#The goal I took for this project was to help future space traveling which are astronauts and the farther future of what could space travel b

[nova--spark]

TF OC - Anthea Santos

Alright fair warning

⚠️ THIS IS SET IN NO FIXED CANON, JUST A MISH MASH OF MY OWN IDEAS AND LIKES ⚠️

And as usual, blame @piltover-sharpshooter for like, most of this BS

With that, I present my word vomit below

Born to Camila Santos and Samuel Arroyo, Anthea was raised solely by her mother after her father walked out on both his then girlfriend and newborn, citing that he never had signed up for this and subsequently abandoned both.

With just her baby girl and herself, 21 yr old Camila would throw herself into her work as an engineer , specifically a mechanical engineer working at a car factory at the time.

Though things were hard at first through the years, Anthea and her mother spent their days cooking, dancing, and sometimes taking apart their broken lawnmower to make it into the neighborhood's fastest go-kart.

It was her mother's skills with machinery that would spark her interest in the subject altogether, as from early as elementary school, Anthea would start to learn how to make small robots and the like. From a young age, Anthea also had a fear of the dark, which was curbed by her mother's creation of a special nightlight that projected the stars for her at night.

When the beings known as Cybertronians, also called Transformers by the majority of the human population due to their nature, Anthea's curiosity only grew, as she was only about 7-8 years old when they had been revealed.

She wanted to learn more of what was out there, to soar among the stars, or even help future travelers going and coming from space.

So, in subsequent years, Anthea threw herself into her studies, science, robotics, engineering, coding, and even subjects like astronomy [and a bit of astrology for good measure]. Accepted into a fantastic robotics program at 18, Anthea would have been right on track to her goal.

But such studies cam to a screeching halt the day a battle broke out between both Autobot and Decepticons in the city, where Anthea had been studying. At the time , Anthea had been attending an event at her college stadium, where unbeknownst to many, Energon had been stashed by rogue 'Cons.

Unfortunately, as many fled or sought shelter, Anthea found herself in the proximity of the ensuing Energon explosion caused by the battle.

This explosion would leave her pinned under debris, her legs trapped and pierced by concrete and metal, bone and muscles severed beyond repair.

Unknown to her, the liquid around her that had pooled and flooded the area she was trapped in was liquid Energon, and had poured into her open wounds.

Call it an act of mercy, a freak accident or sheer luck, she would survive the ordeal in the end, but lose her legs.

She would take a year off entirely from school, rehabilitating with her mom, and going to phys therapy to get back to where she used to be.

Call it anger, spite, pettiness, she felt a drive to walk again, but not just to walk on simple prosthetics like the ones doctors had suggested her.

It took some convincing her mother, but paying a hefty sum, they got their hands on scrap metal from the Cybertronian battle and crash sites, and it took a year of working on them to create the prosthetics that Anthea currently walks on.

Working as a mechanic most days, Anthea spends some her free time at scavenge sits, refurbishing Cybertron tech of minor flaws and minor dangers to sell or use with her cybernetics.

[whore4teamcap]

Partners Against Crime

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Gender Neutral Reader

Summary: After your boyfriend takes a promotion, you’re assigned a new partner. How will you both deal with the separation and potential of someone getting in the way? 

Warnings: This fanfiction does revolve around law enforcement but I will not include any controversies. 

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: Thank you @stucky-my-ship for requesting this! I’m so excited to turn this into a series. Hope you enjoy <3 Thank you so much to those who read! Feedback and interactions are heavily appreciated. Also! Please reach out if you would like to be tagged in future parts and my other projects.

Part 1

You flickered your eyes open as a blaring noise came from beside you. No matter how many years of experience you had with this job, you swore you would never get used to this schedule. Even when you were starting out as a beat cop everything seemed easier. It was probably just the adrenaline from coming straight out of the academy but then your life changed. You were promoted from beat and finally landed your goal job as a detective. You dreamed of being a detective ever since you were little. You smiled softly at the memory of you sneaking downstairs to watch tv behind your parents backs. Often finding yourself glued to crime shows; they fueled your desires to take down criminals.

You throw your arm toward the side table and shut off the alarm. Then you proceed to roll over and frown at the empty bed space beside you. Your boyfriend, James Barnes, well you called him Bucky, just got promoted to Sergeant. He was officially in charge of the precinct you both worked at. Which was both a blessing and a curse. You were so proud of Bucky, he finally got the promotion he has been working his ass off for and the new job came with a lot of good things for him.

But, you couldn't hide the fact that it was gonna severely weigh on you. You and Buck had been partners since you first got promoted to detective. You both really clicked from that day forward. It was gonna take a lot to get used to not having him by your side. In this line of work you need a person you can trust one thousand percent. At the end of the day this person is in charge of your life and you're in charge of theirs. Bucky was the definition of what a partner meant to you. Which is why it was no shock that three years later you both shared an apartment and ended up falling in love. However you just knew the promotion would put a damper on that as well. You had to keep your affair hidden from the precinct and trusted very few people. When you moved in with Bucky, you weren't even allowed to update your address so every now and then you'd make your way over to your old place to pick up mail. Luckily, you hit it off with your old landlord and he helps with anything and everything you need. Although you were certain he did it to eventually get a legal favor. But you didn't mind. It bought you time with the man you love.

Being that the precinct didn't know about you and Bucky, you couldn't stop yourself from worrying about the future. He was no longer your equal. He was your boss and you were terrified of the thought of someone finding out about your relationship. It could get both of you fired or moved to different precincts. Which was the better of the two, but it would be hard to work without each other. You strongly believed what made you best at your job was having him beside you. Or at least in the same work place. This mindset also made you question if your relationship would ever progress more than it was. Of course you wanted to eventually marry Bucky but how would that work with your jobs? There were so many obstacles the two of you faced and it made you even more stressed for your first day without him.

While groaning, you rub your face. Then you gain the strength to pull yourself from the half empty bed. You make your way to the bathroom and turn on the water. Giving it time to heat up while you go grab a towel and pick out clothes for your day. After showering and getting ready, you stepped out of your shared room. The apartment is small and cozy. New York was an expensive city to live in but you both made it work. When you were looking for apartments, you didn't care where you ended up just as long as we were with each other. Being that the apartment was tiny, you could see straight into the kitchen from the hallway. Your eyes fell straight on a note besides the partially full coffee pot. You smile to yourself and walk over. You lift it off the counter and begin to read,

Good morning Doll

I hope you slept well. I left early this morning to get a head start on everything at the station. I made us coffee. I hope it's still good by the time you wake up.

Yours,

Bucky

P.S. Please grab our usual at the deli before you come in

You let out a brief chuckle at the final sentence written on the piece of paper. You grab a travel mug from the cabinet and place it in front of you. Then you proceed to grab the pot and pour it into the cup. After adding creamer and sugar, you bring the cup to your lips and take a small sip. The coffee was good but on the colder side. Therefore you pop it in the microwave while you quickly grab your belongings. When you hear the beep, you remove it and put the lid on. Carrying everything with you out of the door.

While driving to work, you swing by the deli up the road from your apartment building. You park on the busy New York street and quickly get out of your car and run inside. The bell above the door dings and Frank and Linda look up from behind the counter. You shoot them a large smile and they quickly return. The deli was owned by this sweet older couple since the early 70s. They were so kind to you and really cared for their regulars. So much so, they memorized Bucky and your order. Sometimes even having it ready before you arrive in the mornings.

"Good morning (y/n)! Where's Bucky?" Frank asks, his welcoming smile fading into a light frown. He walks toward the edge of the counter to meet you.

"Good morning! He went in early. First day of the new promotion. I'm still gonna bring him breakfast though," you explained while Linda grabbed a brown paper bag from the far counter and brought it toward you.

"Oh! Please tell him we wish him well, would you? We remember like it was yesterday when you both started coming in here. You've come a very long way and were so proud of you both," Linda said kindly. Her words turn your cheeks a dark shade of pink.

You could remember that day like it was yesterday as well. Bucky brought you here on your first day of the job and you've been coming to Frank's since.

-

"Why don't we stop and get food before we start our case? I know this amazing deli a few blocks away from the station," Detective Barnes suggests and you nod.

His gaze stays on you while you both get into his car. You slide into the passenger seat then proceed to put your seat belt on. You watch him do the same then start the car.

"So how long have you been a detective?" you ask softly, fiddling with your notebook and pen in your lap.

"Bout' 5 years or so. Rogers, the guy you met back at the precinct, he was my partner. We go way back," He replies while he pulls out of his parking spot. Beginning to make his way up the block.

You watched the busy street and took everything in with new eyes. You lived in New York your whole life but the city was still new to you. Your gaze shifts to your partner and you blushed lightly. His dark hair, calming smile and kind personality seemed to draw you in. But you pushed those thoughts away. This was professional and you knew that. However you found yourself incredibly lucky to be partnered with someone who already gave you such a welcoming homely feeling.

"Whatcha thinking about, (y/l/n)?" he asks. Shifting his attention from the road to you. His eyes connected with yours and suddenly all of your first day jitters went away.

His eye snapped back to the road and he began puling to a stop. Veering off to the right side of the road into an empty parking spot. Once his eyes snapped away, you took a deep breath and looked away as well.

"Just trying to get a good read on my partner. Making sure he's not dirty or part of something that'll get me killed," you say jokingly. You let out a laugh at your own stupid explanation and Barnes' attention quickly turned back to you. The corners of his mouth instantly went up and he shot you a toothy grin.

"Don't worry. If you're with me long enough. I'd let you in on my dirty cop side. No need to fear for your life," He joked back. Holding up his hands as if he were surrendering.

"All about the money in the end, isn't it Barnes?" You asked, continuing this forming inside joke.

"Oh definitely."

You both get out of the vehicle and you notice a big sign above the small deli. The name reading FRANK'S. You both walk inside and you smile as you're greeted by a seemingly older couple. You have been to countless deli's in New York State but this one gave you a great feeling. You didn't have family in the city. So it amazed you how quickly strangers could become such a crucial piece in your life.

-

She hands the order to you and you begin to pull out your wallet. Frank instantly puts his hand up and smiles, "Please it's on the house today. Also don't forget your coffee! Feel free to grab one for Bucky too."

"Thank you so much," was all you managed to reply with. Their utter kindness always brought so much love to your heart.

You notice you forgot the mugs so you walk out of the shop toward your car. You unlock it and pull on the passenger side door. You put the food in your car. Then lean over and grab your nearly empty travel mug from home and the spare from your car. You bring them inside so you can quickly fill them up before making a b line to work.

When you arrive, you walked into the precinct with your hands full. Doing your best to carefully get to your desk. You notice Bucky making himself at home in his new office and you can't help but feel an overwhelming amount of happiness for your boyfriend. He looks so excited and you were so incredibly proud of him. You set your coffee down then pull out your breakfast sandwich placing it on your desk. You grab the brown bag and Bucky's coffee wasting no time before you walk into his office. The man instantly looks up from his papers with a smile.

"Good morning beautiful. Is that for me?" He asks softly, keeping his voice low enough so no one hears.

"Good morning Sergeant Barnes," you say with a small smirk growing on your lips. You move closer to the desk and set everything down. "Linda and Frank gave us our food for free today. They wanted to congratulate you on the promotion. They're very proud of you."

"That's very kind of them. I needed this. Thanks for picking up the food. Rogers told me to come in early and I'm kinda glad I did because he was able to give me the full run down. Hopefully everything goes smoothly from here on out. Although it was weird coming in alone. I hope that won't become a regular thing. Despite the headache, I love our chaotic mornings," Bucky explains followed by a small chuckle. Your mind instantly recalls how usually your mornings consisted of you both fighting for space to get ready. Except you also both secretly adored the morning due to the fact Bucky loves to wake you up with light kisses.

"I agree. I really hope it's not regular. I already lost my partner, the last thing I want to lose is alone time with my boyfriend," you sigh then force a slight laugh. You didn't mean for it to come off in an upsetting way, but you realized it did when the room fell silent.

"Is my new partner coming in today?" You ask curiously, unable to find anything but awkwardness after your statement. You pay close attention to his face and notice a sour look appear. Maybe he wasn't taking it as well as you thought.

"Yeah. He should be in soon," Bucky replies and you nod. You walk out of his office and make your way to your own desk.

You unwrap your sandwich and use one hand to eat and the other to flip through your files. Taking in all of the new information for the case you are starting. You quickly finish your food then you take a large sip of your coffee. You haven't been given any information on your new partner so you wanted to make sure you knew as much as you could about your mutual assignment. Just in case you were stuck with someone inexperienced.

After about a half hour of being lost in thought while analyzing your papers, Bucky's strong voice fills the room. You look up and catch his gaze. He motions for you to come toward him; you get up from your chair and follow behind him into his office. Inside you see a man sitting in one of the two chairs across from Bucky's. He had on black dress pants, a light blue button up shirt and a black blazer. The outfit complimented his body quite well. Your focus moves up to his face, noticing his piercing blue eyes and his slightly long blonde hair. You hear a fake cough come from Bucky and instantly look at him.

"Detective (y/l/n), this is your new partner. You guys will be working the Reagan case together."

The man stands up from his chair and eyes you up and down. He finally extends his hand to you and you shake it.

"Hi, I'm Detective John Walker."

[askthejourneysgang]

*Sent on another reused TM Disc, the video is of a Mew wearing a blue scarf.*

“Hello there! I’m Mew of the Expedition Society, well more like an honorary member. Ryan said that a human trainer named Goh was interested in Mews like me. So I thought I would give you a run down of my abilities and some my technical ‘pred–dee-censor’ used. For one thing, Past Mew was able to call Ryan—the human—that is to our world over a thousand years ago. ‘Cept they weren’t turned into Chespin just yet. They came here and helped battle a big bundle of Dark Matter alongside past Mew.

Dark Matter was a big puddle of sad-mad emotions from all the Pokémon in the world. So past Mew and Ryan couldn’t defeat it fully back then. My ancestor had to make some plans to safeguard the future which included sending his spirit into when Dark Matter would be active again… As a baby Mudkip who didn’t share any of the legendary’s memories.

She was named Lucky and became quite the troublemaker. Ryan, on the other hand, chose to have their memories erased so past mistakes were avoided. The world nearly ended three times before Ryan appeared. One was a meteor stopped by Team Gotcha on the Air Continent, two was the Planet being paralyzed in time by Team Frost Heart, and the third was a fraction of Darm Matter who became an evil snowflake that showed Kyurem a really bad future which the Hope (or Team Paradise) stopped.

Dark Matter came back and infected our worlds Tree of Life which represents the lifeblood of the entire planet. It’s also an actual tree with rainbow leaves rather than crystal. It semi-mind controlled a few Pokémon including Yveltal who all could turn Pokémon to stone to fuel strife. The negative blob uprooted the Tree trying to send us all into the sun. Lucky accepted Dark Matter, Ryan explained we Pokémon tend to have trouble working through negative feelings, so it stopped being a con-sense-ness.

So that’s time travel, spirit projection, also thousand year lasting barrier creation keyed into a specific person’s spirit…. I have the standard Mew abilities though I am apparently much stronger physically compared to past Mews. At least from what Xerneas tells me. Mister Nuzleaf and the Beheeyem got a taste of that when they took me to that weird spirit cave. (To get Lucky back when she completed Past Mew’s goal of getting rid of Dark Matter. She disappeared for a few months, which upset Ryan a bunch)

I’m still working out the turning invisible thing. I turn my eyes reflective and get blinded, at least that’s what Latias and Latios say I get stuck on. Also! If you ever need to be rescued or need help with something big, Ryan said you can use the iron Expedition Society Badge sent with this message to put a signal through to the Pokémon Nexus. It should get through since we tested this in Ultra Space with Solgaleo Nebby.

Lucky said she’s a full mudkip genetically so she kinda doesn’t count on your Pokédex things. And I am to ‘not let any sort of ball come in contact with my body’ if I visit you guys. I’m happy to provide my services as a move tutor if you want, transforming has its perks in this business.”

*There’s a grayish badge that looks like a pokeball with wings on the side. Six circle indents are along the Pokéball part. The middle seems to be able to press down.*

Ash: You guys have a Nebby, too? So cool! (though actually, it might be the same Nebby...)

Goh: Damn, I was itching to throw a pokéball at you I MEAN, HAHAHA, ignore that!

Well, regardless, I'm sure your services will come in handy when I catch my Mew or if I ever am badly in need of a move for some future mission!

Ash: ...I want to press the badge

Goh: Ash, no! What if we end up sent to that alternate, pokémon-only world?

Ash: Badge shiny

Goh: That's not a good reason to take unnecessary risks, Ash. Come on, now

Ash: Oh, fine 😔

[dirtyrottenraskel]

my take on yueki's personalities

yue 

notes / personality

cocky (but also like understated confidence - r e g a l af) 

kind of a nerd

maybe a little entitled, and a little bratty and suki loves to indulge her or to rile her up depending on her mood

books

seems soft but made of steel

strong sense of duty

socially intelligent - can be manipulative and suki (the dork) thinks it is so hot 

aloof queen bee typa beat

supportive, both in ur day to day and in going after your big moral life goals 

deep water - steady and powerful, often underestimated

untold depths, private yet surprisingly nurturing - master of deflecting away from herself

political nerd - well read, and when she has someone she trusts not to take advantage of her, she goes OFF 

distrusting of most people, has been used and ignored and underestimated her whole life

patient - homegirl knows how to play the long game

excellent at pai sho / chess 

she and suki have epic battles of wits - dif types of strategy but both are really into it and get a little too competitive (multiple board games have had to be replaced over the years)

loves travel bc wasn’t allowed to much, esp when she was sick 

was super repressed growing up - never let her be herself or really have any sort of independence

used to sneak out and wander around in rebellion and casually sabotage plans and decisions she didn’t agree with 

introverted, many opinions but keeps them to herself, discreet but well spoken

weaponizes secrets and information - doesn’t often use it but...she could

definitlyyyyy worries and overthinks and re-evaluates - worries ab social politics a lot

obsessive about picking things - wants it to be perfect

shes growing into her confidence as a leader

prefers quite intimate places

incredibly romantic

classic lit

planner for the future - visionary

kind / sweet / gentle - yes, but that’s also her “front” to a degree (seriously, i feel like she gets painted as so sweet and submissive and one dimensional by the fandom a lot of times and it freakin kills me)

INFJ-T (The Advocate) ((yes this is from 16p which i know is not super accurate but u can still catch her overall vibes from it ya know)

Creative/insightful/principled/compassionate/altruistic

sensitive/reluctant to open up/perfectionist/prone to burnout/not a fan of the ordinary

friendships / relationships

(<> indicates that they’re one of her best friends)

sokka - puppy love crushes, laugh ab it now, get into deep late night talks about responsibilities and leading, water tribe culture, prank wars (no one believes sokka when he says yue is a mean prank master (expect suki comes to see it in action lol))

katara - <> badass women friendship, totally would go to matches and protests together, tough girl shit, waterbending practice/duels - start of cautious, but then get rough in a good way bc they trust each other, they do water tribe food adventures together

toph - indulges her chaos, bonding over stupid royal upbringings, odd yet weirdly endearing pair

zuko - both sort of standoffish gay royals, but once they come to see that they are friends - take up similar spaces though, so only hang out in a group or rarely by themselves, they do hang out at like political parties and stuff when they get more comfortable together

aang - <> he has an impressive world view, yue is super studied and well read, so she and aang nerd out over past cultures together, and also their peace keeping nature, they have tea together often - usually after she and katara wipe the floor w/ each other

clothing / aesthetic:

blues and pale colors

classy and understated wealth

like those cute feminine button down shirts

dresses

like cold weather classy

complicated braids

sort of soft girl aesthetic?

pleated skirts !!!

i feel like she would wear ethically sourced fur (i don’t wear fur but idk how to get it in an ethical way - maybe it’s just fake??)

knit sweaters and skinny jeans and heeled ankle boots

light academia !!!

hella funky earrings - to mark her native pride and also cuz gay

from my readings, tattoos have a lot of cultural significance for Inuit women, and so i feel like yue would totally have some (when she comes of age ofc) 

suki

notes / personality 

extroverted 

also very strategic 

more spontaneous tho - will totally calculate the odds in a spilt second in her head and then just go for it

like still a careful planner, but willing to say fuck it, yolo if it seems right 

reflects on her mistakes, but more in like a healthy way - unless it was a leadership mistake, then it eats her up inside - worries more ab keeping her girls safe and making the right call

likes lively places

total bashful romantic

manages the present and the short term - realist

loves to do lists 

a little punch happy - loves to make violent threats, but also does it out of excitement and she’s just a really physical person tbh

steady, can come off as stubborn and abrasive but she really just wants what’s best for everyone she loves

harsh on herself and worries about her girls a lot 

always ends up in the oddest situations 

totally would kick someone’s ass for being racist/sexist/homophobic/etc 

dedicated to her training and her regime 

not a great cook, but she can manage 

would drink monsters 

has a weird relationship with femininity - took her awhile to reconcile strength and toughness and being assertive and aggressive with also wanting to feel pretty and feminine and embracing being a girl and how those things can coincide and amplify each other

abandonment issues - parents absent/dead 

was imprisoned - obvi she had several almost successful escape attempts, but she got really close to breaking 

was incredibly independent really early, grew up really fast and tries to make up for that now by sometimes being reckless 

tough/assertive/woman of action 

dry sense of humor/sarcastic - not good at nickname/pun humor tho

practical/dedicated/strong-willed/direct/honest/reliable/loyal/patient

stubborn/judgmental/difficult to relax/difficulty expressing emotions/too selfless 

friendships / relationships

(<> indicates that they’re one of her best friends)

sokka - <>  man they’re like platonic soulmates - she beat him up, and now they spar all the time, totally funny and crack jokes all the time, go skating together, they do shitty art together, and then show their lovers after zuko and yue come back from their high society mixers, broke her out of prison, m/f friendship !!! 

katara - also sparring buddies (suki will throw down at any literally moment (and tbh so will katara)), not close but will hang in a group - go to each other for advice 

toph - <> listen these two wreak havoc together, they help each other out a lot, i feel like they’re shopping buddies (similar enough style to frequent the same shops) toph knows suki won’t judge her for wanting to feel pretty and suki knows toph will be honest, they are both blunt sarcastic assholes and get along like a house on fire 

zuko - <> shows zuko how to like,,,enjoy things (and how to let go of some of that pressure to be always right and the adult and in charge bc they were raised with so much responsibility on their shoulders even tho they were just kids)? she is also super protective of him (once she trusts him), one of the only ppl who can match suki fully in hand to hand combat, both do the Disappointed Parent Look when the group falls into chaos, but by themselves, the two of them end up in hijinks

aang- suki enjoys his optimism and they’re just chill bros, they love exploring abandoned placed together 

clothing / aesthetic

sporty and skater mixed 

ripped jeans, crewnecks, vans 

green and yellow and dark red 

gym clothes/athleisure - lifting style gym clothes - cut off t-shirts and bike shorts

skirts too, likes to play into femininity

she’s a gold jewelry kinda girl - but stuff that won’t hinder her movements 

necklaces that end in the hollow of her throat & occasionally rings

definitely cuffs all of her jeans (it’s just bisexual culture ya know)

so many crop tops - some came like that, some were more of a diy project

yueki’s relationship!!!

nerd/jock solidarity 

feel the burden of responsibility and the weight on their shoulders 

they create a safe space between them, full of trust and warmth and vulnerability 

yue will read suki sappy passages from poetry books while suki polishes her fans 

they slow dance in the kitchen a lot 

they get good at ordering takeout - and they have some weird decision making process that only they understand - bc neither of them are great cooks 

yue would feel jealous of suki and sokka, if it weren’t for how stupid in love sokka was with zuko and yue can see that suki really only has eyes for her 

yue is taller than suki and it amuses her to no end to pick suki up and carry her away from a fight (we all know suki could get away if she wanted to, but when ur hot tall sexy gf throws u over her shoulder,,,,,,u don’t complain)

joke they’ve adopted kataang and zukka, bc they’re all dummies, but in reality every last one of them is stupid LMAO 

they love to do each other’s hair and it’s like super intimate and really cute 

sometimes it’s these epic elaborate hairstyles and then at other times, they try to see how many ponytails they can fit on suki’s head and how many little braid yue can do 

they travel EVERYWHERE 

since yue is royalty and suki is her body guard,,,, well i mean, they totally have to see these kingdoms they are doing trade deals with in person 

it helps that they're friends with a lot of them 

they stay over in everything from camping so they can stargaze to ritzy hotels with hot tubs in the bathroom 

yue gives suki rocks she finds on all their travels and suki lines them up on their mantle around the pictures of them in increasingly weird locations 

suki loves guarding yue’s meetings bc she gets to watch her absolutely rip a new one into misogynistic old men and it never fails to bring her joy 

While yue doesn’t love getting attacked, the ruthless efficiency suki defends her with is like,,,,,stupid attractive 

[lnevada]

Me, Reading too much into a New Episode?

It's more likely than you think. Here we go again kids!

On my second watch, I realized Bose opened the show with his narration like Mika did with the first episode. And what the hell does he mean when he says "I've never dated [a boy] in space either"?! This type of word play is usually written into the script, but it is something to watch out for in the future.

Again, this is not how the science of space works.

What would we do without Schwoz? Also, the sandwich is as big as he is! Goofy.

Ray and Henry are friends, stop putting them (and more so Ray) down dammit! But all this name dropping - get to it already!

Ray's batman voice.

The 'extra scratchy kind' of rope. Along with how the actor started scratching in another scene.

Gaperman said 'Monster lovers unite'.

'Two indestructible beef patties'. Also, 'power of jaw-dropping good looks' is most definitely a requirement all superheroes have to have.

Handsome Hero Hair dye. I don't think Cooper is quite at that age, but once he is I better start seeing gray on my Captain Man!

Sick team bants, Bose and Miles.

Trash rocket - hopping.

Trent having favorites that change on a whim is just a projection of the audience. Also, Brainstorm being jealous is adorable.

I was right. No more Helper Monkey from this point on. I was totally off with my 'Ray theory' last week; however, I am really glad to see Drex remained a villain (no redemption arcs here).

All of the kids were shown to have increased strength/control over their abilities via the use of their powers this episode. Miles can travel further/through space, Brainstorm can lift a mountain (Ray asks him to do it a second time without being provoked), Mika could project enough energy to move millions of ton, and Chopa can resist mind control as well as use her power to help (a small amount/blasting away the virus on multiple people) or hinder (an offensive ability).

Chopa showing a familial affection towards Mika (warming her hands) and Miles showing similar friendship/concern towards Bose (and saying ILY) should be the foundation of this show. Not a rare occurrence. It should be the norm. They should be friends/a family. But, everyone always gets emotional/grows a conscience during specials.

Also, narratively pairing Mika with Chopa and Bose with Miles sets them up to be on opposite sides (the good vs. the mind controlled/bad) in the final act/showdown. Miles will have to face his sister (which we've already seen him hesitant to do in the past), so that's the square off I'm most looking forward to next week.

The dual screams of Ray and Chopa made me unrealistically happy. They are so in tune! It's a very real/honest moment they share. Anger is healthy (in certain instances)!

Having Drex be infected with the virus accomplishes Twittler's original goal (from HD) of mutating his virus with Ray's indestructibility and Henry's super speed.

I was going to say poor Mika for making her go into outer-space and be infected with the virus, but it shows her control over her power and everyone else gets infected also. So, it's not really that big a deal. Plus the behind the scenes pics for the actors in the ice makeup is adorable!

Chopa seemed to have cured herself and the heroes, yet herself and Mika are missing/taken by Drex and Rick in the final scene. Of course, this is setting up Rick co-oping super heroes onto his side. He also took the two with the most offensive/lethal powers while Miles and Bose have more defensive abilities (they are using more passive/non-lethal powers to defeat evil). But why would Rick only take two and leave Ray with any defense? He may still use some form of mind control or other tactic to control the girls, or just reinfect them with the virus (but that would be visually less fun to watch if the kids are going to square off with one another).

My two worst fears came true with this episode:

Henry will only be in the final episode. I get it's a cameo, and I too would rather the series stand on its own. But with the whole name dropping him all the time. And not even showing the actor/his face in the very, very end. Sorry kid, but it feels a little click bait-y.

This really did feel like a filler episode. Only instead of sitting around and talking, there was fighting and action and movement throughout, so it was exciting, just in a different not fully moving forward the plot kind of way. I suppose a better way to put it would be out of the first three, this is my least favorite episode. I really, really hope they nail this ending after building up to it for 3 episodes. And Henry's part isn't unnecessary or cheesy or cheap in some way (like it's starting to feel).

[lokiondisneyplus]

Prior to the pandemic, Frank Patterson would spend most days at the sprawling production facility, formerly known as Pinewood Atlanta Studios, that he runs outside of Atlanta. Then COVID-19 hit, and not even he was able to make his health and safety team's cut of essential on-site personnel.

"They were like, 'Frank, why are you here? You're setting a bad example,' " says the president and CEO of what is now Trilith Studios, the in-demand filming location known for hosting a suite of Marvel projects, including WandaVision and Avengers: Endgame.

Since Patterson took the reins in 2016, he's transformed the place from a set of soundstages to a full-fledged film community. After divesting from the Pinewood Group, Patterson led investments in new technologies and content companies, as well as expanded Trilith's footprint. The result is a 935-acre master development that includes the studio as well as a European-inspired town including homes, restaurants and schools that serve as a live-work community for the many creatives on the lot.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Patterson, 59, opened up about the most challenging aspect of COVID-era production, the studio's biggest concerns and whether he'll mandate vaccines.

You've had multiple projects in production during COVID-19. How has it been going?

We've been very fortunate. We had the first studio feature in the industry back to work in June. I can't say what it is, but they'll be finished soon. It was an intense amount of research and work to put together protocols, recognizing that the disaster version looks like an outbreak. None of that's happened. We've had enormously low numbers of positive tests. And we have a full lot: 3,200 people drove on today.

How much more expensive is it to make a film or show right now?

It's costing about 20 percent more money and 20 percent more time. Things are slower and clunkier and it's taking more space. But the good news is cast and crew are taking safety very seriously. I'm sure you heard the story of Tom Cruise getting upset at the crew for not following protocols [on Mission: Impossible 7]. I don't think that's common. What we have found is with the exception of the day player — they tend to test positive more than the average crewmember — people are taking care of themselves.

A year in, how do you feel you did with the COVID-19 protocols?

They're pretty routine now. We're not just making stuff up like we were in the very beginning.

Which of those do you expect to remain post-pandemic?

The washing hands and standing apart, that's how we keep from spreading these diseases and how we need to work. There's a heightened awareness for cleanliness. People used to drag themselves to work miserably sick because if you missed work, you were letting your team down. Well, that's changed. If you show up and you're sick, they're like, "Get out of here." That'll go forward.

Fellow Georgian Tyler Perry said when he was shooting his shows last summer, there was an elderly actress who didn’t feel comfortable coming on set given the risk, so they had to write her out of the scripts. Have you heard of anything like that happening on any of your productions?

Not leaving a show, but changing of schedules to accommodate people's tolerance for coming back to work. There's an, "OK, let's not shoot this right now because this actor is not quite ready to come back to work." They're pivoting and shooting other stuff first and coming back. That's happening across all the productions.

What are the biggest concerns that you hear from the studios now?

Everyone's overwhelmed with the need to get stuff made, but we aren't returning to the speed that we had and we're spending more dollars per frame captured in just the pure production. And it's not like people don't care because you always care when you're spending more money than you planned, but it’s a way a distant second to: Are we getting this stuff shot?

Are all the studios behind?

Nobody is meeting their goals. Just look at the Disney+ line-up, all the stuff that they want to put in place. Look at what Paramount is doing now with Paramount Plus. If you just look at these pipelines, this is the anxiety that everyone feels right now. And then, by the way, WandaVision's a hit, so you got to feed that beast, right? That’s the tension that you feel every day.

How much of that is not having enough physical space to film? Several production facilities, including yours, are fully booked.

It's not just about space. Yes, of course, we could use some more facilities, and we're putting in five more stages that will be ready by June. But that's only one small part. Even before COVID hit, there weren't enough people — I'm talking about crew, not to mention the storytellers — to meet the demand that Wall Street was pouring into the pipeline. There's a talent drain. With COVID, it's [only gotten worse].

Georgia opened sooner than other states. Did you field a lot of calls?

It was overwhelming. Guys were like, "Hey, we heard you guys figured it out." First of all, we didn't figure it out. We have a version and it's working. But there was a lot of attention on us. And we had the good fortune of not having to worry about what role our government leaders would play because they basically said, "We're going to let the industry figure it out." That's the good news. The bad news: It was on us to figure it out and take responsibility.

Are you getting involved in the vaccine rollout as you did testing?

No, we decided we would just keep our focus on the testing protocols. We have to make certain that we just take it all the way to the end — and we'll let [union, guild and association] leadership decide when that is and when those protocols can change. And then again, as an industry, we're going to have to decide what we want to carry forward and what we don't. That's the next phase, and the rate at which we're vaccinating may advance those conversations faster than I thought. I used to think [the protocols] were going to go into 2022. I don't know if that's the case anymore.

Have you had conversations about mandating the vaccine on sets?

We haven't. We know that when it comes to mandatory protocols, we'll have to work in collaboration with industry leadership. No one goes on our lot without a mask, for example. And that was a political thing. Fortunately, Governor Kemp said, "How can I help?" And we were like, "What would be helpful is if you wear a mask in public," and he said, "OK." So when a crewmember said, "It's my right [not to wear one]" or whatever, of course we can say, "This is private property, sorry," but what our security team said instead was, "Hey, listen, the governor's wearing a mask, and you should wear a mask to protect our industry." It was us taking a stand, but the stand was really only taken because the unions and guilds and associations agreed. We'll have to do the same thing with the vaccination.

You're building out a neighboring town for people to live. Is this the future of production facilities?

I don't think so. In some ways, what we're doing is what Mr. Disney did. The mill town is not a new concept. But if we didn't have a state with a reputation for being so business friendly, for having the tax incentives, for having the most traveled airport in the world, if those things didn't exist right there, believe me, we couldn't do this. I grew up in Hill Country outside of San Antonio, Texas. You cannot do this in San Antonio, Texas.

How many people are buying houses and apartments on the Trilith property?

We have 400 of the apartments built, 260 of them occupied. We’re at almost 300 homes now sold and 500 people in the town. We're working on our next set of 150 homes right now and starting our third micro village. The second micro village filled up like that (snaps fingers). We have 36 people on the waiting list. What’s happening — and this is a global trend — is that COVID has heightened our awareness of the benefits of this approach to working. The distributed workforce and the way for us to collaborate with these electronic tools is causing a lot of people to realize that they don't have to live in the town they thought they have to live in. So I think people thought it was going to be more like a second home, but they're actually staying here.

Every few years it seems there’s some controversial legislation in Georgia that pops up and Hollywood threatens a boycott, whether it’s an anti-LGBT or anti-abortion bill. Do you just assume it's going to pass?

These kinds of ebbs and flows of social discourse and its impact on the industry will never go away. Georgia is not immune to it. The film industry has been this wonderful beacon of possibility, and I do worry, given what's going on in our culture right now, that we as an industry could get caught sideways in this in some way that really dampens our ability to continue to have diverse views on the world.

Georgia's film incentives program has been criticized by some as an irresponsible use of taxpayer money. Do you see it being phased out or pared in the future?

This state is very proud of the fact that seven years in a row now it’s the number one state in the United States to do business. They saw the film industry as a way to really diversify its economy, to bring the creative class into the state. So they wrote this policy that was supported left and right, and that still is the case. I'm not a politician, but I'm on all of these committees, and what I noticed is they were so careful and specific about making it make business sense. It would be very difficult for anyone to turn it around now because it's just good, smart money — and you have both Democrats and Republicans looking at it. But in every session in every state always in the U.S., you will have people come up and write up some kind of legislation, "Let's get rid of tax incentives." It's just not going to happen. I would be really surprised.

But there were some changes to it recently, yes?

There were parts that we needed to improve on around auditing and how we manage the information and our relationship with all the productions. We needed to clean up some of the back of house stuff, so Representative Matt Dollar passed some amendments last session that are now going into effect that really helped clean up the whole process.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

[octoberumbrellas]

Potential jobs/careers for the Hargreeves if they weren’t raised by Reginald

In which the (not)Hargreeves were raised in supportive environments where they were able to pursue their own interests and weren’t turned into child super soldiers

also this turned out way longer than intended (like 1500 ish) and I don’t really have creative writing experience so this may read like an essay

Luther: Physical Therapist

Luther would frequently go to the gym for stress relief or just for fun. He would practically become a personal trainer/support team for any of his friends who asked for advice at the gym. The coach at his high school frequently encouraged him to compete in weight lifting, but Luther decided not to because he thought using his powers would count as cheating.

He realized senior year of high school that he could continue helping people by doing what he loves so he decided to study physical therapy when he went to his university. At one point he switched to being a general sciences major but he switched back after a semester.

However, his love of science never faded. He’s become a regular at several science museums and planetariums in his city and the surrounding area. He’s considering going back to college for another degree so he can teach science someday because he’s always had a passion for sharing what he loves.

Diego: EMT (Emergency Medical Technician)

Diego didn’t realize that his good aim came from his powers until he was in middle school; up until then he figured that he just didn’t have any powers. He played t-ball when he was young before switching to baseball and playing through high school. Although he could have used his powers to do supernaturally well, Diego focused on utilizing his own natural talents, which earned him a spot on his university’s baseball team.

Although he considered going pro, Diego decided to become an EMT. He has a passion for helping others and knew that this was a healthy and helpful way to channel the hero instinct that he’s always had.

Even though Diego didn’t pursue a career in baseball, he still enjoys the sport. He volunteers to coach a kids baseball team on the weekends. He has become a significant positive role model for the kids he teaches. Now he occasionally uses his powers to entertain them with pitches that could never happen naturally.

Allison: Lawyer

Luckily, Allison was able to train her powers to only work for a certain phrase fairly early on, when she was around four years old. Her parents helped her come up with a phrase so they could take a break from having ice cream for dinner almost every day.

After a few unfortunate incidences of letting her powers go too far, she decided to be more careful and only use her powers when absolutely necessary. Allison recognized the importance of people using their voices for good so she participated in speech and debate teams and in student government throughout high school and college.

Allison studied pre-law before attending law school. She has taken on many high profile cases and plans to open her own firm fairly soon. She makes it a point to provide low cost or free services to people who may not be able to afford a good lawyer.

Klaus: Philosophy Professor

Being able to speak with the dead caused Klaus to have a lot of questions about the world, life, and the afterlife. His parents helped him to healthily cope with the ghosts around him; now he’s not afraid of ghosts and occasionally is able to help them. He excelled in school and graduated a year early.

Klaus worked as a medium and palm reader to have some extra funds while in college. All of the medium experiences were real but the palm readings were entirely made up (but were somehow always correct).

He double majored in philosophy and classics before pursuing his master’s degree and becoming a philosophy professor. He’s still a bit of a character, but what professor isn’t? Klaus is known for his thought-provoking lectures; students always try to enroll in his classes because they know that it will be a positive experience.

Five: Physicist

While he was very young, Five figured out that he could teleport; once he grew older, he made it his mission to find out how it works. He took as many classes as he could while in elementary, middle, and high school. Five studied physics at his university to continue to study the science behind teleportation.

After graduating college, Five got a job at NASA. His goal is to continue studying his power so that he can replicate it with machines to revolutionize the future of space travel. He’s begun considering whether or not he should attempt to time travel with his powers but he’s still considering the ethics of this.

Five’s other goal is to create the perfect cup of coffee. He worked as a barista in college to help him on this mission; the results were very mixed.

Ben: Book Editor

Ben discovered his powers as a young kid and was, unfortunately, terrified. He began keeping to himself and it took him a while to open up again. During those years to himself, he fell in love with books and literature.

When he began college he chose to study literature, but he switched to professional writing at the beginning of sophomore year. Ben worked at the school newspaper for his last two years of college and he has been working on his own novel on and off for several years.

Now he works as a book editor; this allows him to travel occasionally because he can work practically anywhere. Sometimes, Ben chooses to go somewhere remote so he can allow the thing inside of him to stretch out. He’s also trying to find and meet some of the other people like him so they know that they don’t have to be alone.

Vanya: Music Teacher

Vanya’s parents realized early on that she could healthily channel her powers through music. She enjoyed studying her first instrument so much that she now knows how to play eight, but her favorite is the violin.

She participated in band and orchestra throughout high school and continued on with orchestra through college. Although she didn’t declare a major starting out, Vanya decided to study music education after she began giving music lessons halfway through freshman year.

Vanya now works as a music teacher at an elementary school because she’s great with kids and understands that music can be a good way to channel emotions when you can’t describe what you’re feeling with words. She still does private lessons on the weekends and in the summer.

How they met each other (bc I still want them to be friends without the Academy)

Luther and Five

Luther and Five met in a general science class freshman year. They were in the same group for a project and quickly became friends; partially because they had a lot of shared interests, partially because their other group partner did practically nothing to help.

They rented an apartment together for the next three years. They accidentally discovered each others powers at the same time; while attempting to move a couch up the stairs to their apartment it started to fall, Luther picked it up to keep it from falling on Five as soon as Five teleported away. After that, they were happy to finally stop hiding their abilities. Luther and Five had a shared passion for space; Luther actually suggested that Five could apply his abilities to space travel.

Allison, Vanya, and Klaus

Allison decided to take piano lessons sophomore year, a friend recommended that she take lessons from Vanya. Allison only took lessons for a few months before she had to stop due to a busy schedule but they still hang out at least a few times a month. They met Klaus at a New Year’s Eve party when he offered to read their palms; they both declined but now they all hang out.

Klaus told them that he sees ghosts shortly after they met but they both thought that he was joking. Allison and Vanya realized that he was telling the truth when he manifested a ghost on their birthday junior year. Vanya was excited to share her powers with them but it took Allison a few months to be comfortable with sharing her abilities.

Ben and Diego

While Ben was working at the university paper, he met Diego while writing an article about the baseball team. They ended up in a class together the next semester and became pretty close friends. Even though they didn’t have a ton of interests in common, they both loved video games and would compete in Mario Kart competitions together.

Despite becoming close friends and celebrating a few birthdays together, they never told each other about their powers. Diego was worried that people would find out about his powers and assume he was cheating at baseball, meaning that he would be kicked off of the team. Ben was still not fully comfortable with his abilities and was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to keep them under control.

note: I know that it’s not likely 100% realistic that they would all end up going to a college or university because not everyone does. But it is a realistic way for people with different interests and from different countries to interact with each other so that’s what I went with. Idk I just like to think that they would all still be able to be friends without the experience of being in the umbrella academy to bring them together.

[rodpupo2]

Research: Storytelling project

JOCK

Mark Simpson, best known as Jock, is a Scottish comic book artist and illustrator. He began his career in 1999 working on the British comic book publisher 2000 AD (where most of the British artists and writers, began their career, before going to the major leagues like DC and Marvel), and started working with characters like the Judge Dredd.

The artist began his career in the USA with The Losers, at Vertigo (a subdivision of DC comics), and some issues of the Green Arrow.

He also have worked with conceptual arts for various films such as Iron man 3, X-men days of the future past, and Star Wars episode VIII.

I have known Jock for a while, I have seen many of his works in the comics, and he is known for working mainly with covers, where he does extremely surreal works, mixing various types of colors, and always uses a lot of shading, not worrying if the characters are in the correct proportion, because that is not his proposal.

But I know he did some works as a sequential artist, like The Losers, for example, where he makes extremely tight pictures, always focusing on the expressions of the characters, and especially on the hands that he most likes to do.

His storyboards or sketches are very different, because his drawings do not follow the traditional way of being centered on the pictures, many of his characters are jumping over the pictures, to show the size of the action scene that Jock wants to do.

It is worth remembering that he mixes his drawings made with pencil and nanquin, with digital, often taking pictures of different landscapes or scenarios, and drawing over them, and mixing with his drawn character to make an interesting composition.

Despite all this, he has a very peculiar style, which many people complain about the lack of movement and poses that his characters does. That his lines are also very dirty and dark. But Jock says, that this is his way of drawing, that he likes to have a not so commercial style, like many other artists. He likes to play with colors and likes to draw his characters, in a little more simple poses, and glorifying the background.

Saul Bass

Saul Bass was an American graphic designer and filmmaker, he’s known for designing movie posters and title sequences.

For 40th years, he worked with Hollywood greatest filmmakers, such as Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese and Billy Wilder.

Bass was born in New York in 1920, to a Jewish family, he was all ways drawing when he was a child.He graduated from James Monroe High school in the Bronx. He studied part time at art students league in Manhattan, and moved to Brooklyn College, where he had classes with György Kepes, a famous Hungarian painter and photographer.

He began in Hollywood in the 40’s, designing prints for films like champion (1949), death salesman (1951) and the moon is blue (1953).

He became widely known for creating the title sequence for Otto Preminger’s The man with the golden arm (1955), which’s about a jazz musician, addicted to heroin. Bass decided to create a poster which dialogues with the controversial subject, so he chosed the arm as the central object, as is a image which relates with heroin.

For Alfred Hitchcock, he provided memorable posters, like Vertigo(1958), North by Northwest(1959) and Psycho(1960).

For Martin Scorsese he had done the posters of The Goodfellas(1990), Cape Fear (1991), the Age of innocence (1993) and Casino (1995).

For Stanley Kubrick, he designed Spartacus (1960), and probably the best poster in his career, which is the poster from The Shining (1980).Kubrick, however, wasn’t amused. On the sketches themselves (which were later discovered in his personal affects) he wrote “Looks like science fiction.”Title looks small, looks like the ink didn’t take on the part that goes light,” and “Maze too abstract and too much emphasis on maze,” and, the most scathing of all, “Don’t like artwork.”

More discussions followed, and Bass agreed upon an illustrative approach of a large head peering through the title.As Kubrick instructed, the poster evokes both “terror” and the “supernatural.”

Bass once told,that his main goal for his titles sequences is “try to reach for a simple, visual phrase that tells you what the picture is all about and evokes the essence of the story".

James Cameron

James Cameron is a famous film director, which is for having two of the greatest box office films of all time, which are Avatar and Titanic. In addition, he is always revolutionizing in special effects, always bringing something new and revolutionary, but it all starts on his drawing desk, with his sketches and storyboards.

James Cameron has always been known for creating extremely interesting worlds, and completely out of the ordinary. Starting with the film Aliens, the sequel to Ridely Scott's film, where he expanded this world by creating an ecosystem for the aliens, in addition to showing futuristic equipment, for the space army that faces the aliens.

He also created concepts, for the Terminator films 1 and 2, where it was an idea never before seen of a robot that travels in time to kill a person. Its detailed perfectly drawn storyboards show one of the most interesting scenes in the film, where the terminator does a self surgery, revealing his true form.

And finally, once again creating a whole world, with a fauna and flora never seen before in the movie Avatar.

Cameron always wanted to create worlds, so he putted everything on a piece of paper when he was a child, where later, he took courses of drawings and did art colleges, to get a clearer idea of ​​how his worlds and characters could be.

Before being a director, he wanted to be a writer and an artist, but he never thought his ideals could be just in a book, he wanted to expand these ideas in a way never seen before.

Perhaps what impresses me most about James Cameron, besides being a creative force, is all the care he takes with his works, he said in an interview, which he always preserves all his storyboards, even from those films that he never made or did not work, and said that almost every day, he sits at his drawing desk and tries to come up with possible scenes for any film he is making. And when he creates an interesting scene, he tries to invent a whole story, to get to that specific scene.

 https://issuu.com/dteditore/docs/spidercameron-screen-eng/1?ff

Glen Keane

Glen Keane was born on April 23, 1954, in the city of Philadelphia, United States. Early on, he became interested in art while watching his cartoonist father Bill Keane draw. After finishing high school, he turned down a scholarship to play football and signed up for CalArts- California Institute of Arts.

Keane signed up for the painting program, he wanted to be a visual artist. However, his application was accidentally sent to the animation department, then Film Graphics. The college vetoed him to change course, so he stayed there.

Glen’s passion for painting helped him tremendously in animation, since the first skill an animator must have is knowing how to draw. Do not simply draw, but really know anatomy and how to give the illusion of weight.

His first work was Bernardo and Bianca in the kangaroo land. In the following years Keane worked on other features such as the Hound and the fox, Oliver and his gang , treasure planet, and the list goes on.

But it’s was at the time called the Disney Renaissance that Keane stood out. He animated Ariel the little mermaid, Beast from the beauty and the beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Tarzan, and most recently, was Rapunzel (Tangled).

At the time, Keane and the animators, had to use the traditional animation (by using paper), so him and his crew had to plan, all the scenes and poses, by doing storyboards, and later drawing on the paper frame by frame (the frequency to project a film in the cinema is twenty four frames per second, twenty four drawings in total were needed for each second of animation seen on screen).

There is no professional on the animation field, who does not know the name Glen Keane. He is the reference to all of them. What sets him apart, is his passion for his characters. During the production of the animations, Keane understands them and is thus able to perform better.

[s3785294]

Week 5 Blog

This week’s blog will consist of focusing on the progression of my work, summarising what I have learnt for the week, and self-reflection.

I chose to dissect the Apple ‘HomePod’ advertisement clip. The advertisement connects the audio and visual aspects in such a unique way, I instantly felt inspired after viewing it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70P7-pkyP4Q

The clip begins with the protagonist traveling from work on a train with a dissatisfied and lonely look on her face. The character lives in a colourless home that has a dark energy about it. The character gets home from work and lurks around and engages with her Apple ‘HomePod’. The ‘HomePod’ appears to bring her life and colour.

The most valuable thing I took from dissecting the clip was that the music behind the video emphasised the characters emotions and it helped me empathise with the character. For example, the beginning of the clip showed the character looking lonely drinking by herself while the music was quiet and soft. Then there was a drastic shift of emotion when the music volume increased with ‘Braaam’ sound effects. Within an instant the energy of the scene transformed from a dark space into a happy and energetic one, by increasing the volume to match the characters dance moves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go6Hpal8fUA

In the making of the ‘HomePod’ video I noticed that the choreographer wanted to figure out what each sound looked like in the body and wanted the dancing to sync perfectly with the audio. The main goal was to tell a story with the music and dancing. Each movement of the character was in sync with the beat of the music. The lighting in the clip was also in sync to the beat of the music. From an audience perspective, you could literally feel the power of the characters actions because of the strong audio-visual connection.

The designers apart of the ‘HomePod crew each explained the importance of understanding the song that is being used in a scene to design something for it. I think for my next projects I would enjoy creating a short film/animation that syncs to the beat of a musical piece. From my perspective it had such a strong impact, and I was inspired to create something like it in the future. I think that the audio-visual connection made the story more engaging.

I decided to create a music piece to practise my skills for the upcoming collab project. I have attached the link of my progress.

https://rmiteduau-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g/personal/s3785294_student_rmit_edu_au/EX0pp-jaksRBgMtpKZYEY3EBiwTUaFGc2VYSBSZbPqT2xw?e=dEjUkv

In class, the discussion of telling a story with sound was brought up. I looked into the fundamentals of how to create a story with sound and how to make it more than mediocre. ‘A Quiet Place’ is a film that basically tells the story mainly through sound… making the most of adding noises that suggest where the characters are located, what is surrounding them, and what are the emotions felt in the scene based on sound. The director of the film, John Krasinski, states ‘The sound design is a main character in the movie’. In the ‘Lessons From the Screenplay’ clip I figured out that sound should almost be considered as a character because of its importance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-s81-Wl2v0

One of the sound designers, ‘Erik Aadahl’, of ‘A Quiet Place’ explained that ‘we experience movies with two senses: our sight and our hearing.’ And that the hearing part is ‘half of the experience.’ Erik further explained that ‘images come through the front door, but sound comes in through the back door.’ Which opens up many opportunities for sound design such as adding in noises that aren’t necessarily causal. This is aimed to enhance the experience for the audience, so the film isn’t predictable. Erik led to the point that as a sound designer we can almost control the audience’s emotion depending on what sounds we choose to present.

The important parts to remember when telling a story with sound that I have learnt so far is to firstly, treat sound as a character in the planning stage of projects, figure out how to make the most of sound opportunities to enhance the story being told, and intend to make the audience emphasise with the projects characters. These aspects of storytelling effectively connect the audio and visual components effectively.

Overall, I feel more confident in the knowing the basic sound design principles and how to approach a project with the intent to make the audience feel engaged in the story.

Creating a musical piece was beneficial and a fun trial and error experience. I am eager to improve my skills for next week’s tasks and continue to try and create new musical pieces each week.

[redbladereviewing]

Shadow the Hedgehog: More Tragic than Edgy

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of my favorite franchises. Not because of its fast momentum based platforming or rockin’ soundtrack across all its games, but because of its large cast of iconic and recognizable characters and the stories they tell. Whether it’s the classic squad of Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, or the comic characters like Bunny Rabbot from Archie or Whisper and Tangle from IDW, or even the mad scientist Dr. Eggman and his humorously dark schemes, the cast of Sonic is what helps make the franchise so iconic. However, one character of the cast holds a strong and special place in my heart. A character that has a lot of strong tragedy attached to him, yet still remains strong of heart and soul. A character that so many writers have failed to understand despite him being pretty easy to figure out. That character (which you already know since it’s in the title of this blog) is Shadow the Hedgehog.

Shadow was created on the Space Colony ARK, a secret government science and research station in space, as part of Project Shadow. The purpose of Project Shadow was to act as the first step in achieving immortality, by creating a creature that could be immune to any disease and act as a base for cures to be created from. The project was led by Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of Dr. Eggman. His purpose for running this project was to create a cure for his granddaughter Maria, who was sick with Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome (basically AIDS). The project required Gerald to research into the Chaos Emeralds, seven powerful gems which when combined can give its user immense speed and strength. Researching the power of the Emeralds led to Gerald creating Chaos Drives, little artificial shards of Chaos Energy that would be used as a battery by the Guardian Unit of Nations, aka GUN, for their robotic drone technology. It also led Gerald to discover the ruins of Angel Island where the Emeralds were located, along with an old mural depicting a powerful being of gold fighting against an evil force. This mural would become the blueprint that Gerald would use for Project Shadow, but all efforts to follow it failed. That is, until he gained assistance from an unlikely source. A powerful empire known as the Black Arms had traveled past Earth, and during their time near the planet they struck a deal with Gerald. Black Doom, leader of the Black Arms, would offer the genetic material that would help Gerald create The Ultimate Lifeform, in exchange for the Chaos Emeralds 50 years after completion of the project. Gerald agreed, and with the blood of Black Doom, he began creating what would become the Bio-Lizard, and Shadow the Hedgehog.

After Shadow’s creation, he was placed in the same area of the Space Colony ARK that Maria was quarantined since Shadow was created to be completely immune to all diseases. The two grew very close during their time together, growing into what would become a sort of brother/sister relationship. Maria would become the closest to family and love that Shadow would ever feel. However, when the United Federation caught word of Shadow’s creation and the deal that Gerald had made with the Black Arms, they immediately demanded that the project be shut down and all those involved would be either detained or executed for attempted treason. Gerald was immediately arrested, and Maria was shot dead after launching Shadow in an escape pod headed towards Earth. However, Shadow was found and put into cryogenic stasis and Gerald was imprisoned on Prison Island. Since the government still required his research for their experimental drone tech, they kept Gerald locked away and forced to create enough Chaos Drives for GUN to make effective use of and reverse engineer. This period of time had Gerald spiral into contempt and hatred for his captors, resulting in him reprogramming Shadow while he was in stasis with artificial memories to have the same contempt and hatred for humanity that he had. After Gerald was executed, Shadow was locked deep within Prison Island and would be almost forgotten by those that imprisoned him. That is, until the events of Sonic Adventure 2, where Gerald’s grandson Dr. Eggman found Shadow and intended to use him to conquer the world. However, Shadow’s own goal wasn’t to conquer the world, but to destroy it as an act of revenge for Maria. As a cruel act of forcing hatred onto his creation, Gerald had reprogrammed Shadow to destroy the world that took Maria from them both. However, this wouldn’t be what Maria wanted. What Maria really wanted was for Shadow to not let the tragedy on the ARK lead him to destroying all of humanity. So many more people existed on that planet than those that raided the ARK, and even a child like Maria knew that it wasn’t all of them that killed her. However, her grandfather gave in to his rage and spite as it stew away in a prison cell. He let his pain of losing his granddaughter lead him down a road of bloody revenge against the whole world, when the whole world wasn’t responsible for it. This was the ultimate theme of SA2, that even though humans can be cruel and terrible people, they all shouldn’t be judged for the mistakes and sins of isolated groups and individuals in it. This lesson would cost Shadow his own life, as he sacrificed himself to protect the world from being destroyed by the Space Colony ARK as it was crashing towards Earth like a giant meteor.

However, Sonic Heroes would reveal that Shadow was saved at the last minute by Eggman, as he intended to copy his grandfather’s work to make multiple copies of Shadow for his Eggman Empire. Shadow wasn’t on board with that, and reluctantly teamed up with GUN agent Rouge the Bat and a neglected robot named E-123 Omega who wanted to destroy Eggman for locking him away for too long. After they went through the events of Sonic Heroes, Shadow was left wandering the world, as he had lost his memories when he was found and resurrected from the dead. This would lead to Shadow’s own game, where Black Doom and his army of The Black Arms returned 50 years later to fulfill the end of the bargain that Gerald had made. Shadow doesn’t even know what Doom is talking about, but he reluctantly goes along with it in the hopes that he’ll be given proper answers on why he was created and what his purpose for existing is. Once he collects all seven of the Chaos Emeralds, Shadow is told that he was created to act as a sleeper agent for the Black Arms. To assist them, in conquering and enslaving Earth for their empire. Shadow, remembering the dying wish of his closest family Maria, rejected this plan and used the Chaos Emeralds to become Super Shadow. Using this power, he destroyed Black Doom and the Black Arms vessel The Black Comet with the Eclipse Cannon, a weapon that Gerald created as a means of stopping the Black Arms when they returned. With his memories back to him and having destroyed almost every remaining reminder of his past, Shadow leaves the ARK behind him and enlists in GUN. While this may seem like an odd decision since GUN was responsible for the ARK raid that killed Maria, Shadow was more focused on using them to assist in protecting the world that Maria could only ever see from the cold vacuum of space.

So what can be gleamed from all this? Well, Shadow’s backstory when you look into all the details is rather tragic. He was created with good intentions being put upon him, that his existence will lead to a greater future for humanity. However, that was thrown right out the window when one of his creators lost everything that mattered to him and reprogrammed him to be a weapon against the world, while his other creator always intended to use him as a weapon to destroy and control. He was forced into being a weapon of rage and revenge by his creators, with the only person who genuinely loved him for who he was dying right in front of him, and having lost so much in his life. Shadow lost everything to him, and he wasn’t even really sure of what he was meant to do. He knew that he was The Ultimate Lifeform, but that title is the only thing he really had to him. There was, however, one person that showed him that he wasn’t so strong: Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic was someone who was equal in speed and power to Shadow, even surviving an escape pod that was rigged to explode using an artificial Chaos Emerald created by Tails to teleport out of the explosion. Sonic is a carefree, relaxed, and strong of heart hero that Shadow as created in the image of. Remember that mural I mentioned Gerald finding when researching the Chaos Emeralds? That was the mural in the Knuckles boss fight in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. It depicted the final fight of that game with Super Sonic destroying Eggman’s Death Egg. Shadow was intended to be the Ultimate Lifeform, but he comes to find that he was really just created in the image of Sonic, the real Ultimate Lifeform. This discovery would lead to Shadow having grown to respect Sonic as an equal, but still wanting to prove himself as the stronger hedgehog with the playful rivalry they’d develop.

With all this said, you’d think Shadow would be seen as a really cool dude. Someone who is really strong but not keen on taking the spotlight as much. Kinda like the Black and White Rangers from the Power Rangers franchise. You’d be wrong, unfortunately. Shadow has not really been given the kind of respect that he deserves as many harsh critics of the franchise see Shadow as an “edgy tryhard”. This label is mostly attributed to Shadow’s game and the English localization that had Shadow saying damn, as well as the whole concept of Shadow using realistic looking firearms being an extremely ridiculous idea for a franchise that was mostly seen as a child’s game franchise. This criticism has stuck with Shadow for about 15 years now, with people still mocking and joking about Shadow being “edgy”, as if that’s an automatic bad thing.

The whole criticism of a character or franchise being edgy doesn’t really make sense to me. So something is edgy. So what? Why is it a bad thing if something wants to be darker than what you expect? People always throw edgy around at things to the point where even I don’t know what it means anymore. Regardless, with all that I’ve said about Shadow as a character and his backstory, I’m hopeful that I’ve shown some of you why this hedgehog is the coolest of them all. And perhaps in the future, I can go a bit further talking about what I see in him and what he means to me.

[socionicsdatabase]

Charles Lindbergh - SLI (ISTp)

Delta Quadra: The Quadra who fears “clipped wings” (Stratiyevskaya)

For Lindbergh, the sky was not the limit. As is typical of Delta Quadra, personal growth and development was a lifelong goal of his. He felt the most free when he could fly, and desired to live a quiet, peaceful life close to nature where he could develop his abilities and see and experience new adventures. He hated being part of crowds, hated fast-paced lifestyles. He wasn’t actively trying to change the world; he was simply pursuing what he loved and trying to maximize his own personal abilities, as is typical for Delta Quadra. He was happiest when he felt close to nature, with the freedom to pursue possibilities and develop his own potential. IP type: “IPs are both dynamic and irrational, so they see reality as in continuous, gradual, often imperceptible change.” (sociotype.com). Lindbergh was comfortable with abrupt changes. He was flexible, adaptive, and took things as they came. He saw the world as constantly being in a state of change, as can be easily seen from his writings.

Temperament: Melancholic - “These are sociotypes that are calm externally, but restless inside. Melancholics are introverts, so they hide their inner experiences under the guise of calm or, conversely, liveliness. The problem of any melancholy is the search for inner harmony, which is so easily destroyed by the rude influences of external factors.” (socionic.ru) Though Lindbergh appeared calm on the outside, it can be seen especially from his diary writings that he was internally restless, with a vast depth of inner experiences.

Lead function: Si (4D, Valued) Lindbergh’s love of aviation and flying stemmed from the physical experience it gave him. When describing his first experience jumping out of a parachute, he said, “It was a love of the air and sky and flying, the lure of adventure, the appreciation of beauty.” He was captivated by natural beauty, and cherished the sensations and experiences his pursuits gave him. He loved being alone out in the wilderness, which he often says gave him an unparalleled freedom. He said, “In the wilderness I sense the miracle of life...” He also noted that “The human future depends on our ability to combine the knowledge of science with the wisdom of the wilderness.” Lindbergh was very aware of the environment around him, the harmony within it, and how it made him feel. “Man must feel the earth to know himself and recognize his values...” He desired to preserve the natural beauty of the world. He had a deep love of nature, believing that modern cities were against the nature of man. “Real freedom lies in wilderness, not civilization”, he said. To Lindbergh, it was important to become united with the earth, to melt into it, and to fully experience the natural beauty it had to offer. He became a conservationist and promoter of environmental causes, once mentioning that he preferred birds to airplanes. Toward the end of his life, he planned his funeral and desired to have as natural a burial as possible.

Creative function: Te (3D, Valued) Lindbergh had natural skills as a mechanic. He went to school to study mechanical engineering and originally intended to pursue it as a career, but as can often happen with SLIs, he did not finish and dropped out to pursue flight school instead. However, he was always interested in engineering and performed all the mechanical work on his planes himself. Later on, in 1935, he helped to develop the world’s first “artificial heart”, a heart perfusion pump (valued Te-Ne). He was impressed by the high quality engineering that he saw in Germany (Te-Si-Ne) and their more advanced development of technology. While assisting with altitude tests at the Mayo Clinic, the new information he came up with at the end of his trials there was used by Henry Ford to modify the oxygen equipment of his airplanes and helped them become safer. He also taught young pilots how to best conserve plane fuel and resources so that they could fly for longer periods of time.

Role function: Ni (2D, Unvalued) Lindbergh was grounded in the world around him and was not very imaginative, but he was capable of occasionally turning his attention to the flow of time and long-term implications, and this seemed to be something he desired to do. This can be seen most easily in his writings. According to Model A, the role function is “seen as somewhat of an importance to the individual, but definitely not emphasized.” Model A also notes that “the role function is triggered situationally, when individuals are met with situations that oppose their base aspect of reality.” Lindbergh preferred experiencing things and was never a natural writer. This may be why use of Ni can be seen most easily in Lindbergh’s writings. He wrote that, “Life is a culmination of the past, an awareness of the present, an indication of a future beyond knowledge...” And also said, “I hope my journals relating to World War II will help clarify issues of the past and thereby contribute to understanding the issues and conditions of the present and future.” He made some effort (especially after being encouraged by his wife) to document what he did, to serve as a reminder of the past for future generations, though this was not his primary motivation in life.

Vulnerable function: Fe (1D, Unvalued) It is well-known that Lindbergh hated large crowds and the attention that fame brought him. He was known to make extreme efforts to avoid people and recognition, such as disguising himself when going out in public. When a large crowd gathered to celebrate his landing, he would make efforts to avoid them. He didn’t like all the attention and disliked attempts to bring him into wider society. He rejected offers to be in movies and commercials. Instead, he strived to live a secluded, private life away from the public eye. Even while working on the development of the heart perfusion pump, he desired to be anonymous and keep his work quiet. He seemed to receive no joy out of the prevailing emotional atmosphere. Instead, he would seek to escape such atmospheres, and saw the attention of the public as “oppressive”, remarking that he “had enough publicity for 15 lives.” His avoidance of larger society and desire to do everything on his own in a self-sufficient way helped earn him the nickname ‘The Lone Eagle’. 

Suggestive function: Ne (1D, Valued) Lindbergh spent his whole life unconsciously seeking adventure. As a boy he spent a lot of his free time reading, especially adventure stories. The desire to have new experiences, to see new places, was one of the main motivators behind his aviation pursuits. He quit traditional school to pursue flight school, which he thought could lead him to greater adventure. He loved flying to new places and seeing new things. He also had a respect and love of science, discovery, and innovation. He helped the Aero Medical Unit for Research in Aviation Medicine at the Mayo Clinic. When describing the atomic age of war, Lindbergh expresses his sadness over the potential destruction of nature that the atomic bomb can produce. He says, “I worshipped science. I was awed by its knowledge...Now...I have seen the science I worshipped, and the aircraft I loved destroying the civilization I expected them to serve, and which I thought as permanent as the earth itself.” Here we can again see not only his valuing of Te and Ne, through his love of science and knowledge, but also his preference for Si over Se. He disliked the powerful force of the atomic bomb disrupting the harmony of civilization. He was open to new ideas and encouraged their growth and development. He became very interested in space travel and saw space as the new frontier. He supported the rocketry research of Goddard and Guggenheim and secured funding for their projects. Lindbergh also seemed to have an admiration for people with a wide variety of talents and abilities, and desired to develop his own abilities. For example, he admired his wife’s ability to write and speak different languages. She encouraged him to develop his own writing abilities, and this is something he appreciated and responded well to.    Mobilizing function: Fi (2D, Valued) The mobilizing function tends to manifest as something we appreciate and that has a strong influence over our actions (School of Associative Socionics, 2020). This can be seen throughout Lindbergh’s life. He stated that, “Power without moral force to guide it invariably ends in the destruction of the people who wield it. Power...must be backed by morality...” During his time as a civilian observer in the Pacific, he wrote about the cruelty and inhumane treatment of the Japanese that he witnessed, and the view among some of the soldiers that the enemy troops were merely “animals”. He said, “I am shocked at the attitude of our American troops. They have no respect for death, the courage of an enemy soldier, or many of the ordinary decencies of life.” He criticized the dehumanization of enemy troops and said he was concerned by the “lack of respect for even the admirable characteristics of our enemy.” He believed in the dignity of the human person, noting that “No person with a sense of the dignity of mankind can condone the persecution of the Jewish race in Germany.” Lindbergh was also known to be a private person who did not talk much of his feelings, and did not like it when others tried to get him to. According to Stratiyevskaya, “SLI dislikes it very much when intimate things are talked about directly - this is almost like a sacrilege to him.” His wife Anne notes that “he himself never felt the need to explain his feelings about where he stood and about past statements.” He disliked any attempts by others to analyze his soul. According to Grigory Reinin, SLIs “try to protect their emotional sphere from the intruding outsiders in every possible way.” He rejected books that were written about him and wanted the only information about him to be written by himself. He regularly kept a diary, but his Te style prevailed over personal Fi sentiments. Much of his diary writings were objective facts rather than personal emotional experiences. Interestingly, he also had a tendency to record the exact number of words on each page and wrote that number at the top, as a statistic. 

Ignoring function: Se (3D, Unvalued) Lindbergh was outspoken against war and preferred not to fight, though he understood it as sometimes necessary and showed respect for enemy troops (valued Fi also present). He said, “If I must fight, I'll fight; but I prefer not to spit at my enemy beforehand.” He understood the value of war and combat, but he did not like it to be used unless absolutely necessary. He did not think the US had a right to interfere in the affairs of other countries. He was publicly outspoken against the pro-war policies of President Franklin Roosevelt and it is known that the two of them did not think favorably of each other. He spoke of the misuse of power as being the greatest threat to mankind, and in 1945 said, “History is full of its misuse. There is no better example than Nazi Germany.” He preferred to appreciate and experience nature for what it was, rather than use force to try to conquer and shape it into something else. His wife Anne also noted that “he never wanted to be regarded as a hero or leader, and he never had political ambitions.” She noted that his speeches and statements were given out of his sincere belief of what was the best thing to do for the country and the world. Demonstrative function: Ti (4D, Unvalued) According to Grigory Reinin, for the SLI “knowing the world is its practical mastering.” We can see this with Lindbergh, who was more interested in experiencing life as it was, rather than trying to fit everything into a logical system. According to Wikisocion, SLIs “tend to feel that life is difficult to categorize and should simply be experienced for what it is.” However, this function is a strong, fundamental part of SLIs and could be seen playing a role in his love of science and his mechanical understanding of planes and gadgets. Though Ti is a strong function that is always working in the background, SLIs use it only situationally, to apply it to things they are interested in. Lindbergh had a strong understanding of how things fit together into a cohesive whole, but he chose not to focus on that and preferred experiencing things.

[theonyxpath]

Demi? Meaning partial? No, quite the opposite, actually.

The Kickstarter campaign for Scion: Demigod starts on this Thursday, September the 3rd, at 2pm Eastern US time! And unlike the Kickstarter for Scion: Hero and Scion: Origin, the writing for this book is finished before the KS.

There are actually a fair number of important differences, so, as promised last week, here’s a rundown of how this KS is different from the first one for Scion: Origin and Scion: Hero, since we have indeed learned a lot since then (the first Scion KS was our 22nd and we’ve done 24 more KSs since then):

1- Like I said above, the writing is done. In fact, it is at the stage where the writing is over and the heavy lifting for the developer is over. All those words are now “the text” and any changes are going to be tweaks and minor fixes. Errata stuff. More on that later. The writing that was ready when we did the Scion: Origin/Hero KS was at the Redlines stage, as stated on the KS page at the time, and we have learned that we need more finalized text before we go live on a Kickstarter.

2- The rules are done. Well, of course the rules are done if the text is done, Rich! Sure, yet the fact that during Scion: Origin/Hero‘s KS the Storypath System was still being heavily playtested by our teams, and was being developed for two different creative teams (for Scion and the Trinity Continuum) so that design decisions were still happening is actually very different than now. Storypath has been “battle-tested” in numberless games of Scion, as well as the Trinity Continuum, Dystopia Rising: Evolution, and the They Came From…! game lines.

3- The text will be previewed to backers in sections throughout the KS, you’ll have it all by the end, and can back out before we deliver. Almost exclusively, this is how we handle our Kickstarters now. It eliminates a lot of the fear that the game will develop differently as the writing and developing stages progress. And we get pretty solid discussions going about the text all during the KS, which can be a lot of fun for backers.

4- Our average track record (not including Dark Eras 2 which was structured very differently) for delivery of the Kickstarters after Scion: Origin/Hero‘s KS has been 1.6 months earlier than estimated. Part of that has been because we extended out our estimated delivery date, but the rest has been better internal systems, like:

5- James Bell runs our Kickstarters now. We call him the Kickstarter Concierge because his entire focus is managing our KSs and helping out our backers. He does a phenomenal job with getting folks answers and enabling fun conversations in the Comments.

Titanomachy art by Sam Denmark

6- One of our new processes is a set phase to contract and receive art for the KS, which then rolls right into getting art for rest of the book. This practice is also helpful in getting the art for the Stretch Goal rewards.

7- We have at least one Errata phase after the Backer PDF goes out, although in some cases, and possibly this one, other Errata phases can be included at the developers’ discretion. Rather than having backers write in to us on the forums or via Kickstarter, we now have an Errata system that includes a new form administered by one of our in-house development overseers. Not the developer themselves. In fact, the Text to Editing to Layout to Done process contains more than three times the number of eyes reviewing and confirming changes than it did when we were pulling together Scion: Origin and Scion: Hero.

8- There are more devs understanding the game and rules, with Neall as the lead dev as opposed to having to be deeply involved in every phase like for Scion: Origin/Hero because only he saw how all the pieces needed to come together. Meghan Fitzgerald, who developed Mysteries of the World: The Scion Companion that released recently, and Monica Speca, developer of Titanomachy (the Advance PDF of which releases on Wednesday), are just two of the devs who are able to develop Scion books now that the first two main books are available. Danielle Lauzon is able to bring her unmatched knowledge of how the Storypath System works if needed. This means that while Neall directly developed Scion: Demigod, he has other devs he can run ideas past or who can jump in now if real-life issues impact his work on Scion.

9- One book, not two. More focus, less stress on creators. Also, you’re only pledging for one book (although feel free to pledge for as many as you want!) so your pledge amount will likely be less for this KS, as will likely be our total amount.

10- Scion: Demigod presents concepts which are not just the next “levels” of power for our Heroes, but which expand on what happens once a Scion is more than a hero, but not yet a god.

I’m thinking there may be more differences, but let’s stick with these as we get a Top Ten List sort of thing going. We’re going to have a fun Kickstarter with Scion: Demigod, and we’re hoping all of you can join us for it.

Also, we’ll be including links to Scion: Demigod Actual Play sessions all throughout the KS if you want to get an idea of how great it plays!

Sunken Bones art by Pat Loboyko

And Was There More In the Monday Meeting?

Sure, there really was. And I can’t tell you more than that we looked at a list of future projects that the team was extremely excited about, and we had to only hit the highlights of our weekly reports as the energized creative discussion over the new projects took up so much time.

Yep, we sure love creating:

Many Worlds, One Path!

Blurbs!

Kickstarter!

Scion Demigod Second Edition! Coming this Thursday, September 3rd at 2pm EDT! See all my blathering above for more info!

Onyx Path Media!

This week: What’s Up With The Scarred Lands? Featuring an update and interview with SL major-domo Travis Legge!

As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

Vorpal Tales begin their Scion: Demigod actual play from 21:00 EST on the 8th September! It’ll be hosted on our Twitch channel, but please give them a follow too: https://www.twitch.tv/vorpaltales

We’ve got lots of Scion: Demigod interviews and actual plays coming in the next few weeks, so keep watching this section!

For anyone new to our media section, you can find us running and playing games over on twitch.tv/theonyxpath pretty much every day of the week!

Plus, if you’d like your games hosted there, just get in touch with Matthew Dawkins using the contact link on matthewdawkins.com. 

Please give our Twitch channel a follow, as you can find a huge number of videos of all kinds of games being run!

This week on Twitch, expect to see these games and streams running:

Scarred Lands – A Family Affair

Technocracy Reloaded – Vorpal Tales

Scion – Behind the Screen

Danielle’s RPG Development Workshop

Hunter: The Vigil – Cold Cases Forsaken Spaces

Changeling: The Dreaming – The Last Faerie Tale

Mage: The Awakening – Occultists Anonymous

Vampire: The Masquerade – Boston by Night

Get watching for some fantastic insight into how to run these wonderful games and subscribe to us on Twitch, over at twitch.tv/theonyxpath

Come take a look at our YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/theonyxpath, where you can find a whole load of videos of actual plays, dissections of our games, and more, including:

Hunter: The Vigil – Hometown Heroes Episode 4 – https://youtu.be/QDwQXsSiGZ0

Scarred Lands – Purge of the Serpentholds S1E13 – https://youtu.be/PNUTWl3eJq8

They Came from Beneath the Sea! – They Came from Devil’s Reef 2/2 – https://youtu.be/hoyYsRLc6Jo

Hunter: The Vigil – Uptown Shadows Episode 3 – https://youtu.be/DWfboQk46RQ

Realms of Pugmire – Paws and Claws S2E13 – https://youtu.be/ARCZGvOKIpc

Subscribe to our channel and click the bell icon if you want to be notified whenever new news videos and uploads come online!

Tom Murr continues with his amazing They Came from Beneath the Sea! audio drama over on his YouTube channel! Radio ReScience Episode 2: Military Entanglement, can be found right here: https://youtu.be/qiTprIriV7Y and Episode 3: Spycraft is here: https://youtu.be/qqS5rM3GA5A

Systematic Understanding of Everything is a new Exalted Explainer Podcast by Exalted Dev Monica Speca and Exalted Writer Chazz Kellner that is breaking down Creation in 45 minute chunks in preparation for Exalted Essence.

Their most recent episodes are available over on https://www.exaltcast.com/, with their newest covering the stunning Sidereals!

The Story Told Podcast continues their Fall of Jiara Exalted chronicle, and you can find their newest episode right here: https://thestorytold.libsyn.com/fall-of-jiara-25

Chris Allen continues his excellent chronicle of Werewolf: The Forsaken over on Paleo Gaming‘s Twitch channel. Do check out Very Angry Dogs!

https://www.twitch.tv/paleo_gaming

Two new Occultists Anonymous episodes for you fans of Mage: The Awakening! Find them right here:

Episode 124: Vibe Check  The cabal travel to Seattle with the intent of hunting down Mr. Graves, behind enemy lines, and with little local support. https://youtu.be/kHJ8BVcqDd0

Episode 125: Not Enough… With a single lead from Wyrd, the cabal works to see who they’ve even made contact with. Unsure of their intel, behind Seer lines, they’re given a task to complete. https://youtu.be/w8iEpJoVJUo

Windy City Kindred kicks off their Vampire: The Masquerade Chicago by Night chronicle right here for you: https://youtu.be/nlaJfpABsE0

If you’re a fan of Dread Names, Red List for Vampire: The Masquerade, check out our friend The Primogen‘s video on the Red List! https://youtu.be/_6hEtPIyBs4

GMS Magazine produced a review of Dystopia Rising: Evolution over on their channel! https://youtu.be/Q0Ih1KkUhS0

Please check these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games! We’d love to feature you!

Electronic Gaming!

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

We’re told that the App Dev is currently creating an updated version for the latest devices, so keep an eye open for those!

Virtual TableTop!

Introducing a Virtual Tabletop adventure: the Gauntlet of Spiragos for Scarred Lands on Astral TableTop!

Scars of the Divine War, which ended less than 200 years ago, have still not healed. One such scar is the Chasm of Flies, a rent in the earth created when the titan Spiragos the Ambusher was smote down by one of the young gods, Vangal the Ravager. Now, the Chasm is inhabited by spider-eye goblins and their spider allies, but it is also thought to be the resting place of powerful artifacts from that elder age.

Gauntlet of Spiragos is a Scarred Lands adventure designed for 1st level characters, although it can be easily modified for characters of up to 5th level.

Astral TableTop is the easiest way to play any tabletop RPG online, free. Astral already supports popular systems like D&D and Pathfinder, and Astral can support virtually any tabletop roleplaying game. Get started quickly with built-in support for most popular game systems. Whether you’re brand new to TTRPGs or a veteran tabletop gamer, Astral‘s ease-of-use and built in automation is designed to streamline gameplay.

Astral is browser-based and uses the latest technology to streamline your storytelling experience. Connect with your party online and run your campaigns however you like. Astral offers tools optimized for phone, tablet, and desktop devices, no installation required.

Build epic battlemaps using Astral‘s enormous collection of scenery, props, and tokens or upload your own. Pro users gain access to over 12,000+ assets and fresh new packs every month. Add weather, visual effects, triggers, and so much more with easy-to-use tools

Build your own adventure, or choose from pre-generated game kits like Gauntlet of Spiragos. Create character sheets, craft maps, or just jump right in to connect with your friends and start your adventures!

On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these latest fiction books:

Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to provide our traditionally printed books out into your local game stores. Game stores can order via their usual distributors, and can also contact Studio2 directly. And individuals can check out our projects via the links below!

You can pick up the traditionally printed Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau main books, screens, and the official dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

Now, we’ve added Chronicles of Darkness books such as Changeling: The Lost Second Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Our Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition books are also available from Studio2 in the US: https://studio2publishing.com/products/vampire-the-masquerade-chicago-by-night-sourcebook

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And now Scion Origin and Scion Hero and Trinity Continuum Core and Trinity Continuum: Aeon are available to order

It’s the LAST DAY of the DOG DAYS OF SUMMER SALE!

As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!

The Cthulhu Mythos sale at DriveThruRPG finishes this week, and we’ll have some God-Machine PDFs included in the sale!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, the Titans grab the attention in the Titanomachy book for Scion! Advance PDF on sale on DTRPG!

Scion: Titanomachy has everything a Storyguide needs to bring the Second Titanomachy — a phase in the eternal cold war against the Gods — to their Scion Second Edition games.

It presents new threats from the Titans to their servants, plus their fell powers and Birthrights — ripe for use as antagonists or as new material for players’ characters. It also provides adventure hooks to springboard Storyguides into the action. 

Scion: Origin and Scion: Hero are required to use this book. 

This book includes:

Titans for each of the core pantheons, to be used as enemies or strange allies. 

Three adventure hooks to help Storyguides run epic games involving the Second Titanomachy.

Dozens of all-new antagonists from enemy Scions to fearsome monsters. 

New, Titan-themed Birthrights and Knacks for players to discover and use.

Note: This is the Advance PDF version. We’re collecting errata feedback before preparing the final PDF and Print versions of the book. Everyone who purchases the Advance PDF will automatically get the final PDF added to their Library on DriveThruRPG, plus they will receive a discount link for the Print version taking into account that they purchased the PDF.

Also this Wednesday, we open up the They Came From Beneath the Sea! Community Content part of the Storypath Nexus! Now you too can design scenarios featuring the terrifying, tentacular, terrors of the seven seas! And even get paid for it!

Conventions!

Though dates for physical conventions are subject to change due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, here’s what’s left of our current list of upcoming conventions (and really, we’re just waiting for this last one to be cancelled even though it’s Nov/Dec). Instead, keep an eye out here for more virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with:

PAX Unplugged: https://unplugged.paxsite.com/

And now, the new project status updates!

Development Status from Eddy Webb! (Projects in bold have changed status since last week.):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep.)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

The Devoted Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)

Prometheus Unbound (was Psi Orders) (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

No Gods, No Masters (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion Fiction Anthology (Scion 2nd Edition)

TC: Aeon Novella: Dawn (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

TC: Aeon Novella: Meridian (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Legacies of Earth (Legendlore)

Redlines

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

CtL 2e Novella Collection: Hollow Courts (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Adversaries of the Righteous (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Squeaks In The Deep (Realms of Pugmire)

Trinity Continuum: Anima

Second Draft

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Hundred Devil’s Night Parade (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Novas Worldwide (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Exalted Essence Edition (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Saints and Monsters (Scion 2nd Edition)

M20 Technocracy Operative’s Dossier (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

Wild Hunt (Scion 2nd Edition)

Development

TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Assassins (Trinity Continuum Core)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

V5 Forbidden Religions (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Adventure! core (Trinity Continuum: Adventure!)

M20 Rich Bastard’s Guide To Magick (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

Manuscript Approval

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

V5 Trails of Ash and Bone (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Dystopia Rising: Evolution Fiction Anthology (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)

The Clades Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)

V5 Children of the Blood (was The Faithful Undead) (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Post-Approval Development

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Mission Statements (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Editing

Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

TC: Aberrant Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

LARP Rules (Scion 2nd Edition)

The Book of Lasting Death (Mummy: The Curse 2e)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Dearly Bleak – Novella (Deviant: The Renegades)

N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Under Alien Skies (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Dead Man’s Rust (Scarred Lands)

Post-Editing Development

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

They Came From Beyond the Grave! (They Came From!)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Indexing

Art Direction from Mike Chaney!

In Art Direction

Tales of Aquatic Terror – LeBlanc art in and getting fulls.

WoD Ghost Hunters (KS) – KS page to Paradox for approval.

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Mummy 2

Deviant – AD’d.

Legendlore

Technocracy Reloaded

Cults of the Blood God

Scion: Dragon (KS)

Masks of the Mythos (KS)

Scion: Demigod (KS) – Ready for Thursday.

They Came From Beyond the Grave! (KS)

TC: Adventure! (KS)

Geist: One Foot In the Grave – Artists are working.

Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness) – Sending art buy sheet to Dixie for notes.

In Layout

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad

Vigil Watch

Trinity Core Jumpstart

Aberrant – Gonna start layout with the power section

Proofing

Cavaliers of Mars: City of the Towered Tombs

Yugman’s Guide Support Decks (Scarred Lands)

TC Aeon Terra Firma – Sent back to Josh, looking good.

V5 Let the Streets Run Red – Inputting corrections.

Pugmire Adventure – Need map finished.

At Press

TCFBTS Screen and Booklet – Files at press.

They Came from Beneath the Sea! – Shipping from printer to KS fulfiller.

Pirates of Pugmire – Shipping from printer to KS fulfiller.

Pirates of Pugmire Screen – Files at press.

Dark Eras 2 – Files printing.

Dark Eras 2 Screen and booklet – Files at press.

Contagion Chronicle – Press prep.

Contagion Chronicle Screen and Booklet – Files at press.

Lunars Wall Scroll Map – Shipping to KS fulfiller from printer.

Lunars Screen and Booklet – Files at press.

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate – Prepping files for PoD and press.

Scarred Lands Creature Collection – Shipping from printer to KS fulfiller.

Magic Item Decks 1-3 (Scarred Lands) – PoD proof decks ordered.

Scion Titanomachy – Advance PDF on sale Weds on DTRPG!

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Over the weekend we learned of the unexpected and sad death of Chadwick Boseman, the actor best known for portraying King T’Challa of Wakanda, the Black Panther, although in his relatively short career he also played several great and inspirational historical figures. The impact of his work portraying a comic book hero far outweighed the basic idea; we celebrate that his Black Panther embodied an ideal and inspirational place needed by many people around the world. As stated by former President Obama: “To be young, gifted, and Black; to use that power to give them heroes to look up to; to do it all while in pain – what a use of his years.”

[dragoncaverns]

Dear Diary,

Its been a while since I’ve last wrote to you. About a month and a half I believe. Lately I’ve been so caught up with work that I tend to loose track of time. I recall mentioning the last time I wrote about planning a new buggy for captain brownbeard to use on long exploration trips. A buggy that would be far more efficient and safer than sailing his precious boat into treacherous waters. Since I’ve learn previously that Brownbeard will only travel so far from our island into open seas before deciding to turn back.

After I planned out a blueprint of the new buggy fitted with upgrades. I banded together some of the islanders to help with construction and planning. Magrog, Dougie, and Digby helped with crafting the metal parts. And Gillian turned out to have quite the hidden talent when it came to inventing machinery. She was a big help in figuring out how to make the retractable glass dome and the digital map scanner. The only other upgrade that didn’t require too much thinking was to make a large storage space. Enough to store about 3 months worth of food and water. The visual results made this buggy look more like lady bug honestly. With the eyes being the glass dome.

Gillian was mostly in charge of overseeing the project once it was being put together. Meanwhile I took the time to show Brownbeard how to drive the buggy buggy. This way he’ll know how to drive it by the time the new buggy was finished. All I can note about the practice was that I had to smooth out quite a few dents on the poor buggy buggy. But he eventually got the hang of it. Everyone had gather around to see the new buggy once it was finished. It was given the name “Lady Buggy”.

After the buggy was done, Malroth and I went on quite a few trips to different explorer isles to stock up on resouses since Brownbeard would soon take off in the new buggy on a 3 month trip.

The main goal to why Brownbeard want to take such a long trip is so everyone can figure out where these islands now reside on the world map and where the closest mainland is. I personally would love to eventually send some bird mail to my family and to the princess of the real moonbrooke in regards of her “father”.

It’s been about a month now since Brownbeard left. And with him gone. Everyone is stuck to this island til he returns. I’ve already ran out of some building materials a few days ago on my larger projects. So now I’ve mostly been doing small details and touch-ups on previously finished projects. Yet given that I like to be a perfectionist when I do build something. There is rarely things I need to touch up on. So now I’ve been trying to fill all my free time with other activities. Like fishing, cooking, and overall socializing more. Lulu and some other people say its good I’m taking a break away from building. Something along the lines that I need to learn to unwind and take things slowly. Although I feel what they say is true. I can’t help but feel anxious or bored without something hands-on to focus my mind to. Maybe this long break will really help me learn to relax some more.

Lately within the last couple of days of meandering around the town I’ve started to pick up on some common routines of islanders throughout the day. Where they like to go, what they get up to, and taking example or even joining in on activities they prefer to do to pass time. I’ve also been hearing plenty of gossip that goes around and their personal thoughts.

Currently much of the chatter been about anticpating Brownbeard return. Talking about what he may find out there, guessing where the islands are on the world map, where they would love to travel or who they like to meet, and planning of what would best attract people from the rest of the world to come here to visit. But aside from the hope of the future. A lot of people have been coming up to Malroth, Lulu, and me to ask questions about our past lives in the “real world.” Malroth unsurprisingly still has no memories of his alter self. So its safe to say it didn’t take long before people stop asking him questions. Lulu eventually just grew tired about people asking her personal questions of her past and she made others aware she had enough. So now I’ve been the one most the islanders have come to. Which personally I don’t mind one bit. Nor does talking about my past bother me.

Yet this afternoon I’ve spent my time contemplating over a question that Lillian asked me earlier today. She asked me if I remembered how I ended up on this island after the shipwreck. And at first I told her that I didn’t remember. But that isn’t true. I know I was conscious for most of that time. I just repressed or didn’t need to remember how I got to this island. As my memories at the time if the question came up as a blank to me. But for the rest of that day and even now I can’t stop trying to remember every details of that event. It is like some part of my inner self is desperately trying to make me remember something that I’ve forgotten. So I ended up spending the rest of my afternoon lost in thought, digging through the foggiest bits of my mind to pull out those memories.

Oh! But I’ll have to write that into a bullet point to wrap this up. Malroth just came in and went to bed. I would much rather go to sleep before he starts snoring. Otherwise I’ll end up sleeping in the living room again.

I remember… O trying to grab Captain Whitebones hand as the sea washed me out the hull of the ship. O clinging to a floating crate for dear life as the torrential waves battered and tossed me around. O spending the rest of that day, all night, and most of the next day floating in open water. O having no energy left to hang onto the crate anymore and losing my grip… O sinking below the water. My eyes shut, lungs burning, and coniousness slipping. O feeling what seem to be clawed hands wrapping around me and bumpy surface pressed up against me before all my senses went dark.

Final thoughts: I wonder if someone or something saved me out there? Maybe it was a merman like in some kind of fairytale? Or a new monster I haven’t seen yet? That or I coulda been hallucinating it all and was just brushing up against some coral or rocks. Haha, that’s probably the most likely conclusion. Yet I feel like in those final moments before I passed out, the creature is almost familiar to me somehow. Oh well, its still most likely all just in my head. But if by some off chance something did save me. I hope that I can one day thank them.

[kateemmerson]

#LocationFree - How are global nomads coping with their wanderlust lifestyle?

No one has been left unscathed, have we? We have all had to adjust, re-jig, process life, handle loss, and take stock …every single one of us? Same storm, different ship, right?

Amidst all the “stuff” going on globally, I recently listened to my heart and launched my 5th book, titled “10 Lessons for Living #LocationFree.” Originally planning to launch it much earlier, I waited until the time felt right and until I had the right energy to tackle it. I honestly feel that now, more than ever, we need to keep our dreams, ideals and possibilities ALIVE and top of mind.

Even if we are a bit stuck now, our thinking and feeling do NOT have to be stuck.

In the process of writing this book, I wanted to offer readers some varied perspectives and thus set about interviewing 16 awesome folks to get their views on living this lifestyle. When the book was released just 2 weeks ago, I really wanted to check back in and get their updates on living “LocationFree.” We are all between 40 and 60 years old, living our own version of this lifestyle all around the world. Essentially I wanted to see how the year had shaped up for them since our initial interview –  to see if they were more hellbent on continuing this vagabond lifestyle, to understand if something fundamental had shifted for them, or if perhaps world events have made them reconsider lifestyle choices related to all things #LocationFree?

#LocationFree is my preferred term, but it is often referred to as Global Nomad, Digital Nomad, Location Independent, Portable Pro, etc. The name is less important than what we live day-to-day.

I wanted to update myself, too. I have honestly had a profoundly ‘interesting’ year. I’m definitely NOT saying it was easy and straightforward, but that I dug deep and found ways to try and accept and lean into what was going on rather than resist it all. The latter option felt futile and counter-productive in every form. I contracted and tested positive for the covid lurgy back in March 2020 after hurriedly exit-ing South Africa. I was out there to launch my 4th book, “Write your Book in 100 Days,” with my business partner. We had multiple book launches and events, live interviews from some major PR rolling out. It was our chance to inspire and reconnect with all the wonderful South African writers in our community. Plus, all my annual medical appointments were booked for what might have been my last regular visit to South Africa.

As I tuned in and reacted to what was unfolding, I knew I needed to get on a plane fast, to the UK. I was due to travel via Dubai to visit a friend stationed there but decided to hotfoot it directly to the UK, just a couple of days before lockdown kicked in. After all, South Africa was officially no longer any form of “base” for me after the break up with my partner, so I didn’t fancy getting “stuck” there.

I knew I wanted to get to my mum in time for the first proposed lockdown so she wouldn’t be on her own. Well, for sanity, company, and a bit of TLC more than needing to “look after” her – she’s a super strong woman! But before being able to get to her, after testing positive for covid (I only ever experienced mild symptoms, thank goodness), I had to isolate myself for a month before it was deemed safe for me to stay with mum in her presidential home. We then ‘enjoyed’ three months of strict lockdown together. Lucky we had too much TV, laughter, wine, great food, daily walks, and I also celebrated my birthday with her. Zoom Style with friends around the world.

One of the hardest business challenges was letting go of our international Writing Retreats that were booked. It often takes folk at least a  year to decide, book, and pay for one of our retreats. Writers from all over the world were joining Sarah and me in Greece, Italy, and Spain for a total of four retreats and residencies. We had to face cancellations, field the uncertainty with massive deposits we had paid across to secure hotels, and handle the non-refundable deposit challenge. We initially postponed and shuffled dates later in 2020 in the eternal hope that we could still host them later in the year, and had clients ready to hop on planes… and then finally releasing them all in favour of 2021 dates. We “lost” some clients who couldn’t move to the new dates, and have not yet been able to start filling those spaces for 2021. That was my main income revenue down the sink. I know the entire world understands all the drastic financial challenges of the year and I am not alone in that. 

The moment it was “safe” enough to travel, and the world eased open a bit in the UK, I travelled to a wee Scottish island, Iona, for an overdue, personal and significant retreat. I had been wanting to reconnect with Iona to organise a writing retreat, so I was fulfilling two objectives. It is a very sacred isle that offers deep healing and was just what I needed. Mum was happy  (and I guess sad) to finally wave goodbye after three intense months together. The year has allowed me to live what I call a “revised version” of living location free – with restrictions and other things factored in, like everyone. I was planning on spending 2020 starting to look for my next Northern bases, so that has obviously been postponed. My heart is being pulled by the idea of setting up some version of flexible homes in both Scotland and the Mediterranean – but that will need to wait until I can travel abroad to explore that option more fully.

I am just not a ONE HOME type of gal. Any future partner I have in life needs to know that a deep love for travel and adventure is wired into my cells. But I am starting to consider a couple of bases to move between, with loads of side- travel too!

So I relished a much quieter work year. I was already planning on taking time off from running regular online writing mentorships as I needed a break from that intense type of work, and then all our summer writing retreats retreated into the distance. So I took most of the year off to be in the GAP. I stayed in quieter retreat –type mode with myself.

I embarked on an intense, personal retreat process on Iona to recalibrate again. I went offline for 3 weeks and 80% offline for a further 5 weeks. The poor wifi signal helped that switching off process. But this was not about covid. To be honest, it was more related to where I am in my life and business cycle. I needed to do a mammoth, triple-angled closing out process. One was the ending of my relationship after five years, and another was leaving South Africa, and the third closing out a few aspects of what used to make up my business. But all that was happening despite covid’s impact. You can read more about that journey here.

On Iona I also fell headlong into a fantastic new heart-based hobby with the actual “making” of books, learning the art and skill of “Book Binding” or BookArt. I am smitten and have a bag of tools, paper, ink, and waxed linen thread to lug around now. If ever you come on a retreat with me, you will be sure to make your own book from now on!

Uhmmm, yes, the irony is that my motto is #LIVELIGHTELIVELARGE, so excess clothes can get turfed out of the suitcase but my new bookmaking tools will have to stay put for this #LocationFree gal.

I am still 100% pursuing my own version of living #LocationFree, just with the added goal of looking for a couple of places to call a “base” in 2021. Love Kate x

***Here is what some OTHER global Nomads say about how this year impacted their gallivanting lifestyle around the world. All of these amazing folk below have contributed to my latest book to offer their take on being #LocationFree.

* My global nomadship is NOT over yet! Dee Before COVID-19 stopped us all in our tracks, I had been already considering my global footprint and thinking about how I could still travel and work as a nomad, but with more and more respect for the environment by reducing my use of fossil fuels.

Since being “stuck” at my daughter’s house since March 1st, I have had more time to contemplate my next move, and I think I will be much more mindful about the “gigs” I say yes to in terms of length. Instead of jumping from plane to plane and delivering multiple workshops or events in one week, I will spaciously alter my availability and only offer one city a week for short jobs. In addition, I’m considering “putting myself out to hire” to communities for 3-6 month, longer-term projects.

As for this crazy year, I have still felt like a “nomad” because most of my international work has continued online, but I’ve been receiving some “snail mail” at my daughter’s address where I’m staying, and I don’t like it. My daughter and friends tease me, saying, “ooh, look, you have mail!” which I vehemently deny! Haha!

I did join a gym in my daughter’s town but, I made sure it was one of the franchise-type ones that proliferate Australia so that when I’m back on the road, I can still make use of the membership.

I still live out of my suitcase. It’s on a shelf, in the cupboard, in my daughter’s spare room, and I have deliberately done very little extra shopping this year and still buy my suitcase-sized “top-ups.” All my purchases have still been with the thought that I will eventually be back on the road.

As of December 2020, bookings for work in early 2021 have started rolling in, and I’m feeling the pullback towards the actual road (not flights) that will most likely be my future for at least the next 12 months until our international borders and flights are safe again. My global nomadship is not over yet!Yours in Community, Dee

Dee Brooks is a mum of four adults and is a passionate community development practitioner and trainer with over 20 years of experience. She has been an Intentional Nomad since 2015 and has travelled and worked in over 20 countries, creating impact through capacity building and knowledge sharing. http://jeder.com.au

*What is COVID offering US in terms of new perspectives? Martin When Covid struck, all my jobs and activities came to quite an abrupt halt. But organically, other things suddenly needed to be done. My life in a nutshell… Go with the flow, take things as they come, and run with it as best you can.

Pre-Covid, I was housesitting, hiking, travel guiding, and occasionally giving sushi workshops. When all that stopped, for my dad, who lives alone, all his support and social engagements/contacts were terminated as well. So I kind of organically transitioned into being his only daily visitor and part-time caregiver. A foundation I occasionally volunteer at was seeing a huge dip in the (mostly 55+ aged) volunteer availability, so my “whenever I can, I’ll let you know” volunteering turned into a fixed few days a week. With the rest of the time, I worked on my campervan conversion, which I was not really getting around to before Covid. So you could say that just as in life, Covid took but replaced other things in its place for me to make a difference… And no less important, it also gave me space to remember what I was passionate about and the time to work on it as well.

Looking forward, my future perspective has not changed much with Covid. I will keep living as a nomad, primarily housesitting going from place to place, alternated with some hiking travel guiding and volunteering here and there, and being a self-supporting van-lifer the rest of the time. What Covid did do, however, is make me realize how positive and stable this self-supportive lifestyle made me, as when mass-hysteria struck, I accepted it as it came and just took it in my stride.

To me, the best way to approach the whole Covid-situation is to look at what it is offering in terms of new perspectives, rethinking priorities and time away from work, commuting, and stress in favor of me-time. It is pretty much nailed on the head by this little quote by Karen Salmansohn:

You gotta look for the good in the bad, the happy in the sad, the gain in your pain, what makes you grateful, not hateful. And if there is no good in the bad, or happy in the sad, then you are put in that spot right there, right then, to help create it for yourself and the people around you… May you be happy and well, Martin Martin Van Den Berg is a full-time professional housesitter, capable with all animals but specialising in big or “difficult” dogs and packs. Willing to travel. dutch.mountainman@gmail.com       https://www.facebook.com/martinvdberg73


* Will we resume nomadic life? Nancy It was sheer coincidence that we moved into a long-term rental the day that Spain went into lockdown! A day later and we would have needed approval from the police to move, to drive elsewhere other than to the supermarket for essential supplies. My unexpected pulmonary embolism in April 2019 had stopped our travels and, due to ongoing medical treatment, necessitated us staying in Oliva for a while. As we liked it here, at the end of that year, totally unrelated to the pandemic, we decided to stay in the area longer and, in January 2020, found a new home near the sea.

Even if we had booked another Air B&B, ready to travel again, it’s unlikely we’d have been able to. As a new tenant hadn’t been secured for the townhouse we’d been renting, we would have had to stay there longer. This would have been so frustrating! I was always excited when moving-on and to have no choice but to stay would have been very hard. Instead, we could look forward to our new home close to the beach!

My online work continued despite the pandemic, and my weekdays didn’t really alter as I sat at the computer in my home-office as usual. The virus situation has definitely changed our nomadic mindset, though, and now I’m not even sure if we’ll resume our journey!

The pandemic in Europe and ever-changing border restrictions make it difficult to travel, so for now, we��ve accepted it’s necessary to stay-put. Instead of looking forward to exploring new places, we appreciate the opportunity and extra time available to visit our own area, which is very varied and beautiful. We’ve also made some friends here and, in a time when we cannot easily see family in the UK, these relationships are all the more important.

As we’ve not had to pack-up the car to move-on in a single journey, we’ve also gradually acquired more possessions and are making our current rental a ‘home.’ The more we become settled, putting down roots, it’s so much harder to consider moving away. Maybe one day we’ll revise our wanderlust, maybe not. Perhaps we’ll take holidays again instead. We’re just not dwelling on that.

Although we’ve always had a flexible attitude, this year has taught-us that absolutely anything unexpected can happen! We’re OK, and we have each other, our health, an income, and a home, so do appreciate this as never before. Kind regards, Nancy Nancy Benn is a versatile virtual assistant with more than ten years’ experience providing efficient support to clients. Working remotely from her home office, Nancy helps entrepreneurs achieve more time and headspace to develop their business by supporting and encouraging their endeavours by providing outstanding, skilled admin and secretarial support. www.directpaservices.co.uk         
www.nancybenn.com


*Coincidence doesn’t exist. I always believed that! Jan What happened to this digital nomad during the Covid pandemic? I guess the same as with all the others: being stuck in one place and not moving anymore. In my case, I’m stuck in Budapest in Hungary. Coincidentally, as a Dutch citizen, I already had a house in Hungary, and I am a resident in this country. Something that, after the fact, turns out to be a good thing. I will explain, and this explanation shows once more, that coincidence doesn’t exist. It was for a reason that I got stuck here.

In February 2019, I left the Netherlands and started my digital nomad existence. South America, Spain, and South Africa. In April 2020, I ended up in a very strict lockdown in South Africa, and after three tough weeks, I was finally able to return to the Netherlands on a repatriation flight. From The Netherlands, I flew immediately to my home in eastern Hungary. It was a safe haven in these bizarre times. It was also far removed from covid, with only 2 cases known out of the 3 000 inhabitants in the village.

After a few weeks of being in Hungary, a letter fell on the mat from the Dutch authorities. They stated that with retroactive effect to February 2019 (!) I was no longer officially living in the Netherlands, that I was not allowed to continue my business there and that I was no longer insured for medical expenses.

Pay attention! With more than one year retroactive effect!

Panic! What’s next? At that time, there was only one option: I would have to live 100% as a resident in Hungary and build a new company structure with two limited companies: one in the Netherlands containing all the customers and one in Hungary where I am an employee. Subsequently, I was accepted into the Hungarian health insurance system (which is cheap, but not the world’s best) and a perfect private health insurance top-up that will enable me to be anywhere in the world and still have good insurance!

All of this turned out to be a golden solution for me as a nomad. The taxes in Hungary are the lowest in Europe, and even after my retirement in some years, the 0% income tax is Europe’s best! I am currently renting an apartment in the heart of downtown Budapest, and at the weekends I visit my house in the countryside to relax. This is truly the ideal “snob-life’ of all the Budapest-inhabitants!

Coincidence doesn’t exist. I never believed in that. But all these puzzle pieces came together so precisely into one nice new picture. So with all that happened to me, I have to admit: coincidences might just exist!

While I am stuck in Hungary for now, I spend ALL my time preparing for the future! Jan

Jan Van Kuijk has been living partly in the Netherlands and partly in Hungary for more than 10 years. The two countries finally became too small for him, and in 2018, after 15 years of preparation, he decided to travel the world as a Digital Nomad. With his work on WordPress and Joomla websites, he is generating sufficient income to live his dream. https://digitalnomadlifestyle.nl      https://janvankuijk.nl


*Cruising (or not) with Covid – Debbie Well, it’s been an interesting couple of months – thank you, 2020!

From being aboard ‘that ship’ which was disallowed docking in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico, to finally disembarking our guests in San Diego, after 29 days onboard! Our guests got an additional 15 days cruising on the house, and of course, courtesy of corona!

Then, many of us got ill and had to deal with “isolationship,” which in itself added a new dimension to both cruise life, as well and levels of sanity and productivity! Getting the South African crew repatriated back to our own country was another covid challenge, but we finally made it to home soil in June, three months after the break-out onboard our floating home. At this stage, a total of 60 days of “isolationship” had been achieved, and it is no small feat to spending that amount of time on your own in a room that is hard to pace 10 steps without having to stop dead!

Since then, the waiting to return to what we love has taken its toll in various forms, forcing many to find alternative employment sources. I have kept myself busy by doing some ‘self-reflection and tweaking,’ a vital step to recalibrating and accessing what makes it out of the covid crisis with you and what needs to be resolved and rested!

I have decided to study a diploma in HR to be better equipped in my line of work and where I see myself adding relevance; making memories with my family, and building a legacy in my gorgeous granddaughter’s life while watching the world continue to be crazed about vaccines and searching for new normals!

Living life #LocationFree post-covid will have its own set of challenges, but I am hopeful that we will be traveling and impacting more lives in the near future! Remember at this time, to be kind – to those who don’t understand or think the way you do, and it’s OK to be different – after all, that’s what it takes to live #LocationFree. Love Debbie

Debbie Botha courageously leapt at the chance to travel and showcase her training development, coaching, negotiation, and change- management skills within the world of cruising. She now wears officer stripes on her shoulders and a smile on her face as she explores international waters is studying HR, dabbles in Bitcoin, and revels in being a nurturing Nana. linkedin.com/in/debbiebothaglobal        Instagram: @debbiebothaofficial


*Life Has Shifted A Little – Chris and Jillian We had moved places in Morocco a few times. We had decided that we needed our own space after two and a half months in the hostel we were painting in, and we moved into an apartment in Tinghir. Shortly after we moved into our new place, the lockdown was lifted. And even though we were some of the only foreigners around, we weren’t being hassled too much to come and buy things.

We moved out to Rissani after two weeks, which was located at the edge of the Sahara. The roads were now just starting to open up for people to move between towns and cities. After a few weeks there, we read a news headline saying that all foreigners had to leave Morocco by August 10th. We then decided that we wanted to spend some time on the coast, so off we went to Essaouira.

We ended up renting an Airbnb for a really good discounted price inside the medina. There were still very few tourists around, and we were getting hassled by more people to come and buy things. We had booked a flight to leave on the 8th, and a few days before the day, the flight was canceled. We then read more information about needing to leave and found out that it was fake news and didn’t need to go.

We rented the place for two more months, and it was nice to have our own space and work on our own projects. The owner of the Airbnb had upgraded the wifi to accommodate our needs, and we accomplished a lot of much needed online work. The locals’ mood had dropped, and eventually, we had started to see drunk people in the day fist fighting at random times. This was not normal, so we felt that it was time to go.

We booked a direct flight to Turkey, and we travelled to Casablanca to exit the country. There were not many people in the airport, which made the experience one of the easiest times we’ve had travelling. We were told that we would expect to get tested for Covid when we arrived at the airport, this didn’t happen. We were also told that we would expect to get tested when we arrived in Turkey, this didn’t happen either. Turkey was open, and everything was business as usual. In the last two weeks here, the Turkish government has started implementing some restrictions. Restaurants are closed except for takeout, a weeknight curfew of 8:00, and everything except grocery stores are closed over the weekends.

We have no doubt in our minds that this is the only way we can live our lives. Travel has probably changed forever due to Covid, but we will deal with it. We won’t be returning to conventional life, and we find too much happiness in this way of life

Chris de Cap I’ve been an artist my whole life, more than half of which as a tattoo artist. I spent the bulk of my adult life being nomadic, however, mostly in Canada. Now I’ve taken my nomadic habits out into the world. http://www.artisticvoyages.com/        www.instagram.com/artisticvoyages

*Clearing the decks and learning what it means to be resilient I feel like 2020 is the year that we were all forced to stop, take a deep breath, and look at how we are living. The word that kept coming up for me this year was resilience.

Here in Spain, we experienced one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe and in a city like Malaga where we are used to being active and social life quickly started to feel a little surreal. I remember saying to friends that it felt like I was living in a Netflix movie. Deserted streets, no noise or energy.

There is a thriving community of entrepreneurs and freelancers in the city and I organise a co-working meet-up. I remember our last in-person event just before the lockdown happened. I don’t think anyone realised just what was coming! After that, we took the meet-ups online like many events and it proved a great way to stay connected and motivated when we weren’t able to meet up in person. I launched my first retreat in October at an amazing venue called Vega House. This was one of my big goals for 2020 and after nearly a year of putting things on hold, I was determined to make it happen.

I have experienced lots of personal and professional shifts this year and it feels like it has been a bit of a baptism of fire. I know I have learned to be more present in how I live. I have become much more conscious of time and not wasting it this year. This has affected my relationships, friendships and priorities as a whole.

I had planned to do more international travel this year and instead found that there was so much more on my doorstep than I had realised to explore and appreciate. Slowing down and living with restrictions has helped me and I am sure others to find joy in unexpected places. I think I am going into 2021 with a renewed sense of optimism around what is possible for me. I am focusing on staying grounded and appreciating the here and now.

Victoria Jane Watson is a business and media mentor working with female entrepreneurs leading the way in the health and wellness industry. She gets to the heart of what makes her clients unique, showing them how to leverage their story and expertise effectively so they can build a personal brand that supports their business goals. www.victoriajanewatson.com   Instagram: @victoriajanewatson

“10 Lessons for Living #LocationFree” is available on all Amazon stores

Search under the title or by using:

Print ISBN: 978-0-620-90868-9

Digital ASIN: B08P7FQ94G

IN SOUTH AFRICA YOU CAN  ALSO GRAB A PAPERBACK ON TAKEALOT.COM

https://www.takealot.com/10-lessons-for-living-locationfree/PLID71293449

  #LocationFree – How are global nomads coping with their wanderlust lifestyle? was originally published on Kate Emmerson - The Quick Shift Deva

[ncfan-1]

Three Houses: Where Are All the Mothers? Part 2, Dimitri’s Mother and Maternal Family

Welcome to Part Two of ‘Three Houses: Where Are All the Mothers?” In Part One, I discussed the widespread absence of mother characters in Three Houses and how, given that mother-child relationship is central in driving so much of the overarching narrative, the lack of that theme being replicated, analyzed, and explored at the descending levels of the narrative hurts the story as a whole. In Part Two, I’m going to be talking about the snowballing effects of neglecting a mother character—namely, how in certain cases it can lead to also neglecting her natal family, which can open up some big holes in the narrative. Actually, Part Three covers this, too, but while in Part Three we’ll be traveling down to Enbarr, in Part Two, we’re heading north to the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus.

That Dimitri rarely ever mentions his birth mother makes somewhat more sense than someone like Ingrid never talking about her mother at all. Sylvain mentions pre-timeskip that she died during an outbreak of plague “around twenty years ago,” and while it was certainly not actually twenty years ago, the fact that Sylvain named such a figure indicates that Dimitri’s mother likely died while he was still in his infancy. He has no memory of her, Patricia is likely who he thinks of when he thinks of ‘Mother,’ and it’s unclear whether the people around Patricia in the royal court did or did not bring up her predecessor all that much, the better to try to make Patricia’s life a little easier, and keep her out of another woman’s shadow.

That Dimitri hardly ever talks about his birth mother (and to be honest, I can’t remember if he ever mentions her specifically, or if we’re just meant to infer her existence from the negative space of Dimitri always referring to Patricia as his stepmother) is understandable. What is considerably less understandable is the narrative neglecting her so thoroughly as it does, especially when that also snowballs into neglecting her natal family.

Just to get this out of the way, oh, look, here’s another mother character who apparently didn’t merit a name. Why not just have Sylvain call her ‘the late Queen [insert name here]’ instead of the queen consort when he dropped that exposition about her death, the plague, and Cornelia on us? Calling her the queen consort is actually more awkward than just calling her ‘the late Queen [insert name here]’, so it looks like, as with Byleth’s mother, the writers have gone out of their way to avoid giving her a name. Just… why?

And we know nothing about this woman, or her accomplishments, whatever they might be. We don’t know if she opened any churches, or patronized any scholars or universities, or oversaw any public works projects, or regularly delivered alms to the poor, or any of the other things a high Medieval queen might be expected to do with her power and influence. This game likes its flavor text; it wouldn’t have been hard to drop us a few lines here and there. No, it doesn’t seem like Patricia did any of that—Dimitri mentions that she mostly just embroidered all day, and didn’t seem “present” enough to really be involved in the goings-on of Faerghus (with the obvious and somewhat large caveat that he’s remembering her through the eyes of a child)—but Patricia also didn’t have the advantage of a pre-existing network of influence in the form of a powerful natal family within the Kingdom. Her predecessor, almost certainly a noblewoman by birth, thanks to the Faerghus nobility’s obsession with Crests, would have had such a family, and such a network.

So, where are they?

Even after Dimitri’s mother died, her family still should have been a huge presence both in his life and in the political landscape of Faerghus. Even after Lambert remarried, these people should still have had a huge presence in Dimitri’s life, because they’re the maternal family of the future King of Faerghus. Whether their interest in him is altruistic or self-serving—Volkhard von Arundel went from being a minor lord in Adrestia to shooting up in power and influence after Patricia became one of Ionius’s consorts by capitalizing on this newfound connection to the emperor—they should have been a fixture in Dimitri’s life growing up, and a fixture in the royal court. But instead, we have nothing.

We have no information on how Lambert’s in-laws might have influenced the reforms he intended to carry out, if they opposed or supported them. We’ve no information on how they might have used their connection to Lambert to try to advance at court. Were they councilors, ambassadors, generals? Were they a help to Lambert’s goals or a constant thorn in his side? And here’s something else we don’t hear about: were any of them killed in the Tragedy of Duscur?

Dimitri never talks about his maternal family. Never talks about the cousins whose parents would almost certainly sent them to court to act as his companions, or about the aunts or uncles who must surely have been a part of his life, or the grandparents who, if still living when he was growing up, must surely have also been a part of his life. Even if their interest in him was purely self-serving, even if the relationship was trouble, surely Dimitri would have mentioned at least one of them at least once.

When Dimitri was “executed” during the timeskip in three out of the four routes, there is no word as to how his maternal family responded to the news. Did they join with Houses Fraldarius and Gautier in fighting the Empire, or did they cave to Cornelia in the hopes of being able to salvage something from the situation they were now in? When, in Azure Moon, Faerghus as a whole discovered that Dimitri was still alive, did they rush to send support, or did they wait and see if he would be able to take back Fhirdiad before pledging their support?

Dimitri’s mother certainly had a family. She almost certainly had a noble family, a noble house whose presence should have been felt in some way or another in the game. If they all died in the plague that took her life, if they all died in the Tragedy of Duscur, if some died in the first and the rest in the second, the game needs to tell us—or, at least, hint at—that. As I said earlier, this game likes its flavor text; a little tidbit here and there, bits of information we’re left to string together on our own, would have gone a long way. And if Dimitri’s mother was from a cadet branch of House Blaiddyd, same deal as above; give us enough information that we can figure that out.

And the reason I keep assuming that Dimitri’s mother is from a Kingdom noble house yet to be introduced is because none of the six we have any level of insight into—Gaspard, Dominic, Charon, Gautier, Galatea, and Fraldarius—make sense as Dimitri’s maternal family.

House Gaspard? It would likely have come up during Lonato’s chapter, and certainly during Dimitri and Ashe’s support chain. Given that Dimitri’s trying to get Ashe to relax around him, if he could have pulled out the “But we’re closely related (by adoption)” card, he would have.

House Dominic? It would have come up in Dimitri’s supports with Gilbert or especially Annette, Annette not being the kind of person who’d keep on calling Dimitri ‘Your Highness’ if she was closely related to him.

House Charon? Same deal as the two above; it would have come up during Dimitri’s support chain with Catherine. Moreover, if Catherine was closely related to Dimitri, she would likely have known him since very early in his life, and would have recognized him as a child, long hair or no long hair.

House Gautier? No. Sylvain never includes ‘related to the future King of Faerghus’ in the spiels he uses to lure in his latest conquest; he would if he could.

House Galatea? Count Galatea is desperately trying to marry Ingrid off to the richest man (provided he’s not a scumbag) he can find. Being able to claim that she’s closely related to the future King of Faerghus would absolutely be something he’d use to make her more attractive to potential suitors, if he could claim it with any degree of truth.

House Fraldarius? This is the only one that halfway makes sense, given Rodrigue’s closeness to Lambert and Dimitri both, Glenn serving as a royal knight from the ripe old age of fifteen, and Felix having apparently been a close companion of Dimitri’s from early childhood. However, it only makes halfway sense, not total sense. If Dimitri’s mother was from House Fraldarius, how come it’s never mentioned? How come Rodrigue never brings up the blood relation? If Rodrigue was, say, Dimitri’s maternal uncle, he probably wouldn’t call him by name, especially not pre-timeskip, where he is meticulously polite and wouldn’t be calling his own uncle by just his given name. In the end, I’ve got to give a no on House Fraldarius being where Dimitri’s mother came from, as well.

The sheer absence of Dimitri’s maternal family is a gaping hole in a narrative already filled with holes where mother characters should be. In a game with thinner world-building, it might be easier to overlook. However, given that Three Houses takes so much time to establish the land of Fódlan and the complicated networks of influence and enmity that connect its noble houses, that the maternal families of one of the continent’s future rulers never gets so much as a mention, when this house would be undeniably an influential one (and if no longer extant, that deserves mention as well), is a glaring oversight. In Part Three, I’ll be talking about the situation in Adrestia, specifically a situation that takes this problem and multiplies it.

Part Three: The Imperial consorts (and their children) and their families

[scifigeneration]

Beresheet: first privately-funded mission crashes on moon, but its significance is huge

by Monica Grady

Selfie. Space IL

It came so close. It even took a selfie. But with only a few kilometres left to descend, something went wrong and the spacecraft Beresheet veered out of control, taking one final photograph just before it hit the surface. It is thought that there was a fault, possibly in the inertial system, possibly an engine failure, that led to the crash.

The spaceship was autonomous – its complex series of trajectory corrections to ensure a safe landing had been programmed in before launch, and could not be changed in real time. So by the time the data were received showing that something had gone wrong, it was too late to take remedial action. On the face of it, a dismal failure, once again showing that space exploration is a high risk, difficult enterprise that often ends in disappointment.

But this is not the right way to think of Beresheet. Despite its inglorious ending, the Israeli mission will be remembered as a pioneering achievement that helped to change the way the space industry operated. The story behind Beresheet (which is Hebrew for genesis, or beginning) is one of determination and drive. Three engineers got together to try for the Google Lunar XPrize – an international competition that challenged groups to design, build and fly a spacecraft to the moon and land it safely.

The company that the engineers formed, Space IL, attracted backers and funding, and made it all the way to the final – but were not ready to launch before the deadline of the challenge. Even so, they persevered, with further donations from backers and the general public, and made it to the moon. The spacecraft is a world first: a privately-funded, non-governmental vessel launched by a privately-funded, non-governmental launch company.

The moon seen by Beresheet. Israel Aerospace Industries/EPA

Beresheet took two months to get to the moon – compared with three days for the Apollo astronauts. The reason for the extended Earth-moon transit time was because the vessel shared its launch with a communications satellite and an experimental aircraft, and so was placed in the Earth orbit required by its fellow travellers. Beresheet had to climb its way from the Earth’s gravitational field by making gradual and increasingly elliptical orbits around the Earth, with the furthermost end gradually getting closer to the moon.

Eventually, Beresheet was captured by the moon’s gravity, and so was pulled into elliptical orbit around our natural satellite. It then took a further few weeks to move into the stable circular orbit required for landing on the lunar surface.

On April 11, the final preparations were made for Beresheet to land. The world was watching. The significance of the mission was immense – it was showing the way that more people could become spacefarers. To design and build a space mission through a national space agency takes decades. Public money is involved, and there has to be a fair and transparent process of mission selection to ensure that all scientific communities get the opportunity to advance their subject, almost always against a background of shrinking budgets.

The SpaceIL experience demonstrated that a small group of people with a specific aim in mind can succeed in getting their project, literally, off the launch pad, without having to go through countless (science) review processes.

But why has such a mission not taken place sooner? The growth of the space industry has expanded dramatically over the past decade, to service the continual need for Earth-orbiting satellites. Technological advances, especially the development of the CubeSat concept (production of a general framework “space bus” into which instruments could be slotted, rather than each bus having to be custom-designed to accommodate its payload), have revolutionised the planning and design of payloads, leading to cost savings through replication of parts.

We now also have independent companies that can supply rockets and launchers to deliver vehicles into space, allowing the chain from design to launch to be carried out completely in the private sector.

The end of private exploration?

It may seem that the loss of Beresheet will put back development of private space missions. But I don’t think so. Now we know what is possible, I think that there will be a more open discussion of how space agencies and private enterprise can work together, taking advantage of each others’ strengths. After all, this has been happening with NASA and SpaceX for some time already, with NASA contracting SpaceX to resupply the International Space Station.

Artist’s impression of how the landing should have ended. SpaceIL/wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Will the Beresheet experience affect space tourism, an industry barely into its infancy? I doubt it. The companies vying to put people into space have their own launchers, spacecraft and mission designs, and are unlikely to be disheartened by this event.

Beresheet’s science goals were modest – to take some photographs of its landing site, and make magnetic measurements that could be coupled with the surrounding geology and landscape. On balance, lunar science will probably get by without these results.

But Beresheet’s contribution to space exploration in general and lunar exploration in particular, is so much more than its science instruments. It is the future possibilities that Beresheet represents, bringing our ability to explore beyond the Earth just that little bit closer to home.

About The Author:

Monica Grady is a Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences  The Open University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.