#then i will attack this w temerity

[ithinkofnealcassady]

BLEASE SHARE ALL UR ASTRID THOUGHTS 🤲🏼🤲🏼

omg can i come back to this after i post the dinner party thing. bc im still tweaking the astrid and stewy portion and i might come up w more lore while working on it 😇

[thebrickinbrick]

Wherein Will Appear the Name of Enjolras's Mistress

Courfeyrac, seated on a paving-stone beside Enjolras, continued to insult the cannon, and each time that that gloomy cloud of projectiles which is called grape-shot passed overhead with its terrible sound he assailed it with a burst of irony.

“You are wearing out your lungs, poor, brutal, old fellow, you pain me, you are wasting your row. That’s not thunder, it’s a cough.”

And the bystanders laughed.

Courfeyrac and Bossuet, whose brave good humor increased with the peril, like Madame Scarron, replaced nourishment with pleasantry, and, as wine was lacking, they poured out gayety to all.

“I admire Enjolras,” said Bossuet. “His impassive temerity astounds me. He lives alone, which renders him a little sad, perhaps; Enjolras complains of his greatness, which binds him to widowhood. The rest of us have mistresses, more or less, who make us crazy, that is to say, brave. When a man is as much in love as a tiger, the least that he can do is to fight like a lion.

That is one way of taking our revenge for the capers that mesdames our grisettes play on us. Roland gets himself killed for Angélique; all our heroism comes from our women. A man without a woman is a pistol without a trigger; it is the woman that sets the man off. Well, Enjolras has no woman. He is not in love, and yet he manages to be intrepid. It is a thing unheard of that a man should be as cold as ice and as bold as fire.”

Enjolras did not appear to be listening, but had any one been near him, that person would have heard him mutter in a low voice: “Patria.”

Bossuet was still laughing when Courfeyrac exclaimed:

“News!”

And assuming the tone of an usher making an announcement, he added:

“My name is Eight-Pounder.”

In fact, a new personage had entered on the scene. This was a second piece of ordnance.

The artillery-men rapidly performed their manœuvres in force and placed this second piece in line with the first.

This outlined the catastrophe.

A few minutes later, the two pieces, rapidly served, were firing point-blank at the redoubt; the platoon firing of the line and of the soldiers from the suburbs sustained the artillery.

Another cannonade was audible at some distance. At the same time that the two guns were furiously attacking the redoubt from the Rue de la Chanvrerie, two other cannons, trained one from the Rue Saint-Denis, the other from the Rue Aubry-le-Boucher, were riddling the Saint-Merry barricade. The four cannons echoed each other mournfully.

The barking of these sombre dogs of war replied to each other.

One of the two pieces which was now battering the barricade on the Rue de la Chanvrerie was firing grape-shot, the other balls.

The piece which was firing balls was pointed a little high, and the aim was calculated so that the ball struck the extreme edge of the upper crest of the barricade, and crumbled the stone down upon the insurgents, mingled with bursts of grape-shot.

The object of this mode of firing was to drive the insurgents from the summit of the redoubt, and to compel them to gather close in the interior, that is to say, this announced the assault.

The combatants once driven from the crest of the barricade by balls, and from the windows of the cabaret by grape-shot, the attacking columns could venture into the street without being picked off, perhaps, even, without being seen, could briskly and suddenly scale the redoubt, as on the preceding evening, and, who knows? take it by surprise.

“It is absolutely necessary that the inconvenience of those guns should be diminished,” said Enjolras, and he shouted: “Fire on the artillery-men!”

All were ready. The barricade, which had long been silent, poured forth a desperate fire; seven or eight discharges followed, with a sort of rage and joy; the street was filled with blinding smoke, and, at the end of a few minutes, athwart this mist all streaked with flame, two thirds of the gunners could be distinguished lying beneath the wheels of the cannons. Those who were left standing continued to serve the pieces with severe tranquillity, but the fire had slackened.

“Things are going well now,” said Bossuet to Enjolras. “Success.”

Enjolras shook his head and replied:

“Another quarter of an hour of this success, and there will not be any cartridges left in the barricade.”

It appears that Gavroche overheard this remark.

[tundesweb]

I like to collect words

macabre: disturbing and horrifying because of involvement w/ or depiction of death and injury 

capricious: fickle (🌚)

rachitic: sickly (comes from the illness rickets)

renunciation: formal rejection

ingratiating:  kiss ass vibes 

conniption: a fit of rage or hysterics 

concubine: a mistress, not wifey 

laurels: awards or praise for achievements 

paroxysm:  a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity

confounded: used for emphasis, especially to express anger or annoyance.

paragon: a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality.

fetid: extremely stinky 

aesthete: a person who has or affects to have a special appreciation of art and beauty.

evanescence: quickly fading

zenith: the time which something is most powerful or successful 

inimitable: so good or unusual as to be impossible to copy; unique.

adulation: dickriding 

prosaic: having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty. wack 

pernicious: having a gradual harmful effect 

custeristic: reckless leadership w/ disregard of human life 

muddlehead: a stupid person  

acquiesce: you may not like it but you gone accept it 

eschew: deliberately avoid; abstain from 

purview: the scope of influence or concerns of something

ossifying: become rigid of fixed in attitude or position; cease developing 

hoi polloi: general people (derogatory)

“limbos beneath”: an statement meaning the topic is a completely that thing like limbos beneath immoral like its immoral immoral 

protract : prolong 

ephemeral: lasting for a very short time

austere: severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance/(of living conditions or a way of life) having no comforts or luxuries; harsh or ascetic.

immutable: unchangeaable 

tenet: a principle or belief esp. one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy 

escrow : a deposit or fund held in trust or as a security.

temerity: excessive confidence or boldness; audacity.

deleterious : causing harm or damage 

etiology: the cause 

solipsism: the view or theory that self is all you can know 

countenance: face/ facial expression

stupefaction: the state of being 

stupefied: make (someone) unable to think or feel properly

tacit: understood or implied without being stated.

convivial: friendly, lively, and enjoyable.

pontificate: express one's opinions in a way considered annoyingly pompous and dogmatic.

cantankerous: bad tempered 

scion: a descendant of a notable family.

anathema: repugnant, repulsive 

[vohannesvotrov]

i was tagged by @celestialkindliness to share a snippet of some writing im working on !! so here is a rewrite of the buildup to a scene that later introduces a key side character ! i also rewrote this during my workplace health class so who knows how good it is *shrug emoji*

key context is that gabriel is an identity forger in an extremely cloistered and authoritarian society who has been pursued by agents of a supranational government/intelligence agency including mikołaj, a “security liaison” turned fugitive after deciding to partner w/ gabriel 

Gabriel clutched at the stolen billfold with a clenched, useless tension, hands starting to tremble with this manifestation of his anxiety. His pace thrummed with that same panic, barely restraining himself from bursting into a run to arrive back at the motel room that Mikołaj lightly described as a prison. It was a horrifically ugly place, but one of the few where he could finally allow himself to dissolve, releasing the panic in a quick and messy burst. He knew that he was on the precipice of a panic attack, one that he was trying to swallow down despite the burn of it. He could almost feel the thread he was dangling by, in the face of an obstacle he didn’t really have the resources to overcome. 

Finally, he was able to swipe his room key, the flimsy plastic falling to the dirty floor from the shakiness of his hands. Finally, he opened the door to let himself in and closed it behind him, the back of his shirt soaked with a cold sweat and pressed to the pitted metal of the door. And when his eyes adjusted to the relative dark of the room, Gabriel saw Mikołaj staring at him with an expression that betrayed a mixture of confusion and concern, still holding the peel of an orange in one hand as he used the other to remove all traces of the pith from each segment. Gabriel had watched this familiar routine before, had seen Mikołaj remove every small piece of pith with such temerity that it could take up to half an hour before he’d even eat the first slice. The safe haven of the action itself, so small and insubstantial but yet a succor, grounded him for a moment, at the very least. 

The smell of citrus grew closer as Mikołaj settled onto the floor perpendicular to him, his legs stretched out in front of Gabriel. Wordlessly, he handed Gabriel an orange slice, the first one that he’d systematically cleared of pith, trading it for the billfold that was in his trembling hand. He flipped open the billfold and looked at the identification of a stranger, that habitual crease showing up between his eyebrows as he studied the thing. Gabriel forced himself to breathe, to make his lungs begin to expand and constrict again, and savored the tart and sweet flavor of the orange. 

“What’s the problem with Mr. Volker?” Mikołaj finally asked, his voice just barely heard over the hum of the air conditioner in the corner. 

“Look at the ink,” Gabriel responded, the dejection beginning to overcome the anxiety. 

Mikołaj handed him another orange slice as he brought the id closer to his face. He was probably overdue to get prescription glasses, but this wasn’t the time to mention it and Gabriel bit into the orange as he watched his partner over-analyze the paperwork. 

“I don’t think I understand.” 

“It’s - different, somehow. If I knew how, it wouldn’t be a problem. But I don’t! The chemistry or the color must be some new proprietary bullshit, with permanent implementation starting the next fiscal year.” He drew a breath, trying and failing not to betray his panic, failing in that his voice reached a choke point at each sentence’s crescendo. 

“Will that matter?” Another orange slice passed into his hands, the soft skin of the fruit in stark contrast to the scarred hands that held it. 

“Eventually, ah - it’s, it’s dumb to be concerned about it now I guess, but - in just a couple years, any id that doesn’t have it will be under more scrutiny than ever.” Gabriel shrugged helplessly. “And the guy I used for the ink analysis was executed a couple years back.” 

It was hard not to care about this, even if it was senseless to think about this now. In all likelihood, if his parent’s abrupt ends and the tragedies of nearly everyone he’s worked with was enough to base this off of, he’d be dead before this change gained significant weight. Mikołaj too. Dead and buried in an unmarked grave along with other dissidents and troublemakers, fingers broken, skin bruised and lacerated, ruined beyond identification. It was stupid, purely fallacious to fight, to continue to struggle against this omnipresent regime, to- 

A hand touched his shoulder, bringing him back to the hotel room with its moth-eaten curtains and stained carpet and smell of citrus, a grounding that made him want to dissolve further. 

“Gabriel,” Mikołaj said, pulling him back from the edge. “We can figure this out.” 

Before, the “we” felt like a personal attack - an uncomfortable association that prickled at his skin. Now, it was like a balm, a refreshing bout of solidarity to know he wasn’t alone. He took a deep breath. 

“How?”

and scene! pls do not criticize me for the fact that i dont understand the manufacturing process and chemistry behind legal and illegal identifications </3 (& billfold is meant to refer to a passport type identification)

[jeremy-ken-anderson]

The Wandering Damage Build

Okay at this point I've gotten to Torment 3 with my build. I've got as much as 150 levels left to gain, and it's already this powerful. I feel like I should talk through the idea.

The original task was to adhere to two rules:

All 3 Companion skills (Wolves, Ravens, and Poison Creeper) had to be on the active bar.

The Key Passive had to be One With Nature (which increases the number of companions following you around).

For my other 3 slots I have Maul and Pulverize (the Werebear basic and core skills) and had Hurricane for leveling and Cataclysm at this point.

The core of making the build work is getting to cast the Companion Active buttons as often as possible. Poison Creeper is outstanding AoE damage, Wolves are frankly unbelievable single-target damage, and with the Stormcrow Aspect the Ravens are fantastic crowd control.

Early on, the core of getting resets is from your Druid Boons. You want: Deer: Reduced Damage from Elites Wolf: Crits have a 20% chance to reset your Companion cooldowns. Snake: Crits with Shapeshifting have a chance to heal you. Eagle: Crit Chance, and Attack Speed

Later on, there's also a unique called Yen's Blessing to go after. This causes you to cast extra instances of your Companion skills 60% of the time when using Any Other Skill. It's kind of bananas. As long as we're on the topic...

Legendary Aspects and Uniques I mentioned Stormcrow aspect. Others of note are Shepherds and Stampede, which are both a must for a companion build, Alpha which improves your wolves, and the new Moonrage aspect which buffs your wolves like mad. Once those are handled, you can flex a bit. I used Protecting Aspect for a bit, I've used Exploiter's Aspect since hitting Torment 2 because a lot of enemies are starting to turn Unstoppable, and once in Torment you can get Storm's Companion, which is another giant buff to wolves. Fevered Mauling is also surprisingly good, because it speeds up your mauls (meaning more chances to crit and recover your Companion skills) and gives you bonus damage reduction, which gets better and better the higher you climb. Before you get Storm's Companion, Temerity is also a great option. It lets you drink potions at the end of battle to enter the next battle with a barrier, which is great for your sense of momentum and means fewer potion hp go to waste.

You'll probably want to build 5 ranks of Maul for most of the early game, but eventually pull 4 ranks back out. Pulverize deals enough damage to be worth keeping points in, but eventually the damage from Maul is entirely negligible even if you have 5 points, so you might as well save those 4 points for defensive stuff or passive damage bonuses. You'll be using it just for the knockdown and the potential for a reset on your real damage-dealers: Raven, Wolves, and Poison Creeper. You should immediately take the passive skills that improve your defense in bear form, but don't take the one that says you get auto-Overpower after x seconds as a bear. It'll never happen, because all your Companion skills turn you back into a human.

When you're leveling and using Hurricane, you can skip everything related to Ults, since you don't have one. You can respec into ult-related buffs if you swap out somewhere in Torment.

Paragon

Your Glyphs are Wilds, Keeper, Fang and Claw, Werebear, and Exploit. I don't have a final path for them; I'm still in the "fuck around" stage of finding out.

Your Paragon Boards are Untamed, Survival Instincts, Heightened Malice, and Constricting Tendrils. You want all of the legendary nodes and most of the rare ones that improve damage.

Gems and Runes

Use your gem slots on amulet and rings to fill out your defenses: as close to 1000 armor as possible, and 70% resistance to every element.

Amethyst on weapon makes your Poison Creeper damage a lot scarier. Topaz on weapon pre-60, before you take points out of Maul, and Diamond later.

Diamond and Sapphire on armor.

I use the rune word that summons spirit wolves (which sadly don't benefit from aspects that empower wolves), and tied it to how often I inflict status effects, because Stormcrow inflicts a ton of stun and Creepers inflict immobilize.

The other is flexible. For a while I had it where every two dashes I'd cast a Curse at my location, and currently I have it so every time I drink a potion I gain 20% temporary max hp. Which...generally if I'm drinking a potion I probably need extra hp, and without the Temerity unique I'm usually wasting a ton of potion healing, so the extra hp might mean I waste a little less.

[lazysublimeengineer]

crystal clear

Summary: One shot sequel to, "of glamorous appearances and intrigues"

“So that’s Hanagaki.” Senju fixed him with an attentive look as if witnessing something foolish yet radiant at the same time.

Wakasa still looked apathetic and disinterested at the unfolding events in front of him. But he knew that upon hearing Takemichi’s resolute words and clear objectives, it made him want to laugh at his idiotic brazenness yet he can’t tear his eyes away from the compelling beauty of his bravery hiding underneath his gawky and jittery appearance.

—Or how they’ve looked at Takemichi like he brought out the shining light to a dark place of chaos beyond them.

Characters: Takemichi H., Draken R., Senju K., I. Wakasa

In the middle of the impending war and traffic jam, Takemichi decided that he needed to put a stop to this mess. Or maybe he unexpectedly started it since Terano was looking at him like he wanted to crush an insect while the other gangsters surrounding them gaped at him as if he had lost his goddamn mind.

“I have no interest…Neither in Brahman, nor Rokuhara Tandai! I am only here to defeat Kantou Manji Gang’s leader, Sano Manjirou!” Takemichi bellowed with a determined look on his face. His blue eyes shining in temerity and boldness.

Whispers and murmurs erupted from the onlookers around them.

“I see. So that’s why you’re here.” Kakucho stated calmly.

“Are you insane?! Are you trying to interfere with the three deities?! A small fry like you?!” Terano yelled at him furiously, blocking his path with his imposing stature and wrath.

Takemichi kept his firm stance in front of him even though Terano’s imposing figure made him want to back down and stepped away out of reflex.

A punch suddenly went flying into Terano’s direction where the latter barely managed to dodged it with his arm blocking his body. But the sudden punch still sent him flying into the other side of the path.

Did he just got hit?!

“If you want to get to Takemitchy, you have to go through me!” Draken shot a proud smile at Takemichi’s direction before regarding Terano with a challenging yet mocking grin on his face.

“Come on, let’s begin round two!”

“Viiivo!” Terano yelled with a wide grin on his face before he ran towards Draken’s direction.

However, the loud sirens of the police cars halted their movements and looked around sharply.

“The cops?!” Takemichi cried, his eyes widening in surprise and panic.

“Tch. Let’s settle this some other time, Draken.” Terano stated in half disappointment and a matter of fact voice.

“South! I had left the old me in the Tokyo Manji Gang! I’ll never join Rokuhara Tandai!” Draken bellowed.

Terano didn’t deign him with a response and continued walking away from him.

‘You never change Draken. Your heart will always be with Toman.’ Takemichi inwardly thought with a small smile on his face.

As Draken and Takemichi watched Kakucho and the other members of their gang followed Terano away, Akashi called Draken’s attention and went towards his direction.

“Akashi?”

“Sorry for just standing quietly.” Akashi uttered as he patted Draken’s shoulders lightly before walking past him.

Draken watched him go although he could sensed Takemichi’s surprised and bewildered look into their direction.

He inwardly sighed. One of the reasons why he didn’t tell Takemichi earlier about his involvement with the Brahman gang was that he didn’t want Takemichi getting into another dangerous fray again. Knowing Takemichi, he wouldn’t hesitate to jumped onboard into the dangerous world of delinquency again once he knew everything. It’s already alarming itself that Takemichi still wanted to find and save Mikey despite him warning that Mikey had already changed and won’t hesitate to kill him if he decided to interfere and be a nuisance towards him.

But he guessed that Takemichi doesn’t operate like the other people. He was stubbornly firm about his beliefs and actions especially towards the people that he cared about the most. And maybe that’s one of the reasons why he’s also fond of their crybaby hero regardless of him being an awkward, lanky lad.

As Mikey had noted in the past, he may not be dexterous in a fight but he doesn’t give in easily to his opponents. He’s strong in his own way. And Draken wanted to protect him.

Takemichi had already saved his life in the past and now was the right time to return the favor to him and protect his future.

His short, wavy locks danced along the soft breeze of air. In the midst of the growing chaos around them, Senju was transfixed to the unflinching blond in front of them.

Takemichi was spouting some bold claims of not joining either of the two gangs and instead has the goal of defeating Manjirou Sano, the leader of the Bonten gang and one of the three deities.

“So that’s Hanagaki.” Senju fixed him with an attentive look as if witnessing something foolish yet radiant at the same time.

Senju didn’t know whether to laugh or raised an eyebrow at that imbecilic yet strong-willed goal of the blond.

Nevertheless, he finally got to witness one of Takemichi’s display of firmness and relentless attitude. No wonder the people around him always compared him to the late Shinichiro Sano. He’s physically weak in fighting but he’s great at drawing and motivating the people around him with his firm words and actions. Takemichi’s charisma was showing when the situation needed him to be determined and unyielding to the pressure in front of him.

While Draken was still busy defending Takemichi against Terano, he made his way towards the rattled blond and looked at him in the eye.

Takemichi yelped and he almost fell down to the ground since he was taken aback by Senju’s sudden appearance in front of him. But he quickly regained his footing and stood firm on his spot.

“E-excuse me?” Takemichi stammered, a complete opposite of his resolute self a while ago.

Senju’s lips curled upwards, his eyes dancing in hidden amusement beneath his penetrating gaze. Before Takemichi could backed away and protest, he leaned closer and whispered something into his ear.

“How bold of you Hanagaki to expressed a brave claim like that. You don’t fail to surprise people and mess with their heads.” His voice came out low, deep and throaty with his warm breath fanning against Takemichi’s senses. It made the blond’s eyes widen briefly and his heart sped up quickly.

“Eh? W-what do you m—?” His words were cut off when Senju pulled away and walked past him like it was nothing.

Senju had a feeling that this was not the last time that he’ll encounter the interesting blond and he will look forward to it.

Takemichi could only stare at his retreating form, unable to form a coherent sentence with the sudden close encounter with him. He was still trying to calm his stuttering heart inside his chest.

Why did Senju never failed to make him feel like that?

In spite of his small stature and seraphic features, he has the power to intimidate and draw the attention of people to him. His charisma and power reminded him of Mikey. The only difference was that he was sporting a calm and placid expression most of the time, he didn’t really see him sporting another expression on his face aside from the mild annoyance that he felt towards Shion earlier when the man questioned his presence there contemptuously.

He was a complete mystery to Takemichi.

Yet at the same time he felt like he was also figuring him out.

Takemichi just watched him go, unable to say anything in spite of his own heart wanted to tell otherwise.

Wakasa still looked apathetic and disinterested at the unfolding events in front of him. But he knew that upon hearing Takemichi’s resolute words and clear objectives, it made him want to laugh at his idiotic brazenness yet he can’t tear his eyes away from the compelling beauty of his bravery hiding underneath his gawky and jittery appearance.

His bored gaze slide through Senju who whispered something to Takemichi that made the blond shaken not out of fear but out of surprise and incredulity.

Senju can be that dramatic sometimes. Nevertheless, Wakasa narrowed his eyes at their proximity and the blond’s flustered reaction towards him, making him fold his arms across his chest and lips turned into a thin line.

He’s not the only one who can make him feel like that.

After watching Terano and Draken’s anticlimactic end of almost brawling with each other with a bored expression on his face, Wakasa sauntered towards Takemichi’s direction who’s panicking again at the thought of cops making their way to them.

It’s both exasperating and amusing really. His reaction is akin to an ordinary citizen living here. He’s definitely an oddball to their world of delinquency.

“Yo, Takemichi.” He drawled out lazily as he played on the lollipop stick at the side of his mouth.

“Oh, h-hey.” Takemichi smiled nervously at him.

“You got some guts making a speech like that earlier. You busted your head or something?” He tilted his head to the side and looked at him casually.

“Ah, that one. I guess it can’t be helped since I’m not exactly sure on how to de-escalate the situation without resorting to something crazy.” Takemichi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Wakasa put both of his hands into his pockets before he leaned closer and looked at him straight in the eye. “Hmm. Just to let you know Takemichi, our goal is still to get you onboard before anything else and we won’t give that up easily until you say yes got it?” His penetrating gaze bored into his soul.

“W-well you s-see—.”

“We’re leaving too!” Akashi announced loudly, making Takemichi stopped midsentence as it caught his attention.

“Tch.” Wakasa stepped away and flashed him a lazy smirk before he turned around and retreated back with Akashi and the other members of their gang.

Takemichi swallowed thickly and watched Wakasa go away with wide eyes.

What the hell was that all about?

That guy’s a damn ninja. Takemichi swears that one day he’ll have a heart attack just because of Wakasa sneaking up on him.

Wakasa is the epitome of trouble and silent disaster but Takemichi couldn’t bring himself to backed away from him completely.

And why is that?

Was it because of his laidback yet strong stature? His lazy yet sinister voice? Or was it those eyes that could penetrate his soul and bring him into a void?

“Takemitchy! Inupi! We’re leaving as well!” Draken called over their attention, cutting off his wandering thoughts and raced back towards Draken and his motorcycle.

For now, Takemichi decided not to think too much about his encounters with the powerful members of the Brahman as he had more pressing matters that he needed to focus on such as Draken suddenly dropping a verbal bomb in front of him while they we’re driving away.

“Takemitchy, I’m sorry. There’s something big I gotta tell you. I’m currently a member of the Brahman.”

Takemichi’s thoughts grinded into a screeching halt and stared at him like he had grown two heads.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t even the end of the day and the unexpected turn of events kept surprising him.

Nevertheless, he knew that Draken’s got a lot of explaining to do and he’d welcome it no matter how long it was.

(A/N: I don’t own any of these characters from this franchise. Inspired by the events in chapter 214 of the manga. Or in another chapter of Takemichi’s harem and the boys fighting over him lmao. Takemichi had enough of them fighting and laying his individual rights thick on the ground like the cute badass he is. Senju and the others are in pure awe of him. Draken defending our crybaby hero like the great knight he is. Reviews are amusing. So, let me hear them from you.)

[rfidblocking]

You can call it w/e you want (I'm gonna stick w/ Rich's term), but the idea behind "compulsory heterosexuality" is that there exists social & economic pressures for women to enter relationships w/ men & to see sexuality w/ men as an inevitable part of life. Which is an accurate observation. The existence of those pressures is unjust & constraining, but it doesn't imply that no women 'really' like men. It's a (lesbian) feminist concept looking at women; hetnorm. is more LGBT Studies/Queer Theory.

Obviously there are pressures that exist, but those pressures are, quite literally, heteronormativity.

But okay, let’s come back to the part where you decided that radical feminist terminology designed to shame women for being too manly or too into men or whatever is still the terminology you want to use, regardless of its extensive history in being used to attack the very women you seem interested in protecting.

Let’s set that aside for now.

Let’s talk about the post that this ask was sent in response to. Let’s shift these goalposts right on back into position here.

The post says, and I quote, “a hell of a lot more women would realize they’re not actually attracted to men at all.”

In response to that quote, I said the post discussed, “the belief that many straight and bisexual women are actually lesbians.”

So, where’s the mismatch. Because it looks to me like the post said, “women who currently consider themselves attracted to men are not. In fact, they’re just confused by heteronormativity.”

Which is the sentiment I expressed.

I know that a great many people following and interacting with this blog don’t understand what a dogwhistle is. But the entire point of them is that they take statements that sound harmless, or even beneficial, and twist them to cause harm.

They take claims like, “we want to help women,” and twist them to say, “because women cannot be trusted to judge their own lives, so we must judge for them.”

Yes, those pressures exist, but the conversation surrounding those pressures is, consistently, “so we must create opposite pressures that force women to adhere to other labels instead,” rather than, “so we must eliminate any pressures and let people come into their identities in a supportive environment without coercion.”

But anyway, when you decided that you were going to pick the anti-trans term regardless of the fact that it serves no rhetorical purpose and signals that you do not care about trans lives or trans history, you really lost the high ground that you so clearly think you have.

Like.

You don’t get to pretend the whole, “I’m going to stick with the transphobe lingo,” statement is irrelevant or weightless. You don’t get to drop that little nugget and wander right on by.

I have played excruciatingly nicely with all of you, assuming genuine concern and confusion long past the point where it was reasonable.

But I draw the goddamn line at someone saying, “oh, but a woman instrumental in getting massive amounts of transgender people killed, passing extensive anti-trans laws, increasing the suicide and murder rates of trans people, who notoriously treated attraction to trans women as being the same thing as attraction to men, she certainly could not have had transphobic intentions behing creating this kind of terminology,” and then having the sheer, unmitigated fucking gall, the fucking temerity to pretend that claim is just a harmless little aside, unworthy of any additional consideration.

If you ever wander back into this inbox, it had best be to apologize for your fuckery.

Fuck off,

🔪 Yazminx 🔪

[dietaku]

Chapter 6: Video Games Have the Deepest Lore

I’ve been wanting to do this chapter for a while, so I hope you enjoy it! Also, Adventures of Hourai High is not only real, it’s perhaps my favorite SNES jRPG. It’s definitely worth checking out!

I stood up, dusting myself off, as I spied the quiet hamlet we tumbled into. A quaint village lay before us, with three large buildings standing before us. As I looked back at my friends, Zechs groaned.

“I landed on my keys,” he whimpered, removing his shades as he staggered to his feet. Jake loomed over him, arms crossed, as he helped Errin and Potato up.

“Zechs, about that motorbike, is that the ChromeBuster?” he asked, as Zechs nodded.

“Yup!” he beamed.

“Zechs,” Jake sighed, uncrossing his arms just to knead his brow,”WHY are you using a real cash item like the ChromeBuster?”

“B-because I liked the aesthetic. Plus, I got a special on the items, and I got the platinum gems, and...Oh crap, I shouldn't have told you that,” Zechs muttered, as Jake loomed over him.

“Zechs, did you have platinum gems, and you didn't tell us?” Jake asked pointedly.

“Um...Yes?”

“And you forced me to work for more?” I joined in, as Zechs stepped back from us.

“W-Well, I didn't want to spend my hundred thou on stuff for the guild. That was for me,” he protested, as Jake, Potato and I looked at each other, then back to him. Only Errin and Jun, patting each other down and laughing at their good fortune for surviving, didn't join in the unspoken judgment of our Breaker.

Jake then kneaded his brow once more, and said some incredibly rude things to Zechs, which naturally drew Jun's attention.

“Ms. Errin, what does it mean to F*** a goat like the dirty W*** you are, you cantankerous C***?” he asked, as Errin shook her head rapidly.

“Good boys shouldn't use those words,” she said, as he nodded gravely, understanding the temerity of Zechs' transgression. I sighed, shaking my head.

“Does this mean I don't need to 'earn' my keep now?” I asked tersely, as Jake shoot his head.

“No, this one will, though,” Jake growled,  pulling Zechs up by the scuffs of his coat.

“Please, no! I wouldn't survive working with my body!” he wailed, as Jake laughed cruelly.

“Oh, don't worry, you'll earn your keep  from here,” Jake pointed cruelly down to Zechs' backside as he went white with fear.

“Y-You don't mean--”

“Oh, for the love of---I mean your wallet, you dingus!” Jake corrected, as Zechs sighed with relief. I ignored the continuing banter as I looked up. Before me sprawled a large city square, hemmed in by three large objects. Before me rose a dense forest of fir trees, and bizarre reddish shrubs I couldn't put a name to. The lone path inside this dense bramble marked the spot as the meeting site of the Wardens of Nature. To its left loomed a Gothic castle, made all the more spooky by its apparent emptiness. Despite seemingly abandoned, the masonry looked in god repair, and even several of the gargoyles were patched with fresh cement. The welcome mat before the castle gate denoted it the home of the Soldiers of Virtue. To my right stood a dilapidated stone building. With crumbling walls, hoary bronze gates and two wizened lion statues guarding its doors, the sad plaque emblazoned on the gate identified the site as the meeting place of the Scholars of Wisdom..

“So, this is what the princess meant by the three Great Societies, I suppose,” I mused, as the others caught up with me,” Did you all know about this?”

Jake and Potato nodded, while Zechs shrugged, and Errin and Jun looked at each other quizzically.

“Of course I knew about Treisegen. I was honestly wondering when we were going to end up here. Potato and are both Soldiers of Virtue. What Society are you part of, Zechs? Jake asked, as Zechs coughed.

“Well, I, uh, y'know...The thing is, I'm very busy, and....I never joined any,” Zechs admitted, not looking at him.

“Well, you are today. You're gonna join the Soldiers of Virtue! Where are you headed, then, Dieter?”

I tapped my chin,” I'm not too wild on the Soldiers of Virtue or Scholars of Wisdom. I guess I'll settle for the Wardens of Nature.”

“I suppose I ought to join the Scholars of Wisdom,” Errin said, as Jun trotted behind her,” And I suppose Jun is coming with me?”

“Yes, I want to learn,” he grinned, as I chuckled, tousling his hair.

“You listen to Ms. Errin, okay?” I told him, as he excitedly nodded, trotting off as I waved.

“We'll let you get situated, and we can plan further tonight,” Jake called, as I gave him a thumbs up. Trotting off onto the path into the woods, I soon found myself in a small clearing, where a skinny bald man lounged on a tall rock before me. He was notable partially for his seat, but what really drew my attention was his striking garb; his modesty held by a furry tiger loincloth.

“Oi, you here to join up?” he asked, as I nodded.

“You know, this place is, like, serious and stuff, it's not just a place for orgies and the like,” he called, as I shot him a glare.

“What was that for?”

“Oh, nothing,” he waved off my retort,” Just most Floof Clanners who join clique up and just want to spend all their time together rather than partaking in Nature's sweet mysteries.”

I crossed my arms,” I've no interest all that. Show me what you got.”

He grinned,” That's what I like to hear. Follow me.”

Leading me through the forest along a small path, he stopped as the forest opened up around a large pool of...

“Mud?” I asked, scanning the clearing. Before me was a pit of bubbling gray emitting a pungent odor. Feeling dizzy just being around this bubbling pit, the man sighed.

“Oh, it's no good. No good, no sirree,” He grumbled.

“What's no good?”

As if to answer his question the mud rumbled, and a large beast rose out of the mud, a gigantic, squat beast with dark fur. It yawned, revealing broad, flat teeth from its grand, bulbous maw.

“A Hippopotomuds,” the man warned,” It moved into the mud beds since the last time we initiated a new member. You better rough it up to get it out of here.”

“I suppose,” I frowned, rolling up my sleeves as I strode forward. My fist swirled with the chill of air sucking away; the skill I learned in my battle with Marmalade.

“FIRST ATTACK! VACUUM FIST,” I roared, hitting the beast cleanly with my skill. I felt my skill reverberate through my foe's thick body, as it lazily looked up at me, and smacked me away with its large head.

“Ugh, I guess this means I was correct after all. Vaccum Fist really is useless after all. Take that, Jake!” I grimaced, jumping to my feet and back into the battle. “SCREAMING JETTER KICK,” I hissed, battering the muddy monster with explosive kicks. Alighting back on my feet from my tempestuous fusillade of strikes, I clenched my fist. Now, this is the end, baddy! BRUTAL SHRIKE DA--! I managed as my fist lurched back, as if hitting an invisible barrier,” BRUTAL SHRIKE DA--. BRUTAL SHRIKE DA--! WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING?” I wailed, as I looked through my vision at my Art Cells, now completely filled with arrows. In my haste, I completely forgot about  the limitations of Art Cells.

“You okay?” the man called, as I snorted.

“This is nothing,” I smirked, dong my best to hide my worry. Art Cells degenerated after ten seconds, and I currently possessed nine. To do my most basic skill, Screaming Jetter Kick, required two. Making the next twenty seconds the most critical to my well-being The Hippopotomuds rose from the mud, and snorted, its glare zeroing on me, as it slowly stomped forward, shaking its large head menacingly. Leaping aside did little as its snout caught me, hurling me into a tree. Using the momentum, I jumped back into action, only to be batted aside.

“Perhaps boasting about this wasn't the best thing,” I muttered, stabbing myself in the chest with Kindly Jab. Thankful my team skills didn't require any Art Cells, I looked up at my Art Cell Line, just in time to see two open up. Grinning manically, I leaped forward with a madman, sweeping forward with my kick.

“SCREAMING. JETTER. KICK,” I keened, slamming my kick into the beast as it groaned in pain. Slowly rising, it shuffled off, as I stood victorious.

“Yeah, you better run!” I called, turning to the man,” So, what's with this mud, anyways?”

“Oh, you just need to bathe in the mud. That way you'll receive Nature's blessing upon you.”

“And this isn't anything weird?”

He laughed,” Oh, no, not weird at all!”

I sighed with relief and looked over the steaming cauldron of mud for a moment, before removing my gi and shoes as I turned back around, finding the man casually watching me.

“...What are you doing?” I asked testily.

“Just ensuring you're actually entering the mud properly. You really ought to wear as little as possible,” he opined, as I snorted. I wasn't removing my bindings and fundoshi.

“Whatever, weirdo,” I grumbled, slipping into the mud.

“My name is actually Gribbs. I'm the guide to the Wardens. Now, relax and enjoy your initiation, newbie,” he cackled, disappearing into the brush. As I settled into the mud, I sighed, enjoying the warmth on my bare skin as I sighed contentedly. Despite the odd smell, the mud felt nice and the pleasant morning sun shone pleasantly upon me. Slipping deeper into the mud, I felt more and more lightheaded, as the sunbeams danced and visions shone before my eyes. A pair of women stood over me, arguing with each other, shoving each other back and forth, one an auburn haired Floof with an impressive set of tails, while the other I recognized as Ayin He, the War Goddess. The pair shrieked at one another in a language I couldn't make out, before they disappeared as swiftly as they appeared. In their stead, I saw the auburn haired Floof woman once more,  surrounded by adoring human women adorned in beautiful silk gowns. They were soon replaced by an ever increasing procession of Floof men and women, which finally ended in a man and woman who included Deegal's mother. The others disappeared, and Deegal's mother revealed a small bundle from behind her, as the two looked despondent. Eventually, the man left, leaving the woman in her own despair. However, just as she too left, a flash of sunlight hit the small bundle, and a tiny arm rose up, from its depths grasping at her. Realizing what happened, Deegal's mother scooped up the bundle crying tears of joy, and I realized what it all meant.

I was that bundle. Oh, God. Does this mean.....

Before I could continue this train of thought, new visions assaulted me; a tower in the center of a bustling nation, with happy, contented people, only to be swept aside by waves of flame and descending angels. Those who survived were branded with painful reminders of this transgression, as the Earth itself was slowly scoured. Then, ten stars alighted in the sky, and as quickly as it began, this apocalypse ended. Further visions haunted me, from a distinguished Loppo woman garbed in silver and red robes descending to a city of pagodas and fearful Pan'Tou. Then, at last, a single Loppo fell from the moon gracefully, to a grand city with  a castle and a sprawling city, which I recognized as Grafzou.

“So, this is it, then. I'm just a magnet for bad luck, then. First I can't even be born correctly, and now this Loppo man from before. It seems there is no rest for me,” I thought,” Well, excpt maybe Jun. He's a good boy.”

I floated in this pleasant fugue for what seemed like hours before I blinked in the evening sun, as I felt the mud shift beside me. Rising to my full height, I gasped when I saw my neighbor. Beside me sat Dennis, grinning at me sleepily.

“Why do you always show up whenever I pass out?” I demanded, as Dennis tapped her cheek thoughtfully.

“I dunno! Why do you keep passing out around me?” she asked, nonchalantly.

I snorted,” Whatever, what do you want, anyways?”

“How rude! I'm a Warden of Nature, too! I just saw you in the pool of initiation, and I thought I'd join you,” she smiled, flashing a ring on her finger.

“What's with that ring?”

“Oh, this?” she smiled,” This is the Eternal Communion Ring you gave me, to symbolize our union.”

“Our what?” I asked.

“Our Union. When you were celebrating your adulthood with Pai Zuri, you and I enjoyed some time together, and it was then you told me,” I'm sorry you've been alone. You're really pretty when you smile, I'll be there with you. Forever.” You then gave me this ring as a symbol of this promise. I decided to let you have some time to yourself. I'm a kind wife, you see,” she smiled, as I blanched,” Oh, do you want to be the wife, then?”

“I...No,” I sighed. I didn't recall anything about that night, save my attempts to sing Qwest. I know, I know, it was cliche choice, but if I didn't sing “Don't Stop Doubting” badly, then who would? Still, this just raised more questions than it answered, and my concern must;ve showed on my face, as worry crossed over her face, as she fidgeted with her hands hurriedly.

“So...Are you denying it?” she ventured, as I shook my head slowly.

“No. I won't take back that if I did tell you that. Do whatever you want. I-I just don't remember, is all,” I mumbled. If I did tell her that, then who was I to back out now? That was the way my arents taught me, so I'd stick to my word, even if I regretted whatever drunken promises I made.  Donning my clothes as I climbed out of the pool, they quickly slipped off my skin,” W-what the hell?”

Dennis giggled, pointing at my shoulder, now covered in a faint green swirling tattoo. Sure enough such flourishes covered my body as I looked myself over.

“Those are Nature Seals, the mark of initiation into the Wardens of Nature. To have those upon your body counts as clothing. You can only be garbed with very special and specific clothing,” she replied, as my heart sank.

“And how do I remove these, then?”

“You have to be fully initiated into the Wardens of Nature. Then they'll disappear.”

“Oh,” I sighed. Looking over my gear, I found only one armor was compatible with the Nature Seals: Aharel's Maidservant String. I groaned inwardly as I donned the slinky garment, Looking myself over, It seemed everything was in order, even if I suspected I was barely R-rated. Dennis looked me over with a small smirk, before tossing her blue cloak over herself.

“h, it's easy for you. You have a cloak,” I growled, as she tossed it off.

“What does it matter? We're here in the Wardens of Nature. No one will arrest us, and it's not like I'll catch cold. I'm an Ishtar Theurge. Why bother with the judgment of others? You're strong and beautiful, so take comfort in that,” she shrugged.

“D-do you really mean that?” I whispered.

“Of course! You and I are linked now. I would never lie to you,” she smiled, as I paused, thinking on her words.

“She's right. We're only with other Wardens here. Besides, what does it matter what others think? I'm the strongest among my party, anyways! I should enjoy this new freedom!” I thought. My epiphany must've shown on my face as Dennis brightened as well.

“C'mon, I want to see more of this place,” I motioned for her, rushing off into the woods. She and I ran through the woods, coming across numerous other Wardens as they contemplated Nature, planted trees or enjoyed the sun through the boughs of the trees. After frolicking, we finally sat down on a grassy hill and listened to Gribbs speak to several other Wardens below us.

“Nature itself has no morals, merely accepting what is. It is for this reason alone that we must preserve it. Humanity has its morals and values, and that is fine, but the only moral Nature teaches us is Life is sacred and must be preserved. This of course means other lives must end, but that is the beauty of Nature, to see that those with Will, Luck and Strength live. So, Life and the pursuit of its continuation is the one Virtue we espouse. All others are your own personal goals, and will be accepted as Nature accepts all, but do not confuse your own values with that of Nature's Will,” he warned, droning on and on about such philosophical points. As the sun dipped beneath the horizon, I left the woods alongside Dennis, as I found the others camping around a small fire.

“Oh, wow, Dieter. I didn't know it was my birthday,” Zechs called, looking up as I paused, unsure what he meant. Dennis giggled, and as his meaning dawned on me, I growled back at him loudly.

“Momma, why are you dressed like you're gong to the beach?” Jun asked, as I knelt down and tousled his hair.

“I had to do some things today near some mud pits. I didn't want to get my clothes dirty, I explained, as I scowled.

“I wanna t'go to the beach, too,” he grumbled.

I patted him on the head,” When we're done here, we can go to the beach.”

“You promise?”

I beamed,” I promise!”

“Oooooh, who is this?” Dennis asked, sidling up beside me.

“I'm Jun. I'm a Rancher. Who are you?” He asked bluntly.

“She's a friend of mine, Jun. I want you to be her friend, too, okay?”

He nodded, rummaging through his pocket, before revealing a glass rose he handed to Dennis.

“A Porcelain Rose! You can only find those in the Subterranean Depths! Thank you, you're quire the gentleman,” she patted him  on the head as he chuckled proudly.

“Once again, the little kid gets all the attention,” Zechs grumbled.

“Well, then, what did you learn from your time with the Soldiers of Virtue?” I asked.

Zechs shrugged,” Not much. I was taken to their inner sanctum and told about their history. Then I saw the mausoleum of their four founders, and saw their mummies. You'd never guess it, but they were these weird Qwibon-man things. And they all had extremely radical names, too, like Thomas, George, John and Benjamin.”

“Things were different back during the Green Age, Zechs. Lots of things were different,” Jake stated sagaciously, as Errin looked up from her soup, clearly impressed.

“Oh? That's very impressive that you know all that,” she called, as Jake shrugged.

“I just know that since I read all the fluff text for items and quests. Unlike these two,” he scowled, pointing at Zechs and myself.

“Hey! I have things I gotta do! I don't care what dead guy decided to mix mushrooms and Healing Herbs together to make potions,” I countered, as Jake shook his head.

“Then what have you learned?” he asked.

I paused, choosing my words as I spoke,” I...I realized we may not be in a game. This may be entirely real.”

“Bullshit,” Jake spat,” Entirely bullshit. How can this be real? This isn't the real world, and all this magic, these gods and demons? How can any of this be real?”

“Yes,I know! It's crazy, but, Jake, listen! I've seen things. I've met Deegal's mother, and I honestly think this may be a real world all its own. There's too many little things that tell me this! The trash on the street, the way people talk to us, the fact that they have bathrooms! Do you even REMEMBER a game that has bathrooms coded in?”

“Adventures of Hourai High has bathrooms,” Zechs pointed out.

“I....Yeah, you're right. Still! I think this is bigger than we initially thoguth,” I said, as Jake arched a brow.

“Then what do you suggest?”

“I dunno. I guess revisit Princess Catalina. She's the reason we headed this way ourselves,” I muttered, as Errin nodded.

“I'm beginning to feel the same way as Dieter. I noticed in my time here I've begun to recall things I would never -could never- know. Yet, I do. What does this all mean? I searched for answers during my time with the Scholars of Wisdom, but alas, nothing has come up,” she sighed,” In any case, I need to get up early, so I'll be turning in soon. Good Night.”

With that, Errin waved, and began unrolling her bedroll, as Jake nodded,” She raises a good point. I'll see you all tomorrow.”

With that, Jake, Zechs and the others wandered off to their own corners of the small clearing, collapsing asleep in their bedrolls, as Potato and I sat alone around the embers of the fire.

“So...You gonna explain to me why Jake things you're a guy?” I asked finally.

Potato looked up, removing her large top hat,“You're a guy. You wouldn't understand.”

“Oh? Go ahead, try me.”

Potato coughed, her voice becoming a fluty tone,”When I met Jake, he was a weakling who had no sense of the game or its mechanics. In spite of this, he tried his very best and never gave up, even when death looked him square in the eye. Because of this, He....He...I wanted to help him. I made a new character and everything, and even crafted this new persona as 'One of the guys' to help him, all because I loved seeing him sparkle so, growing and learning. All this for m, this is nothing. I love numbers and I love games. I'm a programmer in real life. I make websites and the like. Figuring out the underlying logic of Slidelands was simple. However, Jake didn't see it like that. He saw it as a world, and that's why I want to help him...”

“Because you want it to actually be a real world, don't you?”

Potato covered her face as her cheeks grew a deep crimson,” Y-yes, but there's other reasons.”

“O-oh. Oh God,” I snickered,” You-you actually like him, don't you?”

“See!” she squeaked, covering her face,” You don't understand! I told you!”

“Now, now,” I patted her on the back,” It's cool. I getcha.”

“Why are you so buddy-buddy with me, anyways, then? You trying to seduce him, too?” she whispered.

I snorted,” No. Absolutely not. Jake is a friend, and that's where that ends. However, you seem nice enough, and hey, it's cool you opened up to me like you did. If you need a wingma—erm, wingwoman, then I'll help you out!”

Potato wiped her eyes,”Thank you. I appreciate that. I guess I ought to have known a DPS like you would get it.”

“I—Huh?” I asked, as Potato giggled, waving as she too wandered off to bed. I sighed, tossing out my bedroll, as both Jun and Dennis sidled beside me. I fell asleep sandwiched between two squirming Floofs as I swiftly fell asleep.

I spent the next few days learning the ways of the Wardens of Nature, meditating in the woods, picking berries and listening to Gribbs' rambling diatribes about the aspects of Nature and the underlying sense of it all. No new epiphanies came to me during this time, but after performing a an afternoon of yoga, Gribbs approached me.

“You've done well, but now is the time for you to prove yourself. You must face the guardian of the forest, Humbaba.”

“He doesn't sound so tough. I'll take care of this,” I smirked, as Dennis trotted beside me.

“I'm not so sure, Deegal! Humbaba is a Divine Beast, tasked by Aleph Lamed to terrorize Humanity since antiquity! He won't be so easily cowed!” she pleaded.

“What do you suggest, then?” I arched my brow. What strange advice would she offer me? She rummaged in her cloak before producing a small pouch, offering it to me,” This is a small charm I made. It will boost your Luck.”

I took the amulet, not wishing to tell her my Luck was among my higher attributes,” Thank you. I'll wear it for you.”

I tied the amulet to my waist straps and trotted along behind Gribbs as Dennis waved me off We traveled together for an indeterminate time, as the Sun hid behind the boughs above us, with just flecks of light falling through the rare spaces in that dense armor from the sky. We walked along, till reaching a clearing, where Gribbs stepped aside. I blinked in the bright light, as I stepped back in fright. Before me sat a gigantic man-thing. He possessed the body and limbs of a human, but he was easily as tall as a two story house, and his head was that of a glowering lion, mane and all. Immediately spotting me as I jumped back, his attention turned to the pair of us as he shifted to face us.

“Gribbs, who is this you bring to me? Another play-thing to torture?”

“Master Humbaba, this is the latest supplicant to our order. I merely ask that you test her, to see if she is worthy of our order's inner secrets,” Gribbs asked, as Humbaba laughed. Standing, he loomed over even the treeline, as he looked down as me, his breath now hot and smoky.

“Small child, you stand before me a supplicant, then? Yet you also are a demigod, one of Hu Shian's despicable children. I will enjoy this,” he sneered, as he roared, a flash of flame and roaring steam spewing towards me. Leaping out of the way, I danced from Tree to tree as his offensive continued, sweeping his arm along, smashing over the trees. I hopped above his trundling barricade of flesh, running along its length until delivering a hearty Vacuum Fist to his cheek.

“GOTCHA!” I cheered, as Humbaba groaned in pain, before snatching me out of the air. Squeezing me in one hand, he gloated with a rumbling chuckle as his grip about me tightened.

“Little demigod, even with the divinity your bloodline gives you, you are nothing compared to me! I was granted seven terrors to array myself against you and all the other humans! Just skitter off to the rest of your disgusting race!”

“N-no,” I wheezed, as I felt my muscles and bones squeezed, bones cracking, muscles screaming out in pain. In this moment, my mind blanked, and I Bit his finger harshly. He howled in pain, loosening his grip as I let the flaring call of World Ogre's Mask overtake me.

“I dunno where you get off just mocking me like that, but I won't stand it,” I hissed, as I felt the pain of Alluring Tail Whirlwind. I stepped towards the giant with but one thought running through my mind; to destroy this monster utterly. He paused, stepping back himself as he flexed his fingers towards me.

“An impressive display, but your disgusting magic means nothing to me! Die in your own mind,” he cried, as a flash of flame covered me. Ignoring this torrent of heat, my temper flared. Lunging forward with several of my tails, I felt my power surge ever higher as “World Ogre Cleaver” flashed on my action menu. Whatever magic he employed cracked before him as spectral blades materialized about my tails, as he stepped back once more.

“What. Is. THIS? Destruction of Magic? Only a god could achieve such a feat! I-Lady Ayin,” he gasped, as I screwed up my face, my tails firing forward, slashing him with cruel slashes. He collapsed to his knees before me.

“Lady Ayin, I apologize. I didn't realize you were reborn. Please forgive this impudent slave,” he grovelled. I blinked, and my Rage dissipated like the fog on a sunny day. I scanned my menu and found my health barely at half.

“But World Ogre Mask only triggers if I'm at critical levels? What happened?” I thought, before realizing Humbaba still lay prostrate before me,” Ah, well, you are forgiven. Now, do I pass your test?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. You pass, of course,” Humbaba rose,” Gribbs give this one the lessons. I must return to the Cedar Forests. If Lady Ayin has returned, then her temple must be rebuilt.”

“Oh. Very well, then,” I called, turning to Gribbs as he looked at me with both awe and surprise.

“Very well, then, come along,” he motioned, as I trotted along behind him.

“Do you know why we gave you the Nature Seals when you first joined us?” he asked.

“No, what was that all about?”

“We bury our initiates in mud as their first task as symbolic of how, much a like a seed, they are beginning their journeys towards understanding. Then, we expose you all to the flames and danger of Humbaba in order to force you to grow. All those who cannot make it, well...” Gribbs looks away..

“You had them killed?”

Gribbs sighed,” Nature can be cruel, but fair. We like to think we're adopting her methods. With that, though.” He whispered a series of hushed syllables, and the tattoos along my body vanished.

“You don't mean,” I cried.

“Yes, you are free to wear clothes again, as a full Warden of Nature,” Gribbs declared, nodding, as I cheered. Donning my old gi, I spun about triumphantly, rushing towards the exit as Dennis perked up at my arrival.

“Oh! You made it! I mean, I knew you would, but....Well,” She mumbled, as I laughed.

“It wasn't anything,” I guffawed, putting Humbaba's strange surrender out of mind,” Now, c'mon, let's get the others.”

As we returned to the forum, we found ourselves alone, save for other Player Characters milling about. Meditating as a way to pass the time and raise my Holiness Skill, which raises my Spirit, I soon fell asleep, as a presence loomed over me, before I blinked awake, finding Jake and Zechs standing over me.

“I didn't figure you'd be goofing off so early in the day,”Jake mused, as I leaped to my feet.

“I was training! Meditating to raise my Spirit!” I countered.

“Yeah, sure. You drooling on yourself while meditating is a thing, too, right?” Zechs observed, as I shot him a glare.

“What do you guys want, anyways?” I asked, wiping my mouth.

“We just got Zechs initiated into the Soldiers of Virtue. If you want to continue elsewhere, then we can,” Jake explained.

“I was initiated early this morning. It's just the Grandmaster who had to go on and on with the prayers, benedictions, and rites for hours and hours on end aft—OWOWOWOW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?” Zechs complained, as Jake slapped him upside the head with an armored hand.

“Those 'prayers and benedictions' were to extol you to further glory! Something you should've took to heart,” Jake growled. Before Zechs could reply, Jun bounded over him, crashing him to the floor as he rushed to my side, proudly presenting me with a diploma.

“Look! Look! I'm official now! I'm a smart!” he beamed, as I looked over the paper.

“This certifies Jun as a proper and rightful Scholar of Wisdom, fully certified to explore and plum the depths of all mysteries of this world and others. Wow, congratulations,” I patted him on the head, as Errin chuckled, walking up beside us.

“Indeed, despite his lack of schooling, his sense of logic and deductive reasoning are exemplary. Now, we're both licensed as Scholars What do we do now?” Errin asked.

“We need to get back to Grafzou. I need to talk to Princess Catalina and see for myself if my theory is correct,” I said.

“Oh?” Jake asked.

“Yes. I need to find out for myself if this really is a game or not,” I said.

Jake snorted,” There's no need. This is obviously a game.”

“But if you want to get from here back to Grafzou, then I recommend going along the Air Line bridge,” Potato interrupted, hopping down from a nearby tree,” It won't remove the need to travel along the Veeya Stream entirely, but it will cut off a good portion of the way, making it quicker. There's something else I remember is important, but....I can't recall what, though.”

“Well, then that settles it. Let's take this Air Line Bridge,” I declared as the others followed along,” One thing, though, where is it?”

Potato coughed politely, and took the lead, leading us off from the courtyard through a path to the east, crossing over a forested trail that weaved its way through the rocks and crags of the uneven terrain, painted with the falling leaves of the nearby trees. We traveled silently in this way for some times, as we came along a long narrow bridge made of woven metallic ropes seemingly pulled straight up from the ground itself. Walking along the platform of the bridge hesitantly as it vaulted at a steep grade up, I found, despite its narrow construction, it was of solid construction, and I soon forgot my dears, enjoying the view, all until the clouds about us parted and I spotted a lone figure before us.

“Oh. Now, I remember, “ Potato breathed.

“What? What is it?” I demanded.

Potato raised her trumpet,” This is the thing I was worried about.”

“What?”

“Ricky Raccoon,” she hissed.

“WHAT?” I demanded flatly as the figure approaching us came into focus. A roughly humanoid figure trotted forward, dressed in leather pantaloons and flamboyant red vests, covered in dark grey fur with a raccoon head, about as tall as Jun.

“Oh! Oh! OOOH! A bevy of beauties approaches me on my bridge! Well, I must've been a good boy in my last life! Oh, wait, I wasn't!” he cackled, as Jake sighed.

“What's your deal, little man?”

“I'm Ricky Raccoon, a Divine Beast formed by dear Lady Bet Mem! This bridge is my charge and I must charge those how travel along it! Now, if you want to, then I'll take one of your ladies, if you please,” he grinned maniacally, as I snorted.

“No chance,” I growled, as I rushed forward. As I shot ahead, I swung at his face. However, as my fist brushed his fur, he melted out of my sight, as I felt someone patting my backside.

“Mm, excellent, excellent. I prefer Loppo girls, but no one can deny the classics,” he chortled, as I spun about, slapping his hand as he wove out of sight again, dancing on the railing.

“NO ONE CAN HIT ME! NO ONE CAN HIT ME! NO ONE! WHOA-” he mocked, as Jake swung his hammer wildly at the weaving trickster,” You almost had me!”

“You slippery eel!” Jake roared, prompting only further laughter from Ricky Raccoon.

“Jake, keep calm! He's using an auto-evade skill, we can't just charge in blindly,” Potato called, as Jake fumed so badly, steam rose from his breathing slits.

“ABSOLUTE BATTLEFIELD MURDEROUS INTENT!” He roared, as a wash of killing intent flooded the air like a tsunami of solidified bad feeling, sending shivers down my spin, as Ricky Raccoon Leaped into the air.

“YOU! You did it! You did it! But, you have to know!, YOU CAAAAAAAN'T STOP THE RICKY!” He sang in a calliopean tenor. I grabbed my ears instinctively as the blast of the singing sent me flying backwards off the bridge. Hanging on the railing desperately, his pitch rose to an atonal wail, as I winced, grabbing my ears without thinking, and realized my mistake as I fell. Whistling through the air, I blacked out, presumably falling to my doom.

I awoke with Jun and Dennis hovering over me, as the pair sighed.

“Did we lose?” I croaked, as Dennis nodded slowly.

“We all got tossed off the bridge by that monster's bad singing,” she sighed, as I rose. I found we were in a simply furnished inn room, as Jun and Dennis rushed to my side.

“We're in the village of Feite right now, a small hamlet parallel to the Air Line. According to the locals we can get back on the Air Line if we cross northwest, but...As we are, there's no much we can do,” Dennis sighed.

“Oh?”

“Yes. I have no way to attack an auto-evading foe, and it seems like you don't, either,” Dennis frowned, as I nodded. I had no clue that such a benefit was even possible.

“Can you do anything about it, Jun?” I asked, as he shook his head.

“Rancher is a utility class. I can buff you all, but attacking isn't much I can do. Especially with that much Air energy around. Most of my attack Skills are Earth-based,” he said,” Sorry.”

“Potato, Jake, Errin and Zechs, seem to have a plan, though,” Dennis offered, as we found our fiends around a table on the first level, with Zechs lifting a bizarre sword. Its hilt was nothing special, but its blade was that of a meter stick.

“Now, Zechs, be careful, this weapon is incredibly dangerous,” Jake warned,” It will apply Sure Hit to all your skills, so if you use Area of Effect attacks, you WILL hit everyone within the area.”

“No need to worry, all my best skills are single target. Now, time to test this guy out! What is this sword's name, anyways?” Zechs asked, testing its balance.

“The Absolute Metric--”

“No matter. I'll call it the Frank Glabzarios,” Zechs interrupted, as Jake pursed his lips.

“Why did you ask if you were just gonna ignore me?” Jake demanded, as Zechs raised his sword, as the jar of cookies on the far shelf shot into his hands.

“OH BOY!” Zechs grinned, as he turned to me,” Oh, Dieter!”

“Hi--” I managed, as Zechs appeared before me, massaging my chest roughly, before warping back to his seat,” W-WHAT WAS THAT?”

“Nice, really nice,” Zechs grinned, as Jun nearly fell over out of shock.

“WHAT THE HELL, ZECHS?” Jake roared, as Errin shook her head, chuckling.

“I'm not sure what you expected, Jake,” Potato offered, sipping her tea.

“ZECHS, H-HE JUST MOVED THE WAY RICKY DID,” I squeaked, as Potato shook her head.

“Zechs didn't move. You did. This weapon, the Frank Glabzarios, applies Sure Hit, so if something is targeted, it will be hit by the user,” she explained.

“It's the Absolute Metric,” Jake sighed.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I will be sure to use this weapon for great morality, just like the Grandmaster told me!” Zechs cried

“He said to use your power to protect others, not...grope people. Goddammit, Zechs,” Jake sighed, as Zechs teleported out of his seat and to the door.

“I'll be off training. See you all later!” Zechs called.

“We better follow him. Who knows what he's going to do with that much power,” Jake sighed, as Errin and Potato followed him out the door.

“Are you hurt? Do you need anything?” Dennis cooed, as I waved her off.

“I don't need anything. Just...I need warning from stupid stuff like that,” I sighed, as I followed the others outside.

The next few hours saw Zechs abusing space and time, as he warped about the small hamlet. Jun remained spooked as Zechs zipped about him. I secretly suspected he was doing it on purpose, but I didn't voice my opinions. Eventually, Zechs tired of his tomfoolery.

“Okay, okay, I think I got a hand for the Frank Glabzarios-”

“Absolute Metric,” Called Jake.

“Whatever. LET'S GO!” He cried, as we followed behind. Soon we fond ourselves back onto the Air Line, and before long, back against Ricky.

“You're back. Will you give me my toll?” he leered, as Zechs laughed.

“Hardly, you mutt! I'm gonna flay you alive so we don't have to listen to your singing! Seriously, it was like listening to a drowning cat on a blackboard!” he taunted, as Ricky paused. A bloody aura enveloped him, as Zechs reached for the Frank Glabzarios' hilt, as a cracking sound rang out and he winced.

“Zechs, what was that?” Jake asked.

“Promise to not get mad?” He asked.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?”

“THE FRANK GLABZARIOS BROKE, OKAY?” Zechs cried.

“YOU IDIOT! That was our one shot at beating this guy It took me three hours to make that sword!” Jake roared, wringing Zechs by the neck, as Ricky leaped forward, lunging and removing their heads with a clean sweep of his paw.

“YOU INSULTED MY SINGING! YOU'LL WATER MY BRIDGE WITH YOUR BLOOD!” He screamed, as I scampered backwards, falling over my feet as Errin, Dennis and Jun all fell prey to Ricky's attack, before he slowly turned to me.

“Now, where were we? Oh! Oh! Oh! What do you think of my sing--” he managed as a boom roared out across the bridge as he collapsed to the floor with a smoking hole through his torso.

Out of the fog a new figure stepped forward. Dressed in a red leather coat, fashionable red trousers, and high boots, with a broad stetson perched on her head. This Loppo lass looked over her handiwork with a satisfied smile.

“You can 'bang' that!” she chuckled in a cutesy voice, as she coughed roughly, blood dripping from her lips,” Oh, god. That was harder than I thought.” I stared, partially out of shock, but also at my savior's name.

FluffyStar

[Neutron Drifter]

Level 12,345.69

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

hey, do you think there's any possibility bolsonaro could be impeached? his party isn't even the majority in congress... how far can his powers even go?

Hello!

Well, to be informative, according to the law, there are specific things that the Constitution determines to be theorically subject to impeachment. These things are called Crimes of Responsibility.

Here’s what they are. If you don’t mind, I’ll translate only the articles then quickly list examples of what fits them, because translating each and every subjection would take way too long.

Crimes against the Union: basically, sabotaging your country for another country’s benefit, doing things such as delivering intelligence, submitting it to another’s rule, deliberately declaring war when not attacked or invaded, violating treaties, etc

Crimes against the exercise of legislative, judiciary, and state powers: closing Congress, threatening, bribing, or using violence against representatives, violating their imunities, threatening or using violence against the Judiciary, intervening unlawfully in states’ business, etc

Crimes against political, social, and individual rights: using threats and violence to obstruct voting, encouraging military disobedience, taking or authorizing repressive measures, violating constitutionally guaranteed rights, etc 

Crimes against internal security: violently trying to change the country’s form of government, violently trying to change the Constitution or the law of any state, declaring siege when there’s no war, leaving the country without Congress’s authorization, etc

Crimes against administrative probity: omitting or postergating the publication of laws and resolutions, giving orders against the Constitution, not showing to the Congress the accounts of the previous exercise, neglecting to punish subordinates when they commit a crime, threatening or using violence to pressure a public server into acting unlawfully, etc

Crimes against budget law: not showing to Congress within 60 days a budget proposal, exceeding or transferring budget money without authorization, infringing budgetary law device, ordering or authorizing credit opening beyond established limits, etc. [Breaking the Law Of Fiscal Responsibility, which got Dilma Rousseff impeached, is argued by her opposers to be a crime of responsibility against budget law. There’s no juridical consensus about that though.]

Crimes against the guard and legal use of public money: neglecting collection of tax revenues, opening credit with no legal formality, ordering spendings not authorized by law, disposing of national real estate or engaging public incomes with no authorization, etc

Crimes against compliance of Judiciary decisions: trying to stop the effects of Judiciary decisions, basically.

Phew. Ok, that was a ride.

Now, to the speculative part of the answer: I don’t really know. I mean, theoretically, the law specifies these things that are to be met with an impeachment. However, if there’s one thing the last years have shown us, that thing is that an impeachment is way less about what the law says and much more about what the Congress and Senate want. Dilma’s impeachment, let’s be real here, was an aberration. This statement is not about whether she engaged in corruption schemes or not, but a juridical one. Her impeachment was built on the grounds of fiscal pedalling, aka delaying transfer of funds to banks in order to sugarcoat public accounts, being a crime against budget responsibility. Like I’ve said, there is no juridical consensus on whether it is, so that ground is shaky. It doesn’t help that two days after Dilma was kicked out the Senate approved a flexibilization of the Fiscal Responsibility Law (although, to be fair, that flexibilization apparently wouldn’t have helped Dilma out). And there’s the fact that the Romero Jucá, a member from Michel Temer’s party, was shown in leaked audios talking about a plan to stop the Car-Wash Operation, and that Eduardo Cunha, who was president of the Chamber of Deputies during Dilma’s government (thus the person who approved her process of impeachment to go to Congress and Senate), was convited in the same operation.  Temer also has had around 30 impechment requests, but some were archived by Rodrigo Maia, currently president of the Chamber and cited in the Car-Wash Operation as involved in corruption, and the others were kept waiting. Yea, a lot of information. Cool stuff.

Either way, that’s all to say that impeachment has been, unfortunately, much more about the representatives’ interest than about what the law says. So the possibility of Bolsonaro being impeached will depend much more on his relationship with them, if he’s going to defend their agenda and wishes. Sergio Moro, a judge responsible for plenty of Car-Wash related arrests, is now minister of justice, so he might try and implement anti-corruption measures that could hurt some (or many) people. However, Bolsonaro has already gathered a huge cunk of Congress behind his back, most notably the Bible, Bullet, and Bulls Caucuses, or BBB Caucus, which comprises over 300 folk. We’ve got 513 representatives, and most topics demand a minimum majority of 257 votes. So, for the while, I don’t really see Bolsonaro getting enough opposition in Congress and Senate to be impeached.

Now, if you allow me, I’ll go to the purely part of the answer purely based on my opinion and impressions, and say what I personally feel about a Bolsonaro impeachment:

One of the reasons I’m not really a fan is because an impeachment, although trivialized in our country, was created to be used in actual extreme cases. It’s something that should be applied in situations of clear grave misconduct and abuse, not used at the whim of politicians with only their own interests in mind. And it comes with an economic and political cost. So an impeachment is actually something really no one should actually hope for.

But there’s a much bigger reason why I don’t like the idea of a Bolsonaro impeachment at all:

General Mourão, his vice, is even worse than he is.

He’s already talked about an autocoup in case of “anarchy”, about a new Constitution written about people who were not elected, has, like Bolsonaro, called Ustra and other torturers from our Dictatorship heroes, has claimed his and Bolsonaro’s team to be “professionals of violence”, has said us Brazilians inherited “indigenous’s laziness and africans’ trickery”, among many, many other things. And he, unlike Bolsonaro, was actually competent enough to rise in Military hierarchy - although he was forcefully retired due to, wait for it, the tone of his political discourse. He, in my opinion, sounds like even more of a hard-liner than Bolsonaro, and also way less influenceable than he is. Bolsonaro seems, to me, much more prone to being held back by pressure than Mourão. So I’d actually fear a Mourão government more than I fear Bolsonaro’s. So, unless something extreme and grave happens, I don’t really wish for Jair’s impeachment, despise him as I might.

Hope I made sense and brought forth useful information! Thanks a lot for the ask!

-Mod Nise da Silveira

[restoreamericanglory]

New Post has been published on Restore American Glory

New Post has been published on http://www.restoreamericanglory.com/breaking-news/new-argument-kavanaugh-would-have-to-recuse-himself-from-most-cases/

New Argument: Kavanaugh Would Have to Recuse Himself From Most Cases

According to constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe, Brett Kavanaugh’s “blatant partisanship and personal animosity towards liberals” would require that he recuse himself from so many high-profile cases that he could not possibly be “an effective member of the Supreme Court.” Thus we have yet another argument against his confirmation from a liberal who was undoubtedly a no on Kavanaugh from the moment President Trump nominated him.

In the New York Times, Tribe writes that Kavanaugh disqualified himself from consideration when he displayed anger and hostility towards Democrats in his testimony last Thursday.

“His intemperate personal attacks on members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and his partisan tirades against what he derided as a conspiracy of liberal political enemies guilty of a ‘calculated and orchestrated political hit’ do more than simply display a strikingly injudicious temperament,” Tribe writes. “They disqualify him from participating in a wide range of the cases that may come before the Supreme Court: cases involving individuals or groups that Judge Kavanaugh has now singled out, under oath and in front of the entire nation, as implacable adversaries.”

This is too rich. The Democrats started trying to destroy this man’s reputation the day after President Trump selected him. He was a Bush-era partisan. He was a degenerate gambler. He spent too much money on baseball tickets. He was a proponent of letting the President of the United States break the law in any way he deems fit. He was so virulently anti-abortion that “millions” would die should he be nominated to the court. And then, when none of that insanity worked, they brought out the big guns.

And so it is that, after stooping to lows previously unplumbed in American politics, Democrats have the temerity to say that Kavanaugh is disqualified from consideration because…he is angry about it? How can anyone say this with a straight face?

Well, Tribe is the guy who once tried to sell readers on a scheme that would have seen Hillary Clinton replace Trump as president, so we can safely assume he’s a few nickels short of a dollar.

“Judge Kavanaugh’s attacks on identifiable groups — Democrats, liberals, ‘outside left-wing opposition groups’ and those angry ‘about President Trump and the 2016 election’ or seeking ‘revenge on behalf of the Clintons’ — render it inconceivable that he could ‘administer justice without respect to persons,’ as a Supreme Court justice must swear to do, when groups like Planned Parenthood, the NRDC Action Fund, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Naral Pro-Choice America or the American Civil Liberties Union appear as parties or file briefs on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants,” Tribe writes.

How wonderfully convenient. After all, the only reason Democrats fear Kavanaugh so much is that he could be the deciding vote on cases involving abortion, anti-Trump lawsuits, and other liberal folderol. If we can simply neuter him in all of those instances, we win!

These people are truly unhinged.

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[alanafsmith]

Brazil has committed to an 'extreme measure' to combat crime in Rio — and it could be a model for the rest of the country

Brazil's legislature has approved the military intervention in Rio de Janeiro decreed by President Michel Temer last week.

Deployments of troops to Rio are not new, but the latest measure gives the military control of public security there.

The intervention has brought a new round of warnings about relying on the military for civilian security operations.

On Tuesday, hours after Brazil's lower house of congress overwhelmingly backed the military's takeover of public security in Rio de Janeiro, the Senate gave the measure final approval, voting 55 to 13 in favor.

"Together, the police and the armed forces will combat and confront those who have kidnapped our cities," President Michel Temer said on Friday, when he signed the decree deploying the military to Rio. "I know it's an extreme measure but many times Brazil requires extreme measures to put things in order."

Gangs have "virtually taken over" Rio's metropolitan area, home to 12 million of the state's 17 million people, Temer said. The state's governor will retain control of the government, but the military will report to an army general who will report to Temer, which will ensure civilian oversight of the armed forces, the president has stressed.

It is the first military intervention since Brazil's military dictatorship fell in 1985.

Rio de Janeiro has been plagued by worsening violence for several years, and Temer's decree came just a few days after the end of Rio's famed Carnival celebration, which was marked by violence and displays critiquing the government's response to it.

Television networks showed footage of shootouts between gangs and of young men attacking tourists in areas usually considered safe, including Ipanema beach. Three military police officers were killed. The state governor admitted that his administration was not prepared to provide security and said authorities confiscated an "incredible" number of firearms.

The state government initially said crime went down during this year's festivities, but data obtained by Rio newspaper O Dia indicated that even as homicides declined, robberies and car thefts increased.

'A steep deterioration'

2018 has gotten off to a violent start for Rio. There were 688 shootings in the state in January — many in the sprawling, often poor and marginalized neighborhoods known as favelas, where authorities have little presence.

Violence in Rio is not as severe as in other parts of the country — in 2016 it was 11th among states in Brazil in terms of homicide rate. But it is one of Brazil's most well-known locales, and insecurity there has intensified in recent years — especially after hosting the 2016 Olympics.

In the years after Rio was awarded the 2016 games, the state government invested heavily in security. In 2008, it implemented Pacification Police Units, sending police into communities where gangs and violence were problems. They were to be followed by social programs meant to reincorporate the community into the city and establish bulwarks against criminal influence.

The UPP program was "initially very successful in bringing areas under state control, where previously drug traffickers were the primary organization," Thomaz Favaro, a regional analyst for Control Risks, told Business Insider in a January interview. "And over a period of time this strategy did prove partially successful. It did bring crime down. It did allow the government to regain control of some of these favelas."

But as Rio started to struggle financially amid a broader recession in Brazil, the initiative faltered. It was hamstrung by budget cuts, while police have found themselves going without supplies, and, in some cases, pay. (The state and police were also criticized for failing to fully implement and adjust to the programs.)

"Over the last two, three years with dwindling resources for public-security forces, the drug traffickers have been able to regain control over some of these areas. So you're already seeing that in some areas where the government had the upper hand, it no longer has" it, Favaro said. "And that's leading to a steep deterioration of the security environment in Rio de Janeiro."

Recent years have seen numerous military deployments to Rio — thousands of troops flooded parts of the city on several occasions last year — but their presence has done little to reduce crime and insecurity, while reports of abuses have increased.

Shootouts, between police and criminals and between rival criminal groups, are common, forcing residents to take cover. Deaths from stray bullets have increased considerably.

'What will the Army will do? Shoot?'

Brazil's current political environment — Temer has single-digit approval ratings and politicians are gearing up for elections in October — has led to suspicions that Temer's latest moves in Rio are politically motivated. (Though military intervention is broadly popular, among Rio residents and Brazilians more generally.)

Temer's government has touted federal intervention as the best way to address the situation there and gone further in recent days, suggesting the city and policies pursued there could serve as a model for other parts of the country.

"It's important to understand that Rio de Janeiro is a laboratory," Institutional Security Minister Sergio Etchegoyen said on Monday, after a meeting with Temer to discuss the intervention, according to the Associated Press. "It's the outward manifestation of a structural crisis."

"I believe that this is one more step along the road of being able to restore security, order and, above all, confidence to residents of Rio de Janeiro state," said Wellington Moreira Franco, the secretary-general of the presidency. "This spirit is being mobilized so that ... this conversation, this methodology can spread throughout Brazil."

Despite the government's assurances about civilian oversight of the military, its deployment to Rio and suggestions it could take a larger role elsewhere have raised concerns about abuses and its past ineffectiveness — especially after Defense Minister Raul Jungmann said authorities would seek broader warrants that could list an entire street or even neighborhood rather than just an address.

"The Army does not have the capacity and training to address a security problem that exists in Rio. Public security depends mainly on investigations, and the Army does not investigate," Ignacio Cano, a sociologist at the Violence Analysis Laboratory at Rio's state university, told O Dia after the decree was announced. "When it arrives in the community, what will the Army will do? Shoot?"

Even the commander of Brazil's army, Gen. Eduardo Villas Boas, has cautioned against relying on the military for civilian security, saying in January that such operations could deepen corruption among soldiers. The "simple deployment of the armed forces does not have the capacity, in and of itself, to resolve the public security issues" facing Brazil, he said.

During an event with Temer over the weekend, Rio de Janeiro state Gov. Luiz Fernando Pezão praised the federal response, but stressed the need for additional measures. "But we need a lot of jobs, that economic activity grows," he said to the president. "We'll only win the war for public security with work permits."

"The federal government currently just provides emergency support for the states who are struggling the most with the security situation. Rio is one of them," Favaro said in January, explaining that public security has typically been the remit of state governments. (Though the military police, who handle street patrols and make arrests, are somewhat insulated from civilian oversight.)

"I think sort of the lack of new initiatives, fresh initiatives, even dedication to specific concerns is certainly one of the key reasons why the security environment hasn't improved," Favaro said.

SEE ALSO: Brazil is taking an 'extreme measure' to confront crime in Rio — the first time it's done so since the country's dictatorship fell

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The Rio Olympics were only a year ago, but the venues look like they've been deserted for decades

from All About Law http://www.businessinsider.com/brazil-military-intervention-rio-security-national-model-2018-2

[oldguardaudio]

Is Senator Chuck Schumer responsible for the 8 murders? Rush Limbaugh Explains -> Chuck Schumer Owns This Terrorist

Rental Truck Contol coming to a city near you SOON! at HoaxAndChange.com

Rush USA Flag at HoaxAndChange.com

DemNuts, all in one place at HoaxAndChange.com

Nov 1, 2017

  RUSH: In the last 15 years, we have admitted over two million people to the U.S., and mostly from Muslim countries via the Diversity Visa Program. That doesn’t count their parents and their aunts and uncles and cousins and anybody else who, with forged documents to come in via chain migration, who then in turn invite their relatives and friends into the U.S. (chuckles) It’s a, quote, unquote, “great” system. And it’s, “Wow, look at the diversity it’s given us! Isn’t it great? Look at all the diversity we have!” So President Trump tweeted about this, zeroing in on Senator Chuck You Schumer, who extolled the virtues of this program for years. Chuck You Schumer on the Senate floor reacted today…

SCHUMER: I’ve seen the tweets from President Trump. The contrast between President Bush’s actions after 9/11 and President Trump’s actions this morning could not be starker. President Trump,where is your leadership? I have always believed that immigration is good for America. President Trump, instead of politicizing and dividing America, which he always seems to do at times of national tragedy, should be bringing us together and focusing on the real solution: anti-terrorism funding, which he proposed to cut —

RUSH: Are you kidding me?

SCHUMER: — in his most recent budget.

RUSH: Money?

SCHUMER: Instead of dividing, instead of politicizing, do something real.

RUSH: Senator Schumer, you own this guy. Senator Schumer, this guy is yours. He wouldn’t be here if not for the bill you sponsored. Leadership? Deflecting blame from where it ought to be placed: Yourself? Clamor for leadership?

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Chuck Schumer is pathetic. Chuck Schumer politicizes every gun shooting, every gun event, every shooting. It doesn’t take him five seconds. Politicizes every one. He’ll go to the nearest camera or microphone or head to the floor of the United States Senate and politicize everything where a gun is involved. And now he’s upset, righteously indignant, that Donald Trump has the temerity to remind everybody that this guy and millions others potentially like him are in this country because of legislation Chuck Schumer energetically and thoroughly supported. The Diversity Visa lottery.

Who are we trying to impress? Who are we trying to assuage our guilt with? It’d be one thing if this program was initiated after 9/11, but it goes back to 1990. This goes back to George H. W. Bush, Bush 41. I think what’s going on — by the way, I just watched during the break here, we were rolling on it, so we’ll have excerpts, Trump just unloaded on this whole program and how stupid it is and how there have been efforts underway to change it. He’s met resistance and opposition. He pledged to continue to get rid of it, and he called out the people who are in support of it.

What he said is exactly why he was elected president, exactly why the bond that exists between Trump and his supporters will not be broken. So Trump accurately points at Chuck Schumer and everybody else who had anything to do with this cockamamie program. And there’s Schumer running around like he’s profoundly offended, why, how dare you politicize this. From the guy who, again, politicizes every hurricane, every gun crime. Every mass shooting that he can find to politicize, he does it!

And he politicizes always by blaming Republicans, conservatives, you name it. Don’t even wait for the facts. Don’t even wait for any evidence. It’s just a knee-jerk reaction. Schumer’s not used to being called out like this. The left is not used to being called out. They get to politicize whatever they want, the media picks it up and runs with it or the media gives them orders that shows them how to do it then Chuck Schumer comes out and does it. I still think the media is running the show. But in this case, it doesn’t really matter. Trump fires back, and these people are not accustomed to being hit.

So now Schumer goes (imitating Schumer), “Where is your leadership? What do you think you’re doing? You’re not helping at all. Your actions could not be starker between the way George W. Bush handled post-9/11, the way you’re handling this. I’ve always believed immigration’s good for America,” said Chuck You. “Trump, instead of politicizing and dividing, why don’t you show some leadership and spend more money, get creative with funding.”

Andrew Cuomo is also upset. This is Fredo’s older brother. He was upset during a Q&A at police headquarters today. A reporter said, “What do you think of Trump’s remarks about extreme vetting and what implications this will have for immigration policy?”

CUOMO: The president’s tweets, I think, were not helpful.

RUSH: Really?

CUOMO: I don’t think they were factual.

RUSH: Really?

CUOMO: I think they tended to point fingers and politicize the —

RUSH: Really?

CUOMO: — situation.

RUSH: Is that right?

CUOMO: He was referring back to a immigration policy that dealt with a lottery and blaming people who passed that — that immigration policy. His tweet wasn’t even accurate, as far as I’m concerned. That was a bipartisan law that was passed that had basically no relevance to the facts of this situation.

RUSH: What do you mean, it has no relevance to the facts of this situation? What do you mean his tweets were not helpful? Maybe not helpful to you. Maybe not helpful to Chuck Schumer. Maybe not helpful to Democrats, because Democrats never get called out on this stuff. Again, I say, as I overwork and overuse the phrase, this is what pushing back looks like.

The media’s obsessing over this. Did the media obsess over that ad that was run against Ed Gillespie? No, they didn’t. If the media did anything, they supported the premise of that ad. That ad runs and then this terror attack happens, and I’m telling you the similarities are eerie. But it’s one more event in a series of events.

These are the kinds of things that keep Americans unsettled. These are the kinds of things that keep happening, and after every event like this, we’re told that we’re gonna get serious or we’re told that we’re gonna get this fixed. And it never gets fixed, because we never focus on the real problem. And every time something like this happens, the first reaction of the Democrat Party is to politicize it to their advantage, which is exactly what we are watching happen right now.

Is Senator Chuck Schumer responsible for the 8 murders? Rush Limbaugh Explains ->  Chuck Schumer Owns This Terrorist Is Senator Chuck Schumer responsible for the 8 murders? Rush Limbaugh Explains -> Chuck Schumer Owns This Terrorist…