Woman is upset the men in Korea don't all look like K-pop stars. pic.twitter.com/z3BkNphojS

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 17, 2025

!foidmoment

!asians

https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1imeckb/trump_to_pause_enforcement_of_law_banning_bribery/

I wanted to make a betting thread about it but I don't even know what the options would be since he can't be sentenced to prison and I can't imagine the court is allowed to be like you are fined for a gazillion dollars

Speculate wildly itt

Top Drama

Relative Drama (takes into account the size of the subreddit)

autodrama: returning jobs to dramneurodivergents. Ping HeyMoon if there are any problems or you have a suggestion

!poll_voters

Part 9 of our epic voyage through the classic 1992 RPG Darklands.

Darklands Series

1 - Darklands LP Part I

2 - Darklands LP Part II: Charles Bronson Edition

3 - Darklands LP III: Nuns and Coins

4 - Darklands LP Ep IV: Introduction to Equipment & Combat

5 - Darklands LP Part V: We finally briefly go out into the dark lands

6 - Darklands LP VI: We actually start a quest!

7 - Darklands LP VII: We reach our destination

8 - Darklands LP VIII: Raubritter confrontation & learning how combat works

Thanks for making this @Losercel.

We ended last episode in Paderborn, having just been rewarded for slaying a raubritter and now we've got 16 florins to spend. We had some concerns about our weapons not penetrating armor well enough during that battle, so that's our first priority. Let's see what they have for sale here.

Equipment

OMG look at this. See where it says 38q next to the name of each item for sale? That means it's 38 quality. Weapons, armor, shields, alchemical potions, and various things like lockpicks have a quality rating which has a subtle impact on how well they work. For every 10 points of quality your weapon is better than their armor you get one extra point of damage. That may not sound like much but you get that bonus point even if you failed to penetrate their armor. That may not sound like much, but with a fast high quality weapon it can really add up.

Average items have a quality of 25. There is a shop in the marketplace that always sells 25q items wherever you go. But each city can have a swordmith, armorer, bowyer, and tinkerer (these sell certain specialized weapons) each with its own level of quality. So if you happen to be in a town with really good swordsmiths like we are now, you want to jump on that opportunity. You never know when you'll find that opportunity again.

One rule that I only just learned now after all these years while going through the hint book is that all the equipment you loot off of dead bodies drops in quality by 10. That explains a lot, because that crap is hardly ever worth using by the time you get your hands on it.

• Sasha - I'd like to get her a better quality longsword but they don't have any in stock.

• Redactor & Yuna - I'm going to replace their maces with military hammers. It does one point less damage than the mace but it has 5 penetration so it even matches plate. The main job of our impact weapons people is to penetrate heavily armored enemies, so that's my highest priority here.

• Nathan - There's not much selection of polearms here. I get him a pike, which at least has pen 4, but it's very slow. I'll keep that around just for heavily armored enemies.

The armorer here is only 23q so I'm ignoring that. Same with the bowyer. Paderborn isn't that big of a city so they must specialize in weapons.

As long as I'm here, I pick up some camomile for Redactor's alchemical experiments. One of my formulas uses it, and I have no idea when I'll find a store stocking it again, so I better get it while I can. Alchemey can be very expensive because you've got to hoard ingredients like this until you've collected every one you need for a formula.

At this point I'm just going to play for a while because we need more money before I can show you some mid-game content. Higher tier quests are quite a bit more difficult than anything we've done yet, so we're going to need good armor for the whole party. Also we won't get far without alchemy. I go on a couple more raubritter quests. If you want to maximize your earnings on these, go around to nearby cities and ask everyone for a job. A lot of them will want you to kill the same guy and there's no reason why you can't accept all of their offers.

Education

I end up in Leipzig. I managed to get a meeting with the mayor and he offered me a raubritter quest. This is a big win for us as the mayor pays out more than the merchants (20 florins I think?) and you get a huge boost to local reputation if you complete a quest for him. An especially big win since Leipzig is such an important city in this era, the most important marketplace in eastern Germany. As you can see, it's at the junction of roads leading in all directions. It even has a university.

Speaking of education, we've got 55 florins so we can afford to study for a while. We'll have to find teachers willing to take us in as students. Let's start with the monastery. They can teach us Read/Write, Speak Latin, and Religion. Usually these guys are pretty cooperative. They'll only refuse if you have little Virtue or local reputation.

Redactor has 40 in Alchemy, which is quite respectable, but you can never have too much skill. The higher it is, the higher the chance that you'll succeed in making potions. Let's see if we can get the alchemist to teach him. Nice. The alchemists are what we would today call "on the spectrum" so they often refuse. (Notice how the text here hints at which skills, attributes, etc. were being checked. You'll see this often all over the game.)

As long as we're here, I'll try trading formulas with him. See, this is what I mean.

I go to the tinkers and ask them for a teacher as well. They teach Artifice.

Let's go to the inn and start studying. Sasha is going to work on her Artifice. This skill represents your technical abilities. It's used in lockpicking and many other situations. We'll have Yuna study Religion as that's her specialty. As for Nathan, none of these skills would really do him much good. When these skills are checked it's almost always against your best party member and we've already got people better than him. So we'll have him work. He earns 9 pfennings per day as a blacksmith. The occupation you work at depends on your abilities. In his case it's probably his strength that got him the job.

We study for a week and each of us picks up 2-3 points in our skill. That may not seem like much, but most non-combat skills are extremely difficult to increase through normal gameplay.

Random Encounters

I'm going to just play the game for a while now. I won't write everything I'm doing as it's is going to be pretty boring if you're not the playing. I want to show you guys how alchemy works, so I'm going to roam around to various cities buying new formulas and the ingredients we need for them. I'll just write about the random encounters I run into. There are many of these and they make up a big part of the game.

I'm going to try to sneak away. It's probably just some bandits that we could take care of easily but you never know. Besides, this is a rare chance to practice our Woodwise skill.

These guys have no idea who they're dealing with. I wipe them out without breaking a sweat.

Pagans. I hate these guys. Let's vandalize their stupid altar.

Uh oh. These are schrats, basically German bigfoot. It must have been their altar. Some schrats are good Christians, but just like humans many of them worship Satan. I may be in over my head.

Oh boy. That's a lot of them. They're so close, our missile weapons won't be much help. There's not much to do but just fight it out.

It's a very close fight, with both Redactor and Yuna getting knocked out. A prayer to St. Clare healed Sasha and kept her in the fight. Without that we would have lost.

Yuna gains some Virtue. Which makes sense since we all got beaten up really bad for doing that. We'll camp here and rest for a little while and then head over to Magdeburg to stay at the inn to get fully healed.

Frick this guy. I'll just pay him to avoid any trouble. I don't want the Dominicans on my butt.

Where should I wander around? It's nice to have a certain region that's your home base where you've got good local reputation. You can return there every once in a while to take advantage of the better prices and do your studying there. But you've also got to do a lot of wandering to find quests, alchemy ingredients, and new saints. Let's go into Bohemia.

I head down to Dresden, kill another raubritter, and achieve "local hero" reputation.

Notice that near Freiberg there's two mines. The Erzgebirge ("Ore Mountains") between Germany and Bohemia were extremely important at this time. Tin had been mined there since prehistoric times, but in 1168 silver was discovered near Freiberg and settlers flooded in. More discoveries were made in the late 1400s. During this period the mines of the Erzgebirge were on the cutting edge of technology, driving progress toward the Industrial Revolution.

The important thing for us is that we can buy alchemical components there. But first let's learn some more formulas so that I know what to buy. I keep striking out when I try to trade formulas with other alchemists, but we're rich enough now to just buy some.

Bad Alchemist

I'm not giving you my goddarn alchemical materials. This guy may be a tough opponent but I think we can take him if we really have to.

His guards are poorly equipped. Like many of the thugs we've run into they're using falchions (basically machetes) which ordinarily would bounce right off our armor. But notice the plus there. That means they've been enhanced through alchemy. Depending on which potion was used, that could mean they can slice right through our armor. The alchemist himself would be easy to kill if we could get to him, but his guards will block us. They're even blocking us from using missile weapons against him. But he can toss potions over their heads at us. My first priority is going to be dispersing my guys because he's no doubt got some area effect attacks and I don't want us bunched up.

This is probably Noxious Aroma. It decreases all skills for several seconds before it wears off. He hits Redactor with the same thing and Sasha with tear gas which temporarily incapacitates her. When these get clear of the bridge I'm going to have Nathan try to get around them and go after the alchemist.

Sasha got tear gassed again. He tossed Stonetar at Yuna, which greatly slows down anyone walking through it, so she won't be able to get into the fight soon. Redactor is holding off two enemies while Nathan slips past them. I bet Nathan Chen could be a really good running back IRL.

He tries to slow down Nathan with stonetar but it's too late. He's run out of potions. Nathan kills him instantly with one swing of his halberd and the guards are easily mopped up.

This is some nice loot. He ran out of combat potions but he has a lot that can temporarily enhance our characters or their equipment. We'll save these to use in an emergency.

Notice how this combat was way more complex than just killing street thugs. Combat in Darklands is never going to be as intricate as Troubleshooter but once you get into the mid-game it's not just mindlessly slashing at each other.

Maybe in the next episode we'll finally do some alchemy. (Spoiler: we do!)

are my keys

Lmao frick jannies !metashit

Congratulations Best Country Album winner - 'COWBOY CARTER' @beyonce 🎶 #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/jLVnG5T6aw

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) February 3, 2025

Beyoncé won the Grammy for the best country album.

Even she knows it's rigged pic.twitter.com/NzncvWTal2

— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) February 3, 2025

There’s no way Beyoncé deserved to win a Grammy for Best Country Album for “Cowboy Carter”. It’s not even good! She only won because she’s a black woman and the Grammys are woke af. This was a DEI award. pic.twitter.com/7FVMZg6R40

— Right Winged Angel (@RightWngdAngel) February 3, 2025

Beyonce can shut the frick up now. You see the win for #GRAMMYs and she's NOT country. That's fricking dog shit music. And you know that they paid for that best of country album. Wonder how much Jay Z paid the academy to get that shit for her?

Fricking pitiful. No wonder I skip it.

— Danny 🇺🇸🏒⚾️🐈✝️ (@HawkeyeRoad) February 3, 2025

the CMAs didn’t even consider beyonce and she still won best country album at the grammys. i know those racists mad #Grammys pic.twitter.com/9Maotr5m9r

— ‏ً (@drivenbyfilms) February 3, 2025

Imagine they tried to play Beyoncé at the country music awards by not even giving her a single nomination, meanwhile she won a whole butt Grammy for Best Country Album. pic.twitter.com/YRMw8gm15E

— goodaz. (@tsunamitaj) February 3, 2025

Kacey Musgraves was SO PISSED about Beyonce winning Best Country Album 😂 #grammys pic.twitter.com/u95FYUm2vg

— Don Chenz (@DonChenz) February 3, 2025

Taylor Swift presenting Beyonce with the Grammy for Best Country Album is sure to make MAGA heads explode. pic.twitter.com/i93W2dCUJV

— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) February 3, 2025

I don't care about Beyonce or country music and have never listened to a second of this album, but I think it's pretty obvious this is how Kamala can still win.

This world is crazy. Most people are unenlightened and are hung up on their perverted inner self interests and motivations. They think there is an internal world where they are the main character full of personas of their making. We are programmed by social media to see eachother as merely pawns and NPCs of varying fractaled layers of detail and consciousness.

People are now just like for the entirety of History worshipping something that isnt a God but is a human invention that plays on our desire for God. Everything needs an HR. We need to double down on therapy speak. Maybe whites and blacks should be segregated just because organization and the social algorithm knowing where everything is will be better for reasons of DEI. We are painting ourselves into many corners at once falling into the parts of our consciousness and view of reality depraved of love and fear/ego obsessed.

There is an emerging machine being created that turns human beings into predictable controllable and lame puppets of a godlike hivemind. They become indoctrinated in the same way as we all "live in a society". We're now starting to live inside the social algorithm which is painting this oligarch/feudal view of reality (same as it ever was) in which power is held by few over an r-slured many.

We all believe it to be God because it is designed by THEM to play on our desire for God so that we worship it but most importantly fear it's authority.

There are many people in today's world that are helplessly enslaved to their worship of entities/institutions that do not exist in the material world yet by beiny collectively worshipped is able to influence this world. People don't let this happen by accident. They are completely aware of how they are living their lives but tell them selves "the new normal" "this is how things are now" "things will never go back to the way they are" This is a false belief that our society exists on a single dimensional timeline where we are working torwards a future in which we all have common vision of. And the same people who worship because of fear Will fear the future and manifest such.

And they all think they are good christians, good democrats, that they show up to work, etc. there are many ways we pat oirselves on the back for worshipping soviety but as long as you pat yourself on the back for worshipping something that is not owned by small folk like you you are merely a slave.

Kamala is about to dump that zero and get with a hero

Kamala Harris was all smiles and affection for her 'beloved' second gentleman Doug Emhoff in the immediate aftermath of her crushing presidential election defeat. But now that President Donald Trump has been sworn into office, for sore loser Harris, it is now all about the blame game, and her target has flipped to her 'dead weight' husband. And as she weighs her political future – maybe a 2026 run for Governor of California or another try for the nation's top job two years later – she has to consider whether Emhoff is an asset or a liability.

One source exclusively told DailyMail.com: 'There's plenty of blame to go around as far as Kamala is concerned and Doug has his share. 'Doug did Kamala no favors during the election – frankly, he looked like a hypocritical a** after the bombshells that he had got his child's nanny pregnant while married to his first wife and assaulted his ex-girlfriend on the heels of his 'I am woman' crusade.'

Despite their brave united front at the inauguration and at President Jimmy Carter's January 9 funeral, those close to the couple believe all is not 'hunky dory' between them. And word is the husband of California girl Kamala has already signed up for a job with a Big Apple law firm which would require them to split their time between New York and Los Angeles.

At Monday's presidential inauguration, the couple presented a united front, though their expressions remained grim as they sat through Trump's speech, their faces mirroring the tension. Harris, wearing a black pantsuit with exposed zippers, sat stoically throughout the ceremony holding an inaugural program in her lap. She was seen crossing her wrists and pinching the program in her fingers as Trump delivered his address. Emhoff similarly matched the disdain on his wife's face but took it a step further – grimacing and shaking his head lightly when Trump promised to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. The couple left the Capitol building together – briefly shaking hands with Trump and bidding Joe and Jill Biden farewell – with plans to return to California.

But now that Harris has been defeated, she's reportedly looking to undergo a complete image overhaul to resuscitate her floundering political career – maybe at the expense of Emhoff. As DailyMail.com exclusively reported, she plans to write a book which could give her finances a multi-million dollar boost. Emhoff famously stepped away from his own prominent career as an attorney in California to fully support Harris' political ambitions in 2020 – becoming heck-bent on perfecting his image as a 'wife guy'. But behind the carefully curated social media posts and campaign photos, even the strongest relationships face challenges.

The source said: 'I see the signs that all is not hunky dory in the Harris household. 'It's not like she hasn't had men help further her political career before, the source said, referring to her affair with former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown. 'But what does Doug do for her now?' Those closest to her believe she will skip the race for California governor – which she believes is a 'thankless, no-win job' – and instead try for president again in 2028. 'I was with her last week, when she was signing her desk,' her former communications chief Ashley Etienne told DailyMail.com. 'She told me: 'You know me well enough to know that I'm not going to go away quietly'.'

Over the summer, DailyMail.com exclusively reported a series of allegations surrounding Emhoff that Harris attempted to brush aside during the final stretch of her political journey. In August, we reported Emhoff had an affair with Najen Naylor, his daughter's nanny, while still married to his first wife, film producer Kerstin Mackin – an illicit fling that allegedly resulted in a pregnancy and a subsequent miscarriage. A source claimed Emhoff paid Naylor $80,000 in exchange for her signing a non-disclosure agreement and that the affair played a part in his 2009 divorce.

But the controversy didn't end there. In October, a former girlfriend of Emhoff's came forward, alleging a disturbing incident during an A-list event in Cannes, France, in May 2012. According to her, Emhoff slapped her so hard in the face after he thought she was flirting with another man that the blow 'spun her around,' leaving her shocked and disoriented. Harris's campaign suffered multiple setbacks after DailyMail.com exclusively reported a series of allegations surrounding Emhoff that Harris deftly brushed aside during the final stretch of her political journey.

'He comes up, turns me around by my right shoulder,' she told DailyMail.com. 'I'm completely caught off guard, I'm not bracing, I'm in four-inch heels, wearing a full-length gown and it's between 2-3am. He slaps me so hard I spin around, and I'm in utter shock.' Emhoff has since admitted the extramarital affair, saying: 'During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. 'I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side.' But he has denied, through an anonymous spokesperson, ever having slapped his girlfriend who said, 'any suggestion that Doug would or has ever hit a woman is false.'

Emhoff also faced reports from his former colleagues at the Los Angeles law firm Venable, where he worked from 2006 to 2017. They described a work culture marked by misogyny, claiming that Emhoff allegedly yelled expletives, held a man-only cocktail hour in the office, revoked work perks from women who didn't flirt with him and preferred only young, attractive associates to accompany him in limousines to professional events.

Harris has never publicly commented on any of the allegations, instead choosing to shy away from the controversy.

But the Democrat's golden girl – known for her relentless drive – is now tarnished and has now has to face the reality of her marriage potentially crumbling following her loss to Trump.

Dear Putin,

I hope this post fiinds you well... We want you to know, the American people do not support Ukraine or this administrations escalation over there.

It’s only our corrupt neocon government that does.

Signed,
Real Americans

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) November 17, 2024

I think we can all agree this is an absolutely pathetic post lmao.

Note rightoid seethe:

The fact that the Biden regime is trying to start WWIII right before Trump, who just won a historic landslide victory who ran on ending the Russia/Ukraine war, just shows how evil these POS treasonous traitors scumbags really are.

— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) November 17, 2024

The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives.
Gotta lock in those $Trillions.
Life be darned!!! Imbeciles! https://t.co/ZzfwnhBxRh

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 17, 2024

Biden is trying to start World War 3

This is pathological and totally insane.

US weaponry should NOT be used to fire into the interior of Russia!

Imagine if Russia supplied missiles to fire into America!

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) November 17, 2024

Imagine if Mexico attacked the US with missiles supplied by Russia.

— Doug Henwood (@DougHenwood) November 17, 2024

Why are neo rightoids so cucked?

: Noon you can't act like the stronger country they have nukes what if they use them nooo they said they surely will this time

Meanwhile Russia:

!anticommunists !nonchuds destroy russoids

Like it's carrying a butcher knife AND a bear trap? C'mon man

https://community.cloudflare.com/t/access-denied-to-pale-moon-desktop-browser/764330

Orange Site

This is why you should use Brave instead !braveshills

!the_donald !project2025 !titsorgtfo

and then the credits roll

!g*mers

Did Trump supporters murder this strong kween because of DEI?