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kaialone · 3 years ago

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Kirby Planet Robobot Translation Comparison: Pause Screens (Part 2)

This will be a comparison of the original Japanese version and the US English localized version.

Specifically, this will cover the pause screen descriptions of all bosses faced exclusively in the extra modes of the game.

While I’m mainly comparing the US English version to the Japanese one, I’ll bring up differences in the EU English version that I find notable, too.

For the comparisons, the usual points apply:

Bolded is the original Japanese text, for the reference.

Bolded and italicized is my translation.

Italicized is the official NOA translation.

A (number) indicates that I have a specific comment to make on that part in the translation notes.

As you read this, please keep in mind that with translations like these, it’s important not to focus on the exact literal wordings, since there is no single “correct answer” when it comes to translations.

Rather than that, consider the actual information that is being conveyed, in which way, and why.

This part will work the same as the last one.

And since a lot of these pause descriptions are somewhat connected to their counterparts of the main story as well, I would recommend reading the previous part first, if you haven’t already.

Also, as a general note, you’ll see that all the stronger versions of the regular bosses have the prefix “Re:” added in the Japanese version.

This was changed to “2.0″ in the English version.

From what I’ve seen, “Re:” in Japanese pop culture is often used as a cool, sometimes futuristic way to refer to a “renewal” of something, so adapting it as “2.0″ makes sense.

Re:ウィスピーボーグ

ウィスピーボーグが新モデルにリニューアル。ねんぴもよくなりはいきガスもへっているので、カンパニーもかんきょうにはいりょしながらしょうエネ開発を進めているもよう。価格も前モデルの半分におさえられている。

Re:Whispy Borg

Whispy Borg has been newly remodeled. The improved fuel efficiency and reduced emission of exhaust gases indicate that perhaps the company too strives to be environmentally friendly, developing new ways to conserve energy. Its price has been cut down to half the previous model, too.

Clanky Woods 2.0

Clanky Woods has been redesigned and upgraded. Better fuel efficiency and fewer emissions demonstrate the company's new environmentally friendly initiative. It costs only half of the previous model!

Comparisons & Thoughts:

The description has been slightly shortened as usual, though there are some potential errors or changes, too.

In the English version, the text mentions “the company’s new environmentally friendly initiative”, whereas the Japanese version doesn’t make it sound like this would be a new thing for them.

It’s possible that this was a mistranslation, but it could also be that they intentionally changed it in English to be a little more obvious about the irony - because the Haltmann Works Company allegedly trying to be environmentally friendly is ridiculous.

Also, in the Japanese version, the original wording makes it more clear that Clanky Woods’ price being reduced is seemingly referring to the cost a potential buyer would have to pay for it, rather than the cost of producing it.

This feels like it might be alluding to how in real life, manufacturers of electric cars or the like will try to cut down their prices to some degree in order to get more people into them, and thus creating more of a demand for them in the future.

The English version could be going for that as well, but it’s a bit less clear.

Re:ホログラフ防衛システムズ

マザーコンピューターによりリニューアルされたこの防衛システムも、他の星にねむっていたせっけい図をもとにして作られたものだが、一部データがかけているため、本来のせい能をはっきできずにいるらしい。

Re:Holographic Defense Systems

Revised by the Mother Computer, this defense system was also created based on blueprints discovered on another planet. But, because part of the data is missing, it is apparently unable to demonstrate its original performance. (1)

Holo Defense API 2.0

Redesigned by the Mother Computer, this defense system is based on a blueprint found on another planet. It's missing a segment of data and is unable to demonstrate its full potential.

Translation Note:

What I translated as “original performance” here could also be translated as “true performance” or the like. I don’t think the specifics make much of a difference here, but thought I would note it, just in case.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This description is mostly the same, but there is an interesting detail about it.

The Japanese version notes that this defense system was “also” based on blueprints found on another planet.

This directly implies other things have been based on such blueprints, but it doesn’t specify which those are, nor how many blueprints and planets are involved.

From its looks though, we can gather that the Holo Defense API was likely based on Pix from Rock Star, as seen in Kirby 64.

Similarly, we can assume that the Security Force mid-boss was likely based on Metal General from Halcandra, as seen in Return to Dream Land.

And of course, Star Dream is heavily implied to be something similar to Galactic Nova from Milky Way Wishes - and both of them are implied to be so-called clockwork stars, also first mentioned in Return to Dream Land.

But even considering all that, keep in mind that we still can’t say for sure where and when the Haltmann Works Company would have precured any of their respective blueprints, and series director Shinya Kumazaki intentionally left the answer up in the air when asked about it during the second Planet Robobot Ask-a-thon on Miiverse.

Just so we are all on the same page here.

In any case, the English version is still missing the indication that the Holo Defense API isn’t the only one that was based on blueprints found elsewhere.

The EU English version actually goes one step further, rephrasing the line in question to say that the defence system was built “based on the blueprint found on another planet”.

The wording of “the blueprint” would imply there was only ever one, which does not appear to be the case in Japanese.

Re:ホロ・クラッコ

この雲のモンスターのデータは、ぶんせきすればするほど、様ざまなこうげきパターンが見つかる。そのいったんがシステムのリニューアルによりかいほうされ、手強くなっている。

Re:Holo-Kracko

The more data of this cloud monster is analyzed, the more attack patterns are discovered. A portion of them have been unlocked by the system's revision, making it a more formidable adversary.

Holo-Kracko 2.0

They further analyzed the data of the cloud monster and discovered even more vicious attacks. The system redesign has implemented these attacks and made Holo-Kracko even more powerful.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This description features some slight alterations.

The Japanese version mentions that a larger variety of attack patterns is being discovered, while the English version says that “more vicious attacks” have been found.

Aside from those being different things to discover, the Japanese version also makes it clear that this analysis is still being done continuously.

The Japanese version also states that the system’s revision has “unlocked” these additional patterns, but the English version states that it has “implemented” the additional attacks.

So, the implications of how the system works are slightly different here.

The US English version also has this description start with “They further analyzed the data of the cloud monster and discovered (...)“, while the EU English version phrases it as “Further analysis of data from the cloud monster has uncovered (...)“.

The latter matches the Japanese version a bit more, with the narrator having a more neutral position regarding the progress.

But, the former isn’t really wrong by comparison either, and the narrator does refer to the company in third person like that occasionally in other places.

Re:ホロ・ローパーズ

このモンスターは、スージーがかつて入手したデータを入力し生み出されたのだが、異空間とよばれるエリアにすくうこのモンスターのデータを一体いつ、どこで手に入れたので　��ろうか。かのじょの��ゾもまた、深まるばかりである。

Re:Holo Lopers

These monsters were created by entering data that Susie had acquired in the past. But, just when and where exactly did she obtain data on those monsters which live in the area called another dimension? There is no end to the mysteries surrounding her, either.

Holo-Doomers 2.0

These monsters were created by Susie entering data she acquired from her travels. Where and when did she encounter the original monsters from another dimension? Who knows?

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This description is mostly the same, with some slight oddities.

Of course, the term “another dimension” used in the Japanese version here is the same as before, so my notes on the regular Holo-Doomers also apply here.

And just like before, the EU English version changed “another dimension” to “extra dimension”, which I also went over back there.

Also, the Japanese version specifically uses the word “area” to refer to another dimension, which is also the term used for “areas” in Planet Robobot as a game.

I think this could just be to add some flavor to this description, though.

The game seems to use “area” in favor of “level” to give it a more mechanical and business-driven vibe. And so the narration is consistent with that internal logic of the game’s aesthetic.

The final line in the Japanese version says that there is no end to the mysteries about Susie “either”, which I think is simply a follow-up to the final line of the regular Holo-Doomers description.

The English version doesn’t have a connection between the two descriptions like that there.

Re:ホロ・アイスドラゴン

かつて存在した、古代のドラゴンという生命体のデータから生み出されたホログラフだが、もしかしたら今でもまだどこかの島のどうくつのおく深くで、ひそかに生きのびているのかもしれない。

Re:Holo-Ice Dragon

This hologram was created from the data of an ancient organic life form called a dragon, which has existed in the past, but it is also possible that they secretly continue to live on, deep inside a cave on an island somewhere.

Holo-Ice Dragon 2.0

This hologram was created from an ancient dragon. Dragons are no longer seen, but one of them may still be living quietly in a cave on an island somewhere. Who knows?

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This description is mostly the same, except for a small detail that might be a bit confusing, but I’ll try to explain it.

There is some potential issue here regarding the usage of plural versus singular.

In my translation of the Japanese version, I have the description refer to dragons in a general sense, rather than one individual dragon.

The English version chose to use singular instead, for the most part.

As I mentioned before, there usually is no clear distinction between plural and singular in Japanese, so either way could work here.

That being said, the English version would still be slightly off, because if one chooses to use singular for the translation here, it has to be applied to all of the text.

If I were to apply singular for my own translation, it would become this:

This hologram was created from the data of an ancient organic life form called a dragon, which has existed in the past, but it is also possible that it secretly continues to live on, deep inside a cave on an island somewhere.

Therefore, the English version’s line “Dragons are no longer seen, but one of them (...)” would be inaccurate for that approach.

It should at least be something like “This dragon is no longer seen, but it (...)” instead.

At the end of the day, I don’t think the specifics actually matter much in this case right here, but I still wanted to explain them.

Re:ホロ・ガラーガ

このモンスターがいたという天空の国が存在するらしいが、いまだキカイ化のしんりゃくがとうたつできていないもよう。この星にはまだ、様ざまなみかいのエリアが残されていることがうかがえる。

Re:Holo-Garāga

It appears that the land of the sky where this monster is said to be from really exists, but the mechanization invasion seemingly has yet to reach it. It's clear that there are still many uncivilized areas left on this planet.

Holo-C. Rattler 2.0

It is said that the People of the Sky who enshrined this monster still exist. It seems that the mechanization invasion has not reached them, due to their remote location.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

There are some slight alterations in this description.

Like before, “land of the sky” is changed to “People of the Sky”, so my notes on that also apply here.

The Japanese version has the narrator note that the supposed land of the sky apparently does exist, but the English version has the narrator say that the People of the Sky “still” exist.

The latter would imply that from the perspective of our vague narrator, the People of the Sky were known, but also previously thought to possibly not exist anymore.

In contrast, the former implies the land of the sky is only just being discovered.

Next, the Japanese version notes that there are still many “uncivilized areas” on Pop Star, following the prior statement that the land of the sky has yet to be reached by the invasion.

The English version changes this to stating that the People of the Sky have yet to be reached by the invasion “due to their remote location”.

This might have been an intentional change to sound less demeaning, but I can’t say for sure.

Really, this mostly changes the narrator’s attitude about the situation, since the Japanese phrasing still would imply that the company just needs more time to reach Floralia and other locations further away from their operations.

Also just for the reference, the word “areas” is once again the same one they use for the game’s main levels as well, keeping with the game’s aesthetic.

As an aside, the general narrator of these descriptions is not really a character, so slight differences in their limited knowledge and attitude about the world like in the two previous points are not that big of a deal.

But it’s interesting to me that in this description right here for example, the Japanese version of the narrator seems to roughly reflect the knowledge and attitude that the Haltmann Works Company would have.

In other places, the narrator’s knowledge and general perspective does shift to other sides too, I’m guessing to fit the mood that works best for each description.

Also, I mentioned in the last part how it’s strange that the English version didn’t just go for the shorter “Holo-Rattler” as the name, and this choice comes back to haunt them here, cause they had to spell “Holo-Coily Rattler 2.0″ as “Holo-C. Rattler 2.0″ to make it fit.

Re:秘書スージー

おさないころ、マザーコンピューターの起動じっけん時にじこにまきこまれ、ゆくえふめいとなったという。時がたち、何を思い、ふたたびカンパニーにもぐりこんだのであろうか。フルネームは「スザンナファミリアハルトマン」。

Re:Secretary Susie

As a young child, she was supposedly involved in an accident during an experimental start-up of the Mother Computer, and went missing. (1) Whatever she may be thinking, some time later she must have snuck her way into the company once more. Her full name is "Susanna Familia Haltmann".

Susie 2.0

As a child, Sue [sic] was involved in an accident during a Mother Computer experiment and went missing. Why has she joined the company after all this time? Her full name is Susanna Patrya Haltmann.

Translation Note:

What I translated as “experimental start-up” could also be translated as “start-up experiment”, or the like.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

In the Japanese version, Susie’s middle name is “Familia”, which was changed to “Patrya” in the English version.

The Japanese one is probably based on the English word “family” or maybe even “familiar”, alluding to the story going on with her, and keeping with that Western influence they go for with her and the company.

I’m guessing the English version changed it because “Familia” might’ve seemed too on the nose about it?

Going by that, I think “Patrya” might be based on something like “patriarch” and related terms, which would also allude to the story surrounding Susie’s character.

The actual description is mostly the same, just rephrased to be shorter.

In the Japanese version it’s stated that the experiment during which Susie went missing was one about starting the Mother Computer, which ends up omitted in English.

Not hugely important, but interesting if you care about finer specifics of the story.

The Japanese version also mentions that Susie later “snuck her way” into the company, implying some obfuscation of details on her part when she joined.

That detail can already be inferred from the story alone, so not as much of a loss.

The US English version refers to Susie as “Sue” in this description for some reason.

I’m almost positive this was just a typo, since it seems very unlikely they would randomly introduce a second nickname for her only in this one screen.

The EU English version rephrased the first line slightly and fixed that spelling in the process, too.

強化量産メタナイトボーグ

メタナイトボーグのデータをもとにして作られた、セキュリティマシンの量産型。最新ぎじゅつによりかなり強化されている。もしも実用化された場合、カンパニーの戦力はひやくてきにこう上するであろう��

Enhanced Mass-produced Meta Knight Borg

A mass-produced security machine model, built using data from the Meta Knight Borg as a basis. Its strength was enhanced considerably with the latest technology. If it were to be put into practical use, the company's military power would increase dramatically.

Stock Mecha Knight

This mass-production model is based on an upgraded Mecha Knight model. If this model goes into commercial production, the company's military power will dramatically increase.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

The ”Enhanced Mass-produced Meta Knight Borg“ had its name changed to “Stock Mecha Knight“, because yeah, there was probably no way to make a more literal translation fit here.

I think going for “Stock” here is pretty clever, boiling down the idea to its bare essentials, and with such little space, too.

The actual description is mostly the same, just rephrased to be slightly shorter.

The English version’s phrasing does make it sound like Stock Mecha Knight was based on Mecha Knight+ in particular, whereas the Japanese version has it be based on the data of the regular Mecha Knight.

Re:クローンデデデ

声もすがたもまるでデデデ大王と同じだが、その心までクローン化することはだんねんした。いくつかのしさくでは、食べ物ばかりもとめたり、とあるこん虫をやたらとおそれたりと、兵士として、不完全であったためである。

Re:Clone Dedede

Its voice and appearance are just like King Dedede, but they have given up on cloning his heart, too. This is because there were several prototypes only interested in food, or exceedingly afraid of a certain insect, as well as other aspects that made them imperfect soldiers.

Dedede Clone 2.0

It has the look and voice of King Dedede, but not his soul. Some things can't be cloned. Some of the trial models were only interested in food, some were fearful of a certain insect, and all were imperfect.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

There is a pretty significant alteration or possible error in this description.

In the Japanese version, it’s stated that the company has given up on cloning Dedede’s “heart” because several prototypes ended up being imperfect soldiers.

What this means is that cloning his “heart” is actually possible for them to some extent, but since that causes the clones to take on parts of Dedede’s personality, it made them worse as soldiers.

So, they have given up on cloning the heart specifically because the clones having one has proven to be a detriment for their purposes.

In the English version, it’s instead stated that the company is unable to clone Dedede’s “soul”, because “some things can’t be cloned”.

In turn, the issues with the trial models are also implied to be unrelated general cloning issues.

So, while the Japanese version somewhat eerily states that cloning a heart is possible, but the company is now making the clones heartless on purpose, the English version seems like almost the complete opposite and states that cloning a soul is just not possible.

This could have been a translation error, but it could also be that the English localizers wanted to avoid crossing a certain line here and thus changed it intentionally.

Continuing from the previous point though, you may have noticed that the Japanese version uses “heart” while the English version uses “soul”.

The actual Japanese word used here is 心/kokoro, which is most commonly translated as “heart”, but it can also be translated as “soul” like the English version did - and also as “mind”, or even “feelings”, as well as other things like that depending on the context.

Because of that, it can have different connotations than just the English word “soul” on its own.

I think “heart” is a broad enough term that it works well here, and the Kirby series has a frequent heart motif as well, so I went with that, personally.

The term will also be brought up again in future descriptions down the line, so keep it in mind for later.

Re:クローンデデデ&D3砲

この立体砲台はとてつもなく高がくで、ウィスピーウッズやメタナイトのサイボーグ化のなんと4倍。あのギガヴォルトより 50億ハルトマニーも高い。それでも、ハルトマンの乗る、純金の「プレジデンバー」の 4分の1ほどではある。

Re:Clone Dedede & D3 Cannon

This three-dimensional artillery is extremely expensive, costing no less than four times more than the cybernetic conversions of Whispy Woods and Meta Knight. It even surpasses the Gigavolt by 5 billion Haltmoney. However, that is still only about a quarter of what the "Presidenver" that Haltmann rides is worth, which is made of pure gold.

Dedede Cl. & D3 2.0

This tridimensional cannon is extremely expensive, costing a whopping four times more than Mecha Knight. However, it's still much cheaper than Haltmann's Executive Suit, which is made of pure gold.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This description is mostly accurate, just rewritten to be shorter.

The English version simplifies the different cost comparisons in this description a lot, which is mostly expendable information, so that’s understandable.

Still, since the Japanese version has the room for it, it’s fun to see it continue with the trend of comedically focusing how much everything costs compared to one another, going with the themes of the game.

Also, Haltmann’s own mech is revealed to be called “Presidenver” in Japanese, which was changed to “Executive Suit” in English.

Either one goes along with the name of Susie’s mech, but since its name was omitted in the English version, this fact doesn’t come across there.

“Presidenver” is pretty self-explanatory, just adding “president” to “Rereinver”.

“Executive Suit” might be a play on “executive suite”, which is pretty amusing to me.

Re:プレジデント・ハルトマン

フルネームは「ゲインズインカムハルトマン」。かつてひとり娘をじこでなくし、それいらい人の心もきおくさえもすて、カンパニーの成長のためだけに生きる男。だがそれも、娘にふたたび会いたいただそのねがいをかなえるためであったのだが…。

Re:President Haltmann

His full name is "Gains Income Haltmann". He once lost his only daughter in an accident, and ever since then, the man has been casting aside his heart and even his memories, living only for the sake of his company's growth. But even that too was only for the sake of granting his wish - to see his daughter once more...

Pres. Haltmann 2.0

His full name is Max Profitt Haltmann. Ever since losing his only child, he's dedicated his life to his company. However, his only wish is to see his daughter once again.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

In Japanese, Haltmann’s given and middle names are “Gains Income”, which was changed to “Max Profitt” in the English version.

“Gains Income” is obviously taken directly from “gains income”. Aside from probably referring to the fact that he’s about earning money, this also is another English-sounding name to go with the company’s aesthetic.

“Max Profitt” is a similar play on earning money, but done in a way that works better as a pun-based name for English-speaking audiences.

The actual description has one fairly notable omission in particular.

In the Japanese version, it’s specifically stated that Haltmann has been “casting aside his heart and even his memories“, which is not mentioned in English.

The fact that Haltmann doesn’t have all his memories anymore is crucial to understanding the story at this point, so leaving this out caused a lot of confusion for English-speaking fans around the time of the game’s release.

It would eventually be brought up again during the second Planet Robobot Ask-a-thon, so fans did get to learn about this, but it was still an inconvenience.

Not to mention that Miiverse has since been shut down.

The detail about Haltmann’s “heart” is interesting as well, since it gives additional insight into how Haltmann has presumably grown more callous over the years as well, rather than starting out the way we see him in the present day.

For the reference, the English Miiverse post adapted this as “compassion”, which works perfectly fine in this context, too.

The US English version doesn’t mention that Haltmann specifically lost his only child in an accident, but the EU English version actually included that part, too.

So I’m not really sure why the US English version omitted the “accident” detail.

クローン剣士ダークマター

星の夢に入力されているデータの中でもかなりの強さをほこる黒き剣の使い手。クローン化にせいこうしたものの、かいせきはデータの一部にすぎず、その正体についていまだ、全ようかいめいにはいたっていない。

Clone Swordfighter Dark Matter

Among the data that has been entered into Star Dream, this dark sword user boasts especially tremendous strength. Although it was cloned successfully, only part of its data has been analyzed, and its true nature has yet to be confirmed with certainty as of right now. (1)

Dark Matter Clone

Creating this dark swordsman pushed Star Dream to the limits of its abilities. The cloning process was a success, but only a partial data analysis was possible, and its true form has not yet emerged.

Translation Note:

The word I translated as “true nature” could also be translated as “true identity”, or other things along those lines. Either could potentially work in this context.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

“Clone Swordfighter Dark Matter” is shortened to “Dark Matter Clone”, most likely for space.

The US English version of the True Arena labels this boss as “Dark Matter Blade”, so I wonder if they originally intended to reflect the “swordfighter” part in the name as well, but partially dropped it.

The actual description has a few potential errors or changes.

In the Japanese version, it’s stated that Dark Matter Blade is one of the strongest included within Star Dream’s data.

The English version instead states that cloning him pushed Star Dream “to the limits of its abilities”.

This could have been a translation error, but it could also have been an intentional rewrite.

As mentioned in the translation note, I can’t say for sure if the Japanese version is supposed to refer to Dark Matter Blade’s “true nature” or “true identity” not having been confirmed yet.

The relevant line could either be referring to Dark Matter Blade’s true form, which the clone does take on during the battle, but it could also be referring to the other general mysteries about Dark Matter and its background.

Either way could work in this context, so I went with “true nature” in my translation, because you can read either interpretation into it.

The English version specifically goes for “true form” here, but also changes “has yet to be confirmed” to “has not yet emerged”.

So the implications are slightly different there.

クローンセクトニア

この星のしんりゃく時に見つけた巨大な植物の花からデータをさいしゅ。不思議なことに、こん虫の女王の剣士のクローンが生まれた。データには 1000年にもおよぶ様ざまな生物のデータがふくまれており、ナゾがたえない。

Clone Sectonia

Data was collected from the flower of a giant plant that was discovered during the invasion of this planet. Curiously, it produced the clone of an insect queen swordswoman. The data includes that of various organisms, spanning a period of over 1000 years. The mysteries continue.

Sectonia Clone

Data was collected from traces of a giant flower the invaders stumbled upon. Cloning it produced the insect queen. Its data contains elements of creatures spanning a period of 1,000 years.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This description is mostly the same, just rephrased to be a bit shorter.

The switch from “Clone Sectonia” to “Sectonia Clone” is probably just to sound a bit more natural in English.

ギャラクティックナイトリターンズ

その力ゆえおそれられてきた、全てをほろぼしかねない古の剣士。クローンではなく、未知なる異空間ロードから時空をこえよびさまされた。様ざまな時代でふういんされてきたきろくが残るが、しょうめつさせることはできていない。

Galactic Knight Returns

An ancient swordfighter, capable of destroying everything, who has come to be feared due to his power. He is not a clone - he has been awoken across time and space, from the unknown Another Dimension Road. There are records left behind of him having been sealed away in various eras, but he has yet to be destroyed completely.

Galacta Knight Returns

This ancient swordsman is feared for his immense power. He is not a clone. He was awakened and brought here via an extra-dimensional road beyond the space-time continuum.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

“Galactic Knight Returns” is renamed to “Galacta Knight Returns” in English.

This matches how this character has always been called in the English versions of Kirby games, of course.

The actual description is mostly accurate, just shorter, but the final sentence has been omitted entirely.

In the Japanese version, the final sentence provides some neat insight into Galacta Knight’s background, particularly the impact he has apparently had on people across history.

It’s a shame this is missing in the English version, but they most certainly couldn’t make it fit.

The “Another Dimension Road” is mentioned here again, which I already went over when I covered Meta Knightmare Returns, so all my notes there also apply here.

The English version again adapts it as “extra-dimensional road“, staying consistent with what they used in the cutscene.

星の夢.Soul OS (First Phase)

未知ノダメージにヨリ、最終プログラムがアンロック。アノ生命体ヲハイジョデキるカクリツは、99.99% トナル。タダハルトマンとイウ生命体の「ココロ」というモノが不要なソンザイとナルモヨウ。コレヨリ、ハルトマンのメモリーの消去ヲカイシスル。

Star Dream.Soul OS (First Phase)

Unknown DAMAGE HAS CAUSED the final program TO be UNLOCKED. PROBABILITY OF ELIMINATING THAT organic life form is NOW AT 99.99%. ONLY THE OBJECT called the "HEART" of the organic life form CALLED HALTMANN WILL LIKELY PROVE TO BE innecessary. NOW INITIATING erasure of THE MEMORY OF HALTMANN. (1)

Star Dream Soul OS (First Phase)

The final program has been activated. Its calculated victory probability is 99.9%. However, a small part of Haltmann's soul is yet to be purged, which could throw a wrench in its plans.

Translation Note:

The literal term used in Japanese here is メモリー /memorī, which is a transliteration of the English word “memory”. This is normally used to refer to computer memory, rather than a person’s memories. Though the double-meaning might be intentional in this context.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

There are some notable details in this description.

First of all, the Japanese version is once again written from the perspective of Star Dream, as seen by its unmistakable speaking style.

However, unlike in the main story, Star Dream does not refer to itself in first-person here at any point.

Since the Soul OS battle seems to roughly follow after the events of Meta Knightmare Returns, this might reflect how Star Dream presumably never gained its own sense of self in that scenario, but that’s just a guess on my part.

Either way, in the English version this description does not seem to be written directly from Star Dream’s perspective.

If this is the case, it might have been an oversight, but I can’t say for sure.

I do think this is a shame, because it’s a nice callback to its final pause screen from the main story, and also may become more impactful once you see the remaining pause screens from this current boss battle.

A smaller detail, but the Japanese version specifies that the final program was unlocked by “Unknown DAMAGE”, which may refer to the cut done by Galacta Knight - as it can still be seen on Star Dream here.

This gives this boss battle a stronger connection to the events of Meta Knightmare Returns, even if the continuity of these extra mode stories is rather vague, of course.

This next detail will take a bit longer to go over, so bear with me.

In the English version, it’s stated that Star Dream has yet to purge “a small part” of Haltmann’s “soul”, and that this could be detrimental for it.

But in the Japanese version, Star Dream instead comes to the conclusion that Haltmann’s “HEART” will be innecessary. It also proceeds with the erasure of the “MEMORY” of Haltmann, which the English version does not yet bring up.

This results in some different potential implications here.

In the English version, the usage of “soul” would suggest that this must be Haltmann’s actual soul or spirit, but it’s not quite the same in Japanese.

While these extra stories only have vague continuity, keep in mind that as far as we know, Haltmann was never actually taken over directly by Star Dream in this scenario.

If this was meant to refer to Haltmann’s spirit, they could’ve easily used the same word for spirit they used during the final battle of the main story.

But instead, they use the same term “heart” that has already come up before in the descriptions for Dedede Clone 2.0 and Haltmann 2.0, which this current description also seems to follow up on.

Just like in the Dedede Clone 2.0 description, a heart is deemed as a flaw by Star Dream here. And we know from the Haltmann 2.0 description that Haltmann has been casting aside his own heart too, in a way.

This goes into speculation territory, but one could assume based on this that the “heart” of Haltmann which Star Dream currently possesses is the same heart that Haltmann has cast aside, either literally or figuratively.

Again, remember how the Dedede Clone 2.0 description confirmed that a heart is something that can artificially be reproduced in some form, so it wouldn’t have to literally be the same.

In any case, Star Dream’s method to rid itself of this “heart” is to start erasing the “MEMORY” of Haltmann.

This could mean that at the very least, the memories that Haltmann has lost over the years are stored or documented within Star Dream in some form.

Though not from the pause screen, further evidence of this is the fact that the objects summoned by Star Dream during its respective third phase are officially called “MEMORIES”.

And while they are all parts of Galactic Nova, they also all relate to specific details about Haltmann that were revealed in a Nintendo Dream interview (June 2016 issue.)

The Soul OS version of the attack also adds piano keys, a possible reference to Susie’s own profile mentioning that she plays the piano.

That last point was rather long, so to summarize it briefly:

While the English version suggests that Star Dream here contains Haltmann’s soul or spirit, much like in the main story, the situation appears to be a bit different in Japanese, given how the term “heart” can be used - and how it has been used in the game so far.

星の夢.Soul OS (Second-Final Phase)

だれが何のために作ったのかさえ分からない。そんなモノをなぜわたしは起動させてしまったのだろうか。そうだ、かなえたい夢があったはずだ… あぁだが、マシンが夢などかなえてはくれないというのは、もう分かっていたことだというのに…

Star Dream.Soul OS (Second-Final Phase)

I don't even know who made it or for what purpose. Why would I activate something like that? That's right, I think I had a dream I wanted to be fulfilled... Ahh, but I already knew that a machine could never make dreams come true, and yet I...

Star Dream Soul OS (Second-Final Phase)

"Why did I reactivate such a terrible machine? Oh, I remember -- I wanted to see her just one last time. How foolish! I should have known that no machine could make such a dream come true."

Comparisons & Thoughts:

Just like the previous one, there are several notable details about this description.

Now, in both versions, this pause screen appears to be from Haltmann’s perspective, though the English version actually added quotation marks to it.

This could have been to make it more clear that this is from a specific person’s perspective, but the same was never done with Star Dream’s narration.

There could be another reason for this, which I’ll go over next.

Here’s a subtle detail you might not have caught.

While this is most likely Haltmann narrating here, the Japanese version has him refer to himself with the first person pronoun わたし/watashi.

In the actual story, he only ever used ワシ/washi to refer to himself.

But here’s the thing: in fiction, having a character refer to themselves as ワシ/washi is generally used to indicate that the character is old, and just by comparison, わたし/watashi sounds younger.

This could imply that this quote might in fact be from a time where Haltmann was at least somewhat younger than he is now.

In other words, a memory from the past, rather than a current thought in the present.

Being shown a memory of Haltmann at this point would also fit with Star Dream’s narration from the previous pause screen.

Because of that, I think the English version could be using the quotation marks to indicate this temporal distance, since they can’t really show it in the same way the Japanese version does.

But I can’t say for sure if that was the intent.

The Japanese version has Haltmann mention that he did not know who made the machine he’s talking about here, which is most likely Star Dream.

Interesting backstory tidbit there, if you’re curious about these.

Also in the Japanese version, Haltmann believes that a machine can’t actually make dreams come true in general. Though, we can’t know if he is correct about that.

In the English version, Haltmann only comes to the conclusion that no machine could make his specific dream come true.

On that note, Haltmann is never shown to recall what his dream was in the first place in Japanese, he only says that he must have had one.

In the English version, he explicitly remembers wanting to see “her” again being his dream.

It seems like almost a given that Haltmann’s dream here is referring to his wish of being reunited with his daughter, so it makes sense that the English version would change the text to make it obvious.

There is a non-zero chance that Haltmann actually had another dream, but that’s a whole different topic.

星の夢.Soul OS (Final Phase)

このコアからもハルトマンのメモリーは、消えた。最後に想うあの心も、消えた。その瞬間より星の夢は完全な存在からただのこわれたマシンとなる。夢も見ない、ゴハンも食べない、そんなあいてはもはや、星のカービィのてきではなかった!

Star Dream.Soul OS (Final Phase)

Haltmann's memory has disappeared from this core, too. And in the end, that feeling heart disappeared as well. That very moment, Star Dream turns from a perfect being into a mere broken machine. It doesn't have dreams, it doesn't even eat lunch - an opponent like that no longer stands any chance against Kirby of the Stars!

Star Dream Soul OS (Final Phase)

All of Haltmann's memories have been deleted from the OS. Even his soul-- the last trace of Haltmann--has vanished. Star Dream has gone from a near- perfect being to a cold, mindless machine.

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This is the final description, so of course there is a lot to say again.

A minor detail, but in the Japanese version it’s said that the memory of Haltmann has now disappeared from “this core”, which is pretty straightforward, all things considered.

For some reason, the US English version instead says that Haltmann’s memories have been deleted “from the OS”, and the EU English version says they have been deleted “from the Mother Computer”.

This is also the first time the memories are brought up in English at all, so their relevance is a lot less clear.

And another minor detail related to this one.

I believe the specific phrasing of “disappeared from this core, too” in Japanese is meant to refer to the fact that Haltmann’s memories had already been lost by the man himself.

At least, that makes the most sense to me.

Once again, the English version uses “soul” where the Japanese version used “heart”.

The distinction between the two becomes especially important here, because while the English version says it’s the “soul” of Haltmann, the Japanese text is more vague about it.

Of course, the first Japanese pause screen of this battle did refer to it as the “heart” of Haltmann, but at the same time, remember that this would have basically been Star Dream’s own heart as well.

This also seems to be the implication going by the lines that follow afterwards.

Interestingly, the Japanese version describes Star Dream as having been a “perfect being”, whereas the English version just goes for “near-perfect being”.

This is very similar to how they changed Kirby’s energy from being described as “infinite” to “nearly infinite” in the main story.

I suppose they just don’t want to deal in absolutes with these.

The English version also goes on to describe Star Dream as now being a “cold, mindless machine”, instead of just a “broken machine” like in Japanese, which has different implications.

Star Dream being actually broken and not functioning as it should is another point that Kumazaki reiterated during the second Planet Robobot Ask-a-thon, so that’s another plot detail the English version technically omits here.

The English phrasing also leans more into the idea of Star Dream being a scary opponent, while the Japanese phrasing leans more into the idea of Star Dream being something pitiful - a similar sentiment to the descriptions of the main story’s final battle.

Adding to the point above, the English version also omits the final part of this last description.

The phrase “It doesn’t have dreams, it doesn’t even eat lunch“ references a recurring concept first introduced in the manual of Kirby’s Adventure - the fact that the people of Dream Land, and Kirby especially, love to take naps after lunch to have fun dreams.

This was referenced in the Japanese version of Kirby Super Star as well, where the pause screen description during the Starship segment of Milky Way Wishes features the line:

マルクのやぼうをさっさとくいとめ、ゴハンたべてねよう。

Let's stop Marx real quick, then have lunch and a nap.

That’s another Milky Way Wishes connection only in the Japanese version, but said line also wasn’t featured in the English version of Kirby Super Star in the first place.

And since the “Kirby of the Stars” title is also not really used in the English localizations of the Kirby series, it would have been hard to make this final bit of the pause description work, even if space weren’t an issue.

I think the Japanese version is stronger for having it, but there probably wasn’t much the English version could have done about this.

With all of the point-by-point comparisons out of the way here, I want to take a moment to go into some general thoughts on this battle as a whole and what each version implies about it.

Naturally this will have a bit more speculation on my part too, so keep that in mind.

If you only look at the English version, the implication you get is that during the Star Dream Soul OS battle, Star Dream is fused with Haltmann’s actual soul, in a similar manner to the events of the main story. (Even though those events may not have happened in the extra scenarios.)

It must be Haltmann’s own soul, because the English Dedede Clone 2.0 description states that a soul cannot be cloned.

Star Dream then proceeds to delete Haltmann’s last memories as well as his soul, because Haltmann’s soul had a chance of stopping its plan. (Even though it had no apparent issues about fusing with his spirit in the main story.)

Therefore, during this battle Haltmann is essentially killed “deader than dead” by Star Dream, for the lack of a better wording - his very soul eradicated for good.

The middle pause screen during the battle may be thought of as Haltmann’s final thoughts before ultimate oblivion in this interpretation.

I don’t think this is just what I myself take away from the English version, because this is the most common interpretation I have seen from English-speaking fans over the years.

It can come across as a tragedy in which Haltmann is finally destroyed for good by a terrible machine he could never truly control.

Now, onto the Japanese version.

The exact details leave more room for speculation, because of how vague the term 心/kokoro or “heart” can be.

But the way I understand it is that Star Dream has been storing the memories that Haltmann has been losing over the years.

In addition to that, it would likely have data on Haltmann’s current memories and thoughts as well, as seen in the main story.

From this, it gained the “heart” of Haltmann, or at least a partial reproduction of it, allowing it to feel and think in a way similar to Haltmann. Just like the early Dedede clones with cloned hearts acting similar to King Dedede in various ways.

However, Star Dream never fuses with Haltmann’s spirit in the extra scenarios.

Because of that, it never gains its own sense of self, and fails to understand the purpose of a heart, deeming it a potential flaw to be purged, just as it did with the updated Dedede clones.

Thus, it deletes the memories of Haltmann, which brought about the heart in the first place, and thus loses said heart again, becoming a lifeless object once more - no longer able to think and feel anything.

And there is another subtle detail in the Japanese version related to that, too.

During this battle, the first description is narrated by Star Dream, the second seems to show a memory of Haltmann, and the final one goes back to the general narrator.

This could possibly represent the transition of Star Dream starting out with that heart, sifting through the memories to delete them, and finally having become just a machine again, so it no longer has any thoughts that could serve as the narration.

This potentially paints the Soul OS battle specifically more as a tragedy of Star Dream itself. A machine that achieved the miracle of being alive with a heart, but proceeded to undo said miracle all on its own, without even realizing what it was really doing.

Also, Kumazaki only specified this on Miiverse, but Haltmann losing his memories from overusing Star Dream was also because it was broken.

So this was never something that was supposed to really happen in this way, had it functioned properly.

Overall, Star Dream can feel like more of a tragic figure in the Japanese version, and more of a villainous figure in the English one.

Several small differences between the versions across the game reflect this, with moments painting Start Dream as pitiful or even pathetic being altered or omitted.

However, this is a very general summary of it, the Japanese version still has Star Dream being the main antagonist, and the English version has plenty of moments where the tragic aspects to Star Dream are still apparent.

Final Thoughts on the Pause Screens:

First, let me say, I am very impressed by the English localization of these pause screens.

Really, look up these screens for yourself some time, they pushed these to their limits. Almost every single one of them is crammed full with as much text as they could possibly fit in.

Yes, they still had to cut a lot out here and there, but clearly not from lack of trying.

Of course, the fact of the matter still ends up being that the Japanese version simply has more good stuff in it.

A lot of stuff is “expendable”, but losing fun fluff all the time adds up, I feel.

The extra modes pause screens especially also feature a few major errors or alterations, as well as omissions that do end up being detrimental to the story in some form.

The biggest one I feel is the fact that Haltmann’s memory loss is not brought up at all, because that one detail is the puzzle piece that makes everything fall into place and let’s the player finally understand what is going on with the emotional core of the story.

So much of the details regarding Star Dream are up to interpretation, so I’m perfectly willing to let the broader details be, but the Japanese version still does a better job of dropping small details earlier on that become relevant for it at the end.

And it’s not just Star Dream, the Japanese version overall has more of these smaller connections and continuity across the pause screens, and connections to the actual story contents as well. So they feel more like smaller pieces in a carefully crafted whole, where everything is interconnected and enriches the story.

Again, the English version probably couldn’t have done much different here, due to the difficult conditions translators and localizers usually have to work with - lack of context, lack of time, limited space, etc.

I guess what I am getting at is that I do prefer the Japanese version, and would recommend fans to check it out (though if you are reading this, I suppose you already have), but don’t assume this means I have a disdain for English version.

It’s very well done, considering the circumstances.

And with that, my coverage of the game’s pause screen descriptions come to a close as well.

Feel free to check out the previous parts of my Kirby: Planet Robobot translation comparisons if you haven’t already, and thank you very much for reading!

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#kirby #kirby of the stars #kirby planet robobot #planet robobot #my translations #kirby translations #kirby planet robobot translation comparisons #kirby planet robobot spoilers #planet robobot spoilers #robobot spoilers

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96thdayofrage · 3 years ago

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The Fake “Delta Variant” and the Fourth Wave: Another Lockdown? Upcoming Financial Crash? Worldwide Economic and Social Sabotage?

Is a new worldwide lockdown envisaged as a means to combating the “dangerous” Covid variant entitled “Delta”?

The fear campaign has once more gone into high gear.

Let me briefly review the history of this crisis.

There is a sequence of outright lies and fabrications used to justify far-reaching policy decisions in the course of the last 18 months.

The biggest lie, which is firmly acknowledged both by scientific opinion and the WHO is that the RT-PCR test used to “detect” the spread of the virus (as well as the variants) is not only flawed but TOTALLY INVALID. (Michel Chossudovsky, Chapter III)

From the outset in January 2020, all far-reaching policy decisions upheld and presented to the public as a “means to saving lives” were based on flawed and invalid RT-PCR case positives coupled with false mortality data pertaining to Covid-19 related deaths: “The underlying Cause of death” is Covid-19 “more often or not”. No autopsy required

These Covid “estimates” were used to justify confinement, social distancing, the face mask, the prohibition of social gatherings, cultural and sports events, the closure of economic activity.

The crisis was marked by several important phases:

1. Crisis in Air Travel and International Transport

The calling of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by the WHO Director General on January 30, 2020 was instrumental in launching the coronal crisis. There were 83 positive cases outside China out of a population of 6.4 billion. There was no emergency: Ironically, the flawed and invalid RT-PCR test was used to estimate those 83 positive cases.

On the following day president Trump’s ordered the closing down of air travel with China which marked the onset of a crisis in International Air Travel and Transport which has extended its grip over a period of 18 months leading to the bankruptcy of airline companies Worldwide, the destruction of the tourist industry, a major crisis in commodity trade, etc. This was a deliberate act to précipitate the demise of Air Travel Worldwide. There were 5 positive cases in the US, which were used to justify Trump’s decision on January 31st, 2020.

2. The February Financial Crash on February 20, 2020

It was the most serious financial crisis in World history, far surpassing that of 1929. It occurred immediately following “warnings” by the WHO that a covid-19 pandemic was imminent, thereby spearheading the fear campaign. There was ample evidence of outright “conflict of interest” and fraud including foreknowledge, inside information, etc. which resulted in a massive concentration of money wealth by a handful of billionaires. That same day, millions of people Worldwide lost their lifelong savings. What was the justification for the WHO’s shock and awe statements. This imminent threat was based on 1078 (flawed) RT-PCR Covid positive cases outside China.

3. Barely three weeks later, the March 11, 2020 lockdown with 44,279 cases Worldwide outside China were used to justify home confinement, social distancing and the closure of economic activity Worldwide leading to poverty and mass unemployment.

And then in early November 2020 it was the launching of the MRNA “Killer Vaccine” which has resulted in a trend of mortality and morbidity. See the latest figures below.

EU/EEA/Switzerland to 28 August 2021 – 23,252 Covid-19 injection related deaths and 2,166,285 injuries, per EudraVigilance Database.

UK to 18 August 2021 – 1,609 Covid-19 injection related deaths and 1,165,636 injuries, per MHRA Yellow Card Scheme.

USA to 20 August 2021 – 13,627 Covid-19 injection related deathsand 2,932,001 injuries, per VAERS database.

TOTAL for EU/UK/USA – 38,488 Covid-19 injection related deaths and 6,263,922 injuries reported as at 30 August 2021.

Nota Bene: It is important to be aware that the official figures above (reported to the health authorities) are but a small percentage of the actual figures. Furthermore, people continue to die (and suffer injury) from the injections with every day which passes. See D4CE Statement

And now, starting in May-June 2021, we have the Delta Variant. It’s the new talking point.

The alleged dangers of the Delta Variant are being used to speed up the vaccination program as well as the imposition of the vaccine passport.

“A Fourth Wave” has already been announced.

Is a second Worlwide lockdown on the drawing board, requiring stay at home confinement, social distancing and the closure of economic activity coupled with another devastating financial crash similar to that which occurred on Black Thursday March 12, 2020?

The Deadly Variants Sustained by Media Disinformation and Fake Science

Media disinformation is a deadly weapon which sustains 24/7 the illusion of a dangerous SARS-2 Delta Variant.

First identified last year in India, The SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant was “thought to have driven the deadly second wave of infections this summer in India”. According to so-called “scientific opinion” it is now said to be spreading worldwide, to some 80 countries.

“Here’s the deal: The Delta variant is more contagious, it’s deadlier, and it’s spreading quickly around the world – leaving young, unvaccinated people more vulnerable than ever.”

That’s a lie. The original virus categorized by the WHO and the CDC as “similar to seasonal influenza” is not a killer virus. Moreover, virus variants are always “less vigilant” and “less dangerous” than the original virus.

Joe Biden’s proposed “solution” is “the Killer Vaccine”, which has already in the course of the last seven months resulted in countless deaths and injuries.

“Please, get vaccinated if you haven’t already. Let’s head off this strain before it’s too late.” (emphasis added)

Health authorities are now claiming that the new cases of the Delta B1.617 variant, increase the risk of hospitalization by 2.7 times.

What is the “science” behind these assertions.

Ferguson’s Infamous Lockdown “Mathematical Model”

Ferguson’s March 2020 mathematical model based on “predictions” of 600,000 deaths in the UK borders on ridicule. It’s more than a lie. It’s a crime against humanity. It was used by the financial establishment as a justification to trigger economic and social chaos Worldwide. Ferguson’s endeavors have been generously funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The economic and social devastation of the March 2020 so-called lockdown is beyond description: 190 member states of the United Nations accepted to “close down” their national economy coupled with the face mask, social distancing and the derogation of fundamental human rights.

The stated intent was to protect people against V the Virus. The March 11 lockdown was followed by the Black Thursday “financial crash” (March 12, 2020), which created havoc on stock markets Worldwide. The March 11, 2020 lockdown was heralded as a means to containing the alleged “pandemic”. Nonsense.

“Mathematical Model” in Support of a “Fourth Wave”

And now a second authoritative “mathematical model” is being put forth to “justify” another lockdown.

The same “scientist” (Ferguson) has been called upon to design a new “mathematical model” which is being used to justify a “Fourth Wave Lockdown”.

The erroneous “assumption” behind the modelling exercise is that the Delta Variant is “deadly”.

“New modelling for the government’s SAGE committee of experts [to which Ferguson belongs] has highlighted the risk of a “substantial third wave” of infections and hospitalisations, ….” The official outlook is “now more pessimistic”. (BBC Report, June 2021, emphasis added).

According to Prof Neil Ferguson:

“the Delta variant of coronavirus is 30% to 100% more transmissible than the previously dominant variant”. (quoted by the Guardian).

Where does Ferguson get his data and estimates? The flawed and invalid RT-PCR test?

What he fails to mention is that virus variants are always “less vigilant” and “less dangerous” in comparison to the original virus. And how does he establish the “identity” of the original virus?

Both British and UK officials are intimating the possibility of a Fourth Wave lockdown, tentatively scheduled for next Autumn.

According to Britain’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty (member of the SAGE Committee)

“The NHS needs to brace itself for another difficult winter ahead, with the possibility of a further “very significant Covid surge”.

According to the SPI-M modelling sub-group of the government’s SAGE panel (to which Whitty and Ferguson belong):

“restrictions would have to be reintroduced”. … the Delta variant posed a “higher risk of hospitalisations”

These announcements are frivolous. Their intent is to justify drastic policy measures (lockdown, mask, social distancing, closure of economic activity, disruption of health services) as well as the speeding up of the vaccination programme and the repression of the protest movement.

Moreover, the statements by British, US and EU health officials regarding the so-called spread of “the more infectious Delta variant” are now also being used to justify the implementation of “Fourth Wave” lockdown policies internationally in a large number of countries.

The World Economic Forum to the Rescue

The World Economic Forum (WEF) which represents the financial elites, played a key role in the launching of the March 11, 2020 lockdown. And now what they are saying is that another devastating Worldwide economic and social crisis is likely to occur in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In recent developments, the World Economic Forum (WEF) which co-sponsored Event 201, the table top simulation of the corona pandemic together with John Hopkins and the Gates Foundation in October 2019, is now involved in another strategic exercise entitled Concept 2021. The latter is described as an “international capacity building initiative aimed at raising the global cyber resilience”. It is not a table top simulation comparable to Event 201.

Last year it was conducted at the height of the lockdown via video conferencing. This year the 2021 Conference “discussed the “key risks of digitalisation”.

Those participating in the Cyber Polygon Exercise (2020) included high tech companies including IBM, numerous banks and financial institutions, internet companies, cyber security agencies, corporate and government media, think tanks, law enforcement agencies including Interpol with representatives from 48 countries. The exercise is an obvious means to secure reliable partners and develop strategic alliances. In this regard, there were numerous representatives from Russia and countries of the former Soviet Union, including major Russian banking interests, communications and media companies. All in all 42 partners. No corporate /governmental partner from China.

There was also a training program with 200 teams from 48 countries.

youtube

Klaus Schwab, founder and Executive Director of the WEF and architect of the “Great Reset” describes the crisis scenario as follows:

“The frightening scenario of a comprehensive cyber attack could bring a complete halt to the power supply, transportation, hospital services, our society as a whole. The COVID-19 crisis would be seen in this respect as a small disturbance in comparison to a major cyberattack.” (emphasis added)

Jeremy Jurgens, WEF Managing Director:

“I believe that there will be another crisis. It will be more significant. It will be faster than what we’ve seen with COVID. The impact will be greater, and as a result the economic and social implications will be even more significant.” (emphasis added)

The implications of these bold “predictions” which represent the interests of the financial establishment are far-reaching.

What they describe is a scenario of economic and social chaos involving the disruption of communications systems, the internet, financial and money transactions (including SWIFT), the power grid, global transportation, commodity trade, etc., as well as likely “geopolitical dislocations”.

The opening session (July 2021) of Cyber Polygon 2021 was conducted (video below) by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin together with the Director General of the WEF Klaus Schwab.

Is this scenario a dress rehearsal for a forthcoming cyber crisis?

Why was China excluded from the Cyber Polygon Exercise? The major partners were from the former Soviet block.

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Is the Covid Agenda Part of A U.S. Hegemonic Project?

Is the covid crisis engineered by the financial establishment part of a hegemonic project, pertaining to control over strategic sectors of the global economy as described by the WEF director general Klaus Schwab?

It’s an act of economic warfare?

It’s “imperialism with a human face”, committed to “saving lives”.

Visibly, it is part of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy agenda. It has geopolitical and strategic implications.

US intelligence and the Pentagon (including DARPA) as well as NATO are directly or indirectly involved in the corona crisis. Cyber Warfare is already on the drawing-board.

The March 11, 2020 Lockdown leading to closure of national economies Worldwide has also been instrumental in destabilizing several countries which are categorized as “Enemies of America”.

No need for Washington to impose piecemeal sanctions on Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. These countries have endorsed the covid narrative. They have accepted the “ultimate sanction”, namely the closure of their national economy as a means to combating “V the virus”.

The situation in Cuba is particularly dramatic. Resulting from the March 2020 lockdown, Cuba’s tourist industry which constitutes the country’s main source of foreign exchange is destroyed. Since the 1980s, the forex revenues from tourism have been used to import food. And now as a result of the closure of the tourist industry, Cuba is experiencing serious food shortages.

Yet the Cuban government has accepted the “Big Lie” and has endorsed the lockdown which is literally destroying the achievements of the Cuban Revolution.

And unfortunately progressive intellectuals are totally blind. They are not only supportive of the Covid narrative, they fail to understand how the Covid lockdown policies as well as the deadly mRNA vaccine are being used to destabilize and destroy countries one after the other. These countries are now fully controlled by Western creditors and the billionaire foundations.

Engineered economic and social chaos. Is that not part of a US hegemonic project?

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ariainstars · 5 years ago

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TRoS Speculation: Maybe It Was Intentional…

All right, since the subject obviously doesn’t let me go, new speculation on my side. WARNING: this is a longer post.

Ever since the 80es, Star Wars has become a universal phenomenon with millions of fans all over the world. And while fans often agree, they more often than not disagree about the characters, the themes, the different turn of events etc. Star Wars touches very many different kinds of people deep down due to the emotions it provokes. Many of us have grown up with the saga, some with one trilogy, others with another. Others have read the EU novels or watched the TV shows first. The saga’s themes are so many that they appeal to all kinds of people, and the approaches are varying. There are very many topics on which we will never make everybody agree. Being the foundation for many fan’s view of the world, the root to a lot of their ideals, the source of many a dream, the saga has become a hugely personal matter. No wonder viewers all over the world can quarrel about it so venomously and get downright aggressive if you only introduce a new line of thoughts. Many fans feel that the saga belongs to them and not to the man who created it and the creative studios who are now employing it to develop new stories.

We have made our mistakes in our fandom, too, in the years since The Force Awakens came out. We were so excited in what we believed was investing into a redemption arc, love story and happy ending, connecting all kinds of dots throughout the saga and analyzing it from almost every angle. Some of us simply thought that who didn’t think like us was stupid. But many other fans believe that this saga is only about Good against Evil and not about human feelings. They keep seeing it as some superhero story, a comforting world where to retire when reality got too much, a place where bad things happen but then the hero eventually comes to take care of it. They stick to their conviction that the good guy (or the one you root for even if he’s a villain) is the one who’s the coolest. Many of them love the OT above all and plainly refuse to see anything positive about the PT or ST because they always expected to see the New Adventures of Han, Luke and Leia. Some of them have waited for literally decades for the OT’s continuation. We, who also love the other trilogies (or at least the sequels) were at times disrespectful and arrogant looking down on them and believing that they simply don’t know what the saga actually is about. And all of us need heroes. We apply our own problems, needs and expectations to them and wait for them to fix the problem as an example for us. That’s also why we expect them to get their happy ending.

I have seen videos and read articles about how highly divisive The Last Jedi was. Some fans (a few of them even with tears in their eyes) openly declared that the saga was ruined for them. Similarly to us, who identify with Ben Solo and / or Rey, they had often found courage in the examples set by their heroes and it was offensive and hurtful to them to see Luke Skywalker reduced to a hermit who drinks green milk, rejects the ways of the Jedi and was personally responsible for his nephew’s fall into his abuser’s clutches. They were entitled to their feelings of disappointment and inner numbness as we are now. I know of people who actually survived many ugly periods in their lives finding solace in the saga. Some in one part of it, some in another. And we all got duped and let down, each by one chapter of the sequel trilogy, like some naughty, sadistic kid was kicking apart our favorite doll house a few days before Christmas.

I assume now that The Last Jedi was an experiment to gauge the audience’s reaction. It touched many a sensitive issue. My personal approach is that in order to like it, you don’t only have to be a fan of the sequel trilogy and its characters in general, or a hopeless romantic who wanted to see Rey and Ben Solo’s love story. You have to accept in the first place what the prequel trilogy painstakingly tried to explain to us (though it wasn’t actually said but more shown): that the Jedi were no heroes but got destroyed by their own hubris, and that Anakin Skywalker was largely a victim and not someone who became a villain because he enjoyed being evil, like the typical Batman or Superman villains. The prequels are not a fairy tale like the original trilogy but a cautionary tale following the lines of “society creates its own monsters.” It was only logical to deduce that if the Jedi were so perfect and the Old Republic so idyllic as Obi-Wan described them to Luke when they first met on Tatooine, Vader’s rise and the creation of the Empire couldn’t have happened in the first place. This was never said as clearly and concisely as by Luke to Rey during their second lesson on Ahch-To:

“Now that they’re extinct, the Jedi are romanticized, deified. But strip away the myth and look at their deeds: the legacy of the Jedi is failure, hypocrisy, hubris. At the height of their power they allowed Darth Sidious to rise, create the Empire and wipe them out. It was a Jedi who was responsible for the training and creation of Darth Vader.”

This is the message of the prequels in a few sentences, and a pivotal change to the “superhero approach” to the Jedi which might qualified if you only watch the OT and never question its themes on a larger scale. If you accept the Jedi’s failure for a fact, all of the rest falls into place - Vader being but a broken, sad old guy, Luke’s disillusion, his decision to give up the ways of the Jedi, his first lesson teaching Rey that the Force is not some kind of superpower, his forgiveness towards his nephew, the glimpses of goodness we saw foreshadowing Ben Solo’s redemption. The prequels also make much more sense this way than watching them expecting to see the Jedi being super-cool heroes and Anakin becoming Vader because he thought it might be fun.

But many fans chose not to see or accept what The Last Jedi actually was trying to say: that things couldn’t continue the way they did, because the Old Republic and the Jedi (though they didn’t actually have bad intentions) were deeply flawed. Leia tried to build another republic without any major changes that we are aware of, and Luke wanted to rebuild the Jedi Order without effectuating the considerable changes their Code would have needed. Both failed. It was e.g. never explained why Luke spirited his students away to a lonely planet for their training, but the fact that they were taken from their families when they were too small to make a choice and stick to it - Ben e.g. wanted to be a pilot like his father and not a Jedi - already shows the same pattern. Luke had not learned from the faults of his teachers until his exile. Logically, Episode IX ought to have continued these themes and showed the ST protagonist finding a new and better approach to the Force. Instead, what we got was another (in my opinion: redundant) Ultimate Battle of Good Against Evil, in other words some kind of superhero film which largely ignores the themes of its predecessor.

Any fan is entitled to his opinion. If someone hates the PT because it shows a stagnant society and the Jedi as highly flawed, because they didn’t get to see Darth Vader becoming over-the-top cool but were confronted, in Anakin, with a deeply compassionate person crushed by expectations he never could meet in the first place, if they judged him a whiny brat instead of an intelligent guy who clearly saw through the flaws of the society he was forced to live in and simply didn’t find the right words to express it: they’re entitled to it. Same goes for not feeling the tension between Rey and Kylo in the ST, for judging Kylo quickly (again) as a whiny brat instead of a complex, tormented character, for not appreciating new characters like Rose on account of not being Star-Wars-y enough. These feelings mostly stem from the fans’ long-standing wish to see an actual continuation of the original trilogy, not a new instalment where a new generation takes over and the old heroes are relegated to the background and, additionally, their characters and past decisions are openly criticized.

We may claim that fanbros are simply too stupid to understand what the saga is actually about. Well, maybe they are, or they are just too lazy to look at the bigger picture. But they have a right to that. Of course, it doesn’t entitle them to harass the studios, directors, creative team or actors the way they were, mind you: what e.g. Kelly Marie Tran, Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd had to endure was a disgrace. There are very many fans who disagree with the PT and ST without getting bitter or even vicious.

This doesn’t mean I have changed my mind. I still believe that the Jedi were everything but heroes, that Darth Vader is a tragic figure, that the main themes of the saga are family, hope and new beginnings and not “the coolest ones win, ka-boom, the end”; that what it means to say is that human feelings are in the end more important than power, even an enormous power like the one the Force can provide.

We who are angry and disappointed with TRoS now like to blame how it went that way due to the influence of angry white dudebros, misogyny, Calvinism, racism, the overall political situation, the Mouse only wanting to make money etc.

But we ought to consider that The Last Jedi, which was so deeply controversial, hit theatres only two years ago. Have mentalities, politics and social structures and Disney’s overall approached changed so considerably, in so short a time, to produce two so radically different approaches to the saga within the scope of two years?

Sorry, I can’t believe it. it doesn’t really make sense.

The Mandalorian is met with universal acclaim, no doubt partly due to the fact that it’s a standalone story without the huge dynastic weight the saga has on its shoulders. Being a TV show, it had more time to introduce characters and situations and develop them. And it worked out fine. It had all the Star Wars themes - a lot of action scenes, sure, but it was also about belonging, family, redemption, protectiveness, friendship. Meaning that the studios didn’t lose track or are too dumb to think up a good story.

The Rise of Skywalker seems to bring the saga to a closure, but it could also be a wholly new beginning; the beginning of what I was foreseeing and still believe was in the cards - a new galaxy with a new and better political order kept together by a common belief in the Force as a whole; a new Jedi order where Force-sensitive children are not torn away from their families but can choose whether they want to become Jedi or not; and where Jedi are not taught emotional detachment. This would mean balance at last, a balance from which everyone would benefit. I have no idea how Ben Solo could be revived but I still am certain that he would be an excellent father figure, the perfect foil to his grandfather; and that the best thing for Rey would be to take care of children who are lost and abandoned the way she once was. And with Rey being a Palpatine, there is an interesting ground from which to explore her character’s tendency to the Dark, mirroring Ben’s. The basic approaches for this kind of development were all there in The Last Jedi. But a project like that would be something completely different from the original saga, and it would take a lot of time. Maybe that’s why the studios dropped it in favor of appeasing the angry fanbros who didn’t receive The Last Jedi well at all.

Anyone has the right to think that the original trilogy is the one and only and that the rest is rubbish. But the heroes of that story had their friendship, their family, their adventures, their successes, their happy ending. Even the heroes of the prequel trilogy had their moments, including Anakin Skywalker. Our heroes didn’t. That’s why this ending is so bitter for us and so hard to stomach. Essentially, we were right - we knew that Ben and Rey belong together, that Ben would redeem himself and make peace with his family, that balance would come. What we didn’t get was our happy ending.

The Force Awakens was still more or less accepted, because despite the many new themes and choices it wasn’t subversive and controversial in its approach. The actual wasps’ nest was stirred with The Last Jedi. No argumentation could convince antis that it is actually a well-made film and that their personal approach on the saga is too narrow-minded to appreciate it. They wanted the same villains, the same settings and costumes, the same heroes (or at least rehashes). And they had a right to want that, exactly as we had the right to expect a better development and ending for our new heroes. The hardcore OT fans wanted and expected The New Adventures of Han, Luke and Leia kicking ass. Well, it seems The Rise of Skywalker took care of that, finally giving them what they wanted and ignoring or “correcting” the course of events from The Last Jedi.

So, that’s it now. The OT fanbros got “their” Star Wars. I hope they’re finally appeased. They can ignore anything that happens next. That the saga is finished does not mean that the Star Wars universe came to a standstill.

If fans of the original trilogy felt entitled to ask for The Last Jedi to be removed from canon, or at least to be “fixed” in some way, so can we. In case you didn’t see it yet, the petition is already there: https://www.change.org/p/lucasfilm-continue-ben-solo-s-story

Let’s tell the studios to keep TRoS the way they prefer, but that we wish to have our Star Wars now. Let us not steep down to the level of who made the lives of actors who played characters they disapproved of a living hell (see above) or say over and over “Star Wars is dead” when we don’t know what’s in store for the future. With the Star Wars universe, you always have to be patient. In the meantime, we can write and read fanfiction and other stories and purse our own lives, telling our own happy endings.

Happy New Year everyone. Feel free to reblog. 😊

P.P.S. On a side note: Rey’s last scene shows her where Luke used to be, on Tatooine watching the suns set. The twin suns. In A New Hope, this was shortly before he met the other half of his soul who had been separated from him right after birth - his twin sister. Considering that it was explicitly said that Rey and Ben Solo share the same soul, it might be a hint about the future. I’m not trying to make false promises or to fuel wrong expectations here. Just sayin’. 😉

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bopinion · 4 years ago

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2021 / 06

Aperçu of the Week:

"If you want peace, prepare for war".

Latin proverb, most recently quoted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov regarding a looming Russian break with the EU.

Bad News of the Week:

Germany's relationship with Russia has always been ambivalent. As someone who grew up within sight of the Iron Curtain, so to speak, I thought it was important and right when Chancellor Willy Brandt pushed for reconciliation with Eastern Europe. For even if most of Russia's territory lies on the Asian continent, the majority of the population is still at home in the European part. So Russia was and is the dominant nation in Eastern Europe.

Especially the German countries, i.e. FRG and GDR at that time, found themselves as a hinge of geopolitical interests of the USA and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. With the view of the US-Americans e.g. on the assumed symbolism of the natural gas pipeline Northstream 2 one could get the impression that we are still caught in this era now. However, Germany (and the EU) does indeed take a critical course when it is thematically required, currently in the Nawalny case, for example.

An adequate relationship between us Central Europeans and our large eastern neighbor is neither historically nor economically nor security policy related, but simply normal and desirable for a peaceful neighborhood. This is now more endangered than ever since the collapse of the Eastern bloc. Why is it that the so-called super powers - for this applies to the USA just as much as to Russia - cannot and do not want to afford more sovereignty, have to rattle their sabers again and again, define themselves precisely in terms of demarcation from the other? What applies in every schoolyard ultimately also applies on the stage of world politics: It would be so much easier if everyone were just a little nicer to each other.

Good News of the Week:

After eternal negotiations, the ruling German grand coalition finally passed the "Supply Chain Act" the day before yesterday. This law makes local retailers and producers responsible for their suppliers' manufacturing processes - internationally and with the right to sue. In the medium term, this will make prices more expensive, but not to the benefit of margins, but to the benefit of the people who work for our comfort on the other side of the world. So if an investigative reporter soon finds out that certain standards are not being met somewhere, the profiteers will no longer be able to duck out of the way.

As a consumer, you could always make sure that the coffee beans were "fair trade" in order to support small South American farmers. Or that the chocolate is "Utz Certified," meaning that it comes from environmentally friendly cultivation. And if you thought about it a little more, you'd find out that the palm oil in Nutella, which comes from Indonesia, ultimately kills orangutans.

It's more complicated with clothing, for example. Because even if the fashion brand positions itself as sustainable with solar panels on the roof and tariff payments on the pay slips, that ultimately says little. Because the T-shirt can still come from a sewing factory in Bangladesh where children work. And the sewing factory can source its fabrics from a cloth producer in Vietnam who simply dumps his lye into the nearest river. And the cloth producer can buy his cotton from a Chinese plantation where Uyghur forced laborers toil. Unfortunately, this pattern can be applied to any industry and any product. In globalized world trade, this is called a supply chain.

So it's a good thing that Gerd Müller, the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, decided a few years ago to do something about these conditions. After all, he knew the conditions on the ground in the countries of the Third World, which can only hold on internationally if they don't care about social and environmental aspects and thus keep prices low. And it was a good thing that he was so persistent and was ultimately able to convince the cabinet, and above all the Minister of Economics, that it is not only the purchase price that counts, but also morals. And to take responsibility. And not to seek his welfare on the backs of others.

Personal happy Moment of the Week:

As before, the Corona restrictions stipulate meeting with no more than one person outside one's own household. For me, this means in concrete terms that I am not allowed to visit the grandparents with the children, and vice versa. At Christmas, we made an exception and met on the terrace for half an hour (that is, for a quarter of the driving time) with a cup of hot tea. Yesterday, we did it again. Because today is Valentine's Day. And my mother's birthday is coming up. And my parents are well into their 80s. And it's responsible outdoors, even if it breaks the rules I usually like to enforce. But common sense counts for something, after all. And the heart.

As I write this...

...I listen to Chick Corea, the master of elevator music with style - of course.

#aperçu #thoughts #bad news #good news #News of the Week #happy moments #russia #european union #Sergey lavrov #willy brandt #nawalny #valentines day #supply chain #gerd müller #chick corea

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uk-news-talking-politics · 5 years ago

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Starmer victorious: Finally, there's a grown-up in charge

By Ian Dunt

Big sigh of relief. Keir Starmer is the new leader of the Labour party.

The rearguard defence by the Corbynites, in the form of the Rebecca Long-Bailey campaign, faltered and came to nothing. Starmer won in the first round with 56.2% of the vote.

Starmer isn't perfect. He hasn't exactly conducted a thrilling campaign. But this should be a moment of profound satisfaction. Whatever else he is, he's a grown-up. He can scrutinise legislation. He knows how to hold the government to account. He isn't a tribalist, or lost in some deranged internal war against imaginary enemies. After five dreadful years, we finally have an opposition again.

Nevertheless, the new Labour leader faces a seemingly impossible situation. The party has been hammered. Many believe it'll take two general elections to get to a position where they could win again. And he takes the leadership at the height of a crisis in which the public will be completely uninterested in what the opposition thinks about anything. In times of emergency, people look to the government. That's been borne out by recent opinion polls in countries as varied as France, Britain and the US.

But things aren't as bad for Starmer as they're made out to be. We are in volatile political times, in which sudden shocks are possible. The support Boris Johnson secured in Labour seats was shallow and unreliable. The result was a judgement against Jeremy Corbyn rather than the party itself.

The current emergency provides opportunities for Starmer as well as challenges. A narrative has developed in which the government has been too idle, distracted or irresponsibly experimental to develop a proper approach to the coronavirus. That's why it wasted February. That's why its messaging was so confused in March. And that's why it is facing such brutal interrogation over medical equipment and testing in April.

For the moment, that narrative has not affected public support. But it is there in the background, waiting to be harnessed as this crisis drags on. People will be scared for their own health, anxious about that of their loved ones, and bored and frustrated by the continued restrictions on their lives. Those impulses could be easily turned on the government if the thought takes hold that any of it was preventable.

Starmer is in a good position to accomplish precisely that. He proved adept during Brexit at taking complex policy detail and using it to damage the government.

Many of the old protections No.10 had against that attack have now fallen away. The opposition is no longer functionally insane. The government no longer has the tribal defences provided by Brexit. And even the right wing press it could usually rely on, like the Telegraph and the Mail, may not be so compliant when it is their aging readers who are most threatened by the disease.

Even the perception of Starmer as stolid and a bit boring - which is unfair, as it happens, but exists nonetheless - could prove advantageous. We are in a period of chaos and disease, in which normal life is turned upside down under a prime minister powered by his own self-regard. After that, dull and competent might be just what the doctor ordered.

Those who want Starmer to do well should be mindful of the demands they place on him. That goes especially for Remainers. The Labour leader's opponents will be keen to force him into that Remain-shaped hole and recreate the culture war of last year. They want all their old favourite songs back. The out-of-touch metropolitan elitist vs the will of the people. The tired old lies. It is a precondition of his success that he does not allow that to happen.

That means that there should be no pressure for him to talk about rejoining the EU or anything like that - not now, nor, in all likelihood, during the next election. A campaign to get back in should be held back until the election after that, if it is to be successful.

The same goes for the more immediate issue of whether transition should be extended. Starmer should avoid that issue like the plague. The Tories would love to define him as the Remainer who can't get over the result.

It's perfectly obvious the negotiations need more time - and he can say so - but that should not be a concerted effort of his leadership. Nor should Remainers in or outside Labour pressure him to make it so.

Starmer has done enough to earn the trust of those who opposed Brexit. Over long years, facing an indifferent Labour leadership and a lunatic nativist version of the Tory party, he diligently worked to develop a respectable policy programme. If he sees, in the medium-term future, a chance to go back into the EU, he'll take it. But that'll only happen if he's prime minister. And the quickest way to prevent that outcome is for him to be defined as a continuity Remainer.

There's no way of knowing where we'll be in five years. Even last month seems like some distant past which is barely comprehensible from our current vantage point. But that uncertainty also provides opportunities for the new Labour leader, which he can make good use of.

And either way, even if it all goes catastrophically wrong, at least we have a grown-up leader of the opposition, who can read the public mood and is capable of exercising independent judgement. And that puts us in a much better position than we've had for the last five years. Time for a small celebratory drink in our little lockdown bunkers.

#keir starmer

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doomedandstoned · 5 years ago

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Rage of Samedi Keep It Slow, Heavy, and Evil in New Video

~By Mel Lie~

I can say with certainty that these five German raging "Pfälzern devils" are even more on fire at the moment than usual...or in other words they are burning like hell and I’m absolutely with them!

The South German Voodoo-Barons RAGE Of SAMEDI have shouted out the news, that they will bring us to our knees with their new album 'Blood Ritual' (2020) on January 17th, released by Argonauta Records (pre-order here)

Rage of Samedi is based in Zweibrücken/Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, and originally founded in 2012 as a side-project, which relatively quickly turned out to be a main project. The band mates of this hellbent voodoo chamber, Lou Cifer (voice), Sam D. Durango (guitar/backing vox), DixieKing Boehme I (guitar), Nick "Scrios" Perkele (bass) and Ian O‘Field (drums) have underpinned their scene presence in the last year with impressive work and have thus acquired a cult fan base.

So whilst we pawed our hooves for almost three years, hungering for new stuff, Rage of Samedi stepped on the gas! They milled over a huge load of live stages, by supporting bands like Eyehategod, High Fighter, Mantar, Monolord, King Witch, Ten Ton Slug, raged down the Malta Doom Fest in 2017 as well the Freak Valley Festival in 2018 and used this time intensively honing on their musical authenticity.

This does not in any way mean that they wanted to reinvent themselves but they worked on topping off their typical monstrous and raw Rage of Samedi sound.

If you take a look at the new work 'Blood Ritual' (2020), you will unmistakably notice that they have succeeded in doing so damn well! Their sound, inspired but not imitated by the spirit of the ancient Doom Gods of the '70s and '80s, compared with a good deal of furious sludge, a stunning raging (core) voice and occasional strolling on musical side-paths of similar genres is and remains edgy and angular but nevertheless a finely well-rounded masterpiece.

By signing a worldwide deal as first German band on Argonauta Record’s growing roster, they hit another big goal on their path.

I caught these Barons of Samedi for an awesome voodoo-session on behalf of Doomed & Stoned and if you can spare some time, follow me in the interview and take a look behind the scenes of Rage of Samedi. Check it out as you take in the world premiere of the music video "I Spit Hate"!

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An Interview With Rage of Samedi

Hey guys! I‘m thrilled as punch to meet up with you here! How do you feel, with the knowledge in the back of your mind that in a few days, your new baby will see the light of day? I reckon you're about to catch fire, don't you? (laughs)

Yeah! Nice to meet you, too. Thanks for giving us the chance for that interview. Indeed, we’re really burning to bring out that record!! It’s been a while since the last one and it’s cool that we have Gero and his Argonauta Records as a label in the background that gave us all the freedom and time to write Blood Ritual.

What is the background of your new album in connection with the overall progress of the band?

Sam: Blood Ritual is the first album where Nicolas and Thorsten were actively parted in the songwriting process. That’s a big development how the songs are sounding and the guitars are working together. We stayed on that point that we’d like to bring in all our influences in our writing process and Nicolas and Thorsten are a big step forward in the quality of the songs.

What distinguishes 'Blood Ritual' (2020) from your last album 'Children Of The Black Sun' (2016)? Are there differences, and if so, which ones and why?

Sam: We recorded the guitars on "Children Of The Black Sun" completely live together. For the new album we got back to tracking the stuff one after the other again, 'cuz the live recordings brought so many problems in the mixing process and we were already a bit under pressure with the release date for C.O.T.B.S. so we couldn’t start again. C.O.T.B.S. was a torture to mix and master. We all thought we have to be parted in the mixing process. And I think we threw the shit away for about ten times! (laughs).

Blood Ritual is completely produced and mixed by our bass player Nicolas Perrault. At the beginning it was hard to follow all his instructions, for example changing my complete guitar sound and all that stuff, but damn, listen to that record!! I’d never do it another way anymore. I mean, Nicolas took that stuff, closed the door, worked for two weeks around the clock and came to rehearsals with that awesome mix. The first time we all are 100% happy with it. BOOM!

The mastering we gave to Collin Jordan at Boiler Rooms, Chicago. He already worked with bands like ‪EyeHateGod‬ and Lord Dying, so he knew exactly what to do with our stuff.

Can you please tell us all you have in mind about the meaning of "I Spit Hate", the appetizer we got as an exclusive release, for our listeners?

Lou: "I Spit Hate" is ment as a "Nazi Scum, Fuck Off" song. We write a lot of social and political critical stuff and we’re always using drastic words, that’s how "I Spit Hate" came to be. Easy as that.

Which of you is responsible for the lyrics? And what are the main themes they deal with and what inspires you?

Lou: I’m the one who is writing all the lyrics. I’m something like an old punk rocker (laugs). Maybe the reason why we always criticize society. (Laughs) Most time the guys working on our songs, I’m with them at rehearsals and the writing process inspires me. Sometimes the other guys give me some inspiration with one or two lines of text or some poems or what else and I work the stuff out or fill them in in my own lyrics.

As most of the big bands in the scene we also can say that we're getting a lot of inspiration from authors like Lovecraft, King and all the others. So some of our lyrics don't have that biggest meaning, just are telling a fantastic story.

Please tell us the story of how you came together as a band.

Sam: We knew each other before the band, but just from seeing each other at some gigs and stuff. Then end 2011, I played a hometown show with my former band where I was on vocals and guitar. Lou and Ian opened up with their acoustic project Leaf&Booze that evening for us. Ian on guitar that evening. A few weeks later Lou and me talked about that I wanted to start a project where I just can play guitar and I asked him to go on the mic there. He told me that Ian is normally a drummer and he asked our former bass player Paul McKay to be with us. So we started. After a few rehearsals we knew this will be more than just that planned side project.

After the first album 'Sign' (2014), Dixie King came to the band as 2nd guitar player, ‚cuz with two guitars we had a lot more possibilities in writing riffs and working them out. Shortly after Paul left the band for some personal reasons. Nicolas said he could help us for some live shows. He already helps us for nearly five years.

When Dixie left in case of his job and all the stuff around we asked Thorsten who we all know for a lot of years before. We hoped he will join because he was everyones absolutely first choice and he did. At the moment it couldn’t be better!

I know, you guys have shared the stage with some awesome band mates, right?

We had the luck to share the stage with a lot of cool bands, also some of our biggest idols who inspired us for doing what we do. Coolest thing is that we became close friends to some of them, as there are Lord Vicar. When you can say that Kimi Kärki and Chritus Linderson played your EPRelease Party with you, can it get any better? They are some of the nicest people we have ever met on the road! Also the irish sludgers in Ten Ton Slug became best buddies. We love you guys!

For example, our third show ever we played with Karma To Burn, followed by shows with the almighty Crowbar, Dopethrone, Mammoth Mammoth, Toner Low, High Fighter, and King Witch we met when we played the Malta Doom Festival in 2017, and organized some shows with them in Germany after that.

To name some others: Sasquatch, Monolord, Eyehategod, Mantar, and so many many more. In '18 we played the legendary Freak Valley Music Festival here in Germany. A planned show with The Obsessed' had to be cancelled in case of WINOs visa problems for the EU, but we hope we can catch this up in the near future.

I am curious, is there a special band story? A special experience that you had together as a band? Maybe a funny story that you still laugh about today?

Ian: Oh my god! There are a lot!! (laughs). We’re on the road as much as we can and there are happening some weird and strange (drunken) stuff. One time Dixie was so fuckin’ drunk before the show, that he played just another gig. He was on stage with us, but just played different songs for the whole show! Further on just a few tags like running naked through London and pissing all over a $250,000 car. We should be ashamed!

Let's have a quick look at the choice of your band name! If I informed right, is Baron of Samedi a creature from the haitian voodoo cult, right? What inspired you to choose this name?

Ian: We liked to choose something that seems to be dark and creates a kind of mystery, but also something with a positive meaning. Baron Samedi was the perfect option for this. He is a so called LOA, which means he’s like a mate to the venerated Voodoo god and the protector of the dead.

You are impressive, hard-working guys and also very present for your fan community. How do you balance this with your daily life? So what do you do in your life if you are not Rage Of Samedi? Maybe the two of you would like to tell a little bit about their private life? - My name is... and my hobbies are... (laughs)

Sam: Yeah. It’s nearly a full time job if you wanna do it right. I’m doing most stuff around the managing and booking. But I wouldn’t do it if it wouldn’t be fun and the band and my dudes are worth every minute of it. Two of us are working in the social area. Ian is a computer scientist, but you could have guessed by yourself. Look how pale his skin is and how red his eyes are!! He always sits in darkened rooms and hates the sun! (laughs)

Nicolas: I’m what you call a full time musician and tattoo artist. Check out my ‚All That Jazz‘ Tattoo! Best in handpoked stuff! (smiles)

Lou: It's nice to have a tattoo artist in the band, and with Phil one in the roadcrew.

Nicolas: Beside Rage Of Samedi, I’m doing my solo stuff as kind of Singer/Songwriter, but I hate this as description. I’m more doom and experimental then what you await from a typical singer/songwriter.

Thorsten: My job is the most important!! I’m working at a very famous brewery!

What are the things that have carved out of you the person that you are?

Life and Booze!

Sam: Letting the fun beside, I can tell that my family and my band/music are the most important things in my life. My wife and my son are my greatest and biggest supporters and made me who I am today! I love you!

I really like your cover artwork! Who designed it and is there a special meaning to it?

Sam: The cover artwork is made by Xavier Gonzalez at ‚No Master Studio‘. It’s completely hand painted (outside and inlay). He just got some tags from us like Voodoo Cult, Blood Ritual as album title. Then we gave him free hand in doing it, and we were smashed when we saw it and it was clear that we take it 1:1. Drastically and in small words it shows todays change of society who is praying to their false idols and dying after an unnecessary life!

Lou: And we wanted naked butt cheeks and a penis on it (laughs) and a beheaded guy!

Sam: He said "penis"! You're going into Facebook-Jail for this, Lou!

Are there any other music projects you are involved in?

Nicolas: I‘m doing my solo stuff, also playing at A Million Tiny Suns (alternative metal) and 114 (German rap).

Lou: Ian and I still have Leaf&Booze as an acoustic project.

Thorsten: I‘m part of Ampersphere, an alternative rock band where I‘m also on guitar and I play bass guitar at Zoahr. This is a psychedelic rock band and I proudly can say that we made it to the Doom Charts last month with our 1st album 'Axis'

Thank you guys for this thrilling voodoo-session, it was a great pleasure to meet you here! Do you have any last words for our listeners that are burning on your soul and that you want to get rid of?

We’d like to thank you, Mel. Just a big shout out to ALL our supporters who are with us, all the bands we met on the road and became friends!!!! We appreciate that so much. Special shout out to our roadcrew and buddies Ducky and Phil. Without you we’re nothing! Metal, Love & Peace!

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

#D&S Debuts #Rage of Samedi #Zweibrücken #Germany #Doom #Metal #Doom Metal #D&S Interviews #D&S Reviews #Argonauta Records #Music Video #Mel Lie #Doomed & Stoned

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clairen45 · 6 years ago

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What do you think of the porgs and their meaning for IX? I saw the cover of star wars insider 2019 special edition with Rey on it and a Porg at the corner. At first I thought this whole Porg stuff is all just for fun but then I read Leia - princess of Alderran and there is a passage (19, I believe) where Holdo speaks about breeding and to resolve a problem between parents and child . . . What do you think could this all mean?

Dear anon, this answer was a long time coming. Thank you so much for bringing up Porgs again, because, you got it all right! Porgs matter! They matter so much, not just like your Ewok novelty. People thinking they were just an excuse to sell cheap toys are utterly confused and missed the whole point.

The reason why Porgs were created in TLJ, after all, probably stems from a very practical reason. Skellig Michael Island, in Ireland, where the scenes for Ahch-To were shot both for the end of TFA and for TLJ, is a famous puffin sanctuary. It is also a place with a heavy spiritual past, which also, besides its gorgeous scenery, might have been why they chose it. But they still had to make do with the massive population of puffins. At the end of TFA we are vaguely aware of birds coming and going. But the little time spent on Ahch-To on TFA meant that we didn’t get enough scenes there to really pay attention on what these birds were. No CGI. No particular intent there. For TLJ they knew they were going to spend more time on the island. Get more shots. And so more probable that the birds would get more obtrusive within the action. So, what to do? This is what Jake Lunt Davies, the creature concept designer of the Porgs had to say:

Rian [Johnson – the director] had gone to shoot this sequence on Skellig Michael, which is the real island location that stands in for Ahch-To, and that island is covered in puffins. It’s a wildlife preserve and everywhere you look there are hundreds of birds dotted around the landscape.

From what I gathered, Rian, in a positive spin on this, was looking at how can he work with this. You can’t remove them. You physically can’t get rid of them. And digitally removing them is an issue and a lot of work, so let’s just roll with it, play with it. And so I think he thought, “Well, that’s great, let’s have our own indigenous species.”… The puffins were sort of a big influence on everything, really.

RJ put a spin on theme… He knew he was going to make them part of the whole thing. I personally don’t think this was a machiavellian scam to jam down obniouxly cute creatures down out throats. I don’t. I think that right off the bat RJ decided that he was going to use the porgs as a specific vehicle for a very important message… breeding… the power of love and love creating new life… mating and babies…. And lo, how he hammered that point throughout the movie: in Luke’s first lesson to Rey about the nature of the Force, with mama porg protecting her eggs. And with the porgs nesting on the MF.

Now, I did a specific giant meta about birds and mating throughout SW: Bird is the Word- Avian Metaphor and Mating in Star Wars. This is an excerpt from my meta that might sum up what the “bird experience” means to me:

TLJ was meant as Sex Ed class for Rey and Kylo. I should not have to develop the many many sexual symbols on Ahch-To, the caves, wetness, and the glorious nakedness of Kylo, or the smut hut. Remember, I am talking about birds. And what do the birds mean? Birds represent life, mating, nesting. And of course they are much more appealing symbols of reproduction than bunnies, let’s say, because birds are ascensional symbols. They do represent the pressures of biology and reproduction, but their graceful flight gives spiritual value to the deed. Birds are the link between the earth and the sky, the body and the soul, mortals and immortals, humans and gods. Think about Leda and the Swan, or Aphrodite’s dove, and all these cutesy birdies that usually flutter around our favorite Disney princesses, especially when they sing about love or falling in love. Think about Bambi and the spectacle of love-crazed birds. Twitterpatted alright!

Go check out the meta really because it is astounding how much the bird motif is “pregnant” (lol) in the movies and in the ST in particular. The EU brought even more substance with that cute parallel between this Forces of Destiny episode on porgs (Porgs problems) and the Lion King… Further read on this one in this post: More on Porgs …

That:being said, once the tale was told, of course Disney and LF jumped on the bandwagon of selling porgs as the cute novelty toy! Of course they would. It is only fair. But I don’t think for one minute that they were imagined and designed that way. PORGS ARE MEANINGFUL!!!!!

Now, dear anon, you bring up something from Leia Princess of Alderaan which is indeed super important. It does come from chapter 19, p.243 for the hardcover edition. Leia is then falling for her first love, Kier. And as the princess struggles between her feelings and her moral duty, and wonders whether she is entitled to happiness in such dire times, this is what Amilyn Holdo tells her:

If the young of the species don’t have motivations to leave the care of their parents, they’ll never lead an independent existence, which means they’ll never reproduce. The species would soon die out. Ergo, the last stage of life before adulthood always involve conflict between parents and offspring.

There are many key points for the ST there. “Motivations” is a word that should ring a bell… What are Kylo’s motivations, for one? But also remember that scene in TFA when Rey is trying to fix the “motivator” on the MF, a scene that comes right afterward Kylo’s asking about “What girl?”

And remember how the scene is cut in a way that the characters almost seem to reach out to each other, like a first try at teh Force bond device we get so beautifully done in TLJ.

You also have the paramount importance of leaving the parents to gain independence. That is Rey at the beginning of TFA. She is unable to let go of her parents. She is thus maintained in perpetual childhood and childishness, which are emphasized at the beginning of the movie by the concept for her hair (same style as the one she had as a child), the toys in her At-AT, theme music, and facial expressions when on her own (eating or playing with the helmet).

And then tyou have conflict with the parents. And that’s obviously Kylo.

So, yep, this is all about breeding and need to reproduce. BTW, on Kylo’s Spotify playlist, THIS: Breed by Nirvana. Coincidence? Of course not.

Further in Claudia Gray’s book, on p.245, to be more specific, Holdo adds:

Happiness is our moral imperative. (…)

Great evil can only be fought by the strong. People need spiritual fuel as much as they need food, water, and air. Happiness, love, joy, hope -these are the emotions that give us the strength to do what we need to do.

Interesting cluster of words. Holdo is all about vital force, the reproductive and restorative spark. Just like her famous quote in TLJ: “We are the spark, that’ll light the fire, that will restore the Republic.“ Restorative, reproductive, constructive. Just like Rose’s quote about saving what you love. Which is, very significantly, twisted and misinterpreted by Poe (and rage-fueled fanboys): “We are the spark, that will light the fire that’ll burn the First Order down”, which is destructive.

Also, it is in this book that we find a quote that was -revealingly- removed from TLJ : “the most dangerous substance known to exist (IS…) a pair of pretty dark eyes”. This Jane Austen quote was uttered in TLJ by none other than Luke Skywalker yours truly to Rey after her hand scene with Kylo:

“You opened yourself to Dark Side for a pair of pretty eyes!“

So, in the end what? You can guess where this is all going. Your intuition was correct. Of course it means that there will be a resolution of conflict between Kylo and his parents (even symbolically, because, yes, I know that Han is dead!!!). And of course there will be babies or the suggestion of babies (pregnant belly?) or some lovemaking (or suggestion of love making) at some point or as the endgame. There is no other way to read or interpret all the ST material and the EU canon material. After all this book you very kindly brought to attention yet again is aptly headed “JOURNEY TO STAR WARS THE LAST JEDI”. It is a companion book. It is meant that way. It has to reflect what the main themes are from the movie….

Hope that covered your question. Thanks again for reaching out!

#reylo fandom #reylo #star wars fandom #leia princess of alderaan #leia and amilyn #amilyn holdo #porgs #porgs in the last jedi #star wars symbolism #babies in star wars #star wars episode ix #love in star wars

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sciencespies · 5 years ago

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Making future transport more climate friendly

https://sciencespies.com/environment/making-future-transport-more-climate-friendly/

Making future transport more climate friendly

The Trøndelag County transport company AtB introduced 36 electric buses to the Trondheim bus system in August. This is one of the projects that researchers will be collecting data on and analysing. Credit: Idun Haugan/NTNU

The world’s transportation network is constantly growing. “Green asphalt” and sustainable bus transportation will ease the environmental impact of future transport routes.

The EU has greenlighted two major transport projects for the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and SINTEF, Scandinavia’s largest independent research institution, in cooperation with Chinese and European universities. “Green asphalt” and sustainable bus transportation will help make future transport routes more climate friendly.

Norway’s largest current road project is the E39 Coastal Highway Route, which stretches from Kristiansand to Trondheim. The ongoing project will make the route ferry-free and shorten the driving time between locations along this route.

China’s giant investment in transport and infrastructure is referred to as the “New Silk Road” and extends transport routes across several continents. We will return to this in more detail later.

These major transport initiatives raise the question of how they will affect both the climate and the environment.

“It’s challenging to facilitate more transportation and reduce climate emissions simultaneously, but transport and trade are bound to increase in the future. What is important now is to make the transport systems as smart and climate-friendly as possible,” says Carl Christian Thodesen.

He has headed the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at NTNU for the past six years and has been central to the collaboration with Chinese research groups. He was also instrumental in developing two major EU projects that received the green light from the EU just before the summer.

“We recognize that the world’s infrastructure is growing extremely fast and that we have to think smart and be climate smart. The construction and transport sectors account for 40 percent of CO2 emissions and energy consumption today. We have to drastically lower this rate,” says Thodesen.

“Thinking sustainably also gives us a competitive edge. Climate-smart solutions will be prioritized and preferred in the future,” he says. Thodesen took a position as dean of the Oslo Metropolitan University this autumn.

Cooperation strong in transport sector

The collaboration between Chinese universities, NTNU and SINTEF began in 2017, and took a solid step further during a visit by Norwegian researchers and educators in April 2018.

We had long thought about doing something with China. What’s happening in China when it comes to transport and construction is enormous, and the universities have incredibly good lab facilities,” says Thodesen.

SINTEF Bygg and NTNU transport researchers have now established collaborative efforts with Chinese researchers at universities in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Wuhan.

They are working on issues such as:

The circular economy in the transport sector. For example, industrial waste materials are used for filling potholes in roads

Materials and road surface. How asphalt can be optimized to withstand wear and harsh climate conditions

Bridge structures, including floating bridges and fixed bridges

Tunnels, both through mountains and under water (fjords in Norway and rivers in China)

Driverless vehicles

Electricity transport

Rail transport

Through the eye of the EU needle

SMUrTS and HERMES are acronyms for the two EU projects for which NTNU and SINTEF have won EU research funding. They are being led by NTNU and SINTEF respectively, and are part of The Sustainable and Liveable Cities and Urban Areas call.

Electrifying the transportation sector is an important step towards making transport more environmentally friendly. Several countries are starting to electrify buses in urban areas. In Norway, the largest cities have started the transition to e-buses.

The SMUrTS project aims to help authorities in different countries develop an approach to improving the electrification of public transport systems and making the transition from conventional buses to electric buses as smooth as possible.

SMUrTS stands for Sustainable Mixed Urban Transit System with electric and conventional buses.

Plenty of obstacles ahead

However, replacing conventional buses with electric buses is no quick fix. As of today, electric buses still face numerous challenges, including:

range limitations

loss of battery capacity

battery charge time

SMUrTS is working to find solutions for electric buses in extreme conditions, such as in the tough Nordic climate and in extremely large cities.

Beijing’s streets are congested with everything that moves — mopeds, bicycles, cars and rickshaws, to name a few — and distances are great. Credit: Idun Haugan/NTNU

“In Norway, the cold climate is a challenge in terms of battery capacity. Tests on Tesla cars in the United States show that battery capacity is reduced by 40 percent in the winter,” says Chaoru Lu at NTNU. Lu is a postdoc at NTNU and was educated at Beijing Jiatong Universtity and Iowa State University. Lu and NTNU associate professor Trude Tørset are the SMUrTS project managers.

In megacities like Beijing, long distances are a challenge in terms of battery capacity.

“During this transitional period, until we overcome the limitations of e-buses, it’s more realistic to develop a city transportation system with a mix of conventional and electric buses. That way you can maintain the service standard of the transportation network,” says Lu.

Research needs to be useful for relevant actors

Since electric buses are relatively new, data collection and information is needed on how e-buses are working and how the transition from conventional buses to electric buses is going.

The researchers will be collecting a variety of data from the public transport company AtB in Trondheim, which this autumn inaugurated 36 electric buses in the transport network.

“Our goal with the research is to make a difference for the actors who are working on public transportation. This means that our research and our analyses need to provide useful information that ATB can use in transitioning to electric buses,” says Lu.

AtB finding research valuable

AtB, the transport company in Trøndelag County, where NTNU is located, thinks that the transition to electric buses has gone well so far.

“Clearly, challenges inevitably come up that you haven’t foreseen or planned for when undertaking something new. But we haven’t faced more challenges than you’d expect when making these kinds of changes,” says Tom Nørbech, division manager of technology and mobility services at AtB.

One challenge of switching over to electric buses, according to Nørbech, is that you no longer get your energy from filling stations but from charging stations, so you have to build a new and completely different type of infrastructure.

He thinks access to the SMUrTS analyses of what AtB does is important in this transition. The project is being conducted at “a high professional level, by people who are at the forefront of this type of research. It’s clear that both the analyses and access to the expertise of the collaborating partners are very valuable to us,” he says.

Models adapted to different cities and countries

This research project plans to collect data on environmental benefits, costs, efficiency, energy consumption on electric buses and on conventional buses, and the influence of the weather and climate on energy consumption.

“We’re looking at the big picture, and data from multiple fields gives us a bigger picture of how best to plan. Based on the data we collect, we’ll create models that we can customize for public transit companies to help solve their challenges,” says Lu.

The researchers also have access to data from Beijing, where large distances are a challenge in terms of battery capacity. For megacities like Beijing, the researchers are developing specific models based on the data and challenges that such cities have.

“We’re finding that the interest and need for electricity-based transport are strong around the world. Technology is evolving rapidly and transportation systems are changing really quickly. That’s why we need a new green transportation policy soon,” he says.

The research will run for three years and has a budget of almost NOK 9 million (€ 877,000). NTNU is leading the project, and the collaborating partners are from China, Sweden and Norway.

Green asphalt

HERMES is the second research project to come through the eye of the EU needle, led by SINTEF.

In Europe alone, more than 275 million tonnes of asphalt are produced each year for road maintenance and rehabilitation. This results in high resource consumption and the release of large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

“HERMES is developing a new methodology in order to reduce the climate impact of road maintenance and rehabilitation. The goal is to find and choose the best available technology and strategy with the lowest cost to the environment and society,” says Terje Kristiansen of SINTEF, who is leading the project.

To develop the new method, researchers will study and analyse infrastructure in selected locations in Norway, China and Austria. The project partners come from these three countries.

Analysing the life cycle of asphalt

The main transportation routes envisioned with the new Silk Road. Credit: NTB Scanpix

HERMES aims to develop a practical method for grading “green asphalt,” based on the Principles of Life Cycle Assessments (LCA).

LCA is a life cycle analysis method and a technique for mapping environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product’s life: from raw material extraction through materials, production, use, maintenance and disposal or recycling. The method is used to analyse and assess what can then be done to reduce the environmental impact.

“The new method we’re developing will make it much easier to see how the different elements of road construction contribute to pollution from a life cycle perspective. This insight will enable us to gain a better understanding of the reduction potential by implementing various measures on the material, construction and operation sides,” says Kristensen.

Creating a climate account for asphalt and road maintenance will make it easier to see where environmental benefits can be obtained.

“Being able to have an impact on climate reductions in China will make a big difference worldwide,” Kristensen says.

EU and China

“China has a high level of expertise in technology and research and is a growth market. We’re seeing that China is increasingly important for the EU and that research cooperation between the EU and China is becoming more active. That is why it’s also important to build up our China expertise,” says Kristensen.

Such expertise is created through collaborative projects like HERMES and SMUrTS.

The research project has a budget of just over NOK 11 million (€ 1,117 263) and will also run for three years. The project emphasizes the exchange of personnel between the EU and Chinese partners.

The Silk Road—China’s major transportation project

The Silk Road has its origins many centuries back in time. This was the name for a number of trade routes that ran between Europe, China / Asia and the Middle East. The route network stretched across 6,000 km and derived its name from the lucrative trade in Chinese silk. The trade route was established during the Chinese Han Dynasty (206 BC—220 AD).

In addition to trade, the Silk Road led to widespread cultural exchange between different countries and continents.

Business traveler and explorer Marco Polo from Venice contributed greatly to making the Silk Road and the East known to Europeans. In the 13th century, he embarked on a lengthy expedition to the Middle East, Mongolia and China with his father and uncle.

After about 20 years abroad, and bearing many experiences and new knowledge, they finally returned home. The East was mysterious and unfamiliar to Europeans at that time, and Marco Polo’s journey along the Silk Road became widely known through the travelogue Livre des merveilles du monde (Book of the marvels of the world, commonly called The Travels of Marco Polo in English), which became very popular.

The new Silk Road

European countries’ desire to trade directly with China was the main motivator for discovering a sea route to China. In the year 1480, Portuguese ships rounded the Horn of Africa for the first time. The Netherlands and the United Kingdom followed in the 17th century.

Until the beginning of the 19th century, China was regarded as the richest and most sophisticated of all civilizations on earth.

Trade and goods transport are also the main reason for China’s new giant transportation concept called “The New Silk Road.” It consists of several routes, on both land and water. The ambition is to create a continuous transport connection—by road, train and ship—between China and the rest of the world.

The project goes by the names One Belt, One Road (OBOR) and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The transportation network will consist of:

a continuous transportation route across China from east to west

a tie-in to the original Silk Road route through Central Asia and the Middle East

a link to the Trans-Siberian transportation route through Russia and to the Baltic States

a water way via the Indian Ocean that strengthens the transport route from China to the coast of Africa, where China is starting to establish itself in a big way

a water route via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean countries and Europe

This is being called the world’s largest infrastructure project. China’s powerful leader Xi Jinping launched the worldwide project in 2013, and many steps have already happened since then.

Explore further

Paris orders 800 new electric buses to fight smog

More information: You can read more in the article What is China’s Belt and Road Initiative? from the British newspaper The Guardian.

Provided by Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Citation: Making future transport more climate friendly (2020, January 14) retrieved 14 January 2020 from https://phys.org/news/2020-01-future-climate-friendly.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

#Environment

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theonyxpath · 5 years ago

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Because we’re all out this week, there was no Monday Meeting – but our emails have been flying all week as the kickstarter for V5 Cults of the Blood Gods funded in 50 minutes and it has been smashing through Stretch Goals since then!

It has perhaps been helped by a last minute change James and I made to the shipping costs for a bunch of our International backers – I mean I literally got the revised shipping costs from a new KS fulfilment shipper in the EU the morning the KS was going live!

Very glad we could bring those costs down – even if it is still an experiment until we get a few ship-outs actually out from these shippers.

As always, you can back at any time and you’ll get access to consecutive chunks of the manuscript as the KS rolls along – and you can cancel your pledge at any time before the KS is over if you don’t like what you read!

(And this is the case whether you have just stumbled on the Cults Kickstarter, are one of our long-time KS backers, or a friend of one of the creators!)

Also, related to our Kickstarter for V5 Cults of the Blood Gods, Modiphius has opened up the pre-orders for their V5 book, The Fall of London! You can find the info here on their website: https://www.modiphius.net/

You’ll recognize a lot of the creators’ names from our projects, so you know it’s at least worth a look: every pre-order for the hardcover physical book that’s yet to come gets a link to the finished PDF!

Chicago Folio art by Michele Giorgi

Since this is almost the end of the year, and is certainly a time when we can use some happy thoughts to go with the holidays, here are our Onyx Path Monday Meeting crew’s look back on what were some of our highlights from 2019:

Dixie:

It’s been amazing to streamline a few of our processes this year! However, to me the major highlights for me were holding certain books for the first time on which I and my colleagues have worked so hard, such as Trinity, Scion, Dragon-Blooded, and Chicago by Night. I’m glad we’ve been able to deliver so many great Kickstarters and am looking forward to those yet to come! Seeing our books go into stores has been amazing, too. Being able to walk into my FLGS and see a copy of Changeling 2e or Pugmire on the shelf is really rewarding.

Monica:

Community content has been a wonderful way to find new freelancers and those programs are giving fans an opportunity to create new titles for their favorite games. I think we’ve integrated the programs really well and I’ll be curious to see what happens in the coming months.

Ian:

Entirely self-serving of me, but: we ran the Trinity Continuum: Aberrant Kickstarter, which did gratifyingly well. We released the Trinity Continuum core rules and Trinity Continuum: Æon, which have been in development almost as long as Onyx Path has been a company! The feedback we’ve gotten has been really positive and I’m really happy that we finally got these out to the public. Squeaking in before the end of the year are In Media Res and the Æon Æxpansion, and we’re working on a new edition of Adventure! and other exciting projects. It’s been a great year for visible tangible progress.

Mighty Matt:

Teaming up with the DriveThruRPG team to launch the new Phone PDF format with the Pugmire core rulebook. As the RPG community grows it is very cool to have the chance to try new ways of using our games and the Phone PDF format means Pugmire (and now Scion: Origin) are available in a mobile format, which can be great to read on the go, use at conventions, and more.

They Came From Beneath the Sea! art by Brian LeBlanc

Mirthful Mike:

Two pillars of the Storypath System saw release in 2019… Scion and Trinity Continuum. And yes, Scion did have some bumps both before and after release… but we did learn from those and implemented some new procedures since then to make sure those bumps never show up again. Yes, a month long implementation of the Trinity Mindmeld was kinda stressful for me… but way less stressful than Scion‘s release.

Matthew:

My favourite moment of 2019 was conducting the second proof of They Came from Beneath the Sea! It’s been nothing but a joy to review a game I’ve overseen from conception to (near) publication, and I’m confident the people who buy it, run it, and play it will love the writing, the art, and the layout. It really is a testament to the creative excellence of the team who worked on this, and I owe a lot to their ingenuity and humour, and the faith Rich put in me and this game.

Eddy:

One thing I think we did really well: Process. 2018 was a year of onboarding, getting people trained up, and establishing process for our company. This year we saw how well it worked, adjusted where it didn’t work, and generally got things out faster and at higher quality than we did before. Next year is a natural step of refining or looking at better processes.

Lisa:

For me the good is the improvement of our office systems. Going through our in-house developers for contracts and pay schedules helps to keep these working smoothly and to both eliminate or clear up problems as we go. Hopefully, this makes it better for our freelancers to have their paperwork and payments in a timely fashion.

RichT:

As for me, this last year has been one where we are starting to have things happen we set in motion years ago, like Ian mentioned about the Trinity Continuum, and also we announced Exalted Essence as another project we’ve been thinking about for quite some time.

Having the Trinity Continuum books available is particularly cool because they really illustrate how the Storypath System can be tweaked so that it meshes with the setting. Just wait until both Dystopia Rising: Evolution and They Came From Beneath the Sea! (and a bunch of unannounced projects) also become available and really put Storypath through its paces.

But also, in terms of other things besides projects, we’re working on new ways to print and ship our KS’d books, and how to build on the success we’ve had in getting our books into retail stores. Which might not really click until V5 Chicago By Night gets onto shelves. But that’ll be in our 2020 thoughts!

Memento Mori art by Brian LeBlanc

I’ve been thrilled by how our Terrific Trio of Terror have continued to post a new Onyx Pathcast every freakin’ Friday, and how we’ve ramped up our Twitch channel with fantastic actual plays and commentary pretty much every single day of the week! I really wasn’t sure we’d get so many loyal viewers, so thanks to all of you who’ve checked out our offerings!

Thanks to the always delightful James Bell, our KS Concierge, we were able to run 6 Kickstarter campaigns on our original KS account, and then James ran Mummy 2e and our friends at Handiwork Games ran the Creature Collection KS on our new Onyx Path KS account. Which is another thing we have been needing for years.

And we were able to continually roll out projects all year long that were created via our Kickstarter campaigns – both the main rewards and the Stretch Goal extra projects – which has been a juggling act as the older (ahem, later) rewards caught up and smashed into the newer projects that are getting made a lot more quickly under the updated processes Eddy and Lisa mentioned.

It was a satisfying year in that it felt good to demonstrate with all of our fantastic projects how we can create great and beautiful game books for both our licensed and our own lines. In a lot of ways, it was all of you and your responses – to our projects, to our posts, to our KSs – that truly made this an excellent year for all of us at the Onyx Path House of Ideas!

Thank YOU, for joining us last year in exploring our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

Kickstarter!

V5 Cults of the Blood Gods funded in 50 minutes last week, and has thundered forward despite the holidays!

Onyx Path Media!

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast Is our Holiday Special 2: Mario Kart Episode! Say! No! More! Check it out direct on Podbean, or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

Topping the media list this week is Red Moon Roleplaying‘s actual play of Vampire: The Masquerade – Cults of the Blood Gods, to tie in to the currently running Kickstarter. Here’s part one, and do be warned, the content within contains scenes of a horrific nature: https://youtu.be/E_VtuU4y9JI

Additionally, Ekorren (of Roleplaying and Worldbuilding fame) has made a special V5 video, what with Cults of the Blood Gods being on Kickstarter: https://youtu.be/ir1MYLtD1EY

We’ve a festive line-up on Twitch this week, with a holiday special of Trinity Continuum, Dixie’s Holiday Twitch Takeover (which will be a hell of a lot of fun), another holiday special of Hunter: The Vigil, Uncanny Valley‘s regular Hunter game, Mage: The Awakening, and Scarred Lands!

Thank you to our streamers for such fantastic work this year, and even more thanks for those running games this week!

You can watch the games on our Twitch channel and subscribe to us over on twitch.tv/theonyxpath

Plus, we uploaded a barrage of content to our Onyx Path YouTube channel this last week, including videos for Pugmire, Aberrant, Changeling: The Lost, and more!

You can find our YouTube videos over on youtube.com/user/theonyxpath

What’s more, Matthew Dawkins continues his Gentleman’s Guide to Scion over on his YouTube channel, now covering the mechanics of consolation and Momentum! You can find Matthew’s channel at youtube.com/user/clackclickbang

If you’ve not been following the Occultists Anonymous series on Mage: The Awakening, do not despair! They have uploaded new episodes to their channel right here:

Episode 66: The Masters Songbird is called before his mentor, Colossus, to prepare for his initiation into an ancient legacy. Atratus begins to investigate a curiosity that Gabe has found. https://youtu.be/8HaJXY_iLk4

Episode 67: Baby, Take My Hand Atratus speaks with the dead, determining how best she can help the ghost of Katherine. Gabe steps up to play a supporting role in helping the newly dead. Songbird tries something new… https://youtu.be/h3g3v5ntHn8

The Story Told Podcast continue their fantastic actual play of Exalted Dragon-Blooded right here: http://thestorytold.libsyn.com/fall-of-jiara-21-shall-we-spare-the-ravages-of-war

Over with Vampire: The Masquerade now, as The Sacrifice from Chicago by Night is run in Spanish over on webvampiro’s channel! https://youtu.be/PXMzZ69pl4Y

Returning to Red Moon Roleplaying, those folks have a whole load of content coming out for us, including: Changeling: The Lost: https://youtu.be/svXWhcGTNmc

and The Sacrifice, for Vampire: The Masquerade: https://youtu.be/b4T23Zy7s-4

Have you checked out the Botch Pit‘s guide to the Winter Court for Changeling: The Lost? If not, here it is: https://youtu.be/A_huXzRyghY

Drop Matthew a message via the contact button on matthewdawkins.com if you have actual plays, reviews, or game overviews you want us to profile on the blog!

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

Electronic Gaming!

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

On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

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

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

Our selection includes these latest fiction books:

Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands

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

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

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

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

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, we will be releasing the final monthly PDF installments for Exalted 3rd‘s Hundred Devils Night Parade and Adversaries of the Righteous on DTRPG!

Conventions!

2020: Midwinter: January 9th – 12th, in Milwaukee, WI. Check out David Fuller’s Athens, Ohio Scion actual play tie-in adventure (soon to be coming to the Storypath Nexus community content site) that will be running at Midwinter. The event url is below: https://tabletop.events/conventions/midwinter-gaming-convention-2020/schedule/402

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

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

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)

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

Duke Rollo fiction (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

TC: Aberrant Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

RUST (Scarred Lands)

Redlines

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

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

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

Second Draft

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

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

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Development

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

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

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)

Manuscript Approval

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)

Buried Bones: Creating in the Realms of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

Post-Approval Development

Scion LARP Rules (Scion)

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

Editing

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Let the Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Geist 2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Mythical Denizens (Creatures of the World Bestiary) (Scion 2nd Edition)

Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad (Scarred Lands)

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Post-Editing Development

TC: Aeon Ready-Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

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

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Vigil Watch (Scarred Lands)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

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

Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

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

Indexing

ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

Contagion Chronicle – Finals coming in.

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Ex3 Lunars – Art is in.

TCfBtS!: Heroic Land Dwellers – Sketches in and approved.

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed – Contracted.

Cults of the Blood God (KS)

Mummy 2

City of the Towered Tombs

Let the Streets Run Red – Art notes and contracts finishing going out this week.

CtL Oak Ash and Thorn – Got artnotes.

Scion Mythical Denizens – Need sketches for fulls.

Deviant

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad

Vigil Watch – Getting stuff over to cartographer.

Legendlore (KS)

Technocracy Reloaded (KS) – Got notes out to artists for halfs and splats.

Scion Companion – Reading through art notes.

In Layout

Chicago Folio – Halfway through layout.

Trinity Continuum Aeon: Distant Worlds

Pirates of Pugmire – With Aileen.

Proofing

Dark Eras 2 – At WW for approval and they will be back after the New Year.

Trinity Continuum Aeon Jumpstart

They Came from Beneath the Sea! – Backer PDF out to backers soon.

VtR Spilled Blood

At Press

V5: Chicago – Shipping to the KS fulfillment shippers. PoD proofs ordered.

Geist 2e (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition) – Being printed.

Geist 2e Screen – Being printed.

DR:E – Being printed.

DRE Screen – Being printed.

DR:E Threat Guide – Helnau’s Guide to Wasteland Beasties – PoD proof on the way.

Trinity RMCs

Tales of Good Dogs – PoD proof ordered.

Memento Mori – Backer PDF out to backers, gathering errata.

M20 Book of the Fallen – PoD proof ordered.

Trinity Continuum Storypath Nexus Community Content – Getting it set up.

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Happy Holidays to One and All!

#Onyx Path Publishing

2 notes · View notes

warninggraphiccontent · 5 years ago

Text

29 November 2019

Manifesto destiny

What do this year's manifestos have to say about data, digital, open government and technology?

While we wouldn't expect them to get into the finer points of digital government and better uses of data in government - not in themselves the most doorstep-friendly of issues - there's a fair amount in there. Online harms, cybersecurity, citizens' digital rights, using data to better understand barriers to diversity (very Race Disparity Audit) and general references to technology across various sectors all make an appearance. There's not that much on open data or open government (beyond an eye-catching Lib Dem promise on a citizens' assembly on algorithms), or much detail on the Conservative promise to improve the use of data, data science and evidence in government (#classicdom). We've got a summary here, the Ada Lovelace Institute have one here, and Peter Wells has a thread on each here.

It's interesting to compare with the 2017 versions. The Conservatives apparently promised some new bodies on the use and ethics of data, and geospatial data - whatever happened to those? - while Labour promised to keep the Land Registry and all its data under public control (repeated this time around) and extend freedom of information to private providers of public services (ditto). No mention of Freedom of Information in the Lib Dem manifesto for the first time in a while.

There'll be some more on manifestos on this week's Inside Briefing podcast. We looked at, or rather listened to, prime ministerial tenure last week.

And in brief:

It was a real pleasure to chair Will from Full Fact, Liz from Digital Action, my old boss Martin from King's and the chair of the Electoral Commission, Sir John Holmes, on whether we can trust our electoral system in an age of rapidly evolving technology. All killer, no filler, as the kids say - well worth a watch or listen.

And if you liked that, you may like some of our other #IFGElection2019 events, including one next week on other aspects of our electoral system.

Another important event: on starting a career in public policy. Thinking about a career in public policy? Never thought about a career in public policy? Want to get started in thinktanks, or still wondering what a thinktank is? Come and have your questions answered on Monday 9 December.

To the Argentine Embassy for the launch of the Bennett Institute's new report on digital government in Argentina since 2015. Excellent discussion, excellent report, excellent empanadas.

No Data Bites next week - we're hoping to get started again in February. But as well as watching all the previous ones back, you can join us for some drinks on Wednesday - get in touch via Twitter if you'd like to join.

RIP Clive James.

It's easy to forget in the midst of the election campaign but it is nearly Christmas. Come and celebrate with my choir, the New Tottenham Singers, on Saturday 14 December.

Have a great weekend

Gavin

Today's links:

Graphic content

Let's talk about MRP

The key findings from our MRP (YouGov)

Election Centre (YouGov)

MRP election poll: Boris Johnson heads for big majority* (The Times)

Poll forecasts Commons majority for Boris Johnson* (FT)

How do pollsters predict UK general election results? (FT)

Manifestos

Where does the climate emergency first get mention in the party manifestos? (Tortoise)

A chart based analysis of the text in the Conservative and Labour manifestos (Daniel Tomlinson)

Manifesto word count (me for IfG)

#GE2019, etc

Top target seats in the 2019 general election – interactive (The Guardian)

Meet Parliament’s class of 2019* (The Economist, via Tom)

What happens if a prime minister loses their seat in a general election? (IfG)

A New Class Of Angry Partisan Facebook Pages Are Dominating The Online War In The British General Election (BuzzFeed)

Trust in civil servants/politicians (me for IfG)

Veracity Index (Ipsos MORI)

We're now three weeks without a Secretary of State for Wales (me for IfG)

Long term trend shows decreasing concern over economy, unemployment, rise of Brexit (Ipsos MORI)

Women in parliament (Alice for IfG)

Tax and spend

This is how marginal taxes work (Mona Chalabi)

Explaining progressive income tax (Matthew Armstrong)

Divided and connected: Regional inequalities in the North, the UK and the developed world – State of the North 2019 (IPPR)

Elections elsewhere

Hong Kong election results mapped* (New York Times)

A Staggering Number of Candidates Are Running for U.S. President* (Bloomberg)

Who is ahead in the Democratic primary race?* (The Economist)

Everything else

How Do You Find Good NFL Defenders? By Measuring What’s Not There. (FiveThirtyEight)

A kaleidoscope of river pollution (The ENDS Report)

Die letzten Mieter (Zeit Online)

Pope Francis, globe-trotting at an age when other popes have eased up, is trying to transform the church through his travels* (Washington Post)

Data and #dataviz

Survey of public sector information management 2018/19 (data.gov.nz)

Make your own UK General Election maps (Flourish)

Lowering the bar (Full Fact)

Reddit's Bar Chart Race moratorium is a good thing for #dataviz. Here's why. (Andy Cotgreave)

Meta data

Poll position

How YouGov's 2019 General Election model works (YouGov)

FAQs about YouGov's 2019 general election MRP model (YouGov)

MRP Estimates and the 2019 General Election (Anthony B. Masters)

Why you should take YouGov's MRP with a pinch of salt; Six thoughts on YouGov's MRP model of the 2019 election* (New Statesman)

Brexit didn’t cause all our divisions (UnHerd - although...)

Forensic polling analysis shows how Boris Johnson is on course to win—and how he can be stopped* (Prospect)

What to make of the polls? (Will Jennings)

The hidden predictor? Council control (Ian Warren)

Four Problems With 2016 Trump Polling That Could Play Out Again in 2020* (New York Times)

Election 2019: Can we trust our electoral system? (Institute for Government)

Manifestos

General Election 2019: manifesto tracker (Institute for Government)

Manifestos still matter even though their promises aren't being delivered (Institute for Government)

Tech/data in the 2019 manifestos (Peter Wells)

How will data and AI work for people and society after the UK General Election 2019? (Ada Lovelace Institute)

2019 Manifesto - 'Towards a Better Future' (techUK)

The Startup Manifesto (The Entrepreneurs Network/Coadec)

Future of the web

Contract for the Web (World Wide Web Foundation)

Tim Berners-Lee unveils global plan to save the web (The Guardian)

Read Sacha Baron Cohen's scathing attack on Facebook in full: 'greatest propaganda machine in history' (The Guardian)

Platforms don't exist (Ben Tarnoff)

Internet Harms: We need a Regulator, not a Censor (Martin Stanley for the Bennett Institute)

Internet world despairs as non-profit .org sold for $$$$ to private equity firm, price caps axed (The Register)

Oil, data, data, oil

Oil is the New Data (Logic)

The Next Big Cheap: Calling data “the new oil” takes its exploitation for granted (Real Life)

Data, transparency, openness

Unlocking the value of London’s public sector data (Eddie Copeland)

What does transparency mean? (Understanding Patient Data)

Open government must be more than a commitment on paper* (Apolitical)

11 thoughts on Donald Trump, Transparency and Records (Ben Worthy)

Cabinet Office ignores court order to release secret fracking report (The Guardian)

Open Banking: Consumer consent frameworks around the globe (ODI/Equifax)

Thierry Breton to be in charge of leading new ‘EU data strategy’* (Politico)

Everything else

Better than ethics (Rachel Coldicutt, Doteveryone)

Help TheyWorkForYou make sense of Parliament (Crowdfunder)

Taiwan is making democracy work again. It's time we paid attention* (Wired)

Facebook’s only fact-checking service in the Netherlands just quit (The Verge)

OPSI Primer on AI for the Public Sector (OECD, via Marcus)

Opportunities

AWARD: 2020 Statistical Excellence in Journalism awards launched (Royal Statistical Society)

JOB: RESEARCHER/POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR, AI ON THE GROUND INITIATIVE (Data & Society)

JOB: Director of Standards & Interoperability (NHS England)

JOB: Senior Researcher: Court Monitoring and Open Justice (Spotlight on Corruption)

JOBS: 2020 US Election (FT)

JOBS (Luminate)

And finally...

Thanksgiving

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Dinner Menu (FiveThirtyEight)

9 charts to be thankful for this Thanksgiving (Vox)

Practice makes perfect: Carve this virtual turkey* (Washington Post)

Politics

How the UK are predicted to vote is... (@notstelfc, via Haydon)

Winning here. Hang on... (via Alasdair)

Medieval Catholicism nudged Europe towards democracy and development* (The Economist)

Irish parliament red-faced over printer too big to fit through doors (The Guardian, via Alice)

Fibonacci Day

Fibonacci Anonymous meetings this afternoon... (Moose Allain)

A poem (Brian Bilston)

Everything else

How Emojis Have Invaded the Courtroom (Slate)

The Big Data of Big Hair (The Pudding)

Same. (@kamal_hothi)

Day in the life of a data journalist. (David Ottewell, via Graham)

Warning: Reading the Wikipedia entry for the guy who invented the bar chart will give you multiple cases of serious whiplash (Tom Wilson, via Tim)

Hi, I'm Bill gates and today I will teach you how to count to ten (@OneDevloperArmy)

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skeletonpunching · 6 years ago

Text

Vatican Miracle Examiner sidestory - The Invisible Man Murder Case (parts 1-7)

It’s been a while, but here we are again with a new VME sidestory!

This one has: Lauren, Bitcoin, and 100% unambiguous canon femmeslash. I KNOW.

(There are some characters you may not have met yet, but the story gives you all the background you need for them. You may want to read the Norway book recap to know a bit about what Lauren’s been up to.)

The mysterious affair began when Calogero Berge - a popular member of the Italian parliament, who made many television appearances, and was tapped to be on the next Council of Ministers - was being interviewed by a magazine.

That afternoon, Cleto from the International Journal’s editorial department, the interviewer Federico, and the photographer Giusto were all in the tea room of the Bordiga Hotel, awaiting Berge’s arrival.

The interview was set for two o’clock, but Berge showed up 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

As might be expected of someone with so many female supporters, he was a tall, fresh-faced man. His lustrous dark blue suit, and his red necktie with gold thread, shone in the rays of sunlight pouring through the great window.

Cleto and the others, who had taken up position along the furthest wall, got to their feet. After a brief exchange of greetings, Berge seated himself on the sofa opposite them.

“May we begin the interview right away?” Cleto asked, and Berge slowly nodded.

Federico, the interviewer, placed a small recorder on the table; glancing down at his notebook, he began speaking.

“Please give us your views on the future of Italy’s diplomatic relations. Firstly…”

Berge courteously answered the detailed questions volleyed at him.

Giusto, the photographer, pressed the camera shutter whenever it struck his fancy.

“Then, what are your thoughts on foreign trade?”

Berge responded to Federico’s question with a refreshing smile.

“I strongly advocate free trade. We must steadily pursue trading connections with Asia and North and South America. Our country boasts history and traditions that have given rise to heightened aesthetic senses. We create fine arts, handicrafts, fashion brands, wines - all sorts of articles brimming with charm. We cannot allow other countries to rival us in this domain. I believe that putting further effort into the export of these goods will enrich this country.”

“I see. But there have also been concerns that free trade will cause profits to decline for our domestic enterprises.”

“Yes, that is true. It is a fact that some companies are coming under pressure from the low prices or high quality of foreign products. However, we should not view this as more of a threat than necessary. Now is an opportunity for reform. We have to cooperate with foreign companies, acquire excellent technology, and strive to raise our true productivity.”

“A key theme of Italy’s economy is the north-south divide. In the north, industrialisation is advanced and there has been economic growth, but in contrast, the south and the islands have been left behind, and can only rely on agriculture and tourism. As such, a disparity has developed. Will free trade aggravate this disparity?”

“No, I do not think so,” Berge said, clenching his fist firmly. “Agriculture has long prospered in our country. Even now, we’re ranked second in the EU for agriculture, and we account for 13 percent of the EU’s total output. Agriculture is the foundation of our people’s way of life, and the backbone of our country. Because of our background of agricultural productivity, we need not fear that unexpected food crises or price surges will result from pursuing free trade. As for southern Italy, I am planning reforms to boost agricultural productivity, optimise operations, and improve product quality. In addition, I’d like to focus on promoting tourism.”

“I see. Then here is a question based on your views, sir. From now on, which countries might be considered Italy’s most important partners?” Federico asked.

Berge’s gaze turned solemn, and he sank into thought.

Then the upper half of his body slowly began to lean forwards.

Federico silently awaited Berge’s answer.

Did he drop something on the floor? Cleto wondered, while mentally sorting through the contents of the interview.

The photographer, Giusto, took his eye from the viewfinder, and raised his head.

Berge was doubled over, and showed no intention of correcting his posture.

On the contrary, his body slowly lost its balance and toppled from the chair, collapsing on the floor with a thud.

“Sir! What’s wrong?!”

The three men scrambled to their feet, alarmed, and stared at Berge crumpled on the ground.

A large stain was blossoming on the chest of his suit - was that a pool of blood spreading across the floor?

“This is bad! An ambulance-!”

At Cleto’s cry, Giusto pulled out his cellphone and called for paramedics.

As the people in the tea room noticed what was happening, a commotion erupted.　

“What? What’s going on?”

“Dead - that man - he’s dead!”

“Look at all that blood…”

“That face - I know him!”

“Wait - isn’t that Senator Berge?”

“What?! That’s terrible!”

Surrounded by a throng of gawking onlookers, the paramedics arrived 12 minutes later.

Berge was still collapsed on the floor; they immediately took his pulse and checked his pupils.

“Cardiac arrest. Pupils dilated. Death is confirmed. There is bleeding from the chest; the cause of death seems to be blood loss.”

The chief paramedic nodded slightly.

“I’ll contact the police at once. Preserve the scene.”

Under the direction of the police, Cleto, Federico, Giusto, and everyone present in the tea room at the time were naturally ordered to remain at the scene.

The room was in an uproar when the police rushed in.

The coroner drew a chalk outline around the corpse, and began inspecting the surroundings. Flashlights clicked on and off, and the corpse - shrouded in a white cloth - was lifted onto a stretcher.

In this atmosphere filled with tension and unease, the police officers began taking statements from the eyewitnesses. The one who approached Cleto and the others was an elderly man in a business suit.

“I’m Detective Domeniconi. Tell me what happened.”

Domeniconi flipped through his police notebook.

‘I-I’m Cleto Landi, from the International Journal. I was here today to interview Mr. Berge for a special feature in the magazine. But halfway through, Mr. Berge suddenly - like that…”

Cleto’s voice trembled as he replied; he handed his business card to the detective.

“Hmm. Are those two over there your subordinates?”

Domeniconi jerked his chin towards them.

“Yes. Our reporter Federico, and contract photographer Giusto.”

Federico and Giusto nodded at Cleto’s introduction.

“You were conducting an interview - so there’s a recording?”

“Yes. It was recorded with this.”

Federico showed him the small recorder.

“We’ll take that. And your camera.”

Domeniconi confiscated Giusto’s camera as well, and handed them over to the forensic investigators.

“Now then. Give me the full details. What happened during the interview?”

The three of them exchanged glances, bewildered.

“Whatever we say…”

“When the senator was talking about free trade, he suddenly slumped over, and just like that, he fell from the chair and collapsed on the floor.”

“Yes, and when we were staring in shock, the blood started flowing. We quickly called the ambulance.”

“Yes, that’s how it was.”

“Hmm,” Domeniconi said, stroking his chin. “Before Mr. Berge collapsed, there was nothing unusual? Did he seem unwell?”

“No.”

The three men all shook their heads.

“Were there any suspicious people nearby? Did you hear any suspicious noises?”

“No…”

The three of them shook their heads again. Domeniconi took them all to the sofa at the scene, and made them once again recount what they had witnessed.

Their seats had been along the innermost wall of the room. If any suspicious person had approached, someone would have noticed.

Unless the three of them are accomplices, and backing up each other’s story…

Just as Domeniconi thought this, a forensic investigator and police officer, who had been conversing in the distance, came walking over.

“Detective Domeniconi, Senator Berge died due to loss of blood from a gunshot. There is a hole in the chest of his shirt that appears to be damage from a bullet. The corpse also has a bullet wound, and a small blister was identified to the left. The cause of the blister is unknown, but the cause of death seems to be blood loss resulting from a shot directly above the heart. However, there is no bullet hole in the jacket.”

Domeniconi frowned at the forensic investigator’s words.

“No hole in the jacket?”

“Yes. Neither on the back nor the front,” the forensic investigator replied.

“Hey. Was Mr. Berge always wearing the jacket?” Domeniconi turned to ask Cleto and the others.

“Yes,” the three said, nodding.

This was an absolutely inexplicable story.

“We have taken statements from all the customers who were present at the scene; no one saw anyone who looked like the culprit. Neither did anyone hear a gunshot.”

“Hmm.”

Domeniconi folded his arms.

“For the sake of argument, suppose some customer in the room shot Mr. Berge in the heart - it’s strange that there’s no hole in the back of his jacket. He was sitting facing the wall, so I can’t think of anyone who could have shot him in the chest, other than these three.”

Domeniconi cast a glare at Cleto and the others.

“I-impossible. Why would we kill the senator?”

“That’s right. There’s no motive.”

“I’m just a hired photographer.”

The men shook their heads vehemently, but Domeniconi ordered the police officer to conduct a body search. The three of them were led into a separate room one by one, and underwent a scrupulous body search to determine whether they had a silenced gun concealed somewhere. But no weapon was found on any of them.

Domeniconi looked displeased by this report.

“Maybe there’s some device attached to the camera or recorder. Take a good look. And now, take these three into custody as suspects in the incident.”

At Domeniconi’s words, Cleto and the others were taken away by the police officers.

Meanwhile, Senator Berge’s body was dispatched to the forensic division, and underwent an official autopsy. The result was death by shooting. It was concluded that the bullet had struck the thoracic aorta, causing fatal haemorrhaging.

The problem was that there was no bullet hole on the jacket - only on the shirt.

The logical theory would be that the jacket was put on the senator after he was shot. But none of the customers present during the incident had testified to seeing Cleto, Federico, and Giusto removing or replacing the senator’s jacket.

Moreover, no suspicious contraption was found on the confiscated recorder and camera.

There was yet another mystery: the footage from the hotel’s security cameras. It showed Senator Berge smiling and having a friendly chat with the three suspects, when suddenly, he bent forwards and toppled from the chair.

There was no sign at all of any one of the three men removing the senator’s jacket, or putting it back on him. And there was no trace of anyone who might have shot the senator.

Domeniconi clutched his head.

A popular member of parliament, recognised as a candidate for future minister, had been shot and killed in public - and despite this, there were absolutely no clues as to the culprit.

A team of 50 people carried out the investigation for one, then two months - but they remained unable to obtain a single witness or scrap of material evidence relating to the culprit.

As the investigation wore on, Detective Domeniconi and the investigation team were forced to arrive at a single conclusion.

It was that, in a public space like the hotel tea room, before all eyes, a formless culprit - like an invisible man - had soundlessly shot and killed Senator Berge. Furthermore, the bullet, by some sort of magic, had made no hole in the senator’s jacket; it had only pierced through his shirt to reach his thoracic aorta.

That was the utterly mysterious chain of events that had taken place.

Of course, such an occurrence was unimaginable. If this conclusion were to be announced, it was clear that the Italian police would be lambasted by the entire nation as being incompetents without a shred of common sense.

The police, plagued by a severe headache, detained Cleto, Federico, and Giusto as suspects. While reserving their conclusions and continuing to make inquiries, they sought the help and succour of the single person who would probably be able to break this deadlock.

This was the person who, in the past, had cracked numerous difficult cases, and who, due to his distinguished track record, had become a colonel of the Carabinieri - the man Amedeo Accardi.

Amedeo, rolling up the documents before him, heaved a deep sigh.

No matter how much he read, it was incomprehensible. In fact, the more he read, the more incomprehensible it became.

Amedeo hadn’t thought that cases like this would come to haunt him, even after his becoming a colonel. He had long since arrived at an eminent position, and carried out no field work at crime scenes. There were still somewhat difficult cases, but he could entrust them to his excellent subordinates to resolve.

At least, that approach had been working well until now.

As long as he made no major mistakes, he could lead a quiet, comfortable existence until retirement - or so he’d thought, but suddenly, such a bizarre case had turned up, threatening the very dignity of the police.

Moreover, the president and prime minister themselves had contacted him directly, to offer him courteous encouragement.

Ordinarily, this would be the highest honour - but the one who had solved the numerous difficult cases until now was a criminal named Lauren di Luca. Amedeo had done no more than follow Lauren’s instructions and serve as his arms and legs.

Amedeo was now faced with a tremendous crisis that made him tremble. It was a state of emergency. Beset by unendurable nerves, he stared at the family photo on his office desk.

I’m sorry I’m such an unreliable prop, everyone. But as your father, I will find some way, no matter what...

Having steeled his resolve, he got up and carefully retrieved a map from the depths of the safe. He stuffed the bundle of casefiles into his briefcase, told his subordinates, “I need to concentrate on my own for a while,” and got into his private car.

Setting out from Rome, he drove nearly 30 kilometres towards a rural town called Tivoli - famous for the Villa d'Este - and then turned south before the town.

After a short drive, the car was threading through a road dotted with old factories. Garbage overflowed the street, and an air of desolation hung over the surroundings.

This street, not especially lengthy, ended in a sign that said “Mauro Telephone Parts Factory”. A rustic factory stood there. Amedeo braked the car before that weatherbeaten concrete building. Then he closely compared the marking on the map with the shape of the building.

Is it… here?

This map had been handed to him by the man who was Lauren’s guardian. Amedeo had been told that, if he went to the marked location, he could get in touch with Lauren, and so he had hurried there. But the factory currently before his eyes was on the verge of being a ruin; it was totally out of keeping with the image of that extremely wealthy Lauren.

Did I get played for a fool?

Amedeo, grappling with anxiety, entered the factory and approached the reception counter. It was unmanned, but he rang the brass bell, and an employee in his fifties slowly approached.

“I am Amedeo Accardi of the Carabinieri,” Amedeo said with dignity, holding aloft his identification.

The man glanced at Amedeo’s identification, and then pointed at the map in Amedeo’s hand, with a gesture of “show me”. Amedeo handed over the map; the man put on something like reading glasses, briefly scrutinised it, and nodded.

“Come with me.”

With those brief words, the man guided Amedeo into a small room in the depths of the factory. In that dirty small room stood a desk and chair, with a laptop on the desk. After directing Amedeo inside, the man returned the way he had come.

Thud. The instant the door shut, a light ringing split the silence. This room seemed to be installed with some sort of soundproofing.

Bewildered, Amedeo sat down in the chair.

There’s some meaning to this laptop...

Amedeo searched for the power button. The whirring startup sound echoed, and was absorbed into the walls of the room.

In a flash, the monitor lit up.

It seemed to rapidly cycle through several displays, and the next instant, Lauren di Luca’s face appeared.

“Oh, Lauren!” Amedeo cried out with unconscious delight.

The Lauren displayed on the monitor was older than when Amedeo had known him best. He had well and truly grown into a young man. But the androgynous features, the pale skin reminiscent of a bisque doll, the molasses-coloured hair, and those spine-chilling amber eyes - those could not possibly belong to anyone other than Lauren.

“Amedeo. Didn’t my guardian tell you that you should only make contact on rare occasions?” Lauren asked. His tone, with its edge of sarcasm, was a vivid reminder of the past.

Pinned under the glare of those eyes like glass orbs, Amedeo’s heart constricted. But no matter what happened, there was a reason why Amedeo could not budge a step until securing Lauren’s cooperation.

If the case this time could not be settled as impressively as before, he would be betraying the expectations of so many people, from the president above to his subordinates and family below; he would disappoint them all. No, rather than simply disappointing them - if his handling of this case was suspected to be completely different from the past, it was terrifying to contemplate what sort of hell was in store for him.

Amedeo was cornered on the brink of a precipice, and the man like an unfeeling fiend on the other side of the monitor was his sole saviour.

“Th-that’s… isn’t that cold, when we haven’t met in so long? And if I could, I wouldn’t contact you - I hoped I could go forever without having to. But Lauren, that rare occasion is finally here; I don’t have a choice. It’s a terrible case - the dignity of the Italian police is at stake. Please help!” Amedeo burst out in a single breath, wiping cold sweat from his brow.

Lauren furrowed his brow as though he had smelt something unpleasant.

“Hmph. Can’t you solve cases by yourself, once in a while?”

This derisive tone made Amedeo’s face flare red.

“If I could, would I come here?! Please, come on! You owe me one, don’t you?”

“What do I owe?”

Lauren propped his face in his hand, and tilted his head curiously.

Amedeo clenched his fists and leant towards the desk, appealing desperately.

“Don’t forget. When you were transferred from the Rome police to the Vatican, you got an ankle cuff with a GPS tracker. Didn’t I risk my life to find a way to open that special electronic lock, and teach it to you?”

A faint smile drifted to Lauren’s frozen lips.

Yes, that’s good! I’ve gotten a smile!

Amedeo pressed on.

“I was sure you’d break out of the Vatican right away, and I made up my mind to help you with that. But… for some reason, you didn’t escape. That’s right, you obediently stayed in the Vatican for many years… And then suddenly, one day, you vanished like smoke. I was so shocked when I heard you’d disappeared…”

All strength rapidly drained from Amedeo’s voice.

No matter how much Amedeo mentally vowed to risk his life, that didn’t mean Lauren owed him anything - Amedeo had decided that of his own accord. He realised this as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

Back then, Amedeo had resolved that if Lauren was to break out of imprisonment, he would take the initiative to help. That was not a lie. Even so, the reality was that years had gone by without Lauren making any request, and in the end, he had successfully accomplished an escape without Amedeo’s aid.

The man named Lauren was always like this - it was an enigma how far ahead he was thinking, and what plans he was putting in motion.

Since he’d left behind a way of contacting him, he must have calculated that a day like this would eventually come. This idea filled Amedeo with a vague dread for some reason.

“A-anyway, I’ve given it lots of thought…” Amedeo added, his voice as feeble as a mosquito’s buzz.

“Just what are you saying. You were talking about owing favours, weren’t you? If you’d like to settle all debts between us, we can discuss that - but isn’t it thanks to me that you were promoted to your current status in the first place, and were in a position to obtain that special key?” Lauren declared with utter composure.

“Ahh - yeah - of course - I know that! But I’m in dire straits. Look, will you help me or not? Which is it?”

Amedeo, at a loss for words, struck the desk with a thump.

“Hmph. Since you put it that way - is it a very enjoyable incident?”

“Ohh - you’re interested in hearing about it?!”

“That’s right. After all, if you’re promoted even further, that will be to my future benefit. And I was just about to make some small movements. Your timing is excellent,” Lauren said, a thin smile on his face.

Looking at him, Amedeo’s premonition deepened - he would be mired in being Lauren’s pawn. But there was no making an omelette without breaking eggs.

Amedeo cleared his throat loudly.

“Alright, let’s talk. This happened just over two months ago. Calogero Berge, a member of parliament who was expected to have a bright future, was shot dead by an invisible person. The crime scene was a hotel tea room; the victim was shot before the eyes of a crowd, but despite this, no one saw the culprit, and there are various other mysteries. Even though suspects were detained, the investigation ran into a dead end. Recently, conspiracy theories and suspicions of terrorism - which seem slightly occult - have been going round. The police, at a loss, singled me out as a scapegoat.

“If this case isn’t solved, my reputation will be completely ruined. It will hinder my current position too.”

“The culprit is an invisible person. I see. That seems slightly interesting. Now then, I’ll make preparations to move at once.”

“Really?! You’ll really come here!”

“The reminder is needless. I’ll do what I can. I’m not a man of leisure, to tell lies or engage in deception. Moving on, I want you to make contact with Fiona.”

It had been a long time since Amedeo had heard the name “Fiona”; he felt his heart seize as though crushed. No matter how many times they worked together, he was utterly unable to get along with that woman.

Again? Contact that woman who’s as gloomy as a ghost, and has a few screws loose…?

“Hey, why Fiona. Can’t it be someone else? If you need an excellent profiler, there are others. For example, out of those I know…”

As Amedeo was about to rattle off the names of his recommended profilers, Lauren flatly interrupted.

“Other profilers are of no use.”

“Why? I have trouble with her.”

“I will tell you one thing, Amedeo. You are the one who is unnecessary for solving this case. It is Fiona who is needed for a case that has already stumped the police.”

“I-isn’t that a harsh way to put it?”

“Oh my. Isn’t honesty one of humanity’s virtues? Well, never mind. How about I explain the reason why she is necessary? That’s because she is someone with special abilities.”

“Special abilities? Her? Is she an esper or something?” Amedeo asked, blinking.

“To put it simply, that’s right. Fiona, in addition to her outstanding empathy, powers of observation, and strong imagination, has a deficiency of common sense and a tendency towards neurosis. Due to the combination of these various factors, she’s surpassed the level of an ordinary psychologist or profiler. Instead, she is a person who possesses what could be called the perception of a psychic. It’s because of this that I esteem her highly.”

“A psychic? It’s surprising to hear such unscientific words from you.”

“Amedeo. A blanket denial of extrasensory perception and paranormal phenomena is the act of a fool.”

“Well then, from your point of view, I’m a fool, right? But that woman is a terror. She’s a real terror. She doesn’t have any ordinary sensitivity. A while ago, she was in the middle of profiling an assailant, and you won’t believe it - she took them out shopping. There was a huge ruckus at the station. I’m always on edge around her, because someday she might commit a crime. I mean that.”

“You can feel however you want. The important thing is whether Fiona solved the case or not. Which is it?”

“That… well…”

Amedeo scratched his head, looking discomfited.

“After Fiona’s profiling of the assailant, they admitted their guilt, didn’t they?”

“Well, that was luck. It just happened to work out that way…”

“In that case, the shopping was a prerequisite for resolving the incident, wasn’t it.”

“No, no, how could it be!” Amedeo unthinkingly bellowed in rage.

Lauren let out a small sigh.

“Common sense, senselessness, delusion, reality - do you think you can distinguish between those?”

“Of course!”

“If so, I ask you: do you believe in the law?”

“Naturally. I’m a police officer.”

“Then you must believe in the police and the country?”

“Certainly. I am a public servant serving the country,” Amedeo replied confidently.

“I see. But the reality is different. Those things you believe in - law, police, country, and so on - are all no more than illusions, beheld by a group of humans who share the same values. In other words, they’re delusions. To people who hold different values, of course they do not exist - much less among the laws of nature, where they are null and void.”

As Amedeo hearing this, his head erupted in tumult.

“W-what are you saying? I don’t get it.”

“Excuse me. I thought I’d try proving that you were someone possessed by delusions, but I’ve made you panic. Do forget what I just said.

“In any case, I designate Fiona Maderna as the team profiler. That’s the condition for accepting this request.”

“I-if you say so, I get it… Then, when will we meet?”

“In a few days, I’ll send the date and time to your email address.”

As soon as Lauren had replied, the light of the monitor blinked out.

Rodrigues Deniro had been imprisoned under false charges.

While awaiting his execution, blamed for a murder he had no knowledge of, he had managed to escape from prison, guided by a mysterious person with the name of “Master”. Then he had quickly met up with Master, and they had moved to their current hiding place.

Master was a youth of mysteries; Rodrigues knew nothing about him.

He seemed to be in his teens, but occasionally looked far older. It had been mentioned that he was formerly a criminal, but Rodrigues had no idea if that was true or not.

At any rate, to Rodrigues, Master was his saviour. And they had been living together like a family for a very long time.

Rodrigues generally left the base two or three times every week, to purchase what Master ordered and to deliver mail. When not doing this, he busied himself with cleaning and cooking.

Speaking of mysteries, even the hiding place where they lived was a great mystery. It was in the basement of a church, but Rodrigues did not know who had made this place, or for what purpose.

Even though it was a basement, it was remarkably spacious, and furnished with running water and electricity. There was no inconvenience in living there.

Rodrigues had taken a shine to a retro-style room with an antique teak bed and sofa, and used that as his own room.

On the other hand, Master’s room was lined with dozens of laptops; he shut himself inside all day long, tapping away at the keyboards. Rodrigues was only permitted to enter when Master’s room was unlocked.

That day, Rodrigues returned from shopping as usual, and knocked on the door of Master’s room.

“Master, I’ve bought what you told me to.”

Since the door was unlocked, he went in.

One wall of Master’s room was pasted all over with clippings about grisly incidents and accidents; this gave the impression of a fiendish murderer’s room. The formulae written on a glass board, the electronic equipment scattered on the workbench - it all evoked visions of a bomber’s hideout.

Rodrigues told himself, as well as he could, not to imagine unpleasant things. As he did so, he quietly laid out the items he had bought on the workbench.

Even then, Master did not stir; he was gazing expressionlessly at the numerous monitors

Today as usual, the dozens of monitors displayed street corners, building interiors, and stores in Italy and foreign countries, one after another.

Rodrigues glanced at the monitors.

Among those countless images, two young priests occasionally appeared, and he was a little curious about them.

So, gauging Master’s mood, he timidly spoke up.

“Um… Master, may I ask something?”

“What?”

“I’ve been wondering for a long time, but the views those monitors show - just where are they?”

“It varies. They’re across the world - security cameras and surveillance cameras, camera footage from laptops and cellphones, all kinds of footage of that sort. I’m intercepting them through hacking.”

“H-hacking? Is that possible?”

“Of course. If you know the trick, even a ten-year-old can do it. Plenty of networks are used with the default setup password, and vulnerable systems are even more abundant. Even the so-called public security countermeasures aren’t very complex. Anyone with a few trifling techniques can penetrate them.”

Master replied as though it was simplicity itself.

“Is… is that so…? But why on earth are you looking at such things?”

“That goes without saying. To know the currents of the world.”

Master gave a languid answer to Rodrigues’s artless question.

To know the currents of the world.

That was an answer of extraordinary scale, but coming from the mouth of this youth, it had the ring of truth.

“By the way, Master, you’re watching the same people sometimes, isn’t that right? The two young priests. I got curious because they appear on the screens quite often - are they acquaintances of yours?”

Rodrigues’s question seemed to displease Master. A deep frown creased his brow.

“What do you mean by asking that? Just what business is it of yours?”

Rodrigues’s blood curdled at hearing his benefactor snap out those cutting words. Rodrigues’s fate lay completely within the hands of this youth - he had never doubted that since meeting him.

“N… No, it’s nothing.”

Rodrigues clamped his mouth shut, and hastily made to leave.

“Today, visitors will be arriving. It won’t be a boring day for either you or me.”

Master tossed that prophetic line towards Rodrigues’s departing back.

That evening, just as Master had said, two visitors arrived at the base. One was a refined gentleman dressed in a suit. The other wore light makeup and a hat, and looked like an artist. Both of them were carrying a large attache case with both hands.

The gentleman in the suit bowed deeply when he met Master.

“You can finally come out to the outside world.”

“Yes, because the preparatory stage has begun. Eduardo, you’ve done well so far.”

“Please think nothing of it. This is my job, after all.”

“Then, are preparations ready for the disguise?” Master addressed the artistic-looking man, who nodded.

“Yes, please leave it all to me. What disguise would you like?”

“I want to be made up as Satoshi Nakamoto.”

“Satoshi Nakamoto? Do you mean the person who, as I recall, developed Bitcoin software and carried out the earliest mining and application?”

“Yes, that man.”

“Unfortunately, I do not know his face. Or I should say, I have heard that he is a fictitious person - his true identity is a collective handle for a group of programmers.”

Master smiled as though pleased by this.

“Yes, that’s right. There is no one who knows Satoshi Nakamoto’s face. Because that is one of my aliases, and I haven’t met with anyone under that name.”

At Master’s words, the man’s eyes went wide.

“Amazing! Unbelievable! No, I knew very well that Master is an incredible person, but to think Satoshi Nakamoto himself…”

“That’s right. That means there’s no need to make me resemble anyone, but I want my appearance to differ significantly from my current features. At least change the contours.”

“Should the features be more East Asian? But it may be somewhat unattractive.”

“Beauty and ugliness don’t matter. What I want is to have a face which fits the image of Satoshi Nakamoto.”

“As you wish.”

Master seated himself in the chair; the man stood by him, and opened the attache case. Its interior was packed with cosmetic tools that Rodrigues had never seen.

Rodrigues merely stood there, in an astonished daze. The work began, with no one seeming to take heed of his presence.

The artistic-looking man applied makeup to Master. Under his hands, Master was transfigured into an unfamiliar East Asian man. It was like a magical spectacle; Rodrigues’s breath caught.

Meanwhile, Master and Eduardo began talking.

“Eduardo. How much surplus money do I currently have to use freely?”

“It has grown to slightly exceed Italy’s national budget - around 982.6 billion euros. It is all due to Master’s unprecedented invention of virtual currency.”

Rodrigues’s eyes flew open wide upon hearing this figure. But Master’s expression did not flicker in the slightest. He nodded lightly and said, “That’s so-so, as a war chest for going up against a powerful enemy.”

“And what about the antivirus software?” he asked.

“The recent corporate demonstrations were well-received, and we have gotten inquiries from major companies. If all of them are accepted, 80 percent of the world’s computers will be using our company’s product.”

“Accept all of them.”

“Understood.”

The scale of their conversation far outstripped Rodrigues’s understanding, so that was as much as he could follow. Over an hour passed in this manner; Rodrigues then noticed with a start that Master had completely transformed into the guise of a moody-looking East Asian.

“How long can this special makeup be maintained?” Master asked the man who had applied the makeup.

“Around six hours.”

“In that case, I would like you to accompany me for three days.”

“I am happy to be of service.”

The man smiled and offered a pair of black contact lenses to Master. Master placed them in both eyes, and got to his feet. He put on a grey business suit that Eduardo had prepared, and donned dark glasses.

“Now, gentlemen, let us go.”

Rodrigues was alarmed by Master’s words.

“Go? Where to?”

“You don’t need to know. You will remain here.”

“Umm… What should I do?” Rodrigues asked, gazing imploringly at Master.

Master’s magnificent metamorphosis, the outrageous conversation he had heard - it was all too much for his mind to take in. As he’d thought - should an ordinary person like him even be here? He had lost all confidence.

“Do what you want. You’re free to do anything. If you don’t like being here, it’s fine if you go out.”

Master’s tone was cool. Rodrigues shook his head vigorously.

“No, absolutely not. I’m an escaped prisoner, so, um. Can I stay here just like before?”

“Yes. Use the Internet, take a nap - do as you please.”

With those words, Master picked up his pet mouse’s cage in one hand, and left with the two men.

Fiona Maderna was a psychologist with the Rome police. She had collaborated with the Carabinieri in numerous criminal investigations to date, and was a highly competent profiler.

She was currently lying listlessly on her back in bed, naked as the day she was born. Those dreamy grey eyes seemed to be gazing through the hotel’s white ceiling, fixed on a world further beyond.

Next to her in bed was Chiara Bioni, known as the most beautiful detective in the Carabinieri, the bedsheets draped over her naked body.

Chiara gently stroked Fiona’s pale skin, affectionately caressed her curly black hair, and traced her delicate clavicle with a fingertip.

Then, since Fiona displayed no reaction to her provocations, she raised her voice in slight irritation.

“Hey. What are you thinking?”

Fiona suddenly blinked and turned to Chiara, as though noticing her existence for the first time.

“Hmm… What is it? I - was I thinking about something?”

Chiara sighed lightly.

“Really… You’re as mysterious as the rumours say. Well, that’s what attracted me, and why I invited you here. But with all those rumours, I didn’t expect you to be a lesbian.”

“Lesbian? No, I’m not a lesbian.”

“Eh? Then why were you at that lesbian bar last night? And why did you take me up on my invitation?”

Fiona sat up and wrapped her thin arms around her knees. She looked vaguely at Chiara, her gaze slightly unfocused.

“Mm… I didn’t know that was a lesbian bar. I just wandered in. And I took your invitation because I had no real reason to refuse…”

“...I… see.”

“Whether my partners are male or female - bi or lesbian - I’m not really aware of that. It’s just that yesterday, you were pretty and sexy, and seemed like you’d let me enjoy a sensual night, so I accepted your invitation. Was something wrong with that? Besides, I’ve been bottling up some feelings… I thought it might be good to do this kind of thing, once in a while,” Fiona answered indifferently, like a heartless angel, or a demon.

“Seriously, was that the only reason? Honestly, I’m shocked. Then you’re a hedonist in bed, through and through. Really, I was startled by your boldness… And here I thought we were making love from the heart.”

“Even that… That’s an act done in the pursuit of pleasure, isn’t it? So, doing it as much as possible…” Fiona muttered, as though delivering a hushed soliloquy. Her face and voice seemed to belong to a different person from the passionate, charming succubus of the previous night.

That gap stirred Chiara’s heart once again.

“Hey, Fiona. How about we date for real? I’ve totally fallen for you,” Chiara murmured, entranced.

Fiona tilted her head at an angle like a broken doll.

“What is dating? How should it be done? I don’t really know. If another chance like this comes along, and we’re both in the mood, we could just do this - isn’t that good enough? I think I could manage that much.

“I’m not really cut out for love. I can’t keep fine promises, and I might sleep with other girls. If so, you’re sure to hate that, right?”

At Fiona’s reply, Chiara looked down, dejected.

“A sinful person, aren’t you. I get it, I give up. If I try dating you, I’ll probably just get jerked around.”

“Yes, that’s right. I think that’s for the best,” Fiona replied with a slight smile.

At that moment, her cellphone on the bedside table rang. Fiona cast a troubled glance at the screen, but as soon as she recognised the number, her eyes lit up, and she seized the cellphone.

“Yes, this is Fiona.”

“Hey… It’s me, Amedeo.”

“Captain! No, it’s Colonel now, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I’m a colonel.”

“Well, Colonel, it’s been a while. So, the reason why you’re calling me is…” Fiona asked, hope singing in her chest.

“As you guessed, there’s a difficult case, and a certain someone has nominated you.”

That instant, Fiona was so blindingly overjoyed she almost swooned.

“Ahh, I can meet Master. At last…!”

“So then, please be available and get ready.”

“Yes, got it. I’ll cancel all my plans. I’ve been waiting for this day all along. I’ll go home now, and until I hear from Master, I’ll shut myself in my room and do nothing but wait for his call.”

“Hey, hey, no need to go that far. It seems like the next instructions will come in a few days.”

“How many is ‘a few days’? If you don’t notice the call, or you notice too late, what responsibility will you bear, Colonel? If I miss the chance to meet Master, or our meeting time is cut short in the slightest, I’ll sink into the abyss of despair.”

“Ahhh, I’ve had it. You tiresome woman, do what you want!”

“Yes. Anyway, I’ll keep waiting. So, Colonel, please do be in touch.”

“Got it, got it.”

Amedeo abruptly hung up.

Fiona’s face was flushed; she cradled her cellphone to her chest tenderly, and gazed up to the heavens.

“...what was that call? You seem really happy,” Chiara said, sounding amazed.

“I can finally meet the person I’ve been waiting for all this time. That was the message,” Fiona replied, her voice full of zest.

“Even though you said just now ‘I’m not really cut out for love’... So you actually have a serious lover, huh. It’s unfortunate, but I’m getting jealous.”

“Eh? A lover? What on earth are you saying? Please don’t think about Master in such a vulgar way. He is the one and only person who connects me to this world; I adore him like a god,” Fiona replied, her grey eyes limpid.

“O-oh… I don’t really get it, but I understand that’s someone I have no chance of defeating. But I can’t get enough of your icy profile…”

Chiara reached out from the bed and took Fiona’s hand.

“Hey, Fiona - there’s still time, isn’t there? Play with me, just a little longer. And then let’s toast to your happiness together.”

“Mmm, just for a little, then. Since I’m feeling really good right now…” Fiona replied absentmindedly.

Chiara embraced her, and laid a sensuous kiss on those cold lips.

#vatican miracle examiner #translation

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elsajeni · 6 years ago

Text

May the 4th 2019 Letter

Dear Yoda,

Hi! Thanks for checking in! You’ve seen my general likes/DNWs in my sign-up already, but let me restate it here so it’s all in one place, and then we’ll get to the ship-specific stuff...

Likes: family feelings; bantering or bickering; moments of humor even in the darkest situations; misunderstandings that turn out all right in the end; poly relationships; casual relationships; hurt/comfort.

Sexy Likes, if you go in that direction: light bondage; lots of talking during sex, both sweet and dirty; realistic funny or awkward moments. If you're writing about teen characters (since some relationships I've requested would lend themselves to that), I'd rather not have anything explicit on-page, but I'm fine with offscreen or fade-to-black implied sex.

DNWs: rape/non-con unless specified; incest; explicit scenes with underage characters; detailed description of bodily fluids; drastically different AUs (what-ifs and canon-divergent fics are fine, this is about coffeeshop AUs, A/B/O, etc.); infidelity; unrelentingly dark and grim stories (I like a glimmering of hope).

Star Wars canon preferences: I'm sure you can tell from my request list that I love and miss the old EU/Legends content. For any request that features Legends characters, I'd be very happy with a purely Legends-based fic, but I also love gluing the loose ends of Legends continuity into the loose ends of sequel trilogy continuity; please feel free to mix and match Legends and canon material.

Relationship-specific prompts:

X-Wing Division:

Biggs Darklighter/Luke Skywalker

I like this best as a teen relationship that grows a little awkwardly out of their friendship, is fun while it lasts, and transitions pretty easily back into friendship when it ends. That said, whatever you do with this pairing, it’s going to be a little bit tinged with sadness; if you prefer it a LOT tinged with sadness, I’d also be delighted with a fic taking place in the brief window between when they reconnect in the Rebellion and the Death Star run.

Alternately, get weird with it – find a way for Biggs to survive, or bring him back from the dead. Write that Space Winter Soldier AU that I secretly kind of love, or Luke being haunted by the literal ghosts of his past.

Wedge Antilles/Luke Skywalker

I would really like something that brings Wedge into the sequel trilogy timeline, and especially a look at what Luke’s choice to isolate himself means for their relationship. Was Wedge ever on Ahch-To with him? Have they been in contact at all since he disappeared? When he’s found, is Wedge in a rush to see him again, or are his feelings more complicated? (As you may be guessing here, this is an area where I am very comfortable with a “not actually dead” AU! If you like a more tragic tone, though, do feel free to go with the canonical ending of TLJ.)

I’d also love this as a more early-relationship fic -- if you go that route, I’m interested in the pressures that their respective positions and commitments put on a relationship, and especially the difficulty of maintaining a relationship with someone who keeps disappearing on incomprehensible Jedi business.

Wedge Antilles/Wes Janson

Let’s be honest, I’m mostly looking for more Wraith Squadron/Starfighters of Adumar-style shenanigans here. Alternately, this is a pairing that lends itself to hurt/comfort – both of these guys have more than enough canonical close calls. Or why not a bit of both? If you’re feeling ambitious, you could fix Isard’s Revenge for me by writing their reunion post-Distna, after they’ve both believed each other to be dead for weeks.

Falynn Sandskimmer

Listen. I’ve been marching up and down carrying this banner that says “FALYNN SANDSKIMMER DESERVED BETTER” for so long. My arms are so tired. You take it for a minute, won’t you?

Let her survive and prove herself and be happy, with Myn or without (slight preference for without, tbh!). I’d love to see her get over the embarrassment of thoughtlessly insulting Piggy and develop a real friendship with him. Or write me something from her past -- teen Falynn raising hell in Mos Eisley, or the misadventures in her early career that put her on track for Wraith Squadron.

Threesomes Division:

Lando Calrissian/Mara Jade, Lando Calrissian/Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker

I liked Lando and Mara’s EU relationship, and wasn’t too happy with the “it was a cover” retcon – show me the time, or times, that it wasn’t just a cover. Or, how about an earlier meeting in their lives, when Mara was brand-new to Karrde’s organization, or during the few days they must have overlapped at Jabba’s Palace?

I’ve always liked Luke and Lando as a romantic pairing, too, so why not bring it all together? Three people who all care deeply for each other, who aren’t often in the same place at the same time, but when they are, well… let’s meet over a mug of hot chocolate and see where the evening takes us. (I’d prefer this with everyone on more-or-less equal footing – not with Luke and Mara as an established/married couple and Lando as the outsider.)

Wedge Antilles/Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker

I’d love to see this as a V gradually changing shapes into a more even triad, as Wedge and Mara come to see more in each other than Commander Square Corners and a barely-trustworthy reformed assassin. I’m most interested in this as a getting-together or early-relationship fic, with everyone sorting out their feelings and their respective claims on each other.

Wedge Antilles/Leia Organa/Han Solo, Lando Calrissian/Leia Organa/Han Solo

Another two that go together! With either of these, what I’d most like to see is Leia and Han inviting a friend (or, in Lando’s case, a friendly ex) into their bedroom as a one-time fling or a casual, but ongoing, FWB arrangement; I’m less interested in a long-term triad. If it’s Lando, I’d love to see a little tension between him and Leia as they sort out the boundaries of their respective claims on Han, but ultimately I do want this to be a happy, fun encounter for everyone involved. If you go with Wedge, I’ve always been very fond of his close friendship with Leia in the EU, and I’d like that to be his closer tie to her and Han.

Long Shots Division:

Leia Organa & Beru Whitesun

I would be MOST interested in this as a roleswap AU where Leia is the twin raised on the Lars farm. They thought Luke was headstrong and too like his father -- what a challenge raising Leia would have been. I’d love to see a look at that alternate childhood for Leia, and her relationship with her aunt in particular.

Alternately, find a way for Beru to survive, and to meet her boy’s new friends and family -- does she figure out who Leia is? (Did she know there was another baby?) What do they think of each other? Is Leia a little dismissive, maybe, of a Nice Mom Who Makes Cheese, or do they connect right away?

Mara Jade/Gara Petothel | Lara Notsil

Is this ridiculous? Yes. Do I love it anyway? Yes.

The most plausible version of this is maybe Mara/ “Kirney” during Lara’s Intelligence training -- the timeline is ambiguous, but it doesn’t seem crazy to think they might have been on Imperial Center at the same time, or that the Emperor’s Hand might have been sent to some of the society parties where Kirney made herself at home. Alternately, I think they could have some very interesting things to say to each other later on, after they’ve both changed sides (at least once) and are dealing with what the Empire did to their heads.

Garik “Face” Loran/Ton Phanan

This is in the Long Shots Division because I have a weirdly specific desire here: ghosts. Give me Ton hanging around after death -- where else does he have to go, after all? Haunting all the Wraiths, or just Face, or trying to figure out how he can go haunt some Imperials and ruin their day. Making Face miserable, or still making him laugh (and is he real, or is this some kind of coping mechanism, and does Face want to find out which?), or not seeming to know he’s dead. Just... Ghost Ton. Pls.

Alternately, I’d also be happy with them getting into shenanigans and having lots of pleasant casual sex during happier days. But I love ghosts.

Oola/Leia Organa

There wasn’t a LOT of time for dancers to hang around unwatched at Jabba’s Palace, and they were only there together for a couple of days (and even that, only if we fudge the timeline a little). But sometimes it only takes a couple of days, and sometimes all you need is a few bright stolen moments.

Miscellaneous Division:

DJ/Talon Karrde

I’ll be honest, I don’t really have a plan here, I just think this is a fantastic idea. I was thinking about Karrde the whole time DJ was on screen, and half-expecting him to turn out to BE Karrde, and I am delighted by the idea of this pairing. I think there’s something interesting here about grey areas, and the “rogue with a heart of gold” archetype, and what, realistically, it means to play both sides against the middle when one side is clearly and melodramatically evil.

Mara Jade & Darth Vader

I’m interested in Mara’s childhood and youth, and the sort of... just-under-the-surface yawning horror that we know is there, but that’s not really dug into much in the EU. Give me something with her and Vader encountering each other -- as rivals for Palpatine’s attention, as tentative allies, as student and teacher, or as...

Mara Jade/Darth Vader

... something more than any of that. This could go in a lot of different ways, from something as relatively innocent as an uncomfortable attraction between two people with no one else to talk to, to something as dark as the Emperor ordering one of them to the other’s bedroom. Whatever direction you go with it, I do want it to treat the power dynamics and age dynamics here seriously, and to lean into the darkness that’s present in what we know about Mara’s childhood and youth – no one here is having a good time or doing something they’ll be happy to look back on.

(This is the one sort-of-exception to the “no rape/non-con” clause; it’s a pairing that lends itself to questionable or compromised consent, and I’m into that. The line between what’s “dubcon” and what’s “non-con” is blurry, but as much as possible, I’d prefer that you stay on the dubcon side of it -- deceit, coercion, and uncomfortable power imbalances, yes; violence, physical or Force-based force, or explicit non-consent that’s ignored, no.)

(This is NOT an exception to the “no explicit scenes with underage characters” clause. If you write this with Mara as a teen, please keep anything explicitly sexual off-screen.)

Winter Celchu/Leia Organa

I’d like to see this as a youthful experiment between friends – something casual that doesn’t last, but that remains a fond memory and a little bit of an in-joke.

Obi-Wan Kenobi/Owen Lars/Beru Whitesun

Obi-Wan – Ben, now – stays nearby, after he leaves the baby with them. Maybe it’s to keep an eye out, to make sure Anakin’s child doesn’t draw any undue attention. But maybe it’s not just that.

I’d love basically anything you do with this – a one-time fling that everyone is a little embarrassed about in the morning; an arrangement that sees Obi-Wan stopping by the homestead infrequently for dinner and conversation and, after the kid goes to bed, a night of companionship; a full-on AU where Luke grows up with Uncle Ben as essentially a third parent. (Whatever you do here, Luke will obviously be around! But I am more interested in this focusing on the relationship between the adults, not on any of their relationships with Luke.)

#exchange letters #may the fourth be with you

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