#very low quality adler

[mythtiide]

before the year ends take some stuff from today~

[realcube]

YOU GOT: TOBIO KAGEYAMA (timeskip)

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ matchup for @justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ if you would like a matchup, read this!

'Love Language: giving, they are words of affirmation (I'm bad at saying things but I write love letters) and physical touch. Receiving, I like physical touch and acts of service.'

𓆩♡𓆪kageyama's main love langauges would definitely be physical touch + either acts of service or maybe quality time

𓆩♡𓆪 bc we've seen how is with hinata-

𓆩♡𓆪 he likes to pat on the head and poke you occasionally

𓆩♡𓆪 he is also tends to wrap his arms around you from behind, like whenever you are standing in front of him

𓆩♡𓆪 but bc you're a lot shorter than him (i think post time skip he is 6'2") when he puts his arms around you , it's not like around your waist or hips but rather he just drapes his arms over your shoudlers lol

𓆩♡𓆪 and in private he is definitely partial to squishing your cheeks and booping your nose

𓆩♡𓆪 he just thinks you're the cutest thing and can't help himself

𓆩♡𓆪 maybe soemtimes , like when you come visit him at practise, he'll forget his teammates are nearby and boop you on the nose

𓆩♡𓆪 and hoshiumi would see and soooo tease him for it

𓆩♡𓆪 calling him a sap

𓆩♡𓆪 and he gets all defensive about it at first like 'NO i didn't do that you need to get your eyes checked!!' but it dies down quickly anyway bc ushijima and the other swedish adlers genuinely do not gaf

𓆩♡𓆪 in fact some of them secretly think it's sweet

𓆩♡𓆪 but they don't mention it bc they know how tobio gets

𓆩♡𓆪 anyway, he would soo benefit from someone who is receptive to his touch and can match his cuddly energy

𓆩♡𓆪 yes i said it !!! tobio kageyama has cuddly energy and it's about time we accept this as a fact

𓆩♡𓆪 because his ideal night is spent in laying in bed, with you on this chest while he practises his sets

𓆩♡𓆪 as for your words of affirmation love language, he would so combust if you were to tell him how good of a player you think he is

𓆩♡𓆪 and compliment his volleyball skills, or just anything about him in general

𓆩♡𓆪 like he seriously would not know how to act and go bright red

𓆩♡𓆪 and he seems a bit ungrateful for the praise bc hes like 'thanks.. i guess??' but that's only bc he's a bit awkward

𓆩♡𓆪 and it's not like he' not used to people telling him how talented he is, i mean he's playing for a national team at age 21 ?? but praise coming from you just hits different for tobio

𓆩♡𓆪 oh and he would also die if you were to write him a love letter

𓆩♡𓆪 and he'd appreciate it so much and fold it up to keep it somewhere safe like under his mattress

𓆩♡𓆪 he'd try to write you one back but pls excuse him bc he's not very literate so it kinda reads like a 5 y/o wrote it but that's okay bc you can feel the heart he put into it 😓

𓆩♡𓆪 'your so pretty. i can't not beeleev your mine.' - kageyama tobio, 2024

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'Probably going to a cafe for a snack and then walking around town.'

𓆩♡𓆪omg this is so kageyama vibes

𓆩♡𓆪 he is defo down for a low intensity date

𓆩♡𓆪 tbh though i can imagine that he is lk an overthinker during dates so he might not talk much but just know that in his head he is stressing over the fact he's not talking enough lmao

𓆩♡𓆪 for the cafe part he'd probably get something small or he'd be down to share something

𓆩♡𓆪 so like he'd buy a cookie and split it in half to eat it with you 😩

𓆩♡𓆪 but in the process of splitting it inhalf , it crumbles a lil and like 1/3rd of the cookie just falls to the ground and you both stare at it like this 😶

𓆩♡𓆪 its okay though he has swedish adler money now he can just buy another one 🙌

𓆩♡𓆪 he is so awkward on a first date ARGH but it's sweet

𓆩♡𓆪 omg he got advice from hoshiumi that girls like guys with lots of money and ushi was like 'erm .. idk probably' so while you're waiting in line to order, tobio is like 'what do you want? 👁👄👁 don't worry i'll pay. order whatever you. i'll pay. do you like milk? i heard they do shakes here. did i mention that i'll pay?'

𓆩♡𓆪and during the walk that is probably when he'll open up a little and start acting like a normal human being again lmao

𓆩♡𓆪 defo down for a gossip sesh lk

𓆩♡𓆪 ALSO this is when the teasing starts bc (assuming you walk at an average pace) tobio probably walks at the same speed as you HOWEVER bc he has long ass legs, he can cover more ground

𓆩♡𓆪 so while you are walking he consistently has to check himself and slow down so he doesn't zoom past you

𓆩♡𓆪 and eventually he starts teasing you for it like 'it would be quicker if i just carried you at this point'

𓆩♡𓆪 but he does it with that cheeky smirk so you know he's just joking

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'People say I have a good poker face/a scary glare but I've never seen it.'

𓆩♡𓆪 okay LMAO this is so perf with kageyama bc like

𓆩♡𓆪 .. he's got that too??

𓆩♡𓆪 and since he has it too, i doubt he would see it on you and you might not see it on him either bc y'all are just used to your faces looking like that , iykwm??

𓆩♡𓆪 so he would think you have the sweetest resting face ever and you to him

𓆩♡𓆪 meanwhile everyone else when they see you two together are like 😨

𓆩♡𓆪 immediately scared and intimidated

𓆩♡𓆪 the DEFINITION of power couple 🤞

𓆩♡𓆪 and y'all just fuel each other on too, completely oblivious LOL

𓆩♡𓆪 like if kageyama's at a press event , one of the red-carpet, gala-style ones where the interviewers approach the players to ask questions

𓆩♡𓆪 (and ofc he brought you along as a plus one)

𓆩♡𓆪 and all his teammates have a bunch of interviewers and hosts approaching them to ask questions

𓆩♡𓆪 EVEN USHIJIMA!!!

𓆩♡𓆪 meanwhile lots of ppl are taking photos of y'all but hardly anyone is asking him questions bc .. they're too afraid

𓆩♡𓆪 so kageyama turns to you and is all like 'i don't know why i'm not getting interviewed..'

𓆩♡𓆪 and you're like 'right! 🤔 so strange.'

𓆩♡𓆪 meanwhile this is y'all:

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'I look for someone honest and caring. Someone who treats me the way I deserve to be treated.'

𓆩♡𓆪 this is very much him

𓆩♡𓆪 it might take kageyama a while to settle into the relationship

𓆩♡𓆪 but when he does

𓆩♡𓆪 he treats you like a certified QUEEN

𓆩♡𓆪 and he is very honest, whether he means to be or not lol

𓆩♡𓆪 he may have his volleyball career but you defo are a top priority of his still

𓆩♡𓆪 and he is always letting you know that

𓆩♡𓆪 and he really does care, sometimes he has a hard time showing it but he does

𓆩♡𓆪 and he'll always listen to anything and everything you have to say

𓆩♡𓆪 he also really admires that you know your self-worth, that sort of confidence is just a massive green flag in his eyes

𓆩♡𓆪 and he makes sure to remind you that you're worth all that and more

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

for @justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms: i was thinking hinata bc his personality complements kageyama's so with you + hinata it would be like an opposites attract situation but your ideal first date is what made me choose kageyama for you

[dressedwithred-if]

Hello, I hope that you're having a good day! How about 'canvas' for the character design asks?

CANVAS: does your OC have any scars, piercings, tattoos, or other markings? do they display or cover them up at all?

miss tanya

tattoos— a snake over her lower back. highly detailed & shows especially when wearing low cut jeans. covering her tattoos isn’t necessary to her, she doesn’t care all that much for having her identity exposed since that’s what she wants after all. the only time she purposely covers her tattoo is when she’s donning her tight-fitting trench coats. her style gets in the way.

scars— smaller ones yes, but not any really hyper-noticeable ones. what she wears on missions gets in the way from her having scars. leather is hard to get through when it’s quality.

markings— a mole over the left top of her lip. the shape of a dime and pretty miniscule. she vibes like a sexy librarian.

piercings— a black anti-eyebrow in cones. never takes this out and has never gotten it removed

milena verano

tattoos— angel wings on her upper back. all black and thin linework. doesn't hide them but doesn't outwardly expose them as much.

markings— a scar on the left underside of her jaw. it's pretty light and it just like a slash.

lex adler

tattoos— a vortex with a heart in the middle on his entire right pec. it scales pretty large and is the most recognizable thing about him.

scars— a few blisters and bruises on his fingers. his skin peels from time to time due to laboring so much. his hands are rough from it.

love smith

tattoos— tattooed a dove onto her arm when she was 16 with a faux tattoo kit. she’s never been the most artistically sound so it looked pretty fucked up & it didn’t help that she did it out of pure rebellion. she’s since got it tattooed over entirely in red. goes over her tricep horizontally and looks pretty 3d. very detailed.

scars— no scars except for some noticeable scratches. she gets up to some shit during her free time. so always

piercings— has a pink cone septum piercing that she takes out from time to time. also a pink tongue ring to match.

ayesha genesis

scars— she has some running up and down her forearms, and some larger ones across her right bicep. they almost look like welts. proof of a mission failed once, but evidence of the last. the scars are only a showing-off of her hard work as an assassin. instead of feeling insecure about them, if she gets a chance to show them off then she will. don’t tempt her.

piercings— belly button piercing. a polished steel gray.

trevor heart

marks— freckles that cover his chest and go down to the middle of his abdomen. a few on his face but not noticeable until you're up close or the light hits his face just right.

if i didn't include a category then that just means that they don't have any of them. trevor is the most vanilla-looking of them all lmao. but his style makes up for it. like a slutty mechanic.

[antiquery]

the news about Matt Christman is really sad and I hope he pulls through, but...

idk, it's kind of upsetting to see a bunch of writers I really like (sam adler-bell, in particular) praising his character and his impact on the modern Left, because I do think that the bend-the-knee attitude Christman espoused and popularized is really bad, not to mention the general hostility of the "dirtbag left" to women in particular. it kind of sucks to feel like I couldn't disagree with people whom I'm otherwise aligned with for fear of no-holds-barred verbal cruelty. I would like to feel free to have my own opinion without worrying about whether someone's gonna call me a bitch or tell me to get raped if they have a different one!

but at the same time: Chapo and co. were likely pretty important to the resurrection of the US left, and I think that's unambiguously a good thing, even with the aforementioned internal culture issues. the Dems really suffered in the Clinton (and to a lesser extent Obama) years for not having a serious left flank, and I wonder how much of the success of Biden's presidency ultimately comes down to the fact that the American left is the strongest it's been since the 1960s.

and, like, do I believe that you need the sexism, abrasiveness, shock-jock quality that the dirtbag left employed in order to revitalize a movement? no, and I think it probably makes your movement less effective (libs hate Christman and co, and understandably so). but just because it wasn't the best version of itself doesn't mean I get to discount the role Chapo, etc played in reviving the left. ironically enough, I do try not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good!

one of the core problems of any left wing constituency is that you have to be willing to, as it were, take one for the team. the Dems' current focus on abortion rights is in a very real way coming at the expense of, say, poor Black voters whose main concern is crime in their communities, and who'd like to see someone at least try to fix the police— not because those two concerns are inherently contradictory, but because political capital is always limited, and if you're spending it on one issue you're by definition not spending it on another. I'm a white woman from Texas who's very worried about abortion rights, but I live in a wealthy, safe neighborhood and crime is pretty low on my list of concerns— the current prioritization matrix is great for me! but at some point the focus is going to shift away from the issue I care most about and towards something like police reform, and when it does, the odds that sexism will be solved forever and I won't have any more pressing problems I want addressed are pretty low. in order to be part of a coalition, I have to be willing to accept that state of affairs, because that's the only way anything's ever gonna get done— including the things I'd like to see addressed, later on down the line.

if the cost of a strong left wing movement in the US is that that movement will have problems with misogyny, then...well, that sucks, but frankly I'll take it— it's a lot easier to fix an existing structure than to create one from scratch, in any case

[keresacheron]

Black and White 3 Genesis

A great Crystal Romhack that recreates the Unova region in the generation engine to perfection. It's a double dose of nostalgia. Re-explore the Unova region starting from Undela Town with a new storyline, hard but fair boss fights, and lots of quality of life features from later gens like the physical/special split, reusable tms, fairy type, individual in-team sprites and future items.

The pokemon sprite work and demake maps are excellent, and by far the games strongest features.

It's been five years since black and white two. Bianca is now the professor, Juniper is the champion, and several gym leaders and elite four members have retired. Team Plasma is back once again and you have to help stop them.

One of the bests part of the game is your rival, Infer. She's a great unfriendly rival with an arc and plot twists. She's also extremely tough with a great team that invokes dread as she keeps adding early evolutions to her team before evolving them in later fights. She ends up with a Gliscor, Shiny Gardevoire, Lucario Chandelure, Tyranitar, and off course the starter super effective against yours.

While very good, this romhack has a few minor problems. The storyline ends with a whimper rather than a bang, and features genosect and not the original form of kyurem. While very good and a logical conclusion to the Team Plasma saga, it doesn't scratch the original dragon itch. Pokemon lack hidden abilties and the box system & medicine bag space still work the same way it did in generation and has not been improved.

My team below:

SwordStone the Gigalith, a great early mon, caught as below level five Roggenrola. His useful flucuated wildly based on the opponent, but he was good at withstanding hits and doing lots of damage. He did awesome against Skyla and took out both Juniper and Adlers Volcaronas with Stone Edge.

Merdin the Gardevoir, my teams other oldest member, similarly caught below level five. A great complement to SwordStone who checked his vulnerability to physical moves. A great special attacker with the fairy typing and an excellent movepool, who got the tms for hex, will-o-wisp and thunderwave before the third gym and could be customed in the midgame for devasting results.

SOULCASKET the Spiritomb, a trade pokemon obtained before the second gym leader, a retired Shauntel who also used one as her ace. I always wanted to use a Spiritomb, and he was great in the early and midgame, with hypnosis for catching wild pokemon to complete the pokedex. He sadly became dependent on sleep hax or good type matchup in the late game, as so many pokemon could outspeed and and outdamage him.

Another pokemon I always wanted to use, Zeraphyre the Gligarwas caught in the desert resort before I battled Burgh. With an early Acrobatics, he has devastating and remained my best pokemon the entire game due to his speed, sheer power and excellent defense. Evolving pre-gym six, his quad weakness to ice proved a massive weakness against Team Plasma and Genosect, but otherwise exactly as powerful as you'd imagine.

My presumptive final pokemon, Kaiser, a Horsea caught before entering the Virbank complex. I always wanted to use a Kingdra, it was obtained fairly early and it countered much of Infer's team. A weak Horsea dependent on switch training and the exp share, he soon evolved to surf spamming Seadra. He started falling behind, and I foolish evolved him just before the eight dragon gym as soon as I got a dragons scale. A balanced special attacker, his good typing and movepool was great while he was just a little slower than desirable.

My actual final pokemon, gold & red shiny Ferrothorn, caught as a shiny blue barbed Ferroseed I encountered on the way to the fifth gym. I replaced him with my starter, a Servine, and trained up where his typing made up for his stats. After evolving he became another of my teams best pokemon with great defences, typing and and the ability to hit hard. His low speed and weakness to fire were serious problems in a lot of battles, but in others he was second only to Gliscor.

[deep-down-in-drowsy-town]

Ok final results! Pretty interesting, though not unexpected- I suppose the two Starkid-adjacent shows skewed the results a bit.

For the shows that got almost no votes- I am now obliged to explain them, so y’all can be as obsessed with these weird indie musicals as I am

ROAD SHOW: Sondheim’s last musical. As you can tell, it was a bit of a flop.

IN TRANSIT: an a capella broadway musical that takes place entirely on a subway. Super amazing, very under appreciated show that everyone should watch rn please thank you

ALTAR BOYZ: an off-broadway cult classic about a Catholic boy band. It’s exactly as weird as it sounds.

SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED: it breaks my heart that more people don’t know about this one. This a beautiful amazing glorious heartbreaking song cycle about a middle-aged gay man reflecting on his life during the AIDS crisis, with music contributed by a bunch of amazing composers. If you listen to one show from this list, let it be this one. (This is the original production with Michael Winther, he also did an excellent studio recording of the same show that you can find)

NARNIA THE MUSICAL: exactly what it sounds like. Not much explanation needed.

FROST BITE: A CANADIAN ZOMBIE MUSICAL: the most obscure show on this list. A very campy silly zombie musical by Fandom Musicals, the low-budget Canadian Starkid. If you can get past the low production quality and.. not great singing, it’s a very fun watch.

Out of curiosity… let’s experiment on tumblr’s theater kid demographics.

[doriana-gray-games]

For a Halloween ask 🎃 :

Would Sherlock and the RO's dress up for a Halloween party, and if so, what would they dress up as? 👻 Would they be willing to go in a couples costume, and if so, what? 👯 Would any of the answers be different if it was for a case instead? 🔍 What would be each of their treat(s) of choice to hand out on Halloween? 🍬🍫

💖🎃💖

Dress up (modern au):

Watson - maybe Superman/Wonderwoman? Something quite cheery and not classically dark. Cat / dog / a cheery werewolf could also work.

Lestrade - low effort vampire. Or “i don't dress up” and then feel awk that they are the only one at the party not in costume — which is probably when Adler would appear with like a spare clown nose or devils horns that Leastrade can put on.

Adler - love dressing up! I imagine them doing a mid party costume change. A devil, a sexy angel or fairy, sexy spy, sexy doctor or maybe a sexy nurse. Cat. Sexy tho. Anything that looks good on them and allows them to fluster MC or Lestrade.

H - a well made custom ordered outfit. Like a vampire outfit, but with dentist level glued on teeth, really good coloured lenses, and couture dress/suit. Or some obscure reference outfit from some 16th-17th century Italian novel. But it would look very good, expensive and honestly too high effort for whatever party you go to.

Couples costume… probably not Lestrade. But maybe you can force/convince them 😂 honestly they would all defer to Sherlocks ideas for costumes in that case. But Adler would still like to be sexy, H would need some elegance or quality, Watson would like to do anything really.

Lestrade would dress up in more things for a case. But they would complain every. step. of. the. way.

What candy would they hand out?

Okay, so I don’t know what kind of candy you guys have or do not have tho 😂 (and I am more of a pastry person than candy and stuff, so I don’t know too much…) anyway, I’ll keep it more vague so hopefully most countries have some equivalence 😙

W: milk chocolate wafer bars, but half sized ones—because they are a doctor and don’t want to feel too bad about giving children too much sugar… (but, Watson would also eat a whole bag themselves the night before, forcing them to have to buy more…)

L: probably something gross… the first thing they saw, which was too hard chewy candies half liquorice/half indistinguishable berry flavour sprinkled with something of a dramatically clashing texture and taste.

A: something fun, like full on kinder eggs or Ferraro rocher (are these still tasty? I haven’t eaten them in years). Things in fun shapes or with multiple flavours, packaged in individual sized boxes with an expensive price tag.

H: probably would let a butler handle it tbh… if they had to choose, hmmm 🤔 they would prefer something with dark chocolate. Or marzipan. MAYBE BOTH! (I just remembered how much I like marzipan 💖)

[tokillamockingbird427]

It's really ironic because in the game, nobody is in the right. Perseus tried to start WW3 by bombing a lot of places where innocent people were leaving. Henceforth as to why Adler tried stopping him. But Adler is also in the wrong too, just as much a Perseus. They put one person through so pain and confusion only to betray them in the end, even if they told the truth (Which is canon). Both pretend to be the heroes on the the good side. When in truth, they aren't. Yes, Adler did it to save people, but at what cost? Yes, Bell work for Perseus and was his second-in-command and most likely kill innocents, but at the same time, they stopped it. So even Bell is in a moral grey area (Sorry if I spelled or phrased that wrong).

Yes. I honestly adore CW for how grey everything is.

If it followed the usual COD formula, I wouldn't be talking about how shit Adler is. Because they wouldn't have made him shit.

The usual formula is "Good guys beat up faceless bad guys. Lets stuff the good guys full of good qualities and nothing else. And the opposite for the antagonistic side."

EX: COD Ghosts.

It centers around Logan. Your father is the captain, your brother is also on the team, all these other guys are flat and do nothing to piss you off. However, the antagonists are completely irredeemable. Rorke is cruel and malicious. The Federation is used as a throw around character to display brutality.

The first mission you encounter the Federation, it's a bunch of soldiers executing civilians. The first time you meet Rorke, he's captured a Ghost and taunts him with a mock execution. Then, he tortures him to death.

Cold War goes outside that formula a little.

Of course Perseus is still portrayed as mainly antagonistic with few redeeming characteristics. (NOT torturing someone is a low bar to reach.)

But the CIA aren't very good either. As an organization they came up with MKU. And Adler as a person, as well as Park and a few others, were the main characters torturers. And then Main Character is you.

Bell is a self insert.

Which is also why they are grey. Because you are in control, you are given a grey slate and asked to play with it. You may make them as good or bad as you want.

The good ending is ultimately you sacrificing yourself. You stop the nukes, then Adler kills you.

The bad ending is you removing your crew from the danger zone, but also leaving them unable to stop the nuclear threat. You also die in this ending, the crew turning on you as a firing squad.

In the evil ending, you survived. You survive, and all others do not. The crew dies. The millions of civilians die. You live: because they did not.

Adler chose the route he did trying to act in the interest of the greater good. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I honestly love the break, I hope they keep making games that go outside the formula.

[hedgehogsaretheultimatelifeform]

Old Friends

Chapter 5

Russell Adler x GN!Bell Reader

A Black Ops Cold War cop AU

Masterpost

Chapter 4

96 Police Precinct, First Floor

Saturday, April 17

1:40 pm

“Amir, Lazar. Lazar, Amir.” You introduced the two, who shook hands.

“How am I helping you? I didn’t get a chance to read the file.” Amir looked at the pair of you, expectantly.

“Mirjam said you got a call, saying they saw someone get dragged into a car, but couldn’t link it to a missing person’s report?”

Xe nodded. “Yeah, she mentioned it. But why are you interested in it?”

“We’ve been looking into missing person’s records.” Lazar answered. “Could be related to our case.”

“And since it’s outside your precinct’s jurisdiction, you need someone to accompany you.” Xe grinned at you. “Technicalities, am I right?”

“Yep.” You sighed.

“Okay. It’s not far, we can walk.”

Amir took you two blocks over to a small wine shop, nestled between a post office and convenience store, with diamond pane windows and painted wooden trimming.

“Someone has too much money.” Lazar commented as Amir led you to cross the street.

“The customers, or the owner?” You asked, gazing at the name painted over the door- Vine Limited.

“Both.” He replied, pushing the door open and approaching the counter. “Good afternoon.”

The person behind the counter turned from adjusting the bottles behind the counter, smiling. “Hello! How can I help you?”

You introduced yourselves, their posture straightening as they realised you were police officers.

“We just need to ask a few questions.” Lazar assured them, keeping his voice low, glancing around at the customers, sitting at the small tables and sampling various wines. They nodded, and stepped out from behind the counter, another worker taking their place.

“We can talk upstairs, in my office.”

“So, you’re the one who made the call.”

They nodded, leading you upstairs and into an office. “Come in, make yourselves comfortable.” Amir and Lazar stepped back, allowing you to take the chair in front of the desk.

“You are?” You enquired, pulling out your notebook.

“Gwynn Jackson.”

“Mx Jackson, you made a call to the non-emergency police line on Thursday 15, reporting that you saw someone attacked and dragged into a vehicle outside your store on the evening of Wednesday 14, is that correct?”

They nodded. “That is correct.”

“Please tell me, in order and with as much detail as you can, what you saw.”

“Well. We’d closed at nine, and the others had finished clearing everything up, so I let them leave a few minutes early, staying behind myself to lock up.”

“What time would that have been?”

They paused, thinking. “Everyone would have left at ten, I was still here at ten thirty. And, I was out in the front of the store, pulling the blinds down, when I saw the person walking by outside, minding his own business. Then this red car pulls up, very suddenly, with an awful screech. Four guys get out, grab the first guy, drag him into the car and speed off.”

“Anything else?”

They shook their head. “It was very sudden.”

“And if you witnessed this at ten thirty on the evening of Wednesday 14, why did you wait until the next morning to make the call?”

“Well…” They sat back in their chair. “If I’m honest, I thought I was imagining it- I was tired, it was late, but I couldn’t get the thought out of my head. So, next morning I came back here and watched the CCTV footage from Wednesday evening. That’s when I made the call.”

“We’ll need to see that footage.”

“I have it here.” They opened a laptop, typing for a moment before they turned it to face you. The clip of low quality footage showed the events playing out as Mx. Jackson had described: a guy walking along minding his own business, a red car pulling up suddenly, the guy getting dragged in by four men, and the car speeding away east, up the street. You made a copy of the footage, thanked Mx. Jackson for their time, and left the store.

“Look at those. A vehicle definitely pulled up here recently.” Lazar pointed to a set of skid marks, stretching from the road onto the sidewalk that you hadn’t thought to take note of when you’d arrived. “What now?”

“We follow where it went.”

“How?” Amir asked.

You pointed up the street. “There’s half a dozen businesses along here. Most of them will have security cameras. Hell, most of them would have still been open at ten thirty.”

“That’s going to take forever, Bell.”

“I’m open to better ideas.” You faced Lazar, who grinned.

“Let’s think about this. We’re driving a car, I’m assuming it's stolen,” he started.

You quickly turned to Amir, passing her a page from your notebook. “I got a partial license plate from the footage. Get Mirjam to check it.”

As Amir moved away, Lazar continued. “We’ve just jumped a guy we’re going to beat the shit out of. Pretty aggressive way of doing it. If we know him and he works for us, we could just call him, and say ‘hey come over here’, and then get him locked up once he’s there. But no, we jumped him. He’s going to be suspicious, panicked, maybe he’ll struggle, fight back, try to get out of the car, which isn’t a risk we can’t take. So, we can’t go far, but we need somewhere no questions will be asked, somewhere secure, private, with easily disabled security. Anywhere like that within, say, five blocks of here?”

You opened your mouth, then closed it, thinking, trying to remember the layout of what was around you. “There’s a theatre… A bus depot… The deli that closed last month… and… and the self-storage unit. That way.” You pointed in it’s direction. “You’re a genius Lazar.”

“Only when I don’t want to trawl through hours of security footage.” He grinned. “Let’s go.”

—————————————————————————————————

Chapter Six

[see]

anyways here's what i think my ocs would post on their tumblr blogs because i'm insane

apollo would only post incredibly low quality gifsets from some one season flop show about the argonauts and then he'd make lots of posts about the argonauts that would take off until someone said "source?" and he would delete the post and make his blog header 'No One Ever Believes Me'

crow would absolutely just use twitter and it would just be shit like "Thank you citizens for your cooperation! The Myrmidons have completed their business at the Mirror Land Bridge and residents are now safe to cross. #MirrorLand"

nero would say whatever on his blog but it's mostly random personal stuff and him making fun of crow's tweets. sometimes he'll break down and be like "i hate the myrmidons. i hate crow. i'm going to run away to 1436 Ambria Ln, Jamestown SB." (not because he's trying to get anyone to find him just because he's a chronic oversharer) and everyone finds him immediately and drags him back to the myrmidon hq

kanna's blog is just random updates on his day and pictures of things he finds around the hq, but more often than not he reveals things about the myrmidons through his posts that the public can't know so they'll get deleted after like .5 seconds

micha has a verified twitter account as well where he follows like stock market tracking blogs but then will only rt donation posts (it's a very polarizing experience). every once in a while a post will pop up like "Lanley's new Model GX vehicle does not seem to have a sturdy design. They may want to improve on that before they release it to the public this fall. - Adler" but most of the time you can find micha in the replies of crow's posts making fun of him. crow will reply "Very professional, Nero." under the assumption that it's nero using micha's phone but it's definitely just micha

[mythtiide]

traditional art from the past few weeks! ✏️

[caniaskyouabouttoday]

“He was conceived out of desperation and born into a mess,” Don Draper narrates from his own therapeutic diary. He’s referring to his youngest son, Gene, born from a fleeting moment of passion in Don’s decaying marriage to Betty — but clearly this sentence describes his own bleak, sordid origins.

Mad Men is one of the most spoiled shows ever so this will have spoilers. Don’s moment of zen became a meme seconds after the show wrapped. What’s strange is that the meme doesn’t seem to have an opinion on this ending of this series. The end of Mad Men isn’t beloved like Six Feet Under, polarizing like The Sopranos, or reviled like Dexter. It simply is an ending.

Much like Mad Men’s ostensible parent series, The Sopranos, there is some ambiguity. I guess you could interpret that the smirk followed by the “Buy the World a Coke” advertisement means that Don made a triumphant return and penned a masterpiece ad for his dream client. But does the smirk mean that Don has let such things go? Has his mentality changed to regard these conquests as trivialities? After his disappearance nothing indicates that McCann Erickson would continue to placate Don let alone give him creative carte blanche on their largest account. Don’s career, for all intents and purposes, appears over in 1970. He is a very rich man and McCann Erickson is a very unhappy workplace.

Mad Men is a hulking 92 episodes, a long show in today’s era of shows doing 8-10 episode seasons every two years; and sags heavily after season 5. The first half of Season Six is nigh unwatchable and the show got bogged down in constant business intrigue with multiple mergers and new names for Sterling Cooper. We’re saddled with pointless characters like Ted Chaough and Lou Adler who are one-dimensional and the show spins its wheels hard including a very poor creative decision to mostly pull the show out of New York and thrust it into Los Angeles to make Don “bi-coastal” — a move that was pretty clearly designed to accomodate outside film projects, not to bolster the quality of Mad Men itself.

Harry Hamlin, who had been mostly missing from TV since major stardom in the 1980s in L.A. Law does add to the proceedings as soft spoken and self-serving weasel, Jim Cutler. I never felt like Mad Men needed an antagonist character, but he was the most worthy one and had a unique presence and delivery. Don is his own worst enemy. Dick Whitman is the hero. The contradictions of Don, and Dick, who I think are primarily distinct (Hamm makes it very clear which he is playing) are the conflict.

Much has also been made of Jessica Pare. She performs a notorious burlesque at Don’s birthday party that embodied “cringe” before that was an ubiquitous word. By the time they had developed any chemistry together the show started ripping them apart by her acting career causing conflict about where they should live; and cooled tensions between Betty and Don reminded audiences of their superior chemistry and more fascinating relationship.

I skipped locating all my discs and watched Mad Men on IMDB TV which gave the series, appropriately, advertisements. Some were loud, garish, and artless; but there were some like a sexy beach themed ad for Calvin Klein “Eternity” set to a sultry lounge cover of “Unchained Melody” - I could imagine Don Draper flashing a whisky soaked grin of approval at the spot. This is a good way to watch the show; monitor your volume button as some ads are much louder than the show volume and horribly obnoxious.

Mad Men is a long, uneven, and imperfect show but its grace notes are incomparable. The “Carousel” sequence from Season One is one of the most perfect bits of TV drama ever. Jon Hamm’s performance as Don Draper and Dick Whitman, what little we see of the latter, are fascinating television characters portrayed to perfection. His work in The Town shows that he has presence in film and I’m baffled at how such a versatile talent has had a tepid career in the six years since the show signed off. Elisabeth Moss has launched into the stratosphere and I sure would like to see more of John Slattery, Christina Hendricks, and Vince Kartheiser (making Pete relatable and somewhat likable is a small miracle of the writing and performances on this series.)

Mad Men isn’t as good as The Sopranos, it isn’t as marketable as Breaking Bad, and it certainly could have told a more compact story; yet I loved spending time in its beautiful dream of the turbulent 1960s. I do not believe we’d have masterworks like “Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood” that were made in its wake without it.

My time with the show was much like Don’s relationships; thrilling highs and plunging lows - yet I can’t wait to hop on that carousel and revisit the series again soon. It truly is a time machine.

[ronasun]

The Corona Brand: Fun, Beachy, and Memorable

The iconic clear bottle with a lime perched on top says it all: Corona is the no-frills light beer for summer, for beaches, and for fun. From advertisements focused on vacationing to Shwayze and Cisco Adler’s 2008 hit “Corona and Lime,” the Corona brand image evokes a sense of relaxation and merriment in a way that no other beer brand in the US has managed to consistently achieve. The consistent and efficient messaging of Corona advertisements, coupled with a consistent low pricing strategy and strategic expansion in heavily Hispanic areas of the US, allowed Corona to rapidly gain market share against import beer market incumbents like Heineken. 

On the other hand, as I reflect on Heineken’s branding to me as a consumer, I feel very disengaged and unsure of what the beer represents. Heineken blends in well with other cheap light beer options - Bud Light and Michelob and Yuengling come to mind - but doesn’t differentiate itself meaningfully from the pack in any specific way. While everyone knows that Corona is brewed in Mexico and should be drunk with a lime, Heineken beers do not evoke specific feelings or images, and therefore tend to be drunk when it is the default or on sale option at a bar or liquor store. This is likely why Heineken’s strategy of trying to position themselves as a “high quality” light beer fell short - if your beer can’t truly be picked apart in a blind taste test, a convincing (and importantly, consistent) marketing push is the only way to sway consumers in an otherwise elastic and price-sensitive market. Heineken’s methods were neither convincing nor consistent - there was little substance to back their claims, they only began a more directed marketing campaign when sales began to dip, and company faced numerous personnel changes in its marketing and advertising functions.

And yet - despite all the good press for the Corona brand throughout the years, one must wonder - how in the world did people believe that Corona was contaminated with urine, or confuse Corona beer with coronavirus?

[epochxp]

Whatever Happened to 20mm World War II Miniatures?

Yeah, I can’t say it’s been a question on everyone’s mind, but it has been on my mind and the minds of many like-minded aficionados. Many have proclaimed that 20mm is a dead scale for World War II. I can honestly say it’s the furthest thing from the truth. There are quite a few established manufacturers, as well as some new quality manufacturers out there. I would even argue that the scale is on a cusp of a renaissance., both in plastic and metal. This is going to be the first article in a series about 20mm and World War II, starting with a look at what I consider some of the best lead 20mm World War II manufacturers out there and where I’d go to get started in the scale.

Part 2 will be about the plastic side of the hobby, and Part 3 will be a discussion of various rules sets. 

Why 20mm?

20mm has had many advantages traditionally for miniatures gaming. The availability of soft and hard plastic figures has always been good, and for a box of $10, you can put together the beginnings of an army in many rules sets. When I was a kid, I used to call it “platoon in a box.” Most lead manufacturers back in the 70s and 80s used to have their 20mm lines supplement these plastic figure lines. But that’s not the case anymore. Now, there are many fine lead 20mm lines that stand on their own that we’ll be discussing here today. This list isn’t exhaustive, but it’s meant to show that 20mm as a scale for World War II is far from dead.

So, what is 20mm? 

20mm, as wargamers call it, is a nebulous scale. We’re using it to refer to the height of a miniature, from the sole of a figure’s foot to the level of his eyes. To be honest, most “20mm” figures range on a scale between 18mm and 23mm. Let’s be honest, most scales have that sort of range, and sometimes, some manufacturers don’t play well with other manufacturers. It’s just a question of getting to know what you’re looking for. 

As for vehicles, the scale corresponds with 1/72 to 1/76 scale, with many gamers preferring 1/76, but I personally like 1/72. I just like the larger vehicles, and it’s easier to find vehicle kits in 1/72 these days. That not to say you can’t mix the scales on the table-top, but I wouldn’t do it too often. The differences in scales can be a bit jarring, to say the least.

Here’s a comparison side-by-side of some of the more popular figure lines out there:

A Whistle-Stop Tour Through the Land of 20mm!

A.B. Miniatures – Their offerings in 20mm are basically the gold standard of 20mm World War II right now. The sculpts are excellent! (I can personally attest to their British as those figures are excellent in their quality and proportions). The packs are well-designed, and one pack usually gets you what you need for a given squad or heavy weapons crew. The packs are designed to mostly cover the mid-to-late war period, with Americans, Brits, Germans, Soviets, with some extra tank crews for the Italians and the French and some Polish paras for Arnhem. I will say the German Fallschirmjager works well for the Low Countries, Norway, and Crete, so long as you remember which kit you’re buying (no Stg-44s or Pak-40s). Their website is easy to navigate, and for American customers, you can purchase them through Eureka USA. One plea from this American customer, can you please do late war Americans in M43 uniforms? 

Wargames Foundry – This is a reissue of a miniatures line from the 1980s. There are things to like about the line, and there are things I don’t like about the line. I have some of the figures from some secondhand purchases at conventions, but not a full set of anything. The sculpting quality, like all Foundry products, is excellent but not quite as good as AB in 20mm. I don’t like that in many sets, you mostly get the same poses. I wish there were more dynamism in the sets. That said, you have German DAK, Fallschirmjager, Panzergrenadiers, winter dress, late war Germans with the anklet boots, tank crews, as well as early war Germans. You also have Italians in European and African uniforms and Askari colonial troops. You also have Nationalist Chinese (one of the few 20mm manufacturers to have them), as well as 1939 Poles, 1940 French, including Colonial infantry, and Foreign Legionnaires for Bir Hakim and Resistance types to fight the Boche at home! There are also Australians, Finns, Indians in turbans (all suitable for North Africa) as well as the SAS and Americans in summer and winter dress. It’s a fairly complete range, but the poses are an issue for me. Prices are a bit high with shipping on this side of the pond, and I am not familiar with any American distributor of the line currently.

Britannia Miniatures – Currently being sold by Grubby Tanks, I own a lot of these. The depth and breadth of the line is extensive! Want SS Cavalry on Horseback? They have them. Want late war Japanese? They have them. There’s very little they don’t have. Much of my Soviet army are Britannia and I rather like them and their manner of sculpting makes them easy to paint. Some aren’t nuts about it, as the figures tend to be on the larger side than other 20mm, but I find they mix well with most lines if you’re careful. Again, I am not aware of any current U.S. distributors for the range, but the prices are reasonable, but postage these days is going to take a bite.

Simon’s Soldiers – Simon Ford has been in the miniatures industry for a long time. He has retained the services of Andrew Stevens who has sculpted for Drews Militia, Battlefield, Wartime, and now Simon’s Soldiers. I’ve always liked Andrew’s sculpting style, especially for the Germans (of which I have legions of). All of the figures are full of character and give you that “I’m a tired guy on the frontline” look and I can recommend his Volkssturm line and the Panzer Lehr. The late war Americans are also particularly good figures. There’s really nothing bad I can say about them. My only regret is there’s no U.S. distributor, as while the Australian Dollar is lower than the U.S. Dollar, you’re gonna get nuked on postage these days. But, if you make a big order, you can probably order enough to make the postage not hurt as much! And you have to love Simon’s customer service. Who can’t like a guy who reminds you on Facebook you haven’t purchased any figures lately? Pay Simon a visit, and tell them Jason sent you. Simon and I are friends, and I can honestly recommend his product. Andrew also works for Playa Manor, a new Spanish company focusing on Battle of the Bulge, and the figures are gorgeous!

Ehliem Miniatures - I really like their sculpts, and Matt Hingley (See our previous interview here) does a fine job of customer service and providing miniatures nobody else does in 20mm for World War II. I mean, he has early, mid, and late-war Waffen-SS (FAA does Early War S.S., but their sculpts are a bit…eh compared to Ehliem). One of my favorites—and I might be a bit biased as I commissioned them—were the Soviet Navy sailors he produced. They’re the only ones with helmets in 20mm. Everyone else does them in the full uniforms, rather than the mixed uniforms of Army and Navy gear they wore as the war ground on. Again, postage is a bear from the U.K., but Matt will work with you! Again, tell him Jason sent you. 

This article barely scratches the surface of what’s out there, as you have Xan and Adler, whom I haven’t tried, but hear good things about, and the multitude of fast build plastic kits out there, which we’ll discuss in a subsequent article. But 20mm World War II is a plethora of options. If you want to wargame World War II in 20mm, a grand adventure awaits. One more piece of advice. I’d pay the Frontline Wargaming – WW2 Facebook group a visit. The group is a great place for the novice 20mm gamer to visit, and you’ll get tons of help and advice there.  

--

At Epoch Xperience, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch Xperience’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.

-- (This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)

[barbaraekdl096]

Think You’re Cut Out For Doing Designer Furniture Los Angeles? Take This Quiz

How Modern & Contemporary Furniture Can Save You Time and Money

Table of ContentsInsanely neat Ideas That Custom Furniture And Modern Home Decor Will Change ForeverWhat to do About Modern & Mid Century Furniture Before it's Too LateThe Only Guide to Modern Furniture Stores Online You're Going To Need

Shipping Fees: 5 percent of purchase overall plus $99 or $129 for in-room placement and assemblyReturn Policy: Very good; no constraints set. Bludot will work with you on a refund. 20 B & B Italia furniture percent restocking fee on items that are returned without original product packaging. If you're going for a modern, organic vibe, Canvas House is where to get your accessories and furnishings (furniture stores).

Shipping Charges: Differ according to products; choose products over $150 receive free shippingReturn Policy: Good; 30-day duration Cage and Barrel's little sibling is an excellent resource for low-cost, colorful accents and small-space living. The retailer is beginning to carry out videos on its site, providing a fresh way to see furnishings items.

Delivering Fees: From $4. 95 to 10 percent of the order overall. mid century modern. At home shipment is $59-$ 159 for unrestricted pieces. A flat rate of luxury furniture $299 for endless furniture products is charged on choose POSTAL CODE that fall outside of CB2's basic at home shipment zones. Return Policy: Excellent; returns accepted within 90 days with invoice, except for special-order items Focusing on house organization, The Container Store may not offer a complete choice of furniture, however its racks and storage solutions are a practical choice for any area.

It's not simply a location for unique pillows and interesting worldwide foods; its modern-furnishings mix is growing. Shipping Costs: $4. 95 to 10 percent of orderReturn Policy: Very excellent; 60-day duration A leader in the online furniture world and a trusted company with a good credibility for affordable, contemporary furnishings - west elm.

Test examples are readily available for purchase. Cage and Barrel's upholstery quality is exceptional. If a complete furnishings upgrade isn't in the cards yet, it provides a large, vibrant selection of accent pieces that can provide your area a facelift until you're all set for the big financial investment pieces (chair). Delivering Costs: $4.

In-home delivery $59-$ 159 for endless pieces. bed. A flat rate of $299 for unlimited furnishings products is charged on select POSTAL CODE that fall outside of their basic in-home shipment zones. Return Policy: Great; returns accepted within 90 days with receipt, other than for special-order products Style Public calls itself the source of "everything cool for the house," offering a wide range of contemporary furniture brands.

How and Why Elite Modern Furniture Will Change For Good

Shipping Fees: Free shipping over $50 unless notedReturn Policy: Great; 30-day duration House to high-end, iconic pieces - west elm. Established in 1998 throughout a time when buying the leading furnishings design needed a journey to Europe or a trade contact, the company brought the icons to the retail world for all, hence the name Style Within Reach.

A 3D space planner is also available online, while examples can be ordered for preview. Delivering Fees: $9 to 8 percent standard shipment within the continental U.S., capping at $1,000 Return Policy: Fair; one month, but a 10 percent restocking charge is charged on products not including accessories, bed linen and towels An extension of Dwell Magazine, the online store uses mid-century-modern pieces at their finest - mid century modern.

It uses a concierge service to help you with the style procedure or picking an ideal present. Delivering Charges: Accessories over $50 get free shipping within the continental U.S. Furniture deliveries cost $200 for limit and $325 for white-glove service. Return Policy: Fair; 30-day period for accessories. Furniture return policies are not specified and are handled on a case-by-case basis.

The seller has store locations and easy shipping in both the U.S. sectional sofa. and Canada, making it an excellent online source for contemporary furniture. Shipping Fees: Vary according to itemReturn Policy: Excellent; 30-day duration; Herman Miller products final sale Consumers are needed to sign up for a totally free e-mail subscription, but it's worth it, thanks to the exclusive flash sales and discounts the site offers.

Its house collections are perfect for the fashionista looking for Missoni or Valentino designer furnishings. Delivering Charges: Varied and defined on product pageReturn Policy: Good; 21-day period; some items marked as final sale not returnable If you're a fan of H&M's cheap and elegant style fixes, you'll be most impressed with its home collections - chair.

The home accents are slowly coming to shops however can be purchased online in the meantime. Delivering Fees: Flat-rate shipping of $5. 95Return Policy: Good; 30-day period, although products purchased online can not be returned at shops Not whatever at ikea. com is readily available for house shipment yet, however the website made our list for a few reasons.

What to do About Contemporary Furniture Warehouse Before it's Too Late

Other helpful options include the capability to make wish list and the digital catalog that demonstrates how finest to utilize the items, particularly in space-challenged spaces. Shipping Costs: Rate determined at checkoutReturn Policy: Very excellent; 90-day duration. Items can be gone back to a store or shipped back, or you can call for pickup on larger pieces.

It's committed to supplying an ever-increasing choice of earth-friendly furnishings. Inmod uses a fantastic selection of modern nursery furnishings. Delivering Charges: FreeReturn Policy: Great; no return duration defined, no restocking charges If you need a little delighted trendy in your life, Jonathan Adler is the place (bedroom). The website provides moderate to costly vintage and retro accents and furnishings that will bring a smile to your face.

Swatches are offered and the images are detailed, featuring item shots as well as way of life pictures offering a take a look at how the product looks in a space - bedroom. Delivering Costs: Free shipping on accent orders over $150; flat charge of $79-$ 199 for furnitureReturn Policy: Fair; lots of products aside from vases and smaller design are not returnable Muji.

Shipping Charges: $5. 95-$ 25. 95Return Policy: Excellent; 30-day duration One Kings Lane started as a flash-sale company now provides a larger range of items, making our list of finest online furnishings stores. Products are moderate to pricey but have a designer feel and look. Shipping Charges: $6. 95 to 7 percent of order totalReturn Policy: Great; most items can be returned within a 14-day period.

[j124posts-blog]

COM 2206 Greatest Lessons

One of the greatest lessons I learned and felt deeply involved what is called conflict styles. Conflict styles are characteristic approaches people take when their needs appear incompatible. I have struggled with conflict I tend to avoid it at almost any cost. To the point of which I allowed a significant other to win with a competition style conflict. The competition style conflict is always a win-lose scenario. It involves a high concern for one person and a low concern for the other. In this relationship I fell victim to passive aggression. Which is defined as expressing dissatisfaction in a disguised manner. I also dealt with a lot of crazymaking during these conflicts. My significant other would use tactics to punish me in a disguised manner. This part of com 2206 made me realize what I have been through. It makes me look to future to avoid this kind of conflict.

             I realized during com 2206 that I am a very task-oriented listener. This led to me using the wrong listening style in my relationships. Listening occurs whether we are interpreting a person signals or hearing spoken messages. As a more task-oriented listener I always focus on accomplishing the job at hand. I’ve simply spoken and listened to reach goals most of the time. I feel getting to the point is very important. During com 2206 I realized that I should use more of the four listening styles. The others include relation listening, which is concerned with building emotional closeness with others. Analytical listening emphasizes attending to the full message before coming to a judgement. Critical listeners focus on quality, accuracy, and consistency. If I begin using these listening styles, I feel I can build stronger relationships that will help me grow.

             Another great and powerful lesson for me was the one on social exchange theory. I never evaluated my relationships before. Social exchange theory is based on what we get from a relationship and what we must tolerate from it. This is part of the dynamics of a relationship, and the reasoning why we form them. In past relationships I didn’t realize that I was not using a comparison level. In other words, I did not set a minimum standard for what behavior was acceptable.  I put up with cheating, and mental abuse. I should have looked into comparison level of alternatives. I should have looked at what I received in the relationship versus what I dealt with. Perhaps I did and it was because I felt stuck, because of monetary things. I felt I had no place to go, so I continued with the relationship. Once again, I felt the rewards somehow outweighed the depression and hurtfulness.

             Eventually I had enough and finally dealt with the struggle of surviving on my own. I’d like to think I was much happier during that time. I was in some ways, but I allowed that person to stay In and use more crazymaking tactics. We all learn from our mistakes and I certainly have. COM 2206 has helped me develop as a person. I will know these things in the future and use them to my advantage.

Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor II. “Dynamics of Interpersonal Relationships” Interpersonal Communication, 2018, pp. 260-288.

Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor II. “Listening: Receiving and Responding” Interpersonal Communication, 2018, pp. 196-224.

Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor II. “Managing Conflict” Interpersonal Communication, 2018, pp. 324-350.