Lurker > Wanglicious

other thoughts:

biden owes klobuchar a lot here. even though pete dropped first, she dropped and immediately endorsed him. she got this endorsement train going and she made him go from single digits to outright crushing her state. there's a solid debt there.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

ultimate plot twist would be bernie going 'fuck you guys i'm making my own party' and running 3rd party in the race.


---

"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

man, Iran's government.
according to buzzfeed, 1 in 10 MPs there has tested positive for the coronavirus.

that's a goddamn government revolution.


---

"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

'tay-hahs we say here.'

uh, no.
i mean look if you're gonna try to correct someone saying Texas a certain way the least you can do is say it right.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

got it, i won't focus obsessively on treasures then. still will check though!

i get on my horse, talk to the fisherman since he's pink, and mosey along until a cutscene happens. Hendrik, one of the two king's right hand men, comes at us. there's random horses in the wild that we get on, confusing as to why or how they got there but whatever, it's needed for the plot. my horse gets shot in the ass, Erik saves me, glow stone glows, his horse gets shot in the ass, we enter teleporting chamber and are officially in a new land.

3 treasures.
a priest is standing outside for reasons neither of us can know and a merchant is selling similar items, also for reasons unknown. new monsters, woo!

She Slimes, making me look at the boomerang intensely as i know its first skill is slime killing. fortunately these things are weak and i can boomerang + Sizz 'em to death so whatever. as i continue moving i spot a volcano i can't help but wonder if i'm going to explore inside. i also make sure i kill the random bongo drongo on screen who i just keep reading as "Bongo Dongo" which is far more amusing.

there's also a spot that's clearly meant for something in the future, looks like a small sound mount spewing water so possible hot spring i guess? and there's another one. hmm. they are surrounded by monsters though so maybe a side quest. first town we get to, we're told we smell like ass and need to take a shower. well damn.

oh god are they all speaking in haikus?
5-7-5.
fucking hell.
okay maybe just the guy trying to get me in the shower and definitely the guy telling me what this city is. also the shopkeeps. yeah no, residents are haiku speakers. this is horrible.

well, it's a new town so you know what has to be done: explore and rob people blind. mini medal, 100 gold, recipe, other random items, hell yeah. i do the recipe immediately and manage to forge myself a +3 Bronze Armor. Perfection flashes on the screen as the jingle plays, woo. it gives me an extra 10 defense, goddamn.

i go up one of the ladders and cutscene involving a loli. hey wait i think i know this one from FFBE. Veronica? good mage in there. as i look around, lore of a dragon in a mountain that was defeated.

...dragon slash soon it is, got it.
even as i check the armor shop, it's clear that the girl is getting recruited soon since there's a dress in the shop neither me nor Erik can wear. there's also a greatsword that's +10 my attack but eh. maybe. i check with the Miko, nothing new, and finally done exploring with most stuff i check the bar out and get a new quest from a guy in the back: making a gold ring. he then gives me a recipe for 'em, that's pretty nice. i lack the gold ore but can somehow purchase it. ...from where? who's the merchant? how is this magic happening? fortunately there's a chest next to him with the ore so i guess i'll do that, wants a +1. he gets it, i get extra pearls and Erik gets a new boomerang. an NPC warns me of a ghost in the bath house, i don't care. blue for men, red for women, to the re-- damn. i change, how 'bout now? nope. Erik also talks about the loli a bit, says she's too young. between that and her cryptic talk, i'm half convinced she's at least 100 years old. we hear a voice and he's thinking it's a ghost. dude, why do you think that's a ghost, we just were talking about the loli missing her little sister. also among the monsters we face one is literally Smog. after he realizes he was dumb and that's the plot point, he says he'll do what he can to help.

back in control i find a Holy Water in a shiny thing in the corner and am really, really worried about what goes for holy water these days. a sauna for sweaty dudes should not be capable of producing that. very worried.

for some reason an S&M guy can be here, fully dressed no problem. yo wtf is this. i then find a chick who says if i pay her $20 she'll give me some puff puff. ...there's no punchline here. uh... sure?

and so we fade to black, puff puff happens, and she says the customer is appreciated. i'll bet. if there's one thing two guys who leave the sauna with a little girl can use, it's some puff puff.

i enter the ladies bath and the one chick inside is shocked. so i continue this pathway to the exit, the lady in the front is shocked, calling me a bold, ugly cuckoo and tells me to leave.

the game then gives me an achievement for that. see, i knew we understood each other. clearly the game was just being transphobic, yeah that's it. by the way, is anybody going to have a problem with the fact that i'm with a random little girl who i didn't enter this bathhouse with? anybody? okay guess not. also despite being told to leave it's not like i can't go back in so uh... some seriously strange hospitality in this joint.

Veronica's in the front gate, tells me that's not her sister, the kid (Connie) tells us she lost her dad. we're assuming she still, by the way, no clue if that's true either. anyway Veronica was indeed her name and she joins so we can go to the bar. and probably the party soon after this. cutscene happens, more haikus, she talks to bartender, looking for one Serena, who left this place listening to voices. uh, i dunno barkeep, i think that's a sign of "she drank too much." but apparently it's true and she went off to save Veronica, who was kidnapped by monsters.

Souka.
surprise Goblin Slayer storyline, let's do this. shit gettin' dark real quick all of a sudden.

for reference, i'm gonna assume Serene is a tall, big boobed blond bombshell and is this girl's little sister. that gonna sum this up?

fuck off Connie, you ain't coming along anywhere. i get that you're sad that daddy always leaves you alone and doesn't love you but don't latch onto me instead please. i leave town, get into a fight and see she's in full NPC mode while joining battle. as i find myself some sparkly iron ore i go back to town, maybe i'll get that greatsword after all.

...but there's no need because the iron ore was a test to get a new recipe which lets me make it. cool. i can make it or a weapon as strong as the sword i'm using right now, meaning once it's +2 or +3 it's stronger by a few points. i don't bother doing anything for now as i explore. i fight a bear, an Ursa Minor, who also knows how to pep up by focusing. somehow there's a bell thing and i ring it to see what happens and... yes! somehow my not-epona horse also traveled through the gate or just can travel through space and time to find me! seriously this is one loyal steed right here. other horses get shot in the ass and collapse but my girl right here? she'll run over any monster and not give a fuck about things like logic. shame she cares about gravity though but that'd be cool. what if instead of a boat on water i just rode he

credit where it's due though, the man might have a knack for impressions.
what's his nixon? what's his trump? hell, what's his biden? can he be a one man trump vs. biden debate and how incoherent can he get?


---

"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

...where the fuck did he get that accent from.
it's so inconsistent too, you've got go-all and then goal in the same clip.

this software needs more patching, or at the very least a more specific Texan to get an accurate determination.


---

"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

oh you want to talk about people being stupid?
it's anime con season.

i do not know if they realize just how terrible this is going to be. anime boston is next month: 20-25k people, one weekend, on a population known for poor hygiene.

i can't think of many worse settings.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

there's some genuine unintended consequences that are beneficial. flu is down due to a mix of weather and precautions. in china, their carbon emissions and pollution numbers have dropped significantly, like you know all those metrics that people want to hit for climate change? china is exceeding that. air quality over there hasn't been this good in over ten years.

all it took was a global pandemic.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

thank god.


---

"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

i briefly looked into it thinking it's possibly a joke but uh...

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/08/mike-gravel-teens-2020-campaign

Former Democratic Alaska senator Mike Gravel and his extremely online presidential campaign are tragically no more. The 89-year-old confirmed Wednesday thatdespite having met the 65,000-donor threshold to qualify for this weeks Democratic debateshis inability to meet the 1 percent polling requirement for an onstage appearance would mark the end of his campaign.

The DNC kept us off the stage tonight even though we qualified, but the #Gravelanche is not over. We're gonna keep going, Gravel's campaign announced over Twitter, simultaneously clarifying that his remaining campaign funds would either be donated to charity, or to set up new think tank the Gravel Institute. As the campaign ends, we're going to help build institutions on the left which can grow power, shape policy, and create strong activists for the long haul.

Gravels candidacy was most notable for the participation of teenagers David Oks and Henry Williams, who operated a Twitter account in Gravels name while the former senator himself opted to sit on my patio, and see what happens. The account frequently offered direct, sardonic commentary on major issues, and often replied directly to users mentioning the account. The two teens will move onto a fellowship at the socialist-leaning Jacobin, hoping to keep up Mike's fight until the wars are over, until no one is too poor to live, until the people's voice is heard.

According to the account, the Gravel Institute think tank will write leftist policy papers focused on ending the American empire, reforming our Democracy and inviting direct action by elected officials to end injustice and suffering. Meanwhile, Gravelwho served in the senate from 1969 to 1981 and sought the Democratic and Libertarian nominations in 2008suggested the Democratic National Committee was intimidated by his unorthodox rise.

Theres no question that they conspired to make sure that I didnt get into the debates, Gravel told Hill TV in a Friday interview. Im not terribly disturbed over that. We received a lot of attention because of the uniqueness of two teenagers running a presidential campaign of the person whos the oldest person running for president in American history.

this is being played straight.
poe's law is in full effect.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

friend just showed me this.
i don't know if it's true. i see a checkmark so it's at least a real group.
currently laughing.

https://twitter.com/GravelInstitute/status/1234647331804450817

if this is the state of #nevertrump lord save me before i choke on my own spit.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

why would a karen like trump? they're the ones in pantsuits.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

one thing we'll agree on, rock:

Warren is definitely the #1 choice for Karens.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

Jakyl25 posted...

No political party actually wants to be accountable

Its kind of hilarious really

of course they don't!
honestly the dems love being the underdogs. it motivates them as the republicans do the big bad things.
then they get in power, do fuck all, and walk around like a bunch of idiots. so republicans become a lot more appealing as a result.

why take accountability ever when you do your best when you're unable to do so?

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

ExThaNemesis posted...

hard to believe that the DNC would literally rather four more years of Trump than any years of Sanders.

it really isn't.
it was made clear in 2016 and their actions thus far have all pointed to this. trump means they keep power and they can at the least keep playing as underdogs. bernie means they're out of power, have become ineffective, outdated, and cuts into everything they've built.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

europe isn't moving far right for the most part, though some who are far left are creating some notable shifts back over to the center.
more than right or left it's nationalism. goes for the UK, goes for France.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

well i for one am glad we can finally agree that primaries are different than general elections.
i mean it's what the justice dems operate under too but glad to see the acknowledgement of it in this topic too!

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

point. so alright, she'll get secretary of state.
directly in biden's cabinet at a high level position.

unless she somehow greatly overperforms at getting thresholds - especially if one is california - in which case bloomberg may have to concede that if it means not getting bernie. it's possible she now does after the pete and amy dropouts since she was only off by a few percent.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

oh definitely, yes. biden/bloomberg will most likely have enough together to make a majority happen without anything necessary.

warren is just there because she can legit get 15% in a bunch of places she was hovering around it now, making for an even greater "unity ticket," adding in a progressive to the biden wing, therefore making any bernie stragglers really just sore losers.

or so the narrative will go, anyway.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

correct, the issue is bloomberg.
bernie will lead.
biden will be close behind.
bloomberg will have any extra as insurance, just in case, and force the brokered convention. that's what he always wanted, it's what he's going to get.

despite how bizarre it sounds, bloomberg's voters' third choice is bernie. biden doesn't have a firm lead on that, it's 32% to 27% in the latest poll. in the case of a biden surge, bloomberg might lose some voters to him directly but if he can hang onto any of the would-be bernie ones, job well done and 15% grabbed from the guy who you wanted to fuck over anyway.

but yeah, predix: this race is biden/warren, bloomberg funds 'em, bernie gets fucked.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

nah, that ain't it.
it's the leftists on twitter who always connect shit back to harry potter.

there was a good phase of that a few years ago where it would be a constant stream of it so that's the meme.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

strangely enough, i'm not sure how well tony gets that meme.
it basically goes harry potter's the only book liberals ever read.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

GildedFool posted...

Is it not looking highly increasingly likely now that one of them *does* get a majority? How many delegates do we think Bloomberg/Warren are going to take home?

with these dropouts?
at least 15% in most states.

which means they get delegates.
i look forward to the Biden/Warren ticket.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

technically maybe amy does win tomorrow.
but we already know her delegates are going to biden. the transition here is basically a way to make him reach the right amount of viability on his own. i dont' think there's much overlap with her base and bernie's.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

KanzarisKelshen posted...

The problem is $$$$. Has a broke candidate played kingmaker before in recent memory?

liz ain't playing kingmaker, that's bloomberg. she's just hedging her bets.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

counterpoint: warren is just hedging her bets because if that poll is true on second choices she may well be 50/50 or 60/40 bernie/biden second choice. whatever the answer is, she's got a significant enough number to force a deal if she gets 15% in a couple key states.

and then there's bloomberg.
technically hurting biden in the polls but really just there to force a brokered convention and make deals along the way.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

SC was Biden's test and he blew right past it to the point of realizing that there's no reason to pick anyone else anymore. as it stands, this entire setup is perfect for Bloomberg playing kingmaker, which is what he wanted. i don't know what his so called collapse even means and i don't think anyone can properly tell it. the man wants his constant 15%+ in every single state and may well get it. at that point, he determines the winner.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

bernie was possibly winning Minnesota anyway. but yes, that gives it to him most likely. i'm assuming the hope there is that her endorsement and pete's dropout it's enough to push biden up to 15%. if pete was splitting it mostly evenly among the candidates but she bows out and says "go to biden," that's probably where they'll go.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

warren overlap answer is bernie* not biden.
however warren is also the only other one besides those two who could get a chance at getting 15% in California.

if she does, she hurts bernie more than she hurts biden.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

didn't post anything yesterday but:

confirmed case in Manhattan.
also multiple known cases of the CDC refusing to test people who clearly display all of the symptoms and have tested negative on everything. one of the best known instances of that: a guy in Brooklyn.

so expect NYC news on this because one of the biggest cities, home of the stock exchange, is already fucked and the only question is "how much."


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

wait until you find out your company can't stock toilet paper due to shortages too.


---

"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

back to my hometown:
there are 2 treasures.

...hm. i did find one in the cathedral, is there another i should know about that i didn't get to earlier? i see an open chest behing Gemma's house and assume "yes" as i move along. i do take a quick check towards the Tor to see if anything is around and no, nothing. treasure count in Tor was 1 and i remember getting 1 so alright. i summon my horse and am off to the emerald coast, 3 treasures. before going forward i forge a Templar's Uniform +2 and give it to Erik, just in case he'll need the extra defense.

i investigate the rock, find a box with letters, where my mom tells me i'm a prince, am the Luminary, and they probably got backstabbed by the king from another kingdom that they trusted. "whoops."

i don't get why she's asking for forgiveness considering she literally saved my life by running but alright. and... oh interesting, this time bubble affected this timeline directly. that can change things drastically, could easily see some plot points where it's "this place is in ruins" and it changes to "not anymore~"

i get a keystone to open the door of departure, whatever that means. testing the game, it does let me get through to the Heliodor region, the guard blocking this way is gone. but i'm just gonna move along. while fighting, Erik gets to LV10 and learns Rubblerouser which gets us a new pep: Scorched Earth. this pep, i find out in the next fight, just needs Erik. cool, single tech learned.

i also run into goblins and my inner Goblin Slayer tells me to burn them alive. i do it to the first, don't the second, and he counters me. yeah, Goblin Slayer is always right, i burn the next. i then fail at stealing from a Leafy Lampling for so long i just give up and kill it. before going to the Kingsbarrow i explore for a bit, spot a fisherman's place, kill a couple new enemies, and notice that there's a dock with a ladder and water i can't reach. so i'm getting a boat off of this land to go into the next one, got it. i kill a crab that is featured in the crab rave and get a better idea of Scorched Earth: it's a debuff that can lead to a notable amount of damage after. i don't know if the trigger is enemy movement or if it's me using a fire/earth skill, just know it busted out 30 damage on a crab after being cast, which at this point is quite a bit. moving on.

Kingsbarrow: 2 treasures
...well then.
is this where i meet my next ally or is this going to be a boss, i wonder.
one of the corpses does have a sign telling me to the alter, the orb, making me believe boss battle, then. but there's some monsters in here which i assume is to help pep you up. as i explore, find nothing but a shiny object on the first outside section, i eventually have a devil use that skill Erik learned. so it's continuous damage at the start of turn, got it. also this rate for Half Inch is pitiful, i haven't stolen once since i last wrote i did.

fortunately enemies ARE dropping items and a little jingle tells me that i just found myself a rare one on the devil: wing of bat. so normal drop, no new sound, rare drop, jingle. game is throwing MP healing items at me with these drops too so i'm getting pretty loose with Sizz, Flame Slash, and Heal. the second Exterior finally gets me what i'm looking for: treasure chest! Strength Ring in this one, which... hm. yeah, Erik.

simple reason: Boomerang still can kill things well and he's probably getting to LV11 soon, where he'll put things to sleep. before going downstairs i check the end of the corridor and find another treasure chest, Templar Uniform. useless for me since i made one but hey, nice to have a spare i guess. i get to the Lower Level, 0 treasures. so boss fight soon. Erik is pepped, i should be soon, good position. but in the lower-lower level, 3 treasures. alright, let's see, the map does look kinda empty though.

oh hey, Monster Mounts. i can ride it/its mount if i beat it? i can ride a tiny robot? sold!

and there we go.
Seed of Defiance, recepie for feather caps. there's a door at the end so that's probably the Orb, which is #3. as i go to forge i see i leveled up in it too, got extra focus which i still don't know what it does, and learned double edged bash. i make a +1 feathered cap and put it on for myself, giving Erik the Pointy Hat. and... nope orb has nothing to do with that, treasure was by the door, 2 phials of magic water. "spam Flame Slash," understood game.

y'know Erik, for a rogue you're making a mistake talking to them first. you're supposed to just shank 'em from behind, don't give them an opportunity to get their wits about 'em while clipping wings.

whatever.
Scorched Earth.
Flame Slash.
put one Grim Gryphon to sleep, neat tha the tick damage of Scorched Earth doesn't wake it up. don't know if hitting does either because i pep up and yeah this fight's over.

Half Inch also revealed neither had anything worth stealing. c'mon man, ya killed everyone and failed to do that? Scorched Earth does fade away after i think 5 turns but by then he was one Flame Slash from death. easy fight thanks to that move, continuous 24-30 damage just wrecked 'em hard. despite getting 330 EXP nobody leveled up but that's fine.

Erik gets the orb which is basically the size of his head, tells me everything's going to be OK while being a bit cryptic on "everything," which continues the game's breadcrumbing mystery. like how these monsters went "oh yeah we'll get in HIS favor" or whatever.

as i leave the place in my robot, enemies avoid me entirely. cool. with that, and a few fights along the way, it's time to go. i leave my robot behind and check for treasures again, which comes back as zero.

...wait a sec.
i do not understand how that skill works at all anymore. so it DOES go down based on treasures you find? but the range isn't particularly clear too? well, whatever. i go to camp to settle in for the night and save. as i do i also wonder where the fuck this new guy came from, just standing by a table. that's kind of creepy, he didn't exist anywhere else but exists here? rest until dawn and we're off again.

---

"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

100% agreed. there are reports across multiple states saying the same thing.
CDC massively fucked this up.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

https://abc7ny.com/5974999/

NEW YORK (WABC) -- One man has locked himself in his Brooklyn apartment, trying to get by with a hacking cough and a fever - and a real concern he is infected with the novel coronavirus.

RELATED: How to protect yourself from coronavirus.

"The thing that's scary to me, is there's not many cases in New York, but obvious there's people like me who are coming back from places that have a lot of infections," he said.
The man, who will go by 'John' by anonymity, recently spent five days in Tokyo on business. When he returned home this week, he just knew he had a problem.

At NYU Brooklyn, they put him in isolation, and ran a battery of tests for other things - all negative. Then, per protocol, they called the CDC, because NYU Suspect COVID-19, but the CDC said no.

The CDC says they thought he wasn't sick enough - even though public health experts say most coronavirus cases are more minor, and it flies in the face of what the CDC said on a press call on Friday.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/fayko1/my_covid19_story_brooklyn/

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

man was just Biding his time.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

biden/bernie is at least a question if ideology, philosophy, and different priorities.
bloomberg ranges from existential crisis to a more competent, better connected, more politically involved, and more evil trump. i cannot stand him.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

https://twitter.com/AP/status/1233761625066348544

if he actually gets us out of afghanistan like this is looking to be that's a huge deal. especially come election time.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

briefly home long enough to link this:

https://www.khon2.com/local-news/worries-over-panic-buying-arise-as-some-supply-shelves-at-stores-empty-out/

HONOLULU (KHON2) Supplies were flying off the shelves Wednesday, with some shoppers taking pictures of empty shelves at stores across Oahu. This comes after a message from the Health Department to stock up on necessities. There arent any coronavirus (COVID-19) cases here in Hawaii, but health officials want people to have food, supplies and medicine just in case.

At Costco Iwilei, flatbeds were overflowing with boxes of canned goods, bottled water, toilet paper and paper towels. One shopper picked up all these things and more.

The essentials toilet paper, paper towels, bottles of water, soap, a lot of clorox stuff, cleaning supplies. I figure with all the coronavirus scare and everything, its better to be safe than sorry, said Honolulu resident Keane Zakimi.

Others picked up foods that could last a long time.

Its always a good idea to stock up with things that are protein items like albacore, or things that have a shelf life thats a long time protein items, things, like black beans, said Marlene Nations, a Kailua resident. Yeah this is just an extra precaution but no panic.

Panic buying, or leaving store shelves bare, is what the Hawaii Foodbank is worried about. Theyre seeing it in other Asian countries and are concerned it could impact those who may need the food.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

...well those debates sure did a lot to hurt bloomberg -_-

i appreciate warren's efforts though. she probably cost him an extra $100 mil, which is depressing to think that's absolutely nothing to him but it went to somewhere else that isn't his bank and i appreciate that.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

i'll pitch my crazy idea still:
if you feel you're that screwed just go out, vote D down the line for Congress, and ignore president.

at the very least you can guarantee the executive having some limits.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

pretty sure pokemon.


---

"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

nothing wrong with that, and no you aren't.
the followup question:

would you vote for other races or would you just not vote at all?

---

"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

some quick updates:

• South Korea's on pace to having 600+ people officially infected today. think they're at 571 as of 4 hours ago.
• Japan closing schools and Abe said he needs an extra $50 billion to fight the coronavirus.
• think it's been said earlier but San Francisco already declared a state of emergency on it, despite not having any known cases. this is absolutely the right call to make.
• and finally, FDA reporting their first drug shortage. they don't specify what but as i've said repeatedly before, if there are any drugs you need or even want, get them. 3 months supply should suffice but most drugs can last for much longer than that so nothing wrong if you go over than that. also do get typical stuff for the flu and for diarrhea.

there's a list of that and more - like Nigeria getting their first case (Iran's numbers are gonna look like nothing to this), which can be found here.
https://twitter.com/business/status/1233248234132430849

drugs, food, water. just zero in on that for a bit.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

it was here before we could do anything about it.
it's not like trump's announcement magically got rid of the people who were here in the first two to three weeks of the outbreak. it was across US, Asia, and Europe by then, with no way of finding, let alone containing, the virus.

no matter how fast we would've jumped, it would've reached us. especially Cali.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

if this legit becomes a yearly thing i expect a lot more interest in medicine designed to fight against pnumonia. there's a few of them, not all necessarily labeled as such, but that'd be the biggest hope. along with the claims of sterility being rare or fake, that part would suck.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

the just a flu bro guys are going to be just a little mad when they go shopping for food and realize there is a startling shortage in stuff they want.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

they'd rather have trump.
i guess i can agree that it's not a disagreement on policy though, technically speaking. it's just power. he is not one of them, he would not have one of them, and their authority would be shown to be worthless. those higher up already are hedging bets so they'll be fine, they know how to play.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

considering republicans are actively coming out in droves to vote for him in the technical republican primary, yeah.
they absolutely want him back.


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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Aschen Brodel.

anyway, this dungeon/woodland area has 9 treasures.
...man, boxers was a waste, dancing devil dropped it immediately.
first treasure: mini medal!
as i go to a direction clearly with a treasure at the end, i spot a monster cow. ...okay no it's just a cow. that gives the weather. you know all those NPCs saying they were something else? yeah, this is literally that but played straight.

second treasure: empty. "oh."
we get to a camp and a cutscene plays, at which point he somehow whips out an item at least half his size from nowhere. dude, where was that thing. did you have that thing with you when you were in prison? this thing lets me craft just about anything, why didn't you use it then? and again, where were you hiding this tool?!

i make myself a new dagger for him, confused as to why he just didn't do it this entire time. i then make a new sword because why not. with these perfectionist pearls i decide to rework the most important equip i've got: boxers. yeah baby.

i look down from the campsite and see a gigantic fucking troll. ...so that's why this is 9 treasures. a bridge was busted earlier too. multiple troll cyclops are roaming around down there so uh... "I see." i go to the woodcutter's hut, find treasure #3: recipe book for scale stuff. as i do this, i'm reminded that the game really loves swords because between the free sword and shield here... yeah, it's a very notable gap. at +2 the sword is the same power as my greatsword and i get to keep an extra 9 defense with 5 evade? yeah, that's worth losing the extra 5 points at the moment, especially since i can use my sword skill that does far more damage than that. i'm sure greatsword will get something later but damn man. i feel bad for Erik and give him the gold bracer as i don't need all that extra defense right now, i can wear heavy armor, he can't, and i just forged myself some. anyway, back to the story.

there's a bridge we can't cross and a doggo following me around. i'm fine with that. we get to a part on the map with a plant for my hand to touch so i do and a cutscene reveals the current plot: an old man loving the woodcutter life and a wild tricky devil appears. i want to strangle this thing with its own tail. it then uses tricky beam and makes him into a dog, which honestly is an improvement in many ways but i dig-- he's why there was an empty treasure chest?

fuck this guy, he's dead. i will fill that treasure with his beating heart. meanwhile Erik tells me to go back to find it, in case we missed it. dude, we didn't miss shit, where were you just 5 minutes ago? so apparently we have to lose the dog to get across the bridge. an unfortunate route here but it's the only way i'm staying out of jail. as i get to the treasure chest i see the cow again. the fact that he's giving me weather makes me think this is going to be relevant at some point, maybe some treasures that are accessible without the rain or some areas needing water. but whatever, i've got a purple ass to beat. cutscene, he's lame as fuck, Erik mentions it, he gets mad and the Saibaman cosplaying as an imp attacks.

Half Inch first.
...he doesn't have anything worth stealing? god, how worthless is this guy?
attack, flame slash
repeat, occasionally heal, SSB Gogeta gets unlocked, then i do, then Itemized Kill. he's gotta be with something right?
no, no he was not.
well that's the end of that miniboss. guy turns back to a human, he fixes the bridge real quick, and tells me about the world tree and how i'm one of the chosen few. he also points out the most important part: my great hair. this man understands the importance of hair.

after crossing the bridge the first enemy i run into are boars with witch hats. okay, these things are adorable. Sham Hatwitches? hell yeah, excellent design. i explore, fight, and eventually find another hard ore to mine and a nearby treasure chest, that's #4, assuming the blank one counted. it's raining and it doesn't appear there's anything left so that's all for now, i'm out.

in this next open area, 4 treasure chests. that's more reasonable.
oh hey i remember this place, right at the start when i was blocked due to those trees. cool. as i run home i wonder: if i ring the bell, does the horse come? yes she does. he? i don't remember if they gave it anything. meanwhile i wonder where Erik went while i was on this. is he canonically running at full speed to try to keep up with the horse so that, if i decide to fight, he can fight too? how nice of him!

i make my way back home and it's surprisingly not on fire.
first NPC i talk to and... they've all forgotten me instead for now huh? didn't know this was a surprise Men in Black game. can't save yet, priest is busy, old lady says she's taking over too the journey, well that's nice. and then i talk to her and she wants me to strip, that's not so nice. their memories regressed? hell of an MIB flash. well, i go home first and... there's a loli crying. uhhh okay, so they're all just YOUNGER now instead? even the dog is younger! and the horse giving birth, that's the one i've got, isn't it? i am intrigued. so much so i'm ignoring roof shiny objects to follow this girl.

so uh... time bubble?
the fuck, he disappeared. hm... so a world correction? upon realizing that this existence is artificial, his awareness doesn't allow him to exist in it anymore/forces the world to push him out of it. or along the latter's theory, there's only so much time this bubble is allowed to exist before the world corrects it. basically reality will crumble on anything artificial inside of it once it's aware. yes, i'm basically using the logic of a reality marble on this.

i get back to the square and... now they fade off too as my hand glows. hm...
oh hey we're back to the present. oh hey my hometown DID burn down. so okay yeah, time bubble by the world tree. i like it, i like it a lot. i also regret not checking other areas out - like was the Tor even available? well, too late now. i go to the church and save with a traveling priest who explains the obvious. inside the church there's a treasure chest with a recipe and a blue glowing thing on a desk. okay so this is totally related to the time travel ability somehow, this thing exists for SOMETHING but no clue what. i go back to my old home and what the hell, my old bed still looks comfortable? IT'S SURROUNDED BY RUBBLE.

"hey, everyone i've known for my whole life is dead or imprisoned, including my mother and childhood friend who i absolutely would've married if not for this adventure, but my old bed is still in great condition, guess i'll take a nap!"

motherfucker is a psychopath.

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"Maybe it's a tentacle, molesting the planet itself. - Asche