#very small group of individuals known to the government

[ihavedonenothingright]

Honestly getting really fucking pissed at all the people saying "Know someone who's queer or trans? No you don't!" I am not letting this idiocy force me back into the closet. I am not making any of this easy for them. I think everyone should do what they need to in order to protect themselves, and if you feel you need to go back into the closet then I will not judge you, but for the love of god stop telling people they should!!! We don't survive this by fading away into obscurity; if we want any chance at salvaging our rights, we need to be loud. Have you guys forgotten how we got this far in the first place? Hell, we made strides even during the first Trump administration! For fuck's sake, people.

Do what you personally need to in order to remain safe. Do NOT advocate for a country-wide move back into the closet. There are a lot of people who cannot follow you back in there, and they need your help and support. How is the married gay couple supposed to go back into the closet? The trans person who doesn't pass, but has multiple surgeries and all of their documentation changed? Those of us who have spent years in longterm battles with our local administrations to get our correct names, gender markers, and titles recorded? Not only is this "advice" infuriating, it is useless for nearly everyone. You're advocating for the least vulnerable in our community to abandoned solidarity with the most vulnerable, and that will make it so much harder to rebuild when this nightmare is over.

[maniacwatchestheworld]

DPxDC prompt #10: Vicki Vale will roast Vlad alive

[Props and credit to @starry-songs-canvas for creating this idea (sorta) which can be seen and read here... Which I then created the inverse of for this prompt thing... Enjoy!]

After the latest story she published, Vicki Vale of the Gotham Gazette needed to lay low. Preferably somewhere that wasn't Gotham City. She knew that she was provoking retaliation by reporting on Gotham's crime families and their latest involvement in city hall, but she didn't care. The truth needed to be known, and her own personal safety was just a small sacrifice that she was more than happy to make for it.

However, the Gotham Gazette couldn't risk having their star reporter getting mysteriously (but suspiciously) killed in one of Gotham's many, many dark backalleyways. So until the heat died down a little, they decided to assign her to a story out of town where she would undoubtedly be safer.

So that's how Vicki Vale of the Gotham Gazette ended up in Amity Park. She was supposed to be working on a fluff piece. This city had apparently been dealing with one hell of a ghost infestation for a while now, and the Justice League had done practically nothing to help this city deal with this problem. The article was supposed to be about the Justice League and underserved Midwestern cities dealing with unusual problems that only the Justice League could solve. So imagine her surprise when she arrived to town and started digging, only to find a few independent parties actually already dealing with the city's ghost problem, containing the ghosts, and keeping this problem from spreading elsewhere.

Foremost, there was a scientist husband and wife duo who were ghost hunting specalists and inventors. Out of everyone dealing with ghosts in the city, they surprisingly seemed to be the best prepared and had the best equipment for the job. In fact, all of the other major ghost hunting groups and individuals seemed to be using technology based off of their designs... (Certainly there was a story there and someone was probably breaking patent laws, but that would have to be a story for another day.) Secondly were the Guys in White- A little known government organization that specialized in the search and study of ghosts and other possible supernatural anomalies. She had been acquainted with them before, however the task force assigned to this city seemed... Less competent than most... Third was an individual ghost hunter dressed all in red who was known to have a particularly personal hatred for ghosts. She would ride a kind of rocket board over town, and rumor had it that she was actually a teenage girl who was attending the local high school and did the ghost hunting on her hours off from school. Out of the groups of ghost hunters in town, she seemed more interested in destroying ghosts rather than capturing and studying them like the other ghost hunters in town. And last, but certainly not least, was the local ghost boy celebrity hero- a ghost who looked much like a teenage boy who was previously known to the town as "Invis-O-Bill" before it was stated on the news that his name was actually, "Danny Phantom." No one knew why the ghost boy had such a keen interest in capturing ghosts and, according to the rumors, returning them to the place from whence they came, but his efforts were well-known throughout the town, and he was largely adored by the city for it- Especially by the younger crowd.

Vicki had decided to do her due diligence and interview these different groups of ghost hunters before writing this story off entirely. The interviews were interesting, but offered very little for her story. There seemed to be a consensus. While the number of ghosts that needed to be captured could be overwhelming at times, and while the time commitment to hunting ghosts absolutely destroyed the possibility of them having any free time, between the Fentons, Phantom, and the anonymous ghost hunter in red- Whom Vicki had decided to dub "the Red Huntress" for her story (a name that the red-clad ghost hunter seemed to like)- they largely had the problem covered. Sure, backup from the Justice League could be helpful and appreciated, but they didn't really think that the Justice League would be well equipped for their specific problem, and they mostly had it handled. In fact, the Fentons and Red Huntress alike seemed to have a particular passion for ghost hunting that they had no interest in giving up for anything!

As for the question of why people outside of Amity Park thought that this was a problem, while the people actually living there didn't... That yielded a more interesting response... For their part, the Fentons and the Red Huntress didn't know where this perception that they couldn't handle the job was coming from (in fact, the Red Huntress seemed to take particular offense to this idea)... But the Phantom offered a very curious response.

"I don't know... Maybe Vlad's keeping the press from talking about it...?"

"Vlad...?"

"Uh... Yeah! Vlad Masters? The mayor of Amity Park...?"

"You think that he's keeping the news from reporting on the successes of Amity Park's ghost hunters?" Vicki asked it as more of a statement than a question.

"Well, I know that he pays off the local papers to make him look good and for me to look bad, so... I guess it's possible...?"

Vicki thought that was interesting. Very interesting indeed. She thanked the ghost for his time and watched as he flew off, doubtless to find other ghosts menacing the population of Amity Park to defeat them.

She let out a heavy sigh. It looks like this fluff piece about how the Justice League wasn't doing enough to help this community was going to be a bust. The ghost problem was largely covered, and she had suspicions that the Justice League knew this and therefore felt no need to interfere. That wasn't a bad thing. And it certainly wasn't enough of an actual problem to be reported on.

As a reporter, Vicki knew when to trust her gut. And right now her gut was telling her that there was something much more interesting going on in this town other than a little bit of neglect from the Justice League. She pulled out her phone and called her editor-in-chief.

"Hey there, Mr. Ito. Yeah, I'm still in Amity Park, laying low. Think that it's safe for me to come home yet?" She listened to her boss reply over the line. "Oh no, no, that's not a problem at all! I just wanted to call because I think that the current piece is a bust... However... I think that I've come across something even better! Think you can get me some info?" She waited for her boss' response. "Of course, of course! I just wanted to check in with you first. But if you wouldn't mind, could you get someone to help me with digging up as much dirt as we can on Vlad Masters, the current mayor of Amity Park? I just got a tip that he may be paying off the papers here. And from what I've seen, I think that there's something more... Suspicious about him. For now it's just a hunch. But there's something here. I just need to find it."

[the-moon-files]

YESSSSS I BEG GET INTO THE CULTURAL DIDFERENCES BETWEEN HYLIANS AND HUMANS 🙏🙏

...now ur just sweet talking me 🥰 /lh

Not years, well maybe 1 year-

but i have wanted to ramble desperately to smone, even the tumblr void if i had to, abt humans vs. hylians so much, esp with a guide reader or male reader bc whatdya know im into niche stuff that only u and like 2 other ppl like lmao ¯\(ツ)/¯

Anyway im so shocked, since ur like the third person to be interested in this and wanna hear abt it 🥺 🤲💌 here u go!! Hope u like it <333 👉👈

Sun: Masc!Reader (he/him)

Orbit: Humans are Not Hylians/Humans are Space Orcs AU, Headcanons-ish, long overall but each section is kinda short

Stars: Mostly worldbuilding! you've been warned, don't get mad me for not talking abt the boys too much✌️

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: mild cursing, mentions of private area/joke in the clothing headcanons, & Trigger Warnings: none known.

Please comment if I missed any. /gen

☆

just some quick headcanons bc tbh i haven't given it too much thought, and i feel like I've been able to somewhat get into it in other posts? or maybe im thinking of stuff i have in my drafts idk-

Imma make another list, so buckle up for the short ride lol

Courting periods/dating/marriage

individual/small groups society-based hylians v. large personal groups/large community society-based humans

simpler foods hylians v. complex food humans

clothing modesty/style/relationships with fashion

fighting styles/strategies

entertainment complexity/differences

and language

☆

1st one, not much yet, im also making a separate post bc someone else asked me to talk abt that more 🥺

(tysm for all the enthusiastic asks guys <33)

anyway, basically hylian courting is a lot shorter, think “lesbians with the uhaul” type of energy, like sort of the classical medieval “does thee wish to pursue marriage with this one?” ← how hylians ask u out for the first time lmao

if it helps, they do tend to get to know one another well, talking about morals/kids/life goals/preferred lifestyle/house/etc. pretty clearly and quickly, then using the in between time to sort of stew on that information

id say the total time is sort of something like 6 months? maybe 3/4 if they're really compatible

(so bc i love interpreting video game logic for real world building, I actually blame this on how fast Zelda/link get together in games despite having sometimes never met before that moment lol)

like i said, ill be posting about this later

2nd one!!

pretty basic, just saying we don't really see hylians in big groups, despite the organizations they form, like kingdoms/knights or on a more personal level, towns/families/etc.

(once again, in-game appearances/video game logic translated to real life to draw these conclusions)

like not only are family units pretty small, like nuclear family setup, with like 2 parents and 2 kids, or single parent 1 kid type of situation, but the towns or collections of these families arent very big either

hylians kind of use their government the way it was intended lmao?

like the villages and towns matter more for everyday decisions than the kingdom/royalty, like Zelda would esstientally just be the mayor of Castle Town for those constant decisions,

while occasionally is called on to make decisions like for several towns or like is a natural disaster happens

meanwhile humans are, in comparison, in Way Bigger groups, both on an organization scale, and a personal scale

like u have all these specific branches of government, whereas im sure the population difference doesn't help,

and on a personal level, humans can easily have like multiple parents, lots of siblings, and once u combine that with each parent having family too, and those families like to meet up? All together??

yeah, itd look insane to any hylians (who’s smaller extended family may just make up their own village and that's it)

3. I've touched on this

like the use of spices, syrups, seasonings, etc

but also the complexity of dishes too, like chilling cream and mixing it for awhile to make ice cream, or even just getting ordering a pizza,

that's a lot of processing, like making the dough from flour and other ingredients, to letting it rise, to making the tomato paste, making cheese, then combining those things with any other toppings, all into one dish??

i like to think that hylians have only just started to touch on actual complicated cooking processes (as in BOTW, where they sell flour and salt, so people besides Link/Wild must know what to do with it)

this has the advantage of impressing any hylian with what a “creative genius” you are lol

4. look im just a fan of medieval time periods Links

so i think its funny if the hylians are used to like 4/3 layers and ur over here like, “wym, if i take off my shirt there's nothing underneath?”

one of them gets bold enough to ask, “d-do you not. do you not have undergarments??”

you “just my boxers? like just to cover my di-”

also this makes its easy to seduce people here? LMAO

clothes are def higher quality, after all there's not as many artificial processes or materials interfering,

plus u usually get some sick embroidery on it too!!

5. so like i get it, Link is the main fighter in games

but like, the few times there is a war/army in loz games, there's rlly not a lot of strategy, beyond just finding the enemy and fighting

tho im partial to that hylians/most inhabitants of Hyrule abide by the “lets meet up either literally by inviting each other or just between our territories to fight”

with occasional guerilla warfare (by any means necessary/stealth/ambush attacks/strategy) that's only rlly used either by Demise/Ganon, or by the wilder individuals/races in games

or maybe even the more civilized fighters in an emergency

and so that means by this logic that all of the Chain use kind of wild techniques compared to their race/kingdom lmao

id imagine its not too surprising to also see “every fight is a bar fight if its for my life” from individual travelers, so im sure they're not viewed too crazy (esp when ppl know their the hero that constantly has to deal with guerilla warfare from Ganon)

but its be hilarious to watch the reactions of both the Links realizing they’re in a bigger group that should be using “proper” fighting strategies and seeing the general publics reaction to this absolutely feral, armed to the teeth, trained hylians with their equally wild human lol

LMAO everyone thinks ur the reason they started using the more brutal fighting methods bc ur human, ur a bad influence lol

(humans would use it primarily, esp after we converted to use that method in warfare a couple hundred years ago i think?)

changing course a bit, hylians tend to use weapons (to compensate for difference in strength compared to humans, and since they don't experience/get a lesser version of adrenaline)

while humans tend to equally rely on weapons and our body as a weapon (marital arts/basic self-defense)

6. this is mostly bc the hylians only rlly seem to have the basics of music, books/stories, theater, and art

i have, surprise surprise, another post abt how i think this came to be,

mostly based on how human curiosity is indomitable and insatiable and the endless force that has not yet met its immovable object.

or at least an immovable object they haven't at least poked a little, out of curiosity lol

like we went to space for that reason, we reach the most dangerous corners of our planet (deep underwater/volcanoes) out of sheer curiousity/for the sake of simple knowledge of the thing

so needless to say, curiosity can absolutely drive any field to its limits, including the arts, which is why we can have stained glass, or movies/tv shows, hell, the marvel that is Hatsune Miku lmao

(fully for entertainment, a projection of light and sound, what is essentially magical illusions but u did it hte hard way, to the hylians)

on a different entertainment related note, i don't know if the hylians would be super into sports, or not really at all? mostly bc they have to use their fighting/training against real threats, not the sort of “fake” threats that sports are

but on the other hand i could see people like knights wanting to use their abilities for something other than violence and fighting bc their life or their villages lives depended on it

bet the Links would enjoy it for those reasons especially, what with at least sumo wrestling being a sport or activity for them at some point in history, and practically beg u for any new games to play, or to ref their games, bc whewwww

im sure they could get pretty competitive lol

7. obviously, their mostly influenced by the Japanese language

id almost like to imagine a sort of, if not outright Japanese (like with earlier heroes like Sky) then a sort of English-Japanese hybrid further along the line

sort of like how English has German/Greek/Latin roots and therefore u can see what words or structure comes from where, or even how u can understand a fair amount of basic words when other languages share the same roots (english, pants = spanish, pantalones)

would make for some funny miscommunications

or even better, most hylians liking ur unique accent or the Links love to hear u talk bc of it lol

☆

well the fever has broken, i am now free of the sickness that made me hack this up geez

i hope u got some enjoyment out of these my beloved anon!! esp since u were so nice as to ask abt it <33

hope u guys have a great weekend, look out for some more posts, bc its been great to get some more asks in lately and very motivating,

not to mention i actually have time to write now that my siblings graduated/we’ve moved several states over 💀

so i have reliable internet now too! sheesh :’)

Peace out,

🌙

[fdelopera]

Exactly, Anon. Exactly. This is why the Ivy League Universities being turned into Hamasnik terrorist bases is so horrifying. Especially with Jew-hating students attacking Jewish students and professors on campus, with the Universities' sanction. The Universities could shut these Jew-hate riots down. The fact that they don't shows that they want them to continue. They're trying to chase away the Jewish students and professors from these schools. That's always the first step. That's what the Nazis did first, too.

This article is taken from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum website. I highly recommend that everyone read the whole article. But even if you read the first paragraph, you'll see the parallels to what is happening on Ivy League campuses today:

.

After Adolf Hitler was appointed German Chancellor in January 1933, the new Nazi government began an effort to completely reorder public and private life in Germany. 

The Nazi regime quickly targeted German universities—among the most elite in the world at the time—for restructuring according to Nazi principles. While the Nazi Ministry of Education initiated reforms, local Nazi organizations and student activists worked to bring Nazi ideals to German campuses. These forces, along with increasing antisemitism under Nazi rule, transformed everyday life at German universities. Throughout this period, students, faculty, and staff made individual decisions that both upheld and opposed Nazi ideology.

With the passage of the "Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service" in 1933, most Jewish professors in Germany were dismissed from their positions. Others, such as Professor Eugen Mittwoch, were able to keep their posts temporarily only due to the political value of their research. After purging Jewish and "politically undesirable" faculty, the regime then targeted the student body with the "Law Against Overcrowding in Schools and Universities." As German authorities continued to "Aryanize" German universities, Jews increasingly lost the opportunity to teach or study. Many non-Jewish Germans sought to benefit from their persecution. 

The daily business of university life continued in the wake of these new policies, but political concerns increasingly influenced the way professors and students worked and studied. The practice of denunciation, as demonstrated by the "Request for the Investigation of Professor Hans Peters," illustrates the danger posed to both students and faculty if they failed to follow new ideological norms. Those willing to voice support for the new regime—whether out of enthusiasm or practicality—often received promotions or other rewards. Meanwhile, many others quietly accepted the new policies and passively benefited from the persecution of their Jewish peers. Very few, such as the small student group in Munich known as the White Rose, took any significant action to resist the Nazi dictatorship.

The Nazi government and its supporters manipulated several aspects of the country's traditional university system to turn German higher education into a crucial source of support for the new regime. For example, the German student population had been largely male long before the Nazi rise to power, and German campuses were dominated by fraternities.  Those organizations maintained traditional military discipline and dress codes, and their alumni groups exercised significant political power both before and after 1933. Fraternities—often working with the Student Council and Nazi Student League—served  as a powerful and violent force for implementing Nazi principles at universities, often going beyond the party platform in their radicalism. A Report on the Camaraderie House for Female Students of Göttingen shows how Nazi student groups used the format of traditional student organizations to train both men and women to become the next generation of Nazi leaders.

Although the regime could rely on many committed student activists, the Third Reich also sought the support of German professors to lend legitimacy to their policies. Because German universities were state institutions, professors' academic careers became vulnerable to the whims and wishes of the Nazi state. While only a small minority of professors had been Nazi Party members before 1933, several prominent professors quickly voiced their support for the Third Reich. In the new German university, political loyalty was valued over academic ability in the assessment of students and in the selection and promotion of professors. Authorities infused university classrooms with Nazi ideology—as shown in the document, "Foundation of the Advanced School of the German Reich". But prioritizing politics over academics affected the quality of German higher education. 

Nevertheless, professors—even enthusiastic supporters of the new regime—often spoke out against some aspects of Nazi policy. The case of Eduard Kohlrausch shows how his opposition to  student-led book burnings caused his removal from the university administration. Dissent against individual policies, however, did not give rise to any concerted resistance movements. German universities as a whole formed a solid base of support for the Nazi regime, contributing valuable knowledge to the development of technology for the war effort as well as logistical support for the Holocaust.

The Nazification of universities overwhelmed the daily lives of students with new requirements, including mandatory lectures, physical exercises, labor duties, and political assemblies. Many students resented those requirements, even if they supported the Nazi Party. In Heidelberg, for example, where the daily life of students was dominated by political instruction and mandatory physical training, large numbers of students withdrew from the university in search of other educational opportunities. As illustrated in the "Memo Regarding Maria-Elisabeth Koch," students also showed varying degrees of enthusiasm for the labor service that was often required of them in territories occupied by Nazi Germany.

The Nazi government's project of remaking German universities was broadly successful, but it produced unintended consequences. The quality of education suffered significantly as classes were regularly cancelled for political assemblies and students' schedules became filled with ideological and paramilitary training. Moreover, purging Jewish faculty deprived German universities of valuable expertise. Within a few years, many observers in Germany and abroad became deeply skeptical about the quality of German higher education in the Third Reich. Propaganda efforts such as the Carl Schurz tour for American professors and students—documented with a slickly produced video—did not prevent protest. The 550th-anniversary celebration of Heidelberg University met with opposition in Europe, even while prominent American universities such as Harvard accepted invitations.

With the defeat of the Third Reich in 1945, Allied forces occupying Germany began a long-term effort to remove the influence of Nazi ideology in German society. Many German academics who made significant contributions to the Nazi war effort fled to the United States, where they lived comfortable lives and their expertise was highly valued by American universities and the US military. In postwar Germany, many faculty and students who had benefited from the Nazis' discriminatory policies without being especially vocal or enthusiastic supporters of the regime sought to cast their dissent or their silence as forms of political resistance to obscure their own complicity. Although many Germans denied having supported the Nazi regime, antisemitism persisted in postwar Germany. The case of Hermann Budzislawski shows the difficulties encountered by the relatively few German Jews who decided to return to Germany after World War II.

Sources in this collection document the choices facing students and faculty pursuing their everyday lives in the shadow of Nazism and the Holocaust. Over the course of this period, as antisemitic discrimination escalated to mass murder, the higher education system proved to be a source of support—rather than opposition—to the party's project of remaking German society.

[immobiliter]

"So, it turns out, if you fund enough reconstruction efforts in a city-state, the nobles give you the worst job they can think of." "They want shit fixed, and I can do that."

so the amount of canon information we actually have on viscount varric is pretty small honestly ( i am hoping we might get some insight in veilguard, even if it's just to know who is in charge of kirkwall now, nearly 10 years on ), but what is made obvious by his scene with the inquisitor in trespasser is that varric didn't want to be viscount, but was voted in because he was one of the most effective individuals involved in reconstruction following the events of da2 and because he could actually make stuff happen rather than adhering to regulations and getting caught up in the red tape that would naturally accompany something on that scale.

this makes a huge amount of sense: varric is incredibly well connected and has a longstanding history of being the one to get things done. for years, he worked behind bartrand as a "professional younger brother" and he very much does the same for hawke during the game. as he says to carver in their da2 banter:

"You've got people who warm thrones, and people nobody sees who do the real work."

the position of viscount, the highest authority in the city, is arguably what varric would least want to be lmao. BUT he knows the state that kirkwall is in after everything that happened, he cares deeply about all of the ordinary people who live there, and has seen the abuse of power that has gone on in the city for years, so i do think this is a sacrifice he makes willingly because there's nobody else qualified or trustworthy enough for the role ( nor anyone else who wants it clearly lmao and, i mean, who would ), and he has the popularity among the nobles to actually win the vote — not only is he a famous author throughout a lot of southern thedas by this point ( i can't wait to find out if his books have made it to northern thedas in veilguard but i digress ), but he's also well known for being friends with the champion of kirkwall.

however, even though he's accompanied to the exalted council by the former "provisional" viscount bran cavin ( who presumably took over in the immediate aftermath of meredith and is a very by the book kind of guy ), i do think that varric only ever intends his tenure as viscount to be temporary. there is no way that he wants this to be his job for the rest of his life — evident seeing as he is currently in tevinter with harding seeking leads on solas's whereabouts. he's either majorly shirking his duties rn or he's handed over to a successor, and i want to say the latter is likely seeing as my working theory is that varric does not expect to return to kirkwall alive. also, as far as we know, he has no living heirs so upon his retirement or death the title would need to be given to somebody else. and, like bianca, kirkwall is one of the true loves of varric's life, so there is no way that he wouldn't ensure that the city is in a safe pair of hands before he left — unless, of course, he was forced to leave at short notice based on intelligence as to solas's whereabouts and i'm hoping veilguard will clarify this a little for us.

the position of viscount would also limit varric quite a bit. we know he has contacts in the carta, his editor runs a significant portion of the coterie and he has his fingers in a number of other morally questionable pies i'm sure lmao. being an elected head of state and therefore accountable to the people he serves would certainly force him to officially cut ties with some of these groups, though i also like to think that maybe varric enacts some kind of systematic reform to governance in kirkwall as a whole? complete change is needed to ensure that it's not just the nobles who elect one guy to serve as viscount, but that the city's needs are met by a group of individuals, perhaps, who all represent the different factions and groups in the city ( templars, mages, the coterie, the city guard ,the alienage, the nobles ) so that everyone is represented. he'd meet resistance, i'm sure, and i don't know whether varric would be able to push things so far that the citizens of kirkwall could actually vote for their leaders in a democratic society, given the feudal/medieval nature of thedas and the fact that this doesn't seem to be a system in place anywhere in the world ( that we know of ), but i think leaving kirkwall in the hands of a collective union of leaders would bring much more reassurance than leaving power unchecked in the hands of one person.

[bonesandthebees]

alright so I said the other night that I came up with a huge bullet point list detailing a qsmp au that I have no intentions of writing, and several of my lovely anons told me they were down to hear about it so here we go

the inspo for this was kind of like a fusion of breaking dawn (yes from twilight) and the underworld movie series. it's a modern setting where the federation is essentially the vampire government. they watch over all known vampire covens to make sure they aren't taking risks that could possibly expose the existence of vampires to the human population. vampire hunting groups that exist, but for the most part they're small and scattered around the world and don't communicate with one another.

something ends up changing though. covens are attacked by strange green creatures that the vampires believe are created by the hunters, but they're not entirely sure where they come from (these are the binary entities). the creatures are incredibly strong and many covens that are attack lose members.

several of the covens attacked have connections with each other. they slowly form a network finding others around the world that were attacked by these strange creatures, and realize they all have one thing in common: only covens with vampire children were attacked.

the federation backs off saying they don't know anything about the creatures, sounds like the vampire hunters are up to something but they stay out of that stuff. it's very strange, so the attacked groups come together to investigate what the hell is attacking their children, and if the federation had anything to do with it. eventually, they declare themselves one giant coven, and the federation doesn't like that.

info about the groups under the cut!

before joining up into one group, the individual covens originally consisted of:

Phil (ancient), Chayanne (roughly 10-11 years old*, turned when he was 5), Wilbur (very new vampire, literally got turned a few months ago by Quackity), Missa (ancient vampire who got stuck at the bottom of a well for three centuries so he's still catching up with stuff)

Jaiden (new vampire, turned 2-3 years earlier by Roier), Roier (turned 5 years prior by Vegetta), Bobby (around 9-10 years old*, turned within the last year by Roier)

Foolish (at least 300 years old, probably older, he changes his age every time someone asks), Vegetta (200 years old), Leo (turned when she was 7ish, is now 9*)

Fit (roughly 150-200 years old), Ramón (8-9ish*, turned when he was 4 not by Fit)

Bad (between 600 and 800 years old), Dapper (11*, got turned when he was 9 by Bad)

The Brazilians: Cellbit (around 200 years old), Felps (50-60ish, turned by Cellbit), Pac and Mike (no one knows how old they are exactly but they're a bit younger than Cellbit. Also no one is sure which one is older but they know one of them turned the other), Forever (werewolf, not a vampire. Doesn't age because he's pack bonded with vampires and is around 90 years old), Richarlyson (8 years old*, turned when he was 4 by Cellbit)

The French: Baghera (130ish, turned by Etoiles), Etoiles (600-700 years old), Aypierre (300ish?), Antoine (100ish, also turned by Etoiles), Pomme (7 years old*, turned within the last few months by Baghera)

Solo vampires not in a coven who get involved anyway:

Quackity (60ish), Max (70s)

Humans

Charlie (24), Mariana (24)

Now if you're wondering where some other eggs are, they have their place either later on in the story or as backstory. These are just what I imagine the groups to be at the start of everything

*Vampire children do age in this world. When a child is turned they continue to age until they reach a point of physical maturity and will stop. This age is different for every individual, but ranges from late teens to early 20s. No one is sure what affects when a vampire child will stop aging, but some theorize a diet of solely animal blood can cause them to stop aging earlier due to a lack of proper nutrients

I have so many notes about this au including backstories for most of the characters and how they all got their children but I don't want to make this insanely long so please send me asks about the groups!! If not I might just make a post talking about the characters in more specific detail but yeah this au is very fun for me to rotate in the brain microwave lol

[the-guild-association]

The Guild Association

Introduction

The Tri-Realm Guild Association, known colloquially simply as the TRGA or The Guild, is a critically important organization within the Sins of the Eternal universe, with divisions and branch locations found in major cities all across the Underworld, Overworld, and Brightlands, as well as some locations in more remote areas.

Founded under world leaders from all three realms, the Guild's mission statement is to rebuild the world in the aftermath of The Cataclysm, and maintain peace and justice among people of all walks of life. To that end, each TRGA building serves as a sort of hub space where, for a small fee, any person may submit a commission for Guild-employed associates to accept.

The Process

Prior to being officially posted, commissions are subjected to a series of criteria and filters in order to evaluate the validity of a request, the authenticity of the commissioner, the urgency of the job, and a variety of other parameters. Once the process is complete, the commission will be uploaded to the Guild Database, where it can be picked up by any qualifying Guild Associate on a first-come first-served basis. Additionally, once their commissions have been accepted, commissioners reserve the right to refuse a given candidate at their own discretion, at which point compensation (with an upper limit) will be supplied to both parties via the Guild should excessive resources be expended.

Commissions and Commissioners

In order to submit a commission, a client must first pass a background check unique to the Guild Association. While it does search for a criminal history, what it primarily judges is the client's quality of character, an inexplicable criteria derived from numerous gods related to the concept of justice and balance. The data gathered from said gods was then compiled and used to synthesize an algorithm capable of autonomously and infallibly conclude whether a client may hold the right to submit commissions or not. Regardless of whether they pass or fail, all persons who agree to the test will be entered into the Guild Database for future reference.

Once a client has passed this test and been given a membership card that certifies they are eligible to submit jobs to the Guild, there are very few commissions that are off the table. From requesting assistance with buying groceries to hunting wild monsters, and even ordering hits on less-than-desirable individuals or groups, the Guild Association will happily accept and post any and all commissions as long as they pass the initial filtering process.

Affiliations

From a political standpoint, the Guild Association is firmly an independent party separate from all governments and ruling powers. While each branch is contractually obligated to obey the laws of the land they reside in, they cannot be commanded by the ruling powers of that land, nor are they required in any shape or form to assist the military forces of said land should they desire not to.

To ensure the sanctity of this neutrality, branch heads are personally picked and chosen by the reigning sovereigns of each realm, Aeterna of the Underworld, Ultima of the Brightlands, and Telaris of the Overworld. Once chosen, each branch head is made to sign a blood oath that they not abuse their position within the guild for their own political agendas and/or the political agendas of the land they reside. Should they be found in violation of this oath - and rest assured, they will be found out - their reigning sovereign will personally put them on "indefinite probation" and instate a new branch head.

[disneymbti]

Wednesday and Enid from Wednesday big three and personality type

Hi there, sweetie! I really hope you like this a lot!

Wednesday Addams' MBTI Type, Big Three and Enneagram Type

MBTI Type: INTJ [The Architect]

INTJs like to have time alone to recharge and think introspectively.

They tend to listen to their strong intuition and love to see how everything connects together. They are focused on the bigger picture and may overlook small details.

Architects are very logical and rational. They base decisions on what makes sense and might have a harder time connecting emotionally.

They are organized and prefer following a plan. They love to set and achieve goals. 

Big Three: Scorpio Sun, Scorpio Moon and Scorpio Rising

Scorpio Sun: Ruled by Mars and Pluto, the Scorpio Sun is known to be intense, mysterious, and ever-evolving. 

Scorpio Moon: Scorpio Moons are known for their brooding nature that exudes passion. Once you win them over, they are loyal and unconditional in matters of love.

Scorpio Rising: Prone to turning heads, Scorpio ascendents ooze with magnetism and dynamism. They're not known to back away from a challenge. 

Enneagram Type: 5w4 [The Philosopher]

Basic Fear: Type fives with a four wing are afraid of being helpless and incompetent. They tend to overcompensate for this by spending their time developing new knowledge and skills to feel useful and worthy.

Basic Desire: Their basic desire is to feel helpful and able. They express this by passionately pursuing knowledge and understanding of the world.

Philosophers tend to guard themselves by withdrawing from others, which may lead to loneliness.

Enid Sinclair's MBTI Type, Big Three and Enneagram Type

MBTI Type: ESFP [The Entertainer]

ESFPs are very outgoing and lively people. They thrive in groups and prefer not to spend too much time alone.

They are very observant, focusing closely on the details rather than the grand scheme. They think in terms of the present.

Entertainers tend to prioritize emotion when making decisions, concerning themselves more with how their decisions will affect others. They are empathetic and diplomatic.

They rely more on opportunity than rigid scheduling. They are spontaneous and playful people, with a passion for finding new adventures.

Big Three: Sagittarius Sun, Libra Moon and Cancer Rising

Sagittarius Sun:  Sagittarius is governed by the expansive planet Jupiter, and is known for a free-spirited, globe-trotting, philosophical mindset — and wild streak.

Libra Moon: Moon in Libra is makes for a relationship-oriented individual. They may base their decisions upon how they are viewed by others. 

Cancer Rising: Cancer ascendants tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves and take care of those they love.

Enneagram Type: 7w6 [The Pathfinder]

Basic Fear: Sevens with a six wing have a deeply-rooted fear of missing out. They want to be trustworthy and honor commitments, but they also want to leave room to allow for last-minute opportunities.

Basic Desire: Their basic desire is to feel fulfilled and happy. They express this by searching for joy in every small thing that comes their way.

Pathfinders defend themselves by rationalizing away negative feelings. They unconsciously convince themselves that they are happy, even when they are not.

[wildfallproject]

Campaign Summary's (2/4)

The following is a summary of a finished Campaign of D&D 5e which unfolded within Wildfall...

Wildfall Janus | 32 Sessions + Epilogue

Southern Armagh, temperate, gentle, caring, the land gave and the world took. The Rikash Empire, home of innovation and endless progress formed through the destruction of constant cultural conflict; the scattered peoples of the seven settlements attempted to find intellectual and philosophical happiness through domination of the land not unity. Opus Luminas, thought otherwise, and despite its almost guarantee to fail he offered the worlds leaders a chance to find real sanctuary as one. One Empire. He reasoned, rationed, and divided the lucrative south into beaurcratic systems, cultures diffused and ideals became the plight of one ruling class, a Council of leaders, some elected, some grandfathered. The ancient city of Riti, their awing Aeternum Institute and endless farm fields of the Redtile Ward offered to be the new states Capitol, now a symbol of what the whole continent may become. Bureaucratic levels govern every aspect of life in the city, allowing for the individual to dissolve into its orderly current. However, the current is beginning to show its wear in the old walls of Stone Ward, the forbidden word cut into its reliefs, “Change.�� Some think it will come in a philosophical revolution, some think War is on the horizon. But change in Riti is subtle, hiding in the forgotten cracks with its people.

PC's (The Six of Hearts)

Pendragon (Fairytale Human, Glory Paly/Eldritch Fighter)

Silvestri (Tiefling, Twilight Cleric)

Azure (Kobold, Bladesinger Wizard)

Rook (Firbolg, Life Cleric/Mastermind Rogue)

Fiero (Fire Genasi, Phoenix Sorcerer)

Yennefer (High Elf, Eloquence Bard)

When a story ends what is made of its hero's? A question posed at the beging of the campaign. The Empire was promised to be a end of the chaos of the world, the levels of checks and balances ensuring the suffering to be a thing of the past. These characters stories should be over, retired, old, fated and/or doomed. However, fate has pulled them together, drawing them into a Temple to Dragsol now turned nightclub better known as the "Whispered Prayer." Someone has doubled crossed Rook, a once smuggler, who is now themselves double dipping their spying between the Silvereye Smugglers and Marble Consort Governors. The owner of the nightclub, the retired pit fighter Silvestri threatened to have their bar closed once and for all due to such a mishap; pissing off the wrong group of magical investigators, accidentally killing one in the process. This string of bad luck could be called just that, if it were not for the very real threat that has wormed their way into Riti, someone alighting the streets with destructive purpose, a person of destiny it may seem, Vea.

Through an exploration of the self, we turned our attention to the small fates of the small few, wading through the wake of grander fates. Vea, a powerful aasimar, sees themselves as a destroyer, told from birth they were made only for the purpose to hurt, even if they were to run from it or not. Passed that, The Empire has sparked a war with the growing magocracy of Axyindor to the North, bringing into question if the people are those that truly makes the decisions. Our small folk, the Six of Hearts, assist those just as small make their lives the slightest lighter. Heading to the ancestral homes of Azure, the industrialized Torval, and helping those there, family included, lead a proper campaign to succeed from the Empire in good faith. Returning home excited, a new force move overhead, the forgotten sins of the Empire home at last to see it ended.

Elsyvra, The Dustbowl Sovereign, or better known now as Elsie Sov, leader of the Baldur Sov Gang. An Ancient Amber Dragon who once considered herself the protector the Reith badlands, now here to make good a promise. To put down a dying Empire, so that its memory may live in envy not infamy, as a state meant to look up too and not to look down upon. And do, then came the time to make choices, to draw cards. So that The Six of Hearts may ask themselves one last question; are the gods really the ones pulling the strings, or is fate in the hands of those that simply try; or some combination of both.

[a-modernmajorgeneral]

A Neanderthal child with Down’s syndrome survived until at least the age of six, according to a new study whose findings hint at compassionate caregiving among the extinct, archaic human species.

Recent examination of a human fossil unearthed at the Cova Negra archaeological site in the Spanish province of Valencia found traits in the inner-ear anatomy which indicated Down syndrome, in the earliest-known evidence of the genetic condition.

The fossil, which preserves the complete inner-ear anatomy, was excavated in 1989 but its significance was not recognised until recently. It is a fragment of one of the two temporal bones – the right one – that help form the sides and base of the skull, protecting the brain and surrounding the ear canal.

While the researchers cannot be certain whether the fossil was that of a girl or a boy, they have nicknamed the Neanderthal child “Tina”.

Tina’s combination of inner-ear abnormalities is known only in people with Down’s syndrome.

“The pathology which this individual suffered resulted in highly disabling symptoms, including, at the very least, complete deafness, severe vertigo attacks and an inability to maintain balance,” said Mercedes Conde-Valverde, a palaeoanthropologist at the University of Alcalá in Spain, lead author of the study, published in the journal Science Advances.

“Given these symptoms, it is highly unlikely that the mother alone could have provided all the necessary care while also attending to her own needs. Therefore, for Tina to have survived for at least six years, the group must have continuously assisted the mother, either by relieving her in the care of the child, helping with her daily tasks, or both,” Conde-Valverde added.

Among other pathologies, there were abnormalities in the semicircular canals – three small tubes that govern balance and sense head position – and a reduction in the size of the cochlea, the part of the inner ear involved in hearing.

The fossil’s precise age has not been determined, but Conde-Valverde noted that the presence of Neanderthals at the Cova Negra site has been dated to between 273,000 and 146,000 years ago.

Homo neanderthalensis, as Neanderthals are formally called, were more robustly built than Homo sapiens and had larger brows. They lived from about 430,000 years ago to roughly 40,000 years ago. Previous research has shown that Neanderthals were intelligent, and created art, pigments, symbolic objects and perhaps a spoken language, as well as utilising complex group hunting methods.

They disappeared relatively soon after our species spread into their territory.

Previous evidence of Neanderthals caring for their sick and injured prompted a debate over whether this was motivated merely by expectations of reciprocal behaviour or by genuine compassion.

“For decades, it has been known that Neanderthals cared for and looked after their vulnerable companions,” Conde-Valverde said. “However, all known cases of care involved adult individuals, leading some scientists to believe that this behaviour was not genuine altruism but merely an exchange of assistance between equals.

“What was not known until now was a case of an individual who had received extra-maternal care from birth, even though the individual could not reciprocate. The discovery of the Cova Negra fossil supports the existence of true altruism among Neanderthals.”

Archaeological evidence at Cova Negra indicates the site was occupied for short periods at a time by small groups of Neanderthals – hunter-gatherers who roamed the landscape in search of food and other resources. Tina’s age at death, based on the maturation state of certain inner-ear structures, shows unusual longevity for a child in such circumstances with a condition known for intellectual disability and developmental delays.

“The survival of this child, beyond the period of breastfeeding, implies group caregiving, probably more extended than parental caregiving, typical of a highly collaborative social context among the members of the group. Otherwise, it is very difficult to explain the survival of this individual up to the age of six years,” said Valentín Villaverde, a co-author of the study and an emeritus professor of prehistory at the University of Valencia.

Conde-Valverde said: “The discovery of Tina represents the oldest known case of Down’s syndrome and demonstrates that the diversity observed in modern humans was already present in prehistoric times. This finding ensures that the story of human evolution includes us all.”

[tegarrianlore]

Tegarrian Lore official AUs

The nature of the Tegarrian Lore is a bit hard to grasp, part of it is intentional, and the other part is frankly accidental on my part. However, the thing that might be the hardest to understand is that there are official Alternate Universes that exist and are 100% canon. This is due to the fact that the Tegarrian Lore is an infinite multiverse full of possibilities - some of my other worldbuilding projects such as Kyphos or Civen (two fantasy worlds that I will only namedrop) are related to the TGL because they exist in the same Multiverse, called The Tree of Life.

Mainline TGL, the world this blog exists to catalogue, has various moments in history where the timeline splits and a whole new universe is born. Here are the three main ones:

Fallen Grace:

Splitting from the main timeline sometime in the early 1940s, a secretive organization operating for the United States of Torham (USA equivalent) government called PENTAGRAM starts building experimental underground cities/bunkers of gigantic proportions. The biggest of them would be able to house more than 10 million people.

Late into the year 2020, a never-before seen threat emerges: the Infestation. Originating from somewhere beyond the Tree of Life, this cancer spreads selectively through specific universes, and it has chosen this one to nestle. A threat so intimidating that the Sirens flee in terror after their appearance, humanity is left to defend itself against an insurmountable enemy.

By the year 2172, what remains of mankind has settled in two specific enclaves. The Forges of Genansk, a bastion of technological might which produces powerful, colossal God-Engine walking platforms to fight against the Infestation; and the Ark Shelters of Torham, which have taken to mass-producing armies of biotechnological drones known as 'biodroids' to, at the very least, pester the Infestation residing on the surface of the continent of Torham.

Warpath:

In the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium, there is only war. And within a forgotten subsector within Imperium Nihilus, a strange cluster of star systems materialize out of the nothingness of the void. The Sisterworlds of Tegarria and Taubann as they appear at the peak of Freia the Eternal's vast inter-galactic Empire appear without explanation in the brutal Warhammer 40,000 galaxy, reduced to a small group of stars.

Finding themselves alone in an extremely hostile galaxy, the Golden Empire of Freia the Eternal accidentally becomes a major player from the beginning when a fleet lead by Aasir Tsust, the Red Khan and Deuwuulf, the God of the Wild Hunt (son and husband of Freia respectively) encounter a massive fleet from the Chaos Legion of the World Eaters, lead by Angron himself.

From here onwards, Freia and her Demigods will have to adapt to an alien galaxy.

Bureau of Crisis Control:

Diverging late into the 1990s, this universe saw the sudden appearance of a cosmic tree somewhere in Midwestern Torham (USA). When a virus that gives inhumane abilities to its victims spreads through the world population, global society collapses. The Dämmerung Foundation, arguably the most powerful organization in the world, rebrandes itself as the Dämmerung Bureau of Crisis Control, changing their directives to accomodate this new threat.

The world eventually recovers by the late 2020s, as crime-ridden societies full of superhuman individuals form from the ashes of the old world.

The DBCC will have to adapt to restore humanity to its former glory, or succumb to this new strand of humankind that now dominates the world.

[hankwizard]

Doing more Bungeon Crawler posts bc i got some messages saying its cool... blushes like an anime girl and falls over. It's a setting with many countries for the lagomorphic furry inhabitants, so here's one of them: The island of Tephra!

WELCOME TO TEPHRA

Known as the jewel of the Xanadu islands, Tephra (and its small satellite island, Botrus) is one of the world's leading superpowers...

It's also a relatively small island- not even the biggest of the aforementioned Xanadu islands. However, its advantageous position between the oceanic region and the mainland has made it a booming hub of trade- that and its abundant natural resources.

LET'S TALK POLITICS

Tephra is a constitutional monarchy. Their current queen, Opal, is the descendant of the great unifier of Tephra- a revered figure referred to primarily as The Vaporous King. The queen of Tephra is advised by a group of wealthy merchants known as the Affluent Affairs. Tephra is capitalistic, and the city culture has become intensely individualistic in comparison to the still very collectivist farming communities. With the installation of Affluent Affairs, many average citizens have watched as corporate regulations go down, individual taxes go up, and urban development creep into the natural world of the island.

THE NATURAL WORLD

Tephra is a tropical island with only two seasons: The wet season and the dry season. In the wet season, the land regularly floods with nearly-boiling hot water from the large, volcano-like Great Sauna Mountain. The cities and towns of Tephra are built on elevation above fertile floodplains that grows a resilient crop known as fire rice, while towns closer to the jungle collect a vast array of other crops like chickpeas, potatoes, and nearly every fruit imaginable. The many swamps and jungles of Tephra are nearly completely uninhabited. They absorb the hot floods of the Great Sauna Mountain, so while it is exceptionally fertile land, these jungles and swamps are also filled to the brim with giant, ancient growth trees, dense brush, and ferocious wildlife. It's said the deeper into the jungle you go, the bigger everything gets... Still, the rainforest and swamps are vital parts of the land. Without them, where would all that water go every wet season? The towns. That's where. As corporate interests destroy the wildlife, building playgrounds for tourists and the elite, Tephra is at risk of drowning itself from the bottom-up...

(Should be noted that although it's meant to stand on its own, Tephra is primarily based off of Trinidad. There is also influence from the Southeastern United States (Particularly Florida), South Asia and many fantasy settings I enjoy. Tephra is just one of many varied countries set in Bungeon Crawler- and it is NOT the one with the most messed up government!)

Bonus fun-facts:

Their princess is named Yerettê (Rhymes with Barette)

I generally draw Tephrans as being slightly shorter with smaller ears and blue-ish grey/black fur, but they can look like anything! It's more of a motif than canon traits. Non-diagetic.

There are exceptions, but their names tend to be either gem themed or water themed.

They have been invaded by the closest mainland country, Leporida, many times in the distant past due to their resources and strategic placement. Tephra won every time due to their knowledge of Vapormancy- a magical art thats very, very useful for literally killing someone with Carribean-style humidity.

Despite it's problems, I'd probably rate Tephra as one of the better places to live in the setting. It's one of the more modern countries in the game, and they have (gasp) a middle class!

[caxycreations]

'ello, 'ello, Caxy! Also, Happy Halloween! If that still applies, idk my timezones and everyone else's are just really quite odd.

As it is Wednesday, the 1st of November, I'd love to provide my promised Worldbuilding Prompt, just for you!

Please talk to me about your military, if you don't mind! Picking a specific force to stick with, I'm curious if you have any militaries which do a lot of work with non-military government organisations?

Oooh this is a good one!! I don't get much excuse to talk about the militaries.

Okay, so for this I'll go with the Heavusian military since they're the most fleshed out.

And just to get a little extra worldbuilding in, I'll list the ranks and branches in Dornumite, with their English translations in parentheses. Pronunciations will be in brackets.

Heavusian (Dornumite) Military Basics

Heavusian military is very simplified when put to paper as the essential information, but becomes more complex as you go through it properly.

There are three branches and six, universal, ranks. A soldier chooses their branch when enlisting, and is given several aptitude tests which designate them for their starting rank, as well as their role within their chosen branch.

These aptitude tests include: marksmanship, mathematics, mechanical engineering, language comprehension, computer science, electronics information, world knowledge, geography, geometry, mechanical comprehension, word knowledge, electronics information, divine powerset (a test to determine one's Blessing and how it is triggered and used), and general retention skills.

A soldier may be promoted based on time served or performance in their rank, and may be listed as Do Not Promote for a number of reasons, which include but are not limited to

Incapable of higher duties

Consistently fails to meet standard performance for current Rank

Psychological instability (depending on severity can also be cause for termination)

Protection of Interests (used to prevent a crucial individual from being removed from the duties they are necessary for, or to prevent an individual with specialized, classified knowledge from being promoted to another area of operation where that knowledge may be compromised)

Any species may enlist, save for tribrids which, as those familiar with Dornum's policies will know, are executed on-sight.

Ranks

Rikante (Recruit) [R-ih-k-on-t-ay] - A recruit is an enlisted soldier who has not yet completed training. From the moment you enlist to the moment you graduate from training your rank is Recruit. Seniority does not apply to Recruits, and those hours away from graduating are still seen as no better than those who arrived on base moments ago. Recruits are given menial tasks and minimal responsibility, with their jobs on base often consisting of cleaning, cooking, and general upkeep of their living quarters. Time not spent performing a task for the betterment of the base MUST be spent training except during sleeping hours.

Fizare (Officer) [F-iz-arr-ay] - An officer is an enlisted soldier who has completed training and failed to exceed average expectations. They are assigned to a role based on their highest scores in the aptitude test, and placed under the command of a higher ranking soldier. There will typically be nine Fizare to one commanding soldier of the next rank. This grouping is known as a Dermala (literally meaning "ten man") [D-err-m-uh-l-uh]. Fizare are often seen as the "workforce" of the military, performing jobs alongside Recruits, as well as deliveries between bases, repairmen (small arms and vehicular), and general combat scenarios. Seniority is based on time served, with the military officially recognizing Fizare who have served for certain amounts of time as superior, with Fizare gaining a tally mark across their insignia for each year served as Fizare, denoting their experience to others quickly and easily. This has led to nicknames within the ranks such as "unscratched", "one-scratch", "two-scratch", etc. It is customary that, should a Fizare gain ten tally-marks, they be promoted immediately via Seniority Promotion, unless there is significant reasoning not to do so.

Vorokan (Warden) [V-or-oh-k-ah-n] - Vorokan are those who have either completed training with higher than average scores in three or more fields, or have proven themselves to be above average in their field as a Fizare. Vorokan are often in charge of a Dermala, and given leadership roles over Fizare. They are never asked to work alongside Recruits, with Vorokan duties often consisting of repairmen (small arms, large arms, vehicular, and general machinery), leading small combat operations (in tandem with other Vorokan and their Dermala), low-risk scouting missions, and deliveries from bases to leadership strongholds. Vorokan seniority is, like all ranks Fizare and above, based on time served and is denoted by tally marks on their insignia. Unlike Fizare, Vorokan and all ranks above it only require five tally marks to be given Seniority Promotion.

Karlemala (literally "Career Man") [K-arr-l-m-uh-l-uh] - Karlemala are high ranking soldiers that have either earned their place through years of service, significantly higher performance than the average Vorokan, or those who scored exceptionally well in six or more fields on the aptitude tests. They are tasked with leadership roles in their assigned fields, be that combat, strategy formation, engineering, scouting, or base operations. Karlemala are also tasked with commanding a Cigogarva (literally "Five Group") [See-go-g-arr-v-ah] which is comprised of five Dermala. The Cigogarva that Karlemala are in charge of are invariably designated to perform a task the Karlemala scored exceptionally well on during performance evaluations, training, and the aptitude tests. Karlemala duties consist of ensuring Vorokan perform their tasks to standard expectations or better, as well as training and preparing them for potential scenarios that are likely to be encountered by the Cigogarva or the Vorokan's Dermala. Karlemala are also given the responsibility of evaluating Fizare and Vorokan for performance worthy of promotion, and charged with evaluating them as "DNP", or "Do Not Promote", a special evaluation which permanently prevents an individual from exceeding their current rank.

Zolura (Warlord) [Z-oh-l-yoo-r-uh] - Zolura are those who scored exceptionally well on nine or more fields during the aptitude test, have been promoted due to exceptional performance as a Karlemala, or have served as a Karlemala for five years. Zolura are charged with duties such as training Rikante, furthering the skills and studies of Karlemala to prepare them for promotion, leading Hekgarva (literally "Three Group") which are comprised of three Cigogarvas, high-risk scouting missions, and large-scale combat scenarios. Zolura are also tasked with evaluating Karlemala under their command for early promotion or application of the DNP status. Zolura make up the strategists and high-end leadership roles within the military, and are seen as the penultimate symbol of war within the Heavusian military.

Akkdian (literally "Archdevil") [Ah-k-d-ee-ah-n] - Akkdian are the highest level of leadership within the Heavusian military, with only two ways to earn the rank. You must either be a Heavusi who has served as a Zolura for five years and does not hold DNP status, or you must pass with the maximum possible score in every field of the aptitude test, as well as show exemplary performance in all fields as determined by the Zolura overseeing training. In the case of the latter, you must pass a second aptitude test with a score of 90 points (out of 100) or more. The second aptitude test consists of mock combat scenarios both large and small scale, real-time strategy simulations, complex decision-making tests with various possible outcomes, and a series of firing range and killhouse exercises placing the potential Akkdian in difficult and rapid-paced scenarios to test their judgement, instincts, and reasoning. This second test is administered and scored by a team of five existing Akkdian, each scoring the potential Akkdian individually. The soldier's final score is the average of the scores given by each administering Akkdian, and this average must be 90 or higher to pass and be given the rank of Akkdian. Failure means being Ranked at Zolura, until such time they are able to pass (taking the second test once per year) or are listed as DNP. Akkdian are the generals of the Heavusian military, leading their operations at the largest scale, and are expected to perform vastly above their peers at all times. They have absolute authority, with the only higher command being the Heavusian Council in the capitol city of Dornum.

Branches

Gaiavantin (Grounders, literal meaning "Ground Walkers") [G-eye-uh-v-an-t-in]

Gaiavantin are the infantry and foot soldiers, comprised of any and all species, be they mammalian, reptilian, aquatic, flight-or-glide capable, Mundane, or Mythic.

The Gaiavantin work with both of the other branches on recon/scouting missions, search-and-rescue, general combat, infiltration, and their individual duties often consist of coordinating efforts in combat with the other branches, as well as taking the lead in destabilization efforts and all ground-based warfare.

Yinrudin (literal meaning "Wind Riders") [Y-in-r-oo-d-ah-ss]

Yinrudin are the air force, comprising of exclusively flight-and-glide-capable species such as Heavusi, birds, bats, flying squirrels, sugar gliders, etc.

Yinrudin are often recon/scouts, and those serving as pilots of planes, jets, and helicopters are typically charged with working as air support for the other branches. Yinrudin also serve as search-and-rescue for all branches, which has earned them the nickname "Kandurin" [K-ah-n-d-oo-r-uh-ss], meaning "Guardians".

Otezanin (literal meaning "Oceanics") [Oh-t-eh-z-ah-n-in]

Otezanin are the naval force of the Heavusian military. They are exclusively aquatic and semi-aquatic species such as Heavusi, sharks, orcas, whales, sharks, and various amphibian species.

Otezanin typically provide safe landing for Yinrudin off-shore, naval transport for Gaiavantin, naval support in combat via naval artillery and anti-air, as well as serving in stealth operations involving aquatic transport by submarine. Otezanin also serve alongside Yinrudin on ocean-based search-and-rescue operations. Their individual duties often consist of coordinating efforts in combat with the other branches, as well as taking the lead in water-based warfare.

Work with Non-Military Organizations

The Heavusian Military works directly under the command of the Heavusian Council, a political faction that controls Dornum. The Council is not a militaristic group, with the council as a whole serving a similar role to a King, simply split among several individuals working as a political whole.

The Council has also dictated that the Heavusian Military is beneath the BGP (Bureau of Genetic Purity, a group dedicated to enforcing the extermination and prejudice against Tribrids in Dornum) in authority, with the Bureau often calling in entire Cigogarvas of Gaiavantin soldiers to aid in large-scale sweeps during their irregular tribrid hunts.

Closing Notes

WHOO this was a big answer. But I loved it!! Thank you so much for the opportunity to go over something I don't typically get to talk about ^-^ Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday, and have a wonderful evening!

[argyrocratie]

"Dear Comrade — Allow me to say a few words on Kropotkin’s article on anti-militarism published in your last issue. In my opinion, anti-militarism is the doctrine which affirms that military service is an abominable and murderous trade, and that a man ought never to consent to take up arms at the command of the masters, and never fight except for the Social Revolution.

Is this to misunderstand anti-militarism?

Kropotkin seems to have forgotten the antagonism of the classes, the necessity of economic emancipation, and all the Anarchist teachings; and says that an anti-militarist ought always to be ready, in case a war breaks out, to take arms in support of the “country that will be invaded”; which considering the impossibility, at least for the ordinary workman, of verifying in time who is the real aggressor, practically means that Kropotkin’s “anti-militarist” ought always to obey the orders of his government. What remains after that of anti-militarism, and, indeed, of Anarchism too?

As a matter of fact, Kropotkin renounces anti-militarism because he thinks that the national questions must be solved before the social question. For us, national rivalries and hatreds are among the best means the masters have for perpetuating the slavery of the workers, and we must oppose them with all our strength. And so to the right of the small nationalities to preserve, if you like, their language and their customs, that is simply a question of liberty, and will have a real and final solution only when, the States being destroyed, every human group, nay, every individual, will have the right to associate with, and separate from, every other group.

It is very painful for me to oppose a beloved friend like Kropotkin, who has done so much for the cause of Anarchism. But for the very reason that Kropotkin is so much esteemed and loved by us all, it is necessary to make known that we do not follow him in his utterances on the war.

I know that this attitude of Kropotkin is not quite new, and that for more than ten years he has been preaching against the “German danger”; and I confess that we were in the wrong in not giving importance to his Franco-Russian patriotism, and in not foreseeing where his anti-German prejudices would land him. It was because we understood that he meant to invite the French workers to answer a possible German invasion by making a Social Revolution — that is, by taking possession of the French soil, and trying to induce the German workers to fraternise with them in the struggle against French and German oppressors. Certainly we should never have dreamt that Kropotkin could invite the workers to make common cause with governments and masters.

I hope he will see his error, and be again on the side of the workers against all the Governments and all the bourgeois: German, English, French, Russian, Belgian, etc."

-Errico Malatesta, "Anti-Militarism: Was It Properly Understood?" (1914)

[wildwinterlunas]

The real big reasons Old Overwatch Fell: The Public idolized them to much, and mission creep.

The orignal team did the impossible and help save the world in the Crisis. This saw the problem of them being practically deified, overstating their abilities, and put Overwatch in charge of peacekeeping in the aftermath. Not a bad idea at the start of it, but after the war, the allowance given to Overwatch… faded.

Overwatch didn't work well with all the red tape and both Gabe and Jack were maybe not suited for staff roles, not allow the same freedom, and latitude in the first war. Overwatch was built to be the Avengers, not CnC GDI, but everyone excepted them to deliver the same godlike results as before as a peacekeeping force.

And when they couldn't simply because enhanced or not, they were ultimately human? People turned on them, especially if those actually behind the failings of the world stirred the pot to cover their own backs.

Blackwatch, something that was probably approved by some of the very higher ups in the UN, that would later try to tear down Overwatch, gave people a very easy target even though Overwatch needed some sort of black ops unit if only to gather information and deal with sensitive missions that shouldn't be public. Mission creep set up a lot of groundwork for OW's fall because it meant that they were trying to be the Leviathan Force AND the Department of Everything Else at the same time

This is why I say that if Overwatch is to continue being a faction after the defeat of Talon and Null Sector it should stay a vigilante organisation, not being tied down by governments or the UN. Not only because it would allow the members of OW to actually stay and make sure things are ok with the people they help, but also because it gives members the freedom to step away from missions when they want to. They wouldn't be in charge of so much because of the fact that the organisation is so small now.

There is also the fact that with people like Cassidy working in public now I think it would be harder to deify them. You can't ignore the stuff some of the characters have done, the mistakes they made. Even if they were because of the fact that this new OW is working outside the law, it wouldn't really matter what the publics opinion of them was, they just want to do what's right.

I've also been on record criticising the OW universes UN, because they're a bunch of idiots. Both back then and in present time. Giving the soul responsibility of peacekeeping to an organisation that was not made for peacekeeping, not only that but handing control over to one individual, is idiotic at best.

Not only that but the UN refuses to actually take responsibility for anything they failed to do. With Overwatch gone the UN has the responsibility of trying to make peace between Humans and Omnics. Which they have obviously failed to do, and when Null Sector, a direct consequence of their own stupidity, come to bite them in the ass.

What do they do?

Nothing.

They do nothing and they threaten the group of people actually doing something;

Not only that but you are right, the UN must have known about Blackwatch's existence, it was a mandatory addition to Overwatch and Gabriel was assigned the position of Blackwatch commander. Blackwatch actively had bases built that were separate form Overwatch. They would have needed approval for that.

I think everyone forgot that Overwatch were human and not these god like saviours. It's why out of all the old guard Reinhardt is the only one to answer the recall, the only one to keep fighting. It didn't help that a lot of the old guard where also isolated save for a few exceptions like Cassidy, Angela and Sojourn. Overwatch became too big, too fast and was given too many responsibilities. Yes, it worked well for awhile but the foundation already had cracks.

All it took was for one big swing from Talon and the whole thing crumbled down.

[alphaman99]

Who should we choose for our president?

This is a tough question. Our Founding Fathers would say, obviously, the one proven to be the most committed to a severely limited government.

Everything they did, everything they wrote, everything they fought for, was to promise the United States as a small a national government as we could possibly get while still providing for such very real needs as a national defense and a stable currency.

They designed an "electoral college" to select the president. This group of elder statesmen, appointed by the individual states specifically for the purpose of choosing the president, and nothing else, was expected to come as close as possible to eliminating the risk of getting an unknown quantity for president. They wanted it to be someone who was already known and trusted by as many of the old hands at the state level as possible, someone known, trusted, and recognized by the general public.

Now, we don't know for sure where they would stand on every single issue confronting us today, but it's not all that different from the situation in 1788.

Way back then, the country was basically bankrupt, we stood under constant threat of war, we'd been in a depression for about 15 years...

And who did that first electoral college choose for president?

They picked the guy who had been the head of his state's militia as a young man, then a state legislator for twenty years, then had been one of the leaders of a national political movement up and down the coast, back when all the colonies were separate countries.. then served for eight years as the successful commander in chief of our first war as a nation... and then showed his commitment to the cause of limited government by coming out of retirement to serve as president of the Constitutional Convention.

That's who they chose for our first president.

They didn't choose an unknown, a nobody, a zillionaire, a con man, a lackluster minor official. They chose, in fact, arguably the most famous American ever, the one man who could rival Ben Franklin for that title.

They chose, arguably, the most experienced politician available.

And it worked. George Washington was the greatest President America could possibly have had.

John F. Di Leo