#National Pictures Corp.

[thebutcher-5]

Gli invasori spaziali

Benvenuti o bentornati sul nostro blog. Nello scorso articolo siamo tornati a parlare di film in live-action ma senza spostarci dalla fantascienza, prendendo in esame un’opera di Steven Spielberg degli anni ’70 che ha fatto la storia del cinema ossia Incontri ravvicinati del terzo tipo. Nel mondo iniziano ad avvenire strani fenomeni, come la comparsa di veicoli creduti scomparsi da anni, delle���

[reasonsforhope]

"For years, California was slated to undertake the world’s largest dam removal project in order to free the Klamath River to flow as it had done for thousands of years.

Now, as the project nears completion, imagery is percolating out of Klamath showing the waterway’s dramatic transformation, and they are breathtaking to behold.

Pictured: Klamath River flows freely, after Copco-2 dam was removed in California.

Incredibly, the project has been nearly completed on schedule and under budget, and recently concluded with the removal of two dams, Iron Gate and Copco 1. Small “cofferdams” which helped divert water for the main dams’ construction, still need to be removed.

The river, along which salmon and trout had migrated and bred for centuries, can flow freely between Lake Ewauna in Klamath Falls, Oregon, to the Pacific Ocean for the first time since the dams were constructed between 1903 and 1962.

“This is a monumental achievement—not just for the Klamath River but for our entire state, nation, and planet,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “By taking down these outdated dams, we are giving salmon and other species a chance to thrive once again, while also restoring an essential lifeline for tribal communities who have long depended on the health of the river.”

“We had a really incredible moment to share with tribes as we watched the final cofferdams be broken,” Ren Brownell, Klamath River Renewal Corp. public information officer, told SFGATE. “So we’ve officially returned the river to its historic channel at all the dam sites. But the work continues.”

Pictured: Iron Gate Dam, before and after.

“The dams that have divided the basin are now gone and the river is free,” Frankie Myers, vice chairman of the Yurok Tribe, said in a tribal news release from late August. “Our sacred duty to our children, our ancestors, and for ourselves, is to take care of the river, and today’s events represent a fulfillment of that obligation.”

The Yurok Tribe has lived along the Klamath River forever, and it was they who led the decades-long campaign to dismantle the dams.

At first the water was turbid, brown, murky, and filled with dead algae—discharges from riverside sediment deposits and reservoir drainage. However, Brownell said the water quality will improve over a short time span as the river normalizes.

“I think in September, we may have some Chinook salmon and steelhead moseying upstream and checking things out for the first time in over 60 years,” said Bob Pagliuco, a marine habitat resource specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in July.

Pictured: JC Boyle Dam, before and after.

“Based on what I’ve seen and what I know these fish can do, I think they will start occupying these habitats immediately. There won’t be any great numbers at first, but within several generations—10 to 15 years—new populations will be established.”

Ironically, a news release from the NOAA states that the simplification of the Klamath River by way of the dams actually made it harder for salmon and steelhead to survive and adapt to climate change.

“When you simplify the habitat as we did with the dams, salmon can’t express the full range of their life-history diversity,” said NOAA Research Fisheries Biologist Tommy Williams.

“The Klamath watershed is very prone to disturbance. The environment throughout the historical range of Pacific salmon and steelhead is very dynamic. We have fires, floods, earthquakes, you name it. These fish not only deal with it well, it’s required for their survival by allowing the expression of the full range of their diversity. It challenges them. Through this, they develop this capacity to deal with environmental changes.”

-via Good News Network, October 9, 2024

[evelynpr]

Genshin Official Relationships and Status

Something to take note off in character relationships is what their "official and known" relationships are. So, I decided to try to make a chart of one with the playable cast and some extras.

This is a draft though. If you have criticisms and comments, absolutely please do leave them because I don't think my interpretations of these government systems are that accurate.

Anyways, here they are! The higher the placement, the higher the authority. Distance does not apply, and the legend is in each of the pictures.

Mondstadt: That's a lotta knights

They can be split between the Church and Knights, but the Church is still under the Grand Master as far as I know.

Power is surprisingly concentrated to 1/2 individuals only for a nation of freedom...Mond you gotta work on that...

Jean, Diluc, Kaeya, and Lisa are arranged the way they are in reference to the Klee summer event where they passed on who was looking after Mond.

Diluc still retains his high position because he has so many high credentials and connections (The Darknight Hero, Mond's richest man, high status in an intelligence network), despite being the Ex-Cavalry Captain.

Rosaria is an official recognized nun, but her vigilante works are by her own accord, hence the colors.

I am not sure whatsoever where Jean and Barbara's father, the Cardinal, should really be placed, or if he even still holds the position.

Poor Noelle does so much more Mond, but is lowest in status...please just make her a knight already T__T

Liyue: Zhongli and his powerful lesbians

I really am not sure if Ningguang is who Liyue's closest "leader", but that is how I felt during most of Liyues events

I'm assuming that the adepti now have a lesser status in Liyue because of the shift in power to the humans during the archon quest

How high Beidou's status is is, completely informal. She's right beside Ningguang because they do find each other to be equal competitors in their own way.

Those directly connected to Zhongli are those I assumed to have taken direct orders from him, hence why Beidou and Keqing are not included although they do respect him as their archon (Keqing in her own way)

I feel like I'm missing people here, compared to Mond, so uh, help me out here-

Inazuma: They just had a civil war...woops

I am reallyyy unsure how to label Sangonomiya island's status. Are they under the shogun? Are they their own separate territory?

Otherwise, Inazuma is pretty straightforward with its 3 factions and families

Sumeru: The whole government was just overthrown

Are there like, genuinely so sages right now, or replacement Grand Sage??? Nahida you need to do something asap-

Scara doesn't exactly have equal status to Alhaitham as Acting Grand Sage, but I felt it was more important to show that Scara is working directly under Nahida

Speaking of which, the title "shadow" is used because it's the same role that Ei served to Makoto, which I find poetic. If there is an official or better title tho, I'd love to hear it.

Hopefully, as time passes, there will be more representatives from the desert with high status. Poor Candace is carrying the desert's status on her back-

Should I have included the Corps of Thirty even if there are no playable characters...?

Fontaine: Fancy Schmancy Titles

I honestly reallyyyy wished that Neuv and Wrio were on equal standing, but in the eyes of Fontaine, that probably just isn't true.

Even so, absolute do not underestimate how important Wrio's role is in Fontaine's justice system, because without the Fortress functioning as it is, so much of Fontaine's justice would fall apart.

Despite Furina's death penalty and retirement, I still believe she deserves the title of archon with the highest status. No matter what happens, she is still Fontaine's idol and savior. (Besides, if she wanted/needed anything, Neuv would give it to her.)

How high Navia, Clorinde, and Chevy's statuses are in relation to each other in reality is...not explicit?

Really, Clorinde is just another employee under Fontaine's justice system, and isn't a head in anyway, while Chevy and Navia are actual leaders. But, Clorinde is the best Champion Duelist, so does that make them cancel out...?

Anyways that's all from me! It's pretty interesting to me just how much of the cast are part of their respective nation's government, which only makes sense given the kind of ruckus the traveler causes. Have a good day!

[grtmnick]

Lena Luthor had never taken a snapshot so quickly or candidly as she'd just done while hustling off the stage after announcing her spontaneous decision to move the newly rebranded L-Corp's headquarters to National City.

Her fingers sped through her phone's menus and in an instant she found herself adding the picture to a newly created contact. Without even intending to, she entered the name, "boyfriend material," and within the phone number field she'd input the word, "imminent."

With the draft contact card saved, she cursed herself under her breath for a relapse of chronic useless bisexuality.

[empirearchives]

Paris Fire Brigade — The fire department of the city of Paris

The Paris Fire Brigade was created by Napoleon on 18 September 1811 after a devastating fire in Paris in 1810. The brigade remains the same firefighting service of Paris to this day.

Illustrations created by Aaron Martinet between 1807 and 1814. Top: Imperial Guard, Engineer Sapper. Bottom: Imperial Guard, Officer of Engineer Sappers. These were the military positions which were transitioned into the fire department.

The deadly fire at the Austrian embassy ball in July 1810, during the festivities for his marriage to Marie Louise, reminded the Emperor of the importance of a well-functioning fire service in the capital.

Despite the courage and dedication of the gardes pompes [firefighters of the old organization], who are sometimes falsely accused of numerous shortcomings, the firefighting service revealed its weaknesses: delays, insufficient and unreliable equipment, poorly trained personnel and incompetent managers. The staff present at the embassy on the day of the tragedy were cleared of all suspicion by an investigation led by the Count of Montalivet. On the other hand, the leaders of the old organization were dismissed, and the corps des gardes pompes was abolished.

After this catastrophe, the Emperor reorganized this public service by creating the first military corps of firefighters, made up of the engineers from the Imperial Guard who were dedicated to defending the imperial chateaux against fire.

At the behest of Emperor Napoleon I, the creation of the Paris fire department [bataillon de sapeurs pompiers de Paris] by imperial decree on 18 September 1811 was an original and innovative step, marking the transition from a civil and municipal organization to a military body. The choice of such an atypical status for a public service echoes the creation, eleven years earlier, of the Paris Police Prefecture, an equally singular legal administrative body.

From its creation, this military corps was placed under the authority of the Paris Police Prefecture, who was responsible for the security of the capital. After a long process, this military status and subordination to a prefect became the logical consequence of the spirit of the decree of 12 messidor year 8.

When the battalion was formed in 1811, the Paris fire department took on a new mission: fighting fires, the importance and development of which they were still unaware of.

Four companies were then created to respond to fires. Relying on a typically military functional triptych (extensive training of men, systematic technological research and implementation of efficient operational procedures), the battalion quickly made its new environment its own, and by the end of the second half of the 19th century, had become a model for the organization of public fire-fighting services and a national, even international reference.

Several fire chiefs succeeded one another until 1814. At that date, command was entrusted to battalion commander Plazanet. He provided the battalion with an instruction manual, made it compulsory for sappers to be stationed in barracks, and introduced gymnastics to train efficient and daring rescuers.

Source: Brigade de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris — Le Bataillon

Picture source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr., (Section: Support Troops)

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

Today I'd like to show all the Thoughts that we encountered in the game, but didn't end up Internalizing. I think that the more you see of these, the more of a complete picture you get of Harry.

GUILLAUME LE MILLION

Temporary research bonus: -1 Logic: Head in the clouds

PROBLEM:

Whatever happened to Guillaume Le Million, who -- with his amber mane and sparkling teeth -- beguiled the tattered remains of the nation? While you suffered and suffered, did he dematerialize in a cloud of cocaine dust? Or did he simply stand in the corner and melt into the slendering *New* lines of some starlit boîte de nuit twenty years ago? Spare a thought for his great ass too! Or wait... maybe he became a police officer in Revachol West! Hmm...

Completion bonuses: +1 Pain Threshold: Blood oxygen is boring All PSY learning caps raised by one

SOLUTION:

Bad news: Guillaume le Million did not become a cop. In '38 he went on a tour to the Hsin-Yao province in Safre, where he died of auto-erotic asphyxiation. His body was found hanging from a decorative dragon tree in his junior suite, amid drug paraphernalia, unwholesome objects, and the Sylvia Trainor single "Wonderland" skipping in the background. And yes, you can take this as a metaphor for Revachol in the Thirties. And also as a warning.

DETECTIVE COSTEAU

Temporary research bonus: -2 Conceptualization: An idiotic idea

PROBLEM:

Detective Raphaël Ambrosius Costeau -- when you say it, it feels like you're taking a bite of lemon meringue while sitting on the terrace of a seaside cafe. On a cool summer day. In Sur-La-Clef. It's everything you're *not*. You haven't created many things during your stay in Martinaise, but you've created this. A fancy, sophisticated name that makes you sound intelligent. And that no one seems to *acknowledge*. Don't you feel like you deserve a reward for coming up with something so special? And what would that reward *be*?

Completion bonuses: +1 Savoir Faire: This one sounds fancy, let's have this +1 Esprit de Corps: Yup, fancy, let's have this one too

SOLUTION:

Monsieur Costeau, the reward for coming up with your classy new name has arrived. What are the attributes Detective Costeau should gain in? *Obviously* Savoir Faire and Esprit de Corps. You know *exactly* what they do and what those words mean. They're *refined*. Like *you*. You have a ton of that fancy stuff. And if the world can't accept Raphaël Ambrosius is your name -- you will always be Detective Costeau to yourself. R.A. Costeau -- sophisticated culture-detective. Specializes in ancient things and art.

BOIADEIRO

Temporary research bonus: -1 Physical Instrument: Astra Country

PROBLEM:

It has been brought to your attention that there are men who live by the law of the land and the strength of their arms. Sunburnt, rugged, smoking men who explored the great rivery veins of upper-Magritte and tamed the Mundi wilds. Frontiersmen, cow-herders, philosophers -- the *boiadeiros*... with a gun in one hand and an unfiltered cigarette between their lips, these men made their own rules. What would it take for you to become one too?

Completion bonuses: -1 Esprit de Corps: Lone wolf Cigarettes give +2 INT

SOLUTION:

Smoking, Harry. It will take a lot of tobacco-smoking for you to become a *boiadeiro*. Twin cigarettes fused to your lips and one hanging out of your nostril. In these tame, cultured times, without the sky’s dome above your head, the only way to be a true Franconigerian individualist is to smoke a lot of cigarettes. Light one up immediately. The smell of coffee brewing over a fire pit, a chestnut-flavoured morning. Welcome to Astra Country.

I'm not sure we ever actually encountered cigarettes in the course of our playthrough. Normally, they give +1 INT at the cost of 1 Health -- this improves the effect.

MAGNESIUM-BASED LIFEFORM

Temporary research bonus: -1 Shivers: No shakes

PROBLEM:

It is generally understood that human beings are carbon-based organisms, fusing little carbon tubes together to form complex, mushy structures capable of thought, love, and locomotion. It is also known that these structures sometimes like to “take the edge off” by consuming ethanol, amphetamine, etc. In such cases, it is important to supplement your body with magnesium. Tired? Mag it! Down? Mag time! Liver damage? MAXIMUM MAG! Some people say magnesium doesn’t really do anything and you just need to quit. What do we tell them?

Completion bonuses: +2 Volition: Magnesium receptacle glands -1 Logic: No such thing, man

SOLUTION:

We tell them: HELL NO. You’re about to become a magnesium-based lifeform. The age of the primitive carbon-man is done. No longer must mankind rely on slow-working background radiation to take us further into our genetic destiny. This is the era of guided evolution, and magnesium is the key. You are the first of your species. The next step in human evolution. An advanced magnesium proto-man who mags it up, drinks it down, and sniffs it sideways!

A pretty useful Thought if you have low PSY.

BRINGING OF THE LAW (LAW-JAW)

Temporary research bonus: -1 Rhetoric: Weird jaw

PROBLEM:

Hey, so a little observation. It's all cool, man. Don't freak out, but every time you say “I am the law“ -- and you say it *a lot*, it's basically *hello* for you -- your jaw does this *weird thing*. It sort of shifts sideways, hanging off your face at a jaunty angle, while the word *law* sounds oddly guttural and low. It's... strange. You wouldn't notice it, but after saying you're the law eighty thousand times, the question *does* come up: why *do* you have Law Jaw?

Completion bonuses: Learning cap for Hand/Eye Coordination raised to 6 Succeed all Hand/Eye Coordination passives -1 Rhetoric: Jaw still weird

SOLUTION:

Okay, so. We now know why you have *Law Jaw*. Why you say *the law* in a weird manner, and why your jaw does that thing. You had polio as a child. You hadn’t gotten vaccinated. It must've been right after the Revolution -- not a lot of vaccine going around then. So you got infantile paralysis due to polio and this jaw thing is a complication from that. Admittedly, it’s not very funny. But you *overcame* it! This little infant survived and became a sharpshooting supercop. So: fuck you, polio!

This is a pretty useful Thought *and* it tells us something, in my opinion, pretty important about Harry.

ANTI-OBJECT TASK FORCE

Temporary research bonus: -2 Pain Threshold: Hurts!

PROBLEM:

Take a look at your hands. See how bruised they are? See those little scars? This is Exhibit A. The material world is holding you back. Containers, mailboxes, doors, chairs -- they are all your enemies. Always have been. Atoms themselves are in on the conspiracy, forming shapes and structures that you hate. You are energy stuck in a body. You are spirit trapped in matter. Break free! Beat up that lamp post! Let it know just how much objects *suck*.

Completion bonuses: Attacking physical objects heals damage +1 Pain Threshold: Thick skin All FYS learning caps raised by one

SOLUTION:

Behold: the Anti-Object Task Force has assembled. God's avenging angel, arrayed against the lower emanations of the Darkened One: shoe racks, tape recorders, motor carriages. And doors. So many doors. You're not just pounding it all to pieces. You’re *reforging* the universe. From the anvil of the heavens to the worms below. Indulge in it. Be bold. Have an *impact* on the shape of Creation. Out of the furnace of your rage -- a new reality! Also, you should trash your room *again*.

The first bonus here is not as useful as it sounds, because by the time you unlock this Thought, you'll have already been through most of the attackable things in the game. The rest is still pretty good, though.

DATE OF BIRTH GENERATOR

Temporary research bonus: None

PROBLEM:

Your face looks like it’s 58 and your body feels like it’s 60. Your mind feels like it’s lived for one day or a hundred. Both longer than they ought to be, the day and the century.... But for how long, then, has this thing attached to your sentience walked the planet’s crust? Time to start racking those brains of yours, Elder One. When and where were you born?

Completion bonuses: Learning cap for Logic raised to 4 -1 difficulty to all Physique passives

SOLUTION:

You were born in the year ‘07, in the last year of the Commune of Revachol, right before it fell. In the Old Military Hospital, on the ground floor where people usually came to die, during a snowstorm. The Revolution had about one year left to go and the fires were still burning bright. There were explosions in the blizzard. This was 44 years ago. You are 44 years old. The bloating might never leave your face, but beneath it -- you still have some years. You still have some hope.

I believe you can talk about this with Kim once you have the answer.

ARNO VAN EYCK

Temporary research bonus: +1 Interfacing

PROBLEM:

The question won’t leave you – why did the melody line from a broken and discarded tape fit perfectly into a song played by some speedfreaks in a frozen tent? Can it be a coincidence? Maybe it’s the hand of the Man-Machine himself, in his attempt to craft a perfect song. Maybe Egg Head is actually Arno van Eyck in disguise!? Eyck? Egg? Hmm...

Completion bonuses: All white Motorics checks unlocked Reveals Arno Van Eyck gig posters in the world

SOLUTION:

Okay, so Egg Head is clearly not Van Eyck in disguise. Van Eyck is an Oranjese disc jockey -- but those people get around. Especially in Revachol, in the clubs on Boogie Street. Perhaps he stayed here for a short stint and discarded part of the song he was working on. Just threw it away. And then it ended up in the hawthorn tree. But why? Did he think it was *retrograde*? It wasn’t. Perhaps he caught a glimpse of the future and did not want for it to arrive just yet. Perhaps the city whispered the topline to him and he was frightened by it?

We've seen variations on this one before for other skill categories. The Arno Van Eyck posters give you additional orbs to click, which synergises nicely with Jamais Vu.

Egg Head also directly told us that his name was in reference to Van Eyck at one point, so that was not really much of a mystery.

SEARCHLIGHT DIVISION

Temporary research bonus: None

PROBLEM:

Missing persons cases just really get to you. It's hard watching people worry about their loved ones – the little nervous movements, the dark rings around their eyes from sleepless nights. And even if there are no loved ones waiting – you like to have all your ducks in a row, and it really bothers you when whole entire people aren't accounted for.

Completion bonus: +2 Perception: Clear-eyed pursuit of truth

SOLUTION:

You've sharpened your senses by being on the lookout for missing persons. Now you notice more of what's happening around you. Perhaps when you're done with this case, you can join the Searchlight Division of the RCM, and find every Revacholian that's ever gone missing without a trace (there is undoubtedly a backlog of such cases). Because you never know, a missing person could be just around the edge, barely out of sight.

ONE MORE DOOR

Temporary research bonus: +1 Half Light: What is behind it?

PROBLEM:

God dammit, it cannot be. A disgrace! That door on the coast... you remember the one, right? The one that leads to the abandoned supply depot? Why, in the name of all that's holy, does it not open? *Why*?! There *has* to be a way to get through that unopenable door. By gods, you're the police -- all doors are supposed to open before you. What will the others at the precinct think if you can't open a goddamn door? There must be a way.

Completion bonuses: -1 Half Light: No fear All PSY white checks unlocked

SOLUTION:

There is no way to open the supply depot door. Accept it. You cannot open *all the doors*. You have to integrate this into your character. Some doors will forever remain closed. Even if every single other door will open at one time or another, maybe to a key, or maybe to some sort of tool meant for opening doors... But this one will never accede to such commands. A realization crucial to personal growth. Crucial.

There will always be one more door.

HARDCORE AESTHETIC

Temporary research bonus: -2 Interfacing: Fuck grammar!

PROBLEM:

Not only have you internalized the Hard Core Aesthetic, you’ve also *contributed* to it. How harder-core could you possibly become? Low-core people come around you to correct your “typos”: it’s “Hardcore” here, “hard-core” there, “Hardorcore” in a third instant -- what’s going on? Those aren’t typos, man, that’s how core hardness works. If you don’t know “hard-core” from “Our Happy Hardcore,” what the fuck are we even talking about?

Completion bonuses: +1 Endurance: Really useful for doing drugs +1 Volition: Same thing, Hardman

SOLUTION:

Oh yes. Drugs. We’re talking about drugs. Let’s face it, these flirtations with the Hard Core Aesthetic have all been leading up to one question: Can I do drugs *harder* now that I’m a Hard Cop? And the answer is: yes. You can. You can do one more blast of pyrholidon and yellow shit-powder, you can even pull a ciggie and a lager on top of that. There. You’ve *truly* made the Hardcore your own thing now.

Despite what it says on the tin, this actually just gives you more health.

THE INSULINDIAN MIRACLE

Temporary research bonus: None

PROBLEM:

You were reminded of a poem, somewhere deep inside you, the translation of which you don't remember… "Nulla sarà cambiato della luce!” it begins. “Colori come grigio e marrone / Tutti stampati uno sull’altro / Trovai un vuoto / Una macchia Bianca / Gli altri guardarono / “Che bella giornata! Che bel tempo!” / Ma sentii la rotativa." You were reminded of it when you heard about the discovery of Insulinde. But what does it mean? And how do you know it by heart?

Completion bonuses: All white checks unlocked

SOLUTION:

It’s easy. You know the poem by heart because you were taught it at school. It is one of the Volta do Mar mantras repeated on the voyage that lead to the discovery of the Insulindian isola. And the words mean: “Nothing will be changed about the light! / Colours like grey and brown / All printed on top of each other / I found a blank white spot / All the others looked up: / ‘What a beautiful day! What beautiful weather!’ / But all I heard was the printing machine." What strange words to celebrate a new world.

You can only unlock this Thought when talking with Joyce after the confrontation with Ruby, making it a really useful tool if you have anything left to do in the game at that point.

And that's all the Thoughts that we encountered in our playthrough, aside from the ones we already saw in the game proper. We did also *technically* get to the point where we could have seen the Thoughts for the moralist and ultraliberal political alignments, even if we chose not to opt into them. So, I'll show those too:

KINGDOM OF CONSCIENCE

Temporary research bonus: -2 Half Light: Calm water

PROBLEM:

Heartache is powerful, but democracy is *subtle*. Incrementally, you begin to notice a change in the weather. When it snows, the flakes are softer when they stick to your worry-worn forehead. When it rains, the rain is warmer. Democracy is coming to the Administrative Region. The ideals of Dolorian humanism are reinstating themselves. How can they not? These are the ideals of the Coalition and the Moralist International. Those guys are signal blue. And they're not only good -- they're also powerful. What will it be like, once their nuanced plans have been realized?

Completion bonuses: Moralist dialogue heals 1 Morale Learning cap for Volition raised to 5 Learning cap for Logic raised to 5

SOLUTION:

The Kingdom of Conscience will be exactly as it is now. Moralists don't really *have* beliefs. Sometimes they stumble on one, like on a child's toy left on the carpet. The toy must be put away immediately. And the child reprimanded. Centrism isn't change -- not even incremental change. It is *control*. Over yourself and the world. Exercise it. Look up at the sky, at the dark shapes of Coalition airships hanging there. Ask yourself: is there something sinister in moralism? And then answer: no. God is in his heaven. Everything is normal on Earth.

INDIRECT MODES OF TAXATION

Temporary research bonus: -2 Empathy: Cold blooded

PROBLEM:

First, if you have a side-bitch ideology cooking somewhere, don't sweat it. Fightin' indirect taxation for the Gossamer State is compatible with *all* creeds. It's cool like that. You're a cool anarchist now. Unless you don't want to be an anarchist. Whatever! Stuff this meal ticket in your eye-socket and let's see if we can steal some *love* back from the robber barons at the customs agency and the *banditos* at The Insulindian Financial Oversight and Competition Committee.

Completion bonuses: -1 Empathy: Thinks he's a hustler or something Ultraliberal dialogue options give +1 real

SOLUTION:

Turns out those Financial Oversight Committee gangsters stuffed millions of hard-earned dividends away in the last place anyone thought to look: the hearts and minds of everyday Revacholians! You need to spread that deregulation gospel to the *people*. Tell them about that foreign fare tax. Preach that 98% gross burden. Preach it, preacher man! Set the brothas free. Taxes are racist.

Even with those, there are still *eighteen* Thoughts remaining in the game that we didn't encounter - either because we didn't have high enough stats, didn't pick the right dialogue options, or chose not to put any points into fascism. Some of them are mutually exclusive with Thoughts we did pick, some require *really complicated* methods to find. A few of them give us some more interesting backstory on Harry and Kim that's worth hearing -- but I'll let you uncover that on your own time.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dean Obeidallah at The Dean's Report:

In 2016, JD Vance not only called Donald Trump “reprehensible,” but raised alarm bells that Trump could be “America’s Hitler.” Vance was right on both counts—as Trump’s former chief of staff and retired four star United States Marine Corp General John Kelly made clear in two jaw-dropping interviews published this week.

Kelly raised two bright red flags that paint a dark and deeply disturbing picture for our nation if Trump were to return to office. First, there was Kelly’s comments to The Atlantic that Trump made it clear that, “I need the kind of generals that Hitler had.”   Kelly had in the past explained to Trump that in reality German generals “tried to kill Hitler three times and almost pulled it off.” But “this correction did not move Trump to reconsider his view: “No, no, no, they were totally loyal to him, the president responded.” Kelly confirmed that past conversation with Trump to The Atlantic in this new article. The Atlantic continued with this concerning passage, “Trump has responded incredulously when told that American military personnel swear an oath to the Constitution, not to the president.” That was backed up Kelly who told the NY Times in an article published Tuesday about Trump, “That was a big surprise to him that the generals were not loyal to the boss, in this case him.”

While Trump may not be well read in history, he instinctively understood that Hitler--after he became the chancellor of Germany in 1933--required the military swear an oath to him personally. As the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s online encyclopedia explains, “The oath was no longer one of allegiance to the Constitution or its institutions, but one of binding loyalty to Hitler himself.” That oath--quoted below--demanded unconditional loyalty to Hitler: “I swear by God this holy oath, that I will render to Adolf Hitler, Führer of the German Reich and People, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, unconditional obedience, and that I am ready, as a brave soldier, to risk my life at any time for this oath.” The Holocaust Encyclopedia notes this “oath represented the beginning of a process of politicization, or Nazification, of the German military.” The result was, “The distinction between loyalty to the state and loyalty to Hitler��and the Nazi Party—swiftly eroded.”  That meant if you defied an order of Hitler, you were a traitor to the nation: “Refusal now represented a high crime against not only Germany, but also the Führer himself.” By 1935, the loyalty oath to Hitler was also mandated for civilian officials working in the German government. That meant like the military, the entire government workforce had to be loyal to Hitler above the constitution of Germany.

That’s exactly what Trump has always sought and would demand if he won this election.  As a reminder, Project 2025 contemplates a federal workforce loyal to Trump. Thus, if Trump wins, he and his allies would usher in the Trumpification of every aspect of our institutions by demanding absolute loyalty from military leaders to those working in the federal government. We know from Nazi history what that type of blind loyalty led to from carrying out a “blood purge” where German citizens viewed as Hitler’s political critics/rivals were arrested and murdered to the evils of The Holocaust. But Kelly was not done warning America. He told the NY Times something we all know but needs to be said by someone like Kelly: Trump not only rejects our Constitution and American values—but has embraced fascism. Kelly first put it this way about Trump, “He’s certainly the only president that has all but rejected what America is all about, and what makes America, America, in terms of our Constitution, in terms of our values, the way we look at everything, to include family and government.” Adding, “He’s certainly the only president that I know of, certainly in my lifetime, that was like that.” Then Kelly went further. Kelly noted that Trump “met the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator if allowed, and had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of rule of law.”

As Kelly explained, “Well, looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy,” he said. Adding, “So certainly, in my experience, those are the kinds of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running America.” (This echoes the recent comments of Retired Gen. Mark A. Milley who warned that Trump is a “fascist to the core” and “the most dangerous person to this country.”)

Former Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly rightly warns that Donald Trump “met the definition of a fascist”. Kelly’s warning to the American people should serve as a reminder that voting for Kamala Harris is best for keeping America free.

See Also:

NBC News: Former White House chief of staff John Kelly says Trump praised Hitler while in office

The Week: Trump aims to be a fascist dictator, John Kelly says

[dangerousthingobservation]

U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell F-4B Phantom IIs of Marine All-Weather Fighter Squadrons 513 (VMF(AW)-513) (BuNo 148415, background) and VMF(AW)-314 pictured on the catapults on board the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CVA-64) during flight operations in 1963. Source: U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.253.7317.003 Author: U.S. Navy

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Our Generals that kicked Hitler's Generals asses.

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

October 23, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Oct 24, 2024

The struggle over whether the U.S. government should work for everyone or for the very wealthy and corporations was on display today. Cable and internet providers and home security companies sued to stop the newly finalized Federal Trade Commission “click-to-cancel” rule that says it must be as easy to cancel a service as it is to sign up for it. 

Also today, the Department of Transportation reached a record settlement of $50 million with American Airlines, whose damage to wheelchairs and dangerous physical assistance to disabled passengers has broken laws. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who lost both legs in combat in the Iraq War, praised the fine and commented: “When an airline damages or breaks someone’s wheelchair, it’s like breaking their legs.”

"The era of tolerating poor treatment of airline passengers with disabilities is over," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "With this penalty, we are setting a new standard of accountability for airlines that violate the civil rights of passengers with disabilities. By setting penalties at levels beyond the mere cost of doing business for airlines, we're aiming to change how the industry behaves and prevent these kinds of abuses from happening in the first place.”

A reader called to my attention that the recent Federal Election Commission filings showed one significant difference in the expenditures of the two presidential campaigns. The Harris campaign spent $34,550.02 on sign language interpreting services. The Trump campaign spent $0.00. 

These details of governance are fragments of a larger picture of how we see our country. Are we all created equal and entitled to be treated equally before the law? Or are some people better than others?

CNN was supposed to host another presidential debate tonight, but while Vice President Kamala Harris accepted, Trump declined to attend. In place of a debate, CNN invited each candidate to hold a town hall. Harris accepted; Trump declined. 

In her discussion with host Anderson Cooper, Harris focused on the reiteration yesterday by Trump’s longest-serving White House chief of staff, retired U.S. Marine Corps general John Kelly, that Trump had spoken admiringly of Adolf Hitler and expressed a desire to have generals like Hitler’s. In an interview with the New York Times, Kelly said Trump “met the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator if allowed, and had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of rule of law.”

The ideology of fascism is associated with Italian journalist and politician Benito Mussolini, who articulated a new political ideology in the 1920s. Mussolini had been a socialist as a young man and had grown frustrated at how hard it was to organize people. No matter what socialists tried, they seemed unable to convince their neighbors that they must rise up and take over the country’s means of production. The efficiency of World War I inspired Mussolini to give up on socialism and develop a new political theory.

Mussolini rejected the equality that defined democracy and came to believe that some men were better than others. Those few must lead, taking a nation forward by directing the actions of the rest. They must organize the people as they had during wartime, ruthlessly suppressing all opposition and directing the economy so that business and politicians worked together. Logically, that select group of leaders would elevate a single man, who would become an all-powerful dictator. To weld their followers into an efficient machine, they demonized opponents into an “other” that their followers could hate.

This hierarchical system of government was called “fascism” after the bundle of rods tied around an axe that was the ancient Roman symbol of authority and power. Italy adopted it, and Mussolini’s ideas inspired others, notably Germany’s Adolf Hitler. These leaders believed that their new system would reclaim a glorious past with the ideology of the future, welding pure men into a military and social machine that moved all as one, while pure women supported society as mothers. They set out to eliminate those who didn’t fit their model and to destroy the messy, inefficient democracy that stood in their way.

But while today we associate fascism with this European movement, its foundational principle—that some men are better than others and have the right and even the duty to rule over the majority—runs parallel to that same strand in United States history. Indeed, Nazi lawyers and judges turned to America’s Jim Crow laws for inspiration, and Hitler looked to America’s Indigenous reservations as a way to rid a country of “unwanted” people.

For retired Marine general John Kelly to have spoken out against Trump before the 2024 election was a huge deal. As Secretary Buttigieg put it: “It’s one thing for some leftist group to call you a fascist. Quite another when it’s a fellow Republican. And absolutely astonishing when it’s your own chief of staff.” But Kelly was not alone. Former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley told veteran journalist Bob Woodward that Trump is “fascist to the core.” 

In tonight’s CNN town hall, Vice President Harris told Cooper that she agreed that Trump is a fascist. She noted that when a four-star Marine general comes out two weeks before an election to warn Americans that one of the candidates is a fascist, we should see this as “a 911 call to the American people.” 

Trump is “increasingly unstable,” Harris said, “and unfit to serve…. [T]he people who know Donald Trump best, the people who worked with him in the White House, in the Situation Room, in the Oval Office, all Republicans by the way, who served in his administration, his former chief of staff, his national security advisor, former secretaries of defense, and his vice president have all called him unfit and dangerous. They have said explicitly he has contempt for the Constitution of the United States. They have said he should never again serve as President of the United States,” she said. 

When Trump talks about “the enemy within,” Harris said, “ [h]e's talking about the American people. He's talking about journalists, judges, nonpartisan election officials…. And he's going to sit there unstable, unhinged, plotting his revenge, plotting his retribution. Creating an enemies list.” In contrast, she said, she would have a “to-do list” to work on the things that matter to the American people. 

When Trump responded to Kelly’s claims, he appeared to confuse Kelly, who was retired when Trump chose him to serve as White House chief of staff, and Mark Milley, the active-duty chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Trump referred to four-star general Kelly, whose son died in Afghanistan, as “tough and dumb,” a “LOWLIFE, and a bad General,” but then went on to talk of him as active duty and to say he stopped seeking his advice in the White House. 

Forced to comment on Kelly’s comment about Trump’s embracing fascism, Republican leaders are either ducking the question or acting as if it is not a big deal. On CNN this morning, New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu said the news that Trump has praised Hitler will not affect Sununu’s support. “If we can get a Republican mindset out of Washington,” he said, “we need that culture change.” 

At a rally tonight in Macon, Georgia, Trump agreed with the audience as it chanted: “Lock him up.” “You should lock them up,” Trump said. “Lock up the Bidens. Lock up Hillary. Lock ‘em up.” 

Tonight, Shawn Reilly,  the mayor of Waukesha, Wisconsin—a key Republican stronghold—announced he’s voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[trifoliate-undergrowth]

The thing about politics and administration changes are that they affect so many different branches of government. Personally I am at the moment sad about losing Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

Deb Haaland is the first Native American Cabinet secretary, a 35th-generation New Mexican and an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna. She's especially passionate about environmental issues, climate change, healthcare for all and missing and murdered indigenous peoples. She created the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, an investigation of old boarding schools which came after the discovery of the mass grave at Kamloops. This would be "an effort to document known schools and burial grounds, including those with unmarked graves" and to, where possible, return remains to their families/nations. (x) She also created a new Missing and Murdered Unit to "pursue justice for missing or murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives" which has investigated 728 MMIP cases and solved 263 missing persons cases and 8 murders.

I'm currently a seasonal NPS employee so I've been getting weekly update emails from her office, and she includes her pronouns in her signature, which is encouraging to see. She also un-banned NPS uniforms at pride after there was a kerfuffle with that.

She's visited various corps and volunteer organizations (none that I was in. I'm not jealous!...), including Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps, shown here in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in Colorado:

She's rejoiced at fish progress:

(x)

(X)

And this is just an incredible picture:

(X)

She was present at Biden's historic apology for government-funded boarding schools, an apology which was suggested as part of the road to healing in the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report. This was also the first time a sitting president has visited Tribal lands in 10 years.

Secretary of the Interior is a president-appointed position and she will almost certainly be replaced in January. We got an email from her about a 'peaceful transition' which sounds like she knows she's on her way out. In the (paraphrased) words of my self-proclaimed moderate republican christian coworker, 'It's too bad, I liked her. Trump isn't going to want a Native American. He's going to appoint a middle-aged white businessman to maximize the profits of the National Park System so we can pay for ourselves and so he doesn't have to give us as much of a budget.' Everyone I've talked to has been sad about likely losing her as Secretary of the Interior.

Though many Department of the Interior employees will miss her and in my opinion the department will suffer without her, she'll still be around and now that I know she exists I'm going to make sure to follow her next projects, whatever those may be.

(X)

[brightlotusmoon]

'People have had enough': Here are the 3 'big-picture' reasons why Kamala Harris will win - Raw Story

The bulls—

No candidate can win without unity. A growing economy is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of any incumbent party’s success. But I can’t help thinking that the biggest reason Kamala Harris is going to pull this off is because so many people are so tired of Trump’s bulls—.

The bulls— is why he messed up America’s response to covid. It’s why he tried overthrowing a free and fair election. And most recently, it’s why Republican voters are actually turning away help from the government after hurricanes rammed through their communities because they believe lies about Democrats coming to get them.

As Tim Walz said Friday on Twitter: “All Donald Trump and JD Vance know about manufacturing is how to manufacture bulls—.”

It’s endless. It’s everywhere. It’s exhausting. I think most people have had enough. And I think that’s why polling now shows a stable race.

It’s not that I trust polling. What I trust is Americans’ weariness. Even Trump’s people are bored. Nothing about him has changed in the nine years he’s been in national politics. If anything, his bulls— has gotten worse. It’s like the more he lies, the more people are digging into the fact that they made up their minds about him a long time ago.

Indeed, no matter what has happened – an assassination attempt, a couple of massive hurricanes or Trump’s conspicuous mental deterioration – very little has moved the electorate since around August 1. Growth has mainly been in Harris’ direction. Trump’s has almost peaked. The static nature of the race was enough for one data analyst to joke: “Nothing has happened. We are all insanely bored.”

The conclusion

If Harris loses, it won’t be because of anything she did or didn’t do in terms of policy. It sure-as-hell won’t be because of Trump’s positive attributes, though the press corps will try to find some if he prevails.

No, a defeat for Harris would be due to just enough people believing just enough lies about her and her party in just enough places.

Alas, a repeat of 2016.

But I think there’s reason to be optimistic.

The fundamentals are sound.

I hope I’m right.

_

[taekooktimeline]

January 31, 2024 -

Tae’s final deployment details are released! Remember, Tae applied for SDT and placement is random, with soldiers being assigned to the Ministry of National Defense, Army headquarters, or each division, once the additional three weeks of SDT training are completed. SDT is distributed to not just Seoul, but also each region.

Starting on February 8, 2024, Tae will serve at the 2nd Army Corps of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Alternately known as the “Double Dragons,” or “Rok II Corps” or “Ssangyong Unit,” it’s a unit responsible for guarding the challenging military demarcation line. There is a Military Police unit under the direct control of the ROK II Corps, and this includes a Special Duty Team, as well as general military police. This location, nicknamed twin dragons(쌍용), is nestled between twin peaks and is tasked with protecting the Mid-East front, which is one of the roads connecting to Seoul, such as Hwacheon Chuncheon and Yanggu.

I’m not versed in Korean geography and military camps, but a few pages noted that this location is notoriously brutal and difficult to access due to rough mountainous terrain, which is why the unit Tae is assigned to is small. According to these pages, the unit faces tough conditions, including iron fences along the north facing side, numerous stairways for guard duty that are coupled with heavy gears and arms, and there have been reported ankle and knee issues among soldiers deployed here, making it a challenging and less desirable posting. The 2nd Corps, the unit Tae is assigned to, is part of the Ground Operations Command, and has an offensive force tasked with engaging the enemy and protecting the Military Demarcation Line.

Positive notations are that the facilities and food are good, and there is easily accessible transportation since many units are stationed here and the camp is located by Chuncheon City.

The below information says Wooga member and friend Hyungsik also served at this location. However, a friend researched and noted that Hyungsik was in the military police department of the Capital Defense Command as an active duty soldier, which is in Seoul, Seodaemun District (so special forces like Tae but a different posting). Please disregard the small blip from the below SS that says it’s the same unit as Tae’s. They’re in two separate units.

CT: Wintertaeta, vantestream and TaeTaePH on TW for the above information and verbiage used:

https://x.com/wintertaeta/status/1752526870862770659?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg

https://x.com/romantic_tae/status/1752552458155364543?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg

https://x.com/taetae_ph/status/1752571288990986562?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg

https://x.com/vantestream/status/1752591839654289848?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg

More info can be found at this article - https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment-news/korean/bts-v-to-transfer-to-rok-ii-corps-after-passing-intense-sdt-training-all-you-need-to-know-about-ssangyong-unit-article-107290805

This YouTube video gives a better visual of the unit (no English subs) - https://youtu.be/4c4Cos7QWC0?si=avsuqAgDSyPQsiCB

Unit logo -

And this is just a note to archive, but it’s approximately 90 minutes from Jk’s base!

CT: TaeJkForever on TW for the above picture and information

[reasonsforhope]

Masterpost: Reasons I firmly believe we will beat climate change

Posts are in reverse chronological order (by post date, not article date), mostly taken from my "climate change" tag, which I went through all the way back to the literal beginning of my blog. Will update periodically.

Especially big deal articles/posts are in bold.

Big picture:

Mature trees offer hope in world of rising emissions (x)

Spying from space: How satellites can help identify and rein in a potent climate pollutant (x)

Good news: Tiny urban green spaces can cool cities and save lives (x)

Conservation and economic development go hand in hand, more often than expected (x)

The exponential growth of solar power will change the world (x)

Sun Machines: Solar, an energy that gets cheaper and cheaper, is going to be huge (x)

Wealthy nations finally deliver promised climate aid, as calls for more equitable funding for poor countries grow (x)

For Earth Day 2024, experts are spreading optimism – not doom. Here's why. (x)

Opinion: I’m a Climate Scientist. I’m Not Screaming Into the Void Anymore. (x)

The World’s Forests Are Doing Much Better Than We Think (x)

‘Staggering’ green growth gives hope for 1.5C, says global energy chief (x)

Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View (x)

Young Forests Capture Carbon Quicker than Previously Thought (x)

Yes, climate change can be beaten by 2050. Here's how. (x)

Soil improvements could keep planet within 1.5C heating target, research shows (x)

The global treaty to save the ozone layer has also slowed Arctic ice melt (x)

The doomers are wrong about humanity’s future — and its past (x)

Scientists Find Methane is Actually Offsetting 30% of its Own Heating Effect on Planet (x)

Are debt-for-climate swaps finally taking off? (x)

High seas treaty: historic deal to protect international waters finally reached at UN (x)

How Could Positive ‘Tipping Points’ Accelerate Climate Action? (x)

Specific examples:

Environmental Campaigners Celebrate As Labour Ends Tory Ban On New Onshore Wind Projects (x)

Private firms are driving a revolution in solar power in Africa (x)

How the small Pacific island nation of Vanuatu drastically cut plastic pollution (x)

Rewilding sites have seen 400% increase in jobs since 2008, research finds [Scotland] (x)

The American Climate Corps take flight, with most jobs based in the West (x)

Waste Heat Generated from Electronics to Warm Finnish City in Winter Thanks to Groundbreaking Thermal Energy Project (x)

Climate protection is now a human right — and lawsuits will follow [European Union] (x)

A new EU ecocide law ‘marks the end of impunity for environmental criminals’ (x)

Solar hits a renewable energy milestone not seen since WWII [United States] (x)

These are the climate grannies. They’ll do whatever it takes to protect their grandchildren. [United States and Native American Nations] (x)

Century of Tree Planting Stalls the Warming Effects in the Eastern United States, Says Study (x)

Chart: Wind and solar are closing in on fossil fuels in the EU (x)

UK use of gas and coal for electricity at lowest since 1957, figures show (x)

Countries That Generate 100% Renewable Energy Electricity (x)

Indigenous advocacy leads to largest dam removal project in US history [United States and Native American Nations] (x)

India’s clean energy transition is rapidly underway, benefiting the entire world (x)

China is set to shatter its wind and solar target five years early, new report finds (x)

‘Game changing’: spate of US lawsuits calls big oil to account for climate crisis (x)

Largest-ever data set collection shows how coral reefs can survive climate change (x)

The Biggest Climate Bill of Your Life - But What Does It DO? [United States] (x)

Good Climate News: Headline Roundup April 1st through April 15th, 2023 (x)

How agroforestry can restore degraded lands and provide income in the Amazon (x) [Brazil]

Loss of Climate-Crucial Mangrove Forests Has Slowed to Near-Negligable Amount Worldwide, Report Hails (x)

Agroecology schools help communities restore degraded land in Guatemala (x)

Climate adaptation:

Solar-powered generators pull clean drinking water 'from thin air,' aiding communities in need: 'It transforms lives' (x)

‘Sponge’ Cities Combat Urban Flooding by Letting Nature Do the Work [China] (x)

Indian Engineers Tackle Water Shortages with Star Wars Tech in Kerala (x)

A green roof or rooftop solar? You can combine them in a biosolar roof — boosting both biodiversity and power output (x)

Global death tolls from natural disasters have actually plummeted over the last century (x)

Los Angeles Just Proved How Spongy a City Can Be (x)

This city turns sewage into drinking water in 24 hours. The concept is catching on [Namibia] (x)

Plants teach their offspring how to adapt to climate change, scientists find (x)

Resurrecting Climate-Resilient Rice in India (x)

Other Masterposts:

Going carbon negative and how we're going to fix global heating (x)

[faededaway]

𝔻𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕤 ℤ𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝕩 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣 [𝟙𝟠+, 𝕞𝕕𝕟𝕚]

[1k words, backstory, power imbalance, voyeur + noncon + kidnapping(?) + no sex +gn]

DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT: DARK CONTENT: NONCON!!!!!!!!

Perhaps, you're lucky. Out of 400 trainees, you were unlikely to make top 10. If you didn't make top 10, you'd be stuck in the Garrison. That would be more humiliating than being unemployed. Survey corps wasn't even an option. To you, the world within the walls is big enough.

So when the premier himself, called you out of the stampede of 200 other trainees running towards who knows what (a finish line so far, you'd forgotten it existed), you didn't question it. You should have, at least, asked him 'why me'. You weren't even aware he was watching. Is this something he did regularly? Was his palace life that idle and boring?

With a glance, he ordered you to follow him. He walked to his carriage, parked not too far away from the training ground. It's almost like he could have watched from the windows if he wanted. The only officer awaiting the premier, held the carriage door open after he climbed in. You took that as a sign to get in.

You can't recall the exact conversation that followed. What you do recall is the feeling of his grey eyes raking over your body. At that time, you were sure it was because of your dishevelled state. Sweat dripped down your forehead and soaked your shirt.

“Do you want to work in the palace?”, you're sure he'd asked.

“Of course! It's the most prestigious job one could have!”, you'd said and then gasped and stuttered out an apology when you realized you may have offended his job position. You didn't mean to call military officers more important than the premier. It's just a very honorable job!

He'd laughed and cut you off. Next thing he said might've been something like, “well, that's a shame. I came to offer you a job. But I don't think you'd want such a dishonorable one.”

"No! Of course not! I mean, no, yes! No, not no! But, yes! I, I do! I do want the job! Your job! No, not your job! But, I mean,” you'd almost sank to your knees and grovelled before he cut you off again. His laughter swelled his chest this time, you felt it vibrate in yours too.

“You sure? The job I'm offering is a lot more demanding than one of a military officer's. I picture you to be sore more often than not,” his eyes raked your body once again as his lips curled into a sinister smile.

You thought he saw you as weak. Maybe you were weak. But a job with the premier was bound to pay a lot. Right?

“I am most grateful that the premier is offering me a job! I cannot think of any reason to decline the offer, sir.”

“Oh? You sure you don't want to ask any questions?”, he teased again.

“No, sir!”

He'd laughed and knocked on the window. That was when you looked around the carriage and saw your luggage sitting by his feet. Did he know you'd say yes or did you not have a choice in the matter? Sadly, these questions only came to you once the carriage was on the move.

The carriage had taken you deeper into the walls than you'd ever been. Life within Wall Sina looked like a different nation with buildings taller than you'd ever seen and clothes as bright as the flowers in the fields you grew up in.

The trip from the Training Corp to Wall Sina was long enough for you to ask about your job but it was the premier who asked you questions instead.

Some questions seemed to be related to your job, “are you an early riser? Do you prefer to be told what to do or to do things on your own?”

Others sounded like filler questions, “do you have a pet? What do you think of collars?”

Then there were some questions which had to be a test of some sort, “do you think thoughts normal people don't? Do you find it hard to fit in?”

So many questions later, you were more puzzled about this job than before. Nothing told you what he had in mind for you.

“This is were you will do most of your work. I need you to be at arm's reach at all times so you will follow where I go. For now, welcome to my residence.”

That was the first thing you learned about your job. The carriage had brought you straight to the premier's home.

The premier stepped out of the carriage first and, to your surprise, held out hand to help you out. You had, of course, thanked him for his generosity while accepting his help. Later, his hand moved to your back while giving you a tour of his house.

The layout of the house was like any average posh house. The entrance lead to a hallway which introduced the living room. A kitchen and dining hall were next. The walls and floors had carved wood panels and every chair looked good enough to sleep on. A vase sat everywhere a case could sit. A tapestry lay everywhere a tapestry could lay. It was a lavish home. He lead you upstairs where all the bedrooms were, carrying your luggage himself.

“You can call this space yours for now,” he spoke once reaching the last door in the similarly lavish corridor. He urged you to open the door and waited for you to walk in first.

Compared to what you saw downstairs, it was a modest room. It held nothing more than the necessities: a bed, a dresser, and a chair. It was, perhaps, the size of the room that made it look more bare than it was.

A light thud of your bag meeting the floor followed these words, “the room right next to yours is my study. One across that is my room. All other rooms are bare.”

He paused for a moment before looking down at you, not moving his hand away from your back, “I will give you one last chance to ask questions. Any question about this job.”

An almost stoic look overtook his features. For a second, you wanted to flee. But you gathered yourself before saying, “I- I trust the premier knows my capabilities. I will do as you say and I will do them to the best of my, my abilities.”

The smile in his eyes didn't match the tone of his voice when he said, “naïve lamb, you trust me? Don't ever say I didn't give you a choice.”

He pulled away then, making a show of flicking dirt off of his clothes, “you need a wash first. Walk with me.”

Shame ran through your face. He was right but his tone embarrassed you, somehow making you feel worse than Keith Shadis's taunts.

In your predicament, you failed to notice how the door to your room had no locks on the inside but had a bolt on the outside.

Strangely, it's his bedroom that he walks into. When inside, he walks through another door which opens to a bathroom. There lay what looked to be a bucket, large enough to fit a person, filled with water. A stool with soap and towels stood next to it.

“Get in.”

You weren't sure what the premier meant. Surely, he didn't mean-

“Take off your clothes and get in the tub,” he said in a gentler tone, walking towards the exit.

Seeing him walk away, you reached for the buttons on your shirt. You were eager to be presentable before the premier.

All your clothes laid on the floor when you sat in the bucket. Its contents spilled over, soaking your only change of clothes. You couldn't care for it then, basking in the warmth.

You took your time in the water. Rubbing your sore limbs and cleaning your crevices. You really did want to appear proper in front of the man who chose you out of 200 others and brought you to be ... Well, you weren't sure what your job was.

You thought about every possible position you could fill for him, a secretary, a maid, a peon, a clerk, an accountant, a... A friend? All options you thought of had equal possibilities. So you shook your head, deciding it wasn't worth mulling over.

Only when the water ran cold, you got out of your small pond. You reached for the towel on the stool to dry yourself and noticed it barely covered your important bits.

Thankfully, you recalled seeing a folded robe on a shelf near the door. So, you wrap the towel around yourself to the best of your abilities and then around to go retrieve it.

You wished you didn't turn around.

You couldn't see the robe from where you stood, because the premier was standing before it.

It took you several moments to realize he hadn't left the room at all. A shrill shriek left your chest as your arms covered your body.

The premier laughed in the same boisterous manner you witnessed before and strode over towards you, “and here I thought you were so smart. Thought you were diligently doing your duties.”

You tried to take a step back but the premier grabbed hold of your towel, “move and this goes away.”

You stood shaking before him. The premier looked over you like he had done in the carriage and in that moment, the signs fell into place.

From your first interaction with him, you mind pushed away all the signs thinking someone like the premier could never be so immoral. All of the corps look up to him; he's Dot Pyxis's best friend. And Dot Pyxis looked out for his delegates. There's no way that this was real.

"Little lamb," your stomach curled at the sweet tone he used. It contradicted what he was doing to you.

He cupped your face in his palm, holding you in place while his other hand lightly grazed your bare back. "You weren't made for the military police. The scary military seniors would have your meat by the very first week."

Oh, you believed his words. You were not cut out for any of this. You had no clue what this life was like. You had no clue what these scouts were like. You should have never left your village.

"Ooh, yes! I knew you would sound like an angel when you cry. Yes, let it all out," he groaned at your sobs. This man openly enjoyed seeing you in distress. The more you sobbed, the more his eyes gleamed. He cooed and awed at you instead of soothing you, I'll teach you. I'll tell you all about how bad and scary this world is. All you have to do in return, is cry for me just like this."

You didn't want to please him. You wanted to hold back your cries, but you couldn't help yourself. They left your chest in heaves making you choke and gasp for air. The premier breathing matched yours, erratic and frantic. He was holding you up now, since your body had given up on you. He caged you in his arms, a hand holding your head before his eyes so he wouldn't miss any quiver on your lips or the tear streaks on your face.

You tried to push him away, you tried to. But it only excited him. He pressed your body onto his and rutted against you,"oh, my little angle, my sweet, sweet, angel. Yes! Yes! You're doing so well! Try harder, angel. You can try harder."

You felt his hardness against your stomach. His warmth touched your skin like a burn. You did try harder. You used your fists to punch at his face, your nails to scratch him, and even your knees to try and hurt him. The harder you tried, the harder he rubbed against your body. Nothing you did stopped him. So you did the only thing you hadn't done so far, "please, premier, I don't want this. Please stop!"

You pleaded with him

And he stopped. He stopped chasing his high and let go of you.

You thought to yourself, 'was this all I needed to say all along?' You wished you said it earlier.

But your relief turned to fear when you heard the sound of his belt coming undone.

With a guttural growl, the premier ripped off your towel and covered your body in his cum.

In that moment, you thought about the irony of taking the shower to look presentable for him when he was the one to sully your body. There was nothing you could've done to stop him. You had already made the wrong choice a long time ago. You reached for the towel he threw on the floor but he interrupted you, "you need another cleaning, angel."

Your knees hit the floor then. From your peripheral, you saw thick, big arms reached for your defeated body.

He kneeled next to you, wiping your face clean with his thumb, "the world is a big scary place. Men like me are everywhere. But you don't need to worry abou t them anymore. They can't touch you when you're with me."

Then, he bathed you.

The man that sullied you, bathed you and dressed you in clothes he bought for you. Even when he tucked you in bed and kissed your forehead,"sleep well. You have much to do tomorrow," you didn't have it in you to push back.

Since the moment he laid his eyes on you, he knew he had you. Now, you knew it too.

[lostcauses-noregrets]

Lostcauses Fic: 2023 Wrap Up

I thought I hadn't written very much this year, but I didn't do too badly and I also posted my 100th Eruri fic! Enormous thanks to everyone who has read, commented, recced and made the Eruri fandom such a creative and joyful space. Happy New Year to you all! ♡

Taller

Anon asked: Do you have any headcanons for that one time Levi wished he was taller?

Just Like It Always Is 

"The man sat motionless for a few moments, dark hair falling forward, obscuring his face, slender hands hovering over the keyboard. Erwin held his breath, then he laid his hands on the keys and a soft chord blossomed, warm like a breath of wind on summer’s day."

Erwin is entranced by a strangely familiar man playing the piano in a railway station.

No Regrets

Written in response to the devastating shot of Levi in the Final episode trailer. I thought I was prepared for the emotional damage. I was wrong.

Orbital 

"Levi leafed through the newspaper as he waited in line at the bus stop. The front page was dominated by a large photograph of three men in military uniform, the headline blaring “The Best of the Bravest”. Beneath, in swaggering prose, the story read, “Paradis Space Program has selected its first astronauts from over 100 prospective candidates from all branches of the military, aviation and naval forces. Following a rigorous testing and selection process, Commander Nile Dok, Commander Erwin Smith and Lieutenant Commander Mike Zacharias have achieved the highest honour of being chosen as Scout Project astronauts. One of these brave men will be the first Eldian to orbit the earth in a manned space capsule…”

A space exploration period piece featuring Erwin as a pioneering astronaut and Levi as his CAPCOM.

The Tale of Erwin and Levi  - The Song of Parting

With profuse apologies to Beren Erchamion and J.R.R. Tolkien. This is a shameless rip off of Beren's Song of Parting from The Lay of Leithian.

That And So Much More

"They toil together through all weather; clearing the ground, preparing the soil, digging the pits, planting the precious saplings, nurturing their fragile hope for a better world."

A side story of sorts to The Permanence of the Young Men, inspired by the release of the cover of volume 35.

Buenos Aires Hora Cero 

"Erwin had never considered himself to be a sentimental man but something about the tango stirred a melancholy buried deep in his soul; romantic sorrow tinged with bitter regret, yearning for fleeting intimacy, nostalgia for a love he had never known."

Erwin finds himself alone in Buenos Aires seeking solace from a broken heart. My collaboration with @seitsen-sarvi for the Paradise Zine.

A Good Man 

"Turning to the centre pages of The Eldian Herald, Falco finds a double page spread titled “Heroes of the Eldian Nation: Commander Erwin Smith, 13th Commander of the Survey Corps.” At the head of the page is an imposing picture of a handsome grim-faced man mounted astride a rearing white horse, holding his sword aloft as if poised in mid charge. The caption beneath reads: “Dedicate your Hearts! Erwin Smith, the last great commander of the Survey Corps”. Curiosity piqued, Falco sits down to read."

Intrigued by an article he reads in a newspaper, Falco questions Levi about what the 13th Commander of the Survey Corps was really like.

[rjzimmerman]

Drought means less water flowing into Lake Michigan. Heat waves and higher temperatures mean more evaporation from Lake Michigan. Simple math. Water in down, water out up. But there's still plenty of water for this:

Excerpt from this Chicago Tribune story:

Lake Michigan’s water levels have dropped below long-term averages for the first time in 10 years. Experts said factors like this fall’s warmer temperatures and low precipitation have affected lake levels — the same factors that make it tricky to predict this winter’s lake outlook.

In addition to seasonal variables, lake levels and ice formation will depend on how the cooling pattern from an emerging La Nina will play out in the Midwest.

“It’s a complicated picture,” said Lauren Fry, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

Lakes Michigan and Huron, which are considered one lake because they are connected at the Straits of Mackinac, were about 2 inches below their historical monthly average in October, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. On all lakes, average water levels since the start of October range from 3 to 7 inches below what they were at the same time last year.

A few inches might not seem like a lot, but Fry said “it’s noteworthy” that October was the first time since 2014 that the monthly average was below the long-term average for any month. The lake’s all-time record low was in January 2013.

Great Lakes’ water levels are determined by the net basin supply. It’s the sum of precipitation and runoff, minus lake evaporation. When there’s more evaporation than inflow, lake levels drop.