#source: war and peace 2016

[marnigifshistory]

Aisling Loftus as Sonya Rostova in War & Peace

[weaselbeaselpants]

Hold it, hold it- HOLD ON.

So SaiScribbles is bringing to light the fact that, on top of everything else alleged about her, Lily's most popular video has a lot of pieces ripped from two articles written by Jaimie Kingston (WuhWack, need link) and Riley H (Medium) complaining about SU's racial problems.

Other than being a bit on that 2016-2019"your fav thing is bad and you should feel bad"-spectrum of criticism that would later fuel our dumb anti v proship discourse we have today, I think the arguments made by Jaimie and Riley against SU are solid. Sai and her commenters are kind of otherwise treating the criticisms themselves like they're the problem and that they ought to be 'debunked'.

As I've stated a few times now, I'm a fan of Steven Universe and even I don't think they handled all the discussions of race and conflicts well. I like the Diamonds as villains and liked them being 'redeemed' -yes, SU truthers, I too have read Rebecca's explanation and how Steven doesn't really forgive the Diamonds. I know that's the intent, mine and other people's counter is that wasn't very well communicated or done particularly well, and yeah no matter how you spin it or put it in the context of fiction; the Diamonds were interspace war and overlords and the series and Steven himself made peace with them- Also, I thought the Garnet anti-racism psa was kind of in bad taste and talking-down to it's audience.

As far as complaints I'm not able to speak for because I'm white as fucc: if Sugalite's design, the human zoo plot, the way the crewniverse drew lips and people of color (AS people of color themselves) is uncomfortable or offensive to you- you're within your right to be offended about it and dislike Steven Universe on that basis. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Just because an LGBTQ or BIPOC person had a hand in making something does not mean it can't still be offensive: Velma, The Nutshack, Hazbin Hotel and Netflix's Good Times, though shows for adults, were written with/by/for bipoc folks-- that DOES NOT mean there aren't any problems with those series. I can personally think SU beats all those shows into the ground but that doesn't mean it can't be racist just cuz I don't want it to be.

I kinda feel like Sai is missing some of the point of the og articles, dunking on them for ever making these complaints and being upset, when the real focus should be on how Lily pulled an honest to god James Somerton.

What Lily did with Jaimie Kingston and Riley's is proof of her greatest flaw as a critic and activist: she uses (or 'steals') other people's criticisms to fuel her own hatred of something. Moreover, she phrases these criticisms made about the thing she hates as being an inherent moral failing on people who defend it and so her takes are the correct way to feel and think. That was not the point of either article, regardless of how I think they were written. These articles were written as a potential call-out at worst*, Lily's vid was a straight up attack on the Steven Universe fanbase as a whole.

Lily can try to say otherwise, but what she's really angry about is that Steven Universe wasn't written exactly like how she wanted and she's pissy because the fanbase was and is still really toxic. Both these reasons are valid enough to be all 'ick, I hate SU and I hate how god damn in love the fans are with every aspect of it'. You can fill up an entire video with just rants about the fanbase and the writing quality. If you don't know how/don't CARE TO articulate, add upon, link, or source another perspective that's not your own, DON'T TOUCH UPON THOSE TOPICS.

This is why I otherwise leave out the criticisms to be had against Star vs the Forces of Evil's diversity activism fails. I have 'thoughts' on it, as a white fan watching a show by a white creator about a white girl trying to be an ally, but my point in omitting them from this discussion is not to say these problems aren't there and worth talking about. I don't have faith in my own social awareness to talk about these issues I don't have a perspective on. I can talk of them, but not about them.

Even if Lily is native, which she could be (not what this post is about), she is not black. She sat here talking for black people using black people's words as if they were her own -> blocked these writers for stealing from her. And then she[Lily] went and made a couple dozen Nazi-references to the whole issue of genocide in the show -> when Jewish fans and listeners told Lily to maybe not do that (especially cuz Rebecca Sugar is Jewish), Lily dismissed, blasted or blocked them outright.

Lily only cares about social justice when she can use it to benefit herself and her own selfish ideas, feelings and wants.

Allies (of any kind, speaking for a group they aren't a part of) may be misinformed, apologetic, ignorant, rude or abrasive in how they go about their activism. There's no exact right way to do any of this. But, there is always a wrong way.

[lululeighsworld]

Today (November 17, 2024) marks a decade since Rokurō Naya passed away. He's the voice of many characters across several different media, and was also an actor. The role I best know him for is as the voice of Gunter, from Fire Emblem Fates (2015) and Heroes (2017).

I'd like to tell a little story.

My love for Gunter's character needs no background or explanation; just look at my online presence since February 2016, when Fates released in North America. In the weeks I spent waiting for my English copy of Conquest to arrive in the mail, I spent hours scouring the web trying to learn everything about Gunter that I could. Naturally, this also led me to the actors behind his voice.

I still remember how sad I was in the moment when I learned his Japanese voice actor had passed away. Sadder still, that he had passed away before the game's original release in June 2015.

If websites noting his credited roles are to be believed, his role as Gunter was likely the last he voiced before his passing in 2014. When Fire Emblem Heroes released in 2017, they would go on to reuse his voice lines from Fates for the mobile game. There is much online speculation that this is why Gunter has yet to receive an alt in FEH. To show respect to Rokurō Naya, they have not recasted Gunter's voice for a decade now (at least, to our knowledge).

But this is not what I want to be the focal point of my story. There are more sincere things I wish to share at this time.

Whether you believe in fate, or chance, or that the universe works in mystery ways, I always found it quite poetic—if not also heart-breaking—that things turned out this way. In the Revelation path, following Gunter's defeat as the traitor to Corrin's army, as well as the mad dragon behind the entire game's sequence of events, you as the player get to read the end cards for all the characters in your army. You learn what they're doing after the war, how they're assisting in revitalization efforts, etc. Notably, however, Gunter does not take part in this.

(Side note: Gunter's unpaired Conquest ending and Revelation ending are the same, given that you can't support him with anyone in Rev.)

Gunter's end card for Rev tells you he disappears soon after the war ends, never to be seen again. You also learn that it's debated if he died soon afterwards, or spent the rest of his days in contemplation.

It's quite sad to me, I've realized over the years, that similarly to Gunter, Rokurō Naya would not live on to see the success of Fates as a game. Gunter's end card is bittersweet. To never get to see the outcome of the story you play such a essential role in; I often wonder if Gunter's end card was wrote like this intentionally, or if this is another coincidence.

Neither would he get to see the amount of joy Gunter's character brings to fans, which he played such a role in bringing to life. And let me tell you, he does an absolutely amazing job. There's this charm and comfort his voice gives to the character when you listen to his voice lines. It always makes me feel like I am listening to a fun-loving elder who I could trust with all my secrets. And I think that's so brilliant given the entirety of Gunter's character: in-game, he's a dependable source of wisdom while, simultaneously, he's crafting the most heart-breaking betrayal. He's one hell of a complex character to unravel, and they did such a superb job casting his original voice.

I think it's the little things like this (both those which come about by chance or with intention) that keep me so invested in FE14. It never fails to remind me that no matter the extent, one's efforts will always be of value to someone else out there in the world.

Enjoy your peaceful rest, Rokurō Naya.

[thoughtportal]

The Congo’s role in creating the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was kept secret for decades, but the legacy of its involvement is still being felt today.

“The word Shinkolobwe fills me with grief and sorrow,” says Susan Williams, a historian at the UK Institute of Commonwealth Studies. “It’s not a happy word, it’s one I associate with terrible grief and suffering.”

Few people know what, or even where, Shinkolobwe is. But this small mine in the southern province of Katanga, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), played a part in one of the most violent and devastating events in history.

More than 7,500 miles away, on 6 August, bells will toll across Hiroshima, Japan, to mark 75 years since the atomic bomb fell on the city. Dignitaries and survivors will gather to remember those who died in the blast and resulting radioactive fallout. Thousands of lanterns carrying messages of peace will be set afloat on the Motoyasu River. Three days later, similar commemorations will be held in Nagasaki.

No such ceremony will take place in the DRC. Yet both nations are inextricably linked by the atomic bomb, the effects of which are still being felt to this day.

The Shinkolobwe mine – named after a kind of boiled apple that would leave a burn if squeezed – was the source for nearly all of the uranium used in the Manhattan Project, culminating with the construction of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945.

But the story of the mine didn’t end with the bombs. Its contribution to the Little Boy and Fat Man has shaped the DRC’s ruinous political history and civil wars over the decades that followed. Even today the mine’s legacy can still be seen in the health of the communities who live near it.

“It’s an ongoing tragedy,” says Williams, who has examined the role of Shinkolobwe in her book Spies in the Congo. She believes there needs to be greater recognition of how the exploitation and desire to control the mine’s contents by Western powers played a role in the country’s troubles.

Mombilo too is campaigning to raise awareness of the role played by the Congo in deciding the outcome of World War Two, as well as the burden it still carries because of this. In 2016, the CCSSA’s Missing Link forum brought together activists, historians, analysts, and children of those affected by the atomic bomb, both from Japan and from the DR Congo. “We are planning to bring back the history of Shinkolobwe, so we can make the world know,” says Mombilo.

Out of Africa

The story of Shinkolobwe began when a rich seam of uranium was discovered there in 1915, while the Congo was under colonial rule by Belgium. There was little demand for uranium back then: its mineral form is known as pitchblende, from a German phrase describing it as a worthless rock. Instead, the land was mined by the Belgian company Union Minière for its traces of radium, a valuable element that had been recently isolated by Marie and Pierre Curie.  

In no other mine could you see a purer concentration of uranium. Nothing like it has ever been found – Tom Zoellner

It was only when nuclear fission was discovered in 1938 that the potential of uranium became apparent. After hearing about the discovery, Albert Einstein immediately wrote to US president Franklin D Roosevelt, advising him that the element could be used to generate a colossal amount of energy – even to construct powerful bombs. In 1942, US military strategists decided to buy as much uranium as they could to pursue what became known as the Manhattan Project. And while mines existed in Colorado and Canada, nowhere in the world had as much uranium as the Congo.

“The geology of Shinkolobwe is described as a freak of nature,” says Tom Zoellner, who visited Shinkolobwe in the course of writing Uranium – War, Energy, and the Rock that Shaped the World. “In no other mine could you see a purer concentration of uranium. Nothing like it has ever been found.”

In a deal with Union Minière – negotiated by the British, who owned a 30% interest in the company – the US secured 1,200 tonnes of Congolese uranium, which was stockpiled on Staten Island, US, and an additional 3,000 tonnes that was stored above ground at the mine in Shinkolobwe. But it was not enough. US Army engineers were dispatched to drain the mine, which had fallen into disuse, and bring it back into production.

Under Belgian rule, Congolese workers toiled day and night in the open pit, sending hundreds of tonnes of uranium ore to the US every month. “Shinkolobwe decided who would be the next leader of the world,” says Mombilo. “Everything started there.”

All of this was carried out under a blanket of secrecy, so as not to alert Axis powers about the existence of the Manhattan Project. Shinkolobwe was erased from maps, and spies sent to the region to sow deliberate disinformation about what was taking place there. Uranium was referred to as “gems”, or simply “raw material”. The word Shinkolobwe was never to be uttered.

This secrecy was maintained long after the end of the war. “Efforts were made to give the message that the uranium came from Canada, as a way of deflecting attention away from the Congo,” says Williams. The effort was so thorough, she says, that the belief the atomic bombs were built with Canadian uranium persists to this day. Although some of the uranium came from Bear Lake in Canada – about 907 tonnes (1,000 tons) are thought to have been supplied by the Eldorado mining company – and a mine in Colorado, the majority came from the Congo. Some of the uranium from the Congo was also refined in Canada before being shipped to the US.

Western powers wanted to ensure that any government presiding over Shinkolobwe remained friendly to their interests

After the war, however, Shinkolobwe emerged as a proxy ground in the Cold War. Improved enrichment techniques made Western powers less dependent on the uranium at Shinkolobwe. But in order to curtail other nations’ nuclear ambitions, the mine had to be controlled. “Even though the US did not need the uranium at Shinkolobwe, it didn’t want the Soviet Union to get access to the mine,” explains Williams.

When the Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960, the mine was closed and the entrance filled with concrete. But Western powers wanted to ensure that any government presiding over Shinkolobwe remained friendly to their interests.

So important was stopping the Communist threat, says Zoellner, that these powers were willing to help depose the democratically elected government of Patrice Lumumba and install the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1965 for a decades-long reign of ruinous plutocracy.

Attempts by the Congolese people to negotiate better conditions for themselves were attacked as Communist-fuelled sedition. “The idealism, hope, and vision of the Congolese for a Congo free of occupation by an external power was devastated by the military and political interests of the Western powers,” says Williams.

A wound unhealed

Mobutu was eventually toppled in 1997, but the spectre of Shinkolobwe continues to haunt the DRC. Drawn by rich deposits of copper and cobalt, Congolese miners began digging informally at the site, working around the sealed mineshafts. By the end of the century, an estimated 15,000 miners and their families were present at Shinkolobwe, operating clandestine pits with no protection against the radioactive ore.

Accidents were commonplace: in 2004, eight miners were killed and more than a dozen injured when a passage collapsed. Fears that uranium was being smuggled from the site to terrorist groups or hostile states vexed Western nations, leading the Congolese army to raze the miners’ village that same year.

Stories abound of children born in the area with physical deformations, but few if any medical records are kept

Despite the mineral wealth present at Shinkolobwe, since Union Minière withdrew in the early 1960s there has never been an industrial mine that could safely and efficiently extract the ores and return the proceeds to the Congolese people. After the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, any interest in extracting the uranium for civilian use withered away. “Uranium, even in its natural condition, resists control,” says Zoellner. “Right now Shinkolobwe exists in a limbo, a symbol for the inherent geopolitical instability of uranium.”

The ongoing secrecy around Shinkolobwe (many official US, British and Belgian records on the subject are still classified) has stymied efforts to recognise the Congolese contribution to the Allied victory, as well as hampering investigation into the environmental and health impacts of the mine.

“The effects are medical, political, economic, so many things,” says Mombilo. “We’re not able to know the negative effects of radiation because of this secrecy.” Stories abound of children born in the area with physical deformations, but few if any medical records are kept. “I had a witness who died with his brain coming out of his head, because of the radiation,” says Mombilo. “In all these years, there is not even a special hospital, there is no scientific study or treatment.”

Many of those affected by Shinkolobwe are now campaigning for recognition and reparation, but knowing who should receive them – and who should pay – is compounded by the lack of information made available about the mine and what took place there.

“Shinkolobwe is a curse on the Congo,” says Mombilo.

But he adds that for over a century, the country’s rich resources have made possible one global revolution after another: rubber for tyres made automobiles possible, uranium fuelled nuclear reactors, coltan built the computers of the information age, and cobalt powers the batteries of mobile phones and electric vehicles.

“Our world is moved by the minerals of the Congo,” says Mombilo. “The positive thing I can say is that in all these advanced technologies, you’re talking about the Congo.”

The Congo’s impact on the world has been immeasurable. Recognising the name Shinkolobwe alongside Hiroshima and Nagasaki should be the first step to repaying that debt. {read}

[moltz23]

Three Houses Trivia (& Analysis): How the writers roadblocked a Revelation-like route with impunity.

It’s no secret by now that Three Houses has no Golden Ending/Route where everyone lives and/or the big conflict is solved without the involved factions taking huge casualties, much to the chagrin of fans. IS & KT were even asked about it in a developer interview back in 2020, mainly because a previous entry in the series did feature one: Fire Emblem Fates:

In all four routes the player can go through, each story ends with Fódlan at peace, yet somehow there’s still this air of sadness. In Fire Emblem Fates, Revelation served as the all-encompassing “route” that wrapped up the games’ story. Was there any reason you didn’t make something like Revelation again?

Kusakihara: If we had created a route for Three Houses like Revelation was to Fates, that route would have definitely ended up being perceived as the “correct” route. In Three Houses, each route is its own history, and we wanted players to be able to decide that for themselves. In this game, the leaders of the three houses have their own unwavering beliefs and worldviews that are unique to themselves. We wanted to model the story and its themes after a dilemma that was grounded in reality, so from the beginning there were never any plans to make something like Revelation.

Yokota: I actually really love the big all-encompassing finales, but Kusakihara-san was so passionate about not including it we decided not to go with it. I also felt like we might just end up doing the same thing we did in Fates… I was pretty worried about it, so from the beginning I had decided I’d just go along with Kusakihara-san’s decision.

From a writing standpoint, I haven’t seen much talk about the specific decisions made for this purpose, which is why I wanna tackle the topic here.

To make things more interesting though, the focus will lie in how the Silver Snow route (the first story written for 3H) handles the conflict. After all, if there were truly no plans to make a definitive story branch, then we should be seeing some cues of it on this path alone.

Oh, and I know this is a given, but there will be spoilers for Three Houses (and almost none for Revelation).

With the introduction out of the way, let’s set the relevant context:

Fire Emblem Fates, and Revelation

Fates' artwork was something else man...

Fire Emblem Fates was released back in 2015 in Japan, and 2016 internationally for the 3DS. One aspect marketing made sure everyone would know about was its branching story. And while before Three Houses, Fire Emblem was no stranger to the idea (given games like Binding Blade and Sacred Stones had branching paths which converge later), no game beforehand had previously based its entire narrative on this idea.

Fates was advertised with two main routes which, unless you had the Special Edition, Korean, or Digital version of the game, were sold in separate cartridges: Birthright, in which Corrin supports the Japanese-inspired Hoshido opposing Nohr’s invasion; and Conquest, where instead Corrin’s loyalty falls to the Western-themed Nohr seeking to invade Hoshido. A third path, Revelation, was also announced ahead of time, but not much was said about it beyond being a third option where Corrin sides with no one, and players would need to pay for it sometime after Birthright & Conquest’s launch unless they got the Special Edition (good luck getting it through legal means nowadays, given the E-Shop’s dead and all).

Either way, regardless of the story chosen/bought, the plot’s main goal always lies in finding a way to end the war between the 2 main factions. Of the three stories, Revelation is the only one where by the end, the solution reached allows both sides to come out relatively unscathed, while also directly dealing with the main source driving the war. This is why in the developer interview quoted, the devs talk about Revelation being perceived as the correct path.

In contrast, Three Houses has no such solution, nor were the developers - by their admission - interested in making it happen. As a matter of fact, I dare say that if one analyzes all the key pieces and the nature of their involvement with the game’s conflict, we can find instead three roadblocks complicating the possibility of a Revelation-like route ever happening.

These, for those wondering, are the following:

1. Edelgard: Agency, and Rise to Power

She who commands her crimson destiny.

Silver Snow’s starting point from a story perspective is the conflict between Byleth and Edelgard (according to the game’s director), with the latter going from a big ally and deuteragonist during the first half of the story, to a major antagonist. Edelgard’s character, and her circumstances in which she assumes this role, is the story’s first identifiable roadblock.

As a quick backstory recap: In Imperial Year 1174, Thales (post body-snatching Lord Arundel) leaves the Kingdom along with Edelgard, and establishes a public partnership with the Adrestian Prime Minister Ludwig von Aegir under his Arundel disguise. With the assistance of House Vestra, Ludwig – in secret – had Edelgard and her siblings captured, and allowed his Agarthan partners to experiment on the Hresvelg children for the sake of, in Edelgard’s own words, “create a peerless emperor to rule Fodlan”, all while the actual Emperor was unable to do anything due to previously losing a power struggle vs Ludwig and the Adrestian nobility 3 years prior.

With only these events at hand, it’s clear Edelgard was intended in-universe to be a puppet emperor/super soldier hybrid meant to have the Empire wage war and conquer Fódlan. In any other instance, this context gives the narrative an easy way out for defusing the war; first by rescuing Edelgard, and then by spending the rest of the story dealing with Ludwig + Thales & their allies. That way, Edelgard is able to rise to power at the end and bring official closure to the conflict.

It’s right here however, where Edelgard’s own agency in the story shows the cracks with the idea, as the Black Eagles Route’s first half establishes:

Edelgard has her own bone to pick with the Church - one of the enemies she would inevitably face during the Empire’s conquest - and the social system it helped cultivate in Fodlan under Rhea’s leadership. Also-

Edelgard has been in talks with some of Ludwig’s own allies behind his back to ensure she reaches the Imperial throne on her own terms (which leads to her surprise coup from Ch. 11). And it’s all but stated this is possible because-

Edelgard has no qualms with waging war as long it’s a means to an end (see point 1), to the point she even assumes a secret persona - the Flame Emperor - to stage attacks against the Church before her coronation.

At many points in Part 1 of Black Eagles, Edelgard is even seen testing the waters with Byleth, confiding a bit on her ideology and plans for the future to see if they would be willing to stand by her side once the time comes, before finally relenting and continuing her plans as previously established before Byleth came into the picture.

These facts flip our understanding of the conflict and the key players driving it on its head. And this is considering only how Edelgard factors into everything, because with our other two parties involved, it gets even more complicated:

2. TWSITD: Scheming Outside Their Comfort Zone

Credit to sageofanys for their interpretation of Cleobulus btw.

In the context of Fire Emblem, “those who slither in the dark” stand out like a sore thumb due to how alien they are. For the sake of this post however, I will only focus mainly on how the group’s used in the narrative they were originally created for, as it showcases our second roadblock.

The group assumes the role of the puppeteers behind the scenes, having already infiltrated the antagonistic faction of the story (the Empire) and using them to achieve their goals, while also playing a noticeable role in the backstory of some key players of the conflict. And given the archetype they follow, it appears there’s a clear cut way to stop them: just deal with them directly - while avoiding their puppets as much as possible - and bingo. Problem solved.

…Which would be a viable solution, if it wasn’t for Three Houses complicating the slitherers’ job, forcing them to work outside their comfort zone:

Remember when I mentioned Edelgard did some deals behind Duke Aegir’s back? Well, the Agarthans were part of those deals too due to utilitarian (manpower, assets and tech) and practical reasons (Edelgard is not in a position to get rid of them normally), foreshadowed and implied midway through Part 1. This results in-

Having the puppeteers lose much of their agency in the story once Edelgard assumes the Imperial throne. As mentioned earlier, the “puppet” in question gets control of the Empire once she assumes the antagonist role, and has her own reasons to wage war and conquer. This begs the question: How much control do the slitherers even have in the story once the war starts? Their uncertain input is even compromised further because-

Their success is entirely dependent on Edelgard winning. The slitherers have no trump-card nor a “revive this ancient evil” button freely available which could potentially make the need of a war pointless, meaning that once Edelgard and her Empire is taken care of, they have no choice but go into hiding to scheme again in the future, which is what happens in the story. Lastly-

They are acting on borrowed time. In spite of all their bravado, smugness, hi-tech toys, and hubris (heck, partly because of it), Edelgard, thanks to their established alliance with TWISTD and her own spies (ie. Hubert.) eventually gains the info needed to get rid of the group once their assistance is no longer needed, proven through Hubert leaking Shambhala’s location to Byleth after him & Edelgard are hit with a sudden case of death. Meaning that by the end, any potential win the slitherers gain is bound to become a pyrrhic victory.

So to wrap up this part, TWSITD’s purpose in Silver Snow’ main plot can be summed up as the following:

Remove Jeralt from the story, which leads to Byleth fusing with Sothis while also (unintentionally?) foiling Rhea’s plan for them in the process, which would otherwise never happen without their involvement.

Give Edelgard the means to remove Rhea from the story between Chapter 13 and 19.

Wound Rhea lethally near the end of the story, unwillingly setting her up as the Final Boss.

And speaking of which-

3. Rhea: Snow in the Crimson Gardens

Not so immaculate as she wants you to think.

All I have covered so far comes from the antagonist-side of things. But because Three Houses' story is not done throwing wrenches at our understanding of how the war happens, it seems natural it would add one last, final roadblock within the main supporting roster of characters. And who else to give it than Rhea: Archbishop of the Church of Seiros; leader of Fódlan’s main religion; and Byleth’s boss for all of Part 1.

Within the narrative, Rhea’s role in the plot is very straightforward:

In the Academy Arc, she gives Byleth missions in the story for them & their class to do, while also delivering exposition whenever necessary.

Then in the War Arc of Silver Snow, she has to be rescued from the Empire, delivers one final piece of exposition the story teased late into Part 1 (what is Byleth and what’s up with their mom), and then becomes the Final Boss though circumstances beyond her control.

None of this is really a problem for writing a definitive 3H route. The crux at hand however, comes when we learn about Rhea’s character, painting a different looking picture:

She’s quite secretive, being her reasons for hiring Byleth as a teacher the best example of it in the story, as her vague justification for it puzzles Seteth (her right hand man), Jeralt, and even Edelgard.

As the story goes on, it’s also clear Rhea’s preparing and testing Byleth for something, later revealed to be their status as Sothis’ new vessel - with having them sitting on Sothis’ Throne the intended final step - which, not only doesn’t pan out as planned, it’s also something she kept everyone in the dark about on purpose up until it was too late.

Her answer against insurrections and direct threats against her authority is execution.

She is willing to cover-up truths if it means safeguarding the reputation of Crests and Nobility.

The last two points in particular stand out a lot considering that in Black Eagles’ story, these facets of Rhea’s character are often highlighted right next to Edelgard’s in adjacent events, further showcasing their differences.

Take Chapter 3, for example:

“Even if our enemies are the gods themselves... we must never lose sight of our goal. [...] Really, I'm just like Lonato. I, too, will be the sort of ruler who's willing to risk the lives of my citizens in service of a higher cause. It's not possible to change the world without sacrifice. Dying for the greater good is not a death in vain.” - Edelgard in A Harsh Reality

“I heard some of the students were...hesitant about fighting militia. However, we must punish any sinner who may inflict harm upon believers, even if those sinners are civilians. I pray the students learned a valuable lesson about the fate that awaits all who are foolish enough to point their blades towards the heavens.” - Rhea in Report: Garland Moon

And Chapter 5:

“I have already heard Gilbert's report about what happened. See to it that you keep what transpired at the tower to yourself. People would lose faith in the nobles should rumors spread of one using a Relic and transforming into a monster. All regions of Fódlan would fall into chaos. We must avoid that at all costs.” - Rhea in The Lance of Ruin 

“People believe Crests are blessings from the goddess, that they're necessary to maintain order in Fódlan. But the people are wrong. Crests are to blame for this brutal, irrational world we live in. Their power is granted only to a select few, whom we elevate and allow to rule the world. Have you ever wondered if the only way to create a truly free world is to dispense with the goddess and the Crests?” - Edelgard in Crests: The Good and the Bad

The more the plot progresses, the more it becomes clear that both Edelgard and Rhea are not on the same wavelength, are up to their own devices, and that neither is willing to show their cards before their plans have reached completion. This ultimately causes tension, telegraphing to the player that both sides will eventually crash against each other, but without making certain when and how it will happen (one can guess Edelgard will throw the first stone, but…?).

Thus, with these 3 roadblocks set in stone, the seeds of Fodlan’s main conflict are allowed to blossom unopposed, setting the blazes of war loose.

… And all this is just as far as it goes in Silver Snow. Due to my self-imposed restriction, I deliberately didn’t cover stuff like:

Edelgard’s beef with the Nabateans and their involvement in Fódlan (which Silver Snow hints at but never elaborates upon).

The circumstances in which Dimitri’s rage and madness is unleashed towards Edelgard and the Empire.

The complicated relationship between the Alliance and the Empire.

What’s up with the TWSITD’s “Javelins of Light”.

What’s up with Nemesis coming back only in Verdant Wind.

And all the stuff that Warriors: Three Hopes shows, elaborates upon and makes clear with little room for ambiguity (like the fact Duke Aegir and Thales have history together), plus how the war happens in its timeline.

As a conclusion of sorts, I wanna say that: while I appreciate and see the potential of an hypothetical Revelation-like route in Three Houses, to me, it’s abundantly clear that’s simply not the kind of story IS and KT ever intended to write. Considering the sort of roadblocks at play, a major rewrite is required to even start entertaining such an idea, which would need to drastically shake the foundation of its story, lore, and characters as it currently is, to the point it’s worth raising the question if it would be far more practical to just start from scratch and create a whole new universe altogether…

[female-malice]

Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Peacemaking Protocol

Olan Leimomi Morgan, NARF Law Clerk August 2, 2016

What are some of the peacemaking protocols of the Haudenosaunee people?

The Haudenosaunee utilize their founding constitution, Gayanesshagowa, to successfully implement their traditional peacemaking protocols. Among these protocols, the condolence ceremony assists adversaries in acknowledging each other’s humanity, losses, and sacrifices during disputes, creating a safe space for productive discussions.

Brief Haudenosaunee History

The Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois, is a confederacy of six tribal nations that came together through the efforts of Dekanawida, also known as the Peacemaker. The founding constitution of the Haudenosaunee is known as the Gayanesshagowa (gaya-ness-HAgowa), or the Great Law of Peace. A full rendering of the Gayanesshagowa takes several days to convey, telling of “the ways in which the Peacemaker’s teachings emphasized the power of Reason, not force, to assure certain principles.” The Gayanesshagowa essentially “provides the Haudenosaunee people with instructions on how to treat others, directs them on how to maintain a democratic society, and expresses how Reason must prevail in order to preserve peace.” In Haudenosaunee stories, a boy was born into a world of continuous waring between tribes. His destiny was to address the issues of continuous warfare, and he became known as Dekanawida or the Peacemaker. Dekanawida travels among the people, “combing their hair” with the intention of “untangling old traumas that stand in the way of peace.” The peacemaking process runs on the people’s will and agreement to the government. Dekanawida established two houses of elder brothers (Mohawks, Onondagas, Senecas) and younger brothers (Cayugas, Oneidas, and later Tuskaroras).

Under Dekanawida’s leadership, the Haudenosaunee people created a protocol for bringing enemies together “under a temporary truce.” Dekanawida planted a white pine tree, known as the Great Tree of Peace, explaining that this tree had “four, white roots of truth that reach in the four, cardinal directions of the earth.” He explained further that “[t]hose people who had no place to go could follow the root back to its source and come under the shelter of the great law of peace.” He instilled the idea of disarmament, uprooting the tree and commanding all to come forward and throw their weapons of war into the unearthed hole. Depictions of the Great Tree of Peace often include a war club, arrow, or hatchet underneath the tree; hence the well-known phrase for ending conflict: “burying the hatchet.” The Peacemaker also gave Haudenosaunee women the responsibility to choose and oversee the leaders of the community, reserving the power to remove those unworthy of such leadership. The protocols and practices in the Gayenesshaqowa “were in place for generations prior to European arrival,” allowing the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to establish “expansive, prosperous communities across today’s state of New York.” The Haudenosaunee negotiated with English colonists at least since the late seventeenth century using Gayanesshagowa protocols and principles.

Peacemaking Protocol

The goal of Haudenosaunee peacemaking protocol is to address each party’s conditions for reaching a truce. The initial goal is to stop the warfare. The Haudenosaunee believe that the truce itself does not ensure peace, although it symbolizes the start of peaceful negotiations as time goes on. The peacemaking protocol is mainly about the process as opposed to the outcome, because the Haudenosaunee assume that the process of maintaining peaceful relations will never end. They accept that the process is ongoing, and instead of seeking closure, the larger purpose of a peacemaking meeting is to serve as a reminder of the continuing progress between affected parties.

Peacemaking Principles

Undoubtedly, one of the principles in Gayanesshagowa protocols is peace or disarmament, signified by the parties burying their weapons beneath the Great Tree of Peace. This practice is entirely symbolic since each party could either buy or make more weapons. Nonetheless, the burying of the weapons represents that the parties agree to no longer using their weapons against each other. The burying of weapons also signifies that talking through negotiations is superior to violence. Another principle is “equity, justice for the people,” and another is unity, summarized by the statement, “[w]e are now going to put our minds together to create peace.” Other principles include righteousness and health.

The overarching purpose of all these principles is to peacefully cooperate in order to create an appropriate outcome that benefits all sides. The principles focus on building a better world for future generations, known as the “politics of abundance.” The politics of abundance means “to always be respectful of the natural world and to have ceremonies” to ensure a healthy world for future generations. This idea contrasts with “politics of scarcity,” referencing political action taken only in response to the scarcity of resources. For tackling the war on terror, Haudenosaunee Great Law advocates for progressive pragmatism, barring idealism and vilification from negotiations to reach desirable outcomes agreed upon by all.

In conclusion, the Haudenosaunee continue to utilize their founding constitution, Gayanesshagowa, to successfully implement their traditional peacemaking protocols. Integral to these protocols, the condolence ceremony serves to ease the pain of grieving community members and establish a clear space for productive peacemaking. The principles and practices of this deep-rooted, nonviolent confederacy could be further utilized by other native peoples to facilitate peaceful negotiations and healing.

(continue reading)

[distort-opia]

You're braver than me for mentioning Khoa and Joker parallel in this hellsite that very much hate Joker lol. Im holding myself back from pointing out the same thing everytime i read Khoa story in fear someone gonna attack me. But anyway what do you think are the differences between their relationship (ghostbat & batjokes) since they're quite similar with each other. Cause tbh with you the way many describe ghostbat here feel just like they're describing batjokes instead

Ngl, this is one of the things that both depresses me and pisses me off about the current state of fandom. It sucks to hear you're too afraid of getting attacked over expressing a personal opinion on a literal blogging platform, built for this express purpose... regarding fictional characters and within a fandom, which is supposed to be fun. The block button and the filtering options exist for a reason though; I tag my stuff accurately so that people can blacklist, and I don't mind if people block me (I'm quite liberal with it myself). It's just part of curating your little niche, so I definitely encourage doing the same, Anon. Besides, despite the hellsite having its downsides, I've interacted with very reasonable and fun people as well, who dislike Joker or Batjokes but are fully capable of treating others with maturity and respect.

That being said, I agree that Batjokes and Ghostbat share a lot of similarities. I guess that for some it affords the fascinations of this type of dynamic for Bruce without the baggage Joker's character would unavoidably bring (both within Universe, and within fandom). However, there's definitely some essential differences between Ghostbat and Batjokes. Perhaps the most important consequence of them is that unlike Batjokes, Ghostbat has significantly higher chances of not ending in tragedy.

The thing about Joker is that, despite how seemingly desperate for attention and in love with Batman he canonically is, he also... hates Bruce's guts. And I'm making the distinction between 'Batman' and 'Bruce' because Joker himself makes it. Joker needs Batman on a fundamental level. He perceives his own current identity as having been shaped and defined by Batman, and he sees Bruce, the person underneath the mask, as the source of potential weakness and a threat to the Bat's existence. That's because Joker thinks of his own humanity as useless and weak, having decided to discard it and stomp it out. He then proceeds to try and do the same with Bruce's. This has literally been their main conflict since Death of the Family onwards.

Khoa also takes issue with Bruce being driven by emotion. He also considers it a weakness-- Bruce's need to save people, his vigilantism having revenge at its roots instead of a desire to perfect an art. However, Ghostmaker wasn't a direct result of Bruce's actions (accidental or not), like Joker is. Khoa's identity is much more stable and independent, not irrevocably intertwined with Bruce's Batman to the pathological degree Joker's is; and as a result, he's less extreme about it. Khoa can allow for disagreement without resorting to destroying Bruce's life, whereas Joker (at least of now) cannot allow any compromises, any pause from conflict-- because he needs it. Khoa, however, is able to stop and make peace. He challenges Bruce and his need for control just enough, right up to the point of fully enabling Bruce's darkness and self-destructiveness. Joker never stops. He keeps escalating the trauma, the horrors; a pit of knives Bruce keeps throwing himself into.

In a way, shipping Ghostbat is indulging in a dynamic similar to Batjokes, but one that can have a happier ending. Bruce can be a person with Khoa, whereas Joker would tear vulnerability to shreds. The parallels between Joker War and Ghostmaker's introduction arc are so interesting to me also because they showcase this from the start. The final confrontation with Joker, in Batman (2016) #100, has Joker stab Bruce in the back and then almost cut his face off, talking about how he'd then have "to start from scratch." Joker is tearing everything down to have Bruce rebuild it-- alone. The final confrontation with Khoa also includes him telling Bruce he's not enough, he's weak, he needs to become stronger; it also includes being stabbed in the back, but while in a fair fight that has rules. And then Bruce wakes up to Khoa sowing up the wounds he himself inflicted.

That's the crucial difference between the ships, I would say. Despite their disagreements, Bruce and Khoa are on the same side, and Bruce can expect to survive showing weakness to Khoa. Joker is, paradoxically, on the side of Batman alone and also against Bruce. That's not to say it couldn't be different, and that a happier ending is impossible to imagine for them too-- but it's a lot more complicated. Personally, I enjoy Batjokes so much because of how difficult a relationship would be. It inevitably has to involve Joker allowing himself to be human (since otherwise he would not allow Batman to be) and that's such a heavy and complex deconstruction of trauma that's fascinating to delve into.

Hope this was interesting to read through! There's a lot more stuff to say about the differences between Khoa and Joker as characters and their brand of psychopathy, and how that impacts the dynamic with Bruce, but I'm waiting for Batman Inc. and their interaction there to see where DC takes it. (Please let it be good.)

[mariacallous]

This week, as every week, Brexit enfeebled the UK. It was not a one-off disaster, like a fatal heart attack. Rather Brexit is showing itself to be a debilitating disease that never grants us a moment’s peace.

In the past few days

The post-Brexit trade talks between the UK and Canada collapsed. Despite all the promises of global Britain crossing the clear blue oceans and cutting deals with India, the US, Canada and China, we remain isolated.

After years of being too scared to actually take control of the UK’s borders, the government promised checks on imported food from the EU. The effect, according to the food industry, will be to raise prices and produce shortages. (Romantics searching for flowers for Valentine’s Day may well have their work cut out, despairing florists are already warning.)

Brexit took away the right of Brits to live and work where we pleased in the EU. For a while in 2023 it looked as if France would allow British expats to stay for longer than 90 days at a stretch. But the French courts blocked that concession to second home owners in the Dordogne.

Meanwhile the Brexit inspired border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK continued to enrage Ulster Unionists, who in their hearts must now know that English Tories have played them for fools.

Finally, the Guardian reported that the EU's plans to increase bulk medicine procurement across the bloc risk creating shortages in Britain.

That’s just in the past few days.  

And yet the politicians who promised the electorate that leaving the EU would turn us into a world leader are simply not held to account.

You would have to be 35 or older to remember how the BBC used to deal with politicians who failed to deliver on their promises. In 2003 Tony Blair backed the US invasion of Iraq on the grounds that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

He didn’t.

BBC journalists tore into the then Labour government. Its ministers had taken us to war on a false prospectus, they claimed. Lied, in short.

And yet in a dereliction of journalistic duty the BBC has let the false prospectus of Brexit pass without the smallest attempt to remind its authors of their false promises.

Here is Daniel Hannan, the Zelig of British nationalism. For more than two decades, he popped up at what felt like every right-wing meeting and rally, urging ever more Utopian fantasies on the luckless British public.  

In 2016, he promised the revival of depressed British cities, a Silicon Valley in the East End of London, and falling prices and booming wages for us all.

Is he or any other Conservative or Faragist politician questioned to within an inch of his life by the BBC?

Of course not. Continuous funding cuts and right-wing attacks have destroyed the corporation’s ability to provide a vital news service. It’s given up on democratic accountability.

I can make one argument in its defence. If a BBC presenter were in the room with me now, I am sure they would say that the Labour opposition is giving them nothing to report. It is staying silent for fear of alienating elderly voters. The Liberal Democrats shut up for the same reason.

In its politicians and media, the UK is like the caricature Victorian family that puts on a show of respectability and says nothing about its dirty secrets.

No one, however, can shut up Professor Chris Grey, and our culture is the better for it. His Brexit & Beyond blog is the best source of information on our national malaise, and I was delighted to have him on podcast.

I will write a longer piece, which will bounce off our conversation about the purity spiral on the right Brexit set off. With a bit of luck that should be up tomorrow or on Wednesday. I am also working of a read on the lessons from the 1920s for the 2020s.

[the-monkey-ruler]

Paladins (2018)

Date: May 8, 2018 Platform: Mac / PC / Xbox One / PlayStation 4 / Nintendo Switch Developer: Evil Mojo Games / Hi-Rez Studios Publisher: Hi-Rez Studios Genre: First-Person Shooter / MOBA Theme: Fantasy Type: Appropriation

Summary:

Paladins: Champions of the Realm (known in-game as Paladins) is a free-to-play multiplayer-focused high-fantasy first-person/third-person shooter developed by Hi-Rez Studios (later by Evil Mojo) and released digitally by Hi-Rez Studios for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Mac on May 8, 2018. It was later released for the Nintendo Switch on June 12, 2018.

A "hero shooter" in the same vein as Blizzard's Overwatch, Paladins combines elements from class-based teamplay shooters (such as Team Fortress 2) with hero-based MOBAs (such as SMITE). The game includes a deck-building system, allowing players to customize the abilities and playstyle of each Champion, and later added complete cross-platform multiplayer and progression support.

The game takes place in a fantasy realm years after a group of magical warriors (known as the Paladins) brought about an era of peace after a cataclysmic event. After the discovery of newfound limitless magic through crystals, two major factions are at war: a powerful order of magic users known as the Magistrate (led by ex-Paladin Karne, who seeks to quell potential chaos by banning all crystal magic from the common population) and the common Resistance (led by ex-Paladin Valera, who believes that crystal magic can be used freely for progress).

The Steam version of the game was originally released as an early access title September 15, 2016, while the XB1 and PS4 versions received an open beta on May 3, 2017. Along with seasonal updates, the game later received two spin-offs: the mobile top-down "hero shooter" Paladins Strike and the survival-shooter Realm Royale.

Source: https://www.giantbomb.com/paladins/3030-51613/

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnUZl3zZnyU

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

THE FASHION CHOICES OF A "PSYCHEDELIC BIKER" -- A LOOK AT HARD ROCK STYLES OF YORE.

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on a handful of former fashion style items belonging to Billy Duffy, musician/lead guitarist for English gothic rock/hard rock band THE CULT, c. mid 1980s.

"CLASH" BOOTS: "These Santa Rosa motorcycle boots were my first ever pair of "real" "Clash" boots. I think I bought them in 1984 on The Cult's first U.S. tour but I do remember that I had to take a taxi to get to the store which was on Santa Monica Boulevard in West LA. It was around that time that I was developing my psychedelic biker look with the paisley shirt, beads and motorcycle belt buckles. But they're probably most notable for being "the" boots from the opening sequence of "Love Removal Machine" video!"

BELT BUCKLE: "I picked up this Harley-Davidson belt buckle at the same time as I bought my "Clash" Motorcycle Boots from the store in Santa Monica Boulevard in West LA. Along with the 'Triumph' one it became part of my psychedelic biker look and was worn often onstage in the 1980s and likely to be seen in several videos and photo shoots." -- BILLY DUFFY, c. February 2016

IRON CROSS: Billy's original German Army WWII 'Iron Cross' that featured extensively in the photoshoot's for the "Love" album. “Around 1982 I worked on a stall in Kensington Market, London that sold vintage military clothing and memorabilia and I picked up this old German medal there. I’d always had an interest in war history, as does Ian, but I started wearing the Iron Cross in The Cult because I was influenced by the look of the Asheton Brothers on the sleeve of the classic debut album from The Stooges. It was part of my psychedelic biker look that also included hippy beads with a peace sign, the Triumph Motorcycle belt buckle, leather pants and the paisley shirts.”

All items featured in THE BILLY DUFFY COLLECTION Auction on 25th October 2019.

Source: www.billyduffy.com/memorabilia/the-cult-early-years-83-86/billys-harley-davidson-belt-buckle.

[goldendiie]

AMERICANA (AO3): ACADEMIC SOURCES :) *note: This bibliography is not comprehensive and is subject to change at any time.

Brennan, Mary C. Turning Right in the Sixties: The Conservative Capture of the GOP. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1995.

Burner, David. Making Peace with the Sixties. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1996.

Farber, David. Chicago ’68. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1988.

Gitlin, Todd. The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage. New York: Bantam, 1987.

Gosse, Van. Rethinking the New Left: An Interpretive History. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005

Hartman, Andrew. A War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2016.

Hayden, Tom. Reunion: A Memoir. New York: Random House, 1988.

Hoffman, Abbie. Revolution for the Hell of It. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1968.

Isserman, Maurice and Kazin, Micheal. American Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015.

McNamara, Robert S. In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam. New York: Random House, 1995.

Miller, Timothy. The 60s Communes: Hippies and Beyond. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1999.

Perry, Hellen. The Human Be-In. New York: The Penguin Press, 1970.

Rubin, Jerry. Do It!: Scenarios for the Revolution. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1970.

Weiner, Rex Woodstock Census: The Nationwide Survey of the Sixties Generation. New York: The Viking Press, 1979.

[usafphantom2]

First phase of Taiwan's F-16V program is completed

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 02/06/2024 - 19:23in Military, War Zones

The $4.5 billion "Peace Phoenix Rising" program to upgrade 139 Taiwanese F-16 fighters to the F-16V configuration (Block 70-72) is completed, the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) announced on February 5. The next step in strengthening Taiwan's air defenses is to deliver 66 newly built F-16 jets in a comparable configuration, scheduled for the next two to three years.

The upgrade gives Taiwan's F-16s a capacity equivalent to or greater than most U.S. Air Force F-16s. The program is intended to help dissuade the People's Republic of China from a military attack on Taiwan.

The last jet updated for the "Viper" was delivered in December, after the final checks, AFLCMC said. The Taiwan Air Force, officially known as the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF), ordered its first operational wing of F-16Vs in November 2021.

"This massive upgrade," as the AFLCMC described, provided the Taiwanese F-16s with the AESA AN/APG-83 radar built by Northrop Grumman, the Sniper sighting pod, Link 16, a helmet-mounted signaling system, accurate GPS Navigation, advanced weapon capability, an upgraded modular mission computer, a high-speed data Ethernet network, a new cabin pedestal central display and reinforced landing gear.

“Additional modifications to the aircraft include a series of structural upgrades to the wings, fuselage and landing gear that make the aircraft more capable and sustainable. It also allows for a heavier takeoff, as well as a higher landing weight,” said Nathan Frock, interim manager of the AFLCMC safety assistance program for the Taiwan F-16 modernization program.

The update program began in 2016 and the first completed aircraft was delivered at the end of 2018. The "Peace Phoenix Rising" is the largest FMS program to modernize the F-16 since the F-16 was introduced to the U.S. Air Force in 1979, the AFLCMC said. Taiwan bought 150 F-16A/B fighters in 1992; most of them were updated under Peace Phoenix. The upgrade was originally supposed to cover 144 aircraft, but there have been wear and tear losses since the original order.

Taiwan requested the upgrade of Block 70 and the sale of the new jet after being rejected in the purchase of F-35.

The completion of the program follows a letter from 24 U.S. lawmakers to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall in November 2023, asking USAF to expedite the completion of the program and move quickly with the subsequent purchase of $8 billion of 66 new F-16Vs approved by Congress in 2019. They observed that the updates were delayed and the newly built fighters were postponed for at least two and maybe three years.

"We still consider these cases of FMS to be high-risk," the legislators said. Members said that the two cases of the FMS - the update and sales of the new F-16 - were "impacted from its inception by optimistic assumptions about how quickly new technologies and modifications could be integrated" into the F-16 project.

“Taiwan urgently needs these new and updated aircraft, and a stronger and more resilient Taiwan will improve stability across the Taiwan Strait,” they said.

U.S. Air Force procurement executive Andrew Hunter responded that USAF is exploring “all options to prioritize and expedite” the transfer of new F-16V to Taipei.

Although the first two new jets were expected to be delivered at the end of 2023, this did not happen; the delay was attributed by USAF and Lockheed Martin to "complex development challenges" in the development of new software for hunting. Industry sources now say that Taiwan should receive its first F-16 Block 70 in the third quarter of 2024.

In their letter to Kendall, lawmakers asked USAF not to make "equally optimistic assumptions when demonstrating in the future. We can't afford to promise too much and deliver little to our closest friends."

President Joe Biden's administration pledged to accelerate the foreign military sales process and, last week, reported that 2023 was a record year for FMS agreements, totaling $80.9 billion, an increase of 55% from fiscal year 2022.

Unlike the previous F-16s, which had a lifespan of about 8,000 hours, the newly built F-16Vs will have a service life of 12,000 hours.

The Taiwan Aerospace Industry Development Center (AIDC) was a subcontractor of Lockheed in Taiwan. Together, the two companies designed and built the F-CK-1 Ching Kuo, or IDF (Indigenous Defense Fighter), developed in Taiwan, 130 of which were delivered in the 1990s. The jets are considered to have capacity between the Northrop F-5E, which Taiwan also flies, and the F-16. The Taiwan Air Force also includes 2000 Dassault Mirage jets, some of which may have their service life extended due to delays in the delivery of the F-16V.

The AFLCMC said it is now working on a second phase of the upgrade project - "Peace Phoenix Rising Modernization II" - which will add capacity to the AGM-88 (HARM) high-speed anti-radiation missile, an automatic ground collision prevention system, the MS-110 multispectral recognition pods and the AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW).

"We know that this work has not been completed, as we continue to accelerate the capacity upgrades of the existing F-16 fleet of the Taiwan Air Force, but it is definitely worth highlighting the successful achievement of this important milestone," said Colonel Eddie Wagner, Senior Materials Leader of the AFLCMC F-16 FMS programs.

Taiwan was also approved for infrared search and tracking (IRST) systems worth $500 million for the F-16s last August. Legion IRST systems are considered essential to help fourth-generation fighters, such as F-16 aircraft sight jets with low radar cross-section, such as China's J-20.

“I am extremely proud of how all stakeholders involved with this critical modification [Peace Phoenix Rising] were able to overcome so many obstacles, including the COVID-19 pandemic, to deliver all 139 modernized aircraft by the end of 2023,” Wagner said. "We know that the work is not completed while we continue to accelerate the capacity upgrades of the existing F-16 fleet of the Taiwan Air Force, but it is definitely worth highlighting the successful achievement of this important milestone."

Lockheed has at least six customers for the Lockheed F-16V/Block 70 and delivered the first two to Slovakia in January. Company officials say they intend to produce up to 36 F-16 fighters per year by the end of 2024 and 48 per year by the end of 2025 at the Lockheed factory in Greenville, South Carolina, where the production of the F-16 was transferred from Fort Worth, Texas, several years ago. However, at these rates, it will be a challenge to deliver all new F-16V from Taiwan by 2026.

O.J. Sanchez, vice president of the integrated hunting group and general manager of Lockheed, said the company sees substantial opportunities to upgrade the F-16, with more than 3,000 F-16 jets flying around the world. Greece, for example, has accepted more than 10 F-16 fighters updated for configuration V of the 84 that are expected to be delivered by 2027.

Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine

Tags: Military AviationF-16VLockheed MartinRoCAF - Republic of China Air Force/Air Force of TaiwanUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air ForceWar Zones - China/Taiwan

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[ao3feed-stony]

Finding Of A Lifetime

by ten3ris

Tony Stark is dying.

This is not his first time, but this will certainly be his last. A person can only die once, after all. Upon hearing the news of his impending doom, Tony’s reaction wasn’t one of fear, of dread, or of sadness. It is a profound sense of peace that comes over him, instead. He is finally granted rest. To step away from a lifetime of guilt and pain. He will be freed.

But the world needs Iron Man. Not Tony Stark, never Tony Stark, but Iron Man.

So Tony makes a plan.

Words: 2354, Chapters: 1/7, Language: English

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark

Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Sick Tony Stark, De-Serumed Steve Rogers, Mutual Pining, Angst, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Has Issues, Canon Divergence - Post-Movie: Captain America: Civil War (2016), No Steve bashing, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Self-Esteem Issues

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/47779546

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Riddler: Into The Dano-Verse

by neilpissyrega

Klitz, Eli and Matthew are fooling about one day when they suddenly get summoned into some strange city called Gotham, along with a bunch of other people that look exactly like Klitz. Problem is, they can’t get out.

OR: Dano characters (and the tripod) are dropped into Gotham City. Chaos ensues.

Words: 3553, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Batman (Movie 2022), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), The Girl Next Door (2004), War and Peace (TV 2016), Fast Food Nation (2006), For Ellen (2012), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Extra Man (2010), Okja (2017), Ruby Sparks (2012)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Percy Dolarhyde, Klitz (The Girl Next Door 2004), Calvin Weir-Fields, Matthew Kidman, Eli Brooks, Eli Sunday, Edward Nygma, Edward Nashton, Louis Ives, Bruce Wayne, Joby Taylor, Dwayne Hoover, Pyotr "Pierre" Kirillovich Bezukhov, Brian (Fast Food Nation), Brian Wilcox (Fast Food Nation), Jay (Okja)

Relationships: Eli/Klitz (The Girl Next Door 2004)/You, Danielle/Matthew Kidman

Additional Tags: shitpost, this is basically crack with plot, made this at 4am, enjoy, Riddler (DCU) Played by Paul Dano, Batman Played by Robert Pattinson, Bisexual Klitz (The Girl Next Door 2004), eli is gay, Bisexuality, did Not look over this at all, jfk jokes, LMAO, Crack Treated Seriously, Crack Crossover, Multiple Crossovers, Bruce Wayne is emo

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/45726151

[archivio-disattivato]

Images:

Info-graphic with photos of Anti-Zionist Shoah Survivors, both when they were young and now that they are old.

Transcript:

INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY 2024

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we mourn the Jewish, Romani, disabled, queer people, and communists murdered in the Nazi Holocaust. We draw inspiration from their resistance as we fight to end the genocide in Palestine. We share the lives of anti-Zionist Holocaust, or Shoah, survivors who experienced horror and stood up and said, "Never again- for anyone."

Sources: bit.ly/IHRDL24

JVP BOSTON

Anti-Zionist Shoah Survivors: Marek Edelman (1919-2009)

Marek Edelman was a member of the Jewish Labor Bund before WWII, and became a leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943-1944. Postwar, Marek became a cardiologist. He was a lifelong human rights activist, accompanying an aid convoy to Sarajevo during the Bosnian genocide in 1993. Shoah is the Hebrew word used to describe the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis.

"To be a Jew means always being with the

oppressed and never with the oppressors." -Marek Edelman

Marek was a lifelong anti-Zionist, seeing in the Palestinian struggle a clear mirror of the Jewish resistance during the Shoah. In a 2002 letter to the Palestinian resistance, he offered his solidarity as a former resistance fighter.

Hans Joachim "Hajo" Meyer (1924-2014)

Hajo Meyer was a German-born physicist whose youth was marked by Kristallnacht, being sent to Holland on the Kindertransport, and deported to Auschwitz. As a result of his experience in Auschwitz, Hajo Meyer felt his moral duty as a human being was to never become like his oppressors. A fervent antizionist, he was the director of A Different Jewish Voice, a Dutch-Jewish organization that rejected the Israeli occupation and oppression of Palestinians.

Meyer built on Hans Keilson's theory of "sequential

traumatizing," arguing that Israel has re-traumatized Jews JVP BOSTON to indoctrinate citizens and create loyalty to the state. Meyer was one of 40 Holocaust survivors and 287 descendants who signed an open letter condemning Israeli "massacre of Palestinians" and supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement. In his last interview with The Electronic Intifada in 2014, he urged Palestinians to not give up the fight.

"[Zionism] is contrary to what Jewish ethics says. Indeed, political Zionism is xenophobic, nationalistic, colonialistic and racist." -Hajo Meyer

Hedy Epstein (1924-2016)

Hedy Epstein (nee Wachenheimer) was born in Germany. In 1939 she was sent to England on the Kindertransport while all but two of her family members were killed in Auschwitz. She worked with the Allied forces in postwar Germany on the "Doctors' trial" at Nuremberg. She emigrated to the US and became an activist for affordable housing, the pro-choice movement, and the antiwar movement.

Hedy's activism for Palestinian freedom began when she learned of the brutal Sabra and Shatila massacres during the 1982 Israeli war on Lebanon. On a 2004 college speaking tour, Hedy was heckled and demonized for juxtaposing an image of Jews in Nazi Germany with one of Palestinians at Israeli checkpoints. She was accused of antisemitism and the ADL cited her talk as an "example of anti-Israel campus activism." Hedy continued her activism with the Black Lives Matter movement and was arrested in 2014 in a St. Louis protest in the wake of the murder of Michael Brown by police.

Lillian Rosengarten (1935-)

Lillian Rosengarten is a Jewish-American clinical social worker and peace activist whose family fled Nazi Germany when she was a child. In 2010 she boarded the "Jewish Boat for Gaza" intending to break the Israeli blockade, retold in her autobiography "Survival and Conscience - From the Shadows of Nazi Germany to the Jewish Boat for Gaza" (2015). She has also written for Mondoweiss and other publications.

"The hatred of Palestinians has been so manipulated throughout Israel, Europe, and the US. I as a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany cannot help but see an echo of an early Nazi Jew hatred." -Lillian Rosengarten

Suzanne Berliner Weiss (1941-)

Suzanne Berliner Weiss was born in 1941 to Jewish refugees in France, given to a French farm family when they were arrested by the Vichy government. She became an orphan and was eventually adopted by a Jewish couple in New York. Her adoptive parents' cruelty and the discovery that her birth mother had been a member of the Jewish Bund, a socialist anti-zionist group, led Suzanne to become a socialist and a civil rights and anti-war activist. She became explicitly anti-Zionist when she learned about the Nakba and Zionist collaboration with the Nazis through the Ha'avara trade agreement.

Suzanne is a member of Canadian-British organization Independent Jewish Voices, has been heavily involved in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, and has vigorously defended student advocates for Palestine against accusations of antisemitism.

"As for the Palestinians, their every attempt to voice grievances is now branded as antisemitic. The Palestinians, who have suffered so much from Israeli rule, now face an implacable attempt to silence them entirely." -Suzanne Berliner Weiss

Rather proud of the post I made for JVP Boston for Holocaust Remembrance Day!

Antizionist Jewish Shoah survivors have always been some of my heroes.

And every one of them has been attacked and discredited by Zionists.

[darkmaga-returns]

Last night, in an exchange in the comments, a commenter pointed out that Tom Luongo has said (whether to patrons or publicly, I’m not sure) that he doesn’t believe Trump will be behind a Middle East war. I responded that I believe Tom is correct. Back in 2016 the Sheldon Adelson money was the biggest donor source for Trump and Trump—as the ultimate DC outsider—was forced to take a lot of backstabbers into his administration. All that is, or should be, different now.

Yes, the Adelson money was big, once again. But Trump has many more deep pocket donors. He also will be looking for a legacy this time around—his delayed second term—and he has stated after his victory that he will be looking to bring about peace. I believe the Pentagon will be, more or less, on the side of peace. They know now that they could lose any such war. And more and more GOP senators know this, too. Marco Rubio, for example, is openly criticizing “funding a stalemate”. There’s more, and it will be very basic to Trump 2.0.

Trump Has Sweeping Plans For His 2nd Administration: Here's What He Has Proposed Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times Projected President-elect Donald Trump has made a number of sweeping proposals for a second term in office, outlining a wide-ranging agenda that targets federal regulations, taxes, immigration, and social issues. …

That’s a hugely ambitious agenda, and Trump knows he can’t accomplish that—can’t really begin to address that—while waging a global war. He knows that his voters did not back a global war, and he knows that his mandate can’t be dictated to him by AIPAC shills in Congress. Even those AIPAC shills can read the exit polls and see where the mandate comes from. I don’t believe that Trump will be inclined to genuflect to a POS like Netanyahu.

Now, this morning I listened to the first part of a podcast by BLKelleran:

Election Aftermath, The Different Factions Of Power & The Future Of America

His guest, EMBurlingame made a number of interesting geopolitical comments, some of which, to me, mirrored Tom Luongo’s Theory of Everything. For example, EMB stressed that,

with SOFR, the US is now independent of the City of London. He further stated that

Europe is in bad shape, and nowhere worse than in the UK and Germany.

These two countries had backed a world war against Russia as a means to get out of their debt traps by looting Russia.

EMB doesn’t believe there will be any such world war because Russia-China-Iran are simply too strong for us.

I believe Trump gets all that, too, and understands that Making America Great begins at home.