#this is like Navy's internal dialogue

[doggirling]

12 hours remain. heres meta knight birthday shopping (and he's not using embezzled funds i promise)

[bloodmoonmuses]

the weatherman's weathered heart | mark lee

genre: weatherman! mark lee x reader, enemies to lovers, slowburn

[series masterlist] [next chapter]

chapter one: coffee hit and run

This is the third time you’ve told yourself you’d stop drinking coffee, yet here you are again- preparing to do the literal opposite. Autumn has wrapped her fingers around summer’s waist, nippy morning air whistling through the crack of your bedroom window. Your cat, Luna, is napping on an armchair, making you jealous of her furnace-like warmth. You shrug on a denim jacket, a sturdy one passed down from your dad, then make your way down the block. Marnie’s, the ever beloved independent coffee shop in your hometown, is a seven minute walk from your house. 

The conveniency of such is where you place blame for your lack of a backbone. It’s also on your way to work, Jagerman Printing Co., making the practice of scooping up your double americano (with a hefty splash of half and half) a staple in your morning routine. 

A bell rings upon your entry and you shuffle into the short line. There’s three people in front of you: At the front of the line stands the town’s school bus driver. He gets a London fog, requesting half the amount of lavender syrup. Next is an artist type, struggling to hold a thick stack of photos in his hands as he orders his iced macchiato. You’ve seen him in your shop before, attempting to flirt with your coworker, Hongjoong, so he could get a discount on his prints. Finally, just in front of you, is a man in a suit. His hair is aggressively and artificially blonde, navy blue ensemble making it practically glimmer. He’s quite spiffy. Maybe he works at the bank, you think to yourself. 

The alleged banker gets an iced americano. Triple. With an extra shot of espresso. The cashier, Marnie’s eldest daughter named Minnie, jokes that he must be really tired. The blonde man scoffs, but in agreement says, “You have no idea.” He tips generously, 4 dollars and some change, then side steps to wait for his drink. 

Now it’s time to receive your poison. When she recognizes your face, Minnie says, “Your usual?” 

To which you say, “Yes, please.” You tip as well, walking over to the side counter to wait. You pull out your phone, opening it to see that Hongjoong has texted you.

HJ (derogatory): This newspaper intern is clueless. Typo on the order for this week’s batch. Need more prints.

You: omw soon. Chat her up, can’t afford any negative reviews. 

HJ (derogatory): No promises.

You rock back and forth on your feet, thinking about how many more newspapers the girl could possibly need. The most compelling news story you had read in the last year was about the town’s duck pond. This wasn’t exactly the New York Times. The error probably meant you’d be going into work a bit earlier tomorrow. Regardless, you liked your mundane job. Going into printing technology wasn’t the most glamourous, but where else does an affinity to paper and a concerning level of attention to detail lead you? 

The menial admin work, e-mails and scheduling brought you comfort. You liked managing your little team. Some projects were more fun than others: birthday invitations, wedding save-the-dates, highschool yearbooks… Disdain only arose in you when people didn’t know how to do their job. Like this intern. 

For some reason, the interns at the newspaper office across town were in and out like goldfish at a pet store. It felt like every other month you were having to explain to some poor kid how to properly put in a printing request for the coming week. Maybe you should do admin work over there. They’d probably think you were a genius. Or a magician. 

You’re snapped out of your internal dialogue by the feeling of being shoulder checked. Hard. A few seconds pass, during which you register the sensation of liquid soaking through your shirt. The scent of espresso enters your nostrils and you scoff at the situation. Did someone just… spill their coffee on you? 

You whip your head around, words caught in your throat, in an attempt to see who just ruined your morning. In a blur, you recognize the offender to be the blonde man who was in front of you in line. He’s running out of the door, half empty cup sloshing around in his frantic hand, while screaming into his phone. 

“What?! I didn’t approve that poor excuse of a fucking article!” he says. “…Already in print? I said no, that journalist, she-” 

“Hey!” You yell after him, looking at your chest in shock. “I think you spilled something!” 

The bell above the door rings, signaling the alleged banker’s exit. The man doesn’t even look back, too engrossed in his argument to care.

When the adrenaline begins to fade out, you make eye contact with Minnie, who you assume saw the entire exchange from her spot behind the counter. She places your double americano on the counter, the side of the cup with your name sprawled on it facing outward. You walk up to the counter and take the warm drink. 

While handing you some napkins, Minnie says, “At least his was an iced drink.” You look down at your cream colored top and the dark splotch that now adorns it. Fuck.

—

When you arrive at the printing shop, Hongjoong is beet red. The guy holds so much anger in that little body of his. He can be surprisingly intimidating, when the situation permits such.

“You do realize there’s a big difference between one hundred and one thousand, right?” Hongjoong says, voice laced with annoyance. 

The mousy intern shakes. “Yeah, but– I just figured, y’know… since this is a weekly order, you might’ve realized it was a typo on your own.”

Honjoong chortles. “Oh, so it’s my fault? Newspapers are an antiquated form of media to begin with, and I’m not really sure why we continue to deal with this bullsh-”

You interject, shooting the intern an apologetic smile. “Take it easy, big man. You’re not scaring anyone in that vest,” you say. The intern stifles a scoff. “We’ll just print the rest tomorrow. No biggie.”

“Um, ‘yes biggie’. I don’t wanna work overtime. Gotta finalize the design for those marathon flyers too,” Hongjoong retorts.

He gives you the up-down, taking note of your frazzled demeanor and adds, “What’s with the stain on your shirt?”

“I’ll do it then,” you sigh. “I’ve got nothing better to do. And the stain? Don’t wanna talk about it.” 

Hongjoong humphs. 

Sliding behind the front counter, you place your satchel and americano down at your desk. Then, you head to the back, grabbing the boxes of newspapers you do have printed. They’re still warm from the press, the scent of the ink calming you down- if only slightly. 

“Here’s a hundred copies. I’ll have the others by nine tomorrow morning. Just… be more careful next time,” you tell the intern.

“Got someone to help you carry these?” asks Hongjoong. The intern shakes her head. “I’ll carry them out. Which one’s your car?” The girl points and he promptly gathers the boxes. 

“Hey, by the way,” you say to the girl, “do you know why they need an extra three hundred? The order is usually seven hundred copies a week.”

“Something about an interview with a weatherman. The moms here really like him-”

The door to the shop opens again and you think it’s Hongjoong, but when you turn, it’s the man from the coffee shop. He’s still on the phone. Great. The offender of your coffee hit-and-run is here to add insult to injury. What are the odds of that?

“Speak of the devil…” the intern says under her breath. 

“I’m not exactly sure how the article got approved for print in the first place,” the man whisper-shouts into his phone. “I was told it was going to focus on my passion for meteorology or my down to earth persona. Not digging into my personal life. Whatever the intent, I want it scrapped. Entirely.”

Hongjoong now re-enters the shop, glancing at the suit-clad man, recognition flickering on his face. “Wow, we’ve got a small-town celebrity here in Jagerman’s? To what do we owe the honor?”

Finally, after hanging up the phone, the previously alleged banker says, “I’m here about the newspaper.”

“Just packed up the first batch of copies,” says Hongjoong. “Since when did you work for the newspaper?”

“I don’t work for the newspaper, I’m Mark… Mark Lee?” He says. Then, he looks at you expectantly.

Hongjoong simply laughs. 

“Is that name supposed to mean something to me?” You ask, agitation rising in your chest.

“Channel 127 News? Beloved weatherman and meteorologist?” Mark continues. 

Hongjoong laughs again. “A real big shot,” he says.

You shake your head. “Not ringing a bell.” 

At this, the bank- weather…man scoffs incredulously. “Well if you crack open one of those newspapers, you’ll see my face all over it.”

“Ah. Popular with the moms. Well, as I told this young lady here,” you gesture to the intern, “we’ll have the rest of the copies tomorrow. There was a misunderstanding with the printing order.”

“That’s what I’m here about. I don’t want them printed.” Mark crosses his arms.

“Well, they already are,” you huff. You had cut the intern some slack, but this guy? He’s a grown man pouting over some paper. And he spilled coffee on you. Honestly, you were more upset about the latter- and the fact that Mark seemingly has no recollection of this. Are you that invisible? Forgettable? 

Nevertheless, the weatherman persists. “Then I don’t want them distributed,” he says.

You cross your arms, mirroring Mark. “You have no authority over that decision.”

Mark exhales dramatically, pinching his nose bridge in frustration. “Are you always this rude to your customers?”

“Do you always spill coffee on unassuming printing technicians?” At this, Mark pauses, finally placing your face. As recognition floods his features you add, “Four shots of watered down espresso on my new shirt. It’s a shame really.” Mark’s face flushes.

“What could possibly be in this article that would make you come all the way here? The news station is on the other side of town,” you inquire.

Mark stammers. “It’s nothing-”

“An affair? Tax fraud? Oh my god, I’m the first to hear about Weatherman-Gate,” says Hongjoong.

You chuckle. “‘Small-Town Weatherman Commits Tax Fraud”. What a headline. I’d actually read that.”

“I didn’t commit tax fraud. I just… didn’t approve of the article. So that’s illegal, right?”

The intern tuts. “You undergoing the interview was the approval. No take backs.”

“‘No take backs’? Are you a toddler?” asks Mark.

“I’m 21,” she responds, chipper as ever.

“So, you are a toddler,” you and Hongjoong say in unison. 

“Jinx!” exclaims Hongjoong. “Buy me a coke after my shift?” You wave off his question, returning to the issue at hand.

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t my problem,” you say.

“Look, I’m sorry I spilled coffee on you, I am, but this is my livelihood. I’d really appreciate it if-”

“You’re gonna have to go to the newspaper office,” you contend. “Like I said, this isn’t my problem.” 

Mark goes quiet. As you turn to walk back to your desk, he whispers out a plea. The quiver in his voice makes you stop in your tracks.

“Please.” You spin back around to see that his eyes are now glassy. For a moment, you think he’s about to cry. 

You look over to Hongjoong. He’s not having any of it. Knowing him, he probably thinks this Mark guy is full of shit. However, you (unfortunately) have empathy. Whatever’s in this article, he doesn’t want it to come out. You sigh. The admin at the newspaper isn't gonna like this one bit.

“We only have a portion of them printed,” you confess. “If you can get the editor to change the article by tonight-”

Mark erupts into a gleeful cheer, effectively cutting you off. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He engulfs you into an awkward embrace, jumping up and down like a little girl. 

Hongjoong snaps a picture. “A lot of Facebook moms are gonna be jealous of you,” he says.

While in Mark’s hold, you remember the stain on your shirt. “One more thing.”

Mark immediately concedes, finally freeing you from his death grip. “Yes. Anything. I’ll do anything,” he says.

“You owe me a new shirt.”

a/n: feedback is always appreciated! thx for reading! <3

[lenoraah]

𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴

pairing - mick schumacher x reader

summary - cute and (hopefully) short moments in mick and reader’s relationship written in headcannons

a/n - i also did this for Charles and Logan :)

☆ logan’s version | charles’s version

★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

height difference-

~if you’re a short girlie like me this one is for you

~I know Mick is 5’9/176cm but it’s okay, it’s okay

~i feel like height could seen like a teasing and cute thing in your relationship

~basic things like patting your head or resting his chin on the top of your head

~or they can slowly get dirty, like he has his hands on your hips and they slowly travel towards there when you in dress or you just woke up and you’re in a nightie or, i don’t know, panties

~back to other fluffy things, the classic ‘i can’t reach the top self’ or reaching up on your tiptoes to kiss him

~either you’re tiny and petite or the two of have a major seven inches/17.78cm height difference, it doesn’t really matter. he sees you as like a little gnome or tiny fairy that he has to protect

~oh and we can’t forget the, ‘one question, how’s the weather down there?’

dancing in the rain-

~ugh I love this idea for much

~i can imagine drizzling rain, lacy crème slip dresses, navy sweater and chinos and record players

~it would be after a fancy yacht party or a dinner date

~Mick would insist that the two of you would go right back into your apartment before you get sick but you would insist that a quick dance wouldn’t hurt

~even if music is a bit impossible on a sidewalk loud enough for the two of you to hear through the rain, there would definitely be some of that internal dialogue music

~however if it’s pouring rain, the two of you would find time to dance in your living room

~that’s where the record player come in

~i’m getting Lana Del Rey and Gracie Abrams vibes from dancing with a perfect blue eyed blonde boy in your living room wile it’s pouring outside

summer break-

~summer would be your favorite season

~it’s when the two of you can wake up next to each other without a rush and make breakfast together and stay up watching a cheesy movie together

~i can see hiking, swimming and to be honest any outside activity

~I live for the thought of you and Mick being parents to Angie

~going out for walks with her, watching her run around the beach following Mick

~all three of you would be so happy especially you and Angie

~because instead of having her whimpering in your lap whiling watching the race missing your boyfriend because he’s with the team at the race

~overall one more thing is that you are the one that has to remind him to wear sunscreen otherwise you’ll have a cute tomato- uh i mean a cute sunburnt boyfriend

teaching each other your mother tongue-

~we all know Mick speaks German

~if you do know another language than the two of you definitely teach the other person some basic conversation words

~he would also learn because he wanted to talk to your parents incase their English isn’t that well or they don’t know English and it would be nice to talk to Gina and Corinna in German

~you and him would learn to call each other cute nicknames in each other’s mother tongue

~can you imagine the look on his face when you call him schatz or liebe

~it would be so cute

~however if you don’t know any other language then he will still teach you some words

~okay one more idea, what if he propose to you in your mother tongue

~ugh i can’t with this and him

[elderwisp]

yap session for this week’s story post, gather around friends:

how taryn copes

⊱✿⊰ tessellate was always meant to be a story in which the viewer is following alongside different characters lives and watching how things unfold. while some have a less tumultuous path, others really struggle with being stuck in a cycle. taryn has a tendency to avoid vulnerability and shoulder the weight of difficult emotions/scenarios. there are few characters that i utilize monologues with and i think taryn's personality really embodies that nature because she's known to internalize a bit. (examples: bonk and bonk) however, with that being said, the lack of attentiveness to her emotions is beginning to take a toll as she's unable to let go and truly enjoy an intimate moment with jules.

jules

⊱✿⊰ speaking of the man, jules was initially only supposed to have a small role, the dialogue was incredibly short the first draft but that expansion came from wanting to give the two a bit more chemistry to me wanting to understand the character. fun fact, he's a divorce lawyer and we'll see how that career has almost influenced the way he approaches relationships in the future.

miscellaneous thoughts

⊱✿⊰ with coloring, while i associate taryn with orange, i went with red in this scenario as i found it to be a bit more punchier and sharper to embody her current nature. red is associated with a lot of things like passion but for me, personally, i see red and think pain. taryn's clothing pallet is also going to adjust throughout her arc as initially, she leaned into softer colors whilst in the future, those colors are going to shift into richer colors like navy blue, maroons, dark purples. oo! in the photo with atlas's eyes, i leaned into their associated colors which is blue and orange and i think it made this nice sunset appearance.

there's a lot i enjoyed in this scene as well as the next. sometimes when we lose people, we grapple with some tough feelings of wanting to be the bigger person to being bitter about a situation to ultimately acceptance.

[compacflt]

your use of names throughout your works is just sooo chef's kiss - I noticed that while you have the internal dialogue of Mav and Ice refer to themself/each other as Maverick/Ice and Mitchell/Kazansky for the majority of your fics, there are instances where they do call each other by their first names even before they 'talk about it'. I was wondering if you had any thoughts about the first time they called each other Pete/Tom? Any preceding events/emotions/conversations? Or did it just slip out?

LMFAO it’s when they first jack each other off LOL LOL

but aside from that the next times they call each other by their first names are: when bradley comes out to them (Pete), and literally 9/11 (Tom).

the whole “when they use names vs navy-issued identities” topic is one of those things I can’t talk about for too long without sounding like im sucking my own dick (bc im very proud of it) so ill just leave it there

[musewrangler]

For the fic writer asks: 2, 6 (for a fic of your choice), 26 (I swear I did not make the numbers come out that way on purpose), 36 (I PROMISE I'M NOT DOING THAT ON PURPOSE), and 37 (whew, broke the pattern).

lol. Thank you friend!

Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

All right the top five in order are: angst, hurt/comfort, friendship, drama, action/adventure.

I’m chuckling because yep—-those are SPOT ON. They sum up any given work. 😂😂 I do like a healthy dose of humor and sarcasm from my characters as well.

What’s one fact about the universe of [insert fic] that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

In my Star Wars western, it would have been fun to get into Piett’s background and origin but it wasn’t relevant to plot points so I didn’t. However, I head canon that he’s from a Russian immigrant family which came to America in the 1820s and settled in New York. Firmus is a second generation American and proudly joined the US military post Civil War.

Would you rather write a fic that had no dialogue or one that was only dialogue?

Ok both options pain me, but I’d have to go with no dialogue. Because at least I could convey emotion in face and body as I described a situation. I shudder to think about writing like that though! 😂😂

Do you visualize what you read/write?

Absolutely. I can’t not actually 😂 I play things out in my head like a movie. I’ll say dialogue aloud to sound test and even look at my expressions in a mirror to better describe how a character is reacting. I’ll catch myself making expressions I’m describing as I write too😂

And when I read, I have an internal scene playing out. A great author has the right balance of descriptions and dialogue. I have vivid pictures in my head—-years later—-from excellent books I’ve read.

Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

Hmm. Well, I’m truly ok with being small potatoes. I’m well aware that I’m in a more obscure corner of the Star Wars sandbox so by nature I won’t get as much traction.

That being said, I’d like to plug A Star To Steer By. This is my Star Wars British navy AU and I had SUCH fun researching the age of sail and HOW to sail as well as illustrate Piett and Veers in the glorious uniforms of the period. It was so delightful to put all my characters into this time period and it was my first story with digital art as well. I have a lot of happy memories from writing it.

[dwcmarshalarts]

more questions!

Why is major vespira’s uniform slightly different to that of the rest of the navy when it’s been shown before that naval marines dress the same as sailors (that piece showing off the marines & terizikan ground forces) and is it just an accidental oversight or similar to how USMC officers have different uniforms than enlisted marines?

2. It’s really weird to say “can I be your friend” however I was wondering what your thoughts were on more casual world-building discussion were, because you have inspired me with some aspects, like the civil war piece you made regarding how quickly the fancy parade uniforms of the us army went downhill during the civil war & the realities of who’d actually be wearing it, and it’d be great to have a kinda forum you’d be okay with to discuss various ideas and topics, especially because I’ve recently been trying to get into civil war related mythos, especially with the union

3. Damek critou, as far as I know dames is a character owned by another person yet is the main character of one of your side stories? if so that’s cool and I’d love to hear how that came about, aswell as I’d love to hear a little bit more about what’s actually happening in that story, as I’ve gotten the basic premise of cute traumatised lil blue fox gets whisked away by a dashing rebel officer after getting bored of Rafans 6am meetings (not exactly but that’s the gist of it I presume :pp)

4. Not really a question, but I sent a few more asks in but accidentally turned on incognito, one of them was about your characters (Xever’s unit) and what they were like to interact with as people, in a civilian and military setting with subordinates and strangers (because asking if they accepts hugs is kinda boring) because they all seem pretty interesting (also who’s the lieutenant? :pp)

1. Naval Marines and Voidmen (non-Marine soldiers on the Circuit’s ships) do have the same fatigues, but they don’t dress the same overall. The NM are a unique subdivision of the Navy which have their own internal command structure, they just happen to share some resources, and ultimately answer to their Naval Commanders- most often the folks in charge of their ship or squadron. As such, NM get their own dress uniforms.

2. My take on worldbuilding generally is that I think it is a fundamental aspect of writing stories, and I’m thankful that as of the recent couple years, plenty of people are interested in jumping aboard and doing their own. That said, I think there is a tendency with “going too far” into it, and people get very lost in the sauce. I used to be the consummate worldbuilder back when I was working on my In the Red series, but after a while I kind of noticed that a lot of the world-building that I was doing at the time was just a rote regurgitation of what I knew about real world history. This was also a trend with a lot of what I was seeing from contemporaries, no shade meant, but that was just what I was seeing. I stopped, as a result, and spent a while focusing mainly on the characters in my other series, which would become the flagship “Percivals” stories. I would only really start worldbuilding again after I had a clear idea for the character development and arcs, as well as how they, in conjunction to the world around us, would be relatable to a reader. That way, I could pull not from the rote history, but from what *drives* developments.

Not to mention, I’ve begun growing a little less patient with the worldbuilding-forward story aspects, as it can end up making a story feel less “real” or “lived in,” and break some of the immersion. A good worldbuild is one where you don’t think about the worldbuild. There’s this great line about dialogue in films where characters shouldn’t state information that they should already know, just because the audience needs to be let in on some exposition. This is true about worldbuilding as well. Take from our real world too: how often do people think about the Seven Year’s War? How many people drive past the Winfield Scott Hancock statue in Washington DC and consciously thinking about his role in commanding US Forces at Gettysburg? How many people think about the makeup of a fleet of ships-of-the-line when they pass by Nelson’s Column? The answer is- most people don’t even think about it. They don’t bat an eye and keep going about their lives- and- yes, these historical events have shaped the course of history. But more goes on than just those big events- I haven’t even mentioned mundane, bureaucratic processes that reshape neighborhoods, or public constructions that alter a landscape. Oftentimes, those things get overlooked for flashy, “historical” events, when in many cases, boring legislation or changes in regulation end up being far more wide reaching in scope, both in their immediate effect, and later down the line.

The truth behind the matter is that the key to good, “lived in” worldbuilding is restraint. Restraint of putting everything out there, restraint of not giving every single detail to a reader/viewer. Yes, worldbuild, yes, write about the logistics system in x nation, but have the restraint to keep it in the background as yet another mundane thing. Once you treat a world as having been naturally evolved as opposed to artificially developed, with highlights and whatnot, that’ll be when it’ll feel properly lived in.

As for any further discussion- I’m a little busy a lot of the time haha. If you have any more questions, I can always answer them, or get around to answering them through my inbox. Thank you for your interest!

3. I’ve known Damek for a little bit, and as we’re both interested in sci fi, we’ve had conversations about theoretical placement of his character in the Percivals for a bit. I did a piece for him a while ago that was a commission and I set that in-universe. As an idea, it was kind of just sitting there for a while. In the mean time, I had started another stand-alone story with Ezo (another person’s character who I’m chill with) and built up the antagonist for that story, an ICC Admiral Rafan Spex. Back then, he was a mustache-twirling villain who was unambiguously sinister. Andor, the Star Wars show, did a lot to give me an idea for what Critou could be like. After doing some thinking, I rewrote the Spex character, and connected it to Damek to bridge the two stories, and serve as the basis for a three-arc, eleven chapter story. I’ve written the synopses for every chapter except 11, but I won’t be releasing that widely any time soon to avoid overt spoilers.

4. The officers in Xever’s unit are pretty chill, for the most part. Maybe with the exception of Wynn. Now, I’ll admit, this is a pretty broad question, and one that I wouldn’t be able to reasonably or concisely answer in a single post, but I’ll go over Xever to start with. Xever has had a very rigid, and turbulent upbringing. His father was, for most of his crucial, developing years, a broken man with dead career prospects whose own father was also harsh and austere military patriarch. Xever only really ever connected with his brother, whose death early on in his military career robbed him of companionship, and turned his mother into a fish-out-of-water shut-in, too hurt by the loss to be too active. Despite Xever finding some peace with Tycho for a short while, Xever’s lack of broader social interaction made him socially awkward, ripe for bullying during the Academy. His interests, mainly music and introspective, vulnerable ideas were simply not the same as his peers, and that along with being gay, compounded his insecurities. He’d eventually get through the Academy (not without hiccups) but as he quickly rose through the ranks (largely by family connections), he was still largely socially awkward and masked that by talking to his coworkers in Ground Forces with very by-the-book, stock-standard speech. He’d been to explore himself more off-work, especially in the company of Tycho, and be more loose, particularly in areas where his father would be unlikely to know about. This would have made him more sociable and chill in the long run, but due to events in the story, that would be cut short.

Knowing this, we can tell a couple things: without support from others, or the comfort of well-rehearsed, by the book answers, Xever can be quite socially awkward, both to professional comrades and civilians.

Good question though, I’ll likely make more structured, separate posts about the other characters in time! Likely next will be about Ewan Figes, followed by Tycho, then Wynn, Rodriguez, and Dyer.

[fourswords]

ezlo... the grumpy grandpa ever...

i was going to respond to this with a list of quotes from him that really show how he's the grumpiest grandpa ever but then i remembered this one quote from him that goes:

"There are some strange creatures on Mount Crenel… Creatures I've never seen before, and your sword alone won't beat them! Don't give up hope, though! Try your other items on them! Well…you don't need me to tell you how to do your job. Just deal with those monsters, and I'll take care of everything else."

i think the "Well...you don't need me to tell you how to do your job" is funny and interesting in equal measure because it's such a stark contrast from other companions for links who were on the younger side (think oot link with navi and ww link with the king of red lions) at the time whose purposes were definitely more aligned with, at the very least, helping link to do his job as a hero (navi with z-targeting, the king of red lions with helping link get around and also kind of. manipulating him into becoming The Hero™). but ezlo is canonically fucking clueless about damn near everything that doesn't involve his niche realm of being a "famous minish sage" who is "renowned for his amazing creations" (according to his figurine description). like:

"A strange nut that will allow us to understand the Minish language… The Jingle Nut, did he say…? No, wait… That's not it… Ah, I remember now! It was the Jabber Nut. That's what it was… Come on, my boy! We've got to find the Jabber Nut!"

"Have you ever visited Hyrule before? What? You have? …What's it like? Not that I… I mean, I've seen it before! Of course I have! I'm very well traveled. I just wanted to see…what you thought of it!"

"So! We must infuse the White Sword with the elemental power. That means we must find the elemental sanctuary. And the way we do that is… Um… Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out!"

"So there are three books that we're supposed to return, right? Link, I'm sure you can handle it! Don't get me wrong! I'd love to help! But I'm a great Minish sage! I don't understand your big, human ways! So…I'm counting on you!"

there are a BUNCH more examples but you get my point. i just think it's really, really funny that out of the few companions that younger links had at that point in time, it's in the minish cap that said companion is like "ehhhhh i don't need to tell him what to do he's smart enough to deal with it himself. he just needs to be yelled at to stop dawdling and GET A FUCKING MOVE ON sometimes." which is also kind of exemplified by this line of ezlo's near the end of the game, too:

"We will get through this! We have all of the techniques and power you've gained in your journey! And we have your wisdom and courage as well! Link! I believe in you!"

it says a lot that he attributes not only courage to link but wisdom as well. link has so so so so so SO much personality in this game and between his own flavor text/internal dialogue when interacting with things and ezlo's running commentary on link's attitude/words/expressions/reactions to things it's SO plain to see (ex: "Link, I know this may not be a great time for it, but... I wanted to say thanks for everything you've done. I'm very grateful for-- Hm? What? You're freaked out? You're not used to me being nice!? Fine, then! Forget I said anything!"/"You're so energetic all the time… Not that I'm saying you're hyperactive or anything! I meant it as a compliment! Like…you've got a special talent for being WAY too peppy or something."). and i love it so much. it's also exemplified by this line of dialogue which is absolutely hilarious to me:

"Do you have to ask me about every single little thing?! Just figure it out for yourself, you big baby!"

anyway. for the sake of not going on a 500-year tangent about how ezlo is my number one favorite companion and the hero of the minish is my number one favorite link and how much i adore all the dialogue in it. i'll end it here. <3

BUT ALSO FUN FACT DID YOU KNOW THAT LINK ACTUALLY CANONICALLY DIDN'T BELIEVE IN THE MINISH PRIOR TO THE MINISH CAP:

"So, where in the library would any Minish folk live, anyway? Maybe those people who say the Minish exist "only in stories" might be right! Hey! Link! What's that look for? Don't tell me you were one of…them? You're kidding me! You're wearing a Minish person on your head, you oaf! I certainly hope you believe in us now!"

[flowers-the-sun-witch]

BMB day 1!

feat. @flowers-the-sun-witch, @wizblr-blue-moon-ball's Lurien and @hyper-lynx's Liam and Hemi. Keep in mind that because my interactions somewhat overlap with Liam's and Hemi's, there's a lot of dialogue that's the same between them. If that's an issue, I'm happy to change it though.

The sun is starting to get low in the sky when Flowers sees the entrance to the ball.

They'd been struggling to figure out where it is in the first place for the better part of half an hour – fight them, it's not their fault they have a terrible sense of direction – and their legs are getting tired. Logically, they probably could have taken a look at the address on the invite and teleported over, but considering they barely even know what the place looks like besides a few vague details, there's a not-zero chance that they'd have passed out by now.

Well, in any case, at least they've arrived.

At least, Flowers thinks they've arrived, judging by the massive gate ahead of them and the sprawling practically-a-city around them. They take a moment to stare at the intricately-designed buildings and decorations surrounding the plaza – it's a little bright, considering how late the event will be running. They trust they'll get used to it though. It's too beautiful not to look at, what with the almost mountainous clouds all around the city and the jagged outcrops of stone floating around the main island. Everything seems to almost glow, even though the only light visible is from the sun, which is quickly setting. Whoever made this place really outdid themselves with this one.

After a few seconds of gazing upon their surroundings, Flowers elects to visit the gardens. From what they can see, there is an abundance of flora that they haven't encountered yet in their admittedly few travels. They step through the gate and are immediately bombarded with plants and flowers and flora of every kind, some of which they have never even heard of; a little surprising, really, what with the amount of study they have done on this subject, but not an unwelcome surprise. Flowers settles against a rock outcrop, internally going over everything in this section of the gardens she knows of.

Flowers is snapped out of their thoughts by the sight of a figure before them. They jump, slightly startled, and wrack their brain to work out who this person is. They're dressed in an elegant white tunic and frilled pants, along with a pair of navy high-heeled shoes. Their hair flows around their shoulders, and if they turn a bit they can see a moon pin tucked into it. The host, they think.

"Oh, uh, hello there sir," Flowers stutters, still a little flustered by the host's sudden appearance. They smooth down their dress, suddenly aware of how little it suits this event. There's no going back now, though. "I like your outfit," they continue more evenly, flashing their invite from one of their pockets. Not for the first time, Flowers is glad that they know how to sew their own clothes. They'd probably go a little bit insane without pockets.

"Thank you," the host says, "Flowers, I assume? Just Lurien is fine, by the way."

"Yes, that's me. It's a pleasure to meet you." The two stand there in an awkward silence for a few moments, before Flowers speaks up again. "When will the ball start? I'm afraid I didn't bring a watch and time-related magic is not my thing."

Lurien thinks for a moment before responding. "It's about twenty minutes until the formal schedule commences," he says, "You're actually somewhat early."

"That is a relief," Flowers replies, "I think I will stay here for a while."

Lurien turns around for a second, then back to Flowers. "It appears that we have another guest here," he says, “I’ll allow you two a moment to become acquainted. There’s a matter I’ll need to attend to.”

Not a second later, a great eagle swoops dangerously close to the edge of the courtyard and begins to circle the courtyard. Lucien sighs, then lifts off to redirect the rider. "Oh gosh!" Flowers giggles, hand against her mouth, then, in a more controlled voice, "Oh my goodness."

The other person, who had apparently appeared in the few minutes they were talking to Lurien, shakes their head. "Some people…" They then blink, focusing on Flowers. “Well– ah, greetings!” The person gives a curtsy. “My name’s Liam.”

Flowers returns the gesture. “I’m Flowers, the Sun Witch. It’s nice to meet you!" After a short pause, they added "I like your dress.”

“Thank you~!” Liam twirled around a little. “Yours is very cute.”

Flowers smiles, but doesn't respond otherwise. They lean against the rock and watch Lurien guide the eagle, now a bright point in the darkening sky. They then turn their attention to Liam's dress. It's pink and somewhat round – very much unlike their own. Their ear twitched as they tried to think of what it reminded them of. After a moment, it clicked.

“I’ve not seen a dress of that style in a while. Lunar hibiscus, right?” they comment.

Liam's head tilts in their direction. "How did you—"

Flowers grins a little. “I don’t call myself ‘Flowers’ for no reason. The color’s pretty accurate, too. Though, those flowers are pretty rare on the island…”

“Ah, I’m not actually from here. I’m not even properly a wizard – that title belongs to my partner. I’m his plus-one.”

“Oh!” Flowers glances along the rim of the floating landmass. A little ways away is a person, sitting alone on an outcropping and staring into the sunset. “Is that him?”

“Yeah… He’s a little shy. I’m sure he’ll warm up when things kick off.”

Flowers nods, tapping their foot. “I hope the host is back soon… I hope everything’s alright with the bird situation.”

As if on cue, on a beam of light, Lucien appears next to the two guests. “I apologize for the wait, Mx. Flowers. I hope you’ll forgive my cutting your tour short for the moment, as the floor will open momentarily. I suggest you both make your way to the main hall and meet some more of the guests in the meantime.”

Flowers jumps (again! They should really get some spatial awareness at some point.) “Ah—! Of course, thank you.” They start to walk down the path toward the person on the rock. Maybe they could find another new acquaintance. Lucien, apparently satisfied, vanishes into light.

They hear Liam fall into step behind them. "Um," he says, "The fastest path is to the right."

They glance back at him. “We need to collect your partner, don’t we? Besides, I need to compliment his dress, too.”

By the time both Flowers and Liam reach the rocks, the sun has fully set. The clouds around the islands, no longer glowing red and purple, swirl like dust.

She glances back at the other person. They are wearing a deep indigo dress, made with a soft fabric and, unlike their partner, no plants in mind. As they turn to face them, Liam speaks. “Hey, we’re supposed to go inside soon.”

Admittedly, Flowers is a little distracted for the rest of the conversation. All is fine, though; they go through the motions of introducing themself and compliment the other's— Hemi's, if they remember correctly— dress.

Hemi smiles at the compliment, but Flowers turns toward the door, from which they can hear the sound of it unlatching. “Ah, it seems it’s time to enter. Have a wonderful time, you two—!” they say, then head off.

This might be more fun than they thought.

[teacupcollector]

Salvation (A Last of Us What If)

The Last of Us Masterlist

A/N: This is really dark and graphic, but I honestly believe Joel would be this brutal or even more so. A/N: Maybe I will make this an X Reader series?

Summary: What if it was Ellie that died instead of Joel? What lengths would he go to insure that Abby's death was as painful as possible? What if this was his last straw?

Joel remembers everything from that day. The pain filled grunts and whimpers. The way she called out his name. All he could do is lay there and bleed out as the golf club was turned on Ellie. He will regret that day for the rest of his life. If only he didn't called for her in his near dying moments he would be dead and not her. Another daughter he couldn't protect, right when they were making progress. On the road to forgiveness and he had that stripped away from him. He couldn't even gather the strength to hold her when she died. Her beautiful freckled face was now unrecognizable. Caved in by the golf club. He will not forget the words Abby said to him. "Now you know my pain and will have to live with it." She said that as she spit down on his face. The feeling of saliva stinging the open wounds along his cracked skull. He opens his eyes to the sound of someone grunting and he knows exactly who it is. He sits up from his slouched position in the corner of the room. The blue water from the raging ocean on the other side of the glass makes the room flood with a deep navy color. Lightning flashing through the water in flashes of white. He approaches her. Abby. He found Abby and all her friends. They were all kept in separate rooms. Key word: Were Joel picks up a jug of water before pouring it on the towel that lays on the bound woman's face. He stares down at her sputtering form as she thrashes against the chair. Her choked sobs echo through out the room. He continues to pour until the jug is almost empty. He then just sits and watch. He takes the time to look at the rest of her and his handy work. He looks at the golf club beside her chair. He legs that were twisted in directions which were other worldy. her arms were swollen and purple. some of her fingers nearly black with gangrene. Her abdomen a bright red turning purple with what he could assume to be internal bleeding. Her thrashing slows and her choking are slowly coming to a stop. Joel walks up to her and rips the towel off her head and she gasps for air. One of her eyes are swollen shut. Cloth wrapped around her head and against her ear where one is missing. Her lips are split and cheeks punctured from where his fist and her teeth connected. Her face looked like it was melting from the inside due to what he could assume were broken bones inside her face. Her lower jaw is crooked. Teeth strewed the floor. "Hey, Hey! No passing out on me. We ain't done..." He says.

He only gets panicked moans from her as he walks behind her. He tips the chair backwards causing her to jump and let out a groan.

"You know?" He says as he begins to drag the chair into the next room. "I did some readin' while I was here." He says as he walks out of one room and into another.

He can hear her breath pick up pace as he draws out his dialogue.

"You know what I learned?" He pauses for a moment. "I learned that there was a library near by."

Joel paces her chair in tow as he enters another room. The first thing that hit her was the smell and the sound of flies littering the room. That is when he turned her around. She cried out in terror. Owen, Mel, Nora, and Emanuel. Their head displayed on pikes, but when you look closer Abby sees that they are actually golf clubs. However their bodies lay below it. Their eyes were replaced with their their WLF Pendants. Golf balls were placed in their mouth as if they were a pig ready to be eaten on thanksgiving. Mel's Shirt was pulled up to revealed her pregnant stomach. Abby let out even more unintelligible cries at the sight. Toward the middle of the room were two wooden posts with a blade seated in the grain at the top. He pulls her closer to said posts and begin to untie her arms and legs from the chair. He then dumps her out of it. She falls down with a grunt.

"Want to know what I found in there?" He asks as she attempts to crawl away.

He steps on her back and keeps her pinned down.

"Norse Mythology. I was interested in Mythology in high school... Didn't think I need to remember that shit, but you know what else I found interesting in this little book?" He asks as he throws down the book that he was reading.

Joel grabs her by her arms and drags her toward the posts. He takes her left hand and raises it up above the blade before bringing it down in one motion. She cries out in pain as the blade pierces her hand and proceeds to go straight through it.

"Viking Traditions... You know. Like marriage, like how Ellie or my Sarah could have been married...You took that away from me..."

Joel Grabs a rope that was hanging there and ties it around her wrist. He moves to the other hand and repeats the same action.

"... But that's not what I am interested in..." He says as her walks around to the front.

Joel walks past the severed heads and to a hatchet leaning against the wall. He walks back toward her and squats down to eye level.

"... You say I was gonna understand your pain... That I'm gonna have to live with it... You ain't gonna win. You ain't gonna live for much longer. I will make it as painful as it has to be to get my message across." He says as he picks up the book and begins flipping through pages.

"You should be excited... Yer goin' out like royalty." He says as he places the book in front of her and walks around her to her back side.

"Ye ever heard of "Blood Eagalin'" He pauses for a "response" but only gets back panicked grunts.

"It is a form of execution performed on royalty in Norse countries... Want to know why they call it a "Blood Eagle?" " He pauses for a response.

"It's 'cause..." He grunts as he rips the back of her shirt open exposing her back to him.

"...They pry you open from behind. Rip your ribs from your spine. but that ain't even the worst part." He almost chuckles, but he knows that if he were to break his stoic composure he may succumb to madness.

"They take your lungs from your back and place 'em on yer shoulders... 'pose to look like an eagle." He says as he walks around to her front again and squats down.

"They say that if ye don't make a sound you get to go to Valhalla... And maybe you will go... Maybe your friends will go... just MAYBE you will find salvation, but you need to know this." He says as he grabs her jaw forcing her to look him in the eye.

"I will follow you every step of the way. Your salvation means nothing. There is no salvation for what you did..." He digs his fingers in causing her to whine.

"I will make sure that the life you have left... And the lives that you may or may not live afterwards will be Hell... Utter. Torture." He shoves her face away and walks around to her back.

Joel lifts the hatchet. "You asked for this the moment you set eyes on my daughter... And you are going to feel what she felt in her dying moments..."

"The struggle to breath... Helplessness... You should pray and hope that you clock out by the time I cut you open... Cause this will be long... And painful... And everything you deserve." Joel says as he takes his first swipe.

When Joel comes back to Jackson he is a new man. A changed man. A man who has lost everything dear to him. He is a force to be reckoned with. A dangerous and unstoppable force. A darkness has set inside of him that continues to grow. Which ultimately led him to leaving Jackson. Finding himself on a ranch far away from others. His brother visits on occasion but he doesn't stay long. No one ever does...

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

The Greatest Sailing Movie (N)Ever Made

Discussions of sailing movies online tend to circle around the same dozen names or so. How many errors did you spot in All is Lost? Was Master and Commander just too jargon-heavy to be a hit? Wind— love it or hate it? And just how bad is Waterworld?

But a recent discovery in the archives of Universal Studios revealed how close we almost came to having another name— or two?— in Hollywood’s somewhat dubious pantheon of the sport. While sorting old personnel files for digitization, archivist Tasha Durak discovered extensive material in the files of now-retired Universal screenwriter Avril Debile related to a project called Sunny Sets Sail. The documents suggest that Debile first got the idea for the story when visiting San Diego in 1991, during preparations for the following year’s America’s Cup competition.

Sunny Sets Sail (some documents use the title Sunny: America’s Pup) was to be a children’s sports comedy in a style common in the 1990s, combining cameos from real pro athletes with the hilarious antics of a fictional group of children— and, naturally, their adorable dog.

The story centered around Hannah, a young Navy brat recently moved to then-contemporary San Diego after spending most of her life overseas. Trying to help her feel more at home, Hannah’s parents give her a Newfoundland puppy named Sunny for her birthday and enroll her in lessons at a local sailing club. When Sunny tags along with Hannah to her first lesson, the instructor reluctantly allows the dog to accompany Hannah and her friends Jenny and Robby, noting the Newfoundland breed’s famous swimming abilities.

As the weeks pass by, Hannah, Jenny, and Robby discover Sunny is a natural crewmate, following commands to shift weight and pull on lines with her mouth. As there is nothing in the sailing club’s rules to prevent canine crew, the three compete in a junior racing series with Sunny onboard, and end up winning.

The prize is presented by Robby’s parents, Frank and June Arnold (apparently based on Peter and JJ Isler), who are both sailors for an American syndicate preparing to defend the America’s Cup. Sunny and the kids are invited to come watch the racing. They meet both the American team and the challengers, the usual sports movie band of villainous rivals, this time wearing an Australian coat of paint. (One draft which badly attempted to write out their dialogue phonetically was rejected by an editor for its potential to cause an international incident, as it sounded closer to a hideous mix of Cockney and Bostonian accents.)

The worst of them, of course, is challenging skipper Charlie “Crusher” Mackenzie, a bleach-blond meathead in sunglasses, introduced stepping on Sunny’s tail during a visit to the American compound and barking “Bloody mutt, I outta throw you overboard to the shahhks!” when she whines.

(Although few concrete references to the history of the America’s Cup are made during the script, Robby’s comment “The Australians. They won once before and they want it back.” seems to indicate a recent history vaguely like the real world’s.)

After Sunny jumps onboard the American IACC boat during a practice session and proves to be as adept at following commands as big boat crew as she did on the kids’ dinghy, Hannah and Robby suggest she become part of the American crew. At first, the skipper says no, but after losing the first two races of the match to the Australians, he relents.

Sunny, in a dog-sized windbreaker and ballcap with earholes, assists the Americans in the Cup match, and performs a traditional Newfoundland rescue when Mr. Arnold falls overboard during a maneuver. (In the first draft, she improbably swims fast enough to bring him back to the racing boat itself, in later drafts she more realistically drags him to a chase boat.)

As we might all hope, there indeed is a protest room scene where a white-haired old yachtsman adjusts his reading glasses, clears his throat, and declares “Nowhere in the America’s Cup Deed of Gift does it state that a dog cannot be part of a racing crew!”, followed, according to stage directions, by “swelling, triumphant music”.

Champagne being not-quite G-rated, the final victory scene features the spraying and guzzling of orange soda, and Sunny being showered with kibble poured out of the America’s Cup.

Avril Debile visited the 1992 and 1995 America’s Cups while researching the script, making connections with most American teams involved. The file contained a transcript of a research interview with the Islers and an educational brochure from the PACT 95 syndicate. Both Dawn Riley and Dennis Conner expressed interest in playing themselves in the film, although Conner wrote to Debile to request more lines.

While the commercial failure of Wind initially caused Universal to doubt the project, eventually Sunny Sets Sail was set for a tentative Summer 1996 release, a year after the America’s Cup, to help keep enthusiasm high for the next edition in San Diego. However, with Team New Zealand’s victory in the 1995 competition, the plot suddenly seemed dated, and production was shelved. A story with the heroes traveling to New Zealand as challengers was judged too complex for young audiences to understand. This was still the pre-Lord-of-the-Rings era in which American knowledge of New Zealand, among both children and adults, was judged to be nil. Avril Debile moved on to other projects, but the only one of note to sailing fans was the similar Tsunami: Extreme Cat. This film, created with input from Cam Lewis, would have covered a cat named Tsunami who stows away aboard a trimaran attempting the Jules Verne Trophy in her owner’s seabag. Although charming and with fewer scenes that strain belief, this script had the misfortune of being submitted to the studio in August 2001, just weeks before the 9/11 attacks changed national concerns. With the 90s extreme sports fad now out of fashion, Tsunami was also cancelled.

It’s easy at a distance of a quarter-century to look on these projects with regret, thinking of how they might have raised the public profile of sailing in the USA. As cheesy and corny as the plots sound— surely if they had been made, “Sunny the dog” and “The Deed of Gift does not forbid dogs!” would be as much of a running joke on Scuttlebutt as “The Whomper”— they could have made the sport of sailing part of the childhood of an entire generation of young people.

Our cold comfort is that it is widely suspected that the scripts for Sunny Sets Sail that were passed around Hollywood in the early-mid 90s could have inspired other films of the era about improbable animal athletes, such as Air Bud, Racing Stripes, and MVP: Most Valuable Primate.

“Avril” is of course French for “April”, and “Débile” means “Stupid” or “Foolish”.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 5.21

Holidays

Afro-Colombian Day (Colombia)

Agricultural Fair Day

Anti-Terrorism Day (India)

Battle of Iquique Anniversary Day (Chile)

Capitol Build Day (New York)

Circassian Day of Mourning

Daylilly Day (French Republic)

Day of Patriots and Military (Hungary)

Emergency Medical Services Day

EMS Health, Wellness & Resilience Day

End of the World Day

Feast of the Triple Scoop

521 Day

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Hug Your Interior Designer Day

Hummel Day (a.k.a. Sister Maria Hummel Day)

"I Need A Patch For That" Day

International Day of Statistical Literacy

Journée Nationale des Patriotes (National Patriots' Day; Quebec)

Keanu Reeves Day

Lilies and Roses Day (UK)

National American Red Cross Founder’s Day

National Mamey Day

National Memo Day

National Talk Like Yoda Day

Natura 2000 Day (EU)

Navy Day (Chile)

Passion Play Day (Germany)

Pogo Stick Day

Polar Explorer’s Day (Russia)

Purple Star of Jerusalem Day (a.k.a. Jack-Go-To-Bed-At-Noon)

Rapture Party Day (2011 prediction by Harold Camping)

Recommerce Day

Red Cross Day

Saint Helena Day (Saint Helena)

Sanja Matsuri begins (Tokyo, Japan)

Send a Letter Day

Slap a Patch On It Day

United States Cyber Command Day

World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (UN)

World Fish Migration Day

World Meditation Day (UK)

World Tree Kangaroo Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

International Tea Day [also 12.15]

International Tennessee Whiskey Day

National Mourvèdre Day

National Waitstaff Day (a.k.a. Waiters and Waitresses Day)

Strawberries and Cream Day

World Chardonnay Day

Independence & Related Days

Malabon (City Founded; Philippines)

Montenegro (from Serbia, 2006)

New Zealand (Proclaimed a British Colony; 1840)

Southwest Vineland (Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

Valentia Riqueza and Grandeza (a.k.a. ValeVRG; Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

3rd Tuesday in May

International Dinosaur Day [3rd Tuesday; also 6.1]

National Stop Nausea Day [3rd Tuesday]

Sex Differences in Health Awareness Day [3rd Tuesday]

Taco Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Festivals Beginning May 21, 2024

The Batch Festival (Bath, UK) [thru 5.26]

Sommeliers Choice Awards (Chicago, Illinois)

Feast Days

Adílio Daronch and Manuel Gómez González (Christian; Saint)

Agonalia (Ancient Rome) [also 1.9 & 12.11]

Albrecht Dürer (Artology)

Alexander Pope (Writerism)

Anastenaria (Fire-Walking Ritual; Ancient Greece)

Andrew Bobola (Christian; Martyr)

Arcangelo Tadini (Christian; Saint)

Chen Dayu (Artology)

Christopher Magallanes, and other Saints of the Cristero War (Christian; Saint)

Day of the Twins: Beginning of Gemini (Astrology/Pagan)

Édouard-Henri Avril (Artology)

Emperor Constantine I (Christian; Saint)

Eugène de Mazenod (Christian; Saint)

Felix of Cantalicio (Christian; Saint)

Festival for Vevodus (God of the Dead, Swamps & Volvanic Movements; Ancient Rome)

Festival of Demeter (Greek Barley Mother Goddess)

Festival of Vejovis (Roman God of Healing)

42 Day (Pastafarian)

Franz Jägerstätter (Christian; Saint)

Free Money Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Godrick of Finkley (Christian; Saint)

Green Four-Net (Muppetism)

Harold Robbins (Writerism)

Helena of Constantinople (a.k.a. "Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, Equal-to-the-Apostles,” Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion)

Henri Rousseau (Artology)

Hospitius (Christian; Saint)

John Elliot (Episcopal Church)

Nestinarstvo (Fire-Walking Ritual; Ancient Bulgaria)

Nost-na-Lothion (Elven feast for the birth of flowers; Lord of the Rings)

Ponder Pointlessness Day (Pastafarian)

Rudolf Koller (Artology)

Saint Camping’s Day (Discordian)

St. Luke (Positivist; Saint)

Theophilus of Corte (Christian; Saint)

Hebrew Calendar Holidays [Begins at Sundown]

Pesach Sheni (2nd Passover) [13-14 Iyar]

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 24 of 60)

Premieres

Agents of Fortune, by Blue Oyster Cult (Album; 1976)

Alison, by Elvis Costello (Song; 1977)

Annie (Film; 1982)

The Conquest of Everest, by John Hurt (Memoir; 1954)

Curtain Razor (WB LT Cartoon; 1949)

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (Film; 1982)

The Deep Blue Good-By, by John D. MacDonald (Novel; 1964)

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Silent Film; 1908)

The Egg Hunt (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1940)

The Foxy Pup (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1937)

Gimme All Your Lovin’, by ZZ Top (Music Video; 1983)

Godzilla vs. Kong (Film; 2021)

Gypsy (Broadway Musical; 1959)

Hassle in a Castle (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1966)

Hot Shots! Part Deux (Film; 1993)

Injun Trouble (WB LT Cartoon; 1938)

I Sing the Body Electric! & Other Stories, by Ray Bradbury (Short Stories; 1969)

Lunch Poems, by Frank O'Hara (Poetry; 1963)

Mad Max 2 (Film; 1982)

Mask of Orpheus, by Harrison Birtwistle (Opera; 1986)

Maybellene, recorded by Chuck Berry (Song; 1955)

McCartney II, by Paul McCartney (Album; 1980)

Mouse for Sale (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1955)

Naked Came the Stranger (Adult Film; 1975)

Notting Hill (Film; 1999)

Ohio, by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Song; 1970)

The Optimist's Daughter, by Eudora Welty (Novella; 1972)

Pagliacci, by Ruggero Leoncavallo (Opera; 1892)

Past Perfumance (WB MM Cartoon; 1955)

Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be, sung by Doris Day (Song; 1956)

The Real World (TV Series; 1992)

The Return of the Pink Panther (Film; 1975)

The Rhinemann Exchange, by Robert Ludlum (Novel; 1974)

Riptide, by Vance Joy (Song; 2013)

The Road Warrior (Film; 1982)

The Secret of the Hittites, by C.W. Ceram (History Book; 1956)

Shrek Forever After (Animated Film; 2010)

Snow Excuse (WB MM Cartoon; 1966)

Sour, by Olivia Rodrigo (Album; 2021)

Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (UK Film; 1980)

Terminator Salvation (Film; 2009)

Touch of Evil (Film; 1958)

Twin Peaks: The Return (TV Series; 2017)

The Twisker Pitcher (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1937)

Under the Boardwalk, recorded by The Drifters (Song; 1964)

What’s Going On, by Marvin Gaye (Album; 1971)

Today’s Name Days

Christoph, Constantin, Josef, Julio (Austria)

Elena, Konstantin, Kosta, Kostadin, Kostadinka, Lenko, Stoyan (Bulgaria)

Dubravka, Eugen, Kristofor (Croatia)

Monika (Czech Republic)

Helene (Denmark)

Kindel, Konstantin, Kostel, Tiino (Estonia)

Konsta, Konstantin, Kosti (Finland)

Constantin (France)

Hermann, Konst, Wiltrud (Germany)

Constantine, Constantina, Elena, Elene, Eleni, Helen, Konstantina, Konstantinos, Lena, Nantia (Greece)

Konstantin (Hungary)

Angelo, Giulia, Vittorio (Italy)

Ernestine, Ingmārs, Vinija (Latvia)

Vaidivutis, Valentas, Vydmina (Lithuania)

Eli, Ellen, Helene (Norway)

Donat, Donata, Jan, Kryspin, Przecława, Pudens, Tymoteusz, Walenty, Wiktor, Wiktoriusz (Poland)

Constantin, Elena (România)

Zina (Slovakia)

Cristóbal, Virginia (Spain)

Conny, Konstantin (Sweden)

Constance, Constantine, Helen (Ukraine)

Adelric, Adiel, Audric, Keaton, Kendrick (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 142 of 2024; 224 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of week 21 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 10 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ji-Si), Day 14 (Yi-You)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 13 Iyar 5784

Islamic: 13 Dhu al-Qada 1445

J Cal: 22 Magenta; Oneday [22 of 30]

Julian: 8 May 2024

Moon: 96%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 1 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Luke]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 64 of 92)

Week: 3rd Full Week of May

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 1 of 31)

Calendar Changes

Gemini (The Twins) begins [Zodiac Sign 3; thru 6.21]

Saint Paul (Catholicism) [Month 6 of 13; Positivist]

[at-the-end-of-days]

This is what I’m worried about.

The U.S. military is moving an aircraft carrier strike group and military aircraft closer to Israel as a show of support, and will also begin supplying Israel with munitions and other military supplies immediately, said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Citation:

So here’s the deal.

There was an Outdoor Nova Festival Event going on when Hamas militants fired on the concert goers.

And among them… European and American nationals.

But the Wall Street Journal has pay walls so

So now the American military is … well, they were always involved, but now they’re more openly involved. Because American hostages. Which brings us back to the article on top.

Now, the US has a military base in Jordan, called the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. Let’s assume that the US uses their Air Force base there and not just the navy forces, but nothing definite has been done. I’m not saying they will, just that they have an Air Force base there, and it’s the closest US military base at the moment.

Now this map is just one I got off of Google and doesn’t reflect everything going on right now. But it’s a good visual aid to show that the US would be flying from Jordan, over Israel, towards Gaza. Gaza being on the coast.

Which means that the US, whether with their navy forces or by the possible Air Force action, is going to appear to the broader international community as firmly being on the side of Israel, providing support. Even if this support is in the name of US hostages, it paints a very clear picture. The US of course, is a long time ally of Israel regardless, and this support is expected. But this is a very out in the open act.

I mean, that’s a LOT of firepower.

So my concern, circling all the way back, is that Palestine could call on nations that don’t favor the US, and this could all be escalated.

Beyond how the US is already escalating it.

People have died, are dying, and will die.

That doesn’t mean I’m not concerned about the US forces siding with Israel to do twice, triple, five times the amount of damage against Gaza as has been done to Israel. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about Palestinian lives.

It’s just, I think we’re closer to world war 3 with this than ever. If we as a world are fortunate? Then the hostage situation will be handled, lives will be saved, and the US will leave Israel and NOT use the aforementioned Air Force base. And will NOT invite this to be acted upon by even more nations.

I’ve seen several other blogs thus far mention that the timing is likely related to Saudi-Iran relations.

While I’m not certain about The Guardian as a source, this article released not even an hour ago, seems to confirm those suspicions. Why did I not link the article directly? Because tumblr mobile would not allow it!

I welcome all dialogue regarding this.

Please pray for the innocent souls caught up in all of this.

[laxmankodadala]

The Best Ad-Free YouTube to MP3 Converters for Offline Listening

Presenting Troop Messenger: the best instant messaging and team collaboration app available. With a feature-rich feature set, Troop Messenger is ideal for the demands of the army, navy, government, defence, politics, and office settings.

Troop Messenger is a robust platform that combines encrypted file sharing, group chat, video calling, and instant messaging. Troop Messenger guarantees effective and secure communication at every stage, whether you're planning missions, talking about private issues, or just keeping in touch with your group.

1. Free Screen Sharing Apps

Companies that collaborate through screen sharing Apps & co-browsing enjoy a 2.4% annual decrease in support cost, year-over-year

With the use of a screen sharing apps, one person may instantaneously view the screen of another and guide them through even the most challenging dialogues, rules, and user interfaces.

With the screen-sharing tool, you may annotate, highlight, scroll, and click on the user's screen remotely with a mouse, making the session more engaging.

Screen-sharing solutions are indeed useful, regardless of the industry. They can generally be used within internal teams to brainstorm and ideate, provide demos, and more.

In this article, we will discuss the top screen sharing tools that are dedicated Screen sharing solutions:

Highlights of Best Screen-Sharing Software

Ease of access for participants

Annotation features like marking up the screen, drawing, and highlight

Collaboration features like presenter-switching, co-browsing, joint annotation, and collaborative document editing.

Support features like remote access

Integration features to automate tasks

Easy recordings

Multiple Users can share the screen simultaneously

Troop Messenger

Screen sharing is one of the best dynamic collaboration features of Troop Messenger that allows members to share their screens during a chat conversation. Recipients can see real-time changes on the presenter's screen.

Troop Messenger's screen share function is powerful for enhancing team collaboration and conversation. With its smooth setup, interactive equipment, and strong security features, the Screen Sharing App on Troop Messenger permits green and productive virtual meetings. Whether you're conducting a presentation, troubleshooting trouble, or brainstorming together with your team, Troop Messenger makes display sharing simple and effective.

Key Points to Note:

With Troop Messenger’s screen sharing, team members can see what exactly is on the presenter’s desktop.

A presenter can show presentations, documents, videos, images, and anything else she’s working on.

Team members can remotely share screens even when they are not in their office LAN premises.

You can initiate a video call with screen sharing anytime.

How to Use Screen Sharing Feature in Troop Messenger?

Using a screen-sharing feature is quite simple. Let’s see how you can share your screen with Troop Messenger:

Step 1: Open the chat box of a user you want to share your screen with.

Step 2: Click on the “+” symbol at the bottom of your screen to see the SCREEN SHARE feature icon.

Step 3: Click on SCREEN SHARE, which will promptly send a screen share request to the user.

Step 4: When the user accepts the request, the desktop screen will be shared with them.

Step 5: To stop your screen sharing, click the Stop icon at the top of your screen.

2. Teamviewer Alternative

Many of us are very much aware that TeamViewer helps us connect to any device from anywhere at any time! However, if you’re excited to explore the free alternatives to TeamViewer?

We hear you

Fortunately, when it comes to finding a suitable TeamViewer alternative, there are several options available that offer similar functionality. Additionally, you can find discussions about these alternatives on platforms like Reddit.

Before we explore the top TeamViewer alternatives, it's worth reviewing why TeamViewer may not always be the ideal choice.

Why are people looking for Software or Programs like TeamViewer?

The fact that TeamViewer is not free for commercial usage is one of the reasons why users wish to switch to another remote desktop access program. The plans have a high cost. However, there are other reasons to look for free TeamViewer substitutes;

TeamViewer has a proxy limitation - which means that if you are working for a customer and require a proxy server, the app wouldn’t allow you to do so.

The software has a limitation with file transfer or size issues too. So if you are in a web meeting with a client and need to send a large size, you can’t rely on TeamViewer for file transfer, which can be very annoying, unlike with another free alternative to TeamViewer.

File Transfer speed on TeamViewer is slower than other apps like TeamViewer, and files usually get stuck on calculating.

Unlike the perfect TeamViewer replacement such as AnyDesk and other TeamViewer alternatives, TeamViewer’s Linux version’s performance is not apt.

In the free version, the app lags so much despite having a great internet connection.

A lot of users have reported that the app has been compromised by third-party access, leading to the personal information theft of many users, which means that TeamViewer will need to up its game in terms of security features.

As TeamViewer lags from Time to Time and doesn’t work properly through the proxy servers, it’s a perfect time to shop around.

If you want a TeamViewer alternative that’s among the best remote desktop access software, keep reading. We’ve gone out to the remote desktop access market and reviewed the pros and cons of ten apps that can act as a TeamViewer alternative.

Troop Messenger

Troop Messenger is the best Team Viewer alternative that allows users to connect with remote teams with lightning speed.

This advanced screen-sharing feature enhances the user experience with the ability to initiate one-to-one and group audio-video calling better explain the contents of the screen. Different users from different parts of the globe can share their screens via their desktop, web, and mobile.

While presenting the screen contents to remote users, one can highlight the required section with the help of screen annotation.

Troop Messenger is better than TeamViewer because it supports a wide range of use cases such as providing a live chat app to sites through chat APIs, and the users can avail many privileges like conducting team meetings, webinars, online classes, etc., they can talk, meet face-to-face, and share their screen contents.

Troop Messenger is a flexible and effective alternative to TeamViewer, offering an extensive range of functions designed to decorate team collaboration and communique. With its screen sharing, far-off management, stable messaging, and extra, Troop Messenger gives everything your team wishes to paint efficiently and successfully in Teamviewer Alternatives.

Why choose Troop Messenger’s Remote Screen Sharing?

Can choose to share the contents of the entire screen, application window, or any Chrome tabs.

Can initiate an audio-video call to talk and have face-to-face interactions while presenting the remote screen.

Can switch from an audio call to a video call while sharing a screen.

Can add more users to the call while sharing the screen.

Can end the audio or video call alone.

Can exit self.

Can stop sharing your screen while continuing the audio or video calling.

3. AnyDesk Alternatives

Market-available AnyDesk alternatives are capable of confusing users with their comparable capabilities. To avoid the contemplation process, read this blog and make an informed decision.

What is AnyDesk?

With over 1,70,000 users, AnyDesk alternative is a popular, safe, and easy-to-use remote desktop solution. It offers VPN functionality, remote control, and file transmission. The free version is equally as safe as the expensive version, even though it lacks several features. AnyDesk is regarded as the best on the market because it provides outstanding security, from military-grade encryption to personalised security features, that perfectly meets your needs.

Explore the options below to find your ideal tool if you're seeking employment with AnyDesk's competitors or alternatives.

Troop Messenger

Troop Messenger, is one of the best instant messaging, offering real-time messaging, remote access, screen-sharing, and other features.

The goal of Troop Messenger is to empower its users by providing all the functionality they require in one application, removing the need for them to look for different tools to satisfy their different needs. When taking user ratings into account, features like screen sharing and remote access work better than any remote desktop application.

In addition to screen sharing and remote access, other capabilities include file sharing, conferences, audio and video calls, complex search filters, live location tracking, chat, advanced search window (Burn out), and Zapier integration. You can have a face-to-face conversation by initiating an audio or video call while sharing the remote screen.

Furthermore, Troop Messenger's top-notch security protocols, which led defence organisations to use it as their defence messaging system, make it a platform that is thought to be secure. In conclusion, Troop Messenger surpasses all AnyDesk substitutes..

A versatile and practical AnyDesk replacement, Troop Messenger provides a plethora of functionalities designed to improve teamwork and verbal communication. Troop Messenger provides all the features your team needs, including as screen sharing, continuous messaging, remote manipulation, and more, to work effectively and productively using AnyDesk Alternatives.

[brookston]

Holidays 5.21

Holidays

Afro-Colombian Day (Colombia)

Agricultural Fair Day

Anti-Terrorism Day (India)

Battle of Iquique Anniversary Day (Chile)

Capitol Build Day (New York)

Circassian Day of Mourning

Daylilly Day (French Republic)

Day of Patriots and Military (Hungary)

Emergency Medical Services Day

EMS Health, Wellness & Resilience Day

End of the World Day

Feast of the Triple Scoop

521 Day

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Hug Your Interior Designer Day

Hummel Day (a.k.a. Sister Maria Hummel Day)

"I Need A Patch For That" Day

International Day of Statistical Literacy

Journée Nationale des Patriotes (National Patriots' Day; Quebec)

Keanu Reeves Day

Lilies and Roses Day (UK)

National American Red Cross Founder’s Day

National Mamey Day

National Memo Day

National Talk Like Yoda Day

Natura 2000 Day (EU)

Navy Day (Chile)

Passion Play Day (Germany)

Pogo Stick Day

Polar Explorer’s Day (Russia)

Purple Star of Jerusalem Day (a.k.a. Jack-Go-To-Bed-At-Noon)

Rapture Party Day (2011 prediction by Harold Camping)

Recommerce Day

Red Cross Day

Saint Helena Day (Saint Helena)

Sanja Matsuri begins (Tokyo, Japan)

Send a Letter Day

Slap a Patch On It Day

United States Cyber Command Day

World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (UN)

World Fish Migration Day

World Meditation Day (UK)

World Tree Kangaroo Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

International Tea Day [also 12.15]

International Tennessee Whiskey Day

National Mourvèdre Day

National Waitstaff Day (a.k.a. Waiters and Waitresses Day)

Strawberries and Cream Day

World Chardonnay Day

Independence & Related Days

Malabon (City Founded; Philippines)

Montenegro (from Serbia, 2006)

New Zealand (Proclaimed a British Colony; 1840)

Southwest Vineland (Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

Valentia Riqueza and Grandeza (a.k.a. ValeVRG; Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

3rd Tuesday in May

International Dinosaur Day [3rd Tuesday; also 6.1]

National Stop Nausea Day [3rd Tuesday]

Sex Differences in Health Awareness Day [3rd Tuesday]

Taco Tuesday [Every Tuesday]

Festivals Beginning May 21, 2024

The Batch Festival (Bath, UK) [thru 5.26]

Sommeliers Choice Awards (Chicago, Illinois)

Feast Days

Adílio Daronch and Manuel Gómez González (Christian; Saint)

Agonalia (Ancient Rome) [also 1.9 & 12.11]

Albrecht Dürer (Artology)

Alexander Pope (Writerism)

Anastenaria (Fire-Walking Ritual; Ancient Greece)

Andrew Bobola (Christian; Martyr)

Arcangelo Tadini (Christian; Saint)

Chen Dayu (Artology)

Christopher Magallanes, and other Saints of the Cristero War (Christian; Saint)

Day of the Twins: Beginning of Gemini (Astrology/Pagan)

Édouard-Henri Avril (Artology)

Emperor Constantine I (Christian; Saint)

Eugène de Mazenod (Christian; Saint)

Felix of Cantalicio (Christian; Saint)

Festival for Vevodus (God of the Dead, Swamps & Volvanic Movements; Ancient Rome)

Festival of Demeter (Greek Barley Mother Goddess)

Festival of Vejovis (Roman God of Healing)

42 Day (Pastafarian)

Franz Jägerstätter (Christian; Saint)

Free Money Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Godrick of Finkley (Christian; Saint)

Green Four-Net (Muppetism)

Harold Robbins (Writerism)

Helena of Constantinople (a.k.a. "Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, Equal-to-the-Apostles,” Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion)

Henri Rousseau (Artology)

Hospitius (Christian; Saint)

John Elliot (Episcopal Church)

Nestinarstvo (Fire-Walking Ritual; Ancient Bulgaria)

Nost-na-Lothion (Elven feast for the birth of flowers; Lord of the Rings)

Ponder Pointlessness Day (Pastafarian)

Rudolf Koller (Artology)

Saint Camping’s Day (Discordian)

St. Luke (Positivist; Saint)

Theophilus of Corte (Christian; Saint)

Hebrew Calendar Holidays [Begins at Sundown]

Pesach Sheni (2nd Passover) [13-14 Iyar]

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 24 of 60)

Premieres

Agents of Fortune, by Blue Oyster Cult (Album; 1976)

Alison, by Elvis Costello (Song; 1977)

Annie (Film; 1982)

The Conquest of Everest, by John Hurt (Memoir; 1954)

Curtain Razor (WB LT Cartoon; 1949)

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (Film; 1982)

The Deep Blue Good-By, by John D. MacDonald (Novel; 1964)

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Silent Film; 1908)

The Egg Hunt (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1940)

The Foxy Pup (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1937)

Gimme All Your Lovin’, by ZZ Top (Music Video; 1983)

Godzilla vs. Kong (Film; 2021)

Gypsy (Broadway Musical; 1959)

Hassle in a Castle (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1966)

Hot Shots! Part Deux (Film; 1993)

Injun Trouble (WB LT Cartoon; 1938)

I Sing the Body Electric! & Other Stories, by Ray Bradbury (Short Stories; 1969)

Lunch Poems, by Frank O'Hara (Poetry; 1963)

Mad Max 2 (Film; 1982)

Mask of Orpheus, by Harrison Birtwistle (Opera; 1986)

Maybellene, recorded by Chuck Berry (Song; 1955)

McCartney II, by Paul McCartney (Album; 1980)

Mouse for Sale (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1955)

Naked Came the Stranger (Adult Film; 1975)

Notting Hill (Film; 1999)

Ohio, by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Song; 1970)

The Optimist's Daughter, by Eudora Welty (Novella; 1972)

Pagliacci, by Ruggero Leoncavallo (Opera; 1892)

Past Perfumance (WB MM Cartoon; 1955)

Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be, sung by Doris Day (Song; 1956)

The Real World (TV Series; 1992)

The Return of the Pink Panther (Film; 1975)

The Rhinemann Exchange, by Robert Ludlum (Novel; 1974)

Riptide, by Vance Joy (Song; 2013)

The Road Warrior (Film; 1982)

The Secret of the Hittites, by C.W. Ceram (History Book; 1956)

Shrek Forever After (Animated Film; 2010)

Snow Excuse (WB MM Cartoon; 1966)

Sour, by Olivia Rodrigo (Album; 2021)

Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (UK Film; 1980)

Terminator Salvation (Film; 2009)

Touch of Evil (Film; 1958)

Twin Peaks: The Return (TV Series; 2017)

The Twisker Pitcher (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1937)

Under the Boardwalk, recorded by The Drifters (Song; 1964)

What’s Going On, by Marvin Gaye (Album; 1971)

Today’s Name Days

Christoph, Constantin, Josef, Julio (Austria)

Elena, Konstantin, Kosta, Kostadin, Kostadinka, Lenko, Stoyan (Bulgaria)

Dubravka, Eugen, Kristofor (Croatia)

Monika (Czech Republic)

Helene (Denmark)

Kindel, Konstantin, Kostel, Tiino (Estonia)

Konsta, Konstantin, Kosti (Finland)

Constantin (France)

Hermann, Konst, Wiltrud (Germany)

Constantine, Constantina, Elena, Elene, Eleni, Helen, Konstantina, Konstantinos, Lena, Nantia (Greece)

Konstantin (Hungary)

Angelo, Giulia, Vittorio (Italy)

Ernestine, Ingmārs, Vinija (Latvia)

Vaidivutis, Valentas, Vydmina (Lithuania)

Eli, Ellen, Helene (Norway)

Donat, Donata, Jan, Kryspin, Przecława, Pudens, Tymoteusz, Walenty, Wiktor, Wiktoriusz (Poland)

Constantin, Elena (România)

Zina (Slovakia)

Cristóbal, Virginia (Spain)

Conny, Konstantin (Sweden)

Constance, Constantine, Helen (Ukraine)

Adelric, Adiel, Audric, Keaton, Kendrick (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 142 of 2024; 224 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of week 21 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 10 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ji-Si), Day 14 (Yi-You)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 13 Iyar 5784

Islamic: 13 Dhu al-Qada 1445

J Cal: 22 Magenta; Oneday [22 of 30]

Julian: 8 May 2024

Moon: 96%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 1 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Luke]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 64 of 92)

Week: 3rd Full Week of May

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 1 of 31)

Calendar Changes

Gemini (The Twins) begins [Zodiac Sign 3; thru 6.21]

Saint Paul (Catholicism) [Month 6 of 13; Positivist]

[rhk111sblog]

Philippines as the US’ Canon Fodder

The Chinese News Publication "Global Times" published this Article recently about the Philippines, and accompanied an Article with it. Here are some selected Excerpts from that Article:

"While the Philippines is absent from this Year's Western Pacific Naval Symposium, a Regional Naval Cooperation Mechanism Platform, it is exerting Maximum Effort in the Balikatan, or "Shoulder to Shoulder," Military Drills with the US. This is not a Coincidence, it displays an Attitude - the Philippines is uninterested in engaging in Dialogues and instead opts to escalate Tensions."

"It cannot be ruled out that the Philippines choosing to skip the Western Pacific Naval Symposium is an attempt to hype up Discussions on the South China Sea, attracting international attention and disrupting the Forum. However, Manila did not succeed. The Meeting was successful, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese Military Expert, told the Global Times. Even US Pacific Fleet Commander Stephen Koehler told CNN "I think it's a great opportunity for all navies to get together and discuss all the Isues.""

"Rational Filipinos are well aware that the US is taking Advantage of the Philippines. "The US is using us to implement its 'Pivot to Asia,'" writes former Philippine Presidential Spokesperson Rigoberto D. Tiglao, adding that "the US is not going to risk War over these desolate Islands.""

Here is the Link to the Article at the GT Website: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202404/1311266.shtml

SOURCE: Flexing Muscles only speeds up pace of Philippines turning into US Cannon Fodder {Archived Link}

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