#tower of god 580

[clyde-wy]

Istg if gustang is being a bitch to traumerei because of a girl (anne jahad) i will lose all faith in the character and this fkn arc. Idgaf what traumerei did to your fucking gf gustang, just man up and find a real reason to be a bitch about it damn

[waitingforsecretsouls]

Traumerei & Zahard (Pt. 1)

(Tower of God #580)

We're far enough along in Traumerei's character and the depiction of his relationships to other Family Heads now that I feel confident in trying to analyze them a little more in depth, beyond meme edits or brief speculations in the tags of said memes, with a focus on doing this mainly in comparison and contrast to his relationship to Zahard as this posts main focus, highlighted as his most prominent and defining one from well before Traumerei's actual introduction.

Warning: This will include spoilers up to roughly #638 of the Tower of God Webtoon, and in part draw on SIU's blogposts of published chapters of the Hidden Floor arc. Under the cut for length.

My Thesis Statement: The defining aspect of Zahard and Traumerei's relationship, built on a basis of genuine comradery and mutual support between the two, shows Zahard as the only Great Warrior so far who actually expects things from Traumerei (or to paraphrase, who, in however limited a form you want to argue, places his faith in him). We see Zahard confide in him, console him, and entrust vital tasks to him, to the exclusion of all their other comrades; not only as the first comrade Zahard turns to in the present day story (in what's Outside Zahard's technical debut), but also a long way back in the past, before the first war with F.U.G. even broke out.

I'll try to structure this into three segments (and going by the likely amount of screenshots, probably a reblog chain rather than one self - contained post as I had hoped):

Zahard and the Family Heads

Traumerei and the Family Heads

Zahard and Traumerei

1. Zahard and the Family Heads

The first thing I'm going to argue for this purpose is Zahard's sentiments towards his old Irregular companions. Contrary to what seems like a popular opinion in fandom, that the present day Zahard views them as means to an end exclusively, devoid of any kind of positive or emotional sentiment at all, I actually think it's the opposite, and that he would have a far easier time, strategically speaking, if he did view them in this indifferent manner.

1.1 Zahard and Self

I feel like the origin of this perspective of Zahard as a purely cold, ruthless and calculating mastermind stems from his treatment of the Hidden Floor, where he collaborated with his data to first segregate the data of the Great Warriors into the hidden hidden floor, and then delete them.

My main argument against the validity of this would be, first of all, that the recorded data of their past selfs are very much not equivalent to their Outside, real selves, and that it would be perfectly natural for Outside Zahard to not hold the same feelings for them as their "real" versions.

Secondly, I feel like people really overplay the extent to which Zahard manipulated his data self in this: Yes, we have Zahard sport a malicious grin when he reveals data Zahard's ignorance of events on the Outside, and declares him as a "poor thing", "a fake me":

(Tower of God #386)

However, what this scene itself confirms it that 1) data Zahard likely only got forcibly edited (and only regarding these specific memories) when Bam asked him about Arlene, since "their names" is unlikely to refer to Edahn, with whom he converses perfectly fine and in a familiar manner and thus likely to refer exclusively to Arlene and V, who were erased from offcial history on the Outside as well (and whom Zahard likely sometimes wishes he could edit out of his own memories as easily as in data Zahard's case).

This is basically all but confirmed in the beginning of #368:

and 2), that Zahard has a rather nostalgic side, considering that he harboured the wish to leave the remnant of his young and optimistic self in the world in any form at all.

We also get from data Zahard himself that he helped Outside Zahard of his own volition, in a scene that's arguably centered around the Outside Zahard's strong emotions:

(Tower of God #387)

The emotions in said case being "anxiety" and fear, but still ultimately serving to demonstrate that Zahard is far from limited to the stoic and ice - cold killer we saw in his words to and subsequent treatment of Bam immediately prior, something concluded in his decision to honor his young self's wish for Bam to reawaken his passion as he did for said data self, despite the fact that said data was already in the irrevocable process of being erased from existence, lacking crucial information about Bam and his current Outside self.

(Tower of God #388)

(Note that this is AFTER Zahard noted "That really is a power that desires the abilities of God" about the Second Thorn Fragment, about whose origin and purpose he would know, as well as a multitude of potentials regarding Bam's origin and "fate". That is not the kind of choice someone robotically calculating the best possible outcomes and most ruthless way to get there would make, much less at the prompting of a soon to be deleted "fake me" he truly held either nothing but contempt or no emotional connection to at all, one he might easily have deleted outright).

Also, I didn't quite know where to bring it up, but I'll also mention that there is no immediate correlation between the data of the Great Warriors entering the "Hidden Hidden Floor" and being automatically deleted. As data Edahn reveals, they were tired of their existence as data, and followed Zahard knowing there might have been something fishy about his mirror from his Outside self. For all we know, they might have been deleted upon explicit request, similar to the data of Yura's and Hwang's bodies mother, somewhat detracting from data and Outside Zahard as ruthless killers and deceivers in that particular matter:

(Tower of God #386)

But all of this has been very centered around Zahard and his interactions with his own past self, so when am I going to get to his relationships to the other Family Heads?

Well, this segment was important in and of itself for getting there, demonstrating that Outside Zahard is not an unfeeling robot but actually fairly sentimental, and will alter his course based on the considerations of people close to him whom he respects (even in ways that are arguably highly disadvantageous to his own continued well-being), even if in this instance said person was a version of himself, which still serves its own purpose of demonstrating a senitmentality regarding his younger days, back when he and his comrades where comparatively unburdened and driven young adults climbing the Tower together.

1. 2 Zahard and the Family Heads

(Blogpost Season 2 Episode 292)

In light of the abovementioned arguments, I don't think Zahard purposefully sawed of all connections to his old comrades because he no longer cared about them, but rather that he still values these relationshop above nearly everything else, and distanced himself because he though that was what was his duty as their leader and a "KIng", about which he developed something of a complex, in case you didn't notice.

Introduced in his data self of course (I promise, we'll leave the Hidden Floor after this one):

(Tower of God #365)

This mindset smells of Outside Zahard, and comes specifically after Bam mentions Arlene's name, which we have establish to have been one of the primary "triggers" installed into data Zahard. I also feel like the following "What do I look like to you now? A human being? Or a monster?" might reveal another sad aspect of Zahard's current self-image/conception, but I' ll have to restrain myself with the images if I want to be able to at least conclude the Zahard and Family Heads portion in this posts image limit).

In another form, we get this in Traumerei's (but truly, Enkidu's and Gustang's) recent flashback arc, specifically #618:

But since I'll have to save many of these more recent points for Traumerei's portion of the post lest I needlessly repeat myself, I think it's enough to conclude this with the observation that at least part of what drove Zahard to change his mindset and become the solitary figure he is in the present day story was a feeling of responsibilty, acting according to their stations, soaring far above anyone else in the Tower, an expectation he extended to his comrades.

As Kallavan said, With Great Power comes Great Responsibility, and all that:

(Tower of God #477)

And we do see Zahard explicitly consider the Family Heads in the big decisions/doesn't simply overrule them, such as involving Bam:

(Tower of God #539)

We as readers know that Zahard and Traumerei had their private conversation prior to the Nest that probably truly determined what happened wrt Bam, but if anything this just strengthens my point, since Zahard explicitly allowed Traumerei to do as he wished.

(Tower of God #551)

(The reason I included the panel with Zahard's reaction is that I find it very interesting and important to the point I'm making. I don't have a conclusive opinion, but to me he appears almost taken aback by Traumerei's answer. Because remember, Traumerei's answer here is his reveal of the "condition" under which he'd take up Zahard's proxy war against the Poe Bideau family. That's quite a selfless "condition", or at the least purpose for said condition, to place, so I might well imagine that Zahard was taken aback by the lengths Traumerei would go to, specifically for him. Even in a more cynical reading, this is still Zahard allowing Traumerei to recruit himself a second Irregular into his family (the one he may know is considered as destined to kill him) and therefore also showing a certain degree of trust wrt that. But more on their relationship in particular in the eventual concluding part of this post)

Last but not least (arguably the opposite), we also have what may be the implication of Zahard as the one who gave the Great Warriors access to their famous Imortality Contracts, or at the very least having done something to make Traumerei regard him as the main cause behind their current positions and perpetual longevity of said positions:

"From the moment we got to the top, the only choice we had was to fall or not. But Zahard has given us a way to avoid falling forever. Only now that we have defied the laws of the Tower have we become beings who will never fall."

(Traumerei, Tower of God #632)

So while I'll certainly agree that we don't have many direct interactions between Zahard and the Family Heads, he does leave them free room to act with the only stipulation basically not to declare war on him, and doesn't brute force his own choices over theirs. He is very lenient (so far) even in regards to the Family Head who has broken this one rule, and has shown considerable respect for Traumerei's opinions and plans. Furthermore, he may well have ensured or enabled the Family Heads current hax, for which I would find it difficult to see another reason than wanting to keep them with him.

While there is a very interesting conversation to be had about Zahard and Gustang (and whether Zahard was aware of Gustang's preservation of the Thorn and Floor of Death all the way back or not), it's worth pointing out that Zahard's order to destroy Gustang's family (something we now know Gustang himself desires) only occured as part of his three orders, and Gustang himself is not targeted by default.

Basically, I haven't seen anything so far that convinced me of the "Zahard doesn't care about the Family Heads anymore" stance.

And with that out of the way, I'll move on to Traumerei's relationships to the other Family Heads depicted so far (who thankfully does have some more actual interactions with them).

(And again, a point I didn't know where else to fit in in which only occured to me towards the end of this post: I do think it's noteworthy that Outside Zahard does adress data Edahn as a avalid representation of Outside Edahn, to the point of not considering that he may hold differing sentiments from Outside Edahn wrt his relationship with data Zahard. Which goes against one of my first points, that Zahard may have drawn a sharp line between the datas and Outside selves, but supports my main points even better:

(Tower of God #386))

[sylvarantii]

My god it's been well over a year since I posted anything about the Detective Conan/Case Closed movies even though I have been still watching the series. I just hadn't really sat aside any time to watch the movies in quite some time, I suppose.

Anyway, 5th movie, Countdown to Heaven.

So, to start off, in the current series watch, I'm up to the 580s as far as the regular series goes and I have to say it's refreshing to go back and see the older art style.

Nothing wrong with the newer one, but I admit, I have a love for the older style of the series when it was around the 100s-200s episodes. Some of the scenes had some very split second good animation too and it was well, really nice to see. I love it when animators throw in some fun little fluid animation like that.

So the actual story plot for the movie is...okay. I won't say it was the best thing ever, won't say it was the worst either. I'm glad Gin and Vodka were included because of course it's fun when they toss in the Black Organization characters.

It is a shame they are a little minor, but at least they make a pretty dominate appearance in the 3rd act, so that's something.

Loved more Haibara character development. Seriously if I had to pick one thing I did love about this movie, it was that. I felt like the movie also gave her more of a chance to mourn her sister and I really liked how in the end she was calling her phone just as some way of connecting with her due to feeling loneliness. I about cried, man. That was emotional.

Bad part is that this movie was very heavy on the Detective Boys and while I feel bad saying it, they are kind of my least favorite parts of the series. I'll give it to them, they do get a little better as the story progresses, but since we're back to earlier series with this movie, it was very meh.

Also the movie very oddly felt kind of Conan x Ayumi shippy and if that's your thing, then you might really enjoy this. I, on the hand, am far too loyal to Shinichi x Ran to really want any part of it.

There's also the matter of the story itself feels a little disjointed and I kind of even had a hard time keeping up at first with what was going on when all of the murders were being revealed and how they happened. It was a bit confusing, to be honest.

Anyway, like with 4th movie, it was good, but it felt like it could've very easily been a 3 parter of episodes or something. The start is sluggish and things really don't kick up for some time. But hey, the final part is actiony at least, so you can give it that.

Seriously though, the whole escape from the towers part was really good. I'm glad the movie built up to that at least.

So with that, updated ratings time!

1.) The Fourteenth Target (2nd Movie)

2.) The Time Bombed Skyscraper (1st Movie)

3.) Captured in Her Eyes (4th Movie)

4.) Countdown to Heaven (5th Movie)

5.) The Wizard of the Last Century (3rd Movie)

Yeah, definitely still liked Captured in Her Eyes more. But it still beats The Wizard of the Last Century, so I suppose that's something.

I may have to go back sometime though and rewatch the first four cause I'm curious as to how my feelings would be on a second watch. Perhaps still around the same, who knows?

[maxirueee]

Why Puzzle City? A theory

(spoilers)

"This city supposedly fell out of the grace of a god in the past.”

“I do not know why this city fell out of the grace of a god. However, that is apparently when some of the people in this city started to gather together to build rock towers. It seemed to have been an act of worship to reach out to the god that had abandoned them.”

“Apparently, none of the prayers went through. That is why the present-day Puzzle City does not have a single temple.”

I have always wondered who was the god that abandoned Puzzle City. Was there even a God/religion that the Roan Kingdom worshipped? Some would think that it should have been the Sun God (but the Crossman family was cursed by this God so let's scratch that) so the next God they could think of would be none other than the God of Death, but it was never specified if it was him or not.

Now, let's think about it one sec, the great battle was being held in Puzzle City because of one fact, it was needed to have an area that was fell out of grace from a god, just like how their sacrifices were also creatures without the protection of any gods (vampires, dark elves, wolf tribe). But why was the Lion Dragon (who acted as a guardian) protecting the area? The answer would be because it is where the Temple of the Sealed God lies.

So, was the Sealed God the god that abandoned them? If that was the case, then it would instantly make me question what was his purpose for abandoning them? Since when was he worshipped by the people of Puzzle City? And where was this temple specifically located when they did not build a temple in the city? The Sealed God is still a mysterious existence, but we know in the later chapters (580-600) that he is trying to let Cale be one of his people (demonic race). If he was such a demonic being, how is he a God at one point in one of the regions in the Roan Kingdom? Let's take into account how he broke a rule which led him to be sealed. But it makes me curious, what were the events that led to this? Author-nim you really-

I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks this way.

[pandaemoniumpancakes]

Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth Unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep: All these with ceaseless praise his works behold Both day and night: how often from the steep Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard Celestial voices to the midnight air, Sole, or responsive each to other’s note Singing their great Creator: oft in bands While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk With Heav’nly touch of instrumental sounds In full harmonic number joined, their songs Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heaven. Thus talking hand in hand alone they pass'd On to thir blissful Bower; it was a place  Chos'n by the sovran Planter, when he fram'd All things to mans delightful use; the roofe Of thickest covert was inwoven shade Laurel and Mirtle, and what higher grew Of firm and fragrant leaf; on either side  Acanthus, and each odorous bushie shrub Fenc'd up the verdant wall; each beauteous flour, Iris all hues, Roses, and Gessamin Rear'd high thir flourisht heads between, and wrought Mosaic; underfoot the Violet,  Crocus, and Hyacinth with rich inlay Broiderd the ground, more colour'd then with stone Of costliest Emblem: other Creature here Beast, Bird, Insect, or Worm durst enter none; Such was thir awe of Man. In shadie Bower  More sacred and sequesterd, though but feignd, Pan or Silvanus never slept, nor Nymph, Nor Faunus haunted. Here in close recess With Flowers, Garlands, and sweet-smelling Herbs Espoused Eve deckt first her Nuptial Bed,  And heav'nlyly Quires the Hymenæan sung, What day the genial Angel to our Sire Brought her in naked beauty more adorn'd More lovely then Pandora, whom the Gods Endowd with all thir gifts, and O too like  In sad event, when to the unwiser Son Of Japhet brought by Hermes, she ensnar'd Mankind with her faire looks, to be aveng'd On him who had stole Joves authentic fire. Thus at thir shadie Lodge arriv'd, both stood Both turnd, and under op'n Skie ador'd The God that made both Skie, Air, Earth and Heav'n Which they beheld, the Moons resplendent Globe And starrie Pole

John Milton, from Book IV in Paradise Lost, lines 684-724.

   line 688. divide the night: into watches. Roman armies sounded a trumpet when changing the watch; angelic guards do it to multipart music (”full harmonic number”).

   line 690. blissfull bower: cf. Spenser’s account of the bower within the Garden of Adonis where Venus sequesters the mortally wounded Adonis from “stygian gods” (FQ III.6.43–49).

                       ❧

“But wondrously they were begot, and bred   Through influence of th'heauens fruitfull ray,   As it in antique bookes is mentioned.   It was vpon a Sommers shynie day,   When Titan faire his beames did display,   In a fresh fountaine, farre from all mens vew,   She bath'd her brest, the boyling heat t'allay;   She bath'd with roses red, and violets blew, And all the sweetest flowres, that in the forrest grew.

Till faint through irkesome wearinesse, adowne   Vpon the grassie ground her selfe she layd   To sleepe, the whiles a gentle slombring swowne   Vpon her fell all naked bare displayd;   The sunne-beames bright vpon her body playd,   Being through former bathing mollifide,   And pierst into her wombe, where they embayd   With so sweet sence and secret power vnspide, That in her pregnant flesh they shortly fructifide.”

   (Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene, Book III.6.6-7)

                       ❧

“There wont faire Venus often to enioy   Her deare Adonis ioyous company,   And reape sweet pleasure of the wanton boy;   There yet, some say, in secret he does ly,   Lapped in flowres and pretious spycery,   By her hid from the world, and from the skill   Of Stygian Gods, which doe her loue enuy;   But she her selfe, when euer that she will, Possesseth him, and of his sweetnesse takes her fill.”

   (Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene, Book III.6.46)

                       ❧

   hinc alta sub rupe canet frondator ad auras, “on that, under the towering rock, the woodman’s song shall fill the air” [canet ad auras—cf. “Celestial voices to the midnight air”] 

   (Vergil, Eclogues I.57, trans. H. R. Fairclough and G. P. Goold)

                       ❧

   “Such places the neighbours imagine to be haunted by goatfoot satyrs and nymphs, and they say there are fauns, by whose night-wandering noise and jocund play they commonly declare the voiceless silence to be broken, with the sound of strings and sweet plaintive notes, which the pipe sends forth touched by the player’s fingers; they tell how the farmers’ men all over the countryside listen, while Pan, shaking the pine leaves that cover his half-human head, often runs over the open reeds with curved lips, that the panpipes may never slacken in their flood of woodland music.”

   (Lucretius, De rerum natura, IV.580-89)

   Haec loca capripedes satyros nymphasque tenere/ finitimi fingunt, et faunos esse loquuntur,/ quorum noctivago strepitu ludoque iocanti/ adfirmant volgo taciturna silentia rumpi,/ chordarumque sonos fieri dulcisque querellas,/ tibia quas fundit digitis pulsata canentum,/ et genus agricolum late sentiscere, quom Pan,/ pinea semiferi capitis velamina quassans,/ unco saepe labro calamos percurrit hiantis,/ fistula silvestrem ne cesset fundere musam.

[thelordofdarkreunion]

Magnificent Scoundrels- Seat of the Citadel

One last faction intro story, in which Shepard finally tells the Council what every Mass Effect player has ever wanted to tell them.  Unless someone specifically requests otherwise, or it is needed later, I won’t have any more “faction intros” as I’ve been writing them.  Next up is the meeting of the different governments.  As usual, I own none of these characters.  Enjoy the story.  

(A note on timelines: This takes place slightly more than halfway through the events of Mass Effect 2)

Mass Effect Galaxy

The Citadel, Capital of the Citadel Council

 The Citadel.  The beating heart of galactic power.  A glimmering jewel of elegance and culture.  An utterly massive 45 kilometer long space station, constructed by the long-extinct and highly advanced Prothean race, it was the capital of the aptly named Citadel Council, the galaxy spanning federation that ruled most of explored space.  

Discovered by the Asari in the human year 580 B.C.E., it had since remained the center of galactic power.  Open, airy, and utterly magnificent, it was a menagerie of elegant futuristic-style architecture and open water features.  Its beauty was unmatched by any other place in the galaxy; not the often conflicting human architecture of Earth, nor the sweeping elegance of Thessia, nor the simplistic, yet sturdy nature of the Turian or Salarian homeworlds.  Truly, it was a place unlike any other.  

Commander John Shepard sat in an elaborate waiting room at the base of the Citadel Tower, the large structure that housed the chambers of the Council itself.  Above was an artificial sky of brilliant blue.  Blossoming cherry trees were dotted around the large room in large pots, their blossoms adding to the Beautiful fountains trickled slowly, the sound of running water meant to calm and soothe visitors.  Shepard was anything but calm.  In fact, he was, to put it rather mildly, pissed off. 

The Council had done absolutely nothing in the two years while he had been dead.  He warned them of the coming of the genocidal synthetic race known as the Reapers, but, no, they apparently preferred the illusion of safety and calm instead of shoring up defenses and preparing for a war that was almost certainly coming.  Goddamn bureaucrats.  

Now, it was even worse.  There were nine new galaxies out there, and all of them had it together.  He shuddered as he remembered reading the briefings and documents provided by his various new colleagues.  Council will probably want to ignore that, too.  Goddamn bureaucrats, he repeated to himself.  And what did the Council do?  Invited them all over as if they were all newly discovered species.  As if they were peoples who newly discovered space flight, expected to be cowed by the might of the Council, instead of pan-galactic empires.   

Goddamn bureaucrats.

“John.  God to see you.”  Shepard looked up sharply as someone called his name.  He visibly relaxed when he saw who it was.  

Captain, now Councillor, David Anderson walked towards Shepard, a smile on his face.  Dark skin, a flat nose, and short cut hair highlighted an elegant but simple suit; the clothing of a Councillor.  Anderson was Shepard’s mentor, old captain, and still older friend.  Still more, he was the only of four Councillors that Shepard fully trusted.  

“It’s good to see you too, Anderson,” said Shepard, rising from his seat to shake his hand.  Anderson made a ‘follow me’ gesture, and the two started to walk through the extensive lobby.

“The information you sent me was quite helpful,” remarked Anderson.  Shepard rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous tick he’d picked up from somewhere.

“Ah.  Yes.  Well, my new colleagues are a bit… bizarre,” Wasn’t that the understatement of the century?  Really weird and slightly insane would probably be better.  “But, they are quite helpful.”  Especially if you want something very, very dead.  Anderson nodded in response.

“I’m sure.”  He glanced around the room, noting several Salarians hovering near a doorway.  “But the walls here have ears.  All part of the political game,” he sighed.  “Let’s take this conversation to my office.”  Shepard couldn’t agree more. 

Anderson’s office was, again, simple yet elegant, as a Councillor’s office should be.  Smooth walls and a large window, overlooking the Presidium, highlighted a maple desk.  Sitting on top of the desk, next to endless reports, was a single picture of Anderson wearing dress blues on his naval graduation day.  Anderson slid into the chair (with wheels, of course; humans in this galaxy weren't savages) and gestured for Shepard to take a seat opposite him.  

“Some of this data is, to put it bluntly, quite concerning,” opened Anderson without preamble.  He touched a button on his desk, and a hologram sprang to life, displaying three symbols: a blue triangle with a minimalized rocket taking off on it, a black and white six-spoked circle, and a double-headed golden eagle.  Of course we’d start with those three.  “These three in particular.  Tell me about them.”  He glanced at a data pad.  “The, uh, Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation, who sound a lot like if the Alliance was ruled by Cerberus, and the Galactic Empire and Imperium of Man, who,” this was accompanied by a slightly incredulous chuckle, “Sound like some nightmare governments from a bad movie.”  Shepard rubbed the back of his neck again.

“...yeah.  Sure.  I… how should I even start,” he rubbed his neck again, “The IMC is what you think would happen if a super-corporation gained enough power to rule humanity, the Galactic Empire took power after a Galactic Republic kinda lost a horrible war.” He still wasn’t 100% sure about the politics from that particular galaxy.  He shrugged, then continued.  “But, uh, both of those governments are on the decline.  Their opposite, more freedom-loving numbers have recently beat them back.  It’s the third one that’s the problem.”  Anderson shot him a look that clearly said ‘explain’.  “You see… well, how should I put this…” He frowned as he considered what to say.  “The Imperium of Man makes Terra Firma look violently pro-alien.”  Terra Firma was the System Alliance's resident human supremacist group.  Often compared to the Nazis of old, they were uncouth, brutal, and, above all, close minded.  Anderson’s eyebrows shot up at this comment.  Shepard rubbed his neck once more.  “Yeah.  No slurs or racial barbs for these guys.”  Shepard leaned in closer to Anderson to get his point across.  “One of their mottos is, and I quote, ‘Suffer not the alien to live’.”  Anderson cradled his head in his arms.  

“Oh, God.  And we invited them to the upcoming first contact talks.”  

“Yep!” replied Shepard with slightly more relish than was actually necessary.  It would be a real shame if xenocidal zealots murdered the Council (maybe), but perhaps it would be a good thing if they shook things up a little.  Certainly, if Cain was anything to go by, they weren’t all bad.  

“How are the other three going to react to all of this?” moaned Anderson, head still in his arms.

“Not quite sure,” replied Shepard, “Although, this time, it’s all politics, so the illustrious Commander Shepard isn’t going to be able to save their collective asses, like I’ve done the last five or six times.”  His face took on a pensive look.  “Although, maybe this will actually get them to listen about the Reapers…”  Anderson and Shepard’s thoughts were broken by a blue-skinned Asari, who politely knocked.

“Excuse me, Councillor Anderson.  The Council is ready to see Commander Shepard,” said the Asari.  Anderson sighed and slowly shook his head.  

“Well, duty calls.  This ought to be interesting.”

The Council chambers were much like the rest of the Citadel: utterly beautiful with a simple and refined elegance.  Too bad such a wonderful room was squandered on the walking wastes of oxygen that were the Council.  At least, that was Shepard’s opinion.  He didn’t have much liking for politicians, and most definitely had no liking for these three in particular.  He looked up at the podium where the Councillors stood.  At least they bothered to meet in person this time.  

There were three Councillors, excluding Anderson, each from a different species.  The Asari, a graceful, elegant monogendered race of blue-skinned women, the Salarians, a short lived but extremely intelligent race of amphibians, and the Turians, a militaristic race descended from avians.  Humanity was the most recent addition to the Council, a move that many seem to resent, but thanks to Commander John Shepard saving the Citadel and the Council it housed, a move that no one could oppose.  

“Commander Shepard,” began Sparatus, the Turian Councillor.  “While we appreciate being given information about these new galaxies,” this was inflicted by a measure of sarcasm, “Some of this seems quite hard to believe.”  ‘Just like the Reapers’ remained unsaid, but everyone was thinking it.  Shepard sighed inwardly.  It’s going to be one of these meetings.  

“Yes.  You went off on your own, chasing some message, and just sent this data back.  Explain yourself,” said Tevos, the Asari Councillor.  Anderson looked like he was about to intervene on Shepard’s behalf, but was interrupted.  

“Some of this seems highly unlikely.  First you come up with Reapers, a race of immortal sentient machines hell-bent on killing us all, now this!” intoned Valern, the Salarian Councillor.  Shepard struggled to keep a straight face.  

Calm down! said one part of his mind.  Explain to them what’s happening out there!  Tell them what you’ve seen.  Getting angry will get you nowhere.

Or will it? asked another part.  They didn’t listen about the Reapers, despite being attacked by one, they didn’t listen about your involvement with Cerberus, preferring to label you a terrorist.  They haven’t listened to you about anything.  Maybe anger will help you!  Besides, continued to voice, it's not like you couldn’t find similar employment elsewhere.  The Scoundrels trust you more than these idiots ever have.  I’m sure there are plenty of people who would pay top dollar for someone like you.   

“You know what?  I’m sick of this bullshit,” said Shepard.  “I am goddamn sick and tired of this bullshit.  You can believe whatever you want to believe, despite evidence to the contrary.  I have never lied to you.  I saved your lives.  I saved the Citadel.  I died for you!” he thundered.  The Councillors seemed rather taken aback.  “Yes, still, you don’t heed my warnings!  You don’t follow my advice, even though I have not once lied to any of you.  You sit, on your comfy chairs, trying to keep a peace that will most definitely be shattered.  You do nothing because it is simply more convenient to ignore reality,” he hissed, words dripping with venom.  Spartacus bristled.

“How dare you-”  Shepard whirled around to face him.

“Shut.  The fuck up, Sparatus.”  The calm in Shepard’s voice was deadly.  The Councilors blanched.  No one’s ever talked to them like that before, I’d guess.  He would have laughed if he wasn’t in mid-rant.  “Apparently, what I gave you was good enough to invite all of these governments over for peace talks.  All of them.  You also apparently trusted myself and my new colleagues enough to give them these invitations, instead of contacting these governments directly.”  Which was probably a wise move, in the long run, considering some of the reactions would have been ‘piss off and die’ if the invitations weren’t hand delivered by galaxy wide heroes.  Were they invitations?  Or… treaties?  What was a document inviting someone to a peace talk called?  Shepard shook himself out of his tangent and continued.

“Also, it seems you trust eight unknown people more than you trust the Spectre who has never lied, saved your lives, and died for you.  Have I missed anything?” he spun around to the room, arms outstretched theatrically.  

“Fine then, Shepard,” said Valern.  “You are dismissed.  Apparently,” he threw the word back in Shperad’s face, “Our top intelligence gatherer isn’t loyal to us anymore.  Other Spectres or the STG can take care of finding out what we need to know.”  Tevos and Sparatus looked apprehensive at their colleagues's dismissal.  While they might have been bureaucrats, they knew Shepard was one of the best Spectres and intelligence agents they had.  Shepard gave a laugh; a full throated hearty laugh.

“Oh, yeah.  Have fun with that.  Have fucking fun with that.  Have fucking fun sending the STG or some lone-wolf Spectre against people who have entire armies of super-soldiers at their disposal and who can legally destroy planets*.  Have fucking fun.”  He sneered.  “This is now the intelligence game you’re playing.  You aren’t in complete control anymore.”  Shepard crossed his arms and looked up at the Council.  “So, only one question remains: do you want my help or not?  ‘Cause if you don’t, there isn’t much point in me staying, is there?”  There it was: the ultimatum was out.  Would they back down and realize that Shepard was their best shot, or would they allow their emotions to get in the way?  Honestly, it could probably go either way.  Spartacus shot a look at Anderson.  Anderson replied with a ‘hey, not my problem’ stare.  Tevos cleared her throat.

“It seems we have been remiss, Spectre Shepard.”  Shepard let out a breath he had been silently holding.  While he would have made good on his threat, this was his home galaxy, and he wasn’t particularly sure he wanted to be working for someone like Crossgrow or the Inquisition.  “As you are the only one who has had contact with these people, please give us your opinion on how we should handle this situation.”  Shepard was sure it had probably physically hurt the Council to say that.  He dismissed the thought and returned to his duty.

“First thing first: you have to present a united front.  You can’t disagree with each other.  Second, all of the species’ representatives should be here.”  Before anyone could make an objection, he continued.  “All of them.  Definitely the client races.”  The Council had four races as members, but many more that were under their jurisdiction and not full members.  Many of those races were trying (and, for the most part, failing) to get a seat on the Council itself.  It wouldn’t do if the more open minded government, such as the Federation or GA, came to the Citadel, then saw the Council treating other races as less than equals.  “Even some of the other races who aren’t officially part of the Council, if you think you can control them.”  Shepard paced the floor.

“In addition, you should probably beef up the Citadel fleet.  Send in more ships.  Turian, Asari, Alliance, I don’t care.  We need as much security as possible, and some of these governments will be impressed by shows of force.”  

“Yes… we shall think about this,” replied Tevos.  “Your input will be helpful.  Please stay on the station during the talks.”  Shepard nodded, then came to a realization.  Oh, hell.  The first meeting of all of these governments is only slightly more than a week away.  This was going to be interesting.  Or deadly.  One of the two.  

*ONI can call on Spartans, ISB has Death troopers, and the Inquisition has the Grey Knights and the Deathwatch.  In addition, ISB helped to create the Death Star and has sway over Imperial Navy battlegroups, enough to bombard a planet into uninhabitable-ness, and the Inquisition can enact Exterminatus.  Shepard and the rest of the Scoundrels would know about all of this, except for the Grey Knights.

[rpgchoices]

Heaven’s Vault part 10: the end

Last part, I promise! HV and final considerations about god.

Not a lot of new information at the ancient aquifer, a part from the fact that there must have been small ships there, suggesting that the aquifer was once under water. This might have changed once the hoppers started to be activated and water was sent to the Nebula from the aquifer.

Now, on HV the burial site with the ancient speaking tombs must have been post desertification, which is why it’s still there. I suppose both the big tower and the crashed ship could be connected to the tombs. So it could be lost sailors or the last people living there, the ones who had killed the god and then left the story on the metal tower.

In the second case, I wonder how come people did not escape and if maybe the exploration of the Nebula had already started but some people were trapped there (the tribute of people that the god demanded?).

The god is dead and inside we do find something that Enkei identify as robot metal, fallen. The ship does use Enkei to speak, so maybe it once had a robot that was killed (reason why all the robots inside were stripped of their projectors and were just servos).

Maybe the one in the center was the body of the actual ship robot.

This could mean that he was actually the seventh god, the dead god, and the god with feet must have been someone else. Maybe after the seventh god was killed, whoever killed him rose to fame, or maybe the god with feet predates the death of the seventh god and was the original god of the population?

Maybe: - Heaven's Vault god (the ship's main robot) - tribute of people in the village, could be a tribute of people right there around the vault. People for what? Working to repair the ship? Recording themselves in robots? - Killed by the overseer or someone who later became the god with feet

This time I chose to switch off the ship, which stopped the draining of the rivers, and Enkei/Six remained there, which gives a hint of hope! (or not... as... Enkei could just rule over the whole Nebula if she gathers more information there).

And now... this is the timeline that this playthrough gave me:

(years ago)

4020: Eagle and Sun symbol in use 3920: Ancient observatory is founded THE FIRST DAYS start here (and ANCIENT AGE) 3810: Ancient develops Hoppers 2700: Ancients connect the wellsprings together? 2500 SETTLEMENT AGE starts (still ANCIENT AGE) 2500: Heaven's Vault is sealed 2430: Ship crashed on the forest moon (water all over the moon?) 2330: Link between Heaven's Vault and aquifer is established? 2300 to 1500: Hopper network is built to transport water around the Nebula? 1730: Colossal statue placed on Elboreth 1700: Goddess erected on Maersi? 1680: Death Goddess placed 1670: AGE OF SAIL starts During the whole Age of Sail: The Citadel of Elboreth is Built 1620: Construction of the Nightingale 1560: Market place estanblished? 1340: Walkways suspended in the mining outpost? ~1260: construction of the dock at the Serpent's Eye ~1200: the Library is burned ~1200: Up-river is created on the Serpent's Eye crater Last 100 years of the Age of Sail: Quarrying of Iolite Crystals? 950: THE STEEL EMPIRE (quarrying of iolite crystals during this whole age) 930: the ship found in the digging site stocked up on crystals? 900: obersevation point is established on the hideout moon? 760: robots control the mine 600: memorials of miners in the mine was built (the bricks with names) 580: THE HOLY EMPIRE (somewhen in the holy empire period the operating panel of the mining moon is broken, maybe at the end?) 280: the first empress disposes of the robots? 550: deification of the first empress and stone brough from Elboreth to the emperor's graveyard 490: emperial garden graveyard is built 510 to 360: emperors record themselves? 450 to 350: the hideout moon is used as hermitage place 350: THE DARK AGE 350 to 340: the last emperor goes into hiding and dies in the hideouf moon 350 to 300: the Fallers establish power on Iox 302: the shrine on the hideout moon runs out of power 265: the loop temple re-established on Iox 207: University of Iox is established 174: Founding the protectorate of Iox and start of MODERN AGE

[ao3feed-lokiangst]

Alternate

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2WAu4Er

by Briana_Dubs

What's that boy? An alternate timeline, you say? A chance to write something better than the dumpster fire that was Endgame? Take me to it!! --((Thor noticed something terrible. Loki was gone. Thor jumped to his feet, spinning around and shouting his brother’s name, but it was over. Loki vanished. And judging by the very empty briefcase sitting a ways across the lobby floor, he had taken the Tesseract with him. “Shit.” ))--

Tesseract Alternate Timeline. Loki takes the cube, what happens next? Well, for one, Tony Stark's cameras catch the other VERY OBVIOUS TONY STARK in the tower while all this is going down. (Seriously, he's a tech giant. He has cameras in his cameras. God, the writers were so dumb.) And maybe the God of Mischief comes back to help the Earth prepare for a very purple threat.

Words: 580, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Ant-Man (Movies), Captain America (Movies)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Tony Stark, Loki (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Clint Barton, Nick Fury, Hank Pym, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Darcy Lewis, Erik Selvig, Heimdall (Marvel), Frigga (Marvel), Odin (Marvel), Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Bruce Banner

Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Jane Foster/Thor, Tony Stark & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Tony Stark & Thor

Additional Tags: relationships will be updated as I write this, Alternate Timeline, fuk u russos, fuk u writers, endgame was trash, but at least i have a chance to rewrite the timeline, scarlet witch does not exist in this timeline, Sorry Not Sorry, neither does vision

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2WAu4Er

[sladewilsonisanantihero]

1980-2011 (Before the New 52 took place)

Comics that Deathstroke had physically appeared in, but not listed in narrative order due to the stories overlapping each other or not connecting at all. No annuals except one is included. Also no series similar to Teen Titans go!, the newest Teen Titans go!, and Tiny Titans.

Also if you might notice a comic missing in the list, please tell me!

1980: New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #2 (December 1980): "Today... the Terminator"

1981: New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #9 (July 1981): "Like Puppets on a String" New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #10 (August 1981): "Promethium: Unbound"

1982: Uncanny X-men and the New teen Titans #1 (January 1982): ""

1983: New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #34 (August 1983): "Endings... and Beginnings!"

1984: New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #39 (February 1984): "Crossroads" Tales of the Teen Titans #42 (May 1984): "The Judas Contract, Book One: The Eyes of Tara Markov" Tales of the Teen Titans #43 (June 1984): "The Judas Contract, Book Two: Betrayal!" Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (July 1984): "The Judas Contract, Book Three: There Shall Come a Titan" Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3 (1984): "The Judas Contract, Part 4: The Finale"

1985: Tales of the Teen Titans #53 (May 1985): "Devil on the Wing!" Tales of the Teen Titans #54 (June 1985): "Blind Justice!" Tales of the Teen Titans #55 (July 1985): "Shades of Gray" Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (August 1985): "Worlds in Limbo" Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (December 1985): "War Zone"

1986: 1987: 1988: 1989:

1990: New Titans #62 (January 1990): "Titan Plague" New Titans #63 (February 1990): "Into the Darkness" New Titans #64 (March 1990): "Scourge!" New Titans #65 (April 1990): "Dejavu" New Titans #70 (October 1990): "Clay Pigeons" New Titans #71 (November 1990): "Beginnings... Endings... and (We Promise) New Beginnings!"

1991: New Titans #72 (January 1991): "Death of a Hero!" New Titans #73 (February 1991): "Paradise Lost" New Titans #74 (March 1991): "When Pantha Strikes" New Titans #75 (April 1991): "Countdown to Doomsday!" New Titans #76 (June 1991): "Tower of the Damned!" New Titans #77 (July 1991): "Red Star Rising" New Titans #78 (August 1991): "Mind Over Machine" New Titans #79 (September 1991): "Prelude..." New Titans #81 (December 1991): [No Title] Deathstroke, the Terminator #1 (August 1991): "Full Cycle, Chapter One: Assault!" Deathstroke, the Terminator #2 (September 1991): "Full Cycle, Chapter Two: Kidnapped" Deathstroke, the Terminator #3 (October 1991): [No Title] Deathstroke, the Terminator #4 (November 1991): "Full Cycle, Chapter Four: ...Bombs Bursting in Air!" Deathstroke, the Terminator #5 (December 1991): "Revelations and Revolutions" War of the Gods #4 (December 1991): "In the beginning...there was the end"

1992: Wonderwoman Vol. 2 #61 (January 1992): "To avenge an Amazon" Wonderwoman Vol. 2 #63 (June 1992): "operation: cheetah part 2" New Titans #82 (January 1992): "The Jericho Gambit, Part 1: The Saviors!" New Titans #83 (February 1992): "The Jericho Gambit, Part 2: A Thousand Souls!" New Titans #84 (March 1992): "The Jericho Gambit, Part 3: Endings... and Beginnings!" New Titans #85 (April 1992): "Dirge" Superman Vol. 2 #65 (March 1992): [10] "Panic In the Sky! Second Strike: Head Man" Adventures of Superman #488 (March 1992): [11] "Panic In the Sky! Third Strike: Counter Strike!" Action Comics #675 (March 1992): [12] "Panic In the Sky! Fourth Strike: Divide and Conquer" Superman: The Man of Steel #10 (April 1992): [13] "Panic In the Sky! Fifth Strike: Tidal Wave!" Superman Vol. 2 #66 (April 1992): [14] "Panic In the Sky! Final Strike: Our Army At War" Adventures of Superman #489 (April 1992): [15] "Panic In the Sky! Epilogue: Hail the Conquering Heroes" New Titans #86 (May 1992): "If This Be Chaos!" Superman Vol. 2 #68 (June 1992): [22] "Sins of the Father" New Titans #90 (September 1992): "That Which Lurks Within A Star!" Team Titans #1/2 (September 1992): "Childhood's End" Eclipso: the darkness within #2 (October 1992): "" Deathstroke, the Terminator #6 (January 1992): "City of Assassins, Episode One: The Offer" Deathstroke, the Terminator #7 (February 1992): "City of Assassins, Episode Two: The Rival" Deathstroke, the Terminator #8 (March 1992): "City of Assassins, Episode Three: The Allies" Deathstroke, the Terminator #9 (April 1992): "City of Assassins, Episode Four: The Resurrection" Deathstroke, the Terminator #10 (May 1992): "The Loneliest Number, Part One: " Deathstroke, the Terminator #11 (June 1992): "The Loneliest Number, Part Two: Crimes and Commitments!" Deathstroke, the Terminator #12 (July 1992): "Sympathy for the Devil" Deathstroke, the Terminator #13 (August 1992): "Terminator Hunt: The Powers That Be!" Deathstroke, the Terminator #14 (September 1992): "Child's Play" Deathstroke, the Terminator #15 (October 1992): "Escape From New York!" Deathstroke, the Terminator #16 (November 1992): "Terminated: The Death of Slade Wilson (Part Seven of Total Chaos)" Deathstroke, the Terminator #17 (December 1992): "The Nuclear Winter Chapter One: DNA"

1993: Deathstroke, the Terminator #18 (January 1993): "The Nuclear Winter Part Two: A Question of Brotherhood" Deathstroke, the Terminator #19 (February 1993): "The Nuclear Winter Part Three: Invasion" Deathstroke, the Terminator #20 (March 1993): "The Nuclear Winter Part Four: Heatwave" Deathstroke, the Terminator #21 (April 1993): "Love and Death" Deathstroke, the Terminator #22 (early May 1993): "The Quality of Mercy, Part One: Fire and Blood" Deathstroke, the Terminator #23 (late May 1993): "The Quality of Mercy, Part Two: The Cold Game" Deathstroke, the Terminator #24 (early June 1993): "Into the Black Dome" Deathstroke, the Terminator #25 (late June 1993): "Escape From the Black Dome" Deathstroke, the Terminator #26 (July 1993): "Gauntlet" Deathstroke, the Terminator #27 (August 1993): "Deathstroke's World Tour, Chapter One: England" Deathstroke, the Terminator #28 (September 1993): "Deathstroke's World Tour, Chapter Two: Versailles" Deathstroke, the Terminator #29 (October 1993): "Deathstroke's World Tour, Chapter Three: Hong Kong" Deathstroke, the Terminator #30 (November 1993): "Deathstroke's World Tour, Chapter Four: China" Deathstroke, the Terminator #31 (December 1993): "Deathstroke's World Tour, Chapter Five: India" Showcase '93 #6/3 (June 1993): "Village Green Preservation Society" Showcase '93 #7/2 (July 1993): "The Kobra Kronicles, Part 2: Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues" Showcase '93 #8/2 (August 1993): "The Kobra Kronicles, Part 3: Brainwashed" Showcase '93 #9/2 (September 1993): "The Kobra Kronicles, Part 4: Get Back in Line" Showcase '93 #10/2 (October 1993): "The Kobra Kronicles, Part 5: Big Black Smoke" Showcase '93 #11/2 (November 1993): "The Kobra Kronicles, Part 6: I'm On An Island" Bloodbath #1 (December 1993): "" Bloodbath #2 (December 1993): ""

1994: Deathstroke, the Terminator #32 (January 1994): "Deathstroke's World Tour, Chapter Six: Paris" Deathstroke, the Terminator #33 (February 1994): "Deathstroke's World Tour, Chapter Seven: Dallas" Deathstroke, the Terminator #34 (March 1994): "Deathstroke's World Tour, Chapter Eight: Egypt" Deathstroke, the Terminator #35 (April 1994): "To Thine Own Self..." Deathstroke, the Terminator #36 (May 1994): "War Crimes" Deathstroke, the Terminator #37 (June 1994): "Sins of the Father" Deathstroke, the Terminator #38 (July 1994): "Land of Milk and Blood" Deathstroke, the Terminator #39 (August 1994): "The Death Doctor" Deathstroke, the Terminator #40 (September 1994): "Wedding in Red" Deathstroke, the Hunted #0 (October 1994): "The Hunted, Prologue" Deathstroke, the Hunted #41 (November 1994): "Deathstroke, the Hunted: Killers" Deathstroke, the Hunted #42 (December 1994): "Deathstroke, the Hunted, Part 3: Warriors!" Green Arrow #84 (March 1994): "Strange attractions" Green Arrow #85 (April 1994): "Chaos Theory"

1995: Deathstroke, the Hunted #43 (January 1995): "Bird of Prey" Deathstroke, the Hunted #44 (February 1995): "Deathstroke, the Hunted, Part V: Roses are Blodd Red" Deathstroke, the Hunted #45 (March 1995): "Deathstroke, the Hunted, Part VI: The Road to Salvation..." Darkstars #32 (March 1995): "The Night They Burned Ol' Dixie Down" Deathstroke, the Hunted #46 (April 1995): "Connections" Deathstroke, the Hunted #47 (May 1995): "Conversion" Deathstroke #48 (June 1995): "Third Strike" New Titans #122 (June 1995): "" Deathstroke #49 (July 1995): "All the King's Men" Deathstroke #50 (August 1995): "Revelations" Deathstroke #51 (September 1995): "" Deathstroke #52 (October 1995): "" Deathstroke #53 (November 1995): "" Deathstroke #54 (December 1995): ""

1996: Deathstroke #55 (January 1996): "" Deathstroke #56 (February 1996): "" Deathstroke #57 (March 1996): "" Deathstroke #58 (April 1996): "" Deathstroke #59 (May 1996): "" Deathstroke #60 (June 1996): ""

1997: Detective Comics #708 (April 1997): "The Death Lottery, Part One: Heart of Glass" Detective Comics #709 (May 1997): "The Death Lottery, Part II: Heart of Stone" Detective Comics #710 (June 1997): "The Death Lottery, Part Three: Heart of Ice"

1998: Nightwing Vol. 2 #17 (February 1998): "The Stalking Skies" Nightwing Vol. 2 #18 (March 1998): "The Hunting Moon" Teen Titans Vol. 2 #22 (July 1998): "Titans Hunt, Part 2: Shades of Glory" Robin Vol. 4 #55 (July 1998): "Brotherhood of the Fist, Part Three: Monkey Fist" Nightwing Vol. 2 #23 (August 1998): "Brotherhood of the Fist, Part Four: Paper Revelations" Green Arrow Vol. 2 #135 (August 1998): "Brotherhood of the Fist, Part 5" Azrael #45 (September 1998): "Angel and the Beast: Deathstroke!" Azrael #46 (October 1998): "Guardian Angel"

1999: JLA vs Titans #2 (January 1999): "The Generation Gap" Titans #9 (November 1999): "Limbo" Titans #10 (December 1999): "The Immortal Coil, Part One"

2000: Titans #11 (January 2000): "The Immortal Coil, Part Two" Titans #12 (February 2000): "The Immortal Coil, Part Three" Action Comics #767 (July 2000): "Critical Condition, part 4: Death's door" Adventures of superman #580 (July 2000): "Critical condition, Part 2 of 4: green universe" Superman: man of steel #102 (July 2000): "The enemy within! Critical condition, part 3 of 4" JLA 80-Page Giant #3 (October 2000): "The Century War II" Birds of Prey #22 (October 2000): "The Hostage Heart, Part One" Birds of Prey #23 (November 2000): "The Hostage Heart, Part Two" Birds of Prey #24 (December 2000): "The Hostage Heart, Part Three: Conclusion" Titans #21 (November 2000): "The Trial of Cheshire, Part One: The Eva Brown Complex" Titans #22 (December 2000): "The Trial of Cheshire, Part Two: Know When to Quit"

2001: Birds of Prey #25 (January 2001): "Old Habits" Catwoman Vol. 2 #94 (July 2001): "" JSA #28 (November 2001): "Face-Off" Wonderwoman Vol. 2 #174 (November 2001): "The witch & the warrior - part 1" Wonderwoman Vol. 2 #175 (December 2001): "The witch & the warrior - part 2: Girl frenzy"

2002: Birds of Prey #43 (July 2002): "Blind Spot" Birds of Prey #44 (August 2002): "Deadly Convergence" Birds of Prey #45 (September 2002): "The Killing Ground" Birds of Prey #46 (October 2002): "Cretaceous Picnic"

2003: Nightwing Vol. 2 #79 (May 2003): "No Son of Mine" Nightwing Vol. 2 #80 (June 2003): "Venn Diagram, Part 1: Close Encounters" Nightwing Vol. 2 #81 (July 2003): "Venn Diagram, Part 2: Friends under fire" Nightwing Vol. 2 #82 (August 2003): "Venn Diagram, Part 3: That and a buck fifty" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #2 (October 2003): "Child's Play" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #3 (November 2003): "A Kid's Game" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #4 (December 2003): "Breaking the Rules" Avengers/JLA #4 (December 2003): "The Brave and The Bold"

2004: Teen Titans Vol. 3 #1/2 (Janurary 2004): "The Ravager" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #5 (January 2004): "Clash of the Teen Titans!" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #7 (March 2004): "Wednesday" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #8 (April 2004): "Family Lost" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #9 (May 2004): "First Blood" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #10 (June 2004): "Raven Rising" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #11 (July 2004): "Raven Rising" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #12 (August 2004): "Raven Rising" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #17 (December 2004): "Titans Tomorrow (Part I of III) - Big Brothers and Sisters" [Ten year future Deathstroke] Identity Crisis #2 (September 2004): "House of Lies" Identity Crisis #3 (October 2004): "Serial Killer"

2005: Teen Titans Vol. 3 #18 (January 2005): "Titans Tomorrow (Part I of III) - Tales of the Titans" [Ten year future Deathstroke] Identity Crisis #6 (January 2005): "Husbands and Wives" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #22 (May 2005): "Lights Out, Part Two: War and Peace" [Disguised as Batman] Teen Titans Vol. 3 #23 (June 2005): "Lights Out, Part Three: Secrets and Lies" [Disguised as Batman] The Outsiders #21 (April 2005): "Silent Partner" The Outsiders #22 (May 2005): "Deep throat" JSA #70 (April 2005): "JSA/JSA, Chapter III: High Societies" Batgirl Vol. 1 #62 (May 2005): "The Hood (Part III of III)" Batgirl Vol. 1 #63 (June 2005): "Sex, thugs and rock n' roll" Batgirl Vol. 1 #64 (July 2005): "Blade of the Ravager" Green Arrow Vol. 3 #50 (July 2005): "New Business Part All Together Now" Batgirl Vol. 1 #69 (December 2005): "" Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1 (2005): "Countdown to Infinite Crisis" Villains United #1 (July 2005): "Villains United, One: And Empires In Their Purpose" Villains United #3 (September 2005): "Privileged To Spill Her Blood" Batman, Gotham Knights #66 (August 2005): "Job Termination" Batman #646 (December 2005): "Franchise, Part 1: Supply Side Economics" Villains United #5 (November 2005): "Villains United, Part Five: Victims of Aggression" Villains United #6 (December 2005): "Villains United, Part Six: At the End of All Things" Nightwing Vol. 2 #111 (October 2005): "Signed, Sophia" Nightwing Vol. 2 #112 (November 2005): "The Devil you know" Nightwing Vol. 2 #113 (December 2005): "The Scorpion and the frog" Birds of Prey #87 (December 2005): "Perfect Pitch, Part 1" Infinite Crisis #1 (December 2005): "DC Comics Presents Infinite Crisis"

2006: Nightwing Vol. 2 #114 (January 2006): "Cowboys and Indias" Nightwing Vol. 2 #115 (February 2006): "No-fly zone" Nightwing Vol. 2 #116 (March 2006): "Marathon" Nightwing Vol. 2 #117 (April 2006): "Fix you" Batman #647 (January 2006): "Franchise, Part 2: The Away Team" Infinite Crisis #2 (January 2006): "The Survivors" Infinite Crisis #7 (June 2006): "Finale" Green Arrow Vol. 3 #57 (February 2006): "Heading into the light part 4: House warming" Birds of Prey #89 (February 2006): "Perfect Pitch, Part 3" Birds of Prey #90 (March 2006): "Perfect Pitch, Part 5" Adventures of superman (April 2006): "Superman, this is your life, part 3" Green Arrow Vol. 3 #60 (May 2006): "Crawling Through the Wreckage, Part One: New Sheriff in Town!" Green Arrow Vol. 3 #61 (June 2006): "Crawling Through the Wreckage, Part Two: Green Party Agenda" Green Arrow Vol. 3 #62 (July 2006): "Crawling Through the Wreckage, Part Three: An Eye For An Eye" Green Arrow Vol. 3 #63 (August 2006): "Wild, Part One: Busted!" Green Arrow Vol. 3 #64 (September 2006): "Wild, Part Two: Odd Pairings" Green Arrow Vol. 3 #65 (October 2006): "A Kick to the Front, then a Kick to the Back, the a Good Side Kick"

2007: Green Arrow Vol. 3 #69 (February 2007): "Seeing Red, Part One: Out of Town Guests" Green Arrow Vol. 3 #71 (April 2007): "Seeing Red, Part Three: Change Partners" Green Arrow Vol. 3 #74 (July 2007): "Jericho, Part Two: Seems Like Old Times" Green Arrow Vol. 3 #75 (August 2007): "Jericho, Conclusion: And the Walls Came Tumbling Down" The Flash: The fastest man alive #7 (February 2007): "Speedquest, Chapter 1: Angel City" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #43 (March 2007): "Titans Easts (Part I of IV)" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #44 (April 2007): "Titans East (Part II of IV)" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #45 (May 2007): "Titans East (Part III of IV)" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #46 (June 2007): "Titans East (Part IV of IV)" Justice League of America Vol. 2 #12 (October 2007): ""

2008: Justice League of America Vol. 2 #15 (January 2008): "Unlimited, chapter 4: Unleashed" Trinity #14 (September 2008): "So what now?; Let the burning begin" Batgirl Vol. 2 #3 (November 2008): "Redemption road, chapter 3: daughters" Batgirl Vol. 2 #4 (December 2008): "Redemption road, chapter 4: daddy issues"

2009: Trinity #38 (February 2009): "Who are you?; the last stand" Trinity #39 (February 2009): "Metropolis; the power you deserve" Faces of Evil: Deathstroke #1 (March 2009) The Outsiders #15 (April 2009): "The deep, part 1: origins & omens" The Outsiders #17 (June 2009): "The deep, part 3" The Outsiders #18 (July 2009): "The deep, part 4" The Outsiders #19 (August 2009): "the deep, part 5" Final Crisis #2 (June 2009): "" Booster Gold #22 (September 2009): "Day of Death, Part 2 of 4; armor-plated; part 2: silver spoon" Booster Gold #24 (November 2009): "Day of Death, Epilogue; black and blue, part 1 of 2" Booster Gold #25 (December 2009): "Day of Death, Aftermath; Black and blue, part 2 of 2" Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink #6 (December 2009): "Footprints"

2010: Teen Titans Vol. 3 #77 (January 2010): "A family Affair" Teen Titans Vol. 3 #78 (February 2010): "Tortured Souls" Justice League of America Vol. 2 #44 (June 2010): "Devil in the details" Batman and Robin #11 (June 2010): "Batman Vs. Robin, Part 2: Boneyard" Batman and Robin #12 (July 2010): "Batman Vs. Robin, Part 3: Mexican Train" Titans #24 (August 2010): "Rude Awakenings" Titans #25 (September 2010): "Darkness Falls" Titans #26 (October 2010): "Suffer the Children" Titans #27 (November 2010): "Lost and Found" Titans #28 (December 2010): "Family Reunion, Part 1: Past Sins" Action comics #891 (September 2010): "The black ring, part 2" Action comics #892 (October 2010): "The black right, part 3; a look at things to come in...superboy" Secret Six #24 (October 2010): "The Six-Guns Blazing"

2011: Titans #29 (January 2011): "Family Reunions, Part 2: Clear and present danger" Titans #30 (February 2011): "Family Reunions, Part 3: The future's so dark..." Titans #31 (March  2011): "Family Reunions, Part 4: The fate we make" Titans #32 (April 2011): "Family Reunions, Part 5: Inheritance" Titans #33 (May 2011): "Broken Promises, Part 1: An eye for an eye" Titans #34 (June 2011): "Broke Promises, Part 2: Divided we fall" Action Comics #900 (June 2011): "The black ring, final: reigh of doomsday; life support; autobiography; friday night in the 21st century; the incident; only human; the evolution of the man of tomorrow" Titans #35 (July 2011): "Broken Promises, Part 3: Under Siege" Titans #36 (August 2011): "Broken Promises, Part 4: No way out" Titans #37 (September 2011): "The Methuselah Imperative, Part 2 of 3" Titans #38 (October 2011): "The Methuselah Imperative, Part 3 of 3" DC Universe Online Legends #1 (April 2011): "Legendary"

[authorgraves]

Bernard Malamud

(Apr. 26th 1914 - Mar. 18th 1986)

Brief Bio:

Bernard Malamud was born in Brooklyn, NY, the son of two Russian Jewish immigrants.  He attended high school during the Great Depression, and went on to get his Master's from Columbia.  He married a Roman Catholic girl, much to the chagrin of his parents and hers.  He spent most of his life as a teacher of English and creative writing in New York, Oregon and Vermont.  Throughout his career he wrote novels and short stories.  His works, which he produced at a slow pace, dealt with poverty, immigration and anti-semitism, which earned him several prestigious awards.  He died in Manhattan at age 71.

Notable Works:

The Natural (1952)  

The Magic Barrel (1958 short story collection)  

The Fixer (1966)  

God's Grace (1982)

Notable Awards:

National Book Award for Fiction (1959)  

National Book Award for Fiction (1967)  

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1967)  

O. Henry Award (1969)

The Grave:

Malamud is buried in Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA.  Maps available at the front office give a clear indication of where Malamud's grave is, but it's still hard to find.  It's a flat slab that lies in the middle of a grassy slope, surrounded by other flat slabs, and there are no significant landmarks nearby.  Follow the map to Spelman Road.  His grave is somewhere between Azalea Path and Willow Pond Path.  Be prepared to devote some time to finding him.

Mt. Auburn Cemetery

580 Mt. Auburn St.

Cambridge, MA 02138

Surrounding Area:

Mt. Auburn Cemetery is a sprawling, picturesque place.  On a sunny day, it's a nice place to bring a date for a leisurely stroll.  Two of Malamud's neighbors are Julia Ward Howe and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.  A popular destination for tourists is Washington Tower, from which one can see the entire cemetery.  Across Coolidge Avenue to the east is Cambridge Cemetery.  Those looking for lunch can walk half a mile down Mt. Auburn Street, past the hospital, towards Harvard.

Further Reading:

Mount Auburn Cemetery website  

Mount Auburn Cemetery TripAdvisor  

Bernard Malamud Open Library

"Life is a tragedy full of joy."

[thescholarlynord-blog]

The Power of Cyrodiil

Cyrodiil, Dragon Empire, the Starry Heart of Tamriel and Seat of the Sundered Kings. Home of the most powerful Empires in Tamriel’s history.

Ayleid Guardian. 

Of the Hearthland High Elves, we only know some. They ruled Cyrodiil in a collection of city-states, more than a single nation, where Nenalata is perhaps the most famous for being the last, enduring well into the Alessian purges of all things elven.

           One thing is certain, however, and that is thus; the Ayleids were truly a power to be feared. Not only did the Slave-Rebellion have the aid of the Nords and Ayleid city states, but also of the Divines themselves. The demigod Morihaus-Breath-of-Kyne and Pelinal Whitestrake, the Divine Crusader, both fought with the humans.

The White-Gold Tower.

With the Slave-Rebellion ended and the Ayleids defeated, it signaled the beginning of the most enduring Empire on Tamriel. The 1st Empire of Cyrodiil lasted from approximately 1E243 to 2321.

           The Alessian Empire was centered in the Nibenean Valley, with its holdings waxing and waning. Sancre Tor, a religious center for the Empire, was subject to the relationship between Cyrodiil and Skyrim, having to endure siege and occupation by the Nords.

           At its largest, the Alessian Empire appears to have encompassed parts of southern Skyrim, parts of western Cyrodiil, the Nibenean Valley and High Rock. Neighboring kings and rulers, be they human or elven, seem to have found it necessary or prudent to pay homage to Alessian Emperors like Gorieus. Despite the Empire having adopted the hatred for elves as an official stance by his coronation, Indoril Nerevar, Dumac Dwarfking and Ryain Direnni were in attendance. King Borgas of Skyrim, ally to the Alessians, also outlawed the traditional Eight Divines of the Nords in favor of the Alessian doctrine in Skyrim and the “Shadow of Borgas” was ended only a hundred years later by Wulfharth the Ash-King.

           After the Skyrim Conquests ended, it is likely that the Alessian Empire remained the single most powerful nation in Tamriel for a long time, though they never could dominate their neighbors.

Reman Cyrodiil, as depicted at Sky Haven Temple.

When the Akaviri invaded towards the end of the 1st Era, the final result was that Reman Cyrodiil had not only united the fractured Cyrodiil against the invaders, but Skyrim (possibly also High Rock) and what remained of the invaders as well.

           The Akaviri revolutionized how warfare was done in Tamriel and the Reman Dynasty seemed unstoppable. Even with the Living Gods of Morrowind, the Almsivi, directly leading the war effort on behalf of their people, the Cyrods gained the upper hand just as the Reman line died out.

           The 2nd Empire of Cyrodiil did not die with the Remans, however, and demonstrated just how powerful its armies still were when the Potentate Versidue-Shaie decided to annihilate the military forces of all of his vassals. The 2nd Empire would endure another 100 years after the end of this war.

The Alliance War.

With the end of the 2nd Empire Cyrodiil became the arena for countless ambitious warlords in the following 5 centuries known as the Interregnum. In the 580th year of the 2nd Era, 150 years after the fall of the 2nd Empire, the Three Banners War, or the Alliance War, began. The military dominance once displayed by Cyrodiil was gone.

Talos Stormcrown, Ysmir and Heir to the Seat of Sundered Kings, as depicted in Windhelm 4E201.

In the last days of the Interregnum, the King of Falkreath, then part of Colovia, Cuhlecain began his campaign to unify Cyrodiil. It began in the Reach, where they joined with an army of Nords at Old Hroldan, where the power of Cuhlecain’s general, Talos and his ashen ally, would become known to all. Later, at Sancre Tor, his Voice and cunning would gain him the support of Skyrim against the rest of Tamriel.

           After Talos had usurped Cuhlecain and become Emperor of all Men, he turned his gaze to Morrowind, rather than the Aldmeri Dominion. Here he was given the Numundium by Vivec and it was his tool to become the Emperor of Tamriel, not mortal armies of flesh and blood, unlike Reman and his Legions.

           In Skyrim, Talos is revered. His myth is that of the Nord-become-Emperor and the Pocket Guide to the Empire pushes the view of Skyrim as the beginning of Man’s history on Tamriel. The High Throne of Skyrim, in the city of Solitude, has strong ties to the Septim Dynasty and the Empire.

Emperor Titus Mede II as of 4E201.

With the loss of the Septim Dynasty, the Empire began to fall apart. Slowly, but surely, the Empire loses its provinces.

The Amulet of Kings.

Cyrodiil’s power has waned and waxed, and was at its height under Reman and his Akaviri military methods. As powerful as Talos was, the 3rd Empire was built on an alliance between Cyrodiil and Skyrim. And with the Stormcloak Rebellion, that alliance might break, something many in Skyrim fear. Legate Rikke and Jarl Balgruuf most notable among them.

 Sources

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Rislav_The_Righteous

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Pocket_Guide_to_the_Empire,_1st_Edition/Cyrodiil

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Pocket_Guide_to_the_Empire,_3rd_Edition/Cyrodiil

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Pocket_Guide_to_the_Empire,_1st_Edition/Skyrim

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Pocket_Guide_to_the_Empire,_3rd_Edition/Skyrim

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Last_King_of_the_Ayleids

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Bangkorai,_Shield_of_High_Rock

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Adabal-a

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Shezarr_and_the_Divines

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Legendary_Sancre_Tor

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Battle_of_Sancre_Tor

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Five_Songs_of_King_Wulfharth

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Blades

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:History_of_the_Fighters_Guild

Setting of the Elder Scrolls Online

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Remanada

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Arcturian_Heresy

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:On_Morrowind

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Wolf_Queen

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Loading_Screens#Solitude

[skylinewriter]

Colorado river at Lee’s Ferry in Marble Canyon near the Grand Canyon northeast boundary.

In mid-October I took a few weeks off from the newspaper for a Southwest Adventure in Colorado and southern Utah. After a brief stop in Colorado Springs, I headed west along scenic byways to visit around a dozen National Parks and National Monuments. Mid-October was a bit past the prime leaf peeping season in Colorado and Utah. Many of the Aspen trees, particularly at higher elevations had lost their leaves, but the brilliant yellow leaves of the Cottonwoods along stream beds in picturesque mountain valleys made up for this.

A gnarled Pinion tree in the foreground and Black Canyon of the Gunnison in background.

My first camp site after leaving Colorado Springs was the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  I stopped at the park in part because it was a convenient one day journey from the Springs.  I arrived late, but had no problem finding a campsite.  The deep and narrow black granite canyons are very impressive. I also discovered that my attempts to photograph them did not do them justice.

The next day I hurried south through mountain passes between Ouray and Silverton to avoid a predicted snow storm and then west to Durango and Mesa Verde National Park.

I remember visiting Mesa Verde years ago.  Back then the park was crowded but with some restrictions, visitors could pretty much wander through the ruins at will. Now visitors are pretty much restricted to guided tours of the cliff dwellings by park rangers. In mid-October the  crowds were not a problem, but some tours were closed for the season and others sites were closed for repairs. It is too bad, but I understand the need to control access. Mesa Verde has long been a popular tourist destination, and without some restrictions, the park would be loved to death.

Mesa Verde National Park

From Mesa Verde I traveled west toward The Sleeping Ute – a cluster of peaks that together look like the profile of a sleeping Ute Indian.  The landmark is visible throughout the Four Corners region of southwestern Colorado, northwestern New Mexico, northeastern Arizona, and southwestern Utah.

While browsing over my map at breakfast, I noticed I was just a short distance from Hovenweep National Monument near the Colorado and Utah border. “Hovenweep” means “deserted valley” in Ute/Paiute. The unique tower and fortress structures as well as granaries, dams and residences at Hovenweep date from around the same time as Mesa Verde. According to a brochure, in the late 1200’s, Hovenweep  was home to  2,500 residents.  Due to drought conditions and other factors, by the end of the 13thCentury people began leaving the area.

The unique tower and fortress structures at Hovenweep National Monument date from the 1200’s.

An hour west of Hovenweep is the sprawling Bears Ears National Monument. The signature “Bears Ears” are twin buttes that rise above the surrounding elevation and are visible from as far away as Mesa Verde nearly 150 miles away.

The Bears Ears area is the ancestral home of the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni and Ute Tribe.  The Bears Ears Monument was established by President Obama on December 28, 2016.  The formation of the monument was the result of a cooperative land management agreement between the Tribes and federal agencies.

The Bears Ears National Monument region is named after the twin ear shaped buttes that dominate the landscape of landscape of a region of south-west Utah.

On December 4, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order to redraw Bears Ears National Monument. Under the executive order, the size of the monument could be cut in half.

The Bears Ears area includes Natural Bridges National Monument, the towering red rock spires of the Valley of the Gods, and countless archeological and cultural sites of significance to Native American tribes.

Dispersed camping along Bears Ears road near Natural Bridges National Monument.

Natural Bridges National Monument is home to three natural bridges as well as Puebloan cliff dwellings. Natural bridges are created by the erosive action of moving water.

Valley of the Gods is a sandstone valley of buttes and towers much like Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park just 40 miles away. Valley of the Gods is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and there are no fees to drive the rough and  bumpy 17 mile drive.  As on most BLM land, there are no services  and dispersed camping  is permitted.

Near the Valley of the Gods and at the edge of the canyons overlooking the San Juan river, Goosenecks State Park gets its name from the sinuous goosenecks that tightly twist and turn as the river makes its way to Lake Powell.

North of the State Park the steep, gravel and sometimes single lane Moki Dugway climbs along the edge of sandstone cliffs to the top of Cedar Mesa and Muley Point Overlook.   The view from the Overlook is spectacular and second to none.

Muley Point overlook of San Juan river valley.

In addition to some beautiful photographs and some good stories, traveling in the southwest helped to renew my sense of time and perspective.  The rock formations are timeless.  Traces of  human history in the area date back 13,000 years.  Archeological sites, petroglyphs and pictographs – many of which are inaccessible and hidden – date back as much as 5,000 years.

Valley of the Gods, Utah.

The timeless beauty and the ecological and cultural significance of the area should give us pause. Literally a pause in any attempt to shrink it. The land is a priceless, historic, cultural and national resource that deserves to be preserved and protected for generations to come.

Couple making a selfie at Lower Calf Creek Falls, Escalante, Utah

Bright Angel Point, Grand Canyon North Rim, Arizona

Aspen trees at Grand Canyon National Park North Rim

Muley Point Overlook offers a breath taking view of the meandering San Juan River canyons and Monument Valley in the distance.

Mexican Hat Butte near Mexican Hat, Utah

Desert cactus with buttes and spires of Monument Valley in background.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park was a popular western film location for John Ford and John Wayne western films.

Artist Point, Monument Valley, Navajo Tribal Park, Utah

Monument Valley, Navajo Tribal Park, Utah

Woman poses on horse, Monument Valley, Navajo Tribal Park, Utah

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado.

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado.

      Southwest Adventure In mid-October I took a few weeks off from the newspaper for a Southwest Adventure in Colorado and southern Utah.

[kaos-sverige]

Mac Pro vs. Mac mini — On a Budget!

@Radeon @AMDRyzen @AMDServer @AMD or GTFO !

Published on Jun 22, 2019

SPONSOR: Go to https://molekule.com/ and enter the promo code ‘vector’ to save $75 off your first order. Apple’s got a new Mac Pro and it’s almost everything everyone who loves the Mac Pro wanted. It’s got a bunch of PCIe slots for expansion, all wrapped up in a mini tower case that can grate cheese in more dimensions than ever. If you want to, you can kick it up to 28 Xeon Cascade Lake cores and 1.5 Terabytes of memory. That is, if you work for ILM or Pixar or Skywalker Audio because just going out to buy those cores from Intel will cost you 7 and a half to 10K, and just getting that RAM from… anyone will cost you another 20K. Even the base config will start at 6K, which works out to roughly 3K worth of parts that most industry pros will just rip and replace with their own cards and network storage anyway, and 3K for the case to hold and attach it all. And if you think 3K for a case is a lot, wow do I have a Pro Display stand to show you. Never mind wheels. So many wheels… Or, god, anything made by RED or Hasselblad. But, let’s say you don’t work for a company that makes Avengers movies, and have jobs that let you bill 50K builds directly to mega-corporations or pay them off in a few months, or involves the use of cameras that make the Mac Pro, even tricked out, look strangely normal by comparison. Even on YouTube. Apple has said in the past that the vast majority of their customers buy iOS devices, not Macs, and the vast majority of their Mac customers by notebooks, not desktops, and the vast majority of their desktop customers buy iMacs, but lets say that you, like me, are one of those few, those proud, those loud, single-digit percentage Mac customers and you want something for your desk that doesn’t start at 5 or 6K. There’s the iMac, sure, but there’s also the Mac mini Apple resurrected last October. It’s not a tower but you can stack it. It doesn’t have any internal PCIe slots, but it does have Thunderbolt 3. So, I got to wondering just how far you could take it or, rather, if you couldn’t or wouldn’t afford the Mac Pro, if you could take it far enough to make it into a Mac mini Pro? SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/vectorshow?su... LINKS: Mac mini at Apple: https://www.imore.com/e?link=https%3A... Sonnet eGPU Enclosure: http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx?TSID=15... AMD RX 580: http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx?TSID=15... Belkin USB Hub: http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx?TSID=15... More info: https://www.imore.com/mac-mini-vs-mac... MORE: Merch: https://standard.tv/vector Gear: https://kit.com/reneritchie Web: http://www.imore.com/vector Podcast: http://applepodcasts.com/vector Twitter: https://twitter.com/reneritchie Instagram: https://instagram.com/reneritchie

[hajjandumrah2]

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[djtrumpnetwork-blog]

Hurricane Maria destroys hundreds of homes, knocks out power across Puerto Rico

Fox News Hurricane Maria destroys hundreds of homes, knocks out power across Puerto Rico Hurricane Maria, considered to be the strongest storm to slam Puerto Rico in more than 80 years, has destroyed hundreds of homes and knocked out power to nearly the entire island of 3.4 million people. When the storm made landfall in the U.S. territory early Wednesday as a Category 4 storm with 145-mph winds, it brought down cell towers and power lines, and ripped roofs straight off of homes. The massive power outage came after Hurricane Irma tore through the island weeks ago -- leaving more than 1 million people without electricity. As of Maria's arrival, more than 70,000 residents still had no electricity. Felix Delgado, mayor of the northern coastal town of Catano, said 80 percent of the 454 homes in his neighborhood were destroyed. Delgado said it'll take "months and months and months and months" for Puerto Rico to recover from the devastating storm. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello urged people to have faith: "We are stronger than any hurricane. Together, we will rebuild." He later asked President Donald Trump to declare the island a disaster zone, a step that would open the way to federal aid. https://twitter.com/danicacoto/status/910453879795539968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2F2017%2F09%2F20%2Fhurricane-maria-makes-landfall-in-puerto-rico-as-category-4-storm.html More than 11,000 people were in shelters, Rossello said. In San Juan, Maria's fierce winds toppled trees and ripped away outside materials of high-rise buildings in the city, while people calling local radio stations reported that doors were flying off hinges and a water tank flew away in the island's southern region. https://twitter.com/MikeTheiss/status/910470527239811073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2F2017%2F09%2F20%2Fhurricane-maria-makes-landfall-in-puerto-rico-as-category-4-storm.html Widespread flooding was reported across the island, with dozens of cars half-submerged in some neighborhoods and many streets turned into rivers. Those who sought shelter at a coliseum in San Juan were moved to the building's second and third floors, reported radio station WKAQ 580 AM.

Damage in San Juan, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Maria makes landfall. (Fox News)

Damage in San Juan, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Maria makes landfall. (Fox News) The storm also spawned torrential rainfall across the island, leading to flash flood emergency warnings. Videos posted to Twitter showed floodwaters rushing through the streets of Guayama on the island's southern coast and other locations. Many feared extended power outages on the island would further sink businesses struggling amid a recession that has lasted more than a decade. https://twitter.com/radioislatv/status/910491178851880960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2F2017%2F09%2F20%2Fhurricane-maria-makes-landfall-in-puerto-rico-as-category-4-storm.html https://twitter.com/radioislatv/status/910487814831312896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2F2017%2F09%2F20%2Fhurricane-maria-makes-landfall-in-puerto-rico-as-category-4-storm.html https://twitter.com/radioislatv/status/910537706698092546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2F2017%2F09%2F20%2Fhurricane-maria-makes-landfall-in-puerto-rico-as-category-4-storm.html "This is going to be a disaster," Jean Robert Auguste, who owns two French restaurants and sought shelter at a San Juan hotel, told the Associated Press. "We haven't made any money this month." As Maria approached, President Donald Trump offered his support via Twitter: "Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!" https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/910328626075389952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2F2017%2F09%2F20%2Fhurricane-maria-makes-landfall-in-puerto-rico-as-category-4-storm.html Maria ties for the eighth strongest storm in Atlantic history, when measured by wind speed. Coming in second is this year's Irma, which had 185 mph winds and killed 38 people in the Caribbean and another 36 in the U.S. earlier this month. The National Weather Service office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, warned of "catastrophic damage" from Maria's winds, as well as "life-threatening rainfall flooding having possible devastating impacts" in a hurricane local statement issued Tuesday evening. "Locations may be uninhabitable for weeks or months," according to the NWS. Puerto Rico had long been spared from a direct hit by hurricanes that tend to veer north or south of the island. The last Category 4 hurricane landfall in Puerto Rico occurred in 1932, and the strongest storm to ever hit the island was San Felipe in 1928 with winds of 160 mph. A report from a U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter mission late Tuesday confirmed Maria had strengthened as it neared the U.S. Virgin Islands as maximum sustained winds increased to 175 mph and central pressure dropped to 909 mb, a lower pressure than Irma had at any time. "This is the lowest pressure for any Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Dean's 905-mb minimum central pressure in August 2007," Dean said. "It is also the 10th-most-intense hurricane in Atlantic Basin history, based on minimum central pressure."

Damage in San Juan, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Maria makes landfall. (Fox News) The storm's center passed near St. Croix overnight Tuesday, prompting U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp to insist that people remain alert. St. Croix was largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma on the chain's St. Thomas and St. John islands just two weeks ago. But this time, the island would experience five hours of hurricane force winds, Mapp said. "For folks in their homes, I really recommend that you not be in any kind of sleepwear," he said during a brief news conference. "Make sure you have your shoes on. Make sure you have a jacket around. Something for your head in case your roof should breach. ... I don't really recommend you be sleeping from 11 o'clock to 4 (a.m.). ... Be aware of what's going on around you." Maria causes 'widespread devastation' in Caribbean Before slamming Puerto Rico, Maria caused widespread destruction across several islands in the Caribbean, leaving at least 9 dead. The storm killed one person in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe when a tree fell on them Tuesday, and two people aboard a boat were reported missing off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe, officials said.

This photo provided by Frank Phazian shows flooding caused by Hurricane Maria near Le Raizet, Guadeloupe, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (Frank Phazian via AP) About 40 percent of the island — 80,000 homes — were without power and flooding was reported in several communities. The storm also blew over the tiny eastern Caribbean island of Dominica late Monday, where Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit sent out a series of dramatic posts on his Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/SupportRooseveltSkerrit/posts/999579703517217 "Initial reports are of widespread devastation. So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace," he wrote. He added that that his own roof had blown away.

"The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God," Skerrit wrote before communications went down. An adviser to Skerrit said as of Wednesday morning there have been seven confirmed deaths in the Caribbean country from Maria. Hartley Henry didn't give details about how the deaths occurred, and said the country is "in a daze" with no electricity or power and little to no communications. Henry added in a statement that there has been a "tremendous loss of housing and public buildings" in the mountainous island but the full extent of the damage isn't known.

People walk by a fallen tree off the shore of Sainte-Anne on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, early Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, after the passing of Hurricane Maria. (AP Photo/Dominique Chomereau-Lamotte) (AP) Maria's path after Puerto Rico still to be watched After crossing Puerto Rico, Maria is going to pass near the Dominican Republic on Thursday, then the Turks and Caicos Friday, according to Fox News Senior Meteorologist Janice Dean. Hurricane watches been issued for the Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas, which are still recovering from Irma.

The forecast track of Hurricane Maria. (MyFoxHurricane.com) The eastern Dominican Republic is forecast to pick up 4 to 8 inches of rain, with isolated 12-inch amounts, and may also see hurricane-force winds develop as soon as Wednesday night. "There is still some uncertainty, as any slight jog of the eyewall north could keep the most intense winds off the coast of the Dominican Republic," Dean said. As far as any potential impacts from Maria to the East Coast of the U.S, Dean said "it remains too early to determine."

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THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Ancient marvels The pyramids Hanging gardens of Babylon Statue of Zeus at Olympia Temple of Diana at Ephesus Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Colossus of Rhodes Pharos at Alexandria

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Ancient marvels

Antipater, a Greek author living in the Phoenician port of Sidon, lists in one of his poems the most remarkable creations of mankind. They are seven in number: the pyramids of Egypt; the hanging gardens of Babylon; the walls of Babylon; the statue of Zeus at Olympia; the temple of Artemis at Ephesus; the mausoleum of Halicarnassus; the Colossus of Rhodes.

His list is the basis of the Seven Wonders of the World, much repeated ever since. Posterity makes one change. It seems a waste for Babylon to have two of the wonders. By about the 8th century AD the walls of Babylon have dropped out, to be replaced by the lighthouse of Alexandria.

The pyramids: c.2500 BC

The three pyramids at Giza, a few miles southwest of Cairo, are by far the earliest of Antipater's seven wonders. The largest of the pyramids, built as the tomb of the pharaoh Khufu (known to the Greeks as Cheops), dates from about 2500 BC. No building in the subsequent 4500 years of history has matched this pyramid for sheer bulk. Nearby, and only slightly smaller, are the pyramids created for Khufu's son and grandson, Khafre and Menkure.

The next in date, among the Seven Wonders, follows a very long gap of two millennia. It is the hanging gardens of Babylon.

The hanging gardens of Babylon: c.580 BC

No archaeological trace has been found of the hanging gardens, but tradition assigns them to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar in the last years of Babylon's greatness. One story says that he built them to console a wife, homesick in this flat region for the landscape of her childhood, the mountainous country of the Medes. They are 'hanging' gardens in the sense that the plants appear to float in the air, growing on different levels of artificial terraces irrigated from the Euphrates.

The other five wonders are all connected with Greek civilization. They include the most sacred statue of the entire Greek cult, the image of Zeus at Olympia.

The statue of Zeus at Olympia: c.430 BC

The statue of Zeus is the centerpiece of the god's temple at Olympia. About seven times life-size, it shows him seated on a throne. In one hand, he holds the winged figure which to the Greeks symbolizes victory; in the other is a scepter surmounted by an eagle. The surface of the statue is gold and ivory. In the eyes of the ancient world, this is the masterpiece of the great sculptor Phidias, surpassing even his earlier statue of Athena (also of gold and ivory) for the Parthenon in Athens.

The discovery of the workshop of Phidias at Olympia has enabled archaeologists to date the statue of Zeus to the years around 430 BC. Both the temple and the statue are destroyed in the 5th century AD.

The temple of Diana at Ephesus: c.550 BC

The fourth and fifth wonders of the world are in western Turkey. The temple of Artemis (or Diana) at Ephesus is built in about 550 BC by a man whose name has become a byword for wealth - Croesus, king of Lydia. In keeping with his image, the temple is outstandingly large. But it also contains a famous and unusual statue of Artemis.

This Artemis is not the virgin huntress of Greek myth. She is a local fertility goddess, festooned with swathes of pendulous objects variously interpreted as breasts, eggs or even, it has been argued, testicles (the chief priest of Ephesus is always a eunuch). The temple of Artemis is destroyed by Goths in AD 262.

The mausoleum at Halicarnassus: c.350 BC

Halicarnassus in southwest Turkey (the modern Bodrum) is selected as a new capital in the 4th century BC by the ruler of a small kingdom, Caria. The king is Mausoleums, who dies in about 353 BC. His spectacular tomb, built for him by his widow Artemisia (she is also his sister), has given the world a new word, 'mausoleum'. It is adorned with sculptures, including a frieze of the battle between the Greeks and the female Amazons.

The temple stands until the 12th century AD when it is damaged by an earthquake and later plundered for building materials. Many fragments of the sculptures are in the British Museum.

The Colossus of Rhodes: 292 BC

A giant bronze statue of Helios the sun god, known subsequently as the Colossus of Rhodes, is put up to celebrate the city's survival of a long siege in 305-4 BC. Reinforced with iron and about 30 meters high, it takes some twelve years (292-280 BC) to build and erect beside the harbor. The image of the colossus straddling the harbor entrance is a medieval invention.

Before the end of the 3rd century BC, an earthquake snaps the statue off at the knees. It lies, a humbled giant, until AD 653 when the Arabs captured the island. They break it up for scrap and require, it is said, more than 900 camels to cart it away.

The Pharos at Alexandria: c.280 BC

The sun god Helios features also in the last of the seven wonders. This is the lighthouse put up on the island of Pharos at Alexandria (as a result Pharos becomes the Greek word for any lighthouse). It consists of a three-tier stone tower, said to be more than 120 meters high, which has within it a broad spiral ramp leading up to a platform where fires burn at night. They are reflected out to sea by metal mirrors. Above the fires is a huge statue, of either Alexander or Ptolemy in the guise of Helios.

The lighthouse survives until the 12th century. In the 15th century a fort, still standing today, is built on its ruins.

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