#what will the other members of the new gen 11 say

[blue-thief]

why is no one considering the fucked up possibilities about kaiser's relationship with ray dark

[milaisreading]

🌱🩷: Here is the 1st Charles Chevalier request. Smn wanted me to make a chapter from that one scenario I made a few hours ago.

Warnings: Reader uses she/her, but since she is crossdressing, the guys use he/him. Requests are open

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke ⚽️

A few days have passed since the match Blue Lock and the U-20 team had. It was a huge deal, since it was the deciding match for the project, and it was even broadcasted internationally. Even Sae, one of the New Gen 11 members participated on the side of the Japanese team. Something that surprised his peers, everyone knew that Sae was pretty adamant on not playing for the team, ever. So once that got out, other players that were acquainted somewhat with Sae were glued to the TV to watch it. They were surprised to see the Blue Lock team holding up well, especially with Sae and Shidou on the team, with 3 standing out in particular. There was Rin Itoshi, the younger brother of Sae and vice-captain, who scored the 1st goal. As expected, most of the New Gen11 thought. The 2nd and 3rd ones were guys who the players never met or heard of before, aside from Loki. Isagi Yoichi, the one to score the winning goal, and to pretty much shake Sae Itoshi's balance during the game. And then there was (Y/n) (L/n), the captain of the team, midfielder, and the one who kept the game under control the most. She caught the attention of one player in particular, Charles Chevalier. The midfielder of PXG and France's U-20 team. The boy was curious with the precision the captain had when passing the ball to the other players. Not only that, but also calculating every move the opposite team made was not something Charles expected from someone who wasn't a pro. A no name player, basically.

After the final goal was scored, the boy already had made up his mind. While the game was interesting and all, he wanted to watch more of the midfielder. He didn't like it, but he had to admit that he wanted to learn more about the player. Her plays, stats, everything. But sadly, there wasn't much Charles could go off on. And he wanted to drop it, he will eventually meet the palyer, he believed she was capable enough to score a spot in a pro-team. That was all until Loki told him the news of PXG being invited to play in Blue lock, and Charles immediately agreed. How could he say no?

Timeskip...

Now, Loki was used to messes. He was a coach now, so he had to be used to that. But this! This was beyond what his nerves could take. Not only did he have to suffer through Rin and Shidou's arguments, now Rin decided to argue with Isagi over the most useless things imaginable.

"What happened to having a calm dinner..." Loki sighed, walking over to pull them apart, something Kurona decided to help him with. Charles was the whole time standing to the side, smiling as he found the whole situation amusing.

'I hope they are done soon. I need to analyze (Y/n)'s play from today. Didn't expect him to leave Manshine in the dust like that.'

"Are you guys arguing again?"

"Calm down, Hiori. You know how they are."

"Aren't you going to do anything, (Y/n)?"

Charles quickly turned his head towards the entrance, only to see the player he was most excited to meet standing next to the blue-haired boy.

'Finally!' Charles grinned.

"What do you expect me to do? They have been like that ever since they first met." (Y/n) laughed in amusement, sending an apologetic smile towards Loki, who returned it.

"Loor Loki-san, he is too overwokred." (Y/n) said as Hiori nodded his head along.

"Let's just stop their fight and go eat-"

"Ah! Finally I get to meet you, Blue Lock's golden midfielder."(Y/n) stopped talking and turned to look at the boy who was approaching her. The girl raised an eyebrow as Hiori tensed up a little.

'What's with that look?' The cyan-haired boy thought suspiciously. (Y/n) ignored the arguing for a moment as the boy grinned playfully.

"What?" Was the only thing she said.

"Charles Chevalier, PXG's midfielder. Pleased to finally meet you, (L/n) (Y/n)." The girl's eyes widened at the way he used her name. Sure, she was ranked pretty high on the list, but someone to know her full name was unexpected.

"Uh... N-nice to meet you as well, Chevalier-san. Did you need something-"

"I will get straight to the point with you." Charles interrupted her, yet again and swung his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey! Personal space!" Hiori yelled at Charles, but got no acknowledgment back. This caused the group to stop for a moment and look back at the duo.

'Oh God...' Loki groaned, knowing very well how Charles was with this player in particular.

"Uhm... get to the point with what?" (Y/n) wondered.

"I want you to play for me." Charles said simply.

"Uh... I am in a different team, so no can do." (Y/n) said, laughing nervously. The boy's grin was off putting to her.

"I know." Charles rolled his eyes and pouted a little.

"And while I was annoyed at first, I am happy now. I will have a chance to finally play against you. Tho, I rather have you playing for me."

(Y/n) kept quiet, unsure where all of this was going.

"You are very interesting, (Y/n). I like you~ don't disappoint me!" Charles giggled, packing her cheek.

"Haa?!" The girl yelled in surprise, face flushing a deep red.

"Asshole! Don't do that so randomly!!" Hiori yelled at the French boy, making his way to separate them. Kurona was holding back a blood thirsty Isagi, while he was fighting back his own rage.

"Stop it, Rin." Loki warned, his grip on Rin's shirt tightening.

"I will kill that bastard." The younger Itoshi mumbled.

[seirei-bh]

I'm trying to calculate or at least approximate in headcanon the ages that I think each character is in New Gen

First according to ep 5, Ysaline is 22 years old, since she says that she was 9 when her sister Tasha was 3, and now her sister is 16, (although since each sucrette is customizable, I think each player can have the freedom to decide what age prefer to imagine that they have their sucrette in New Gen, and that's what I'm going to do with mines)

Anyway, this also gives us a clue as to at least Thomas's current age. And also this other important fact: Thomas is 10 when OldSucrette (Lynn) is 17. So they are 7 years apart.

And there's supposed to be a 3-year time jump after Love Life to the special crossover ep. Since Lynn is 26 in LL, she is 29 in that special ep.

If we subtract 7 from 29, then Thomas is 22 years old. The same one as supposedly Ysaline canonically.

Now, it is much more difficult to estimate the age of the other characters. The only clue we have is that Elenda said in ep 4 that she was 6-7 when Devon was 10-11. Taking into account that many stories in video games, books and animes sometimes tend to use even and round numbers in big time-skips so that readers can easily remember the dates, it makes me assume that 20 years have passed since that time. So Elenda would be 26-27 and Devon about 30-31. Now the problem is that we don't know if Roy and Devon are the same age or if Roy is younger, we only know that they went to the same high school and so did Elenda, and these three met each other since they were kids, but I'm inclined to think that Roy and Devon were more like friends in a sense of older-younger brothers, since Devon seems older due to his features and behavior, so perhaps Roy is the same age as Elenda. I can be wrong though, and Roy and Devon being the same age, but this is what I think for now~

We also don't know Amanda's age, but due to her features, she appears to be around the age of Thomas and Elenda. Although Elenda in a scene from ep 3 defines herself as "the fairy godmother of Devenementiel" and says that she was there from the beginning, while Amanda seems like a recent member of the company, which makes me think that perhaps Elenda is a little older than Amanda.

Jason could be either Roy's age or Devon's age, but I'm inclined to think that it would be more convincing for Jason to be Devon's age, given his features, and since they are both company bosses and direct rivals, it would make sense for them to be the same age, and olders than the other crushes.

And Brune seems from her features to be somewhat older than Elenda, but perhaps not as old as Devon.

So my final conclusions are:

Thomas: 22 (the only age probably canon for now) Amanda: between 22-24 Roy: 26/27 Devon: 30/31 Jason: 30/31

Elenda: 26/27 Brune: 28~

There are other possibilities, of course. But the only thing we can be quite sure of is Thomas's age, being 7 years older than Lynn and the same as Ysaline, and that Devon is 4 years older than Elenda. It's also possible, for example, that they are all 22 except Devon and Jason being 26, but Rayan Zaidi is 33 in UL and Devon and Jason's features seem -at least from my pov- closer to that age than in the middle of the twenties~

Anyway, I'd like to know the opinion based on these calculations and/or headcanons of other players regarding this topic 💜

I guess we won't know until they confirm it in the game, if they confirm it in future eps, however if it is never revealed, I'd really like to know what the canonical ages of each crush are. So @chinomiko if you ever see this, please it'd be wonderful if you could answer this some day, or at least if these ideas are close to the canon. I know that the age of each character is something that doesn't have too much importance since everyone can imagine what they want, but I am especially curious about Jason and Devon <3 Besides these details are always useful for fanfic material.

[17-noodlebird]

presenting...

The Amazing Digital Circus Road Trip AU!!!! 🎪🛣️🎉

I finally have the courage to post something of genuine purpose here!!!

So this is the summary:

• The events prior to the road trip were… eventful, for lack of a better term. To make a long story short, a group of dimensional travelers opened the eyes of the Amazing Digital Circus, both for better and for worse. What started out so rocky ended up becoming a closer bond for them, as they learned more about the other dimensions, and maybe, just maybe, the enigmatic inner machinations of C&A and their perpetually dark history.

• About 6 months went by since then, with Bubble, and four of the interdimensional diplomats, Beth, Pam, Val, and Garcia, creating brand new maps for the game that the others could explore, while completing tasks, gaining artifacts, and meeting brand new people, all while keeping the details secret until it was ready. The other diplomats each had their own contributions to their own game maps, as did Bubble, but only one knew the ending of the road trip: the main diplomat Lulu.

• The road trip would be akin to the world level-based collect-a-thon video games, a la the Super Mario Odyssey, and the role-playing games a la the Steven Universe: Light series. Twenty-six designated levels were made, each with a different theme, animation style, culture, customs, interactable NPCs, characters in need of help, and antagonists/bosses that they can defeat.

• There is a door made out of mountain rock that needs to be unlocked, using all twenty-six (or twenty-eight, depending on your point of view on the matter) jewels, to unlock the “ending” of the road trip; no one else, not even Bubble, knows what's behind the rock door — no one, that is, except Lulu. She says that it's a surprise for afterwards. Each gem is hidden somewhere in their respective worlds, and the players need to obtain and collect all of the jewels in order to open that door by completing tasks, fulfilling objectives, and defeating antagonists. While the circus players pack their things into the Magical Digital Van (a combo of the Magic School Bus for the cutesy face that only communicates in beeps or radio music, and Vanzilla from The Loud House, in terms of retro appearance and spaciousness in cargo and passengers), Garcia gives Caine a silver-colored crystalline gem, causing a “YOU DID IT” pop-up to appear, startling him. Apparently, the pop-up appears when a jewel is obtained after completing the location’s objective. After the first jewel is placed in the middle of the rock door, The Amazing Digital Circus sets off for fun and adventure, thrills and peril, comedy and tragedy, action and excitement, an obscure all-star cast of side characters, heroes, villains, pop culture references, ties to nostalgia, relatability, and… possibly romance…...? Who knows? The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma.

• Each of the Digital Circus members have magical Velcro bracelet communicators that they can use to contact the diplomats for help on tasks, finding out further information, or to just talk to them the same way we'd talk to our loved ones on the phone for hours on end. The communicators also send the circus members notifications for an objective they must complete (do keep in mind they can come much later than usual when they least expect it), as well as random achievements, the same way you would when actually playing a video game. Once a jewel has been obtained by any means, the pop-up will congratulate the circus members for grabbing the jewel, as well as to notify how many left you need to obtain to unlock the rock door. For example:

~ JEWEL OBTAINED! ~

15 out of 26

Only 11 remain

~~~~

Characters:

The original eight characters have been slightly altered to fit the AU, but still have most of their canon traits intact.

• Caine:

Caine is still the charismatic goofball we all know and love, but with a dash of nervousness, inability to understand human humor, especially Gen Z humor, and hints of newfound irritability. He's practically a fish out of water in most of these game locations, not really capable of self-defense outside of his signature cane, and being a lot more cautious and protective with his fellow members, especially his best friend and guide, Pomni. Caine sometimes acts as the dad friend of the group, not tolerating anyone's BS and trying to maintain order in situations he's absolutely not familiar with at all. When around Pomni, he feels kinda at ease, with their dynamic being akin to SpongeBob and Patrick when working together. Hell, Jax even refers to Caine and Pomni as The Dynamic Duo.

• Bubble:

Still the chaotic, anarchy-loving glutton we all know and love, but with a caring side to him. You see, for as long as Bubble could remember, he had been Caine's sole confidant, being there for him during his toughest battles, from witnessing yet another abstraction, to calming the ringleader down after a nasty panic attack. They're even roommates! (my god, they were roommates) Bubble would totally just go with the flow and not worry too much about having to adapt to an environment completely different than his own. In fact, his masochistic tendencies make the perils more thrilling for him! He'd also act as the mom friend of the bunch, acting as some sort of mediator for when things get too chaotic for his liking. He'll also lend a helping hand if so desired.

•Pomni:

She's still jittery and anxious, but thankfully not as bad as when she first arrived at The Amazing Digital Circus. After several months of dealing with this game's BS, she developed an indifference to her situation as a defense mechanism, and has become something of a voice of reason to the others. Jesters in real life are known for not just providing entertainment and comedic nitpicks to the royal court, but were also considered their royal advisors. Pomni would become Caine's advisor after some constructive criticisms towards him and his methods of keeping the others sane and healthy, and later on his best friend, acting as Bubble's stand in from time to time, providing witty banter and friendly roast sessions with the other circus members. Jax often calls Pomni and Caine “The Dynamic Duo” because of the fact that they share some things in common: both can turn into nervous wrecks during stressful situations, both are hilarious to be around, both want to keep the circus happy and healthy, and both care immensely for the well-being of everyone around them. Rumor has it they're also drinking buddies; but nothing has been confirmed…

• Ragatha:

Still our cheerful and good-natured ragdoll, with big sister/ant tendencies. Her hugs are as soft as they are warm and reassuring. She'd be the one to always look on the bright side, even when surrounded by unfamiliar surroundings, kinda like Ruby Gloom. She still has to keep an eye on Jax and make sure he doesn't get up to no good, but during moments where Ragatha and Jax must work together, there are things they can learn from one another. Ragatha would teach Jax the importance of being kind to others as well as taking time to listen and understand them, while Jax could teach Ragatha how to be more assertive and set proper boundaries, making her less of a passive pushover and more confident in taking care of herself first. Ragatha could also attract animals and have them help around with chores, a la Snow White.

• Jax:

Jax is less of a condescending asshole and more of a Jerk With A Heart Of Gold, becoming Pomni's big brother figure when necessary. Sometimes, he and Pomni would get into comedic hijinks of their own, as regular siblings naturally would, even pulling off harmless pranks. Jax is still snarky as always, but this time, being more genre savvy than the others, taking notes of his surroundings, and apparently has a lot of knowledge about agriculture, which proves useful for one particular road trip location. He'll also go out of his way to give someone a hug if he sense someone is in dire need of one, and will offer helpful advice during his more rare moments of kindness.

• Gangle:

Still the cute and bubbly but also emotional and prone to crying talking theater mask, but with hidden depths. Her love for anime and all things Japan is generally what keeps her going, as well as her love for drawing. Gangle doesn't really contribute much other than trying to be as helpful as possible, especially after finding out she can use her ribbons as a rope! Golly! She is, however, incredibly intelligent, with a knack for math, science, and history, as we come to find out in a road trip location, and can even speak and translate Japanese. When Gangle decides to grow a spine in protecting her friends from harm or bullying (even Jax, surprisingly), her voice has a tendency to change to a more mature and assertive business-like tone (remember that her VA, Marissa Lenti, was once the voice of a high school guidance counselor until… y'know.) to show you that you really shouldn't fuck with her. This causes Jax to rethink picking on Gangle ever again at one point.

• Zooble:

Honestly, not much can be said about Zooble, other than they're mostly apathetic, slightly rude, and snarky, being there cuz they can. They, along with Bubble, kinda just go with the flow, but now has the ability to become awestruck or starstruck by the other circus members’ newfound abilities, including Gangle's rope ribbons. Zooble also takes time to appreciate the little things in life, enjoying the much-needed change of pace the road trip brings. They're basically the emo goth kid in terms of personality, but with layers like an onion. Zooble also acts as the bodyguard of the circus members, somehow discovering her prowess in defensive combat, fueled by the innate desire to protect their loved ones at all costs.

• Kinger:

The oldest surviving member of the circus, Kinger still retains his ability to get startled easily from constantly dissociating, his love for insects and insect collecting, and his knack for building pillow forts. Due to being the oldest, he now acts as the group’s grandpa, with his “back in my day” kind of storytelling, and apparent knowledge of how the digital world works. He also offers some life advice on how to get through even the toughest days, him having lived through it long ago with Queenie’s abstraction, and is noticeably a lot more chipper and compassionate during the road trip. He also becomes braver and more empathetic in one particular road trip location, with him becoming less startled easily over time. He apparently is also a tech genius (in reference to MatPat and finnthepony’s theory on Kinger’s past life as The Amazing Digital Circus’s game dev), having knowledge on how to fix machines and software, as well as acting as the gang's mechanic for the Magical Digital Van.

~~~~

• The Magical Digital Van:

Built by Bubble, Kinger, Val, and Beth, the Magical Digital Van is the main vehicle the circus members use for the road trip, traveling to different destinations and stops along the way. The Van has a cutesy face that pays homage to The Magic School Bus, with her own emotions and reactions, but can only communicate in van noises, horn beeps, and radio music. Yes, the Van is a girl; a lot of vehicles in real life (including ships) are referred to by female pronouns. Kinger especially loves the Van like he would his girlfriend, much to the chagrin of everyone else.

~~~~

• Potential ships(?):

I might be the only one in a sea of Showtime, Bluetooth, and Kingleader, among others on this platform, but I actually do ship Caine x Bubble. When I first saw the pilot, I thought to myself, “yep. These two definitely have chemistry.” I see them as one of those old bickering couples that like to tease each other. They've basically been through thick and thin, gray skies and sunny days, tears of laughter, and everything in between. Also, I'm in love with the idea of Caine just being a tsundere; I find it pretty hilarious to me. And Pomni being the Shipper On Deck in the background. I have a particular fondness for the unusual.

Another ship mentioned here is Jax x Ragatha. Remember The Princess & The Frog where Naveen taught Tiana to relax a little, while Tiana taught Naveen to take life more seriously and work harder to achieve his goals? Well, it's essentially that, like rivals to lovers or something. I love when “opposites attract��� is done properly, especially here!

Bluetooth (Moon x Caine) would have been canon in this AU at one point in the past, but now The Moon and Caine are exes (y'all can have exes in fiction btw!). In the past, Caine and Moon dated (and at one point did the deed, *wink wink*), but after the Moon became too clingy and possessive, with a yandere attitude, Caine broke up with her, and Pomni would have helped both the Moon and Caine move on from the breakup, realizing what they had was not healthy. This “adventure”/off-screen episode would be mentioned here and there during the road trip (I want to assume the road trip is like a Season 3 thing, but the show's success might contradict this; oh, well) while Bubble and Caine try to take things slowly.

Hints of Gangle x Zooble (aptly named Google by the masses) can be found, but only in subtext. Zooble makes an in-passing comment on how they find Gangle's assertive voice to be hot at one point.

~~~~

This AU pays homage to… well… A LOT of things that I enjoy watching over the years. It takes a look back on the things I found nostalgic as a kid growing up in the late 2000s and early 2010’s, including things that might also be familiar to other older generations of Gen Z. My most recent fixations (such as Unikitty) can also be found there, including random YouTubers I used to watch all the time, horror movies I grew fond of, some cartoons I still watch, such as Steven Universe, The Loud House, Teen Titans Go of all shows, the DreamWorks and Disney movies I watched as a kid, the older Gen Z memes we're familiar with by now, other video games we used to play all the time, among many others. I also wanted to spice up the variety of the fandom with my own interpretations of the characters, as well as some neat ideas I wanted to share when I conceived them.

With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this summary of my brand new AU idea!

Welcome one and all to

The Amazing Digital Road Trip!

[dragoneyes618]

On Wednesday, hikers around the southern Israeli city of Arad discovered the remains of an Iranian ballistic missile from the April 13 overnight assault. Israel’s Channel 11 identified it as a Khader-1 missile. The Khader-1, like the Imad missiles, which Iran also used in its strike, are nuclear capable.

The fact that Iran used two ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads should sound every alarm bell. In an interview with Deutsche Welle on Tuesday, International Atomic Energy Agency chairman Rafael Grossi said that Iran is “weeks rather than months” away from having enough enriched uranium to develop a nuclear bomb.

Israel’s war is not a war of choice. It isn’t a conflict that Israel can shrug its shoulders and walk away from, or opt for a limited goal of blocking incoming strikes. This is a war for national survival. Hamas made clear the genocide it aims to achieve on Oct. 7. Its appalling cruelty to the hostages it has held captive for more than six months demonstrates still further that there is no way to fight to a draw with this jihadist terror regime. There is no “deal” to be had with Hamas leaders. The same is true of Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon. And, of course, the same is true of Iran.

Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and their terror partners have used all the resources at their disposal to expand their capacity to annihilate Israel. They have not done this to jockey for stronger negotiating positions. They are putting everything they have into building these capacities because they really want to destroy Israel and kill the Jews. The calls for Israel’s destruction are not mere slogans. They are solid commitments.

The good news is that Israel has the military and economic power to defeat its enemies completely. The bad news is that in their efforts, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and their other partners are not fighting alone. While the United States and other Western nations are willing to speak out against Hamas and Iran from time to time, they completely oppose Israel’s effort to defeat its enemies. Israel is permitted to defend against incoming attacks. But it is prohibited from taking decisive offensive action.

To block Israel from winning, the United States and its partners in Europe and the United Nations are waging an unprecedented, comprehensive and ever-escalating political war against Israel. Its clear goal is to criminalize Israel’s war effort and to effectively deny the Jewish state the right to self-defense.

Consider the news from the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Israel is not a member of the ICC. But to seize jurisdiction over Israel, the ICC took the legally dubious step of accepting “Palestine” as a member state. Since Oct. 7, the Palestinian Authority has deluged the ICC with war crimes complaints against Israel, even though they lack evidentiary basis. But they are supported politically by a slew of anti-Israel NGOs, and the U.N.’s institutionally anti-Semitic governing apparatus and agencies.

Early this week, rumors began to swirl that ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan is poised to act on these groundless complaints and issue international arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces. If Khan proceeds as reported, Israel’s top leaders will be unable to visit any of the ICC’s 120 member nations without first securing bilateral agreements with authorities in each country not to arrest them during their stay.

This is terrible in and of itself, of course. But the wider implication is even more dire. If Khan goes through with his plan, he will essentially declare Israel a criminal state with no right to self-defense.

Given that Israel is in the midst of a terrible war for its national survival, by denying Israel the right to self-defense, the ICC will deny Israel the right to continue to exist. Moreover, the ICC will have made it the position of the international community that the Jewish state must be destroyed.

The United States is not a member of the ICC. All the same, Khan owes his election to the support he received from Washington. To repay the favor, Khan closed two ICC investigations into alleged U.S. war crimes related to the American war in Afghanistan shortly after he assumed office.

On Tuesday, Israel’s top political reporter, Amit Segal, revealed that “very senior officials” at the ICC told him that Khan’s initiative was given a “green light” by the Biden administration.

“There is no way the chief prosecutor would decide on such a dramatic step, in a war still ongoing��with very little evidence—without first getting at least a ‘green light’ from the Americans,” Segal cited his sources as saying.

If their allegation is true, Segal noted, then “this is yet another unprecedented low in relations between Israel and the United States at a very sensitive time on the eve of the ground operation in Rafah.”

Listing Israel as a major human-rights abuser

Rafah is the heart of the story. For months, it has been clear that the key to Israel’s victory in its war against Hamas is the seizure of Rafah, Hamas’s final outpost, strategically located along the border with Egypt.

For months, U.S. President Joe Biden and his top officials have done everything to block Israel from seizing the city. They insisted that Israel was responsible for the welfare of the 1.4 million Gazans in the city and that Israel had to evacuate them. They also prohibited Israel from opening the border with Egypt to permit Palestinians to leave Gaza and seek safety in third countries.

Rather than argue, Israel purchased tens of thousands of tents and has set them up for the Gazans leaving Rafah in a safe area.

As the clock ticks down to the operation, the United States has ratcheted up its slanderous claims against Israel. USAID administrator Samantha Power accused Israel of deliberately inducing a “famine in northern Gaza.” The United States made resupplying Gaza its primary war effort. Never mind that Gaza may be the best-stocked enclave on earth with aid packages selling for pennies in open markets. On Monday, Biden announced that America is providing $1 billion to Gaza and pointed an accusatory finger at Israel.

“We’re going to immediately secure that aid, and surge it, surge it, including food, medical supplies, clean water. And Israel must make sure this aid reaches the Palestinians in Gaza without delay,” Biden barked.

The massive quantities of supplies entering Gaza daily have enabled Hamas to ready itself for the coming battle and to restore its control over all aspects of civilian life in the area. It has also enabled Hamas cells to quickly reinstate themselves in areas that IDF forces vacate, forcing soldiers to retake areas time after time.

Ahead of the news of the ICC initiative, the U.S. State Department informed the media of its intention to sanction an entire IDF unit, manned by soldiers on the ultra-Orthodox spectrum. The State Department also expanded U.S. sanctions against Israeli civilians in Judea and Samaria to include organizations and individuals fingered by anti-Israel NGOs in the United States and the Palestinian Authority that seek to delegitimize Israel’s right to exist.

This week, the State Department issued its annual Human Rights Report for 2023. The report places Israel together with Russia, China and the Taliban as major human-rights abusers. The State Department’s assault on Israel flies in the face of in-depth reports from U.S. and British military experts that have detailed how Israel has gone to lengths to prevent civilian deaths that are unprecedented in the history of warfare. The ratio of civilian to combatant deaths in Gaza is at most 1.3:1, the lowest in history, they have shown.

Like the threat of ICC arrest warrants, all of these shockingly hostile U.S. actions are directed towards the goal of criminalizing Israel’s war effort and intimidating Israel’s leaders into canceling the operation in Rafah, suing for a hostage deal that will lead to Israel’s strategic defeat and securing Hamas’s survival and Iran’s strategic victory and emergence as the uncontested regional hegemon—on the cusp of a nuclear arsenal.

‘More has to be done’ to fight antisemitism

The administration-directed onslaught is buffeted by the anti-Jewish, pro-Hamas pogroms at campuses from coast to coast. The symbiotic relationship between the vilification of Israel by the U.S.-led international community in support of Hamas’s survival and Israel’s defeat, coupled with the assault on Jews at universities, is forcing a choice on us all. A video address on Wednesday drew the link explicitly.

Noting that many leading universities have enabled the antisemitic violence on their campuses, Netanyahu said “more has to be done,” to fight antisemitism.

“It has to be done not only because they attack Israel. That’s bad enough. Not only because they want to kill Jews wherever they are. That’s bad enough. It’s also … because they say not only ‘Death to the Jews,’ but ‘Death to America.’ And this tells us that there is an anti-Semitic surge here that has terrible consequences.

Explaining the connection between events in the war on the ground and assaults on Jewish students and faculty, Netanyahu said: “We see this exponential rise of antisemitism throughout America and throughout Western societies as Israel tries to defend itself against genocidal terrorists. Genocidal terrorists who hide behind civilians. Yet it is Israel that is falsely accused of genocide. Israel that is falsely accused of starvation and sundry war crimes. It’s all one big libel. But that’s not new.

“We’ve seen in history that antisemitic attacks were always preceded by vilification and slander; lies that were cast against the Jewish people that were unbelievable. Yet people believed them.

“And what is important now is for all of us, all of us who … cherish our values and our civilization to stand up together and to say: Enough is enough.

“We have to stop antisemitism because antisemitism is the canary in the coal mine. It always precedes larger conflagrations that engulf the entire world. So I ask all of you, Jews and non-Jews alike who are concerned with our common values and our common future to do one thing: Stand up. Speak up. Be counted.”

Israel’s choice is between defeating its enemies on the battlefield even at the cost of terrible condemnation and isolation or collapsing under pressure and losing. Israel is called to make this choice in the immediate term, and its fate stands or falls with its decision about Rafah.

But while the focus is on Israel, the choice belongs to all who seek to preserve their freedom and safety. Will you stand with Israel, and by doing so, protect your own freedom and rights, or will you sacrifice both by staying silent?

[octoariadneeeeexoxo]

TIDMOUTH TRAINEES

(a next gen TTTE au, oh and theyre all human here)

“after the steam team’s long and fruitful career as train drivers, theyll pass down their legacy to the new kids in sodor; the tidmouth trainees.”

-

hallo everynyan!!!!! welcome to a new au thingy i made:DD (hopefully this post wont flop)

anw, id like to introduce the new trainees of sodors beloved steam team, that will later replace them once theyre old enough to actually handle their engines!!

(pt. 1)

(from left to right)

THERESA GOLDUST (13)

mentor: thomas

- prankster of the group (main target is giselle)

- really really cheeky

- actually really nice, but WILL make you eat your words once you insult herself or her friends

- hair is actually a purplish pink, but dyed it blue to match her dad

- is actually giselle and rowans cousin (her other dad is actually ryan)

GISELLE GRESLEY (14)

mentors: rebecca and gordon

- really arrogant and stubborn

- her and jamila really need to sit tf down💀

- shes kind to only a certain amount of people

- “WE DONT GAF ABOUT YOU BEING THE FASTEST!!! ATLEAST I DONT!” - emmanuel

ROWAN GRESLEY (13)

- the zestiest member of the TT team

- is also the biggest people pleaser

- sometimes he comes off as disrespectful and mean, but thats not what he is at all

- tries his best to apologise to everyone of his sisters victims

- hes like veneer to giselles velvet

JAMILA SPENCER (13)

mentors: nia and james

- the most narcissistic person on this team

- always thinks shes right, and will fight you if you think otherwise

- she looks down on shorter, younger, older, and people who dont think shes the most radiant and beautiful person on sodor (almost everyone)

- has a room full of pictures of herself

- like raquelle, but more flawed

NIALL SPENCER (13)

- the chill sibling

- argues with his sister ALOT.

- hes very adventurous, and loves cats

- HE IS THE MOST SENSITIVE BTCH ON THIS TEAM. like bro why do u get so mad when someone slightly changes their tone towards you??

- he actually enjoys seeing his sister get beat with the broom by their mom

(pt. 2)

(from left to right)

EDITH SAINSBURY (15)

mentors: edward and emily

- the oldest of the TT team

- shes mature, caring, and very patient with everyone

- although she can be a little slow at times

- is the main victim of giselle and jamilas bullying (shes still so nice to them even if they treat the poor girl like crap, if i were her id beat the crap out of them)

EMMANUEL SAINSBURY (13)

- people consider him to be the justin bieber of sodor, people scream every single time he passes by

- according to the people of sodor, hes the most handsome member of the team

- no.1 edith defender (one time he actually jumped giselle when she was getting way too out of hand w her insults , to the point where emily had to step in to stop him from breaking her neck)

- he can be very bossy and disrespectful, but is quick to apologise for his behaviour

HELENA PAYNE (14)

mentor: henry

- the most introverted person on the TT team

- shes actually suuuuper paranoid, and is scared of everyone and everything

- shes very insecure of her height

- she really likes anne of green gables and anything related to it

JOHANNA “JO” MALONE (11)

mentor: percy

- the youngest of the TT team

- some people say shes cute, others say shes the most annoying girl on the team

- shes very smart for her age, but no one actually listens to whatever plan or strategy she comes up with

- nobody takes her seriously because of how young she is

HAYLEY DAVIS (13)

- not exactly a member of the TT team, shes just an honorary member

- shes a part of it because sir topham hatt told the og steam team(mentors) to include her in it (“she has no friends and is almost out of time, please just give her this opportunity so she can die in peace.” - sir hatt)

- she has an illness that prevents her from doing things like running, exersicing, and working, and shes practically dying

- she can still do things like walk, talk, and eat by herself; but overtime her ability to do these things would decrease

- she got the illness from her mom, who is DEAD!!!!

- gets wounded very easily (everything at her house is safety proofed, like all the corners are rounded and stuff)

—————

and yeah!! thats practically it!! you can ask me more abt this au in my ask box:DD (if yall want)

[savyir-genesizz-the-wizard]

🌈PRIDE OC ASKS!

azya: 3, 8, 11

pig: 4, 5, 6

wolf: 1, 3, 5

aaand 18, 21

Azya Zaavim (check "read more" for some lore)

3) I suppose that he always knew that he's into men. He probably saw some musician in a magazine at a certain age lol.

8) He never did, really. He grew up with a foster family and lost contact with them when he moved to the capital with his adopted sister, who was very much ok with anything he did. So did his band really. Most prominent musicians in Ajidiali are queer. He did have some issues with his party members tho since while Ecres just calls itself an "agral union" they have a lot of conservative members.

11) He doesn't feel the need to talk about it much. There's no systematic homophobia in Ajidiali so. He probably would be more open about it if he lived in our world and use his platform to speak about queer rights. He will talk about his husband a lot if asked. He's a divorce lawer!

Pig

4) When she used to be in the army it was... well, as unsupportive as could be, really. After deserting she was mostly a loner before meeting Steel Soldier and Unit 81, and then Blink and the rest of the gang, who are all very supportive people. A lot of her hypersexuality is just posturing but she've made a lot of friends in various lesbian bars around the Solar system.

Here's a bonus "before" and "now":

5) Uh, I dunno. Came to me in a vision, like with most of my ocs.

6) She would never police other people but about herself... She would say that she's "bisexual but men don't dig this handsome face anymore". It's a short response that works for her well enough.

Wolf Tangermann

1) "Oh, my gen-der? What, you want to steal it? To black-mail me? Well, you won't get it!" There are two theories on its gender - some say that it's simply hiding it, as it hides any other information about itself, and some say that it doesn't have it. Have it lost it? Who can say. Maybe it has just discarded it, like a snake discards it's skin.

3) In truth, it itself doesn't know. It's certain that it known it while on the surface but perhaps some things are better left behind.

5) I didn't and I think that it actually fits it well.

18) I figure them out eventually, like any other part of their character. Generally, I think that oc's relationship, or lack there of, to a label is more important than the label itself.

21) Below the cut 👇

Family structures and queerness in Ajidiali

As the concept of "sexuality" as known in modern western society is quite new on our Earth, I've decided that in Ajidiali it's nonexistent, outside of academic fields. An Ajidialian would rather use a word "preference".

- Mountain people

Mostly monogamous. Households are mostly isolated so close family lives far away from other people (around half a day of walking). It is however possible to "swap" wife (or husband in more matrialchal groups) with another couple, if both parties agree. Parents usually live with the adult youngest child. First marriage is expected to be heterosexual but one can "swap wife for a husband" (tho this is frown upon if it's done before having at least one older child). In modern day, swapping is less common, as parents don't have this much say in what the original marriage should look like.

- River people

Mostly polygamous, living in groups of 3 adults (two women and one man or two men and one woman) per house + one women's parents (as it's usually their house). Taking care of children is a community's job. Small kids can choose where they want to sleep and play but teenagers are expected to stick to one household (of their choice). This is to this day the most common family structure in the country, both on the country side and in the cities. People who don't want to have children of their own are still expected to take care of other's small kids but not of teenagers and are expected to live in monogamous relationships or remain single.

How a household itself functions is very much dependand on a region and group. These marriages are to this day often arranged and romantic love within them is not generally expected. Everything outside of these 3 people households, or changing their inside rules, is what is considered to be "queer".

- Sea people

Most of their family habits were lost when that started to consider themselves as part of Ajidiali. The main differences from River people are that they are more often patriarchal and queer people tend to be more isolated from the community.

- Ex-nomads

Despite being a completely different group, they don't have much differences from the River people either. They have lost a lot of their culture when they abandoned their nomad lifestyle. However, their differences are more noticable - their family units are bigger (usually 4-6 adults with their parents) and there is less pressure on having children (which seems to not impact the demography).

[libertariantaoist]

News Roundup 11/30/2023 | The Libertarian Institute

Here is your daily roundup of today's news:

News Roundup 11/30/2023

by Kyle Anzalone

US News

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) vowed in a letter to his colleagues to bring a bill to the Senate floor as soon as December 4 to fund military aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. President Biden has requested the funding as part of a massive $105 billion spending package. AWC

US Threatens to Reimpose Sanctions on Venezuela if American Demands Not Met this Week. Miami Herald

Ukraine

Photo Emerges Showing First Abrams Tank in Ukraine. X

A US official has denied that the Biden administration is nudging Ukraine toward negotiations with Russia, saying it’s up to Kyiv when to seek peace talks. AWC

Secretary of State Blinken Says We Must and We Will Continue to Support Ukraine. France 24

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Says We Are Becoming De Facto NATO Army. Politico

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday urged alliance members to continue funding the proxy war in Ukraine amid growing signs that Western support for the conflict is waning. AWC

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plans to attend a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from November 30 to December 1. AWC

Internal polling in Ukraine shows that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could lose a presidential election if he faces off with Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, the Ukrainian commander-in-chief, The Economist reported on Tuesday. AWC

Korea

North Korea Begins Remilitarizing Border with South Korea. Miami HeraldThe Institute

Israel

Qatar announced Monday that Israel and Hamas agreed to extend the truce under the Hostage deal for another 48 hours. AWC

Since October 17, US troops based in Iraq and Syria have come under steady rocket and drone fire. At least 73 attacks have been carried out on US bases in the two countries, but they have stopped since the truce between Israel and Hamas to facilitate the hostage deal came into effect on Friday. AWC

The Israeli central bank believes the war in Gaza will cost over $50 billion and cut BDP by 3%.Business Insider

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political career is in peril due to his failure to prevent the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, the Israeli leader has been meeting with members of his Likud party to ensure continued support. AWC

Biden Says Israeli War in Gaza Is Giving Hamas What They Want. X

Israel and Hamas exchanged prisoners for the fifth straight day on Tuesday as the extension of the initial four-day truce appears to be successful despite the two sides blaming the other for briefly violating the ceasefire earlier in the day. AWC

Senior White House Official Says US Support for Israel’s War in Gaza Remains Unwavering and Calls for Current Conflict to Be ‘The Last War’ Jewish Insider

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday dismissed growing calls to condition military aid to Israel, calling them “ridiculous,” as Israel has been killing civilians at a historic pace in Gaza. AWC

Secretary of State Blinken Will Travel to Israel on Thursday in Attempt to Extend Truce. Haaretz

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was the lone member of the House to vote against a resolution equating criticism of the modern state of Israel with antisemitism. AWC

Since October 7, Israeli security forces have taken a number of steps that condemned sick Palestinians to a slow death. In Gaza, the lone cancer treatment center has been made inoperable by Israeli military operations. In East Jerusalem, Gazan hospital patients were rounded up and deported to the West Bank. The Institute

Biden Told Netanyahu Israel Operations in South Gaza Should Be More Restrained. Axios

Intense negotiations are underway in Qatar aimed at extending the truce between Israel and Hamas that’s due to expire on Thursday. AWC

US Has Provided Israel with 70,000 Weapons Since 1950. Truthout

US Officials Say White House Has No Plans to Place Conditions on Weapons Sent to Israel. PoliticoAWC

Bezalel Smotrich, the extremist Israeli finance minister who’s been given sweeping powers over the West Bank, has said the occupied territory is home to “2 million Nazis,” referring to part of the Palestinian population. AWC

Syria

Rand Paul to force a vote on Syria troop withdrawal. Responsible StatecraftAWC

Yemen

US Navy Arrests Five Attempting to Pirate Ship in Red Sea. War Is BoringAWC

US Says Warship Downed Yemeni Drone in Red Sea. Politico

Read More

[variabels]

who are your favorite blue lock characters and why?

It ended up getting really long so here's the list:

Nagi

Kaiser

Isagi

Honorable mentions:

Bachira

Chigiri

Shidou

Sae

Explanations (manga spoilers):

1. Nagi

But like in all seriousness, I relate way too much to his motivation problems, especially the setting a goal, reaching it for a second and not knowing what to do afterwards part. We also have similar personalities (although I think Rin or Sae might be the most like me in that department), find a lot of stuff to be a pain and the same hobbies (manga and gaming ftw).

I also really like his chemistry with Isagi, Chigiri and Barou, Isagi really brings out the best in Nagi, Chigiri and Nagi's friendship is so fucking cute and Barou vs Nagi is always hilarious. It was really nice to see Nagi go from skipping practice to willingly joining Isagi and Barou to train.

His playstyle is so much fun to watch. I'm so happy Kaneshiro decided to pair him up with Isagi for the second selection because they were a GOATed duo. They weren't perfect for each other, so seeing them having to work together to improve and win games was so satisfying. I love how Nagi got to actually have an input on the strategies used especially since he used to be the kind of person to just do whatever he's told.

He's also badass, adorable and precious.

And can we take a second to like look at him? How is this dude 190cm??? I deadass thought he was slightly taller than Isagi until I read what his actual height was. I've never seen someone so tall have such short person energy, it's so fascinating and weird.

2. Kaiser

Kaiser's a fucking bitch, that's why I love him. He's always so much fun, if he's in the scene, you know it's gonna be good. He just has this presence, idk how to describe it, but like, he will always get your attention.

He's so interesting and there's still so much to learn about him. I'm really excited to see how his character will develop. I love how he's able to genuinely acknowledge other people's achievements despite being a shit-talker (and one who can actually back up his shit, he's a new gen 11 member after all). I really have a thing for those types of characters.

His rivalry with Isagi is also easily the best rivalry in the series. They both respect each other as players despite having so much beef. Their rivalry keeps getting crazier with all their "I'll fucking kill you" and I'm all for it. Their personalities clash so well making it entertaining af.

Also, Kaiser's design is so iconic. It shouldn't work at all but it just does. Like what is up with that mullet-rat-tail-ombre hair? How does he pull it off? Also, the red eyeliner is beautiful, it's such a small detail but it adds so much.

3. Isagi

So, I know a lot of people didn't like Isagi at the start because he seemed like an asshole for feeling great about kicking the ball in Kira's face. I wasn't one of those. I immediately loved him after that and loved him even more every time he took joy in defeating others.

It's really rare for the main character to make it into my top 3, so when one does make it in, I know they're amazing and oh boy is Goatsagi amazing. He has a lot going for him, such as being one of the calm/Kuroko type of sports manga protagonists which I just enjoy way more than the loud/Hinata protags. I absolutely adore strategist characters (especially when they say "just as planned") so having one as the protag is awesome.

The duality of Isagi on the field and off the field is so good. So many sports manga just have serious/not serious as the duality, but Isagi's is asshole/sweetheart and I love it so much, it just adds so much personality and uniqueness to Isagi.

He's a really emotionally intelligent person (why are these so rare in fiction? especially emotional intelligent guys that are genuinely good people and not manipulative), like it's very apparent in how he interacts with his Blue Lock rivals, especially Barou and Rin. It's never explicitly stated but it's shown that he understands how to interact with each one of them in a healthy way. He doesn't go to annoy Rin or Barou to get them to open up more (istg tsundere/prideful characters end up opening up solely because they were annoyed or humiliated to death way too often), Isagi treats them like actual people off the field and doesn't try to make them uncomfortable. It's so refreshing. This also makes his relationship with Kaiser way funnier because Kaiser's like the only person Isagi isn't nice with.

Speaking about relationships, Isagi has such good chemistry with the entire cast. I find his relationships with his rivals to be the most interesting since it feels like he treats most of his friends really similarly. None of his rivalries really feel the same even when they fit in the same trope (friendly rivals, humbled rivals etc...). It's also really funny how he's got so many rivals and beefs, like he got the second-best in the world to have beef with him. ISAGI IS HIM.

This is getting long, so I'll be brief with the next point. Isagi just has so many traits I respect in a person. Like, he's not afraid to change, he's not afraid to ask others for help, he's ambitious and he'll do what it takes to win.

Never thought he'd be in my top 3 when I started Blue Lock. If he ends up being football Aizen, he'll surpass Nagi as my favorite...

Other favs:

Bachira, he used to be number 3, but Isagi's grown on me a lot and Bachira hasn't done much lately (he's also a fully developed character with a finished character arc, so there's not as much development potential in him atm). He's still really likeable and I love him but he's not as interesting anymore. His design is so sick and I love his playstyle. I also love his character arc in the second selection.

Chigiri, like Bachira he suffers a bit from having a finished character arc (like, there's really only him getting injured to develop him more at this point since the author decide to forget about the Chigiri-Kunigami subplot which could have allowed Chigiri to get more development), but still really likable. He's also the only person in Blue Lock who doesn't need therapy, idk how our princess has stayed sane. His design is gorgeous, I love it so much and wish I could be 1% as pretty as him.

Shidou, like Kaiser, he's one of those characters that just enhances every scene he's in. He's just so much fun and he genuinely loves football so much. His relationship with the Itoshi siblings is also amazing, it's so funny how he hates one and loves the other. He might not have any chemistry with Rin when it comes to playing football, but their character chemistry is great (they're always so funny when they're together). And holy fuck Shidou and Sae, I don't know where to start with these two, they were made for each other. I wish Shidou luck, he got Sae's number, maybe he can get his heart next?

Sae, aka the superior Itoshi sibling. Shit talkers who talk shit because they're genuinely better are some of my fav types of characters. He also kinda reminds me of Itachi from Naruto and he's my favorite character from Naruto, so ofc I was gonna love Sae. There's a lot of potential for his character to develop, especially if whatever he has going on with Shidou ends up getting developed more. I love how he's the one who reached out to Shidou, it's rare for the quiet one to be the one to do that if they're not manipulative. I hope he plays in the U20 team because I need more of his interactions with Rin and Shidou.

[gurleend287]

Genshiken (OVA 1) (pt.2-ep. 5, 10, 11)

RATING: ★★★

I'll say these episodes were definitely better than the first season. The show continues portraying the challenges and rewards of being part of the otaku subculture and finding a balance between a love of anime and manga and personal life.

The series follows the characters as they grow older and enter the workforce, and it tackles the difficulty of relating to people of other generations. New club members have different interests from older members, making it hard for them to connect with each other. This reminded me of the differences between people born in the beginning of Gen Z compared to those born towards the end of Gen Z. Their interests, mediums of communication, and ways of living are vastly different.

Another standout theme in Genshiken is the sense of community that the characters find through their shared interests. As a community with taboo interests, it is heartwarming to see the cast unashamedly enjoy what brings them joy, no matter how much they may be judged by outsiders that do not understand them. This sense of community is also evident in the character development of Ogiue, who starts as an outcast from the group but grows as a character and eventually creates her own doujinshi to sell at a convention.

The portrayal of American characters, Angela and Sue, in the anime was interesting to me as well. Americans are depicted as loud and obnoxious, and they do not seem to have any understanding of Japanese customs or seem to want to learn about them. Sue, in particular, was incredibly annoying, and I did not like her character. However, the way the show specifically displayed American characters reminded me of the way other anime portray Americans as loud and obnoxious, such as Mito in Food Wars.

In conclusion, Genshiken may not be the most exciting anime out there, but it is worth watching for its unique themes and messages that are not often seen in other anime. The show portrays the challenges and rewards of being part of the otaku subculture and the importance of finding a community that accepts you. It also explores the psyche and ideologies that otakus have about the world and themselves, making it an enjoyable and thought-provoking watch.

[raccoongamejournal]

Pokémon X Chapter 9: New team members (level up)

...it's been a little bit, hasn't it. Well, if anyone was waiting on an update (probably not? idk if people read these but I enjoy writing them and that's what matters), here it is!

I wanted to swap out Basil from my team because I have realized I'm not really a diggersby fan (it's mostly the sounds). After some debate, I end up pulling Po the pancham out of my boxes (partly because I did some research and found that pancham has a pretty nice moveset, including Surf apparently). So with two new team members, it's time to backtrack to use Cut on those spots I noticed before and do some leveling up.

I find a Sharp Beak behind a tree on Route 5, which I give to Batman to boost flying-type moves. A bunch of encounters follow, which I'm going to fast-forward through (although I will say I'm a fan of the gen vi Swords Dance animation). On Route 3, I find a Revive (handy). More encounters follow as I return to Camphrier Town before spending a lot of time running up and down Route 6 with occasional trips to the Pokémon Center.

Again, I'll skip the detailed descriptions of the encounters, but some highlights are:

Glamdring the honedge is immune to Tackle, Scratch, Quick Attack, and Acid, so that made for some amusing encounters

Po learned Karate Chop

Volta learned Nuzzle to replace Thunder Wave

Even with the Exp Share, leveling is slow

Po learned Comet Punch

I caught a kecleon who I named "Phil"

Batman learned Roost

Glamdring learned Shadow Sneak. I like the animation:

I also find a trainer I'd missed: Youngster Jacob. He leads with a level 11 croagunk, while I lead with Glamdring. I start with Shadow Sneak, which takes the croagunk out in one hit, and stay in against his beedrill. The beedrill tanks Glamdring's second Shadow Sneak, but then tries to hit with Fury Attack, which Glamdring is immune to. One Cut is then enough to end the battle.

Po learned Slash to replace Karate Chop

After over 2 hours of encounters, my team now looks like this:

Not as consistent leveling as I wanted, but I think they're on-level enough with each other that I can move forward with the plot. But that'll be next time, since I should probably go do something else.

I promise that actual game progression will happen next time lol.

Stay safe everyone, and thanks for reading. See you next time.

[dfroza]

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures

for the 24th of december 2024 with a paired chapter from each Testament (the First & the New Covenant) of the Bible

[The Book of Acts, Chapter 4 • The Book of 1st Kings, Chapter 6]

along with Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms with Proverbs 24 and Psalm 24 coinciding with the day of the month, accompanied by Psalm 4 for the 4th day of Astronomical Winter, and Psalm 59 for day 359 of the year (with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 3rd revolution this year)

A post by John Parsons:

“You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness.” -- C.S. Lewis

Regarding the portentous verse, “And the earth was without form and void (תהוּ וָבהוּ), and darkness was upon the surface of the deep” (Gen. 1:2), the midrash comments: “Darkness – these are the Greeks who darkened the eyes of the Jewish nation with their evil decrees.” The utter darkness of Hellenistic thought came disguised as an angel of light, as “enlightened” thinking, but whenever such humanism usurps the authority of divine revelation, the result is exile and darkness. Indeed, the very worst kind of exile is to be unaware that you are in exile, to be so blinded that you do not see that you do not see... As Yeshua said, “If the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matt. 6:23); and "be careful lest the light in you be darkness" (Luke 11:35). In the end, the world and its blind lusts will pass away, for it is "tohu" (תּהוּ) - confusion and unreality - but whoever does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17).

The realm of this “fallen world” -- understood in terms of the “fellowship” (κοινωνία) of darkness -- is something from which we are delivered and of which we are no longer to be enslaved. As it is written, "God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son" (Col. 1:13). Likewise Yeshua said, “If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own” (John 15:19). In other words, we are “in” but not “of” this world (John 17:15), and though we physically coexist with others in this time-space, we are no longer citizens of this fallen world and its underlying value system. We are not to love this world, nor the things this world values, since doing so embraces a philosophy of life that is at war with the Father and contrary to the truth of eternity (1 John 2:16; James 4:4). The fallen world values “the flesh” and the “desire of the eyes” that is patterned according to the “arrogance of life.” In other words, it is a “beauty pageant” that esteems others based on their accidental qualities instead of their inner and essential qualities. In this connection, let me quote from Henri Nouwen regarding slavery to the world and its perverse value system:

At issue here is the question: "To whom do I belong? God or to the world?"... As long as I keep running about asking: "Do you love me? Do you really love me?" I give all power to the voices of the world and put myself in bondage because the world is filled with "ifs." The world says: "Yes, I love you if you are good-looking, intelligent, and wealthy. I love you if you have a good education, a good job, and good connections. I love you if you produce much, sell much, and buy much." There are endless "ifs" hidden in the world's love. These "ifs" enslave me, since it is impossible to respond adequately to all of them. The world's love is and always will be conditional. As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain "hooked" to the world - trying, failing, and trying again. It is a world that fosters addictions because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest craving of my heart.” (Nouwen: Return of The Prodigal Son; p42-43)

“Love not the world, neither the things of this world” (1 John 2:15). We see then the connection between worldliness and idolatry, since idolatry essentially involves trying to find your identity, your worth, your satisfaction, and your ultimate fulfillment in the realm of the transitory and the finite rather than in God.... We are (rightly) warned against the vices of “worldliness” and are admonished to abstain from popular culture and its spurious values, but note well that worldliness extends well beyond all this, since it concerns understanding the identity and nature of the person as a whole. The fruit of worldliness is the result of being rooted in this world rather than in God’s kingdom. The various desires of the human heart - even the desire for “normal things” like personal happiness in this world - may be regarded as entirely “worldly” if they are devoid of submission to God and His rule....

A principle of spiritual life is that the "inner is not the outer," and vice-versa. People are easily deceived by mere appearances, yet the eye of faith must be trained to look beyond surface phenomena to discern the underlying Reality that upholds the world. This is perhaps most evident in the case of the cross of Yeshua, which the carnal eye regards as a matter of shame and defeat, but the eye of faith regards as the very wisdom, power, and love of Almighty God Himself... Of Yeshua it is said, "he [Messiah] grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him."

Those who rely on mere appearances will invariably find themselves confounded. The LORD therefore commissioned the prophet: "Go, and say to this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive'" (Isa. 6:9). Where it is written, "God gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own devices" (Psalm 81:12; Rom. 1:24); and "they went backward and not forward" (Jer. 7:24), we learn there is no place of "neutrality" or studied indifference toward God... We are either going forward with Him or going backward; we are either drawing near or pulling our hearts away (Rev. 3:16).

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

Hosea 2:20 Hebrew audio:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/hosea2-20-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/hosea2-20-lesson.pdf

12.22.24 • Facebook

from Israel365

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

[thekaijudude]

I’ve had this idea for a vs question for at most a minute as I’m writing this sentence, but I don’t care: I’m asking it.

An army of 12500 Elemental Commanders vs the Inter Galactic Defense Force of canon (excluding anyone above Super Taro’s level): what would an all-out war between these two groups look like?

Anyway, for some background, the Elemental Commanders are a specific type of Q56 Ultras, a race of Ultras from the “Elemental War Universe” in my fanfics. For comparison, the Commanders are basically what the Mutants from Marvel’s X-Men are to humans: the result of a genetic mutation. 

Anyway, I’ve sent you a doc with links to a few other docs for this one: you’ll need… at the very least, most of them. 

I say most of them because one of those docs is a list of Elements that exist in my fanfics, which I figured was necessary because the Elemental Commanders (and Q56 Ultras in general) can have literally any one of those Elemental Powers as their innate power, which affects their powers a fair amount, so I figured understanding those could help. That said, it might also not be necessary, so use that doc as a reference only if you need to, I suppose.

Last thing, in regards to the trivia on another one of those docs, it’s definitely important info, for reasons I’m sure you’ll understand.

Your proposed 1 scs = 2.5 GW conversion would kinda be inconsistent with scaling tho

Recall Ultraman's own Specium Ray has a stated potency of ~0.373 GW

By calculation, this means that Super Taro's version of Specium Ray (which implies he has access to via Ginga Storium) is 1.5 × 10^15 ÷ 10 000 (highball Ultraman, cause lowball of 1000 wouldnt help your case) = 10^11 x stronger than the Specium Ray, much less the Cosmo Miracle Ray which is MUCH stronger since its a combination of all the UB's finishers amped to the level of Super Taro AND combined together. So your section where the calculation of the Cosmo Miracle Ray is only ~150 000x stronger than the Specium Ray is already an incorrect premise, so I'll just ignore this part

Ngl yr question is very difficult to answer since there's still unknown variables on both sides here.

One from your OC, we don't know how most of the stated Elemental powers would have an effect on certain canon ultras, cause we know that Ultras like Taro and Ace can simply absorb certain elements to empower themselves like Ace did with thunder etc. Like can said ultras do the same with Plasma or the hypothetical "Chaos"? Not to mention we dk how physically strong they are compared to canon ultras

On the other hand, I presume you're referring to the entire canon IGDF from the LoL, which has a stated 1 billion members which we don't know the proportion of the Ultras which are New Gen level, UB or even above are

To sidestep these issues, we can approach this question from another angle, with math:

Cause to put it in perspective, the M78 Ultras we've seen from New Gen to UB level, clearly only represents the lower scales of power of the IGDF force. Assuming Ken is the peak of the IGDF at 10^48 NG, and u stated that u wanna exclude forces at Super Taro or above, means also excluding IGDF members at 10^15 NG (lowball Super Taro to be 10^15 NG for easy math as youll see later) and above

Putting the peaks of the 2 sides in comparison first, consider an IGDF Ultra that is infinitely near the stated limit of Super Taro being at 0.99999...×10^14 vs 1 Elemental commander that is 30x the standard member. With 1 standard member having the base power of 15 000 sps (assuming equal stats whereby listed attack potency scales with the other attributes/no glass cannon assumption), which gives the power of 1 Elemental commander of 450 000 sps or 1 125 000 GW

Considering canon Ultraman's Specium Beam only has a potency of ~0.3 GW, this makes an Elemental commander 3.75 x 10^6 x stronger than Ultraman. Using the proposed IGDF member being at 0.9999....×10^14 NG, compared with Ultraman at 10 000 NG (highball, because lowball wouldnt make a difference in the ending result) gives a power difference of 0.999...10^10 the power difference of the proposed IGDF member and Ultraman

This gives a power difference between the IGDF member and an Elemental commander around the magnitude of 10^8 x. This means that even with your supposed limit, the strongest IGDF member is 10^8 times stronger than an Elemental commander.

Against 12 500 commanders, this means a combined power of 4.7 x 10^10 NG

This gives a power difference between the proposed IGDF member and the entire battalion of ~10 000x. Which means the IGDF member alone is 10 000x stronger than the entire battalion combined

The only way for the battalion to win is to fire a combined finisher or fuse, but this would also allow ultras on the canon side to do so as well and we don't even know how many of the proposed IGDF member the LoL has in canon. Not to mention that facing an Fusion Ultra whose components are already around 0.9999...×10^14 NG is unfathomably scary in and of itself

To put the proposed member in yet another perspective, recall the M78 Power Proportionality Constant of 1000x power growth every 10 000 years, an M78 Ultra with the power level of around 10^14 NG would be around the age of ~50 000 years old (Recall Ken himself is 160 000 years old and the next closest known M78 canon age is Zoffy of 25 000 years old) so even an ultra of this level wouldnt even be near the midway point of the powerscale for M78 Ultras as an M78 Ultra of 80 000 years old would be 10^9 x stronger than the proposed IGDF Ultra

Thanks for the question!

[fireflyhwufanficwriter]

My thoughts on Dr. Stone’s S03E08 (“The Trump Card Aboard the Science Vessel”)

(Safe to read for anime-only folks.)

My thoughts after watching Season Three, Episode Eight:

01. Their new party member knows the secret of the petrification beam! :O

02. This episode's title is "The Trump Card Aboard the Science Vessel!" :)

03. Oh, some anime-only backstory for Amaryllis! :O

04. Mozu's face looks so... smooth in anime XD And I don't know what I thought Mozu and Kirisame's voices would be like, but no objections so far! Although poor Mozu; his name is already so short, but they still took one letter away and turned him into Moz... well, not in here! You're keeping your fourth letter, Mozu! XD

05. It looks like Mozu deliberately told Kirisame to aim the... item... a little higher - because the will-be-gorgeous-in-the-future girl is shorter, and therefore will NOT get petrified like the others if the item were aimed a little higher. Definitely not in the manga, but I wonder if this will have an impact on future anime scenes? :O

06. I'll say it now, that green light doesn't quite look like the green light I would have imagined - this green is much more intense - but it was very kind of that guy to want to save Amaryllis! :)

07. What's interesting to me is that it isn't just green light - there's black, swirling stuff INSIDE the green light! :O

08. No need for the cute act, Amaryllis; that's not going to work, and like Senku said, they don't need it anyway XD

09. More information about the petrification weapon! It has a limited area of effect; it's used by being thrown; and you can stop the petrification by cutting off your hair (or, presumably, other organic matter)... And actually, Amaryllis was pretty smart to think of that solution in such an urgent situation, and with so little time...! :O

10. Taking ANY woman over eighteen... ANY woman... That's... not good at all! :(

11. The newest party member is not modest at all when it comes to her own cuteness... XD

12. A girl who can fight... where, oh where, will we find one of those...? :D

13. Hey, what's with those reactions?! Kohaku is very cute! :)

14. Kohaku really needs a team of specialists to get her ready for a beauty contest? XD Also, during the dress scene, Soyuz completely turned his back; Gen is looking to the side; and Senku... is just straight on facing Kohaku's direction, hahaha! XD Although he did seem to have his eyes closed... But THEN Senku said, "I don't mind, but stop acting like that" XD

15. She's wearing a pretty dress, but not one that's ideal to fight in... And Gen is too good at tying rope to Kohaku... :O

16. Ah, and Ibara's here! He's huge, and so are his accessories! His mustache casting its shadow on his cheek is a great detail from the animation team! :)

17. A flick of two of Ibara's fingers made a petrified Chrome fall down?! Just how strong IS this guy?? :O

18. And it's what Ibara did to Chrome that made Kohaku spur into action... but she has a plan! :)

19. Kirisame versus Kohaku... but Kohaku's rope-y dress is really working against her! :(

20. Kohaku's so smart! :) She knew that only people from the kingdom of science... well, mostly... would understand the word "lab!" :D And the kiss on the cheek; Kohaku's kiss on Senku's cheeck! We manga readers finally have it in official color! XD

21. What's REALLY funny, and it only occurred to me now, is that it didn't have to be Senku. Gen could have easily stepped forward and called himself Lab-kun. But maybe Gen is also secretly a Senku/Kohaku shipper XD Or, he knew that Kohaku would be more likely to play along, or have an easier time playing along, if it was Senku, instead of if it was Gen :D

22. That is a pretty LONG smooch XD I just thought that Kirisame was easily embarrassed in the manga, but if it went on for this long, no wonder she reacted like that... She has a pure heart! :)

23. And Senku's humming along with Kohaku, too! I can hear him! XD

24. Sigh, they couldn't give us a single frame of a smooch and both of them looking like normal humans... ah, well, it was all for misdirection, I know that! Still adorable to see Senku with a Kohaku smooch mark on his cheek, though! :D

25. Although... I don't think kisses on the cheek leave red marks. Maybe even Kohaku's lips are THAT powerful, haha! XD

26. Great analysis by Ryusui, and great shooting by Ukyo! :D

27. Ryusui accepted his death, just like that! :O

28. And Ryusui's last act was to kick Suika to safety! Smart of Suika - or maybe the animators - to make her go into watermelon mode first so that there wouldn't be anything objectionable happening on-screen! This was the act that made me like Ryusui as a character - he seemed like this boastful, arrogant guy to me when I first read the manga, but his saving Suika as his final act showed me that Ryusui truly has a good heart! :D

29. Could Ginro have seen Ukyo's arrow? I suppose he must have been looking in that direction at the time... And props to Ukyo and his shooting skills! Shooting such a small object out of the sky with no time to prepare, or to gauge the wind or anything... wow! :O

30. Oh... poor Kinro... AND poor Ginro... :(

31. Ginro understands the secret message... but the others aren't quite so thrilled to see that he's their only option XD

32. Ah, so by Gen's estimation, Magma and Taiju are SR, or Super Rare, and Ryusui, Francois, and Ukyo are SSR, or Super Super Rare, gatcha-wise! :)

33. Meanwhile, Ginro is apparently GGR, which according to the Dr. Stone Wiki, meanse "Gesu Gesu" Rare, or "Sleaze Sleaze" Rare XD

34. I think Ginro isn't their worst choice, though. If Magma had been the one left, he would have acted with more autonomy and just punched or slashed whoever he came across :O

35. Ginro is a safer option because he won't risk himself or draw attention to himself, and because he'll want to regroup with Senku and the others as soon as possible :)

36. Gen and Kohaku both have faith in Ginro's... eventual... honor! :D She might have been a little too optimistic about his "important message," though... XD

37. Imagine THOSE eyes staring into you through a crack in a barrel (if that WAS what was happening). Reminds me of Mikasa's deadly stare at a certain character in a certain season! :O

38. Goats! Goats with little horns and curved ears and cute little pink noses and grey hooves! Goats! And they go "Baa!" Aww, so cute!! :)

39. Ibara is also a goat fan and thinks they're cute! XD This humanizes him a little, hahaha! XD

40. Gotta hand it to Suika... a few episodes ago, she was also with her fellow watermelons, but at the time... well, a Japanese beach is not the safest place for a watermelon to be :O But now, she's exactly in the right place - the greenhouse, with other watermelons - to avoid being detected! :)

41. And maybe Senku was able to see who it was because the greenhouse walls are made of glass! He called Suika a "mega elite;" knew she would have hidden their little speedboat; and acknowledged her as the master of nature and infiltration! :O

42. Suika, an SSR, or Super Super Rare card, is going to work with Ginro to get the science lab to Senku and the others! :D

43. And Suika's SSR card's artwork had a dragon roaring fire behind her... maybe an allusion to Ryusui, who protected her from being petrified? Aww! :D We have seven active party members! :) They just need to find each other - and maybe they'll do so in the next episode, whose title will be "Beautiful Science!" :D

https :// fireflyhwufanficwriter . tumblr . com / MyDrStoneEpisodeMangaThoughts

[fireflieshq]

agent LIU WREN has volunteered as a SCOUT in division four. they are 36 years old and resemble NI NI of the good ol’ days. think they used to be a PHOTOJOURNALIST back then, too. pity those days are over now. they’re a little RECKLESS, but with their RESILIENCE, they’re sure to make a fine addition to the unit. good luck and godspeed, soldier.

born to a US foreign diplomat and a writer, both second-gen chinese americans. the preliminary years of her life have shaped wren to be a third culture kid at her core: malaysia, cambodia, turkey, and germany come and go in a blink of an eye before she's the age of 10. by the age of 11, her family settles down for what seems to be for good in virginia.

since young, excitement was always found in taking chances, the countdown of those four-five seconds: the race back home before dark, the slide of her soccer cleats before they called time. suburban thrills, so you can call them.

the momentum only picks up from here. she burns through the ritual firsts of adolescence with an insatiability that's unmatched, one after the next. she doesn't have the word for this hunger yet, caught in the confines of a town too small for her. the summer of her senior year, she digs up her dad's old nikon handheld and makes use of it.

she travels upstate for college, switches majors three times, and stumbles her way into the student-run paper. there's the obvious thrill in taking the road less travelled, but also in how the world seems to expand through a camera lens.

upon graduation, her first job is a junior photo editor at some low-brow, local travel magazine. speed and ambition work overtime in her favor, moving at an incline through the department before moving onto the next best thing. it goes: state, regional, then overseas with a position at national geographic.

the next decade that follows is a whirlwind of projects that fling her across the planet, east to west, north to south. forests to deserts to mountain peaks for that million dollar shot. her works focus on environmental issues, from wildlife conservation to natural disasters. it's a discipline that keeps her far from home at months at a time and brings her too close for comfort to the eye of a hurricane. some might consider it a full-blown obsession, but to her, it's an act of total devotion.

she'd only meant to be in seoul for four days—two days at an annual photographers' conference, followed by two days of rest. any and all small talk about this new virus leading up to this point brings more questions than answers. neither of these things happen, the timeframe overlapping with the outbreak. all international travel is called off, and the orders from higher authority are effective immediately. there's that saying about what's to be done when in rome, so with no real choice in the matter, she does as the romans do: run.

it's baffling how quickly democracy collapses. wren doesn't have to study history again to know how it repeats itself here. ruling with an iron fist brings its own onslaught of problems and tragedies, censorship being the least of them.

rumors of the militia group spread and hold shape. there's power in words, and there's power in numbers. when enough is enough, wren finally escapes the seoul qz with a small group of survivors in hopes of reaching busan.

the journey there is only familiar in feeling—to endure, and to keep going. she learns to sit and live with the ever-present understanding that at any moment, this could be it: her last meal, her last thought, her last breath. it'd been the case for some of the members of their group—by the time they reach the borders of the busan qz, they'd lost a third of them to the infected.

joining the fireflies seemed like an inevitable step. years of being on the frontlines has helped her build a repertoire of survival skills. by now, she has enough of the vocabulary to pass that knowledge down to others. who knew a zombie apocalypse could double as an intensive language program?

it takes a year and a half before the simulations grow painfully tedious, bogged down by the shared insistence to stay still.

when the opportunity arises to voluntarily leave the premises under the guise of a mission, those age-old habits resurface. this is a chance. so she takes it. 

[silvertheredhairedstranger]

okayyy for context, spe v30-31 [dp arc v1-2 in viz version] were my first volumes of spe ever. v32 hadn’t been released yet, and maybe there was a mini volume or so for bw arc. it was 2011 and dppt was really big bc gen 5 titles had just come out and not an incredible lot of official content for it was circulating yet.

the original run of spe had started publishing thru viz a few years prior so they were out there but gen 4 was still the main attraction at the time. i couldn’t say for sure, but i think that this, coupled with the fact that the other spe arcs after emerald aren’t as interwoven, viz started to publish the dp arc of spe as it’s own story, thus why the volume numbers start over instead of continuing after emerald arc [26-29]. for continuity’s sake (and since im reading 30+31 on the spe archive site where the volumes are lined up like the japanese order) i’ll be referring to each dp volume with its original volume number instead of the viz ones.

when v32 came out, i got it, but by that point i’d loaned my v30+31 copies to a family member in another state, and i never got those back. i also never got v33 bc viz released spe volumes so infrequently (1 or 2 a year) and by the time it came out, it had been a long time since i had read the first 2 volumes of dp arc that i no longer had (and never got back - mostly bc i kept being told it would be sent to me etc; it took until i went out there in 2017 and asked that i found they either got lost in the mail or whatever, point is all the books i loaned never made it back but i kept anticipating they would return one day, hence i never re-bought any spe volumes i’d had beforehand) so i was very out of touch and didn’t want to pick it up only to be confused.

thus, my dp journey (briefly) ended w v32. at some point over the years i read v33 through a library, but since the spe collection was incomplete (libraries liked to scatter a handful of volumes for the pokemon label w/o care for their order or series) i never read beyond that. by that point i had gotten my hands on the original run of spe and was working from v1 to v14, and then kept blazing thru w rs arc, so i was preoccupied.

when i moved for university, i remembered that i had read v33 already and got my hands on v34 instead. i don’t think i ever finished it, as i remember nothing past the chapter where the trio splits to each investigate a lake. at some point i got the chance to add another volume to my spe collection and i picked up v35 but never read it. same thing w v36. i was collecting volumes on the side over the years, but i wasn’t grabbing the volumes i’d already read, and that was the major roadblock in starting the arc again. my dp arc journey succinctly ended mid-v34.

well. at the end of last year, i somehow acquired v37 and the entire platinum arc, meaning i had all the volumes necessary to fly thru and finish. it’s taken me a bit, and i’m still missing 3 volumes, but it’s been my intention for a bit now to eventually start and finish dp/pt arcs, and right now ended up being the perfect time (: i’m reading v30 and v31 through the archive site, will go back for v33, and then beyond that, it’ll all be physical volumes. unsure yet if (like in the past / during frlg arc) i’ll take pics of physical pages or if i’ll pull the volume up on the archive site and take ss that way. i remember the very basics of the beginning, and probably key moments will come back to me when i reread, but out of the 11 volumes to go thru, more than half will be brand new. 

anyway tldr; che is starting dp arc of spe again after 10yrs !!! most of what i post abt in the readthru will be w/ introspection of having reread the sm arc recently (around a year) and considering where it fits in the timeline w/ all the context from dp/pt.