Mal

Would be bomb if these character tunes would mix in during regular gameplay.

It all comes tumbling down~ If this gets bad enough, it'll probably spike prices at stores. GPU prices are already shit (I dream about MSRP). Now go for everything in a computer to a console.

What a book full of pictures and the story of the guy's (the photographer) experience of the Cultural Revolution (basically an excuse for Mao to consolidate power while doing what he thought was right), from about 1964 (earliest bits) to 1976 (arrest of the Gang of Four, includes Mao's wife who wanted to continue the Cultural Revolution). The books ends with the execution of, basically, a grifter who used the Cultural Revolution to gain power and money. It basically summarizes the Cultural Revolution. It in some ways allowed for self reflection and collective grieving for a short moment in time. Even the Party heads did so but that time only. Since Mao was/is the Party and the Party is China. Criticism of the Party is a big no no... Which brings me to this comic lol I'll report back later about this comic (I actually got the comic first before the older photo book). I need to process Red Color News Soldier first. You cannot look at Tiananmen Square 1989 without looking at the Cultural Revolution. I think the reaction of the government and even the people kind of makes sense now. Still evil though.

This is fine lol

A mash up of Nier Automata with Metal Gear Rising comes to mind. RULES OF NATURE

Not sure how to color the whites of the eyes with my style. Another issue is I'm not sure how to handle areas without lines when I color. Overall, my art might be better in black and white but I KNOW it can be colored since I've seen similar. I've seen tons of soft coloring that works but I'm actually having issues finding good references (on my ani Twitter but I know I could just look at Calvin and Hobbes) on solid coloring which is how I prefer to to do it. I think lighter skin will work better but if I want to do darker skin, solid coloring just looks a bit odd. Anyhow, I should make or revive an OC and draw them 360 and tilted up and down. Also need to experiment with tons of hair styles and clothing... and aging people up. As for the nun and duck, it's fan art of one of my daily joys. Quack. One day I'll draw a worthy one to show Diva.

Seriously, I confused this for some classic/hit electronic music. Such an absolute banger. I hear this all the time on mixes but I totally forgotten it was from this game!

The Civil War text I'm reading is also an easy (it's not dry) read if you're up for some of that history. Everything is nicely woven together. Edit: I might even hit up the the previous volume (What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 by Daniel Walker Howe) to see if I can get a good synthesis on things even further back and maybe even hit on Jackson since he's so big (when I think of a president after the Founders and before Lincoln, I think of Andrew Jackson*). Honestly I have thought about that one tweet by Ethan on who's the worst president and I wonder if this would be a good book to get a good overview of the world he lived and help shaped. The book from what I gather starts at the Battle of New Orleans, where Andrew Jackson got his fame from and basically ends (Mexican-American War) a few years after he kicks the bucket. * Zachary Taylor gets 2nd place even though he died one year in his term. As I said, he comes out swinging. Dude probably would've been an anti-Robert E. Lee where he would fight to defend the Union, despite being a slave owner, if the Civil War started if he was alive. He probably also would've made good on his promise of hanging all the traitors. Like seriously, you sure he wasn't assassinated?

Weeb theme for the ongoing Gamestop saga (Muv Luv Alternative spoilers) because they are actually HOLDING

I mentioned this on Discord but I'm currently reading Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James McPherson to get some scholarly* learning about before, during and after the Civil War. From what I hear, this is the best single volume read on the Civil War so I got it and so far am working my way through it. To be fair though, this is part of a series of textbooks on the United States but it synthesis everything very well. From what I gather from chapter titles, about a third of the text is devoted to the background/before the Civil War. Basically the root cause of it all is (on the question of) slavery. The Founders kicked the can down the road so a country can be made (Mason-Dixon Line) but the growing pains keep the question popping up. Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase opened it back up but the Compromise of 1830 of 36°30′ kicked it further down the line. Jefferson kind of thought all that land would last a hundred generations but that was not to be. The Industrial Revolution really kicked things into high gear on development and with the revolutions in Europe (and the Irish Potato Famine/Genocide...?) there were a fuck ton of immigrants (read: cheap labor). America was gonna manifest some destiny (much to the lament to most Whigs). Cue the Mexican-American War (a rather unpopular [in New England, basically the coastal elites of the time] expansionist war) that concluded on 1847 and the purchase of Oregon from the Brits. So much land with Texas (as in the country and soon state but gotta figure out the state lines) and the territories of New Mexico (massive and some not so random Mormons were here or in...) and California. And there's gold in California. Well, the question of slavery is up again. Do 36°30′ get moved all the way to the west coast? Does it even apply to territories (It doesn't seem so)? So what happens when a slave territory becomes a state? The power balance of Congress was in question! Literal fist fights and duels happens in Congress because of this issue with calls of sessions already happening by 1850. In comes Zachery Taylor, a southern slave owning former military man, comes out swinging for a no on expansion of slavery and with no uncertain terms to the leaders of the Democrats who are bluffing/not bluffing on session with him personally leading an army to crush them and hang them all. Then Taylor died suddenly from going vegan (not really but he ate something wrong or something) and some other old timers are dying with the Union on the verge of disunion. It seemed to have calmed people emotions to... kick the can down the road again. The issue of slavery was terminal and was dividing the country into two. There was plain Constitutional hypocrisy (all men were created equal) and growing religious distaste for slavery (how can we enslave any of God's children?). We got a federal government's powers being shat on by interstate slave catchers. It was a damn mess. I'm missing tons of details (economic, family/feminist, and more religious and politics [Polk was an evil asshole]) I have much more to read but yeah, this is a good book on the subject. The conditions of slavery needs it's own post and likely it's own book. Also of the Native Americans. This book from 1988 made it clear in few words that the Native Americans were absolutely fucked and genocided (you rounded them all up to place them in practically/literal deserts with numbers of 150,000 and get left with like 35,000...). * I actually had interest to be a historian but humans are nasty fuckers and jobs seems nebulous. So I went to geology, the history of the earth. The rocks don't lie. You're just need to learn to read them.

This is the Soulborne crowd you are talking about. I mean, look at Metal.

These EOs (I need time to read through them) are basically the bare minimum that Trump had to do back in March/April " to protect, test, vaccinate, and take care of our people". Sure there probably would've been issues with who's in charge (lol fuck Jared Kushner) but it probably would've gotten the ball rolling and saved many many lives. Hell, Trump probably would've gotten a passing grade (at least initially) on his response but instead we got what we got and with me wanting to prosecute them all. Fuck do I hate them. Biden's team now have to figure out what can be saved or repurposed. In some ways it's probably harder to do than starting from scratch. I'm actually doubtful that a 100 million Americans will be vaccinated in 100 days but I think they're capable to surprising me. I'd love Trump to surprise me but he was likely never capable of such feat.

As the tweet says. Where would I be if I kept going 10+ years ago...? Where will I be 10 years from now? Metal, you played no small part in me taking this plunge. No idea if I'll keep with this but yeah, it's a start. Thanks buddy.

-heavy bass riffs-

It's going to be a long four years with Ya'll Qaeda around (they always been around but now they're loud... need to convict Trump).

This will be posted for all patriotic days from now on. Still need a song like Deutschland though

29% approval is probably the lowest it can get during his presidency but we'll see. His approval rating was like 42% or 30-something% at the start of the year. I wonder if it'll drop lower after he's out and we all have some time to stew. I like to think he can't pull a Bush Jr. and get rehabilitated. In other news... the feds don't have vaccines stockpiled or someone did their inventory wrong. ?

I think the Venn diagram those who hang around to object to certification and those who don't support impeachment is basically a circle. It's not a majority mind but it's a fair number of them. If we are waiting around for after the 20th or whatever then I do hope Trump is on a very damn strong leash. We have a long week to wait and see. It'll be on Mitch's hand if we don't move forward in a speedy fashion. Either way it would be a great idea for the Republicans to get rid of the cancer that is Trump from their party by convicting him and then barring him. Yes, it will weaken the GOP but it should come out more damn sane. There will always be conservatives so I want them to make their party sane again. Barring that, the sane ones leave and found their own new party. The Dem party is a bit too unwieldy to host moderate conservatives (though moderate dems are close).

No no no! You can't impeach or remove Trump, you'll only incite more violence! - Tons of Republicans So the threat of violence is a legal and good political tactic. Man, might as well tell John Mattis to throw away any honor he has and have him be a military dictator since if he wanted to he could. Tons of Marines see him as a god. Man, this whole ongoing thing is infuriating.

It's a kickstarter but... I trust them to get us a decent beginner set that's not trash. SO... this will be a birthday present to myself. I always wanted a set. Hell, I still want the other kind of microscope that doesn't use slides.

How long does it take to realize that Alucard is Dracula backwards?

Amazing, there are still dipshits that will fall on a sword for Trump. Senator Cruz, Senator Hyde-Smith, Senator Hawley, Senator Kennedy, Senator Tuberville, Senator Marshall and 121 House members. And Ted Cruz is an absolute disgrace of a husband, man and most importantly, person. I absolutely have no respect for him. Also Matt Gaetz face is weird. I'll bully him to hell.

In other news, Trump incited insurrection.

Mitch McConnell is no longer the Majority Leader. How does this work then, as in how/who decides what to vote on on the Senate floor? Is it a 3 way vote between Mitch, Chuck and Kamala?

Now this is to go with the above. Add in some rice and you got a meal. My neighborhood got it's own Chinese BBQ place similar to the one shown above. The place got an entire assembly line of ducks, chicken and pigs drying and curing for a day or so that the head chef got to attend to plus the counter work (chopping) that he also do. You actually could copy this at home, just got to adapt your technique.