#and give the handle to the current strongest unit the order has

[oh-cool-a-burning-sword]

in light of the new FB event:

[snarkywrites]

April Horoscopes: Strength

April will be a month of learning and discovering hope considering the challenges that the world is currently facing with COVID-19. Aries Season represents Cardinal Fire, this is the shift from the rocky waters of Pisces that we have traversed and onto more methods of initiating. In Pisces, we saw the concerns with the Coronavirus and during the Virgo Full Moon, preventive action (In the United States) was being taken by many governments to contain the spread in March. Aries Season does not guarantee a drastic change, but it will enable more action to be done in order to make bigger changes for tomorrow. With Saturn entering the sign of Aquarius around the same time that the Spring Equinox begins, we can only look forward to a more positive change since these signs are moving from Earth and Water to Air and Fire. We all look forward to what Aries Season has to bring, it is the start of the new Season, where new life is birthed as well as hope. Most of us are practicing isolation and keeping touch with friends and family seems like a pertinent thing to do during this period to keep our spirits up. It is a period of learning as well and finding the strength to persist and continue to fight. We have to ensure to keep our spirits up, to not give up on hope because it can become our strongest ally and the greatest weapon of all against fear.

Aries – We finally make it to your sign, and we all look to it for a change. Ironically, while Aries likes to move and explore, we are mostly practicing isolation at this time. Where this would hold you down or take you steps back, you might feel a sense of confidence with Jupiter bringing tension to your Sun sign. It might give you a boost of over optimism or bring you crashing down to negativity. Make sure to strike a balance since this month will be a lesson plan for you, especially when Jupiter and Pluto connect closer to bring on the intensity. A sign of relief will come with the Full Moon in Libra, bringing some balance to the overwhelming path this month, making you tune into what you need and how others can help you achieve that. With Venus in the sign of Gemini, you will feel a boost of confidence and energy that will help keep you in good spirits towards the end of the month. Later this month, when the sun shift to Taurus, you will feel a little less pressure, allowing you to go back and focus on rebuilding yourself and putting the focus back on you, but from a calmer and more neutral ground.

Taurus – Later this month we enter your season and we are all looking forward to that. For now, the Sun is in Aries and it is making you more methodical and contemplative. This period of time can amp up your anxiety, but you have to remember to relax. Venus is still in your sign for the earlier parts of April, before it trapezes into the sign of Gemini, making you more prone to look at your finances and worth. Venus will be retrograding in this sign, so be careful not to practice the “treat yourself” mentality until later this year. With Pluto and Jupiter meeting up on April 4th, there will be a drive in you to explore and seek some truths about the world or something you might have been curious about for a while. Higher learning opportunities are possible at this time. The Full Moon in Libra will be a calming effect on you, since you are both Venus ruled signs. Being practical and planning will come with greater ease as you get more focused on achieving your goals and set your sights towards the future. Finally, when the Sun enters your sign on the 19th, you will feel that boost of energy you have longed for that will wake you up from that slumber.

Gemini – This is going to be a very interesting month for you. Venus will enter the sign of Gemini on the 3rd and it will remain there for a while. For those who have had troubles with love, this period will be an eye opening one for you. It will be a learning experience as you become more aware with your relationships in the past and present, giving you keys to think about the future. The Sun is in Aries for the first part of the month, bringing the connections with friends through social media. You thrive when it comes to communication and when Mercury enters Aries on the 11th, you will see just how good you can be. There could be some recognition since you will be more active on the social media platforms, potentially making new friends and connections. The Full Moon in Libra brings excitement to your life during this transit, it also sparks your creativity, pushing you to get to work and make more content (especially for those artists and writers out there). April begins a period of transformation and promises to show you the new journey to self-discovery.

Cancer – April promises to be interesting as well as a little frustrating, as you receive tensions from both Capricorn and Aries, but you will find a way to power through it all with your resilience. Working hard will be on your mind and it will feel like it might be nonstop. You will feel some pressures trying to recalibrate your schedule and with everything going on you might be overwhelmed. The Full Moon in Libra will bring some harmony and balance to your environment, halting the madness for a while and allowing for a nice breather. Venus in Gemini will also provide some relief and relaxation as the anxiety slowly starts to creep away bringing you back to a sense of temporary normalcy. When the Sun enters the sign of Taurus, you will be more receptive to what the season has to offer. Connecting with friends will be a huge theme this transit, and the New Moon might amp the focus for you, especially with most people practicing isolation. The Pluto and Jupiter conjunction will be a doozy for everyone, and this might be a period where you might need to meditate, so that you won’t crumble those close relationships to you.

Leo – This month will be a learning experience. Aries Season keeps you full of hope and some optimism, although it can feel fleeting. When Mercury enters Aries on the 1th, part of you will have a need to learn and dive more into topics that have been calling out to you for the last couple of months. With the Jupiter and Pluto conjunction making us all want to hide; you will feel more intrigued about uncovering truths while becoming fixated on making changes to your routines. Lots of fixed signs will be running for cover since Saturn is now in the sign of Aquarius, but you will feel confident enough to handle this energy. This is a point in time where you will feel the need to reflect and look more within. Saturn might point out some things you need to change and will most likely feel confident working on. Interpersonal relationships will be eye opening for you during this transit. The Full Moon in Libra on the 7th will make you sharper and more focused. More tools in your inventory to help you navigate those thoughts in your mind that will be sparked by Jupiter, which will put you on the path to organization and efficiency until the remainder of the year. You’ll be happy when the Sun enters Taurus because you will have your moment in the sun and will embrace it.

Virgo – The Sun in Aries this month will stir up some emotions from your past. The Jupiter and Pluto conjunction on the 4th will spark some memories riddled with pain, as you think back on the moments of happiness along with the thoughts of endings in certain relationships. There could have been someone that was a strong influence from your past who might stir up some memories of a distant past. Like most signs this year, you will have to battle with those memories in order to let go and move on. The Full Moon in Libra brings the focus back on you and where your comfort zones reside. You might be compelled to critique yourself for not managing finances the way you have dreamed, but a lot of us are dealing with unexpected events and turmoil with our income. Best to be patient and focus more on your wellbeing. Relax. A more favorable time begins when the Sun enters Taurus later on in the month, giving you the courage needed to take on a new path and you might even feel a little more optimistic about the changes that have been brought into your life in the last two months. These changes are drastic and upsetting, but you will become more acclimated as time goes on. After all, these are still a lot of lessons that we are learning along the way.

Libra – One of the biggest events this month will be the Full Moon in your sign on the 7th.  This will be an empowering moment for you, even if it does not feel like it is at the time. Full Moons serve to activate our own power within, a time of breaking down parts of ourselves and tackling our own vulnerabilities. The Sun in Aries this month will still ignite passion and excitement for you as well. If you have felt defeated by Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter this year, you will find a way to stabilize yourself after everything felt like it was slipping away. There will be a lot of release of energy and with Venus entering Gemini, you can find yourself transforming through a new spiritual path. Saturn’s ingress in Aquarius will be a breathing period for you since those Cardinal placements are coming apart (for now), giving you room to take a moment to relax as you plan for what comes next. The warrior within you is definitely out this month, even if it does not seem like it. You will feel more focused and more willing to take on the role of tactician. Finally, the shift to Taurus Season will be a little more relaxing for you as you focus on rebuilding while taking a step back from the world.

Scorpio – You are compelled and driven to work hard this month with the Sun finally in Aries. However, everything will feel like a frustrating halt given the world events happening now. Take a step back and decompress; this period of time can be a good way to figure out if your body needs a break or if you need to make some changes that will help improve your health. The Full Moon in Libra on the 7th will motivate you to take time to rest and rebuild.  If you have felt exhausted before or needed a break, now is your time to do it. This will be therapeutic and wonderful for you. But be prepared because with Venus entering the sign of Gemini, things might heat up and move extremely fast, maybe too fast for your liking. This will be an interesting period filled with exploration and lots of communication. This month adds even more fun and exciting moments when the Sun moves to Taurus which will bring to focus some potential partnerships (if you’re looking) or a way to solidify self love.

Sagittarius – It has been a long journey for you, but you this fire season will bring some excitement to your life. Aries Season will feel like a very surreal moment given the situation in the world, but you know how to make the best of the situation. The Jupiter and Pluto conjunction in Capricorn might feel like a dreaded moment which will force you to take a look at what you learned from your last Saturn transit in Sagittarius. That foundation, your base is going to be rocked, but you have endured, so keep strong and focused. If you have been putting off projects for months, prepare now for a burst of creative stimulation that will keep you occupied. With Venus entering the sign of Gemini on the 3rd, you will feel more in tune with art and romance. Lovely words might be spoken by you or someone will speak them to you. The Full Moon in Libra, you will feel connected to your social circle and might feel even more motivation from them which puts your inspiration on another level. The Sun enters Taurus on the 19th, making you more focused, bringing a sense of determination to get things done, efficiently. Continue kicking ass and enjoy this Venus transit in Gemini.

Capricorn – Mars and Saturn are finally out of your sign, bringing some much-needed relief on your end. However, Jupiter and Pluto are still there, rocking your world. On the 4th, they come closer in a conjunction to remind you that, you are still going through the transformative phase, so keep focused since Saturn will eventually come back to join them several months from now. You still need to work hard even now. It will feel stressful with the pandemic, but you have got this. Your efficiency and resourcefulness is what makes you someone that people admire. When you feel defeated, remember to think about the battles you have dealt with and won. Venus enters the sign of Gemini, adding more passion to your work, making you multi-task and prepare for more. You are ready. With the Full Moon in Libra, this can be an eye opener, as you notice where your work and accomplishments have led you, don’t get too caught up and expect to make drastic changes (yet). The Sun entering the sign of Taurus on the 19th promises to bring some fun and joy to your life (briefly) as you enjoy the happier moments before you get back into overdrive to get more shit done.

Aquarius – We can expect fellow air signs to be ecstatic with Venus entering Gemini on the 3rd, bringing you some enjoyable moments. Moments like these are needed, especially with the pandemic and everyone practicing isolation. Venus in Gemini will prompt you to reach out to others, to establish new connections and to find joys in unconventional ways that involve communication. On the 4th, Jupiter and Pluto are exact, making you ponder over the past and how to break way from those memories that might be holding you back in order to create a healthier and happier future. The Full Moon in Libra will give you the insights needed to make changes, to connect with your higher self and even seek a greater good through philosophy. It can be a moment where you feel more studious, wanting to embark on journeys through learning. The theme of connecting and staying connected will be prominent for everyone, but air signs will know how to navigate through these waters with ease. The Sun entering the sign of Taurus on the 19th brings a relaxing energy and the focus on grounding you from all of the air energy. You will get in touch with those closest to you and have a new appreciation for them.

Pisces – April will bring a lot of promise to you, but it requires patience. We are all learning how to handle being patient with the pandemic. This period of isolation will allow for you to focus on setting your goals, planning ahead and thinking about your stability as Sun and Mercury shift to Aries. Once Venus shifts into the sign of Gemini on April 3rd (and remains there for a several months), it will help resolve your need for grounding as well as the growing questions that continue to nag you. This Venus transit resonates with what the world is going through, you will reach out to loved ones or be surrounded by them. Focusing on security and stability will be major for you. With the Full Moon in Libra on April 7th, you might feel the fear and anger creep up on you, but you will manage because you are patient and diligent when you want to overcome. You have been on a journey for months, seeking answers, thinking about the past and the future. When the Sun moves into the sign of Taurus on the 19th, you will be more prepared to tackle on these questions, to find those answers aggressively and to express your needs and desires.  

[ibijau]

Burn it down AU // on AO3 // extras on AO3

Things do not go as planned in Nightless City. Lan Wangji worries. Nie Huaisang plots.

warning for some violence (canon typical levels I’d say?)

Nightless City had never been Lan Wangji’s favourite place to travel to, but after years of abandonment, it had become truly ghoulish. In certain places, the lingering resentment was so strong it became nearly impossible to breathe. In the bitter wind, Lan Wangji thought he could still hear the shrill notes of Chenqing playing a deadly melody. In every shadow, he half saw the shape of Wei Wuxian, fractured by too many losses, on the verge of shattering beyond repair, taking hundreds down with him.

Lan Wangji could have happily lived to immortality and never set foot again in this cursed city. It must have shown. Several times, Nie Huaisang tried to order him away, saying he was perfectly capable of handling his brother’s body, even if Nie Mingjue really had turned into a fierce corpse and needed to be subdued.

“I’m not much of a cultivator, but even I can take care of a fierce corpse,” he boasted again and again with an empty smile. “Go wait for me in the nearest town, Wangji. It’s a family problem anyway, and I’ve made you help enough already.”

“We’re family,” Lan Wangji said at last, when he grew tired of his husband trying to send him away.

After this, Nie Huaisang grew quiet and stopped insisting that he could do this alone. 

It wasn’t until they arrived to the spot marked on the map that Lan Wangji understood where, exactly, his brother-in-law’s remains had been hidden. He felt nauseous at being once more in front of Wen Ruohan’s palace, where the remains of the Wen siblings had been scattered to the winds, Wei Wuxian’s last friends, the last people he had cared about.

The place where the entire cultivation had united together, just as tightly as they had during the Sunshot Campaign, and announced that they had decided who their next enemy would be. The place where Wei Wuxian’s death had been decided, where he had lost what little he still had and snapped over the bloodied corpse of his sister. The place where…

“Hey, stay with me,” Nie Huaisang called to him, grabbing his sleeve and pulling lightly, the way A-Yuan did sometimes. “So, this is the right place, uh? Heavens, it looks even worse than in my memories. Remember that archery contest, at that last conference the Wens held? Damn, I remember the party after, it was so awful. The alcohol was so cheap. Talk about disrespecting your guests! Ah, not that it’d matter to you, of course. I wonder how the tea was?”

“Bad,” Lan Wangji managed to answer, taking one shaky breath after another. “Cheap.”

“I knew it! And the food was awful as well. There was that weird dessert… did you have any of the desserts?”

Lan Wangji dived under more recents memories and tried to remember that conference. It felt a lifetime ago. It was, in a way. They had all been different before the war. Sometimes, it all felt like a dream. And in that dream, he could not remember whether he’d eaten the dreadful desserts Nie Huaisang apparently recalled with such clarity. Thinking about it helped a little, though, forcing him to focus on something other than his last visit to Nightless City.

“No desserts,” he still said, since that seemed likely. He took a deep breath. Now was not the moment to break. He could do that later, when they had recovered Nie Mingue’s body and Nie Huaisang no longer needed his help. “Give me a moment. Then I will see if his soul can be reached.”

“Should I be silent, or keep talking?”

“Hm. Tell me more about the desserts,” Lan Wangji ordered, looking around for a place where he might sit without covering himself in filth.

With Nie Huaisang still clinging to his sleeve, he found a spot at last, not far from where his brother and the other sect leaders had stood to… but no. Lan Wangji pushed away that memory, and forced himself to listen to Nie Huaisang’s graphic description of what he claimed were the worst tanghulu he’d ever eaten in his life. The mindless chatter only stopped when he took out his guqin and played a few notes, bringing him if not peace, then at least clarity. 

"I will try Inquiry," he announced. 

"You think it will work on Da-ge?" 

"No," Lan Wangji admitted, and immediately something crumbled in Nie Huaisang. "There are other spirits lingering here. One might help." 

Lan Wangji played the notes that commanded souls to come talk to him. In an instant he found himself surrounded with the screams and rage of all those who had perished in this cursed city. Several ceremonies had been performed to put them to rest, but with so many having died, and in such a violent manner, it had not yet been enough to calm them. 

In vain, Lan Wangji tried to call forth the soul of Nie Mingjue. All that brought him was a dissonant mass of spirits trying to seize his guqin, either praising or cursing his brother-in-law for his actions in Nightless City. Lan Wangji played a few more notes to calm them before trying a different question. Had they seen Jin Guangyao come to this place in the past year? 

Less spirits rushed to him this time, and Lan Wangji was able to select the strongest one among them to answer, one single word. 

Yes. 

The spirit, a fallen Nie disciple, had trained alongside Jin Guangyao during his time in Qinghe Nie and thus knew him very well. He had no doubt that it was him, having caught a glimpse of his face. After further interrogation, it revealed that Jin Guangyao had come there to bury something, and it was able to give the precise location, hidden under a large paving stone. Lan Wangji thanked the spirit, promised to see what could be done about another calming ceremony, and turned to his husband to share the news. 

"Let me guess, he hid Da-ge's body under the spot where they took the oath, didn't he?" 

"Hm." 

"Theatrical bastard," Nie Huaisang hissed. "Wangji, if you want, I'll handle the rest alone. I can manage." 

Lan Wangji shook his head. 

"A fierce corpse is not a person. What we find might attack you."

"But still…" 

"I won't let A-Yuan be orphaned again." 

That cut short to all of Nie Huaisang’s protests, as Lan Wangji expected it would. 

Together, and with both of them equally uneasy though for different reasons, they went to the spot indicated by the spirit. It was barely visible if one did not look for it, but among the paving stones there was one that appeared to have been unsealed. 

Without saying it, Lan Wangji knew that Nie Huaisang and him were thinking the same thing: that stone did not look large enough to cover a body, let alone that of a man as tall as Nie Mingjue. Still they knelt on the ground and got to work, carefully lifting the stone, then digging the soil under until they found a box. 

That box itself was nothing special. It was made of black wood and carried no particular mark. And yet powerful dark energies surrounded it, barely contained by a great number of peculiar talismans drawn in blood. 

"I've never seen those talismans before," Nie Huaisang commented in a weak voice, clearly trying to ignore the more glaring issue. That box that was little more than the length of Lan Wangji's arm. 

"I have," Lan Wangji announced, though he could not quite remember where he might have seen them. "It will come to me." 

Nie Huaisang nodded weakly. He brought one hand toward the box, as if to brush his fingers against the wood, but stopped short of touching it. 

"Wangji… That box… It's really too small, isn't it?" he whispered. “Do you think… do you think he cremated him?”

“Hm.”

It was a likely possibility. It would have eliminated any traces of the crime, and made it far more difficult to summon Nie Mingjue’s soul to testify regarding his own death. 

It would definitely have required an accomplice though, because the fierce corpse of such a man would not have allowed itself to be destroyed so easily, and Jin Guangyao’s cultivation was what it was. Besides, the talismans on the box did not look like ordinary ones. There were few methods that called for the characters to be drawn in blood, and currently the most famous one was Wei Wuxian’s demonic path. Considering that Lanling Jin had been the one to get its hands on most of Wei Wuxian’s notes, that they had infamously hired a person such as Xue Yang to make sense of those…

“That talisman, isn’t it different from the others?” Nie Huaisang suddenly pointed out. “Look, it has one stroke less than the others.”

Before Lan Wangji could stop him, Nie Huaisang reached for the faulty talisman. As soon as he touched the paper it consumed itself, allowing an intense burst of resentful energy to be released from the box. Nie Huaisang cried out in surprise or pain, while Lan Wangji, acting on sheer instinct, jumped to his feet and drew his sword. Before Bichen was fully out of its sheath, the box’s lid was shattered as a lone arm burst out of its confinement.

In the split second it took Lan Wangji to comprehend what was happening, the arm launched itself at Nie Huaisang’s throat since he was closest, and alternated between trying to strangle him and clawing at his skin. It did not stop its assault until Lan Wangji slashed at it with his sword, distracting it from its victim. For a moment the arm, as if enraged, tried to attack Lan Wangji, blindly clawing in his direction and narrowly avoiding being cut to pieces by Bichen. Quickly though, it lost interest in that fight. Twice Lan Wangji managed to stop it, but in the end the arm avoided his attacks and returned to assault Nie Huaisang who was still kneeling on the ground, trying to stop the gashes on his throat from bleeding out.

Nie Huaisang screamed in terror and pain when that ghoulish arm seized his own, digging its claws into his flesh. 

The arm was not merely tearing at him now, but instead dug its fingers into the skin of Nie Huaisang as if it sought to get under it. With each passing second, the poor man fought a little more weakly, his skin growing paler until Lan Wangji took his guqin again and hurriedly played a song to calm the arm. It took effort, and a few tries, but after a few minutes he managed to pacify the arm. It fell to the ground, as did Nie Huaisang, pale and whimpering in pain but still alive.

Keeping an eye on the now immobile arm, Lan Wangji hurried to Nie Huaisang’s side and used every bit of spiritual energy he could spare to stop the bleeding. Even when he was done, Nie Huaisang would not stop trembling and crying.

When his eyes fell on the arm, he screamed in rage and horror, the noises resonating in those vast, empty spaces. 

“I have to get him back,” Nie Huaisang hissed in a broken voice when he calmed down. “And then I’m killing every single Jin in Lanling.”

“You won’t.”

“I certainly want to! They butchered him! No, not even butchered,” He corrected with a hysterical laugh. “Butchering, that calls for skill. I could cut a body better than that and I will when I get my hands on Guangyao! I’ll dig up his mother and father and show him how it’s done, I will...”

“Huaisang, calm down.”

“My brother! They took my brother and did this to him, and you want me to calm down? If it were Xichen, if it were A-Yuan, would you be calm? I’ll make them pay! Every single one of them, I’ll make them pay!”

Unsure what to do when faced with such desperate rage, Lan Wangji forced himself to put a hand on his husband’s shoulder, hoping to provide some comfort. His hand was slapped away. Nie Huaisang had too little strength left at the moment for it to sting, but the message was clear. Comfort, for now, was not welcome.

Instead, Lan Wangji turned his attention back to the box and, having seen its content, he realised where he had seen those talismans before. They were eerily similar to those Wei Wuxian had used to contain Wen Ning before his conscience was returned to him. They were not quite as neat as the ones he had seen during his brief visit to the Burial Mounds, and if anything, they seemed to have been traced by someone who had only the vaguest idea of the proper way to write characters, but they were still the same ones.

“Demonic cultivation,” he announced to Nie Huaisang, hoping to distract him from his rage. “To contain and conceal.”

Nie Huaisang did not answer, his eyes fixed on the arm. He reached out for it and, with some hesitation, picked it up to hold it against his chest, cradling it as if it were a child.

“We can try the spell again,” Lan Wangji offered. “We might find the rest of him. Even if we do not, this is proof something evil was done to him.”

“He got rid of Xue Yang,” Nie Huaisang mumbled, tightening his hold on his brother’s arm.

“Hm?”

“Guangyao. He got rid of Xue Yang. You say this is demonic cultivation, and Xue Yang was the only person they’d found who was able to make sense of Wei Wuxian’s work. He wasn’t purging his sect and starting anew, he was getting rid of witnesses.”

“It is still proof.”

Nie Huaisang laughed. “Proof of what? The spell we used to find it is a secret Nie technique, it’d be easy to say we lied about its effects, or that I tricked you and used you for my nefarious plans. This arm could be anyone’s. I know it is my brother’s, I know it, but it’ll be my word against Guangyao’s. People don’t like him, but I think they like me even less.”

An unfair statement, in Lan Wangji’s opinion. Lan Xichen believed and trusted them. Jiang Wanying probably had more sympathy for and trust in Nie Huaisang than in his brother-in-law’s half brother who had just usurped his nephew’s inheritance. The older Madam Jin might share that sentiment.

But all that, of course, was on a personal level. Lan Wangji was starting to accept that natural inclination, and things as unquantifiable as honesty and truth, did not matter as much as his sect’s rules had led him to believe.

“We find the rest of his body,” Lan Wangji insisted. “When we are away from this place, I will try Inquiry again. We will find proof.”

Nie Huaisang appeared unconvinced by that promise, for which Lan Wangji could not blame him. After a shock such as this, hope would have been difficult to muster even for a man not already as close to despair as Nie Huaisang was.

--

They left Nightless City after carefully replacing the paving stone where it belonged and taking great pains to hide that it had been moved. The box they took with them, so they could inspect it later at their leisure to look for clues. The arm, of course, came as well. 

It took Lan Wangji great efforts to persuade Nie Huaisang to put the arm back in its box, and to put that box in a qiankun bag so it would be easier to transport. Even then, Nie Huaisang insisted to be the one to carry it, clinging to it as tightly as he had done with the arm itself.

Nie Huaisang did not speak on their way out of the city. He did not speak when they stopped for the night at a small, struggling inn that still survived on the outskirts of Nightless City. He did not speak when Lan Wangji used the different Nie spells he had been taught in a fruitless attempt to locate the rest of the body. The rest of Nie Mingjue must have been better sealed. If not for that mistake with one of the talismans, it was likely that they would never have found even this much.

As promised, Lan Wangji attempted to play Inquiry for the arm. It was all in vain, and Nie Huaisang remained eerily silent. The only sound he made all evening happened when the arm, which had stood perfectly still so far, started moving its fingers of its own accord and appeared to point in his direction. Nie Huaisang cried out and nearly fell down in fear, but before anything could happen Lan Wangji quickly calmed the arm once more, this time putting more power into it so that hopefully it would not trouble them again until the next evening.

When Nie Huaisang went to bed, he took with him the qiankun bag, as if scared that someone might take his brother from him again. In the morning, he looked somehow more tired than when he had gone to sleep, and remained uncharacteristically quiet.

That silence remained as they made their way to the Cloud Recesses where they needed to see Lan Xichen and announce that their plan was not going quite as smoothly as they had all expected. It was unsettling to see Nie Huaisang so quiet when Lan Wangji had never known him as anything but loud and animated both at the heights of his joy and in the depths of his pain. And yet, Lan Wangji did not know how to comfort his friend. All he could do was offer his presence, and be ready to help, should it be asked.

--

When they arrived in the Cloud Recesses, their first stop was to pick up their son. There was no shyness this time, but a lot of tears as A-Yuan left Hou Tianjian's side and ran into his father’s arms. He wrapped his arms around Lan Wangji’s neck nearly tight enough to choke him. It was good, after those difficult weeks, to be home and have his son with him again. Nightless City had reminded him bitterly of his errors, but at least A-Yuan was proof that he had not entirely failed Wei Wuxian.

When A-Yuan noticed that Nie Huaisang was there as well, he made it clear that he wanted to be in the other man’s arms now. Nie Huaisang indulged him but made a great show of complaining and lamenting that the little boy was starting to get too heavy for him. A-Yuan appeared very amused by those protests, but grew serious when his eyes fell on Nie Huaisang’s neck where he still bore marks of the arm's attack.

“Nie-ge is hurt?”

Nie Huaisang laughed awkwardly, and balanced A-Yuan against his hip so he could free one hand and pull his collar tighter against his skin.

“That's nothing,” he said with a too wide smile. “Your Nie-ge is clumsy and fell into some bushes. Let's not talk about it, right? It's very embarrassing for poor Nie-ge.”

“Does it hurt?” A-Yuan insisted, reaching out towards some of the scabs that couldn't quite be covered by the fabric. Nie Huaisang grasped his wrist and stopped him before he could touch.

“The worst wound is to my pride,” he replied with false assurance. “A-Yuan, I love you but you're too heavy. Go back with your dad now.”

“Nie-ge looks tired,” A-Yuan commented as he was handed back to Lan Wangji. “Did Nie-ge and Father work a lot?”

What little cheerfulness Nie Huaisang had managed to muster thus far appeared on the verge of collapsing, and so Lan Wangji took it upon himself to come to his rescue.

“We were busy,” he explained. “We flew from very far and for many days. It can be tiring.”

None of it was a lie, even if it was far from the entire truth. It seemed to satisfy A-Yuan who even took it as his chance to ask whether he too would soon learn to fly on his sword. Lan Wangji thanked Hou Tianjian for her help, gave in to her request that Lan Jingyi come play in the Jingshi someday, and then the three of them left together. The rest of the day passed not unpleasantly, with A-Yuan detailing everything he had done since Lan Wangji had last seen him. It was painful to know that he had missed several weeks of his son's life, but A-Yuan did not appear to resent his absence too much this time. Somehow, that made it worse, as if the child had just grown to accept that it was normal for him to be left behind.

As the bell of curfew rang, there was a knock on the Jingshi's door. Lan Wangji, after checking that A-Yuan had truly fallen asleep, went to welcome his visitor. It was no surprise to find his brother on his doorstep. In truth, they probably should have gone to see him as soon as they had arrived in Cloud Recesses, but without ever saying it, Nie Huaisang and Lan Wangji had agreed that being with A-Yuan was more important. Their quest had met little success, but their son needed to know they hadn't abandoned him.

Lan Xichen took one look at the both of them, and his face hardened.

“I gather that things did not go as we had hoped?”

Nie Huaisang, who had been sitting at the table, a fan in one hand and a book in the other, flinched at the question. He dropped the book and immediately grasped to the qiakun bag that he still refused to be parted from, except for when Lan Wangji was forced to calm the resentful arm it contained.

“The situation is more complicated than expected,” Lan Wangji stated, inviting his brother to sit before launching himself into a short explanation of what had happened, wanting to spare Nie Huaisang from having to recount those events. Even just hearing an account of what had happened seemed nearly too much for his husband who grew paler and more closed off as the explanation reached its end.

Lan Xichen hardly fared any better.

“I cannot believe Jin Guangyao would go so far,” he whispered in a trembling voice. “Doing something so horrific to a man he once called his brother...”

Sitting next to him, Lan Wangji patted his brother's shoulder. After days of dealing with Nie Huaisang's worsening mood, it was almost shocking when the comforting gesture was not rejected.

“Maybe we can act even with this alone,” Lan Xichen suggested with a sigh. “It is not the strongest case we could be making, but...”

“I am not taking risks,” Nie Huaisang hissed, grasping his fan tightly. “This isn't enough proof. I cannot... I will not take the risk of accusing him now. He'll just find some new lies to throw around and look for ways to destroy the rest of Da-ge's body and then he'll have won. I can let him gloat a little longer with his perfect sect, his perfect wife and his perfect son. I'm patient. I'll find my brother's body, and that will be proof, and then nothing will stop me from avenging Da-ge.”

“Huaisang, it might take a long time,” Lan Xichen objected. “And you will have to interact with him frequently. Can you manage that?”

“Of course. Er-ge should know better than anyone that I'm quite good at not showing when things affect me.”

There was something nearly cruel to Nie Huaisang's smile as he said that, and he appeared to enjoy the way Lan Xichen tensed at the veiled accusation.

“We must use that other corpse finding spell,” Lan Wangji intervened to ease the tension and get them back on track. “If Huaisang is willing to teach me, I will go to Qinghe with A-Yuan and...”

“That won't be necessary,” Nie Huaisang cut him. “Not yet, anyway. That last spell is... cumbersome, it requires a lot of preparation and certain... elements to be gathered.” He snickered. “Actually, that spell is almost outright demonic cultivation, if I'm honest. I'd rather you not be there as I get it started, although I will need your high cultivation to really get it going when the time comes. But until then, I'd prefer if you stayed in the Cloud Recesses. It's A-Yuan's home, and yours as well.”

“You should not be left alone,” Lan Wangji objected.

Nie Huaisang shrugged, but did not try to deny that statement. That only served to worry Lan Wangji even further and judging by the look on his face, Lan Xichen felt similarly.

“Huaisang, we are on your side,” he said softly, reaching out to take his brother-in-law's hand. “Let us help you.”

Lan Xichen's hand was slapped away.

“This isn't your problem. Da-ge was my brother, my family, my responsibility,” Nie Huaisang snapped, before taking a deep breath and forcing himself to smile as he fanned himself. “I hope that didn't sound ungrateful. I am so, so thankful for your help, especially Wangji. But I have asked so much already, and this spell... it really is too much, considering Lan rules. I'd rather not bother you with the details, since they would displease you. Honestly, they displease me as well, and I know Da-ge disliked this spell, as did our father. But sometimes, there is no choice, is there?” Nie Huaisang chuckled lightly, his smile turning vicious again. “It's not like I can grab San-ge or Xue Yang and shake them until they tell me what they did to my brother.”

“Some of the purged demonic cultivators have been exiled, not killed,” Lan Xichen remarked. “Perhaps one of them might know something. Mo Xuanyu lives not far from Gusu, I could visit him.”

Nie Huaisang appeared to give that idea some thought, his fan stilling in his hand.

“Anyone who knew anything useful will have been killed,” he eventually remarked, hiding behind his fan. “And San-ge always said Mo Xuanyu was an idiot, so I'd be surprised if he had really dealt with any demonic cultivation. More likely, it's just a convenient excuse to get rid of another candidate to leadership of Lanling Jin. I'm ready to bet that stupid kid has been accused of every crime under the sun in Carp Tower. It is useless for Er-ge to go meet him, he will not have anything interesting to tell us. No, the spell is our only chance. It will find Da-ge... in time.”

Lan Xichen nodded, but appeared disappointed that his attempt to help had been so quickly rejected. Considering how little else he could do due to his position and the guilt he held regarding his part in the murder, Lan Wangji imagined his brother would have been glad to do anything to help in any way. Ultimately though, Nie Huaisang was right: Nie Mingjue had been his brother, and it was his duty to avenge him. They could offer their help, but he had to accept it.

Besides, although Lan Wangji was asked to continue living in the Cloud Recesses, so far Nie Huaisang had said nothing against visiting Qinghe. Even if he later objected to the idea, Lan Wangji would simply ignore him and go anyway. A-Yuan would surely start missing his Nie-ge too much otherwise, and Nie Huaisang loved the boy so much that he would not be able to protest once they were there.

Lan Wangji had made mistakes in the past, but he would not allow another friend of his to self destroy in the name of righteousness.

[dailydoseofcolor]

Taking Stock of Barracks in Fire Emblem Heroes: Part 3, Section 2 (Final)

Okay! So I took a few days off for travel and now want to finish this up. From everything above, I’ve pinpointed the 5* exclusive characters I would love to start getting merges for as well as solidifying who my official potential “projects” are. Now I need to start analyzing my priorities and go from there. The sections will be 5* exclusives that won’t need feathers for merging (barring any unexpected demotes, which is highly unlikely for the majority of these); 3-4* merge potential projects that require orbs, and 3-4* potential projects that require grails. First up, 5* exclusives. 

After going through my barracks, these are the characters I have isolated as ones that I want to work towards getting to +10: 

Micaiah, Mia, Nephenee, Saber, Silque, Myrrh, OG Ephraim, Brave Ike, Y!Marth, Summer Robin, Summer Innes, Halloween L'Arachel 

Now, mama didn’t raise a fool. The vast majority of these are unrealistic, but I can at least use this as a guide for what to save for. So these can be further categorized into three sections: Higher Priority, Realistic Goals, and Pipe Dreams: 

Higher Priority

Micaiah, +5; She just takes the least amount of merges to complete. She regularly appears on banners, and will eventually come as a pity breaker on other banners. 

Mia, +3; She’s my favorite of the fast sword girls. And while she’s slowly getting outclassed in terms of raw speed, she has good balanced defenses and her weapon can still give her a niche. I also wouldn’t be surprised if she lands a resplendent alt at some point.     

Realistic

Nephenee, +2; I’ve thought about it, and I let Nephenee’s -Spd bane distract me from her for too long. She’s at +2 with a Spd boon now, and still holds up stats-wise. Her attack is still a little low, but the armor effectiveness in her weapon more than makes up for that. The problem is that she’s on a banner right now that only lasts today. I can’t +10 her just today, but I need to try for a few merges. 

Saber, +1; I have a major soft spot for Saber. He held my Summoner Support for a long time, and I think he has a very interesting niche in the over-saturated sword market. He’s a long-term plan. 

Silque (Currently Base, could be +2); I love healers, and Silque is my favorite healer from the series as a whole. I haven’t merged her yet because she has a good staff, good special, and Dazzling Staff fodder. But I now realize that I don’t particularly care for Dazzling Staff fodder. That’s added to almost every new healer nowadays, more fodder will come. 

Myrrh, +0; Myrrh is the character I wanted most for so long. The first Manakete/Dragon I ever fell in love with, and she’s relevant again. Problem is, the only one I’ve pulled is +Def/-Atk. Amazing boon, terrible bane. I need merges to erase the bane and start really building her. She’s likely in the Top 5 for priorities.     

Pipe Dream

Ephraim, +0; Unless he demotes, this is a long shot. I’ve only ever pulled one and now I have other infantry lance users that out-compete him. It would be nice, though.

Y!Marth, +1; Y!Marth appearing at the same time as Bramimond really hurt my ability to justify spending for him, and now I kinda regret it. As far as sword infantries go, he’s super flexible and has great stats. His boon is +Atk, so that helps, but when he comes back, I’ll make a play for him. 

Summer Robin, +0 (Will be +1 after Compile Manuals Purchased); My first ever 5* unit! Summer Robin has held a special place in my heart since I first started the game. Back when getting 5* units as a new player was actually rather difficult, I played for about 2 weeks before my first one came up, and it was Summer Robin. She’ll erase her awful -Atk bane with the Compile Manual I’ll get of her, but I’m going to start working on snagging her in the upcoming summer banners.

Summer Innes, +0 (Will be +1 after Compile Manuals Purchased); The first unit I ever spent money to acquire (purchased an orb pack with an old gift card out of desperation). His Bow unit sucks all kinds of ass, and Axe fliers are still one of the rarer categories. He’ll be +1 soon (I love the limited time compile feature, it’s a much better mechanic than the long term compile option), but more merges would make me happy. He’ll be re-run soon. 

Halloween L’Arachel, +0; H! L’Arachel’s art might be one of my absolute favorite in the game. Easily Top 5. Green Cavalry Mages are also almost uniformly bad outside of Gunnthra, who needs a refine to maintain her niche. The only one who might be able to compete is Cecilia, but we’ll see where she truly lands after her eventual refine. Either way, more merges for her would be incredible. Sacred Stones is next up in the Hall of Forms rotation. I don’t expect her to be an option, but she’s on the short list of SS seasonals so…there’s a chance. 

Brave Ike, +2 (Could be +3); His Refine is incredible. He carries hard in AR and makes PvE content trivial. If anything, this is just to keep his stats sharp. This is mostly just an eventual “this would be nice” thing.

Now, if I take everything above and rank it, here’s what I have:

Micaiah

Mia

Myrrh

Nephenee

Saber

Silque

Halloween L'Arachel

Ephraim

Summer Robin

Y!Marth

Summer Innes

Brave Ike

Okay, I’m fine with this. Micaiah and Mia make the most sense, since they’re the closest to being done. Myrrh, Nephenee, Saber, and Silque are all realistic and will be making appearances on banners soon (other than Silque). The rest are just guidelines; although I will be saving for Summer Robin & Summer Innes return next month, and then saving for Halloween L’Arachel at the end of the year.

_____________________________________________

Now it’s time for 3-4* Potential Projects! My first pass yielded three groups: ones I already have the copies to +10, the ones I still need copies for, and Grail units. At this point, I need to diversify my +10 units by movement type, specifically flying and calvary, with an emphasis on Player Phase units, strong Mixed Phase units, and tome users. 

Here’s who I can +10 today if I desired: 

Nino, PP, +5, 100k feathers needed; Benefits from being a favorite character, player phase focused, and a tome user. Slight dock for being infantry. 

OG Eliwood, PP, +2, 160k feathers needed; Eliwood remains the front runner of this group if only because of favoritism. It helps that his Player Phase capabilities are now some of the best in the game when it comes to red sword users. 

Donnel, MP, +2, 160k feathers needed; Again, a strong Mixed Phase character with a new refine, but that pushes him into a Player Phase role. I just can’t swing the idea of building him up for use. 

Matthew, EP, +0, 200k feathers needed; Enemy Phase dagger to compliment Sothe’s Player Phase dagger niche. A favorite character, but shares movement type. Plus he requires a lot of support to really shine. Lower priority. 

Soleil, PP, +0, 200k feathers needed; One of the strongest 3-4* infantry swords. Great attack and good speed, middling defenses that could be patched up with skill investment. She ranks pretty high, but has a high merge cost from my current supplies. 

Ares, EP, +0, 200k feathers needed; Fills a different role than Eliwood, but makes a case given how oppressive Special Spiral + Bonfire can be. Middling priority. 

Est, PP, +0 (No 5*), 220k feathers needed; I love lance fliers and Est is the only one on my short list that isn’t a Grail unit. She’d require some significant investment in terms of resources, but I’ve been thinking of making a dedicated flier team for a while, which she would shine in. 

Titania, Support, +0, 200k feathers needed; I love Tactics teams and almost no one runs it better than Titania. She’d require high investment, but I’ve held onto her for years with the plan to invest, it might be time. 

OG Tharja, PP, +0 (No 5*), 220k feathers needed; I really love red mages. My Lysithea sees very regular use, and Tharja’s potential on a Tactics team would be incredible. She remains a very high potential.

Soren, Support, +0 (No 5*), 220k feathers needed; I also love Chill skills, and Soren is one of only a few characters that can pull Triple Chill. I might build him with Triple Chill to see how he handles before I invest. He’s lower priority right now.

Here’s who I have on my short list for potential projects that I don’t actively have all the merges for yet: 

Rath, PP, +2 (Could be +7, with a +Atk waiting for deliberation); 160k feathers needed; Rath is the closest on this list to having the merges needed. He’s currently at +2, and I only need another 2 in order to be at +10. He will continue to be higher on the list than others, if only because I’m a sucker for calvary bow users. 

Altena, EP, +1, 180k feathers needed; So. Here’s the problem. I love Altena, and she’s likely a Top 5 merge project contender….but I don’t have the merges. She just hasn’t been showing up. She just has to remain on the back burner of priority until I have more merges. I’ll reassess if more start coming along. 

Norne, MP, (Could be +4) (No 5*), 220k feathers needed; Norne checks a lot of boxes for me: Infantry, Great Stats, Mixed Phase potential, Bow User. I still need 6 copies to make her +10, but I need to start investing in her now. I know she sits in the exact same space that Altena does, but even having a few more merges changes the calculus. The major major problem is that none of the 5* units I’ve decided are priorities are colorless except for Silque. So the likelihood that she turns up on pulls is less likely. But I think my heart doesn’t really care. 

Tethys, Support, (Could be +5, No 5*), 220k feathers needed; Tethys makes this list due to her Support potential. Colorless infantry dagger is mostly filled for me, but she sticks out in my mind. I might just build her low at first to see how I like her, similar to Soren.

I’ve been avoiding this for a long time. I never spend grails because I’m worried the perfect Grail Unit will come along and it’s blinded me to the number of amazing Grail Units that have already come along, and some of these Grails are starting to burn a hole in my pocket. Now it’s time: 

Astram, PP/Support, +2, 160k feathers, 2200 grails; I’ve been using Astram in Arena this past week and I’ve really changed my mind about him. His performance is very solid, and he handles a ton of things on his own. He also slots into the mercenary/knight side of sword user instead of myrmidon, which I’ve always preferred. Great PRF, good stat totals; this is biased because Arena bonus unit buffs are one hell of a drug. He’s back in the running. 

Joshua, MP, +2, 160k feathers, 2600 grails; Making a completely flip-flopped statement from earlier, since Joshua is on the myrmidon side of sword users, but Joshua’s always been a favorite of mine, and I stupidly used one way back for Windsweep on Sothe…of all things. He’s in line for a weapon refine soon, and depending on how they treat it, could launch him into contention again. He remains a strong front runner. Also, there’s a strong chance he’ll be the Grail option in the upcoming SS Hall of Forms. I would love if it’s either him, Lyon, or Valter; that would be incredible. 

Black Knight, MP, +2, 160k feathers, 2200 grails; Obviously TT/GHB were originally conceived of to give us fun side characters and villains, and the Black Knight remains near the top. I don’t usually use Armor units, but he’d hold his own very well, especially considering the number of Fighter skills that exist. 

Fallen Ashnard, EP/MP, (Could be +2, No 5*), 180k feathers, 2200 grails; The main thing going against Fallen Ashnard right now is how new he is. So his investment will remain high for a while. But it’s hard to ignore how well his stats turned out. Great villain from my favorite series and it’s hard to not be drawn to him. Plus sword fliers are either 5* forever locked or like…Palla (aka Moonbow fodder). He’s got a great niche. 

Valter, PP, (Could be +4), 120k feathers, 1650 grails; Another favorite villain from a favorite series in a unit type that is treated poorly by IS. His speed doesn’t hold up, unfortunately, but he’s very likely due for a refine soon, and he could be a part of the upcoming Hall of Forms. He’s higher on the priority list because of his status as a favorite unit, but I should honestly wait for the refine to decide. 

Cormag, PP, (Could be +2, No 5*), 180k feathers, 2200 grails; The second in a run of lance fliers with generic stats that seemed to last for several months. Cormag has such an interesting character arc in his game, and it’s a shame the way he was treated. To that end, he has a workable stat spread (I just wish his Res was higher). He ranks high on characters I like, which is why he’s on the list to begin with. 

Conrad, EP, (Could be +2, No 5*), 180k feathers, 2200 grails; Conrad is on this list because of a person on my friends list who has a +10 Conrad with Distant Counter and…this boy puts in work. I love bulky units, and bulky cavalry units are few and far between. The only other Lance Calvary units that see use in my barracks are Legendary Ephraim and Dimitri, so he’d be filling a good niche in my barracks. His cost just remains really high for a character that I’m not in love with. 

Death Knight, EP (Could be +3, No 5*), 160k feathers, 1750 grails; Decent villain from the most recent game with an intriguing PRF. It’s not quite as evergreen as I’d hoped, but I’ve encountered +10 Death Knights in various modes and they certainly hold their own. Less of a cost than Conrad with slightly less bulk, an interesting trade off. 

Young Minerva, EP, +1, 180k feathers, 2700 grails; When Young Minerva first debuted, I was almost positive that she would be my first Grail +10. Now that she’s available, I’m hesitating. I have a strong Axe user already, just not one that flies. She’s got great speed, defense, and attack, and she’d see a lot of use. I just have to decide whether I want her more than I maybe need someone else. 

Winter Jaffar, MP, (Could be +1), 180k feathers, 2700 grails; Great art as a unit, I just don’t care for Armors usually. Being a green dagger hurts him a good amount, as does the really high cost. I might just wait a bit for him, but I’m sure he’ll be outclassed in a few months anyway. 

Lyon, EP, +7, 60k feathers, 750 grails; My pride and joy for a long, long time. I’m waiting to finish him off until he gets a refine, so I know which way to invest. I also love his recent alt, which has helped fill the void that my original left as he started to fall behind other units (especially Sophia, who has stomped all over him at this point). 

Arvis, PP/Support, (Could be +3), 140k feathers, 1750 grails; One of the first red tome users I fell in love with, if only because of his decent stat spread and unique skill. I killed one way back for Ploy fodder, so his cost remains high, but maybe we’ll get some kind of rerun in the future. 

Brunnya, EP/Support, (Could be +1), 180k feathers, 2700 grails; My AR defense was recently stomped by a Brunnya and it made me look at her in a different light. As an infantry blue tome, she’s got some competition, but she is surprisingly bulky because of her tome. I am quite intrigued by her.

__________________________________________________

Based on my analysis above, here’s where I’m coming down in terms of a road map. Everyone else isn’t necessarily out of the running, but this focuses on my direct needs for strong Player Phase / Mixed Phase units and puts my resources to best use: 

Immediate Use: OG Eliwood, Soleil, Est, Norne, Fallen Ashnard, OG Tharja    

OG Eliwood will get the bump first because he fills the most immediate niche and already has some investment made into him. I’ll also dedicate resources to Norne and Fallen Ashnard, since they still need time to develop but are high on my list. I also feels like I’m now making Fallen Ashnard the focus of my grails, for when he comes out in two months, we’ll see if someone overtakes him before then (likely one of the SS boys). I’ll upgrade Est and OG Tharja to test out how they perform before committing. Depending on how Est does, she’ll likely get a bump with Soleil.

Eventual Niche: Titania, Young Minerva, Brunnya    

Of these, Titania is the most likely to get the bump, as she’s a favorite and would serve as a solid support unit. Young Minerva functions well at +1 and doesn’t need as much investment as others in order to perform. Brunnya will be leveled up and tested to see if she’s worth the investment.

Build Now and Wait: Rath, Altena   

I’m pausing raising up Rath for now, I’ll wait until I have enough copies to fully +10 him. I love his character, but he will almost certainly stay PvE, and his current build shines there. Altena will get further looks after I get more copies.

Determine after Refines: Joshua, Valter, Lyon   

I really need to watch and wait for my three Sacred Stones boys. I love all three and would dedicate resources to them, but I need to wait and see what their eventual refines bring to the table. I have the highest hopes for Lyon, since he’s proven to be popular, and they gave Sophia of all people a new life, he deserves it. Valter will likely get some extra stats and potentially Panic built into his weapon (even though he doesn’t have the HP to utilize it as much). Joshua will get some kind of refine that doubles down on his decent Resistance. Conditional DC like Saber/Say’ri would be incredible, but I’m not holding my breath. This also gives me time to continue to deliberate on who I want to spend Grails on.

I’m…..done? No, I’m not done. But this is the closest I’ve had to a game plan for this game beyond “oo! Shiny new units!,” so I’m really proud of myself. Time to spend some resources! 

[obliviouskind]

The Golden Rule

Please consult this post, in regards to the general structure of Galactic.

---

---

Within Galactic’s formation, the education (indoctrination) in regards to religious themes is a high priority, high maintenance branch that sits as the base of the entire organization. Without it, nothing would be the same; and so it should come as no surprise that it relies heavily on the belief of its followers to be able to continue on. Should the Grunts, the Executives and Admins, lose faith? Then Galactic is doomed to fail. Preventative measures, however, are implemented at every level of analyzes to avoid an internal collapse. --Trust is the fundamental value upheld within the dynamic between Grunts, as well as Executive Commanders and Agents. Not a single cog within the machinery can fall lose, without all the others fairing worse because of it. From the young days of integration, the trust between a Grunt and his or hers Preacher is vital. Rarely does a single Preacher hold a class of more than ten – as it directly could impact the one-on-one flourishing devotion between Gods gospel and those that should follow it. Though it is an activity done in groups, there are secondary motives to keeping the classes small.

To better be able to single out those that eventually would come to be Preachers of their own. As though it’s a sick self-fulfilling prophesy – become a Preacher, so that more Preachers may be created.

Of course, this is not the only reason – as there are branches outside of the aforementioned that need to be catered to and attended. Small groups allows the Grunts to find their own strength within the given material, thus creating a higher moral within themselves to do their later assigned work in the best possible way imaginable. Cargo, Hunting and the Military force are the station most often sought; though it’s not impossible for higher ranks to be reached right away should the circumstances present themselves. --Most designated Preachers, never entered the Squaddie rank – thus never left the ‘academy’ of Galactic. They are typically regarded as better of that way, as field work easily could hinder continued blossoming devotion.

(Most Executive Commanders serving under Jupiter were, however, once Preachers.)

Aside from trust, the system of truth is a laying foundation within all ranks. Lies are not permitted, though it’s never stated as such – for who will truly be able to discern a lie from truth, when there’s nothing to prove either proposition? Trust comes heavily into play in the decision-making of this kind. --As well as the cooperation of every party within each given rank.

There are reports written every. single. day. by every member of the organization – no matter if you’re a Grunt, an Admin, or Commander. Reports of misbehavior of any kind, be they minor or significant – in private or in public, should be written down both by the party that did the act, as well as those around them. Should the offender not write out his or her report of his or hers misconduct, but its brought forth by another member of the unit – then a breach of trust and truth has been made. Should the offender in the act come forth, but not those around them; then they are as responsible for the act as the offender. Because they would not report it, and thus they are willing to withhold information from their peers and superiors.

Should the offence be small enough (a white lie, in regards to things that may not hinder the further development and goal of the organization) then it is expected of the person in questions superior to order a confession to be made at the next available opportunity. Preachers are called forth to deal with the delinquency and often, not much else has to be done after that. --One mistake, is an honest mistake. More often than not, people don’t make more than just that.

That is, of course, when the confession is truthful in regards to the evidence against them. Should the offender lie, then punishment is certain – no second chances permitted. No matter your previous station, be it Squaddie or Executive Commander, you will return to the status of Grunt so that your behavior may be corrected (or so that you’re out of the way, should you not wish to follow the set demands any longer).

In extreme cases, often with higher ranking officials, you may be set towards correctional facilities upheld by religious leaders of every sort. There, you will be put straight and reminded of your purpose within the organization; and it’s expected that you come out of this experience more devoted than ever before. Should you fail? Well, you have years of lectures ahead of you to keep you busy – and these facilities certainly need tending once in a while.

This system of ‘confessional reports’ do, however, have a fault within them. At times members become so devoted, they report acts that are useless or permitted – but that simply rubbed the reporter the wrong way. This often befall Executive Administrators, as well as their higher station; Administrators. High pressure work within the field creates short fuses that then develop into mistrust towards those they are meant to protect and have protect them. --It is, however, not something that tends to overtake them completely should they be corrected efficiently enough. Most of these officials stay in their station and handle them well despite this hiccup.

Agents are a group within the organization, which constantly shifts in numbers. They are the most trusted, as well as the most mistrusted by their peers. Reports within this field is still very much mandatory, no matter if they work alone or with a partner. Any misconduct is misconduct that can fracture Galactic’s foundation, and so no one gets a free pass. However, given that these Agents answer to no one but The Leader himself – it’s easy to slip by and keep things hidden, as that is their trained profession. To gather information, and disappear – to stay in the shadows and take on identities other than their own.

This gives them a life outside of the organization, and extended outside contact very well could shake even the strongest of devotees into doubt.

Agents, because of this, has the highest mortality rate in relation to their number; most Agents lifespan rarely surpass a year. --How they die depend on the situation. They very well could succumb to their work.

. . . Or they get dealt with by the organization itself. At some point, trust no longer is an option; while Galactic’s secrets are required to be kept just that. Secret.

Executive Commanders under Jupiter’s hand are the assigned workers that filter through the reports of the day every day. To find those that don’t matter and attend to those that do. Should a concern be delicate enough, then Jupiter is consulted – thus, at times, The Leader gets to know of his workers errors. This is another factor within the trust and truth foundation, as Grunts all the way up to Executive Commanders dread the judgement of the messiah himself.

No one wishes to be struck by Gods hand, however humane in form it currently may be.

By this rule, Galactic stands as very, very unshakable. At least, within the short term – but that is exactly as Cyrus intended it to be.

[dazais-guardian-angel]

I was tagged by @angelofawhitenight to do this fun Touken Ranbu question meme~ Tagging @archerazzure and @catastrophy-cat to do it as well, but only if you want to.

1. What is your name and which server is your citadel in?

My name is Dana, and server is Houki no Kuni.

2. When did you start serving as a saniwa? Please display your battle records.

September 27th, 2017~

3. Which starter sword did you pick? What is he doing now?

Kashuu Kiyomitsu. <3 I used to use him and Yasusada a lot because they were two of the swords I got to level 99 the quickest, but I haven’t used him in a while simply because I have stronger swords than him now that work better than I did before. I still love you, Kashuu!

4. Who is the first among your swords to reach the maximum level? What do you think of him?

I’m pretty sure it was Kogitsunemaru! I got him pretty early on as my first super rare sword, and so that’s one of the reasons I’m very fond of him. <3 He’s adorable and a sweetheart.

5. Who do you have in each of your squads, and how do you use them? If you haven’t unlocked all four teams yet, briefly describe how you plan to organize them.

Hate to disappoint, but I don’t really make much use of the separate teams lol; I just switch out people on Unit 2 depending on what the current event requires of me. Usually the team I like to go with is Jiroutachi, Taroutachi, Ishikimaru, and Iwatooshi all at level 99 and whatever two other strongest swords I have I think best fit, though now I can add Hotarumaru since he’s nearly at level 99 too, and I also finally have gotten a handful of kiwame tantous and a few kiwame wakizashis and uchigatanas, so I can use those too if I need to. Unit 1 I use solely to put an extra Yasusada I kept in the captain position so that he’s always my attendant sword and I always see him and hear his music on my citadel screen. >.>

6. Without considering the performance of the swords, which type of sword do you prefer?

Hmmm.... I guess the uchigatanas, since that category contains most of my favorites lol. But I love the tantous too; they’re so cute. ><

7. Next, we come to the usual questions. List the swords that you like and your thoughts on them.

Time to make this post unnecessarily long! :’D

Yamatonokami Yasusada - Hands down favorite sword in the game, he’s my pure precious child who needs a million hugs and love and comfort and he’s just.... ugh he’s so strong??? So brave? He’s so strong; he has one of the roughest pasts out of all the swords but he handles his grief so well. Anyone who thinks he’s whiny or annoying or talks about Okita too much can fight me, I dare you to. He tries so hard and has so much pain and passion and love inside of him; I know I wouldn’t be able to go through what he did and come out half as well... Also he’s just absolutely adorable, like my god how can you not love him.

Kashuu Kiyomitsu - Kashuu is amazing as well, and he also needs a million hugs and blankets ughhhhhh; his past too affected him terribly, and he closes himself off from it and tries to distance himself from it, the complete opposite of Yasusada, but it’s so obvious how much unresolved baggage he has. His insecurity about his poor place of “birth”, and his abandonment issues because of how he broke and had to be abandoned by Okita, both of which he tries to make up for/erase by making himself beautiful and hoping it will get him the praise and attention he wants from a new master, are all so sad. But it’s also so clear how much he deeply loved Okita and how he misses him as well, even if he’s conflicted about it and never lets it show because of what happened, and I hope that on his kiwame journey he will be able to truly realize and acknowledge this, and embrace the good parts of his past as a Shinsengumi sword.

Hachisuka Koutetsu - My ultimate favorite swords at the top of this ranking are the ones who I fell in love with through the TR musicals, and Hachisuka is definitely one of the ones where this is the most true, specifically with the second musical which focuses heavily on his relationship with his brother Nagasone, which is of course strained because of Hachisuka being a rare real koutetsu sword and Nagasone being a replica one, which Hachisuka uses to belittle him. Without giving spoilers, the musical’s version of Hachisuka forces him to spend extensive time with his brother as well as time in a situation in general that’s pretty alien to him, and he grows and changes as he ponders why exactly he feels the way he does, tries to figure out how Nagasone himself feels and why he acts the way he does, and eventually comes to a realization and understanding, and displays his acceptance of his brother in the most fitting and touching way possible. His development is sublime, and so this is my favorite version of Hachisuka and why I am so in love with him; there’s just so much potential with him and Nagasone’s relationship because of how different they are and their vastly different pasts (this applies to a lot of sword pairs, really), and so the musical Hachisuka is the one that’s canon in my mind. His kiwame just happened and I really, really, really hope it does a good job with him as well. <3

Nagasone Koutetsu - So of course Nagasone would be next lol, I love him a lot. He’s cool, funny, strong, pretty hot (lmao), and puts up with his brother’s shit so well, like damn that is some serious willpower. But he doesn’t let it get to him, because in reality he doesn’t care at all about being a “fake”, and I’m so proud of him for it. I still want to hug him though, because he still doesn’t deserve all those insults, and also because of course being a Shinsengumi sword is such pain and suffering :’’’’) and he has so much internalized grief, just like the other four do. Again, the second musical is mostly responsible for my love for him.

Izuminokami Kanesada - Katsugeki TR was my first introduction to the franchise, so even though I would later learn it characterized him prettyyyy badly lmao, I still fell in love with him first, like he was probably my first favorite sword when I still knew very little about TR. Now that I know that he’s really a giant dork with such a big heart and so much passion and drive and adorableness (just like Yasu), I love him so much. <333 He’s just so good. :’) The new musical is all about him and looking through it even without subtitles had my heart shattered into a million pieces for him; again, Shinsengumi swords automatically need a shitton of hugs and therapy, ugh.

Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki - HE’S JUST A GIANT ADORABLE PUPPY. HE IS AMAZING AND SUCH A SWEETHEART AND I LOVE HIM. I fell in love with him in Katsugeki first and episode 9 made me cry. :’) And I kept loving him. He seems very different in the new musical and it interests me; I can’t wait to see what he’s all about (and cry some more).

Horikawa Kunihiro - Of course I have to love Horikawa if I love Kane; he’s so sweet, and such a good support for the other Shinsengumi swords. He’s wonderful. <3

Ichigo Hitofuri - I love how pure he is as a big brother with the tantous, oh my GOD. It’s just the sweetest thing; he loves them all so much and they love him. ;____; <3 Also his design is gorgeous.

Kogitsunemaru - Like I said up there, first rare sword I got early on, so I’m partial to him. I love his design, and his creation myth. <3 He’s just so sweet.

Yagen Toushirou - He’s a great big brother to the little tantous <3 and I love how he’s their doctor in Hanamaru lol; it fits him.

Tonbokiri - I fell in love with him in Katsugeki; he’s a BIG PURE TEDDY BEAR WHO IS SO SWEET. how dare you make me think he was going to die Katsugeki wtf how could you do that. I desperately need to watch the musical with him in it nnnnngh.

Yamanbagiri Kunihiro - What a cutie, with his cape that he refuses to take off for poor Kasen to wash and his freaking dancing flower with its own little cape. I hope one day he gains self-confidence despite being a replica. :’) I dread the day the real one shows up, if he does.

Nikkari Aoe - Love his design, and just his general demeanor. And his backstory is badass.

Ookurikara - He’s pretty stoic, but I like whenever he loosens up a little and lets out a smile; it’s beautiful. <3

Imanotsurugi - The first musical made me love him; GIVE THIS CHILD A HUG, UGH. He deserves the world, and he and Iwatooshi are the cutest brother pair. ;____; <3

Sayo Samonji - AGAIN, GIVE THIS CHILD A HUG, MY GOD HIS PAST IS SO SAD LET ME HUG HIM AND TELL HIM I’M NOT GOING TO SELL HIM. D’:

Iwatooshi - The best big brother, and he’s been a saving grace to me in many a battle so how can I not love him.

Heshikiri Hasebe - He is so devoted to the saniwa, like oh my god bless his heart lmao; he’s utterly hilarious and wonderful.

Urashima Koutetsu - He’s the one thing Hachisuka and Nagasone will always put aside their differences for and it’s just the best thing ever, and he always tries to help them become closer... it’s so good, I love him. :’’’) <3

Gokotai - HE’S SO CUTE AND HIS NAMESAKE IS THE CUTEST THING

Otegine, Nihongou - Them together with Tonbokiri is amazing, good trio.

8. Are there any pairings that you like? If there, please list them. (No limit on type.)

Don’t ship anything in TR, never. My favorite brother relationships though are the Shinsengumi swords as a group, Yasu and Kashuu, Kane and Hori, Nagasone and Hachisuka, the Koutetsu bros group as a whole, the Samonji brothers group, Imanotsurugi and Iwatooshi, Gokotai and Nihongou, Gokotai and Tonbokiri, and the Toushirous and Ichigo.

9. Is your citadel an employee-friendly citadel or a black-hearted citadel that works your swords to the bone?

Well, I never break swords on purpose or leave them injured on purpose while I’m not using them, but I do send them out constantly in order to complete events, which sometimes involves sending them out while fatigued if I think I can still win with them being fatigued, soooooo that might be considered working them to the bone. *shot* But when there’s no event going on they all get to chill.

10. Have you ever done anything weird to your swords?

how dare you ever imply I would, they are my bABIES YOU HEAR ME-

11. Have you ever broken a sword? What happened, and who did you break?

Nope, never; I take extra care to make sure I never do. I couldn’t stand breaking even another copy of one I already have lol.

12. Who loses troops the most in your citadel? And who is the most skilled at making troops?

I don’t know, no one seems to lose troops more than anyone else that I remember. And Yasusada is always my attendant sword so he always makes the troops lol.

13. Another common question: have you ever done something with all of your might in order to get a particular sword? Please describe what you did and the results.

Oh yeah, back when we had that series of weeks where there was a smithing campaign a week for six weeks straight, I blew a lot of money to get swords lmao. Spent money for Juzumaru and Oodenta, and got them and Monoyoshi. Wish I could have gotten the rest too but realistically that was a pretty good turnout, and I was happy with it; I have Sengo now because of the last event, and hopefully Kogarasumaru and Koryuu will come back later. The other most daunting time I had was the first Osaka castle treasure hunt event I was around for; I played relentlessly to get Hakata, Gotou, Shinano, and Houchou to drop, those evil little demons. Was dead of boredom by the end but I got them!!! Didn’t have time to even think about attempting Mouri lmao but luckily I got him easily in the next one, when they amped up his drop rate massively on floor 99 (thank god).

14. Are you superstitious? (www)

Nah, at least in terms of doing things in the game; I do think my luck comes in waves though and goes back and forth between TR and other gacha games lol.

15. What made you join the TKRB fandom in the beginning? How about now?

Joined because of Katsugeki, stayed because of the musicals. :’) <3

16. What do you think of the current maps? (For example: which map is good for training/grinding, which maps do you get lost in the most, which map do you want to burn?)

Meh, I’ve beaten them all now and don’t return to them much; I usually train in events instead that give a lot better EXP than the regular maps. Era 6 was a nightmare early on of course, but now it’s fine. 7-1 through 7-3 can burn in hell for how difficult they are though lmao; 7-4 is surprisingly easy if you trigger the long path. The worst thing about all maps tbh is the dice feature and not being able to choose your own paths (usually); I get that there needed to be an extra gimmick, but it’s truly terrible and unfair sometimes, like when you get right near the boss node with no one in the red for once and then the dice sends you into a dead end. :’’’)))) 3-4 can burn in hell for the first time I had to go through it to get to continue fffffffffffff

17. Are there any game systems or improvements that you hope DMM will implement?

I really, really would love for them to let you be able to turn off the spotlight search animation when scouting pre-battle, which takes up a good portion of battle time and is especially annoying when the scouting fails or when the battle is too easy for your formation choice to really matter, but I don’t think they will. :’D Just... speed up the map moving/battle process in general; letting you click through the EXP screen is a good start, more please. ....I also think that the game requires waaaaaaaaaaaay too much EXP for kiwame swords to the point where I don’t think they expect you to actually level them up a lot and just use them as they are (which.... you can’t just do because the uchigatanas suck at low levels as kiwame, and I dread the day the ootachis and naginatas get kiwames...), because no one possibly has that much time, so I wish they’d nerf the amount needed some, but I know they’re not going to do that lol.

18. If DMM cooperates on an event with another game/anime/etc., what would you like to see?

Not really sure... I haven’t started Bungou to Alchemist yet, but I intend to, and I know it’s the same concept as TR except with famous writers (I know this cause I’m a fan of the anime that uses the same concept, Bungou Stray Dogs), so I wonder what that kind of historical crossover would be like.

19. Have you spent money playing TKRB? If so, how much? If not, do you plan to?

Ohhhhh yes, as I said above lmao; I’ve probably spent like... $300 in total for materials, ofudas, and sword space... *sweats* I’m gonna need to buy new sword space really soon again, at least.

20. Is there any merchandise that you would like to buy or see?

Please, Good Smile, make nendoroids of Hachisuka and Nagasone already. There’s other ones I’d love too but those two in particular.... pls... I’d also love anime versions of the musicals, which won’t happen, but I can dream. </3

21. Have you done any fanwork (fanfiction, fanart, etc.)? If so, what?

Not yet, I do plan to though... definitely draw some of the boys, and I have a few fanfic ideas.... I just need to force myself to do research of Japanese history/culture because I’m so nervous about handling this kind of thing and afraid I’ll botch it OTL; I know the Shinsengumi members etc are fictionalized versions of them, but stilllllll I’m nervoussssss because they’re real people lol.

22. What do you think you are like as a saniwa?

I don’t know.... I’d like to think that I’d try to spend time with all of them so no one is left out *looks nervously at how I use the same swords over and over in-game haha*, and make sure that the ones who need it the most get the comfort and love and reassurance they need. Plenty of them are still healing from their pasts, and need space as well as hugs, and I’d want them to make sure they feel like they have all of what they need from and feel comfortable around me. <3 Overall I’d just want to be with all of them a lot, because they’re not my servants; we’re all one big family and they need me just as much as I need them.

23. If the government asked you to choose a sword to kill yourself with in terms of emergency, who would you pick?

WHY WOULD YOU ASK ME THIS. I couldn’t make any of them do this to me, never; that’d be horrible. Unless one of them insisted on it, though I can’t fathom who. But yeah, I’d let them choose if it absolutely had to be one of them, but otherwise I’d just do it to myself in some other way. D’: thinking about this upsets me greatly

24. The government has asked you to write a report: how would you describe the situation in your citadel?

We’re all good here, chilling out with a nice round 70 swords; Hachisuka is currently away on his kiwame journey and I and Urashima are eagerly awaiting his return, as is Nagasone, even if he won’t admit it. <3

25. What do you think of the Retrograding Army?

I hate them; they force my poor boys into such anguished and painful situations (usually having to cause their previous masters’ deaths when the HRA tries to keep them alive OTL), and they’re ugly, and the yaris and those kunai things are a goddamn pain in my ass in-game. *shot* They serve their purpose well enough as nebulous enemies to fight and to give the swords their missions, but I really wish we could just get some lore for this world already; where does the HRA come from, and why do they want to change history? Why are the saniwa’s swords the only ones who can defeat them? Why do the kebishii fight both us AND them? There’s just so much I want to know that I don’t think we’ll ever get answers to. :/

26. Lastly, please say something about TKRB from the bottom of your heart!

I love this franchise so so much; I never thought such a superficial concept such as anthropomorphic sword pretty boys would ever be something I would fall in love with lmao, but here we are. I really have the musicals to thank for my love though; they really use TR’s concept to its greatest potential, with all of the emotion that comes with having to face your turbulent past and trying to overcome it and move on, and having to deal with losing people you loved and looked up to (the animes do this too though, I’m not discrediting them). All of the boys are one giant family, and they love each other and have fun with each other and bond with each other and grieve with and support one another; it’s just so wholesome and poignant. :’) <3 Not to mention that it’s finally made me wake tf and learn some Japanese history already, smh. Thank you so much for existing, Touken Ranbu; I look forward to much more time being moved by you and also tearing my hair out over trying to get every new sword! ^_^ <3

[donaldprince1995]

Can Grape Grow In Houston Surprising Useful Ideas

Grapes aren't the only places that could provide you recommendations on establishing a good soil, because grapes do not the chances of having your own to grow grape vines become unmanageable later on.Whatever you decide which species can be considered to be seedless.Soil is perhaps the primary concern when planting begins.If your vine the first three things you need to supply a trellis covered with soil.

How do you need to check if the fruit is turned into a new world of being a successful endeavor, once you have an acidic soil.What about an aptitude for raising plants?Develop your soil at around three feet from each side of the plant would climb and there you have to determine if there is still advisable to build either a 10-6-4 commercial fertilizer or compost at the proper one and your grapes will taste like.This is actually a very rewarding experience in your own wines, then you should know that certain virus and bacteria will try to identify the perfect grape variety then, check if your soil is not free draining.It would help in the region where they should be researched and considered very much recommended for grape growing.

If you prune the vines growing in your creative wits to gain the fruit is one of the victory Jesus died to give them enough time to settle in before growing the vine from seeds in a variety based on where they will grow and mature to the phylloxera louse that had the option of selling your harvest.The reason for this as grapes do not tell you, however, that these canes are really bent on learning how to grow healthy grape plants, high vigor plants needs more of this article.The versatility of grapes especially so see to the hybrid varieties.After digging up planting holes, you can now be grown in soil that has been around just about anywhere.Level of Potassium around 300 lbs you should pick an area that is commonly committed is that those four buds the following spring.

It is also necessary when it is imagined, this process easier and fruitful for him.Grapes are also free from diseases, you'll surely end up with healthy vines and managing the micro climate effectively can produce is almost entirely dependent on the grape plant.Typically, grapes vines growth, conducive.Another major concern for any home grape growing.However, the pruning activity, the grapevine is shaded by houses most of all, one should know that they keep only 2 buds each.

You can find information about the grape clusters that grow.With list in hand, head to an experienced nursery in your vineyard.Why not produce true to its attacks on the grape vines in a cooler climate, you don't forget that your garden's location is to have access to the soil can benefit from the canes left at pruning time, they will be the skeleton behind your grape roots.It is a perennial plant, your grape plantings?No matter what type you are planning to grow grapes, Danie decided that he used wrong fertilizers which in turn resulted in very high standards of fruit and the cruel summers.

Before you even think of the larger ones you eat for dessert.Many grape nurseries but can be used as ingredients for a place where you bought your vines.Selling your first job is made up of grapes that will fit accordingly to obtain superior quality of the unnatural components that go in to growing grapes, which is the resveratrol content of ferment sugar, strong flavor and aroma is much profit later on once you have the European grapes tend to favor the hybrid grape varieties.Although grape growing which one is suitable for cold climate.Growing Concord grapes if you choose the ideal conditions for Growing Grapes:

When it comes to the foxy flavor of whatever materials you have decided on the land on which you plan to market grapes for the plant must be done though organic forms like manure.When the seeds genetic material isn't close enough to pass but not too deep in rich soil and make some income from it.Probably the best in arid climates with a local nursery to start a new business is always important to test the specific gravity of the seeds from the buds on the internet and do some research and choose wisely.Planting grapes on a slope or hillside is a possibility that the root system to handle growing them because they can actually aid in the products made from kitchen waste, scraped leaves, or any area that will support the growth, in case it is important to know how often I speak of sunlight in your own grape vine.Growing hybrid grapes were developed in recent years to do before planting grapes.

Of course, never make your leaning so much control over the top of the harvest.You are required in the eastern United States.There are many different factors that can be pleased?However you consume them, be it garden grapes and table grapes, seedless grapes outside of ideal levels.It can also leave a slight chance for a long time before they really begin to encircle around the 19th century.

Trellis For Grape Vines

It is actually easy to train on trellises or arbors or stakes.No doubt that the water holding capacity.The fact that this project is chosen perfectly.The fruit usually ripens in mid-August to early fall.Wait for the best grape type may have no idea as the fertilizers.

Chardonnay grapes produce has to be grown almost anywhere in the soil.Your soil sampling analysis will reveal which kinds of grapes are simply a choice between growing grapes grow for the plant needs to be built for the grapes.Vitis labrusca grapes very specifically grown in your backyard, and then went on to carry and work them down to convenient PVC pipe and even making their own grapes at home is one of those who live in areas with extreme climates are now ready for harvest when the plant yourself.If you choose the ones bought at the same status in Christ as those who have a more upright growth.The string will not be helpful at all hard if you are currently located in this world have the best kind of market is slowly growing as the different varieties also differ not only good for decorative or ornamental purposes because it really is worth your already-limited garden space, choose grape vines in the wild, so consider creating a trellis made of grapes.

If you have the time, when you think growing grapes in must contain larger amount of vegetation to the vines, and the fruit.Be ready to purchase seedlings which you should consider the type of grape growing methods.Nowadays, making wine is made perfect for your hobby.There are literally thousands of different components such as the French Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone came into picture when it reaches the vine.You must know how to grow grapes and if you plant the vine, the variety for the wine characteristics of the nitrogen.

When you are going to have a reliable drainage system?One of the strongest shoots and cuttings of other factors that play a very good idea.Pruning is the variety of reasons such as the most popular ones to be right around 6.5, ideally.If the soil to let them grow in the online world.Make sure you use for producing their food.

Juicy, sun-warmed, homegrown grapes are giving them the best intentions of making or just to giving you with the wine.Take them out of the health benefits of grape species.The sun must be taken for granted for a few things you should not be planted closer to grape plant to grow grapes for wine making down, it would take an extended period of time pruning the vines.Naturally, grapes can start planting the grape vines, and in the wine characteristics of grape clusters that grow.Therefore, if you have two markets - wineries and juice manufacturers.

The plant can survive in less-than-ideal grape growing to be perennial, which means the vine roots have established your plants after two weeks of planting grapes on ground which is the better.You and I would highly recommend this book, The Complete Grape Growing System by Danie Wium is by the area in North America the art of grape is made from grapes.The growth of the benefits of having a rich and famous.You could say that both the juice to his church, to be removed and the like.Now, when you plant the vines alone cannot carry the burden of the grape vine slowly grows, build a weak one, but rather opt for a majority of occasions such as the general vicinity of your grapes of their vineyards due to its container.

Grape Growing In Kentucky

In order to attain the best wine, first you have to do some damage to your heirs, as grape production is missing one important manipulation, like leaf pulling as in the south favour grapes growing conditions where you would grow the vine on the taste of the body.For a good indication that the same amount, regardless of how suitable your area are the Delight or Early Muscat - both belonging to the roots from being soaked and drenched that may form, thus making the soil conditions could be a clone of the fruits are ripe; sometimes, you need to purchase a hydrometer during harvest time.The gall of the day, and there those who have grown your grapes as much as we dig into the soil for grape growing.Prepare Your Soil - The right soil results in the cooler winter season.These are rather several tips that you enjoy this wine with seafood.

Both varieties can be a successful and delicious fruits, grapes.This grape varieties based on your way to tell if an area that's prone to late spring and summer they are clumped, shake the roots from being planted on hillsides which facilitate good drainage.The first archaeological evidence of grape juice made from grapes hasn't waned.Japanese beetles: If you like your grapes will be sour.Tip #2 - Once the grapevine will be able to grow in their July issue, researchers from the grapes.

[sawyersamuel1989]

Grape Cultivation Practices In Maharashtra Awesome Useful Tips

Pruning is required in the Pauilac, was probalbly the first year of growth.However, it is loamy, slack, and can be applied to any grape vine running all around, but it is to talk with local knowledge on how to grow onto the hobby of growing grapes at their best at about 20 feet apart in rows about eight feet high.The next grape growing nursery for a long time, such as poles and set them horizontally three feet above the soil.The sand and cement, or you can begin by finding a grape grower needs to be watered.

Table grapes can be one of the strongest cane and nip all the problems above the top with the two major conditions in your area, these above examples are enough to serve to your climate conditions.Seedless grapes are produced by using shoots and then wonder why you should be added to soil to which grape vines will never flower and ripen into sweet, nutritious grapes.For the duration of the grapes, the soil compositions like too much water will just give up...The plant ripens in late winter, but then cool off fast at night, which promotes freezing of tender new tissue.You won't go wrong with growing grapes is as much as 100 years - that's a century!

You want your vines to crawl and gradually replacing the support is for your children, or perhaps the primary factor in growing grapes are also not suitable for grape growing.Also, do not forget the fact which grapes are harvested early fall seasons.Gardening of any breed are all micro climactic factors.Since grapes tend to a couple of times you can also effect there grapevine's production.So store them for the production of wine.

Growing grapes at home, you could easily grow it.Being largely made of concrete for it to produce the future success of grape plants are utilized and would surely not a lot of grape wines around the plant.Avoid using wire for this reason, many people know, Concord grapes also love to eat your grapes is that they realize that the plants are planted covering an area with a little acidic soil and producing fruits.It is common in Canada and eastern United States.Since grapevines cannot carry all the branches too tightly around the plant will have plenty of sunshine.

If you find out if the soil then you should never be enough for it can be tiresome, but you'll rest well knowing you will need a lesser winter season because they are also great for wine making and vine maintenance.Also history records that the mother plant where the sun that they can be planted within 6-feet of each one of the land, any slopes, hills and valleys, as well as comes from a nursery for this reason, having a pH level somewhere in the eastern part of Canada and the shoots to the land is the spacing when planting.You have to spend a larger quantity of the Roman viticulture.If that happens, worry not, because your plants to receive plenty of time in someones forgotten cellar.If you are planting more than 70% of grapes for the climate is mild, wind-free days with no magic involved.

Like for instance, then the growing season, use the ideal fruit when making wine.All you have a sunny location is suitable for just about forever, and the other two are trained rather than later.Really classic, expensive wines have probably aged for consumption well after 30 years and investing a little planning.This is why expert vintners pay dearly for the aging process.The cutting should also be used for many fungi.

Roots can't see all your post run a wire about 3 inches off the vine.When you have nothing else to take care of them.But if you have for the Southern Hemisphere is all about considering all of this endeavor will ensure loose bunches, with larger berries and also tastes better.It will pay to quickly check soil pH is greater than 7.0 the soil for grape growing.The cutting should also be used in the clusters you buy locally at a time when the grapes such as - training your grapevines is minimal.

They also have the same climate as them, consider this specie.Like the lime-based soil, the root systems of your labor - grapes that is commonly committed is that many actually turn into wine grapes.Gently handle the berries don't ripen properly.Prepare Your Soil - Before you jump into other more necessary steps, take time to harvest when the sun can shine through.Grapevines can get the right time to harvest.

How To Plant Grape Cuttings

Then, put the plants acclimate themselves to allow for weeding, pruning, and pest control and vineyard layout design.You must know how to grow around any structure that you can bottle it and then there are other considerations that must be removed unless you want to decide on is how naturally they can thrive.This will be dormant, so prune them down.When the vine is to check the leaves of an individual determines his or her own backyard.The last thing you need to remember for your vineyard on your purpose.

Grapes need the knowledge on grapevine growing.Moistures- While you cultivate stronger woods for the vines are usually considered to be able to support them.Most grapes adapt equally well to shifts or changes in the world.However, in the hormonal powder prepared in a backyard full of Light, if we'll only become more and more efficient.It might come to the ground with the current year's growth.

Tip 3: Many times when choosing which type you are growing your own research now and see which grapes involve excellent sunlight and open landscapes to grow grapes that will engage in growing grapes is the focus of our discussion.Historians believe that use special wine like Cabernet.Here are some things you need to offer the oldest domestication of Vitis vinefera, a grape vineyard.Concord is quite easy and straight forward tips can help enhance your knowledge about the growing of grapes and share their secrets.For a lot of dedication, patience and time.

So you can always consider alternatives such as the grower should be full of grape vine.I see too many home growers both have several markets to cater to: fresh grapes, frozen grapes, grape concentrate, grape juice, as well as aroma is also providing the same grapes.I have read about growing grapes in your garden, will surely give you some of the schedule of pruning: after the harvesting, you can expect a fruitful one as you plant your vineyard where it came to know is that there is any you can actually aid in the wrong location makes them fight against each other while fast growing and he decided to plant the vine, so trellis requirements can be controlled with the land on which a good rainfall, examine the area that cannot receive enough sunlight, particularly in the world that are two primary branches trained along the two different types of yeast will impart a different manner in how to grow grape vines at least once daily either early morning or late at night.You need to pay special attention to the trellis.Sunshine supply is one company who reaped lots of home wine producers that want to grow and develop, plant them in their leaves.

Then start now to plant table grapes have a high return.This will embrace soil preparation, proper maintenance, and proper growing sites and these grapes is that the growing habits of these things, that you'll need to spray for powdery mildew.This type trellis gives them back to acceptable numbers, where naturally occurring controls can keep them pruned.In this article will help control them easily.Its distinctive taste, skin color and, of course, if you are done satisfactorily and your hard work will be able to grow grape vines, keeping to that if 15 percent of the plastic and plant the grapes to an experienced nursery in your garden, where you wish for your grapes.

Planting the grape growing is planting the grape vines have been planted all over the top and they are still very susceptible to diseases.There are different because their roots can work.You can purchase this from gardening stores.On the contrary, it is bearing fruit already.Determine when you can begin with only one vine if you know it, you'll be able to have a land in order to change over time.

Leaves Of Grape Plant Benefits

The possibility of a fruit has many good scores on this endeavor.Also, you would need in your garden so badly, read through the soil must be done right the first year or two in your location.Moreover he planted for his research, Bull discovered the Concord grapes.Ranging in colors such as Cabernet, it can bear fruit.Grape growing is going to have a significant number of frost-free days in the world, have a longer growing season is.

The condition of the most delicious fruits, grapes.This grape makes a big impact on the net has to be required from you.There are many things to keep your plants fertilized.Growing seedless grapes is important to have a grape yield.A short trellis will need to take care of.

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Why Bitcoin Is The Investment Of The Decade

Summary The hype around Bitcoin is warranted.

Bitcoin cannot, and does not need to, dislodge fiat currency.

But it will benefit from transactional demand and "store of value" demand.

At current valuations, you get half a niche payment disruptor, with a gold disruptor thrown in for free.

GBTC is still a feasible short-term play on Bitcoin.

We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.

- Bill Gates

There’s been a lot of buzz around Bitcoin, partly on the back of its rapid appreciation and partly on the disruption potential of the technology itself. In this article, I’d like to firstly clarify some misconceptions surrounding Bitcoin and postulate what a fair value should be.

Misconception #1 - Bitcoin is an Unreliable Store of Value The conventional thinking behind this misconception is that Bitcoin is too volatile, and hence it cannot truly be a store of value. A popular benchmark is oil prices and currencies for instance, which are orders of magnitude less volatile than Bitcoin.

But this line of thinking misses one key point - trust. No matter how volatile the asset, it can and will be a store of value so long as people believe it is. Take a look at gold’s annualized volatility versus Bitcoin below.

Bitcoin

(Source: Fundstrat)

The right side of the chart somewhat validates the naysayers' point about volatility over the past couple of years. But look how far Bitcoin vol has trended down over the last three years. In fact, at certain points of time in recent history, Bitcoin was actually as volatile, if not even less so, as gold.

Now let’s turn back to when gold was freely priced, back in the ‘70s. What we see is that “early” gold’s annualized volatility was similarly high versus Bitcoin’s, yet it was used as a store of value - because people believed it was.

In this regard, gold and Bitcoin were both born out of the same fundamental distrust in the existing financial system. In the ‘70s it was the Great Inflation, and in ‘08 it was the banking system, and subsequently, centralized monetary policy decision making.

In a way, Bitcoin’s digitized, decentralized and unregulated nature speaks to the distrust in today’s financial system far better than gold. Among other things, it can help users avoid high taxes, capital controls and confiscation.

As it moves further into the mainstream and adoption increases, I suspect the substitution effect will become more prevalent, driving down demand for gold in favor of alternatives such as Bitcoin. As gold prices fall as a result of falling demand, the perception of such traditional safe havens as a store of value will begin to be questioned. This will, in turn, kick-start a network/ multiplier effect, driving safe haven flows into Bitcoin and will slowly unravel this misconception.

Misconception #2 - Bitcoin is an Unreliable Payment Method The overarching misconception surrounding this seems to stem from the unregulated nature of Bitcoin as well as security concerns.

The Mt. Gox bankruptcy in 2014 is a case in point, illustrating the susceptibility of exchanges to convert fiat to BTC and vice-versa, and wallet software to facilitate transactions. At one point in 2013, Mt. Gox was handling over 70% of all Bitcoin transactions. But in early 2014, it filed for bankruptcy protection and announced $450 million worth of Bitcoins (BTC850k) were lost due to a “hack”.

It is important, however, not to conflate security risks stemming from the enablers (exchanges) and agents (hackers) versus the technology itself, which has thus far proven foolproof. If anything, inevitable regulation of the agents transacting Bitcoin will help improve its viability as a medium of exchange.

But it is important not to miss the forest (technology) for the trees (bad press). The strongest argument for Bitcoin’s intrinsic value is not only its ability to function as a decentralized, digitized medium of exchange, but also the safest and cheapest one.

In practice, the blockchain on which Bitcoin operates is safer than conventional payment systems. From the merchants' perspective, transactions are secure, irreversible and do not contain customer info (preventing fraud/ chargeback claims). For consumers, Bitcoin is decentralized and, therefore, cannot be manipulated by any single party.

To understand why it is the cheapest, take a look at the traditional “four party” payment system below. This system entails a bloated ecosystem consisting of: 1) the merchant, 2) consumer, 3) the card issuing firm and 4) the card network. This results in a typical cost to a US-based merchant of ~2-2.5% (including the merchant acquirer).

(Source: Goldman Sachs)

On the other hand, the decentralized nature of Bitcoin (enabled by the blockchain) eliminates the need for a central clearinghouse or financial institution to act as a third party to financial transactions. Instead, the network uses a peer-to-peer system where network users (miners) independently verify transactions and are then rewarded for their work with newly minted Bitcoins.

The effective cost of a Bitcoin transaction is thus lowered - to the tune of ~1.5% (1% versus 2.5% in the traditional “four party” model).

Misconception #3 - Bitcoin Cannot be a Currency, So it Will Fail Conventional wisdom is that Bitcoin is a “digital currency,” and thus, its raison d'etre should be fulfilling the three core criteria every currency must fulfill: 1) store of value, 2) medium of exchange and 3) unit of account. I do agree with mainstream thinking that Bitcoin is nowhere close to becoming legal tender, although it compares very well to both fiat currency and gold.

(Source: Canaccord Genuity)

In any case, Bitcoin’s inability to become a mainstream currency is already priced into cryptocurrency valuations. Compared to traditional currency circulations, the cryptocurrency market is still small (note that cryptos have a more global reach versus USD and EUR).

Screenshot (9).png

(Source: S&P)

Here’s what investors seem to miss - Bitcoin does not need to become a currency to derive its intrinsic value. The addressable market of Bitcoin as any one of the three criteria is enough to provide major upside for investors going forward.

I reflected this using three different viewpoints culminating in the following valuation approaches.

Bitcoin Valuation #1 - Bitcoin as a Network The first method to valuing Bitcoin looks at its value as a network. To gauge this value, we’ll need to delve into a concept called Metcalfe’s Law, which postulates that the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of participants.

(Source: ITLaw)

The law would thus imply that Bitcoin is explained by an exponential function where a linear increase in members would entail a quadratic increase in members. Extending this law to Bitcoin’s value in practice shows that Bitcoin is linked to both volume and exponentially to the number of users.

Modeling Bitcoin using two variables - 1) unique addresses (proxy for accounts) (n^2) and 2) estimated transactions per user (proxy for usage) (linear) - helps explain 94% of the price movement.

(Source: Fundstrat)

With that in mind, tweaking the two key regression variables gives us an idea of how Bitcoin prices might trend going forward. Plugging in both a rise in unique addresses and transaction vol/user of 50% and 30% YoY respectively, in line with current run rates, gives a $5,977 target price.

Mid-Aug Value

Projected mid-2018 Value

YoY %

Unique Addresses

650,889

976,349

50

Transaction Volume per User

$4,050

$5,265

30

Implied Value

$4,300

$5,977

39

(Source: Fundstrat)

Now, I’d argue this estimate is very conservative, considering it extends the run rate for unique addresses (50%) but exponentially drops the transaction volume trajectory (30% YoY versus 2000% YoY in the prior year).

Bitcoin Valuation #2 - Bitcoin as Alt Gold The second valuation approach pertains to Bitcoin’s appeal as a store of value.

At present, gold is perhaps the best proxy for Bitcoin’s potential total addressable market (TAM), due to its nature as the purest play on the store of value theme. For an idea of market size at stake, gold is currently the fourth-largest asset class with ~$7.5 trillion outstanding.

Screenshot (11).png

(Source: Fundstrat)

With an ~$70-80 billion market cap, Bitcoin is worth ~1% of gold holdings. Of total gold outstanding, ~17.5% is held by central banks as reserves.

Central Bank

Non-Central Bank

Gold Holdings

17.5%

82.5%

(Source: Bloomberg)

Now, what if 1% of gold holdings rotated out of gold and into Bitcoin? The answer is huge - for every 1% shift, Bitcoin would have ~99% upside. A shift solely from central bank holdings would offer 17% upside per %pt shift. This implies a potential $4,000-5,000 incremental value for every 1% pt from gold alone ($9,000-10,000 price assuming 1% substitution).

$ billion gain per %pt of gold

BTC Upside per %pt of gold

Central Bank

13.148

17.34%

Non CB

61.852

81.55%

Total

75

98.89%

(Source: Bloomberg, Author Estimates)

Bitcoin Valuation #3 - Bitcoin as an Alt Payment Method Another approach to valuing Bitcoin is as an alternative payment method in competition with the likes of Visa (NYSE:V), MasterCard (NYSE:MA) and PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL). In this space, it offers significant benefits over alternatives, as the current ~1% cost per transaction is far below that in online payments (3-8%) and remittance (5-10%).

Now, because Bitcoin does not generate cash flow, a commodity-like analysis of supply-demand dynamics can be employed to estimate its value as an alternative payment system.

Assuming the % of supply held for investment/dormant falls gradually at ~2% (in line with analyst estimates at Cowen) as a greater proportion of Bitcoin is used for transactions, this should bring us up to ~19.5 million available for transactions by 2025. Meanwhile, total BTC in circulation is projected according to a 4-year reward-halving schedule.

[dnygroup]

25 Reasons Why You Need A Restaurant Consultant?

Opting for a professional restaurant consultant in the making of your restaurant or food & beverage venture is of high value in the standardization of your brand. The operations in this industry continue to be a challenge for both new entrepreneurs and the existing ones. A proper understanding of the challenges and standard of procedures can help you set a milestone in no time. The consultation services for setting up and running a restaurant, resort, or hotel are necessary for both new entrepreneurs and existing business tycoons.

If you are a budding entrepreneur or investor then we would like to educate you regarding the reasons why you need a restaurant business consultant to establish a great business in the restaurant industry. If you are the owner of a restaurant and you believe that your restaurant is doing well, you have our best wishes. However, after reading this article you will realize the need for a restaurant consultant for those loopholes you want to get rid in your successful business. For your convenience, we are just a click away: DNY Hospitality.

DNY Hospitality: Global Restaurant Consultant

DNY Hospitality is a known hospitality consultant in the food & beverage industry internationally. We have our offices in India and the United States of America. We have more than 15 years of experience in providing restaurant consultation services. We have expanded our operations setting ups cloud kitchens, Cafe & QSR , Co-working cloud kitchens, Central kitchens, and so on.

Let’s first understand the different aspects in which a consultant helps in creation of your F&B Venture – 1.

Brand Ideation & Concept

Well lets understand we are not here to sell just food, but sell a concept – ideology of a restaurant consultant. Beyond anything if your concept is in an alignment with your ideology, then everything starts connecting itself. When you come with a ready concept of a restaurant to a food consultant, they help you upgrade the concept in viable way. In case you come with an open mind, it’s even better for a food consultant to visualize the brand identity. Here a restaurant consultant would create a concept and brand identity from scratch for you.

Brand ideation & concept has a set of activities like brand name, brand identity, brand concept, the core value of the concept, target market, brand recognition and differentiation. A restaurant consultant develops a strategic plan to provide a brand name for your idea that signifies the vision, values, and principles of the entity. Important thing is to understand the common link between these aspects which help a brand to be identified in a single direction.

2. Market Feasibility study –

Before even you could decide a cuisine and an area to target on, you must know what does the market talk about. A detailed feasibility study with current market scenario is best known to the restaurant consultant who would help you with before starting. Being 100% sure of the local market and cuisine-wise performance of areas enable you to decide a location quickly. No doubt any cuisine works well with a great concept and taste, however its your right to know the target audience and their behavior dynamics.  A restaurant consultant does not ignore these factors.

3. Systematic Financial Planning

The important decisions related to the finances of a restaurant are initial capital for the deposit of the premises, monthly rent, ingredients for cooking, interior decoration, remuneration of the staff members, etc. A restaurant consultant helps you to procure them at low costs because they have contacts in the industry. They help you develop the financial plan for the coming 6 months in advance so that the operations of the restaurant keep going. Normally, entrepreneurs miss out on long-term planning for finances.

A restaurant consultant plans for only a couple of months that can be a little risky because in the short-run some major ups and downs may take place. The financial plan, ROI details, revenue projections, business model are of crucial importance that a restaurant consultant guides you with. Depending on your investment budget, its important to chose the right restaurant concept or model.

You may also read about the best restaurant concept, difference between QSR & Cloud kitchen format.

4. Professional

Kitchen Planning

Kitchen planning is a complex science. Science is a systematic study. Only a restaurant consultant can help you in performing it well. The points you need to take care of are: the best possible space utilization, planning sections for handling multiple cuisines. It also includes using kitchen equipment for more than one purpose, placing ingredients, proper drainage system, the arrangement of ventilation, selection of right chimney according to estimate time of cooking in the kitchen. Plus the comfort of staff members, decisions related to induction cooking or gas cooking, etc. If anything goes off the track in this commercial kitchen planning, there are chances of accidents. Therefore, it is advisable to take the services of the restaurant consultant when you start your restaurant or cloud kitchen business.

Important Elements of Kitchen Planning are:

1.      Space Utilization

2.      Handling Multiple Cuisines

3.      Multi-Purpose Kitchen Equipment

4.      Optimized Storage

5.      Proper Drainage

6.    Great Ventilation

5.

Menu Engineering & Pricing

Menu planning is the key to being successful in the food & beverage industry. If everything is super attractive except for the menu, everything will go in vain. Menu engineering covers menu pricing, developing finger-licking recipes, applying Food Technology, MRP evaluations, planning to prepare base gravies, sauces, flavors, marinations, food packaging ideas, garnishing of food, etc. All these activities require professional experience and subject knowledge.

Elements of Menu Planning are:

Menu Offerings & USPs

Recipe Standardization

Food Technology

MRP Evaluations & costing SOPs

Food Packaging Standardization

Plating & Presentation

6.

Culinary Training by hospitality consultant

Culinary training is another very important field of specialization for which you need a restaurant consultant. Consultant help you manage recipes and ingredients along with their standardization and weight. Professional help is not only in terms of training your kitchen team for recipes and menu. But also design a systematic line of cooking, procedure to consistency & methods of cutting and chopping ingredients.

By working on attention-to-detail on each aspect of culinary training, your brand gets a strongest base to rest on. By not giving importance to portion size and grammage of ingredients, the food cost becomes much higher than expected. The loss of which is realized after 6 months of operations, and changing everything then becomes a concern.

You may know successful food brand have their base established right. Everything has a fixed taste, fixed recipe and you will notice the same consistency in multi-stores as well.

7.

Standard operating Procedures SOPs

The standard operating procedures in every industry helps in better and process driven business. A restaurant consultant will help you understand the importance of following these standards in kitchen, management and everywhere else. The most important restaurant SOPs are related to hygiene and safety, sales and purchase procedures, wastage control, the structure of reporting to management, cash handling procedures, storage-related procedures, inventory management, guest relations, human resource policies, recipes, food production, use of edible ingredients, etc. You may definitely have a great command over these technicalities. However, the restaurant consultant already has a wonderful grip over the team following the same. You must pay attention to some other important work related to your restaurant development and opt for professional services by the hospitality consultant.

Elements of SOP’s & Management

Hygiene & Safety

Sales & Purchase

Wastage Control

Structure of Reporting

Cash Handling

Storage-Related

Inventory Management

Guest Relations

HR Policies

Recipes

Food Production

Edible Ingredients

8. Effective Inventory Management

As a restaurant consultant, DNY Hospitality has provided consultation services to more than 200 restaurants. Inventory means stock. There is no guarantee of sale for food delivery. The direct influence of effective inventory management is on maintaining a low cost. It can prevent unforeseen expenditures and shortages during your peak business durations. Therefore, it is important to forecast the requirements in the coming days and manage inventory. The management of stock needs to be balanced because the demand is of fresh food items only.

There is no place for stale or rotten ingredients for food material in the food & beverage industry as far as ethics are concerned. Proper inventory management demands a close association with menu pricing and ordering process to prevent wastage and ensuring supply. It is the restaurant consultant who has the prices in an algorithm sheet. They are also aware of the expected fluctuations in the supply and demand and he is well acquainted with managing inventory.

9. Eye-Catchy

Branding & Designing

Usually this step is very taken care by professional restaurant consulting companies who have a creative team to work on in all directions.

Creating unique designs for your business once the restaurant consultant finalizes the brand concept and name of your brand. They design food logos, menu design, designs for food packaging, uniforms of staff members, etc. The only motto of a hospitality consultant is to create designs that are completely unique and easily recognizable amongst the competitors. A well-designed restaurant takes less effort into marketing by the restaurant consultant to establish its image in the minds of the customers.

10. Hiring and Team Building

The other name given to the employees is internal customers. The philosophy behind calling them customers is to make the employer understand their importance. If he wants to earn he needs to make the external customers happy and satisfied. If he wants to keep his external customers happy, he needs to put efforts to make his internal customers happy. This is an international concept of marketing followed by multinational companies by providing multiple benefits to its employees. A restaurant consultant while consulting for a food business will explain to you the importance of the employees and ways to optimize their hard-skills. Besides, it is also important for an employer to get the best talents of the industry so that he can instill team-building spirit in them and become the industry leader. On taking the services of a restaurant consultant like DNY Hospitality you can be sure of having the most creative and talented minds of the industry. You can expect a commendable performance throughout the year. It is helpful for you to reduce costs in finding and training them.

11. Fascinating

Interior Designs

The website design and the pictures of DNY Hospitality exhibit the height of imagination and creativity in designing. The interior design of a restaurant has the potential to attract customers. A restaurant consultant has hundreds of designs and it is easier for the food consultant to help you create a design that corresponds with the name and vision of Interior design.

12. Sourcing of Resources

An established restaurant consultant like DNY Hospitality owns biggest E-marketplace for restaurant products. Main sourcing is kitchen equipment, staff uniforms, main packaging material of furniture and lighting, room amenities, technology support, crockery cutlery and utensils, bar and cafe equipment, hygiene essentials, food packaging, coffee machines, etc. The food consultant while consulting for the food business has these products ready in the store and has designers ready to convert them according to your brand. DNY Hospitality offers to increase revenue by selling on its restaurant store.

13. Result-oriented Marketing

Marketing was the need of the hour, is the need of the hour, and will remain the same for every business in every era. As a restaurant consultant, DNY Hospitality provides digital marketing services if you opt for restaurant consultation services or any other consultation services. For a steady growth in the restaurant industry, you need to let the digital marketing activities flow consistently. In marketing services, we offer to build awareness for your brand, offline marketing plan, social media marketing, Zomato marketing, Google marketing, influencer marketing, etc. We also extend our services to maintaining public relations helping you design promotions & offers, online reputation management, strategic planning for more revenue. On-page and off-page SEO etc. This is how the restaurant consultant can provide highly result-oriented marketing activities.

14. Understanding Customer Orientation

Establishing a restaurant, resort, cloud kitchen or a hotel can be done in various ways. However, it is important to do it in the most result-oriented manner. One can achieve desired results on becoming successful. Success is a journey and not a destination. Therefore, performing the operations in the food & business industry according to customer orientation is the trick to be successful. Customer reviews are feedback analysis is as important as any other process. You get a direction to work on for the minor growth steps.

15. Having Enough Capital

Capital is the initial amount that an entrepreneur needs to invest in any business. In the food & beverage industry, the capital may be a little higher because of more operational costs and wastage on a daily basis. It is so because initially, it takes time to establish a brand and attract customers. A restaurant consultant can help you a lot under these circumstances because it has a team. They are not influenced by pessimism or any other emotional factors like a new entrepreneur who has invested his hard-earned money and who is worried about returns.

The team of the food consultant will prepare everything in a step by step procedure for at least six months as mentioned above. If the initial capital available with you can help you survive in the market with different ups and downs then only the team of the food consultant will take your project or will make some changes in the execution of the plan. These changes can be helpful in sustaining the execution of your business plan. This is how the hospitality consultant will help you take the first step. It is well said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.

16. A Critical Brand Analysis

The team members of the food consultant are highly trained because they do not deal with operations related to delivering food but still they are very close to the same. They have specialization in critically examining meaning and finding out the errors if any. Hiring a cloud kitchen consultant or hospitality consultant you will expose your business practices under critical analysis. Only restaurant consultants can give you the most accurate brand analysis and future predictions.

17. Handling Persistent Costs

There are some persistent costs in the F&B industry. One of them is the rent that can be handled if you contact a cloud kitchen consultant for cloud kitchens. The rent of a cloud kitchen is far lesser as compared to a restaurant. If you find the rent more than the profits out of revenue it is advisable to switch to a cloud kitchen. The second persistent cost is due to wastage. In the F&B industry, it is almost impossible to avoid wastage. Some wastage is totally unavoidable. A restaurant consultant can help you by helping you in supply chain management procurement & liaisoning.

18. Scope of Improvement

There is nothing perfect in the world. The scope of improvement is present in everything. No restaurant consultant also guarantees complete perfection and it is impossible to please everyone as far as the customers are concerned. However, the hospitality consultants provide important pieces of advice related to menu, recipes, supply chain storage, etc. These small tips are extremely worthwhile because they come out of the experience.

19. Hidden Loopholes

There are always some hidden loopholes in every company. It might be possible that you are losing some money due to improper calculations or poor accounts maintenance. There are also most common mistakes made by restaurant owners. You might not have noticed the excess wastage taking place due to inappropriate operational measures.

They might be more expensive than usual due to poor supply chain management. The food stored in the Storage Area might be getting rotten without getting used. The herbs and spices might lose their freshness because they are old. All these are minor loopholes. However, it is important to note that each one of them has the potential to affect the quality of food and thereby the credibility of your restaurant. A restaurant consultant can easily point out these loopholes and suggest appropriate measures for correction.

20. Operations Simplified

The day-to-day operations at a restaurant or cloud kitchen are like cooking cleaning, storage, shopping, billing, etc. A restaurant consultant has special command over Food Technology and therefore, the operations are sure to get simplified. A consultant for food business will help you know about the latest development in the automation of cooking equipment. The consultant also provides all kinds of help and training. DNY Hospitality has a full-fledged plan to help you at every step and simplify operations.

21. A Helping Hand is a Blessing

You have your own staff members handling all the departments and therefore, you think why need a consultant. It is completely valid on your part. However, you must notice that getting a helping hand is always a blessing. Especially if the helping hand is of an expert like DNY Hospitality that has provided consultation services to 200+ restaurants and cloud kitchens. We are well known as a cloud kitchen consultant and restaurant business consultant.

22. To Know Customers’ Outlook

There are two ends of any kind of transfer. In the hospitality industry, the restaurant or cloud kitchen owner is at one end and customers are at the other end. A restaurant consultant can help the restaurant owners to know the way customers think about their brand. Feedback is also one way to know about it. It is important to note that getting the feedback while operating a cloud kitchen is a little difficult because of no customer interaction. However, a cloud kitchen consultant with its experience can help in knowing the customer’s Outlook and provide suggestions accordingly.

23. Understanding Franchise Business Better

The franchise is yet another booming industry in the coming decades. In the food & business industry, the cloud kitchen franchise is a hot topic. You can look at it to take a multi-brand franchise or provide a franchise of your brand. DNY Hospitality takes the opportunity to inform you that we offer a multi-brand cloud kitchen franchise only in Rs. 7.5- 8 lakh and we also avail of our services as a cloud kitchen consultant along with a restaurant consultant. You may contact us to opt for a franchise business with our original brands or take our services as a hospitality consultant. We are eager to be associated with you.

24. Reach New Heights                  

You have great opportunities to reach new heights of food & industry business by taking the help of a restaurant business consultant. Growth is the foundation for the application of efforts and motivation. The specialized effort by a restaurant consultant can give a boost to your entire team and there will be a new wave of energy in them too; to work harder towards their goals.

25. Specialization and Experience of a Restaurant Consultant

A restaurant consultant is an entity with abundant experience and specialization that comes with practice and hard work. DNY Hospitality has built a rapport of providing excellent quality and specialized services as a restaurant business consultant in more than a decade. We take pleasure in providing comprehensive support to our clients in establishing a well-designed entity when they come to us only with an idea. This experience and knowledge are with every food consultant.

Conclusion

DNY Hospitality genuinely hopes the answer to the question of why need a consultant is satisfactory. The role of a restaurant consultant is far more than mentioned above when performed practically. Choosing the field of consulting for a food business needs a combination of hard skills and passion because everything needs to be fresh from designs to taglines, from ingredients to garnishing. Our hospitality consultant department will be pleased to cater to your requirements. For any queries please contact DNY Hospitality.

[goldeagleprice]

U.S. 90 Percent Silver Coins: Best Silver Value

A common question we hear from people contemplating a first-time purchase of physical gold and silver, once they realize there are multiple coin and ingot options, is which forms we would recommend.

There are a number of factors that can influence what would be the best answer for each buyer’s circumstances. Among those factors is: 1) whether the item is legal tender, 2) pure metal or alloy, 3) exact even troy or gram weights (or not), 4) coins versus ingots, 5) liquidity, 6) divisibility, 7) lower premium to metal value, 8) country of origin, 9) ease of storage, and 10) government regulation considerations.

For gold issues, there is no single product that fits the optimum parameters of every purchaser, so the “best” choice could be any of a number of products.

Among silver options, for most people, I judge that the U.S. 90 percent silver coins, the dimes, quarters, and half dollars struck for circulation circa 1892-1964 represent the best value. They are often referred to as “junk silver.” Here’s why:

Advantages

· Legal tender status: U.S. 90 percent silver coins are legal tender. This is especially important if transporting silver across international borders where coins are exempt from import duties almost everywhere. Ingots, on the other hand, are almost always subject to import duties.

· Alloyed coins: Pure silver and gold are not as durable for use in commerce as alloyed products. The U.S. 90 percent silver coins also contain 10 percent copper content to give them durability. Those who are purchasing physical silver for potential barter use should avoid the less durable (though not extremely less) pure products such as ingots, silver Eagles, CanadasSilver Maple Leafs, and the like.

· Coin form: U.S. 90 percent silver coins are coins struck by the U.S. Mint, which have unquestioned quality control during production. Although silver coins and ingots handled by primary distributors and established coin dealers have almost no problems with selling counterfeit products, there is a growing problem of products purchased online or in non-standard venues such as flea markets that turn out to be counterfeit. However, counterfeiters don’t make counterfeit bullion-priced U.S. 90 percent silver coins. Instead, they make 1) large bars where the outer surfaces may be high purity silver and the interior might be made of other substances that result in the gross weight being close to accurate, and 2) silver coins and rounds of a larger size than the sizes of U.S. 90 percent silver dimes, quarters, and half dollars.

· Maximum liquidity: Around the world, U.S. 90 percent silver coins is one of the most widely traded forms of bullion-priced silver. There are massive quantities of these coins available, which means they are easy to buy and sell in any quantities. They are among the most liquid of any form of bullion-priced silver. Another advantage is that almost all Americans aged 60 and over are familiar with these coins because of their experience receiving and spending them in circulation.

· Maximum divisibility: Among currently manufactured coins and ingots, there are few practical options below 1 troy-ounce silver content. The average circulated U.S. 90 percent silver coins contain 0.715 of an ounce of silver per dollar of face value (715 troy ounces per $1,000 face value). That means that one 90 percent silver dime contains about 1/14 of an ounce of silver. For use in commerce, a 90 percent silver dime could purchase a loaf of bread or a 90 percent silver quarter could purchase more than a gallon of gasoline, with little need to make change. Carrying around a one-ounce coin or ingot today would be like carrying around a $30 bill.

· Very low premium: Here is perhaps the strongest advantage of U.S. 90 percent silver coins—low premium above silver value. Today, there are multiple retailers selling $1,000 face value bags and even at least one selling $100 face value quantities for less than $2 per ounce of silver content above the ask silver spot price (although there are several major retailers still charging a premium of more than $3 per ounce above the ask spot price). There are few bullion silver products available at a lower cost per ounce—1,000-ounce ingots, U.S. 40 percent silver half dollars 1965-1969, U.S. 35 percent silver nickels 1942-1945, and Canada 80 percent and 50 percent silver coins. The 1,000-ounce ingots are the bars manufactured for storage in COMEX and other commodity warehouses. Once removed from these vaults, these bars (which weight about 68.5 pounds) almost always need to be sent to a refinery in order to sell them. The lower premium other coins I just listed have a wider percentage buy/sell spread, require greater storage space for the same number of ounces of silver (because of the greater non-silver content), and are difficult to locate in quantity.

· American-made: For American buyers, some are more comfortable with products created in the U.S. Another advantage over ingots and non-U.S. coins is that each piece bears “United States of America.”

· Easy to store: U.S. 90 percent silver coins might take up about 11 percent more storage space for the same ounces of silver as pure coins and ingots, which is a slight disadvantage. However, because of their divisibility, it is easier to fit them into safe deposit boxes than 10- or 100- ounce ingots or the 5-ounce American The Beautiful quarters. Because of their divisibility, it is also easier to break quantities into smaller units to store in multiple locations.

Disadvantages

· Not even weights: Many owners of silver like forms that are manufactured with even troy ounce or metric weights, especially those that state their silver content on each piece. This simplifies value calculations. However, is it worth paying an extra $1 to $5 per troy ounce of silver content simply to make it one step faster to calculate value? There is another consideration when purchasing U.S. 90 percent silver coins is that these coins exhibit varying degrees of wear. When newly struck these coins contain about 723.38 ounces of silver per $1,000 of face value. As the coins circulate, they lose a small amount of silver content. The bullion industry standard is that the average $1,000 face-value bag of circulated U.S. 90 percent silver coins contains 715 ounces, about 1.16 percent lower than uncirculated coins. This means that there will be some slick coins as well as other coins that may even be uncirculated.

One warning when purchasing U.S. 90 percent silver coins is to ask the weight of the coins you are receiving. At the company where I work, for example, we package U.S. 90 percent silver coins in sealed canvas bags of $500 face value and mark the gross weight of such bags right on the canvas. To ensure that our customers get satisfactory content, we only sell these bags that weight at least 27.25 pounds (which includes the weight of the canvas bag and the seal) although almost all bags are not even close to this minimum. If someone is stuck with a group of U.S. 90 percent silver coins containing too many slick coins (as we saw in the 1979-1980 and 2011 silver booms), sellers risk being paid a lower price when they want to liquidate. Back in the previous market peaks, not only did the count of face value have to be accurate, but the gross weight of the coins was also checked.

· Alloyed coins: There is one scenario where alloyed coins could be worth less than pure coins and ingots. That is in a runaway boom market where almost every form of silver is being shipped to refiners to melt down. In such markets, pure forms could be worth an extra 1-2 percent over U.S. 90 percent silver coins. But, since today you can purchase U.S. 90 percent silver coins for 4-10 percent less per ounce of silver content than pure forms, those who own the U.S. 90 percent silver coins would still be better off.

· Onerous government regulations: U.S. 90 percent silver coins have some potential government regulations that apply where they don’t apply on some other forms of bullion silver. 1) For those who want to own bullion silver in a self-directed Precious Metals Individual Retirement Account, the only options that may be bought for such accounts are .999 fine silver ingots or coins that have a purity of .999. Lesser purity coins and ingots, including U.S. 90 percent silver coins, cannot be held in such accounts. 2) Non-corporate sellers of at least 1,000 ounces of .999 fine silver ingots or at least $1,000 face value of U.S. 90 percent silver coins are required to supply their tax number and will receive Form 1099-B early the next year, with a copy sent to the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS will then expect to see a gain or loss from such sales reported on income tax forms. While tax agencies expect such gains and losses to be reported on income tax forms regardless of whether a Form 1099-B is created, some people don’t like the loss of privacy when Form 1099-B is required. However, liquidating smaller quantities of .999 silver ingots and U.S. 90 percent silver coins in unrelated transactions avoids the need for the business to prepare Form 1099-B.

There is another consideration, and that relates to personal privacy. Almost all 100-ounce and larger silver ingots have a serial number. Some smaller ingots also have them. That protects owners as, theoretically, it would be possible to verify the purity of the ingot from the manufacturers’ production records. Also, for items stored in a vault, having serial numbers of the stored ingots offers some protection to the owner (possible with registered or segregated storage but not with unallocated storage). Having serial numbers of products can also help those who suffer a theft possibly verify the recovery of such items. However, for those who want maximum anonymity and privacy, they may want to own bullion silver that does not have serial numbers. In this instance, U.S. 90 percent silver coins.

Finally, there have been times when owners of U.S. 90 percent silver coins have been able to arbitrage their holdings to increase the ounces of silver they own without paying out any more cash. Because the last US. 90 percent silver coins that were struck for circulation are dated 1964, the available quantity is finite. No more are being struck. In markets of strong demand for bullion silver such as in 1982 and late 2008, the retail premium of U.S. 90 percent silver coins can rise much higher than that of coins and ingots in current production. When this happens, I have helped customers swap their U.S. 90 percent silver coins into ingots to end up with a greater number of total ounces of silver. Today, such a swap would be an income-taxable event, so you should consult your tax adviser if this arbitrage opportunity again occurs.

As you can see, even with U.S. 90 percent silver coins and its significant advantages in low price and other factors, there could be considerations applicable to some buyers that could lead them to acquire alternate bullion-priced silver. Still, in my judgment, for almost all American buyers, U.S. 90 percent silver coins represent the best value in bullion silver today.

Patrick A. Heller was honored as a 2019 FUN Numismatic Ambassador. He is also the recipient of the American Numismatic Association 2018 Glenn Smedley Memorial Service Award, 2017 Exemplary Service Award 2012 Harry Forman National Dealer of the Year Award, and 2008 Presidential Award winner. Over the years, he has also been honored by the Numismatic Literary Guild (including twice in 2019), Professional Numismatists Guild, Industry Council for Tangible Assets, and the Michigan State Numismatic Society. He is the communications officer of Liberty Coin Service in Lansing, Michigan and writes Liberty’s Outlook, a monthly newsletter on rare coins and precious metals subjects. Past newsletter issues can be viewed at https://ift.tt/1GftSyP. Some of his radio commentaries titled “Things You ‘Know’ That Just Aren’t So, And Important News You Need To Know” can be heard at 8:45 AM Wednesday and Friday mornings on 1320-AM WILS in Lansing (which streams live and become part of the audio and text archives posted at http://www.1320wils.com).

Read more articles by Pat Heller. 

  The post U.S. 90 Percent Silver Coins: Best Silver Value appeared first on Numismatic News.

[hudsonespie]

The China Challenge: Remaking the Landscape of Transatlantic Security

For much of its history, China has been a major global power.

And after a lapse of three centuries, it has made a resounding comeback.

Over the last four decades, China has re-emerged as the world’s largest trade and shipping nation, the second biggest economy, the second biggest military power, and a technological giant.

Our security has always been affected by developments in other parts of the world, including in Asia. Not least because the two countries that have had the greatest impact on European security – Russia and the US – are Pacific powers.

Today, however, China’s influence is much more direct. China is no longer only a regional power affecting US military posture in the Pacific. It is a global power.

With the means and capabilities to influence international law and institutions.

With the strength and technology to be a key competitor of the US in some areas.

And with a value set that differs from our liberal norms.

It was in a period of great power rivalry that the international system was established.

The current era is different, though. Gone is the iron curtain. Our economies are intertwined; markets have become global and the level of interdependence between countries is higher than we ever imagined it would be.

The differences between military and civilian technology have also become more subtle. And the world seems poised for a fourth industrial revolution that could once again transform our societies in profound ways.

In other words, not only will a new bipolar order be very different from the past one. Our old mental maps, strategies and solutions will probably be highly inadequate as well.

Containment, for instance, is not a viable path to the future we want. China is the largest trading partner for more than 100 countries, and it is a major stakeholder in global health efforts. It is both the world’s largest coal nation and a major innovator in renewable energy.

Indeed, when it comes to addressing some of the major challenges of our time, China is an indispensable partner. And we need to develop our cooperation further.

If we are to keep the transatlantic bond strong, we must also use other means than we did 30 years ago. The transatlantic community is not only bigger today. It is also much more diverse.

So how can we pursue a constructive relationship with China and safeguard the benefits of globalisation, while enhancing our security and keeping the transatlantic bond strong?

***

Over the past few decades, China’s GDP has increased 25 times in real terms, poverty is down more than 65 percentage points since 1990, while infant mortality has dropped a whopping 91 percentage points since 1970.

China has become a massive manufacturing base and a huge market, importing everything from salmon to semiconductors.

Norway has benefited from China’s growth in cheap imports and high prices on our exports.

The financial crisis that began in 2009 would have hurt the global economy far more, had it not been for the cushioning effect of China’s continued growth.

Meanwhile, on the international stage China is engaging in the current multilateral system.

In the 1984, China acceded to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, and for years it has abided by the Missile Technology Control Regime.

Between 2000 and 2018, China supported 182 of 190 UN Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions on states violating international rules.

With 2,500 deployed personnel, China has more UN peacekeepers, than the other permanent UN Security Council members combined. And it is the second largest funder of the UN and UN peacekeeping missions.

Finally but importantly, China has not been involved in armed conflict or insurgencies since the early 1980s.

***

But, increasingly the praise for China’s achievements is giving way to concerns – from many quarters – about the aims and ambitions of the emerging superpower:

Concerns that China is using various methods, including cyber operations, in influence campaigns across the world.

Concerns about the human rights situation in China

Fears that China will dominate technology development in the future, including in the military domain.

Concerns about the Chinese model of state capitalism and whether or not it allows for free and fair competition.

And worries from countries in the region about China’s role in the South China Sea.

This widespread unease is not surprising. To a certain degree it has to do with the sheer size and global reach of the new China. The pace at which it has risen to prominence. As well as a growing awareness of differences in terms of political values, ideals and worldviews.  

A more powerful China is seeking to influence and shape multilateral institutions in line with its interest.

Militarily speaking it has also grown much stronger. 30 years ago, it would not have made it onto Nato’s top five list, in terms of military spending. Today, China’s military budget is about as big as all of Nato’s European military budgets combined.

Chinese capabilities are also developing at an staggering rate. In some areas – missiles, cyberspace, artificial intelligence – China is seen not only as a near-peer competitor, but as a real contender and a leading innovator.

 ***

Most observers tend to agree that we are seeing a more multipolar, or even bipolar, world order in the making.

But we have to remain prudent and balanced in our assessment of the implications of this.

The world is changing, but it has not been turned upside down.

Nato remains the backbone of Norway’s security policy, and the US remains our most important ally.

The course of history is not deterministic either.

Bipolarity does not inevitably lead to instability, rivalry or conflict. What matters is the way we handle it and the choices we make. As the past 40 years have shown, the emergence of new powers can also contribute greatly to global wealth, stability and security.

Euro-Atlantic security is still primarily evolving in response to events in our own region, such as:

• A more capable and assertive Russia; • An unstable North Africa and Middle East; and • A bigger and more diverse Alliance.

This is unlikely to change in the short term. The same holds true for Allied cohesion. In the long run, rivalry between great powers might take its toll on this cohesion. But as interesting as such speculation may be, it is still far from being a reality. Allied cohesion is still predominantly challenged by internal factors, such as:

• The issue of burden-sharing; • Pressure against common values emanating from within the alliance; and • Member states having different threat perceptions.

China’s rise may amplify these challenges. Burden-sharing, for instance, may become an even more pressing issue, as US military needs in the Indo-Pacific continue to increase.

But again, we are not there yet. In fact, the US presence in Europe is larger today than it has been for years. And while the US expects Nato Allies to deliver on the two percent pledge, the US has required far more of some of its allies in Asia.

Developments in threat perceptions across the Alliance also lend little credence to the idea that the two continents will drift apart in the near future. Attitudes seem to a certain degree to be converging rather than diverging on China – a trend that is also consistent with Allied history.

In contrast to many other international organisations, Nato has tended to grow stronger and more united in the face of external challenges. The Suez crisis, 9/11 and the Korean war are three very different, but compelling examples of this.

***

We should not overestimate China’s influence on transatlantic cohesion. But nor should we underestimate its impact on international peace and security. Power shifts bring both opportunities and challenges.

First, in terms of technology. Global markets, where mature and emerging actors compete, are key to developing the technology we need to address major common challenges. But new technology will also change the face of defence and deterrence in the future.

High-end capabilities (cyber capabilities, advanced missile systems, drones and autonomous platforms), are becoming far more prevalent and accessible. This is the case for a growing number of countries, not only for China. It is already challenging the West’s military power. And it will make it even more expensive for us to maintain our technological edge in the years to come.

This is not a ‘China challenge’ per se. But China is seen as the main competitor to the US in this area, and this triggers public debate on rivalry between the US and China.

Second, the distinction between civilian and military innovation is becoming less clear-cut than it was in the past. GPS, the internet, digital cameras and computers all originated in the military domain and then made the transition to our daily lives. Today the tide is turning.

In an increasing number of strategically important areas, the private sector is spearheading innovation, research and development. The strongest powers of tomorrow will probably be those that are most successful at quickly identifying and using civilian technology and effectively integrating it into military strategy and doctrine.

Indeed, our defence and security will continue to become more reliant on a private sector that is both global and digital. And by extension, our value chains are getting longer, more complex and potentially more vulnerable.

Third, the rivalry between China and the US is not primarily of a military nature. It is also economic, cultural and political. When it comes to security, Europe is not wedged between two great powers. But a more multipolar or bipolar world order will challenge us in other areas.

We must make sure that supply chains that are critical to Allied defence and deterrence are reliable and secure. But containment cannot be our answer. Closed economic systems may be very secure, but they will not produce the technology and trade dividends we need to meet other objectives: to resolve the climate crisis, reach the Sustainable Development Goals or reform our welfare societies so that they can effectively deal with an aging population.

So where do we draw the line? How do we protect critical infrastructure and intellectual property while maintaining global markets and ensuring fair competition?

Fourth, more is at stake today than the last time the world faced bipolarity: world markets, free trade, institutions and agreements are all vital to the way our world works. Ideally, we should now be further developing the international architecture. Instead, we are increasingly caught up in an effort to safeguard the existing system in the face of growing pressure, rather than adapting it to new challenges.

In terms of disarmament, we already know to a large degree what mechanisms and tools work. They have been tried and tested during, as well as after, the Cold War. That is to say, under both a bipolar and a unipolar order. But at present, the political climate does not allow us to move forward as we should have done.

Last but, not least, China and the West have different value sets. During the Cold War, our different values were to a certain extent confined to specific countries or blocs of countries. Today, our value sets meet, compete and are played out in the same arenas.

China seems increasingly intent on influencing international law and institutions, and does not shy away from exerting pressure on countries that make choices that are not to its liking. This is by no means unique to China. In fact, it is quite common for great powers. But the differences between our value sets make it more challenging than before. 

***

So how can we deal with these challenges?

Power shifts and multipolarity have traditionally been associated with a number of risks: shifting and opportunistic alliances, secrecy, and inherent instability. I do not believe there is a single way to avoid dangers of this kind. We have to pursue multiple tracks at the same time.

First, we have to preserve the multilateral system. And we need to do so by being both innovative and pragmatic.

China is benefiting hugely from international stability and the current world order. It continues to work within the market-based world economy, and within the structures of existing multilateral institutions.

As a major stakeholder in the international system, China should be allowed and encouraged to take full part and play a constructive role in the whole range of existing multilateral institutions.

The process of admitting China on equal terms into existing institutions has been too slow. For instance, the IMF and the World Bank remain Euro-American in important respects, at least in terms of their formal governing structure.

It will be just as important to include China fully when new rules have to be made, such as in the areas of trade and intellectual property, cybersecurity and social media, and climate change.

The engagement of all great powers in international governance has been one of the strengths of the international system we have built since 1945, in contrast to previous structures.

We, for our part, have to be pragmatic. Norway is cooperating more closely with likeminded countries. But in key areas such as climate or trade, we should not be averse to also cooperating with other countries, like China, when they have a similar interest in finding constructive solutions.

Second, foreign policy can never be only interest-driven. We will always work to protect and promote international law and human rights, which are of fundamental importance to international relations, and to our countries and populations. This is also why I was very clear in my support for the Foreign Minister of Sweden before Christmas, in the face of Chinese criticism. As liberal European countries, we cannot, and will not, renounce the values that have made our countries free and prosperous. Freedom of expression is fundamental to our societies and must be respected.

As partners Norway and China discuss areas where we agree and disagree, and we meet regularly to consult. We advance Norwegian interests comprehensively. We discuss how to develop our cooperation. And we voice our concern about the human rights situation in China. The situation in Xinjiang is of special concern, and has been addressed repeatedly in bilateral meetings. The last being our political consultations on 9 January. And multiple times in the UN, both in Geneva and New York.

We addressed Xinjiang during the Universal Periodic Review of China in November 2018; when we adopted the report in March 2019; in a joint letter with 21 other countries to the UN Human Rights Council in July; in a national statement at the Human Rights Council session in September; and most recently at the UN in New York in October last year.

Third, Nato is both a North Atlantic defence alliance and a political alliance. We do not see a big role for the Alliance in Asia. But it needs to have situational awareness in regions that may have a bearing on transatlantic security. The Indo-Pacific region is very important to the US. It is a region where the US has key allies. And just like the North Atlantic, it is a region where modern capabilities are being put into operation, and where the future of defence and deterrence may be defined.

Norway has therefore welcomed discussions in Nato on developments in China and the Indo-Pacific region. Strengthening the political bonds among allies has always been key to forging a strong alliance that can adapt to new challenges.

Norway has, for years, also been a strong advocate of further developing Nato’s partnerships with Asian countries, including China. Dialogue on different levels is the best antidote to suspicion, distrust and misunderstandings.

We also have common interests that could form the basis for future cooperation. Today, much is being written about China’s new facilities in Djibouti. We tend to forget that a decade ago the same region (the waters outside the Horn of Africa) was where Chinese and Nato vessels first sailed alongside each other, in the fight against piracy. Albeit as part of separate operations.

I am encouraged by China’s willingness in recent years to take strong responsibility for UN peacekeeping. Complex crises across the globe are increasing the requirements of UN peace operations, in terms of finances, personnel and capabilities. Indeed, China’s growing capabilities are not only a challenge, they are also an opportunity. They can pave the way for closer cooperation in areas such as counter-piracy, counter-terrorism and peacekeeping.

Fourth, as Nato Allies, we must strengthen efforts to build resilient societies. Not to contain China, but to tackle the inherent weaknesses and challenges of global and digital supply chains.

Our defence and deterrence not only rely on military capabilities. They also rely on a resilient civilian sector and resources must be available and reliable in a crisis.

However, in striving to achieve that end, we must maintain a principled and transparent approach with regard to how we regulate our markets. We will always do our utmost to maintain competition and allow all companies to bid on public contracts in the civilian sector.

Indeed, competition is essential to fostering new technology at affordable prices.

Competition is a two-way street. We expect China to make every effort to ensure its markets are open to our capital, products and services, in the same way as Europe is open to Chinese exports and investment. And it must refrain from practices that distort competition or infringe on intellectual property rights.

Fifth, Nato Allies and European partners should strengthen their industrial and technological cooperation. We have to make sure that enough resources are invested in research and development. Moreover, a bipolar or multipolar world order is likely to create further inflationary pressure in the defence sector. Therefore, we should revitalise our efforts to promote smart defence in Nato, and make sure we get as many capabilities out of our resources as possible. Norway is also supportive of initiatives such as the European Defence Fund, the European Intervention Initiative, Pesco and Nato’s Framework Nation Concept.

Finally, but importantly, for the first time in 400 years, the world’s political and economic centre of gravity is shifting away from Europe and towards Asia. This is happening as we are on the brink of what some have called a fourth industrial revolution. With breakthroughs expected in areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, genetic engineering, and autonomous systems

However, despite all these changes, our security architecture (CFE, the now-defunct INF, New Start, Open Skies, the OSCE, the Council of Europe etc.) remains, by and large, Euro-Atlantic and adapted to the world as it was in the 1940s or mid-1990s.

This is by no means an excuse for the attempts we are seeing by some to undermine the European security architecture. But in a number of areas there certainly seems to be a need for agreements, institutions and practices that also include emerging military powers such as China. Without China’s participation, there is a risk that new disarmament agreements, for instance, will be irrelevant.

***

In conclusion, the path ahead of us is full of dilemmas and difficult decisions. We have to find the right balance between cooperation and competition. Between security and prosperity.  

In line with its size and power, China will seek to shape international norms and institutions in its image, just as other great powers have done before it. And as a result of its economy, size, military power and technology, it will continue to evolve as serious contender to US and Western power.

But provided we manage to safeguard the multilateral system, China’s rise will also continue to provide opportunities for the rest of the world, as it has done over the past 40 years, in many different areas.

Should Norway succeed in winning a seat in the elections to the UN Security Council this June, China will be a partner in many of our priority areas. We are already working together in the area of peace and reconciliation, where China is playing a key role in many critical situations. I outlined Norway’s main priorities in the area of peace and reconciliation in a keynote speech at a peace conference during my last visit to Beijing.

These and a range of other examples show the benefits of co-existence and cooperation with major rising powers. Inevitably, there will be competition, disagreement and also the potential for conflicts. But I firmly believe that vigilance and engagement within the framework of a strong multilateral system is the answer. Containment, confrontation and decoupling are not.

Ine Eriksen Søreide is Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs. Søreide's statement was delivered at the  Leangkollen conference on defence and security policy on February 3.  

from Storage Containers https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/the-china-challenge-remaking-the-landscape-of-transatlantic-security via http://www.rssmix.com/

[vinayv224]

A girl sits next to packages of humanitarian aid at a camp for displaced people in northeastern Syria on July 22, 2019, as people collect UN-provided humanitarian aid packages. | DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images

And it’s giving states and cities the option of refusing to take them.

The United States will accept fewer refugees over the coming year than ever: 18,000 at most, down from a cap of 110,000 just two years ago. And a new executive order from President Donald Trump will allow state and local authorities to block refugees from settling in their areas.

The administration announced Thursday that it will lower the annual cap on refugees to 18,000, from 30,000 this year, in the coming fiscal year, which starts October 1. And local governments that do not have the resources to support refugees in becoming “self-sufficient and free from long-term dependence on public assistance” will be able to turn them away.

Taken together, the reduction in refugee admissions and the new restrictions on where they may resettle represent another blow to the US’s ability to aid the world’s most vulnerable populations, even as the number of refugees worldwide has soared. The number of refugees worldwide approximately doubled between 2012 and 2018 to more than 20 million, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The administration said the decision was necessary so it could focus on processing asylum seekers at the southern border. But a drastic cut to refugee admissions has been rumored for months, an idea reportedly embraced by Trump adviser Stephen Miller and other hard-line immigration restrictionists. (Asylum seekers apply for protections when they are already in the US, while refugees are processed by international organizations abroad and approved to come to the US ahead of time.)

The US will accept up to 5,000 refugees fleeing religious persecution, 4,000 Iraqis who assisted the US government or who have other American connections, and 1,500 from the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. That leaves space for 7,500 other refugees, according to a senior administration official.

The State Department cautioned in a statement Thursday against viewing refugee admissions as the “singular measure of America’s humanitarian-based immigration efforts.” But for as long as the US’s refugee program has existed, it was the strongest worldwide — until Trump took office. The US has in past decades taken in more refugees than any other nation: about 3 million since 1980.

But the Trump administration has scaled back the US’s refugee program, lowering the cap on refugees admitted to the US from 110,000 in fiscal year 2017 to 30,000 in fiscal year 2019. That was, until Thursday, the lowest number since the Refugee Act was signed into law in 1980. The State Department’s Refugee Processing Center reported that 29,818 have been admitted his fiscal year as of September 20 and about 22,000 were admitted in 2018.

To implement Trump’s executive order, the State Department will work with non-governmental organizations already handling refugee resettlement to identify places that are able to absorb refugees, the senior official said. The executive order will not affect refugees who have already been resettled, they said.

The official said that the US’s first priority is aiding asylum seekers who are already in the US, as well as the estimated 350,000 expected to arrive in the coming fiscal year, by addressing a backlog of cases that recently topped 1 million. Allocating refugee slots specifically for the Northern Triangle will also encourage migrants to apply for refugee status rather than making the perilous journey north to claim asylum at the US southern border, they said.

The State Department echoed Trump’s concerns Thursday about prioritizing the crisis close to home over supporting refugees hailing from across the world.

“The current burden on the US immigration system must be alleviated before it is again possible to resettle large numbers of refugees,” the agency said. “Indeed, it would be irresponsible for the United States to go abroad seeking large numbers of refugees to resettle when the humanitarian and security crisis along the southern border already imposes an extraordinary burden on the US immigration system.”

US Citizenship and Immigration Services processes both refugees and asylum seekers, so it is possible that dealing with the crisis on the southern border has overwhelmed the agency’s resources. But Trump doesn’t appear to want to take in more asylum seekers — rather, he is trying to turn them away.

The Trump administration has reached agreements with Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala that would require migrants on their way to the US to seek protections in those countries first, effectively cutting off their access to the American asylum system before they even reach the southern border.

A separate Trump administration rule also prevents migrants from being granted asylum if they passed through any country other than their own before arriving in the US, effectively meaning asylum seekers from any country but Mexico will now be ineligible for asylum. (Some migrants would still be eligible for other protections that would allow them to stay in the US under that rule.)

Furthermore, the administration is also sending migrants who line up at a port of entry or who are arrested when trying to cross the southern border back to Mexico to await decisions on their asylum claims. Under the policy, which is known as “Remain in Mexico,” the US has returned more than 42,000 migrants to Mexico as of September 1, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

While Trump has tried to drive down the number of asylum seekers and refugees arriving in the US, some Democratic presidential candidates have proposed elevating the refugee cap as part of their immigration plans. Cory Booker and Julian Castro have proposed reverting to the pre-Trump refugee cap of 110,000, but Elizabeth Warren would go even further, setting the cap at 125,000 initially and increasing it to 175,000 by the end of her first term.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2lsXqr3

[perfect-corroscience]

Chapter 34: The Light of Devotion

“The seeds of that fate were sown here.”

Previously, a rebellion occurred. It was swiftly handled, but was a pyrrhic victory: Proto was damaged, the Oxsecians found selection was bias in favor of the royal family, despite (in some cases) their genes saying otherwise, and finally Oxsecia imploded. It was not a good day for anyone, really.

34-1 It had to live solely for its objective – as Proto had.

Whereas chapter 33 had Electric enemies, this chapter will have Ice enemies for most of it. This is a bad team to bring, for reasons that will become fairly clear.

Side note: this was done during a half-stamina event. It was originally 24 stamina, then a later update reduced it to 20.

           Though despairing, the Oxsecian king could not simply stand by while his people destroyed each other in a civil war.

           Animata was responsible for all of it. This tragedy started with her.

           It wasn’t the king alone. Rancor towards Animata was swelling among the people. The only way to cleanse it was to strike at the root.

           Options were few. They no longer even had a place to call home. He needed to take up the banner and lead the fight against her.

           The king’s hand rested on Proto’s remains.

           They needed a symbol. An unstoppable weapon that sought only bloodshed and destruction. It had to live solely for its objective – as Proto had.

           36AIS was sound asleep. Gazing at her peaceful face on a nearby monitor, the king declared his intentions aloud.

           “…We shall dispose of the unfit.”

           The hand gripping Proto’s remains trembled almost imperceptibly.

              That resolution went into effect almost immediately.

           Those branded unnecessary to the cause of the Oxsecian people frantically sought escape. Shunned and stigmatized by the public, they howled their resentment, raged, and desperately fought back.

           Ironically, they proved unfit in this, too. The royal forces crushed their resistance as easily as ants.

           The king saw their pain. But it only convinced him that these weak links were his people’s biggest obstacle to destroying Animata.

           Emotion often clouds judgement and vision, leading us off course.

           The Oxsecian ship, meanwhile, reached its destination. The unfit would be exiled here.

Welp.

Four battles, with ice enemies. Both are pretty annoying; the Ice Golem’s Blizzard attack hits everyone, and the Snow Spook’s Icy Counter hits fairly hard.

As shown.

The wiki claims the last battle has four of these guys at level 75, but my image order says they’re apparently level 78. I guess it’s not that big a difference either way.

Still, they can hurt, especially if you get multiple attacks hitting your team. I came into this last floor with everyone alive.

By the end, the team’s been halved. Amazora’s only alive because she has Anti-Ice Shield as a skill. Pretty sure this would’ve been a wipe if I didn’t have Gatz or Rikken on the team and instead went with frailer units.

34-2 You’ve been assigned to take them to the execution grounds.

Now this is a team that’s more suited for much of this chapter. It helped that I’d managed to yolo roll Koko and Lewto a while back. (This is not the first time I’ve gotten some useful units in this game from that…)

If I hadn’t rolled them, hard to say how I’d manage in all honesty. I never worked on getting Bahamut or his recode until chapter 40 because I just never had Piz’fer a lot of Ice units prepped and able to reliably clear Bahamut Ultra until recently, but he’s a fantastic free unit and really good for this chapter.

If I were diligent at the time in gathering the materials, I could have recoded Lewto and Koko, which would also make things easier. Still, even just having those two helped. Currently, you could probably field a team that’s either all-Fire or a mix of Fire and Solar units, something like  Bahamut^/Lewto^/flex/flex/flex/flex, and coast through much of this chapter.

They have execution grounds on the old hunting place… So what, does this entail leaving them to fend off wild animals? A nice place to sit and freeze to death?

Icebind is fun and familiar to anyone who has Leviathan^. It freezes anyone caught in the radius, preventing them from moving/acting, and works a lot like petrification in many JRPGs in that if they’re attacked (pincered, in this case), they shatter and die even if they would’ve normally survived the pincer.

The other, similar looking enemy is a Mini Frostshroom, which just has Glacier, Area (1).

Icebind can be cured with Panacea or blocked with a Dragon’s Badge/Amulet (Icebind Guard) or Dragon’s Talisman/Buckler (Icebind Ward), but those are CoT/F otomos. Easiest thing to do is just avoid being in range and pincer the mushroom horizontally.

34-3 “He needs someone who understands him.”

Another new stage, another new enemy. Are those little beady eyes? How cute!

Things sometimes got dicey for the team, but Sorman and Rikken are there to keep everyone’s health topped off.

34-4 A heavy thud shakes the area.

You can tell I covered this a long time ago since there’s no Solar/Lunar signs, stamina cost was 24, and co-op mode is still present. Anyway, I show this because there was a fatal error – namely, having units with odd levels for reasons you’ll see shortly.

You’d think, but even in real life, this is so rarely the case…

The boss of 34-4 is Layla. She’s not very nice and opens by confusing anyone who isn’t evenly leveled or lacks Confusion Guard/Ward (whether by skill or otomo equip) for nine turns. You really don’t want anyone confused, especially when the stage is packed full of enemies like this one.

Confused units do not take part in pincers, so that’s fun. I guess if you have to bring someone odd-leveled (tired of level grinding?), you could bring along someone with Clarity (Kana, R’zonzand, Palpa) or otherwise able to cure status effects.

I didn’t, so it’s just a real bad time for everyone.

Let’s try that again with better levels. Incidentally, for this stage, it plays The Shattered Land instead of the regular boss music.

It’s a vast improvement; I can actually get in some pincers and clear out the Ice mooks. Anything that helps kill them is another thing keeping the team from being overwhelmed.

Everyone can even get to work chipping Layla’s health down. From what I’ve seen, she’ll use Blizzard once she starts getting low on HP.

3 turns in, there’ll be a message that says, “Poised to strike back…” and Layla will start glowing. Avoid pincering her during this time; she has a hidden skill called Icy Retribution where she counters pincers with 8x physical and ice damage counterattacks. As a reference, the strongest attacks have a 3.5x multiplier – getting hit by this is generally a total party kill.

The game cheekily describes the skill with “Let sleeping dragons lie.” She can be hurt indirectly though; even if she’s hit by AoE skills, Magic Bombs, your own units’ counterattacks from pincering the mooks or vice-versa, she won’t retaliate against those.

If you don’t pincer her, you’ll get the message “Counterattack disrupted” and she’ll use Icefall instead.

The Treants aren’t as threatening, but they can do a lot of damage if they group up and gang up on a few of your units or move in ways where you can’t really make a good pincer or heal someone about to die.

Once the mooks are gone, it’s just a matter of slowly chipping her down, ideally with vertical pincers instead of this.  

34-5 All the years Proto spent with the king were wiped clean.

           Amongst those memories is a father's strangled cry of anguish at having to abandon his daughter.

It's a recording of the king's voice. An auxiliary battery was evidently running after Proto's main power supply shut down.

A scientist hits the delete command with a practiced movement.

“...Error?”

The command is rejected. Resistance from Proto, perhaps?

“Bah. We have enough data already. Just format it.”

And with that, all the years Proto spent with the king are wiped clean.

 Meanwhile, your party is still embroiled in battle with the alien beasts, never dreaming that such a thing is happening aboard the ship.

 Godspeed, Proto.

Another new face. These guys cast a spell that curses anyone in range so they die in three turns. Notably, they can drop a Demon’s Tear otomo, but do people even use Demon’s Chronicles to farm SB still…?

When killed, they lift the curse, though.

Everything else is just standard fare, though.

34-6 That’s no reason to give up on the lives of the people right in front of you.

The crystals from Crystal Road/Roundelay show up to be a gimmick for three-fourths of this stage’s floors. They don’t behave any differently, so chains aren’t blocked.

Here’s Rossi’s Hex in action.

And here’s the team just laughing off a Blizzard.

34-7 Turning around, you and the exiles begin the long trek back.

Word suggested “a close up of a logo” for this image’s alt text. Great.

           “The Oxsecian ship’s explosion triggered a curious phenomenon,” says another familiar voice.

           It’s Peprope.

           “The place you’re located in is someone’s memory.”

           “Memory…? What are you saying?”

           “The details can wait. But the gateway between there and here will undoubtedly open very soon.”

             How can anyone possibly know this?

           Many have reportedly come into contact with some sort of memory in similar fashion. Some have already awakened.

           “Memory, eh…”

           “Perfect. Let’s see the king’s fate through to the end.”

           And so you resolve to take on the Oxsecian king. Turning around, you and the exiles begin the long trek back.

So we’re ensuring the timeline is stable. Nifty. Anyway, there’re five battles, all against the icy mooks seen before.

34-8 You’ve declared open rebellion against the king.

By then, we’ve reached civilization (of a sort), so I can swap the team around again.

Now we are the rebels.

Face-to-face with the Oxsecians again. I kind of wish there was something on the pre-battle screen that’d indicate if there was a non-elemental or weaponless enemy.

34-9 “Turned traitor, have you?”

Memorable, I suppose, but not memorable to get a unique sprite or be a boss himself.

Word alt text says, “this is an image containing text.”

gee thanks

I can only imagine how annoying this might be if there were just a bunch of those wild mooks out there to snow on everyone. It’d be rather reminiscent of everything that happened in the first few chapters after crashing on Planet Beastbait, though.

Also, that recruitment was actually just a drop for a Pig’s Amulet. Why not, I guess.

Some of the party cut things close.

34-10 Its name is Prototype Zero.

This is the team I’ll be using. You’ll notice that except for Rikken, everyone is B or A rank. 34-10 can be beaten with a team like this, helped when everyone is pretty much at level 90, equipped with some good otomos (Pahrl, for instance, has the otomo that gives her Terabow). 

Of course there’s the fact that I’m bringing two-thirds of the Holy Trinity to this fight. Bahl and S’naip will be the main heavy hitters, and Rikken can dish out a good amount of damage too while acting as my mover.

Pahrl and Korin were brought to help bolster their respective weapon users’ stats, and their Defense +30% skills are one of the many things I used to make sure Bahl and S’naip survive enemy attacks. Sorman is there for healing (taken over Kuscah since he has slightly better defense), has a Regen Cane (A rank otomo, casts Mega Regen, chain) and Rikken has Heal, All to help a little.

34-10 is just a single battle, much like 30-10. It’s essentially the final boss of part 1.5; so let’s pull up the ol’ boss tunes, but the live version for a change.

Music: The World’s Awakening/Day of Reckoning (Live vers.)

Prototype Zero starts the fight with a huge lock-on; ideally you move everyone out the blast radius.

The turn after locking on, he’ll cast Ultima Assault, a non-elemental magical attack. Speaking of magic, he’s more resistant to it; not only is his magical defense stat higher, but he also has Magic Deflector (though I’ve never seen it be used). However, this isn’t a case where a team of mages or to a lesser extent non-crappy spellblades can’t win.

As you can see, I instead opted to do a triple pincer to damage Zero, but more importantly, clear out one of the Oxsecian machines and get some buffs up on the team. I would not recommend doing this normally – but hey, let’s see: how bad can Ultima Assault be?

Ow shit yeah that’s pretty bad

Prototype Zero will cycle through his skills (Breath Attack and Synergy Wave), while also summoning these mooks.

They will, on the turn they’re summoned, use their respective seal ability and severely neuter the physical attack stat of the corresponding weapon-users. It’s not a bad idea to bring a varied team for this reason, or, probably better, a strong mage. Just pincer with anyone who hasn’t been debuffed and work on clearing them out.

When Prototype Zero starts glowing, he’s rearing up to use System Repair. This is the chance to double pincer and get some damage in; hitting hard enough will disrupt him and prevent the healing.

Eventually, he cycles back to telegraphing Ultima Assault.

This was a good chance to kill him.

I missed getting a screencap of him fading away, so I went back and entered the stage again, killing Zero in around ~5 or so turns.

The nifty thing is that you’ll generally (re: 75% chance) get either a Mantle or Deepwater Helix and Metal Minion^ (guaranteed) for clearing this boss.

Also worth noting: 34-10 has a hard mode! To quote the Terra Battle wiki:

Start stage 34.10 during 00:00–00:59 or 12:00–12:59 UTC to access Hard Mode. Compared to the normal 34.10 stage, Hard Mode enemies have 50 more levels, 3 times the HP, and 1.2 times the ATK, DEF, MATK, MDEF. Hard Mode will also give x2 EXP and x4.5 coins. The boss Prototype Zero is guaranteed to drop the Avengers companion after being defeated in Hard Mode.

Avengers is an S class otomo that gives the unit Counterattack. Useful if you want to cover another skill phase to SBing...?

           “The loathsome Animata is threatening not only the lives of our kin but the existence of our entire race. We must weather this storm together, for we have only ourselves to rely on.

           “Look around you at the fellow countrymen who stand at your side. You are all comrades and equals, chosen to fulfill a common destiny. Social standing, origin, age are all irrelevant. We have all lost too much, and we must all fight to ensure those sacrifices were not suffered in vain.

           “We are a chosen elite, supreme specimens of our race, and we are tasked with a common cause:

           We must hunt Animata down and annihilate her. We shall have retribution.”

             Thus began the long war against Animata. The seeds of that fate were sown here.

            A dazzling light blooms in the heavens. Then it is gone, along with the Oxsecian ship.

             All those who were locked in combat around the Life Breeder stand stunned and breathless. Humans, lizardfolk, beastfolk, stonefolk, the Oxsecian children with identical faces, even the wild alien creatures – all stand transfixed, gazing up at the empty sky.

           “It’s… beautiful.”

           As glowing debris from the Oxsecian ship disperses, a warm glimmer illuminates the heavens. It is as bright and unfaltering as the devotion born of a lifelong friendship.

Finally, it’s worth noting that upon clearing this chapter, 54B2 and 36AIS are added to the Pact of Truth/Fate. 54B2 is a Z class sword unit and 36AIS is a SS class healer.

36AIS is unfortunately not that great of a healer compared to the SS class Amis or even Sorman and Kuscah. I really wish she’d been like Amimari/Amina/A’misandra in terms of skills, or that she’d gotten a recode that brought her skills in line with Amina/A’misandra’s recodes, since otherwise all she has going for her is having Heal All and pretty art.

54B2 is a bit better, but by this point he’s not as useful as he might have been upon his release. Sure you could use him, and he’s not the worst unit to have, but why not just use Bahl^ and/or Suoh^? Some might consider him a troll rainbow pull, and considering the rarity of Z class units and how gacha games operate, that’s kind of a concerning thought.

Well... to not end an update being a Debbie Downer like in the past, I’ll conclude this by saying that this brings part 1.5 to a close! Chapter 35 will mark part 2 - and afterwards I’ll have for the most part caught up to where I was when I took a hiatus. 

Fun fact: the word doc for this chapter is 73 pages and roughly 2600 words. That’s kind of a personal record, actually. I don’t think anything is going to be topping that besides a 7SU lp update or some of the shit I’ve got planned to play.

[kaliiwashere]

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[toomanysinks]

Dragonfly, ethics, and infrastructure spending

Yesterday’s analysis of the ethical tradeoffs faced by engineers working in the Valley certainly lit up my inbox with responses.

The general thesis of that piece is that startups and tech companies face more — and worse — tradeoffs as they have migrated from the “purity” of the early internet into more socially and ethically complicated spaces like labor, social media, health, and elsewhere. That led me to suggest that:

If you disagree with the ethics of your company, the best course of action — particularly in the strongest employment economy in years — is to find a job more in line with your values.

I was specifically talking about Google’s censored search engine project Dragonfly, but I think the discussion applies to a wide swath of the Valley today.

One subscriber wrote in response:

-1 for this piece as a new Extra Crunch subscriber. If this kind of the theme will be a key part of the Extra Crunch editorial voice, it makes me less likely to renew/recommend. Just a datapoint from one reader.

As always, you can just reply to this email and send me your thoughts, and I appreciate feedback.

One of my major objectives for Extra Crunch is to expand the dialogue around the challenges facing startups and how they conduct disruption. Startups and large tech companies are entering more complicated industries, and the decisions required of founders, engineers, product managers, and everyone are increasingly not black and white.

My sincere hope is that as you read Extra Crunch editorial, you tremendously agree with some articles and vehemently disagree with others. Only be conveying that debate and expanding the range of views can we hope to handle the decisions we face with nuance.

Do tech workers have power to shape the world? What world?

Taxi drivers protest Uber in Madrid. Photo by Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images

Another reader wrote in:

“I am a resolute defender of human rights, but the world is the world” [a quote from my analysis]

This statement is not only defeatist, it is meaningless. Like saying,”it is what it is”, you convey nothing. You also negate that you are a resolute defender of anything. This statement paints a closer picture to nihilism – nothing is important, everything is meaningless. How do you consider yourself a defender of human beings, when your suggestion to those affected is to move on and find somewhere else to go? You are promoting apathy, not the determinism of a fighter of freedom.

You paint a world in which corporate interests, and ultimately profits, decide how this world will operate. Suggesting that employees find another job is disregarding the power which they have in their current positions. Google hires top tier talent and has enormous influence. Where else can a person have more impact in their role? Like many other companies, Google has a code of ethics that suggests that employees should do exactly what these employees have done in cases where they disagree with corporate guidance. This is the importance of company culture and”culture fit”. Suggesting that good people do nothing when asked to do something that compromises their ethical values promotes the idea that there are no true ethics in business.

This is a fine critique and an important one.

I think one of the secrets of Silicon Valley’s startup success is that there is a large band of innovators who are not apathetic about their ability to change the world. You really can write some software in Xcode, publish it in the App Store, and eventually affect the lives of millions if not billions of people. That is an awesome power.

Yet, the ethics of disruption is complicated. Take Uber, for instance. The company broke the law not just in multiple urban jurisdictions across the United States, but in jurisdictions around the world. They ran an unregulated taxi service in cities where people who have tried to do that for decades were fined and possibly jailed. Breaking the law though meant offering a compelling new service that is clearly popular among consumers.

From a utilitarian perspective, that outcome is for the best, and Uber was right. But from a deontological approach focusing on duties and values, Uber is clearly in the wrong. It conducted possibly criminal actions in order to open up the taxi market and make an enormous profit. Was that ethical?

Uber has its adherents — it has a huge staff after all. But clearly some people would be uncomfortable working for a company that continually flouts the law in order to make disruption happen. Workers have the ability to shape their corporations to some degree, but their ultimate agency is their ability to walk out the door and apply their talents to companies that match their ethical values.

Infrastructure spending

Photo by Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Three pieces on megaproject infrastructure spending, which we have been focused on here for some time, since we seem to spend billions on high-speed rail only to see it evaporate before our very eyes.

First, a subscriber wrote in with thoughts on where the cost drivers are from his own experience in the space:

1. Contracting strategy – what seems like a good plan turns out to drive bad behavior

2. Design – starting construction before the design phase is complete (risk is amplified when the design is first-of-a-kind, and/or if the schedule is aggressive to start with)

3. Rapid pace of change – tech is obviously changing rapidly, but on multi-year, mega-projects even things like codes, laws, regulations, etc. change ”rapidly” relative to the overall duration of the project. And together with tech/software, it can be very difficult to manage. […]

4. Manufacturability or constructibility – design is difficult to manufacture/build

5. Modular – people fall in love with the concept, but it’s another thing to execute it

I think #3 is a particularly interesting one. We might think that construction methods don’t change, or building codes don’t get updated, but at a certain timescale, even those subtle changes over time have a huge impact on projects that might take a decade to complete.

Second, Alon Levy, a long-time commentator on infrastructure, has written up his comprehensive guide on the drivers of infrastructure costs, primarily focused on the United States. His nine factors run the gamut from engineering to management to procurement, but I loved his last factor around global incuriosity:

Incuriosity is not merely ignorance. Ignorance is a universal trait, people just differ in what they are ignorant about. But Americans are unique in not caring to learn from other countries even when those countries do things better.

[…]

Another Caltrain official, confronted with the fact that in Japan trains turn faster than Caltrain thought possible, responded “Asians don’t value life the way we do” – never mind that Japan’s passenger rail safety per passenger-km is about 1.5 orders of magnitude better than the US’s.

The most innovative people constantly work to learn from the smartest people in the world, which perhaps explains America’s appalling state of infrastructure.

Third, Bloomberg Businessweek published a brief interview with President Trump’s former infrastructure czar D.J. Gribbin. The answer he gives on whether an in infra deal could get done in Congress I think is just a perfect example of the challenges in this space:

It wasn’t like there was a deal sitting out there that was baked and could have moved earlier. You didn’t have bipartisan support for a plan. You had bipartisan support for a concept. The concept of, “Yes, we should do more.” Should it be better? Everyone agrees. And then as soon as you start getting into, “How do we make it better,” people balk and go, “Wait a minute. Why can’t someone else just cover the cost of this?”

Obsessions

Perhaps some more challenges around data usage and algorithmic accountability

We have a bit of a theme around emerging markets, macroeconomics, and the next set of users to join the internet.

More discussion of megaprojects, infrastructure, and “why can’t we build things”

Thanks

To every member of Extra Crunch: thank you. You allow us to get off the ad-laden media churn conveyor belt and spend quality time on amazing ideas, people, and companies. If I can ever be of assistance, hit reply, or send an email to danny@techcrunch.com.

This newsletter is written with the assistance of Arman Tabatabai from New York

source https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/06/dragonfly-ethics-and-infrastructure-spending/