defeats. Once back at the hotel, Max did what he always did when he felt like he had given a bad performance on the track, he searched for reassurance. Sex had been, though the whole history of human kind, one of the most primal ways of getting someone else's approval, and even if she enjoyed it, it wasn't the most healthy coping mechanism for his frustration.

"Max, we should sleep". She said while he kissed her neck and pulled at her clothes, they had barely set foot inside the room and he was already all over her. "We have practice tomorrow, and Qualifying. We need the sleep".

"I'll make you feel good and then we sleep". He kept softly pushing her towards the bed, his hand sneaking under her shirt after she didn't take it off as fast as he wanted her to. "I promise, Schat, please".

"Okay, but we can't stay up too late".

They did stay up late, and the next day she was extremely tired, the few hours she got of sleep not enough for her to be properly rested. Charles noticed instantly what they had been up to the night before. It wasn't the first time that Y/N and Max had alone time, just as he had with her sometimes or as the two men did whenever she was out with friends or back at home visiting family. But the sight of her fighting sleep and Max's big ass smirk when he passed him by just fueled Charles' most petty side. It was the implied 'I won' that made Charles furious. Max did better at free practice three and then, got pole in Qualifying. Charles ended up fourth, behind Y/N on second place and George Russell between them. Now it was his turn to be pissed. He went straight back to his hotel and sent Y/N a message, telling her that he wanted to see her. She knew what to expect, so when Charles pinned her against the door, she wasn't surprised.

"Don't. We're not doing it, Charles". He stopped attacking her collarbones instantly and looked up at her eyes. She was dead serious. "I mean it".

"Okay". Breathing heavily, he moved backwards just a few centimeters, giving her some space. "Can I ask why?". She huffed. "I know that you don't own me an explanation, I'm just curious. I promise".

"I'm just tired. I need to sleep". She looked genuinely exhausted. "I can't be the referee of your competition with Max tonight".

"I don't want to make love to you just to compete with Max, Amour". She scoffed, feeling kind of insulted.

"Tell yourself that enough and you might believe it". She was properly angry and Charles started to recognize that things were going too far.

"I'm sorry for making you feel that way". But she was way past apologies.

"You're just a pair of troglodytes!". Charles did a mental note to search for that word later, it definitely wasn't good, but he just didn't know how bad it was. "I'm sick and tired of being in the middle of your little beef. If you want to know who fucks better just go ahead and fuck each other and leave me out of it". With that, she stormed out of the room.

"Troglodytes veut dire... hommes des cavernes? Putain". (Troglodytes means... cavemen? Fuck).

They did fuck up bad.

Charles woke up the next morning with Max pounding his fist on his room's door. He checked the time before getting up, a lot earlier than when he needed to be up. He walked to the door and let Max in. His boyfriend was notoriously anxious, he kept rambling in Dutch and mixing it with some English words. From what Charles could grasp, Y/N refused to let him into her room last night and then left him on seen when he texted her goodnight. Charles already knew she was mad but for Max, she had just gotten angry out of nowhere. "We are troglodytes", Charles informed Max, who looked kind of surprised that Charles would use that word. But she was right, as a pair of cavemen, they just kept sizing each other, as if being better would make them more worthy, and through all that competition, they both lost. They had to fix it, whatever it took. If they wanted to be better so bad, then they had to do better. They sat together and thought about what they should do. Buy a gift? Make her some good dinner? Charles started writing a list of options on his phone. Max was more worried about starting on the first row with her at the race. If there was something that could scared them, it was their girlfriend driving angry. He was in trouble. At the paddock, Max and Charles were given the cold shoulder, not only by their girl, but also by Oscar and Lando, who most surely were up to date with what happened.

"Lights out and... We're racing in Hungary!". Max was forced out of the track in a blink, the Mercedes car that started next to him taking P1 and sprinting off. He went down to P3, overtaken by George too. It was kind of embarrassing, how easily she stole the race from him, just like that. Charles was close behind, in P4, and he knew that he had to build some distance because Charles couldn't be trusted with any gap. The Mercedes just flew off and Max decided to focus on keeping P3 and getting himself into the podium. P5 was Fernando Alonso, to say that Max was worried would be an understatement. He had to fight Charles while also making sure that Fernando didn't overtook them both. After his first pit stop, he got to pass George -who went down to P5- and get P2, Charles still visible on his right mirror, trying to take the inside line. They mede a little contact at the turn and Christian complained over the radio. He was in trouble, but Max couldn't do anything, the car was slow and he was doing what he could. Ferrari was so quick he could barely keep Charles at bay. GP, his race engineer, informed him that Fernando was on DRS range to the Ferrari number 16 and that the chances of the monegasque getting overtook were high. Max tried to decide: getting close to Charles and risk P2 or put some distance and then fight Fernando, who was faster than his boyfriend.

"I'll push, then focus on Fernando". He couldn't concentrate on everyone, he had to choose. Leaving Charles on his own gave Max time to build a gap with Fernando, and also made the Ferrari waste more tyre, giving him an advantage over Charles after Fernando inevitably overtook Max in a few laps. At least he could get P3.

No one was shocked when Y/N won the race, she had driven like a beast, completely untouchable. After parking her Mercedes behind the P1 sign, she ran to her team and hugged everyone. That gave Charles time to weight himself and take all of his head protections before running to her. Even if the world didn't know about Max, their relationship was public and they agreed on keeping it like that. He waited patiently for her to finish with her team and then walked to her, helping her take off her helmet and balaclava and kissing her fondly. He might be P4, but his girl won the Hungarian Grand Prix and he couldn't be happier. Max walked to them and hugged his girl, kissing the side of her head and telling her how proud he was of her. She walked out to the podium with her chest filled with pride, the Argentinian national anthem putting a smile on her face. Charles found himself proud too, as he watched his girl get her trophy and golden medal, Max standing at her right and looking at her with adoration.

The drive back to Max and Y/N's hotel was quick, them leading the way and Charles following. She was in a better mood, but she still felt like they needed to apologize properly to her for being a pair of machos, as she called them when she complained to Lando and Oscar. It was actually the brit's idea to fuel her anger to make her a menace on the track. The McLarens could barely grasp P10 there so he knew that they weren't winning that race, if he had to choose someone to get P1, he'd choose her. He made it clear: "They fight to see who's better but they never stop to consider that you could be better than them both. Doesn't that make you angry?". And damn angry she was. He wanted to watch the world burn to the ground so he could gossip about it later. "Show them who's truly the best". She walked out of Max's car not even looking back at him and completely ignored Charles, who parked next to them. They both followed to her room in complete silence. Inside, they sat on the bed and looked down at their laps, not knowing what to expect. Will she yell at them? Will she threaten with braking up? She opened a bottle of vodka from the minibar and poured 1/3 on each of the three glasses she had on the room's table, filling the rest of the glasses with orange juice. At least, if she was going to scream at them, they could down it with some alcohol. But after handing them the glasses, she never raised her voice. On the contrary, she changed her clothes in silence and sat on the little couch in front of the bed, at the other side of the room.

"I was named the most stylish person in motorsport by Vogue, trice. I have a 7 time World Champion as my mentor and Sebastian fucking Vettel as my race engineer. I can play almost every sport. I finished high school with perfect grades. I can play the viola and cello. I can sing. I have the best score on Grill the Grid. I'm the first woman to ever win a Grand Prix and the first latina to ever race a whole F1 race. I bagged Monaco and F1's golden boy and the most dominating driver of the decade. I just have to give you one kiss and you're on your knees, desperate and begging". She made a pause and Charles and Max looked up, watching her observe the bottom of her glass like it was the most interesting thing. She sighed and stood up, walking up and stopping in front of them. They looked at her from below, following her every move. She placed the glass on the nightstand and clicked her tongue, disappointment tinting her next words. "You both acted like pricks, the only things that you didn't measure against each other were your dicks, and if you did, I don't wanna know". They both looked away, blushing, the answer to that comment revealed, and she rolled her eyes. "This competition of yours has been the most pathetically macho thing you have done and you forced me to not only witness it but, also, be a part of it".

"We're sorry, Schat, we-".

"I'm not done talking. Don't interrupt". Max shut up and nodded. "What you did sucks and I should totally be mad at you for some time, but I think you learned your lesson tonight, after the demolishing victory I pulled against you". They both nodded eagerly, happy that she was forgiving them.

"Thank you, mon amour. We'll try and do better". Charles said and reached out to her, his hand coming to the back of her knee to bring her to his lap. She decide to place each leg between theirs, sitting on both Charles' left leg and Max's right. She took their faced in her hands gently, to make them look at her.

"You're welcome". They sent her their best smiles. "I know that you'll keep competing against each other to see who's better... just know that if I'm in the picture, you're always fighting for P2".

They both were well aware of that.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Okay, since I've seen that most of you guys like this series, I'll give it priority over other stories. Thank you for reading!

[bloodycyrano]

I want to lore dump about my BG3 storyline and OCs so bad, but at the same time I don't want to release any information before it would come out in the future chapters of my fanfic, so to stave off the dark urge, here's.... 🥁🥁🥁

Team Tadpole doing sweet things for each other part 2!

Sometimes, when Astarion has trouble resting at night, Gale will stay up with him and play chess- They started with card games, but Astarion cheats like a fox. He still cheats at chess, but not as often.

Karlach probably notices when her comrades are in pain after battle, and will hug a sack of rocks until they heat up to make a sort of makeshift heating pad for sore muscles.- Bonus points, She'll borrow some scented oils from Halsin to add an element of aromatherapy.

Gale has 100% done talis card readings for Team tadpole when they deal with heavy emotional stuff, if only to help them find their path forward. Maybe he isn't the best at verbal comfort, but magic is one thing he knows he can use for at least some benefit.

I feel like Gale also notices when people aren't dealing well with things, and will purposefully annoy Durge so they have someone to pick on and hopefully feel a little better afterwards. They're definitely the sort of friends that pretend to hate each other, but are there when you need them. Durge definitely brings out his petty side, but its all in good fun. Usually.

While maybe they have a bit of a rocky relationship, I also believe Durge would indulge Gales special interests and let him ramble about things, because they know what it's like to have to shut up to make other people happy. I also feel like Gale would return the favor and deliberately ask about weird, macabre things so that Durge actually has an excuse to bring up topics that interest them.

Wyll has a knitting hobby. You probably wouldn't expect it, but he definitely does. And he's really really good at it, too. He uses every holiday as an excuse to gift people things like socks, scarves, mittens, etc. And I mean EVERY holiday. Earth day, valentines day, national owlbear day (Which is totally not something he made up as an excuse to give people their presents early), etc. The thing is, he notices when people complain about their socks getting worn from traveling, and gets random ideas for gifts at 3 AM, and then spends the rest of the night knitting. He has also been known to make cute little knitted outfits for the group pets in the winter, because he thought Scratch was getting cold.

Adding onto this, Lae'zel is the only person Wyll is willing to go to for a blunt and honest opinion on the gifts he makes before he gives them. Lae'zel doesn't take this lightly, either. While maybe she doesn't show it, she takes this very seriously and is somewhat honored that Wyll came to her instead of anyone else.

Shadowheart tends to replenish Wylls yarn reserve without telling him as well. She asks Lae’zel what colours he's run out of, and then sneak some extra spools into his pack. Wyll still doesn't know who's been doing it, but he's thankful nonetheless. And it's one thing the cleric and the gith can actually be somewhat peaceful about.

Durge doesn't take all of their kills lightly. When it comes to someone they actually respected, there's a ritual they perform afterward that they read about in Withers old temple. They'll grind bone and ash into ink and take time to write out the names of those they respected, and bury it with the bodies. As well as little offerings as well. It isn't a short process either.. Durge will spend the entire night locked in their caravan burning incense, praying their name to Jergal in hopes that the spirit will find rest, and doing little things in honor of the dead.- It isn't hard for team tadpole to figure out when Durge has taken the life of someone they held a genuine respect for, and will be careful not to disturb them, or leave bones or herbs/flowers on the steps of their caravan. Karlach and Astarion will occasionally come to check on them. While maybe it doesn't happen often, it does happen. Withers was particularly surprise to begin receiving prayers after all this time, but it strengthened a sort of bond between the two.

[nanaminokanojo]

BAD NEWS (part 78)

-just when you thought you were over your humongous crush on your older brother’s best friend, geto suguru, you couldn’t have been more dead wrong, except satoru doesn’t like suguru for you because he knows his kind all too well: a huge ass playboy who breaks hearts like he changes socks. but you think, MAYBE you’ll be the exception…maybe not.

CHARACTERS: drummer!geto suguru x you/afab reader x guitarist!sukuna | gojo satoru | various jjk characters

GENRE: full-length smau + prose | band au | college au | stupid pining | aged-up characters | friends to lovers (?) | smut

TW/CW: strong/mature language | adult content so mdni on some parts | mentions of alcohol, drugs | mentions of cheating, promiscuity, mild dubcon, etc. | god-awful pet names | toxic behavior | will add more if something arises

MASTERLIST | CHAPTER INDEX

<<prev part 78 next>>

A/N: Prose after the 3rd panel + panels between texts.

The air was electric in the stadium, the roar of the crowd a constant backdrop to the intense battle unfolding on the pitch. The scoreboard read 1:1, and the tension was palpable as the clock ticked down in the second half of the women's intercollegiate nationals. Suguru sat in the stands, a little closer than usual, his heart in his throat, eyes fixed on the field, where the Shiga Pirates, your team, were locked in a fierce struggle with the Fukuoka Warriors.

Suguru had come to the match as a surprise, unable to resist after you dominated the semifinals with the most points as an individual player. But that was just an excuse. He missed you, and he just wanted to see you regardless of the results. He’ll always be proud of you, but now, as he watched you, his admiration was tinged with something deeper, something he kept hidden even from himself most days. You were his kitten, a private term of endearment that held more meaning than he’d ever dare to admit. And now, watching you struggle, his protective side surged towards the surface, wishing he could at least give you a pat on the back if that would encourage you.

"L/N Y/N is having a tough time out there today," the commentator's voice crackled over the loudspeakers, his tone tinged with both admiration and concern. "She’s been a key player for the Pirates all season, racking up an impressive eighteen goals and twelve assists, making her the leading scorer in the league.”

Suguru’s jaw tightened as he watched you, clad in the Pirates' signature red and white kit, sprint down the left wing. Your usual speed seemed hampered, each stride a little heavier than the last. The turf, slick from a light drizzle earlier in the match, wasn’t helping. You were known for your agility, the way you could cut through defenders with a single touch, but today, the conditions seemed to be working against you.

“She can usually find the net anywhere on the pitch,” another commentator said. “We’ve seen her impressive footwork during their match with the Shizuoka Lions yesterday, single-handedly turning the game around with a stunning hat-trick.”

“But today, she’s facing a different challenge; Fukuoka’s defense has been relentless, particularly with their ace, Nakamura Rei, shadowing her every move."

"Come on, Y/N," Suguru muttered under his breath, leaning forward, his fingers weaving tight amongst each other. He could see the determination etched on your face, the way your brows knit together in concentration. You were fighting for every inch, but the Fukuoka ace was right on your heels, matching you step for step. She had clearly studied your playstyle, anticipating your moves, cutting off angles, and forcing you into uncomfortable positions.

"L/N tries to push forward, but Nakamura is there again, cutting off her advance," the commentator continued. "The Pirates' star forward is struggling to find her rhythm. She’s been a constant threat throughout the tournament, but today, Fukuoka has managed to neutralize her impact."

Suguru’s heart pounded in his chest as he watched you attempt another break. You received a sharp pass from your midfielder, Hasaba Mimiko, expertly controlling the ball with your first touch, but as you turned to face Nakamura, you hesitated, just for a split second. It was enough for the Fukuoka defender to close the gap, forcing you to play the ball back instead of driving forward.

"Damn it," Suguru whispered, frustration gnawing at him. He knew how much this match meant to you, how hard you had trained, how you had visualized every possible scenario. He could see the tension in your movements, the way your shoulders tensed when Nakamura got too close, the quick glance you shot toward your teammates, searching for an opening that never seemed to come.

"L/N’s been isolated up top," the commentator observed, echoing Suguru’s thoughts. "She’s not getting the support she needs, and Nakamura is taking full advantage. The Pirates are going to have to figure something out if they want to get her more involved in the attack."

Suguru’s eyes never left you as you tracked back, helping out on defense. You were clearly frustrated, your usual fluidity replaced by a grittier, more desperate style of play. Every time you touched the ball, Nakamura was there, pressing, harrying, forcing you to rush your passes or make decisions under duress.

"The Warriors are doing a fantastic job of closing down the space around L/N," the commentator noted. "She’s used to having room to operate, to dictate the tempo, but today, she’s constantly under pressure. You have to wonder if fatigue is starting to play a role here."

That’s ridiculous. Suguru knew that it was more than just fatigue, seeing the weight of expectation bearing down on you, the pressure of leading your team in the biggest match of the season. But he also knew your resolve, the way you thrived under pressure, how you found stability in moments of adversity. You were not a Gojo for nothing, and he knew you were going to bounce back as he watched you shake your head, almost as if to clear it, before positioning yourself for the next play.

"You got this, kitten. Show ‘em," Suguru whispered again, this time with a note of encouragement. He knew you weren’t the type to back down, even when things weren’t going your way. The score was tied, the clock was ticking, and the Warriors were gaining momentum, but he believed in you. He knew that if anyone could break the deadlock, it was you.

As the ball came your way again, he held his breath. This was it. This was the moment where you could turn the tide, where all your hours of practice, all your sweat and determination, would come to fruition. And it will be then that you will get the recognition you so deserved. The crowd’s noise faded into the background, and all that mattered was you and the ball at your feet.

"Make it count," Suguru thought, his eyes locked on you, willing you to find that spark, that brilliance that had brought you this far as you squared up against Nakamura again.

**

The match was a grind, the kind that pushed you beyond your limits and into a sweat and adrenaline fueled blur. The scoreboard held steady at 2:2, the minutes ticking down as exhaustion weighed on your limbs. Your lungs burned, and your legs felt like they were made of lead, but you refused to let up. Still, you knew you had one last play in you. You owed it to your team, all of them relentless, pressing forward with everything they had, creating just enough of a gap for you to finally shake off Nakamura’s tenacious defense. You knew with every fiber of your being just what you’re expected to do.

The ball was crossed into the box, a perfectly timed pass from the right wing. Time seemed to slow as you gauged the angle, calculating the distance between you and the goal. Instinct took over as you launched yourself into the air without hesitation, your body twisting as you extended your leg for the shot. Your timing was impeccable, your foot meeting the ball with a solid, decisive strike. You felt the impact resonate through your entire body, a shockwave of power taking over as you and your team held your breaths along with the whole stadium. A blur of black and white zoomed past the goal post as the ball sailed toward the upper corner of the net.

In that split second before you landed back on the turf, your eyes flicked to the stands, and there he was—Suguru. He stood out in the crowd, looking dapper in a black, tight-fitting shirt that hugged his broad frame, he might as well be the only one standing there. His raven hair pulled back into that usual half-up, smiling gorgeously and proudly at you, his expression somehow warm despite the aviator sunglasses shielding his eyes. But you knew his gaze was locked on you, as it always seemed to be.

In a moment of elation, the world around you blurred, leaving only the sight of Suguru, and you wondered, heart skipping a beat, what he was doing there. It can’t be, you thought for a split second, wondering why on earth he was there. You didn’t know if you were really seeing him, or if the adrenaline was playing tricks on you. 

But then the ball hit the back of the net with a satisfying thud and the reality of the goal you’d just scored hit. The stadium erupted into a deafening roar, the colors of your team creating an undulating wave across the stands. The ball had soared past the goalkeeper’s outstretched hands and into the net with a satisfying swish.

Your teammates swarmed around you, their cheers almost drowning out the sound of the crowd. But even as they lifted you in celebration, your gaze remained fixed on Suguru.

“You’re here!” you called out although you knew he couldn’t hear you, but he was immediately able to tell what you were saying and nodded. It was really him. He was there. He watched you win.

Grinning despite your precarious balance on your teammates’ shoulders, you tugged off one of your cleats—the ones he had given you, your good luck charm—and waved it at him, a playful gesture that was your way of sharing the victory with him. He tilted his head slightly, his smile widening as he raised his fist to you. And as your team carried you off the field, you felt a surge of satisfaction, knowing that in that most critical moment, both Suguru and the cleats had been with you.

TAG LIST: @lilc77 @lavender-hvze @maya-maya-56 @kibananya @nerdisthenewcool @darkstarlight82 @lysaray @ti-mame @ri-sa20 @diogodxlot @sugurubabe @guacam011y @yeehawslap @luvvmae @s-j320 @ichorstainedskin @iaminyourfloors @tanchosanke @hellyyy06 @tacobellfreshavocado @mrs-monkey-d-luffy @iluv-ace @satoryaa @clxvrs @saccharine-nectarine @wakashudou @inthedarkshadows000 @toffeebrat @starmapz @theoriginalmynoiix

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI’S “JUJUTSU KAISEN”. [20240901]

PHOTOS/IMAGES/GIF/FANART/ANY MEDIA CREDITS GO TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[hpowellsmith]

Interactive Fiction in the Steam Summer Sale!

Interactive fiction from Choice of Games, Heart's Choice and Hosted Games are in the Steam Summer Sale 2023! You can buy the discounted titles on Steam and transfer them to play in browser or on mobile.

Titles are on sale until July 13! Here are the ones from me and my wife:

Standalones:

Heart of Battle (30% off) by Fay Ikin: Battle for love as a gladiator in this epic romance of swords and sandals! Win glory, victory, a better life, your freedom - and spark a revolution!

Asteroid Run: No Questions Asked (30% off) by Fay Ikin: As captain of a space freighter, deal with limited resources, mystery cargo and a company spy on your ship. Good luck crossing the solar system in time with cops, cultists, and terrorists on your tail!

Blood Money (30% off): By the power of your blood, you and your ghosts will take over your crime family! What will you sacrifice to control the underworld?

The Creme de la Creme series:

Creme de la Creme (40% off): Climb to the very top of the class at your exclusive private school for socialites! Will you study hard, find a perfect match, or embrace scandal?

Noblesse Oblige (40% off): Spark romance amid secrets in a crumbling mansion! What will you sacrifice for love? Can you trust your own heart?

Royal Affairs (40% off): At your exclusive boarding school, will you rule the roost or be a royal disaster? Court publicity, sway the fate of nations, and find love!

Extras:

Cheats, detailed achievement guides, added insight into hidden stats, and extras for Blood Money, Creme de la Creme, and Royal Affairs are all 50% off

And the Hannah Powell-Smith Bundle is 46% off, containing Blood Money, Creme de la Creme, and Noblesse Oblige!

[psudopod]

Splatmas is coming, and you know what that means?

Bet none of you guessed it's Psudopod's Big Lecture on How Y'all Need SPORTSMANSHIP!

Sportsmanship is behaviour and attitudes that show respect for the rules of a game and for the other players. 

Part 1: Rules of the Game.

There are indeed rules, here they are!

In Splatoon 3 you may be reported for breaking the rules for the following infractions;

Inappropriate Nickname

Inactivity

Intentional Disconnection

Unsportsmanlike Play (Self-Destruction)

Unsportsmanlike Play (Disrupting Team)

Intentionally Not Contributing

Network Manipulation

Malicious Use of Glitches or Errors

Cheating

Griefing (the action or an act of deliberately spoiling other players' enjoyment of a game by playing in a way that is intentionally disruptive and aggravating)

I've bolded the rules I see broken, often, especially during splatfests. Thankfully, I rarely see the ones I didn't bold. What I do see, pretty often, is Bad Sportsmanship.

I am referring to mid-match squid parties.

What are squid parties? A squid party is when the players ignore the in-game objectives and do... Whatever they feel like! Usually, this is seen as people standing around squidbagging together. It's honestly pretty fun! When everyone is on the same wavelength and the full lobby parties, it can be a cool time to explore how the game feels, play party games, and be silly! Note however, I said the full lobby. To play by your own rules when any single player is playing by the game's rules, is unsportsmanlike.

Thankfully, for all you partiers, there is a simple and easy way to make sure every player in your lobby is playing by the same rules; private lobbies! Make a private lobby, invite your friends, or join a pool to make some friends! I imagine "Squidparty" is a code you could use, but please do share any codes you've tried in your reblog. You can even plan games in lobbies, like "bumper brushes" or "hide-and-seek"!

Please, if you want to party, join a private lobby. Everyone else there will want to party, too. Assume everyone in public lobbies is there to play the game as described by the rules, even if they leave you to party.

If you are in a lobby to play, don't ignore partiers. They are just as often "Griefing" with intentions to use your mercy against you. Kill. Leave the lobby. Report. Move on. Pick any of the multiple rules that apply to squid party behavior. You can find the report button in the battle logs section of the terminal. Don't join a private lobby and report the goofs going on there, don't join a public battle and goof.

Part 2: Respect for Other Players

The Sportsmanship life doesn't end when you put the controller down! Y'all still Unsportsmanlike in the community. You need to treat other players right. We don't have Rules out here, but here's some bullshit I'm sick of seeing:

Racism (colorism and xenophobia)

Bullying (extreme language, hate mail harassment)

Being a sore loser (BS points 1 and 2, really.)

I don't need to re-hash the colorism issues. This is an old problem. Stop. Please remember your comments on the physical features of the idols can be hurtful, real people share those features.

What I do have to hash is the xenophobia. Y'all aware that blaming an entire nationality for you losing is bigoted? Y'all aware that claiming an entire nationality is just too good at the game is a stupid stereotype? Stop saying weird shit about Japanese players.

Bullying- hey, are you aware saying "KYS," any suicide baiting, is bullying and harassment? This is EXTREME language. Do not throw that shit around in the Splatfest tags when you're sad you lost. Do not throw that shit around in plaza posts. You will lose your plaza posting ability, account-wide. I dare you to send that shit on anon. I will drag your ass. Again.

It's ok to be sad you lost, but please be aware that lashing your negative feelings out on real people, or in ways that can hurt real people, is POOR SPORTSMANSHIP. Do you remember, in grade school sports, how the coach would tell you to line up and tell each member of the opponent team "good game"? You ever wonder why?

You should always be grateful and courteous, respectful, and constructive to every one of your opponents. You would not be able to play the game without opponents.

This splatfest, I really hope to see some better sportsmanship inside and outside the game.

I've said way too much already, I'll leave you with homework. This 'fest, I'd like for you to thank your opponents. Even when they beat you. Especially then. They did their best and respected you with a display of the fruits of their effort.

[enneadau]

Spoilers ahead

For those who want to know the consequences of Rebecca's actions...

Yugi let out a sigh. Rebecca Hopkins, the granddaughter of her Jiisan’s best friend and the formerly All-American Champion, had been avoiding her ever since she’d used a Memento against Yugi and nearly gotten one of them stripped of the ability to play games ever again and then gotten herself and Katsuya into a game that had nearly gotten Katsuya killed by Ra.

Rebecca had travelled back four days earlier, on the original travel date, while Yugi and her friends had gotten an extra four days out of the trip because Yugi had spent three days in the island’s hospital after the Battle City finals and the final showdown with Hanaq. So, the coming confrontation had been stalled.

However, they weren’t going to be able to avoid each other once they were staying in the same home and she knew Rebecca was still a little bitter about the absolute humiliation of her Quarter-final defeat, where Yugi had defeated her in just two turns.

And of being stripped of the Senior Division National Championship, after Industrial Illusions had made it clear that her false accusations of cheating, which had not only slandered Yugi, but also the company that made Duel Monsters and the CEO of Kaiba Corp, and her temper tantrum on a livestream that was being broadcast worldwide, was not fitting for the Senior Division Champion.

It made sense, since the Senior Division was sixteen and up, a bracket that Yugi and her friends were only just old enough for, so the twelve-year-old Rebecca certainly wasn’t old enough to claim the title, even though she’d worked hard to earn it by dueling her way through all of Bandit Keith’s replacements.

There had been other Senior Division Champions that were below that age. Kaiba and Yugi for example had both been overall World Champions of the game long before their sixteenth birthday. In fact, Yugi was pretty sure Kaiba wasn’t sixteen till October. However, neither of them had humiliated themselves or Industrial Illusions on international television.

And it wasn’t like Rebecca no longer retained her Junior Division title; it just was humiliating for her to have the Senior Division title stripped away and given to the one who had lost to her during the American National Finals.

Especially when Industrial Illusions had released a press statement explaining exactly why.

[universestreasures]

Competitive Capsule Monsters Chess

Considering Mokuba cheated in both his Capmon games with Atem and how the rules of tournaments or other sanctioned events can differ from casual play, I have created my own interpretation of the structure of Competitive Capmon (that I 100% don't mind if others follow or use outside of interactions with me btw, esp if you have a Capmon player muse! The world needs more of them!). This post includes the tournament structure, prize support, the capsule pool when competing in a tournament, and the ranking system.

There are four levels of tournaments. Local, Regional, National, and World. To become the Capsule King (the World Champ), one must top these four levels.

Specifically, you must place Top 4 of a local participating shop tournament to compete in the regional tournament. You must place Top 2 in a regional tournament to compete in the national tournament. You must become the champion of the national tournament to compete in the world championship. And finally, you must become champion of the world championship to earn the title of Capsule King.

Tournaments are generally in a single-elimination bracket format, but the national or world levels might mix it up with a round-robin format on occasion.

There is prize support for winning tournaments, but since the majority of Capmon's player base is young (mainly kids), they are mainly educational or professional in nature, such as a college scholarship or even an internship at a high-profile company. I like to think Kaiba Corp (who I HC is a sponsor of Capmon Tournaments) has offered internship positions for the national level tournament before and the regional tournament for their region.

When competing, players must bring a pool of 15 capsules with them, with three capsules of each of the five levels. This differs from the causal version, in which both players have a shared pool (which I imagine is max 30 capsules). The player draws randomly from their own pool for each match, meaning they have equal starting chances to pull any of the levels. This is to ensure fairness in terms of pulling stronger level capsules and tests the player's ability to think on the fly and make the most of whatever selection they are given. Being able to do so is the mark of a great Capmon player.

Similar to how Kaiba developed a Duelist Level for Battle City, Capmon has its own ranking system called your Capsule Rank. This is on a ranking of 1-5 (and a secret 6th rank) and is based on tournament results from all four levels. Those who qualify for the world championship automatically get to Rank 5 if they are not already, and the Capsule King gets an exclusive rank of Rank 6.

Note: In Death-T/the early manga, I HC my Mokuba is Rank 3. This is because while he says he's a Capmon champion, I feel like he's only a regional champion at this time (but he competes in local tournaments frequently across different stores), and I imagine his cheating habits extended to tournament play. I like to think he came forward about it and asked to have his rank demoted back to one and ask if he could start fresh. Considering he is a kid and he admitted it himself, the Capmon tournament organizers allowed it. They thus demoted him back to Rank 1 instead of banning him from competitive play altogether.

[lighthousenewsnetwork]

In a stunning turn of events that has left political analysts scrambling for their game controllers, world leaders have unanimously agreed to settle all international disputes through high-stakes Mario Kart tournaments. The groundbreaking accord, now dubbed the "Mushroom Kingdom Treaty," was signed yesterday at the United Nations headquarters, where the General Assembly hall has been hastily converted into a state-of-the-art gaming arena. The idea reportedly emerged during a casual gaming session at the latest G20 summit, where Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden found themselves bonding over a shared hatred of blue shells. "It was a beautiful moment," said an anonymous aide. "One minute they were hurling insults, the next they were hurling red shells. That's when we knew we were onto something big." Under the new global framework, nations will battle it out in meticulously organized Mario Kart tournaments, with the winners dictating terms on everything from trade agreements to border disputes. The UN Security Council has been replaced by a panel of elite gamers tasked with ensuring fair play and mediating accusations of "screen-cheating." World leaders have wasted no time in staking their claims on favored characters. North Korea's Kim Jong-un has unsurprisingly called dibs on Bowser, while France's Emmanuel Macron insists on racing as Princess Peach, citing the need for "elegance in diplomacy." Meanwhile, in a nod to their famous neutrality, Swiss officials have committed to only playing as Shy Guy. The military-industrial complex has been sent into a tailspin, with defense contractors frantically pivoting to meet the new global demands. Lockheed Martin has already unveiled plans for an ergonomic gaming chair capable of withstanding even the most heated Mario Kart sessions. Not to be outdone, Raytheon is developing a "Tactical Console Cooling System" to prevent overheating during particularly intense matches. Economic reverberations have been felt worldwide as nations redirect their defense budgets towards improving their gaming infrastructure. The U.S. has announced a trillion-dollar investment in a coast-to-coast 5G network, dubbed "Operation Lightning Lap." Meanwhile, China has begun construction on a top-secret facility rumored to be capable of housing ten thousand round-the-clock Mario Kart training stations. Esports athletes, once relegated to the fringes of society, now find themselves elevated to positions of immense diplomatic importance. "I never thought my ability to dodge banana peels would be considered a matter of national security," said xXNoScope420Xx, a 16-year-old who has been tapped as the U.S. Secretary of Karting Affairs. The first major conflict to be resolved under the new system was the long-standing dispute between China and Taiwan. After a nail-biting battle on Yoshi's Island that came down to the final lap, Taiwan emerged victorious, securing its independence and a year's supply of mushroom power-ups. However, the transition hasn't been without its hiccups. Accusations of screen-peeking and controller unplugging have led to several minor diplomatic incidents. The UN has had to establish a strict "No Oddjob" rule to prevent unfair advantages, a reference that has been lost on most world leaders born after 1990. Citizens worldwide are being encouraged to trade in their weapons for game consoles at local recycling centers. "The fate of the world now rests in the hands of those who can master the perfect drift," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who was seen furiously practicing Rainbow Road in his office. As nations scramble to build their Mario Kart prowess, one thing is clear: the world will never be the same. Gone are the days of nuclear tensions and military standoffs. Now, the greatest threat to global stability is a well-timed blue shell. In these uncertain times, the UN reminds citizens that practicing their karting skills is not just a pastime, but a patriotic duty.

So pick up those controllers, and remember: world peace now depends on your ability to navigate Bowser's Castle without falling into lava. The world watches with bated breath as this new era of banana-peel diplomacy unfolds. One can only hope that in our quest for peace, we don't all slip up. #Humor #MarioKart #Satire #VideoGames #WorldPeace

[mediamonarchy]

https://mediamonarchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241011_MorningMonarchy.mp3 Download MP3 Garth gets thunder rolled, Lana Del got married and Iron Giant is more than a cartoon + this day in history w/gaming’s intersection between violent extremism and our song of the day by Suzanne Vega on your #MorningMonarchy for October 11, 2024. Notes/Links: #NewWorldNextWeek: Government Hurricanes? + More Orb Money & Regulating Fondle Slabs https://x.com/shartstorm8d8/status/1844505615424725269 Shocktober Surprise IV https://mediamonarchy.com/calendar/shocktober-surprise-iv/ The Controlled Demolition of Diddy; There are numerous similarities between Diddy and Jeffrey Epstein. Both had the potential to place powerful people into compromising situations, and both had to be “neutralized” before they could do any damage. Here’s a look at the controlled demolition of Diddy. https://vigilantcitizen.com/latestnews/the-controlled-demolition-of-diddy/ The Case Against Diddy, Explained By R. Kelly’s Prosecutors; With Diddy facing a criminal case that echoes the one that took down R. Kelly, Billboard talked about the battle ahead with the prosecutors who put Kelly behind bars. https://archive.is/wZLI2 Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ celeb pals paying off alleged victims to prevent being publicly named in lawsuits: attorney; A-listers allegedly involved with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex crimes have already settled quietly, attorney claims https://pagesix.com/2024/10/07/celebrity-news/a-listers-involved-with-diddy-crimes-already-settled-attorney/ Diddy Justin Bieber Clip Resurfaces And It Will Chill You To The Bone https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/cltr/diddy-justin-bieber-clip.html Video: DIDDY GOT AFTER JUSTIN BIEBER FOR REVEALING PRIVATE CONVERSATION ~2011 “…And he [Justin Bieber] knows better than to be talking about the things that he does with Big Brother Puff on national television.” Hard to find Jimmy Kimmel interview of P Diddy and Justin Bieber, 2011 (Audio) https://x.com/NatlyDenise_/status/1842256120196321510 Garth Brooks Responds to Sexual Assault Lawsuit: ‘I Am Not the Man They Have Painted Me to Be’; In a lawsuit filed Thursday, an anonymous accuser claims Brooks raped her during a May 2019 stay in a Los Angeles hotel room. https://archive.is/Gbsq3 Video: Singers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood Call for Donations to Ukraine | Stand Up for Ukraine (Audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhR-qRW3vv8 Video: Garth Brooks responds to sexual assault allegations (Audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0IkoJkvYoc Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl Admits To Cheating On His Wife And Fathering Secret Love Child; The former Nirvana drummer made the startling confession on Tuesday, leaving many fans stunned. https://www.ndtv.com/feature/foo-fighters-dave-grohl-admits-to-cheating-on-his-wife-and-fathering-secret-love-child-6540859 Video: Garth Brooks’ Accuser Reveals Texts He Allegedly Sent Her (Audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCS6lIER4iM ‘Ground Zero With Clyde Lewis’ Montage Made By Media Monarchy – “Dark Winter Gene Switch” (Aug. 15, 2013 // Audio) BREAKING: MSNBC writer, producer admits network has ‘made their viewers dumber,’ is ‘indistinguishable’ from Democrat Party: OMG reports; “They just are way too cozy with Democratic politicians,” MSNBC producer Basel Hamdan said. https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-msnbc-writer-producer-admits-network-has-made-their-viewers-dumber-is-indistinguishable-from-democrat-party-omg-reports Controversial Taylor Lorenz leaves Washington Post weeks after calling Biden ‘war criminal’ https://nypost.com/2024/10/01/media/taylor-lorenz-leaves-washington-post-after-calling-biden-war-criminal/ Oregon DMV Acknowledges Registering 302 Additional Voters Who Should Not Have Been on the Rolls; People born in American Samoa are not automatically American citizens. They got ballots anyway because of an error in the agency’s manual. https://www.wweek.com/news/2024/10/07/oregon-dmv-acknowledges-registering-additional-voters-who-should-not-have-bee...

[a-little-bit-poss]

clares vanguard rambling corner

eledglema, or the batman as a lot of the vanguard refer to him, is a meme deck yes but one that i will stan for forever. eledglema has 2 skills. the first when theyre placed as the vanguard reveals the top 5 cards of the deck and places any revealed set orders directly into the order zone. this is helpful because generally you can only play 1 order per turn so even if only hit 1 off the top 5, youre still accelerating the game plan. also we generally we run mostly orders that let us draw cards or otherwise plus in other ways, so win win. still the inconsistent nature of the top 5 check is why this is considered a meme. ive packed as many orders i reasonably can for this reason but yknow. eledglema's second skill is the payoff, and the trigger you generally wanna hold off pulling til the last second. after the battle it attacked, choose any number of set orders from the order zone and send em back. sending back 3 with different names restands a rearguard, sending back 5 restands the vanguard as well. so lets say youre able to hold back and get lucky and wind up with 13 set orders. this results being able to restand eledglema twice and a rearguard thrice, which assuming you have a full board, equates to eight total attacks. generally the ceiling for amount of attacks is about 5-6, so you can see why its compelling to want to pull off. fun fact is that eledglema is actually able to pull off the most attacks in a single turn in standard play at 20 attacks, but thats not going to happen in a practical match.

so while that is the main game plan it is worth mentioning some significant supporting actors. we run the arkhite ride line for its thematic purpose (shes a monster researcher and eledglemas a monster), as well the ability to tutor torrential energy research, a set order that grabs monsters revealed in the top 5. a bit a gacha mechanic theme going on. we have savoeid, a monster that recycles itself and other monsters, ensuring we always have a proper board and access to reriding eledglema every turn. we also use the craggy monster perfect guards to increase the amount of monsters in the deck as well as sure up our defenses. habitable zone tutors set orders as well as increases the total playable for the turn up to 2. mobile kennel eingarten is a cute set order that has a dog on it,, but acts good fodder for a lot of our effects that require discarding, cuz when its discarded it just cheats itself into the order zone instead. definitely a card you wanna see in your hand rather than in eledglema's top 5 peek. finally the shining new star from this years festival collection: Surga & Dargage. theyre a dual nation pair for brandt gate and dark states, that look at the top x+1 cards of the deck (where x is the number of set orders you have in play), put one to soul and then allow you to put a card from your soul to your hand. in most decks, this is moderate filtering. but for eledglema who can get x higher than anyone else, this is the ultimate compression piece. the best case scenario is playing one and starting a chain that brings them all out of deck and making it so your deck is almost all triggers in the late game, setting yourself up for the best moment to use eledglema's restanding skill.

this has been clare rambling vanguard thoughts, please consider playing vanguard. its worth it.

[stickwarlegacyhackgemsmoney]

[HOW-TO] Stick War Legacy Hack Gems Money Generator 2024 Without HuMaN Verification

Stick War Legacy Hack Gems Money Generator 2024 No Survey Without Any Verification.Stick War Legacy MOD APK v2024.1.31 (Unlimited Gold/Gems/Upgrade) 2024.On the internet, Stick War Legacy is a very popular and highly rated game. It’s a strategy game, but it’s so much fun that you’ll never grow tired of it. This game is packed with difficulties that need you to battle like a warrior.

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Start playing one of the most fun, challenging and addictive installments, without worrying about spending money buying gems. Today, we teach you the best tricks and methods to get in Stick War Legacy Infinite Gems.

This is a game where you must control your armies of stickman or stick men, this installment has become one of the most popular and downloaded games today. A clear example of this. They are the various installments and versions that have emerged from it.

Can’t stop playing Stick War? Do not freak out! It has happened to all of us. Due to the entertaining and challenging nature of this game, many users often choose to search on Stick War Legacy infinite gems and enjoy the title to the fullest, without having to spend your money on recharges.

Stick around and find out how to get infinite gems in Stick War Legacy legitimately and easily. You’re going to love it!

Contents disguise

1 Arm your army and defeat your enemies

2 Gem generator for Stick War Legacy 2024

3 Stick War Legacy Mod APK infinite gems — v1.3 (2024)

3.1 How to install Stick war Legacy Hacked Apk?

4 Final words

Arm your army and defeat your enemies

In Stick War Legacy you will have to face multiple challenges with your army of stickmen, putting together your team in formation or units. Within the arena, you must be able to organize your army and create a strategy to achieve success.

In addition, one of the main features of this game are its graphics, which immerse us in an impressive setting, where we must be 100% concentrated in order to successfully complete each mission.

what is stick war legacy

Every time you win battles you can earn rewards and gems, which you can use to strengthen your army and become your opponents’ worst nightmare. Players usually buy gems to level up much faster.

But also, there is another way to get in Stick War Legacy Infinite Gems without having to spend real money, which are used by thousands of Stick War Legacy players to boost their player profile.

If you don’t know them, in this post we have compiled the simplest but most effective methods to earn gems in Stick War Legacy. Do not miss it!

It may interest you: Candy Crush: Infinite Lives & Gold 2024

Gem generator for Stick War Legacy 2024

Use the online Stick War Legacy gem generator to get this precious resource almost immediately, without spending hours playing games or downloading unknown files. It is a tool created by the famous team UNV Cheat Games and it will allow you to have as many gems as you want.

The generator works completely securely and remotely, that is, it is a web page connected to the game servers, sending a series of processed data. So if you are looking to boost your army and profile to the maximum, this generator is everything you were looking for.

Because you have total excess over every single guy in your squad, your duty as a leader in this game is to make them strong so that they can battle hard against opponents.

Stick War 1

You’ll also like the game’s excellent visuals and sound systems. Everything is set up perfectly to tempt you to return to the golden age of flash gaming, stickmen gaming.

So, are you prepared for the ultimate battle between these skinny yet terrifying figures? Make sure to download Stick War Legacy for Android to get the most out of your mobile device’s gaming experience.

Stick War Legacy Gameplay

You will be the leader of a nation of Order in this game. Your people value peace and do not see weapons as gods. As a result, you’ll become a point of interest for the surrounding countries.

Every neighbor will be ready to battle your people and install their ideas in your territory. As a result, you must first gather your army and assault!

Your goal should be to take control of a large number of technical stations and render them inoperable. You must command every stickman, construct units, and mine gold.

You’ll also need to learn Giant, Archer, Sword, Mage, and Spear skills. You’ll be able to eliminate your opponent’s enemies and take over their territory this way. A easy assignment for even the most powerful stickmen.

Stick War 2

Stick War Game Modes

Survival Mode

In this game mode, you must defend yourself from zombie attacks. Furthermore, The game will be fast-paced, and you will need to use your excellent stick fighting skills to win.

How many nights can you resist the zombies’ relentless attacks? Try this mode to see how good you are at stick fighting!

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Stick War Legacy Free Gems Money Generator 2024 [NO SURVEY WITHOUT VERIFICATION]

Stick War Legacy Hack Gems Money Generator 2024 No Survey Without Any Verification.Stick War Legacy MOD APK v2024.1.31 (Unlimited Gold/Gems/Upgrade) 2024.On the internet, Stick War Legacy is a very popular and highly rated game. It’s a strategy game, but it’s so much fun that you’ll never grow tired of it. This game is packed with difficulties that need you to battle like a warrior.

🔴✅ ᴇɴᴛᴇʀ ʜᴇʀᴇ👉 https://techplaneter.com/stickwarlegacy

SERVER 2🔴 🅶🅾️ 🅷🅴🆁🅴 👉 https://epicplayloft.com/stickwarlegacy

Start playing one of the most fun, challenging and addictive installments, without worrying about spending money buying gems. Today, we teach you the best tricks and methods to get in Stick War Legacy Infinite Gems.

This is a game where you must control your armies of stickman or stick men, this installment has become one of the most popular and downloaded games today. A clear example of this. They are the various installments and versions that have emerged from it.

Can’t stop playing Stick War? Do not freak out! It has happened to all of us. Due to the entertaining and challenging nature of this game, many users often choose to search on Stick War Legacy infinite gems and enjoy the title to the fullest, without having to spend your money on recharges.

Stick around and find out how to get infinite gems in Stick War Legacy legitimately and easily. You’re going to love it!

Contents disguise

1 Arm your army and defeat your enemies

2 Gem generator for Stick War Legacy 2024

3 Stick War Legacy Mod APK infinite gems — v1.3 (2024)

3.1 How to install Stick war Legacy Hacked Apk?

4 Final words

Arm your army and defeat your enemies

In Stick War Legacy you will have to face multiple challenges with your army of stickmen, putting together your team in formation or units. Within the arena, you must be able to organize your army and create a strategy to achieve success.

In addition, one of the main features of this game are its graphics, which immerse us in an impressive setting, where we must be 100% concentrated in order to successfully complete each mission.

what is stick war legacy

Every time you win battles you can earn rewards and gems, which you can use to strengthen your army and become your opponents’ worst nightmare. Players usually buy gems to level up much faster.

But also, there is another way to get in Stick War Legacy Infinite Gems without having to spend real money, which are used by thousands of Stick War Legacy players to boost their player profile.

If you don’t know them, in this post we have compiled the simplest but most effective methods to earn gems in Stick War Legacy. Do not miss it!

It may interest you: Candy Crush: Infinite Lives & Gold 2024

Gem generator for Stick War Legacy 2024

Use the online Stick War Legacy gem generator to get this precious resource almost immediately, without spending hours playing games or downloading unknown files. It is a tool created by the famous team UNV Cheat Games and it will allow you to have as many gems as you want.

The generator works completely securely and remotely, that is, it is a web page connected to the game servers, sending a series of processed data. So if you are looking to boost your army and profile to the maximum, this generator is everything you were looking for.

Because you have total excess over every single guy in your squad, your duty as a leader in this game is to make them strong so that they can battle hard against opponents.

Stick War 1

You’ll also like the game’s excellent visuals and sound systems. Everything is set up perfectly to tempt you to return to the golden age of flash gaming, stickmen gaming.

So, are you prepared for the ultimate battle between these skinny yet terrifying figures? Make sure to download Stick War Legacy for Android to get the most out of your mobile device’s gaming experience.

Stick War Legacy Gameplay

You will be the leader of a nation of Order in this game. Your people value peace and do not see weapons as gods. As a result, you’ll become a point of interest for the surrounding countries.

Every neighbor will be ready to battle your people and install their ideas in your territory. As a result, you must first gather your army and assault!

Your goal should be to take control of a large number of technical stations and render them inoperable. You must command every stickman, construct units, and mine gold.

You’ll also need to learn Giant, Archer, Sword, Mage, and Spear skills. You’ll be able to eliminate your opponent’s enemies and take over their territory this way. A easy assignment for even the most powerful stickmen.

Stick War 2

Stick War Game Modes

Survival Mode

In this game mode, you must defend yourself from zombie attacks. Furthermore, The game will be fast-paced, and you will need to use your excellent stick fighting skills to win.

How many nights can you resist the zombies’ relentless attacks? Try this mode to see how good you are at stick fighting!

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CLICK HERE FOR War Thunder Mobile CHEAT TOOL

By following these tips and tricks, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a skilled and respected player in War Thunder Mobile. Keep practicing, stay focused, and most importantly, enjoy the thrill of the fight!War Thunder Mobile offers a diverse range of game modes that cater to different playstyles and preferences, ensuring that every player can find their niche within the game. Here’s an overview of the game modes and some of the best aspects of War Thunder Mobile:Game Modes:Arcade Battles: This mode is perfect for beginners and those looking for fast-paced action. Vehicles have simplified handling, and the game assists with aiming and spotting enemies. It’s a great way to get accustomed to the game’s mechanics without being overwhelmed1.Realistic Battles: For players seeking a more authentic experience, Realistic Battles offer a middle ground between Arcade and Simulator modes. Here, you’ll find more realistic vehicle performance and no in-game assists, demanding greater skill and strategy.

Simulator Battles: The most challenging and immersive mode, Simulator Battles require players to rely on their knowledge and skills without any assists. This mode offers the most realistic combat experience, perfect for veterans and those who want to test their mettle1.Enduring Confrontation: This mode features extended battles with dynamic objectives, allowing for a more strategic and prolonged engagement. Players can join and leave the battle as it unfolds over a longer period1.Events and Special Modes: War Thunder Mobile regularly hosts events and special game modes, offering unique challenges and rewards. These can range from historical reenactments to fun, themed battles1.Best Things About War Thunder Mobile: Variety of Vehicles: Players can choose from a vast array of vehicles from different nations, including tanks, aircraft, and ships. Each vehicle type offers a unique gameplay experience, allowing players to find their preferred style of combat2.Combined Arms Battles: War Thunder Mobile excels in providing combined arms battles, where tanks, planes, and ships fight together on the same maps. This creates dynamic and multifaceted combat scenarios that require teamwork and coordination4.Cross-Platform Play: The game supports cross-platform play, allowing mobile players to compete with or against players on PC and consoles.

This feature expands the player base and ensures that there’s always someone to play with5.Regular Updates: Gaijin Distribution KFT is committed to keeping the game fresh with regular updates, adding new vehicles, maps, and features. This ongoing support keeps the community engaged and the gameplay experience evolving2.Free-to-Play Model: War Thunder Mobile is free to play, making it accessible to a wide audience. While there are in-game purchases available, players can enjoy the game and progress without spending real money.

[universestreasures]

Mirei and Tomari Original Series Verse Details!

Much like in her main verse, Mirei is the heiress to the Minae family and the leader of Team Daybreak. However, unlike in her home universe, Team Daybreak’s origins are different. Daybreak itself is a chain of different card shops, which have been slowly gaining more locations and influence over the years as they’ve bought out failing business or started new ones from scratch. The entire thing started as a passion project for Mirei after the supposed ‘death’ of her older brother, who loved Vanguard as much as she did and was the closest person to her in the entire world. 

Daybreak was meant to honor Nadatsugu, and be a way Mirei could make him proud by spreading the game the two used as a way for them to battle on equal ground and escape from the harsh troubles of a strict and sheltered life. His ‘death’ impacted her hard, and she uses the Daybreak project as a way to not only once again escape the troubles of being heiress, but also in a way try to connect to him. 

Similar to Asteroid/Foo Fighter, Daybreak has several different teams from it’s various different card shops that compete at regional and national tournaments, with Team Daybreak lead by Mirei being their main flagship. One might say that along with Team Caesar and Team Q4, Team Daybreak are some of their main adversaries. 

Mirei uses a Kagero deck, focused on her main unit Sealed Blazed Maiden, Bavsargra, who in this universe is a card that is apart of the Seal Dragon archetype. She uses stickers to differentiate which cards she is holding, while having Haruka often act as her support during Cardfights.

Much like in her main verse, Tomari is a police officer by day and a passionate Cardfighter and announcer by night, being a member of Team Blackout. In this universe, Blackout is most similar to the group of underground Cardfighters led by Jin (who probably they butt heads with a lot thanks to Tomari’s day job), but they don’t cheat at the rules or commit illegal acts. No, they are simply a group of unique individuals who come together on the evenings to play Vanguard in a broken down amusement park named Wonder Hill. They are lead by Danji Momoyama, a well-known rouge player and user of Spike Brothers. 

Team Blackout members do not choose to compete in national or regional tournaments, making them mysterious players who are only talked about in the most obscure of circles. They don’t have a Cardshop for one thing to represent them, but they also prefer to just do things their own way. They get enough competition between themselves or from strong Cardfighers who seek to face strong unranked players.

Tomari herself uses the Dimension Police, specifically the Aurora Battle Princess archetype who in this universe ‘imprison’ cards in the sense of binding them through the skills directly and at the start of the opponents turn, they can pay a certain cost to get those units back from the bind zone or leave them bound for good. Her main card is still Aurora Battle Princess, Seraph Snow. 

[sublimeobservationarcade]

China Has Achieved An Economic Miracle

China has achieved an economic miracle by being one of the few developing countries to shift its status up and into a world superpower. A billion people have together created a modern economy in record time. Only a handful of nations have made the jump to developed economy from developing status in recent times and they are Singapore, Taiwan, and Korea. According to Professor Richard Werner none of the developing nations primarily being helped by the IMF or the World Bank have made this transition. Why is that? Why has the West and the US in particular been so unsuccessful in their efforts to facilitate such economic progress, despite their wealth? In his estimation, as an international economist, it is because the help these financial entities offer is largely exploitative. Bankers just want to make money, it is in their DNA, and they come from investment banks and their associates are still tied to these banks and corporations. Miners and engineering firms are in it for their own profitability above all other considerations when operating in third world places. There are, also, disagreements around economic policy, as there always are in economics. “For example, in the Asian crisis of 1997, many countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand were required by IMF to pursue tight monetary policy (higher interest rates) and tight fiscal policy to reduce the budget deficit and strengthen exchange rates. However, these policies caused a minor slowdown to turn into a serious recession with very high levels of unemployment.” (https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/glossary/imf-criticism/)

The Economic Battle Between China & America

America’s attitude toward China in 2023 is aggressively competitive and geopolitically toxic. It is as if they invited China to play in the game they call global economics and were soundly beaten at it, and now are crying cheat and bully to the world at large. Accusing China of massive amounts of cyber espionage and stealing IP from American business. Beating the drums of war and pointing accusatory fingers at Chinese aggression toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea. China is a communist nation and I don’t think they ever tried to hide this. There are constant campaigns directed at drawing attention to human rights abuses by the CCP of its citizens. There is no denying that these things do go on and it would be better if they ceased. However, China is not alone on this score. “We see this over and over again. U.S. analysts and policymakers reiterate the “upward trend of unhelpful and coercive and irresponsible Chinese actions in the South China Sea” and their threat to Southeast Asia’s maritime interests. And Chinese analysts and policymakers underscore to Southeast Asian counterparts the dangers associated with the so-called U.S. “Cold War” provocations and destabilizing economic policies. This suggests that U.S.-China tensions are leading to growing pressure on Southeast Asian states to make a choice between two critical relationships.  “ (https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/09/southeast-asia-us-china-competition-more-two-player-game)   

Human Rights Abuses Begin At Home What is that saying about people who live in glass houses should not throw stones! If you are a Native American or African American you may have a few things to say about human rights abuses in your own neck of the woods. The land of the free is OK if you are a white man, preferably an Anglo Saxon. Similarly, if you are an Indigenous person in Australia you may not consider your own plight to be so hunky dory. White men like to talk about the world as if they alone own it. The financial systems in our Western nations are set up by these chaps and are designed to favour them. White supremacists in the US have found their orange Jesus and are looking forward to another chapter of favoured status in 2025 and beyond.

American Climate Change Denial Mark Blyth, another impressively intelligent economist from Brown University, talks about the problem child America has become. Blyth identifies the split in the US, as determined by the carbon dependent economies in the red states vs the blue states. The global warming denial so prevalent within the GOP is a manifestation of the current economic reality for these red states. The supposed ideological opposition to the green transition is driven by the concerns of fossil fuel industries and their investors/employees. The populist Trump is their climate change denying champion. Blyth predicts that Trump will win the next presidential election and put the global energy transition back a decade. Trump’s isolationist policies will feed Putin’s ‘sphere of influence’ aspirations for a new world order, according to Blyth.

China Investing More In Green Transition Meanwhile China is investing far more in the green energy transition than most other developed economies. China has pumped more into offshore wind than any other nation in the last 5 years. China virtually owns the EV market. “China once again topped the world in clean energy investments last year, a trend that could challenge U.S. efforts to develop more homegrown manufacturing. Nearly half of the world's low-carbon spending took place in China, according to a recent analysis from market research firm BloombergNEF. The country spent $546 billion in 2022 on investments that included solar and wind energy, electric vehicles and batteries. That is nearly four times the amount of U.S. investments, which totaled $141 billion. The European Union was second to China with $180 billion in clean energy investments. China also dominated in low-carbon manufacturing, accounting for more than 90 percent of the $79 billion invested in that sector last year, according to the report.” Remind me who is the bad guy again! https://youtu.be/DEeZTB4J67k In Australia, the conservative Coalition LNP are in opposition, and their leaders are jumping up and down about the threat China poses. Senator James Paterson and Peter Dutton are both yellow peril tragics. However, with the looming presence of Trump hanging over our major ally it would be wise to remember the complexity inherent within the real world. China is invested in decarbonisation for its own national interests. Global warming will devastate large parts of China. Biden has been rectifying American tardiness in the green energy investment stakes. Economically, the US is travelling pretty well right now, as it comes out of the high inflationary period. Predictions of economic recessions are still rife but we are not there yet. The seemingly irrational nature of domestic politics in America makes the future uncertain for us all.

Dumb, Disinterested, & Easily Misinformed The majority of voters all around the planet are not savvy when it comes to global economics and the future of the planet. They vote emotively and this is purposely stirred up by political strategists via their negative campaigning. The other guy in the race is always worse and polarisation is the name of the game. American GOP politicians point the finger at minorities and claim the lefties are under the control of special interest groups. Welfare is seen as a socialist plot. In Australia, a recent referendum to recognise Indigenous people in the constitution was defeated via campaigning rich in misinformation and negativity. Why should these generationally economically disadvantaged people get special treatment? Billions have been wasted on spending on Aboriginal Affairs! Ignorance and low levels of voter educational standards made the job of sowing doubt too easy. “On the 14th of October 2023, Australians voted on a proposal ‘To alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.’ Only 39.9 per cent of legal votes were in favour of this change, and there was not a majority or close to a majority in any of the six Australian States (there was a majority, however, in the Australian Capital Territory). In order to support an informed discussion about the referendum and its aftermath, the Australian National University collected a detailed survey immediately following the referendum (the October 2023 Australian Constitutional Referendum Study (ACRS)/ANUpoll) from a broadly representative sample of over 4,000 adult Australians. The survey data is available from the Australian Data Archive (doi:10.26193/13NPGQ). There is no evidence in the data to suggest that Australians are against the idea of constitutional recognition in general. Of those who were willing to give an opinion as to what their vote would have been if the referendum was just about recognition those who would vote yes outnumber those who would vote no by a margin of almost five-to-one. The vote also did not signal a lack of support for reconciliation, for the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders having a voice/say in matters that affect them, truth-telling processes, or for a lack of pride in First Nations cultures. All of these notions were supported in our survey by around eight-in-ten Australians, or even more. We did find, however, that compared to start of the year, Australians are far less satisfied with democracy, less confident in the government, less satisfied with the direction of the country, and less satisfied with their own life. Our survey data tells us a few things about who was more or less likely to vote yes. No voters were more likely to be male, older, speaking a language other than English at home, with low levels of education, living outside of capital cities, and living in low-income households. Furthermore, a higher proportion of people who didn’t end up voting said that they would have voted yes when asked in August, implying that low turnout suppressed the yes vote. There were also a number of attitudinal variables that predicted a no vote. Trust in social media, disliking the Prime Minister, thinking that land rights/native title unfair, and thinking that if Indigenous Australians tried harder they could be just as well off as the non-Indigenous population were all associated with voting no in the referendum. Those Australians who were left-of-centre, those who disliked the Opposition Leader, those who trusted the federal government, those who thought that Indigenous people deserve special cultural protection, those that supported reconciliation, and those that thought that land rights/native title had not gone far enough were all more likely to vote yes.” (https://csrm.cass.anu.edu.au/research/publications/detailed-analysis-2023-voice-parliament-referendum-and-related-social-and)

The China vs America Race Needs To Be Re-Assessed China has achieved an economic miracle and it would be useful for all of us to take a breath and step back. Look at the self-interest of the US in the global economy and geopolitically. This is not a case of saints and sinners. It is a far more nuanced situation. The ideological stupidity exposed during the Covid pandemic in America is cause for serious reflection. Nearly a million Americans died in one of the wealthiest nations on earth. Science was disputed for political reasons. Mask wearing during an air borne viral pandemic was made out to be contentious. President Trump behaved like the incompetent fool he is. Narcissists are not the kind of person you want running the country during times of real crisis. The consequences of global warming are likely to be far, far worse for much longer than the pandemic. Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt, and Financial Freedom.  ©WordsForWeb Read the full article