The Imperial Diet met in an imposing building faced in black basalt with ornate spires and flying buttresses. The spaces between these buttresses were filled with elaborate friezes and large windows. I thought it an ugly, glowering structure. The entry gallery ran the length of the front of the structure, with large arched entrances to the three main halls. Despite the ample sunlight, the dark stone gave the gallery a gloomy air. The cloud of people around me was mostly superfluous, and I wasn’t sure which claimed association with me, and which were under Otto’s banner. Otto motioned off to the right, where a staircase coiled along the outside of the corner. We climbed to a hall lined in portraits of Emperors past. At the end of this hall, on the right side, was an inconspicuous door. Inconspicuous save for the crowd of courtiers and guards loitering in the area outside it.
“So, what are we doing here, specifically?” I asked.
“The succession of an Elector of the Volkmund has to be ratified by the Court of Electors. From what I hear, it’s normally a formality.”
“Normally?”
“They’ve grown accustomed to having an empty seat, and are politicians by nature. I would expect them to be looking to get something out of the situation if they can manage it.”
As we were rapidly approaching earshot of the people waiting at the end of the hall, Otto fell silent. A pair of Imperial Bodyguards in Hackenhof yellow flanked the door proper. Once introductions were made, the one on the left said, “Only the Erbprinz will be admitted.” Lenz looked ready to protest, but I held up a hand.
“Don’t worry too much,” I said. He was unhappy, but didn’t give voice to his thoughts. The Imperial Bodyguards opened the door, and I stepped inside. A single horseshoe-shaped table dominated the room, with seats only along the outside. Those seats had their backs against thick posts between the narrow, stained glass windows that colored the daylight tumbling in. I glanced at the men seated around the room. Some bore stern expressions, others feigned boredom. At the time, I couldn’t put a name to a single face in the lot. Clasping my hands behind my back, I made a point of looking towards the empty seat at the far right, then looking back at the group in general.
“Kord Grosz,” the man at the very center said. He had a whipcord build and a narrow, waxed moustache. “It has been fourteen years since the passing of the previous Prince Elector of the North Tower. And this is the first time you’ve seen fit to even come to the Diet.”
“I was a child. I went where my guardian directed.”
“Yet you seem to think you’re now old enough to help direct the entire Volkmund?”
I thought about the question, tried to suss out what justification they were looking for or would be put off by. In the end, I decided that the entire effort to justify was itself the trap.
“Yes,” I said.
A pudgy man at the far left leaned forward. “Are you really fit for it though? Half of your lands are not even under your control.”
“A matter I will rectify once things have been concluded here in Stirnberg.” I was surprised that I managed to maintain an even tone of voice.
“Herzog Zweitzer does bring up a good point,” the thin man in the middle said, “Why shouldn’t we invite the man who actually holds the North Tower to this table? Kirchner, was it?”
“That would be a grave mistake,” I said.
“Are you threatening us?” Zweitzer asked.
“Not at all,” I said, “In fact, the danger isn’t even one you’d face. But you would be setting a precedent where any vassal of a man in this room could seize an Electorship simply by making a well-timed revolt against his rightful liege. Is that something you want your heirs to have to deal with?”
Zweitzer sat back and appeared satisfied.
“So,” the thin man said, “You would have us sign off on your accession for our own good?”
“No,” I said.
The thin man raised an eyebrow.
“I would have you sign off on my accession because I am the only rightful claimant.”
After a protracted silence, he said, “You are dismissed.”
***
I was not expecting to hear a cry of protest from my chair as I went to take a seat in the study. I leapt with a start and spun about. Marcelene sat in the shadow of the chair’s wings, her black dress camouflaging her presence within the seat. As I caught my breath, she gave a relieved chuckle.
“I didn’t think we were that close,” she said.
“I didn’t see you there,” I said.
Marcelene shrugged. “Good thing I’m on your side – even if it is your back side.”
“What are you even doing in that chair?”
“It’s more comfortable than the floor.”
I looked at her askance as she smiled.
“It’s a quiet room where I can read mostly uninterrupted.” Leaning forward, she twirled something in her right hand. I recognized the dark rod with the sculpted bird’s head on the end. “Where did you get the channeling staff?” Marcelene asked.
“A skrael sorcerer had it when he tried to kill me.”
“Were you keeping it as a trophy?”
“Not intentionally. But I do appear to have collected a lot of trophy weapons.”
Marcelene traced a figure eight in the air with the end of the staff, leaving a glowing blue trail that faded slowly. “Do you mind if I use this one? It’s lighter than the others I’ve come across, and I haven’t the knack to make my own.”
“I suppose there’s more than one type of magical knack.”
“Multitudes.”
“Very well, you can use it. In fact, why don’t you keep it, as a gift from me.”
“Is that an ulterior motive I hear in your voice?”
Before I could compose a response, there was a knock at the door. One of the household servants leaned in cautiously. “Prince Kord, forgive the interruption.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“A delegation from Salzheim has arrived at the docks and is on their way.”
I hurried from the study and to the entry hall, all but tumbling down the stairs in my haste. Word must have spread through the house, as I found quite the crowd already there and all but collided with Lenz at the front door. Seeing the look in his eye, I put a reassuring hand upon his shoulder. He gave me a nod and steeled his composure. I threw open the doors as the exterior gates from the plaza admitted an armed host. I looked in confusion at the red tabards of the Knights of Gefrah as they marched in formation into the courtyard. The footmen snapped into a new formation, framing an aisle from the gate to the stairs. From the plaza, a crowd consisting mostly of women entered. At the front was a wizened figure I hadn’t seen in quite a while. Othmar Schlesser looked even more frail than I remembered him. Beside him, in a pale blue gown, strode Magda. I hurried down the steps to meet them.
“What news?” I asked.
“Salzheim is besieged,” Magda said. “We were on the last ship to escape before Kirchner’s sorceress closed the harbor.”
“This doesn’t look like Gefrah,” Othmar said, ill-focused eyes trying to take in the courtyard. Magda patted the old man’s arm.
“We first sought out Straub. He told us you were here trying to get your crown.”
“Once I have the Iron Diadem, I can formally muster an army to relieve Salzheim,” I said.
“Then why did you take so long? You should have done this months ago!”
“Politics is never that straightforward,” Marcelene said. I turned to watch her descend the stairs with the same grace she demonstrated in every motion. With a flick of the eyes, Marcelene took Magda’s measure.
“Who is this?” Magda asked.
“Magda, this is Lady Marcelene Alodia, my court wizard. Lady Marcelene, this is my cousin, Magda von Salzheim.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Marcelene said, giving a slight bow with a delicate flourish of the right hand.
“How did you pick her?” Magda asked.
“I was the only one available,” Marcelene said.
“What news of my father?” Lenz blurted out.
Magda gave a start and stared at him for a moment before composing her words. “He is still bedridden. He was too sick to move when we left.”
“We have to get back there!”
I gripped Lenz by the upper arm and turned him to face me. His wide, almost frenetic gaze met mine. “Lenz,” I said as calmly as I could, “That is the only thing I’ve been trying to do.”
He wetted his lips and nodded sharply. “I know.”
I released Lenz and turned back to Magda and Othmar.
“If there is not currently room for you in the house, we will make room. I want to know everything about what the situation was in Salzheim when you left.”
“My father already anticipated that.” Magda motioned to a woman behind her, who handed forward an oilskin-wrapped folio. “Here,” she said, slapping the folio into my hands. “Everything he thought you needed to know about.”
“Statthalter Eckler,” I said, “We need to find room for the new arrivals.” I hadn’t seen Eckler, but there was no way he had remained unaware of the commotion. My intuition was rewarded when he responded.
“Of course, your Serene Highness. It shall be done.”
The Serjant-at-arms of the contingent from Gefrah raised a hand. “Prince Kord, a private word if I may.”
“Johan, look after Magda and Othmar while the Statthalter works out their quarters. Lenz, Marcelene, lets see what the Serjant has to say. Serjant, if you would join us in the garden.” I turned without awaiting acknowledgment and made my way through the crowd and out the other side of the house. A few sharp glares sent potential eavesdroppers scurrying as I approached the fountain. The other three arrived shortly after I did. “What is it you wanted to say?”
“While we were in Quendaverus, the Pfaltzgraf sent the treasury to Gefrah to prevent its capture should something befall Salzheim. Grandmaster Straub has sent it with us with us as an escort under the guise of protecting your cousin and the court ladies.” The Serjant-at-arms handed me a ring of keys and a letter sealed with the goat’s head and tripod of the Knights of Gefrah.
“How much money are we talking about?” I asked.
“I do not know. We kept the chests sealed.”
“Who else knows about the money?”
“No one was expressly told, but my men may have figured it out. I don’t know about the women.”
“Oh, they know,” Marcelene said. “Trust me, they’ll have found out one way or another.”
“What were your orders once you delivered the treasury?” I asked.
“We were to do as you instructed until the Grandmaster arrived.”
“He is on his way?”
“To formally renew the vows of fealty between the Knights of Gefrah and the Furst of Karststadt.”
“Fine. Lenz, that money is the only way our army is going to make it back to relieve Salzheim. I want you to arrange its protection. Don’t announce it, but don’t act like it’s supposed to be some sort of secret. Just keep anyone from walking off with any of it.”
“Got it,” Lenz said.
“Serjant, you and your men will be at Lorenz’s disposal for this task.”
“Understood.”
“Dismissed.”
The Serjant-at-arms snapped to attention, then marched back towards the gate.
“I thought you didn’t trust Straub,” Lenz said.
“I also can’t afford to make him an enemy.”
“Why wouldn’t you trust the Grandmaster?” Marcelene asked.
“He’s too helpful,” Lenz said.
Marcelene arched a pale eyebrow.
“It’s a long story,” I said.
***
I was tired of meeting people.
So many new faces blurred together, each insisting it belonged to an important person of interest to me. The sad part was how many of them were right. The Imperial Diet was pouring into the city, and my coronation was the first thing on the calendar. Seeing Oliver Black’s doughy face among the crowd was oddly reassuring, though I had only known the man during my brief stint in Amber Town. He had an unfamiliar man with him. This newcomer was thin of limb, thin of body, thin of face, and thin of moustache. He was, however, as tall as I was. The badge on his blue coat bore an emblem in muted green of a moss-choked tree with a crocodilian of some sort at its root.
“Price Kord,” Oliver said, “Allow me to introduce Wenzel von Slough.”
“‘Slough’?” I asked.
“The Slough is a swamp between Gelbenkap and the Small Sea. Like those of Amber Town, my people are largely of Atlorian stock.”
“I see,” I said.
“The men of the Slough and Ostgelb are already mustered on the shores of Gelbenkap, as it seemed imprudent to cross the sea only to return to where we began.”
“So, you did not join up with Salzheim before the siege?”
“The graf did not call for my aid. And von Salzheim is not my liege.”
“But I am,” I said.
“Once formalities are complete.”
“I’m afraid I have to get to the first of the formalities.”
Von Slough gave a stiff bow, and I turned my attention towards the stables. The courtyard was choked with people, but it was impossible to miss Graymire, staring gloomily from a stall. He would be less happy if the grooms yoked him to the front of the team of horses pulling an overwrought carriage. The open-topped vehicle was mostly blue and black save for the egregious amounts of gilt decorative carvings and the jeweled finials atop the banner poles jutting from the rear corners. Liveried footmen bowed deeply and opened the door. I climbed the steps and sat on the sole bench inside.
“My lord,” the lead footman said. “Might I see your boots?”
“Why?” I asked.
“They’re scuffed.” I sighed, but repositioned myself so he could buff the marks back up to the same mirror shine the rest of the laceless footgear had been polished to. I suppose today was not about being comfortable, as the brocaded trousers and embroidered coat attested to. I watched the crowd hurrying to their horses as I waited for the footman to be able to see himself in my boot leather. “I am done, your Serene Highness,” he said. I found a better spot on the bench, careful not to disturb the man’s efforts.
The driver carefully guided the carriage out into the plaza. There, another crowd in blue waited. Most were on foot, as only a few had the honor of riding in the procession. Lenz and Magda were on horseback, serving as proxies for their fathers. Marcelene rode as one of the privileges granted a court wizard. I was annoyed to see Soren and Ritter on foot. Both were sons of a vassal of a vassal, and by etiquette did not have the same rights to a horse in the procession. Otto was insistent that I would insult a great many people if I overrode tradition for them. So their places were taken by the Antixenarch[66] of Longue and the Oberburgermeister of Zerhaltenberg, two men I’d barely met. Grandmaster Straub rounded out the six riders escorting the carriage. I was not entitled to more riders for the coronation procession.
Throngs of public onlookers gawped at us from the sides of the boulevard, every side street, and many of the windows overlooking the procession. We stuck to the sedate pace set by those on foot. Like an army on the march, we proceeded, those on foot screening the perimeter against the choked confines of the city, the horsemen clustered around the baggage – me. I shook the thought from my mind, stiffened my spine and silently cursed circumstance. All this pointless pomp and ceremony when I had better things to do. Except I needed the troops that men like the Antixenarch of Longue and Oberburgermeister of Zerhaltenberg could bring to the fight. They expected the pageantry, and to have pride of place in it. I forced my face to remain placid as we plodded along towards the basalt spires of the Diet.
The road through Stirnberg was too long.
[66] In this context the prefix anti- is being used in the meaning of vice- or deputy-. The Antixenarch of Longue could just as accurately be styled the Viceroy of Longue.
If you want your own copy, the whole book is available from Amazon in eBook, Paperback, and Hardcover variants.
Have I mentioned how much I adore this character? 😁 (I also get a kick out of her interaction with Magda.)
I’ll assume this is the technically correct form of address for one of Kord’s rank, but the “Serene” part does seem to be…less than applicable in most (all?) of the circumstances in which we’ve seen him in this story.🤔
“Highness”, “Illustrious Highness”, and “Serene Highness” are translations of German terms of courtesey for certain ranks of nobility. It is simply the form of address like calling a Duke “Your Grace”.
Heh. Kord is fidgety. And impatient.
Pomp and circumcision builds character.
*sigh*
circumstance.
LOL
Yikes
Circumcision does build character, if you do it yourself without anesthesia.
Ah, but the ultimate definition of macho is jogging home from your vasectomy.
***SIGH!!!*** Thanks a lot. Now I’ll never again be able to attend a graduation ceremony without getting the giggles.🙄🤭
Oy
😂🤣
Oh my.
What is Lady Gaga doing here? I thought Trump’s EO banned trannies in sports?
???
Super Bowl. Condolences.
😥
I remember when Howard Stern didn’t suck he was pushing that theory.
That amused me when I still thought drag was a harmless nightlife hobby amongst adults.
I was thinking about that today when I walked past the convention center and there’s a sign on the door reading “Drag Brunch”. 🙄
Do you drag brunch behind the woodshed and beat it screaming “make up your mind what meal you are?”
WTF? Am I going to have to watch this whole fucking game on mute?
Currently doing the exact same thing.
Does not compute.
I have no intention of watching much of it. At the rate they’re moving this will drag on till midnight.
Is there a way both teams can lose?
I wish. I seem to be rooting for both defenses.
Even the comment talent is calling bullshit on the refs.
Right off the bat, the refs make the game about them.
Better than the commercials.
JFC. Lecture some more, please.
Seahawks scored one for Prince Kord.
Eagles. Wrong bird. You see how much I watch football.
More than I do.
https://time.com/7213681/subway-surfing-new-york-mta/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
problem that solves itself needs solving
Somebody still needs to clean the bodies off the tracks, because otherwise they might get on the trains and make them smell
awfuleven worse.*raises hand from experience*
Fuck.
No.
Oh yes, trap the victims in with the offenders away from help.
Exactly.
Plus the frequent need to escape a reeking derelict that you neglected to spot before stepping aboard.
+1
Also, I moved away but apparently the future is one long train with no doors between cars and I wonder how that is going to play out.
Well… if trains were made of unicorn farts.
I’m not confident for a 3peat here.
Don’t worry. The refs will let them back in. 😜
But yeah the Chiefs are really starting slow especially for a 2 time team.
I guess our O-line didn’t feel like showing up for work today.
And now a pick 6. Chiefs are really going have to regroup.
I’m terrified someone will get hurt for nothing
Go sit in the corner and think about what you just said.
The Sea-Eagles are doing quite well!
Oh my. The Kansas City Cheetos are in trouble after that interception and touchdown.
Heh. 25% say “I have no idea what I like, but I watch Super Bowl anyway.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/super-bowl-about-more-just-game
Wives.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/driver-lost-control-parking-wedged-their-subaru-sideways-between-two-cars
Impressive.
Finished it today. Two thumbs up. I’ll leave a good review.
Thanks.
If you know anyone you think might like it would you let them know?
You know what I was just thinking? We need another commercial from some proggy group about racial unity.
You too?
Elon supposedly bought three commercials to talk about government corruption. I am waiting to see them.
Yeah, more DOGE commercials fewer fight bigotry commercials would be nice. Although the fact that the scolding continues unabated does give hope that no lessons are being learned.
I didn’t see any Elon commercials. Just a shit-ton of “reject hate” crap. The government must have blown a billion in advert dollars for it right before Elon shut down the grift.
worse yet: HexClad assuming extraterrestrial’s gender
I don’t need to see Pete Whatshisface in anything ever.
As long as the race isn’t “white”.
Apparently, the NFL didn’t really want to “End Racism” after all.
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/08/nx-s1-5290971/buffy-sainte-marie-stripped-canadian-honor-indigenous?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
if you do the right thing but have the wrong blood, we can’t be friends
I wonder what sort of drugs are/were in Buffy’s ass.
It’s as if Don didn’t read the morning links.
I check in at least twice a month!
You could say Don Escaped the Morning Links.
Well, this Super Bowl is shaping up as a blowout. The Chefs got nuthin’.
Too bad. The Iggles are the one team I will root for anyone to beat.
I’m not counting out Patrick Mahomes at this stage. If Chiefs defense can get some stops, the Eagles defense will get tired.
Why would the Eagle defense get tired/ They’ve spent very little time on the field?
Now, the Chefs’ defense . . . .
Eagles have so far come out throwing. Now, they can start running like they just did there. But if they keep passing, something like the Falcons did against the Patriots, the Eagles defense is going to start seeing the field more. Chiefs defense will come up with stops.
Defenses only have so many looks they can throw at a QB like Mahomes and a coach like Reid.
Jeebus. This is just an ass whipping. The Chefs look like they have no business being in the Super Bowl.
Yup
No skin in this game other than I want the Kaiser Chefs* to lose.
*a running joke in my friend scene** way before the same joke appeared in commercials and shit
**because I was stoned out of my mind and wrote that in the notes we kept for when we were all stoned out of our mind
https://apnews.com/article/trump-steel-aluminum-tariffs-import-duties-74d7bfde0da59e111a45e772d199f2b2?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
I’ll just eat my cost increases like a good Republican….do I get a cookie?
75% of that Al comes from Canada.
There is a method, but I’m not a fan either.
His tariff hard on is going to cause a lot of trouble.
Buy American, Don.
I’ve really only seen the Dunkin commercial so far. I liked it. Roasted the proggies at Starbucks.
You think they could go back to making the donuts in store and not sickeningly sweet?
Or make the coffee not taste like donuts? I’ve only had it a couple times so who know, maybe it has always tasted like donuts.
Krispy Kremes are way sweeter
Never had Krispy Kreme.
The last time I had Dunkin Donuts was back in 2018. The donut seemed smaller than I remembered them being, too.
Now when my sister sends me a Dunkin gift card, I use it on their ground coffee.
A fresh, hot Krispy Kreme is like half donut/half cruller, pure ambrosia. A cool KK donut is just a grocery store donut.
Nobody needs full size donuts.
I still harbor a grudge against Dunkin because of a project we did with them years ago.
We tapped into the drive thru times are a bunch of locations and collected performance info. Before this, the various stores would fax in a form with some number that they read off of the in store timer.
Corporate loved it because they were finally getting complete numbers and were comparing apples to apples. Franchisees hated it because it accurately gave corporate a count of how many people went through the drive thru every day. Why is that important? Because a ton of those drive thru transactions were in cash and a lot of them were not actually rung up.
So corporate said, hmmm looks like you had 100 cars yesterday and we know that the average order was $5, so that means our cut should be x, but you only sent us $y. Why is there a difference?
Actual efficiency of the drive thrus became a secondary point.
Eventually, when it came to expand from a pilot to a full deployment it was scrapped. The number one reason was that the person in corporate championing the project gave up in disgust at all the shit he was taking from franchisees and went to work at YUM.
I can also say that after installing 50 or so locations for our pilot, I don’t know why people think that Dunkin’s coffee is anything special. I also can’t get the smell of those kitchens out of my brain.
The one memorable time I drank that shit was from a buddy who commuted from Long Island and we were out front of the office near Wall Street smoking. Most disgusting coffee I’ve ever had. That was ~25 years ago and I’ve not touched it since.
They make terrible coffee. I’ve never liked it.
A shitty ad. I couldn’t figure out what their point was.
Have we not moved passed the era of the celebrity spokesperson? Like, no one gives a fuck. No one gave a fuck about what they thought about politics and they don’t care that you dragged two ancient celebrities out to sell your fucking mayonnaise.
Well, Moje, your “the Chefs are sloppy” chickens have definitely come home to roost.
I’m sayin’.
There ya go. 24-0 in the first half. Teh Chefs have, what, two first downs?
Still not counting out Mahomes.
Mahomes isn’t the problem here, but he also can’t wrangle the ball down to the end zone by himself.
It’s like everybody else on this team (including Kelce) forgot how to play this game.
Mahomes has played like shit. Yea he’s under pressure, but you can’t throw those two passes that he did. Pick 6? He was seeing ghosts from previous plays.
His foot stepped on the back of his OL’s leg on the last one. But still, that’s a throw he could typically make.
Oh boo hoo hoo. :-p
It ain’t over yet. Though they are putting out a massive police presence on Broad Street.
There is no way on this planet the Chefs are hanging 24+ points on the Iggles while holding them scoreless. If only because the Iggles have the best defense in the NFL this year. Mahomes or no Mahomes.
I’m a Mahomes-bobo. Love the guy, but this game is over.
Agree with RC that the Eagles D is too good.
It kills me that Philly is going to get a SB ring. I guess we’ll see how Trump’s FEMA works once the Philly fans raze the city in “celebration”.
Get your pole climbing gloves on.
With some luck it will become part of an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Win or lose, I would imagine.
There was a facebook meme today. Two doors; one labelled eagles win; the other eagles lose. Both lead to the destination; Philly burns.
The illusion of choice I think was the label.
This half time show makes me miss Aerosmith with guest star Britney Spears and her sock puppet.
NewWife automatically plays the youtube of Prince every year
That.
Hasn’t been one worth a damn since. Including this one I unmuted twice and very quickly re-muted.
Wow, if it wasn’t for the captions I wouldn’t know what the hell Kevlar is saying.
What did I just stop watching?
I don’t know. I decided it was better to go for a walk.
@trippwhitbeck If you’re not a rap fan, this Halftime Show has provided an excellent opportunity to walk your dog.
I did some gaming to pass the time.
Erstwhile commentor Playa Manhattans internet is down. Can someone email him the score?
/old moldy joke.
Hoping for Drake to jump on stage and liven this train wreck up.
I don’t know what most of that means but OK then. I do know that nasty woman is married to some other person so whatever.
https://nypost.com/2025/02/09/sports/serena-williams-make-surprise-super-bowl-2025-appearance-at-halftime/
This ought to put to rest the rumors this game is fixed.
Silver linings, I guess.
Too big to rig?
Shut the fuck up, Snoop.
/for the thousandth time in the last couple years
It is amazing to me that Snoop was once the scariest man alive. He was an evil gangsta stoner and was going to corrupt the youth.
Now he’s the biggest corporate shill ever. And hangs out with Martha Stewart.
I’d call him a sellout, but I kind of admire his transition.
Well, Martha’s a jailbird so it kinda tracks.
It’s all part of the mainstreaming of dope and gangsta shit.
I find it revolting but I’m an old fart now I guess.
To wit:
The annual “winter festival” here was sponsored by the new legal dope peddler that’s the biggest concern going in our couple blocks of downtown now.
I’ve been backing up more of my video collection.
Why is it blurays rip faster than they re-encode while dvds re-encode faster than they rip? (Handbrake and mkmkv)
Husband: They look like they just wanna go home.
Me: They never arrived.
It’ll be ok Mojeaux. You can use the wool banners from the previous two superbowls to dry your tears.
😭
Ouch.
Ah, it’s only 34 points to come back.
I wasn’t trying to be mean. I was pointing out that the Chiefs are a quality team and have won the Big Game twice in a row.
Some teams have never gone, let alone never won.
You didn’t hurt my feelings. They’ve been skating on thin ice for 3 years and it’s finally catching up to them.
Accurate
He has repeatedly gotten irritated when I point out their playing is sloppy. He says, “Only the W counts.” No, it does NOT. HOW you won is important.
Husband: They look like they just wanna go home.
That is how the VIkes looked in their playoff game this year. In the second half when they were down, they weren’t even rushing to the line to get more plays in.
I’m so happy they lost then, than in the SB. I’m indifferent to the Vikes losing in the opening round (mostly because of repetition). If they had made it to the SB I would have reverted to my 10 year-old self watching the Vikes lose and it would have killed me.
lol Same with the Bills except I was in my 20s last four times and didn’t give a flying fuck at the time.
Look. I’m only still here because my husband is. I shall stay to the bitter end so he doesn’t feel so alone.
I want KC to score just to make the game interesting.
Your wish is my command.
There is some amusement in watching the announcers try to pretend that the Chefs are just one play away from being back in this 4-score game.
Nice to see a little Mahomes magic finally.
I dunno if “two sacks in three plays” is Mahomes magic.
I guess it was that little toss he does a lot. Enh, it led to a score so that’s some kind of magic.
*5 score. This might be too little too late though, yea.
I love all the “you must be this rich to attend” shots. 🙄
I was bitching about that earlier IRL. Like, let’s show all these celebrities no one really cares about and highlight how we’ve priced the actual fans out of attending the game.
Corporate America feels the tide turning against it, but still doesn’t really understand the mood of the country.
To be fair, it’s inevitable. It’s not like you can fit a million people into a stadium.
I went on a mini rant about how the costs of SB tickets has risen astronomically over the past decade. I get that they can’t sell the seats for cheap but when the lowest ticket price is 5 grand, something is off.
There’s a lot that is off about sportsball money-stuff.
People bitch about Elon but I don’t see a lot of bitching about the hundreds of millionaires in American professional sports.
I ahve been long looking for a way to get money out of sports.
Mostly because I’m evil and spiteful, but that’s besides the point.
It’s not easy to tease out the market from the not-market. Maybe?
I watch more soccer than football and *I* make more than the average professional American soccer player. Where it gets weird is the other end of the spectrum. Just off the top of my head there’s the huge pubsec subsidies for billionaire owners. That needs to stop, clearly. But how?
For the most part, I like seeing the rich and famous be parted from obscene amounts of money. Let them go wait in line for the bathroom and food. The poor normies can stay home and have more fun.
I’ve never really gotten the appeal of going to the game. I guess, I like being able to see the whole play (not what the camera guy thinks is important), but the hassle and cost of being there live is too much for me.
If I was being a dick and was willing to abandon principles, I’d like to see some law that says tickets for any SB held in a publicly financed stadium should be sold in a lottery (for the same price as a regular season game). Let some plumber in Ohio score a pair and then sell it for thousands to some B-list celeb.
You’d see owners squealing like an ex-employee of the USAID
SCIENCE MOMS!!!
Kanye is brain damaged. If Apple paid for any part of that commercial, then they are too.
Missed whatever that was, sadly.
“Even though my name is Ford.”
LOL
But hot damn I did not need to be reminded how fucking old
he isI am.Weird. We watched some dog agility competition during the halftime, and when we went back, apparently Fubo treated that as a pause in our watching, and started when we tuned out, so we’re behind. Didn’t realize it until just now.
My God, who could have predicted this?
Not me.
Look, my bingo card is plumb full.
I am SO DONE with 2025.
I’m sorry you’ve had a rough start to the year. It reminds me of 2021 when my mother went into the hospital with COVID and never came out, and dealing with all the paperwork with most of the government shut down.
My sister had it worst, she had to go to Aus the previous year to handle her husband’s father’s affairs just as that country completely locked down and no government offices whatsoever open.
Chiefs need a stud RB, least one stud WR, and a better O-line.
Can Fox cut away to a more competitive game? 😂
LOL it aligns with my lukewarm preference so I’m OK with it.
2023 NWLA Wiffleball All-Stars on ESPNews?
Wow a few more TD’s like that could have helped.
And it’s over. The Chiefs can go contemplate their life choices.
I just stumbled across a photo from the future of Travis and Taylor Kelce.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GjYHQu_WMAAcC-p?format=jpg&name=small
Love it
I hope STEVE SMITHs favorite team, the Las Vegas Rapers, are in the Super Bowl next year.
Speaking of football…
HI I’M JOE NAMATH DID YOU KNOW I WEAR HEARING AIDS??
WHAT??!!?!??
Is that a step up or a step down from pantyhose?
February Stupor Bowl gets what it deserves. Make January Super again.
I’m only linking to this tweet from Vinay Prasad MD MPH because I’m wondering why he thinks he needs a speed limit of 1500 mph.
Mach 2 is too slow, no tickets below Mach 3!
What do we have on this thing? A Cuisinart?
lol
Am reminded of this excellent missive about the plague years monstrousness that Yusuf posted this morning.
Greatest lie ever told; that the devil doesn’t exist or that “[taxation] is the price we pay for civilization”
Glad it was read, I felt it important
Yah, the reckoning still needs to happen.
Most people aren’t ready for it yet.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/musk-calls-impeachment-obama-appointed-judge-who-blocked-doge-access-treasury
Stab em in the heart. So judge cited no authority just made the decree? I’ll have to look to see if true
He’s right. The good judge has no authority in this case. It is an executive branch issue.
Piss on my leg and tell me its raining ruling.
Carl’s bringing back burger babes…+1.
Hellman hitting that nostalgia itch…+1
Bud Light…meh
Clydesdales will always be a…+1
Walton Goggins is nearly always a…+1
Casey Afflack has been and will always be the better actor…
Lay’s…+10, great ad
Fox Sports Superbowl Ad with Brad Pitt. Good job. I mean it. We are a god damn awesome nation who comes together when we need to and I will not feel sorry about that.
We are still balls out America,
Fuck Yeah!
The only ad I remember was the Jeep ad with what can only be Harrison Ford’s great grandpa but it was unexpectedly MAGA after the relentless face-planking of most of the other ads.
Chapter 35: Kord learning how to balance curmudgeonly behavior and diplomacy. I feel much the same as he does regarding pomp and pageantry My wife even more so. Kord also has my ability to remember faces, which is terrible.
That treasury might come in handy for bribes. Including Electors.
Minor editorial notes:
I would have used a different word than “Suss”. It’s anachronistic.
“Antixenarch” Sounds more like a Dwarvish title. Seems out of place. Also no need to mention Longue and Zerhaltenberg twice.
The going right now may be slow right now, but it takes time as well as resources to organize a campaign. And to introduce new important characters.
Looking forward to 36.
It is.
Commercial just witnessed after flipping TV on and Seinfeld has ended:
“Onondaga Earth Corps – Be a Part of the Change!” or some happy horseshit.
The leftist propaganda is fucking pervasive – how do you fight it??
How? Stop paying for it. (Trump has to be successful in killing USAID)
It’s crazy… this kind of self-flagellation has been the default message my entire life. It is not going to be a simple matter to convince normies that it’s been bullshit this whole time.
A lot of people complain about the ‘that is the way it is done’ or ‘that is how it is supposed to be’ mentality by pointing it out in this or that age group, geographical location, cultural group, etc but in fact it seems to be built in the human brain. If something happens long enough it becomes a permanent fixture in people’s minds, they cant imagine it any other way.
I am not awake enough yet but I will muse on this: I have a preferred outcome. I invent a narrative to arrive at that outcome. I take hammer and tong to all evidence to make them fit into that narrative or I just ignore it if I cant make it fit. To win people over I dont need a convincing narrative or a narrative that makes sense; what I need is to convince people that they also want that preferred outcome. If I can do that they will gladly swallow the narrative all on their own no matter how ridiculous It is.
Does that make sense?
Congratulations, Philadelphia.
Inside the East Coast’s Largest Open-Air Drug Market
Lots of ideas about making the problem less visible but the author seems curiously uninterested in asking why the squalor exists in the first place.
As in… what did millions of young men used to do instead of getting paid to sit on the sofa getting high all day? Anyone? Bueller?
It is a mystery.
Work?
Good morning all you Eagle’s fans and the rest of y’all.
😏✊☕
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gavcjNniIvk
🎶🎶
Fun fact – The sound used for an eagle in every movie and TV show is actually a Red-tailed Hawk, because the actual sound Eagles make isn’t majestic or pleasing to hear.
I hope you’re safe in your little corner of Pennsylvania.
suh’ fam
whats goody
/actually working close to home for a couple of days…
TALL CINCY CANS!
Well – I’m awake early enough to take the trash to the curb and leave on time.
Spoiler: UCS is WFH today.
No, Ted, today is an office day and I have made it to my desk. Traffic was heavier than I expected, so I was at my parking spot at 6:26, which is slightly behind schedule from the optimal commute.
Somebody needs his humor gloves.
Good morning, homey, U, Ted’S., Sean, and Stinky!
How goes?
Pretty good. Still have a busy week ahead of me, but I can look forward to leaving early for a hair appointment on Thursday. 👩🦰
How about you?
I do not have a hair appointment on Thursday. Since it takes all of ten minutes for the barber to cut my hair, I tend to be able to fit that in after work (he actually keeps his shop open well into the late afternoon since guys are less inclined to take time off from work for that sort of thing)
I was a bit agitated during my commute when traffic got thick, but after I got off the highway, I was able to calm down and now I’m as close to mellow as I get. Having breakfast, reading emails, nothing too stressful.
😁👍
See knuckle dragger, girls are not only able to be on par with boys, but far superior (only if a black girl against a duche of a white guy)
https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1888825138763739436
They didnt get the memo?
Morning all.
Morning.
My direct supervisor is out today, so unless people want to bother the director, I’m in charge.
As long as work is being done and nobody is causing trouble, I will not interfere. I’m too lazy to micromanage.
TOADY!!!!111!!!!
https://deepnewz.com/us-domestic-policy/elon-musk-endorses-ron-paul-former-representative-federal-reserve-audit-ea3b8d11