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• Examples of constructive comments: "AAPL looks strong right now, but I am concerned about the SMA right above" or "I like that WMT long but it seems to be getting weak against SPY, keep an eye on it"
• Examples of unconstructive comments: "Why did you make that WMT trade?" or "AAPL is going to the moon!"
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Format for posting trades:

• If Long stock: Long XYZ $102.40
• If Short stock: Short XYZ $102.40
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• If Puts: Short XYZ Long 100 Strike Puts, $2.59, 3/18 Expiration
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• If PDS: PDS XYZ 100/95 for $1.56 (no need for Expiration Date unless it is not same week)
• If exiting trade: Took profit / loss / scratch XYZ
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Format for posting commentary:

• Watching XYZ, [notable technical event or movement] (if you are watching a stock, consider elaborating why you are watching the stock)
• XYZ! to highlight a stock that is showing a significant move up or down
• News that is affecting XYZ
• News that is affecting the market

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***PLEASE READ THE WIKI BEFORE COMMENTING, THANKS!**\*

Written by the one and only Erhard! (agedvermouth)

Bundestag Divided Over ‘Königsberg Question’

— — —
Deutches Bundestag - September 1, 2033

Interal Affairs Committee Sparks Debate on Königsberg

After a short memo from the Internal Affairs Committee made it to the floor of the Bundestag, chaos reigned supreme thereafter, showing the cracks in the walls of a heavily polarized Germany. The memo itself, was no more than 500 words jointly-authored by Markus Frohnmaier, representing Baden-Wurttemburg, a seasoned AfD member, and CDU representative Philipp Amthor, from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The Memo was titled ‘The Question of Königsberg,’ and the content itself was a brief recap of recent German policies regarding Königsberg and Ostpreußen, with a recommendation for amendment to national foreign policy.
In summary, the memo recaps the status of Kaliningrad after the execution of the Potsdam Agreement in 1945, where the United States and the United Kingdom agreed to transfer Königsberg to the Soviet Union, however remained quiet on the question of its sovereignty, rather than simply control. Further, the Potsdam Agreement set in to motion the establishment of Germany’s border with Poland at the Oder-Neisse Line. Then mentioned that the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany from 1991 establishes a united Germany comprising of the Federal Republic, Democratic Republic, and Berlin, with no territorial claims whatsoever against other states and shall not assert any in the future. Lastly, the memo recaps, the German-Polish Border Treaty, establishes the modern border and that no further territorial claim between the two will arise.
The Argument
The memo, after the recap, begins to argue that the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany and the Potsdam Agreement remain muted on the official sovereignty of Kaliningrad, rather than strictly control, and fail to account for circumstances where it declares itself totally independent from the successor state of the Soviet Union. Additionally, the argument is made that if the Soviet Union was sovereign over the territory, and Kaliningrad declares its independence, Kaliningrad can no longer be considered German lost territory, rather it would be Soviet, and then Russian lost territory. They raise that while the Basic Law prohibits full incorporation of new territories into Germany, it also does not account for the partial incorporation of new territories. Lastly, as the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany states that Germany cannot levy territorial claims against other states, the memo raises that this does not limit Germany from reinstating territorial claims on a city, or metropolitan area, or oblast; as Kaliningrad is not an officially recognized state. In conclusion, the pair claim; Germany is able to legally levy its claim to Königsberg as it is not recognized as a ‘state’ or property of any recognized state, and that Germany may either 1. Amend the basic law to allow for the incorporation of new territories legally acquired, or 2. Incorporate partially Königsberg as an autonomous region rather than a full state, which logicially follows as it was historically recognized as part of the Ostpreußen State.
Bundestag Reception
Immediately chaos ensued after its reading on the Bundestag floor with the AfD and Neue Chance for Deutschland representatives cheering “Königsberg ist Deutsch!”, “Amend the Basic Law!”, and various other slogans. Membership of the CDU and CSU who haven’t had significant political gains over a decade were torn, most were muted, while some joined in unison with the AfD and Neue Chance. The Free Democratic Party were debating amongst themselves on what their policy might be with a few members joining the opposition chants to shout down the memo. With no surprise, Die Linke, The Greens and the SPD were the primary opposition, with their claims that Germany has reached its final borders, and that the legal grounds were dubious at best. After two hours of arguing, books, bags, trash and various other personal items were thrown across the room of the Bundestag, with the President struggling to shift control back to civil discussion, a recess was called on the matter to let cooler heads prevail and return to the discussion another day after both sides had a chance to better review the memo and related agreements.

https://turtletimeline.com/5-essential-perennial-plants-for-a-sustainable-garden/
By Victoria Cummins / Turtle Timeline
A sustainable garden is more than just a place of beauty and productivity – it’s a garden that is designed and managed to minimize its environmental impact while giving back to its ecosystem many times over. By choosing the right plants and practices, we can create gardens that benefit the local ecosystem while also supporting our own well-being.
Perennial plants are an especially great choice for gardeners looking to create a sustainable landscape, as they require less maintenance, conserve water, and provide a host of ecological benefits. This article will explore five essential perennial plants that are easy to grow, resilient, and highly beneficial to the environment.

Asparagus

USDA Hardiness Zones 3-8
Asparagus has a long history of cultivation, dating back to ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and the Greeks. Today, asparagus is still prized for its unique flavor, nutrition benefits, and versatility in the kitchen. But what makes it such a great choice for a sustainable garden? Not only can it handle periods of drought and heat like a champ, but its roots can grow up to 15’ deep, maintaining healthy soils and preventing erosion. It can also live to be up to 15 years (or longer), coming back year after year without needing to be replanted. This will save time, money, and resources in the long run.

Sage

USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8
Originating somewhere in the Mediterranean, sage is an all-around amazing and useful plant. In the garden, it works as a pest repellent, repelling insects such as cabbage moths, snails, beetles, and carrot flies. It is also incredibly drought tolerant and overall tough to climatic conditions. It grows best in a sunny location and can thrive directly in the ground or in a container.
One of the most well-known uses for sage is as a culinary herb. It adds a warm, earthy flavor to many dishes, including soups, stir-fries, and stews. It’s also a great choice for tea lovers, simply steep a few leaves in hot water for a soothing and refreshing treat.
Sage has many medicinal uses, as it has been traditionally used to help ease digestive issues, reduce inflammation, and even improve memory. Within it are natural compounds including camphor and carnosol, which have been linked to helping prevent skin damage, promoting wound healing, and fighting harmful bacteria and fungi. It’s also a natural remedy for dental care and is often used in mouthwashes and toothpaste. In an emergency situation, an antiviral or anti-fungal plant such as this one would be crucial to have on hand.

Jerusalem Artichoke

USDA Hardiness Zones 3-8
Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes, are a hearty vegetable with numerous health benefits. They are high in fiber, which can aid in digestion and help regulate blood sugar levels. They also contain inulin, a prebiotic that can promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria (also why they are nicknamed fartichokes). Their nutty, slightly sweet flavor makes them a delicious and nutritious addition to any meal, especially when roasted.
Drought-tolerant and highly productive, they’re low maintenance and you are almost 100% ensured to get a significant crop along with a beautiful show of yellow flowers. However, there are a few important things to know when growing sunchokes. The plant can be incredibly aggressive and will take over parts of the garden. It is allelopathic, meaning it secretes biochemicals that negatively affect its neighboring plants. If growing sunchokes, grow them in a contained area such as a raised bed or space that is closed off from the rest of the garden.

Comfrey

USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9
As we look to the future, more natural and local alternatives for fertilizer can be as simple as growing the right plant in our garden. Comfrey, a hardy perennial herb, is a dynamic accumulator, meaning its roots can draw nutrients from deep in the soil and transfer them to the surface.
Comfrey leaves can be used as a mulch or to make a nutrient-rich compost tea, which can be used to fertilize plants and improve soil quality. The plant’s lush foliage additionally acts as a habitat and food for beneficial insects like bees and butterflies. It is important to note that similar to Jerusalem artichokes, comfrey’s root system allows it to be incredibly pervasive when grown in the garden. Beware that once it is in, it is hard to take it out!
Outside of its garden benefits, comfrey has been used for centuries as a medicine for various ailments. The plant contains allantoin, a compound that helps stimulate cell proliferation and tissue regeneration, making it effective for wound healing and skin health. Comfrey’s anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties can also help reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation associated with bruises, sprains, and other injuries when used externally.

Egyptian Onion

USDA Hardiness Zones 3-10
Egyptian onions, also known as tree onions or walking onions, are among some of the hardiest-of-hardy plants and are particularly well-suited to sustainable gardening, as they require little water and can tolerate temperatures well below freezing. They are able to reproduce easily with multiple small bulbs at the top of their long stalks, which can be harvested and replanted to produce new plants. In the garden, they make excellent companions to other plants, as their strong scent can help repel pests. They also serve as excellent ground cover and can help prevent soil erosion.
In the kitchen, Egyptian onions are surprisingly tasty and can be used as a substitute for any annual onion. Both the bulbs and the greens can be used in cooking, with a flavor that is a bit milder than a traditional onion. The small bulbs can also be pickled and used in a variety of dishes.

Final Thoughts

In creating a sustainable garden, we are not only contributing to the well-being of our own surroundings, but also to the health of the planet.
By choosing perennial plants that are easy to grow, resilient, and highly beneficial to the environment, we can create outdoor spaces that are not only beautiful but also productive and sustainable. The plants we’ve discussed here are just a starting point – there are many more options out there for those looking to create a sustainable garden that supports biodiversity, conserves resources, and promotes a healthier ecosystem.
RECOMMENDED: The art of gardening in the Pacific Northwest: how to create a thriving garden

Which treats of the pleasant and ingenious method of drawing our enamoured knight from the very rigorous penance he had imposed on himself.
Prompts:
1) “[knights-errant] are bound to assist them merely as being in distress, and to regard their sufferings alone, and not their crimes.” -- what did you think of Don Quixote’s justification for releasing the prisoners, regardless of what they choose to do with their freedom?
2) Don Quixote’s hot-headedness strikes again; does this make you fear what he would do if he finds out he is being duped?
3) What did you think of the story Dorotea made up?
4) What do you think of the discussion between Cardenio and the priest about Don Quixote’s madness?
5) Favourite line / anything else to add?
Free Reading Resources:

• Project Gutenberg
• Standard eBook
• Librivox Audiobook

Illustrations:

1. Don Quixote chastises Sancho for belittling Dulcinea
2. gave him two such blows -
3. - that he laid him flat on the ground
4. had not Dorothea called out to him to hold his hand, doubtless he had killed him on the spot
5. who, thinkest thou, has gained this kingdom, cut off the head of this giant and made thee a marquis (for all this I look upon as already done)
6. While they were thus talking, they saw coming along the same road a man riding upon an ass
7. Sancho embracing his ass
8. 'How hast thou done, my dearest Dapple, -
9. - delight of my eyes, my sweet companion?'
10. And then he kissed and caressed him as if he had been a human creature.
11. The ass held his peace, and suffered himself to be kissed and caressed by Sancho, without answering him one word.

1, 8 by Gustave Doré (source) 2, 5 by Apel·les Mestres (source, source2) 4, 6, 9 by Ricardo Balaca (source) 3, 11 by George Roux (source) 7 by José Moreno Carbonero (source) 10 by Tony Johannot (source)
Past years discussions:

• 2021-03-29
• 2022-03-29

Final line:
Depending on your edition, it could be:

‘[..] if you do not touch him upon the subject of chivalries you would never suspect but that he had a sound understanding.'

or:

'No, sir,' answered Sancho: 'for after I had delivered it, seeing it was to be of no further use, I forgot it on purpose; and if I remember aught of it, it is that of "the high and subterrane (I mean sovereign) lady", and the conclusion, "thine until death, the Knight of the Sorrowful Figure"; and between these two things, I put above three hundred souls and lives, and dear eyes.'

for the former, the latter is at the start of the next chapter.
Next post:
Sun, 2 Apr; in four days, i.e. three-day gap.

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In the end, it didn't even matter. - Chronicle of the Last Days of the VrekNok.Tok Empire
Vuxten wasn't sure what he expected as Casey stood up. No flexing, he just shook out his arms, tilted his head to the right and left, then just stood there.
The crowd started clapping and stomping.
STOMP STOMP CLAP
STOMP STOMP CLAP
All twenty-five robots went into combat stances, their eyes brightening.
The roar of the crowd was a physical thing, mixed with the STOMP STOMP CLAP of the watching troops.
"LETS GET REEEEADY TO RUUUUUUUUMBLE!" the Rigellian female yelled out. "JAWNCONNOR TIME! OOOOOH YEAAAAAAAH!"
The volume of the crowd somehow rose even louder as the Rigellian female ran off the field.
There was a beep and the lights went red. Another beep, they went yellow. A loud buzzer and the lights flashed red before going back to the actinic white of the sodium lights mounted on the portable light set trailers.
Vuxten expected Casey to break into a run, to charge the robots.
Instead he just walked forward, still swinging his arms wide. His sole eye burned bright amber and Vuxten could see hair thin tendrils of purple electricity around his feet when his foot hit the ground.
The robots took five paces, then all broke into a run, spreading out in a curved line with three double ranks in the middle.
One robot reached forward, the robot in front grabbed the rear robots forearms and threw it forward. It sped toward the lone human, reaching out for him.
Casey turned slightly, reached out, grabbed the head as the arms went to either side of him. Before the arms could crush him he knelt down and drove the robot's head into the ground hard enough to shatter it.
The second robot was already flying toward him, in a tight ball. The others were still running forward as the flying robot suddenly unwrapped itself, arms wide, obviously intending on slamming into Casey and wrapping its arms around the human.
Instead Casey took a two quick steps while the robot was still slightly turning, swinging one arm out.
The robot's battlesteel armor shattered like cheap plas as the robot broke in half.
The last flying robot reached Casey, who spun in place, the bare foot shattering the robot into pieces, battlesteel flying out to strike the battlescreens and make them crackled and pop.
The roar of the crowd battered at Vuxten.
The robots converged on Casey and Vuxten gritted his teeth.
He'd seen Casey at work in Heaven.
An open hand slap knocked a robotic head free. A sweeping arm motion broke robotic limbs reaching for him. A kick shattered a robotic thigh. A knee into the robot's midsection caused the armor to shatter and the robot break into multiple pieces.
Vuxten could see the robots landing blows, their kicks blocked by Casey's shin, their punches blocked by forearms or swept aside. Spiked battlesteel fists piston driven as they hammered into the scarred flesh, each impact bringing a flash of purple, but Vuxten couldn't see any damage to the big Terran.
The crowd was roaring. "JAWNCONNOR JAWNCONNOR JAWNCONNOR!"
Usually they survived long enough to swing a single punch before the counter-attack shattered the robot's armor like the battlesteel laminate was cheap macroplas. Casey would reach out and rip chest plate armor away, rip free and arm and beat another robot with the severed arm, smack heads off with a backhand, break a robot's spine with an elbow, or cave in the whole front of the robot with a forearm.
Every move flowed into the next one. Every action was calculated to force a movement that led to the robot being shattered into junk. Vuxten couldn't see any wasted movement, anything that didn't bring around a better position, for the robots to move a certain way, damage or destroy a robot.
The last robot lunged forward, swinging wildly. Vuxten watched Casey slip around the punches, kneeing the robot so it spun. Casey's hand landed on top of the robot's head as his other hand grabbed its shoulder, fingers sinking into the battlesteel armor like it was putty.
Casey ripped the robot's head off and held it over his own head as the body collapsed.
"ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!" Casey roared out.
The crowd cheered back.
Casey heaved the robotic head, the head slamming into the battlescreen and exploding.
Vuxten found himself on his feet cheering as Casey walked back to where he had dropped the black robe and slowly pulled it on. Casey slowly turned, staring at the crowd with one burning amber eyes, then drew the hood up over his head.
The crowd roared their approval as he walked off the field.
"Told you I didn't want to spoil the main event for you, son," Colonel Brett said, exhaling smoke in a long plume.
"Saw him fight during the War on Heaven," Vuxten said, sitting down and accepting the nacrobrew. "What you saw, that was a warm up."
Colonel Brett nodded. "Last week he took on four men in power armor. They lasted just over ninety-seconds before he'd destroyed the power armor," the big Treana'ad laughed. "One of the pilots was knocked goofy, but other than that, he didn't injure them."
Vuxten looked around. "You're allowing this?"
The Treana'ad nodded. "All the way up to General Du.Seelie," the big bug grabbed another nacrobrew and knocked the cap off with his cybernetic bladearm before taking a long pull from it. He belched and looked at Vuxten. "Better to have the rowdies out here fighting and drinking then hitting the Conex brothel than off post, getting drunk, fighting, trying to find someone to fuck, and burning down the town."
Colonel Brett made a motion with his cyberbladearm to encompass the entire field and the crowd that was cheering on an autonomous battlebot competition between two greenie groups.
"These men have not only seen the elephant, they've ridden it, screwed it, and left it with child. Their adrenals and dopamine systems are, to use a Terran phase, blown the fuck out," he shook his head. "The same beings who are fighting out there or cheering on their best friend getting his face smashed in are the same ones watching the early morning episodes of The Kind One or The Happy Neighborhood in the Day Room."
Vuxten nodded.
"Give them outlets for their instincts, their energy, their aggression that doesn't have them knife-fighting outside the NCO Club or getting into shootouts with the civilian law enforcement," Colonel Brett said. The big insect shrugged. "It's the age-old problem. You select for high aggression, moderate impulse control, then train them to be lethal and hone their aggression, then expect them to all behave like good little civvies until the war is on."
The big insect shrugged again. "Some species have tried cryo-stasis. Other species, like mine and the Mantid, bred a warrior caste. Still others try various solutions, none of which are that good."
He pointed out at the field where two power armor troops were fighting hard light holograms.
"The Confederate Armed Services lets this happen. It lets the ones too clever for their own good get into 'trouble'," he made air quotes. "If something goes down, well, this was all off the books and vaguely illegal anyway. Command just turns the other way for anything that isn't too bad, the grunts stay aggressive, and everyone but the reclamation yard workers are happy."
Vuxten nodded slowly. Beside him, Tut'el listened silently, soaking up the older officer's words.
"You started on Telkan, correct?" Colonel Brett asked. "Under General Tik-Tak, right?"
Vuxten just nodded.
"Ol' Tik-Tak, he had his fingers in everything. He let a whole thing like this get run by a Lanaktallan gangster, saved him the trouble of having to 'arrange' it himself," Colonel Brett said. He gave a slight laugh. "Man could bury two expended pistol shells in the dirt and pull out a Madame-Three-Eighteen an hour later."
Vuxten just chuckled and nodded along.
Colonel Brett checked his implant and nodded, standing up and draining away the last of the bottle before dropping it in the trash can.
"Let's go check on your man, Colonel," Brett said.
Vuxten was aware of the two law enforcement officers behind him as he and Tut'el followed the big Treana'ad officer through the crowd, which was cheering on two dozen Grodds engaged in a battle royale, wearing only loincloths.
It was out back of the mek yard, between two partially destroyed Steiner Class scout meks, that they found Casey. He was sitting on an empty crate that had held low-explosive missile warheads, drinking a fizzypop and watching the action in the ring. Peel sat just to the side, leaned back on a cargo net, one mammary exposed and a tiny human holding onto it with closed eyes and a slightly grump expression visible on the side of its face.
His face brightened and he smiled as Vuxten walked up with the Colonel.
Casey stood up, shaking Brett's hand.
"Colonel," Casey said.
"Casey," Brett answered.
"Colonel," Casey said, shaking Vuxten's hand. "Congratulations on the promotion. Gone far since we were trying to figure out how to bust open the Great Gobbler's shell."
Vuxten smiled. "That we have."
"Lieutenant," Casey said, shaking the MP's hand.
"Casey," the LT said, not looking surprised that Casey knew his rank.
"Mister Mysterio," Casey said, shaking the CID officer's hand.
The CID officer laughed. "Cathal."
Casey waved at the boxes. "Cop a squat, gentlemen," he said. He pointed at Peel. "That's my wife, Peel, and our daughter, Hashna."
Colonel Brett moved up and gently reached down with his biological bladearm, caressing the baby's cheek gently. "Little one," he said softly. He looked up. "They're always so cute, human children."
"Thank you, sir," Casey said, sitting back down.
"You won the Regiment Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund quite a bit of doss, Casey," Colonel Brett said.
"Always happy to help," Casey smiled.
Vuxten sat with the others, chatting about mostly nothing, sometimes commenting on the matches going on. Peel finished feeding the infant, then burped it, then held it close while it slept, taking part in the conversation.
When the matches ended and everyone started to drift apart, Vuxten moved over to Casey.
"Come to my office during lunch on Monday," he said.
Casey looked up. "Should I bring my sidearm?" he asked, only half-joking.
"No. Just wanted to talk with you about something," Vuxten said.
Casey nodded.
They said goodnight to one another and Vuxten walked with the others back.
-----
If it ain't raining, it ain't training - Confederate Military Wisdom
The day was miserable. Chilly wind that kept switching direction, rain that couldn't make up its mind if it was heavy or just misty, heavily overcast.
Vuxten sat, staring out the window, and watched as a platoon of dogbois ran by in PT gear.
The three spaced firm knocks at the door came exactly at 1135 hours.
"Enter," Vuxten called out, spinning his chair around and moving closer to the desk.
Casey came in, wearing his ACU's. He moved to the front of the desk, exactly a pace away, and saluted. Vuxten returned the salute and waved at the chairs.
"Grab a cup of caff or a fizzystim, then take a seat," Vuxten said.
"Thank you, sir," Casey said. He moved over and grabbed a self-chilling fizzystim, cracking it open and watching the condensation form. He sat down and took a drink, waiting.
Vuxten thought for second.
"I noticed that Confed hasn't figured out your orders yet," Vuxten said. "Neither has the Telkan Marine Corps, since you're assigned to us."
Casey shrugged. "I figured they'd get around to it."
"I want you to come to Telkan with me," Vuxten said.
Casey frowned. "All right," he said slowly.
"You and Peel both," Vuxten said. He reached out and tapped a pair of manila folders. "I've reviewed the unredacted sections of your records, I've seen you both in action. I want you to come back to Telkan with me."
"Why?" Casey asked.
Vuxten sighed. "They're making me the XO of the training cadre," he said. "We've also got the Primary Leadership Development Course - Telkan, on planet, as well as the Telkan Intelligence Service training center."
Casey just nodded.
"I'm not asking you take command or anything like that," Vuxten said. "I've watched you in action. I've seen you at work. You've got a thousand years of leadership under your belt and either you're a born leader or you've become an excellent one over the centuries."
"Thank you, sir," Casey said.
"Peel has been everything from SAR to Operations Analysis to Operational Emergency Guidance," Vuxten said. "Highly rated, excellent NCOERs, taught at the Confederate Military Intelligence Institute on Terra itself."
Casey just nodded.
"I want you and Peel both as instructors. Classroom and practical," Vuxten said. "With Terra gone, and the Terran Xenocide Event, my people have to defend themselves. We have to learn to not only defend ourselves, but others."
Casey just nodded again.
"I'm pretty sure you're cleared for garrison duty, and a tour in TRADOC is something that the Telkan people would appreciate," Vuxten said. He waited a moment. "I'm not going to force you."
Casey chuckled. "Not often an officer says 'please' to lower enlisted slime like me," he smiled.
"Well?" Vuxten asked.
Casey nodded. "I can't speak for Peel, but if she's in, so am I. If she says she's in if I am, then I'm in," Casey said. He shook his head, smiling. "A few years out of armor, training boots, might be just the thing I need."
"I thought you'd like to watch your baby get older just like I want to watch my podlings grow up," Vuxten said.
Casey smiled. "We're family men now," he said.
Vuxten nodded. "And too many years in service to go running off to the nearest fight with an erection, a gut full of Bingo Cola, and a gun in our hand."
Casey laughed. "All right. You talked me into it." He stood up. "I'll let Peel know, get her opinion, then you can talk to her. She'll let you know if we're in or out."
Vuxten nodded, standing up. He shook Casey's hand.
"Give 471 my regards," Casey said.
"Tickle the baby for me," Vuxten answered.
When the big Terran left Vuxten slowly turned his chair around and stared at the rain outside.
Is it weird that battle and war are easy, it's peace-time that's hard?
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With signs of spring here, it is time for me (with your support) to update the r-Kentville wiki with information for tourists and visitors.
It has been a while since I've entertained visitors, so I''m out-of-practice with thinking about tourist attractions.
Events

• Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival (May 24 – 29, 2023)
• Kentville Devil's Half Acre Motorcycle Rally (Facebook), June 24 – 25 2023
• Canadian Deep Roots Music Festival, September 22 – 24, 2023, Wolfville
• Kentville Pumpkin Festival, October
• Valley Harvest Marathon, October 7 – 8, 2023, Wolfville
• Devour! Food Film Fest, Wolfville, October 23 – 29, 2023

Non-profit tourist attractions & resources

• Kentville Visitor Information Centre (Facebook), 125 Park Street, Kentville
• Kings County Museum, 37 Cornwallis Street, Kentville
• Prescott House Museum, 1633 Starr’s Point Road, Port Williams
• Blair House Museum (NS Fruit Growers' Assoc), (Historic Places), Kentville Agricultural Centre grounds (Uncertain on status, is it still open to public in the summer?)
• Charles Macdonald Concrete House Museum, 19 Saxon Street, Centreville, with the Cottages in Huntington Point, west of Hall's Harbour.
• Randall House Museum, 259 Main Street, Wolfville
• Centre Stage Theatre, 61 River St, Kentville, community theatre

Commercial tourist attractions

• Hall's Harbour Lobster Pound & Restaurant, Hall's Harbour
• Magic Winery Bus Hop On – Hop Off Tour, Wolfville
• Tides Contemporary Art Gallery, 36 Cornwallis Street, Kentville

Natural attractions

• Cape Split (Provincial Park)
• Kentville Parks and Trails – Miner's Marsh, The Gorge, Harvest Moon Trail, Ravine Trail, Memorial Park, & Oakdene Park – Map (PDF)
• The Lookoff, (listed as Blomidon Lookoff) 3374 Highway 358, Canning
• Blomidon Provincial Park, 3138 Pereau Road, Canning
• Scots Bay Provincial Park, 16 Wharf Road, Scots Bay
• Lumsden Pond Provincial Park, 2530 Corkum and Burns Road, Lumsden Dam
• Kentville Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Kentville

​
What am I missing?

Okay, my first time posting in this subreddit. Been falling do the DA theory rabbit hole again and was reading the wiki on some of Cole's cryptic comments and one really caught my attention.
A few things before I get into this theory:

1. A theory along these lines may have already been mentioned at some point here, apologies if so.
2. It's been a few years since I last played any DA (am doing a replay of DA:I now) so my memory of some codex entries and stuff may be a little rusty.
3. I have only played the games. Have been meaning to read the books and comics but study and reading don't mix well for me as I get nothing done lol.

I also wanted to put a list of the things we know that contribute to this. I don't have the exact codex entries as a lot of these are off the top of my head, will add them if I get time to search for them later.Things we know:
- Dwarves can't dream and can't be mages (except for maybe Sandal).
- Dwarves historically have feared the sky/something IN the sky (implied to possibly be dragons). This was implied at that strange surface tiag you can find in Inquisition.
- Lyrium drives everyone mad except for dwarves (mostly) and tranquil
- Elves are heavily implied to have been spirits before taking physical form prior to Solas creating the Veil. Cole implies this by questioning why elves chose they shape they have (or was it Morrigan's god-soul kid?? - Been a while). Also, Cole himself is proof that this can occur (what I found interesting at this was how adamant Solas is during Cole's quest that he has to let go of his pain and resume being a spirit and his disbelief at Cole essentially becoming 'human' if you decide to go that other way instead. I'm not sure if this means Solas has never seen spirits take form, or if he believed it impossible with the Veil in place).
- The mosaic 'Freed Are Slaves' heavily implies that the Qunari/Vashoth/Kossith/Ox Bois are descendants of ancient Tevinter (likely elvhen) slaves that were experimented on with dragon blood. This would explain the rumours Bull has heard about there being dragon blood in Qunari and also why the Kossith 'had to leave' where they originally came from.
- Solas clearly sees humans as a different race from elves. This makes me think that humans are, at the very least descendants from different kinds of spirits as the elves, or are not even descendant from spirits.
- The Evanuris fought against some other group, which was what gave them fame and allowed them to rise to power.
SO! To my theory. The cryptic comment from Cole that kinda pieced things together was "They made bodies from the earth. And the earth was afraid. It fought back. But they made it forget". Now, this could be a pop culture reference that both myself and the wiki have missed, but I think it's lore related.
I think that the dwarves are of a completely different origin from the other races. The other races all dream and can do magic, and Solas is constantly calling Varric 'child of the stone'. This leads me to wonder if the dwarves are the only race to not be descendant from spirits somehow. They have definitely been linked to the titans, and I think it's highly possible that they are either descendants of the titans (which would be kinda funny, given that the Titans are massive and they are smol) or they are born of the Titans somehow.
All the other races I believe have a spiritual connection, they have spirit ancestors (in this capacity I am assuming the Qunari are essentially elves and *maybe* humans, just changed). When they needed to make physical bodies (possibly when the veil was created but I think likely prior), they used the bodies of the titans to somehow do this. This being referenced by Cole above. This would explain why they can dream and are connected to the fade, as they are essentially just spirits with physical form.
I also think that this is why lyrium can drive the non-dwarven races mad. Being exposed to the lyrium is the similar to when spirits get exposed to those with physical forms. The will of the lyrium can change and distort them the same as how they distort the spirits. This is why dwarves and the tranquil are largely unaffected. They are both cut off from the Fade. I think the dwarves are linked with the Titans, this is what gives them the ability to feel emotion and... grounds them I guess? The same kinda thing happens with the Templars. Cole mentions at various times that Templars can 'hear the music' and that reaching towards that can help them resist magic to some degree. (I dunno this is all still half baked at the moment).
Now, the humans are the tricky part. I honestly have no idea where humans originate from. They dream and can do magic, so I think they are also originated as spirits. What confuses me about them tho, is why Solas treats humans and elves as different. He clearly sees the elves as his people to some degree (even if he doesn't agree with them all that much). The way he talks about how Tevinter's magic is based on the ancient elvhen magic also seems to indicate that he views humans as different. So that begs the question, the heck do the humies come from?? I don't think they were the race the Evanuris fought. I actually have my suspicions that that was blight. They managed to fight it back and possibly lock it away (I seem to recall Mythal somehow being linked to this??) When the magisters of old Tevinter ventured into the fade I suspect they found where it was being held, and without the Evanuris to keep it at bay, they unleashed it. I don't think the blight is just a disease, I think it's caused by the 'others'.
So, yeah. Those are just some of the rando theories I have kicking around atm. Much of it has probably already been suggested, but I think the part about why lyrium affects some races and not others may have been new idk.

Hello there!
How are you you beautiful bastards doing? Missed us already?
If so, then I have a great news for You all: New chapter!
I must thank u/Sticketoo_DaMan for all his continuous support. Without him this tory would be of much, much poorer quality.
As allways, me and Sticket are open to your suggestions, so if you see any fault in editing, or a concept you'd like to see implemented on a larger scale in the story, feel free to send either me or Sticket a direct message. We greatly appreciate any and all feedback, and without nything else on my mind right now...
Let's dive straight into it, shall we?
First Previous Next Wiki
Zaanta —---------
Barteool dragged Ghanna all the way back where Zaanta was and sitting down, he turned around so he could see his friend's determination.
"Will she be okay?" Zaanta asked, worried. She was still watching the clash of wills between Virria and the beast, unable to offer any significant help.
"I said it before and I'll say it again. Virria is not as weak as you think." Barteool answered with a snicker. "Although she lost all of her pets and tamed beasts, she didn't fall into despair, but rose up and decided to help. And now her strong will decided that she can help someone like Aragami to regain his vill."
As they talked, a change occurred in front of them. Aragami slowly lowered his hand to the ground before releasing the mallet. "It seems like it's over now." Barteool noted. "I'll go check on them. Please wait here for now."
Barteool jogged away, in the direction of his Party member, and Zaanta had time to work on Ghanna's injuries. "Seriously, Ghanna. How could you let something like that beat you so badly?" she commented after inspecting the bruises on her arms and stomach.
"It's stronger than it looks." Ghanna whispered, before closing her eyes in pain as Zaanta touched her stomach. "If it was able to use its magic or aura, I don't think I'd be able to win against it."
"Huuuh? So it's a strong close-range fighter type?" Zaanta started healing the worst injuries, and she could see Ghanna visibly relax.
"Yeah. And with a lot of experience as well. Although it seemed like mallets are not the main weapon it uses, it sure knew how to swing it. I just barely blocked some of the attacks."
Zaanta wanted to continue her questioning, but she was interrupted by one of the scholars. "Miss Zaanta? It seems like the Raaketig is trying to get our attention. He's waving in our direction."
Looking in the direction the scholar indicated, Zaanta could clearly see Barteool doing his best to get her attention, so she contacted him using the Telepathy spell. “What is going on, Barteool? Is there a problem?”
“Not the kind of problem you mean, but yes,” came the reply, confusing Zaanta for a second. “Could I bother you to come here, please? I want you to take a look at something.”
"I'll be there soon. Just let me treat the worst of Ghanna’s injuries." Zaanta returned to the large bruise on Ghana's stomach, receiving one final sentence from Barteool.
'You might want to save mana for this.'
"What's going on?" Ghanna asked, worried.
"I don't know yet. I'll heal this bruise, but for the rest I'll have to leave you in the scholar's care." She grinned at the surprised face Ghanna made. "You have no excuse."
She spent a little more time to make sure Ghanna was okay, before assigning the scholars and GSF with their tasks, and then she made her way towards Barteool And Virria. Virria was in the things embrace, softly sobbing, and Barteool sat on the ground nearby.
It was the first time she was able to see it from so close up. Its armor was made out of concentrated Tinkered Mana, but it was just a manifestation of some kind of spell. She felt disgusted by the nature of said spell, and wondered how the being could cope with it. The armor itself was shiny black in color, with an insane number of words and letters inscribed into it. It had five fingers, now encased in pointy fingertip gloves that reached well beyond its wrists. The helmet was cracked open, with one of its forward facing eyes clearly visible through the opening. It was white and red in color, with black center and a ring of blue around it.
"Is it ok if I come closer?" she asked before proceeding, and the thing immediately snapped its head in her direction. Its eye narrowed down, and she could feel the bloodlust emanating from it in her fur but she decided not to step back, although all her instincts screamed at her.
Barteool also noticed it, and he was quick to move. He stood up and walked in between Zaanta and what she assumed was the Aragami they talked about, making calming gestures. "It's okay Aragami. She's friendly." Barteool tried to calm him down and without turning around, directed his speech at Zaanta. "I am sorry about that, but amongst the group that attacked us there were Zhaariin."
"Ah." It clicked in her mind. "He thinks that I want to attack him?" Zaanta asked, and after Barteool nodded slightly, she slowly threw down her staff and showed her empty hands. This calmed down the beast a little, and he quickly looked at Barteool for confirmation before turning his head back to Virria.
"Well… that was intense." Zaanta noted and picked up her staff before continuing. "So. Why have you called me here?"
"Because of him" Barteool pointed at Aragami. "His left hand has been injured. He's not moving it and there is a lot of his blood on it."
"I can't see any blood. Are you sure?"
Barteool simply pointed towards the left arm, and when Zaanta focused on it she noticed a sort of dark fluid traveling downward into the palm and then onto the ground. "His blood is dark red. Not bright like ours. It also solidifies, but I don't know the right conditions for that."
'Dark blood, huh? So unlike those of us who have been created by our Gods with bright blood in our bodies, he was created by laws, so he has dark blood?' Zaanta thought, but just nodded and walked closer. Aragami turned his head in her direction again, but there was no Bloodlust this time around. Rather than that he was…curious?
She carefully observed the wounded arm, making sure not to touch it too much. There was a hole through the armor, roughly three centimeters in diameter, going through his meat and out the other side. "This must hurt him a lot. Let me at least dull the pain and try to heal it." She prepared her staff and got ready to cast, before Aragami moved his right arm in her field of vision with an open palm.
"What?" Zaanta asked, although she knew he wouldn't understand her. "You don't want to get healed?"
"Can't. Heal." Aragami spoke and she reeled back in shock. That was the ancient language of magic! It spoke in the language of magic! Virria and Barteool seemed shocked as well. She guessed they didn't know it could speak either. "Armor. Eats. Mana."
Zaanta had to sit down. "Impossible." she mumbled. "How can it know the ancient language?"
Aragami scooped up Virria, holding her close to his chest with his right hand and stood up, before looking towards Zaanta and speaking again. "Help. Follow." He had to repeat it two more times before Zaanta finally understood what he meant. She stood up and came closer to him. It was ridiculous. Her head was at the height of his elbows, while the top of her antlers just barely reached above his shoulders.
He guided her across the clearing to the two Hounds of the Wild. As soon as she realized that both of the Hounds were awake and watching her, her legs lost the strength to walk and she stopped in place. She was glad that she was not Virria that had no opportunity to stop as she was carried towards them. 'Does he plan to feed us to them?'
Aragami came all the way next to the dangerous predators and slowly lowered Virria to the ground. She was visibly shaking and afraid of the Hounds, and tried to hide behind Aragamis back. To Zaantas horror, one of the Hounds began to stand up while growling nastily, but Aragami noticed it and yelled out one single word she didn't understand. As soon as the hound heard the word, it stopped growling and laid back down to what she noticed was a soft-looking bed of various cloths.
With his right hand, Aragami reached out and touched the HEAD OF A HIGHER DIFFICULTY MONSTER AS IF IT WAS A DAMN PET!
And the worst part? The hound seemed not to be opposed to it! In fact it made Virria curious as well and emerge from behind Aragami to have a better look.
Aragami then turned towards her, tilted his head to the side, and spoke up again. "Help. Here."
She stretched her neck to see what it was that he wanted her help with. There were two Hounds of the Wild, both of them with white bandages on their bodies. The one that tried to rise up had fewer bandages, with only one of them discolored by the blood they absorbed. The other one had a lot more wounds, several of them deep with a lot of blood on them. It was seriously wounded, but it didn't look like it was bleeding anymore.
Zaanta was too scared to move on. If she had Ghanna with her, she would be more willing, but this was simply too much to ask. "Virria!" she yelled, doing her best not to run away. "Can you see what it wants me to help with?"
Virria just nodded and focused her attention towards the beasts, before answering. "I don't know!" After seeing the look on Zaanta's face, she seemingly decided to tell her more, for which Zaanta was thankful. "It seems that he wants you to help with healing one of the Hounds, but I don't know which one. This one is not seriously injured, and the other one appears to be healed completely… Oh yeah, there is some kind of magic pact or agreement in effect here, so the Hounds will do whatever Aragami asks them. Of course with some limitations, but I'd have to inspect the pact more carefully."
'So there is a pact in place. If this Aragami asks these beasts not to do something, they won't do it. If Aragami asks these beasts not to do something…' Repeating her internal mantra, she resumed her way towards Virria and the beasts. Her vision switching from Virria, to the bandaged beasts on the ground, to the large shadow sitting on the ground and back to the beasts. During the time she needed to get next to them, Virria had already gained a semblance of trust from one of the beasts, and she was petting the fur around the tail of the standing beasts while its head rested on Aragami's leg.
She was sure that the hound was watching her. Its front-facing eyes were always checking her out, and its ears alerted. But it didn't move except for blinking. Aragami was looking down on it, his left hand still holding the crystal, and the right hand on the beast's back, he appeared to be asleep. She was proven wrong, as Aragami slowly turned her head towards her, making her freeze up once more. After a short staring contest, Zaanta managed to loosen up and finished her stressful journey to Virria.
"Are you okay Guildmaster?" Virria asked as she stood up from the ground.
"Of course I'm not!" Zaanta shot back immediately. "Those are higher difficulty beasts! Of course I won't be okay near them without a close-combat guard in between us!"
"But you have one." Virria smiled and nodded towards Aragami. "He's been restraining the Hound since it growled at me. If you take a look at his right arm, you'll notice that he's pressing the hound down. It's not just laying there. It's forced to lay down quietly."
Surprised, Zaanta inspected the hound carefully and noticed Aragami's clenched muscles. "Okay, I can see that now. So have you figured out what he wants?"
Upon hearing the question, Virria's gleeful expression froze over. "Not really. It has something to do with healing these, but I don't know what he means. This one that he's holding will heal on its own, but the one that healed so fast is the problem…"
The moment Virria said that, Aragami nodded towards the wounded hound, a singular wound leaving his lips: "Help"
Zaanta and Virria both looked towards the second Hound, wondering what it could be Aragami wanted their help with. After a couple of seconds, Zaanta shook her head and made her way to the improvised den. "Fine, I'll help you Aragami, but make sure to pay me back later!"
"You know he probably can't understand you, right?" Virria noted with a small smile on her face.
"I'll count on you to convey it when he does." She said as she arrived at the den. The wounds were worse than whatever she estimated, with signs of large wounds mainly around the spine and sides of the body. She carefully removed one of the blood soaked bandages just to find them crunchy with dried blood. 'This is the first time I've seen its blood while it was still breathing…' she thought, as she unrolled the last layer. But instead of a large gush from where the blood came from there was a perfectly fine skin, although devoid of any fur whatsoever.
Surprised, she took some time to search for any signs of Natural or Tinkered Mana, but she found none. "Could it be that the Hound can use some kind of healing skill? But if that was the case I'd find some Natural Mana residue here and there. So he used some technique that is not magic to close off those wounds… I wonder if he'd show me how to do it…" While thinking aloud, Zaanta inspected all the wounds she could find with the same result. She even used a couple of spells to check the internals, but found no fault at all. The Hound was healed.
She returned to Virria and watched as 'Aragami' tensed up. "I can't find anything wrong with it! Is there anything in particular he wants me to check out?"
The question perplexed Virria, and she thought deeply about it before shaking her head. Aragami just watched them, while the helmet made it impossible for Zaanta to discern his feelings.
Suddenly, Aragami moved his right hand in the air above the Hound's back, and with just one finger he started to trace imaginary lines in the air, catching both Virria and Zaanta off guard.
"What is he doing?" Virria asked no-one in particular, and tried to make sense of the weirdly curved lines Aragami was drawing, even picking up a stick to replicate them in the dust on the ground. The result was a Hound-sized net of shallow furrows (grooves) in the dust, that made no sense whatsoever. "Do you have any idea what he means? Guildmaster?" Virria asked, confused.
But there was no answer to be heard from behind her. Turning around, Virria looked up to Zaanta and saw her flabbergasted look, which confused her even more. "Guildmaster? What is it? What did he draw?" she demanded an answer.
But instead of answering her, Zaanta just averted her gaze from the image in the ground and onto Aragami, before turning around and walking towards the fallen Hound.
'If I'm not mistaken and he showed me that thing, it would change and improve so, so much…' Zaanta ignored Virria and her questioning. She needed answers, and if she wasn't sure she was not willing to potentially spread misinformation.
As she leaned over the Hound, she turned her mana to different parts of the body. She ignored all of the should-have-been-wounds, past the skin and into the muscles and bones, before the issue was straight in her face. It was so obvious, yet so well hidden that if he didn't specifically point that out she wouldn't find it. It was so…trivial. She had to laugh out loud before she began her work.
Half an hour later, she finished healing the hound and stretched her exhausted muscles. Aragami was watching her the whole time, which made her a bit nervous, but she was sure he'd notify her if she made a mistake. She turned her head towards Aragami for confirmation and received a strange gesture in return. A clenched fist with one of the digits pointed to the sky.
"I'll take that as a yes." Zaanta grinned and went off to stretch her legs for a bit, where she was joined by Virria.
"How did the healing go?" Virria asked, barely able to contain her curiosity.
"The healing was done when I arrived." Zaanta explained. "The hounds were physically healed. The only thing he doesn't know how to do is to heal their mana flow." Seeing the question mark in Virria's demeanor, she gave her a little more info.
"You see, every time someone attacks us with a magic-enhanced weapon, there is a chance that they will disturb or damage the flow of mana in our bodies. That disturbance may cause a significant weakening, or even death in some cases. The problem is that it's very hard to notice the damage as it is often passed up as simple disturbances that will fix themselves with time. But they won’t."
By the time Zaanta finished the rough explanation, they found themselves in the company of Aragami and the two Hounds once again. He was checking on the severely wounded one, but when he saw the two of them approach, he seated himself comfortably with his back towards a tree and motioned them to come closer. He was patting the Hounds with his right arm, one at a time, while letting his left, blooded arm rest in his lap. Virria was looking for a way to squeeze in, but in the end she gave up and just sat down nearby, tending one of the two fluffy tails, while Zaanta opted for a more distanced observation.
A short while passed, before Aragami shifted to one side, his head slowly falling onto his chest. 'The loss of blood from his wounded arm was making him dizzy.' Zaanta thought and started preparing a healing spell, just to stop herself a moment later. 'But if I use magic his armor will absorb it, making the spell last longer…Wh-What do I do…'
"Ehhh… Guildmaster? Will he be alright?" Virria asked, not entirely sure what to make out of the situation.
But just as Zaanta opened her mouth to answer, Aragami jerked awake. His head swung from side to side, and as soon as he noticed the situation he was in, he did three things.
First one was that he took the crystal into his right hand, before handing it over to Virria, who took it with utmost care.
As a second thing, Aragami slowly rose to his knees, before making his way towards the bag that was next to the nest. He opened a compartment on the side, and took out a small white metal tube, with a green cross on it. He unscrewed the cap, revealing a thin-looking pointy piece of metal that extended for about 5 cm. He held it in his right hand, the pointy metal piece aimed towards his left shoulder.
The last he did before plunging the metal into his shoulder and passing out was say five words while looking at the Hounds.
"Fido. Tes. Protect these two."

First/wiki/Patreon
Hushed conversations, polite laughter, and the occasional tinkle of jewelry. These were the sounds of Rachel’s nightmares, and now she had willingly exposed herself to this world once more. Alexandra had dragged Rachel to five of these by now and the experience was the same every time. Fine clothes, two hours of makeup, and a long night that seemed to never end.
Rachel had just finished the cursory introduction phase of the night and had broken away for a chance to breathe. But of course Alexandra wouldn’t let her slip away for too long. After exactly two minutes, Alexandra appeared at Rachel’s side and gently gripped her by the elbow. “Now, now. Can’t have you sneaking off.”
No, of course not, Alexandra had to get her money’s worth out of her daughter. “I’ve already met with all the usual suspects; can’t I have a moment to myself?”
Alexandra put on an amused smile. “Rachel, you still haven’t met tonight’s special guest.”
Of course not, Alexandra tried to keep Rachel away from the actually important people just in case Rachel tried to spoil a business deal. It used to be Rachel’s personal way of biting back against her parents for dragging her to all these vain and pointless parties. It must be someone special this time. “Anyone I know?” she asked. That was the only reason Alexandra would go out of her way to introduce her.
“In fact it is, do you remember your fathers friend Mr. Walker?”
Rachel frowned, which earned her a pinch from Alexandra since ladies didn’t frown. “Vaguely.” She said after a moment of thought. “He had a son and daughter who came to visit.” The girl had intimidated Rachel, so she had spent most of her time with their son.
“Yes, and you two got along quiet well if I recall.” Alexandra said without missing a beat.
Rachel wouldn’t have gone that far, she hadn’t taken an immediate disliking to the scrawny kid, but they weren’t exactly childhood friends. Not that Rachel had any of those. Her life under the Hearts was that of a tool, brought out and decorated for special occasions, and put back on the shelf when not in use. The acquaintances she did have she only knew in passing. And none of them really cared when she vanished.
“Whatever happened to Mr. Walker? He just stopped showing up.” Rachel asked. Mr. Walker and his wife had been very kind to Rachel; Mrs. Walker had even brought her candies from Mars.
“They died, pirate attack on their shuttle.” Her mother explained with a careless wave. “Their eldest daughter took over the family and took the business in a different direction, got herself wrapped up in the politics of a failing party. And I’ve heard a few rumors about how she conducts her other business” Her mother said with a slight sneer.
Alexandra obviously didn’t think much of the young lady Walker, which made Rachel inclined to like her. But Alexandra wouldn’t be talking about her like this if she was actually here. “And the boy?”
“Hardly a boy anymore. He’s grown into quite the strapping young man, he’s the spitting image of his father. And lately he’s been a rising star in the world of industry. He struck out on his own and has seemingly struck gold. He has his hands in mining, smelting, shipping, and even weapons manufactory. Any company with his name attached to it flourishes.”
“Sounds impressive” Rachel muttered.
“Yes it is, he took a dwindling fortune and became one of the fastest growing enterprises in the Femeri sector. The only issue is no one knows how? He’s very secretive about his enterprises and he’s looking to cut a deal with your father.”
There it was, “You want me to seduce him?” Rachel asked incredulously.
“If you can” Alexandra said pleasantly, as if commenting on the weather and not having Rachel sell her body for a potential business partner. “But if you can’t just try to get him alone and earn his confidence, see if you can learn anything. He came with his business partner and we’re having a tough time separating the two of them.”
“Why do you want them alone, just strike your deal and be done with it.”
Alexandra let out an exhausted sigh. “You really don’t understand how business is done. They’re not just here to make a deal with your father, they’re here to start making some in-roads with the market here in the core. It’s the most natural course for their company’s growth. Today they’re a potential ally, but tomorrow they might be our greatest rival. We wouldn’t be the first family they’ve crushed under foot.”
So he was just another scummy businessman. Her mother only wanted Rachel to probe them for any possible weaknesses so that they could be weaponized against them. Cut a deal now to screw him over in the future. Rachel hated the two-faced nature of her mother, one minute she was singing the boys praises, the next she was already angling to stab him in the back. And if he had a chance he would do the same. These people really deserved each other.
She sighed. Fine, let the rats turn on each other, she didn’t care.
Rachel followed her mother’s practiced gait as they glided through the main hall. They found their target in the center of his own little crowd. Rachel had to admit that he was no longer the scrawny boy from her memories. He was tall and broad in the shoulders, and had an easy smile that could charm the hearts of any girl he wanted, well almost any. He was dressed in traditional Japanese clothing like the rest of the assembled guests, but his had a looser more relaxed fit. It exposed the barest hint of his chest, and fell loosely around his wrists. His ears were studded with bright gold and turquoise beaded earrings that would sometimes jingle softly as he turned his head.
Rachel looked past all those external characteristics and briefly scanned him with the cold eyes of the Arbiter. His appearance suggested vanity and hedonism, but underneath all that, Rachel saw something deadly. His body was well toned under all those frilly clothes, and the way he moved had an underpinning precision to it. Her instincts prickled in recognition that he was dangerous, not in the way Alexandra was, but in the ways of controlled violence.
“Ah, welcome back Mrs. Heart” He said with a congeal smile as the crowd opened up for Alexandra.
“Please dear, I told you, call me Alexandra. Your no longer that little boy hiding behind his sister.” Alexandra held out a hand and ushered Rachel forward. “And of course you remember my daughter?.”
His smile brightened and Rachel felt like shying away from the stunningly bright smile. “Of course I do, little Rachel all grown up.”
Well, not as much as him. He was already a head and a half taller, while she had hardly grown since she was fourteen. When compared to other humans she was practically squat, and when compared to the other species of the galaxy she was miniscule. But when she put on her cloak she became twice as tall, she wished she could be wearing it right now.
“Its good to see you again Karega.” Rachel said, turning her eyes down to effect a bashful demeanor. Despite her years away, Alexandra’s social training still remained. She wanted Rachel to charm this man, and the best way to do that was act shy so that he might seek out a private audience.
“I heard you were doing some business on Earth; you should have called me up. I would have been happy to play host.”
Years of social training kept the momentary confusion off her face, but only just. It took a second for her to remember the cover story Alexandra had made for her disappearance. No one else had brought it up yet and Rachel had almost forgotten. “My apologies, I didn’t think you would remember me.” Rachel said by way of explanation.
“That’s understandable, here let me introduce you to my business partner.” He gestured to Rachels side where a women holding two glasses of champaign was stepping up.
The women in question had slim delicate features generally seen in the Japanese, but something about the slight rounding of her eyes and paler complexion marked her as only half Asian. Her silky black hair was up in a chignon bun, held up by a ivory comb carved into the shape of a thistle. A royal purple and gold kimono with a pattern of white cheery blossoms clung to her gentle curves, and the loose fabric by her ankles swayed with her hips. Her face had that flawless look of a natural beauty that didn’t need makeup. Her skin was smooth like porcelain China, and her lips were the same gentle pink as a peach. Her beauty would have been perfect if it weren’t for a jagged scar down the her left eye.
Rachel held her breath as the pirate women she had met only hours before smoothly sidled ?up to Rachel and her mother and gave them a crooked grin that spoke to something devious. She passed one glass to Karega and turned her black hawkish gaze on Rachel. The pirates’ eyes roved up and down Rachel’s figure, and Rachel felt a wave of shame. Her boyish figure couldn’t wear her kimono as well as the pirate could, and her face had needed two hours of polish to smooth out her hard square edges. And her hair had to be beaten into submission. It was one thing to face the pretty pirate under her thick cloak as the Arbiter, it was a whole different thing to stand next to her as just Rachel.
Why did all the worst people get blessed with the kind of looks Rachel always yearned for. Years of pent-up shame welled up as the pirate judged her.
Wait, what the hell was a pirate doing here? This was not the kind of place a space pirate should be welcomed into with open arms. Karega had said this was his business partner. Suddenly his mysterious rise to wealth made sense. He cut a deal with this pirate and used her to attack his competition and dominate the Femeri market.
Something unsettling glinted in the pirates eyes “Pleased to meet you, the name’s Astarte.” She extended her hand forward.
Rachel felt revulsion stir in her stomach as she reached out to shake the pirate captains hand, and forced a fake smile to her lips. “Rachel, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
They shook, and Rachel tried to pull her hand back, but the pirate held on and softly began to stroke the back of her hand with a thumb. “My, what strong hands you have. I can definitely feel all the work and effort you must have put in.”
“I’m sorry, what.” Rachel spluttered at the strange statement.
The pirate suddenly seemed to realize she was being rude and let go. “Sorry, I was just admiring your strength. You must have spent years to get this strong.” She said, her tone seemed to be praising her effort, but there was an undertone of suspicion.
Karega had been watching their interaction and immediately capitalized on what his ‘business’ partner had said. “Really? You must have been working very hard while you were on Earth.”
Rachel soon saw why Alexandra had tried to use Rachel to separate these two, they were a troublesome pair.
Alexandra saw Rachel falter and stepped in “Rachel has always been fascinated with diet and exercise. Spends too much time at the gym.” She said as an excuse for her daughters unusual strength.
“What kind of work were you doing on Earth?” the pirate asked, not missing a beat in the conversation. “I have many business contacts on the home world, maybe we have some shared acquaintances?”
Rachel could feel herself take mental step back as the pirate pressed down on Rachel’s cover story. Her mind raced as she tried to think of an excuse. But Alexandra thought faster.
“Oh Danial, come you must see how tall little Karega has become.” She said as she caught a glimpse of husband.
Rachels father stepped up to their conversation. Danial Heart was a broad-shouldered man who seemed to be born with a perpetual sneer on his face. Rachel hadn’t spoken a word with her father since Alexandra dragged her back.
“My, how you’ve grown, you’re the spitting image of your father.” He said while laying an almost fatherly hand on Karega’s shoulder.
“It took some time, but I eventually grew out of my awkward phase.” Karega said with note of pride.
A hand on Rachel’s forearm brought her attention back to Alexandra “Let’s leave the men to their talk, come you must show Miss Astarte around the grounds. We have a lovely fountain stocked with an exotic variety of fish.” She made it clear that her initial plan had changed and now she wanted Rachel to entertain the pirate while they tried to ply Karega alone.
The pirate took one of Rachels arms in her own, without any signal from Rachel to do so, and smiled. “That sounds wonderful, would you mind showing me the way?”
And like that, without any input on Rachels part, she was whisked away by a deadly space pirate.
Previous/Next

Here is what I've put together thus far, in the form of a list of life events! I also included links to various lore pages, mostly on Lexicanum.
Any constructive feedback is appreciated!
​

• Alexandra Brand was born as Alexandra Solas in a farming village in the Cerulea region on the world of Kaurava II in the Kaurava System of the Lithesh Sector in the Ultima Segmentum.
• The local village version of the Imperial Creed worshipped the Emperor as a protector and caretaker of humanity and believed that serving your fellow humans through hard work and keeping them safe from harm is one of the purest forms of worshipping the God-Emperor, a belief that was instilled into Alexandra from birth.
• Alexandra was orphaned as a young child when her village was destroyed by an Ork raiding party from the Rokclaw Mountains. She was saved by the Order of the Sacred Rose of the Adepta Sororitas under the leadership of Canoness Selena Agna during the Kaurava conflict.
• She was deemed to be free of any taint or heresy and was thus inducted into the Order of the Sacred Rose.
• Alexandra quickly discovered a talent for bladework and became an excellent swordswoman. Served in the Order's Novitiates as a Duelist.
• On several occasions she emerged as the last woman standing when her Novitiate Kill Team Unit was all but wiped out during what was effectively suicide missions behind enemy lines. Miraculously, she always returned without any visible wounds despite the severity of the fighting and the battered remains of her wargear.
• Her constant miraculous survival was treated with suspicion by most of her superiors, but some felt she was blessed by the God-Emperor. Regardless, she was barred from entry into the elite Zephyrim despite her peerless skill with the sword.
• She joined one of her Order's units of Dominions upon taking her oaths to become a fully-fledged Sister of Battle. She gained the rank of Sister Superior after fighting in multiple campaigns and began leading her own squad of Dominions.
• Sister Superior Alexandra Solas and her squad of Dominions were assigned as the bodyguards of an Ecclesiarchy preacher during a Chaos invasion and cultist uprising on the world of Achubiaeth Prime. The preacher, a highly egotistical and corrupt man even by Ecclesiarchy standards, sought only his own personal glory and constantly put his own life above that of Alexandra, her squad and innocent civilians, many of whom got killed. Eventually, Sister Superior Alexandra Solas ordered her squad to prioritize the defense of innocent civilians and pilgrims, leading to the preacher getting himself killed.
• Sister Superior Alexandra Solas argued that the preacher was not a man of the God-Emperor nor of humanity; he was only a man of himself. And yet as a result of her actions on Achubiaeth Prime and the failure of her assignment, Alexandra Solas was stripped of her rank and wargear and relegated to a Sister Repentia.
• Sister Repentia Alexandra Solas and her squad of Repentia were present on the Agri-World of Gheistos in the early years of M41. They were part of a mission of only a few units of Battle Sisters from the Order of the Sacred Rose that had been assigned to guard a small but defensible shrine of the Ecclesiarchy in an isolated region of the planet when signs of an impending Chaos invasion became apparent. When Gheistos was attacked by the forces of Chaos, the local populace retreated to the shrine for protection.
• During the cleansing of Gheistos by the Grey Knights, one of the Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus noticed that small groups of the main Khornate force were being redirected to an isolated region in the countryside of Gheistos. Upon personal investigation, the Inquisitor discovered the now completely ruined shrine of the Ecclesiarchy surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of corpses. Littering the grounds were the bodies of Chaos Cultists, Traitor Guard and even Chaos Space Marines and Daemons.
• The defending Battle Sisters had all been wiped out - all except one. Sister Repentia Alexandra Solas was still defending a handful of surviving civilians in the shrine. Alexandra’s Eviscerator chainsword had broken from the heavy fighting and she had taken up the blessed blade and the holy rod that once belonged to the Saint that the shrine was dedicated to. As she was one of the Repentia she had worn no armour during the engagement, yet she had no visible wounds and charged straight towards a group of Bloodletters with faith and zeal in her eyes.
• The Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus sent his Inquisitorial Stormtroopers to reinforce the defense of the shrine while he personally went to collect Sister Repentia Alexandra Solas as he felt an urgent need to understand how she had survived. He offered to evacuate Alexandra and initially wanted to leave the civilians to their fate, but Alexandra refused. Her fellow Sisters had given their lives in the defense, and she felt that abandoning the civilians would make their sacrifice meaningless, which the Inquisitor accepted and understood.
• Sister Repentia Alexandra Solas and the civilians were evacuated by the Inquisitor who found them, a fact that the Inquisitor kept secret from the other Inquisitors. The civilians were added to the crew of the Inquisitor's ship.
• During a "scientific investigation" aboard the Inquisitor's personal ship it was discovered that Sister Repentia Alexandra is a Perpetual. Even the most grievous wounds would stop bleeding almost immediately, completely heal within a few hours and would leave no scar tissue. She would regenerate and be brought back to life from clinical death and does not appear to have aged at all since her time as a Novitiate.
• After her Perpetual nature was confirmed, the Inquisitor recruited Alexandra into his personal retinue. He then spent considerable effort silencing any information regarding the presence of the Order of the Sacred Rose upon Gheistos to anyone outside of his own retinue and the leadership of the Order of the Sacred Rose.
• Officially, Sister Repentia Alexandra was no more as her survival was kept hidden from everyone, including the leadership of the Order of the Sacred Rose. She took up a new role as the protégé of the Inquisitor who had rescued her and the civilians.
• Alexandra was eventually promoted to the rank of Inquisitor when her mentor was killed in action and took over his retinue and his various resources and connections.

P.S. I wrote my character as a Perpetual because of the combat in Inquisitor: Martyr. I wanted some form of explanation for how she can fight against swarms of enemies and survive. To me there's less suspension of disbelief and as such more immersion and enjoyment of the game.

In the renders, the SpaceX Lunar Lander for Artemis has a band of solar panels. I didn't think much beyond it, as Dragon has the same setup on its trunk, and it's a good way to power the craft in space.
Now that the candidate sites for Artemis III have been revealed, they are all on or near the Moon's South Pole, home of both permanently-shadowed craters and near-permanently-illuminated ridges and peaks. Some of the sites are right on top of these, such as the peak next to Shackelton Crater, which gains about 86% illumination over the entire year.
There have been proposals in the past for towers of solar panels to poke up out of the Moon's shadow to give permanent solar illumination, providing year-round power for a Lunar base. In the vacuum and low gravity, it can make sense, and especially near the poles.
Given SS HLS is about 50m tall, and the solar 'band' about 40-30m up, that's got to have been part of the consideration in NASA's choice of StarShip: here is a super-tall lander that's already a power-tower. It's built in! (I note that the earlier render had the panels on the nose, indicating they were already thinking about this.) In comparison, Dynetic's lander was trying its best to catch the sun from the ground.
Is it tall enough to catch enough light to keep the ship lit and running even in the lunar night? Probably not, you'd have to run the numbers to see if there's any real advantage, but it would extend the time astronauts can spend on the surface.

Pokémon Sword and Shield introduced new evolutions for certain regional forms of Pokémon, and among them was Obstagoon, the Blocking Pokémon and the evolution of Galarian Linoone. However, unlike most regional forms, Zigzagoon actually originated in Galar, rather than Hoenn,) and the form we see in Hoenn came after. So, if this is the case, what happened to Obstagoon?
On the official website for Pokémon Sword and Shield, it is stated that Obstagoon evolves as a result of harsh survival conditions in the Galar region, and its Pokédex entries) claim that Obstagoon evolves after experiencing numerous fights. Looking at its pre-evolutions for a second, its bright black and white fur is an example of a trait known as aposematism. Aposematic signals warn other animals that the species in question is dangerous to eat or kill. In the case of Galarian Linoone, it warns potential foes of its ability to defend itself with both its tendency to fight opponents stronger than itself and its long tongue,) which it uses to goad its opponents into attacking it. All of these traits show that the Galarian forms of Zigzagoon and Linoone are highly adapted to challenging and fighting opponents, which sparks their evolution into Obstagoon.
While Galarian Zigzagoon and Linoone are brash and intimidating, their Hoennian variants are not. They have lost their black and white coloration, and are now two shades of brown instead, more muted colors better suited for blending in. Additionally, these Pokemon no longer have the distinctive long tongue used by their counterparts to taunt foes. These changes all demonstrate that Hoennian Zigzagoon and Linoone are no longer adapted to challenge their opponents directly. Instead, Hoennian Zigzagoon) uses its unique zigzag walking pattern to find items in the grass and the ground, and Hoennian Linoone) uses its breakneck speeds to chase down prey. As a result of this, Hoennian Linoone stopped evolving into Obstagoon since it no longer engaged in enough fights to evolve, which is why we do not see a Hoennian Obstagoon.

I have been playing FNV for years probably way over 100+hours and finished it about 10+ times fully and I have only found out today that you can get and wear the Ghost people hazmat suit from Big MT
Location-Hazmat testing ground in Big MT the forcefield can be deactivated using the upgraded sonic emitter or by getting the code from Z-43 innovative toxins plant
https://fallout.wiki/wiki/Hazmat_suit_(Old_World_Blues)

Other stories by TheMaskedOne2807:The Oil Chapter 1 (Getting Back)
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The black gunky liquid was streaming from the bag, both pieces of it.
Much of it had gotten on the Aki clad in golden armor's sword. The attacker had jumped back while Kenneth was recovering.
The attacked in gold seemed to study their sword for a moment before they jumped back into action.
Kenneth didn’t even have time to blink before the blade was once more centimeters away from his neck, the same exact stop the blade had hit before.
It was swung with such speed and with no protection to slow it down like before the force knocked Kenneth flat on his ass.
“Vile creature, I’ll take your head!” The Aki in gold armor yelled, ready to swing.
“Please stop!” Kica yelled, taking a giant step forward and putting her arm in the path the sword swung.
At a moment's notice, the blade stopped cutting through her rope and nicking her arm.
“Noble and just sir, knight of high birth, I beg you not to kill this healer; he’s taken the oath and is one of us,” Kica pleaded, looking the knight in the eyes as they pulled away the blade.
The knight then lowered the blade and let one hand be free as the tip of the sword touched the ground.
“Thank you, noble sir knight,” Kica said as she lowered her arm and breath a sigh of relief.
Suddenly and without warning, the knight slapped Kica violently with their armored hand. The force was enough to draw blood as she fell to the ground, eyes wide in shock.
The knight just stared down at her with cold, uncaring eyes before speaking in a calm yet disgusted tone of voice. “Learn your place, woman, and only speak when spoken to.”
By this point, Kenneth had managed to get back on his feet, but he was disorientated and in a lot of pain. He wasn’t quite sure why he was still alive with how many strikes with a sword he had received, but he guessed it had to be the plague doctor outfit.
‘It might protect me from getting cut, but I still feel the force of it. If they keep hitting my neck, it will at some point break,’ Kenneth thought, unsure of what he could and should do.
The golden-armored Aki then stretched out their arm, pointing their gold sword at Kenneth before speaking. “I do not know what you are or what lies you made that vixen believe, but I’ll take your head nevertheless.”
Before Kenneth even had time to do anything, the golden-armored Aki moved faster than lightning and swung his sword once more.
The speed at which it was swung was faster than the other two times combined. The force was unparalleled as it once more hit Kenneth’s neck, finally breaking.
There was a moment of silence once it had happened, where everyone who was present just stood in shock.
However, it wasn’t Kenneth’s neck that had broken. It was the golden-armored Aki’s golden sword.
Somehow the sword had broken in two just below the guard, and now the broken-off part stuck to the disoriented Kenneth, who, somehow still standing.
“What is this!” The golden-armored Aki yelled in anger.
“Well, you don’t see that every day,” the other Aki clad in silver armor that had walked beside the gold-armored Aki said.
“Wasn’t that your family's priced golden sword your great, great, great grandfather used in that great battle,” the silver-armored Aki said, scratching the top of his head, trying to remember what battle it was.
“It would be a shame to come home with it broken. I wonder what your farter would say?”
“Shut up, old man!” The gold-armored Aki snapped. “The blade is still intact. That vile creature just got lucky the hilt broke!”
The gold-armored Aki then looked at the still-disoriented Kenneth and opened up his hand.
At the end of his gauntlets, there were small holes for his claws to extend out. “I’ll get it back as well as his head.”
“Not so fast young master,” the silver-armored Aki said, pulling the gold-armored one back. “The hilt may have broken, but that thing is still standing after three swings with its head still firmly between its shoulders.”
“You point!” The gold-armored Aki snapped, pulling away from the silver-armored one’s grasp.
“You might be fast, but you lack experience, both in fighting and gauging your opponent,” the silver-armored Aki said, drawing his silver sword. “Watch closely; you might learn a thing or two.”
The silver-armored Aki started to approach Kenneth slowly, his sword raised in only one hand.
Kenneth, still in pain and woozy, started to walk back, almost tripping each and every time he took a step as the gold sword still stuck to him like the black gunky stuff was super glue.
He tried to pull it off him. He thought he might be able to use it as a shield, but it wouldn’t budge. If he wanted it off, it meant ripping a piece of the coat off or taking it off, and neither seemed like an attractive option at the moment.
Unfortunately, while he tried to get the sword off, he lost his footing and fell on his ass again.
“I expected a bit more of a fight, but the young master swings too hard, I suppose,” the silver-armored Aki sighed as he raised his silver sword above his head, ready to strike Kenneth.
Kenneth raised his arms, trying to defend against the strike.
However, it didn’t come. Kenneth moved one of his arms a little, so he could see, and he was shocked once he saw who had saved him.
“Women release my arm from you, grip,” the silver-armored Aki ordered Zilika calmly.
It was only now Kenneth noticed Kica was gone, probably having been pulled into their house by Zilika.
“As the healer said, he’s one of us,” Zilika responded with a pained expression. “He took the oath just as everyone else here did, and I doubt very much the commander is going to be happy about you killing one of his men.”
“So this thing took the oath,” the silver-armored Aki muttered. “I see how its resilience would make a good shield, but it’s too cowardly.”
“So will you let go of my arm now?” the silver-armored Aki, his voice cold
“Are you going to attack him?” Zilika asked back, slightly cold yet with a hint of nervousness.
The silver-armored Aki then let go of his sword and, with his free hand, reached behind his back and grabbed the hilt of it before it touched the ground.
Then he a little awkwardly placed the sword back into the scabbard.
Once it was done, Zilika let go of his arm.
“You are listening to the words of a vixen!” The gold-armored Aki protested in anger.
The silver-armored only looked back and with a sly smile. “Young master, if you want a woman to like you, you have to listen to them once in a while. And I do prefer ones with a little fire in them.”
The gold-armored Aki just growled as he looked at Kenneth with predatory eyes.
Before he knew the gold-armored Aki rushed at him with his claws extended.
Zilika took a step forward but was forced to stop as the silver-armored Aki drew his sword once more and held it up against her throat.
“Sorry, but I am paid to keep the young master safe, so don’t do something stupid now. I really don’t feel like killing you,” the silver-armored Aki said charmingly.
In the meantime, the gold-armored Aki quickly reached Kenneth swiping at him with his claws.
His outfit protected him, but he was beginning to feel weak.
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!” Ulric bellowed in anger.
The loud sound was hard to miss as everyone stopped what they were doing and looked back at him.
Beside Ulric stood a slightly smaller Aki with purple fur and a few spots of yellow.
However, it was hard to see since they were covered in long, loose, fitting slike-like clothing, mostly the color yellow.
“So you are the commander,” the gold-armored Aki said casually as he turned around.
“Explain to me why that vixen lied and told me that thing is a part of this outpost,” the gold-armored Aki said mildly angrily.
Ulric glanced over at Zilika, who was still being threatened by the silver-armored Aki.
“Lower your sword,” Ulric said in a low rumbling voice.
“Just as long she’s not stupid,” the silver-armored Aki said before putting his sword back in the scabbard.
“I said something to you!” The gold-armored Aki said in annoyance, looking up at Ulric.
“Zilika, explain what happened,” Ulric commanded, looking slightly at her.
“The black healer was talking to Kica and, out of nowhere, was attacked by the knight. Kica tried to stop the fight, but he struck her for speaking. After that, I got Kica back into our house and didn’t see much more after that,” Zilika explained.
Ulric then fully lowered his gaze and looked down at the gold-armored Aki. “You struck my healer?”
“Yeah, what of it,” the gold-armored Aki said dismissively. “I don’t know what it is with these outposts, but your women should learn their place.”
“Also, I want that thing punished for intentionally breaking my family’s sword.”
Ulric just looked at him, his eyes daggers as he tightened his grip around his spear.
“Do you know who I am?!” the gold-armored Aki snapped in anger, not liking the way Ulric was looking at him.
“If you tell me another lie, a brat, I need to punish,” Ulric answered in a low yet angry voice.
“I am Jubo Dekaso Amotika the twentyfirst!” Jubo yelled in anger. “And you better remember it, you lowborn--”
“Young master, I would strongly recommend you chose your words with a bit more thought,” the silver-armored Aki interjected.
Jubo glanced back at him for a moment before saying something under his breath no one heard.
He walked over to Kenneth, looking angry, and Kenneth was sure he was going to attack him once more; however, he just stood there.
“Let it go, and I’ll forgive you for breaking it,” Jubo said, his eyes only on the sword still stuck to Kenneth.
‘I broke it!’ Kenneth thought in anger, his eye twitching. ‘You swung the damn thing at me three times!’
Kenneth thought all of it instead of saying it because he noticed the Aki standing beside Ulric was dressed very differently than all others in the outpost.
He wasn’t sure if it was the fashion where they were from, but if it was the merchant, then he wouldn’t want to present himself in any negative way. No matter how justified he would be in doing so.
“What the hold-up, you slow-minded dimwit,” Jubo impatiently said.
“Well, I would give it to you if I could, but it would appear that the blade is stuck on me somehow,” Kenneth answered, doing his utmost to hide his annoyance.
“Stuck,” Jubo scoffed. “All you need to do is pull hard enough, and you can’t even do that.”
Then without warning, Jubo grabbed the sword and started to pull.
However, the black gunky substance wouldn’t let go.
Then as Kenneth just stood there unprepared, Jubo placed his foot on Kenneth's stomach and started pushing with it.
It was annoying and somewhat painful, but Kenneth bore over with it until it came loose. Or a piece of it.
Jubo saved himself from landing on his ass, but he probably would have cared as his eyes fixated on the one-third of the sword that had broken off.
It was so silent you could drop a pin which made it all the more easier for Kenneth to hear a cracking sound.
Before Jubo even had a chance to yell about the blade breaking it two, the rest still on Kenneth broke into two, split right down the middle. Then four, getting cut in half again.
“What did you do?!” Jubo yelled in dismay.
“I have no idea what just happened,” Kenneth said, equally confused.
“You- I’m going to kill you!” Jubo screamed.
He was about to charge at Kenneth but was stopped by the silver-armored Aki. “Young master, I would not advise doing so.”
“It destroyed my family’s sword!” Jubo wined in anger.
“Yes, but if you couldn’t harm it with the sword, then what good are your claws and speed then?” The silver-armored Aki asked, almost like he was a teacher of sorts.
And as Kenneth watched the silver-armored Aki stand beside Jubo, something particular about Jubo became all too clear. He was short.
Even shorter than Kica but a little taller than the fourteen-year-old Aki, that had hit him with water.
Begrudgingly, Jubo retracted his claws and walked over to Kenneth again, reaching for the rest of the sword pieces.
It was an uncomfortable process, but eventually, he managed to get the rest of the pieces off some of the black gunky liquid sticking to the pieces and his gauntlets.
“Where is the blacksmith?” Jubo asked in a manner that sounded more like a command to tell him where Huto was.
“Zilika, take him to Huto and Iko,” Ulric commanded.
Zilika didn’t look all too happy but wasn’t one to disobey another one of Ulric’s orders.
Once they left, the three men just stood there, silent, no one speaking.
“Well, that situation could have gone….”
“Differently,” Kenneth said, scratching the back of his head.
“What is the black stuff? Your blood?” Ulric asked, his voice low and calm as he rubbed his temple.
Before Kenneth even had a chance to say he didn’t know what the black stuff was, the merchant spoke.
“Well, Ulric, I suppose this is the man you told me about. An odd fella, neither Aki, Nok, or Sil from a place much different.”
Solk walked closer to Kenneth, eyeing him up with great fascination and slight worry before making the gesture of greeting.
“I hope you do not bare a grudge against me for the actions of the highborn lad,” Solk apologized. “He’s young and thought that defending my wares would lead to a battle or two. I guess he was so annoyed not having fought anyone that when he saw you, he just struck.”
“Well, you are not responsible for the actions of other people,” Kenneth said, reciprocating the gesture.
“You seem very humble odd fella,” Solk said with a friendly smile. “I know many who would have boiled with anger over an unprovoked attack.”
“Well, it’s not as if his sword breaking and his subsequent shock didn’t ease my anger a little,” Kenneth responded.
“Just as a bit of friendly advice before we start to talk about business,” Solk said as he started to walk down the street and gestured for Kenneth to follow.
“Making an enemy of a high-born royal is always a bad idea in business.”
“I surmised as much,” Kenneth responded, just about to follow, but before he did, his eyes glanced down and saw his bag in one piece; he was unsure how or why it was suddenly healed, but questions he had no way of getting answers to had to wait he needed to keep up with Solk and Ulric.
So he grabbed the bag and followed along.
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(Patreon): Three chapters early access and artwork. Also, a 100+ page story I wrote prior to the posting of The Plague Doctor for all members.

There is no route that has been as talked about and misunderstood as Golden Wildfire in the entirety of the Fodlan Games. Even Crimson Flower, for all the Edelgard discourse thrown out since the release of Three Houses, still had at least some middle ground and understanding of its themes and story beats. GW, however, has suffered from a giant problem in the community: It became part of the Edelgard vs Dimitri discourse when it was supposed to be a middle ground all along. GW isn’t a CF Rewritten and GW!Claude isn’t Edelgard 2.0 (even though he kind of uses some parts of her arc); Golden Wildfire is the middle ground of the Fodlan discourse, but the community has been so obsessed with having sides that they completely misread and wrongly analyzed this route. I will not try to argue that GW is perfect (It’s not, all routes in both Houses and Hopes have problems, some more than others), but I will try to give you all another perspective about Golden Wildfire and why the route it’s not, as people assume, a rewash of CF, or an Edelgard-Positive propaganda piece. Golden Wildfire is all about making the impossible occur, and what you have to do to make it so.
This isn't a jab at anyone or any branch of the community in particular, even I and the community around me (Edelgard) became a victim of this during my first playthrough of GW, and I don't blame anyone for their own opinions of this route, no matter how positive or negative it is. What I am proposing is my own thoughts on this route, viewing it from a different lens to when I first went into it, trying to see it from a more positive angle rather than a negative one, trying to see its message, and criticizing it as well when I should. This essay became a long one, so I will cut it in half and publish the next part at a later date, so I would refrain from talking about the end (as I will be focusing on it later), and rather focus on what I talked about. I would like to see what your thoughts on my points and conclusions were.
Something that made me believe how little people think about GW is that this is the only route in the Fire Emblem Wiki in which the story scripts weren’t completed and available to read (This being the case on 03/2023, in the event that the scripts were made available later). If you pass through the chapters of Wildfire on the wiki, you’ll notice that the scripts of the Route stopped at Chapter 7 (Right before the last chapter of part 1, and most noticeable, the time-skip in which the most controversial parts of the Route take place), and that even SB and AG had all its chapters scripts available. (This made research on this essay very difficult, as I had to pass through videos of the route, so if I got something wrong, I apologize, but it is very difficult to get all the info on chapters when its scripts are absent.) I can only speculate about why that is the case, but this only made me more determined to try and give you all my own opinion and perspective on Golden Wildfire, what it does with Claude as a character, the way in which it handles the Empire and the Kingdom, what made Claude consider allying himself with Edelgard on Part 2, and, more importantly, why Claude decided to kill Rhea. Part One — The Issues with Golden Wildfire Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way, okay? As I said before, all routes in the Fodlan Games have their own fare of issues, some are more notable (SS and AG), others less so (SB and AM), while some lie in the middle (CF and VW), Golden Wildfire, I think, is in the same place as Verdant Wind in terms of issues, but it has more strong points in it than its brother. The biggest improvement of GW compared to VW is that it isn’t a rewash of another route in a yellow (or green) color of paint, contrary to what people say. Verdant Wind was held back because it followed a lot of plot points of Silver Snow but with Claude replacing Seteth and some “Alliance” sprinkled in the middle. Some notables issues in VW are the reuse of Edelgard’s SS death cutscene (I think we all would have liked a cutscene of Claude killing Edelgard), the out-of-nowhere appearance of Nemesis when he would be more suited as a Final Boss in other routes, the big Rhea lore dump, and some others things that I’ll not list here because this essay is already pretty big. But I’m not here to talk about VW, but GW, and I think I already proved my point.
Anyway, the biggest problems with GW are derived from the way Hopes counted its stories. I think Golden Wildfire suffers the most from the open ending out of the three routes, as while SB and AG let some loose threads, GW has the biggest issue because of the resolution of Claude’s main plan (making the Alliance have equal power with the surviving nations) is resolved completely off-screen, while SB and AG at least had the decency to resolve its main plot-points on the final chapter. GW also has a problem that I called the “interruption of key events”, first with the Empire Invasion being stopped by Shahid, and later with the Kingdom Siege being interrupted by Agarthan’s attack in Ordelia. It breaks the flow of the story and makes you seem like they were being added for convenience when they are pretty important for the story (especially Chapter 8), which kind of sucks. Another problem is the way in which Claude is sometimes characterized, with his awful trust issues that are much more prominent here than in Houses, it has a story explanation (the lack of his ‘Teach’), but it kind of detracts his character with how unlikable and sudden Claude sometimes seems, while Edelgard and Dimitri don’t have the same problems even with the lack of their Houses development in their new routes, because their “static characters” still seem to be open with Shez somehow and show their hidden sides more times than Claude “Shez joins a Mercenary Group at my suggestion so I will ignore him/her for no reason for two years” von Riegan. Claude seems a lot more cold and distant in GW than in VW and continues to hide his plans from everyone even in Part 2 (like, really Claude, you’re hiding the fact you will become King? Sometimes you can be really annoying), you just need to see how Shez’s relationship with Claude is much more distant than Shez’s relationship with Edelgard and Dimitri in their respective routes. For a clear example, take how Shez is presented and addressed in SB’s Pact Scene, while he is pretty much ignored on GW, with even Arval’s response on the two scenes completely different. In SB he says “Goodness, look how far you've risen! You're standing on the stage of history! I know you'll do great things. Yes, and greater things still…”, while in GW (after a little jab against Edelgard), Arval says “How empty does it make you feel, to witness history marching forward without any say in which direction it takes?” GW’s Shez seems to be a background character to Claude’s story, while Shez in SB they have a much bigger (and better) focus on the story and even has development with Edelgard and Hubert (the scene in which they confess their initial distrust of Shez is one of the best on SB).
Some people talk about how underused Almyra is in GW, and while I, personally, am pretty neutral about it, I can’t deny that its use on the Route itself is pretty badly made, especially when it should have maybe a little more emphasis, considering how Shahid will impact Claude’s actions on Part 2, as I will discuss later. Chapter 10 and 13 is a mess on the whole. Chapter 10 should have focused more on Claude rather than Byleth, and the end cutscenes focussing more on Byleth and Jeralt kind of detracts from the consequences of Claude’s actions that should be the focus of this chapter (Judith dying here is because of Claude’s decision of letting Randolph die, and recruiting Byleth undermines the impact of this chapter in itself). Chapter 13 being so different from the entirety of the Faerghus arc becomes a detriment much more than Chapter 12 of SB, as at least in there we follow up on that with Aegir’s attempt at a coup. Here, chapter 13 is a standalone chapter that does nothing to advance the story or anyone’s arcs.
A rapid-fire issues list before I close this point: TWSITD are pretty bad utilized and seem extra in a route in which they aren’t even the main villains; Lysithea feels much more like an Eagle on Hopes than a Deer with the combination of her SB’s cutscene, better supports with the Eagles than the Deers, and her shared Paralogue with Edelgard being much better than her solo one on GW as the latter appears to be a Count Gloucester paralogue much more than a Lysithea one; the awful Leonie characterization, principally on the Paralogues; the way Fleche is used outside of the Claude development; some of the characterization of the Deers; how Shez is handled principally on Part 1; Chapters 10 and 13; Almyra. Anyway, let’s stop talking about the bad, and let’s talk about the good (and the misunderstood and a little bad as well, GW is a thing of another world)! Part Two — Claude’s Character on GW (and its faulty conclusion) Some of the takes thrown around on the Community are that GW!Claude is OOC compared to VW!Claude, that he seems like a male version of Edelgard and that he is a waste in his own Route. Quite frankly, I disagree. First of all, all of the Lords on Hopes are different from their Houses counterparts. Edelgard is more soft and open around the Eagles and seems to have much less guilt on her shoulders because of her early separation from the Slithers and the absence of the Flame Emperor baggage that plagues her in Houses. Dimitri is much more like his WC version than his two AM versions (Boar and post-redemption), as he never suffers from the Flame Emperor betrayal and the Cornelia stuff is much less effective in Hopes than in Houses. Claude just has a stark difference because of how much he changes on VW. GW!Claude is much more similar to his WC version than his post-TS. In WC he is pretty reclusive, doesn’t reveal anything to anyone from his house, is a jerk to the other Deers, feels extremely insensitive (his actions after Jeralt death comes to mind), and is pretty much an asshole in general. VW changes things because he starts to trust others around him through the influence of Byleth, is more soft and open to the rest of the Deers, and seems to be growing as a person because of the influence of his ‘Teach’. King Claude isn’t that. He is still stuck on his mentality of ‘Him vs the World’ that is a result of the prejudice he suffered and how he feels like he is an outsider regardless of the Country he is in. GW Claude has a much different arc than his VW one, which begins after chapter 8, specifically after he kills Shahid, his own brother.
After Chapter 8, Claude ends up having an epiphany that will follow him through the rest of the Route; that sometimes, to accomplish your goals, you need to dirty your hands. That is an epiphany that Edelgard had since she gained her second Crest, and is something that Dimitri never really has in any of his routes. Claude realizes after he kills Shahid that he can’t be the moral Paragon that he builds himself to be in VW, and starts following a similar path to non-CF Edelgard, doing whatever it takes to win. This becomes clear in the way in which Claude is shown after Shahid’s death cutscene, in which Shez realizes that Claude is often alone and spacing out. This ends up with Claude making up a plan for the Alliance to maintain enough power after the war to make him have an influence on Fódlan: Defeat the Central Church while maintaining both the Empire’s and Kingdom’s sovereignty. For this, he resolves to ally himself with Edelgard and the Empire in Chapter 9, even though his allies and a part of himself isn’t comfortable with this (as both the negative light the Pact scene is portrayed in GW compared to SB and the following talk he has with the rest of the Deer after the alliance is made). In Claude’s own words, “By cooperating with the Empire, we can expand our influence and power as much as they do, if not more. This is the only way we can end the war quickly while maintaining Leicester’s independence.” Even Lorenz seems to start grasping what Claude is doing, saying that Claude would throw away the Kingdom even though Claude has no animosity toward Dimitri and Faerghus. He’s right, what Claude is doing here is forcing himself to become the Villain to complete his goals but, unlike Edelgard, he isn’t ready for what this path will do to him. Edelgard always knew what her decision of becoming the villain would do to her image, the people around and below her, and Fodlan itself. Claude doesn’t know, as he is acting emotively after killing his own brother, and he will soon get a reality check.
Chapter 9 is one of the most important chapters of Claude’s arc, as he fully embraces the villain he is trying to become. He makes justifications for attacking the Kingdom and during the Clash on Ailell, he commits himself to his actions. Randolph (who has more importance outside of the Empire’s routes) is commanding an attack against Catherine, and he is losing badly. During the battle, you have to open the way for Empire troops to rally with Randolph and support him against Catherine. After all the Empire troops are fighting Catherine, Claude resolves to use Randolph as bait to keep the Knights occupied while he surrounds them. Claude straights up just blocks Randolph’s only escape route, essentially trapping him with an angry Knight with a magical dragon-bone sword, which results in his (totally avoidable) death. Claude says that he was willing to help Randolph after capturing all the strongholds, but whether he is telling the truth or not, it’s irrelevant. Claude committed himself to eliminating Catherine above all else, ignoring his friend’s criticisms of his plans, and he succeeds, killing a Knight with a Relic and giving a crippling blow to the Church’s forces.
The following scene is Claude’s regret at what he did (betraying his recently made allies for his own gains), and trying to reassure himself that “the only way (Claude) can go is forward”, and that now that he did this, there’s no turning back. Curiously, Claude is alone in this scene, so he is literally trying to convince himself of his actions. That is an important scene, it’s literally Claude’s second doubting himself and his path toward the demon. The next scene is a discussion of him vs Shez where we can see his reasonings as to why he is jumping into the dark path. He reasons that the Alliance’s army is so weak that he can’t afford to lose even a single capable general, and Shez calls out his bullshit by saying he is acting like “nobles that just throw mercenary lives to the wind.” Shez is hurt by Claude’s inability to try and save Randolph even when he had all the possibilities to do so. After Judith arrives and tells Claude that he shouldn’t have so little faith in his army and friends, Claude responds with exactly why he decided to do what he is doing: “what good does it if (the Federation) fight honorably just to lose?” Judith asks him to think about what he will do next and to try and find another way. This leads us to Claude’s comeuppance…
Chapter 10 is not only Byleth’s recruitment chapter (which is a small problem in itself) but the culmination of Claude’s actions. Chapters 8 and 9 are all about Claude doing bad things for the right reasons, and Chapter 10 is about these actions coming to give him Karma. (I already explained my issues with this chapter previously, so I will not be talking about it here, but because of that, in Byleth-recruitment routes, the climax and point of changing of Claude’s arc are with his conversation with Judith last Chapter), Ignoring the issues with this chapter, Claude leaving Randolph to die ends up driving Fleche’s revenge streak to appear again (in another timeline), and like in AM, it will affect the main Lord. Fleche is manipulated by the Agarthans with the information of Claude’s betrayal and makes her contract Jeralt’s mercenaries to attack the King of Leicester for revenge. Before the attack, Claude seems to be more open to the opinions of the rest of the Deer, but he still has his mask up, maybe because he wasn’t yet confronted with the consequences of his actions. Claude was able to take some things that Judith said to heart, but it wasn’t enough yet… Claude is a victim of a sudden attack and is forced to play decoy and face off against the little sister of the man he let be killed (Or having one of his main generals and a mother figure to him die because of his actions). It becomes a reality check for Claude that makes him reconsider his stance on becoming the villain. From here on out, he “mellows out”, doing things more the VW way. That’s the point of Claude’s arc: Trying to be AM!Edelgard, succeeding, and realized it wasn’t the path he wanted to follow, so he decides to do the ultimate compromise, doing bad things for the right reasons, but following the council of his friends. And, when he does that, we see him completing the Impossible.
Something that I must agree with people is how the end of Claude's arc feels a little disjointed, as it can be anywhere during Judith's conversation in chapter 9 to the end of 10, and I would argue that Judith's death is the main point that would be the climax of Claude's arc, but the way in which Hopes is structured makes it so that point doesn't even appear on some playthroughs if you recruit Byleth. So yeah, no matter how much I like Claude's arc, I can't say it is the best arc in the game, but I would still like to point out what it is trying to do because no matter the ending, its contents still make a good journey and plot beat with Claude that makes him an interesting character on GW.
Well, this became longer than I thought it would be. So I will be separating this whole essay in two, and in the continuation, I will be focusing more on the most controversial aspects of the Route, the way the Empire and KIngdom are treated, the issues Claude has with Rhea and the Church, why he kills Rhea in Part 2, and the reasoning of his plans. It will explore in more detail how GW changes the mold from VW but makes it a much better attempt at making itself to be the Neutral Route that everyone expects the Deer Route to be. I will be explaining why GW isn’t a “pro-Edelgard propaganda piece”, and why Dimitri is treated honorably. In the end, I will talk about the last chapters, and what it means for Fódlan. Expect it soon!

Welcome to Reading The Big Book of Modern Fantasy!
Each week we (u/FarragutCircle and u/kjmichaels) will be reading 5 stories from Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s The Big Book of Modern Fantasy, which includes a curated selection of fantasy stories written from 1946 to 2010! We’ll include synopses of the stories along with instructions on where these stories can be found in print. Feel free to read along with us or just stop by and hear our thoughts about some modern fantasy stories to decide if any of them sound interesting to you.
Every once in a while, we reach out to people who have more insight, due to being fans of the author or have some additional context for the story. (Or we just tricked them into it.) So please welcome u/HeLiBeB who will be sharing her thoughts on "The Mole King"!
“The Bystander” by Leena Krohn (published 1985, translated from Finnish by Hildi Hawkins; excerpted from her novella Tainaron: Mail from Another City)
A new resident to the insect city of Tainaron writes to a friend about a weird parade he saw in the streets.

• Farragut’s thoughts: Tainaron is an epistolary story, made up of 30 letters; “The Bystander” is the 19th. The VanderMeers called this one of the most important post-WWII dark fantasy stories in an earlier anthology, The Weird, and I can certainly appreciate their perspective on this. To me, “The Bystander” just felt like one of those confirmations that “Yes, this is indeed a weird story.” The strangeness that the letter-writer encounters is quite interesting–how would you react if you saw a completely silent crowd of insect-people all along the street, all facing one direction?
  
• kjmichaels' thoughts: I think I was less down on the story than my colleague over here [FarragutCircle: Is that all I am to you? Just a colleague??] but I agree there is a certain something missing from this story. A weird thing happens and…that’s it. It’s a well written scene of weirdness lovingly rendered with horrifying imagery but there’s not much of a story in here on its own. I’d be intrigued to read more from Krohn though because I can imagine the story might work better in tandem with the other ones around it to tell a more cohesive tale.
  

“Wild Boys: Variations on a Theme” by Karen Joy Fowler (1986; also available in her collection Artificial Things)
Two boys deal with their own issues in the woods.

• F: Fowler’s known for several books, such as The Jane Austen Book Club and We Are All Completely Besides Ourselves. In “Wild Boys” she alternates between a first-person fantasy setting and a third-person contemporary one. It’s also the first time in this book I’ve seen a reference to AIDS at all (five years after it was first identified in a newspaper) in Wystan’s friend Carl. It’s a very thematic story (or stories), which also made it harder for me as a reader to grasp as the fantasy variation seems to just end, and I’m not sure of the point [kjmichaels’ note: always be sure to save turtles as stealthily as possible less you have to spend time with an old farmer. A lesson for the ages].
  
• K: This is a really interesting story. The themes are made apparent in the parallels between seemingly unconnected stories (themes of being hunted, of the cruelty of strangers, of the line between self defense and savagery) and the story invites you to guess why these seemingly separate stories are told side by side. Is one the imagination of the protagonist in the other? Are they windows into two separate but similar realities? Who knows? That said, I agree that Fowler doesn’t quite stick the landing. It never quite comes fully together at the end.
  

“The Mole King” by Marie Hermanson (1986, translated from Swedish by Charlie Haldén)
An unprepared king finds comfort underground.

• Special Guest HeLiBeB: When Farragut offered me a choice of stories to read, I selected “The Mole King” in the hope it featured an actual mole as the main protagonist. It turned out that this was not the case sadly, but nevertheless the story did not disappoint, and I enjoyed it. It is about a king, who is overwhelmed by all his responsibilities and starts hiding in holes in the ground to escape. I found that very relatable, and instantly sympathized with the king. It goes so far that one day he doesn’t leave his hole anymore and instead digs deeper. His life underground is so peaceful but that’s not where the story ends. I enjoyed the twists and turns and the ridiculous characters and their adventures. Overall, it is a great and absurd story with wisdom at its bottom.
  
• F: I love the absolute ridiculousness of this story. Why is this king unprepared? Who knows, but he only feels relaxed and anxiety-free underground, so he eventually escapes from the castle and just starts digging around underground and eating worms. The climax of the story involves a repeat after he’s captured and made to be king again, but again, it’s just weird and silly and the repeated statement of “you only feel OK being yourself if no one’s looking” is such a funny message here.
  
• K: I guess I was expecting a bit more from this story. It’s pretty long and it all leads to an anti-climax and a message about being yourself. I don’t disagree but it’s just such a long ride for so little payoff. Maybe something is getting lost in translation but my overall opinion is that the story is fine but could stand to be half as long. [F: Good thing it wasn’t the Mole King, then–it’d take forever to finish]
  

“What the Tapster Saw” by Ben Okri (1988) (link to story [pdf])
A palm-wine tapster falls from a tree and while dead, dreams for seven days and gets better.

• F: Okri is a Nigerian-British writer who was influenced by kjmichaels’s favorite writer Amos Tutuola [K: \insert Sad Ben Affleck GIF here]. Unfortunately, this story was nonsensical to me for the most part because 95% of it is an incoherent dream sequence. It actually might be coherent, but I don’t even know how to read about how there are three turtles one of which has the face of a doctor and also there’s a snake and seven eggs and someone keeps hitting him in the head.
  
• K: No one who has been following along with this series is surprised to learn I hate this story, right? Okri makes several improvements to Tutuola’s style (most importantly, Okri actually has a sense of pacing) but it’s still ultimately just a plotless fever dream. I’ll give him that the imagery is striking but ultimately the story as a whole didn’t do much for me. Interestingly, I think this may actually be something of an example of fan fiction since I believe the implication is supposed to be that this protagonist is the tapster who dies at the beginning of The Palm-Wine Drinkard but I can’t be sure.
  

“The Fool” by David Drake (1987) (link to story)
Old Nathan helps a local man with an intellectual disability find his horse, but things escalate quickly.

• F: In the literal footsteps of Manly Wade Wellman (whom we read in Week 2) [K: and who has become our new favorite writer of all time], David Drake wrote a series of stories featuring the wizard Old Nathan in 1830s Tennessee. The “simpleton” Eldon Bowsmith seeks help from Old Nathan to recover his horse. Old Nathan and the reader know who’s really at fault and so it was a journey to wait for the eventual comeuppance of the Neill clan. I liked it, but I think the oral storytelling voice of Wellman was better.
  
• K: This story is fine. I don’t really have much to say about it but I’m starting to notice a meta issue with the anthology in that the VanderMeers really prioritize including writers very directly inspired by other writers they’ve included, often using their stories that are most similar to other included stories. I feel like this is really limiting to the selections as a whole. It’d be like listening to a Big Compilation of Rock Music where you listen to The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” in the 60s, then ELO in the 70s, then Echo and the Bunnymen covering “All You Need is Love” in the 80s, and finishing on Oasis in the 90s. At a certain point, the notes all start to sound the same if you’re that determined to keep hearkening back as directly as possible to the line of influence. [F: I think Drake’s connection with Wellman is probably unusual (being direct mentorship), but I do feel like I see differences 36 years later, where Drake exposits more, to its detriment!]
  

That’s it for this week! Check back the same time next week where we’ll be reading and discussing "The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico" by Antonio Tabucchi, "A Mexican Fairy Tale" by Leonora Carrington, "The Boy in the Tree" by Elizabeth Hand, "TV People" by Haruki Murakami, and "Alice in Prague or The Curious Room" by Angela Carter.

 

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Takuetsu Aegis Avenger Model	5	15
Takuetsu Khartu-Al Model	5	15
Takuetsu Aegis Gladius	5	15
Takuetsu Mustang Delta Model	5	15
Takuetsu Origin M50	5	15
Takuetsu Mustang Gamma	5	15
Takuetsu Golden Herald	5	15

 

Platform(s): PC, Windows
Genre: TBS/RTS fantasy, with a top down side view
Estimated year of release: 2005-2012
Graphics/art style: Somewhat similar to Heroes of might and magic 5, but grimmer setting and more grounded, dont recall it having different races e.t.c, main hero character also had a circling crest like marker underneath them, also very similar to HOMAM 5, distinctly recall being able to see and interact with all the units on the screen individually, so im confident its not from that series, the setting was medieval, and if my memory isnt failing me, it did not progress through ages and different advancements like AOE or Empire Earth
Notable characters: Main hero in black armor on a horse which also was in black armor, also was on the cover art, was twice the size of other units on the screen
Notable gameplay mechanics: Unfortunately do not recall anything notable compared to other strategy games
Other details: IIRC title included either Dark, Death, Knight maybe in reference to main hero, iv looked through rts game list on wiki, and none of them seem to jog my memory, but i remember you controlled lot of units, minimap was a diamond shape, only remember playing it single player, might not have had multiplayer,

I’m planning a trip to Washington, DC and the Chesapeake Bay areas of Maryland and Virginia. I’ve got some questions about some of the parks in the area that I’m hoping someone who’s more familiar with the area can answer. I’ve been to DC before, so I’ve got a sense of the geography, but I’m confused about some of the boundaries as it relates to POTA’s rules.

• National Capital Parks Park (K-0654): The Wikipedia page says this “was a unit of the National Park System… now divided into multiple administrative units” including National Capital Parks-East, the National Mall and Memorial Parks, President’s Park, Rock Creek Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and the C&O National Historical Park, which sounds like it covers pretty much all the national parks in DC. Other than National Capital Parks-East, I think all of parks administered by the other units are already covered by other POTA references. Is the understanding that K-0654 covers just the parks to the east of the Capital building, or is it basically a two-fer with any other park in DC?
• What’s the activation area for the monuments on the National Mall? The NPS map doesn’t provide clear edges for the monuments. For example, do you need to be inside the flags of the Washington Monument to activate? Or does the grass on the hill also count? Or the whole area between 14th St, 17th St., Constitution Ave, and Independence Ave? (The same applies to other monuments; it's often not clear on the ground where the official edge is.)
• Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historical Trail (K-4567): The NPS map shows this “trail” as being primarily maritime, covering many prominent rivers in the Bay’s watershed, plus routes along the Bay that poke into several coves. Yorktown Battlefield K-8204’s description says it’s “potentially co-located” with K-4567, but the NPS map looks like the trail goes down the center of the York River, which is more than 100 feet from the Yorktown Battlefield. Likewise First Landing State Park K-1299 says it’s co-located, but the map doesn’t look like the trail gets that close to it. The park seems to have gotten a lot of activations for people to have been positioned within 100 feet of the watery trail; are there parts of this trail on land?
• Are Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park K-0736 and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park K-6382 the same place? Does the state park cover just the visitor center and gardens while the NHP covers a larger area? The Maryland state park site doesn’t have a clear boundary map while the NPS map looks like it’s pretty big, including part of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

Thanks for your help!