Before everyone comes at me 'NoT aLL MeN' yada yada yada yes some men are good fathers, good husbands ect. There are also women who aren't satisfactory spouses or parents and who abuse people. However my experience and the statistics themselves paint an abysmal picture of men and this is a thread about why women are choosing to avoid men and are increasingly choosing to be single and childfree. If you are one of the men who does the bare minimum I won't be patting you on the back. If you are one of the men who does the bare minimum then this thread wasn't created to complain about you. You can either back me up or move along.
I'm not going to go into too much detail about my personal life but I have kids. I enjoy being a mom, it's the best thing I have done and I don't regret my decision. I have always respected childfree people and their decision but I never understood why they felt that way, I just thought that they had no instinct to have kids and that might be the case for some of them, however I'm really starting to understand an even bigger elephant in the room and I would guess that a lot of it has to do with the state of men and the fact that women are increasingly walking away from relationships because they no longer want to be a maid, hooker, nanny and servant. Women want equality and equity and they aren't getting it. Women work more hours on average than men if you include family responsibilities and domestic tasks and not just paid employment. Women are also still being paid less. We haven't reached the degree of equity needed so that women can have multiple children and further her career. Women already have to work harder than men to achieve the same goals. Women still have to face systematic misogyny and becoming a mother inevitably increases the misogyny women are subjected to in the form of idealized motherhood. Women are held to higher moral standards than men and men get away with lackluster parenting because people expect them to be incompetent. If a man 'babysits' the child for a few hours over the weekend everyone pats him on the back. Men just have to do the bare minimum and they get a trophy. For the first time in history women finally have choices and more and more of them are opting out when it comes to having anything to do with men.
The statistics surrounding men paint a frightening picture. I will provide links here
Women Work Harder And More Intensively Than Men: Study
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ndtv.com/feature/women-work-harder-and-more-intensively-than-men-study-3679003/amp/1
Women are being bogged down with tasks that men don't want to do at work
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/women-are-more-productive-than-men-at-work-these-days/
It's official: women work nearly an hour longer than men every day
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/06/its-official-women-work-nearly-an-hour-longer-than-men-every-day/
research shows men often need a little more help than their partners when considering issues of influence, respect, and power
https://www.gottman.com/blog/manage-conflict-accepting-influence/#:~:text=Gottman%20suggests%20actively%20looking%20for,That's%20the%20secret.
The prevalence and seriousness of incestuous abuse: Stepfathers vs. biological fathers
According to this study a whopping 1 in 6 stepfathers are nonces and 1 in 40 women are sexually abused by their biological fathers. To make things even more shocking these numbers are underestimated, since the study only highlights women, it doesn't cover men who were sexually abused as boys by their male parental figure. Considering the fact that 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused by the age of 16 and some of those abusers are male parental figures, the numbers are even higher than this study suggests.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0145213484900450
https://1in6.org/statistic/
A third of male university students say they would rape a woman if there no were no consequences
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/a-third-of-male-university-students-say-they-would-rape-a-woman-if-there-no-were-no-consequences-9978052.html
Survey suggests 1 in 10 men admit that it's OK to hit a woman
https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/survey-suggests-1-in-10-men-think-it-s-ok-to-hit-a-woman-1.781324?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
Victims of sexual violence, statistics
On average, there are 463,634 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States alone
https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence
Violence against women and girls – what the data tells us
https://liveprod.worldbank.org/en/data-stories/overview-of-gender-based-violence
Domestic violence perpetrators - women vs men
women’s violence usually occurs in the context of violence against them by their male partners; (b) in general, women and men perpetrate equivalent levels of physical and psychological aggression, but evidence suggests that men perpetrate sexual abuse, coercive control, and stalking more frequently than women and that women also are much more frequently injured during domestic violence incidents; (c) women and men are equally likely to initiate physical violence in relationships involving less serious “situational couple violence,” and in relationships in which serious and very violent “intimate terrorism” occurs, men are much more likely to be perpetrators and women victims; (d) women’s physical violence is more likely than men’s violence to be motivated by self-defense and fear, whereas men’s physical violence is more likely than women’s to be driven by control motives; (e) studies of couples in mutually violent relationships find more negative effects for women than for men
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2968709/
When you look at men as a whole group an unfortunate number of them do not make suitable husbands and fathers.
You can't blame women for 'picking wrong' when the statistics are this terrible. Now women have had the choice, they have had enough of men.
So what do you even suggest? Get all the 'good' men with emotional intelligence, kindness and integrity and allow them to take multiple wives? Make it easier for women to exist as single mothers? Because men as a group are failing women and children and enforced monogamy means that a high proportion of women and children will suffer abuse.
Because at this point, if I were a single woman, I would rather SHARE a husband that was a decent person or be single as opposed to having a pool of potential predators and abusers to choose from. That's how bad men are.

I’m dealing with a smaller Mom & Pop type company who I’ve sent my work to for 6-7 years now. We’ve had a good working relationship up until recently when I sent 2 stair stringers over. The owner who’s in his mid to late 60’s and who I would describe as grumpy, sent his staff home early the day we dropped them off and he attempted to hand bomb them himself with the help of my guy. Apparently he tripped and almost fell off our trailer and was super pissed off yelling at my guy. But to me we did nothing wrong we came within normal business hours. He could have told us to come back another day, how were we supposed to know he had no staff?
That job gets completed and according to their standard charge per foot it should have came out to around $1150. My bill was $1800. We also had to sand and paint some areas where the powder didn’t adhere. They blamed our prep saying we didn’t sand anything but my guys sand everything after welding. They spend an extra day or two on sanding & finishing starting with angle grinders and finishing with palm sanders.
I just went ahead and paid that and I should have stopped sending them my stuff right then and there but I figured it was a one off over charge. My next job was aluminum railings. 10 pcs that total 78.5’. The standard price is $18.40 per foot. The bill I’m expecting was around $1450. The bill I get is $2250. They tell me they also charge an extra 2’ per part for space in between and that two of my railings had pin holes in the welds so they charged me 16’ twice to re do them.
I’ve used other companies in the past and never heard of charging extra space in between. When they tell me the price per foot it’s based on the part length. They’ve also never charged me for pin holes in welds.
My gut instinct is telling me that something isn’t right here and I’m being over charged. These invoices don’t align with this company’s past ones I’ve paid either. I went back and worked out prices per foot for similar jobs and these are much higher it’s just not adding up.

Are you considering getting dental veneers to enhance your smile? Veneers are a popular cosmetic dental treatment that can transform the appearance of your teeth, correcting issues like discoloration, chips, gaps, or misalignment. However, before you embark on this journey, it’s essential to understand what the dental veneer procedure entails and what to expect throughout the process. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the steps involved, from the initial consultation to the final placement of your veneers, ensuring you’re well-informed and prepared for a successful outcome.
What Are Dental Veneers? Dental veneers are thin, custom-made shells designed to cover the front surface of your teeth. They are typically made from porcelain or composite resin materials, which are carefully crafted to mimic the natural appearance of your teeth. Veneers are a popular choice for individuals seeking to improve the aesthetics of their smile, as they can address a wide range of cosmetic concerns, including:

• Discolored or stained teeth
• Chipped or cracked teeth
• Gaps or spacing issues
• Misshapen or irregularly shaped teeth
• Minor misalignment or crowding

By bonding these thin shells to the front of your teeth, veneers can create a uniform, beautiful, and natural-looking smile.
The Dental Veneer Procedure: Step-by-Step Getting dental veneers typically involves several steps, which may require multiple visits to your dentist or cosmetic dentist. Here’s what you can expect during the dental veneer procedure:

1. Initial Consultation The first step in the process is an initial consultation with your dentist. During this appointment, your dentist will evaluate your oral health, discuss your desired outcome, and determine if veneers are the right solution for you. They may take X-rays, impressions, or digital scans of your teeth to assess the condition of your teeth and gums.
2. Tooth Preparation (Optional) If tooth preparation is necessary, your dentist will carefully remove a thin layer of enamel from the front surface of your teeth. This step is crucial to ensure a proper fit and natural appearance of the veneers. The amount of enamel removed is typically minimal, ranging from 0.3 to 0.7 millimeters.
3. Temporary Veneers (Optional) In some cases, your dentist may provide you with temporary veneers to wear while you wait for your permanent veneers to be fabricated. These temporary veneers protect your prepared teeth and allow you to get a preview of how your final veneers will look and feel.
4. Veneer Fabrication Once your impressions or digital scans are received by the dental laboratory, skilled technicians will carefully craft your custom veneers. This process can take several days or weeks, depending on the complexity of your case and the type of veneers you’ve chosen.
5. Veneer Placement When your custom veneers are ready, you’ll return to your dentist’s office for the final placement. During this appointment, your dentist will carefully remove any temporary veneers (if applicable) and thoroughly clean and prepare your teeth for the bonding process. Next, your dentist will use a special adhesive to bond each veneer to the front surface of your prepared teeth. They will carefully position and adjust each veneer to ensure a proper fit and natural appearance.
6. Final Adjustments and Polishing After the veneers are securely bonded, your dentist will make any necessary adjustments to ensure a comfortable fit and proper bite alignment. They may also polish the veneers to achieve a natural, lustrous finish that blends seamlessly with your existing teeth.

Aftercare and Maintenance Proper care and maintenance are essential to ensure the longevity and durability of your dental veneers. Your dentist will provide you with specific instructions on how to care for your new veneers, which may include:

• Brushing and flossing regularly
• Avoiding hard or sticky foods
• Wearing a nightguard (if recommended)
• Regular dental check-ups

With proper care and maintenance, dental veneers can last for many years, providing you with a beautiful, confident smile.
Potential Risks and Considerations While dental veneers are a safe and effective cosmetic treatment, it’s important to be aware of potential risks and considerations:

• Tooth sensitivity
• Irreversible procedure
• Potential for chipping or cracking
• Cost

Conclusion Dental veneers are a popular and effective solution for enhancing the appearance of your smile. By understanding the dental veneer procedure and what to expect, you can make an informed decision and prepare yourself for a successful outcome. Remember to communicate openly with your dentist, follow their instructions for care and maintenance, and be patient throughout the process. With the right approach and care, your new veneers can provide you with a beautiful, confident smile for years to come.
URL: https://www.xhaowen.com/dental-veneer-procedure.html

So, this has been going on for a while now. I met this amazing girl back in August of 2023 in a university club. I didn’t realized I had feelings for her until late October and I ended up asking her out in December once I was able to build up my courage. She enthusiastically agreed to go out and our first date was super fun. We went to the bowling alley where she destroyed me in every arcade game but I got a new pb in bowling that day.
Afterwards we went and ate at a restaurant that was coincidentally both our favorite restaurant. We talked there until the restaurant had to close, I offered to teach her to oil paint, she assumed that I meant right then and there at my place but I said it was getting a little late and we should probably call it a night. She looked a little bummed I won’t like, but I told her we could paint next time.
So we did exactly that, our next date was on our campus, I had baked us some cookies and made us some hot cocoa from scratch. We painted for a long time, hers was a lot better than mine… but we had a great time. Then the time came to end the night and she told me she had a wonderful time and thought I was an amazing guy but said something like “I thought about it over the break, and I don’t think I can date right now, but I would love to still be your friend” I took it as best as I could and told her it was ok and we both headed home.
She sent me a text as soon as I got home saying how she couldn’t get the right words out then in person so she wanted to clarify some things. She said “I’m just not interested in dating anyone right now, period.” This really baffled me at the time and it made me feel like I was the issue.
In the past, I’ve been lead on by someone so they could use me for emotional comfort. This girl and I actually talked about our past relationships on our first date. I learned that she had 2 exes but I wasn’t aware at the time at how recently she had broken up with her ex. But her and I bonded over being manipulated by our past partners and talking about our ideal relationship.
Anyways, I truly do enjoy her as a friend. So I wanted to respect her wishes and I didn’t ask her out again. The most I did was during Valentine’s Day I carved her a little charm to take with her on a long trip for one of her other clubs. She loved it a lot, I planned on just giving it to her and leaving but every time I tried to get up she’d insist we keep talking, so we did for a few more hours until she had to go to a meeting.
My feelings got the better of me and I sent her a long text describing how much I respected her and felt like maybe I was the issue to why things didn’t work out. I really regret sending this, but she was very respectful and replied with her saying that it absolutely wasn’t my fault and it’s something with her that she did not go into detail with.
Fast foward a bit, here we are in summer. We’ve only grown closer and she’s told me more about her exes over time. I never prodded her for this info, it usually just naturally came up in conversation. Turns out she broke up with her ex only a few months before we went out for the first time. This was because he was extremely awkward with her family and really wanted nothing to do with them. He embarrassed her in front of her whole family and we was absolutely way too attached to her.
Now, we have been hanging out together every week. We would normally hang out with other members of our club but now its just her and I. She comes over and brings me ingredients to cook with and I cook for the both of us. Afterwards we relax on the couch and watch some shows together. We get really close, the tension is really thick but I don't want to accidentally read the wrong signals and make a move.
The last time she was over was last Saturday. My dog jumped up between us on the couch as we were watching JoJo. I wrapped my arm around my dog but as I was doing so i nearly wrapped my arm around her too, it felt so natural but I realized what I was doing and I readjusted my arm so it was just around my dog. Later we end up leaning against each other's shoulders, I REALLY wanted to wrap my arm around her or just straight up ask her if it was ok if I held her but I just don't know.
Also, last time she came over, she surprised me with cheesecake that she had baked herself. She made little mini cakes for my entire household. She teased she was making them beforehand but I had no idea they were for me and my family.
There are plenty of other scenarios where the tension between us has been high, but I've already been kinda ranting so I don't want to go into the nitty gritty. I will edit the post if there's need for the smaller things.
Something I have forgotten to mention is that we have a lot of mutual friends in our club, as a matter of fact I am the new President of the club and she is the Vice President. Whenever we hang out with just us two, we don't really tell our other friends about it. Nobody in our close friend group of the club knows we went out before or that we hang out often now. I'm not sure if I should take anything from this, I know she tells her parents and some of her friends about me. I remember going to her house for the first time to help her unload some things along with a few other of the club members and she introduced everyone to her mom and when she got to me she said "You already know this guy" even though I have not met her mother before.
I could just be completely delusional, maybe she's not dropping any hints. If thats the case I am perfectly content with her and I hanging out, the last thing I want is to lose such a great friend I've made. I don't want her to feel pressured into dating again, the real reason as to why she isn't interested in dating frankly isn't my business. I can narrow it down to a few things all of which are pretty understandable. Such as her working 2 jobs while being in like 3 clubs and having to deal with school on top of that. I am just really grateful she's here.
So TL;DR, Girl I went out with a few months ago said she wasn't interested in dating, we hang out a lot more now and I feel like I should make a move to see if that's changed or not but I don't know how to.

putting a tw for: body shaming at a young age, negative food talk, emotional neglect/abuse possibly, bad negative self talk, derealisation, body dysphoria issues, suicidal talk/depression, weight loss talk. plz be advised when reading or don’t if its too heavy.
also this is long, im just hoping someone would take the time to read and provide what they can. no one is obligated to read, thanks.
im genuinely starting to get upset and its killing me inside, when i look for support or any help anywhere there is none. all the content on instagram is targeted towards those who’ve made it past that age and survived having to cover up or not dress how they want. no one ever seems to care about the teen and tween girls who currently deal with this kind of stuff cause it seems to them it doesn’t exist anymore. its disappointing to see and shows i dont belong in any community so i’ve come here
im currently 17 and for the past multiple years ever since i started being heavier around the end of 5th grade it feels like my father has been more ashamed of his daughters body and has tried to cover me up and tell me what i should wear. im also dealing with covering up my severe depression and trauma so theres more thats kinda related to this but i dont want to stray off topic
when i was four my dad put me in the child acting industry based in la/weho. that wasn’t that traumatic for me honestly and didn’t take away from being a child but during that time my dad would sometimes get angry when i wanted a snack such as chips or a cookie, he would threaten me and be like “youre gonna grow as big as a house” or “of course you want the cookies”. keep in mind i was only in early elementary school around this time. and in fifth grade he signed me up for this shoot where it was some sort of tv pilot pitch where it was described as the biggest loser for kids and they had other slimmer kids on set that wore fat suits basically and i was the biggest one there. i belived i had to have a fitness routine at 11 in the fifth grade and started working out for two days
into middle school i started getting known for being a bigger girl but i remember around 7th-8th grade my dad kept saying how the clothes i had were too small when i was just trying to dress trendy or like similar styles like any middle school girl. if not that then it was stuff that was too “childish” or fit snug on me. this is when i started to feel totally repulsed about my body and dreaming about wearing what i wanted. and even to this day he periodically will get upset and disappointed in me being dressed down with my hair up just to do something mundane or for my therapy appointment. i was wearing hoodies or shirts with leggings. i remember when we were at six flags for my birthday and i was wearing a cute tank top that slightly showed a bit of tummy and he forcibly pulled the shirt down.
and getting into high school and up into this point he periodically, gets mad and upset when im wearing a certain outfit to go somewhere simple or drags me into the plus sized women’s section of kohls to look for clothes i don’t need and want. i remember when he took me to get my blood drawn i was on my period and wore pants that i typically do cause im uncomfy naturally on it and he got mad and i went into my room trying to calm down and not argue because its pointless with him, and i already knew he was gonna come in and go in my closet and tell me to change into a different pair of pants i don’t wear or what he liked. i always have to please what he likes or i should be wearing in my size.
up until recently he’s telling me i need to get a new wardrobe, that all my clothes are small when they just fit snug or my tummy shows through, (i go thrifting with my mom alot), and convincing me to shop in the plus sized women’s section of jcpenny and kohls. mind you he’s in his early 60s so i dont wanna hear “who still shops there” cause thats not making me feel better about myself at all. i remember he took me to see the women’s shorts and pants, all straight fitting long shorts that were two sizes too big on me. him sending me pictures of mens shirts that are oversized on me because i have some mens pants that i wear as jeans. when he took me shopping recently for athletic wear and told me i NEEDED new shorts and pants because the ones my mom gets are “too tight” when they fit me comfortably and the shorts i have to try on are long and big on me, i literally put them on and feel disgusting like im dressing for pe class, i dont say anything other than they just look plain in which he tells me im not supposed to look stylish at the gym and be comfortable. but when i wear them to the gym they keep falling down on me past half my ass no matter how much i have the draw string tied and im constantly pulling them up. when i have to struggle to not tell him i dont like any of the stuff he chooses for me or think fits since he gets mad and angry about it but also gets upset when i dont wear any of the things he gets me. and for the past two years i start to realize why he’s getting me to wear oversized or bigger clothes for me, because anything my size is too tight basically.
he’s told me my first cosplay i put together myself at fifteen looks raggedy and made me look like a street urchin, he didn’t let me get thin framed glasses i liked that were in our budget because my head was too wide for them and they just looked ugly to him, when he got a dress i needed for a cosplay in my size he made my mom try it on before i did and told me it was tight on her, said that the brand name suggested it was too small, kept telling i needed a bigger size, then when i tried it on and it fit perfectly he kept wondering if it was too tight. i dont even want to do any cosplay or get better cause of him and i cant even dress or put effort in outfits like i did in middle school. now i just feel like a burden cause of my body, something that needs to be hidden away, like everything is my fault because im bigger.
i feel repulsed and never take pictures, only when i feel like i should. my dad doesn’t take pictures of me anymore or puts up any photos of me in middle school or high school like he did my brother, only those photos of me as a young child. now im dealing with binge eating habits that affect me, weighing more than my parents, having shame about eating in public, feeling guilt when i eat, and not feeling like a person. even if friends take fun pictures of me i feel freaked out. im not living, and i dont know how im supposed to be accepted by this community when im forced to hate myself in real life and get jealous over those who’ve already made it past the shame in hiding themselves or appealing to society’s standards. and this is on top of processing me hiding my autism and severe depression and trauma. i dont want to keep dealing with thinner people who dont understand. and dont even ask if my mother is better, she just tells me that my dad would hate certain clothes and constantly nags me about having to shop at torrid. and im hoping to move out into a dorm around next year but this is something that’s killing me besides other things and i dont have any support because im the biggest person i know personally.

The Commonwealth is Not Yet Lost
So long as we still live.
What the foreign power has seized from us,
We shall recapture with a sabre. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ All exclaim in unison,
"Enough of this captivity!"
We've got the scythes of Racławice,
Kościuszko, if God wills.

^vibe
Kuznetsov Naval Academy Review
Cayenne, Guiana

Summer, 2072 Volume Thirty One, Number Two 

Guiana On the Spear Point: The Fallen Commonwealth

By: Cursor Lucullus
The fall of the EU and The Commonwealth is the greatest geopolitical disaster of this century, all at once Democracy's Great Shield collapsed leaving The Commonwealth's Defense Forces out of position and out of time. Assisted by the Bandung Pact, our foul weather friends, the Commonwealth's great navy ferried much of their strength to Naval Base Dégrad des Cannes and Naval Air Station Meridiem.
Governor of Guiana, Dmitri Benoît welcomed President Maxim Katz and Fleet Admiral Kalev Morozov with open arms, with the president taking up temporary residence in the Hotel "Le Paradis d'Émeraude". President Maxim Katz has instilled upon the nation that The Commonwealth's ideals of freedom and individuality will not be trampled upon, highlighting the government's commitment to protecting citizens' liberties and maintaining a stable, just society.

GALLERY: Guiana Space Centre during Rocket Launch Operations.

General Secretary of Commonwealth Space Operations Anastasia Wisniewska met with Fleet Admiral Kalev Morozov to discuss the security of the Guiana Space Pier Array, one of the very few remaining links between Mother Earth and the Commonwealths numerous space colonies, to ensure the continued export of the Solar System's vast resource bounty to resource starved industries. Recognizing the strategic importance of the Guiana Space Piers, both leaders emphasized the need for heightened security measures and robust logistical support to safeguard this critical infrastructure.
The Commonwealth's Red Banner Northern Fleet Headquarter's have been shifted temporarily to Naval Base Dégrad des Cannes until it can be returned North once more. In the meantime dozens of warships including Four Fleet Carriers Float in Dégrad des Cannes, proving that The Commonwealth's Strength, while weakened is still a tantamount threat to those who wish to test Democracy's Great Shield.
^{This Full Issue is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Kuznetsov Naval Academy Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Kuznetsov Naval Academy Review by an authorized editor of Kuznetsov Naval Academy Digital Commons. For more information, please contact repository.inquiries@akna.edu.}
The hum of the trio of Nuclear Reactors hung in the air in a quiet chorus that whispered at the two Engineering Cadet's Ears. For the first time since they had left Severomorsk, the Cadets had dared to enter the Engine Room, having before being assigned to chipping away old paint and other simple deckwork. They stood atop the ladder leading down further into the crowded Engineering space, cluttered with pipes, lead shielding, cooling pipes, and, most importantly, Engineers. The Cadets used to the heat of an Engine Room, found the steam whistling through the pipes a newfound annoyance. While staring in dumbstruck awe at the calamity of activity before them, a man in a boilersuit dogged the hatch behind and then not-so-politely pushed past them and proceeded down the ladder. Upon reaching the bottom, the man turned and looked back up at them, "You two, get down here! We've got work to do."
The cadets walked down the ladder towards the man, each attempting in a mess of words to explain that they were not part of the ship's crew and instead simply cadets who found their way aboard during the evacuation. The Engineer just looked confused. "Cadets or not, I need hands. If you can follow orders and hold a wrench, you're crew enough for me. Now stop yammering and get to work!"
Wordlessly they followed him deeper into this ships bowels, ducking under pipes until they reached a catwalk over one of the reactors shielding. "You two got names?" The Engineer asked.
"Emīlija and Ivan, Sir," Emīlija responded.
"I’m Chief Engineer Marek Nowakowski. Either of you got a light?"
The Cadets pulled out E-Cigarettes, and Chief Nowakowski waved his hand, stuck a cigarette between his teeth, turned around, and grabbed a broom.
"Do you know what this is?" He asked.
"A Broom?" Ivan responded.
"Very good; now go find the high-pressure steam leak."
"With a broom?"
"Yes. When the end of the broom touches the leak, it will be destroyed. Good luck."
"Seriously? Like, isn't this what they did during the Great Patriotic War? I think my great-grandfather died doing this!"
"No, I'm not fucking serious; didnt you learn how to do this in the academy?"
"No."
"Oh."
The Chief's Radio crackled to life, informing him they were about to arrive in Guiana.
"Get topside; it's a beautiful view you don't want to miss," Nowakowski ordered them.
Leaning against the Bridge Wing, Ivan and Emīlija stared at the endless jungle on either side as the Aircraft Carrier HICMS Kazimierz Wielki was pushed against the pier by a fleet of tugs. Off in the distance, the Space Piers were a hub of commercial activity, and beside them, Cayenne was simply a wall of beautiful buildings and dazzling lights.

The Commonwealth

The Commonwealth is all that is left of the Polish-Lithuanian Dual Republic, The French Republic and a significant of part of Russia herself. Betrayed by all sides, we are not angry, much, simply disappointed in our former friends and allies.

• Official Languages: French-Guianese Creole, French, Russian, Polish, Lithuanian, Estonian, Latvian.
  
• Capital: Cayenne
  
• Head of Government: President Maxim Katz
  
• Population: 3,863,000
  

Ok, not sure on how to title this. But my machine shop is just getting to my block so Im starting to plan my 1.8 BP build. I have a bottle of lucas assembly lube ready, but after watching a video from Muscle Car Solutions, it seems like the assembly lube falls off pretty quickly. Ill be building my motor overtime as I figure stuff out and get more parts, so I'd want something to make SURE it lasts. I feel like im overthinking this but a concern is like my oil pump that Im putting upgraded gears into. I feel lube would work but I noticed after putting some of the lube it came with from BE, it thinned out after a few days. I was thinking if I could possibly put like a layer of grease so I didnt have to worry about it falling off. Now really am I just overthinking this or what?

First Previous Wiki
Penny gazed at the quartet of Elders. They were all wearing the merchandise she remembered from the last Judgment, which was exceedingly awkward. Mainly because they were wearing shirts with her face on them. But it was also oddly endearing, in a way. Until now, she hadn't seen too many Elders that were on her side.
Elders that weren't just Kashaunta or the familiar faces she already knew, like Spentha or Rho and Sai, actually showing appreciation of her, felt odd. Even if these ones went a little too far in it.
"You're even more beautiful in person, Liberator," one said.
"Uh, thanks. I appreciate that. I'm glad that you all like me. Rho and Sai told me that you all are interested in something I can give you?"
"Yeah. Maybe a short interview? We won't be like that airhead reporter. We'll ask the good questions."
"Yep, we will."
"Right then," Penny said. "Well, I'm glad to meet you."
"Thank you. Now that we're here, we'd like to know how you plan on taking care of the gang leaders."
"Well, presumably by imprisoning them. I don't think they deserve to die, even if others do. I'll leave that decision up to Justicar and his various judges in the criminal system."
Penny didn't like having to lie blatantly. She wanted to kill the slavers quite brutally, but doing that was a bad idea right now. Saying it also was a bad idea, for a similar reason. And Justicar's system was worryingly preferential to Elders, from what she'd looked up after the meeting with Pundacrawla.
"Aren't you worried that the Judges won't give proper justice?"
"I trust Justicar to do everything that is necessary."
Another lie. Justicar would do whatever he could to maintain his image. Hopefully, that wouldn't be at the cost of the Alliance's very existence.
"Got it. By the way, what's it like being human? Walking on only two legs. It seems kind of unstable. Do you fall a lot?"
A genuine curiosity from them was another breath of fresh air. It was the kind of question a quadruped would definitely ask, which put her more at ease about the nature of what they were trying to do. Even more than their evident support of her, with all the merch they were wearing. Penny felt a smile crack at the corners of her lips, unbidden.
"Not really. We can use our arms to steady ourselves pretty well. Obviously it's not as easy to balance on our two legs as it is with your four, but it's still good enough. In fact, the sprinters in the Olympics use all four limbs, since running as fast as possible also requires pumping our arms. As for what it's like to be human, it's hard to describe. For many of us, it will feel colder or warmer than Sprilnav would feel in the same temperatures, due to thinner skin. Our eyesight is more frontal than yours, given our lack of snouts, so our blindspots are a lot bigger. Our feet require shoes for rough ground, and we heal slower than you by around 20%. We can't really clack our jaws to the scale that you can, though we can make them meet."
Penny bared her teeth, showing as she opened and closed her mouth. It was nice to be able to talk about things like this.
"The Olympics?" one of them asked.
"It's a competition about athletics," Penny said. "Running, jumping, throwing, diving, swimming, skiing, snowboarding, and a lot of sports. There's specific divisions, too. Like how there's a 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash, and even an 800 meter dash for those with high levels of psychic energy. Though really, psychic energy and genetic editing have been messing with the events for a while now. And there's a Winter, Summer, and Space Olympics, each with different sorts of events. They move from city to city, though the Space Olympics are pretty much always on either Luna, Ceres, or Mercury. There's a lot more information out there on various events, but it's an old cultural practice revered by the entire species. Even more so since Phoebe's increased the prize pools for everyone."
"How does your species handle space in general? I know that you guys did things way differently before First Contact."
"We did. Mining companies kept tight control on all asteroid mining, while nations controlled planets like Earth and Mars and large planetary bodies like Luna. Supposedly, a few people planned for a cloud city on Venus, but we couldn't risk having such a vulnerable population because they'd have to rely on giant balloons to survive. That would probably be the least secure way to live, given the existence of rogue organizations and all that.
As for spaceships, most of them since we really colonized Luna come equipped with spacesuit bays, zero gravity water and food packs, oxygen tanks, emergency seats, specialized anti-micrometeorite hulls, and radiation shielding. A lot of the older military ships also were equipped with big radiators until World War Three, when it all became masses of drone warfare, with the big ships kept mainly for cargo and lanes where mass drone control was impossible.
Once the Vinarii came and we got shields, we started building big again. After all, it provided a huge number of jobs, and in the post-war economies, especially with VIs in place, a lot of people needed work. But we still go and do asteroid and moon mining, star lifting, and energy gathering. We built an orbital ring around Mercury, the closest planet to Sol, to help with all of that. It doubles as a production hub, too. Now, it's all in more systems and with a lot more friends."
"Speaking of aliens, what theory does your people have on why so many creatures resemble one another? Our jaws are adapted for hard shelled creatures, and we're told that many planets have oddly similar variations of those."
"Crabs."
She guessed what they were getting at.
It is odd, isn't it? Nilnacrawla observed.
Perhaps that is another one of the Source's whims, Penny thought.
Maybe.
A few of the Elders made exclamations of shock.
"You even have a word for them that directly translates!"
Penny chuckled. "Yeah, carcinization is a bit of a meme in the science community. But I've heard the most mainstream theories since the First Contact are that the Source itself is uncreative. It has a certain template of creatures which it largely doesn't alter, though it can take in inputs from beings close to it, perhaps even influencing them."
"Influencing them?"
"Yes. Modern depictions of wendigoes, folkloric creatures from North America, a continent on Earth, are shockingly similar to the Knowers in appearance. The internet depictions of them in particular like to emphasize canine qualities, and often show them with skulls visible directly, and with dark brown or black fur. Recent depictions, as in the past 300 years, differ from their original appearances quite significantly, with the canine characteristics in particular being enhanced.
We have sorted through all known images of these creatures and found roughly 80% similarity with the Knowers and tens of thousands of images that are literally exactly the same as Knowers. The ones we searched all came before World War Three, far before even the First Contact with the Vinarii, much less the Knowers who were entirely underground at the time due to the radiation of their home star. We believe that the Source managed to influence this facet of human culture with the actual existence of a real creature.
Other examples exist, like how the Trikkec look very similar to Komodo Dragons, Vinarii look very similar to insects known as a mantis, and the Acuarfar look exactly like insects known as wasps with the single exception of their furry snouts and green instead of yellow markings. The Sprilnav species itself shares high amounts of similarity with a fictional species known as Elites in early 2000s culture, particularly with your jaws, though you all have red skin instead of grey or brown.
The Junyli, Dreedeen, and the wanderers are the main species without high amounts of appearance in our cultures at some point. This correlates with the idea of the Source being the influencer, as their predecessors all were used to fight it. Many species of the galaxy look like parts of our culture or Earth's creatures. The proximity of these examples makes this far more suspicious than if they were across the galaxy.
But since they existed first, the only answer must be that the Source brought the influence to us first and planted the ideas in our heads. As for the ones which look like Earth creatures, all of them are old enough evolutionary branches that copying from them to Earth makes more sense. Though the references centering around the early 2000s is quite odd, it is also roughly when the internet came into wide existence, so it is also possible the Source gave the ideas a push so they would propagate, for an unknown reason. Like if it seeded the ideas that propagated across the early global network Humanity used."
"Hmm. Fascinating. We've seen evidence of the 'seeding' process among some historical nations near the galactic region of Earth before. So the Source re-uses and alters depictions of life and also life itself?"
"Maybe," Penny said. "Unless the Source is more directly tied to life than we think. There's a conceptual Death, but no conceptual Life. Isn't that odd?"
"Conceptual Life died in the Source war."
How did that really work, though? Penny asked Nilnacrawla.
Imagine a conceptual being. A few of the Progenitors, as well as Narvravarana, went up to try to harvest its power. It refused, and Narvravarana used its unique abilities to try and force the deal.
Why was your civilization like this?
Excess and greed, partly. But we couldn't really do much more expansion. Vertical expansion also had its limits if we wanted to remain relevant for the remaining lifespan of the universe. So Narvravarana, along with a few of the greatest rulers and leaders of Sprilnav society, started looking to other dimensional planes. They figured it was best not to let the problem get too much worse. Or at least, that is what they say. I believe it was to harvest more resources to use against our surrounding enemies.
You didn't have any allies? Penny asked.
At that time, all the powers of the universe were enemies. All the allies eventually merged through millions of years of normalization. We happened to get on the universal stage the earliest, so other civilizations we encountered had little choice but to surrender their independence. Some fought, others didn't, but the outcome was the same.
That seems terrible.
It was, though the other universal civilizations were no better. Some of them just exterminated all alien life they found that couldn't fight back. In that sense, the pre-war Sprilnav civilization was one of the greatest, and that's why I fought for them. Obviously, I'm biased in that regard, though.
Thanks for telling me, father.
No problem, Penny.
She refocused back on the conversation at hand.
"But a thing cannot be alive if it dies. The concept of life doesn't work that way. So maybe the Source just... took in the concept of life? Or absorbed it into whatever psychic energy really is, considering that it's responsible for all of our existence?"
"That's so crazy it might actually be true," one of the Elders said. "You're incredible, Penny."
"Uh, thanks. You're all pretty great too." Her eyes drifted to the images of herself on their clothing. She couldn't really help it.
"I have a question for you."
"Yes?"
"Do you know what I'm fighting for?"
"I assume since you're asking it here, you don't just want a one word answer," an Elder said. "I would say yes, and for the liberation of the Sprilnav from the stain of slavery. Though going deeper into your history, you have also fought for other species, either in wars or just generally moving around. It does look aimless, mostly, since the galaxy's so big. But I'm sure you've got a way through that."
"In some way. Part of why I'm here isn't just about my people. It was at first, I admit that. But as I have lived here, on Justicar, for days and weeks, I've seen you less as alien. It makes it easier for sympathy and easier to break out of simple mindsets. So far, there are many problems, but there are distinct pieces. The first is that many people want to uphold slavery. I'm not sure why, but they do. It isn't profitable, and it isn't moral. Robots are cheaper in every way, and don't need food or water.
That means it's illogical or emotional. So I could try and solve the problem with violence alone, but it won't be addressing the cause, only the symptoms. I need to get to the heart of the matter. And I think it has to do with Elders' memories and the gradual woes they have accumulated going through life. I don't want to tear that away or drug them into believing they're fine. I want to find a way to outlet that productively. The second part I have identified is scale. The galaxy is enormous, and your species is incredibly numerous. I could fight planet by planet for the rest of my life, and liberation would still be difficult.
That also means I'd need a better way of doing things. Maybe an economic or political incentive. Emotional reasons will not work permanently, nor will logic, since we are in this situation. I have found several ways to address this. Sadly, since the gangs are likely monitoring this feed, I can't just outright say my strategy. All I can ask you all to do is to believe. Believe that I have a solution, and that I and those who stand with me are working on it. Believe in me because I believe in you."
None of the Elders questioned or ridiculed her words. Most of it was because they were fans of her. But one of them, an Elder named Rahautiti, had a distinct glint in his eye. Their gazes met only momentarily, but Penny could tell he knew.
And so she appeared in the mindscape, even as they concluded the interview, which would be the first of many. It was a ploy to just talk about human culture and ideals a bit more, to get it out there. Because the hivemind's theory was correct.
In the universe, ideas had power. That power could be weaponized against those who previously stood to gain. The first part of it was the image: Nova as an unbeatable bastion. Lecalicus as the Beast, a monster capable of star-crushing rage. Twilight as... whatever she did. Penny wasn't really familiar with the Progenitor's image too much, and the various names, like the Silent Night or the Smiling Darkness, were just so unbelievably edgy she cringed every time she recalled them.
But Rahautiti understood so she moved her mindscape avatar to see him.
"Hello again, Penny. I am no threat."
"I know. I'm glad that your group is led by someone as capable as you, as well as the other groups you dabble within."
"Who discovered it?"
"Phoebe. You met with Ezeonwha, and the android wanted to ensure you weren't a way for Yasihaut to kill him."
"Yeah. We did get approached about that, actually. We're supposed to kill Ezeonwha when you walk into the Judgment hall. Of course, we won't do this, and she won't be able to retaliate against us easily while there."
"Thank you for your honesty, Elder," Penny said. "It seems I'm in your debt."
"Nonsense. 2,839. That is the number of children I have had. 2,626. That is the number of children of mine which were enslaved. The remaining 213 died in unrelated incidents, with nearly half of those involving slavers killing them. I remember all of their names, and all of their faces, Penny. I want all the slavers in this universe dead."
"I cannot achieve that."
"You cannot," Rahautiti agreed. "Not with my help or even that of Kashaunta and Lecalicus. And certainly not right now. I have not lived this long to be incapable of compromise or patchwork solutions. You show great promise. I understand your aversion to killing and the circumstantial reason why you are not doing so now. I will not grow upset if you do not resume killing when the Judgment ends. Nor do I harbor a grudge against you for the speeding space entity you left outside the room to avoid uncomfortable publicity. You are incredibly young.
A sliver of a life. But you are strong, and you are mature. That sliver of your lifespan already outshines all I could do with a trillion more years, Penny. You are right in that this isn't something you can punch your way through. Trauma is part of why slavery still exists, despite it being a wholly unjust reason for the Elders to make such a sport of it. I am sure you know the story of the war, with a great hero in your head and Kashaunta at your side. My line of work is what I started to help you. Every thought about you being the Liberator, every eye that glances on you freeing slaves, helps you to gather conceptual energy. My talent happens to be great enough to sense the Pact of Blades you have, as well. If you want, I can teach you how to hide the mark on your soul and your mind."
"I would like that, yes," Penny said. "And thank you for being so reasonable. I will ask Kashaunta to protect you from what consequences come for refusing the offer on Ezeonwha."
"There are going to be attacks on him, you know. Him and your ship."
Penny felt an odd feeling in her soul. Cardi's power flared around him, and she squinted at the sky. She just barely saw a sliver of a tentacle. Most would have mistaken it for a normal speeding space entity. But here? On Justicar, with Exile obviously not being the cause?
Only one being would cause that. Fate.
Given the subject of their conversation, it was obvious what was going on.
Penny tapped Rahautiti's jaw, adding a thin mark of conceptual power so she could easily find him again. She focused on the conceptual mark she'd left on Ezeonwha. A twinge of conceptual energy came from it. It was accompanied by various impressions, like fear, pain, and acceptance.
"I have to go," Penny said. "I will be back later. Displace."
She appeared next to the 102nd Visitor Welcome Office but not next to Ezeonwha. It was carnage everywhere she looked.
"Champion!" an unknown Elder yelled. "I am Elder Na-"
Her rising fury surged, and it took all she had not to dismember him. The distant thought of the Judgment stayed her hands, though only just.
Penny's fist collided with the Elder's jaw at twice the speed of sound. A piece of his jaws flew free. Bone fragments hit the ground behind him. Hundreds of soldiers fired on her, and she slammed them to the ground with pure will. Penny tore their guns away and sent them each to pummel the Elder in front of her with as much brutality as she could. His powerful armor wasn't as capable of defense against physical attacks as it was against her psychic energy, and so he fell.
"You... cannot save him," the Elder spat. Fields of psychic suppression fell upon her, reducing her power.
"Manipulation through Determination," Penny growled. "De-"
No! Nilnacrawla said. Do not kill him! Not yet!
"What goes up will go down."
Air hardened around the Elder and accelerated rapidly.
The Elder smashed into the shield five miles above with a speed just slow enough that he wouldn't die. He fell from it and then hit it again at a more modest speed. He'd bounce on that until the Guides came to get him.
But Penny had another target. One she had to save instead of attack.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
High Judge Tassidonia awoke to the sound of explosions. He grabbed his swords, his main gun, and the personal shield he reserved for only the most dire occasions. The sky was erupting in war all around him, and buildings were already falling nearby. The spires of skyscrapers rained down upon the entrances to the Underground, crushing thousands of fleeing Sprilnav under their wide impacts.
His implant identified members of the gangs nearby, making their way to his home.
"Retribution Cycle!" Tassidonia cried. A hidden door opened, and he boarded a small hovercraft that sported a high amount of defensive and offensive technology, a gift from Justicar for dealing with all that he had related to the Judgment. Only this time, he wouldn't be on the next one. But already, the destruction was spreading.
Micro-missiles rained upon friend and foe alike. Several detonated against the layered shields. The mounted turrets on the side of his hoverbike shot lasers into the enemies his implant identified.
"Elder Tassidonia!" an Elder cried nearby. "For the crime of defying the will of-"
Tassidonia called his fury to bear. He rammed his mind into the enemy Elder, disorienting her. She reeled, about to attack, when a thick laser smashed into her chest. It pushed her against the wall, and Tassidonia kept the pressure up until her body melted. He listened to her screams impassively, occasionally sending blasts from his gun at the gangs when their members started to stray too close.
The thick red beam did its work within twenty pulses. His swords began to float beside him, keeping pace as he sped away from his home. The entire apartment complex shuddered and began to lean, its foundation being destroyed by some effect below. Tassidonia abandoned it with only minor regret. He'd known this moment would come. Everything he needed was already with him.
He linked into the Guide network, directing squadrons to attack the breaches he'd identified. Orbital strikes fell upon them in quick succession. Thick beams of light pierced through the lower planetary shields from orbital platforms, their guns honing in on Justicar's enemies. Tassidonia's implant was linked to the grid as well. So when he eyed buildings occupied with too many gang members, orbital strikes fell on them a few pulses later.
Fire and plasma rained all around him. Explosions and smoke blossomed all around him. More missiles fell from his hovercraft. A fighter ship appeared beside him, its simple stealth revealing itself to his eyes. Tassidonia waited for the pilot chamber to open, and his craft stowed itself behind him when he got in. It was fully equipped, so soon, Tassidonia was in full control of a weapon of war.
His first order of business was detecting the gangs' most fortified areas. He peppered those bases in shield-weakening mines, followed by bunker-buster missiles. Several anti-air turrets hit him, but his shields prevented them from taking him down. He dropped three high-end Butcher Androids into the fray of the largest battles.
One of the adjacent fighter wings in the separate shield sector dropped a nuke. At that moment, Tassidonia made a decision.
Whatever insanity was going on right now wasn't worth staying here on his own. He turned his ship upward, narrowly avoiding nearly fifty missiles shot from another gang fortress, which was really just the lower floors of a supermarket. Thick slabs of concrete were being set up by androids and slaves from the Underground. All he could do was watch from above and attempt to mark those that might be a problem.
Justicar's Grand Fleet was moving in, though only the carriers and their escorts were doing anything of any scale. The armies were mobilizing, and it seemed that war had finally broken out. Justicar, while isolated due to the Judgment, would have to win a war that threatened to topple his rule entirely.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Ezeonwha woke when the walls around him shuddered.
An earthquake?
Groggily, he activated the lights in the room. Phoebe's android was charging in the wall. Her limbs swayed with the motion. The walls shuddered again, and the lights went out. Thin, tiny cracks spread in the walls, increasing his worry factors massively. His implant notified him that this wasn't a dream. Distant screams reached his ears, and he went to the window.
Hordes of Sprilnav were running on the ground, tripping over each other to escape. He heard the thump of footsteps approaching from outside. The android activated, standing up.
"Move away from the doo-"
An explosion tossed him across the room. A Sprilnav carrying some sort of mouth weapon faded into view for a moment, smoke recalibrating the stealth field. And then he was gone. Phoebe smashed into the Sprilnav, her fists pummeling the assassin faster than Ezeonwha could comprehend.
Phoebe's arms turned into swords, and she stabbed the Sprilnav at least fifty times in a single pulse. She turned to grab him, but before she reached him, a second explosion sent him flying out of the now-shattered window.
The massive skyscraper loomed large, and he saw the ground beneath it ripple. Dull thumps sounded from below, and large, circular caverns opened beneath the 102nd Visitor Welcome Office. The whole building started to list forward, and Ezeonwha frantically activated his emergency personal shield as he started falling faster and faster. A bullet hit the shield. And then a second one. Gunshots echoed out in the distance, and he saw other Sprilnav falling from broken windows in the falling skyscraper. Gunfire erupted on the streets as Guides engaged a growing army of attackers bubbling up from basements of shops and businesses.
He saw spurts of blood exit the Sprilnav nearest him, bullets tearing holes through the woman's body. Piercing screams surrounded him, a terrible chorus that reminded him of the worst wars he'd fought in. But here, his training could do nothing. She was already dead, and he knew that he was the target of this whole attack. His eyes watered, and Ezeonwha felt so powerless. So useless.
A Corrector emerged from the side of the tilting skyscraper, eyes fixed on Ezeonwha. Then he looked down. Somehow, Ezeonwha knew when the orders had been sent. He knew that it was Astipra in the distance, a jetpack on his shoulders burning a thick flame beneath him.
Astipra looked back at the building and flew toward it. Ezeonwha felt the wind rushing past the shield as pressure. Astipra, far above, vaporized falling chunks of the skyscraper with blasts from his arm cannons. He pressed back against the skyscraper, the jetpack going into overdrive. The metal bent inward, and the groaning and twisting structure continued its fall. Blasts of light from Astipra again vaporized the set of falling chunks.
"Penny," he said. It was almost a prayer, really. His desperate mind was scrambling for whatever it could get. "Please, save me!"
He didn't know if she could hear him. Logically, it was impossible. And in a battle such as this, unlikely as well. Rippling explosions erupted across the facade of the falling skyscraper as rockets struck it. More explosions bloomed as lasers from distant police vehicles, Guides, and Astipra destroyed more of the fast-flying missiles and rockets. They pounded on the world around him, a horde of madness threatening to break his brain. He could feel the wind and gravity equalize as he reached terminal velocity.
And all he could see was the world descending into war around him. The 102nd Visitor Welcome Office continued to slump and lean against Astipra's best efforts. More bullets hit Ezeonwha's personal shield, and peppered the Guides moving over to save him. Air ambulances were shot from the sky. Even small fighter crafts were shot down by powerful ground lasers. EMPs thumped, disabling all the higher functions of his implant before he could think to use it.
A much larger explosion bloomed out, and Ezeonwha followed the rocket's trail to an Elder on the ground, standing in the wreckage surrounding a sudden tunnel opening. The Elder stared at him in glee, and he lined up another shot. Two Guides fell upon the Elder, who flew up using a jetpack to cut them in half with his sword. A hard light hologram lifted a large gun, pointing at Ezeonwha as he fell.
His eyes widened. Ezeonwha did everything he could. He angled his legs and arms. He pushed at the air. He even hefted the meager psychic energy he had, struggling with all his soul to escape the death he could feel was coming to him.
Guides swarmed beyond the shield appearing, while gang soldiers died by the hundreds to carpet bombing. Personal shields sprang up to block the explosions, and the Elder had survived. A thick red laser cut one of the fighters in half from the smoke. Above him, the collapsing facade of the skyscraper consumed Astipra entirely, though large gouts of plasma and thick explosions emerged from within. He could survive if it fell upon him, but Ezonwha could not.
Penny materialized far below, closer to the field of battle. A sweeping wave of gang members began disappearing. A bullet smashed into her head and her stomach, detonating in bright explosions. A personal shield flared and disappeared. Missiles and lasers slammed into Penny by the thousands as psychic energy gathered. A constant roll of words fell from her tongue, but without his implant, they were not translated.
Missiles crumbled into dust. Lasers impacted raw space in front of Penny before bending down and back to their origins, destroying automated turrets. Bullets still hit Penny and the Guides by the thousands, firing too quickly and densely for her to entirely block. But the large ordnance from the gangs continued to work against them.
Penny looked around, confusion evident on her face. But amidst the thousands of wounded and dead Sprilnav falling from the broken windows, Ezeonwha was hidden too well.
Shattering glass could be constantly heard, and he could feel the distant screams in his soul. A bullet smashed into his personal shield again, disabling it. A pulse later, he lost feeling in his legs.
He tried to reach out to her mind, but the war in the mindscape was equally intense. Too many Elders and Guides battling it out along with various suppression artifacts made it all impossible. He could sense Penny's influence, but couldn't directly reach her.
He let out a breath, knowing it to be the final one.
I'm sorry, Penny, Ezeonwha thought.
I wish you luck in the Judgment, and I am sorry I caused this to happen to you.
Penny finally appeared in front of him, eyes wide-
Blood erupted. A searing pain in his head told him his implant had just shorted out. And in the mindscape, he saw a mental attack heading for him, its brutal power evident. He closed his eyes.

Any recommendations for how to go about a chrome delete for a 09 Accord? I was planning on using acrylic enamel paint but others have mentioned vinyl cutouts. What would be the best way to go about this DIY?

So first off, I wanted to say I support Brian, have subscribed to blueprint monthly and appreciate the work he is sharing. Also, I personally don’t believe he is trying to profit from this.
In reviewing the protocol, I have some questions over the 3 tablespoons of olive oil being recommended daily.
My concern is whether the science available really supports whether the polyphenols and oleic acid benefits outweigh the saturated fat and damage to the endothelial function with the 3 tablespoons being recommended. This more or less contradicts decades of work by plant based doctors who have pioneered the reversal of both diabetes and heart disease.
These include doctors such as:

• Dr. Neal Barnard
• Dr. Dean Ornish
• Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn
• Dr. Robert Vogel

So the studies Brian cited to support the health benefits of Olive oil are on his site on the video posted here (and linked below) w/ a brief summary: https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.com/products/premium-extra-virgin-olive-oil

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32751219/
• A significant decrease in peripheral and central systolic BP (SBP) by 2.5 mmHg (95% CI: -4.7 to -0.3) and 2.7 mmHg (95% CI: -4.7 to -0.6), respectively, was observed after HPOO consumption of 60 m/L per day. Neither olive oil changed diastolic BP (DBP) or measures of arterial stiffness.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28808791/
• This study is comparing olive oil health benefits vs. giving someone soybean oil?? This is the biggest problem I see with most olive oil studies is it weighs the oil vs. OTHER OILS, as opposed to no oil at all. In fact, I’ve not seen really seen a study that compares olive oil vs. no oil.
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0939475319302662
• Then we have this study which concludes: HP(E)VOO may improve some cardiovascular risk factors, however, public health implications are limited by overall low or moderate certainty of evidence.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36501136/
• Twenty-six participants with MCI were randomized with 25 participants completed the study. EVOO significantly improved clinical dementia rating (CDR) and behavioral scores. EVOO also reduced BBB permeability and enhanced functional connectivity. While ROO consumption did not alter BBB permeability or brain connectivity, it improved CDR scores and increased functional brain activation to a memory task in cortical regions involved in perception and cognition. Moreover, EVOO and ROO significantly reduced blood Aβ42/Aβ40 and p-tau/t-tau ratios, suggesting that both altered the processing and clearance of Aβ. In conclusion, EVOO and ROO improved CDR and behavioral scores; only EVOO enhanced brain connectivity and reduced BBB permeability, suggesting EVOO biophenols contributed to such an effect.

The Counter-Evidence
The following is a link to Doctor Rosane Oliveira provides a decent comprehensive summary of my prior understanding and the arguments that Dr. Barnard, Ornish, Esselstyn and Vogel all share:
https://www.forksoverknives.com/wellness/why-olive-oil-is-not-healthy-for-your-heart/
This article links to the following studies. I’m not going to summarize the results as I think the article above does a better job than I can:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10376195/ - Brachial artery ultrasound: a noninvasive tool in the assessment of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17174226/ - Olive, soybean and palm oils intake have a similar acute detrimental effect over the endothelial function in healthy young subjects
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23432189/ - Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet

And lastly, this is a 2022 podcast where Doctor Neal Barnard addresses this topic again. As stated before, the repeating theme I notice is olive oil is healthy compared to all other oils HOWEVER it is less healthy than no oil at all and most studies focus on comparing its health benefits against other oils.
https://www.pcrm.org/news/exam-room-podcast/rethinking-olive-oil-again-all-fat-and-still-healthy-drs-neal-barnard-and
Out of fairness, I will link this Journal of the American College of Cardiology Trending Cardiovascular Nutrition Controversies with perspectives from: Andrew M. Freeman, Pamela B. Morris, Neal Barnard, Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Emilio Ros, Arthur Agatston, Stephen Devries, James O’Keefe, Michael Miller, Dean Ornish, Kim Williams, and Penny Kris-Etherton
https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2016.10.086#
This concluded that: Extra virgin olive reduces some CVD outcomes when consumed in moderate quantities.... Without defining what a “moderate quantity” was. But again, this journal was clearly intended to compare olive oil against other types of oil and NOT against no oil at all.
I’m just curious about how Brian came to his conclusions on olive oil that contradicts these doctors and the scientific methodology and testing he used to actually confirm it wasn’t doing the damage these doctors are warning against.

Just don’t do it. Don’t do it. You need crazy power just to run the fuel rod factories. Then you need water. Oh Yoba. The water is a disaster. I might have to ship it by train. That would likely be easier.
I also want this to be a very resource efficient save which means I’ll be using the pure ingots as well as wet concrete because I hate myself. So that’s a couple thousands more MW in refineries.
I’m also going to need a massive train network to support it. I only have monorails at the moment.
Conclusion: I’m restarting and making my world in such a fashion to where the transition will be easier. I’ve planned out all space elevator parts. Now I’m working on planning for all of the factories that I am going to want for general construction. I will probably be making 1-5 PM of all of the parts based on how frequently I am going to need them.
Once I get oil I’ll be setting up the refineries. generator arrays, and blenders. Turbo fuel isn’t the worth effort for me. Blended fuel is though.
After that I plan on tapping everything I can and converting it into as many points as I can.
And if 1.0 comes out before then I guess I’ll just rinse and repeat.

(OOC:Co-Written with u/SophisticatedProcess)
Vanessa woke up early, excited to get the party started. Literally. She wasn’t sure what it would be like working with another kid, but she hoped it would go smoothly. Vanessa wasn’t exactly the kind of person who enjoyed teamwork, so she headed down to Jonathan’s cabin feeling slightly apprehensive. She had never been to the Heracles cabin before, and she was surprised by all the marble. It wasn’t the kind of thing she’d expected, but when she thought about it, it fit with the legends. She gave the knocker a try and waited for Jonathan to show up.
Johnathan was behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. He just came back from his morning run and was about to pick up his sword to train. “Hey there, what are you doing here,” He questioned, then he remembered that he had the pride parade thing today. He smacked his face in forgetfulness. “Right, the Pride Parade Prep, I forgot that it was today.”
She felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around, sighing when she realized he was the person she was looking for. He was lucky she didn’t have her knives on her today.
“Yeah, I’m Vanessa. I was thinking we could start by designing some floats. Get the big things out of the way first.”
Johnathan smiles and says, “Well then I’m your guy! I can move all the stuff and you tell me where. I may not be the most creative person, but I sure as hell can get stuff done.” He cracks his knuckles and smirks. He could get stuff done fast using his powers. “Where do we start?”
“I think the arts and crafts cabin would be the best place,” Vanessa said. “They have everything in there.”
She headed that way, already thinking of ideas. She’d participated in a few pride parades before, but she’d never made her own float. It would be interesting to see how it went. Obviously it would have to be something rainbow, and big enough to impress a bunch of jaded half-bloods. Vanessa wondered if Jonathan had any powers related to art.
When they got to the arts and crafts cabin, Vanessa began looking for large planks of wood to make the base of the float. She found them way in the back, behind a tall cabinet. She pulled a few out and set them on the floor.
“Do you know how to use a saw?” she asked.
Johnathan thought back, way back to when he learned how to use a saw from his…dad? If that’s what you wanna call him. He thought back and remembered he said something about the safety, and how to correctly cut something. “Yeah I think I got it.” He got the saw ready and cut where Vanessa told him to.
It took some time, but after lots of sawing, hammering, and frustrated swearing on Vanessa’s part, the base of the float was done. Next came the fun part. She covered it all with sky blue cloth and paper clouds. Then she built several small rainbows and one larger one that ended in a pot of “gold.” They were really cardboard circles painted gold, but they still looked good from a distance. When they were finally finished, she stepped back to admire it.
“I like it,” she declared.
They built two more floats with the last of the wood. One in the shape of a giant pink, blue, and white heart with another heart standing vertically on it. The other was asexual themed, painted with the colors black, gray, white, and purple, just like the flag. Instead of a heart, it had a nice long couch with a table in front and a half-finished puzzle on top. The rainbow behind it was painted the same colors as the rest of the float.
Johnathan moved around all the heavy things and helped out wherever he could. He put things in place and helped bolt things to the base of the floats. After finishing he looked at the floats in awe and said, “Wow, these look so cool. So now we just need to promote the parade right? I can make posters if you want.”
“Yeah, that would be great,” Vanessa said. “I’m going to see if I can find some flower necklaces.”
Fortunately, she didn’t have to go far. She found tons of them right there in the arts and crafts cabin. Then they put the posters up all over camp, wherever people would see them.
“I think we did pretty good,” she said.
Johnathan finished making the posters and used as many colors as he could and used some cutting to make a mega flag of 10 other flags(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Asexual, etc) and puts them up around the camp on the board, any tree he could get permission from, and one on each cabin door.
He meets back up with Vanessa and says, “Yep I think all that’s left is to put on the parade. Good job V! You’ve outdone yourself today.”
Vanessa wasn’t sure about the nickname, but she smiled anyway.
“Couldn’t have done it without you,” she said. “You really helped me out.”
Johnathan blushes in appreciation and says, “Nah this was all you, you really carried this parade.” He dosen’t really get many compliments so this one was special to him.
The day was finished and everything was set for the pride parade. Everyone was (hopefully) going to love it and enjoy this month to come together and celebrate being different in their own ways and expressing themselves in different ways.