#g7 imagines

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

If Ramshackle did become an official dorm, what attribute would be associated with it?

[Referencing this post!]

I think it'd be neat if Ramshackle's value was ingenuity, creativity, or something along those lines! It's the dorm that is the most "different" from the others and also houses more than one unconventional student (including the weird resident rock eater, Grim). Yuu, who lives in Ramshackle, doesn't have magic but it can be argued that they make up for that deficit through other talents and skills--which is something that requires ingenuity. In a way, this could also be seen as Yuu's own "magic", since actual magic uses imagination (which is tied to creativity) to help visualize spells.

Ramshackle isn't formally associated with a particular figure from Disney animation, but if we assume that Mickey is the equivalent of a G7 figure then the creativity angle also makes sense. Mickey is well-known as the mascot for Disney, and Disney is known for innovation in the realm of animation, especially with the release of the first cel animated feature length film, Snow White. I don't know if I would call Disney the pinnacle of creativity now (with them churning out sequels, making live actions versions of their classics, and buying up more competition rather than producing original works), but they were back in the day. It helps that the world of Twisted Wonderland has mainly involved characters twisted from the 2D era of Disney works, which is generally considered to be their "peak".

[beardedmrbean]

The U.K.'s last coal-fired power plant was to close permanently on Monday — bringing an end to 140 years of reliance on the fossil fuel to generate electricity in Britain. The move will make the U.K. the first major global economy to completely phase out coal as an energy source. 

The Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, located near a small village in southern England, was to close its doors for the last time at midnight local time. The power station has been generating electricity since 1967 and "played a key role in keeping the nation's lights on," its parent company Uniper said in a statement Monday. 

"Since commissioning it has produced enough energy to make more than 21 trillion cups of tea and its 2GW capacity is enough to power two million homes," the company said. 

Peter O'Grady, the plant's manager, told CBS News it was "an emotional day."

"When I started my career 36 years ago, none of us imagined a future without coal generation in our lifetimes. I am incredibly proud of what we've achieved together over the years and to be part of this energy milestone as the country focuses on a cleaner energy future," he said.

The move sees the U.K. make good on one of the environmental pledges made by the government as part of a wider strategy to combat climate change and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Coal is considered the single most damaging fossil fuel for the environment, according to Greenpeace, as it releases more carbon dioxide than oil or gas. Coal also produces mercury and arsenic, and small particles of soot which contribute to air pollution.

Thirteen countries have already phased out coal as a source of energy, according to independent climate think tank Ember, but Britain will be the only member of the G7 group of economically advanced, democratic nations to do so thus far.

In the G7's largest economy by a significant margin, the U.S., the Department of Energy acknowledges that coal is still "used to generate a significant chunk of our nation's electricity" — about 16% of the total share in 2023, according to the Energy Information Administration.

U.K. Energy Minister Michael Shanks said in a statement sent Monday to CBS News that the closure of the Ratcliffe power station "marks the end of an era, and coal workers can be rightly proud of their work powering our country for over 140 years."

"The era of coal might be ending, but a new age of good energy jobs for our country is just beginning," Shanks said. 

The first coal plant in Britain went online in 1882, when Thomas Edison's Holborn Viaduct coal plant started generating electricity for public use. It was a first-of-its-kind station, and it burned enough coal to provide energy to light 1,000 lamps in the City of London.

Despite efforts to make the industry cleaner, the fundamentals of coal-fired electricity generation have remained largely unchanged since Edison's company fired up its boilers. The process involves burning the fossil fuel to heat water to create steam, which spins a turbine to produce electricity.

[twisted-wonderland-but-gayer]

Can you imagine if G7 Yuu had no filter??

Yuu, pointing at Idia: my dad(hades) just called you a wimp

Or them just being cryptic asf 😭😭

I can see them playing if off as them having voices but it would be so funny if they were confrontational.

"Trein I'm afraid that not how the story goes"

"Lilia according to the Thorn Fairy you couldn't cook back then either"

"My father taught me this one" *erupts in flames*

[msmargaretmurry]

i suspect dylan did not watch scf g7 since the bears calder cup g7 was going on simultaneously and i suspect he was busy with the family once it finished, so how soon did he remember to step aside and check if connor had achieved their lifelong dream? how did he find out that connor lost, and did it make even a dent in the happiness he was surely feeling for matt at that time? thoughts that make me feel a little crazy

i totally agree anon, his focus would have been completely on matty and the bears game — like i would imagine he was checking the nhl score intermittently but once his little brother scored the calder cup gamewinner he would have been pretty distracted celebrating! (sidenote, stromes honestly an underrated hockey family. those brothers love each other SO much.) and obviously there's no way to know how or when he saw the final score (for all we know they turned on the end of the game once the bears game was over so he saw it live! i can actually see him, once the initial celebration died down, being like hey let's turn the oilers game on—) but man i feel like there had to be a pang when the game ended/when he saw the final score. like i don't think it would have dampened his happiness for matty or his celebrating at all but there must have been a pang. like, he's so fucking loyal, you know he wanted it for connor regardless of how close they are or aren't nowadays.

[tickledpink31]

For house of mouse au: imagine the Overblot crew telling their Great Seven predecessors how they met Yuu and the Great Seven just taking notes and telling them to go on and internally plotting a way to make this enemies to friends into an enemies to lovers.

I feel like the G7's reaction would be more like:

"Oof we're off to a rough a start."

I'm not really sure how to answer this, so I hope you don't mind me passing this ask off to @rose-tea-and-strawberries and see what she thinks.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

OPEDS

Is it time to go?

By Howard Sackstein

Today, the South African Jewish community numbers but one third of what it did at its peak. Though our numbers have shrunk, the vibrancy of our community has remained intact.

In the 1970s and 1980s they used to joke, “When the Jews go; it’s time to leave, when the Portuguese go; it’s too late.”

The clock ticked, and stopped on 7 October 2023.

The behaviour of the South African government was nothing short of betrayal. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s failure to condemn the 7 October massacre; his failure to reach out to the families of the two South Africans massacred in the Hamas genocide; his failure to act on the two South Africans kidnapped by Hamas; and his smirk blame of Israel for deserving the attack two weeks after the massacre, while wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, will forever be a symbol of his Judas moment.

In American politics, they talk of a “tortoise on a lamppost”. Sometimes, the tortoise mistakenly believes that it got onto the lamppost by itself.

Ramaphosa’s spineless leadership has allowed his jihadist foreign minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, and her mujahidin director general, Zane Dangor, to direct foreign policy without intervention. Pandor mislead Parliament by claiming that there were no beheadings of babies and that Israel had attacked the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital. With no South African diplomats in Israel and Al Jazeera as her only source of information, Pandor meanders in the dark. Her ignorance, however, is self-inflicted. Her department was invited to view the 47-minute video of Hamas-captured atrocities, and declined to attend.

Hamas informs us that Pandor telephoned it to congratulate it on the success of its “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack on Israel. Pandor claimed that she was merely offering humanitarian assistance, but refused to release the “call-out” transcript of the conversation. As a convert to Islam, Pandor uses her own zealotry to pursue a pro-Hamas agenda to the detriment of South Africa.

In December, Hamas visited South Africa, was feted in our Parliament, and celebrated in the African National Congress’ (ANC’s) offices in Johannesburg. When Ramaphosa finally met the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, he sprinted to issue a statement and later, while meeting the Muslim community, stated that they had issued a statement as “we’re concerned there are distortions”. Given that the president’s statement was issued first, this both makes no logical sense and effectively paints the official representative body of Jews in South Africa as liars.

It’s a clash of civilizations. Jews have traditionally ascribed to the values of Western liberal democracy. In the ANC’s hard-left, revolutionary world view, Western interests must be opposed everywhere – in Ukraine, in Morocco, and in Israel. South Africa believes that it must be the vanguard liberation movement celebrating the imagined successes of Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, and Russia. Pandor is currently attending the 7th Africa-Cuba Solidarity Conference in White River.

But actions have consequences. The West is becoming increasingly disenchanted by South Africa’s antics. Last year, South Africa’s invitation to the G7 Summit didn’t materialise, and the currency has lost 50% of its value under Ramaphosa. The renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act looks increasingly precarious together with the approximately 250 000 jobs it created. South Africa is increasingly isolated from those countries which could help it the most.

Ramaphosa had a choice to turn South Africa into a Singapore or a Sudan. He chose Sudan.

[sycamorality]

Whats your head cannon to why or how SOS collapsed?

I don’t think I’ve seen any of your HCs on sliver before so apologies if you’ve already answered this

oh! this one's interesting, because my sliver is... a weird case :p

she actually collapsed and died way before the 3a was sent, and her groupmates knew this. she's a late g3 model, and collapsed during mid g7 - g9 being the final generation. she collapsed somewhere around ~1260.100 and the 3a was sent somewhere around ~1610.200-

so! i don't exactly have any hcs on sliver's 3a or her specific collapse, unless you feel like counting my rw brainlore - where she collapsed due to some small oversights in her structure. instead i have some stuff on the 3a!

it was a real 3a. the solution was found. but not by sliver. it was found by an echo that had access to her comms and remaining systems. it had already spoken as her way before this, usually in groupchats and broadcasts that her groupmates wouldn't be in, so the sliver they knew wasn't the real sliver.

but for the 3a - the echo had already travelled beyond, and the structure shut down after the 3a was sent... so there wasn't really any way for it to explain it in a manner that the iterators would understand it.

so of course... those that had the ability to, and little to no morals regarding graverobbing, scavenged her long-dead corpse for clues regarding the 3a. of course, this came with... no results. her groupmates tried telling everyone that she'd been dead since mid g7 but nobody really listened to them. the only noteworthy thing was that sliver's puppet was completely gone - so i imagine the sliver we see in c70 is what everyone made her out to be. i think it's a bit too on the nose to put an x as a head marking for someone that was really just a nobody until that happened

think "polybius wasn't real, but the legend is", haha. i heard it while watching a video and thought it'd be interesting to apply to sliver.

[chuiko]

I know I've made a post like this before but now that I'm seriously revisiting the series (with the specific intent of figuring out a timeline) this is how I'd plot things out.

This is gonna be long, I'm not sure how to best organize it. Some important stuff is in later points.

• First, s03 is getting sent to 2015-2016, not 2019. It's impossible for Obama to have been president during s01 if s03 was three years later. I completely understand the real-world decision (it was released in 2018, likely as a lead-in to the 2019 presidential campaign), but it just isn't going to work here.

• A Hillary Clinton-like figure is seen at the G7 meeting, so I'm going to have Vasya's reinstatement (in order to unify Ukraine) happen in (early?) 2017.

• The initial election of Goloborodko is in the pre-Maidan election year of 2015, March 29th if we're going to be specific. This is because Yanukovych wasn't ousted—in fact, he wasn't even President. And Vasya's predecessor clearly didn't run away, likely because Chuiko convinced him not to.

• Speaking of: Chuiko's existence is a HUGE difference between SotP and OTL (our timeline). He's been an institution of power for 25 years (in 2015) with an amazing eye for keeping things stable. The Orange Revolution obviously still happened, and so did the Euromaidan, but in this tl I'm going to have him be instrumental in smoothing over Russia's geopolitical anxieties. Just imagine Yuri's smooth assurances to a frenzied Kremlin official that no, there was no CIA coup, he's even still the Prime Minister, everything is still in place, it's fine.

🇷🇺 Russia stuff:

• s03 references Russian occupation, but it wasn't referenced in previous seasons (to my knowledge). I'm going to say the Crimea gambit happened after Yuri and Vasya were both out; it was being planned since Yuri's arrest, but it was Vasya leaving that really sealed the deal. Luhansk and Donetsk weren't little-green-men'd until Ukraine balkanized in s03. Why not right away, like IRL? Well...

• I'm going to make Surkov the Russian president. IRL, rumor has it he was behind the Crimea thing (which was almost entirely bloodless) but had conflict with the L/DPR leadership (specifically Girkin). After Ukraine balkanizes, though, they become Russian protectorates.

• Prior to becoming president (at the end of s01, the phone call), he was the Russian Ambassador to Ukraine (hence why Vasya knows him). This is because without the Orange Revolution freaking out the Kremlin in 2004, his responsibilities were different than OTL and overall he wasn't targeted by as much Kremlin insecurity. AFAIK the Russian MFA strongly prefers career diplomats to political appointees, and this is seen by some as a move by the Kremlin to keep an eye on the MFA, or at least keep its neighbor under a tight watch by giving the position to a Kremlin loyalist.

• Khodorkovsky returns to Russia when Surkov becomes president. He's a minor character, a former-oligarch with some of Vasya's ideals (and stubbornness)

• He's VERY different from Surikov, but for that window where Surikov's president (and when he was PM) if someone says one name people will often be like "which one?!"

• Also, Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov and Sergei Viktorovich Mukhin. This causes some amusement among diplomats who've naturalized to the patrynomic system. Speaking of diplomats...

🇺🇸 US Diplomacy

• The US is studiously not mentioned. This means I can get away with lots :3

• The US is generally treated as a partner more powerful but also much more distant than the EU. Nonetheless, I'm going to have its diplomats behave a bit better and more interestingly than how the EU is portrayed.

• Quick timeline stuff: in 2015-2016, the US is mainly dealing with the Middle East (ISIS, the Iran Deal, Israel diplomacy). It was also investing a lot of effort in fighting international money laundering/corruption. For this reason, the FBI (through the Kyiv Embassy) is going to be working with Mika. I genuinely don't know if the SBU has the ability to access the info to implicate Surikov in freezing Yuri's bank accounts, but I'll have US intel give Mika a hand, or at least corroborate info.

• Bill Burns will be appointed US Ambassador to Ukraine a week or so (bc of Congressional authorization) after Goloborodko is elected. [He served as Ambassador to Russia from 2005-2008, and then as the Under Secretary for Eastern Europe, and then as Deputy Secretary, working on the Iran Deal.] Slightly awkwardly, he retired in Nov. 2014... so he would have come out of retirement in March/April 2015 to be appointed (does that make him a political appointee?). It's clear this wasn't a routine promotion but a specific choice.

• He's chosen to keep an eye on the situation and report back. Both on the internal situation in Ukrainian politics, and also what the Russians are saying/doing. In my timeline 2014 didn't boil over, but it's tense and making watchers in the US nervous.

• US diplomacy remains publicly very distant—no high profile visits during Vasya's brief tenure. This is to everyone's benefit. Obama does like Vasya and empathizes with having a shit congress. Perhaps once Vasya deals with enough of the Horrors he'll meet Barack on equal(ly fucking exhausted) terms and they'll hit it off.

• Burns, however, listens very intently to what the Gang of Five (Oksana, Sergei, Olga, Mika, Ivan) tells him.

• Burns is dismissed as Ambassador by President Surikov, who doesn't trust him getting along well with Vasya + crew. Publicly, to avoid drama, he resigns his post "of his own free will." The Embassy, however, will work just fine without him :)

• Burns recognizes the character flaws of Vasya and his cabinet but still highly recommends them. He's a reason Pres. Clinton works w/ the G7 to reinstate him. Russia (still under Surkov) is also supportive of his reinstatement because the whole thing's an absolute clusterfuck. However, everyone agrees that Yuri is also necessary; he and Vasya are both missing something vitally important by themselves. China, working on its Belt and Road Initiative, also wants the country to not be in pieces.

• Every time Vasya or someone in his cabinet (probably Sergei) stand up for themselves, US diplomats are more comfortable with them. Sycophants are deeply untrustworthy. It's easy to predict what someone will do if they genuinely want the best for their country; purely selfish motives are much less easy to negotiate with.

💸The Oligarchs💸

• Nemchuk kicks off everything with his suggestion the oligarchs stay out of the remaining 2015 campaign. He's also the least contentious of the three. If anyone is going to see the utility of addressing corruption in order to have more stability & contact with Western corporations, it's going to be him. He's also the most like Khodorkovsky's businessman past-self and will get along with him (and thus Russian Pres. Surkov) the best.

• 50/50 chance Burns (maybe along with the Russians) is part of an Iran Deal backchannel. Not only would this piss off some government officials, but Roizman and Mamatov would probably get in another hissy fit, unless Crimea Tatars are Sunni factionalists enough to be on generally bad terms with Iran (the main Shia superpower). Although I wouldn't put it past either Roizman to say something generalizing and Mamatov to get heated. Nemchuk is just done with everyone's shit.

• Nemchuk saw the Khodorkovsky arrest back in 2003 and went "abso-fucking-lutely not."

One last thing:

• After Goloborodko's IMF speech, John Oliver made a video about the IMF's predatory policies.

[absolutebl]

Hi ABL,

I've always wondered how the queer community in Japan is? I mean what is the general opinion towards queerness there? I ask because I can't really tell from their BL how things are over there, also I don't watch that many JBLs so I don't know much.

It's just that there's a scene in My Beautiful Man where Kiyoi confides in his Co worker Anna that he has a boyfriend and she didn't react to it at all. It just got me thinking that's all.

Thanks a lot, have a great day.

♥️ Mimi.

I haven't been back in ages, so I honestly have no idea from personal experience. Although foreigners are always treated differently, queer or not.

Like many things in many parts of the the world I imagine it has to do with the age of the people in play, and whether it is taking place in a major metropolitan area.

The younger the generation and the bigger the city in which they dwell (and the closer to a major port) the more likely to be accepting.

It is a truth universally acknowledged and all that...

In terms of legally? "Japan is the only country in the G7 that does not legally recognize same-sex unions in any form." Wikipedia

Most on human rights watch seem to be simply waiting for this to come up for the vote, since there is "very little outright persecution as Japan's dominant culture and major religions do not have a history of hostility towards homosexuality" although 38% of queer folks surveyed at a recent Pride reported experiencing harassment of some kind.

From what i gather, it's largely felt that if this issue were put to the popular vote in Japan, marriage equality would pass (68 of voters in favor), but that the courts (as is often the case with a judicial branch) are well behind the times. There are a few openly queer politicians in office and Tokyo (and a few other major cities) bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Japan allows for legal gender change (post reassignment surgery) and has done since 2003. Very few counties have had this one on the books for that long.

that's what I got.

Any queer peeps in Japan want to weigh in, please do.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group G Round 3: #G4 vs #G7

#G4: Three girls decide to open an animation club

#G7: A romance between a prince and a herbalist

Details and poll under the cut!

#G4: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!)

Summary:

Midori Asakusa draws detailed landscapes and backgrounds of both the world around her and the one within her boundless imagination. Even the simple act of doodling on a wall evolves into an emergency repair on the outer hull of her spaceship. She is only brought back to reality by her best friend Sayaka Kanamori. The two are stark opposites, with Asakusa’s childlike wonder contrasted by Kanamori’s calculated approach to life.

After a chance encounter where the two “save” the young model Tsubame Misuzaki from her overprotective bodyguard, a connection instantly sparks between Asakusa and Misuzaki, as both share an intense passion for art and animation. Whereas Asakusa is interested in backgrounds and settings, Misuzaki loves drawing the human form. Sensing a money-making opportunity, Kanamori suggests that they start an animation club. Thus begins the trio’s journey of producing animation that will awe the world.

Propaganda:

It’s playing with animation in a really cool way, AND it is just gorgeous. The backgrounds are done in a beautiful painterly style, and each environment is detailed and evokes wonder.

Each of the three girls is a unique and fleshed-out character, and their interactions and blossoming friendship are super fun and wholesome to watch. The dialogue is also very realistic—it really feels like what three high school nerdy girl friends would talk about. Each has her own strengths, in animation, organization and craft, such that they really come together as a team and manage to make something beautiful.

The show is fun, heartwarming and doesn’t take itself too seriously, but at the same time it is so so sincere. Quiet and serious moments can be quiet and serious without needless bathos, and fun sequences (like a chase through the school) are given extra effort to be zany and funny, and fully animated in both senses of the word. Above all, you feel a strong love for animation and deep wonder of the world permeating the series.

Trigger Warnings: Flashing lights in the opening theme

#G7: Snow White with the Red Hair (Akagami no Shirayuki-hime)

Summary:

Although her name means “snow white,” Shirayuki is a cheerful, red-haired girl living in the country of Tanbarun who works diligently as an apothecary at her herbal shop. Her life changes drastically when she is noticed by the silly prince of Tanbarun, Prince Raji, who then tries to force her to become his concubine. Unwilling to give up her freedom, Shirayuki cuts her long red hair and escapes into the forest, where she is rescued from Raji by Zen Wistalia, the second prince of a neighboring country, and his two aides. Hoping to repay her debt to the trio someday, Shirayuki sets her sights on pursuing a career as the court herbalist in Zen’s country, Clarines. Akagami no Shirayuki-hime depicts Shirayuki’s journey toward a new life at the royal palace of Clarines, as well as Zen’s endeavor to become a prince worthy of his title. As loyal friendships are forged and deadly enemies formed, Shirayuki and Zen slowly learn to support each other as they walk their own paths.

Propaganda:

This is my absolute favourite romance anime of all time. The characters are delightful, and the romance is well-paced, with plenty of healthy communication between the two leads. The story never feels boring, managing to pull off both gentle slice of life and exciting adventures with ease. It features gorgeous animation by Studio Bones and a lovely soundtrack.

Trigger Warnings: None.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

[error-on-line413]

You've been called "7he grumblr RPF 2hipper", I imagine 7ha72 gonna be a harder 7i77le 7o keep now 7ha7 7roll2 have wri7en ac7ual fanfic abou7 o7her grumblr u2er2

Are you willing 7o figh7 for 7he 7i77le?

G7

[ ] N[ ], I'm n[ ]t, and st[ ]p calling me that. [ ]

[twisted-wonderland-but-gayer]

Uh can you do a silver and G7 yuu bonding time where their training with swords and silver notices how Yuu is good with a sword and asks what type of training did they do back where their from

😺

Sword training with Silver and G7

Context: The great 7 live in Yuus head and act as their parents

The wooden training sword in your clacked loudly against another. Silver was a strong opponent, but he stood no chance. You jumped back, before charging at him once again, just to slide under his blade last minute and trip him, holding your wooden sword to his neck.

Silver's eyes went wide before he relaxes and cracks a smile, “Well done, I didn’t see that coming.” You smile and get up, holding your hand out for him to grab onto so you could pull him up. “That’s your weakness Silver, you never expect unorthodox methods.” 

“To be fair, no swordsman worth his salt would throw their sword at the person they are dueling” “You think? My folks always day to never to never get repetitive, otherwise your enemy will be able to predict your movements.” “My father says the same thing, but I still have much to learn.” 

Instead of readying yourself for more training you lean against the gyms wall. “Your father must have taught you a lot.” “Yes, he taught me everything I know.” Silver decides to relax the grip on his wooden sword and sit down on the floor, panting slightly, you both were sweating.

“So did mine.” “I never heard you talk much about your parents, Yuu.” “Ah, thats because its a bit complicated…” You ignore the whispers in your head from your aforementioned parents as they argue over what you should say. “I have seven parents actually, they all taught me something different when it comes to swordwork.” 

“Woah, that must be a lot…” “It is, especially when it comes to mother’s or father’s days,” You joke, but instead SIlver takes it with a serious nod. “I can imagine.” It went silent for a moment before Silver spoke again. “What are your parents like?” 

“Guess it’s only fair to tell you after everything you tell me of your father. Lets just say my moms and dads have very distinct personalities… I don’t know if you would want to listen to me.” “No, I do.” Silver responds earnestly, making you smile, “Thanks, I’ll also be sure to tell you the same things they told me when it comes to fencing.” 

You smirk mischievously, picking up the training sword and sliding on your knees to Silver before lightly jabbing him on his side. “Starting with rule one; Never let your guard down.

[perpetuareality]

listen. i hate caliborn as much as the next girl, but the fucking chess trick he pulled off was really fucking funny

like callie my sweet dearest precious callie, i love you, but this is fucking awesome LOL

(transcript under the cut)

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU] uu: SO FuCKING SMuG. HAVE I MENTIONED LATELY HOW GREAT IT'S GOING TO BE WHEN YOu'RE DEAD? uu: JuST BECAuSE YOu HAVE NEVER LOST A MATCH. DOESN'T MEAN YOu WON'T LOSE THE GAME THAT REALLY MATTERS. uu: NOR DOES IT EVEN MEAN YOu'LL WIN THIS ONE. IT'S FAR FROM OVER. TRuST ME. uu: "BISHOP TO C6." undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu] UU: why have yoU been enclosing all yoUr moves in qUotes? UU: yoU have really been acting so odd this match. UU: knight to d6. UU: look oUt! i'm coming for her. UU: i think she's langUished behind the front lines long enoUgh, woUldn't yoU say? UU: time to shake things Up. move her, or take my knight. UU: yoU know yoU want to take her. jUst look at her there. what a cheeky intrUsion. slithered right into yoUr palace and made herself comfy. maybe she'll lay an egg once she's finished her feast. ^U^ UU: might as well take her oUt. yoU know when the action begins and pieces start to fall, that's when yoU make all yoUr most creative mistakes! UU: anyhoo, far from over yoU say? UU: no, i don't imagine this game will be taking Up mUch more of oUr time. uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu] UU: that's a fine attitUde. maybe yoU are finally making some progress in the realm of sportsmanship? UU: qUeen to g7. UU: checkmate. ^U^ uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU] uu: NO IT ISN'T. undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu] UU: what are yoU talking aboUt? UU: don't be a poor sport again. yoU were doing so well there, relatively speaking. UU: the game is over. better lUck next time, "bro." ^u^ uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU] uu: IT IS NOT OVER. "SIS." uu: LOOK AT THE BOARD CLOSER. uu: I AM NOT IN CHECKMATE. undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu] UU: i have no idea what yoU're babbling aboUt. soUnds like desperation to me. UU: i am looking at the pieces. yoUr king cannot step anywhere that does not pUt him in check. UU: nor can the threat to him be eliminated by other means. UU: yoU have been mated. UU: the king is dead. UU: yoUr enchantment has failed. uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU] uu: THAT IS NOT MY KING. undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu] UU: this is becoming silly. UU: Unless yoU have something to say aboUt the game which actUally makes sense, i am done with it. UU: i have more important things to do. uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU] uu: YOu ARE NOT DONE WITH ANYTHING. uu: uNLESS YOu WANT TO FORFEIT. uu: LOOK CLOSER AT THE "KING" AND "QuEEN." uu: AND THEN. uu: REMOVE THEIR CROWNS. undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

[Image ID: A pair of hands taking off little form-fitting headpieces of a king and queen piece of the same colour on a chessboard. The headpieces belong to the opposite piece (the king piece wears a queen hat, and viceversa). Both the pieces and the headpieces are red. Other red pieces, as well as green pieces, can be seen atop the chessboard, but these are unaltered.

A little meter ranging from an unhappy jester mask to a happy jester mask can be seen at the bottom of the image as an overlay. This meter is very low, and there are little bolts of lightning surrounding it. End ID.]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu] UU: oh bloody hell. UU: THIS was yoUr "enchantment?" UU: are yoU serioUs??????????? UU: UUUUUUUUUUUgh. this is yoUr shittiest twist yet! uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU] uu: WELL PLAYED "SIS!" uu: YOu CHECKMATED MY QuEEN! uu: AAH! HAA! HAA! HAA! HAA! HAA! HAA! HAA! uu: THIS IS SO FuCKING FuNNY. undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu] UU: i am jUst astonished. UU: not at the gUile of yoUr little ploy, bUt by the fact that yoU actUally seem to think this was a clever rUse. UU: it is jUst so painfUlly daft, i... UU: i am speechless! uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU] uu: NEVER SAW SOMEONE SPEECHLESS. WHO HAD SO MuCH TO TYPE. uu: I THOuGHT YOu OF ALL PEOPLE WOuLD APPRECIATE MY MODIFICATIONS. uu: THE CROWNS ARE REALLY NICE AND WELL CRAFTED. uu: FORM FITTING. HARDLY ADDING ANY HEIGHT. uu: LIKE CAPPING. uu: A TOOTH. uu: YOu WERE COMPLETELY FOOLED. uu: AND NOW THE COVETED PRANKSTER'S GAMBIT BETWEEN uS. uu: BELONGS TO ME. undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu] UU: this is absUrd. UU: yoU nagged incessantly for me to allow yoU to reverse the starting positions of the king and qUeen! UU: i only agreed to get yoU to shUt Up aboUt it, and regardless, i knew i coUld beat yoU anyway even with yoUr initial "advantage." and i was right! UU: how can yoU claim this as a legitimate strategy? UU: yoU broke the rUles! uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU] uu: HEY! I DIDN'T BREAK ANY RuLES. uu: I MERELY ASKED IF YOu WOuLD AGREE. TO ME SWAPPING THE START POSITIONS OF THE KING AND QuEEN. uu: AND YOu DID AGREE. uu: BuT THEN I DIDN'T ACTuALLY DO IT. uu: WHEN DID I SAY I WOuLD? NEVER. uu: I WAS ONLY GAuGING YOuR WILLINGNESS TO MAKE THE EXCEPTION. uu: I THEN WENT ABOuT DECORATING MY KING AND QuEEN WITH NICE LITTLE HATS. uu: WHICH IS *ALSO* NOT AGAINST THE RuLES. uu: YOu DO IT ALL THE FuCKING TIME. GIVE YOuR GAME PIECES HORNS AND SHIT. uu: YOu EVEN GIVE THEM NAMES AND BLOOD CASTES. YuCK. uu: SO IF YOu HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY DECORATIONS. I SAY POT. ALLOW ME TO INTRODuCE YOU TO THE FuCKING KETTLE. undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: EVERY SINGLE THING I DID WAS LEGAL. uu: MY QuEEN. DISGuISED AS A KING. MADE MOVES LIKE A KING. WHICH IS WITHIN ITS CAPABILITY. THIS WAS DONE TO DECEIVE YOu. uu: MY KING. DISGuISED AS A QuEEN. MADE MOVES LIKE A KING. BECAuSE DOING OTHERWISE WOuLD BREAK THE RuLES. uu: BuT YOu BELIEVED IT HAD HER POWERS. AND I uSED THIS TO MY ADVANTAGE. uu: WHICH WAS HILARIOuS TO OBSERVE. WATCHING YOu BACK AWAY FROMS "THREATS." FROM WHAT WAS IN TRuTH A DISTANT KING! uu: ALL THE WHILE MY RuSE. PATENTLY OBVIOuS IN HINDSIGHT. WENT EMBARRASSINGLY uNDETECTED. uu: NO RuLES BROKEN. NOT ONCE. uu: IN FACT. IF ANYONE HERE BROKE THE RuLES. uu: IT WAS YOu. undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu] UU: WHAT?? UU: absolUte bollocks. UU: what rUles did i break?! UU: this oUght to be good! uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU] uu: YOu AGREED TO LET ME START WITH THE KING AND QuEEN IN SWAPPED POSITIONS. uu: IT'S AGAINST THE RuLES TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION LIKE THAT. EVEN IF YOuR OPPONENT IS BEING OBNOXIOuS ABOuT IT. uu: YOuR WILLINGNESS TO BREAK THE RuLES IS DISGuSTING TO ME. YOu SHOuLD FEEL ASHAMED OF YOuRSELF. uu: LuCKILY. AT LEAST ONE OF uS HAS RESPECT FOR THE RuLES. uu: I STARTED WITH ALL MY PIECES IN THE CORRECT POSITION. uu: IN SPITE OF YOuR WILLINGNESS TO ALLOW THOSE RuLES TO BE BROKEN. uu: WHICH AS I HAVE ADDRESSED. IS TOTALLY SHAMEFuL. uu: YOu ARE VERY FORTuNATE TO HAVE A "BRO" WHO RESPECTS THE INTEGRITY OF THE GAME EVEN WHERE HIS "SIS" MIGHT FALTER. uu: A "BRO" WHO. WHILE FuLLY ADHERING TO THE RuLES. AND EXPOSING YOuR HIDDEN SHAMEFuL TENDENCIES. uu: STILL MANAGED TO DEFEAT YOu. undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

UU: YOU PRICK!!!!!!!!!!!

End transcript.

[pesterloglog]

Calliope, Caliborn

Act 6, page 5029-5033

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: finally getting a bit aggressive with yoUr qUeen there?

UU: UsUally yoU aren't nearly as patient with her.

UU: the little "gambit" i permitted yoU at the start has certainly inspired some Unconventional play.

UU: it's not going qUite as miserably for yoU as i expected!

UU: i am sorry to damn yoU with faint praise, bUt with a track record like yoUrs, i sUspect one takes what he can get. ^u^

UU: rook to h4.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: SO FuCKING SMuG. HAVE I MENTIONED LATELY HOW GREAT IT'S GOING TO BE WHEN YOu'RE DEAD?

uu: JuST BECAuSE YOu HAVE NEVER LOST A MATCH. DOESN'T MEAN YOu WON'T LOSE THE GAME THAT REALLY MATTERS.

uu: NOR DOES IT EVEN MEAN YOu'LL WIN THIS ONE. IT'S FAR FROM OVER. TRuST ME.

uu: "BISHOP TO C6."

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: why have yoU been enclosing all yoUr moves in qUotes?

UU: yoU have really been acting so odd this match.

UU: knight to d6.

UU: look oUt! i'm coming for her.

UU: i think she's langUished behind the front lines long enoUgh, woUldn't yoU say?

UU: time to shake things Up. move her, or take my knight.

UU: yoU know yoU want to take her. jUst look at her there. what a cheeky intrUsion. slithered right into yoUr palace and made herself comfy. maybe she'll lay an egg once she's finished her feast. ^U^

UU: might as well take her oUt. yoU know when the action begins and pieces start to fall, that's when yoU make all yoUr most creative mistakes!

UU: anyhoo, far from over yoU say?

UU: no, i don't imagine this game will be taking Up mUch more of oUr time.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: OH MY FuCKING GOD.

uu: BLAH. BLAH. BLAH.

uu: THE QuOTES ARE PART OF THE ENCHANTMENT I MENTIONED.

uu: LIKE PART OF A SPELL. YOu KNOW. MAGIC?

uu: YOu LOVE MAGIC. AND HOW IT'S TOTALLY REAL.

uu: "KNIGHT TO D6."

uu: THE KNIGHT IS DEAD.

uu: YOuR WORDS ARE BORING.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: i still don't know what yoU think yoU're on aboUt with this enchantment bUsiness.

UU: if it's a psycheoUt tactic to break my concentration, it isn't working!

UU: qUeen to a5.

UU: the knight is dead.

UU: yoUr goose is cooked.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: NO. IT IS WORKING.

uu: YOu ARE ACTuALLY PLAYING VERY POORLY RIGHT NOW.

uu: BuT YOu ARE BLINDED TO YOuR MISTAKES BY MY ENCHANTMENT.

uu: "BISHOP TO F3."

uu: THE BISHOP IS DEAD.

uu: YOuR SOMETHING IS SOMETHING.

uu: WHATEVER.

uu: CHECK.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: yes, there yoU go!

UU: that's the sort of aggression the people paid top boondollar to see.

UU: king to d2.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: "PAWN TO B6."

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: bishop to d6.

UU: the knight is dead.

UU: your serpents are lost.

UU: check!

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: OH. WELL SHIT.

uu: IT SuRE DOES APPEAR. THAT I AM IN CHECK.

uu: GuESS I'LL DO SOMETHING ABOuT THAT.

uu: "KING TO F7."

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: oh dear! so mUch for yoUr enchantment.

UU: that was a dire mistake. mate in foUr.

UU: rook to f4.

UU: check! ~3u

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: "KING TO G7."

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: qUeen to e5.

UU: check.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: "KING TO G6."

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: rook to g4.

UU: check!

UU: one more to go, love.



uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]



uu: WELL. WHAT IS LEFT FOR ME TO DO.

uu: BESIDES ACCEPT MY DEFEAT GRACEFuLLY.

uu: "KING TO H7."

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: that's a fine attitUde. maybe yoU are finally making some progress in the realm of sportsmanship?

UU: qUeen to g7.

UU: checkmate. ^U^

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: NO IT ISN'T.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: what are yoU talking aboUt?

UU: don't be a poor sport again. yoU were doing so well there, relatively speaking.

UU: the game is over. better lUck next time, "bro." ^u^

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: IT IS NOT OVER. "SIS."

uu: LOOK AT THE BOARD CLOSER.

uu: I AM NOT IN CHECKMATE.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: i have no idea what yoU're babbling aboUt. soUnds like desperation to me.

UU: i am looking at the pieces. yoUr king cannot step anywhere that does not pUt him in check.

UU: nor can the threat to him be eliminated by other means.

UU: yoU have been mated.

UU: the king is dead.

UU: yoUr enchantment has failed.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: THAT IS NOT MY KING.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: this is becoming silly.

UU: Unless yoU have something to say aboUt the game which actUally makes sense, i am done with it.

UU: i have more important things to do.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: YOu ARE NOT DONE WITH ANYTHING.

uu: uNLESS YOu WANT TO FORFEIT.

uu: LOOK CLOSER AT THE "KING" AND "QuEEN."

uu: AND THEN.

uu: REMOVE THEIR CROWNS.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: oh bloody hell.

UU: THIS was yoUr "enchantment?"

UU: are yoU serioUs???????????

UU: UUUUUUUUUUUgh. this is yoUr shittiest twist yet!

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: WELL PLAYED "SIS!"

uu: YOu CHECKMATED MY QuEEN!

uu: AAH! HAA! HAA! HAA! HAA! HAA! HAA! HAA!

uu: THIS IS SO FuCKING FuNNY.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: i am jUst astonished.

UU: not at the gUile of yoUr little ploy, bUt by the fact that yoU actUally seem to think this was a clever rUse.

UU: it is jUst so painfUlly daft, i...

UU: i am speechless!

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: NEVER SAW SOMEONE SPEECHLESS. WHO HAD SO MuCH TO TYPE.

uu: I THOuGHT YOu OF ALL PEOPLE WOuLD APPRECIATE MY MODIFICATIONS.

uu: THE CROWNS ARE REALLY NICE AND WELL CRAFTED.

uu: FORM FITTING. HARDLY ADDING ANY HEIGHT.

uu: LIKE CAPPING.

uu: A TOOTH.

uu: YOu WERE COMPLETELY FOOLED.

uu: AND NOW THE COVETED PRANKSTER'S GAMBIT BETWEEN uS.

uu: BELONGS TO ME.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: this is absUrd.

UU: yoU nagged incessantly for me to allow yoU to reverse the starting positions of the king and qUeen!

UU: i only agreed to get yoU to shUt Up aboUt it, and regardless, i knew i coUld beat yoU anyway even with yoUr initial "advantage." and i was right!

UU: how can yoU claim this as a legitimate strategy?

UU: yoU broke the rUles!

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: HEY! I DIDN'T BREAK ANY RuLES.

uu: I MERELY ASKED IF YOu WOuLD AGREE. TO ME SWAPPING THE START POSITIONS OF THE KING AND QuEEN.

uu: AND YOu DID AGREE.

uu: BuT THEN I DIDN'T ACTuALLY DO IT.

uu: WHEN DID I SAY I WOuLD? NEVER.

uu: I WAS ONLY GAuGING YOuR WILLINGNESS TO MAKE THE EXCEPTION.

uu: I THEN WENT ABOuT DECORATING MY KING AND QuEEN WITH NICE LITTLE HATS.

uu: WHICH IS *ALSO* NOT AGAINST THE RuLES.

uu: YOu DO IT ALL THE FuCKING TIME. GIVE YOuR GAME PIECES HORNS AND SHIT.

uu: YOu EVEN GIVE THEM NAMES AND BLOOD CASTES. YuCK.

uu: SO IF YOu HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY DECORATIONS. I SAY POT. ALLOW ME TO INTRODuCE YOU TO THE FuCKING KETTLE.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: i cannot believe yoU are defending this maneUver.

UU: yes, i sUppose some of these tactics are technically within boUnds of the LETTER of the rUles, bUt the entire charade was highly disingenoUs and Unsportsmanlike.

UU: it is Unbelievably childish, even for yoU!

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: I KNOW. I AM A CHILD.

uu: SO ARE YOu. IT JuST SO HAPPENS THAT YOu ARE A CHILD.

uu: WHO JuST GOT FuCKING SERVED.

uu: IT IS NOT AGAINST THE RuLES TO BE CHILDISH. OR DISINGENuOuS. OR uNSPORTSMANLIKE.

uu: IT'S ALSO NOT AGAINST THE RuLES TO BE A BASTARD. WHICH IS ANOTHER THING I AM.

uu: EVERY SINGLE THING I DID WAS LEGAL.

uu: MY QuEEN. DISGuISED AS A KING. MADE MOVES LIKE A KING. WHICH IS WITHIN ITS CAPABILITY. THIS WAS DONE TO DECEIVE YOu.

uu: MY KING. DISGuISED AS A QuEEN. MADE MOVES LIKE A KING. BECAuSE DOING OTHERWISE WOuLD BREAK THE RuLES.

uu: BuT YOu BELIEVED IT HAD HER POWERS. AND I uSED THIS TO MY ADVANTAGE.

uu: WHICH WAS HILARIOuS TO OBSERVE. WATCHING YOu BACK AWAY FROMS "THREATS." FROM WHAT WAS IN TRuTH A DISTANT KING!

uu: ALL THE WHILE MY RuSE. PATENTLY OBVIOuS IN HINDSIGHT. WENT EMBARRASSINGLY uNDETECTED.

uu: NO RuLES BROKEN. NOT ONCE.

uu: IN FACT. IF ANYONE HERE BROKE THE RuLES.

uu: IT WAS YOu.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: WHAT??

UU: absolUte bollocks.

UU: what rUles did i break?!

UU: this oUght to be good!

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: YOu AGREED TO LET ME START WITH THE KING AND QuEEN IN SWAPPED POSITIONS.

uu: IT'S AGAINST THE RuLES TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION LIKE THAT. EVEN IF YOuR OPPONENT IS BEING OBNOXIOuS ABOuT IT.

uu: YOuR WILLINGNESS TO BREAK THE RuLES IS DISGuSTING TO ME. YOu SHOuLD FEEL ASHAMED OF YOuRSELF.

uu: LuCKILY. AT LEAST ONE OF uS HAS RESPECT FOR THE RuLES.

uu: I STARTED WITH ALL MY PIECES IN THE CORRECT POSITION.

uu: IN SPITE OF YOuR WILLINGNESS TO ALLOW THOSE RuLES TO BE BROKEN.

uu: WHICH AS I HAVE ADDRESSED. IS TOTALLY SHAMEFuL.

uu: YOu ARE VERY FORTuNATE TO HAVE A "BRO" WHO RESPECTS THE INTEGRITY OF THE GAME EVEN WHERE HIS "SIS" MIGHT FALTER.

uu: A "BRO" WHO. WHILE FuLLY ADHERING TO THE RuLES. AND EXPOSING YOuR HIDDEN SHAMEFuL TENDENCIES.

uu: STILL MANAGED TO DEFEAT YOu.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: YOU PRICK!!!!!!!!!!!

UU: ohh, i coUld jUst strangle yoU.

UU: yoU don't even know how tempted i am to do so right now.

UU: i did not break the rUles. i was doing yoU a FAVOUR.

UU: in any case, yoU say yoU managed to beat me? when did that happen!

UU: even thoUgh yoU've exposed yoUr rUse, yoU haven't actUally mated me yet, grandmaster "bro."

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: THEN YOu ADMIT THE GAME CONTINuES TO BE PERFECTLY LEGITIMATE. AND STILL IN PLAY?

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: QuEEN TO C2.

uu: CHECK.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: king to e3.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: ROOK TO E3.

uu: CHECK.

uu: SOMEONE'S IN DEEP SHIT.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: blech. look at this royal cockUp.

UU: this is so stUpid.

UU: now i either have to sacrifice my qUeen, or move my king into a strategically horrible position.

UU: why am i even going along with this?

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: YES. THAT SuRE IS A STRATEGIC DILEMMA.

uu: WHO WOuLD HAVE THOuGHT. THAT THE GAME OF CHESS. WOuLD PRESENT SuCH A SCENARIO?

uu: DO YOu FORFEIT.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: yoU wish.

UU: to hell with it. let's sacrifice the qUeen.

UU: i still pUt odds in my favoUr, with my rooks and bishop versUs yoUr bishop, rook, and qUeen.

UU: i've bested yoU before with less material and initiative on my side.

UU: qUeen to c3.

UU: the rook is dead.

UU: my "bro" is an arse!

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: WHOA. WHAT A HuGE MISTAKE. HA. HA.

uu: I THINK I MuST BE IN YOuR HEAD. EVEN MORE THAN uSuAL.

uu: QuEEN TO C3.

uu: THE QuEEN IS DEAD.

uu: THE BITCH FuCKED uP.

uu: CHECK!

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: oh shUt Up and play.

UU: king to e2.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: PAWN TO E5.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: rook to c4.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: BWA HA HA.

uu: ANOTHER IDIOTIC BLuNDER. THIS IS SO EASY.

uu: QuEEN TO F3.

uu: CHECK.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: king to d2.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: QuEEN TO D5.

uu: CHECK.

uu: ON THE FuCKING RuuuuuuuuuuuN. WOO. HOO. HOO.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: shUsh.

UU: king to c2.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: QuEEN TO D6.

uu: THE BISHOP IS DEAD.

uu: HIS FLESH CONSuMED.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: wait, where did yoU pUt it?

UU: yoU better not have jUst literally eaten the bishop.

UU: rook to c8.

UU: check.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: KING TO D7.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: rook to h8.

UU: the rook is dead.

UU: oUr shits weren't given.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: QuEEN TO C5.

uu: HAA. HAA.

uu: CHECK.

uu: ANYFuCK. NO. I DON'T IMAGINE THIS GAME WILL BE TAKING uP MuCH MORE OF OuR TIME.

uu: SSSSSSSSSSS.

uu: DID SOMEONE LET THE SNAKES LOOSE?

uu: OR WAS THAT THE SOuND OF MY VICIOuS bURN.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: FUCK THIS!!!!!!!!!!!

UU: i don't know why i bothered hUmoUring yoUr vile Underhanded rUbbish!

UU: I HATE YOU. JUST SOD RIGHT OFF TO HELL, PLEASE.

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: HEY THERE. BE CAREFuL.

uu: A GuY COuLD GET THE WRONG IDEA. AND MISTAKE YOuR OuTBuRST FOR SOMETHING.

uu: CALIGINOuS.

uu: THAT WOuLD BE MOST uN"SISTERLY." DON'T YOu THINK.

uu: ANYWAY. BY THE LOOKS OF THIS MESSY BOARD.

uu: I'M GOING TO ASSuME YOu FORFEITED THE MATCH.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]

UU: yoU are disgUsting.

UU: i really loathe yoU, and no, NOT IN "THAT WAY!"

UU: i am not going to talk to yoU for a while. probably a LONG while.

UU: i only hope i can overcome my contempt for yoU when it comes time to play oUr game. bUt i am not holding my breath!!!!!!!!!!!

UU: leave me alone.

uranianUmbra [UU] blocked undyingUmbrage [uu]

undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

uu: YOu BLOCKED ME AGAIN? YOu KNOW THAT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING.

uu: ANYWAY. I'M HAPPY WE ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT I WON.

uu: YOu SHOuLDN'T uNDERESTIMATE ME.

uu: I'LL LEAVE YOu ALONE FOR A WHILE LIKE YOu WANT. BECAuSE REALLY. WHO CARES ABOuT YOu?

uu: BuT YOu SHOuLD BELIEVE ME.

uu: WHEN I TELL YOu.

uu: SOME DAY.

uu: I'M GOING TO KILL YOu IN YOuR SLEEP.

uu: MAYBE EVEN.

uu: MORE THAN ONCE.

undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]

[alphaman99]

Sandra Stevens

Ukraine: The Door that Closed the Era of Western Power

Daniel Jupp

When people say Slava Ukraini, they are actually praising the geopolitical screw-up that finally ended the dominance of the West.

To me it seems like the Russians are definitely winning. It also seems to me they had reasons to fight there, and were provoked by an insane Neocon policy that has apparently backfired, stretching at least back to the Maidan revolution. I think globalists wanted to use Ukraine to oust Putin and chew up Russia, and they screwed it up. Now Ukrainians are in a Russian meat grinder and the Russians are running through western money and resources whilst actually growing stronger themselves. This is an enormous geopolitical fuck up for the West in every way imaginable.

It has pushed Russia into the arms of China and shown the rest of the world that you can defy the West and still prosper. Psychologically, twinned with the Afghanistan debacle, it gives the lesson that the West should always be distrusted but should never again be feared. It has lost the West real moral authority by being another dishonest military intervention, and also wasted western money on a vast scale. Thinking people here know that Ukraine is corrupt and that for instance hundreds of millions of aid has been stolen by Ukrainian leaders for themselves. Supplied arms are for sale on the internet. They also know the US committed an act of terrorism with the Nordstream pipeline.

If you are of the Machiavellian school of thought, there may be a place for very cynical, very hard nosed, very illegal actions that WORK. There is no place for ones that don’t work and actually expose both your moral hypocrisy and your essential weakness.

Now we see African nations flock to Russian summits. We see the petrodollar being abandoned as a reserve currency. We see France go humbly to China. We see Japan purchase in currencies other than the dollar. Malaysia too. We see India ignoring western pleas and aligning with Russia and China. We see the BRICS overtaking the G7 in GDP. We see Iran and Saudi Arabia enter an accord brokered by China. We see the Saudis openly laughing at Biden and refusing to take US calls. We see the German economy in deep and growing trouble from the combined lunacies of green energy policy and US terrorism on Russian supplied oil.

And we see the Russian economy surviving sanctions that are hurting Germany more than Russia. We see the Russian economy doing better than the UK economy. We see country after country abandoning western and US leadership and bowing to new masters.

If you are going to apply all your economic might and international power and covert and overt military support to take out a rival nation, it destroys your economic might, your international power and the reputation of your overt and covert military forces when the target of all this not only survives, but THRIVES. They thought to destroy Russia and warn China. Instead they strengthened both and weakened themselves.

In these circumstances, with Russian manufacturing working fine, with western military stockpiles running out, with trillions spent for no reward, with dollar dominance dying and two thirds of the world pivoting to Chinese leadership, I ask those who still want to funnel more into this disastrous policy: don’t you regret opening the door to all this? do you really think it makes sense to pretend that Neocon policy has been a success and that we, let alone Ukraine, have won anything by creating the Ukraine war, continuing the Ukraine war, and NOT winning the Ukraine war?

Isn’t it well past time to close the door on support for Ukraine, and save what can be saved from Neocon stupidity and scheming before this goes nuclear?

[ukrainenews]

Daily(ish) Wrap Up December 23-28, 2022

I’m back from traveling! I hope you’re all doing as well as can be!

Under the cut:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed again on Tuesday to “work tirelessly with the G7 and other partners to repair, replace, and defend Ukraine’s energy infrastructure” as it faces a tough winter of Russian attacks.

Ukrainian officials are urging residents to evacuate from the city of Kherson as Russian forces stepped up mortar and artillery attacks on the recently liberated southern Ukrainian city.

A hospital maternity ward in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson was hit by Russian shelling, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the office of the president of Ukraine said Tuesday. “They shelled the place where two children were born today. Before the attack, doctors managed to complete a cesarean section. There are 5 women in the institution after childbirth. Miraculously, no one was injured,” Timoshenko said via the Telegram messaging platform.

The electricity deficit in the Ukrainian power grid grew on Wednesday due to shelling of gas infrastructure in eastern Ukraine, according to the latest update from state power utility Ukrenergo.

Three Ukrainian emergency services workers were killed on Saturday when a mine exploded while they were demining parts of the Kherson region, said the emergency service of another region, in which they served.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that Kharkiv came under Russian attack for the second time on Dec. 28. Russian forces reportedly launched Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones, but Terekhov did not report any damages or casualties.

The Kremlin has dismissed President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s 10-point peace plan, and insisted any proposals to end the conflict in Ukraine must take into account what it calls “today’s realities” of four Ukrainian regions Moscow has unilaterally declared part of Russia. Russia illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk – in September after holding Kremlin-orchestrated fake referendums. Russia does not fully control any of the four regions. Kyiv and its western allies have said they would never recognise Russia’s claims on Ukraine’s territory.

“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed again on Tuesday to “work tirelessly with the G7 and other partners to repair, replace, and defend Ukraine’s energy infrastructure” as it faces a tough winter of Russian attacks.

But that effort will not come without challenges.

An initial tranche of US electrical equipment, which a US official told CNN included big items like circuit breakers, relays, disconnectors, arrived in Ukraine more than a week ago — part of a multimillion dollar pledge by the Biden administration to help to support Ukraine’s electrical system.

However, as the US and its partners work to try to supply the capital of Kyiv with the supplies it needs to keep the electricity and heat on this winter, they have had to contend with worldwide supply chain issues, the US official said.

There is a global effort to try to deal with this, the official explained, and the US is working with the private sector to try to narrow the gap in equipment, but with the existing supply chain issues, there is not as much extra supply.”-via CNN

~

“Ukrainian officials are urging residents to evacuate from the city of Kherson as Russian forces stepped up mortar and artillery attacks on the recently liberated southern Ukrainian city.

Some residents who lived through the Russian occupation are reluctant to leave despite the bombardment, according to a local official who has been involved in the evacuation.

Kherson city council member, Dmytro Poddubniy, told CNN:

I’m telling these people that Kherson is one of the most dangerous cities right now. So I ask them to imagine that they are going on vacation for a couple of weeks. It may be easier for them to decide to move this way. But still, a lot of people are staying in the city.”

-via The Guardian

~

“A hospital maternity ward in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson was hit by Russian shelling, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the office of the president of Ukraine said Tuesday.

“They shelled the place where two children were born today. Before the attack, doctors managed to complete a cesarean section. There are 5 women in the institution after childbirth. Miraculously, no one was injured,” Timoshenko said via the Telegram messaging platform.

Russian shelling also damaged the civilian infrastructure of the Antonivka settlement in the Kherson region and Kherson city, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said via Facebook, adding that there are casualties among civilians.

Meanwhile, the threat of air and missile strikes on critical infrastructure facilities remains on the whole territory of Ukraine, as Russia's offensive took place in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions, trying to improve the tactical situation in the direction of Lyman, Ukraine’s Armed Forces said.”-via CNN

~

“The electricity deficit in the Ukrainian power grid grew on Wednesday due to shelling of gas infrastructure in eastern Ukraine, according to the latest update from state power utility Ukrenergo.

“As of December 28, the electricity deficit in the system has increased. This is due to the stop of some units of power plants due to the shelling of gas infrastructure in the eastern region,” Ukrenergo said in a statement.

Ukraine has been facing a wide assault on critical infrastructure and power sources since early October.

The deficit did not mean further power restrictions because of “relatively warm weather," Ukenergo said, but added: "the available capacity in the system is not enough to meet all the needs of consumers in the country. In this regard, all regions were informed about consumption limits, the excess of which leads to the need for emergency outages.”

In the last three months, the power grid has suffered nine missile and 12 Russian UAV attacks, according to Ukrenergo.

“As a result, generation facilities and transmission systems suffered large-scale and complex damage. Their restoration requires significant resources and time. Repair teams of Ukrenergo, electricity producers and distribution system operators are working continuously,” the statement said.”-via CNN

~

“Three Ukrainian emergency services workers were killed on Saturday when a mine exploded while they were demining parts of the Kherson region, said the emergency service of another region, in which they served.

"All three selflessly served in the emergency and rescue squad of the Special Purpose Unit of the State Department of Ukraine in Zhytomyr region and performed the task of demining territories liberated from the enemy in the Kherson region," the Zhytomyr emergency service said on its Facebook page.

The Zhytomyr region is west of Kyiv, in northern Ukraine.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine 10 months ago, controls most but not all of Kherson region. By mid-November, Ukrainian forces retook Kherson city - the region's administrative centre - and a number of settlements in the region.

Explosive experts have worked there since, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russian forces had heavily mined buildings and objects. They have also done so in many other areas that Ukraine has been able to retake.

The U.S. State Department estimated in early December that some 160,000 square kilometres (62,000 square miles) of Ukrainian land needed to be checked for explosives hazards. That is nearly half the size of Germany's land area.

"We expect this to be one of the largest landmine and unexploded ordinance challenges since World War Two," the State Department said in a briefing posted on its website.

On Saturday, Ukrainian authorities said a Russian strike had killed at least 10 people in the Kherson City, while Moscow blamed Ukrainian forces for the attack.”-via Reuters

~

“Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that Kharkiv came under Russian attack for the second time on Dec. 28.

Russian forces reportedly launched Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones, but Terekhov did not report any damages or casualties.

Earlier on Dec. 28, Mykolaiv Oblast Governor Vitaliy Kim reported that Russian forces launched Shahed-136 drones on Ukraine, threatening the city of Odesa.

Overnight on Dec. 28, an air raid alert was activated across several Ukrainian oblasts, including Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, and Kirovohrad.

Russia has been attacking Ukraine with Iranian-made kamikaze drones since September, targeting civilians and destroying energy infrastructure across the country.”-via Kyiv Independent

~

“The Kremlin has dismissed President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s 10-point peace plan, and insisted any proposals to end the conflict in Ukraine must take into account what it calls “today’s realities” of four Ukrainian regions Moscow has unilaterally declared part of Russia.

In a regular briefing with reporters, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said:

There can be no peace plan for Ukraine that does not take into account today’s realities regarding Russian territory, with the entry of four regions into Russia. Plans that do not take these realities into account cannot be peaceful.

Russia illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk – in September after holding Kremlin-orchestrated fake referendums. Russia does not fully control any of the four regions.

Kyiv and its western allies have said they would never recognise Russia’s claims on Ukraine’s territory.

President Zelenskiy has been promoting his 10-point peace plan, first announced in November, which includes the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of all prisoners, a tribunal for those responsible for the aggression and security guarantees for Ukraine.

Zelenskiy’s foreign minister, Dmtryo Kuleba, said on Monday that Ukraine was aiming to hold a peace summit by the end of February – preferably at the UN with its secretary general, António Guterres, as a possible mediator.”-via The Guardian