#war fatalities

[bouncinghedgehog]

[tomorrowusa]

In some ways it’s poetic justice. Putin’s genocidal war to destroy Ukrainian identity is also a deep self-inflicted wound on Russia itself.

Tens of thousands of Russians have already died in the conflict and hundreds of thousands more, mostly young and talented, have fled the country. A majority of the latter will probably not return.

If men go to war or emigrate en masse instead of fathering children, where will the children come from? The effect on the labor market will also be severe: conscription at such a productive age leeches the labor force out of an economy that is already expected to lose 3–4 million people aged twenty to forty by 2030 (compared to 2020) for objective demographic reasons.

The working population is also losing those who have already left or will leave the country in response to the intense militarization of life, not to mention those who are mobilized, killed, or maimed in combat if the so-called “special operation” continues.

Combined, this will create a significant labor force deficit and a plethora of demographic problems, further exacerbating the negative dynamics in birth rates observed in Russia since 2016–2017.

Demographic imbalances are nothing new. But the countries in East Asia experiencing them, unlike Russia, are not also causing their economies to gradually implode with wars of aggression which they cannot afford. 

Putin’s war will set off a cascade of demographic problems which will last for decades in Russia.

A year of military service for the 300,000 men mobilized into the army in September and October 2022 will mean 25,000 fewer births, estimates Mikhail Denisenko, director of the Institute of Demography of the Higher School of Economics. That isn’t a huge number, but it could rise significantly as a result of emigration, the long-term decline in birth rates, and potential expansion of the mobilization age.

Like Trump Republicans in the US, Putinists are cracking down on abortion to try to offset demographic issues. But that may be too late to have much effect.

Worried about the reduced production of future soldiers for their imaginary empire, lawmakers—supported by the clergy—are mulling a partial ban on abortion. Yet Russia has mostly completed the “third demographic transition,” when the majority of the population gains the ability to regulate birth rates. Abortions are no longer widespread in the country.

Putin has been spending heavily on his police state apparatus and on his large third-rate army. This, as well as corrupt oligarchs siphoning off tens of billions to buy superyachts and luxurious foreign property, have led to underinvestment in much of the Russian economy.

Meanwhile, the proportion of productive expenditure (above all, education and healthcare) is stagnant at best and cannot compete with the unproductive expenditure that takes priority for a military-police state. Furthermore, it’s difficult to assess the real scale of spending on the military and defense (including the state’s defense from its own citizens): about 23 percent of expenditure in the 2023 budget is classified. 

Another way Russia is in sync with the far right in the US is its war on education. 

Authoritarian regimes want to get rid of high-quality and globally competitive education. The “special military operation” has only accelerated the political purges at Russian educational establishments. We have yet to find out how many young people with science and technology degrees have left Russia (including due to fears of being persecuted for espionage or treason if working with covert innovations). However, even the nearsighted state has noticed that the number of high school students planning to take the Unified State Exam in physics and information sciences has fallen.

A high-quality, modern education produces modern, thinking people, and thinking people aren’t prepared to go and fight for false ideals. Educated individuals are independent individuals, including economically. A militarized state does not need independent people. It needs people who diligently obey orders. 

So it’s not just the quantity of people Russia is losing but also the quality.

The longer the war lasts, the more likely Russia will end up as a hollowed-out state with a stagnant economy run by aging vatniks who are obsessed with nostalgia for the geopolitics of the 1970s.

In 20 years people won’t be saying: “What a glorious leader Putin was!” Instead it will be something like: “What the fuck was that shithead thinking?”

EDIT: Speaking of Russian losses...

[br-disaster]

Nie Mingjue: *is a little unsteady on his feet*

Nie Huaisang, immediately: 🏃🏃

[vikobelo]

mother Hera (*￣3￣)╭ for force fatale zine

[shyranno]

Happy belated birthday, Kelly Marie Tran! I love you always

Piece done for @forcefatalezine <3

[theguywithaplan]

List of Games Turning Twenty (20) Years Old in 2025

Advance Wars: Dual Strike

Advent Rising (they started planning the trilogy before the first game was out lmao)

Age of Empires III

Animal Crossing: Wild World (the DS one)

Arc the Lad: End of Darkness

Area 51 (the FPS that was low-key kinda creepy)

Banjo Pilot (the Banjo-Kazooie racing game on GBA).

Battalion Wars (the spin-off of Advance Wars).

Battlefield 2

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30

Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (yep, they released two mainline games in one year).

Burnout Revenge (this cleared Burnout 3, and I will fight you on that).

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

Call of Duty 2

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (go play the Castlevania Dominus collection. It has this game and a few others and it's GREAT).

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

Civilization IV

Cold Fear (answering the age old question: what if Resident Evil 4 was on a boat and not as good?)

Condemned: Criminal Origins (a launch title for the Xbox 360 and a pretty solid horror game).

Conker: Live & Reloaded (maybe a controversial opinion, but this is WAY better than the original).

Crash Tag Team Racing

Dead or Alive 4 (aka, the one with not Master Chief in it).

Destroy All Humans!

Devil Kings (all the sequels would be under it's non-translated title: Sengoku Basara).

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (let's rock, baybeeeeee)

Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat

Dragon Ball Z: Sagas (I saw a stream of this game a few months back, and oh my god, this looks so shitty/funny).

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

Dynasty Warriors 5 (who's excited for Origins???)

Far Cry Instincts (a console version of the PC exclusive original game)

Fatal Frame III: The Tormented

F.E.A.R. (if you haven't played this before, change that. it's fantastic)

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (the one with Ike the Bisexual in it).

Forza Motorsport (the very first one).

Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows

Geist (the rare M-rated Nintendo game).

The Getaway: Black Monday

God of War (the very first one).

Gran Turismo 4 (one of the few PS2 games that could be played in HD, along with... Jackass: The Game...)

Guild Wars

Guitar Hero (the very first one).

Haunting Ground (a very rare PS2 horror game from Capcom).

Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee

The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer (since the second movie came out, this game is now considered non-canon).

Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit (the second game from known hack/fraud David Cage).

Jade Empire (the last game that BioWare made before they got acquired by EA).

Jak X: Combat Racing

Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death (there was a for real-ass Judge Dredd game on the GameCube).

Kameo: Elements of Power (another Xbox 360 launch title, this one made by a post-acquisition Rare. It's pretty fun).

Killer7 (from the greatest to ever do it, Suda51)

Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (you guys think it's based on the movie or what...?)

Kirby: Canvas Curse (a really fun DS game that only used the stylus)

Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament (i think klonoa would get along really well with sonic)

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (the one where Link gets really small)

Lego Star Wars: The Video Game

Lunar: Dragon Song (one of the worst RPGs I've ever played. Don't play it).

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (the one with the Baby Mario Bros.)

Mario Kart DS (the first one with online play).

Mario Party Advance

Mario Party 7 (my personal favorite)

Mario Superstar Baseball (we didn't get a Mario Baseball game on the Switch. Because they're saving it for the Switch 2).

Mario Tennis: Power Tour (so many Mario games...)

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix

Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects

The Matrix Online (an official continuation from the movies)

The Matrix: Path of Neo

Medal of Honor: European Assault

MediEvil: Resurrection

Mega Man Battle Network 5 (the only one in the series to have a DS version)

Mega Man Zero 4

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction

Metal Gear Acid (a launch title for the PSP, and a card game set in the Metal Gear universe. It works better than you might think).

Meteos (a puzzle game made by Masahiro Sakurai, the Smash Bros. guy)

Metroid Prime Pinball

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

Myst V: End of Ages (the final Myst game)

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (did you know that this game outsold the entire Halo series?)

Neopets: The Darkest Faerie (is Neopets still a thing?)

Nicktoons Unite! (a crossover between Spongebob, Fairly Oddparents, Jimmy Neutron, and Danny Phantom).

The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge (an honest to god sequel to the movie that plays like Devil May Cry).

Ninja Gaiden Black

Nintendogs

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath

Pac-Man World 3

Perfect Dark Zero (yet another Xbox 360 launch title, also made by Rare, and a sequel to one of the best FPS games ever made. It was fine).

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (it had been out in Japan for a few years, but us Yankees got this four years after it came out).

Pokemon Dash (a Pokemon racing game. It was not very good).

Pokemon Emerald Version (I sunk like 500 hours into this game).

Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness (a sequel to Pokemon Colosseum where you could capture other people's Pokemon).

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Psychonauts

The Punisher

Quake 4

Ratchet: Deadlocked

Resident Evil 4

Serious Sam 2

Shadow of the Colossus (one of the best games ever made. Play it if you haven't yet).

Shadow the Hedgehog (pretty good to be a sonic fan right now).

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (parts 1 and 2).

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves

Sonic Rush

SoulCalibur III (RIP, SoulCalibur. Tekken is just too powerful.)

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (RIP, Splinter Cell. Ubisoft just sucks too much to make you anymore).

Spyro: Shadow Legacy

Star Fox Assault

Star Wars: Republic Commando

Star Wars: Battlefront II (this game's story mode is permanently etched into my brain).

Stubbs the Zombie in "Rebel Without a Pulse" (presenting it to you with no context. Look it up. It's hilarious).

Super Mario Strikers

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe

Tak: The Great Juju Challenge

Tekken 5

TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (RIP, TimeSplitters. Embracer Group killed you before you could come back).

Trace Memory (got remade in 2024 as Another Code)

Twisted Metal: Head-On (another PSP launch title)

Ultimate Spider-Man (you could play as Venom in this one)

WarioWare: Touched!

WarioWare: Twisted!

We Love Katamari

Wild Arms: Alter Code F (a remake of the first game)

Xenosaga Episode II

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

[shallowseeker]

when jack said "can you tell them i'm sorry" about the angels being angry i fell in love with him as a character. he's just a little guy!!!

Imagine. You're a new life and one of your earlier emotions? Being sorry.

After hearing angelic voices, perhaps he's hearing their anger, their panic... and he's sorry for being born. Or perhaps he's just sorry for hurting the people who'd been kind to him, for the people caught up in his out-of-control power.

//

//

///

[Sam is also visibly relieved, as Jack sits on the cot opposite him and folds his legs up criss cross applesauce style] JACK: I'm sorry. SAM (confused): What? JACK: Will you tell them that I'm sorry? SAM: Yeah. Sure. Of course. (long pause) 13x01

///

Then Jack gets stabbed and:

...is confused, then horrified.

After all, the other person who got stabbed this episode?

Not exactly fine.

Jack looks on as Sheriff Barker rushes Clark out of the building, Clark suffering from a severe stab wound from the exact same kind of weapon.

Jack notices.

Notices how different he and Clark are.

///

So in 13x02, he's still struggling with that blossoming realization, that horror:

Jack already knows:

This appeal is for a reassurance that can't be given...

Something about godforsaken monsters and their little monsters. It's so painful.

But also so reminiscent of another moment of unsettling, possibly evil, intrinsic invulnerability:

There's something so piercing about this off-key parallel.

My brother thinks you can* be saved & You don't believe that // You don't think you deserve to be saved

[aurantiumred]

fuck it i would give you a 10 page essay on how Waving Through A Window is jason coded but YOU'RE NOT READY FOR THAT CONVERSATION!

[sapphicsparkles]

My Bo-Katan piece for the @forcefatalezine !!! Absolutely loved this project! Everything was beautifully done and the mods were a joy to work with!

[tonyloon]

"Oh nooo, my dear Enric just died, he was my Pryde and joy… that's my fifth billionaire husband just fading away in my arms…. how could that happen?" Bonus:

Based on this wonderful chart that I sadly do not know the origin of: IF YOU HAVE THE ORIGINAL LINK PLS COMMENT OR MESSAGE ME SO I CAN CREDIT THE GENIUS WHO CAME UP WITH IT!!!!

[jazzrazzberry]

Ranking all the Doctors

Everyone outside of the box is a little bit of a sad sack. I don’t make the rules. I’ve forgotten some I’m so sorry for my crimes. It’s hard to find pictures. We worked really hard for this.

[texaschainsawmascara]

Femme Fatales covers

[wonder-worker]

Wild how we know that Elizabeth Woodville was officially appointed to royal councils in her own right during her husband’s reign and fortified the Tower of London in preparation of a siege while 8-months pregnant and had forces gathering at Westminster “in the queen’s name” in 1483 – only for NONE of these things to be even included, let alone explored, in the vast majority of scholarship and historical novels involving her.

[queenjiru]

I can finally post the piece I did for the @forcefatalezine ! I had the honor of drawing the elegant Mon Mothma ✨

[shyranno]

Painted Ventress to practice for the Force Fatale fanzine!! Have you applied yet? c: We're looking for writers, artists AND cosplayers!! Check us out here: @forcefatalezine

[allgremlinart]

unpopular opinion I think Azula wanted Lu Ten dead as a kid on some level I think she wanted to put him in a Saw Trap. like "I'd be a way better Firelord than this guy and also he keeps giving me Welches Fruit Gummies when he comes over when I TOLD him I HATE gummy based snacks. I'm going to put scorpions in his shoes" etc etc