#like it's not like i'm betraying the family

[porterdavis]

I'm going to post the entire dispatch in hopes more people will read it. It's a stylized version of how US media would cover events in America if they were happening in a foreign country. Chilling.

(Written by Garrett Graff)

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Musk Junta Seizes Key Governmental Offices February 1, 2025 By William Boot

WASHINGTON, D.C. — What started Thursday as a political purge of the internal security services accelerated Friday into a full-blown coup, as elite technical units aligned with media oligarch Elon Musk moved to seize key systems at the national treasury, block outside access to federal personnel records, and take offline governmental communication networks.

With rapidity that has stunned even longtime political observers, forces loyal to Musk’s junta have established him as the all-but undisputed unelected head of government in just a matter of days, unwinding the longtime democracy’s constitutional system and its proud nearly 250-year-old tradition of the rule of law. Having secured themselves in key ministries and in a building adjacent to the presidential office complex, Musk’s forces have begun issuing directives to civil service workers and forcing the resignation of officials deemed insufficiently loyal, like the head of the country’s aviation authority.

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The G-7 country’s newly installed president, a mid-level oligarch named Donald Trump, appeared amid Musk’s moves to be increasingly merely a figurehead head of state. Trump is a convicted felon with a long record of family corruption and returned in power in late January after a four-year interlude promising retribution and retaliation against foreign opponents and a domestic “Deep State.” He had been charged with attempting to overthrow the peaceful transition of power that had previously removed him from office in 2021, but loyalist elements in the judiciary successfully blocked his prosecution and incarceration, easing his return to power.

Over the last two weeks, loyalist presidential factions and Musk-backed teams have launched sweeping, illegal Stalin-esque purges of the national police forces and prosecutors, as well as offices known as inspectors-general, who are typically responsible for investigating government corruption. While official numbers of the unprecedented ousters were kept secret, rumors swirled in the capital that the scores of career officials affected by the initial purges could rise into the thousands as political commissars continued to assess the backgrounds of members of the police forces. 

The mentally declining and aging head of state, who has long embraced conspiracist thinking, spent much of the week railing in bizarre public remarks against the country’s oppressed racial and ethnic minorities, whom he blamed without evidence for causing a deadly plane crash across the river from the presidential mansion. Unfounded racist attacks on those minorities have been a key foundation of Trump’s unpredicted rise to political power from a career as a real estate magnate and reality TV host and date back to his first announcement that he would seek the presidency in 2015, when he railed against “rapists” being sent into the country from its southern neighbor.

In one of his first moves upon returning to the presidency, he mobilized far-right paramilitary security forces to begin raids at churches, schools, and workplaces to identify and remove racial minorities, including those who had long lived in harmony with the country’s white Christian majority. He also immediately moved to release from prison some 1,500 supporters who had participated in his unsuccessful 2021 insurrection, including members of violent far-right militias who promptly upon release swore fealty to him in any future civil unrest. Elsewhere, even as he released violent criminals onto the streets, Trump by fiat pulled longstanding government security protection from former military and health officials he felt had betrayed him.

Underscoring his apparent disconnection from reality, reports surfaced that the president had ordered military forces to unleash an environmental catastrophe and flood regions of a separatist province known as California that is led by a high-profile political opponent. The order underscored how the military, which had resisted Trump’s unconstitutional power grabs in his first administration, was now led by a subservient defense minister, a favored TV personality with no experience in management who faced an embarrassing series of allegations about his drunken behavior in the workplace.

Foreign allies who had long aligned themselves with the United States on the international stage were unsettled by increasingly destabilizing nationalistic and imperialist rhetoric coming from the president’s social media accounts—largely posted to a network owned and run by Trump himself—and worried in private conversations in capital embassies that he would mobilize the compliant military to fulfill heretofore unimaginable territorial ambitions that included seizing the country’s northern neighbor, which shares the world’s longest undefended border, and potentially colonizing Panama and Greenland.

Both the country’s defense minister, who has previously said he does not believe women should be allowed to serve in combat roles, and Trump’s new interior minister, who appeared on national TV wearing the paramilitary uniform of the border security force central to Trump’s political rise, spent much of their first days echoing and amplifying the president’s hysteria about racial and ethnic minorities. They and other government officials also immediately canceled all official observances of religious and ethnic minority holidays and launched efforts to scrub official websites and prohibit educating workers or schoolchildren about those minorities’ long, proud history in the country. Overnight Friday, hours after journalists had gone home, the defense minister’s office announced it would bar establishment independent media outlets from working out of the country’s military headquarters and replace them with friendly right-wing media organs.

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The administration’s propaganda minister also announced Friday, apparently with little preparation, that it would initiate an immediate, unexpected, and seemingly ill-considered trade war with the country’s two primary economic partners, a move that if implemented would upend the national economy, disrupt supply chains, and accelerate the return of an inflationary crisis that has roiled domestic politics over the last five years and had just seemed to be returning to normal. Ironically, it was that very inflationary crisis and Trump’s promises on the campaign trail to lower the price of eggs that paved the way for his unforeseen election victory in November.

The country’s other business oligarchs have watched Musk’s unexpected and rapid rise to power with trepidation, and leading media and technology companies who compete with Musk’s extensive business empire—like Meta, Amazon, Disney, Paramount, Apple, and OpenAI—have quickly lined up to negotiate and pay bribes to the president that would allow their companies to operate unimpeded; initial payment terms ranged from million-dollar gifts to the presidential inauguration to $15 million and $25 million payments, made by Disney and Meta, to fund the construction of a presidential shrine. The highest known payment was $40 million from Amazon, which was structured as a gift to the president’s wife in exchange for the media company having the opportunity to film a hagiographic biopic.

It was unclear, exactly, what deal terms any of those bribes and payments unlocked and when subsequent tribute payments would be expected, although on Saturday Trump moved to fire and neuter government watchdogs that had long bedeviled the country’s financial elite.

Throughout the week’s fast-moving seizure of power—one that seems increasingly irreversible by the hour—neither loyalist nor opposition parliamentary leaders raised meaningful objection to the new regime or the unraveling of the country’s constitutional system of checks and balances. A few members of the geriatric legislature body offered scattered social media posts condemning the move, but parliament — where both houses are controlled by so-called “MAGA” members handpicked for their loyalty to the president — went home early for the weekend even as Musk’s forces spread through the capital streets.

It was unclear what role, if any, Musk’s forces would allow parliament to have in the new governmental structure by the time it next returned to the national assembly known as Capitol Hill.

[winpocalypse]

listen to this…horror pregnancy trope…season 4 sam is pregnant with the antichrist child and gives birth in the panic room. dean and bobby kill it…after that dean is tormented with weird thoughts about getting sam pregnant with his own baby…he cannot accept that sam betrayed his body and their family like that…dean needs to fix it somehow, fix his sammy.

you know, i'm not really a mpreg girlie but i can fuck with this just because the body horror would be next level, and also the layer it would add to sam's purity issues and being a freak oof

i mean, the idea of sam producing another human, that thing being stretched out of him in the most abnormal ways, something sucking the nutrients out of his guts, moving about his body, feeding of it, even more so in the panic room where he doesn't have access to demon blood, something the creature would probably need, so he would become frail faster

and you know what would be awesome? yeah, maybe that would plant the idea in dean's head, putting his own baby in sam, but the thing is.... he can't. sam produced the antichrist because that's what he was born to do in a way, that day mary sealed his fate. the supernatural works itself out. but he's still sam, he can't produce normal human children, so that little seed that grows in dean's mind is all there is, he can fuck sam six ways to sunday and it will never happen, it drives him up the wall

and yeah maybe dean and bobby kill it but it comes back

it keeps coming back

[darth-jess]

Acolyte is going to age well, I'm telling you.

It's more true to Star Wars than the Sequels, because it's about the things that Star Wars has always been known for:

FAMILY – and the forces (both light and dark) that try to pull it apart.

In the Prequels, Anakin is constantly trying to protect his family: his mother, Padmé, Obi-Wan, the Chancellor. And it's his intense love toward his family that allows him to be manipulated into darkness, which ultimately tears his family apart.

In the Original Trilogy, the Skywalker family has been torn apart by darkness. But the ties of family between Vader, Luke, and Leia are strong, and it's family that saves Vader in the end.

And in Acolyte, we see a family torn apart by the Jedi, and two sisters constantly reaching for each other across space and time, but forces of darkness and justice get in the way.

In the Sequels there's this found family vibe, which in general is great, but in the movies you never get this sense that Rey holds any important family connection with anyone.

CORRUPTION – in others, the people you love, and in the institutions you trust.

In the Prequels, we see the corruption in the Senate, the corruption in the Jedi Order, and Anakin's corruption from light into dark.

In the Original Trilogy, we see the corruption of the Empire, but we also see the seeds of corruption from the old Jedi Order, with Yoda and Obi-Wan constantly telling Luke that he must kill his own father. We see Vader's corruption, and we see Luke unravel it.

In Acolyte, we see Mae corrupted by the dark side, we see Osha corrupted by her own feelings, and we see the Jedi corrupted by their own belief that they are the saviors of the galaxy, that they did the right thing.

In the Sequels, we see Luke, a Jedi, almost killing his nephew– this is absolutely corruption within the Jedi, but this is unbelievably out of character for Luke, who forgave his father, a mass murderer. We also see Ben Solo, but we never see him being corrupted by the dark side. We just see he's pretty much already there.

REDEMPTION – for those who seek it, and those who defy it.

In the Prequels, we are shown the path that takes Anakin into darkness.

And in the Original Trilogy, we are shown a man who defies his own redemption because he believes he does not deserve it, and that it's far too late– and yet he finds redemption anyway.

In Acolyte, almost every Jedi we're introduced to seeks redemption because of the terrible thing they've done, because of the secret they keep. I wouldn't say any of them are actually redeemed, but seeking redemption is an important part of this story for the Jedi characters.

In the Sequels… Yeah Ben Solo is redeemed but redemption isn't exactly a "theme" of the movies.

LOVE – complete, unconditional love, beyond reason.

In the Prequels, Anakin and Padmé share a love like this. Anakin doesn't deny killing younglings, and Padmé (while deeply upset and disturbed) does not stop loving him for what he's done.

In the Original Trilogy, Luke has never known his father, he doesn't have memories of a man who was once kind an honorable and good. All he knows is Darth Vader. And yet, he is willing to forgive his father because he loves him.

In Acolyte, Mae and Osha have both betrayed each other, have both done unspeakable things in each other's eyes, and yet their love for each other never falters. It remains, strong and forgiving, always.

In the Sequels… Is love a main "theme" of the Sequels? Yeah, Leia and Han love their son, but they've kind of given up on him and their marriage, Kylo Ren and Rey do not know each other well enough at all to be in love, and Luke apparently gave up on that unconditional love he got from his mother which allowed him to forgive his father. IDK love isn't a huge part of the Sequels.

POLITICS – I just need to point it out, almost every Star Wars movie or TV series that's actually good includes a lot of politics that's clearly explained and makes a lot of sense.

In the Prequels, we are introduced to the politics of the Galactic Republic, as well as the politics of the Jedi Order.

In The Clone Wars, there are whole story arcs based on politics (that whole arc about deregulating the banks?).

In the Original Trilogy, we hear about the Emperor's political maneuvers and how he's disbanded the Senate. We also come to understand the the Empire rules through fear, military might, and destruction of their opposition.

In Acolyte, we see Jedi politics play out, and we hear about how there are a few senators who do not trust the Jedi and the power they have.

What politics are we given in the Sequels? First Order, bad. Rebels good. And also repeat of the Original Trilogy. Oh, the New Order rules with military might and fear, and they have a Death Star thing. Okay? We've seen all this before.

*Disclaimer: When I'm talking about the Sequels, I'm talking about the movies, not the books. I have not read the books.

[lightcreators]

Ah.  There  was  another  embarassed  laugh  at  that.  That  sounded  not  good  for  him  …  Coming  from  how  circumstances  worked  coming  from  that  paradox  with  himself,  if  his  presence  was  well-known  somewhere,  he  would  destroy  that  security  look  of  reassurance  of  his  other  self  showing  up  inside  the  place  …  since  he  would  serve  as  an  abili.  Regardless  if  right  at  the  moment,  it  as  merely  an  impression,  he  sensed,  if  this  happened,  he  would  opening  a  door.  Allowing  that  other  self  to  interfere  outside  him  ---  someday,  one  day,  eventually  …  ❝   Uh.  I'll  prefer  only  a  group  of  people  know  about  me,  not  like  the  whole  country  …  I'm  just  an  visitor.  Just  passing.  As  much  it  must  be  an  experience  for  everyone  to  met  a  witch,  don't  yourself  that  sorrow  …  and  if  people  want  to  talk  about  me,  I'll  glad  to  just  …  calming  down  the  situation.  ❞  His  previous  sentence  has  been  returned  down  his  face,  obviously.  ❝   Only  my  coat.  ❞  He  nuanced.  At  least,  there  was  no  additional  question  concerning  his  one-winged  eagle  sign  …  who  remained  as  golden  as  he  expressed  his  magic  actually  was.  He  sighed,  as  he  would  need  to  deal  with  it  in  one  way  or  another  depending  how  circumstances  evolved.  Following  sentence  generated  an  kind  of  interest  upon  his  features.  He  had  an  daugther  ?  Well,  somewhere,  it  would  bring  that  conversation  as  between  two  families  discussing  of  each  other,  though  he  was  more  younger   …  and  concerned  kid  was  complicated. 

He  couldn't  help  to  laugh.  ❝   Love  is  a  good  element  to  believe  ~  ❞

Ah,  that  topic  of  love  …  Brightness  features  who  had  remained  even  since  the  beginning  of  the  conversation  transformed  inside  an  discreete  seriousness.  Kind  of  story  he  would  have  to  share  will  not  be  happy  one  that  can  be  imagined  ---  How  love  could  be  painful  was  an  remaining  topic  inside  his  chessboard,  and  his  family  wasn't  known  for  be  the  best  out  of  that  topic.  His  father  wasn't,  and  was  terrible  on  the  topic  …  and  his  mother  turned  to  be  something  delicate  to  speak  of  now.  ❝   I  wish  I  could  tell  many  good  stories  around  a  drink  but  ---  love  between  witches  hide  many  secrets  I  don't  want  it  it's  becoming  well-known.  If  my  single  presence  might  be  known  by  everyone,  I  can't  take  the  risks  to  expose  my  wife's  heart  in  front  of  everyone.  Well,  mine  isn't  that  hard  to  understand,  and  if  I  tell  you  my  age,  knowing  me  married,  will  surprising  me.  ❞  He  noticed  slowly,  in  which  he  kept  seriousness  inside  his  tone.  ❝   Hmm,  that,  otherwise,  of  course  I  can  talk  about  it  !  ❞  He  missed  so  many  things  he  experienced  in  Japan,  outsider  the  closer  lands  of  Rokkenjima  of  course.  Turning  back  to  the  dialogues  lines  of  main  route  ---

It  was  one  word  who  generated  immediate  confusion  on  his  face.  Onsen  ?  That  world  was  same  world  as  his  ?  It  was  truly  what  he  was  making  referring  for  ---  Another  time,  there  was  an  betraying  surprise  inside  his  features.  It  was  …  unexpected.  ❝   Well,  for  the  moment,  there  is  just  …  me.  I  don't  think  lot  of  people  would  came  to  join  because  I  visit  here.  I  hope  not,  at  least.  ❞  He  reassured  with  an  joyful  expression.  ❝   Onsen  …  like  hot  baths  in  the  middle  of  the  mountains  ?  ❞  Immediate  confirmation  was  requested.  ❝   Nevertheless,  I'll  be  glad  to  be  able  to  inscreasing  the  tourism  down  there  !  It  would  be  fuuuuuun  !  ❞  He  cheered  up.  As  there  was  that  proposition  showing  up,  at  much  he  desired  remembering  he  had  no  limitations,  no  schedule,  it  would  be  an  opportunity  to  bring  Beato  along  ---  in  which  she  could  tourment  him  somewhere  else.  Though,  once  more,  knowing  as  much  she  cared  about  perception  of  her  own  body,  they  would  need  an  moment  when  they  can  be  truly  alone  ---  ❝   Would  it  be  possible  to  privatize  it  within  a  few  weeks,  if  possible  ?  My  wife  have  self-consciousness  upon  her  own  body,  I  don't  want  it  to  be  uncomfortable  for  her  …  ❞  Only  that  single  information  will  been  told.  ❝   Oh,  don't  tell  her  I  told  you  that.  Don't  ask  questions.  Keep  that  for  yourself.  She  is  picky  on  that  kind  of  informations  told  about  her  ~  ❞

"No doubt your presence will be told by everyone by the end of the day. After all we do not get foreigners who dress like you for aesthetic." Soyankekur voice though is smiling, and he is grinning. Joy in the heart of someone as old as him.

"I understand, my wife and daughter are the same. But I know that in the end, love will prevail!"

"I remember being in love the first time, all the time. After all I am a married man, and I love my wife. Perhaps one day we can all come together and talk about our love lives! Over drinks. It would be interesting to know the customs of another land when I can! "

"Perhaps you can enjoy the beach we have with your full group! Yes. We have some inns that can take care of large groups, and a onsen near the hills. If more foreigners come, then our tourism can increase!"

A win win!

Soyankekur is also a thinker of the future, every moment is meant to be planning on how to increase the funding of a region. how to increase sales and the general statistics of not being a waste of space.

He gives a thumbs up!

"Just give me a schedule and I can plan and book for you a onsen! It will be a good vacation guaranteed"!

[odeliba]

why did it effect my dad more when i said I liked another team as well as Arsenal than when I came out to him

[wistfulwatcher]

emily prentiss + leaving and coming back for her family

[semisomnosres]

And I also wondered how they would react to "My immortal soul"

Wuya: For her, this is a personal series, the viewer of which she became not of her own will, and without ability to change the channel. (then, together with another unfortunate person, drawn into this circus - Plop-Plop, and with a bottle of wine they complain to each other) There are ENOUGH moments that she would prefer not to see and forever forget, but this situation also has its advantages. There is something very funny about seeing Chase show off like a peacock in front of a ninja, and not only does he not fall for it, but also looks back at him like he’s a dirty sock. (At the same time, experiencing some kind of sympathy for? Which he denies as best as he can, but at this rate, even Omi will begin to suspect something) And when his attention is completely absorbed by the ninja, this gives her the opportunity, for example, to steal a couple of Shen Gong Wu Balances the state between looking with pain in the eyes and laughing as a hyena at situations

Sorceress: She hates the First and with all her soul wishes him, and his receivers especially Randy, a painful death for what they did to her lover. And she can’t just go and try to kill the First, because she understands that it will be difficult for her to resist them alone, and Chase’s existence also made a couple of changes to her plans:

1. Contrary to her first expectations, Chase does not seek to kill the First, as she decided at the first meeting. He also unobtrusively let her know that she would not interfere with his (toy) ninja. And if because of her something happens to Randy and the other ninjas, he doesn’t care. So she won’t so blatantly make attempts to get rid of the First, because then she will also have to deal with the thousand-year-old evil reptile. (she will not give up trying to take revenge, but now she needs to act differently)

2. The scenario where the First loses to Chase in his duel/makes a deal, etc. and ends up becoming the First's slave is pretty good for her. The sorceress is aware of the steel principles of the First, who would rather cut his own scalpel than give up his duties voluntarily (that’s why he didn’t retire after transferring the post but preferred to imprison himself in the form of a book) And see with your own eyes how the First will essentially become a pet their enemy, and how they wipe the floor with his pride as if with a rag - pretty good. (maybe she will even contribute to this. Perhaps :)

3. And another, in her opinion, unlikely outcome of events. Where Chase dies and the First is left alone again. The sorceress is not blind, and I think because of the specifics of her magic, she understands matters relating to feelings and emotions better than anyone else. He doesn’t admit it, but Chase’s death will still affect him, and when the guard lizard dies, she can again take matters into her own hands and calmly plan her revenge.

BTW Dff drew awesome art of the First under a love potion, and remembers that Amanda clearly has extensive knowledge in this area. It seems the culprit is found

[cookinguptales]

I love how ConcernedApe was like "no, you may not have children with your adorable monster roommate" and instead of making me less feral, that just encouraged me to marry villagers, divorce them, take full custody, then introduce our children to their new monster daddy.

You made me worse, ConcernedApe.

[clever-name-change]

is anyone else going to make a Gravity Falls x Frankenstein crossover, or do I have to (I do not mind doing so at all, in fact, I would relish the task)

[brionysea]

for the record I'm keeping my #arcane and #arcane critical tags separate because 1) it's rude to go into a show's main tag to complain about it and 2) this way I can still go into the arcane tag on my own blog to enjoy season 1 stuff without being perpetually disappointed by season 2

[carlottastudios]

Every day I get closer to making an unhinged behemoth of a post listing all of the things about Kaeya and his possible connections to mythology & stuff that I notice but NOBODY ELSE SEEMS TO BRING UP IN THEIR THEORIES

(edit: OMG I reached the tag limit I'm so sorry)

[ac-liveblogs]

Genuinely, it is such a shame Sasuke learnt about Obito's role in the massacre so quickly because the level of emotional manipulation he could've subjected Sasuke to is staggering

[the-blossica-fan]

Well, since 2.2 has been out for a short while, I will do a classic, and split Lopera ^-^

The Soldier, The Broken, The Gambler, and Carlota (or, "the normal girl")

Enjoy! (Hands you choccy milk)

*Sits down* Comrade, I just went through trauma to write this ✌️😊

The things I do for chocolate milk...

Lopera, The Soldier, Is a loyal and unhesitant girl. Her face never seems to show any emotion, just a straight poker face, she takes her orders like a mindless soldier.

Lopera, The Broken, the one who weeps at night as she remembers her loneliness and her empty, lonely fate. That poor girl who lost both of her families, who lost all trust and her happiness to those traitors. You might not see her often, she'd rather weep in silence than be seen as she is.

Lopera, The Gambler. Say goodbye to your Sharpodontry, this girl is giving it all away for a 1% chance. She's confident, daring and reckless, she's willing to bet it all on a percentage, and somehow, she wins, most of the time anyway.

And Carlota, the young girl. Perhaps that's what Lopera could have been in a perfect timeline, a simple girl that loves to have fun. She's fun, a little airheaded but that's to be expected of her young age, just your average quinceañera, a young girl that adores having fun and appreciates her family.

If they got together, The Gambler is a HORRIBLE influence on Carlota, yet they both manage to find it in themselves to tease The Soldier. Though neither of them can get along with The Broken, for she hates all of them, especially Carlota.

[leserattevirginie]

The Szeth flashbacks might just be the end of me.

[invertedspoon]

i honestly have no idea what Kaeya was thinking when he told Diluc that he was a spy. dude your dad just died. idk. maybe console your brother or something. crazy idea right? and i get that the guilt of his secret was weighing on him so harshly that he couldn't keep it anymore but like.... making your brother's worst birthday ever WORSE?? maybe he did deserve to get beat up idk

[sol-consort]

started the dlc and ngl I'm not having the best impression on songbird