My Toons, Let Me Show You Them: Suffolk Punch

 It's been a long time since I last talked about City of Heroes. Now that the "renegade" servers are public and are (apparently, hopefully) in no danger of being shut down, and now that I've gotten back into playing CoH in my copious free time [/sarc], I figured I'd share some more of my character creations with you dear readers. 

I'm going to start off with something that is so very, very me: a character that is essentially one big My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic reference. 

This is the Mysterious Mare Do Well from the episode of the same name. The costume is very much of two-fisted (two-hooved?) pulp style of The Shadow, and I was curious if the versatile CoH character creator could do a credible anthropomorphization thereof. 

The answer is "Yes, and quite a good one too."

You could say that the resemblance is downright... re-mare-kable. 

But just having an MMDW tribute toon wasn't enough, because I wanted an explanation for why she was human, and I wanted a good punny name, and I wanted a pony reference without just straight-up copying the character. So I named this character Suffolk Punch. 

The Suffolk Horse, also historically known as the Suffolk Punch or Suffolk Sorrel, is an English breed of draught horse. The first part of the name is from the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, and the word "Punch" is an old English word for a short stout person. It is a heavy draught horse which is always chestnut in colour, traditionally spelled "chesnut". Suffolk Punches are known as good doers, and tend to have energetic gaits. -- Wikipedia

Since Mare Do Well got her physique from Applejack, I knew I wanted a punchy-kicky type of character, so I picked "Street Justice" as a primary and let me tell you, she kicks like a horse. (Heyooo!) I chose Super Reflexes as her secondary because it was the closest representation to Pinkie Sense that I could find (plus the power icons for SR are pink, so it fits). I also made her a Brute, for reasons I'm not entirely clear on; I just feel like it better captures the character, both as the embodiment of Applejack's physique and as a two-fisted pulp brawler. 

 So using AJ as a base and an English name, you can guess where this is going. Here's her in-game bio:

(Translated from the thickest, most incomprehensible English country accent ever heard):

Nae, it's na Suffolk, it's SUCKER! Sucker Punch! Look, Oi lives on a farm wiv me Granny Kidney, me big bruvver Falcon and me li'l sister Rabbit. Wha koinda punch issa Suffolk? It makes nae bleedin' sense!

Ye've already entered th' name in th' registry? Well bleedin' CHANGE  IT, then! 

What d'ye mean "Oi can't change it?" 

Bloody bureaucrats. Foine. I'll be "Suffolk" Punch, then, an' Oi'll Suf-folk yer roight up if yeh cross me agi'n.  

I regret nothing!

Streets of Fire

Through an odd confluence of events I don't understand (perhaps the dread algorithm in play?), lots of people on Facebook are suddenly talking about Streets of Fire, the 1984 cult classic which spawned a hit song even though the movie itself wasn't very successful at the time. 

Streets of Fire is a very odd film, which is probably why it isn't more widely known. It's a very 1980s film, a sort-of-but-not-quite rock opera, but it's set in an era that could be anywhere between the late 40s and early 60s. It's a period piece without a discernable period, at least to my eyes. A friend of mine called it "a western set in the rust belt", but I disagree; I would summarize the plot as "The Little Soldier Boy and the Leader of the Pack fight for the heart of the Homecoming Queen." 

It also stars a shockingly young-looking Willem Dafoe, which is curious since he was also in 1986's Platoon where he managed to look a decade older. 

But for me, the most interesting thing about Streets of Fire is that one of its songs -- and in my opinion, the best song of the whole movie -- is Nowhere Fast, as lip-synced by Diane Lane.

 

Also, if you're a fan of 1980s anime you can see how it inspired parts of Bubblegum Crisis. Priss and the Replicants are a Japanese cyberpunk Ellen Aim and the Attackers, and you can definitely hear how 1984's Something Fast inspired & influenced 1987's Konya wa Hurricane. 

I don't really have any great point to make, other than that I like both songs and it's neat to see the link between them. 

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 156: The Oblate Spheroid Table

                                 

In This Episode

Erin and Weer’d are joined by Oddball, David, Xander, and Adrian for a Round Table episode where we discuss:

• Being a good ambassador for the Second Amendment;
• David Chipman's Senate hearing for ATF Director;
• Several recent shootings;
• A story where an armed teacher saved the day;
• Ian McCollum's wildly successful Kickstarter Campaign for his book Pistols of the Warlords;
• And of course the usual unscripted shenanigans!

Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Show Notes

• ATF Director Nominee David Chipman Ripped Apart by Pro Second Amendment Senators
• Key Senators Mum on Biden ATF Nominee After Contentious Hearing
• Press Release: We Oppose David Chipman's Nomination as ATF Director in the Strongest Possible Terms
• Contact Your Senators in Opposition to David Chipman as ATF Director
• Gunman ignores California gun laws, kills eight others before police next door can arrive
• Police: 2 dead, 20+ injured in Florida banquet hall shooting
• Mass Murder Stopped by Man Armed with Rifle in Arkansas
• Armed school employee stops alleged attempted kidnapping in Ogden
• School Carry Utah
• Update: A Million Dollars - and a Worldwide Booksigning Tour?
• Pistols of the Warlords Kickstarter
• Protesters in Portland attack man suspected of being Andy Ngo

I'm Doing My Part

I don't know about you, but I mailed my two Senators along with Minority Leader McConnell urging them not to confirm David Chipman as ATF Director. 

In addition to printing out the OBS-PP press release, I wrote this message on every letter:

I also enclosed two business cards per envelop. Ideally, the Senators will keep one and pass the other to someone on the Hill who may be interested in learning more about us. I don't know what the chances of that are, but I had to try. 

If you haven't contacted your Senators, there's still time! Contact details are here. 

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 155: A Whole Lotta News

                                

In This Episode

• Erin and Weer’d discuss a bunch of news stories:
  • Leo Prinsloo, the driver of South African dashcam fame, gives his account of the harrowing attack on his transport vehicle;
  • Texas gets Constitutional Carry;
  • March For Our Lives activists cry some more as the media has topped giving them attention;
  • the Congressional hearing for anti-gun lobbyist David Chipman as ATF Director has been scheduled;
  • and we review an attempted spree killing that was stopped by a good man with a gun.
• Next, Xander brings us his Independent thoughts on the Mark McCloskey campaign video;
• and finally, Weer'd interviews Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons and Headstamp Publishing about his latest book, Pistols of the Warlords.

Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Show Notes

Main Topic:

• Latest Footage & Interview with Leo Prinsloo
• Senate vote has Texas 'constitutional carry' gun bill on verge of becoming law
• Parkland activist calls out media for not 'aiding' gun reform efforts under Biden after doing so under Trump
• ATF Nominee David Chipman, Hearing Wednesday
• Gunman Kills Old Woman, Starts to Look for More Victims Until an Arkansas Man with a Hunting Rifle Takes Aim

Independent Thoughts with Xander Opal:

• Mark McCloskey Runs for US Senate

Ian McCollum interview:

• Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 – 1949
• Forgotten Weapons
• Headstamp Publishing

Press Release: We Oppose David Chipman's Nomination as ATF Director in the Strongest Possible Terms

  

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chipman Appointment: “Like a Homophobe Investigating Hate Crimes”

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (May 29, 2021): Operation Blazing Sword / Pink Pistols opposes the nomination of David Chipman as Director for the ATF in the strongest terms possible, and for the following
reasons:

1. After Mr. Chipman retired from service with the ATF, he was employed as a lobbyist for Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Everytown for Gun Safety, and the Giffords Anti-Gun Lobby group; all organizations whose main goal is to restrict civilian ownership of firearms.
2. During this same period he was also working for Shot Spotter, a commercial entity which sells a system that purports to detect gunshots by their sound so that police can be dispatched directly to the site. The city of San Diego, which purchased the system, found that Shot Spotter had a greater false positive rate than advertised, indicating that more gunshots were detected than were actual events. This created a false perception that gun crime is more prevalent than it truly is, increasing public fear of guns.
3. Mr. Chipman wants to ban the AR-15 rifle, one of the most popular and numerous firearms in the country and therefore the very definition of “in common use” and therefore protected under the Second Amendment as per District of Columbia v. Heller.
4. Mr. Chipman lumps AR-15 rifles into the catch-all category of “assault weapons” which he defines as “any semiautomatic rifle capable of accepting a detachable magazine above the caliber of .22”.
5. Mr. Chipman further supports President Biden's plan to regulate all such “assault weapons” via the National Firearms Act, a decision which if implemented will result in millions of Americans being deprived of their property without due process and making citizen ownership of any semiautomatic defensive rifle impossible for many.
6. Mr. Chipman has made false claims about .50 caliber rifles being found in the ruins of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, TX after the 1993 raid. Neither FBI nor Texas Department of Public Safety records of what was found in the wreckage of the compound support Chipman’s claims.
7. Finally, no fewer than one-third of America’s State Attorneys General oppose Mr. Chipman’s nomination for the same reasons outlined above: that he cannot be trusted to faithfully and objectively fulfill his oath of office, specifically to “faithfully discharge the duties of the office.”

We oppose David Chipman’s nomination as ATF Director with the same vigor as we would if a known homophobe were nominated to oversee hate crime investigation, and for exactly the same reasons.

The ATF's purpose is not to punish firearm owners, but the appointment of David Chipman as its Director will have that effect. Chipman is a lobbyist, bought and paid for by Michael Bloomberg, and he will use his position to interpret firearm regulations in the manner most favorable to these modern-day Redcoats, and quite possibly enrich himself in the process, all while increasing new laws and new regulations which will be used to harass innocent citizens.

Please contact both of your Senators via telephone, written letter or email, and explain why they must not approve Chipman’s nomination. Click here to find your Senators’ names; choose your state in the drop down menu and their Washington, D.C., office phone numbers will be shown.

 

Operation Blazing Sword, Inc. is a grass-roots 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping queer people become responsible firearm owners through volunteer education. www.blazingsword.org

Pink Pistols, a division of Operation Blazing Sword, is dedicated to the legal, safe, and responsible use of firearms for self-defense of the gender and sexual minority community. www.pinkpistols.org

 

Media Contact:   

Erin Palette

386-401-0386

erin@blazingsword.org

Soviet Military Liaison Mission Recognition Card

I've been going through my dad's things -- no, he didn't die, but as I mentioned previously he's been in the local rest home for a month getting physical & occupational therapy, and during that time mom & I have been cleaning up the hoarded piles of crap in his room as we attempt to make heads or tails of our finances -- and I came upon this really nifty bit of Cold War memorabilia. 

The fold goes along the middle, so left is actually the back and right is the front.

The interior of the card.

I remember my parents first showing this to me when we moved to West Germany and telling me "If you see a car with license plates that look like this, tell us." I suppose it's a good thing I didn't see a car with those plates, but I remember being disappointed that I never could.

The card is made of medium-weight cardstock, 5" long by 3.5" high, and is folded vertically to that it can fit inside a wallet's credit card pocket. 

I have no idea if this has any intrinsic value (likely not), but it's an interesting curiosity of a bygone era and it's in very good condition.  I would be happy to pass it along to a museum or a collector of Cold War items. 

(Not technically about Berlin, but tagging it with Berlin Trilogy because where else am I going to put Cold War stuff?)