#Legion Of Merit

[kimgmac63]

Jeremy at the Granada party for the 10 years of Sherlock Holmes. Jeremy was asked he would accept the Legion d’honneur (is the highest French order of merit) for his portrayal of Sherlock. Jeremy gladly accepted. Jeremy was in hospital up to this point but he made it to the party.

[mydaddywiki]

Joseph Daul

Physique: Husky Build

Height: 5' 5"

Joseph Alexander Daul (born 13 April 1947) is a French politician who served as President of the European People's Party (EPP) from 2013 to 2019. He previously served as Leader of the EPP Group in the European Parliament from 2007 to 2014 and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from France from 1999 until 2014. He is a member of The Republicans, part of the EPP.

Daul had previously come to prominence as the chairman of the European Parliament's powerful Committee on Agriculture, a position he was elected to on 23 July 2004, and previously, from 2002, as chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen. He has been mayor of Pfettisheim (Bas-Rhin) since 1989, and is an officer of the Agricultural Order of Merit, knight of the National Order of Merit and knight of the Legion of Honour.

Short and cute, I'd vote for him (if I wasn't American) purely on looks. I did see something about being under investigation for misuse of public funds in France, but unless that is somehow going to result in him doing nude photo-shoots and porno's on Older4Me then I don't have much of an opinion. He's a politician… of course he's corrupt.

Anyway, Daul manage his family cattle farm of 75 ha with his wife and, for the last few years, his son, specializing in beef production and the cultivation of sugar beet. In addition to French, he speaks standard German and Alsatian, the Alemannic variety of German spoken in his native Alsace. I can offer nothing else about him, other than I want to fuck him. But you've probably guess that already.

[friendlyneighborhoodsynthezoid]

Plan 66

There were plenty of disadvantages to being experimental commandos, Hunter remarked to himself as the squad staggered towards their barracks, but there were upsides here and there. For instance, after a typically torturous day of training, testing, and reg torment, they were making their way towards their own private room- far from the prying eyes and muttered comments of regs and kaminoans alike. Granted, they were returning to said barracks in various states of exhaustion, many hours after late-meal, because maybe those disadvantages were just a bit more substantial. 

The door to the barracks slid open and the 99s swiftly scattered to various corners of the room. Hunter paused for a moment in the doorway, savouring the feeling of safety. His squad was here, together, and for now he could keep them all in his sight and away from danger. 

Hunter sat on his bunk and began readjusting his senses to the Kamino rain outside and the permanently unfortunate smell of the 99s’ barracks. His brothers were doing similar activities to declare to the world that they were done for the day- Wrecker began rummaging through the plentiful supply of snacks they absolutely weren’t supposed to keep in their room, Tech left his datapad on his rack and beelined it for the refresher before anyone else could claim the first sonic, and Crosshair collapsed face-first on his bunk and buried his head under a pillow without even pausing to remove his training armour. 

A few minutes passed in blessed peace. Wrecker began hoisting heavy objects over his head, Hunter began sorting through command training assignments he was expected to have done several months ago, and Tech emerged from the sonic and reclaimed his data pad. Hunter absentmindedly watched his brother coast through unknown reaches of the holonet that gave Tech his infinite wisdom. As he watched, Tech’s darting eyes stopped flitting behind their goggles and he sat down suddenly. “This is… not ideal.” He said, voice shaking very slightly. “Hunter? I-“

Crosshair’s voice emanated from his bunk, “I swear, if those bastards spring another of their ‘surprise assessments’ on us, Kamino will burn.”

“No, it is not-“ Tech cut himself off with a harsh exhale and simply turned his datapad around, the illuminated screen casting eerie light across the floor. Hunter edged forewarned and read off the screen: OFFICIAL G.A.R. REPORT FROM UMBARAN FRONT- FRIENDLY FIRE CASUALTY NUMBERS RISING

Hunter would have read more, but Tech turned the screen back around and pressed the datapad to his chest. “I read it,” Tech said, “it is a disturbing incident that merits immediate discussion.”

Hunter called over their other two brothers and they waited in tense silence for Tech to explain. “I have compiled an explanation from various official and unofficial sources,” Tech began. “From my understanding, the 501st and 212th legions suffered significant losses in a friendly fire incident arranged by their Jedi general.

“A Jedi did this?!” Wrecker gasped, “I thought they were in our side!”

“Indeed,” Tech said, “a Besalisk Jedi Master by the name of Pong Krell, who seemingly planned to leave the Jedi order and offer his services to the Separatists. 

The regs apprehended him, losing more men in the effort. He was executed on Umbara.”

“Who did it?” Hunter asked in morbid fascination. “Wouldn’t killing a Jedi be a death sentence for a clone? Did the 501st lose their commander? Was it… Cody?”

 “It would seem he was killed by CT-6922, otherwise known as Dogma. I have been unable to locate Dogma in any subsequent reports or communications. Furthermore, his number has been deleted from the Kaminoan database.”

“He killed a traitor,” Cosshair muttered, glaring at nothing, “and they made him disappear.”

 “So it would appear.” Tech put aside his datapad and levelled a serious stare at his brothers. Hunter felt Tech’s eyes catch his and hold his gaze. “I am reluctant to accept that all the Jedi will turn on their soldiers so easily. However, it is now a proven possibility. As such, it seems prudent to be prepared in case we are ever in the presence of a Jedi who wishes us harm.”

The squad exchanged glances. Wrecker was the first to break the silence. “But… will we even be working with Jedi? The regs have generals, but we’ll be on our own once we graduate, won’t we? We only really report to Cody.”

Hunter sighed. Time to be the sergent, he supposed. “It doesn’t hurt to be prepared, I guess. Cody’s got a Jedi. We can’t avoid them completely.”

Tech nodded once and set his datapad on his lap, hands poised to type. “Precisely. As such, we need a plan. Just in case.”

They nodded along grimly and echoed him, “just in case.”

___________________

The discussion took hours. Jedi, it turns out, were not very easy to kill. But the Bad Batch weren’t the Bad Batch for nothing. As such, many scrapped ideas, shouting matches, and some very unhappy consciences later, they had a plan. It wasn’t perfect and it certainly wasn’t pretty, but it was enough. Eventually, Tech finished typing. “Well,” he sighed, “I suppose that is that. Now it needs a name. The next available numerical designation is fifty-t-“ 

“Sixty-Six,” Crosshair interrupted unexpectedly. Throughout the entire discussion, he had been very quiet, providing ideas when required, but largely just observing as the plan came together. Yet every time they flagged, every time Hunter threw his hands up in despair and declared it was futile, he was there. He’d set a hand on Hunter’s shoulder and meet his gaze with a look that said far better than Crosshair himself ever could that he needed to stay strong for the sake of the squad.

That look was no where to be seen, now. In its place was an oddly dark, thousand-yard stare that put his brother uncomfortably in mind of a corpse. “It’s got to be Plan Sixty-Six.”

Tech, puzzled, tried to argue that “It does not makes sense to skip the preceding numbers for this one in particular,” but then Wrecker spoke up:

“No, he’s right. It’s gotta be that. It just feels… right”

Hunter found himself nodding along. For some reason, as soon as Crosshair said it, there was no alternative. Even Tech conceded the point, muttering some rationalization involving multiples of eleven.

In the dark, mind still spinning with the news of Umbara and the newly minted “plan 66”, Hunter was struck by the creeping feeling that they had just taken once step closer to something terrible. Something inescapable. 

Something horribly, world-shakingly, inevitable.

[eddy25960]

Self-portrait 1896

Konstanty Gorski (Górski) (Polish painter) 1868-1934

Oil on canvas

Private Collection

Konstanty Górski (also known as Gorski) (born 1868 in Kazimierzów, died 1934 in Warsaw) - Polish painter.

He attended the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture

Konstanty Górski created portraits and caricatures, and rarely used historical and fairy-tale themes. He illustrated books and magazines, among others. Wędrowiec, He was an outstanding organizer of foreign painting exhibitions, for which he was awarded the Legion of Honor and the Cross of Merit awarded in Austria.

[ang3lc]

MILITARY PERSONNEL FILE

NAME: Dawson, Beatrice           

ALIASES: Panther, Dawson, Bea

HOME ADDRESS: [REDACTED]

HEIGHT: 5'5           

BIRTHPLACE: [REDACTED], Georgia, USA

WEIGHT: 141.3 Ibs           

DOB: MAY, 1995 (27Y/O)

BLOOD TYPE: O- (UNI DONOR)         

RANK: Sergeant First Class - Platoon Sergeant EST. 2022

RACE: W            

DATE ENLISTED: OCT. 2012

NEXT OF KIN: N/A

SCHOOLS ATTENDED: Airborne, Ranger, AMWS, AASLT, JOTC, SERE

SKILLS & SPECIALIZATIONS: Fire Support Specialist (MOS 13F), Covert Reconnaissance, Hostage Rescue, Counterterrorism, Weapons Handling, Guerrilla warfare, Helicopters, Negotiation, Combative level 3

NOTES: Accuracy, Stealth, Proficiency in Speed, Works best alone/in small groups, Highly Intelligent, 75TH RANGER REGIMENT, Ranger tab & scroll

AWARDS: Purple Heart, 2 Silver Stars, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Service Cross.

panther mlist

[olderthannetfic]

I feel like that other chart was unintentionally a little misleading once separated from whatever talk or meta I originally prepared it for.

Here's a breakdown of what's going on with category tagging on AO3 currently in March 2024.

The majority of works are tagged with just one tag, but that doesn't mean multi-category works hit every type of content exactly equally. The bar chart shows what percentage of works with a given category tag are tagged only with that category.

As we'd expect, the 'multi' tag often gets added to a work with other categories. Ditto 'other', though not as strongly. Presumably, there are some tentacle monsters who obviously merit the tag, while nobody has ever been quite sure what to do with 'Multi'. (It was kind of a holdover from ancient archives that made a big deal of works with a m/m and a f/m ship. Personally, I use it for my legions of m/m/f ships.)

F/F isn't in that much of a worse boat than the other big categories, but it does objectively get cross-tagged more than F/M or M/M. Combine this fact with the lower absolute numbers of F/F, I think it strongly contributes to the feeling of "Grr, I came here for my femslash, and it was a background ship that showed up for literally one line!"

The red pie chart is comparing total numbers, but it's perhaps misleading because it's going to add up to more works than are actually on AO3.

Works with no category tags are harder to find totals for, and a lot of AO3 stats leave them out, which can also be misleading if you're trying to say X% of AO3 is M/M and you use a total work count that includes the unlabeled ones. I've been guilty of this plenty of times.

Anyway, just some thoughts on how your charts can mislead even when you were trying to be clear.

[tiaramania]

do you know anything about the red ribbon victoria and sofia are wearing at the state visit?

I think it's the ribbon and badge for the Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor. Prince Daniel and Prince Carl Philip are wearing it too. Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf have the Grand Cross (a step higher than the Grand Officer) of the Legion of Honor so they get sashes instead of ribbons.

I really dislike how the French orders don't have a thinner version of the orders for women. I'm kind of iffy about orders anyway, particularly royal family orders. I appreciate the history behind them and sometimes they look very fancy and regal but other times I think they distract from the jewelry and make an outfit look cluttered. I feel the need to duck behind something because I know the royal fandom loves orders.

I'm mean look at Crown Princess Victoria, she's wearing...

the ribbon, badge, and star of the Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor

the sash and badge of the Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit

the star of the Order of the Seraphim

King Carl XVI Gustaf's Royal Family Order

It's just too much.

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 3 July 1988, the United States Navy shot down Iran Air flight 655, a civilian passenger plane with 290 people on board, all of whom were killed. The victims included 66 children, and an entire family of 16 who were on their way to a wedding in Dubai. The incident took place during the war between Iran and Iraq, which was led by Saddam Hussein and backed by the US. It followed a catalogue of errors, including the naval officer in charge of firing the missile aboard the USS Vincennes hitting the wrong key no fewer than 23 times before it was eventually fired. The US military then claimed that the Vincennes was rushing to defend a merchant vessel under attack from Iran when an aircraft outside the commercial air corridor was descending in "attack mode" towards the ship – which was false on all three counts. They also tried to claim the ship was in international waters, and naval officials even deleted an Iranian island from the map they showed to Congress. In fact it was in Iranian waters, in clear violation of international law. Meanwhile, the US media backed up the official line, with the New York Times apportioning blame to the pilot, Mohsen Rezaian, and Iran. In the aftermath, officers and crew of the Vincennes were welcomed home and decorated as heroes, receiving combat action ribbons and in one case a Commendation Medal for "heroic achievement" for "quickly and precisely complet[ing] the firing procedure." The Captain was later awarded the Legion of Merit for "exceptionally meritorious conduct as a commanding officer." Donations from the public to construct a monument honouring the USS Vincennes in Indiana also shot up following the incident, and the monument was constructed and dedicated the following year. If you value our social media posts, connect with us directly, independent of social media corporations, by joining our occasional email list: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/pages/sign-up https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=655304546642764&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

[ladynighthaunter]

Kaldor Primus.

Hive Gideon.

The current governor Fibus of the Kaldor system looked over his desk and bit back a sigh, sitting across from him was Cardinal Tyron, religious leader of the sub sector and current pain in his ass.

The Cardinal waved a ring encrusted hand. "Surely you must understand, this world is of great Religious significance to the Imperial creed, I only ask you step aside and let a member of the cloth take charge, fully bring your system back into the Imperial fold."

Fibus hopped his message got out, warning the Primarch of this before answering. "My dear cardinal, my family has held this position since it was entrusted to us by the Primarch herself, this is a chapter world, domain of the Adeptus Astartes, you have very little sway here."

The joviality drained from Tyron's face. "I don't think you understand, this world was blessed by the first saint, such a holy act trumps a hereditary seat or some Primarch no one has seen in ten thousand years, the only Primarch afoot in the galaxy at the moment is the reborn son, he will surely see the logic of making this a shrine world... We will even fold your deviant faith into the Imperial Creed."

The door to the Governors office opens and a towering figure enters, Tryon turns in his seat and looks as if he had swallowed his tongue as Konrad Curze steps in. "What am I hearing?" She hisses, looking at the Cardinal with disgust.

Fibus feels bold with Konrad there. "The Imperial Church is trying to force itself unto your domain my lady."

Konrad stalks up to the desk and looks at Tyron, his fatness, his gaudy jewelry and snears. "This is my world, not the churches, mine." She hisses.

Tyron mops his forehead. "I.. Well, this world is the world of the first saint! It must be turned over to the church! Her remains recovered and sent to Holy Terra for interment."

Konrad's eyes narrow. "How do you know if my wife's body?"

Tyron tried to puff his chest up. "The Ecclesiarch has its agents, you would not dare deny us this."

Her laugh is a dark thing, free of mirth as she stares utter contempt at him. "You would butcher my wife's body, tear it apart to make your so called holy trinkets, I have seen your religion, how it twists and warps the words my wife spoke! I deny you, you claims hold no merit upon my world, my system."

Tyron is now red in the face. "You risk holy war over this! You may be a Primarch but the church is the true power of this Imperium! We will have this world, we will have the first sa-" he is cut off as Konrad hauls him out of his seat, bringing him to her eye level.

"You are all hot air little man, trying to use your weight to bully people, I do not fear you, your armies, I am the Night Haunter, this is my domain, my legi... Chapter will stand against you, we will bleed you, we will cut your feet from you and force you to run in the streets, I am sister of Roboute Guilliman, do you think he will stand for your petty power play?" She dumps him back into his seat. "Get off my world."

Cardinal Tyron adjusts himself and makes for the door. "You have not heard the last if this! We will not be denied!" He shouts as the door slams closed behind him.

Fibus sighs. "Well, that could of gone better... Should we put any merit in his threats my lady?"

Konrad snorts, she had seen visions of a holy war before... Maybe this was the first steps in that path? Tapping her vox, she contacts the Mortuary. "Summon the Contekar, have them guard the Saints tomb.... And a Squad of Rivers are to guard Niel, if any of you see a member of the Imperial faith, engage with extrema predijous."

Now to figure out how the damn church learned of Euphrati.

Deep in the underhive of hive Pious, fresh from stasis, Alpha Legion marines move, their plans unfolding after thousands of years.

[scribe-of-maat]

Ranking DC Pride 2024

8. Phantom Rodeo (Jules Jourdain/Circuit Breaker, Jay Garrick/The Flash)

Dead last because 1 - it's not self-contained. 2 - it has nothing to do with anything Pride related and 3 - it's the return of the complete rando from last time. At least before the incredibly cool couple of Jess/Flash and Andy/Aquawoman featured heavily but no, because of detractor 1 Jay is here instead. Personally, I don't care about Circuit Breaker and I really hope someone else gets their spot next year.

7. "Hello, Spaceboy" (Starman/Mikaal, Komak)

If I knew who either of these characters were, this would probably be a lot higher. But the competition this year is steep so at 8 they go. Komak and the blue-purple warp zone 80s color pallet is REALLY slick. I thought I was familiar-ish with Starman but clearly there are multiple people running around with that name who have nothing to do with the JSA.

6. "Lessons in Astral Projection" (Nia Nal/Dreamer)

I stopped watching the CW shows that weren't about Black Lightning or Batwoman a looong time before Dreamer was intro'd (or after? I know I wasn't watching Flash way before she came along) but I knew of her and thought her powers and connection to the Legion of Superheroes was cool. I didn't like that there was no confrontation with Maeve in the story but it definitely would have gotten in the way of the feel-good affirmation vibe of the story.

5. Spaces

I'm 99% sure I've seen mention of Phil Jimenez across various DC fan spaces, so the only surprises here were that he was LGBT and that they were bringing back the real-person issue-ender like they did Mr. Conroy. It was nice seeing his journey, and it being so well-told is a real plus. No superheroes anywhere in sight though, save Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman.

4. Marasmius (Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy, Janet-from-HR)

Now THIS one was a ride. The opening left me a little rudderless and I'm not the biggest Harlivy fan so I thought I wasn't gonna get much out of this but if there's one thing I can believe, it's that if we had interplanetary travel the 'phobes would preach their nonsense across the galaxy. Ivy being an anti-villain is used to great effect here. No hand-wringing about morals, no reasoning with hate. Just do unto others as they would do unto. VERY cathartic.

3. Bros Down In A-Town (Jon Kent/Superman, Jay Nakamura, Ray Terrill/The Ray, Miguel Barragan/Bunker)

This one 3rd because I relate heavy to feeling weird about being openly LGBT out and about in public. I thought it was a surprising feeling that doesn't get touched on a whole lot because people generally don't like to see that type of real queer struggle being depicted in media that's supposed to be heavy on escapism. This artstyle though. I follow the artist on twitter because it fascinates me how one person's character can bleed through so transparently in the way they draw.

2. The Rivers and the Lakes that You're Used To (Jackson Hyde/Aquaman, Ha'Wea, Orion)

My bias for Jackson Hyde is showing but this story was also incredibly cool on its own merits. Orion being stone-facedly het for half of it was a choice but my boys showed up and officially got together - which I was surprised to learn hadn't happened long before now - so of course it shot up further in the rankings than it otherwise may have. Him saying he feels like himself when he's around his boyfriend is just *chef's kiss*.

1, Steeling Time (Natasha Irons/Steel, Traci Thirteen/Traci 13, John Constantine, Xanthe Zhou)

Natasha and Traci's appearances were the only things about this I got spoiled on, but after reading this they've instantly shot up to join Jackson and Ha'Wea in my pantheon on ships. I do like how it showed the steps to reconciliation and they were both still clearly open to the idea of rekindling things eventually. But this artstyle makes me want to see a webtoon of these two YESTERDAY.

[stolenres-if]

Did any of the legion members know about N’s alleged feelings for MC?

It leaned more toward an open secret. Since they're celebrities as well there were a lot of tabloids and gossip rags that hinted at it. Cath did a lot of appearances on their own due to their elevated status within the group so Rea and Ray were put together often and N and MC were paired up to do gigs/appearances/keynotes and so of course people would create a story.

Cath brushed it off ofc since it didn't bother them and they didn't think twice about it. Everyone else secretly wondered if the rumors had any merit.

N would play it off as a joke but N joked that they'd want to sleep with everyone in Legion because they're a playboy/girl like that so no one really took it seriously. Guess that helped them lol

[captain29thegamer]

So let's talk Stella. I know that a lot of people are dissatisfied that she seems to be a surface level villain, but I don't expect that to last. I know that Vivzipop has said in an interview that we will get backstory from her, and that she has her own perspective and 'many people have guessed some of it that she didn't choose the marriage either', given this, I have some speculation. This is long, but hey, just scroll by if you don't like that! :D

Let's get it out the gate. Stella is not the smartest chick in the nest. She's petty, mean spirited, and self-centered. I don't think too many people would argue that. She's a narcissist and not a good person.

However, people are not just born evil. Not even Stolas grew up immune to picking up bad habits from the Goetia, even if he is overall good natured.

I think it's very likely that all she was expected to be was a 'pretty face' and an egg factory. Andrelphus can only say that she's lucky she's hot. He can literally come up with nothing else. To him, it's her one redeeming feature and that's rather telling.

A lot of people interpret this as being incest-based, but for someone like Andrelphus all he thinks of with people is how they're 'useful' to him. Her being attractive is something he can 'use' so him saying 'you're so lucky you are hot' implies that if she wasn't hot, she'd be completely useless to him and he'd just get rid of her.

It would not surprise me since her divorce is final that he tries to pawn her off to another Goetia to start trying to find ways to siphon power off of her new husband. Sort of a 'black widow' situation. Keep talking about how hot she is in front of the other goetia and try to get the attention of a new potential husband that wants to see this beauty he can't stop talking about. :/

It could also be that noble born women aren't educated the same way that male nobles are for the most part. Andrelphus is only a Marquis, so that means that Stella wasn't a princess until she married Stolas. She may have been raised rather spoiled, but also not nurtured. Nothing was expected her competency wise, so as soon as she was set up with Stolas they may have been "Well, that's all set, she'll be married off and produce that heir so now we don't have to put more energy into raising her."

She didn't get that engagement to Stolas out of her own merit, it was most likely transactional between the two families. Basically she spent her time being spoiled and raised to value things over people and her own indulgences rather than what was best for anyone else, she grew up in money and it corrupted her. The rich kid that lived off of Daddy's credit card with no limit and did what they liked without ever having to ask.

At the same time she could have still very much resented this because she wasn't stimulated or nurtured. I don't expect a full on redemption arc for Stella, but I do think she may wind up learning that while 'That filthy beast was just using him to gain access to his grimoire' as she put it in Mastermind, Andrelphus is only using her to gain access to Stolas' and anyone else's power he can access because he's got a hot sister he can toss at people and entrap them with.

Maybe at some point he will decide she's not useful anymore and when their plot is exposed he will throw Stella under the bus. "It was Stella who hired the assassin! I just learned about it and I am so devastated!" I really fully expect that to happen to some degree. When things are no longer going his way and she's a full hinderance instead of a potential advantage he will break ties with her and leave her very lost.

In this way, Stella would have another parallel to Stolas where he was previously being used by Blitz for the Grimoire, Stella was used by Andrelphus for any power he could get through her marriage. Let's face it, Stella isn't gaining ANYTHING by Andrelphus being given Stolas' legions, just the satisfaction of seeing her ex-husband who embarassed her suffer, which may be enough for her, she's rich already, she probably couldn't care less about the legions, the last thing she wants is responsibility.

She's happy just doing whatever she wants and being rich, another reason she wasn't upset about getting 'nothing' in the divorce from Stolas if he died. He angered her and his death would be enough to satisfy her because she wasn't wanting for anything else.

Right now Stella is useful to Andrelphus because of her family tie to Octavia, and given that Stolas messed up HARD by throwing himself under the bus for Blitz and then asking about Octavia as an afterthought after he didn't die from it. It's just another nail in the coffin where he showed he wasn't thinking of her before he acted.

Stella is now at least 'pretending' to care that she's hurting, so Octavia's vulnerable to it and grasping for some stability, and it's absolutely scummy that they're twisting her emotions like that. I think Stella certainly wasn't raised with any empathy, and that's not entirely her fault, but how do you all think she was raised to turn into the Stella we see on screen?

[the-cryptographer]

Finished Mass Effect 2 as well.

This game did get me a bit more invested in the worldbuilding. Idk, I think it retains a lot of the basic jarring gender existentialist issues that were in ME1, but I admit the like... emotional resonance of a lot of the ambient dialogue on Illium and Tuchanka - the conversation with Aethyta - made it come together in a way that felt harder to dismiss.

I think the same goes with the Quarians. idk, in the context of dragon age you can still see the sort of anti-nomadic and anti-indigenous settler-colonialist sentiments come through in the dialogue about whether Tali needs to regain the homeworld or move on. But the extra levels of sci-fi, the fact that the Quarians are the creators of the Geth, really do sort of distance it from real life in a way I feel more inclined to engage solely on the merits of the text. And it really helps that the Tali loyalty mission was so standout. The way she defends her perspectives to you. The way the game rewards you ultimately not for taking the right side on the political conflicts of a culture you are not a part of, but for showing up to support and protect Tali and respect her wishes about her dad while she is under scrutiny by her own people. It was very emotional - honestly everything I wish we had gotten from the Merrill character quests in DA2 - and it gave me a pretty clear picture for why she is the favoured romance for the more straight dude part of the fandom.

Am super excited to replay her character quest with Legion as part of it too. idk, love that funky little geth dude.

I did come around on Miranda, even before she tells the Illusive Man to go to hell in the final quest. Idk, she didn't become less objectionable on a personal level exactly, but she does gain depth and did ultimately make me appreciate her part in the story.

Yeah, really glad I installed the Jack romance mod to restore the cut content with fshep. Was worried I was jumping the gun thinking she'd be the character I went feral over but, nah, I was exactly right. Truly she is like Fenris and Sera had a horrible horrible child with all his angst and all her emotional volatility and I love love love her so much. I admit her romance is def the like creepy da2 lis and zevran brand of trying to tongue someone whose agency is undermined by having nowhere else to go after repeated exploitation, but something something what were you doing at the devil's sacrament? At least you don't shove her into a wall directly after she has a ptsd episode and assume that's consent.

idk, for things i disliked: the da2 style dialogue wheel of saying shit I never would have predicted really continues and is tbh worse because exhausting the questions on the left side of the dialogue wheel sometimes results in shep making wildly contradictory points that are really not compatible with one another at all. idk, i was basically reloading every major conversation twice trying to find the options that actually seemed to come together into the character I was actually trying to roleplay.

more than one loyalty mission fell apart for me on the sudden moralising about who is okay to let your friends kill after an entire mission of gunning down hundreds of people. idk, i have individual opinions about how safe it is to let some of those fuckers keep running around with their heads attached vs others, and also opinions on who it is mentally healthy for the companions to act out their murder impulses on, but these two opinions do not always match and in almost all cases shep is so high handedly moralising about it I want to slug them.

ammo management in this game kept being a huge pain in the ass. there was absolutely no rhyme or reason I could tell between missions that overloaded me with so much extra available ammo that I was drowning in it, vs missions that were so stingy with it I was almost out of rounds on my third non-preferred weapon by the end of it.

[usafphantom2]

Colonel Bud Anderson (1942-1972) was the last living triple ace of WW2, until he passed in May of this year…..What a legend 🇺🇸

- 5 Distinguished Flying Crosses

- 2 Legions of Merit 🥇

- 16 Air Medals ✈️

-Bronze Star 🎖️

@JasonRBurt via X

[gnostichymns]

And so begins winter, in impenetrable cold and the early retreat of the sun. Slowly the world turns to grey and white, as solar systems descend back into the first season of their eternal cycle. Perhaps it's time to follow the birds someplace through spacetime where it's still summer...

The not so nice part about any big festivities is that the day after, the place looks like a war zone. And such is the case for Fontaine as well right now. There’s pieces of props, bits of fabric and trash all over the street, Mr. Arouet from Café Lutece is bedridden due to exhaustion today, and worst of all… There seem to be some strange monsters prowling outside of the city walls. They do not look native to Teyvat, they do not even resemble Abyss monsters; visitors from beyond the firmament, however, may recognize the minions of the Antimatter Legion. It’s imperative that whatever still remains of their forces is hunted down and finished off.

Liyue’s famous Pearl Galley invites everyone on board for a true treat for ears and minds: a storytelling contest! In the finest company, to the smell and taste of the highest quality snacks and tea, you may choose the category you like best. A traditional folktale? A comedy? A ghost story? There’s even an amateur class competition if you’d like to try to tell a tale or two yourself! And remember to bring a friend along so that you can engage in a refined discussion of the story’s merits afterwards. It’s only proper.

One would think that Inazuma has seen enough disaster recently to last them another couple centuries, and yet. News arrives that all feared and no one wanted: the Tatarigami is spreading anew on Yashiori Island, threatening whatever souls still remain there, as well as the neighborhood areas. The wards there had been inspected just recently and were in perfect condition… Could this be the result of foul play? Whatever the case may be, this cannot be investigated by just anyone. The Shogunate is urgently seeking Vision wielders and other individuals with above average resistance to the Tatarigami’s influence to help find out what happened and restore stability.

Though the tradition and legacy of the Four Winds has been largely forgotten by Mondstadt’s general populace for centuries now, there have always been individuals, even if singular, who maintain their beliefs firmly and try to preserve whatever is left of these great memories. When a rumor circulates about Abyss Order making their nest anew in the Temples of the Lion and the Falcon, and the Knights of Favonius turn out to be too busy to handle this matter, these devoted people call upon any help they can recruit before whatever is left of the sanctuaries of old is ruined for good.

Liyue’s famed Lantern Rite is just around the corner, and tourists from all across the land have already begun flocking into the Harbor. Of course, with so many naive souls looking forward to the celebrations, less savory individuals will follow. The demand for bodyguards exceeds the abilities of both the Millelith and private parties, and so a recommendation comes for visitors to journey in groups. What better way to meet a new friend than travel together through the beautiful fields and mountains of Rex Lapis’ lands… and maaaybe beat up a few Treasure Hoarders along the way?

Ever since the Shackling Prison break, tensions and anxiety among the Luofu guards have been high, what with their inability to properly stop the borisin put on full display. Among the devoted soldiers, no one cares that their leader was freakin’ Hoolay in the flesh - as far as they’re concerned, they still should have put up more of a fight. Before long, it is decided: a new boot camp and training regiment is in order. Now, all they need is some skilled trainers and instructors who are willing to impart upon them new skills and knowledge, put them to the test and prepare them to face the big bad wolf should there ever come a next time. Of course, your efforts will be properly compensated.

While the recovery of Belobog’s Underworld is going well, the need for help and support after a long period of neglect doesn’t end. The problem is that, well… The years of isolation have left a rift between the Underworlders and the Silvermane Guards that will not be easily patched, and the two sides are constantly bickering, even over matters as simple as road repairs. Whether your style would be to negotiate between the two sides, knock them out to restore peace, or just repair that road yourself… Some help would be great.

A great brand will inevitably have its cheap knock-offs, trying to grab a piece of the pie - or at least a few crumbs - for themselves. Such is the case for SoulGlad, which now faces a rival, SoulJoy, entering the Penaconian market in reality and dream alike. It turns out that, for a knock-off, it’s actually pretty good, and so factions form both in favor and against it - and before long, the Planet of Festivities is plunged into chaos. Many refuse to so much as acknowledge SoulJoy’s existence, reminding everyone of the long tradition of SoulGlad in Penacony and everything good it has done for it, while others claim this to be a matter of blind nostalgia and unwillingness to accept anything new for the sake of honoring the old times. Where do you stand, traveler from afar? Will you support the new rising star, or prevent it from basking in the light stolen from another?

The reality of work at the Herta Space Station is that the researchers, who hail from all across the universe, rarely ever have an opportunity to visit home and celebrate whatever festivities their nations traditionally enjoy. Hardly surprising that some of them become a little homesick. A group decides soon to put together a faire, where they can share elements of their culture while learning about the beauty of others. Guests who wish to broaden their horizons, or perhaps even share their own, are of course more than welcome!

Though Belobog was a far cry from defrosting, expeditions out of the city are easier to execute on. One such expedition resulted in a rather… odd specimen. A strange creature, with a segmented trunk for a nose and gnarled tusks. Faint hues of pink radiate from inside, with faded pink markings decorating what would just be white and dark purple skin. Despite its massive size, there are no previous records of creatures like this on Belobog, and a signal has been put out, requesting any further information on this strangely alien beast and how it may have gotten here.

[cameoamalthea]

Dumb Post about Senator Mark Kelly

Usually I make Dumb Posts about animals, BUT Election 2024 is important and Harris is going to pick her VP soon so I want you to know about Mark Kelly.

The coolest, most meme-worthy politician ever, through shear awesomeness

Mark Kelly is the result of a cloning project to create the coolest VP candidate ever

Ok - that's not true, he's just an identical twin whose brother is also an astronaut (and yes, he's an astronaut, but that's not all)

SCIENTIST, PILOT, WAR HERO

He received a Bachelor of Science in marine engineering and nautical science from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, graduating with highest honors in 1986. In 1994, he received a Master of Science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

As a Navy Aviator he flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm.

Kelly has received two Defense Superior Service Medals; one Legion of Merit; two Distinguished Flying Crosses; four Air Medals (two individual/two strike flight) with Combat "V"; two Navy Commendation Medals, (one with combat "V"); one Navy Achievement Medal; two Southwest Asia Service Medals; one Navy Expeditionary Medal; two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons; a NASA Distinguished Service Medal; and an Overseas Service Ribbon.

Distinguished Flying Crosses are a BIG DEAL. You pretty much only get those for doing something's that’s worth making into a movie scene and he has TWO!

ASTRONAUT

Mark Kelly has logged over 54 days in space.

His Twin brother spent a YEAR IN SPACE (that's his brother on the cover - probably - but you get the idea that he also looked cool as an astronaut - and if you're wondering why he wasn't in space for a year, I'll get to that but the cool thing is cause he was retired while his brother was in space for a year he was the control in a twin study on the effects of being in space for a year)

That's probably also his brother, it's hard to google pictures when you have two identical twin brothers in space.

That's also Mark's twin brother Scott, because Mark smuggled a whole ass Gorilla Costume onto the International Space Station so his brother could go on a Gorilla rampage as a prank.

OK here he is

That's Mark Kelly!

My point is he's an astronaut, he's been to space, and the reason he left all that behind will bring you to tears and make you love him.

He's Mr. Gabby Giffords

Gabby Giffords served as a Congresswoman from Tucson, Arizona. When Giffords was sworn in on January 3, 2007, she was the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to serve in the U.S. Congress and was a Democrat elected in a very Republican district.

When I met her she was very Mom Shaped. She took care of the community and cared about her constituents. To the point that she would fly to Arizona from Washington DC to do events where she would just be out on a street corner where you could go talk to her.

On January 8, 2011, at a “Congress On Your Corner” constituent event in Tucson, Gabby was shot in the head by a gunman who killed six people and injured 12 others. 

At the time Mark Kelly was Cammander of the STS-134 he penultimate mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the 25th and last spaceflight of Space Shuttle Endeavour.

He stayed by his Wife's side for a month, when it was clear she was making progress in her recovery he announced on February 4, 2011, that he would remain commander of the mission. This would be his final mission.

He sent a love song to his wife from the International Space Station in the form of dedicating a song:

On June 21, 2011, Kelly announced that he would leave NASA's astronaut corps and the U.S. Navy effective October 1, to be with his wife and support her through her recovery:

Kelly became an outspoken advocate for gun control following the attempted assassination of his wife.

Still he dreamed of returning to space and worked out to keep his body mission ready.

"Kelly eventually compares everything to his time with NASA. As commander, he managed a small team of astronauts and worked within a sprawling bureaucracy. Every day pointed toward the same goal. There were checkpoints and to-do lists. The mission offered a clear dividing line between success and failure.

“It’s a very well-defined criteria of success,” Kelly said"

In 2020 he began a new mission serving as Senator for Arizona. A Moderate, he won twice in a swing state and would like draw some Republican voters who don't love Donald Trump over to the Harris ticket, should she choose him as VP.