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thefandomenchantress · 3 months

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Oooo I have a little question since we've been talking on the Halloween polycule for a bit together.

Would the Halloween poly dress up in matching Halloween costumes? if so, what would they dress up as? If not, who's dressing up as what? :3

Ooh, that’s a fun question! I’ll compile some of my thoughts into a snippet of this scenario, since I think that’ll be easier.

———

On the morning of Halloween, Veronika walked into the living room and immediately made a beeline for her two housemates, who were both sitting on the couch.

“Arturo, Acey, have I ever mentioned how much I love you?” She asked, plopping down in the middle of couch in between them.

“We’ve talked about that nickname.” Ace grumbled, glaring. Her flattery hadn’t worked as well as she’d hoped.

Arturo sighed. “What do you want, Veronika? It’s clear you’re up to something.”

“Weeeeelllll, I was thinking we could wear matching costumes for Halloween this year!” Veronika exclaimed, “We could—”

“No.” Both Arturo and Ace answered at the same time, not even letting her finish.

“I’m not dressing up for Halloween, Veronika, that’s an activity for children.” Arturo said. Ace nodded in agreement.

“Oh, okay.” Veronika answered sadly. “But we have to do something for Halloween, if we’re not doing that. We always watch Arturo’s favorite reality TV shows when he asks, so I should get to do something for this!” She reasoned. A wide grin spread across his face. “Then again, I suppose I could settle for a different Halloween activity. We could always watch a scary movie, or visit haunted houses, or—”

“NO!” Ace screeched, covering her mouth with his hands. He tried to recover his dignity afterwards (and did not succeed), clearing his throat and saying, “I-I mean, I like the costumes idea better.”

“Yay!” Veronika exclaimed, giving him a quick hug before turning to Arturo. “Pleeeeease can you do it with us? It’ll be fun!”

Arturo pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh. “…Fine.”

“Yay! I already have our costumes picked out, and all the makeup we’ll need, and—” Veronika immediately started rambling, clapping her hands together and bouncing up and down slightly as she explained her plan to them.

Despite the fact they were beginning to regret this already, the other two had to admit it was nice seeing her so happy.

———

So yeah. Long story short Ace and Arturo don’t want to dress up, but Veronika convinces them in the end. Here are a few other headcanons and such:

-I’m not sure what their costumes should be, which is ironic because that’s the one question you wanted an answer to. Maybe they could do something fun with classic Disney villains or something. Arturo is Cruella, Veronika is Ursula, and Ace is the Queen of Hearts. Or something like that. I’d love to hear other people’s ideas!

-Arturo insists on taking many photos, since he figures putting so much effort into your appearance and then not showing anybody would be a waste.

-Arturo may be good at conventional makeup, but Veronika far exceeds him in the scary makeup department. Thus, she’s the one to do all the makeup for their costumes.

-Veronika wants to watch a Halloween movie, but Ace is against anything too scary, so they compromise and watch the Nightmare Before Christmas. Ace forgot how creepy the Oogie Boogie Man is and ended up scared anyway, hugging Arturo’s arm like a teddy bear for comfort. He didn’t cry, though!…Well okay, maybe a little.

-Veronika makes spooky snacks. They’re not actually spooky, but she’ll call something like popcorn and M&M’s ‘Unicorn intestines’ or something like that and it gets the job done. She tries to make a cake that looks like a real human heart, too, but according to Arturo it is not atomically accurate in the slightest.

-Overall they have a lot of fun! Veronika is happy to spend her favorite holiday with her two favorite people.

#danganronpa despair time #drdt #drdt spoilers #ace markey #veronika grebenshchikova #arturo giles #Halloween trio #Halloween polycule #veroaceturo #verturo #platonic veronikace #aceturo #enchantress’s writing #answering inbox message thingys

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nico-hakobyan · 8 months

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know what? i already have very little dignity left, and that person telling me my future said i should stop worrying so much about other people, so let's put the embarrassment aside.

hiii :3 (well that started off the worst way possible, didn't it?)

if you're that one friend of mine? pretend you didn't see this okay

anyway, continued

literally arturo giles real. he/him, but according to things i remember i identified as transfem and still identify as female (afab body now), so we don't even need to question that.

i feel like an entirely different person to usual. i don't just feel like my usual self being a little delusional, i feel like another human entirely. just know it feels wrong being seen as my usual self?

you want to know what i look like? so imagine arturo giles from drdt. give him long hair. that's it. done

i have felt like this for the last day, as far as i am aware. so until proven/claimed otherwise i am literally arturo giles drdt, please refer to me as such (including my previously referenced pronouns)

however, i don't see this in the same way as i would usually do when in a delusion, in that i don't feel like i exactly am him. i'm more 'based on him', i suppose? but i am still him. extremely confusing, i'm unsure how to put it into words.

(also, i have quite literally no idea what i am doing or why this has happened. this does, however, prove i always have fitting reaction images. see; my previous point about how a large quantity of my reaction images are of jon being sad without garfield, therefore garfield immediately makes everyone's life better, and supposedly he has npd traits. it applies to me too. i make everyone's life better. also see; my other previous point about how i am the world's biggest stereotype)

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ausetkmt · 1 year

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Ivan Illich in his 1973 book, Tools for Conviviality, conceptualized the threat that arises when tools and technology reach thresholds beyond which they become irremediably damaging to people and environment. After these thresholds are crossed, tools become destructive not only in cultural and material terms but fatally disabling in personal and collective autonomy. The result is a mega-tooled society embedded in multiple complex systems that curtail people’s ability to live dignified lives. To a world mired in ever-increasing production, while making this production seem ever easier, Illich counterposed the fallacy of the growth imperative and the cultivation of a joyful and balanced acceptance of limits. (Summarized from Designs for the Pluriverse by Arturo Escobar)

What needs to change is an entire way of life and a whole style of world making — “a transition from the hegemony of modernity’s one-world ontology to a pluriverse of socio-natural configurations.” The dualist and reductionist ontology of the Eurocentric narrative has brought us to a civilizational conjuncture with its implications for leadership, organizational models, policy-making and politics, structures, ethics, and values. The alternative is the deep notion of relationality arising from a profound understanding of the indelible interconnections of all sentient beings and the Planet.

The ecological and cultural transitions needed can only be arrived at through a deep design revolution, which requires nothing less than a reinvention of the human. This transition requires a significant reorientation of all imaginings and conceptions that today arise from a functionalist, rationalistic, and industrial traditions supported by the current meta-narrative of profit and productivity. There has to be a shift in consciousness towards a set of practices and sensemaking attuned to the relational and non-dualist dimensions of life. This is an ontological and cosmological approach that affects our ways of being, knowing, doing, and relating in every domain.

We are currently faced with ‘the tyranny of technology’ where technocracy becomes the norm. One tool and one invention at a time, technology insidiously creeps up on us. After a point, life seems unimaginable without it. The smartphone is a case in point. This deep entanglement brings with it a certain exoticness and power beyond previous imaginings. This makes tools not only addictive but also appear indispensable. To quote Paul Kingsnorth, “The screen has abolished time, distance, boredom, longing. Is anything you see on it real? But then, what is ‘reality’? Who decides? Do you find this notion oppressive, restricting? Then redefine it. Make anything real. Make everything new. The Machine can help you.”

Let me clarify that I am not a Luddite, and I use my fair share of tools for my convenience. The very presence of this online platform gives me a previously unimagined reach; video technology brings the world closer; and many such tools are definitely to be applauded. The trouble starts when tools take over, entwining with humans and distorting the power equations. When tools move from the locus of facilitator to controller, they have an invisible alienating influence. Being ubiquitous, they begin to gradually subvert the very notions of relationality, humanity, and dignity. The tools rule and societies start fetishizing technology.

Those without access to or not desiring such tools disappear behind the abyssal line. Collective wisdom is lost leaving behind disconnected, disembodied, disenchanted individuals suffering from the dis-ease of incessant dissatisfaction. The power of technology to connect and build communities are distorted into deeper atomization of individuals, fragmentation of society, and disruption to the flow of meaning and knowledge.

AI chatbots like chatGPT poses very real dangers to society as a whole. If it can script software, it can also code malware. If it can churn out an academic paper, so can it spew out phishing emails that are perfectly constructed and hence evades suspicion. The mindless development of these tools poses not only ethical challenges but very real dangers of further exacerbating misinformation and disinformation that are already polarizing societies and communities across the globe. The development of technology has taken on a very dark turn in the last two decades as venture capitalists rush to make money, and politics is driven by the top billionaires. Apart from these considerations, there is a whole side to the development of AI and other such uber tech that are kept carefully hidden lest they besmirch the glitz and glory.

Let’s examine chatGPT and the hoopla around it for a moment. It becomes clear that in spite of the almost magical powers of high tech, the imaginings of the innovators are still entrapped by and within the narrative of profit and productivity. This AI chatbot has been trained on diverse pools of data bases to basically configure and deliver products — business plans, academic papers, codes, and what not. The problem is that it has been trained on data bases that are reflective of the Eurocentric, homogenous narrative running the show today. And what it churns out in response to cues reflect that. Let me digress a bit and insert a couple of excerpts on how this works, and who pays the price for this glitzy development.

Another excerpt on AI from an article by Patricia Gestoso, How artificial intelligence is recolonising the Global South:

Big tech like AI is not appearing magically out of thin air with a little help from Silicon Valley. They are arising from the current hegemonic narrative and are serving to further embed the foundational aspects — deep separation from nature, hyper-individualism, denial of all limits, and profound arrogance of human capability. The marginalization of other myriad forms of knowing, learning, being, and doing that have existed for thousands of years are further intensified in the name of progress and efficiency. All counter-hegemonic and alternate epistemologies and ontologies arising from the Global South* are dexterously made invisible by sheer omission. The threat of technocracy is very real.

I have been having this conversation with some of my dear friends namely, Trina Casey, Lana Kristine Jelenjev and Garry Turner, on the pernicious impact of such tools. The mythical increase in productivity is being achieved at what cost? Who is paying the price? Who are the beneficiaries? What is being lost? By automating essentially creative tasks, such tools may try to supersede human function.

However, the trouble lies in the very element of its ‘tool-ness’. A tool is without consciousness or conscience; its impact is only as good or as evil as the intentions and purposes that were designed into it. For example, to test chatGPT’s repertoire, I had posed a few question — five to be precise — on topics like decolonization, pluriverse, neo-colonialism, and negritude. Needless to say, the responses were facile and so heavily North-centric as to be laughable.

When such tools invade education, teachers are exhorted to be more inventive. The fundamental premise of education is lost when tools churn out essays and solve problems. The whole notion of learning, discerning, appreciating, critiquing, reflecting is completely disregarded. It is terrifying to imagine generations being brought up without the wisdom and appreciation of beauty that true learning imparts. Ethics, values and human dignity are being sacrificed at the altar of a homogenous narrative that is seeking to further control and templatize this messy world.

I fear for the tech-dazzled youth of today. The entire journey of humans has been one of intense and abiding creativity right from the cave paintings to the elaborate tombs of Egyptian pharaohs, from the rock-cut temples in India to the paintings in the Louvre. Humans have an innate need to create. Let me correct that — all life forms have a need to create. One just has to see the nest of a humble Baya weaver bird to see this.

When technology becomes technocracy, it takes away the joy of living and the dignity of life. as Ivan Illich pointed out fifty years ago: The result is a mega-tooled society embedded in multiple complex systems that curtail people’s ability to live dignified lives. Currently, we are in an Era of Technocracy. The movement towards further techni-fication feels almost inexorable but it is not. These are choices being made in the halls of power to invest the current narrative with greater power, to extend its lifetime, to embed it in all its forms in all aspects of people’s lives. Then, we will reach a stage where — entangled and entwined with our tools — we will lose sight of other ways of being, knowing, doing, and relating. I believe it’s a very deliberate attempt to erase the heterogeneity of this wondrously pluriversal planet and instead create a “one-world” world that the Global North has always wanted. At least, the top 1% wanted.

It is easier to rule over a planet from where all differences and diversity have been wiped clean. Where the messiness of life, serendipity of conversations, and spontaneity of creativity have been controlled and homogenized into standardized template responses. Then of course, the natural world is a huge impediment. Instead of being just a free-provider of resources, nature is now striking back in the forms of floods, fires, and furies. The control so desired has somehow slipped by.

But there is still that last drop of oil to be extracted, the last iota of cobalt to be excavated. And why? “Cobalt is a critical component in every lithium-ion rechargeable battery used in mobile phones, laptops and electric cars. The Democratic Republic of Congo provides 60% of the world’s cobalt supply which is mined by 40,000 children, according to UNICEF estimates. They are paid $1–2 for working up to 12 hours a day and inhaling toxic cobalt dust.” ~How artificial intelligence is recolonizing the Global South. Here’s a link to a video on Inside the Congo cobalt mines that exploit children.

It will not end only at the exploitation of labour. It is seeking to completely eradicate diverse epistemologies, cosmologies, and ontologies that are in contradiction to the dominant, hegemonic, narrative of power.

A detour:

While speculating on the technological marvels, I was reflecting on the arrival of East India Company in India and the subsequent de-industrialization that followed. The textile industry of handwoven cloth that India excelled in was systematically destroyed to create a market for the mill-manufactured cloth from England. India became a provider of raw material and a market for the British mill-made cloth. “When the East India Company took control of the country, in the chaos that ensued after the collapse of the Mughal empire, India’s share of world GDP was 23 percent. When the British left it was just above 3 percent.” ~An Era of Darkness by Shahsi Tharoor.

I was wondering along the same vein what are the human skills, capabilities, and faculties that tools like chatGPT are out to destroy in the name of progress. This new form of colonialism is far more pernicious because it not only colonizes the imagination but also eradicates the possibilities to envision other futures. This conditioning aims at making people conform with what feels like inescapable destiny. The same logic seems to be prevailing of controlling, objectifying, automating, homogenizing, and destruction of the creative vitality that is an essential human function. Given that the whole so-called innovation is based on an essentially extractive and exploitative economy says it all.

#The ‘Tyranny of Technology’ and Neo-Colonialism - Age of Emergence #neocolonialism #technology and bias #systemic racism

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foramomentonly · 3 years

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Stoner Malex Ficlet--12/12

Author’s Note:. Third of a collection of ficlets within the Stoner Malex AU, each one based on a promo photo from Vlambase IG. The title of each ficlet will be the date the picture that inspired it was posted.

For my sweet anon, who had a bad day.

Inspo photo

Read on AO3

They head straight to Michael’s room at the Evans house after school, a rarity considering Alex normally has a shift at the Emporium or works relief for Arturo at the Crashdown on weekday afternoons. But the museum is closed for fumigation and Rosa is more reliable than ever thanks to rehab and, Alex suspects, the alluring distraction of Isobel Evans. And so, just as Michael is sweet talking his truck’s ancient engine into turning over in the student lot, eager to run out the tedious hours between final bell and Alex’s inevitable appearance at his door, he hears a heavy thunk behind him and a moment later Alex wrenches open the passenger side door and hauls himself inside, grinning casually and setting his heavy boot on the dash like Michael secretly hates, murmuring, “Take me for a ride, sweetheart?”

But why drive out to the desert to shiver in the harsh wind that blows over the wide, open expanse, the cold metal of Michael’s truck bed an unwelcome shock to their bare skin as they fool around, when they have the option of an empty house, a soft bed, and Michael’s stash at their disposal? So “take me for a ride” turns quickly into “take me home,” and they end up sprawled across Michael’s messy bed, Alex propped up against a pillow at the foot, Michael lounging against the headboard, both in sweatshirts to fight off the chill coming from the patio door, wide open to let the smoke and the stench out.

“I’m soooo hungry,” Michael groans into his sleeve, arm thrown across his face, but instead of sympathy he gets Alex’s bare foot creeping up his side, toes wiggling under his sweatshirt to dig playfully into his ribs. Alex had learned Michael is ticklish on this same cramped bed under very different circumstances the week before. Since that discovery, he’s been relentless.

“Stop!” Michael laughs breathlessly, reaching out and capturing Alex’s foot, holding it captive against his stomach. "I'm too high and too hungry for that right now."

“So get up, then,” Alex laughs, crosses his arms behind his head and makes no move to pull his foot back. “And get me some water, I’m thirsty as fuck.”

“But I don’t want to,” Michael whines, and though his eyes are hazy and heavy lidded, they soften when he looks at Alex spread out across his bed, the length of his body pressed against Michael's with a hand wrapped loose around his calf, and adds softly, “It’s so cozy here.”

“Then I guess you aren’t eating,” Alex shrugs, and though his returning smile is something private and warm, he’s clearly unmoved by Michael’s plight.

“You could get it for me,” Michael purrs, rubbing Alex’s in step idly with his thumb and smiling suggestively down his own body. ”I’ll trade you a blow job for a frozen burrito.”

Alex snorts.

“Like I’m not probably getting one today anyway,” he laughs, and Michael grins, digs hard into Alex’s arch with his fingers and bites his lip when Alex groans softly.

“You have a point,” he replies lazily, and begins working Alex’s foot, sore from a day trapped in heavy, constricting boots, with both hands.

“You trying to butter me up, Guerin?” Alex breathes, burrowing into his pillow, eyes slipping closed.

“Yup,” Michael answers with an exaggerated pop of his lips, and suddenly he’s rolling to a stand, turning Alex sideways across the bed by his ankle as he grunts in protest and pulling Alex gently up by his wrists. He leans in close, nose brushing Alex’s, and whispers against his lips, “If I have to go all the way to the kitchen, I’m taking you with me.”

In the bright, open plan kitchen and formal living room space, Michael heads straight for the pantry, cursing the time it would take to heat up anything from the freezer. He dumps the entire contents of the snack shelf on the large, central island and pulls a glass out of the dishwasher below, handing it over to Alex and pointing to the fridge.

“There’s filtered water in there,” he says, and rips open a container of Pringles, shoving a thick stack into his mouth and moaning loud as the salt hits his tongue. He's sorting one-handed through the rest of the haul spilled out artlessly across the counter when he hears Alex wail dramatically behind him.

“Noooooo!” Alex cries as he pulls out the empty Brita pitcher from the fridge, waving it in Michael's direction. “How could you do this to me?!”

“Uh-oh,” Michael says, searching the room with wide, wild eyes for a solution. He looks out the sliding glass doors, so large they take up half the back wall, and he lets out a sudden crow of triumph as he takes in the spacious green of the backyard. He turns and grins slowly over his shoulder at Alex.

“I got it, baby. Come on.”

Alex follows Michael through the living room and out the sliding doors into the yard, neither bothering with shoes; the grass tickles Alex's toes and he giggles, cheeks warming in embarrassment, but the next moment Michael trips over a twig and makes a show of taking Alex's hand to guide him over the "treacherous pass," and it's becoming clear to them both that underneath the combat boots and the snark, the irreverent beanie and the burnout persona, they are two boys falling in love for the first time. And they're really, really high.

"Do you guys have a cooler out here or something?" Alex asks, looking around the small section of the yard Michael's led him to. It's surprisingly unpolished, mostly out of the living room's line of sight; sparse, boasting only a thin tree and overgrown brush along the property line.

Michael grins and bends over, picking up a thin hose and holding it loosely at his waist, an arc of water spurting from the nozzle after only a moment of Michael seeming to glare at it in concentration. Alex steps back to avoid the spray.

"How'd you do that?" he asks.

Michael pauses, stares a beat at Alex, then the hose, and back again.

"Timer!" he finally exclaims, and Alex shrugs.

Michael grins again, biting his lip, and gestures with his empty hand to the free-flowing stream.

"Go on," he says excitedly, and Alex would think he's fucking with him if Michael didn't look so proud. Taking in the full image of Michael holding an inescapably suggestive object, shooting a steam stream of liquid no less, at hip level and encouraging his boyfriend to lean in for a taste, Alex's shoulders shake with laughter, even more so when Michael leans into it, jutting his hips out and lowering the hose another half inch.

"Come on," Michael says, voice uneven as he begins to lose his own composure. "Like you weren't probably gonna be doing this today anyway."

Alex snorts at his own words echoing back at him, but he bends his knees, folding in half and resting his palms atop his thighs for balance. He opens his mouth comically wide, his tongue flat as he extends it towards the stream of water. He's still laughing, nose scrunched and eyebrows high, and Michael mimes anticipation, jaw dropping open and lips pulling into an exaggerated O, tears bright in the corners of his unfocused eyes from laughter.

Alex is about to drink in earnest, his laughter turning into hoarse barks in his dry throat, when they hear a low voice behind them.

“You know water comes out of all the faucets, right?” Isobel says, arms crossed and hip cocked. She’d be the perfect picture of condemnation if she weren’t biting her lip to stop the spread of a broad smile across her face.

Alex and Michael lock eyes, twin looks of disbelief and amusement on their faces, and they collapse onto the rough ground in breathless laughter, Michael snorting into Alex's shoulder as Alex lies flat on his back, fist in his mouth to preserve what dignity he might still have as tears stream down his temples and his entire core shakes.

Isobel rolls her eyes and turns back toward the house.

"I think I liked it better when you two were sneaking around," she mutters under her breath.

Their shrieks and snorts finally dying out, Michael props himself up on an elbow over Alex's chest, a soft, dopey smile on his lips, and Alex lifts his hand to run his fingertips softly across Michael's cheekbone and into his hair, pushing an unruly curl out of his eyes.

Almost in unison, they breathe, "I didn't."

#malex fic #malex #stoner malex au #alex manes #michael guerin #cw: weed #roswell new mexico #roswell nm fic #my fic

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ryttu3k · 3 years

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Finishing up SoNY, ‘bad’ end and final thoughts!

But first, the early game over.

Wow, she just gets shot. Not even slurped? That’s rude as hell XD;;

And on to the ‘bad’ end!

Beginning is much the same, ofc.

“You’re too in love with weaving a good story and establishing a seductive narrative to let facts get in the way.” Foreshadowing for the ‘good’ end, maybe?

God that Embrace scene gives me literal goosebumps.

Alright! Last time I did Danse Macabre and Retributive Justice, let’s try The Risks of Swiping Right!

lmao god I’d eat this guy too. Back to the ghost club! That legitimately is a really neat scene. ...Ooh yes so that’s where the girl was from.

Panhard just lowkey dying at the mental image of Katherine Weise in a fast food restaurant is so good.

The sweet scene between Julia and Dakota hits a bit different after the ‘good’ end XD;;

Went to the park, reminisced, and helped out the guy. That was sweet ;_; High-humanity Julia, this time!

‘Fairy God Mother?’ is great but ‘Vin Diesel?’ is objectively the funnier response.

“Shining even more brightly than usual, Aisling.” Samira got a cru-ush~

Poor Julie. It’s probably been tough without Sophie around :(

Huh. Interestingly, refusing to lie to Mia results in Julia actually feeling genuine loyalty to the Cammies (for now, at least).

Believing Agathon is still alive = more optimistic = different dialogue! See, this is how you make choices have consequences, game!

Oooh boy time to meet Adelaide XD;;

“She uncrosses her legs in a strangely seductive motion. In her mind’s eye, it probably looked like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, but in reality, it had all the grace of a tracksuit Slav squatting.” *snickering*

Fight me, Adelaide >:(

‘sup Nastya. Went with the slightly less disruptive routine here XD Huh, she’s an aspiring DJ! Julia is deeply confused as to how being a DJ and being head of security works together.

lmao Julia referring to Hope as a girlboss. That phrase has lost all meaning to me...

The conversation between Julia and Father Leonard is still really interesting. Man, you know who I want Julia to talk to? Anatole. Interesting insights into balancing being queer Catholic vampires there for sure.

lmao oh my god I want to fight this street reporter.

‘I can almost feel my brain losing its wrinkles.’ *snort*

Yeaghhhh the Abyss bit is still so creepy...

Oops. Being honest regarding Tamika and Torque’s relationships gets a fail :(

Oh, or not XD That works! Also, uh, apparently the giant albino ghoul alligator is real, according to New York by Night. He’s Calebros’ pet.

“Because I think I have a pretty good nose for people’s auras. And when I take a good look at you... ...somehow, I have a feeling you’re a surprisingly decent person. Whatever way of unlife you choose, I hope you don’t change it. And that you remember my advice.” :)

“I know.” Oof.

“Hi.” “WAAAH!” lmao sorry Princess XD;; Just trying to imagine Qadir’s face as he tells Julia to find a 1990 glass statue of Scrooge McDuck... dying...

Oh she’s so a Toreador XD Low art options are a fantasy book, an anime DVD, or a video game... those can all be arty, though! And went with the anime DVD called ‘Ririsu no Daibouken’... that translates to ‘Adventures of Lilith’. How on the nose XD “The cover says ‘Lilith’s Carnal Carnival’.” Oh. Yeah, that’d do it XD

“This 90s original video anime presents us with a tale of five big-bosomed samurai warriors travelling through America in search of General Hastavista, The Incubus King. Don’t let all the titillation misguide you: the main draws here are peerless direction, a nearly avant-garde editing rhythm and dialogue that coyly comments on traditional gender roles in anime. Once you see the animation in the final battle, you’ll understand why it never fails to set a sakuga fan’s heart ablaze!”

She’s my new favourite.

“So can I know your name now?”

“Hmmm... Let me think...

No. <3″

I need to stress that the heart appears in the dialogue box. Like. The actual less-than-three heart.

Didn’t investigate the rat this time, so Qadir did and I die. “Glad you’re alright, little guy.” Qadir...

Still not over the drunk blood doll rats.

Kaiser’s still a goddamn creep and this time Julia is not going too far. She still has her humanity, dammit. Final set of traits:

Loyal to the end

Glass half-full

Not into a bad cop schtick

Honesty is the best policy

No more human, still humane

Onwards to the ‘bad’ end! Oops, and Dakota still did the Single White Female thing XD;;

Man I’m still really curious who the ‘good friend’ is!!

Okay! Time for end game!!

So that’s the good friend, huh? “Let me phrase it differently, then. You’re not Ecaterina the Wise, the Agitator of Prague, a Brujah elder causing turbulences all over the world... are you?”

Mention of Christof! Mention of Christof doing shady shit :| Poor Hana.

“An immigrant from Eastern Europe comes to New York City, takes the position she always expected to find herself in, is molded into someone who is no longer herself.”

Julia and Dakota representing Carthage is kind of neat.

I want to say the mention of St Jude is a reference, but I’m not sure what to XD;; Is that from Redemption? Christof could have been the one to tell Hana that.

“Like a two-person human centipede loop or something. An Ouroburos? Or an, uhh, Mobius strip?” No, that’s the other traditionally Sabbat clan XD

That‘s. That’s a hell of a reconciliation XD “Yeah, let’s give it a try. By the way I’m on the run for my unlife, want to go to California and try to find utopia?”

Julia, wear a fucking mask XD

“Hey.”

“Yeah?“

“Do you love me?”

“... Of course I do. For now, at least.”

I still don’t know if I love her. Or even if I can love anyone, for that matter. I’m a fucking monster, after all. I don’t even know if we’ll exist next month. The prospects are not looking good. But although I can’t see myself in the rearview mirror right now...

...I will remember this image of us leaving the city, somewhat melancholic, and somewhat hopeful, forever. And maybe the meaning of this image will be clarified with time. Or maybe I will just force a more positive description on it, and that is what I’ll believe.

No matter what happens... even if oceans of blood lie before us, I will make this a cherished memory.

Whatever possible salvation still remains for me... ...it probably lies in the eyes of another.

Oh dang I have chills.

So the ‘bad’ ending is about the subverted compromise. Julia resigns herself to letting the compromise about the truth of Callihan’s death go ahead. ‘Catherine’ is a walking compromise to hide the Ecaterina’s real deeds. But while Hana is still stuck in her role for now, Julia refuses to accept the compromise she’s made, both the one relating to the investigation and the compromise she made of her own views and morals. It might blow up in her face, yeah. But damn, she’s going to try.

So, final thoughts! For the sake of completion, this is what I said about Coteries:

And of course this is the part where the game all falls apart :-\

Just… god. This is probably the biggest problem with CoNY, and the reason I didn’t bother getting it until it was like… 60% off. The bulk of the game is great - the writing is intriguing, the design is stunning. But the choices themselves are so limited it’s barely worth even getting it at 60% off!

You have three choices of characters, with their own opening chapters and own individual scenes with their touchstones. You have four choices of coterie members, and three sidequests. You can probably get in at least three full story arcs and a sidequest or two, but you’re only ever limited to two of your coterie members showing up at the not-yet-endgame.

So let’s say you decide to play all three protags, which, indeed, is encouraged (there’s an achievement for it). You are going to repeat coterie arcs and side quests, because there simply aren’t enough for three unique playthroughs.

And then you get to the end and literally everything is scripted. You get attacked by the SI. You get rescued by your two coterie members (and then never see them again, despite the game being called Coteries of New York). You meet Torque, you escape the SI, Sophie reveals her plan to Torque, you go to Ellis Island, Adelaide kills Sophie (and despite the fact that you’re given multiple options there, none of them work), Arturo does his spiel, end of game. You don’t even get to choose between ending up blood bound or going “no fuck you” and at least dying with a bit of dignity!

I just. I really want to like it, and there genuinely is a lot there to like! But uuuugh the ending. Like damn at least give the poor protag the option to choose what happens to them!

Anyway. Not sure what’s next. To get all the achievements, you have to finish with all three protags, so that’s three full runs and a lot of repetitiveness (compare to, say, Bloodlines or Night Road. I have eighty-five hours on Night Road and there’s still stuff I haven’t seen!), so I can’t even just… rush it through up to the meeting with the touchstones on the third play. Nope. Gotta finish it :-\

Final rating: 6/10

8/10 characters, 9/10 atmosphere, 8/10 story aside from ending, 3/10 story ending, 2/10 replayability. Final consensus: get it on major sale if you can, otherwise, you might as well just watch an LP. I might do that instead of doing a third run, although I at least want to do a second.

I ended up revising that 6/10 to 5.5/10 after finishing all runs and getting the achievements just out of how goddamn repetitive it was. So, how does Shadows measure up?

Absolutely continued with all the things I enjoyed about CoNY (characters, atmosphere, and writing), and of the bits I hated (cookie cutter protagonists, lack of real choice, repetitiveness, the godawful ending), every single part has been completely improved.

Instead of three fledglings so similar they even have the same internal thoughts, we have Julia, who’s got such a distinct voice that she becomes the most memorable game protag I’ve seen in years, and I’m including non-VtM games in this. This is absolutely her game, and it’s just... absolutely fascinating to read and watch.

Related - actual real choices. There are five key choices that determine the ending, and every single one has actual consequence in-game. You get different dialogue. Different introspection. Different philosophies. And this carries across - if Julia believes Agathon is alive, she’s more optimistic about her relationship with Dakota, too. And of course, both endings are completely distinct and incredibly written - the ‘good’ ending where Julia gives in to her most Lasombra instincts, plays the game, wins it, gets power and respect at the expense of her humanity and avoiding all those wraiths... or the ‘bad’ ending when she listens to her morals, reconciles with Dakota, and leaves for California, uncertain, but hopeful.

Not a lot of repetitiveness. Yes, by design, you’ll probably do two playthroughs. The main plot is much the same, but there are enough options there to get multiple dialogue options and stuff. And for the little sidequests, you can actually get all in with just the two playthroughs, only repeating like... two, I think. Still, I wasn’t feeling actively bored like I was midway through my second run of CoNY!

Loved seeing more in-depth backstory and development for the coterie members. Agathon’s section was particularly fascinating, literally getting into his head.

And just. Atmosphere and music is so, so good.

Final rating: 9/10. Thank you, Draw Distance, you hit it out of the park.

#vampire the masquerade #vtm shadows of new york #ry plays sony

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nerdygayboi · 5 years

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This is going to be a long post, and it's mostly just to help me bury some emotions and let go of the past.

This is a love letter to quite literally all the guys I've ever liked, loved, or obssessed over. My grand out pouring of emotions, whose existence I tend to refuse. I sorted all 50 guys into 3 categories: the ones I lusted for, the ones I liked, and the ones I loved.

To the ones I lusted for: Alex-1, Alex-2, Andres, Arturo, Daniel, Dante, Jake, Jason, Julian, Justin-1, Kevin, Matt-1, Nate-1, Nate-2, Robbie, Steven, Tyler-1, Tyler-2, Zach, That Freckled Guy, and That Sleazy Guy;

You were all just pretty faces and pretty bodies to me. I talked to you all only a handful of times; you were never signifigant to me apart from when my mind wandered in my own company. The only reason I mention you all in this post is that I need to let go of my obession for boys that, though outwardly beautiful, lack inner beauty. Even as I write this I struggle to remember your full names, and for 2 of you, I can't even rememver your first names; all testament to the lack of importance having met you made in my life. Though I am grateful for having seen your handsome faces, or in some cases handsome rears, I found your personalities dissapointing. Tyler number 2 especially, since last I checked he was wanted for attempted burglary. I thank you all for your beauty, and wish all(but Tyler number 2) luck in whatever your endeavors are, I honestly have no clue what they are.

To the ones I liked: Alex-3, Alfonso, Andrew, Brian, Cody, Colin, Elijah, Ethan, Francisco, Harry, Jack, Jacob, James, Jordan, Justin-2 , Hector, Matt-2, Michael, Pedro, Ramon, Sam, Stephen, and Will,

At one time, I considered each of you friends. Some were admittedly more dear to me than others, but I would let no harm come to any of you. I'm grateful that each of you made me laugh, and that you all suffered my presence with dignity. I suspected that some of you were not heterosexual, but given my need to conform to 'the norm' and remain in the closet, I never asked. I will admit that I did want to ask those I suspected on a date, but alas, my lack of conviction was my enemy. I have the upmost confidence that you will all become wonderful people, and I am eager to hear from you in the future.

The ones I loved:

To Matthew V.,

For many years I did not have a best friend, then I met you. We didn't take to eachother much on our first meeting, but you seemed interested enough in me when we started taking our music classes together. I remember you addressing me by name, that day I started music, though I couldn't remember yours since we only talked once two years prior. I don't think I ever told you how grateful I was for your help in music, I was placed in the advanced class by error with no experience holding a violin. I won't mention our history class, it was dull and I only just remember that we had it together.

You were also the first boy to invite me over to your house, granted it was for a project, but I was invited over many times after that. I love your family, they were so kind to me, and your mother even began chastising me for skipping meals. I felt like I fit in with them, and I was comfortable by your side. Your quirks were endearing - seriously, who tries to say 'sneeze' every single time before they sneeze?- and I loved that I could joke around with you every chance I got with only minimal scolding. You were everything I wanted in a boyfriend, and I secretly thought of you as mine for a time, though I can't remember a time when relationships came up in our conversations. You made me happy for some years of friendship, even if I liked to think of us as more than friends.

Then we started drifting apart. You started talking to people other than me, I stopped coming over to your house, you started dating Brittney. I missed you, for a time, but I knew it was better for you to grow into who you wanted to be. I thank you, for being my friend when I needed one.

To Dalton S.,

You are perhaps the most handsome person I've ever met. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, took notice of you. There were straight guys and lesbians that admitted to finding you attractive. It's baffling how someone like you exists, and even more so, how you were regarded as so handsome despite a combination of acne and razor rash on your face all four years of highschool. How an adonis like you ever thought of me as a friend is one of the greatest mysteries of our time.

I'll admit that the first time I saw you, I thought you were albino; with your hair so blonde it was white in the sun, and skin so fair that it went red under florescent lights. I didn't think much of you until we had classes together. I remember we didn't talk in our engineering class; but you did seem to express a bit more interest than most when I was praised for breaking 2 school records - highest flying bottle rocket, and farthest distance traveled by those race-cars we shot off the end of an air-compressor. You even ran out the classroom to keep my race-car from going into the parking lot.

The next memory of you that I have is when you stared in my general direction in our 8th grade english class. I looked up from working and you were just staring, almost like you saw a ghost. I looked around to see what you were staring at, but had no clue what you were doing. There were no instructions for us on the board on my side of the class. I even waved to get your attention, and when you looked at me, I mouthed 'What are you looking at?' to which you mouthed something I couldn't read and pointed vaguely. I couldn't find what you were looking at, so I sighed and returned to my work. I still have no clue what you were looking at.

After that, if I saw you staring blankly forward I simply waved to you and mouthed "hi". I think I pulled the gag of repeatedly saying hi an absurd number of times once, but I can't remember. I do remember you and some other boys mouthing "olive oil" to me in our science class that year, which I mistook as "Oliver" and became confused since there wasn't an Oliver in our class. The only memory I have left of you from 8th grade was when I sat behind you in math and had to tell you, on multiple ocassions, to pull up your pants. Sagging was not for you, and I thank you for defending me when Austin tried to critiscise me for making sure your pants were pulled up properly. Your pants being where they were supposed to be was both a matter of upkeeping your dignity, and removing a distraction - so I could focus on the whiteboard, rather than your white crack.

To speak plainly, I only remember being an admirer from afar until we were lab partners in high school biology. And that's when I learned your little quirks: finger tapping, humming, and singing country songs under your breath as you worked. Later I learned that you though of me as a friend, which I thought odd since we rarely spoke after getting new lab partners. We were- Who am I kidding, I can't not mention it.

I thought I was lucky as fuck to not only have you as a lab partner, but to also have the locker next to you in P.E. Ooooh so many people would consider it a sin for me to have looked at you in the locker room, but I don't regret it. You didn't have the most muscle of our grade, nor did you have a flat stomach or abs. For some reason knowing you had some body fat and stretchmarks made you so much more attractive. You, the most sought after boy, had what no one wanted; but you were so confident in yourself that it didn't matter to anyone. I'm cutting this off early within interest of actually finishing this. Thank you for being friendly to me, and sticking up for me that one time. I'm sorry I called you a "racist-ass motha fucka" that one time. You were/are the longest standing crush I've ever had; and I wish I had tried to be your friend instead of forcing myself to keep to minimal contact.

To Matthew M. & Skyler F.,

I address you together because of your pre-existing history, and the emotions I've felt because of you both.

Matthew, I hope you've finally moved on from Him. You deserve someone who would actually love you, instead of just your body. I wanted to date you, but given that we're both from intolerant families; I made myself distant. Thank you for coming out to me, and trusting me with knowing what was happening. I wish you would have treated yourself better, though I know I probably couldn't have kept you from being so reckless. I hope everything is going well for you, you sweet, sweet giant boy.

Skyler, I hope your bloodline rots. I use you as a compairison for wether or not I am a complete failure. As long as I am above you, I am not a failure. I take pride in knowing that I will always have more worth than you.

And finally

To my ex-boyfriend, Jose M.,

I'm sorry. I've tried to hate you, I've tried to blame you for everything; but I can't. I could never. I used to think it was all my doing, but I've realized that it was our circumstance that doomed us from the start.

I like to think I've moved on; I no longer cry on your birthday(which passed recently with no incident), and I rarely dwell on thoughts of you anymore.

I mentioned before, in that message that I don't know if you ever recieved, that I got rid of everything. There's no proof that we ever spoke, save the only pictures I have of you. I want to be free of the memory of you, but I don't want to forget either. You were my only instant of requited love, even if we were so young and oh so stupid.

I often wonder what would happen if we ran into eachother some place. You probably wouldn't recognize me, but I know I'll recognize you. Your goofy smile, your half-hearted bravado, the same sad eyes as mine.

It's funny, I thought I've moved on; but here I am, writing this with watery eyes.

Did you know that I can't even say your name? If I speak it, write it even, I have to put a different face to it. For some reason it feels wrong to say your name, almost like avoiding it will keep the memories at bay - if only that were the case.

I can't form the thoughts of what I want to say, what I need to say to you. I'm doing much better now, and I've kept my promise - even if you couldn't keep yours.

I lied, I haven't kept it. Breaking my promise was the first thing I did when I lost you. Please forgive me. But I am doing much, much better now.

Love,

NerdyMegaGayBoi

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purgatoriorpg-archive · 3 years

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INFAMIA. ⟡ NAME. ⟡ 27, M.

OF ALL THE HOUSES AND FAMILIES THAT PULL THE STRINGS OF THIS WORLD, YOURS IS THE ONE THAT KNOWS POWER BEST. Power, true power, sempiternal and enduring, lies in empire-building, governance. A modern political dynasty that rivals the legend of the Kennedys and Nehru-Ghandis, you were born, bred and destined for greatness. The first son of a family that has shaped the political present and future millions, the weight upon your shoulders is one that even Atlas would struggle to bear. You have borne it all with dignity and gravitas, the prestige synonymous with your name overshadowed only by your innate magnetism. There is no argument or problem you could not conquer with the sheer force of your rhetoric and rationality. Student president, debate club champion, Olympic-qualifying athlete, you were the ultimate golden boy your parents had always dreamed of. Until the whole house of cards came crumbling down upon you. The accident changed you, unleashed something inside of you wild and seething. Now, you would sooner burn an empire to the ground than ever dream again of building one.

DYNAMICS.

VINDICTA. ⟡ EQUAL IN MIND & AMBITION.

Before you met him, you had never known what it was to have a true, indisputable equal. All your life you had been surrounded by admirers and sycophants, those who bowed and scraped and bent the knee for a scrap of your largesse. He was unlike anyone you had ever encountered, his mind a vast and infinite mirror of your own. If it was rare for you to find true friends, it was even rarer you to find genuine contenders. His brilliance and mastery of any subject he approached earned him your immediate respect, and his wit and sharpness of humour won you swiftly after. You compete like its bloodsport, a battle to the death, forever neck and neck to the finish line. You admire his ambition, his zealousness, the hunger that drives him to push harder, farther, faster. It shouldn’t have surprised you, how thoroughly he had orchestrated everything for GULA’S downfall. He was Verdamme’s reigning chess master after all, always thinking ten, twenty steps ahead of his opponents. Ahead of you.

DESIDIA. ⟡ BETWEEN THE SHADOW AND THE SOUL.

How could you have known what he would come to mean to you? You dismissed him from first impression, unimpressed by his insouciance and frivolous devotion to art for art’s sake. Despite your tactical nature, your blatant antipathy darkened the room every time you were forced to share your circle of friends. It was a sort of affliction, a malaise, feverishness setting into your veins that consumed your waking thoughts with how much you wanted to loathe him. Somehow, against your better judgement, he broke you. A lifetime of compartmentalisation abandoned in a lapse of reason. You loved him in between stolen fragments of time and space, amidst all the words that flowed from his mouth in a language you had never heard but wanted to dream in. The unspeakable, abominable truth is, he reminds you of the boy you killed that night of the accident. The lie is that you never told him. For all your rhetorical prowess, you never had his gift for speaking honesty. You should have never told you loved him. You should have lied.

IRA. ⟡ AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

The Fourth Estate has always played a crucial role in defining history, society, and reality as we know it. Your families were close—which is a polite and diplomatic way of saying they were entwined in a mutually parasitic relationship. Her father’s media outlets fed the myth and aggrandisement of your family’s legacy, and in turn your family paved the way for deregulation, tax cuts for billionaires and legislated approval for their casinos and theme parks. In the midst of all this scheming and politicking, you found common ground. A bitter cynicism at the part you would eventually play with your respective inheritances. Together, you watched the world go to ruin, smoking stolen Arturo Fuente cigars and toasting to the wreckage with your pilfered Macallan 25. You entertained yourselves with fantasies about it letting it all fall to decay—striking a match against everything you’ve ever swallowed in the name of family legacy.

OPEN. ⟡ FC: ADONIS BOSSO.

ALT. FCS: Broderick Hunter, Mekhi Alante Lucky, Kofi Siriboe.

#infamia.#o.#original rp #mystery rp #skeleton rp #lsrp #lsrpg

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newstfionline · 7 years

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Mexico Should Ask Trump to Pay For The Drug War

By Jonathan Marshall, AlterNet, February 9, 2017

Attention deficit disorder isn’t usually a welcome presidential attribute, but Mexicans can be thankful that Donald Trump has temporarily shifted his focus away from their country to pick fights instead with Iran, the EU, China, California, and the U.S. news media.

The last time Trump addressed Mexico, right after the election, the peso fell 17 percent. Within days of his inauguration, Trump demanded that Mexico pay for a border wall, prompting cancellation of his planned summit meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pe��a Nieto.

As former Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan lamented, “it took only one week of bilateral engagement between the new U.S. administration and Mexico to throw the relationship into a tailspin.” That relationship would be better if Trump had stuck to the view he expressed in November 2015: “I don’t care about Mexico, honestly. I really don’t care about Mexico.”

Someday soon, however, Trump will rediscover his interest in Mexico, and relations will likely suffer again. But Mexico need not take his abuse lying down. As the buyer of more than a quarter trillion dollars in U.S. exports--the second largest market in the world for U.S. goods--Mexico has some leverage if Trump tries to play rough with tariffs and trade.

And if Trump persists in sending a bill to Mexico City for his wall, Peña should seriously consider sending a bill in return to Washington to pay for the U.S. drug war.

For years now, Mexico has paid an extraordinarily high price in lives and social disruption for Washington’s insistence that North America’s drug problem be tackled south of the border, where the drugs are grown and transported, rather than primarily in clinics and halfway houses at home to treat the medical and psychological issues of users.

Successive administrations, starting with President Nixon, have demanded ever tougher border controls, aerial spraying programs, and DEA-backed anti-”cartel” operations in Mexico. All their efforts and sacrifices have been for naught. U.S. residents currently export up to $29 billion in cash to Mexican traffickers each year to buy marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, and heroin.

Forcing that trade underground has taken a terrible toll on Mexico in terms of violence, corruption, and social upheaval. Since 2006, when President Felipe Calderón ordered his military to join the “war” on drug traffickers, Mexico has lost about 200,000 lives and 30,000 more have disappeared, dwarfing the civilian death toll in Afghanistan and Iraq over that period.

The majority of them were victims of criminal organizations, but human rights organizations also report soaring rates of human rights violations, including torture and killing, committed by security forces.

The 2016 Global Peace Index, prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace, estimates the total cost of violence in Mexico at $273 billion, or 14 percent of GDP, with no end in sight. Direct fiscal costs of fighting the war on crime were about $32 billion in 2015 alone. Yet the United States has contributed only about $2.5 billion since fiscal 2008 to Mexico’s drug war, under the so-called “Merida Initiative.”

Mexico’s pain shows no signs of easing. New York Times reported in December that Mexico suffered more than 17,000 homicides in the first 10 months of last year, the highest total since 2012. “The relapse in security has unnerved Mexico and led many to wonder whether the country is on the brink of a bloody, all-out war between criminal groups,” it said.

In his last phone call with Mexican President Peña, Trump reportedly complained, “You have some pretty tough hombres in Mexico that you may need help with. We are willing to help with that big-league, but they have to be knocked out and you have not done a good job knocking them out.” According to one disputed account, Trump threatened to send U.S. troops south of the border if Mexico doesn’t do more to stop the drug problem.

Peña can continue to do Washington’s bidding, ensuring his political demise, or he can challenge Trump by asking why Mexico should fight North America’s drug war on its own soil and at its own expense. If he goes the latter route, he’ll have plenty of good company.

Former heads of state from Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, along with other distinguished members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, have called for “normalization” of drugs--eliminating black markets and incentives for violence by legalizing individual possession and cultivation of drugs while instituting public health regulations. They note that such programs have succeeded admirably in Portugal and the Netherlands at reducing both the criminal and public health costs of drug abuse.

“The harms created through implementing punitive drug laws cannot be overstated when it comes to both their severity and scope,” they assert in their 2016 report, “Advancing Drug Policy Reform. “Thus, we need new approaches that uphold the principles of human dignity, the right to privacy and the rule of law, and recognize that people will always use drugs. In order to uphold these principles all penalties--both criminal and civil--must be abolished for the possession of drugs for personal use.”

Support for decriminalization is growing in Mexico, where the supreme court in 2015 approved growing and smoking marijuana for personal use. Former Mexican President Vicente Fox now advocates legalizing all drugs over a transition period of up to a decade.

Jorge Castañeda, a former Mexican foreign minister, recently opined, “Mexico should take advantage of California’s decision to legalize recreational marijuana. Regardless of Mr. Trump’s victory, the approval of the proposition in the United States’ most populous state makes Mexico’s war on drugs ridiculous. What is the purpose of sending Mexican soldiers to burn fields, search trucks and look for narco-tunnels if, once our marijuana makes it into California, it can be sold at the local 7-Eleven?”

Critics rightly point out that what works in the Netherlands won’t necessarily solve Mexico’s problems. Its powerful drug gangs have diversified into a host of other violent criminal enterprises. They control territory, intimidate or corrupt law enforcement, and kill with impunity. Legalizing drug sales won’t end their criminal ways, but it could erode their profits and let police focus on universally despised crimes with direct victims--murder, kidnapping, extortion and the like.

As Mexican journalist José Luis Pardo Veiras remarked last year, “Decriminalizing drug use will not fix a deeply rooted problem in this country, but it will allow Mexicans to differentiate between drugs and the war on drugs, between drug users and drug traffickers. This is the first step in acknowledging that a different approach is possible.”

As for Trump, let him build his wall and see if that keeps out all the drugs. If not, maybe by then Mexico will be able to offer some useful advice on how to fight the drug problem not with guns, but with more enlightened policies.

#Mexico #Mexico drug war

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michaelfallcon · 5 years

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Are Visa Denials The New Normal At World Coffee Competitions?

News broke last week (since confirmed by World Coffee Events) that 2018 Mexican Brewers Cup champion Carlos Maqueda had been denied a visa by the United States government, and will not be allowed entry into the country to compete at the World Barista Championship in Boston next month. As of the time of reporting, Sprudge can update that a total of four coffee competitors have been denied visas to attend the Boston event: both Maqueda and Emilio Arturo of Mexico, as well as the Brewers Cup and Barista champions from the United Arab Emirates Michaela Ruazol and Lablibell Bajarias, respectively.

As the adverse effects of international tensions trickle outside the bureaucratic world and into the lives of real, actual people, many in the coffee community are left with more questions than answers. Visa denials are constantly looming at World events; indeed, those international tensions can play out directly when it comes to accessing coffee’s grandest stage.

World Coffee Events brand manager (and former Sprudge editor) Alex Bernson told us that the exact number of visa denials over the near two decades of World Barista Championship events is difficult to know. While there are high profile cases of competitors having visa issues that play out publicly—perhaps none more famous that Iran’s first barista champion Mehran Mohammadnezhad Mirjani being denied and then finally approved for his visa at the 11th hour to compete in Seattle in 2015—many can go unnoticed. “We don’t always receive full or even any reports from competitors and national bodies as to why they aren’t attending or sending a second place competitor instead of a first,” Bernson tells Sprudge, “nor do we necessarily expect everyone to let us know when they’re having visa specific troubles, because there are many reasons both political and personal that may be the case.”

According to Bernson, issues related to past visa denials are long ranging, and oftentimes unexpectedly personal. “[It could be] everything from not filling out forms exactly correctly to an embassy’s satisfaction on a first or second try, to having a citizenship from a country in Central Asia but working in and representing a European national body,” Bernsons tells Sprudge. “Sometimes the process takes too long and they don’t get their visas in time, especially with later championships. Sometimes competitors get a visa but their coaches and support people do not. Sometimes a person’s individual history in their own country or a host country may come into play with a government’s decision. Sometimes items are held in customs or huge costs and extremely intricate processes for visas are imposed on certain countries by other countries’ governments.”

Lacking sufficient data to know for certain, Bernson speculates (based on the past few years) that there are, on average, between one and three deferrals each seasons for the annual event roster. That includes events in the United States and elsewhere around the world. “For example, in 2017 we know of at least one visa issue occurring in each of the three host countries that year, including one competitor being denied, one set of coaches being denied, and a difficult to acquire competitor one taking multiple tries coming down to the last hour.” In 2017 the WCE’s portfolio of events were hosted in Seoul (South Korea), Budapest (Hungary), and Guangzhou (China).

After winning the Mexican Brewers Cup in September, Carlos Maqueda began working on getting his visa paperwork in order with Carlos de la Torre, the 2018 Mexican Barista Champion and Maqueda’s employer at Café con Jiribilla. De la Torre is no stranger to applying for visas, having won multiple national coffee championships over the past decade, and had already secured approval for his trip to Boston. Included in the paperwork for Maqueda was an invitation letter from the WCE “highlighting their achievements and the great importance of bringing together all national body representatives on the global stage,” per a statement from the WCE. A letter in this style is standard issue for all national champions seeking visas for international travel related to official SCA coffee tournaments. Also included was “a letter indicating that all his expenses for travel were covered… his status as national champion, [and] the coffee bar where he works also extended all the documentation to support his history as worker and the economic proof of payments,” per an email from Arturo Hernández Fujigaki, a Mexican Coffee Association member familiar with the situation.

Even with all this substantiating documentation, Maqueda’s visa request was denied. The government is required to give a reason for any denial, but Maqueda tells Sprudge he received no such information. “They never gave me a clear answer. I always got a, ‘You do not meet the requirements,’ but they never specified which requirements.” As of press time, no clear indication as to why these visas were denied has been made available—Sprudge has asked every entity involved with this saga, up to and including the US State Department (no reply as of press time).

With a potential five-year visa application ban looming if further appeals are made, Maqueda has now opted to apply for Deferred Candidacy, allowing him to compete in Melbourne in 2020. 2018 Mexican Brewers Cup runner-up Emilio Arturo was offered the spot in Maqueda’s place, but Fujigaki tells Sprudge that Arturo’s visa application was also denied. Arturo will appeal the decision, but if he is unsuccessful, Fujigaki states an invitation will be extended to the third place competitor, Miriam Aldana, who already successfully obtained a visa.

It’s worth noting this is not the first time a competitor from Mexico has had difficulty obtaining a visa to compete in the United States; indeed, the issues pre-date the Trump Era (shudder), and have become sadly commonplace. “In 2009 for the WCE in Atlanta we faced the same situation with Aleli Moreno, our first woman champion, who was not able to get the visa,” Fujigaki tells Sprudge. Aleli ultimately received the aforementioned and deeply onerous five-year ban after exhausting her number of appeals. “We are very upset by the decisions taken in the visa process for Carlos, but that is out of our hands,” says Fujigaki. “The deferral process is not the best solution for him but at least Carlos will not face the same situation as Aleli lived years ago.”

Sprudge was a vocal critic of the SCA’s Deferred Candidate Policy as originally announced. But that policy underwent substantive review before being put into motion, thanks to the hard work of the SCA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force. Today the policy (read it in full here) is non-discriminatory, and centers the dignity and humanity of any competitor faced with a difficult situation. It is beyond shitty that governments around the world—including our own historically shitty regime here in America—have made a habit of not issuing visas to competitors seeking to travel and represent their nation on coffee’s biggest stage. But used in this context, it’s clear to see why a Deferred Candidacy Policy is so very necessary. This way, competitors like Carlos Maqueda get a second chance to represent their country on the international stage. It’s a right they’ve earned.

This story is developing. Do you know of other competitors having issues acquiring their visa? Contact us here.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman contributed to this reporting.

The post Are Visa Denials The New Normal At World Coffee Competitions? appeared first on Sprudge.

Are Visa Denials The New Normal At World Coffee Competitions? published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee

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epchapman89 · 5 years

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Are Visa Denials The New Normal At World Coffee Competitions?

This story is developing. Do you know of other competitors having issues acquiring their visa? Contact us here.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman contributed to this reporting.

The post Are Visa Denials The New Normal At World Coffee Competitions? appeared first on Sprudge.

seen 1st on http://sprudge.com

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mrwilliamcharley · 5 years

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Are Visa Denials The New Normal At World Coffee Competitions?

This story is developing. Do you know of other competitors having issues acquiring their visa? Contact us here.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman contributed to this reporting.

The post Are Visa Denials The New Normal At World Coffee Competitions? appeared first on Sprudge.

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furynewsnetwork · 7 years

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By Joshua Gill

March For Life and several other pro-life organizations unveiled a petition Thursday urging Great Ormond Street Hospital in England to allow Charlie Gard’s parents to seek treatment for the child elsewhere.

Jeanne Mancini, president of March For Life, stood alongside representatives from Concerned Women For America, Susan B Anthony List, Americans United for Life, Students for Life Of America, Family Research Council, in presenting a petition on Gard’s behalf.

The petition urges Great Ormond Street Hospital to allow Gard’s parents to seek nucleoside bypass treatment — which has reportedly improved the lives of two children diagnosed with similar mitochondrial diseases, despite the U.K. High Court’s claim that it had never been tested.

“The question at hand is not whether or not the treatment is going to actually work for Charlie, who has TK2 related mitochondrial depletion syndrome,” said Arina Grossu, director of the Center For Human Dignity at the Family Research Council. “We hope that it does, and we know that it has for others with less severe forms of TK2 MDS who are alive today as a result of that treatment. Why should Charlie be deprived of the chance for the same treatment?”

“The treatment is simple oral medication. That’s what it is. Why is Charlie being held hostage in this hospital,” Grossu added.

Grossu referred to the cases of Maxwell Smith and Arturo Estopiñan.

Smith, who lives in the U.K. with his parents, was diagnosed with a similar mitochondrial disease at nine months old. Doctors initially did nothing for the child until his parents, Peter and Emma Smith, researched various treatments and found nucleoside bypass therapy, which is administered in the form of oral medication. The Smiths, like the Gards, fundraised to have the treatment shipped to the U.K. Peter said the treatment has not only prolonged Maxwell’s life, who is now five years old, but that it has actually improved his condition.

“My son is doing amazingly well,” Peter told the Daily Express. “He is getting stronger and growing muscle mass. I am gobsmacked that the Gard family have effectively been blocked from trying this.”

Arturo, 6, who lives in Baltimore with his parents Arthur and Olga Estopiñan, was diagnosed with a form of mitochondrial depletion at just over a year old. Arturo also was given nucleoside bypass therapy and showed signs of improvement within three months of treatment, according to The Sun.

“We saw a difference in our son in just three months,” Arthur told The Sun. “Before the therapy he’d been unable to move his fingers or toes but after several months he could move his hands and feet. He was also more alert and awake. It was amazing to see our little boy coming back to us. There were no side effects either and after a year on the experimental medications he was well enough to come home.”

Gard’s form of TK2 MDS is rarer than the other two cases, and while there is the risk of side effects of nucleoside bypass treatment, Gard’s parents believe it is his best hope.

Representatives of March for Life and other pro-life groups said at the Thursday press conference they were encouraged by President Donald Trump and Pope Francis’ offers of support to Charlie Gard. Trump will also discuss Charlie Gard’s case and the prospect of treatment in the U.S. with U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May at the G20 summit Friday.

“But the most important thing is that his parents would be able to decide how to best treat their little boy. What’s happened right now is that the state is deciding when to end treatment. It’s heartbreaking,” Mancini told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

Mancini said they plan to present the petition to the hospital Friday evening and encouraged anyone willing to sign it before then.

“We want Charlie’s family to feel supported and for them to know that Charlie’s life is worth fighting for and it’s not just mom and dad who think that,” Mancini told TheDCNF. “I mean they have just thousands and thousands of people behind them.”

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yeshuadivine-blog · 7 years

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THE COMPANY YOU KEEP

Welcome readers, Today I just wanted to touch briefly on a few random thoughts that have crossed my mind this very day. I appreciate you taking this time to get to know me, you're a world class assembly. My people know me better than my own family as I'm the only black sheep that does what I do. I'm not only unique in everything I partake, I'm like this as a result of 22 years assimilation by global awareness. A tried & true worldly Gent. My lifelong project is to be studied. Your invaluable time will benefit your life. I'm 43 years old & have been studying the World for 22 years on the Internet.

I know Monday's can seem grueling, daunting & monotonous. Most of the time they are after your weekend break. My advice for new office workers is be spirited even if you're the only one in the office rested up after the weekend. Your attitude will change the week. Your pleasant demeanor will rub off on your co-workers & you'll be noticed by your Management. I'm not saying too crack jokes & get into their personal interests; therefore, working hard will show your motivation. Just have that congenial smile & make small talk about what's happening at your place of employment.

A few personal thoughts you might appreciate; Men like me drink their Martini's dirty w/ vodka, hold the vermouth, in a glass, on the rocks, shaken not stirred. That's the best way, fellas. I've never felt manly drinking out of a Martini glass among other male patrons. In fact after a year of sobriety, I'll only have a cocktail or glass of wine on a dinner date or celebration with a female companion. I've got my priorities straight. There comes a time hanging out with others isn't as important as seeking female companionship & the importance of your labor of employment.

Gents; you never approach a friends Woman, for no matter what reason. No amount of money or family entitlement dictates my love affairs. I'm seeking courtship with younger foreign girlfriends these days. I've had my share of American Women & I've been done with'em for years. I'm single! I've been celibate for 10+ years. I'm available for chat anytime Ladies, you just have to make yourself readily available & put yourself on my radar. Lets be social shall we? I'm up for a long distance relationship. I've found several Women of interest that I would love to travel abroad to see.

I need a Penthouse, an Arturo Fuente, a Martini, Woman, Cash & 2 Tickets to Paradise. I've not had a Vacation in years. I'm a workaholic & money is very important to me & the way of life I want to live. At this time I have a financial conservator so if you like me enough, I'll get you to me. I have a House, Car, etc. The essentials. I treat everyone as an individual w/ dignity; however, respect is my prerogative depending social stature, appearance & the company kept. The Company I keep & those of whom I admire are the ones I'm following & those that are following me in regards to Twitter. My Twitter account is now open too Women. Join us! Troy David 'Maestro' Beadles

(http://www.troydavidbeadles.com/2017/06/the-company-you-keep.html)

#tumblr Beadles Troy David #Straight SingleLife Employment Money Relationships Love Friendship Women Marriage

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