#aegis defence line

[titanomancy]

The new Aegis Defence Line looks like a solid improvement on the old barricades and Wall of Martyrs, combining elements of both to improve on the concept.

The original Aegis kit had an extremely prefabricated, drop-in look to it that worked well as a post hoc Imperial fortification but didn't really read as the kind of long-term occupation you might find on a bastion world, while the a Wall of Martyrs was much more substantial and permanent in appearance, but limiting by the fixed configuration with an obvious "front" and "back" making it a challenge to do complex configurations like tenaille trenches.

The new kit appears to retain the ease of use of a precast jersey barrier while providing a more substantial, modular format to construct elaborate defensive networks and conveniently foregoing the extremely specific look of Cadian dead heaped, improbably, on the wrong side of the parapet. I'll be extremely curious to see if there are any other compatible kits in the offing, or if there'll just be the firing platform and barricades.

[baitpaintsbadly]

"Aegis Defence Lines are barricades built from crenelated armoured sections that link together into a solid shieldwall. Their simple design means that they can be built and deployed at great speed, lending them the nickname of ‘instant fortresses’. Aegis Defence Lines are ideally suited for commanders wishing to hold ground in enemy territory or establish defensive perimeters until such time when larger, more permanent fortifications can be constructed."

Aegis Defence Line (built 2, one pictured due to space) from the Made To Order run a whiles back, mostly going to use it for Narrative Missions since the rules and points cost are terrible these days.

[the-blazing-light]

tell us 1, 2, 8 and 9 for Arengar!

Thank you for the ask! <3

Why did they choose their profession? Arengar was trained in martial combat as well as any Blood Legion warrior would, being prepared to be a front-line soldier, leading his warband into a charge, however since a young age he also displayed an affinity for fire magic, his father's shaman legacy, that he had been able to train and incorporate into his fighting style. A combination of martial prowess enhanced by searing flame turned to be an incredibly effective strategy, and he less chose to be a guardian and rather just happened to fall into his profession.

Did they have a teacher? If so, who were they and were they a good instructor? Arengar actually got very lucky with his primus, as where most would see his affinity for fire magic as a threat, his primus, an elementalist himself, saw Arengar's potential and helped him develop his magic abilities further. Way later on though, after joining the Vigil, Arengar got into a habit of sparring and training with Almorra, the older guardian helping him hone his abilities and giving him a little more insight on guardian magic, rather than relying solely on incinerating everything in his path. Do they focus more on healing and protecting their allies or incinerating their enemies before they can do harm? This would be a continuation of a previous point, all that to say that yeah. Arengar is very aggressive in combat, preferring to solve conflict with brute force. Despite being a guardian and even training with Almorra, he never had an affinity for protective or healing magic, but he did learn to incorporate protection into his fighting style, all to keep up aggression. Parries, counters, a well-timed magical aegis to deflect an incoming attack and retaliate with searing flame. He's fast, he's relentless and he's damn powerful, with the combination of brute strength and incredibly potent fire magic, Arengar is a force to be reckoned with. "Best defence is a good offence" is basically Arengar's motto. Unga Bunga his way to victory

How much do they rely on their magic in combat? Could they still be effective if they were stripped of their guardian powers? Arengar relies on his magic a lot in combat to enhance his attacks with fire and control the battlefield, but he's far from defenceless if stripped of his magic. He's still a well-trained Blood soldier with years of experience in combat, along with generally just being a massive, powerful charr, hard to take down by default. He knows how to fight even without magic, but with magic in hand he becomes an unstoppable force

[mwezina]

The Emperor & FE3H

The Emperor is an archetype representing extreme power, sitting on a throne. He has experienced much to achieve his status. It is not a role for the young. The lines on his face tell a clear story that his journey to this throne was not an easy one. And the armour under his robes show us that he has fought in the field and proved his worth as a soldier before ascending to leader. 

Judging by the squareness of his throne and his features, we can tell this is a figure that leads using structure and rules. In fact, he represents the absolute power of structure. In other words, he is the exact opposite of The Empress. See the presence of circles and rounded lines in The Empress’s art versus the presence of rectangles and rugged lines in The Emperor’s art. 

The crest associated with this archetype is the Fraldarius Crest. The spelling is really strange, so I was unable to find any myth or name corresponding to it. However, another Tumblr user has speculated that it could be a strange spelling of “fleur-de-lis”, referencing the strong ties to France that many Faerghus families have. 

The dragon corresponding to this crest is the Shield Dragon. Obviously, shields represent protection and defence over offence. In terms of Japanese culture, the shield usually represents mediaeval European warfare. So it’s possibly a way to make the Shield Dragon appear more noble and mystical. 

My personal thought is that this dragon would look more like a traditional dragon, with bright colourings upon its scales, wings, and spines. Perhaps the Aegis Shield was one of its many scales, petrified and drained of colour. 

For the character that best reflects all these things, I choose Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius. His personality fits the archetype of The Emperor well. He has experienced much in his life, and has become a trusted leader to his people. He clings to tradition and the rules of promises and chivalry. These are all the reasons that people find him dependable, but also reasons that others find him deplorable. 

True to his last name, if it is meant to be a play on “fleur-de-lis”, Rodrigue has one of the most French sounding names in the game. 

He also reflects the Shield Dragon well in that he is a protector for his people and for Dimitri. He also reflects the ethos of our current understanding of the mediaeval knight. Willing to die for his liege, and loyal until the end.

Previous: The Empress

Next: The Hierophant

[davidzaikin]

Rare earth quandary: China has US by the throat - David Zaikin

‘The good news is that friendly nations like Canada, Australia, and India are naturally rich in rare earths’

Australia’s Vital Metals is getting ready to kick off mining operations at its Nechalacho rare earths project in Canada’s Northwest Territories, which will make it the country’s first producer of the elements used in magnets for electric vehicles, aerospace, defence and electronics. Credit: Vital Metals.

The facts are nothing short of startling.

A high-tech F-35 stealth fighter jet contains 920 lbs. of rare earth elements (REEs).

Each US Navy Arleigh Burke-class AEGIS destroyer has 5,200 lbs., and a Virginia-class submarine has 9,200 lbs.

These commodities are also key to the future of alternative energy, electric vehicles, mobile phones, and even headphones.

Combine that with the fact that 80% of all American rare earth supplies come from China.

A nation now run by leader, Xi Jinping, who recently ordered his Marine Corps — in an act of sheer madness, or, to up the ante on the US — to prepare for war.

It now controls four-fifths of the global mined supply of rare earths, and an even larger share of the manufacture of powerful rare earth magnets — industries worth US$13 billion a year combined.

This gives the Chinese the ability to choke off the West’s economies while the struggle to produce the vital elements elsewhere is mounted.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is reeling from a disastrous showing in Anchorage last week, where Chinese officials launched a history-making vindictive diatribe, attacking everything America stands for, and then some.

(If you want a sobering read, check out Bhim Bhurtel’s excellent piece, How China drew a red line in Anchorage.)

Biden has issued an executive order calling for a 100-day review of defense industrial supply chains — but is that enough for a crisis that looms larger with every passing day?

David Zaikin, a Ukrainian-born Canadian citizen working in London, is the CEO of Key Elements Group and founder of the Mining Club at the London Business School.

“China is out there and is trying to win every race globally. The West must do everything it can to subvert its efforts and find alternative nations to work with,” Zaikin told Inside Sources. “The good news is that there are friendly nations like Canada, Australia, and India that are naturally very rich in rare earths. They are well-positioned to bridge the gap in potential rare earths shortages, or in the event those are weaponized by the PRC,” he says. Read more--->>>>>

[vishnoikumar]

Best Sainik School Coaching in India:Asian School of Education

Sainik Schools maintain a prestigious region within the Indian training system, recognised for grooming young minds into disciplined and responsible individuals with a focus on a career inside the protection services. As the competition for admission into those schools intensifies, the position of training institutes becomes crucial. In this newsletter, we delve into the significance of Best Sainik School Coaching india and introduce one of the great coaching institutes in India, the Asian School of Education.

Introduction to Sainik Schools

What are Sainik Schools?

Sainik Schools are residential faculties in India established with the aim of making ready college students for careers inside the armed forces. Founded under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence, these schools follow a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes physical health, academics, and man or woman development.

Importance of Sainik Schools in India

Sainik Schools play a important role in nurturing future leaders for the defense services. They instill values of patriotism, field, and management from a young age, shaping college students into well-rounded people able to serving the kingdom.

Understanding the Need for Coaching

Why Coaching for Sainik School Entrance?

The front examinations for Sainik Schools are highly competitive, with a massive variety of aspirants vying for constrained seats. Coaching institutes help college students put together successfully with the aid of providing structured guidance and sources tailored to the exam syllabus.

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Coaching institutes provide comprehensive examine materials, normal exercise checks, and expert guidance, appreciably improving college students' possibilities of fulfillment inside the front exams. They additionally provide treasured insights into examination styles and strategies for time control.

Criteria for Selecting the Best Coaching Institute

Reputation and Track Record

A reliable coaching institute ought to have a tested music document of producing a hit candidates who excel within the Sainik School front assessments.

Experienced Faculty

The first-class of faculty members is crucial, as skilled instructors can provide customized interest and mentorship to students, addressing their character strengths and weaknesses.

Comprehensive Study Material

The availability of comprehensive study fabric, inclusive of textbooks, exercise papers, and online resources, is critical for effective examination training.

Success Rate

The achievement charge of a coaching institute, measured by way of the variety of college students who secure admission to Sainik Schools, is a reliable indicator of its effectiveness.

Overview of Sainik School Coaching in India

Sainik School coaching institutes are customary throughout India, catering to the growing demand for specialized steerage in examination preparation. These institutes provide structured publications and workshops designed to cover the whole syllabus comprehensively.

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Sainik School training institutes operate in essential towns and cities throughout India, making fine coaching on hand to students from numerous backgrounds.

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Most training institutes offer lecture room-primarily based training, on-line guides, and distance getting to know packages to cater to the numerous wishes of students.

Asian School of Education: A Leading Sainik School Coaching Institute

Introduction to Asian School of Education

Asian School of Education is renowned for its excellence in coaching college students for Sainik School entrance exams. With a crew of experienced college contributors and a confirmed tune report of fulfillment, it has emerged as a top preference for aspirants in search of first-class training.

Unique Features and Methodologies

Asian School of Education adopts modern coaching methodologies, including interactive periods, mock checks, and personalized feedback, to make certain holistic improvement and most suitable exam training.

Testimonials from Successful Candidates

Numerous achievement stories undergo testimony to the effectiveness of Asian School of Education's training applications. Former students characteristic their achievement in Sainik School entrance exams to the complete steerage and guide supplied with the aid of the institute.

Conclusion

In end, Sainik School coaching plays a pivotal position in supporting college students comprehend their dreams of joining the protection offerings. By choosing the right coaching institute, college students can decorate their possibilities of fulfillment and embark on a satisfying career course. Asian School of Education stands proud as a beacon of excellence in the field of Sainik School education, imparting extraordinary assist and steering to aspiring applicants.

FAQs

Is coaching vital for Sainik School entrance checks?

While coaching is not mandatory, it drastically improves your possibilities of achievement by way of providing based guidance and resources.

What sets Asian School of Education apart from other education institutes?

Asian School of Education distinguishes itself through its skilled college, innovative coaching strategies, and tested song report of success.

How can I enroll in Asian School of Education's training programs?

You can visit the institute's internet site or contact their admissions workplace for information on enrollment techniques and course offerings.

What subjects are blanketed in Sainik School front tests?

The entrance checks normally examine proficiency in subjects including Mathematics, English, General Knowledge, and Intelligence.

Can I be a part of Asian School of Education's education application from any place?

Yes, Asian School of Education gives each offline and on line education packages, making it on hand to students nationwide.

[hardynwa]

Economic hardship: Osun activists, youths protest high cost of living

Groups of activists under the aegis of Joint Action Force, Coalition for Revolution, Osun Civil Society Coalition, members of the Federation of Informal Workers in Osun State, and youths on Monday staged a peaceful protest against the rising cost of living in the country. They also fault the decision of the Federal Government to give proceeds of oil subsidy removal to the governors. Speaking during a protest held by the groups in Osogbo, the state capital, one of the conveners, Mr Waheed Saka, said the protest was organised to prepare the ground for a bigger demonstration against the economic crisis ravaging the country. Osun protestersThe protesters had converged at Freedom Park, Osogbo from where they moved around the streets before they assembled under Olaiya Bridge, where they spoke to journalists. THE LOUNGE: WOULD YOU SLEEP WITH YOUR FATHER-IN-LAW AS A FAMILY TRADITION BEFORE MARRIAGE0:00 / 0:00 A large number of armed policemen, as well as operatives of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, were at the venue of the protest observing happenings, as the protesters sang various songs depicting the hardship Nigerians were going through. Speaking further, Saka, who warned that current economic hardship may lead to bigger crises if not checked, declared that governors have not been good managers of resources entrusted in their care in the past. Osun protestersHe said, “The essence of this protest is to mobilise the people for a bigger and larger protest that will be done nationwide, that will force the arms of government to do the right thing. We are not requesting too much, we are saying to fulfil your promise, that is not too much to ask from the government and the promise is not to make life difficult for the people or increase hardship on average Nigerians. “That is not what President Bola Tinubu promised us. We understand that there are a lot of issues but we said don’t remove subsidy and give the money to governors. Governors over the years have not been able to manage their resources effectively, why are you taking off the relief of an average Nigerian and giving the money to governors to spend? Policemen at the venue of Osun protest“That is not sustainable and now the devaluation of naira has led to an increase in the price of fuel because it is having a snowball effect on food and livelihood. President Tinubu should act now because he is already pushing our people to the precipice. “We are saying act right, we are saying enough is enough because we can’t continue, year in and year out to talk about doing the right thing. We are saying enough of IMF and World Bank policies. “We know over the years we have an average leader here working for all these international multilateral agencies, but we don’t expect somebody that promised that he has been planning to be president for many years to toll the same line of being a puppet of IMF and World Bank. “People are enjoying subsidy in different countries, why can’t Nigerians enjoy subsidy too? That is the only thing you give us, why are you taking the only thing that the people are enjoying away? That is why we are protesting, that is why we are on the street to mobilise ordinary people. This is not a labour movement issue, it is a concern for every Nigerian and that is why we are here.” Read the full article

[amitynoida]

Aerospace engineering colleges in Delhi | Amity University Noida campus

Study from one of the top Aerospace Engineering colleges in Delhi.

The design, development, testing, and production of aircraft, spacecraft, and associated systems and equipment fall within the purview of aerospace engineering. The two main and overlapping sections of the field—aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering—have historically concentrated on issues relating to air and space flight.

The theory, technique, and application of flight within the earth's atmosphere are the main topics of Aeronautical Engineering.

Astronautical Engineering focuses on science and technology of spacecraft and launch vehicles.

What does Aerospace engineers do?

After graduating from one of the top Aerospace Engineering colleges in Delhi our students can incline towards creating cutting-edge technology and integrate them into aerospace vehicle systems used for transportation, communications, exploration, and defence. 

This includes the development and production of missiles, propulsion systems, satellites, and aircraft, as well as the design and testing of aerospace and aviation-related goods, parts, and subassemblies.

Propulsion, materials and constructions, vehicle dynamics and control, software, and aerodynamics are all areas in which successful aerospace engineers excel. It is imperative to study from the best university that prepares you for success. 

Mission

Amity Institute of Aerospace Engineering (AIAE) was founded in 2007 under the aegis of Amity University Uttar Pradesh with the goal of fostering Indian traditions and ethos while offering top-notch education. The Institute was founded with the primary goal of advancing comprehensive undergraduate education and doing research in new fields of aerospace engineering that will benefit the country and the world at large. The proposed courses are thorough and on line with international standards.

Laboratories

1. Equipment available at Aircraft Structures Laboratory are:

Digital Fatigue Machine

Two Hinged Arch Apparatus

Wagner Beam Setup

Stroboscope

Whirling speed of shaft apparatus

Logarithmic decrement measuring equipment

Natural frequency measuring system

2. Aerodynamics Lab, equipped with subsonic wind tunnel and smoke tunnel, provides opportunities to study aerodynamic characteristics & flow patterns on different aerofoil, circular cylinder and aircraft test models.

Lab equipment available are,

Wind tunnels

Smoke tunnel

3 Component force balance

Hot wire anemometer

16 Channels pressure scanner

Reynolds apparatus

3. The MATLAB platform is optimized for solving engineering and scientific problems to analyze and design the systems and products transforming our world. Computer Systems & Simulations lab consists of:

Programming in C, C++

MATLAB simulation using Simulink

MATLAB Programming

4. Students can gain huge knowledge of flow field parameter and structural behaviour of aerodynamic control surfaces through accurate flow visualization and flow field property measurements.

FEM / CFD Lab consists of:

Highly specialized lab with Star CCM+ Software and ANSYS 14 Workbench with Mechanical APDL Software

5. Labs of inter-disciplinary domains, are available for students

Elements of Mechanical Engineering Lab, Engineering Mechanics Lab, Applied Physics Lab, Applied Chemistry Lab etc.

Amity Institute of Technology, Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering lab set up by TATA TECHNOLOGIES

How to apply?

Fill your details correctly and submit application form online

Upload softcopy of class X mark sheet and recent color passport size photograph.

Pay as per your preference via. Credit Card/ Debit  Card.

Amity is the largest educational organization in India, with over 100,000 students enrolled throughout a 1000-acre campus with cutting-edge technology. Amity is committed to developing leaders who are not simply able professionals but also decent people with morals

Join one of the top Aerospace Engineering colleges in Delhi.

Additionally, if you are looking for the top Acting University in Delhi NCR, Top B. Com (Hons) Colleges in Delhi NCR, B.A. political science honors colleges in Delhi NCR then make sure to visit us on amity.edu 

Source :- https://amityuniversitydelhincr.blogspot.com/2023/02/aerospace-engineering-colleges-in-delhi.html

[jimmy-carmine]

While having a tidy up this morning I found a piece of plastic on the floor under my desk that turned out to be an entire missing wall for the bunker. I'd not realised it was missing before as it doesn't contribute to the parapets, but instead separates the roof terrace into two separate areas

After adding to the bunker, I then had some fun messing around with the hot glue gun today as I magnetised the bases for the remaining 20 modesl that still needed magnets. The twelve marines built over the last few days have joined the others in their Really Useful Box

An Aegis Defence Line has also appeared out of one of the big boxes o’stuff and has been based up on plasticard in the sameway as the bunker. They still need texturing but that can wait till another session of hobby to be done. Between the two scenery kits, I think I have enough to make a very dense 1′x1′ board that can be used for photographing painted squads on

Finally, a bit more hobby admin as I got a new toolbox, a wonderful Middle of Lidl find, which has let me consolidate plus my Tamiya Electric Handy tools and all my various glues, magnets, and other random bits and pieces into a single box along with all my tools from the old box

[irvinenewshq]

Two Koreas change warning photographs close to sea border amid tensions By Reuters

By Soo-hyang Choi and Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) -North and South Korea exchanged warning photographs off the west coast on Monday, accusing one another of breaching their maritime borders amid heightened navy rigidity. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Workers (JCS) mentioned it broadcast warnings and fired warning photographs to see off a North Korean service provider vessel that crossed the Northern Restrict Line (NLL), the de facto sea boundary, at round 3:40 a.m. (1840 GMT Sunday). The North’s navy mentioned it fired 10 rocket artillery rounds after a South Korean navy ship violated the ocean border and fired warning photographs “on the pretext of monitoring down an unidentified ship,” in response to state media. “We ordered preliminary countermeasures to strongly expel the enemy warship,” a spokesperson for the Normal Workers of the North’s Korean Individuals’s Military mentioned, in response to the official KCNA information company. The JCS known as the North’s transfer a violation of a 2018 bilateral navy pact banning “hostile acts” within the border areas, and urged it to stop “constant provocations and accusations.” Because the Nineties, Pyongyang has been disputing the NLL, drawn up on the finish of the 1950-53 Korean Battle, claiming it ought to lie far to the south. An official at South Korea’s navy mentioned it had performed a “regular operation” relating to the border intrusion and rejects the North’s declare over the NLL. The most recent change of fireplace got here amid simmering tensions, with the North finishing up weapons assessments at an unprecedented tempo this 12 months. In current weeks, North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles and lots of of artillery rounds off its east and west coasts on a number of events in protest over the South’s navy actions. South Korea’s troops kicked off their annual Hoguk defence drills final week, designed to run till Oct. 28 and increase their very own and mixed means with the USA to counter the North’s nuclear and missile threats. As a part of the programme, South Korean naval forces mentioned on Monday that they’d stage four-day workout routines off the west coast, bringing collectively about 20 warships, together with their Aegis-equipped destroyer and U.S. property reminiscent of Apache assault helicopters and A-10 strike plane. Pyongyang has angrily reacted to the drills, calling them provocations and threatening countermeasures. Seoul and Washington say their workout routines are defensive and geared toward deterring the North. Originally published at Irvine News HQ

[the40kcollector]

Index: Imperium 2

BONUS ROUND! Fortifications: Fortifications are Keyword Unaligned, which means anyone can take them. I’ll give a quick piece on the ones in this book.

Aegis Defence Line: Bits of wall with 3 Wounds each. Imperial Bastion: Tower block that holds 20 and 10 can fire out of it. Imperial Defence Line: +1 LD for Imperial models in the trench. Imperial Bunker: Mini Bastion. Vengeance Weapons Batteries: Leman Russ turrets without the tank. Firestorm Redoubt: 50% Bastion, 50% Vengeance Weapon Battery Plasma Obliterator: Will kill enemies completely, but slowly die from Plasma overheats. Macro-Cannon Aquila Strongpoint: HUGE cannon with a HUGE capacity. Vortex Missile Aquila Strongpoint: Continuous Mortal Wounds, can and will bring down big stuff. Voidshield Generator: Invulnerable bubble that gets weaker the less wound sit has left. Skyshield Landing Pad: Flyer repair spot OR a 5++ arena.

[xianglingslesbian]

ewbts - my top moments

no i will never stop laughing at that abbreviation it’s beautiful. buckle in because this is gonna be long, and probably don’t read it unless you’ve watched/read kuroko’s basketball and like izuki lmaoooo

chapter 1: hatchling, awaken

Izuki swallows. “Why do you all think I can do this?”

Then Kiyoshi turns to him with steel in his eyes (that must be how he got nicknamed Iron Heart - he seriously never backs down!) and asks him very clearly, “Why don’t you?”

Why don’t I think I can be captain?

“Because nobody thought I could be until now.”

aka “ceru is a masochist”, exhibit 1/???. anyway lets hear it for insecurities!!

chapter 2: liftoff

Predictably, Kuroko drags him aside at practice the next day and says, “I have something to tell you, Izuki-senpai.”

Izuki smiles at him. “Is it about your five evil exes?”

Kuroko looks horrified. “My what?!”

i think im funny

chapter 3: crash landing

As Izuki walks off the court, he looks for flashing glasses and grey eyes.

He curses himself for the heavy sadness that falls over him like a blanket when he doesn’t spot them.

yay for “ceru is a masochist” exhibit 2!

Oh, he [Izuki] watched videos of Aomine, came up with strategy after strategy to corner him, but videos and strategies can only go so far. Aomine in real life is something else entirely, a flash of lightning setting the court on fire with the sheer elegance of his crazy street basketball. All one can do is sit back and watch, awed beyond belief. Nothing can curb the wild madness that is Aomine Daiki – unrestrained, gleeful insanity dancing across the court like it’s his playground.

i also rlly like this line, it has some pretty imagery and we all know im a slut for pretty imagery~

chapter 4: a broken bone grows back stronger

“All right,” Koganei says to himself, moving to stand in front of the hoop. “One more time.”

He jumps, raising the ball to just above his face and releasing it. It misses, and he lets out a cry of frustration.

Can he even do this? Is it worth the time?

Koganei bites back the wave of guilt that washes over him at the thought. Izuki, Kiyoshi, Tsuchida, Rinnosuke, Kagami, Kuroko – he’d be letting them down if he didn’t give this his best shot. They’re all so dedicated to basketball that they each have a special skill honed from years of practice and love for the sport. If he can’t bring anything of his own to the table, what will he mean to this team? Seirin makes him want to be a team player, to add his skills to theirs rather than shining on his own. The change is good, yes, but he doesn’t want to stop there – he doesn’t want to be useless.

He will not be useless.

a bit of context: in this fic, since hyuuga did not return, koga became the SG for seirin :D i think my favorite character to develop, apart from izuki, was koganei - it was so fun to imagine all the ways he could have gone!

chapter 5: spreading new wings

All too soon, the day of judgment arrives, and Seirin convenes in the gym one last time before they head off to the Winter Cup building. No one says anything; not Kagami, fresh from his training trip to America, not Izuki, not Kiyoshi or Riko. They simply stand there, breathing in the scent of cleaner and leather and something else that’s so entirely Seirin, and knowing that no matter what happens this Winter Cup, they will return to the gym different people than they were before.

Different, and better.

Then they head out and off to the opening ceremony of the Winter Cup, not looking back once as they do.

yay for more pretty words!!!

“Oh, no worries. The actual motivational part is coming. Anyway, as I was saying – Tōō was just better than us that day. It’s hard to admit, I know: far easier to blame yourself, say you didn’t give it your all, but you know; we all know. It was their day to shine, not ours. But I think we’ve worked hard enough and are in a good enough mindset to change that, today. We aren’t scared or apprehensive about Tōō and Aomine, because we’ve faced them before. We know what attitude they’ll walk into our game with, and that’s what we’re going to exploit!”

“You’re going to exploit,” corrects Tsuchida. “Unlike you, the rest of us aren’t manipulative bastards.”

That raises a bunch of cackles, which quiet down when Izuki gives his team a glare. It doesn’t work on Riko, however, who sniggers under her breath and smirks at him.

izuki highkey sucks at pep talks lmao

chapter 6: ride the storm

Kagami and Aomine were made for each other. Made for this rivalry, this intense competition that will push them to their very limits and carry them onto a plane that no ordinary human can reach. Neither can defeat the other per se - they’re destined to stand neck and neck forever. However, one has a trump card on his side; and that trump card can make all the difference in the world.

Aomine Daiki may be strong, but Kagami Taiga is just as good. And damn him if the power of Kagami’s determination coupled with Kuroko’s unshakeable support won’t overwhelm the undisputed king of basketball.

Move aside, light bulb, Izuki thinks vindictively. The tube light is here to replace you.

pretty words. gay words. i love them (aokaga + izuki being a salt man lmao).

chapter 7: eagle versus aegis

“So bitter,” he [Izuki] reflects aloud, answering Himuro’s question.

That’s the emotion in his eyes. That’s what I might have become, if I had let my anger grow.

And suddenly he isn’t seeing Himuro Tatsuya anymore, but a version of himself, a version with darkened eyes and a mocking smile and pain and rage bubbling below the surface. Immensely talented, but not able to break the last barrier. Because he’s an ordinary man, and it’s as much as an ordinary man can do.

Strong, so strong. But also so terribly, heartbreakingly weak. Weak in a way that today’s Izuki Shun will never be.

GOD where do i even start w/this scene its literally everything i’ve ever wanted to write ksjfhsfj

chapter 8: clawing through mirages

Izuki’s taken aback for a millisecond before he continues his mad dash towards Murasakibara, letting out a war cry as the center makes to simply toss the ball into the hoop.

“It wasn’t their intention,” says a quiet but familiar voice. “But, this is the result of Kiyoshi-senpai and the other upperclassmen’s tenacity.”

Izuki grins, feeling new strength fill him up.

Together, huh? Okay. Together.

“This is where it ends for you!” shouts the voice, becoming stronger.

Not one, but two hands knock the ball out of Murasakibara’s hands and onto the ground. Kuroko shimmers into vision, smiling at Izuki with all the happiness in the world, just as the final buzzer rings.

i loved writing this match tbh, yousen is super underrated!

chapter 9: catch the updraft

21 - 22, in their favour at long last. Izuki grins at Kasamatsu, who shakes his head wearily.

“Using my own advice against me. What a terrible student you are,” he says, affecting an old man’s voice.

“The true student is the one who beats the master at his own game,” Izuki says quickly, sliding back into their familiar banter. “I swore to myself, my drive would beat your drive today, kitakore.”

“When did you get so wise?” asks Kasamatsu with a sigh, ignoring his pun and receiving the ball from Kobori, who was quick to grab it once Koga scored. Izuki just laughs, not bothering to reply and instead focusing carefully on Kasamatsu’s movements.

Kasamatsu shifts his weight right, left, then right again. Izuki narrows his eyes, trying to figure out what the hell his upperclassman is doing—

But it’s far too late, as Kasamatsu successfully passes through his defence in his moment of distraction, ball clutched tightly in hand. The sound of the scoring whistle is shrill and unpleasant to Izuki’s ears, and his chest stings at the loss.

“What was that about the main course?” Kasamatsu teases, wearing an enormous grin as he comes forward to guard Izuki once more. 

izuki + kasamatsu banter is so so fun to write y’all have no idea

chapter 10: headwinds

This is your fault. If you’d been a better captain, a better point guard, a better everything, none of this would’ve happened. Seirin would have been well in the lead and controlling the game—

Izuki shakes his head violently, trying to get rid of his intrusive thoughts. He knows he’s a good captain, and doing this to himself will do no good for the rest of the team. He has to be strong for them. He has to lead them to victory, he can’t be a weak person overwhelmed by emotion. But it’s so hard to breathe, suddenly, and Izuki’s about to sink when—

“Don’t worry, Captain. I’ll take care of this match today,” says a confident and familiar voice, and a hand claps down on Izuki’s shoulder. He turns, a little surprised by the sudden contact, to find Koganei’s cat mouth set in a determined frown. “You can rest your hopes on me. I’ll be Seirin’s wings for as long as you need me to.”

kogazuki brotp feels man. kogazuki brotp feels.

chapter 11: cliff edge

Riko nods, sobering up a little. “I do know. And… I have to admit, I was a little harsh on you in the early days… I kept comparing you to Hyūga-kun.” She looks at the ground briefly, then raises her head to continue, meeting Izuki’s eyes with no hint of doubt in her own brown irises. “But then I saw how different you were. How you were never willing to give up, even if you were the worst player in the world. That’s what… that’s what made me truly believe in you.” She swallows thickly, taking a deep breath, but not averting her gaze from his.

The honesty and trust in her eyes is what shatters Izuki’s calm.

He steps forward, and she rises too, opening her arms. Then he hugs her tightly, murmuring, “Thank you for having faith in me.”

The “Of course. You’re family,” that she whispers back fills Izuki’s already overflowing heart even further.

Eventually, he lets her go, and she drops lightly to the ground, straightening her sweater and skirt.

“We never speak of this,” Izuki warns her, moving towards the door of the room.

Riko nods, back to her usual haughty demeanour. “Of course. No one can know we’re actually big softies who care a lot for each other.”

“To them, we’re just sarcastic jerks,” Izuki agrees. “And that’s the way it stays.”

anyone said izuriko brotp???? this fic is just platonic feels tbh

chapter 12: overcast skies

What should I do? Someone tell me! the voice cries out in Izuki’s head, a voice he hasn’t heard since the loss to Tōō. It is the same voice that whispers all his insecurities in his ear in the dead of night when no one is around to reassure him, the same voice that gave rise to all his fears and worries. It is the voice of the vulnerable and weak part of Izuki, the one that needs someone to guide him with a gentle hand, and he hates it.

It is a voice that, frankly, he never thought he would hear again. Yet, here it is, crying out for attention, screaming for someone to help.

He thought he had left it behind. It turns out he was wrong.

Izuki shoves it deep into his heart with more effort than he’s exerted all game, breathing a heavy sigh when he succeeds in locking it behind the glass wall that keeps his emotions away.

let’s hear it for “ceru is a masochist” exhibit 3~

chapter 13: nosedive

“I don’t know who you are,” Koganei completes his little speech, anger brimming in every part of his being. “But I know that my captain is Izuki Shun, not Akashi Seijūrō. The coach can bench you if she likes; we can fight without our captain, because we know he wants us to win for his sake. We’ve been fighting without him all the match, and we can continue doing so. We don’t need a player that can’t play with the same passion as us!”

Izuki looks at the ground and doesn’t respond. Somewhere within, something is stirring at Koganei’s words. Something that cries out to fill the gap inside him.

Next to speak is Kiyoshi, standing up and executing much the same move as Koga had by yanking Izuki up by his collar. However, Kiyoshi pulls Izuki into a standing position so that Izuki is half-leaning against him.

Brown eyes meet black, and Kiyoshi simply states, “I didn’t expect this from you, Shun.”

Then he rears his fist backwards and punches Izuki in the jaw.

“ceru is a masochist” exhibit 4!

chapter 14: bird of prey

“I just… I didn’t think you’d give up so easily.”

Koganei’s head shoots up. There’s fury in his eyes, and his face is white. His hands are shaking.

Izuki continues, calm and careless as he always is, “Really… after you gave me all that talk at halftime? I don’t believe this is you.”

Koganei’s jaw clenches, and he cries, “But I have done everything I can! He’s just too good—”

“And when has that ever stopped you?” Izuki keeps his voice quiet and even, but it has the gravity he intended it to - Koga falls silent immediately, eyes wide and riveted on him. “When have you ever backed down from fighting? You don’t know the meaning of giving up. You’ve never cared about whether someone’s better than you. I knew a shooting guard once, just like you, and he had the potential to be the greatest in the world. He was held back because he cared that he was worse than others. But you? You never blinked at it, just practised and practised until you could do the impossible.”

His words are getting louder with pride; he’s unable to keep it steady with the outpouring of emotion in his speech.

“Tell me, who can master Ray Allen’s form in one and a half years? Who can be such a rookie at basketball, yet be able to fight an Uncrowned King and respond to a shot that has left all its previous victims unable to move?!” Izuki leans forward and jabs a finger into Koganei’s chest demandingly. “Tell me, who the hell was that?!”

“Me,” Koga whispers timidly, looking down.

ahhhh yay for more platonic comfort and bonding. *izuki voice* yelling is the way to get ur team to get their shit tgt

chapter 15: born to soar

Izuki finds himself moving, barely thinking as he grabs the ball and bawls for an attack. He’s running faster than he ever has, flying up the court like there are wings on his legs. No one follows at his pace - they’re all too far behind.

No one but Kiyoshi.

The rhythm beats louder than ever, a heavy pulse in Izuki’s head and heart. He can feel Akashi on his heels and knows he needs to do something.

One second left—

Izuki’s hands move on their own, passing the ball to the one person he knows that he will always find.

Kiyoshi catches it and jumps.

Fortyfivethirtyfivetwentyfivefifteen—

The ball leaves his hands.

Fivezero—

The whistle blows to end the game. Kiyoshi’s shot hits the backboard and drops straight into the basket. Time stops as a shrill sound screeches into the air and the ref shouts, “124 to 123, Seirin High wins the Winter Cup!”

there we go. the most heartwrenching scene of this chapter ahhhhh

chapter 16: final flight

“We should go. Don’t want to keep them waiting too long,” Kiyoshi says, staring daggers at Hyūga, who to his credit doesn’t flinch but merely stares back.

“Let’s go, then,” Izuki agrees. He looks straight at Hyūga and allows a small, formal smile to play on his lips. Hyūga just nods, accepting the answer.

Izuki nods back, then turns around and starts walking away. But even as he moves toward the exit, something weighs heavily in his tired chest. For the first time in a long time, he isn’t confident in his decision.

Acting on impulse, he turns on his heel and yells out, “Call sometime, maybe!” before walking backwards out the door that Kiyoshi holds for him.

It’s an open-ended suggestion. Hyūga can choose to wallow and ignore it, or he can choose to pick up the phone. Izuki isn’t going to do so either way - he’ll be happy if Hyūga makes that call, but he won’t be terribly sad if he doesn't.

This time, he’s going to be the one that walks forward without looking back.

ahhh okay so this scene means a hella lot to me personally because... i had to grow, the way izuki grew. izuki’s now strong enough to sort of put the olive branch out and say, “take it or leave it,” and if it’s left he’s not gonna be upset. that’s something i really learned with a lot of difficulty and i think that that growth - in both me and him - is a lovely thing.

and there we have it! my favorite moments from each chapter of this story. *cries in a corner* god i can’t believe it’s over...

THANK YOU FOR THE JOURNEY!

[explosivebang]

Wip tag

My buddy @quartzess tagged me on this but idk enough people on Tumblr to tag on this, so I’ll put some people on as time goes on. this is pretty long so more under the cut

1. describe the plot in one sentence

Man tells daughter she can’t be queen, she says ‘Fuck you’

2. pick one sight, sound, smell, feel and taste to describe its aesthetic

sight: The light of the sun as is drowned everything in its path

sound: The clashing of blades as will went against will.

smell: the clouds of incense as they wafted through the hair

feel: Cold metal, sharply cutting skin.

taste: revenge. Can I say revenge?

3. which 3+ songs would make up a playlist for the novel?

Dreamin - The Score ft Blackbear

Belgrade - Battle Tapes

Starlight - Starset

Victorious - Panic! At The Disco

Lonely Dance - Set It Off

Dancing With The Devil - Set It Off

Wired - Mallory Knox

Reckless - Jaxson gamble

4.  what’s the time period and location in which the novel takes place?

Takes place on the continent of Aegis between the Northern Kingdom, Thoran, and the Southern Kingdom, Ceres. General time period is that weird fantasy medieval time zone.

5. are there any former titles you’ve considered but have discarded?

Not particularly? Originally All the King’s Men was just a placeholder but the more I fleshed out the plot and the more I decided to make it about women instead of just using that as backstory I felt the irony from the title fitted a lot more as time went on and now I really like it.

6. what’s the first line?

“The whispers clogged her ears like hair in a drain, disdain washed over her like slime and at this rate vague murder of the next noblewoman to side eye her was very much on the table.”

7. what’s a dialogue you’re particularly proud of?

"Everything i do for good will be attributed to someone else. My strength must have come from father. The throne given to me by you, as if i didn’t fight for it,” Kavi growled, a hand slamming against the table that kept her from strangling her brother. “Everyone will assume I am the puppet of someone else. They will rage when my council is full of women. They will froth at the mouth any time I do anything that uplifts the lower class or women. When i do good for everyone, they will assume a cardinal must have been behind it. If I get a husband, even worse, they will say it was thanks to him. But I have accepted my fate. Because frankly this country deserves better than our bastard of a father who fattens himself on the plight of the people, and you who clamber after his coat tails."

“Is that how you truly feel?” Vikan asked, almost reverently, as if the answer was some holy secret. Kavi snorted. “It’s how I’ve always felt you insensitive prick. It’s not like I’ve ever hidden how I feel, if anything I roared it from the battlements whenever I could!” she roared

“I’m so sorry…” he whispered “I only ever wanted to keep father happy. I only ever wanted a sister.”

“And I always wanted a brother, but we don’t always get what we want. Some of us have to fight for it. But you wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

8. which line from the novel represents it the most?

“I’m smarter, stronger and, fraaaankly, better suited forthe thrOne! And the only diff… diff…-” Kavi began

“Difference?” Ely offered

“That! The only difference between me and him, is vat he has a dick. Wait… vaat’s it” she slurred “I’ll get a bigger one!”

9. who are your character faceclaims?

I never really thought about it to be honest

10. sort your characters into hogwart houses

gryffindor: Kavi, Zev

hufflepuff: Aera, Vikan,

ravenclaw: Ely, Grey

slytherin: Virin, Naina, Noir

11. which character’s name do you love the most?

Ely, it’s pronounced the same as the first syllable from Elijah. I like Aera too and Naina.

12. describe each character’s outfit.

It generally changes from what I’ve planned and I haven’t thought of any outside of Kavi soooo

Kavi: A dark, leather tabard with tails, under a flat metal breastplate. Her legs are protected by thick boots, greaves and sabatons. With vambraces and gloves and a sharpened blade at her side she’s always ready for battle.

13. Do any of the characters have distinct birthmarks/scars?

Kavi has a scar across her nose and going up the left side of her jaw that she got from a bar brawl. “On the upside, my father can’t marry me off for my face”

Noir has a scar on her throat as mark of her place as a Ceresan Assassin to the crown. Those women are extra.

14. which character most fits a character trope?

Kavi fits the violent princess trope, Ely is the “So competent, she could take the goddess to task if she showed up with the wrong paperwork”, Aera is the dangerous airhead and Noir is the silent assassin.

15. which character would be the best writer? worst?

Grey and Virin would probably be the best writers because Grey reads so many scriptures and has probably picked things up. Virin however is a Courtesan, her entire job is to use words to sway her audience, in this case the audience is her marks but it can easily be switched to readers. Oddly enough, maybe Kavi in that way that her drunkenness could fuel a lot of plotlines, but other than that she would probably be the worst in the group because she is too blunt and doesn’t like to mince words like authors would.

16. which character is the best liar? Worst?

Virin for the aforementioned reason, ie its her entire job. The worst would be Aera, the sweet little airhead that she is, would probably be the worst liar.

17. which character swears the most? least?

Ironically not Kavi, it’s Ely when she’s drunk which, doesn’t happen often as a result. Aera swears the least.

18. which character has the best handwriting? Worst?

Kavi has the best hand writing weirdly enough, whereas Ely has chicken scratch “but in my  defence… yeah I got nothing.”

19. which character is most like you? least like you?

It’s probably Ely?

20. which character would you most like to be?

A weird mix between Kavi and Grey. I want Kavi’s ability to do the right thing damn the consequences and trust my decisions no matter the cost. But I also really want Grey’s peace of mind, her ability to have faith, not necessarily in a god, but her faith in the world and the people around her.

[spectacledotter]

The Ballad of Jonah & Michel

Ace, the answer to the age-old question "what would happen if a golden retriever carried a heavy machine gun," bounds into the hangar with an enormous grin on his face, followed by a somewhat less energetic warlock.

"I'll admit," says Eska to Ace, "when you said 'I know a warlock' I was a little concerned you meant that bitchy cryptarch."

"Taron doesn't do fieldwork," says Ace with a shrug, "and anyway, if we're going to have one warlock, Konath is the one we want."

"It was me or Taron?" Konath the warlock sounds insulted.

"No," insists Ace, "it was you because you're really fucking good and we kind of need that where we're going."

"The Vault of Glass." Konath looks to Eska. "You're really serious about this, aren't you? You realize what you want to get into, right? The Vault eats people. Guardians don't go in and come out again."

"That's why we need to remove it," says Eska flatly. "If you're not interested..."

"I didn't say that." He's grinning. The warlock is actually grinning.

"Right, introductions," Ace swings an arm around Konath's shoulders. "So, that's Faulkner-5 and Gavri, they're our hunters. Over by the sparrow, it's Gavri's. He's one of the best racers since Marcus Ren. And I call Faulkner Deadeye for, y'know, obvious reasons." He winks, then points over to the exo in black and the considerably more colourfully-dressed awoken focusing on tuning the sparrow's engine. "And--Akira's somewhere around here--AKIRA!" Ace waves to the large, bulky exo currently completely distracted by the hangar cat. "Hey come over here and say hi to our warlock! This is Akira-28, you've probably seen him on the Crucible leaderboards, right? Best fucking headbutt on the Tower. And this guy is Eska."

"Just Eska?" says Konath with a quirked eyebrow. He's barely glanced at the hunters or the titan exo. He keeps watching Eska as if trying to place him in his memories somewhere. Eska's not particularly surprised; he's gained a reputation at record speed since his revival. Konath's probably seen his face in Vanguard projections if he spends any time in their area.

Yet he can't stop thinking he knows Konath's face, too. Where has he seen him before? A projection? "I prefer it that way," says Eska.

"Don't want to let your reputation precede you?"

"My friends don't know my reputation. They know me. I like it that way." He's not sure what kind of reputation Konath even has, but if he's seen his face before, he must have something. "I like knowing my friends that way, too."

Konath's wicked grin turns softer. Friendler. "Now that, I can respect."

They knew when they entered that the Vault of Glass would be harrowing, but that word is not nearly strong enough for what they experience. The Vault is every bit the wound in time, the Vex underworld they had been warned of, but none of them are deterred. They press on through every horror the Vex can throw at them.

Konath channels light into Eska's ghost, giving Spark the boost he needs to recreate Eska's form, just as more of the suicide-bombing fanatics rush towards them both. One well-placed shot takes them all out at once, but only once it's taken do Eska's feet find solid ground. Konath has a mere second to be impressed before they both have to refocus on the Oracles.

It is Eska who grabs the Aegis. It is Eska who is the forefront of the defence, Eska who holds the line against the Templar--but it is Konath, of all of them, who keeps him there. Konath who flings both blasts of void and bolts of solar--*that* is what Ace meant when he said Konath could be one warlock for a team of six, because Konath brings twin Lights and wields them as fluidly as water flows against oil, separate but parallel and moving together. Konath is clever with his placement and quick with his fire, and Eska is both stalwart in his defence and relentless in his advance, and together they are the unstoppable force and the immovable object.

The other four of the fireteam do their part, but when the massive Hydra known as the Templar is naught but so much scrap, the hunters and the titans look at each other and look upon Konath and Eska, both of whom are breathing heavily and leaning on each other as if they have done this for centuries on. They never spoke. They simply moved as one thought.

They met two days ago.

They have known each other for two hundred years.

Perhaps it is because of the Vault, and the way time bends and folds and screams within it. Perhaps two days can be stretched over centuries within the Vault of Glass.

Perhaps.

They return to the City scarred and changed but triumphant. All of them are exhausted, but before they split apart, Eska catches Konath by the shoulder. He can't quite explain this magnetic draw he feels, but he knows with the same instinctual feeling, the same urgent understanding that has saved his life so many times, that he needs to know this man. He can't let Konath go.

"Do you want to get ramen sometime?" he asks abruptly, before Konath has even fully turned to face him.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Konath responds, delicate lips curving into a smile.

"It doesn't have to be a date," Eska can't help smiling back, "but that's up to you. I just figure that live firefights with Vex aren't the greatest way to get to know a person."

"What, you're not used to having conversations between laser shots? You just need to yell louder."

That makes Eska laugh, which makes Konath laugh. He has a pretty laugh, one Eska wants to hear more of. He does agree to lunch at the ramen shop on the Tower, once they've all had enough sleep to be complete people again.

"He's interesting, isn't he?" says Spark when ghost and guardian are alone.

"I like him," Eska says.

"He's a little ... chaotic."

"That's not a bad thing."

"Well, no... but you're more like the opposite of chaotic. He's not like you."

Eska rests his head on his hand to look at his closest friend and companion for a year. "That's why I like him," he says.

Konath could talk for hours, about practically anything, and Eska could listen to him for the whole time and not get bored.

No Light. No ghost. The few medics the Farm has collected have done what they can, but they are spread thin by refugees--citizen and guardian alike--and his wounds are deep. There are others who can be saved. He is not among them. He lies in his cot in their makeshift field hospital, set up in a dilapidated old house, and he watches the darkening sky through the hole in the wall, and he thinks of Eska. Konath can barely breathe, his hands are cold, and with Death seeping into his body the only thing on his mind is the man who settled into his life as if he belonged there. If anyone could make it out of the City, if anyone could stop this catastrophe, it would be Eska. But he'll have to do it without Konath, and that knowledge hurts almost as badly as his collapsed lung.

I'm sorry, he thinks, and the sensation of deja vu--that he's done this before, apologized to his love as he dies--washes over him with such strength it gives him vertigo.

Wait.

No, that's just Chaya healing him with--

"Chaya!" gasps Konath, pushing himself up with renewed strength to face his golden-shelled ghost who is somehow beaming at him. "How did you--I thought the Legion got to you!"

Strong arms come around him from behind and the side, pulling him against a warm and muscular chest, and he looks up into the relieved face of his beloved. "Eska found me," says Chaya. "You look so awful, Konath! I was so worried. You need to eat, and then you need to rest, and then--"

"You're alive," Konath breathes, touching Eska's face. Chaya is still talking but he's not hearing a word.

"I thought I'd lost you," says Eska in a low voice. It's the first--only--time Konath has ever heard him on the verge of tears.

Konath presses his face into Eska's chest and Eska holds him as close as he can, and they sit wrapped around each other until long after the stars have come out.

With Xol the Hive worm god dead, the Guardians have a little more freedom to explore. And of course, with a treasure trove of Golden Age technology including the Holy Grail himself, Rasputin, at their fingertips, explore they do. Konath and AK-47 in particular spend hours combing through the massive facility. Though he's less obsessively interested in Clovis Bray's inventions, Eska does join them from time to time if for no other reason than to spend time with his best friends.

On one of those days where Eska tags along, they find a door with a palm lock for security. "Must be high clearance," says Eska. "We won't be able to open it... hey, Ana," into his comm, "think you can pick a lock for us from your end?"

While he fills Ana in on their location, Konath tries placing his hand to the palm-reader. He doesn't think it will work, but he can't resist putting his hand within the lines.

"WELCOME, DR. JONAH L. KRAMAROV," the Concierge AI greets him cheerfully, and the door opens.

"Well," says Konath, "shit. It worked."

"You must have worked here!" AK-47 signs excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Like Ana! Maybe you worked with Rasputin!"

"I--I have no idea." He's done Thanatonatics but he's never seen this place before. Then again, it must have looked very different back then.

"Let's go inside! Now we *have* to see what's in here."

She darts inside and Konath is right on her heels. They find themselves in a hallway lined with doors to the offices of high-clearance officials. Fortunately, these ones aren't locked, and AK immediately starts bounding in and out of every office. Konath, meanwhile, checks each door until finally he finds the one that bears the same name as his hand. Jonah Kramarov.

This was his office. It's messy, with papers scattered everywhere and even the tattered shreds of a coat that froze before it could decay completely away. It looks like Jonah left in a hurry. Konath slides his fingers over the bookshelves, looks over the equations on the papers, sits in the chair. For one second, the office is brightly lit and full of classical music, and he's leaning back from writing a letter on his computer. His eyes fall on...

Konath blinks and the office is a dim, cold, silent ruin again, but his eyes are still on the upturned photo frame. He tilts it up curiously, then pulls it close to his face in shock. The photo is of himself, but human with olive skin and hazel eyes, wearing a white tux and pink corsage, his arm around... it couldn't be, but it is.

Eska.

Konath knows that face better than he knows his own by now. His dark hair is shorter, less shaggy, but it's the same high cheekbones, dark eyes, golden-brown skin, even the same dimples in his smile. His tux is black but the corsage is the same. Their bow ties are both blue.

Written across the bottom is JONAH & MICHEL'S WEDDING and a date.

"Konath?" Eska is standing on the threshold of the office.

Konath looks up to him. "Find anything interesting?"

"Was about to ask you that."

"I... I don't know. Jonah Kramarov was definitely working on something. Looks like he had to leave in a hurry."

"You want some time?" he asks in that soft tone he uses when Konath is upset or overwhelmed. Hearing him talk like that, concerned and patient and ready to help, makes Konath feel better all by itself.

"Yeah," says Konath. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

"Sure. We'll be by the security door when you're ready."

When Konath finally joins them, the wedding photo is tucked into a pocket of his coat. He could have just transmatted it to his ship, but he wants it on his body. He never believed in destiny, and he's pretty sure he still doesn't, but now he understands Eska's magnetism. His gravity. The way he just settled into Konath's life like he was meant to be there. Konath is willing to call that destiny.

"Hey." He pulls his helmet up and Eska's off to kiss him by way of a greeting. "I love you, you know that?"

Eska is surprised but smiling. "What brought this on?"

Konath shrugs. "Sometimes I just want to tell you."

"I love you too, Konath."

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

“At the height of the alarm, the council had ordered the mobilization of 38,150 men, with plans to set up armies of 11,000 in Essex, and 27,150 at London; 6,000 further troops (at the council’s estimate) were ready in Kent. To these can be added 10,000 further militia from London and Middlesex, which could have been called up very quickly if necessary, and the forces of the nobility and clergy (nominally 5,331 foot and 2,169 horse), giving a total of 59,481 foot and 5,130 horse which were or could quickly be called up.

This figure is somewhat lower than some estimates (for example, the 76,000 quoted by Ian Friel), and clearly does not represent the total number of troops available to defend against invasion. Most obviously, not all of the troops from the south coast militias were called up. Nor were any troops ever called up from Wales, the Marches, or the North and adjacent counties (Lancashire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire), which were in readiness to respond to Spanish (or Scottish) attack there. More problematically, attempts to give definitive figures for the total defence forces founder on the vagaries of sixteenth-century administration: county muster certificates are almost invariably unreliable, incomplete or inconsistent in their terminology. It is, therefore, impossible to give a definitive figure for the total number of available troops. Virtually all of the troops came from the militia, and since every able-bodied man between the ages of 16 and 60 was liable to militia service, the number of potential troops was in theory close to inexhaustible. In reality, the effective size of the militia was limited by the availability of weaponry, and the organization of the men into companies. It seems likely that, in the event of a prolonged campaign following an invasion, existing militia units would have been augmented by whatever other troops and equipment were available across the country or even from the Netherlands or Ireland. The total number of armed militia men, trained and untrained, in the country must have come to something in the region of 100,000 men, with a majority of these being (nominally at least) trained. These would have been of widely varying quality, with the best likely to have been those from the south, the home counties and East Anglia, which were called up first; one would expect that the counties would have sent their best men first. Any reinforcements called up later would have been either poorer quality troops from this same area, or those from more remote areas which were in general poorer anyway. Thus, reinforcements would have been of progressively diminishing quality.

A picture of the national disposition of forces can be summarized as follows. The trained bands in the coastal counties, from Cornwall to Norfolk, were ready to be the first line of resistance against any Spanish landing in their localities; after any threat on their coast had passed, they either disbanded or were called up elsewhere. Leicester’s army in Essex performed essentially the same function, but since the council believed that the attack was most likely to come here, the Essex forces were augmented with trained bands from other counties, were kept on for a much longer period, and were, unlike the forces assembled in other coastal counties, paid by the queen. The same applies to the forces under Leicester’s command in Kent. Finally, Hunsdon’s army would have defended the queen, capital and government from swift capture by the Spanish; this force was projected to be larger than Leicester’s on the first (23 July) mobilization, and even more so after the orders of 28 July, and was clearly to be the main force in the event of a successful landing. The ‘Tilbury’ army has always received the most attention, as early as the histories of Camden and Stow, leading to an almost universal misdirection of attention thither, but it can be seen that this is the result of essentially ephemeral factors. Most importantly, this army, unlike Hunsdon’s, actually came into being and was kept in existence long after other forces had been disbanded, for strategically dubious reasons. It could thus be visited quite easily from London, most notably of course by the queen on 8 –9 August, but also by other ministers and leading figures. This being so, it is not surprising that the picture presented by the queen’s visit stuck in the memory of all who witnessed it.

It remains to discuss the counties’ responses to the council’s mobilization orders, which is best characterized as mixed. There were many reports of great enthusiasm: in Dorset, the gentry voluntarily upgraded their light horse to lances; Bedfordshire sent fifty more footmen than were required for Leicester’s army; Leicester reported a great deal of willingness in his Essex troops. On the other hand, there were various reports of meanness and evasion: refusals to contribute in Sussex, reluctance in Middlesex; Hertfordshire gentry were accused of sending horses inferior to those they had showed at musters. Indeed, the response was equally varied within counties: in Huntingdonshire, for example. This was the inevitable corollary of an amateur military force. Typically, some of the most critical reports concerned the dishonesty of captains.However, on the surviving evidence, the overall response can at least besaid to have been orderly and well organized. (..)

In the light of this article’s reassessment of the events of the crisis, Parker’s critique of the English preparations appears overstated. The concentration of defence forces in Essex rather than Kent was not a matter of ignorance but a considered response to new intelligence which minimized the risk of a surprise attack. The disagreement between Sir Thomas Scott and Sir John Norreys over the disposition of forces in Kent is not sufficient evidence that there was serious confusion over strategy amongst the English commanders: Scott was not a professional soldier, and he owed his command more to his local influence in east Kent than his merits as a commander. Nor can it be accepted that there was confusion in the council’s orders; the specific example cited is based on a misread source. The overall organization and management of the queen and council were much more impressive than has been argued. The council sat every day from 22 July to 5 August, coordinating virtually everything. The response to the movement of the Armada, with men called up from the south-west and south coast once the danger had passed, was successful. It is true that much of the detail seems to have been decided very late; the approach seems to have been to get as many troops as possible to London and then work out exactly what to do with them. This certainly allowed greater flexibility in disposing the troops, and whilst there was potential for confusion, the relatively small numbers of men involved made this less of a risk. Furthermore, Parma’s operations would have been very much on the hoof too.

On a broader level, the crisis allows an assessment of the overall success of Elizabethan military policy in preparing the country to repel an invasion. First of all, the fact that the trained bands existed at all can be regarded as a success; certainly Walsingham and Burghley were extremely proud that they had caused so many men to be ‘reduced into bands and trained … under captains and ensigns … a thing never put in execution in any of her Majesty’s predecessors’ times’. The command structures set up by the council in the years prior to the Armada – the lieutenancies in each county and the militia structures under their aegis – worked well in the crisis. Even the slackest lieutenancy machineries, such as Northamptonshire’s, met the council’s demands. In many ways, the achievement of the trained bands campaign was not military but organizational. Leaving aside for the moment their military prowess, the scheme ensured that there was a clear chain of command to relay the council’s orders to the county trained bands’ captains and men. When called upon, the troops would (and did) turn out with their weapons, under designated leaders whom they knew, and assemble at the rendezvous points in a reasonably orderly fashion. As Paul Hammer emphasizes, it was the government’s confidence in ‘how efficiently the trained bands could respond’ which allowed them to take the risk of partial mobilization. This was indeed a success for the council’s efforts to create a network of command based on the lieutenancies. It has also been noted that the counties were well able to act on their own initiative, implementing the plans laid down in conjunction with military experts. Furthermore, it is significant that there appears to have been no protest around the issue of the militias leaving their own counties, even though the militias from, for example, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire marching to join the army to defend the queen’s person must have been aware that they were leaving their homes undefended against any Spanish landing in the south-west. Certainly, then, the trained bands had their drawbacks, but they were, in Adams’s words ‘however flawed, … a precocious experiment in the creation of a national system quite unparalleled on the Continent’. (..)

Perhaps the most vexed point concerns the effectiveness and morale of the defenders. Clearly, an assessment of the trained bands’ military capability is difficult because they were never tested in battle, and sixteenth-century history offers few examples of citizen militias confronting trained soldiers from which might be extrapolated the outcome of an English resistance to invasion. Despite elements of success in the trained bands’ programmes, the council was never able to force the county authorities to implement sustained military training programmes effectively over a period of years. Although they would have had some rudiments of military discipline, it is doubtful whether many of the troops were outstandingly well armed or trained; at the very least, the quality varied enormously. Perhaps crucially, few had experience of facing an enemy. On the other hand, there must have been an admixture of veterans of various wars, and there was a sizeable pool of officers with military experience available to be used. As Parker rightly argues, however, a crucial factor, should a successful landing have been made, would have been the level of determination in the defence shown by ordinary Englishmen. Anecdotal evidence supports Parker’s own case that there was a good degree of popular anti-Spanish sentiment at many levels of society. Many of the nobility and gentry expressed great willingness to contribute their services. (..)

It is impossible to be sure what would have happened had a successful landing been made. In this context it is well worth remembering that the land forces were very much the poor relation of England’s defences: it was the well-supplied, increasingly professionalized fleet which was England’s first line of defence. Not only had it provided England’s advance strategy, as in the case of Drake’s 1587 voyage to Cadiz, which successfully prevented the Armada sailing that year, but its strategy of hustling the Armada down the Channel was a great success: in Howard’s words, they ‘course[d] the enemy as that they shall have no leisure to land’.”

Neil Younger, ‘If the Armada Had Landed: A Reappraisal of England's Defences in 1588′. History. Vol. 93, No. 3 (311) (JULY 2008), pp. 328-354.                       

[hardynwa]

Economic hardship: Osun activists, youths protest high cost of living

Groups of activists under the aegis of Joint Action Force, Coalition for Revolution, Osun Civil Society Coalition, members of the Federation of Informal Workers in Osun State, and youths on Monday staged a peaceful protest against the rising cost of living in the country. They also fault the decision of the Federal Government to give proceeds of oil subsidy removal to the governors. Speaking during a protest held by the groups in Osogbo, the state capital, one of the conveners, Mr Waheed Saka, said the protest was organised to prepare the ground for a bigger demonstration against the economic crisis ravaging the country. Osun protestersThe protesters had converged at Freedom Park, Osogbo from where they moved around the streets before they assembled under Olaiya Bridge, where they spoke to journalists. THE LOUNGE: WOULD YOU SLEEP WITH YOUR FATHER-IN-LAW AS A FAMILY TRADITION BEFORE MARRIAGE0:00 / 0:00 A large number of armed policemen, as well as operatives of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, were at the venue of the protest observing happenings, as the protesters sang various songs depicting the hardship Nigerians were going through. Speaking further, Saka, who warned that current economic hardship may lead to bigger crises if not checked, declared that governors have not been good managers of resources entrusted in their care in the past. Osun protestersHe said, “The essence of this protest is to mobilise the people for a bigger and larger protest that will be done nationwide, that will force the arms of government to do the right thing. We are not requesting too much, we are saying to fulfil your promise, that is not too much to ask from the government and the promise is not to make life difficult for the people or increase hardship on average Nigerians. “That is not what President Bola Tinubu promised us. We understand that there are a lot of issues but we said don’t remove subsidy and give the money to governors. Governors over the years have not been able to manage their resources effectively, why are you taking off the relief of an average Nigerian and giving the money to governors to spend? Policemen at the venue of Osun protest“That is not sustainable and now the devaluation of naira has led to an increase in the price of fuel because it is having a snowball effect on food and livelihood. President Tinubu should act now because he is already pushing our people to the precipice. “We are saying act right, we are saying enough is enough because we can’t continue, year in and year out to talk about doing the right thing. We are saying enough of IMF and World Bank policies. “We know over the years we have an average leader here working for all these international multilateral agencies, but we don’t expect somebody that promised that he has been planning to be president for many years to toll the same line of being a puppet of IMF and World Bank. “People are enjoying subsidy in different countries, why can’t Nigerians enjoy subsidy too? That is the only thing you give us, why are you taking the only thing that the people are enjoying away? That is why we are protesting, that is why we are on the street to mobilise ordinary people. This is not a labour movement issue, it is a concern for every Nigerian and that is why we are here.” Read the full article