#radar acronym

[ceyhanmedya]

Things Drivers Believe Are Keeping Them Out of Radar

New Post has been published on https://hazirbilgi.com/things-drivers-believe-are-keeping-them-out-of-radar/

Things Drivers Believe Are Keeping Them Out of Radar

Most drivers who don’t want to be caught on the radar and pay huge fines resort to ridiculous methods, all of which are urban legends, from hanging CDs in their rear view mirrors to painting license plates with hairspray. So, do these methods used by thousands of people really work?

Instead of simply following the rules, people who try to deceive the radar resort to various absurd methods consisting only of urban legends . In fact, seeing the radar and making a selector for the vehicle coming from the opposite road is one of the most innocent methods among them. 

From those who wrap the car with aluminum foil like an oven-baked chicken to the drivers who buy “ghost spray” for 2 00 TL of no use, what are the absurd methods used by people who think they are deceiving the radar and can’t get rid of the punishment again , let’s see why it doesn’t work together.

Putting a CD in the rearview mirror is just an accessory

Hanging a CD in the rear view mirror of the car is one of the most frequently used methods to evade the radar, not only in Turkey but also in many countries. The reason you hang a CD in the mirror is to think that the back of the CD reflects radar flashes back .

Let’s just say that such a thing doesn’t work at all, because the radar sensors are too powerful to be kicked back by the CD. In other words, CDs do not prevent radar cameras from taking pictures of your vehicle in any way . If you go over the speed limit and try to use such a method, all you will have is a photo of you with a CD hanging from the rear view mirror. 

Pressing the brake when you see the radar doesn’t help either.

Let’s say you are on a long road, you are breaking the rules by exceeding the speed limit. Just when you are about to enjoy the song playing on the radio, when you suddenly see the radar car on the right glowing like a disco ball, you press the brakes, it does nothing but create a danger for the vehicles behind on the highway.

The reason is also very simple. Before you see the radar vehicle, the radar vehicle has already seen you and recorded your speed limit. Radars can detect the speed of vehicles on intercity roads from 1,500 meters away . Instead of pressing the brakes after seeing the vehicle, all you have to do is move towards the police vehicle waiting for you and accept your punishment.

Don’t waste hairspray, you’ll need it on vacation

Painting a license plate with hairspray is one of the urban legends to get off the radar. In fact, some people are not only fooled by these urban legends, but also pouring money on products under the name of “plate hiding spray” or “ghost spray” . After paying a fee of 200 TL for the spray , it is also worth paying the radar fine. 

Unless you paint your license plate a dark color, it is not possible in any way to prevent it from being read or confuse the radar sensors. Therefore, wherever the journey is, it is useful to use hair sprays only for their intended purpose .

You don’t need to wrap your car with aluminum foil like a solar panel. 

One of the methods used to disrupt radar sensors is to stick aluminum foil on the hood. As you can imagine, the purpose of this is to block the radar sensors , just like hanging a CD in the rear view mirror . I don’t think we need to say that aluminum foil has no effect on radar sensors either.

Fatma Yılmaz, Turkey’s only female radar police officer, uses the following statements about the operation of radar sensors; “The CDs they put in, the aluminum foil, the hairspray have no effect. Because the device we call D3 in the working system of the radar sends signals gradually. These signals measure the speed of vehicles speeding on the road with numerical data from the collision with the air. So what they do does not affect this data in any way.”

[todays-xkcd]

'Lever' was originally an acronym for Load Emplification by the Vimulated Emission of Radiation.

Easily Confused Acronyms [Explained]

[aestheticallynotdeerlightful]

So that new jimmy solidarity episode huh.

[alphajocklover]

AirBoyfriendNBoyfriend

**based off an ask I accidentally deleted, but had already written a story for. I don't remember the exact words, but I'll do my best to paraphrase. Was written with the help of my friend, editor and beta reader, @innermostthoughtsartappreciation **

'My 2 straight friends and I are going on vacation together. We went to our AirBnB but things have been weird since we got here. One of my friends seems more muscular than usual? He was already pretty tall but not he's really built. And last night I swear I heard my friends talking about sex in the other room or something? And this morning I woke up with a ring on my finger? Whats happening?'

You say this all started because you and your two friends went to an Airbnb? And you woke up with a ring on your finger?

In this case, what's happening isn’t some sort of elaborate conspiracy conducted by a shadowy cabal, nor is it some nefarious scheme by one of your friends/enemies to transform you to their liking, nor is it anything else of that sort. What happened here is very simple: you guys used the wrong AirBnB.

No doubt you all know that I’ve talked about EB Jewelry before. You know the jewelry company that transforms people using their products. They’re one of, if not, the biggest name in the transformation business. Still, there are plenty of other companies out there that use transformation devices and items. Most are much smaller than EB Jewelry and try to fly under the radar when it comes to being able to transform people, but they are still out there. Including the very AirBnB that you and your friends signed up for. Air-Boyfriend-and-Boyfriend. Usually only referred to as simply AirBFnBF by those who use it, they’re often mistaken for AirBnB. You probably think they should be sued for copyright infringement, but you are entirely wrong. It is shockingly near impossible to sue a company that uses magic, and not as shockingly completely not worth the hassle and complications it would cause. For a $70 billion company like the real AirBnB to sue.

Despite their similar-sounding names and acronyms, the two companies do wildly different things and cater to a rather starkly different clientele. Airbnb lets you rent different houses for short periods and market themselves for all people to use, while AirBFnBF lets you rent out different relationships for however you wish to be in them, and usually exclusively caters their services to gay men.

Here's how it works. Just like with Airbnb, you go into the app or on their website and you choose the place you want to stay at during the duration of your trip from the list of vacant places. Unlike AirBnB however, you also get to choose the people you want to become during your trip. You can customize whoever each party member becomes, and your relationship to and with each other. It’s a way for groups of people, though usually a couple, to try out different fantasies and sexual scenarios together.

What I believe must have happened was that one of your friends earnestly mistook the AirBFnBF app for the AirBnB app, and skipped the relationship settings page entirely because he didn’t understand what it was for what it was supposed to mean. Therefore, if he did do that, the app would have gone to a random fixed preset, which there aren’t a lot of for a group of three men.

I have a friend who works for AirBFnBF, and they told me you guys have probably been randomly assigned their most popular thresome preset: A Newlywed Throuple: consisting of a Hunk, a Muscle Daddy, and a Twunk. I know it sounds strangely specific, but you’d be surprised by just how many people love to use this one Throuple in particular.

You’re going to be in for a lot of surprises during these next two weeks. Including a new body, new memories, and a ludicrous amount of hot & steamy sex with your two new husbands. None of you will remember your true- selves until the two-week vacation rental is over. So until then, enjoy yourself!

That's what you’re supposed to do on a honeymoon after all. Your friends will probably be very confused when these two weeks are over. However, on the off chance they or you all enjoy being big gay hunks and having tons of hot & steamy sex with you or together, there is a permanent settlement option you can invoke. It cost a small fortune, but with how happy, hot, and horny the three of you are all acting together now, I'd bet anything you guys will make your money back in no time

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for “ripping off” someone else’s book series concept?

I grew up reading a children’s book series that in hindsight, as much as I love it, has some major flaws (not hp—the flaws aren’t THAT severe)

The overall concept though is one I always liked and there are easy ways to implement it without falling into the same pitfalls as the original.

I have a younger family member who has similar interests as I did at that age and I thought it would be really great to write something dedicated to her that we would both enjoy, and I’ve already got a really solid foundation cooking.

The unfortunate thing is the book series I’m drawing inspiration from is VERY unique, I can’t have the excuse of following a genre because there is no genre, these are the only books I’ve seen remotely like this. And they’re VERY popular, there’s no way this concept would fly under the radar if it got any amount of attention. To but it as vaguely as I can, it’s a book series with exclusively non human characters, the first one that comes to mind is probably it.

I know I have enough changed where there’s no chance of legal trouble, but the point still stands that I’m very much INTENDING to write “x concept if it didn’t suck”

What are these acronyms?

[piosplayhouse]

Hi! I came across a post complaining about the guy yuri poll and discourse aside, I vaguely remember you made a post about what is yaoi and what is yuri? I dunno if I dreamed this post up, but I've scrolled and scrolled and I can't find it. So, I wanted to ask (if you don't mind answering >.<), what is yaoi/yuri? (beyond the basic definitions) What counts as guy yuri and girl yaoi?

Uwaa ok so I will say Im planning to actually write a paper on this but I haven't done much research yet so ask in a few months and you'll hopefully have a better answer with cited sources. But here is a bit of what I'm conceptualizing at this point (corrections and additions very welcome!)

What set me down this path really was of course the fantastic Yaoizine hosted by tshirt3000, which includes a rather poignant author's note about broadening the definition of yaoi in public to the abstraction. Indeed, the actual origin of the term "yaoi" is an acronym for "yamanashi, ochinashi, iminashi" (plotless, climaxless, meaningless) from 70s doujinshi spheres wherein it was used as a somewhat self-degrading term to define a specific type of porn-without-plot self-indulgent indie fancomic. These were of course, mostly of the male-male variety. However, as the Yaoizine makes clear, there's not really an inherent gendering within the word in any sense but genre expectation-wise. This becomes particularly salient in the case of perhaps one of the most famous wlw romances out there, Revolutionary Girl Utena. Tshirt cites an interview with the creator of the anime, Ikuhara Kunihiko, where he refers to the relationship between the two main female characters (among other things) as yaoi, recontextualizing the term from merely a mlm genre into a statement on the dynamics of power and consumption as they relate to gender-- an act of sexual passion paired with a reversal of societal norms = yaoi in this case, which is why utenanthy fits perfectly within the term.

Conversely, yuri (lily) is a bit more difficult to analyze from a gender-neutral perspective as it originated not as a counterpart to yaoi, but instead as a counterpart to bara (rose, a term used to refer to erotic gay male content) used when lesbians would write in to gay magazines trying to hook up and whatnot. However, it's pretty agreed upon that the genre grew out of Class S literature, a type of literature based on girls, often senpai and kouhai, going to an all-girls school together and experiencing a connection that straddles the thin line between romance and homosociality. Homosociality like this among women has historically been and to this day remains somewhat under the radar and perceived as a "phase" or an amateur attempt at romance before a woman eventually marries a man. This is where we see significant overlap between pre/early modern Japanese male homosexual literature and lesbian literature, where homosexuality is seen as a youthful phase that will inevitably be grown out of (as in the case with the chigo system, LUG (lesbian before graduation), etc). Essentially, it was very common for the characters of early modern queer literature (mostly written by queer authors btw) to have brief and passionate schoolyard flings before graduating onto "normal" sexuality. Of course, these narratives fell out of style and are considered dead today, but their remnants can still be seen in the subsequent shojo and modern gl manga boom. The yuri that grew from this in the beginning was usually explicitly erotic, but still somewhat held onto the predominant themes of schoolgirl innocence and youthful beauty. Over time, meanings and terminology shifted, and the "yuri" we use today is more interchangeable with "gl", meaning it's not so much of an indicator of explicit content as "yaoi" is. However, I would still argue that one of the largest indicators of a story's "yuri factor" (if you could say that) is its ties to the establishing homosociality progressed into homoromantic relationship genre expectation. Of course, there are many wlw stories that subvert this, (as there are many mlm stories that subvert the yaoi or even bl template) but to me, if you were to compare yaoi and yuri's theming, yaoi's focus tends to skew more towards the intimacy in explicit eroticism, while yuri looks more into the implicit eroticism in intimacy. If that makes sense.

Of course, when looking into "boy yuri" there's also a transfem-coding factor to consider, which I think is what the majority of people have in mind when they refer to a couple as "boy yuri". Historically, there is massive precedent for feminization between male queer couples in historical Japanese literature, as well as in early modern relatives of bl, mainly Inagaki Taruho's work, so it would be somewhat disingenuous to say feminization is a purely modern, female-created phenomenon. But anyway, those are my (somewhat messy and likely inaccurate) thoughts so far, let me know what you all think. Have a happy yaoimas and merry new yuri, as they say.

[sugdenlovesdingle]

I FINALLY DID IT!

I finished my pride fic! With an hour to go until the episode airs!

@flufftober 2023 Day 27: outdoor event

Austin Pride (AO3)

Owen and Gabriel go to pride with their sons

---

“Have you ever been to one of these? With TK?” Gabriel asked, tapping the ad in the paper open on Owen's kitchen table.

“Been to what? A camping supplies store?” Owen joked, turning the paper around to see what Gabriel meant. “Oh, that. Yeah, a few times. Back in New York. Never here though. I didn't actually know there was one.”

Gabriel nodded.

“Have the boys said anything... to you... about... going?”

“No, no I don't think so... although...” Owen trailed off, grabbing his phone and unlocking it and scrolling through his work calendar. “TK did schedule time off work that weekend. So my guess is that they're going.”

Gabriel nodded again.

“Are you... thinking of going too?” Owen asked. “Have you ever been?”

“No. When I was young... well... I don't think there was ever one where I grew up. And by the time I ended up in the big city... It's just never been on my radar.”

“Not even when Carlos or your girls were growing up?"

Gabriel snorted and took a swig of his drink. Andrea would have his head if she knew he was day drinking with Owen and not at his PT appointment.

“You know the mess we made of things with Carlos. So no, I've never been. Not with Carlos, not by myself.”

“But you're thinking of changing that?” Owen guessed.

“Well... it's definitely been on my mind more lately.” Gabriel admitted. “But I'm not sure it's my place.”

“Why not? Everyone is welcome at these things. That's kind of the whole point of them.” Owen chuckled. “The first time Gwyn and I went with TK was when he was 15 or 16. I don't know which one of us was more nervous.”

“What was it like?”

“Loud. Colourful. Lots of happy people. Everyone was in a party mood. We had fun. Even more so the second year when we actually marched. And a drag queen called me a DILF.”

“A what?” Gabriel asked, confused.

“DILF. It’s an acronym.”

“For…?”

“Dad I’d like to…” Owen raised an eyebrow and sipped his drink. “You know.”

“Dad I’d like to what?”

“You know… get freaky with...”

“What? Oh! I… should have known what that F stood for.”

Owen shrugged.

“I didn’t. I looked it up when I got home.” He laughed. “TK told me to never mention it out loud to anyone ever again.”

Gabriel nodded and tried to imagine having such memories with Carlos.

“But apart from that… what is it like? One of those parades.”

“Well in New York there were a lot of advocacy groups marching. And it was quite political. But there were also a lot of people marching because they just… wanted to. Celebrating who they are, who they love.” Owen said and laughed. “You should have seen TK’s face when this guy from a gay health clinic gave him free condoms and lube. And then turned to me and gave me some too because “sexual health is important no matter your age.” He said using air quotes. “TK was 17 I think. He refused to look at me the rest of the day. I slipped the condoms and lube in his backpack though when we got home. I didn’t know if he was actually having sex back then, but if he was, I wanted him to be safe you know.”

“Yeah…” Gabriel agreed and tried to remember if he’d ever talked to Carlos about sex, let alone gay sex, let alone safe gay sex. He knew Andrea had sat their girls down when they hit puberty, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember ever doing so with Carlos. “Would it be… weird… if I were to go to that parade?”

“As a spectator?”

“Maybe? Or participant.”

“I don’t see why it would be. We could go together!” Owen said, getting excited. “We could march with the boys! We could get matching shirts!”

“Oh… I uh I don’t know if Carlos would want me to. They’ve probably got plans with their friends.”

“We can all march together!” Owen pointed out. “Maybe that friend of Carlos’ I got talking to at the wedding will be there. What’s his name again… something with a J I think. He had some killer moves on the dancefloor.” He shook his head. “Anyway let me call the boys and then we can figure out our outfits.”

Before Gabriel had time to stop him or even make him take a breath and discuss things, Owen had pulled up TK’s contact and hit call.

“TK, what are you and Carlos doing the weekend of the 30th?” He said the second the call connected, not bothering with hello.

“The weekend of the - wait that's pride weekend. I scheduled the weekend off. It's already been approved. You're not making me change it now. We have plans.” TK replied, apparently not bothered by the lack of greeting.

“Yes, yes, I know. But what kind of plans? Are you marching in the parade?”

“I don't know... maybe. Why? Please tell me you're not planning on marching with the entire 126?”

“What? No.” Owen said immediately. “It's way too short notice." He paused to think. “But it's an excellent idea for next year. Remind me to talk to the AFD brass about it. We could build a float or use one of the ladder trucks! We could probably find some rainbow decorations or just buy some pride flags. Maybe we could get a local artist to design something for us! We could set up a competition! Maybe we could even get the winning design as a mural in the firehouse!"

Owen was getting more and more excited and started moving around the house to find a pen and paper to write his ideas down.

"Dad, dad, DAD!" TK all but yelled down the phone to get his attention. “Is that why you called? To talk about your ideas for an LGBT+ friendly firehouse?”

“No, you just gave me that idea.” he scribbled some key words down on an old receipt.

“So why did you call then? On my day off. That I'm spending with my husband who magically also has the day off. And we're enjoying that. Together. Alone.” TK said, emphasising the last two words.

Owen caught the implication but decided to ignore it.

“Oh yes, right. I wanted to know what your plans are for the pride weekend because we thought we might join you and march in the parade together.”

“We? Who is we?”

“Me and Gabriel. It'll be a multi-generational father and son thing. We were thinking of getting matching t-shirts printed. For all four of us.” Owen said, looking at Gabriel for confirmation.

“Wait, my father wants to go to pride?” Carlos asked and Owen briefly wondered if he'd been on speaker the whole time.

“Yes! It was his idea. He wants to share the experience with you. With both of you. And me I suppose. Even though I'm not gay. I mean... there was that one time in college...”

“Ok please stop talking.” TK said quickly. “I really don’t want to hear about your college hook ups.”

“It wasn’t a hook up!” Owen protested. “More like a… mutual understanding and appreciation.”

“Uhuh. Yeah, sure, Carlos and I have those all the time. This morning actually. He was very appreciative. And understanding. He’s also very good at following instructions. Very eager to please.”

“TK!” Owen heard Carlos say after some sputtering and coughing. He assumed TK had made him choke on his drink.

“What?” TK said innocently and Owen could practically hear the shit eating grin that was without a doubt on his face. “I was just saying we have a lot of these mutual appreciation moments. And how much I enjoy those.”

“Yeah, please don’t.”

“I can’t talk about how much I appreciate my husband now?” TK asked. “My big, strong, hot… so incredibly hot you wouldn’t believe…”

“TK…” Carlos warned but it came out more of a mix between a giggle and gasp.

“Guys, focus, please.” Owen interrupted them. “What colour are we thinking for the shirts? I was thinking pink, to fit the theme.”

“Wait what theme? When did we agree on a theme?” TK asked, distracted.

“The pride theme. Pink for pride.”

“Shouldn’t it be rainbow themed then?” Carlos asked, sounding somewhat more composed.

“I’m not sure I’d look good in rainbow colours.” Owen mused. “Yellow isn’t really my colour. It washes me out.”

“Dad, just wear whatever you normally wear.” TK said, sounding like he’d resigned himself to the fact he wasn’t getting out of going along with his dad’s idea. “We don’t need a theme. Carlos and I have our outfits planned out already.”

“No we don’t.” Carlos protested. “I told you, I’m not wearing that in public.”

TK sighed.

“We’re still discussing our outfits.” He corrected himself. “So just wear whatever. Nobody is going to pay attention to what you’re wearing… unless you’re in drag or wearing ass-less chaps.” He paused. “Please don’t wear those.” 

“I don’t think the cowboy look is really for me.” Owen mused. “But I do still have my motorcycle outfit…”

“If you wear that I’m not walking anywhere near you. And that’s a promise.” TK swore and Owen laughed.

“I guess my outfit is still a work in progress too. Gabriel and I will brainstorm and we’ll let you know what’s what.”

“Sure. But no leather and if anyone calls you daddy, I’m out of there.” TK warned him before ending the call.

Owen laughed and sat back down at the table with Gabriel.

“See? I told you the boys would be on board. Now, what do you think. Pink or rainbow?”

The next few weeks consisted of Owen forwarding every outfit idea he had to Gabriel as well as their sons in their family group chat.

TK shot almost everything down right away, while Gabriel was unsure and let Owen decide for them both.

“Ok, the boys said they’d meet us at the starting point of the parade. It’s not that far but we should get going soon if we want to get a good spot. You want to get behind the advocacy groups but still near enough to the front that people still pay attention.” Owen said as he let Gabriel into his house a few weeks later. “I have our shirts and signs right here.”

“Signs? What signs?”

“The signs we agreed on…” Owen said slowly as if he was talking to a child.

“I don’t remember agreeing to signs. What do we need signs for when we have the shirts?”

“We agreed it would be nice. I had them made especially. They’re laminated.” Owen held up one of the signs. “I know a guy who makes those yard signs for politicians, he made these for me.”

“Right. Well… I think… I’ll just stick to the shirt for now.” Gabriel said, warily eyeing the sign Owen was holding.

“Alright. Well… I’ll just… take both of them then. Maybe I can convince Judd to march with us too. He’s a father too and I think he and Grace mentioned taking Charlie to watch the parade because she likes colours.” Owen rambled while Gabriel looked at the two matching t-shirts laid out on the kitchen table.

“If you’re not sure, we can just go and watch. The boys won’t mind.” Owen suggested, picking up on Gabriel’s unease.

“No, I promised Carlos I’d march with him, so that’s what I’m going to do.” Gabriel said resolutely. “Andrea and the girls said they’d come watch too and I don’t want to let them all down.” He picked up one of the shirts. “Where can I change?”

When they arrived at the parade starting point, Owen seemed to feel right at home and within five minutes he’d become best friends with a few of the drag queens also getting ready to march.

“I’m here with my friend.” He gestured to Gabriel. “We’re consuegros actually. Our sons are married and we’re marching with them… but I don’t think they’re here yet.” He looked around. “We got matching t-shirts and we’re marching as a family.”

“That’s nice darling but you have to look the part if you’re going to march. That t-shirt just won’t do. Let us give you a make over.” She looked back and forth between Owen and Gabriel. “Both of you.”

Fifteen minutes later Owen had a rainbow flag painted on his cheek and both of them wore rainbow sashes, though Gabriel had convinced their style team to tie it around the rim of his hat instead of wearing it the way it was meant to.

One of the queens had called it Texas-chic and he liked the sound of that.

“Carlos! TK! Over here!” Owen yelled and waved when he spotted their sons in the crowd.

TK waved back and dragged Carlos with him over to their fathers. Owen did his best to hide his disappointment when he saw neither of them were wearing the t-shirts he’d made for them.

“Why aren’t you wearing the shirts we agreed on?”

“It’s too hot for those.”

“We’re wearing them.”

“That’s your choice.” TK said with a shrug. “And besides, I’m here with my husband, I’m wearing the ring he put on my finger, and his last name. I think people are going to get the message that I think being gay is ok.”

“I have the shirts in my backpack.” Carlos told them and shrugged at the raised eyebrow from his husband. “Your dad put a lot of time and effort into them, TK. The least we could do is wear them for half an hour.”

TK lovingly rolled his eyes at him.

“You’re such a boy scout.” He said and kissed Carlos’ cheek. “But I’m fine wearing what I’m currently wearing.”

Owen decided to drop it and just stood back and let the chaos unfold as his and Gabriel’s style team set their sights on TK and Carlos.

Before long they’d painted rainbow flags on their cheeks, put temporary tattoos on their arms, and managed to talk Carlos into taking off the tank top he was wearing underneath a mesh shirt, much to TK’s delight.

By the time the parade started moving, someone had given all four of them little rainbow flags to wave, and Owen was trying to find a way to both wave his flag and carry two signs.

The four of them started walking with the rest of the crowd, waving their flags and waving to the people watching from the sides.

There was a DJ on the back of a pickup truck playing party music, and TK convinced Carlos to dance with him when the parade had stopped for a moment.

Someone shouted at him to put a ring on it when they saw Carlos’ moves, and he just laughed, held up his hand to show off his wedding ring, and yelled back he’d already done that.

The song ended and the two of them walked back to where Owen and Gabriel were standing and watching them.

A few people had noticed the “Free dad hugs” signs they were holding and came to ask for a hug. Owen happily obliged but Gabriel seemed a little awkward and unsure what to do.

“Are you ok dad?” Carlos asked him and Gabriel nodded.

“I’m fine. It’s just… a lot to take in.”

Carlos looked around.

“Yeah… I was kind of overwhelmed the first time I went. The first time TK dragged me along.” He smiled to himself .“We’d only been together a couple of months by then. It was a lot but it was a great experience.”  

Gabriel smiled.

“I'm proud of you.” He told Carlos and squeezed his shoulder. “I know I haven't always been the best dad to you but I'm so proud of the man you are. I'm so proud to call you my son.”

Carlos swallowed thickly and nodded.

“Thanks dad. That... means a lot.”

“I should have said it sooner.” Gabriel shook his head. “Before I got this shirt made. Before I let Owen convince me all this was a good idea.” He said and laughed, gesturing at himself in his brightly coloured I love my gay son shirt and the rainbow sash around the rim of his hat.

“I don't know, I think it suits you. You blend right in.” TK said, trying to relieve the tension somewhat. “You're one of us now.”

Gabriel laughed and in a rare public display of affection pulled both him and Carlos into a hug.

“That puts me in great company.”

“I agree.” Owen said, joining their group hug. “You boys are the best thing to happen to us.”

The parade started moving again but as they marched, more people started to approach both Owen and Gabriel for dad hugs.

Owen thrived in the attention and somehow managed to bring out a whole new version of Gabriel, who seemed to enjoy being able to make people happy with a small gesture.

“Are you seeing this?” Carlos asked TK. They were walking a few steps behind their dads, watching it all unfold.

“Yeah. Looks like my dad finally had a good influence on someone.”

[horizoncollective]

Hey.

You guys find and break into secret stuff all the time, right? I might be in big trouble with my boss if I don't get this sorted out.

So, I might have lost this super-secret prototype stealth frame. Long story short: I put a cloak on the frame, turned it on, went to have lunch, and now I can't find my mech anymore. I really don't want to call back to base (I'd never live it down) and SSC's customer service for these kinds of things sucks. (it's one of their cloaks)

Would you happen to have any ideas to find this frame without running around swinging a stick around until I hit something? It's not like I'm on base right now; currently out doing all-terrain testing, in fact... but there's got to be a better way to find it than checking literally everywhere.

Thanks...

These mech systems are so advanced at hiding from decent electronic equipment (LIDAR and RADAR and all the other acronyms like that just miss 'em) that you need really top of the line searching gear to find them. It ends up that swinging the stick around is actually a really good way of finding shielded stuff, but a paintball gun will have the same effect at greater distance.

You can also wait for rain or snow.

When you find it, you might want to put a comp/con in there that will walk to locations you tell it to come to in case this happens again.

[usafphantom2]

Ukraine Just Captured One Of Russia’s Most Capable Aerial Electronic Warfare Pods

Russia’s lost Khibiny-U electronic warfare pod that flies on its advanced Flanker fighters will be a prize for foreign intelligence agencies.

Joseph Trevithick Posted on Sep 12, 2022 7:27 PM EDT

A Russian Su-30SM fighter jet with at least one wingtip pod associated with the Khibiny-U electronic warfare suite, as well as a centerline electronic warfare pod. KNIRTI / via Twitter

Ukrainian forces have been capturing significant amounts of Russian materiel of various kinds as they keep pushing eastward and southward as part of their ongoing counteroffensives. These spoils of war now reportedly include a relatively intact example of an RTU 518-PSM self-protection jamming pod. This pod is associated with the latest version of the larger Khibiny-U electronic warfare suite used on the Su-30SM Flanker-H, and its capture holds potentially great intelligence value.

Pictures of the front end of the pod in question began circulating on social media earlier today. It was reportedly discovered among the wreckage of a Russian Su-30SM, with the serial number RF-81773 and bort number Red 62, that was shot down earlier in the conflict near the city of Izium (Izyum) in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. It would appear that Russian forces had made no serious attempt to locate what was left of the aircraft, and remove or destroy it to prevent their capture before the area was recently liberated.

As the Russian Army couldn't be bothered to remove the wreckage of Su-30SM 'RF-81773' that came down in a formerly Russian-controlled part of Kharkiv Oblast, Western intelligence agencies are now the proud owner of a slightly dented SAP-518SM 'Regata' jamming pod. pic.twitter.com/9BN5dPNQvi

— Oryx (@oryxspioenkop) September 12, 2022

As installed on Russia’s Su-30SMs, the RTU 518-PSM is part of a larger suite referred to as Khibiny-U. The entire “complex,” as it is referred to in Russian, consists of the SAP 518-SM, made of up one RTU 518-PSM pod on the right wingtip and an RTU 518-LSM1 on the left wingtip, as well as the internal KS REP system, according to a 2021 paper from the Kaluga Scientific-Research Institute for Radio Engineering. Better known by the Russian acronym KNIRTI, this is the manufacturer of all of the versions of the Khibiny family of electronic warfare complexes.

As already noted, the RTU 518-PSM is understood to contain an active jamming system, while the companion RTU 518-LSM1 is believed to be a passive receiver that detects threatening electromagnetic spectrum emissions, such as those from hostile radars. In its primary role as a self-protection system against enemy air defenses, the complete SAP 518-SM subsystem, also referred to as Regata, reportedly has the ability to spot and then jam and otherwise confuse an opponent’s radars – including seekers on incoming radar-guided missiles – in various ways. This may include the ability to generate false emissions to try to help mask the actual aircraft using Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) technology, which you can read more about here.

There are also indications that the SAP 518-SM subsystem is focused on protecting against mid-band threats, while the internal KS REP subsystem is optimized against high-band ones, giving the overall complex a broader range of capabilities. This is based on what is known about the function of slightly different pods as part of the older Khibiny-10M system for the Su-35S. Another earlier version of Khibiny, the Khibiny-10V, also includes distinct pods and is used on the Su-34.

The Su-30SM can carry an additional pod, known as the SAP-14, that can reportedly provide escort jamming capabilities for larger groups of aircraft, on the centerline. It’s not immediately clear if SAP-14 is a component of Khibiny-U or not, though it clearly can be used together with other elements of that system.

A Russian Su-30SM with at least one of the SAP 518-SM wingtip pods and what appears to be the SAP-134 centerline pod. KNIRTI

In addition, the U in Khibiny-U is believed to stand for unifitsirovannyi, or unified in Russian, suggesting it may reflect an effort to create a standardized version of the system that will work with multiple types of aircraft as an offshoot of developing an electronic warfare suite for the Su-30SM. The Russian Ministry of Defense first hired KNIRTI to develop the Su-30SM’s new electronic warfare complex in 2013, a year before the Khibiny-10V became the first version of that system to enter operational service on any platform.

Russian SU-30SMs were first seen with Khibiny-U in 2018. However, there is evidence that Russian Su-30SMs in Syria flew on at least some occasions as early as 2015 with the wingtip pods from the Su-34’s Khibiny-10V system.

The possibility of gleaning new details about what the jammer inside the RTU 518-PSM pod, as well as the rest of the Khibiny-U system, can and cannot do is exactly why its capture is significant. Elements of all three known versions of Khibiny have almost certainly been recovered in the country of the fighting already, including from the remains of an Su-35S that came down in the vicinity of Izium back in April before Russian forces initially captured the area. However, this newly captured example of the RTU 518-PSM pod appears to be in especially good condition.

The potential intelligence haul could be even greater depending on the condition of other components of the electronic warfare suite on the crashed jet, as well. If it is indeed from the wreckage of Su-30SM Red 62, that aircraft could also have been fitted with the L150 Pastel radar homing and warning system (RHAWS), which is used for self-defense and for helping with the targeting of Kh-31P anti-radiation missiles, as well as UV-30MKR chaff/flare dispensers.

There’s potentially more for Ukrainian intelligence personnel, and almost certainly their foreign partners, such as those in the United States, to pick over here than just the hardware, too. Any surviving data storage systems with any software used to run portions of the Khibiny-U could actually be more valuable, especially given the reported DRFM signal mimicking functionality.

The actual subcomponents, including computer chips and other electronics, used in the RTU 518-PSM and any other elements of the associated electronic warfare complex could provide valuable industrial intelligence, too. As The War Zone, among others, has reported in the past, the conflict in Ukraine has exposed just how reliant Russia’s defense industry is on foreign-sourced parts.

The apparent decision on the part of the Russian military to make no efforts to do anything about the remains of this aircraft, possibly due to the belief that their positions in this part of Ukraine were relatively secure, can only add insult to injury.

The war in Ukraine has already been a massive boon for foreign intelligence services, especially when it comes to Russia’s most advanced electronic warfare and air defense capabilities. Many captured systems may well have already been sent outside the country for further analysis and evalution. Even before the current conflict, Ukraine had been an important source of Soviet-designed hardware, including fighter jets and large radars, for the U.S. military’s so-called foreign materiel exploitation (FME) enterprise.

Whatever the case, an important component of an entire family of Russian aircraft electronic warfare suites, one of the most modern such systems that the country has and it uses on a number of its front-line combat jets, now looks to be firmly in the hands of its opponents.

Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com

[animnightmare]

House MD x M*A*S*H AU Drabbles.

my friend challenged me to write this and a billion ideas immediately spawned in my head but I don't have the motivation to write a proper fic.

-Since House would be too old to he drafted in the army and wouldn't willingly serve his country if his life depended on it, Ive decided that Wilson enlisted him as a prank during a very heated prank war.

-It would be during later seasons so I can draw parallels between BJ and Wilson, but I very much believe Trapper and House would've gotten along

-There would be episodes/chapters/what have you where Houses medication got caught up in supply, or he's forced to sacrifice it like Klinger does with his thread.

-Hawkeye and House would bond early on over their best friends lovers being psychosexual maniacs. "He enlisted me. As a prank." "He sent me into a severe episode of paranoia and then laughed at me." and then they pine about it

-BJ and Hawkeye would constantly call him Gregory/Greg instead of House, and it would annoy him to no end. (Eventually he stops this by calling Hawkeye Benjamin all the time, and after having an even more extreme reaction to BJ not explaining the acronym than Hawkeye had, gets BJ to stop by calling him Blow Job all the time.)

-Charles would have mixed feelings about house when he arrives due to knowing a lot about PPBTH's reputation.

-I think he and Sidney should have a sass off, punch eachother, then have a drink together.

-Potter would fucking hate him. BJs insanity mixed with Hawkeyes disregard for the rules without any of their good hearted natures. If only he werent such a damn good doctor.

-Mulcahy would hate him even more than he dislikes Charles. He would officially become the one person Mulcahy actively hates, I think.

-Radar would be terrified of him.

-To everyone's surprise, he and Klinger get along. Klinger wasnt afraid to push back, and House respects this about him. That being said he still constantly calls him slurs, but people quickly realize he doesnt actually discriminate.

-House would probobly go to bat for Klinger tbh

-House despises Mulcahy even more than the Father does in return, because of his immediate hate for all things religious. Never gives up an opportunity to argue religion with this man.

[liminalmemories21]

In which I completely miss the point of seven sentence Sunday

tagged by @heartstringsduet, @carlos-in-glasses, @lemonlyman-dotcom. Thank you!

So many more than seven sentences, more than seven paragraphs even. But! I wrote something and I didn't immediately delete it, so I'm celebrating.

TK orders a salad for dinner and Amy and Carlos both pause to look at him skeptically.  "Tulson and his boss stopped by and took me out to lunch today," he explains. Amy still looks dubious but goes to put their order in.  Carlos looks at TK and tries to gauge what that means.  "SSA Golcher?  I thought he'd be happier never hearing your name again." TK grins briefly.  "Probably true.  Tulson's working with someone out of DC on this case - SSA Samuels - because it crosses so many state lines or something. He explained it to me but I got lost in the acronym soup." He nods and takes a sip of water.  "So, what'd they want?" TK devotes his attention to meticulously unwrapping the napkin and silverware and arranging them just so on the table top.  "They took me to Uchiko." He raises his eyebrows.  "Fancy.  What do they want you to do?" TK sighs.  "Help them with the case.  Samuels wants me to see if I can reach out to Cassel, maybe put out some feelers about joining his crew." Carlos starts to say something and then shuts his mouth when Amy comes back with their food.  She looks between them, reading the table.  "Anything else?"  He shakes his head and she gives him a wry look but leaves them alone. "I said no," TK says quietly and takes a bite of his salad. The rush of relief makes him a little dizzy.  "Oh."  He stabs at the broccoli that came with his dinner.  "Why?" TK raises an eyebrow.  "Did you want me to say yes?"  He shakes his head mutely, and TK reaches across the table to put a hand on his wrist.  "Cassel's dangerous.  He's always been dangerous, and we've got," he pauses and finally says, "a certain kind of history.  I have no interest in ever being on his radar again."  The way he says it makes it clear he's not going to give more details, and Carlos isn't sure he wants them anyway. TK takes another bite of his salad and looks unenthusiastic about it.  "Fuck it.  If I order onion rings you'll eat some of them, right?"  Carlos nods silently, still too caught in relief to really process what TK's saying.  TK eyes him narrowly for a moment and then twists to see if he can find Amy and grab her attention.  When she comes over she's carrying a plate of onion rings that she sets down on the table with an air of palpable smug satisfaction.  TK stares at them, and then at Amy.  "How?" She pats his shoulder.  "Oh sugar, people only order salad at a diner because they feel guilty about something or because they're vegetarian.  Y'all been coming in and sitting in my section long enough for me to know you don't ever feel that guilty about something for long."

tagging @ramblingdisaster73, @strandnreyes, and @freneticfloetry in return.

[gwen-tolios]

Nine people I’d like to know better (Tag Game)

tagged by @rockinlibrarian

One-sentence byline: Short story writer specializing in speculative flash fiction, but who also has a sapphic romantic drama for the ace girlies who like the idea of falling in love with a friend.

Last song: Ceilings by Lizzy McAlphine. I can tell you nothing about it. I just had Spotify's 'Fresh Finds Class of 2023' playlist going while I worked.

Favourite colour: Blue! I don't have a specific shade, but a chunk of my condo I painted different hues of it, including a mural in my bedroom that's an ombre sea thing

Currently watching: Only Murders in the Building. I'm two nights into watching it and am already on S2E2. Pls send help.

Last movie/tv show: Barbie! Recently rewatched with my father, who then brought it up as a conversation topic around the Thanksgiving table. He and I have...different views of it and for the past two weeks I keep replying some of our conversations and wish I had asked if what really pissed him off was the fact that the 'dumb blonde' character wasn't a woman.

Spicy/savoury/sweet: It used to be sweet, but as I've gotten older I've leaned more into savory items.

Relationship status: Single. Maybe happily so. (Ace and probably some form of aro but haven't dug too deep)

Current obsession: Middlegame. I feel in love with McGuire's work when I first read Every Heart A Doorway for my ace bookclub, to the point where I then bought everything my local bookshop had by her. Or at least a representation of every series. Middlegame has been on my radar for awhile, but picked it up for a spooky October read that I'm....still reading.

Last thing you googled: Like, needed to google? Definitions for acronyms I use at work. OEM, MAU. Fun googles? Potential problems surrounding blood transfusions for my NaNo original work, A Shelter for Witch Familiars. There were....a lot more murders in that book that I expected.

Tagging: @redstorm23 @notquitebilateral @chris-in-eugene @nightingalesighs @aprilraine @averyconfusedhuman @xirkanos @diesel-park @wigglyparty

[mixelation]

I don't really know if the show would be on your radar but have you ever seen/heard of RWBY? (The title is an acronym I promise I'm not screaming at you 🦀)

i watched the first few episodes when they first came out, so i know the general premise. some of my friends were in the fandom, but i never got into it.

those trailers tho.......!!

[writing-oof]

what am i if not a dog - Bad (5)

(or: the E.G.G.s have superpowers. this, surprisingly, is only the beginning of El's problems.) (or: or: El Quackity gets rehabilitated like a rabid dog, Quackity yoinks his evil little brother, and A1 is safe and sound at the end of things)

TW: violence, dehumanization, dead eggs mentioned, mentioned sickness/injury

Badboyhalo finds the files on accident.

He's scouring the earth, bloody claws shredding through the dirt and Federation workers lying still in his midst. A corpse gurgles like it's trying to tell him something, but these ones have nothing to say to him.

Before, he would have been careful. He was so, so careful to keep the Federation at arm's length, Dapper tucked into his side next to all of their secrets.

He doesn't regret the lengths he's gone to keep them off the Federation's radar, but...

It doesn't matter anymore.

He can't afford to sit idly, pretending to be the sort of person he isn't.

This, blood dripping down his arms and the taste of flesh caught between needlepoint teeth, this is who he needs to be. If not for the islanders, then for his son.

His son, who's limp and still and hot to the touch like magma is crusting underneath his skin, his Flame that won't stop burning in all the wrong directions.

His son, who hasn't been able to control it for months, his grip on his own abilities loosening with every passing day until it creeps up his arms like vines. Weeds, nestling around his chest and curling down his throat, burning his insides until even screaming took too much for him to do.

His son, who lies like a corpse under the watch of the Islanders he couldn't have afforded to trust before. He could have figured something else out, maybe, but it would have slowed him down. He might not have time to be slowed down by even the smallest of margins.

Ultimately, it was this:

Badboyhalo had a choice, and he chose his son.

He'd do it again in a heartbeat.

He'd do this again in a heartbeat, or maybe even less than that. The blood on his tongue tastes sweeter than he remembered, even in the stale air of doors long unopened.

Bad shoves past his own distraction, pulling open cabinets and flicking through paperwork until he catches sight of the acronym he needs.

E.G.G.

The first file opens to a picture, a little face that stares free from scars and the hardships of the island, a photo taken just after she had been given to her parents; he can see the Adoption Center blurred behind her wobbly grin. He remembers when they lost her, powers they didn't know she had growing in strength and hostility until she died in her bed, writhing in her father's arms.

Beneath the photograph, a lazy scrawl.

JuanaFlippa, it reads, FAIL

Further down, past text he doesn't have time to care about, Abilities: Unknown. Cause of death: Unkown.

Bad snaps the file shut and moves on to the next one.

Tilín's is a face he hasn't stopped seeing, the echoes of them pressed like an imprint into their father.

The photo is fresher, taken from a distance while they glare at Quackity with a playful disdain.

Tilín, it says, PASS

Bad stops for a moment, starts again.

Abilities: Fear Manipulation, Level 4

Fright Night, they'd called it with a toothy grin. It really was something else, something Bad had only once had the pleasure of being subjected to.

Cause of death: [XXXY] ability alteration, authorized by [XXXX]. Crossfire casualty

Charlie had never forgiven himself for the fear that had seeped out from the Skeletons they were fighting, catching Tilín in the midst of it with a sword through their chest. Even after Quackity had finally stopped trying to kill him, a reluctant concession that this was bigger than any of them, Charlie had never bounced back from it.

Ability alteration, though. That's...certainly something he doesn't have time to unpack. Food for thought, Bad supposes as he grabs Tilín and JuanaFlippa's files, tucking them under his arm.

The next file is just as morbid as he thought it would be, the photograph of a barely-visible and too-thin Trump probably taken a few weeks before he actually died. A stark FAIL is pressed just beside his name.

Abilities: Invisibility. Cause of death: Malnutrition, Neglect

Bad's heart aches inside his chest as much as it's able to. He remembers the grief the E.G.G.s had felt, the regret that had choked the islanders when they stumbled across his still-invisible, emaciated corpse that had begun to rot weeks after the fact.

The final file he flicks open is Bobby's, the little boy's wide grin staring directly into the Federation's camera. Bad's not surprised he knew it was there, even though Technopathy was really Leo's thing, feeling the electricity he was sure to move made some sense at least.

Bobby the file reads, and again, PASS

Abilities: Electrokinesis. Cause of death: [XXXY] ability alteration, authorized by [XXXX]. Direct casualty

Bad snaps the file up, adding it to JuanaFlippa and Tilín's.

There's something here, something he's going to find.

If it's the Federation that's killing his son, somehow, someway, he's going to put a stop to it.

---

Bad may have bitten off more than he can chew. Slightly.

In his defense, what with all the Flame in his life lately, he thought it would be funny. Ironic, even.

It is kind of funny, too, even though he doesn't have time to tear through the remaining E.G.G. files as the fires he set start to catch up to him.

He grabs the remaining E.G.G. files without flipping through them and starts to pry open the silver file case that even the high-level clearance badge he stole can't seem to open.

He grunts, his claws straining as he pulls, the image of his son and the dead E.G.G.s he refuses to let Dapper join fueling his efforts.

Finally, the file unlocks with a pop, the case click, click, clicking as he lifts the lid.

Beneath a glass panel, the title sheet is almost entirely blank, except for a small, careful scrawl.

Broadcaster Experiment, Authorized by [XXXX]

It's fairly innocuous, if you ignore how hidden the case was, but Bad can't help but feel like he's stumbled onto something big.

The case clicks under his hands, a steady click, click, click that seems to be getting louder and louder the more that he listens to it.

It's getting faster, too. Click, click, click, click, click.

It takes a moment too long before it--well, it clicks for Bad.

Then, eyes blowing wide, he grabs the case and tosses it as far into the corner of the room as he can, grabbing the files he set aside in his arms and rushing for the door.

The world seems to slow as he takes, one step, two steps, three steps, before the case explodes.

His ears ring, the armor on his back charred and hot where it touches his skin.

He pulls a health pot from his bag with shaking hands and downs it in one go, quick-footed as he hurries out of the burning and now half-exploded building.

Oops.

---

Part 5 of ? First Previous Next

[forgot-how-catflap-works]

Meet the ghouls squabbling for power in the race to rule the Tories

Tory MPs are donning their robes and sharpening their sacrificial blades this week as they prepare to ritualistically cull a second candidate from the Conservative Party leadership race. 

Priti Patel was eliminated last week after securing just 11.9% of the vote, which already sounds quite embarrassing, then you do the maths and realise that’s a total of 14 votes. Considering the sheer number of controversies that litter her political career like dog shit in a play park, I’m amazed she didn’t perform better.  

(Formerly of the tobacco industry, Patel voted in favour of overturning the smoking ban because she recognises that mainly poor people use public spaces so, y’know, fuck ‘em.) 

Patel resigned as Home Secretary in 2017 after attending up to a dozen private, unsanctioned meetings with Israeli officials where departmental business was discussed while she was on holiday.

This gross breach of the ministerial code wasn’t enough to prevent her from being reinstated to the position under Boris Johnson’s government, where she dedicated herself to ruthlessly targeting asylum seekers, lobbying for pharmaceutical companies during the height of COVID, and bullying her staff. 

Next up on the chopping block appears to be Mel Stride MP who narrowly escaped elimination last round with a whopping 16 votes. 

(Launching his campaign, Stride said the Tories need to “build trust with the electorate again", presumably so they can get right back to abusing it.)  

Mr Stride served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury in Theresa May’s cabinet, when he spearheaded the controversial loan charge policy which – as of January 2024 – has been linked to ten suicides. He was then elected as chair of the Treasury select committee, effectively securing himself a position where he was the one responsible for scrutinising his own dastardly deeds and, unsurprisingly, finding nothing to be concerned about. 

Former Minister of State for Security Tom Tugendhat limped a single vote ahead of Stride in the first round. Tugendhat is notable only in how boring he is, and hasn’t even breached the ministerial code once (that we know of). Total amateur. His strategy appears to be to fly below the radar, presumably in the hope the other candidates will destroy each other and he can rule over the ashes. 

(Having already lost one leadership race to Liz Truss of all people, Tugendhat looks like a surefire bet to lose another.) 

A former soldier, Tugendhat holds some classically conservative positions like increased military spending, opposition to the European Court of Human Rights and wanting a cap on immigration but these days that’s a mild salsa. He appears moderate compared to the others, and lacks the brain rot and crypto-fascist brainworms that UK conservatives have been steadily importing from America over the last decade. The most interesting thing about him is that he had to change his campaign slogan because the acronym spelled TURD. 

Now we’re done with the dregs, let's take a look at the front runners starting with weed smoking, Warhammer playing, porn enjoyer James Cleverly. That makes him sound much more interesting than he is. Having previously filled both the Home and Foreign secretary positions, Cleverly has long had leadership aspirations.  

(Cleverly once had to apologise for an “ironic joke” about spiking his wife’s drink with rohypnol during a Westminster reception, apparently being both a weird creep and not understanding the definition of irony.) 

Another paint-by-numbers Tory, he stirred up a fuss a few years ago by saying that gay football fans should show "a little bit of flex and compromise" when visiting Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He added that it was "important when you're a visitor to a country that you respect the culture of your host nation." Cleverly it seems considers a seven year prison sentence for being gay little more than a cultural quirk rather than something queer football fans might have legitimate concerns over. Basically saying reign it in lads, no need to be homo in public. 

Landing in second place during the last vote is former Minister for Women and Equalities Kemi Badenoch who claimed in a speech last year that transgender people could transition “too easily”. This is supported by the fact that waiting times for an initial assessment are as high as seven years in some parts of the country, so that definitely tracks. Badenoch clearly knows what she is talking about. 

(Speaking on the Spectator podcast, Badenoch said the Tories need to “stop acting like Labour”. I can only assume she misinterpreted the narrowing ideological gap between Labour and Tories as a softening in her party’s ranks rather than a calcification of right wing leanings in Westminster.) 

Characterised as an “anti-woke” politician, she has also supported conversion therapy for trans people. Speaking like someone who has never actually heard themselves talk, she also claimed that providing gender affirming care for trans kids was a “form of conversion therapy” intended to turn gay kids trans. It’s ironclad reasoning and, as a trans dyke, I value above all else the perspective of a cisgender, hetrosexual woman in all matters relating to queer issues. If anyone is going to lay down the law on who gets to be gay and in what way, it should be her. 

Badenoch bravely announced during a recent campaign video that she was unafraid of fictional character Doctor Who. Furthermore, as a woman of colour, she believes that Britain is not institutionally racist, so we can all stop worrying about that now. What a relief, I was starting to get really concerned about it. You know, what with all the institutional racism that’s been going around. But turns out that was a false alarm, which is probably why she also said “I don’t care about colonialism”. 

Badenoch came out swinging on the subject, making claims broader than my fat ass in order to minimise the brutality of Britain's well-documented colonial history. 

"There was never any concept of 'rights', so [the] people who lost out were old elites not everyday people,” she said in some leaked WhatsApp messages. It’s a relief to know that the three million people who died in the 1943 Bengal Famine were all elites. 

Lego figure cosplayer Robert Jenrick is the current frontrunner, having secured 28 votes in the first round. Jenrick served as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government under Boris Johnson where he dedicated himself to pulling political favours for luxury property developer and Tory party donor Richard Desmond. The move allowed Desmond to avoid paying a community council levy of £40 million which could have been used to fund schools and health clinics. 

(Courting the far right voters who flocked to Reform in the last election, Jenick resigned from his position as immigration minister, saying the policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda didn’t go far enough.)

Grenfell United, the pressure group dedicated to securing justice for the victims of the Grenfell fire refused to meet with Jenrick in 2020, saying: "Your perceived focus on the interests of property developers over the needs of an impoverished local community has soured our opinion of you.” 

Jenrick also served as Minister of State for Immigration where he took aim at the greatest threat to our nation: unaccompanied asylum seeking children. During a visit to an intake centre in Kent last year he reportedly told staff to paint over a mural depicting cartoons and animals, saying it was a “law enforcement environment” and “not a welcome centre”. 

Finally, someone had the courage to put those kids in their place. If they wanted to experience even a single moment where they felt safe, or like they weren’t completely alone in this terrifying and hostile world, they shouldn’t have crossed the bloody channel should they? They need to learn that actions have consequences, unless of course you’re a Tory politician then you can basically just get away with whatever and certainly not have your political ambition stymied in the slightest. That would be unfair.  

With such political titans in the running, Labour should be quaking in its boots. This gaggle of ghouls is among the finest we could hope for, and the fact that they each crave power enough to run the highest office in the land should in no way concern anyone. As the old adage goes: Power corrupts, but only if you’re a little bitch. 

Which of these unscrupulous, foreigner hating, homophobes will proceed to the next round? Tory MPs will be casting their vote today in order to separate the wheat from the chaff, and trim the eligible candidates down to four. 

This three month slog is only just beginning, so buckle your pants because we have to put up with this fucking circus until November.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for calling a nineteen-year-old character a kid?

(For context, I (19FtM) am autistic and they refused to elaborate on anything and never asked anything clearly.)

I have an RP character with his own blog, and on that blog I wrote a post from his POV, where he called himself a kid and implored an institution in the fandom (SCP Foundation) to treat him like a person. I had just turned 19 at the time and still considered myself a kid and the adults in my life considered people my age (18-20) to be children who could vote. I know a bit about brain development and had been taught that mental maturation is a physical process. The character is immortal (born 1349) but, because his brain can't age, he's still got the physical brain structure of an eighteen-year-old guy. He's still mentally eighteen and will always be mentally eighteen.

For the next three hours, I was bombarded by anons telling me how creepy that was and that I shouldn't have done this. I didn't understand and defended my choice. I talked about brain development (they instantly turned this into "the character is brain-damaged" and when I said he wasn't but mentioned that I am, they started being pretty ableist about that.) I also mentioned that both the character and I don't do anything with minors and find even the thought to be disgusting (they were calling my use of the word kid to somehow be paedophilic,) and they said that sounded like something a paedo would say. To my knowledge, I did nothing other than call this character a kid and defended it by pointing out the ways 18 is an adolescent and that neither of us were doing anything harmful with it.

There were a few minor issues the anons never directly mentioned (he makes his own medication because he doesn't trust other people not to drug him and because his metabolism is significantly enhanced, they didn't like this. They didn't like him being a level 6 mutant but I think I should be allowed to write a level 6 mutant. Two of his children are white, but all of his children are adopted. He has a husband who is immortal and 19. He uses a name not from his culture, meaning not Aztec, because he survived the Aztec genocide and chose a new one to fly under the radar, which I guess is a fair point but they never addressed that directly.) But almost all asks were about the age thing. They got progressively angrier and started calling me a paedo for calling him a kid, and they told me to end my own life.

When I asked one of the people involved in the discourse (part of the RP community I had reached out to immediately before this all went down,) she was weird. She insisted I should know why calling him a kid was creepy and refused to elaborate. She claimed they had been far more direct about the other issues, but I had a maximum of one ask per issue and none of them even directly called it an issue. I made an apology post even though I still didn't understand what I'd done and she said it just made the issues worse.

At this point, I made a "screw an apology I'm not sorry for anything" post criticizing the hours of hatred and told them to block me, then disabled anon.

Clearly I'm missing something, but they refused to tell me what I was missing and they told me to end my life. Is it really so wrong for a fictional 18-year-old to call himself a kid? If so, can one of you please explain why?

What are these acronyms?