#custom counterweights

[mediraynyc]

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[theamericanbutcher]

190 Zero Gravity With Steve Hergott and Jim Marquardt

[tagedeszorns]

I always find it fascinating you draw pretty Emperor's Children, a lot of the lore has them as ugly fucked up little sweat goblins, but you make even scar faced Luci's look pretty.

Lore is very ambigous about them. You have as much the etheral beauty, as the scary beauty and the disturbing self-mutilation (percentage varying per author). But since the underlying guy still has Fulgrim's gene-seed and thus perfection and the vitruvian ideal, I decided to be the counterweight to GW's fugly cover art for practically all novels.

To me the "bad people are ugly"-trope is for toddlers (and equating "morally wrong" and "ethically horrible" with "conventionally unattractive" is peak ableism, too). I am an adult and can handle disturbingly beautiful villains.

I am much more intrigued by what's going on in their twisted little minds. That's where the fall to chaos happens.

It's even more obvious if you look at the minis. The slaaneshi miniatures do indeed possess (pun intended) a very eerie beauty and unique aesthetic. But for some reason GW decided to not translate this to the most slaaneshi Legion.

I think they are not really sure what to do with the EC. On the one hand they are going all out with Slaanesh, on the other hand they are taking the easy way out with the EC - "bad guy ugly". Maybe because they are having a problem with the perceived queerness of the slaaneshi theme. It's so much easier to showcase blood and gore than any other deviation from the norm. Especially if you think your customer base isn't mature enough to handle it.

And let's be honest - the vocal minority on Reddit or Twitter truly isn't.

But maybe GW should take a look around - at the fanbase that's really into a unique, cool aesthetic. Be it queer or else.

That being said: I still like bodyhorror. A lot. But it shouldn't be the easy and only way.

[petermorwood]

How on earth did these goats get there?

*****

In reality the goats are lying on their sides on rocky ground, looking up at a crane-mounted camera. The photograph was taken some years ago, part of a series reconstructing Central European folk customs and traditions which have fallen from favour or are now prohibited.

This old-fashioned rural blood-sport was originally practiced in parts of Anatolia, Turkey, where the game was called keçi fırlatmak, and also in the Carpathian Alps of Romania, possibly imported during the Ottoman conquest. The name there was aruncarea caprei.

*****

The goats would have been coated in a strong adhesive traditionally distilled from pine resin.(represented pictorially here by darker patches of dye on the flanks) and were then thrown upwards towards a cliff or rock-face with makeshift catapults, often a primitive form of counterweight trebuchet assembled from wooden beams and weighted with rocks.

The game ended when the glue dried and lost adhesion, and the goats fell to their deaths. They were then cooked and eaten, their meat being valued like that of Spanish fighting bulls.

The meat of the last goat to fall (başarılı keçi or cea mai durabilă capră) was prized as a special delicacy and selected cuts from the legs of this particular “winner” goat were often smoked and dried into a kind of jerky.

*****

In his “Grandes Histoires Vraies d'un Voyageur le 1er Avril” (pub. Mensonges & Faussetés, Paris, 1871) French folk-historian, anthropologist and retired cavalry general Gilles-Etienne Gérârd wrote about witnessing a festival near Sighișoara, Transylvania, in 1868.

There he claims to have seen catapults improvised from jeunes arbres, très élastiques et souples - “very springy and flexible young trees” - which were drawn back with ropes and then released.

Bets were placed before the throw, and marks given afterwards, according to what way up the goats adhered and for how long. The reconstruction, with both goats upright, facing outward and still in place, shows what would have been a potential high score.

The practice has been officially banned in both countries since the late 1940s, but supposedly still occurred in more isolated areas up to the end of the 20th century. Wooden beams from which the catapults were constructed could easily be disguised as barn-rafters etc., and of course flexible trees were, and are, just trees.

*****

Gérârd’s book incorrectly calls the goat jerky “pastrami”, to which he gives the meaning "meat of preservation".

While pastrami may be a printing error for the Turkish word bastırma or the Romanian pastramă, both meaning “preserved meat”, at least one reviewer claims that Gérârd misunderstood his guide-translator, who would have been working from rural dialect to formal Romanian to scholarly French.

Since this jerky was considered a good-luck food for shepherds, mountaineers, steeplejacks and others whose work involved a risk of falling, Gérârd's assumption seems a reasonable one.

However, several critical comments on that review have dismissed its conclusion, claiming "no translator could be so clumsy", but in its defence, other comments point out confusion between slang usage in the same language.

One cites American and British English, noting that even before differences in spelling (tire / tyre, kerb / curb etc.) "guns" can mean biceps or firearms, "flat" can mean a deflated wheel or a place to live, "ass" can mean buttocks or donkey and adds, with undisguised relish, some of the more embarrassing examples.

This comment concludes that since the errors "usually make sense in context", Gérârd's misapprehension is entitled to the same respect.

*****

The good-luck aspect of the meat apparently extended to work which involved "falling safely", since its last known use was believed to be in ration packs issued to the 1. Hava İndirme Tugayı (1st Airborne Brigade) of the Turkish Army, immediately before the invasion of Cyprus in July 1974.

Nothing more recent has been officially recorded, because the presence of cameras near military bases or possible - and of course illegal - contests is strongly (sometimes forcefully) discouraged, and the sport’s very existence is increasingly dismissed as an urban or more correctly rural legend.

The official line taken by both Anatolian and Carpathian authorities is that it was only ever a joke played on tourists, similar to the Australian “Drop-bear”, the Scottish “Wild Haggis” and the North American “Jackalope”.

They dismiss the evidence of Gérârd’s personal observation as “a wild fable to encourage sales of his book”, “a city-dweller’s misinterpretation of country practices”, or even “the deliberate deception of a gullible foreigner by humorous peasants”.

And as for those paratroop ration packs, Turkish involvement in Cyprus is still such a delicate subject that the standard response remains “no comment”.

[operation-priority]

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Here's what we are looking at:

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Dynamic Fuzz Cover

Core Survival HEL-STAR 6 Gen III+

Wilcox G22

3M Peltor ComTac V on 3M ARC Adapter, with NoiseFighters Sightlines and Koffin Wurks Krypt

Princeton Tec Charge MPLS

Surefire M340V Scout Light Pro on Ops-Core Picatinny Rail Adapter

Ops-Core Counterweight

Elbit Gen 3 WP PVS-14 with Nightline Power Pack and Nocorium PVS-14 Digital Wrap, with a Cold Harbour Adjustable Diaphragm and Night Vision Incorporated Lens Protector on the front and rear lens respectively

NoiseFighters AX14-PRO

Crye Precision AirLite SPC Setup:

AXL Structural Shoulder Pads

Crye Precision Admin Pouch

Crye Precision AirLite Detachable Panel

AWS Universal Mag Pouch Panel (Discontinued) with Spiritus Systems Pangolin Flap

Crye Precision Custom Prototype MultiCam Urban Rubble Dangler

Crye Precision AirLite Configurable Radio Pouch

Disco32 Motorola 2 Pin PTT

×2 Crye Precision JPC Maritime 6×6 Side Plate Pouch

HSG Tourniquet MOLLE TACO Pouch

Blue Force Gear Micro Trauma Kit NOW! - Plus+

×2 Blue Force Gear Helium Whisper Pouch

MultiCam Tropic Crye Precision Magazine Pouch

Crye Precision Zip-On Pack Panel 2.0

AWS SMU Setup:

esstac Double Pistol KYWI

esstac 5.56 Single KYWI Midlength

Kinetic Consulting Dump Pouch

×2 Blue Force Gear Helium Whisper Smoke Grenade Pouch

Blue Force Gear Micro Trauma Kit NOW!

Blue Force Gear TQ Hammock

Blue Force Gear Boo Boo Pouch

G-Code XST Holster Left Hand

Plus an Avon C50 Gas Mask with VPU and its Crye GP pouch as a treat

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Right-wing dark money activist Leonard Leo launches $1BN crusade to "‘crush" liberal America

Alex Rogers at Financial Times:

The conservative activist who led the crusade to overhaul the US legal system is making a $1bn push to “crush liberal dominance” across corporate America and in the country’s news and entertainment sectors. In a rare interview, Leonard Leo, the architect of the rightward shift on the Supreme Court under Donald Trump, said his non-profit advocacy group, the Marble Freedom Trust, was ready to confront the private sector in addition to the government. “We need to crush liberal dominance where it’s most insidious, so we’ll direct resources to build talent and capital formation pipelines in the areas of news and entertainment, where leftwing extremism is most evident,” Leo told the Financial Times. “Expect us to increase support for organisations that call out companies and financial institutions that bend to the woke mind virus spread by regulators and NGOs, so that they have to pay a price for putting extreme leftwing ideology ahead of consumers,” he said.

Leo has spent more than two decades at the influential Federalist Society, guiding conservative judges into the federal courts and the Supreme Court itself. In 2018, conservative justice Clarence Thomas joked that Leo was the third most important person in the world. Leo’s efforts culminated under Trump’s presidency, when three Federalist Society-backed judges were appointed to give conservatives on the Supreme Court a 6-3 supermajority, and profound influence over US law. The court has since then ruled to overturn the right to an abortion, among other long-sought rightwing causes. In 2020, after Trump lost the election, Leo stepped back from running the daily operations of the Federalist Society, while remaining its co-chair. The following year, Leo founded Marble, with a $1.6bn donation from electronic device manufacturing mogul Barre Seid, to be a counterweight to what he said was “dark money” of the left. He spent about $600mn in its first three years, according to public financial disclosures.

Leo said his goal was to find “very leveraged, impactful ways of reintroducing limited constitutional government and a civil society premised on freedom and personal responsibility and the virtues of western civilisation”. The $1bn money machine is now funding the conservative mission against private institutions, opposing diversity, equity and inclusion policies, climate and social concerns in investing and the “debanking” of politically conservative customers, in addition to taking on the public sector. The non-profit is increasingly interested in launching campaigns against “woke” banks and China-friendly companies involved in everything from food production to autonomous vehicles in the US and potentially Europe. Leo also intends to invest in a US local media company in the next 12 months, although he has not decided which, and is building conservative coalitions through groups such as Teneo Network, a club with chapters across the country. He also confirmed that Marble had since 2021 helped fund organisations that launched campaigns against companies with DEI, ESG and other initiatives, including BlackRock, Vanguard, American Airlines, Coca-Cola, State Farm, Major League Baseball and Ticketmaster.

The Financial Times interviewed right-wing dark money activist Leonard Leo, as he announced plans to launch a $1BN crusade to "‘crush" liberal America.

Leo has hinted that he’ll invest in an unnamed American media company within the next year.

[legendary-pink-dot]

WIP Wednesday Bonus

With one stylish, custom leather shoe planted firmly on the foot of the microphone stand to counterweight, he pulls your arms back against his chest. The curve of his nose slips through the sweaty valley between your shoulderblades, exposed by your risque (for the era) dress, and you arch into his touch against your better judgment. Don't act desperate, you remind yourself. Make him work for it.

He slides a hand down your leg and presses it against his so hard that you think the seam of your vintage stockings will be permanently etched into the back of your thighs tomorrow.

"Pretty little ingenue," Dieter/Victor snickers against your neck. "I like you. Maybe we do have room for two singers on stage tomorrow night."

You notice, not without a twinge of satisfaction, that Dieter's accent is starting to slip, as well as his consistency of character. You'll give him notes after this -- just like he felt entitled to give you.

---

Eventual fic of Dieter playing a slightly sleazy 1940s torch-song-club owner from Havana and an actress playing a cigarette girl who wants to upgrade her role. 😏 I'll need some extra time with this one to flesh out Dieter's characterization, since I've never written him before and am nervous. 😬

Paging @basicoccult @imalrightllama @exquisiteserotonin @youandmeand5bucks @secretelephanttattoo @rifflovesjoey @for-a-longlongtime and of course @rhoorl who hopefully won't judge my Dieter too harshly

[trashpandato]

Treats and Collars

Hey, can you take care of the till for a few minutes? I have a mom and son who want a fish.”

Kara nodded. 

“Sure thing.”

Winn grinned and practically bounced towards the young mother hovering near the fish tanks and Kara shook her head smiling. He was about to put on a show and she knew how much he loved this, helping newbies with their first foray into the world of freshwater fish, tanks, and all the accessories needed to introduce a pet fish to the family. She caught the first two sentences of Winn launching into his signature speech about the wonderful world of goldfish and their friends before she turned towards the checkout counter.

The pet store wasn’t particularly busy that afternoon. It was a Wednesday, too late for the people who came in on their lunch breaks to pick up supplies, and too early for the after-work crowd. It gave Kara some time to organize the selection of cat and dog treats they kept right near the checkout area to encourage last minute impulse purchases. 

She lost herself in the task. She loved this job, this store. At first, she had only agreed to work here part-time as a favor to James when he opened the store a few years ago. It had seemed like a strange step for him at the time. He’d left his job as a photographer for a local newspaper, saying that he was tired of taking endless photos of the mayor and his cronies, chasing one ribbon-cutting photo-op after another. Kara had understood, having listened to many of his rants about his job over the years. But the move to open a pet store had been unexpected nonetheless, prompting some pointed remarks from James’ friend group and his sister. Seeing the initial pushback he was faced with, Kara decided to be a counterweight to that and offered her support and her time for a few shifts here and there. And sure, maybe some of her motivation at the time was that she liked James, as in liked liked him, so spending more time around him seemed like a good idea. But even after they both decided to be friends and only friends, Kara stuck to her commitment to help him out.

Three years later, she was still here and loved every minute of what had turned into a full-time gig instead of the occasional shift here and there. Eliza sometimes questioned Kara’s motives for working at the store and reminded her that she had completed college with excellent grades and had every opportunity to find a real career. And Kara agreed with her. She wasn’t planning on working here for the rest of her life. But for now, and until she had a clearer idea for what to do next, this job was perfect. She got to meet new people every day, help them with their questions about the various pet products they sold, and best of all, many customers brought in their dogs to help them pick out food or treats or a new toy, which meant that on any given day, Kara got to interact with at least one dog, often more.

Best job ever.

Kara was very good at it, too. The store had many customers, mostly those with dogs or cats at home, who would come in specifically asking for her. Winn, on the other hand, was the go-to guy for folks looking for fish or reptiles, and Kara happily deferred to his expertise in those cases. Overall, many of their customers would travel well out of their way to come to the store simply because they cherished Kara’s and Winn’s friendly and knowledgeable service, a fact that prompted James to hang a large banner in the store about a year after they opened that proudly declared it to be the Best in the Galaxy. It was a little over the top maybe, but Kara still smiled when James hung it up with a broad grin on his face.

So yes, Kara loved her job, loved interacting with customers, especially the four-legged ones, and she always made sure to keep a jar of high-quality treats near the cash register so she could hand them out to the dogs that came to the store. She was in the middle of refilling said jar when she noticed a new customer approaching the checkout area and immediately launched into a well-worn routine before the person had even fully stepped up to the counter.

“Hi, welcome to Super Pets. Did you find everything you were looking for?”

Where Kara usually received a clear yes or no answer, the woman who now stood in front of her merely let out a small chuckle.

“Super Pets. Who on earth came up with that name?”

Feeling somewhat defensive, Kara straightened her shoulders and made eye contact. The woman was young, around Kara’s age, and for a moment Kara wondered if she was some famous celebrity, mostly because she was hiding half of her face behind a pair of oversized expensive-looking sunglasses. But even without seeing her eyes, Kara could tell the woman was beautiful. Long dark hair, pale skin, a sharp jaw and bright red lips that held a small smirk that made Kara’s stomach feel funny.

“I mean, presumably you are here to buy something for your pet, who you love and who is awesome. Some might even say super. So…”

The smirk on the woman’s face bloomed into a proper smile and Kara couldn’t help but smile right back.

“But if you really want to know, my friend James, who owns the store, came up with the name. Though I would say it was a bit of a group effort that involved a few friends, too many drinks and some board games.”

“Ah,” the woman said, amusement clear in her voice ”so the name was properly tested in a focus group.”

Now it was Kara’s turn to chuckle.

“Sure. Let’s go with that.”

The woman nodded, still smiling, and slid a dog leash towards Kara before pulling out her wallet to pay for it.

Kara didn’t know why she had to make a comment about it. Maybe it was because she felt a little dazed from their little back-and-forth so far, or maybe she didn’t want their interaction to end too quickly, so as she pulled the leash towards her to scan the tag, she said:

“And who’s this for?”

The woman paused for a few seconds, long enough for Kara to wonder if she had crossed a line, said something wrong, though she couldn’t imagine why her simple question might have come across as offensive. But then the woman leaned forward a little, as if she was about to share an important secret.

“Oh, it’s for bad girls who don’t behave.”

Read the rest on AO3

[unofficial-aragon]

This is tiro de barra aragonesa, a traditional Aragonese sport, which has its origins in the men in that worked ploughing the fields coming up with an entertainment. This custom has prevailed, and it has now become this sport: the white lines mark the edges of the field, and the person stands behind the wooden bar seen in the video and throws a metal stick. The weight of the metal stick depends on the category, and contestants are allowed to carry a counterweight in their non-dominant hand. If the stick falls outside of the lines, or if it falls flat, the throw is not considered valid.

This sport has many variations all throughout the Iberian Peninsula, with the another well known variation being the barra vasca, or palanka jaurtiketa.

Video from Instagram reels by barraires_zaragoza

[that-fellow-from-dres]

Extract from Thirkenforth Locomotive Works' 1937 Product Catalogue

MARK EIGHT GENERAL USE AUTOMATON Anatomy, Part One: The Head 1. Wireles transmitter/reciever, capable of interpreting Morse and Baudot coded messages.

2. Standard sound input/output systems (A simple microphone and pair of speaker cones)

3. Reinforced steel Brain Container (General Use Automatons, or GUAs use a used human brain to manage logical decisions of all kinds)

4. Central Vision Apertures

5. Three-axis neck mounting point (Allows the head to turn in all directions)

6. Peripheral vision apertures

7. Counterweight (The head of a GUA is heavy, and thus needs to be balanced out on the other side)

8. Light-through-tape multi-expression system -a pseudo-eye

9. Oscilloscope-based pseudo-mouth (As GUAs are run by a human brain, they still retain the capability to feel emotions, though typically less so than the average person. The pseudo-eyes and mouth are systems by which a GUA may have a level of emotional expression.)

MARK EIGHT GENERAL USE AUTOMATON Anatomy, Part Two: The Arms

Two-Axis articulated digits -the fingers can bend in two directions, offering it a wider range of ways to grip things

Hydraulically actuated elbow joints give a high torque for lifting heavy objects.

Thirkenforth standard palm electromagnet for handling metallic objects -This is particularly useful for objects with no easy surface to grab onto.

Wide range of thumb motion allows for a stronger grip.

MARK EIGHT GENERAL USE AUTOMATON Anatomy, Part Three: The torso 1. Serial number and Thirkenforth Locomotive Works emblem are displayed on exterior panelling. TLW offers engraved nameplates to its customers for no additional cost.

2. A V-Twin petrol engine provides traction and power, in a more reliable and compact form compared to steam-based automatons.

3. An electric motor powers the Mass Reallocation Ring. Replacements may be purchased at a discount directly from TLW in the case of failure.

4. The Mk.III Mass Reallocation Ring offers unparalleled stability. The Mark Eight GUA actually uses two stacked on top of each other, such that the force created by movement of internal weights in one ring can be counteracted by the other.

MARK EIGHT GENERAL USE AUTOMATON Anatomy Part Four: The legs

Three-Axis pivoting hip joints give the leg a wide range of motion for superior navigation.

Detachable 'Cuisse', 'Polyen' and 'Greave' leg panels are an optional extra for automatons requiring additional protection for fragile mechanisms.

Knee joints are spring-loaded to improve weight handling characteristics.

Fully movable toes ensure the Mark Eight keeps its weight spread over a wide area, even on one leg.

For enquiries concerning the products of Thirkenforth Locomotive Works, send correspondence to 48 Ullesthorpe Road, Thirkenforth, Rutland LE17 2AQ.

[downwithpeople]

finished counter/weight

it wasn't bad!

most actual plays do about 0.5 systems - they nominally use dnd 5e but mainly just do freestyle rp. it's wild to hear someone kitbash together what, 6 fucking systems? multiple groups of players operating at multiple levels asymmetrically? what a big swing! it's so fucking ambitious! i don't even know if it's a good idea!

the big downside of the variety in systems means that a huge chunk of the airtime is spent explaining, discussing and negotiating mechanics. the mechnoir portion was the absolute worst for this and i think part of what made the first session or two so rough was the players just not understanding the game or how to effectively use their characters. the benefit of this immense variety of systems is...i don't know? maybe it's fun to play? i didn't feel like the extended kingdom interlude was that interesting and i would have definitely preferred the events of that to be relayed to me in a 10-minute convo rather than negotiated through another system where the players seem barely cognizant of the stakes.

i found it very difficult to understand what was going on with the setting. a lot of setting names are thrown at you very fast and at this point i still don't know if i could confidently describe all of the big movers and shakers in the setting. still not 100% on who the rapid evening are, who diego rose was, who most of the big corps are and why they matter. i don't hate any of what i learned but i'm not sold on the divines in general. rigour is cool because i understand what rigour is and does. i don't get how righteousness works, nor any of the divines which aren't a giant robot. even at the end, when they were saying shit like 'ooh grace won't like that' i still didn't understand what that meant or why it mattered. maybe i'm just too stupid. that said, the parts that i did understand i thought were pretty decent.

i liked the chime and i liked the cast. audy was cool and had some great moments tho as i said, still don't know why their status as a divine matters. aria seemed like an insanely poor fit for the group but i like ali acampora as an entertainer so it balances out. mako was consistently delightful and the introduction of larry was my favourite character beat in the season. cass didn't make that much of an impression on me and it was too easy to forget they were royalty. i think austin should have laid down the law super hard in the first session and been like 'hey you guys are criminals, you are mercenaries, you do crimes for money, be on that wavelength' instead of like, however the fuck he described their deal with orth.

big fucking mistake: the custom XP triggers he worked out. podcast or no, do NOT ever give players a mechanical incentive to play suboptimally. players already play suboptimally; the mechanics should lead them by the nose into optimal play strategies. i would not recommend giving a player like keith an incentive to fuck up the mission with antics unless you want to ruin your friendships.

i think i would have enjoyed a less structured game along the lines of what is actually suggested by the rules of the sprawl. i guess this is just actual play podcasts in general but the thing is, most PBTA games make it pretty explicit that the game works best when you come in with a set of starting positions and assumptions instead of a predetermined storyline. austin can't help but come in with a big sheaf of predetermined storylines, down to specific planned scenes and even fucking maps. i would love to hear a podcast where someone plays the game as written for once.

i have no idea where to go from here. i'm sure as shit not listening to marielda because i know it will make me big nerd angry. i am not so invested in the setting that i absolutely must find out what happens in twilight mirage. if the hieron stuff is good maybe i'll listen to that next but i think i'm gonna give fatt a break for a while.

my OC for counterweight is the candidate of the divine antipathy.

[clavissionary-position]

Gilbert x Reader, Right Ventricle Left Atrium

tags: fluff, slice-of-life

Sometimes the night is for fishing things Gilbert dropped into the ancient, empty well in the shadow of the tallest castle tower when he was younger. Round, square, big, small, light, heavy; objects found in bedrooms, found in gutters, found in front of storefronts but never within; objects with no clear purpose at the time of discovery and yet Gilbert collected them and stored them at the bottom of the well to make new, customized things with to send to his penpals. Then an event happened shortly after and he never got the chance.

You accept what looks like a broken bottle but feels mossy and warm while Gilbert casts his self-rigged reel back into the well. "What were you planning to make with this?"

The clear night lets shadows linger on Gilbert, but he wears them like a happy smile. "I don't remember. I was far more imaginative as a kid than I am now. Hehe. You don't have to shudder like that. I wasn't so different from you at the time." His reel does most of the work, propped and secured on the well's stone lip with a palm-sized matrix of metallic counterweights.

"I don't remember doing... I take that back." There was that time with the kids in town and the rose tea heist. Semantically speaking, you'd committed your first and only crime at the age of seven. What Gilbert had done was far less illegal but just as whimsical in the way only a child could be.

Gilbert's chuckles ride on the soft hiss of his reel at work. He's come to hug you while he waits and while you continue to study the broken bottle. "I could have chosen a better storage than the bottom of a well, right? I wish I could say what was going through my mind then." He speaks like he's sharing someone else's anecdote and that's how you know that he absolutely remembers why he chose this place.

"I'm sure he cherished that time with you too," you say as you set the bottle beside the reel. "Children... People are funny like that. And it's the kind of thing that makes them loveable, don't you think?"

Gilbert drops his forehead against the back of your head. His embrace hasn't changed, but it somehow becomes more of what it is. His answer, silent everywhere the syllables are open, arrives and departs and leaves its gifts and ghosts at the threshold of your heart.

"If that's what you think... then I must have thought the same."

[snugglyporos]

So this is overdue. Here’s a big post on how I think poros interact with various regions in Runeterra, based on my own understanding of lore, and some headcanons. 

Poroland/Freljord: Poros obviously exist in the Freljord, it’s where poros originated after all! There are many flufts here! Many poros! And of course, it’s where the Poro King resides. Poros are rather easy to find in the cold wasteland, strangely enough, and many of them wander about or live among the various tribes that make the Freljord their home. In fact, the one thing that unites many of the tribes, despite their power struggles, is that they like poros; even Ashe and Sejuanni can agree on that! Many tribes make various clothes, armors, blankets, and more out of poro wool, which poros are happy to share!

Demacia: The first place that poros ended up once they began venturing outside of the Freljord was Demacia, since it’s literally on the border. Most Demacians see the poros as harmless, even positive forces in the country; poros after all are clearly virtuous, clearly good natured, and repeal most dark magical things. The problem of course, is that poros themselves are magical, and Demacians rather hate magic. A fluft of poros are capable of animating Galio; and this has led to some grumbling that poros are actually bad, and that poros should be expelled from Demacia entirely! However, no one says this very loudly; Jarvan IV is rumored to have told a particularly ornery councilor that if he wanted to expel the poros, then he could tell both the poros and the common people himself that he wanted to do it. The councilor quickly dropped his objections.

Poros of course, do not particularly understand most Demacian customs or ideas, but they do resonate with the idea of knights, in the same way children might. Poros do not understand soldiers, but playing knight and wandering about in helmets is something poros have done since discovering helmets. And of course, this helps morale. Poros also do not understand how a country that hates magic employs a giant stone statue and a dragon, but poros do not really concern themselves with politics. A number of flufts simply exist within Demacia, which the kingdom allows, because again, bad things are usually averse to spending any time around poros. 

Noxus: Officially, there are no poros in Noxus. The Noxian government is very insistent on this point. After all, poros are clearly the exact opposite of Noxian ideals; they’re soft, snuggly, friendly, and squishy. Noxian citizens are encouraged to report any poro sightings to their local Noxian military office, so that they can be deported to the Freljord. 

Unofficially though, there are many poros in Noxus. Poro flufts migrate south ended up in Noxus because they share an even bigger border than Demacia does, and some of them even stay. This has created a lot of unique interactions among the top brass of Noxus. 

First, Noxus sees poros as a natural counterweight to various unpleasant and unruly forces; demons, void creatures, and other such things roam Noxus, and all of them dislike poros. Poros then, keep these things in check. The fewer soldiers need to be quartered in a town to protect the town from demons and the like, the better, since those soldiers can be sent to various battlefields. Furthermore, various Noxian nobles consider poros to be expensive pets, and many poros don’t see a problem with this, because snax and snuggles are good. 

However, the pretense for why the official line of Noxus is that there are no poros there is that Swain and Darius fear what poros might do to undermine Noxian ideals. Poros might be squishy and cuddly, but poros are also invulnerable creatures who are completely without fear in the face of dangerous foes. A poro barely understands that foes exist, which means that they regard demons and void creatures the same way they consider every other creature, and that means that in some ways, poros exhibit an ideal of Noxian strength that makes Swain and Darius uncomfortable. One might even say that poros represent the seeds of a heresy; that ‘strength’ is more than just military might made manifest. 

LeBlanc loves rubbing this in their faces. One can imagine her bursting into the room holding a poro, exclaiming ‘Behold! The Noxian Ideal of Strength!’ She also likes that it’s a natural counter to Swain and his demon; it’s fun to rub his face in it. Of the three, LeBlanc genuinely likes poros the most, considering them a fun and useful addition to her magical collection. The Lefluft, as they consider themselves, reside in her personal residence, and act as a natural counterweight to some of the less... savory things that exist there. Nothing keeps dark magic at bay more than a poro. 

Piltover: There are a number of poros and a fluft or two in Piltover, though not too many. Most of the things in Piltover are too confusing and strange to poros, and while there are lots of things poros find interesting, most poros do not really mesh with the society that exists here. Individual poros are pets to some, becoming part of families and there’s at least one Poro Cafe, but by and large poros do not remain here long. Obviously, the academy has the Porofessor, Heimerdinger’s poro companion who is clearly very smart and wise. Various members of the Academy have taken to studying poros, both as a ‘society’ and as magical beings; poros don’t mind this, as there are many snax and snuggles to be had!

Zaun: Poros do not belong in Zaun, and Zaunites do not like poros. Most of the chem barons see poros as being entirely out of step with their world, and poros mostly view Zaun as a scary place that is not for poros. That’s not to say there aren’t poros here; some poros are very brave and make their home here, and even some of the forces here find poros to be useful pets and friends. But you’d be hard pressed to find a place that poros are less interested in than Zaun, which seems like it was tailor made to be the opposite of what a poro vibes as. 

Ixtal: The jungles of Ixtal are not home to many poros, but that’s only because most poros do not realize there are things to explore here. The proto-poro makes the jungles its home, and it’s made friends with many of it’s northern kin as they move through here, but poros do not seem to grasp that the jungle is a place for poros to live. That however, has changed a little in recent days, as poros have learned that humans explore the jungles, and if humans explore them, then perhaps there is reason for poros to see what is there too! 

Shurima: According to Azir, there were no poros in Shurima when he was alive originally. If that was true then, it’s no longer. Poros have long since nestled in Shurima, becoming a fixture of the trade routes and cities that dot the desert. The poros have been here so long that the poros have developed their own subspecies: sand poros! These poros are tan in color, to blend in with the sand, and radiate cold rather than heat like their northern cousins. Beyond that, they are exactly the same, because they are poros.

Caravans have found that travelling with poros negates one of the biggest threats to them: void creatures. Reksai’s brood prowl the deserts, and despite their large size and ferocity, the void creatures fear and hate poros. A poro fluft in a caravan, or even just a few poros, is usually enough to scare them off. Beyond that, poros are also very good at finding oasis; many a lost traveler has survived upon being discovered by a poro in the desert. 

Shurima’s emperor also has their own poro, the Exalted Poro who is basically just a normal poro, but who has decided to take on the mannerisms of Azir. Azir finds this very adorable, as does Sivir. But Azir also realizes that poros are a potent weapon against the void, and also a great way to show how cultured Shurima is. He might think them to be simple creatures, but simple creatures have their own nobility. 

Nasus tries not to think about poros. Poros get into trouble and make his life difficult. Poros of course, love him, but he’s constantly having to shoo them out of the libraries, because poros get way too curious. 

Targon: The various beings that live on the mountains regard poros as harmless creatures, and a few flufts live on the slopes, finding it agreeable to them as many are cold like the Freljord. Some of the residents think the poros are good counterweights to the void, and others find them to be a strange calming presence to ward off the more violent individuals who reside here. 

Some even say that if poros had been here earlier, the whole Lunari/Solari split wouldn’t have happened at all! Such is the power of poros. 

But mostly, the residents like that poros oppose the void and repel them entirely. Some even whisper that there could be some kind of snuggle exalted out there, or something like that. 

Bilgewater: Some poros have made the pirate haven their home, though there’s only one fluft here. Most poros that end up here are individuals, brought on ships and made part of crews; poros, it turns out, are good at warding off sea beasts and the like. 

The most famous poro here is the Plunder Poro (who I personally call Captain Snugglebeard). He is fearsome and terrifying and all who oppose him will pay the snuggly price! Your snuggles or your snax! 

In truth, he’s just mimicking the humans around him, who find the poro adorable and humor him at every opportunity. He even has a bounty posted, drawn by the local children. Some say his ‘crew’ is made up entirely of retired sailors and captains, who find the poro to be a good example of the pirate ideal. 

Ionia: Ironically, there are not many poros in Ionia. Despite being a place that thrives on magic, the fact that they’re islands makes it hard for poros to get there on their own. Poros who do, however, find the place very agreeable, filled with wonderful adventures and new friends. Most monasteries have at least one poro, as the various monks debate whether the poros are a good example of being at peace with the world, or a representative of the ideal of balance, or an example of true enlightenment. Some monks have even left Ionia to seek out the legendary Poro Herder in the Freljord, curious if such a person can give them deeper insight into enlightenment. 

The poros of course, have absolutely no idea what the monks actually do; meditation is nap time for them. Though they do love making the lines in the sand! Is fun! 

One thing that has been talked about among the various Vastaya is actively encouraging and importing poros into Ionia. They need magic to sustain themselves, and poros are very magical; furthermore they don’t seem to ever run out of magic, and never seem to weaken even in places where magic doesn’t exist. As such, some wonder if having more poros in Ionia would save it from running out of magic, simply because the poros wouldn’t allow it to happen...

Shadow Isles: Poros are not allowed on the Shadow Isles, so sayeth the Ruined King. 

The reason is that poros are naturally immune to ruination, and actively repulse it; of all the places that the Harrowing could go, it finds it cannot make inroads in the Freljord, because poros are so numerous there and counteract it. It’s a real problem. Beyond that, their ability to make anyone into friends, to the point that even Thresh can’t resist loving them, is terrifying to beings who are so determined to control and enslave others. Poros cannot be enslaved or bent to anyone else’s will; that alone makes them terrifying. 

That’s not to say that poros don’t exist on the islands. In fact, there are numerous flufts here, of a sort. The ghost poros, purple and slightly translucent, are the poros attempting to adapt to being like the residents of these cursed lands. They float and snuggle, and they’re perhaps the only harmless thing on these islands. The ghost poros seem to reverse the harrowing less than normal poros, perhaps because poros like to coexist, so everyone agrees not to try and change anything, lest they change again into something worse for the Ruined King. 

Some people whisper that people like Hecarim are actually terrified of poros, because poros are not terrified of him, and that Thresh loves poros but secretly fears them as well, because they alone have managed to free souls from his lantern and are entirely immune to his fearsome visage. Beyond that, if Thresh cannot bring himself to torment the poros, and finds them cute, then the magic of poros must be powerful indeed, and powerful magic like that is best avoided. 

There is one normal poro of note on the isles: The ‘Sinister Poro.’ This poro wears a sheet and attempt so scare various individuals it meets, trying it’s best to mimic the ghosts it finds. No one really finds it scary, but ghosts are known to try and help without the poro noticing, and of course, everyone plays along with the poro, lest it be sad. Sad poros are even worse than happy poros, after all... 

[thethinkingman]

This load is a picture of why so many people leave trucking, don’t recommend it to others and refuse to get into the industry.

I loaded last Friday in Ocala Fl. Once loaded, and on the way to Orange MA, I called the site contact to confirm delivery. He was very quick to inform me it would not deliver Monday due to the customer ignoring his requests for a ship date for over a week. He couldn’t schedule a crane Friday afternoon for Monday morning. After some phone calls a decision was made for me to bring the load home and sit on it until a crane appointment is made.

I arrived home Saturday morning. Monday late afternoon I was informed the crane was scheduled for Friday morning and I needed to be there at 0800. So Wednesday morning I left home and headed to MA.

Friday I arrive on site at 0750 and was informed the crane wasn’t arriving until 0830. Sometime around 0900 the crane still wasn’t on site, but the trucks carrying the counterweights had arrived. The new ETA for the crane was 1000. In this time period I was informed that the crane was scheduled for 0800 and I wasn’t supposed to be on-site until 0900.

At 0930 the crane arrived and the three trucks supporting the crane were unloaded and the crane was set up by 1030. I back in and unchain. While doing this the rigging supervisor decided he didn’t like the lift points thinking they were to light, or not thick enough. After some pictures and a conversation with the manufacturer they decided to try lifting it. Now it’s 1130.

At this point we had to cancel a load we were supposed to pick up in PA going to GA that payed very well. Due to the shipper having a 1400 cut off time we had to cancel before the crane was set up. The next load has a 1600 cutoff in North Plainfield NJ which is 4.5 hours from where I was sitting. By the time I was unloaded, took pictures, sent in paperwork and got traffick and parked cars moved it was 1200 when I left. Being the traffic hell hole the north east is on a Friday afternoon I ran into the inevitable heavy traffic and was not going to make the next pickup by 1600. Now it doesn’t load until Monday morning and delivers in Iowa Wednesday morning.

So now a load that was supposed to load Friday and deliver Monday allowing us to get loaded so I could be home for Thanksgiving is postponed until Monday and delivering Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Thus I will be on the road for Thanksgiving this year. Hopefully we can get reloaded so I’m not sitting through the holiday weekend.

Now the problem. In trucking when there are delays like this you can get compensation for downtime, but not nearly the same amount you would make running under a load. The time I spent home at the beginning of the week payed me about half my average earning potential. The wait time Friday probably won’t be payed by the broker and absolutely will not be paid by the crane service. The 5 hours waiting to load in Florida, we were only paid for 2 of those hours. The weekend I’m spending sitting in Bordentown NJ is not paid and the neither the crane crew that caused us to miss two loads not the contractors on site will pay for the down time and missed loads. Now two weeks of earning for myself and my company have been ruined. Finally no one will compensate the driver for being stuck on the road half the country away from home on a major holiday.

So ask yourself this, in an industry that touches everything at least once from raw material to delivery to where you buy it, and is so vital to our way of life and national security, why would anyone want to get into this career?

#trucker #trucking #truckdriver #cdl #bluecollar #supplychain #transportation #freightbroker #truckingcompany #holiday

[foreigntownforeignplace]

The entire album is a stone-cold classic masterpiece and this might be the best song on it. The rollicking guitar playing and the hyped up horns give this the endless effervescence necessary to completely counterweight the grim nature of the lyrics, and neither halves get sold short by the vocals that are half genuinely enthusiastic and half self-soothing in the middle of a stressful situation; the real genius is how all these multitudes are not only seamlessly woven together, but indicated to inform each other as a means of survival in tough times. How can you keep the customer satisfied if you don't have the energy to get out of bed? It also works in a humorous manner because of this depressing idea being so starkly portrayed and then shrugged off, which circles back to the depressing fact that you can't spend all your time thinking about how bad things are or they'll only get worse (even if you want to try something new that makes them better). Incredible song, the great revelation of my young musical years, et cetera.

[pandaelevator]

Elevator Steel Wire Rope

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