#how to become a pilot in the usa

[stupendouspaperfly]

How to Become a Pilot in the USA

[50calmadeuce]

The Introduction(R)

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction using characters from the Top Gun: Maverick world, trademarked by Paramount Pictures Corporation. I do not claim ownership of the characters and the world that I am borrowing.

The story and situation I am creating are a work of my imagination and I do not ascribe them to official story canon. This work is for entertainment only and is not a part of the storyline.

I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story, but I do hope it give you happy thoughts.

Your best friend, Natasha “Phoenix” Trace, had recently wrapped up an important training mission and had been bombarding you with texts and voicemails, urging you to visit her in Fightertown, USA.

Phoenix joined the Navy straight out of high school a decade ago, becoming one of the first top female fighter pilots and earning the prestigious honor of being selected for Top Gun.

You, however, took a different path, opting to attend college, pursue a Doctorate in Biology, and work for the Department of Natural Resources in Upper Wisconsin.

With some vacation time to spare, you had booked a flight to San Diego. Phoenix picked you up from the airport, and you were now staying at her place.

Currently, the two of you stood outside a beachside bar. You glanced at the name above the door, then turned to Phoenix with a curious look.

“You’re going to love this place,” Phoenix declares, tugging at your reluctant arm as you hesitate at the entrance.

You give her a skeptical look. “The Hard Deck? Seriously? You’ve mentioned it before, but come on—is it really that great?”

Phoenix flashes a grin, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief. “Trust me.”

You let out a resigned sigh. “I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve said that to me over the years. You owe me for this,” you reply as she pushes the door open and tugs you inside. She knows all too well that bars aren’t exactly your scene. Especially after the last time you were at a bar.

The bar buzzed with energy, filled with men and women in flight suits, khaki uniforms, and casual attire like your own.

“The guys are over by the pool table. Let’s go,” Phoenix says, grabbing your hand. You follow her, albeit with some reluctance, weaving through the lively crowd.

As you weave through the crowded bar, that’s when you see him. He’s leaning over the pool table, focused on lining up his next shot. With a smooth motion, he takes it, the sound of the ball sinking into the pocket cutting through the chatter around you. Straightening up, he glances your way and flashes a grin at you and Phoenix.

He stood around six feet tall, with dirty blonde hair and green eyes that sparkled with a hint of mischief to match his grin.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Phoenix,” he says, his grin widening as his mischievous green eyes shift to you. “And who might your friend be?”

You noticed a faint accent in his voice, though you couldn’t quite place where it was from.

“Y/N, meet Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin,” Phoenix says, crossing her arms over her chest with a hint of pride. “The only pilot in my squad with two confirmed kills.”

“Stop,” he says with a hint of arrogance, then turns his attention to you. “Nice to meet you, Y/N,” he adds, giving you a playful wink.

You raise an eyebrow at Jake, your gaze shifting between him and Phoenix. You hadn’t missed the way Phoenix’s eyes sparkled with a mix of pride and amusement. You weren’t sure what to make of the man just yet—his cocky grin, confident posture, and the reputation that preceded him were a lot to take in all at once.

"Two confirmed kills, huh?" you ask, your tone playful but with just enough challenge to make him raise an eyebrow.

"Don’t let Phoenix overstate things," Jake says with a grin, leaning back against the pool table. "I’m just doing my job. Nothing special about it."

You weren’t convinced. The way he said it made it sound like he was all too comfortable with his reputation.

"I bet you’re real modest, too," you quip, crossing your arms and leaning against the edge of the pool table. You glanced at Phoenix, who was already grinning, clearly entertained by your banter.

Jake laughs, the sound warm but a little dangerous. "You catch on fast," he says, his green eyes gleaming. "But I’ll let you in on a secret—modesty’s for people who haven’t seen the inside of a cockpit." His gaze shifts back to Phoenix, and his grin softens just a little. "Besides, I’ve got plenty of other things to brag about."

Phoenix rolls her eyes, but there's an underlying affection in her expression. "He’s full of it. You’ll see for yourself."

You were beginning to sense there was more to Jake than his bravado. As he casually adjusted his khaki shirt to get comfortable to make his next shot on the pool table, you noticed the faint lines of exhaustion around his eyes, the slight tension in his shoulders. The cocky exterior was just that—an exterior.

He leaned over the table, pool cue in hand, carefully lining it up with the ball for his next shot. After taking it, he stood up and glanced at you. “Do you play pool, Y/N?”

You raised an eyebrow at him, crossing your arms as you surveyed the table. “I’ve played a few rounds in my day,” you replied casually, though you had to admit, you weren't much of a pool shark. Still, you weren't about to let him think you'd back down without a challenge. "But I wouldn't call myself a pro."

Jake's grin widened, that mischievous glint still dancing in his eyes. "No one’s a pro until they’ve played me," he said with a wink. "How about a game? I could use a warm-up before I show these guys how it’s done."

You hesitated for a moment, the competitive spark igniting within you. "Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when you lose," you teased, stepping toward the table.

He chuckled, leaning the pool cue against the edge as he made a show of sizing you up. “I like that attitude,” he said, his voice low and teasing. “Let’s see if you’ve got what it takes to back it up.”

Phoenix, who had been standing off to the side, crossed her arms with an amused smirk. "This is gonna be good," she muttered, clearly enjoying the banter that was unfolding between you and Jake. She watched as you both set up the game, her eyes flickering between you and Jake.

You chalked your cue, keeping your eyes on Jake as he moved to the side, letting you take the first shot. You lined up the ball with precision, taking a steady breath before taking the shot. The ball sailed smoothly, hitting one of the other balls into a corner pocket with ease. You straightened up, watching Jake's reaction out of the corner of your eye.

"Not bad," he said, nodding in approval. "Guess I’ll have to bring my A-game after all."

With that, the game began. The friendly competition between you both was palpable, though there was an undeniable spark in the air—something beyond just the game itself.

As the game progressed, you noticed Jake wasn’t just good at pool. His focus was intense, his movements fluid, almost as if he were in a different world entirely when he played. Every shot was calculated, every movement precise. It was clear he was a fighter in more ways than one.

"You're a lot better than I thought," you admitted after a particularly tricky shot that left you stumped. "I thought I might actually stand a chance."

Jake flashed a grin, leaning back as he took his turn. "I told you, I’m full of surprises," he said, eyes twinkling as he pocketed another ball. "But don’t worry. I’m just warming up."

As the game continued, the banter between you and Jake flowed easily. Phoenix watched with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. You couldn’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie with Jake, despite the cocky exterior. There was a layer to him—something you couldn’t quite figure out—but it intrigued you and it scared you.

Tags: @smoothdogsgirl @alwayshave-faith @devil-angel-winchester @khouse712

[phantoms-world-and-more]

An idea came to me reading a fic where Danny was a kryptonian. What if Amity Park instead of being a city in the USA on Earth was once a city on Krypton (in what would be a kryptonian version of early 21st century or at least about 100 years before the planet blew up). Basically almost everything that happened in cannon DP happened and everything is mostly the same but with a more alien then earth tone to it.

After Phantom Planet Danny's parents except him being part ghost, the government overturn the Ecto Acts, and he able to finish high school and goes on to college after which he is happily welcomed to for work for KASA (Krypton Aeronautics and Space Administration). He becomes an Astronautical engineer. Danny is in his early thirties when he is testing out a new experimental space ship engine for KASA. While doing a flight test Danny's ship losses signal and no one can find it (kind of what happened in the show Farscape).

100s of years go by Krypton explodes baby Kal-El is sent to Earth where he grows up to be Superman. The JL suddenly get a signal/warning about some alien tech on the edge of the solar system. They send one of the Green Lanterns to take a look, where they report a spaceship dead in space. They don't expect any life forms but surprise because of his ghost half Danny was in a sort of suspended animation. He is brought back and wakes up in the Watch Tower.

Just Random ideas...

Kryptonite is the crystalized form of ectoplasm because of this Danny is not effected by it.

Danny's kryptonian name is Daniel Fen-Ton

The phantom zone projector was originally called the Fen-Ton zone projector or is was based off a Fen-Ton gadget.

Years after Danny disappears Krypton starts turning on ghost again, so the town of Amity, which now has a symbiotic relationship with ghost, vote to pull the whole town into the Ghost Zone. So it is not blown up like the rest of the planet though Danny does not know this in the beginning.

Danny has an easier time learning to use Earth technology then he does the Kryptonian technology in Superman's Fortress.

Danny also has slightly easier time when getting the regular Kryptonian power set due to the yellow sun because he went through something similar when getting his ghost powers.

Danny adopts Connor almost immediately. Maybe during Danny's time there was laws about cloning and clone rights on Krypton. Also while Connor is not a replacement he sort of fills in the void of losing Ellie.

While Superman has no idea who Danny is, Kara/Supergirl has a faint idea because he was briefly mentioned in her Krytonian History class. Also she is happy to have someone who can natively speak the kyrptonian language even if it has older vocabulary. Don't get her wrong its great to speak it with Kal-El but he learned it later in life.

Holly char this is amazing!

How many people will have a stroke when they see Danny casually pick up a piece of kryptonite? Batman? His normal Kryptonian contingency plan won't work. Luthor? There's a version of superman IMMUNE to Kryptonite. Clark? What the hell do you mean you can touch kryptonite

I think after Danny explains everything about his past and species so many people are going to just...give up. Hahaha a stronger version of superman who isn't effected by kryptonite, goodbye world

Connor will be ecstatic, Danny will do ALL the dad stuff, teaching him their language, proper training, engineering lessons and you bet he's going to use jazz's psychiatrist stuff on this kid

Danny's probably going to get mega-depressed, all his hard work breaking the racism against ghosts only for that to come back a few years after he left? And he can't even fix it again because their world went bye-bye

Also- here me out

Co-pilot Valerie

[lovekabaneri]

Mini Magnus in Mecha AU

A fun idea I had for the TF Mecha AU by @keferon.

So, at least in my version of the storyline, Optimus is still the leader of the bots and Shockwave is a mad scientist on Earth with absolutely no morals and acting like a b-movie villain. So, no plotline with Shockwave and OP being friends BUT I started thinking about other characters and then another idea hit me: What about Ultra Magnus?

The pilot of Ultra Magnus is a dwarf human and the Magnus armor is the biggest and heaviest mech humanity has managed to build. It is even more armed and powerful than Vortex and the pilot is… just this tiny, mustachioed Italian man. It would be quite the shocker for everyone, since Magnus is not stationed in the same base as the main cast and he's mostly protecting Washington and is called only for emergencies.

Ultra Magnus is not only one of the oldest mechs but also considered a legend, since it has been protecting USA for so long and has never fallen in combat. Imagine the marketing team using pictures of Magnus and saying stuff like "The invincible mecha!" or "Ultra Magnus - proof of humanity's infallible spirit!" but never actually shared pictures of UM's pilot. So, naturally everyone imagines a classical American movie hero, a jock with square chin, to be piloting the biggest mech ever. But actually because the mech has become something of a mascot, like Blurr is the face of the pilots, the Ultra Magnus mech is always getting new improvements and is always equipped with the latest heavy weapons the R&D has released, so despite being one of the first mechs UM is actually very modern... and a b!tch to pilot because of all the new stuff they always put in!

They never show the pilot not only not to hurt the image of the "Infallible Mech" by attaching a human face with flaws to it, but because like Vortex, UM has changed several pilots during the years. Not as often as Vortex, mind you, but because of the strain of a single person driving UM, there always are health complications after prolonged use. The first Magnus died after fending off a lot of aliens from Washington on his own and defeated them all, but was brought to the hospital afterwards and died due to the link overloading his brain and causing bleeding. After him, all other pilots lasted around a year, year and half before their worsening health forced them to retire or they up and died! That is... Until 3 years before the "Jazz lost in space" fiasco.

Minimus is a dwarf, his family came from Italy when he was young, around 20 or more years pre-invasion. He though he'd have to work a desk job or take over his father's pottery business, but then the invasion happened and his home was destroyed in the first attack, his mother died. He wanted revenge, since after that his family almost fell apart, but due to his... stature, his enlistment was denied multiple times and eventually became a cook for the Washington base. He got lucky, however, when they were desperate to find new pilot for Magnus and accepted literally any applicant, as long as they were already employed in said base and signed the NDA for UM's secret. He had done both, so he was accepted for the trial runs. Everyone laughed but then that darf, that tiny mustachioed Italian, not only made the UM armor move but his compatibility was the best of the applicants! Obviously, the higher-ups didn't want to let him do it, but eventually relented, since they had no one better and needed a pilot for an upcoming event!

That's how Minimus became the pilot for Magnus mech and has held the position for the longest time(3 years), after the original Magnus (4 years), at least up to the point where Jazz is yeeted through an alien portal.

I imagined the eventual reveal of who pilots UM would be kind of like Minimus' reveal in the comics but with a dwarf human! So, everyone expects some tough guy, then human Minimus pops out of UM like a rat with his gorgeous, bushy moustache and starts scolding everyone about discipline with a deep voice and doing the signature 🤏 Italian hand gesture as he's shouting. Both humans and cybertronians would be shocked!

Just imagine this absolute unit of a mech, even taller than Prime and Vortex, comes with lumbering steps and the pilot is this *tiny* human! The bots thought humans were tiny, then they see Minimus, who is definitely under 150cm and are like "You humans also have Miniboths?!".

[superemeralds]

i think about ur piece with shadow captioned “welcome to the promised land” ALOT… with that, i wondered what your thoughts are on the sonic movies (both the ones that came out and the new one thats coming) in regards to their portrayal of the police/military/GUN.

I’m personally really disappointed in whats been done so far (with Tom being a cop, like cmon man what. and with the goofy portrayal of the military, especially that old general guy in the second movie) and im really nervous about whats coming, with team sonic working WITH GUN (and now Tom and Maddie wearing military uniforms) in the trailers. I have a suspicion that Maria’s death will be an “accident”, like a very MCU style “sometimes the military makes mistakes…” bullshit. itd really suck to see this series become another piece of copaganda, especially since like. its so out of character, like sonic is unique in the way its been blatantly anti military (for the most part) in the games. it wasn’t revolutionary by any means but it is arguably a core part of the original story.

What are your thoughts? sorry for the long ask, I’m a big fan of your writing and thoughts on sonic (huge heart of a monster fan!). Hope youre having a good day!

big same. I've made the comic in question as a response to the first trailer for sonic 3 actually.

the trailer made me feel a LOT of emotions, mostly negative if im honest, and the only thing that I liked from it was the scene of shadow bursting from his tank thing and being sloppin wet that looked like he was standing in the rain. so i went and made a comic of shadow in the rain. and i made it as anti military and anti capitalism as i could.

becasue sonic 3's marketing, in my opinion, especially after the second trailer came out, is a perfect axample of everything wrong with the current western (mostly USA, but the USA influences the entire world so.) society. it exemplifies capitalism, militarism, consumerism, a lack of emotional depth and the infantalization as well as mliking (for a lack of better word; i mean how advertizements are usually heavily marketed at kids because parents will buy anyhting to shut up their crying annoying meat bags and therefore spend money on shit they dont want nor need) of children (that detective pikachu bit was so painful). and let's not forget the fatphobia. it was so painful to go back and watch the first trailer to freshen my memory for this reply oh god.

when sonic 2 came out i was really happy with the movie. i think sonic 2 is miles better than 1 in terms of characters and fun, most obviously because there's more of actual sonic characters in it now then the first. the first felt mostly like a pilot honestly. the second one had much more fantastical details and elements thatreally leaned into sonic's world. Or at least... the environment artists tried with it. I remember being OBSESSED with the fact tehre was a mural of perfect chaos in that labyrinth for like 1 second and theorized about what it could mean. while watching the movie i even speculated it was foreshadowing that perfect chaos was gonna be the secret final boss of the movie as that was only the halfway point of the runtime. having sobered from the hype i understand its a neat detail from the cg department that means absolutely nothing.

the worst thing is that the movie (sonic 3 now) itself might be like. a well made movie with good (enough) writing and good visuals and whatever. sonic might betray the military and go his own way bc here he's a little younger and he's learning (he didnt grow up w military so he might be blissfull yunaware bc hes only been fed propaganda through hollywood movies so far) and him meeting shadow and learning about his fate might change his mind. we don't know yet.

The marketing sometimes is detatched from the movie itself so it'll misrepresent things for the sake of "bait" to get ppl to spend money to watch it (the teenage kraken movie suffered from that bc it was fun imo i liked it). Or even just to get people to make viral reactions to get even MORE news of the movie out and attract more people. Especially when adapting a story that already exists I think it makes them reveal a LOT of the movie (I saw ppl complain they reveal the entire movie in the trailer, i think given the fact we already know all those key moments shown it's fine)

actually. does anyone know if the us army funded this movie? i know it does a lot of movies ever since iron man

idek where im going w this rn im just. eghh.... def not gonna see it in cinema ♥ my money goes towards literally anything else

[femmesansa]

my curly headcanons

midwest bro, from branson missouri

piloted boats and did tour guide stuff as a teen/young adult

nerdy about boats and planes and is very interested in how boat or air disasters occur, leading him to become interested in safety

joined an airline kinda like spirit first as a baggage handler then went to pilot school. natural at the flight simulator and always very conscientious about the checklist and safety review

liked traveling the usa with the airline, really wanted to travel the whole world and backpack everywhere but didn’t get the opportunity

hiking head. guy with an rei water bottle and stickers

jimmy and him met working at this airline, at that point curly was a captain and jimmy an f/o

jimmy was the one who wanted the two of them to apply for pony express

they have an extremely codependent friendship where u think curly would be the more “””dominant””” one in the codependent relationship when he actually really wants to please jimmy and be liked and appreciated by him

curly was afraid of spaceflight at first but slowly grew to become less scared

still wishes he was on earth with his model plane and learning how to pilot an a380 instead of the janky spaceship. considering how janky pony express’s entire fleet is he devotes a lot of time to making sure everything is in tip top shape

has an undiagnosed psychotic disorder of some sort, experienced hallucinations and issues on earth as well but never sought help for fear of losing his license

has an older sister

likes to read books like song of the cell and stephen hawking and neil degrasse tyson stuff

that one captain that doesnt play about naomi klein books

likes dogs and wants to live on a farm with a dog someday (wants a beagle)

was a stoner in his youth but obviously cant do that now. has to focus on safety

[quakerjoe]

A CUPPA JOE: 14 JAN 2025

Let's keep on point for a moment and screw the civility for a bit. My sense of civility died with Heather Heyer.

As tragic a thing it is when violence breaks out, TOO OFTEN it is the ONLY language that seems to get through to the rich and powerful since the voices of those whom they lord over always, reliably, fall upon deaf ears; ears crammed with corporate cash and bribes from oligarchs.

"Can we all just get along?" did nothing leading up to the American Revolution

"Hey, how about we don't allow slavery, huh?" didn't free a single slave in the USA.

"Yeah, Pearl Harbor... how about that? And those natsi death camps! We should all be waving fingers at those nations, especially when you look at how bad Stalin's Soviet Russia outdid Hitler but Stalin got away with it because he mostly kept Russian atrocities in-house. Ammiright?" Thanks, Mr. Chamberlain, but no thanks. Churchill's predecessor kept trying to play nice with natsis. How'd that work out?

Since the dawn of humanity, there is a line of trust between those who give consent to be governed, and those who do the governing. History is filled with countless examples of rich @$$holes who just don't know when to quit and they push and push and push until the breaking point hits and these dip$hits are suddenly surprised to find themselves being put up against a wall to be shot, led up a scaffold to be hanged or beheaded. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

We can warn them, time and again, that if the masses aren't being responsibly governed by people who see to the needs of ALL (or for feck sake, at least MOST) of the people in the country, it is inevitable that the masses no longer consent to the governance being applied.

Thomas Jefferson said it well in the Declaration of Independence: "When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

In other words, government in question anywhere, any time- "You're Fired!" When government agents sell their souls to oligarchs and push lies and create an environment where "We the People" cannot hold free and fair elections and hold the results of said elections to come to bear in favour of the MAJORITY, then we, as a society, as a whole, have failed ourselves and our posterity.

Every industrial nation on the planet has socialized medicine but one. ONE! You guessed it- the U.S.F'n-A. Every day the American people, no matter what side of what aisle you're pitching for, are highly strung out knowing, consciously or subconsciously, that their family's fortune can be erased with a major medical debt. This alone should be as uniting factor among ALL Americans, but the people of this country have grown increasingly stupid, less informed, more ignorant and certainly more apathetic.

Americans have a SERIOUS problem with TRUTH. This is what brought us to this sheep-like state of being.

Does anyone seriously believe the USA was minding its own business when the Japanese destroyed Pearl Harbor in WWII? History classes never teach 'Murican kids about how we helped the Chinese repel the Imperial Japanese forces from invasion. We cover up all the planes we sent to China to bolster their air force and the stories of brave American pilots who served as flight and combat instructors during this time. Covert submarine missions conducted by the US Navy to destroy Japanese shipping rarely, if ever, gets a mention. You know who DID know about US involvement in hindering Japanese advancements in the Pacific then? The Japanese. We weren't sucker punched. We weren't broadsided by the Japanese. We just didn't have the guts or gumption to answer the calls of our allies in China and the Pacific OR of our allies in Europe to stand up and fight when the call came. It wasn't until the Axis powers openly punched us in the face that we finally had enough support to DO something other than continuing talks and sending out pleas for the Axis powers to knock off all the killing and conquering.

This begs the question- when do we acknowledge that sometimes to stop the slaughter, one must stand and fight/commit violence? Is it only wrong when it's against our own rich @$$holes running the show at home? How many people DIED because trumplefuckstick screwed us ALL during the pandemic? How many DIED because insurance companies refused to keep up their end of the faith/trust and cover the life-saving things needed for people to survive an accident or curable disease? How many CEO's out there listen to those who, in the case of insulin alone, literally BEGGED to have the prices brought down to some reasonable level of affordability?

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." Paragraph II of the Declaration of Independence; just a reminder that the oh-so-sacred Founding Fathers were very well aware that government gets power from those consenting to be governed. When government betrays the sacred trust of the people that put these @$$holes in power in the first place, it is on US to remove them and while through the rendering of laws that should allow us to do so peacefully, Jan 6 has proven that even those pillars of democracy mean f-all today.

So who is going to help us out? God? Jesus? The Great Pumpkin? The Spaghetti Monster? I highly doubt it. God hasn't show up for a war since, oh, ever. I mean, never. Religion has gone from an early stage of mystery where the wise find themselves on a quest for knowledge and to seek the Divine in any and all things while the not-so-enlightened use it like they do today- a tool to make even the dumbest, stupidest, most ignorant tw@ts appear smarter than they are because they were clever enough to tell an even greater body of people following them "It's God's Will and He works in mysterious ways- DON'T QUESTION." Nothing has drowned out God(s) like human arrogance and hubris like 'organized' religion has. It has trained the less fortunate to believe what they're told and to not question anything. Those who see behind the curtain see it for what it is: The Oldest Grift that's still going after thousands, maybe millions of years.

If you think I'm having a poke at God(s) (There are more than the One God- the First Commandment makes it abundantly clear) you're wrong. I'm not. I have no truck with God, and if we, as a species, are truly the recipients of the gift of Free Will, then that's simple enough to understand and it would of course explain why never openly see or hear from God. Then again, who REALLY does?

For example, look at Joseph Smith. This convicted grifter from my state of Vermont, managed to somehow procure unto himself some mysterious golden tablets that only HE could even see, let alone read. He managed to con a bunch of desperate, disenfranchised burnouts to follow him across this continent, to settle in bum-feck nowhere in Utah near a poisonous lake. He convinced these poor, less-than-bright acolytes that he was their new messiah and that they should all give him their possessions as well as their women (meaning their wives and daughters of all ages for him to F'k as he pleases). Yeah. That's Mormonism. That's religion in general, from ancient times to Charlie Manson and David Koresh and Jim Jones. It's not about gods or sacred tomes and riles, it's about selfish shitbags finding a flock of dimwits to follow them and that in places in the world where education thrives, it is harder and harder to find such dimwits to lead in a collective flock.

It happens all the time in the US; a nation continually crashing the education system to the point where it's beyond the point of being a matter of national security because the troops are literally too stupid to work the equipment. People aren't so stupid, I think, that they don't know why the GOP wants to end TikTok. It's an untethered platform where we can see, unedited, what's going on elsewhere. We can see the war crimes committed by the IDF in Palestine. We can see the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine.

The point is, sooner or later THE TRUTH GETS OUT. As the protagonist in "V for Vendetta" said- "People shouldn't be afraid of their government; government should be afraid of its people." He's right. In a time where civics is no longer taught in public schools, that's just the GOP and corporatists in government suppressing the truth of how things work, to keep them in fear of all sorts of things that really DO NOT MATTER in the realms of reality!

Racism- an artificial construct that means literally nothing. You may as well hate people because of the color of their car or house or shoes. Nonetheless, it is a perfect tool to keep people divided. It is the tool of white men to keep black people in a state of fear, but is the KKK publicly branded a TERRORIST organization? What about Natsi groups? Churches that promote division and hate? I don't see them getting hit with terrorism charges, but one young man kills some rich prick? HE gets a terrorism charge? How do we define "terrorism" in the US these days? Is it only when rich people are made to be afraid? Hmmm.... Must be. This is why it's just hunkey-dorey for cops to shoot black people in the back for no reason. Kill some rich CEO who is LITERALLY responsible for a death rate akin to 9-11 EVERY MONTH for years?

Gender Issues- Literally meaningless in the grand scheme. Why are so many GOP/MAGA f'n OBSESSED with this? It is something that a very, VERY small percentage of the population is affected by, and still, it's nobody else's business. Just the same, this little prop in the culture wars if waved around, set on fire, and used as yet another prop to divide us all when it takes far less effort to just not be a dick, not let it be a thing, and to either ignore it (best choice of the apathetic) or to take a sincere crack at trying to actually understand it, the sciences behind it, and to get a little smarter (best for those with empathy and a sense of curiosity for learning what was once considered a fictitious thing that people with "issues" had. Biologists have been mapping the genetic spectrum for a while now, laying out their findings to show why some men are androgynous and feminine and others are 'alpha male' douche-canoes, mouth-breathers and knuckle-draggers. You know; MAGA types.

The list is far longer and more specific, but you get the point. There's no TRUTH to 'race' or 'gender' that matters worth a damn for those who are accepting of everyone around them and tend to judge others by their character, not skin tone or by what's going on in their crotch.

Now that I've written a small novelette here, I'm going to conclude by reminding you that violence is often the last viable hand dealt to those who can't afford an anty and are never given a seat at the game. "Freedom's just another word for 'nothin left to lose." When you live in a time and a place where fear is a daily part of your mental diet because some religious nut is going to terrorize you because of your gender/sexuality, it's not right and when there's nobody to help, this leads to violence (self inflicted or lashing out). Everyone has a breaking point.

If you live somewhere where white people cause you to pucker-up because you're about to get pulled over by a white cop and this could literally be your final moment of life, it's only a matter of time before it invokes violence.

Tragic, though it may be, this is where selfish, evil, vile people in power push things, over and over again. They truly bring it onto themselves. They literally turn kind-hearted, loving people against them because they no longer want their boot on their necks. "We the People" out here will, when pushed far enough, bring the torches and pitchforks. There are more of those people than rich people have bullets.

Luigi got a terrorism charge, not because he killed a man. He got it because of who he killed and that the result wasn't as negative as those in power demanded and the bullshit terrorist charge is simply the rich man's way of saying "We can't be having you kill one of us rich elites and we'll have to make an example of you."

Sadly, nothing heroic is likely to transpire from Luigi's actions. Americans forget shit very fast, all the time. They're conditioned to it. I find myself fighting against that sort of forgetfulness all the time. It's why I read books on history, and if history is anything to go by, one of two things is going to happen this year in the USA.

ONE: All hell is going to break loose and the US will have ended its existence as a sovereign nation, or

TWO: Fuck-all nothing.

You know all of those 2nd Amendment fanatics who sit out in the woods having firearm fantasies about saving the world from tyrannical government while have group circle-jerks at their special camp? Well, decades of looser and looser gun control have been put at their feet so they could DO that, even sacrificing our children in schools and other loved ones out there in movie theaters and other public venues, just so they can have they're ammosexual fantasies. So... Where are they now? An ACTUAL TYRANT, guilty of grape, theft, grifting, stealing secret gov. documents and officially convicted of 34 felony charges is about to have round two in making 'Murica a hateful, divided shithole. Are the Gun Nuts coming to save us? Don't be stupid. Of course they're not. If ANYTHING, they'd be trying to pucker up enough to be able to kiss dipshit-donny's ass nice and deep. We're talking some serious colon cleaners here. We DO know that they're going to feel more embolden than they did on Jan 6 and that a LOT or people are likely to die. That's not the use of violence to solve a problem; that's them using violence in order to keep the problems going and they goddamn know it.

In the end, while I seriously don't condone violence, I cannot condemn outright since that's sometimes the only way to solve the problems dropped on us by a government that has betrayed you on one side of the aisle while the other side continues to take corporate cash to do nothing about it. While my heart is adamantly against violence, history has shown us all, repeatedly, that sometimes, as a measure of last resort, when the rich and powerful have left "We the People" with nothing to work with or to survive off of, gets the job done.

There are far more of us 'common folk' than there are rich people, and they forget, constantly, that they need "WE" more than we need "THEM". NOBODY with a conscience felt remotely sad when Luigi put 3 well-labelled slugs into a total tyrant. Boo-fucking-hoo; he had kids and blah, blah, blah... So did a lot of the people he consciously and willingly MURDRERED with his business practices just so he could have... money.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Spike It, Baby 🏐 | Javy 'Coyote' Machado Headcanon

TGM Masterlist | Content Warnings: slight canon divergence

Being a professional beach volleyball player for Team USA and marrying Javy Machado would look like:

Having grown up in Santa Monica, California in the 90s & 2000s, you learned to play beach volleyball before riding a bike. Both your parents were athletes, your mother a beach volleyball player who made it to the 1996 and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games when you were only a child. Watching her inspired you to continue the legacy, the goal of becoming an Olympian on your mind. 

You'd already been in the circuit and playing for Team USA when you met Javy in 2012 during your junior year of college. He'd just graduated from flying school, celebrating in Los Angeles before having to report to his duty station when he stumbled upon your NCAA tournament at the beach. The pilot pretty much falling in love with you right there as he saw you deliver the winning spike. Jumping for joy in the sand with your partner as y'all received the trophy. 

At the bar that night you two ran into each other, Javy offering to buy you a drink which you accepted. The two of you sitting on the outside porch where you talked the entire night. Not wanting to depart even when your friend groups were ready to leave. When it did come time to, numbers were exchanged with the promise of meeting up for a coffee or dinner. For you, it was a double win that day--securing the tournament trophy and a date with a handsome pilot. 

As your relationship progressed, a lot of time was spent a part for various reasons. Javy running missions, leading to his first assignment at Top Gun in 2014 before settling at Lemoore where he met Jake. You had tournaments throughout the year, both stateside and international. Your man--and sometimes Jake--made sure to be at every US tournament you competed it, the loudest in the stands where he was decked out in a t-shirt with you and your partner on it. "Let's go, baby! Show them how it's done" *whistles* "Best spike in the country--full of fire!"

Qualifying for the Rio Olympics was a dream come true. Falling to the sand on your knees after scoring the winning point with your signature spike. Javy and Jake were losing in their minds in the stands, the former in tears and wishing nothing more than to jump the barricade to hug you. Your partner was screaming, y'all's coaches clutched in a group hug. It was a memorable sight. You mother, the 2x Olympian, was a mess as well- considering your debut games marked the 20th anniversary of her debut. 

The Rio Olympics was the experience of a lifetime. Not to mention a silver lining moment for you and your partner. After a spectacular run in your pool play, following a successful quarterfinal, you faced off against the other team from USA, the 3x Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings and her partner April Ross. In a breathtaking match, leaving spectators in the stadium and watching around the world on the edge of their seats, you scored the winning point to send you both into the gold medal match. "Wow, wow, wow! Unbelievable! The #1 team in the world--Walsh Jennings & Ross--have been knocked out of the finals by their fellow Americans. They will go for the Bronze against the Brazilians, while the duo from Santa Monica, California will face off against the Germans." 

Despite losing the gold, you walked away with a silver medal and that in itself is an accomplishment. After all, you achieved your childhood dream of becoming an Olympian, continuing the legacy of your mother. Still, it wasn't over yet. You and your partner got back to the beach with your team and dominated the 2017-2019 seasons. Javy, your main supporter alongside your family, proposed and the two of you got married--on the beach of course. There were times him and Jake challenged you and your partner to a match. They were rusty in the beginning, but soon the pilots got pretty good after several games. You can expect them to kick ass against their coworkers. "Where the hell did you learn to do that, Machado? How are you guys so damn good at this?" Jake would smirk and nudge Javy, "What, have you been living under a rock? His woman is the best beach volleyball player in the country."

Following the success of the Uranium mission in 2019--which had you deathly afraid of losing Javy---the candidates became a little family. By now your relationship with Javy was known to his colleagues, not to mention your success in the world of sports drew a large following. People came up to you at the beach or stopped you on the sidewalk to asks for pictures. Natives of California in the Navy recognized Javy, "Hey, your wife won silver at the Olympics!" "That's right she did. And she's gonna get the gold this year at Tokyo--I know it."

The first time Maverick saw you play, he couldn't help but think back to his time at Top Gun. Where he and Goose played against Ice and Slider. The memory bringing a smile to his face as he watched you and Pheonix play against Javy and Jake. The boys complaining of Pete's calls as refs, citing he was favoring you and Monica. "That was totally out of bounds!" "Not from what I saw, sport."

Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the Tokyo Games to be postponed a whole year, and when they finally came it was ruled only coaches and athletes were to attend. No spectators. That meant Javy, your family, and the squad had to watch from Fightertown. It was like Deja vu when you made it to the gold medal match, facing your fellow teammates of USA again. You can expect the Hard Deck to explode when you delivered the match point, securing the gold medal with a beautiful spike, sending the ball into the sand to fast the other team had no time to react. "She did it! She fucking did it!! My baby is an Olympic Champion--Penny ring the bell!!" Yeah, you could hear the squad's cheers and screams miles down. 

When you touched back down on U.S soil, you sprint across the airport to jump into Javy's arms, cameras from the photographers flashing and the welcoming crowd cheering. Javy spinning you around, the rest of the squad joining your hug with flags waving in the background. As per tradition, you placed your gold medal around Javy and your parents, who all were beaming with pride. "Damn this is heavy." "The weight of a champion in the palm of your hand." 

The legacy of your golden run in the sport of beach volleyball would continue to the city of Paris. Where you became a 2x champion with not only your husband and parents in the crowd, but also your two-year-old daughter. Not losing a set the entire games, a beautiful scene with the Eiffel Tower sparkling down upon the stadium. Then four years later, in the Hollywood lights of Los Angeles--miles away from the place that started it all, you ended your career with another gold draped around your neck. Where your daughter witnessed you be crowned once more as the champion of women's beach volleyball, sparking the moment she became consumed with the dream of Olympic glory. 

"Mommy, I want to be like you when I grow up." "Well, you can do anything once you put your mind to it. All you have to do is set it in your sights, and spike it, baby." 

[cazzyf1]

Quotes about Helmut Koinigg from the book 'Unsere Champions - Alles über Österreichs Jahrhundert- Rennfahrer 1900-2003'

"I helped him a few times in his somewhat chaotic career," remembers Helmut Marko. A nice guy, but a bit of a slob who had no organization - until he came to me with his contracts."

"He had a short, promising career, almost sky-storming: unfortunately an unfinished symphony. Helmut Koinigg was good," says Niki Lauda today. "But he died far too early to even know what would happen next."

Father Koinigg, a very well-off industrialist, was always against his only child racing - and never supported him.

Even from Lauda: “A consistent, intelligent guy who tried with all the difficulties you could possibly have to fight his way into Formula I - namely without any money. When he drove Formula Vee, he couldn't even pay the hotel bill at the Nürburgring...

What always impressed me about Koinigg was how unswervingly he pursued his path. In his premiere race in Aspern near Vienna, he continued to fight bravely with the ex-Lauda Mini even after the windshield had tipped out.

Helmut studied journalism and mechanical engineering at the Vienna University of Technology, where he was met by the two geniuses Dr. Get to know Fritz Indra and Ing. Heinz Lippitsch - and pass them on directly to Kurt Bergmann.

“Perhaps the nicest person I have ever met - but also the most difficult. Because he was so ambitious."

In 1974 he married his girlfriend, a stewardess: "Gaby has to earn the money that I spent on racing..." The 25-year-old is only half a year away from getting his doctorate. And all that's left to achieve perfect racing luck is Formula I.

I want to start over with Koinigg and rebuild everything from scratch. I'm taking Helmut because of his talent, his ability and his team spirit. If he didn't have these qualities, I wouldn't have signed him even with a lot of sponsorship money," Surtees tells me. Koinigg happily packs his two jersey bags for Canada and the USA

Koinigg is partying in Toronto, browsing for antiques, but most of us are flying to the Bahamas

Lauda has “the stupid feeling all day that something is happening,” and he pays particular attention. The track: even bumpier than last, with even worse vibrations. “They hit me like electric shocks,” admits Koinigg.

“It's a terrible feeling when the guard rails are staring you in the face, just 3 cm from the road,” Koinigg tells me quietly.

Five pilots are coming to the GPDA safety conference: Lauda. Koinigg, Hill, Hulme and Beltoise

On Saturday Helmut tried for two hours to call Gaby in Vienna but doesn't get through. The phone call doesn't work until Sunday morning. Helmut has breakfast with Huppert and Stommelen

The reconstruction shows: The two safety fences gave way during the impact. as if they were curtains. The bottom two of the three guide rails immediately collapsed because the pencil-thin bolts fell out. The car went under the third rail. Koinigg didn't have the slightest chance in a 2nd gear corner - whatever defect caused the Surtees to leave the road

Niki Lauda, ​​shaken, takes off his helmet after two pit stops and says to Montezemolo: Luca, it has become pointless for me to continue driving. His race director understands immediately

No part of the car that was broken wasn't also bent. But the inner carcass of the left rear tire was completely damaged and this defect was certainly not caused by contact with the guard rails. Sudden explosion? Or the infamous "slow puncture", a slow slip like the one that cost Jim Clark his life at Hockenheim in 1968? I don't think so," says Surtees today, "Helmut was a sensitive racing driver. He would certainly have felt that."

The most touching moment was years later when a particularly kind Ms. Magister spoke to me quietly in a pharmacy in Hietzing: “I am the mother of Helmut Koinigg. Gaby, Helmut's wife, was already married again: to an attaché at the French embassy in Vienna. And Surtees again had an Austrian pilot - Hans Binder. Only at Ferrari in Maranello does Helmut Koinigg's last photo hang unchanged.

The last photograph ever taken of Helmut Koinigg

[stupendouspaperfly]

Cleared for Takeoff: Your Ultimate Roadmap to a Pilot Career in the USA

How to Become a Pilot in the USA is a dream for many, but it requires dedication, training, and proper certification. Whether you aim to fly for airlines, corporations, or the military, the journey follows a structured path. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you navigate your way to the skies.

Roadmap to a Pilot Career in the USA

1. Meet the Basic Requirements

To start your journey as a pilot, you must meet some basic criteria. You must be at least 17 to obtain a private pilot license (PPL) and 18 for a commercial pilot license (CPL). You also need to have a high school diploma or equivalent and be proficient in English, the international language of aviation.

2. Obtain a Medical Certificate

Aviation requires good physical and mental health. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates that aspiring pilots pass a medical examination conducted by an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). A first-class medical certificate is required for airline pilots, while a second-class is sufficient for commercial pilots.

3. Choose the Right Flight School

Selecting a flight school is one of the most important decisions in your pilot training journey. You can choose between a Part 61 or Part 141 school. Part 61 offers flexible, self-paced training, while Part 141 follows a structured curriculum. Prestigious aviation schools like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, ATP Flight School, and University of North Dakota are great options.

4. Earn Your Private Pilot License (PPL)

The first step in actual flight training is obtaining a Private Pilot License (PPL). This allows you to fly non-commercially. To earn your PPL, you need at least 40 flight hours, including solo flights, and pass a written exam and flight test.

5. Get an Instrument Rating (IR)

An Instrument Rating (IR) is essential for flying in poor weather and under instrument flight rules (IFR). This involves additional flight hours and training focused on navigation, meteorology, and using cockpit instruments.

6. Obtain a Commercial Pilot License (CPL)

To fly professionally, you must earn a Commercial Pilot License (CPL). This requires a minimum of 250 flight hours and passing rigorous written, oral, and practical exams. A CPL allows you to be paid for flying but does not yet qualify you for airline jobs.

7. Build Flight Hours

Most airlines require at least 1,500 flight hours to qualify as a First Officer. Many pilots gain experience by becoming flight instructors, banner tow pilots, or charter pilots before applying to airlines.

8. Get an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate

The Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate is the highest certification and is required to fly for airlines. You must be at least 23 years old and have 1,500 flight hours. Training programs like Airline Career Pilot Programs can help you meet this requirement.

9. Apply for Airline Jobs

Once you have your ATP certificate and the required experience, you can apply for regional or major airlines. Many pilots start at regional airlines before advancing to major carriers like Delta, United, or American Airlines.

Conclusion

How to Become a Pilot in the USA is a rewarding but challenging journey. With proper training, dedication, and persistence, you can achieve your dream of taking to the skies. Follow this roadmap, and soon, you’ll be cleared for takeoff on an exciting aviation career.

[foreficfandom]

Why Was Alastor A Serial Killer?

I'm willing to bet that Hazbin Hotel is trying to avoid the true crime route of portraying serial killers with gritty 'realism'. Characters kill for theatrical reasons, not because the creative team is doing a deep dive into criminal minds.

I foresee Alastor's serial killer spree to be plot-spurred. Not because he's gonna be revealed to have antisocial personality disorder, or a psychopath, or something polarizing like that.

Realistically, any of the current Hazbin Hotel cast could have a personality disorder. Real-life serial killers aren't profiled (by USA FBI) to be more likely to have mental illnesses. After all, there are other serial killers than the ones you hear about most often. Serial killers are also the organized criminals, or abusive husbands, or political/religious extremists. They may or may not view their victims as fellow individual humans. They may or may not be influenced by bigotry.

Hazbin Hotel is a musical comedy first and foremost. It follows Loony Toons rules over Hannibal, or The Cell, or Silent Hill. It's possible that Alastor's serial killer past won't ever be a plot point. It's as relevant as any other character's reason for being in hell.

If his serial killer spree is ever addressed, I theorize it might be because:

They were magical sacrifices. Alastor's magical abilities take heavy hits from Hollywood 'voodoo'. One of the smear accusations against New Orleans' budding Vodou culture (especially against Marie Laveau of the Victorian era) were sacrificial rituals performed in areas like on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. If Alastor was dabbling in magic during his living years, he might have killed and cannibalized solely for sacrificial reasons. Possibly involving his supposed 'deal', as well.

They were 'vigilante' targets. The lyrics in the pilot include the lines And we'll chlorinate this cesspool / With some old redemption flair. He values good manners. He doesn't believe in taking advantage of the weaker. One background concern of the Hazbin Hotel (and Helluva Boss) universe is the sheer number of humans who end up in hell, all equal in their sin. Like the angelic exorcists that descend to cull the herd, it'd be appropriate for a character to have a hand in playing a similar role whilst mortal. Or, at least, that's how he saw himself.

It wasn't spur killing, all the victims were connected. We've never had a full plot centered on why a soul ended up in hell. Canonical reasons have been revealed in side material, such as Angel Dust's organized crime and drug use. As the seasons continue, there may come a day where a character's mortal sins become very relevant. Many a protagonist has found themselves racking up a body count all of a sudden, thanks to his hero's journey. Perhaps that resulted in Alastor's notoriety.

Alastor was a living demon, and he consumed humans. His serial killing is one thing, cannibalizing his victims is another. He's obsessed with consumption and partaking in flesh. The pilot ends with his hunger for his mother's recipe. His side comic has him eating eggs at a cafe, then visiting Cannibal Town, then visiting a butcher to buy more food. He canonically dislikes sweets and is a snobby foodie that dislikes processed food. There's only three proper food scenes in season 1, and he's two of them - the deer, and when he eats other sinners in his monstrous form. If he made some sort of devilish deal while alive, perhaps the cost was the need for flesh. Thus gave rise to a human with inhuman bloodlust.

His reasons won't ever be revealed. Or, they'll be unimportant. We don't particularly care what gang Angel Dust ran with as a mafia grunt, and perhaps we're also meant to take Alastor's serial killing at face value. At of this writing, we poke and prod at the guy 'cause he's this huge mystery, but maybe we'll grow to care solely for his contemporary actions, and not for his backstory.

We may get our answer one day, but for now, he remains an enigma.

[worldrusher]

Heyyy i just kind of randomly found your blog and i would love to hear about your star trek oc(s).

1. What do they look like? What’s their preferred clothing style?

2. Are they in Starfleet? If yes, what’s their role? What was their life like before joining Starfleet? Why did they join?

3. Where do they come from? What’s their relationship with their family? With their s/o (if they have one)? With their friends and colleagues?

4. What’s their best/worst childhood memory?

5. What’s their favourite animal?

6. Put any other fun facts you want here!

Have a nice day!

💙💙

never let an author answer basic questions they'll write five times more than needed

1.

They all really just prefer their uniforms becasuse they're convenient and also Required (aka I'm a bit too lazy to think about that because they're usually on their respective Starships). They all have specific faceclaims, too ... which are kind of embarrassing to write down instead of show, but this is Tumblr. So.

Strelik, TOS - Jared Padalecki (with Vulcan modification), circa GiImore GirIs

Dr. Novac, TOS - Robert Sean Leonard, around the 80s-90s

Strelik, AOS - See above

Feliks Kovalyov, AOS - Jensen Ackles, around the 90s? Pre-SPN. When he has more blonde in his hair.

Nuka Salvatici, TNG - Um...uh.. . Noah Hugbox. Sorry

2.

They're all in Starfleet!!! :D

Strelik, TOS - Navigator/Pilot [Gold Shirt]; Lieutenant Commander [two cuff stripes]. Whatever life/education on Vulcan is like pre-Science Academy (since he skipped out on that). Joined because he didn't see himself in Science and he wanted to be in space.

Dr. Novac, TOS - Doctor [Blue Shirt]; Lieutenant junior grade [one cuff stripe] (idc if it may not exist in TOS it does now). Went to Rutgers New Jersey Medical School to become a doctor before Starfleet Academy. Joined because it was always his dream to save lives in space and expand his knowledge beyond Earth illnesses and injuries.

Strelik, AOS - Engineer [Red Shirt]; Lieutenant [one cuff stripe]. Same origin/motives as above.

Feliks Kovalyov, AOS - Security [Red Shirt]; Lieutenant [one cuff stripe]. Had a shit childhood and educated himself most of the time (and did a damn good job!). Joined to escape his "home" and wanted to be in security so he could protect others.

Nuka Salvatici, TNG - Security [Yellow Shirt]; Lieutenant Commander [two gold pips, one black pip]. Worked as security on Rivet City, but didn't see much action. Joined because it was that or surviving the Capital Wasteland without any assistance or gear.

3.

Strelik, TOS - Vulcan. Strained, but repaired over time. Deeply loving and trusting. Respects and cares for his friends/colleagues, even if he doesn't show it.

Dr. Novac, TOS - New Jersey, USA. Loves them a ton, and they're so proud of him. Sooo loving and sweet and gentle. Tries to be friends with as many colleagues as possible, because it's easier to work with people you like.

Strelik, AOS - Vulcan. Strained, but never repaired. Same relationship/colleague/friend feelings as above, even if he's dating different people; he shows this care a bit more often, though.

Feliks Kovalyov, AOS - Rural Mojave Desert, USA; Russian-American. Hates his parents (mutual feeling). Loves Pavel SO SO MUCH; there is so much affection nd care in their relationship it's insane. He's protective over the crew, beyond it being a job requirement; he will put his friends and crew before himself in pretty much every scenario.

Nuka Salvatici, TNG - Rivet City, Capital Wasteland (New Earth. He's Fallouan.). Never knew his parents. Doesn't have any romantic relationships currently. He's a little new at making actual friends, so he can be a little awkward and cold, but he really does care for any friends he's made and sees them almost as family; same with his coworkers, with that innate protective urge of any security officer.

4.

Strelik, TOS - Best: i don't know how Vulcan schools work, but...being the best in his class one year and having internalized pride for it // Worst: accidentally showcasing too much emotion in front of an acquaintance and losing said acquaintance from his life

Dr. Novac, TOS - Best: his dad becoming a doctor and motivating (not forcing) him to be one as well // Worst: his grandpa's death from an illness that could have been cured; the doctors overlooked it :/

Strelik, AOS - honestly...same as TOS

Feliks Kovalyov, AOS - Best: learning about Starfleet and being recommended for it by a teacher // Worst: most of his childhood, honestly

Nuka Salvatici, TNG - Best: learning how to shoot a rifle for the first time // Worst: shooting himself in the foot and nearly having to amputate it

5.

Strelik, TOS - Sehlat

Dr. Novac, TOS - Red fox

Strelik, AOS - Vulcan water-beetle

Feliks Kovalyov, AOS - Brown bear

Nuka Salvatici, TNG - Dog

6.

Strelik, TOS - Joins the same time as Chekov; wouldn't be shown on screen until s2e2

Dr. Novac, TOS - Had to fight through so many different motion sickness cures before allowing himself into space

Strelik, AOS - In a relationship with Spirk; showed affection for Spock first

Feliks Kovalyov, AOS - Has a (really cheesy and cringe because I can do what I want) mainly Green Day cover band with Sulu and Chekov

Nuka Salvatici, TNG - Fallouans all have one mutation per person, and his is telepathy (he stifles it often)

[themattress]

The Top 5 Carmen Sandiego Adaptations

And by adaptations, I strictly mean mediums in which you as a player serve no function, you are only here to observe. Therefore not the computer games, nor the board games, nor the choose-your-own-adventure style books. Just the shows, chapter books, and comic books.

Honorable(?) Mention: The DC Comics Series.

This only lasted four issues before being cancelled, and honestly? I can see why. I like the idea behind this series, which is compositing the various versions of Carmen Sandiego into one (the older games, the newer games, the PBS gameshow...had it continued we may have gotten stuff from the syndicated animated series.) The problem is that there is way too much going on in almost every panel. It's the equivalent of an obnoxious children's show that thinks constant movement and loud noises is the only way to keep its young viewer's attention. Beyond that, the main character Evan and his sidekick Bazooka Mel aren't that interesting or likeable, and Carmen herself barely shows up or does anything. It was a nice try, but it failed.

5: Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?

This PBS gameshow was the successor to Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, lasting for two seasons and a total of 115 episodes across 1996 and 1997. For comparisons sake, its predecessor lasted for five seasons across five years, with a total of 295 episodes. And that kind of says it all. I like things about this show - having people play historical figures and interact with the contestants is fun, the villains, also depicted by real-life actors, are a good balance of wacky and intimidating especially with the creepy effects around them and their willingness to attack the contestants directly, and much like its predecessor the final solo challenge is always exciting to watch. The problem is that it just doesn't feel like Carmen Sandiego. ACME is suddenly this hard sci-fi oriented group feeling more like the Federation from Star Trek than a detective agency, Carmen is a cackling supervillain out to make people miserable rather than a classy master thief, and while Lynne Thigpin's Chief is as delightful as ever, she and Kevin Shinick just lack the chemistry she had with Greg Lee....heck, Shinick himself is a major step down from Lee in just about every way. I think he was funnier in the Robot Chicken sketch about the show than he ever was on the show itself! I feel as though if this show was its own thing, totally removed from Carmen Sandiego, it would work better.

4: Carmen Sandiego

The recent Netflix series has a wonderful two-part pilot, "Becoming Carmen Sandiego", that shows exactly how this incarnation is going to differ from previous ones - namely with Carmen being an anti-hero going against V.I.L.E with the help of "Player" rather than the leader of V.I.L.E who "Player" is trying to catch - and with a lot of interesting possibilities on the horizon, particularly with its somewhat darker tone and reinventions of characters from several separate past continuities. And it's all downhill from there! OK, that's a bit harsh, but as I've noted recently the show really did squander its potential more and more with each passing season, culminating in a finale that made it crushingly clear that the developers did just seek to keep Carmen an anti-hero the whole way rather than go through the villain origin story that was logically being set up. It never felt like it truly knew what it wanted to be, and almost every character and plotline ended up suffering as a result. It's got great visual style and superb voice-acting, and I appreciate the attention it brought back to the otherwise dead property, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as a first experience with Carmen Sandiego.

3: The Carmen Sandiego Mysteries

This series of juvenile chapter books had a total of six installments: two representing World, two representing USA, and two representing Time. And it's a shame that's all we got, because these were pretty damn good! Maya and Ben are likable leads, Carmen is a competent and even somewhat threatening villain while still maintaining her own personal code of ethics, and it does what a good adaptation should in keeping the feel and style of the computer games while also making allowances for the medium shift. I especially like "Take the Mummy and Run", which includes some legit emotional drama and a non-Carmen villain.

2: Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?

Pretty similar to the Carmen Sandiego Mysteries books in that it features a young boy/girl duo of detectives hunting down a similarly characterized Carmen. But this being a syndicated animated TV show rather than a book series, it lasted longer - 40 episodes total, and even got its own spinoff computer game Carmen Sandiego: Junior Detective Edition. There's also more of an action-y feel to it despite the network censors preventing anything overtly violent from happening, siblings Zack and Ivy are even more charismatic protagonists than Ben and Maya, and the great Rita Moreno just is Carmen; her alluring voice probably sticks out in most people's memory when thinking about the character. I do question why an AI Chief was used rather than a human one, as that just feels weird, but thanks to Rodger Bumpass' voicework he gets a lot of laughs so I can let it slide. The one thing that drags this show down is the educational aspect, as it manifests in a lot of ham-fisted monologuing from characters that grinds the pacing of each episode to a halt every time. Guys, you're in a 22-minute TV episode, not Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors! You're kind of pressed for time here! It's the one thing I think the Netflix show actually did better, as while there were still lines here and there serving as educational the series usually focused on showing rather than telling as should be expected of the animation medium. However...this theme song goes way harder than it needs to, so maybe that balances things out. And speaking of stellar theme songs....

1: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

This legendary PBS gameshow simply IS Carmen Sandiego distilled into a compact form easily transmitted via airwaves. It's got the thrill of the chase while learning more about the world down perfectly, it's got the old-school detective vibe and the quirky humor, and it's got a stellar cast of characters - not only is this the first time Carmen herself displayed any real personality, but we've got a truly memorable Rogues Gallery of V.I.L.E operatives serving her. And even if the different kid contestants opposing them each episode do nothing for you, we still have Lynne Thigpen as THE Chief of ACME, Greg Lee as one of the funniest and most energetic gameshow hosts you could ask for, and of course - ROCKAPELLA! It's easy to see why this show endured for as long as it did and while it's still fondly looked upon even now.

[beardedmrbean]

[Huey Zoomer Anon]

Hello, hmm it more of a weird question, but I wonder if Jewish people might be interested in this idea

I had a idea about a Israeli entertainment company collaborating with a anime studio to create a senien/or shounen depending on their moods. Action focus anime that focus on the Wars between the Philistine vs Israelites, The Conquests of King David, and Golden Age of Israel. I was thinking like an epic anime fantasy or in that vein?

I think far too many goys like I was, don’t believe Jews people had balls and didn’t kick their enemies asses several times throughout history because…well it tragic and Jewish people still recovering

Anyone else think Jewish people become the modern damsel in distress because the overuse of WW2?

Also the whole goblins and witches being antisemitic stereotypes….

Ugh who taught millennials to be activists?

The problem is that the education system isn’t going to be bother to explain where the Jewish stereotypes originated from. So the fact that I learned that Jews were forced into professions that were once considered “undesirable” back in the day because of a fucking YouTube shitpost. Which explains how the Jewish banker stereotype

And…people at large are more likely to see a black American in the USA vs a Jew due to the low population. Now given that many activists lived in echo chambers

And yes you pointed out that Israel and Judah were minor kingdoms….i thought the western education systems would give better context to the majority of western lord and savior (Jesus) heritage background and why he was so different from his fellow kin

Another thing like with fantasy….wait Jewish mysticism is practiced by Jewish people right? Yeah sorry I’m a autistic goy

Why not…make a proper fantasy kingdom based off Israel and Judah? I mean it’s in the Canaan, a huge trading hub between the east and west so it would very easy

Also so Jewish people…was Moses the only staff magic profit? I want to created Jewish magic using that actual stuff from Jewish culture. Wait how golem works?

…Okay being a smart ass…would a Jewish mecha pilot…call his mecha…a golem?

The Mossad are going to send me a “special” electronic device as revenge for my shitty puns

I had a idea about a Israeli entertainment company collaborating with a anime studio to create a senien/or shounen depending on their moods. Action focus anime that focus on the Wars between the Philistine vs Israelites, The Conquests of King David, and Golden Age of Israel. I was thinking like an epic anime fantasy or in that vein? I think far too many goys like I was, don’t believe Jews people had balls and didn’t kick their enemies asses several times throughout history because…well it tragic and Jewish people still recovering

Why mess with perfection, lol.

Sent you a couple things already, most everything I come across is done by Christian groups so they're going to be missing a lot of nuance I think.

Might be some already, I just don't know about them but if anyone wants to send me some names I'll make sure they get to you.

Ugh who taught millennials to be activists?

They kinda pioneered a bunch of the current year stuff, first to embrace social media and twitter and stuff like that so it's gonna be on them.

The problem is that the education system isn’t going to be bother to explain where the Jewish stereotypes originated from. So the fact that I learned that Jews were forced into professions that were once considered “undesirable” back in the day because of a fucking YouTube shitpost. Which explains how the Jewish banker stereotype

Ya there could be a whole lot of stuff taught about a whole lot of different groups that gets skipped, probably do a world of good to teach more of that, even just touching on it would be good.

And…people at large are more likely to see a black American in the USA vs a Jew due to the low population. Now given that many activists lived in echo chambers

It's easier to spot a black American at a distance than it is a Jewish person, also that black American might also be a Jewish person

And yes you pointed out that Israel and Judah were minor kingdoms….i thought the western education systems would give better context to the majority of western lord and savior (Jesus) heritage background and why he was so different from his fellow kin.

People would call that teaching religion and the aclu would continue that the freedom of religion is supposed to be freedom from religion again.

Odd they didn't say anything about students in CA having aztec prayers made part of the curriculum, but not really odd.

Another thing like with fantasy….wait Jewish mysticism is practiced by Jewish people right? Yeah sorry I’m a autistic goy

Kabbalah, others too but that's the big one because like 30 years ago madonna went to Israel and decided to embrace that one, Whitney Houston had a spiritual epiphany there too, Jerusalem syndrome be wild.

Why not…make a proper fantasy kingdom based off Israel and Judah? I mean it’s in the Canaan, a huge trading hub between the east and west so it would very easy

Might exist, hopefully someone will let me know.

Also so Jewish people…was Moses the only staff magic profit? I want to created Jewish magic using that actual stuff from Jewish culture. Wait how golem works?

His brother Aaron also used a staff, Elijah and Elisha both parted waters so they could walk across on dry land, as well as several other miracles and what not, it wasn't magic though it was the big guy working through them.

Golem's I'm not sure personally beyond putting a scroll in them with their instructions, probably info on wiki for that.

…Okay being a smart ass…would a Jewish mecha pilot…call his mecha…a golem?

lol, also see the bit about the scroll.

The Mossad are going to send me a “special” electronic device as revenge for my shitty puns

They don't do that for things like this, they'll just steal your left shoe.

Is it wrong that this still makes me laugh almost 10 years later?

TIL Ben Shapiro was part of the J6 tour of the capital.

[justkarama]

"Canon MLM pairing would outshine Bumblebee."

That's a weird reason not to have more LGBTQA+ representation. What's next, there shouldn't be a FtM trans character, because it would outshine May - a MtF trans character?

There shouldn't be a bisexual male character, because it would outshine Blake - a bisexual female character?

There shouldn't be a nonbinary human character, because it would outshine CC and Little/Somewhat - nonbinary animal characters?

There shouldn't be gay male characters, because it would outshine Ilia and Coco - canon lesbian characters? Besides theres already good enough gay characters, like Scarlet (remember him? He existed in V3 for 10 seconds) and Pilot Boi (he's dead and there's no mention of him being gay in the story).

Outside of Fairgame, I can't say there is any other popular MLM ship in the RWBY fandom and even if Fairgame is popular, Bumbleblee is still the more popular ship. WLW ships that aren't Bumblebee or Whiterose already don't get much spotlight and now there shouldn't be any canon MLM ship, because Bumbleblee might not be Miss Popular anymore?

LGBTQA+ representation shouldn't be a competition. We're a community, meant to support one another and that includes caring about other identities getting representation outside of our own.

"There's already enough shows with MLM stories."

You mean, MLM stories where the watchers didn't get queerbaited? Where the MLM couples got happy endings? Where MLM romance got writen with respect? Where MLM shippers didn't get accused for not letting "guys just be friends", forcing romance, fetishising gay people etc. ???

MLM stories where the romance are treated normal and writers putting work into the romance the same they would have done for straight F/M couple??

And just because there are shows with MLM romance in USA, doesn't mean any other place have MLM shows too.

"There's already enough shows with MLM romance."

In the whole word or are you talking about USA, be specific here, ok?

But why did Bumbleblee have to become canon in the first place? There is already enough WLW ships in animation.

Rupphire from SU, Korrasami from TLOK, Catradora from SPOP, Lumity from TOH, Harlivy from DC, Bubbline from Adventure Time, Caitvi from Arcane, Harumichi from Sailor Moon etc.

If RWBY fans want to see WLW representation, why don't they just watch other shows?🙄 No need to force in WLW romance in this story, because what if the WLW ship takes away the spotlight from the F/M ships?🥺

I won't deny there isn't a problem of how MLM relationships gets treated vs how WLW relationships get treated by media and fandoms, but it shouldn't mean MLM have to stop existing. It doesn't mean wanting to see MLM couples on screen is bad and that you don't care about WLW couples. MLM romance still has to deal with homophobia. Just like WLW romance does.

But God forbit a person wants there to be a slight bit of MLM representation in a 10 years old show where most romance is F/M and the on-screen gay romance is mainly WLW (Ilia's crush on Blake, Saphron and Terra, Bumblebee)

Not really much to say you've basically said everything that needed to be said and I agree with it all

[lukechweiss]

Introducing LUKE C. H. WEISS. Word on the street is they are a C.E.O, PODCASTER, INFLUENCER, having been around for 10 YEARS . Despite an otherwise clear record, sometimes they are known to engage with SYNDICATE ( CON ARTIST ) ’s affairs. Though they are UNPREDICTABLE and CLUMSY , they can also be CREATIVE and INTELLIGENT. In the chaos of New York City, they’re sure to fit right in.

— BASICS

Name: luke charles hal weiss

Nickname(s): hal

Age / D.O.B.: 30, november 5, 1994.

Gender, Pronouns & Sexuality: Male, he / him, demisexual, biromantic

Hometown: london, u.k

Affiliation: syndicate / con-artist

Job position: podcaster, influencer and c.e.o

Education: superior complete + 1 p.h.d.

Relationship status: married. single.

Positive traits: (5) open mind, kind, intelligent, trustworthy, charismatic

Negative traits: (5) obsessive, compulsive, impulsive, enigmatic, reckless

Personality:  INTJ  architect

Height: 2,06m / 6 ft 9"

— BIOGRAPHY

TRIGGER WARNINGS: child neglect, miscarriage.

Originally he was born in America, the youngest son to Vivienne. His father was on a business trip in the USA and met a woman who sold her son to him. He was a newborn when he was 'purchased'. He always wanted to have a son, and after so many miscarriages he decided to purchase one to surprise his wife. Although, he already had a daughter on his own with his wife. Luke wasn't very aware of these origins it doesn't matter, the new family always wanted to have a 'boy'.

Since he was a little child, Luke couldn't remember being around his parents that much. They were always busy with their respective jobs ( or leisure ) , and his memories were being surrounded by nannies with his elder sister.

He studied in a boarding school, after all his parents always believed each of their kids would be doing greatness in the future. He had the privilege of traveling worldwide, and getting to know new people and cultures. But there was always a little pressure on him to take over his family business when he got older.

At school he was a great student, despite not having the best behavior in class, he was talkative and charming and loved by everyone. One thing he learned about his traveling is his passion for taking pictures and making short videos as if he wanted to make little memories of where he visited, this is how she started his YouTube channel.

He was fortunate enough to be successful on his channel, it was something he worked up over the years, eventually, he made a podcast about lifestyle worldwide.

And then… He took over one of his family's ( cosmetics ) businesses, little did he know that the company was nearly failing ( before taking over ) and his father wouldn't accept any failure. And he wanted to make his family parents proud, somehow… This is when he ended up doing business with the wrong people. Being now part of the Syndicate. Ah, and who wouldn't say no to a pretty face and, a big smile? Always takes it to his advantage.

⏤ TLDR // TRIVIA HC

He has a cat named Leia.

Weiss family has business in all Europe and United Kingdom apart from a few states in America.

Nepo baby af

Basically, made deals with the wrong people only bc his intuition was to make his parents proud.

He is married, but he has no contact with his wife ( it is kind of recent, a night in Las Vegas ) .

He's really good at sports. Despite having money, he won two scholarships in his practice of Tennis. But never had an interest in becoming a professional player.

He has a horse, named Uni because he was a fan of Dungeons & Dragons and collects Pokemon cards.

His favorite board game is chess.

And always down to fish and chips.

He's an excellent pilot.

He's the youngest biological brother of Alexander Calder.

Has a degree in engineering.

— WANTED CONNECTIONS:

Ex-wife: Luke married in Vegas she met her at the party he was attending and married on the same day and he annulled his marriage once the sobriety kicked him . Although, he isn't much of a party person. ( Bonus if she's affiliated with a gang. )

— TAKEN CONNECTIONS:

Ricardo Jimenez / ex boyfriend: He was his first boyfriend, but his constant demanding work that required him to travel all over the world, was what ended their relationship. There were no hard feelings, they parted in their separate ways, amicably, or so this is what he thought.

Alexander Calder / biological brother: His biological brother. He found out by chance when Vivienne stalked him and told him the truth about his origins, she wanted money, and of course, he organized as he was he required a DNA test on the woman to see if she was a crazy fan or telling the truth. He kept it all private, as a public figure he didn't want it to be exposed. Turns out she was right, and through her, he learned the truth about his origins, but monthly pays her not to meddle in his life, unless he wanted to.

Suresh Lal / Ally: A person on the Syndie, which he admired by far. Also a great companion and always enjoys playing chess with him.