As of late, it's been down, and is actually throwing this error:

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link

I don't expect I need to explain why an area-effect "Hold My Beer" field lives up to the song name. Of course, it does leave Doug with the impression that using it is sheer genius, at least while it's playing. That's pretty much the entire effect, in fact

e: Well, it could be useful if Doug is somehow treed or otherwise needs the enemy to defeat themselves, but very much a godzilla-threshold level Doug Grenade even then.

Magic Power by Triumph

Meta-power: allows Doug to 'share' his meta-gift.  For the next song he hears, he can give 1 female the same powers he'd get.  Like Doug, they need to be able to hear/understand the lyrics (the song has to be played where they can hear it, not just inside LT's helmet)

Possible variation, with this Meta-song, when the next song triggers, Doug can give someone the power as I suggested above, but LT does _not_ get the enhancement/power, he's just the channel for the magic to go to his helper.

For the second time in the last few months, I've had to decline the membership of a new user who appeared in all other ways to be genuine for failing to reply to my "just reassure me you're not a spambot" email.

I wish I knew what I could do to make it more obvious that it's necessary to reply.  I already throw a bright blue banner up -- visible only to those waiting on their registration -- telling them to expect an email and the need to reply to it.  And I know this guy must have seen it -- according to the admin control panel he's checked the boards at least twice since he registered.  But he hasn't replied -- not even to say "hey, i didn't get an email".

And I'm not going to put the boards at risk by taking pity on him and approving his membership without the email.

But damn, cases like this one really bother me.

I placed an order with Right Stuf last December 26. I just checked their website - everything in my order is now showing as being in stock (two boxes weren't, three weeks ago), but they haven't shipped the order yet.

I placed an order with CDJapan on Sunday. Everything was listed as "Usually ships in 2-4 weeks". They're packing the box today - a half-week after I placed the order. (Monday was a holiday in Japan.) Which tells me where I want to shop for things that don't need English subtitles... but so few Japanese discs have English subtitles, and they're pricey.

I recall placing an order directly with Sentai Filmworks at the same time I placed the order with Right Stuf. That was fulfilled and shipped in a timely manner, on par with CDJapan's turnaround time. But they only have their own titles.

Where do people who still buy Blu-rays buy them from nowadays?

AP: U.S. declares Myanmar army committed genocide in Rohingya attacks

Yeah. "Genocide".

Quote:Violent repression of the largely Muslim Rohingya population in Myanmar amounts to genocide, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday, a declaration intended to both generate international pressure and lay the groundwork for potential legal action.

Authorities made the determination based on confirmed accounts of mass atrocities on civilians by Myanmar's military in a widespread and systematic campaign against the ethnic minority, Blinken said in a speech at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Don't know how applicable this Grrl Power strip is to Warriors' World science, but it certainly evokes the same feel.

That's the setting's Big Bad explaining physics to the good guys, by the way.

Why do people always put these at the end of a chapter? It always pisses me off and leaves me with a bad impression of the state of the story, even if the rest of it was really engaging. Even worse if they're shadowy assholes playing the pronoun game in the shadows, because I deeply loathe having my reading time wasted on vague nonsense that will inevitably have to either be covered again with the details filled in when it actually becomes relevant, or will never become relevant. Even then, putting that bullshit early in a chapter and then giving me some plot and/or character moments to end on a high note is always batter, so... just why? Why is it almost univewrsal to tag scenes from an antagonist perspective on as the last part of a chapter, or as an epilogue to book-format fiction?

Bueller?

Bueller?

Bueller?

Anyone?

written by a Zombie?  Well, what else would you call me given how little I am normally active around here anymore....

Quote:The Rock and a Hard Place was Frigga’s… well, more the ONLY bar.  After the big OOPS, though, that it stayed open as part of the ‘shelter in place’ had meant it became the premier bar. In many ways it reflected the very nature of Frigga with its deliberately rough-hewn walls, bits of old mining equipment and pictures of miners who had died here by any number of causes.  Even now, an hour before the end of the ‘Day’ shift the Rock was somewhere between well-lit and dim, the sound dampening fields already up to mute conversations to something inaudible to any outside the field
 
Not that there was that much need for them this early in the ‘day’.  At the moment there was only one patron, occupying the booth closest to the bar; from the empties already at the edge of the table he’d clearly been here for at least a little while.  Or, perhaps, he was looking to get totally plastered in the shortest amount of time?  Jet found herself quirking an eyebrow at the amazingly non-descript occupant as she slipped through the mute field and sat across from him.
 
“You know, Murphy, I’ve never really heard of you drinking.  What Gives?”
 
“Depends who’s asking, really.  Lady Frigga?  Great Justice’s most lethal troubleshooter?  The head of Stingray Industries?”
 
“You work for Marcone, Murphy.  Why don’t you just roll them all into one?  He knows the truth and would have told you…  or you told him after you figured it out.”
 
“…  Okay.  Well, as far as Lady Frigga, the one who the local Sammies report to?  I didn’t want to be scoffed at but I was rescued by a friggin ghost ship!”
 
“And that is why you said the salvage from those four ships belongs to Frigga?”
 
“You know as well as I do how Gonzo feels about weapons.  And by now you have to have seen their report about the condition of my attackers.  How the freaking hell could I have managed that?”  Murphy paused for a long moment, then continued, “And don’t you dare mention my luck.”
 
“Well, it WOULD explain quite a bit.”
 
“Wouldn’t cover how I might have convinced the Flegg to fly with hot weapons.”
 
“So, what did happen?”
 
Murphy looked down at the PADD in front of him.  “Before I tell you, listen to this.”  With a touch, the sound of acoustic guitar filled the nitch.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w34fSnJNP-4
 
One of the nice things about Jet’s body was that her hardsuit matched the initial design closely enough that it was removable; and for something like this it wasn’t needed.  Jet leaned forward, a pensive look on her face.  “And you found yourself cast in the role of Hera’s Dream.”
 
“Yes.”  Murph took another swig of whatever it was he was drinking.  “Biggest difference is that the ones who jumped me knew just where to do it.  Those ships pretty much had me pinned between them and a decent sized rock, so that pretty much scared Gonzo into complete shutdown right there.  Just to be sure, though, one of them got off a shot into the chicken drive.  Zorched the drive, damn near zorched Julie as well.  Speaking of whom?”
 
“She’ll be fine thanks to you.  Though the med staff is confused because most Friez are male.”
 
“Yeah.  Darndest thing, that.  We were running one of the Don’s blue hairs out to Ganymede.  Had a layover long enough to maybe have a beer or three.  Of course, while we are there my luck kicks in and a bar fight breaks out.  Some go for weapons, but fortunately those are all waved.  Shortest form?  She gets hit by a sex change gun.  Doesn’t seem interested in getting it reversed though.”
 
“Ah.  Well, they tell me they should be releasing her tomorrow.”
 
“That’s a relief.  Even with the help of your adopted kittens if Julie isn’t crew lead the damn drive will sulk for who knows how long.”
 
Jet simply nodded acknowledgement.  “So, you’ve just gotten Julie to safety, and I assume you rushed back to the cockpit.  Then what?”
 
“Kind of just like the song says.  Sensors show the attackers clearly, but there is something about the size of the Eldridge or Ciara out there, wrapped in a glowing red shield they can’t pierce.  It accelerates and turns more like an E-Z Fig, but fires bright green beams that just slice all four of them to… well… shreds.  Then, again, just like the song; first the shields vanish, and yes, I could see a great gash and enough weapons holes that it was clear that she wasn’t manned by any living crew.  Christian was clearly displayed on the standard identifier locations before she started… vanishing from the hull inwards.”
 
“And the last thing you saw were their bones.”
 
“Which is why I’m sitting here tying one on, over and above the fact I really need Julie so our repairs don’t piss off the drive.  Once the Sammies towed me in and I have some time and light-wave access, that is when this starts getting really weird.”  Murphy paused for a moment then pointed at the half full pitcher of what looked like some kind of Margarita.  “I’d offer you some, but I don’t remember if you are able to drink.”
 
“Won’t ever turn it down.”  Murph poured a glass and slid it over to her, willing to at least accept the camaraderie.
 
Murph took another deep drink before starting back up again.  “The loss of the Christian…  is, or was, one of the stranger events of the war.  She’s listed as a Great Justice ship, but out of all our losses in the war, she is the only one listed as ‘Still on Patrol;’ That’s WW2-speak for She’s gone and we have no freaking idea when, where, or how.”
 
“Not quite true, but it’s a good cover.  The Christian was one of our best ships at intercepting and capturing Zwilniks and slavers before her loss.  There was some thought at the time that it was because Dawson WAS a zwilnik until he realized he was on the wrong side of the fight.  We actually have a pretty good idea of where and when; but Great Justice never recovered any remains.”
 
Murphy blew out a long breath, then refilled both glasses.  “So, just like the song?”
 
“Yes.  Jumped by three cruiser class Boskonian ships, the same type that gave us trouble later in the war.  It is theorized they may even have been the first 3 they got into service.  Dawson was able to get a message out, but, as the song says, when Great Justice forces got there all we found were those cruisers ‘cut to ribbons;’ but nothing of Dawson nor the Christian.”  Murphy wordlessly refilled Jet’s glass and waved in Owen’s direction for another before gesturing Jet to continue.
 
“Now this last part is for your ear’s only Murphy.  I get any hint of this getting out and I’ll come looking for you in full hurt you mode.  The Christian was lost somewhere around here.  Haruhi herself had asked for Dawson because of his record.  They were hoping Dawson could find and bounce a cargo headed for Jusenkyo.”
 
Murphy leaned back against the wall with a long low whistle.  “And he got bounced instead.”
 
Jet simply nodded; then poured herself a fresh glass of whatever it was before pouring Murphy one.  “He did get the message out.  And even though we found no sign of the Christian, once the blue hairs were able to examine the ribbons he left us, it was the first clue we were looking in the right place.  Why else would the Boskones display that kind of firepower way out here unless they were hiding something?  And after I… We captured it, we found logs confirming that was what happened.”
 
“So, Dawson and the Christian remain on patrol for Zwilniks, Slavers, or flat-out Black Hats.”
 
“Yes.”
 
Murphy slumped back on his side of the table and stared at the rock roof of the niche.  “Isn’t that typical of my luck, Jet.  The bad is finding myself in that position in the first place, and the good to summon a ship of ghosts to rescue me.”
 
“And you have no control over ANY of that.”

link

This one might actually go the opposite direction if Doug first heard it in context of the movie or if used when afloat on a body of salt water, but generally the first verse is what grabs me the most out of this, "the king and his men took the queen from her bed and bound her in her bones." The target of the song cannot body hop, astrally project, use puppet-style mind control, manifest as a ghost apart from their remains if killed or already dead, etc., at least for the duration and possibly until an "unbinding" condition or spell is cast. Situational, but when you want that effect you really want it.

It might also render them as immortal as Doug has power available for his metagift to draw on to enforce, with the repetition of "never shall we die?" Perhaps that part, and/or a "freedom of movement" effect ala the D&D spell (from "where we will, we'll roam") is only when on salt water. Whichever, that's definitely only for the song duration, though the linked version is decently long as songs not by Iron Maiden or Dream Theater go at 4:30 not counting the spoken intro.